Heading out of town on a business trip, so I do not know how much blogging I will get done. I am taking the laptop, but won’t have much time. Kinda concerned about the market right now, as a heap of bad economic news has been released, so that is something to keep your eye on.
At any rate, if you see something worth talking about, throw it in the comments and I will try to catch up on it when I have time.
BTW- Why the hell can’t the McCain campaign respect personal property rights? Jesus, this is like the 15th time they have used music without permission. Are we going to have to add personal property rights to the list of things the modern conservatives don’t give a shit about? I guess it is not surprising, considering they can not even exploit wounded veterans competently.
Blue Buddha
Because outside of bubble-gum country* pop, there really isn’t much music that is both catchy and shares the same views as McCain’s campaign.
——
* And not even real country music, such as what was written over 20 years ago.
Napoleon
Just when you think the McCain campaign can not out do itself, they fuck up the background of the most important speech he has ever given with a picture of some middle school instead of a military hospital. Added bonus more green screen footage for Colbert.
Punchy
Gettin married?
Gunna miss the wrath of Hanna, too. Lots o’ floodin’.
LanceThruster
They should get the rights to play Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” as they never seem to have enough of all three.
Jake
A couple of interesting nuggets on Palin this AM:
1) She’s going to camp out in Alaska for awhile, as she “sees her son off to Iraq.” Didn’t we hear some time ago that there’s no way she’d have enough time to give a deposition for TrooperGate? Hmmm….
2) She’s studying up on foreign policy with…
wait for it…
wait for it…
JOE LIEBERMAN! I assume that means we’ll be hearing a lot from her in the VP debate concerning how the Democrats don’t have the balls to invade Iran, and can’t defend Israel like the John POW McCain.
kate r
The slide show was stunning. I mean green jello, blue jello, rippling waves of wheat, American flags in slo-mo….Walter Reed Middle School vs. Walter Reed Army Hospital.http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/213806.php Did they really not know what the damned hospital looks like? And, yo, why would they want to remind us of Walter Reed when, only a couple of years ago, it was a national disgrace?
Who put him in front of the jello again.
Zifnab
John, John, John. Since when has the Republican Party been about protecting personal property rights? This music is broadcast so that the entire nation can enjoy it. It is for the betterment of the nation that all people are allowed to share and use the music as they see fit and not be constrained by rich Hollywood elitists or their running dog cohorts. We live in a free country where the state is allowed to benefit from the fruits of the people for the betterment of the people. Four legs good, two legs better John. You should know that by now.
greynoldsct00
Heh! Good for the Wilson’s swatting them down, and, pointing out that they didn’t even listen to the lyrics to see if they even made sense. Apparently they didn’t learn anything from the “Born in the USA” incident. Jackasses.
gypsy howell
This is so EPIC FAIL I don’t even know what to say.
These fucktards are trying to run our country? We are so so so so screwed if they win.
Brian J
I know I’m not exactly a neutral observer nor the target audience for McCain’s speech, but I think it’s safe to say that it wasn’t very good. McCain certainly isn’t the natural orator that Obama is, but neither is Hillary Clinton, and she surely gave a solid performance up there. But was there anything memorable about this speech, aside from a few more details about McCain’s time as a POW? I can’t think of anything. I’m not even talking specific policy as much as I am a clear choice about the type of debate he plans to have and a reflection of the last eight years in a way that doesn’t do little more than brush aside what happened. A few days after Obama’s speech, for instance, I kept on saying to myself, “Enough!” That’s how powerful that was to me. Was there anything like that in McCain’s speech?
Warren Terra
I know it’s already in two of the nine comments, but TPM’s post that McCain gave a speech in front of a photo of the Walter Reed Middle School, in California, instead of the Walter Reed Medical Center, absolutely deserves a post of its own.
Dennis - SGMM
There’s no sinister plan behind McCain’s failure to mention the name of Bush or his eight years of maladministration. The old codger just forgot the whole thing.
Dreggas
Hope no epileptics were watching. Oh and the American flag waving on that blue screen, I remember when I was a kid that used to show up on the TeeVee screen on local stations when they were off the air.
John S.
Johnny Cash would be shitting all over McCain if he were still around. He and Willie Nelson would probably be doing commercials together.
Dreggas
Sully is reporting that Todd Palin’s former business partner is trying to get his divorce records sealed
This is the guy the enquirer is saying the barracuda had an affair with.
D-Chance.
Obama should immediately demand the withdrawl of all US troops… from Chicago. It’s just too dangerous over there.
kate r
Once this is all over, I hope Fox gives the Palin family a reality TV series. I mean these people are way way better than that bounty hunter or any degenerate, self-indulgent rock star family ever featured. I’d watch.
kate r
Oh, wait. I already am watching. [goes to the cupboard for more popcorn]
dslak
Sully’s link seems to have overloaded the Alaska court records website.
binzinerator
Property rights only apply to Republicans. Since everyone else is a liberal, and liberal = socialist, and socialism means no private property ownership, the goopers don’t understand why the libs expect to have property rights here.
Sheesh. Libtards are such fucking hypocrites.
Incertus
I have to say, the Republican Convention has been the best thing to happen to the Daily Show in a long time. They’ve been on fire this week. Amy put up the video of Samantha Bee just eviscerating some convention goers on choice. Brilliant stuff.
Paul L.
Like progressives do?
Some Street Organizers At Work – Code Pink
Bootlegger
Did anyone else notice that this was the only flag in the arena? The Dems handed out little flags that were a wave of flaggery, but then some dropped them to be swept up by the Islamofacistcommiejanitors. Red State couldn’t do enough hand wringing over it. So the Reps solution? Don’t put any little flags at risk and instead put a giant picture of one on the screen.
Is it just me or is that both lame and creepy at the same time?
Dreggas
They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
Christianist and spooky,
They’re all together ooky,
The Palin Family.
SGEW
A few random reactions to the RNC, from an Obama supporting, MUP-juice drinkin’, ol’ school lefty liberal:
– When did the Karl Rove party lose their theatrical talents? Did the tech crew purposely sabotage the show? After all, I imagine that the Republicans had to hire a local crew (union, I assume), and St. Paul is hardly a right-wing bastion . . .
– The doublethink is deafening. Mayor Giuliani belittling “urban cosmopolitans”? Gov. Romney mocking “East Coast elites”? Republicans attacking the “failures of Washington”? Accusing Sen. Obama of being a “rock star” and a “celebrity” while ecstatically worshiping Gov. Palin because she’s “exciting” and “interesting” (never mind Sen. McCain’s love of media exposure)? What next, claiming that Sen. Biden is too old for the V.P. job?
– Holy shit these people are white. They’re whiter than the population of St. Paul, fer cryin’ out loud. They’re whiter than the demographics of Alaska!
– And here’s the main one:
I was confused when still-President Bush called us (me?) the “Angry Left”: he was predicting our (my?) reaction to the RNC in general. To wit: I AM REALLY FUCKING ANGRY AT THESE PEOPLE!
– Fuck Godwin’s law; I’m sayin’ it: they’re fascists! Fascists fascists fascists! From “Country First” to the (fake) military show, to the war war war rhetoric, to Gov. Palin’s 36 minute hate, to the “always proud of our country” (including Abu Ghraib, I imagine), to the crowd roaring for blood Blood BLOOD! Literally speaking: These people hate our freedoms.
– They didn’t just dismiss Sen. Obama’s community organizing experience; they didn’t just belittle his past: they mocked the very idea, the very notion of community organizing in general. Thanks a lot! I’m sure that all the people whose jobs have been protected, whose children have been given health care, whose very fucking lives have been saved by community organizers are very, very grateful.
– How DARE they use WTC footage? I WAS THERE, ASSHOLES! I saw that plane hit from my fucking bedroom window! I tasted the ashes and saw the bodies fall! I KNOW WHAT TERRORISM IS, and I do not appreciate you exploiting video footage of people dying, people that I FUCKING PERSONALLY KNEW, in order to justify more wars. Hey GOP: why is it that the two cities that were attacked by terrorists are overwhelmingly supporing the Democratic party? Because we take it fucking seriously!
– You want “uppity”? I’ll show you fucking “uppity,” motherfuckers! ALL THE WAY UP TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
I’ve said it in the past (half jokingly), but I’m dead serious now: if the Republicans win the presidency, after all we’ve been through and all they stand for, I will leave the country that I love, in tears and disgrace. Because I won’t love it anymore.
(Sorry for the rant. Safe travels, Mr. Cole!)
jrg
Nicole Wallace of the McCain Campaign – “Americans don’t care about the issues”.
Oh. My. God. Queue some dumb-ass conservative blaming teh liburls on the mess the U.S. is in. This is your party, Republicans. Take a good look.
Dreggas
I did notice that none of the speakers were wearing their lapel pins either. I mean really WHY DO THE REPUBLICANS HATE ‘MERIKA! Also since there were no American Flags present one has to wonder just WHAT country they mean in country first.
PC
Gov. Lifetime Channel.
TenguPhule
John really should have it so that every post Paul posts says that, because that’s all he ever says.
djork
You know didn’t have any any personal property rights for 5 years?
John McCain, that’s who.
4tehlulz
FIVE AND A HALF YEARS DJORK FIVE AND A HALF YEARS
WHY DO YOU DIMINISH JOHN BUSH BY LEAVING OFF THAT HALF YEAR HUH?
rebmarks
I agree with Blue Buddha —
They don’t have a big enough pool of works to pick from because the majority of artists are probably liberals, and so they just go ahead and use the music knowing that they will only be told to cease and desist and it’ll never amount to a lawsuit.
Not my fault
Stay away from the Enquirer story.
The tidbits that they have releases are VERY CAREFULLY worded. They are not saying that she had an affair, but that there are folks (including relatives) that are saying that she had an affair.
There is no doubts that the extended Palin family puts the Lohans and the Spears to shame, But evidently that’s just how they roll in Alaska and not a big deal.
This story is a mud pit. Don’t jump in.
ppcli
“Sully is reporting that Todd Palin’s former business partner is trying to get his divorce records sealed
This is the guy the enquirer is saying the barracuda had an affair with.”
You can’t keep the Palin scandals straight without a scorecard. I don’t think that Scott Allan Richter is the guy she’s alleged to have had an affair with. Rather he’s the Palin business partner who got the Palins to fire the guy that was dating his (Richter’s) ex-wife. Then they tried to get him fired from the next job he took too.
Ned Raggett
Meanwhile, speaking of Andrews with odd bits of Palin news, Halcro is teasing something for later today. Might not be much but…
Agreed, but it would be interesting to know what prompted the request to seal records. Given anything Palin-related at this point it could easily just be an overall desire for privacy, of course (and after what happened to Levi whatshisname, who could blame the guy?)
Blue Buddha
I’m just waiting for Palin or one of her daughters to get killed or kill someone else. THEN it will become a Lifetime story.
Incertus
Agreed. Plus, it doesn’t fucking matter. The last sixteen years are proof that marital fidelity has no connection to good governance.
Martin
Could be as little as knowing the whole world was about to paw through them and not wanting those details spread far and wide.
Kevin
I Know You Are, But What Am I? would also be appropriate.
Ned Raggett
Uh, thanks for restating my sentence after the one you quoted…?
Ned Raggett
Anyway, you want non-Enquirer red meat, you got it:
Jake
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that, even if it comes out that she had an affair, she’ll stay on the ticket. She’ll make some kind of sobbing confession on national TV and the right-wing religious-nutjobs will swoon.
gex
The Unitary State of Alaska, of course. U-S-A! U-S-A!
Calouste
And the other party in the divorce is Sarah Palin’s former inauguration committee (and probably also gubernatorial campaign) treausurer, who had an affair with and subsequently married Sarah Palin’s former legislative liaison (who got sacked shortly before the divorce proceedings started, rumored to be at the instigation of Todd Palin as a retribution for the affair).
NonyNony
What. The. Hell?
Please tell me that this is a plot summary for some local TV soap opera that they broadcast in Alaska and not actually real events.
Please?
Jeebus.
Cris
Let’s pretend, DC, that you actually care about arguing in good faith. Instead of comparing Chicago handgun fatalities to fatalities of US troops in Iraq, can you please find:
– number of Iraqi citizens killed in sectarian violence over the same period, and compare that to Chicago citizens killed in criminal incidents
– number of Chicago police killed in the line of duty over the same period, and compare that to fatalities of U.S. troops and Iraqi police
Do these things, then come back and tell us whether Iraq is safer than Chicago.
ksmiami
My BJ Friends, say it with me now, the GOP is now fully the party of greed, the party of fear and the party of hate. Rinse and Repeat.
Cris
fucking WP formatting. those dashes were supposed to be bullet points, each on its own line.
wasabi gasp
*
Cris
but I like dashes.
Grumpy Code Monkey
Alaska is starting to make Texas and Florida look…well, not good, but better.
Here’s where you can argue that picking Palin was actually a stroke of genius; she will suck up every available news cycle because the shit just gets crazier the deeper they dig. McCain was starved for oxygen up until he announced Palin, but now the shoe’s on the other foot.
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity” — we may see that in action here over the next couple of weeks.
We’re dealing with Republicans here; all that matters is winning the next election. The reason McCain won’t go into specifics about what he’ll do after he’s elected is because that shit doesn’t matter to him, or to the party in general. They have no plans beyond winning[1]. Palin’s weaknesses as a government official are irrelevant, because they don’t plan on actually governing.
Turnout, people. Turnout, turnout, turnout.
1. Well, that’s not strictly true. They plan on enriching themselves and their cronies at the expense of the country as a whole, but that’s about it. No, I’m not just being cynical. We’ve been seeing it in action over the last 8 years.
Tsulagi
Apparently the principal of Walter Reed Middle School isn’t entirely pleased at this example of Republican braindead incompetence…
This is the brain trust that’s going to find and follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell? Yeah.
J. Michael Neal
Here’s my suggestion for all the folks that are refusing to testify. Great. That’s there prerogative. Of course, it means that all of the rest of the evidence collected is going to go unchallenged and unrebutted. Write the report based upon the uncontradicted evidence available.
McMartin
Bin Laden’s in Michigan? Has anyone told Bush?
Michael Sheridan
You realize they’re doing this on purpose, right? It isn’t incompetence – any reasonably intelligent person intent on playing by the rules, after the 3rd or 4th time somebody issues a “cease and desist”, would start seeking advance permission.
Every time they get a “Hollywood liberal” to complain about how their work can’t be used to support McCain, the wingnuts get another dose of “damn those unpatriotic dirty fucking hippies!” outrage to keep them going for the campaign. Stuff like this is like crack for them – and Rove’s acolytes in the McCain campaign know it.
Sasha
Because it was the most appropriate song available:
If the real thing dont do the trick
You better make up something quick
–Barracuda Chorus, Heart