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You are here: Home / Politics / Republican Stupidity / Not Ready?

Not Ready?

by Tim F|  September 6, 20088:55 am| 188 Comments

This post is in: Republican Stupidity

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About Sarah Palin hiding from the press in Alaska, the latest “spin” from camp McCain is pretty damning.

If she goes out and makes a mistake, that is something that [voters will] care about, and that’s something that will haunt [McCain] for awhile, so I think this is a smart move.

This basically confirms the Democratic point that Sarah Palin can’t handle the national spotlight unless she’s reading off a script that someone else wrote. It’s incredible. When you’re a Republican there is always an interviewer out there willing to softball you through an awkward situation. If she can’t handle Chris Wallace at FOX News, no doubt drooling for the chance to bend over backwards and shove his head up its own ass for the good of the Party, then what sort of challenge is she ready to handle?

But. The guy is a campaign flack managing an embarrassment. You have to assume that he’s shading the truth to cover up something worse. Taking a wild guess, the answer most likely has to do with Palin’s problem with telling the truth. In her short time on the national stage Sarah Palin has lied about practically everything. She lied about opposing the Ketchikan bridge, she lied about selling a state plane on eBay and about making a profit on the sale, she lied about visiting Ireland (her plane refueled there), she lied about fighting lobbyists and pork (she set a record for both), she lied about Obama’s legislative accomplishments.

More, it now appears indisputable that Palin lied her moose hunting ass off about inappropriately using her authority to fire Alaska’s public safety chief. The public record already has more than enough proof that she lied to the Alaskan people about not putting pressure on the commissioner to fire her ex-brother in law. Then she lied about cooperating with the commission. This poses a vexing problem because even Larry King or Chris Wallace have to bring this up and there is literally nothing that Palin can say. If she repeats her earlier denials the evidence will damn her now and the looming investigation report will damn her even worse. The only credible answer would be to come to Jesus on national TV, except that she risks admitting to an impeachable offense.

She can’t lie, she can’t tell the truth. I don’t envy the campaign for the tough spot that McCain’s rash decision left them in. At the same time I don’t much sympathy for Alaska’s lying, power-abusing tinpot Bush.

***Update***

A couple more points. One, the idea that Palin can’t handle a friendly presser is ludicrous. Palin may be green but she isn’t a moron. If Dan Quayle can stumble through at least one campaign without disqualifying daddy Bush then Sarah Palin can handle herself fine. She’s avoiding the press because the campaign doesn’t want to deal with her lies.

Two, good lord. I won’t even quote this one.

***Update 2***

Forget about that last link. Anonymous sources aren’t worth much when her public record is already a target-rich environment.

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Previous Post: « What I Think
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Reader Interactions

188Comments

  1. 1.

    spinkbottle

    September 6, 2008 at 9:01 am

    Man, just when I think it can’t get any lower than “Bush,” we get “Tinpot Bush.” These people really lower the bar, don’t they?

  2. 2.

    GSD

    September 6, 2008 at 9:03 am

    The family values party now declares questions about family values to be beyond the Palin.

    John McCain declares ‘we’re all Georgians now’ and Sarah Palin has taken to wearing an Israeli flag lapel pin.

    Because it’s all about country first.

    Meanwhile the party of unbridled capitalism and small government is set to bail out the elite financiers and charge it to the American people.

    The rot of this nation is so deep and far that there aint no stopping it now.

    -GSD

  3. 3.

    Stuck in the Fun House

    September 6, 2008 at 9:06 am

    This poses a vexing problem because even Larry King or Chris Wallace have to bring this up and there is literally nothing that Palin can say.

    Being a GOP Goddess means never having to say anything, lest you might incriminate yourself. Now that’s elitist if there ever was!

  4. 4.

    Dr. Squid

    September 6, 2008 at 9:09 am

    she lied about selling a state plane on eBay and about making a profit on the sale,

    Actually, Palin committed a sin of omission only saying that she put it up on eBay. This lie is actually McCain’s.

  5. 5.

    Tom Traubert

    September 6, 2008 at 9:11 am

    The more I see of the behind the scenes manipulations, the more I believe that this wasn’t a rash choice by McCain, but a gift to the fundies in exchange for their support. The campaign obviously knew of at least some of the weaknesses; they engineered the dump during the moment that Gustav hit in order to “flush the toilet.” They had the “sexist!!!!!” rebuttal all worked up already, the exec experience, the Alaska First parry. They didn’t dispatch that team to Alaska in order to “vet” the governor, but to shut up her critics and shut down or delay the investigations.

    She seems to be a quick study, so that will make the neocons happy, but basically she’s a fundie. And McCain is old and infirm. Is it any wonder that the fundies are so excited?

    Will they get away with keeping her away from scrutiny until election day? My guess is yes. I think we underestimate this strategy at our peril.

  6. 6.

    zak

    September 6, 2008 at 9:15 am

    This pretty much says it all:
    http://www.andrys.com/palin-kilkenny.html

    Yowzers.

  7. 7.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 9:19 am

    She seems to be a quick study

    Based on what?

    I agree with Tim’s assessment. The campaign response is a half-dodge. They probably are concerned about her making a mistake, but moreso about her having to confront the many half-truths and outright lies she’s spun.

  8. 8.

    Conservatively Liberal

    September 6, 2008 at 9:21 am

    You know it says something that the current occupant of the White House is more qualified than Palin is, and look how bad he fucked things up. Can you imagine the possibilities?

    Now the fundie women demand equal time. It’s their turn to put a fuckup in to office. If I run into any McCain/Palin supporters here in my town, I will be sure to laugh my ass off at their stupidity.

    Right to their faces. Fuck them.

    Palin has the right wing men already furiously pulling their levers and it ain’t even November. I wonder if the White House will offer a pinup calendar for the fundies. Something for them to hang in the garage and wipe the occasional wads of (ahem) grease off of.

  9. 9.

    PK

    September 6, 2008 at 9:24 am

    Add one more shady story to the list. I read on TPM (sorry can’t link) that the plane was sold to some guy for 2.1 mil (less than the 2.7 mil purchase price). The purchaser contributed to Palin’s campaign in 2006.
    She is a piece of work!

  10. 10.

    Davis X. Machina

    September 6, 2008 at 9:42 am

    Lying, or being caught in a lie, isn’t even close to fatal for a candidate in That Party — if it helps to win.

    I expect a Republican administration some day to propose removing ‘E Pluribus, Unum’ from our coinage — first because it isn’t accurate; we’re not ‘one’, we’re ‘us’ and ‘them’, the godly and the ungodly, the haves and the have-nots, the whites and the Others; second because if it’s in Latin, it’s elitist.

    The replacement: Al Davis’ immortal “Just WIn, Baby!”

    (I have decided to call them That Party, the way Lee used to refer to the Union forces as Those People. They’re not Republicans, because they’re don’t believe in a republican form of government. They’re either Monarchists, if they’re secular, or Theocrats, if they’re not.)

  11. 11.

    Heshe

    September 6, 2008 at 9:42 am

    As I said in an earlier post, my best childhood friend, who’s lived in Alaska for over 30 years, said Palin lies about everything. No wonder they have to keep a tight leash on her.

  12. 12.

    Conservatively Liberal

    September 6, 2008 at 9:45 am

    Sarah Palin talking about Obama beating Hillary in the primary:

    “So Sambo beat the bitch!” This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days after Obama locked up the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

    Why am I not surprised?

  13. 13.

    Conservatively Liberal

    September 6, 2008 at 9:47 am

    I forgot the linky!

    Racists and fundies, what a base.

  14. 14.

    tBone

    September 6, 2008 at 9:47 am

    Ready on Day One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight . . .

    Funny how a pitbull with lipstick is far too fragile to face an obsequious press corps. But hey, I’m sure she’d do fine standing up to Putin, what with all that experience living next door and commanding the National Guard.

    If they somehow manage to pull this shit off, expect Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho to be her running mate in 2012.

  15. 15.

    jibeaux

    September 6, 2008 at 9:52 am

    OT, I’m in here in the NC and this is just a graph I really, really like. Dole’s as useless as a bag of hammers and twice as dumb. (I assume the yellow line is the bag of hammers that has entered the race.)

  16. 16.

    Tom Traubert

    September 6, 2008 at 10:01 am

    They probably are concerned about her making a mistake, but moreso about her having to confront the many half-truths and outright lies she’s spun.

    Well, you know, when has that ever stopped a Republican? When has lying ever disqualified a Republican from holding office? George W. Bush, anyone?

    We already know that the mainstream press is fundamentally ill-equipped to deal with The Big Lie. This one is nothing new.

  17. 17.

    Bob UK

    September 6, 2008 at 10:02 am

    Idiocrasy seems to be the perfect intro to the Modern Repug/Theocracy party, now since the election, that film is even funnier :)

  18. 18.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 10:02 am

    More, it now appears indisputable that Palin lied her moose hunting ass off about…

    Something tells me she’s lying about the moose hunting as well… or hunting period. Have you ever seen clips of her handle a rifle? I have, and I wouldn’t want to be in the same county as her if she’s wielding the M-16 that she supposedly owns.

    What’s worse than a gun nut is a gun nut who doesn’t know how to handle a gun.

  19. 19.

    Stuck in the Fun House

    September 6, 2008 at 10:17 am

    Two, good lord. I won’t even quote this one.

    I’m just wondering, does the Anti-Christ have to be male?

  20. 20.

    Teri from Ohio

    September 6, 2008 at 10:21 am

    You need to show a clock on your website telling how long it’s been that Palin hasn’t made a comment or answered a question. See jedreport.com. We need answers to her lies and deceptions!

  21. 21.

    zzyzx

    September 6, 2008 at 10:32 am

    Here’s another fun one:

    Palin’s Church Promoting Conversion of Gays to Heterosexuals

    Gov. Sarah Palin’s church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

    ā€œYou’ll be encouraged by the power of God’s love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality,ā€ according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.

    What biased, left wing media source is reporting that? Fox News of course.

    There are reasons why Palin’s church bothers me more than Obama’s. Obama, while he does seem to believe in Jesus, joined his church because he was amazed at the good work he could do by being a member of that community. Palin joined hers because she believed in it. Obama has denounced the controversial messages of his church. Palin hasn’t said one word either way. Obama doesn’t bring up the themes of his church at all. Palin speaks in the language of hers and makes anti-abortion legislation her most important issue. Some of you might want to add that I like Obama and hate Palin, and I can’t deny that bias, but the reason I dislike Palin so much is because of this.

    There’s a reason they’re keeping Palin off the trail. Their approach is to lay low and hope that only the right people hear about her beliefs. If she can’t be asked about them, she doesn’t have to either defend them (and lose moderates) or denounce them (and lose her supporters). It’s the Internet age though and I believe the truth will get out.

  22. 22.

    AkaDad

    September 6, 2008 at 10:36 am

    It really does take a mavrick to pick a VP who raised taxes on food.

  23. 23.

    pablo

    September 6, 2008 at 10:41 am

    Sarah has been sent to an “undisclosed location” in the great white north!

  24. 24.

    mark

    September 6, 2008 at 10:43 am

    This seems like a critical insight in understanding Palin’s value to the Repubs:

    Palin certainly has more credibility than McCain to attack Democrats’ economic policies. More subtly, Palin embodies a notion that Republicans can create a society like Alaska—where the culture has a heavy working-class influence, state taxes are nonexistent, economic prospects are good for people regardless of formal education, and bricklayers can make the same money as urban lawyers (and have more fun in their spare time).

    While Democratic policy tries to help blue-collar workers by making it easier for them to attend college and get office jobs—that is, by encouraging them to cease to be blue-collar—Palin’s Alaskan story offers hope from within the blue-collar culture. She validates the goodness of life in rural America because she has embraced a particularly exotic, turbocharged version of this life. Her biography, bound to be emphasized by Republicans, thus makes a powerful appeal to one of the country’s most decisive constituencies.

    The rub, of course, is that however genuine it may be, Palin’s family life may not be possible outside Alaska. The harsh and remote conditions that make Todd Palin’s oil and fishing jobs so lucrative are unique to Alaska. And Alaska’s large negative income tax (and outsize share of federal pork) is not something that can (or should) be duplicated in other states. So maybe the lesson is that, if you find Sarah Palin’s blue-collar lifestyle enviable, you shouldn’t necessarily vote for her—but you may want to consider moving to Alaska.

  25. 25.

    pablo

    September 6, 2008 at 10:45 am

    2nd time a charm!
    I think Sarah has been sent to an “undisclosed location” in the great white north!

  26. 26.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 10:54 am

    pablo Says:

    Sarah has been sent to an ā€œundisclosed locationā€ in the great white north!

    September 6th, 2008 at 10:41 am

    So she’s like Dick Cheney with the crowd pleasing charm of GW Bush. The best worst of both worlds!

  27. 27.

    SGEW

    September 6, 2008 at 11:10 am

    How I’m feelin’ ’bout th’ state of th’ race:

    Obama’s got this.

    We can all chill out.

  28. 28.

    Rick

    September 6, 2008 at 11:14 am

    Has anyone seen this? I’m not sure how reliable the source is, but it doesn’t seem implausible to me.

    Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper): Palin Is ā€œRacist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Meanā€

  29. 29.

    Chuck T

    September 6, 2008 at 11:16 am

    If they somehow manage to pull this shit off, expect Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho to be her running mate in 2012.

    Yeah, but who wouldn’t vote for someone who walks into congress and tells them all to shut the fuck up? Not to mention Comacho knows to turn the problems over to someone smarter than he is…

    Hell, at this point, I’d prefer the honesty of Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!-style monster truck show trials, and the 100-Guitar Army, to anything these lying sacks of shit are bringing to the table.

    Comacho in ’12! Vote Not Sure in ’16!

  30. 30.

    Ickabod

    September 6, 2008 at 11:17 am

    My guess is they’re not afraid of her being confronted with her lies so much as they’re afraid of her coming out with some inconvenient truths. Some racist religious nut jobs have the common sense to know they’re a racist religious nut job relative to the rest of society and are able to keep that hidden within their own 4 walls. But some don’t care, and if actually asked about it, they’ll be willing to shout it from the hills. To that i reference the comment in the linked piece where it claims she didn’t seem to care who heard her say “the sambo beat the bitch”.

    Let’s hope the Obama/Biden people can figure out a way to elicit some off the cuff comment out of her during the debate that will expose this.

  31. 31.

    cain

    September 6, 2008 at 11:17 am

    OH man, that second link is really bad. I’m now worried about John McCain. If he’s President, I don’t think she will be ready to play second fiddle to McCain. Plus she’s got a lot of baggage. Republicans need to be shown that once in office, this gal is going to undercut McCain and cut him off at the knees.

    The whole GOP is an organized crime thing in Alaska is pretty crazy too. I guess when you have all that money in Alaska from oil (and no income tax or much of anything) that it would give rise to such things. Shut up and take the money or risk getting your ass kicked.

    The whole affair thing is going to be interesting too. I suspect that the base is going to rally and it’ll just make them more anti-press rather than taking it in the spirit that the candidate might be flawed. Shame.

    cain

  32. 32.

    zoe from pittsburgh

    September 6, 2008 at 11:27 am

    Every single Obama surrogate on tv that is asked about Palin needs to something along these lines:

    “Well, she’s a newcomer that very few people know well– even in GOP circles– and now the McCain campaign is refusing to allow her to do interviews. Why are they hiding her? Obama has been on the campaign trail as long as Palin was governor of Alaska– he has been asked every question under the sun. Palin is an unknown who refuses to answer questions. Why is she hiding?”

    It won’t work immediately but the American people aren’t going to be too comfortable with a virtual unknown they saw speak at the GOP convention– if they even saw it– and who refuses to answer any questions.

  33. 33.

    Brachiator

    September 6, 2008 at 11:34 am

    In her short time on the national stage Sarah Palin has lied about practically everything.

    But that’s the whole point. McCain’s team finally figured out that they needed the Big Lie to get them to the White House. Because the Big Lie often sticks.

    Some Americans want change, but they are reluctant to accept it being brought about from a black man, no matter how moderate and thoughtful he is. Some people continue to believe that he is a stealth Muslim, no matter the facts.

    But these same Americans will absolutely refuse to believe anything bad about a white woman hockey mom, especially if she is a Christian. Especially if she is younger and hotter than the average woman politician. No matter what the facts are (Haircut? The line at this Orange County shop forms on the right) as evidenced by this recent LA Times column in which Steve Lopez interviewed a group of guys in an Orange County, California barbershop.

    “I like the choice of Palin for vice president,” Ott said. “I think she’s an assertive-type person, and she’s a good-looking woman, which doesn’t hurt.”

    [What about her lack of qualifications, which the GOP uses to bash Obama? What about his being from far away, “exotic” Hawaii?]

    Not a problem, I was told by one and all. She’s a smart gal who’ll learn fast, and being in a state so far from D.C. is a huge plus. Could Sen. Joe Biden bring down a caribou?…

    Bill Guerra, a four-tour Vietnam vet and self-described independent voter, has even bigger problems with the Democrats this year. He told me he can’t vote for Barack Obama because the presidential candidate was raised Muslim and could be part of an Islamic plot to take over the country.

    And what is the evidence of that?

    “I’ve seen photos, and when he was being raised, everyone around him was Muslim. And they say Muslims will take over this country and it will happen from within.”

    McCain doesn’t have any competent foreign policy experience, and needs to have Joe Liberman near to correct him on errors of fact. Doesn’t matter because the Big Lie is that the POW who suffered for you is automatically Patton and Ike combined in his military leadership skills.

    And by the way, Lieberman is now part of the team briefing an ignorant Palin on foreign policy, just as Condi Rice was used to tutor an equally ignorant George W. Bush.

    And now they are trying to steal Obama’s message of “change you can believe in” with a VP choice who not only is less qualified than McCain, but who may be a vindictive martinet. But the Big Lie is working so far as McCain/Palin pulls in rock star crowds in Michigan.

    Twelve hours after leaving the Republican convention in Minnesota, McCain and Palin were cheered and applauded by a throng of thousands that wound down several streets of Cedarburg, a traditional Republican enclave near Milwaukee.

    Later, they appeared before thousands who filled Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Michigan’s Macomb County, home to working-class, union voters who Republicans hope to win with conservative positions on cultural and social issues.

    Obama the celebrity: bad!! Palin the celebrity: as American as apple pie.

    The last vestiges of the non-compliant media have been defanged. So the press could report Palin appearing at a Klan meeting and they would be ignored by the GOP true believers. The press doesn’t matter because the truth doesn’t matter.

    And by the way, that plane that Palin put on ebay? Obviously a symbolic gesture. She never intended to try to actually sell it online. But everyone fell for the okey-doke. And now the Big Lie is that she sold the plane for a profit. Because that’s what hard charging reformers do. Even when they actually don’t.

    And worst of all, even in a worse-case scenario, Palin could be a win for McCain. He could easily use her to win the election, and then jettison here after November. It would be better than stealing votes. What could an inflamed right wing do but cry foul?

    Or he could keep her in place, and trot her out now and then to shout “reform,” without giving her anything substantive to do.

    The McCain Machine figured out that the best way to beat Obama was not just by smearing him, but by giving Republicans their own version of an Obama in Sarah Palin. You could even take some early words from Joe Biden about Obama and apply them to Caribou Barbie, with only slight modification.

    “I mean, you got a woman who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking gal.” … “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

    Did Palin abuse her authority as governor? Just as the GOP defended Bush’s legal authority to appoint incompetent cronies and loyalists as US attorneys, even if McCain can’t sell the Big Lie that Palin did nothing wrong, they will be able to fall back on the ethically empty claim that she did nothing illegal.

    And either way, the Big Lie that Palin is the straight shooting reformer will stick in the minds of voters. And that’s all you need to get past the election.

    A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse.

  34. 34.

    zoe from pittsburgh

    September 6, 2008 at 11:35 am

    I do think there needs to be more questioning of her positions– not because we need to convince republicans but because Palin has been good for Obama. After she spoke he got $10 million in donations. The more her extreme right-wing positions are known the more democrats who might be waffling about Obama will get off the fence– also moderate women who are just happy to see a woman on the ticket– Palin is a scary right-winger whose views on abortion represent a very narrow margin of the country.

  35. 35.

    NR

    September 6, 2008 at 11:36 am

    The best take I’ve heard on this is that they’re trying to lower expectations.

    They keep Palin away from the media, wait for the calls for her to do an interview become deafening, then put her out on a show like 60 Minutes in front of a huge national audience where she gives a confident and poised interview. They’ve already guaranteed that the press won’t go for the jugular with their hissy fits about sexism, so that’s my bet as to the game they’re playing.

  36. 36.

    Janet Strange

    September 6, 2008 at 11:36 am

    mark,

    Someone posted a link to a Ron Dreher post yesterday and I not only read it (ugh) but all the comments. Many of which are pretty good. Here’s one that relates to your Slate quote about Alaska:

    I grew up milking cows (which is why I don’t drink raw milk, by the way), chopping cotton, watching my mother chop off the head of the Thanksgiving turkey only for the headless body to run off into the creek as if to spite us all, and I’ll agree that Sarah Palin’s background is closest to my own. But the fact is, Sarah Palin’s and my life stories are anything but “real life living” for 99% of the county, and the thought of making policy to support a lifestyle that would require depopulating the world gives me the willies. Largely because the means of depopulating the world is something a President has, and something the “God told me” Pentecostals tend to get pretty cavalier about. I just don’t want an end-times Christian anywhere near the White House.

  37. 37.

    Montysano

    September 6, 2008 at 11:46 am

    This basically confirms the Democratic point that Sarah Palin can’t handle the national spotlight unless she’s reading off a script that someone else wrote…. In her short time on the national stage Sarah Palin has lied about practically everything.

    As usual, the chumps on the progressive side (I include myself here) see “lying” and “ignorant” and “intolerant” and think it’s a bug, when indeed to the lizard brain it’s a feature.

    To us, it’s inconceivable to behave as the GOP did during it’s little HateFest on Wednesday night. The Romney/Giuliani/Palin lineup was a true horror show, and the crowd reaction was terrifying. “Community organizer”…”BOOOOOOO”. “Universal health care”……”FUCKING BOOOOOOO”.

    Now, prepare yourselves for 60 days of the worst slime you can imagine. And our side will not respond in kind, because it’s not how we’re programmed. Which is fine by me. If what I saw on Wednesday night is truly who we are, then we richly deserve McCain/Palin, i.e. one malignant freckle from a Dominionist running the show.

  38. 38.

    Person of Choler

    September 6, 2008 at 11:50 am

    “Lying, or being caught in a lie, isn’t even close to fatal for a candidate in That Party”.

    To further your point, lying, even under oath, did not hurt a certain pants-dropping president in That Other Party.

  39. 39.

    Tim F.

    September 6, 2008 at 11:53 am

    PC, that was a stirring defense of Sarah Palin. Bravo.

  40. 40.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 11:56 am

    How I’m feelin’ ā€˜bout th’ state of th’ race:

    Obama’s got this.

    We can all chill out.

    How I wish I could agree. But there are far, far too many stupid people in this country, and far too much time for McCain to convince them over to his side for me to feel good about this election.

  41. 41.

    zoe from pittsburgh

    September 6, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    Lying about your actual job record and lying about something that no one should have been asking you about in the first place is GODDAMN APPLES AND FUCKING ORANGES.

  42. 42.

    John H. Farr

    September 6, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    Two, good lord. I won’t even quote this one.

    I violently disagree. It’s really dumb not to quote what’s in that article. Palin is a dark, evil personality, and the Democrats need to expose her for what she is and take her down hard, ASAP. The article you wouldn’t quote reveals Palin calling Eskimos “Arctic Arabs,” among other things. This stuff needs to be SHOUTED. People should be writing articles. She’s a complete monster.

  43. 43.

    zoe from pittsburgh

    September 6, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Wait– as much as I enjoyed that article about Palin none of that information has been veritifed and the writer isn’t someone who is known. Be wary of anonymous sources.

    We have to be careful not jumping on anything borne of the internets that could end up being untruthful and could backfire– it could be the truth and it could be a smear job. Let’s not get too excited about it.

  44. 44.

    NonWonderDog

    September 6, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    Sarah Palin has taken to wearing an Israeli flag lapel pin.

    No. I had to look it up, but it was a “blue star” lapel pin, signifying that she had a relative on active duty. Don’t attack the lapel pin; <ackbar>it’s a trap!</ackbar>

  45. 45.

    PeterJ

    September 6, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    Wait—as much as I enjoyed that article about Palin none of that information has been veritifed and the writer isn’t someone who is known. Be wary of anonymous sources.

    Exactly.

    About the Arctic Arabs bit.

    [Todd Palin’s] mother, a former secretary of the Alaska Federation of Natives, is one-quarter Yup’ik, and his maternal grandmother, Lena Andre, is a member of the Curyung tribe.

    I would stay clear from anything anonymous sources says since you have no idea who the sources are (obviously) or why they are saying what they are…

    Doesn’t anyone remember how the problem with Bush’s military service was fixed? If not, ask Dan Rather.

  46. 46.

    I Will Remember In November!

    September 6, 2008 at 12:21 pm

    Why don’t you wait for her to do an interview and then said she did bad?

    Did you learn from her convention speech which she did sooooo bad….like you said she would :)

    McCain/Palin

  47. 47.

    jake

    September 6, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    Date: January 25, 2009.
    Place: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.
    Dramatis Personae: President John S. McCain; Vice President Sarah Palin.

    JSM sits in the Oval Office humming “Hail to the Chief,” and throwing darts at the portrait of former President George W. Bush. SP enters with her Moose Blastin’ Special.

    JSM: Hey there my friend, off to bag some more liberals?

    SP: [Titters] There aren’t any left round these parts. No, I came to talk to you about God’s will.

    JSM: Yeah, well the Treasury’s a bit emptier than I thought. Turns out that … heh!… liberal George Bush had a tunnel dug straight to the building. How’s he doing?

    SP: He’ll be back from the taxidermist in a week. But I didn’t come to talk to you about money. Bris and The Fucking Redneck will have to go without that matched set of oil rigs this Christmas.

    JSM: What do you want then, you c… Christian woman?

    SP: Well, God came to me in a dream last night.

    JSM: Oh fuck! Don’t tell me you’re pregnant again!

    SP: NO! I mean, no Mr. President. He told me it was his will that I run the country.

    JSM: [Tries to stand].

    SP’s Moose Blastin’ Special: POW!

  48. 48.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    September 6, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    I would stay clear from anything anonymous sources says since you have no idea who the sources are (obviously) or why they are saying what they are…

    Yeah, because just making up shit is such a losing strategy.

  49. 49.

    Tsulagi

    September 6, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    One, the idea that Palin can’t handle a friendly presser is ludicrous.

    I dunno, the always hard hitting and withering fire from Hannity & Colmes directed at AKNG Commander Gal just might nick her. The nation would weep.

    Yeah it’s ludicrous, but given her messy background, it might be their best move. This way try to maintain as long as possible the illusion of her being a tough reformer under fire from the godless evildoer MSM and country-last Dems. Would help with fundraising.

    If she did press conferences and interviews that weren’t totally controlled, she could get tagged and some of her own shit might stick on her. Not good, nor pretty.

    Pretty clear what Palin brings to the ticket. She brings the fundie loony and their money back into the fold; she’s a budding creationist, and provides hot lips service to the Dobsonites. That’s all that matters. And like Jesus, she don’t need to do no stinking interviews.

  50. 50.

    John Cole

    September 6, 2008 at 12:33 pm

    Wait—as much as I enjoyed that article about Palin none of that information has been veritifed and the writer isn’t someone who is known. Be wary of anonymous sources.

    This. There is enough documented crap out there that there is no need to go all National Enquirer.

  51. 51.

    Punchy

    September 6, 2008 at 12:35 pm

    All of your Sarah attacks Palin comparison to how the media has verbal sodomized her and her family. I’m stunned that Tim continues to disparge, degrade, and defile her family in this post.

    Disgusting.

  52. 52.

    PeterJ

    September 6, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Yeah, because just making up shit is such a losing strategy.

    If so, then you should make your own shit. See 2000, “McCain has a black baby”.

    Don’t pick up shit if you have no idea who or what made it.

  53. 53.

    JGabriel

    September 6, 2008 at 12:46 pm

    Scurrilous leftwing rumoriing and speculation:

    So, Wasilla is known as the “Meth Capital of Alaska”.

    This got me wondering, is it possible that the reason Palin is spending so much time out of the spotlight is because she’s rehabbing from a meth addiction?

    I mean, it would be irresponsible not to speculate. Wouldn’t it?

    .

  54. 54.

    Ed Marshall

    September 6, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    All of your Sarah attacks Palin comparison to how the media has verbal sodomized her and her family.

    You guys are going to lose the schizophrenic/retard vote if you aren’t careful….

  55. 55.

    gbear

    September 6, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    OT. I found out this morning that Bob Geiger has come out of blogging retirement. Bob is a great read and should be on your favorites list. An intelligent and sane voice.

  56. 56.

    charlotte

    September 6, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    I’d like to think that, barely a week into it, a majority of voters in this country are already sick and tired of Palin and her magic act. She’s the pin-up girl for the lunatic fringe … And like a dessert that’s just a little too rich, she’s cloying.

    I’m getting a Terri Schiavo vibe about this thing. McCain over reached by a mile. And American men, by and large, get weary of that girl who keeps teasing and teasing. In all this emphasis on American women and what we want and don’t want, we seem to be forgetting the men folk. She’s going to get real tiring between now and November and is already proving a huge money maker for Obama and Biden.

    And, even though we’e not supposed to mention it (LOL), the baby story ain’t going away.

  57. 57.

    JenJen

    September 6, 2008 at 12:53 pm

    Here in Ohio, it’s been an interesting week. I’m surrounded by wingnuts, because I live in Their Hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Good gawd they are lovin’ them some Palin. But it really is kinda easy to serve them a steaming cup of STFU, easier than I thought it would be. I like to tell them that politics does not happen in real-time, and that they should enjoy this moment, because there’s an army of tabloid reporters in Alaska, cutting checks to every Snowbilly with a Palin story. And that McCain would’ve been smarter to go with Lieberman in the end, because you win an election in the middle with Independents, and all that Palin does is polarize the base. Our base is a fuck of a lot bigger this year.

    I remind them that across the river in backwater Kentucky, Obama received twice as many votes in the primary than Palin has in her entire election result history. And Obama LOST.

    I tell my educated friends that she went to five colleges in six years to get a comm degree, something they’d be embarrassed to admit to their friends if their own fuck-up kid did the same thing. Hell, she’s gone to as many colleges as McCain has houses! Oh, wait…

    Seriously, everyone. 60 days is an eternity in politics. And this bitch if fuckin’ clown shoes.

  58. 58.

    JGabriel

    September 6, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Zoe from Pittsburgh:

    After [Palin] spoke [Obama] got $10 million in donations.

    You know, I haven’t seen anyone mention this, but that might be another good reason for the GOP to keep Palin under wraps:

    To try to work on her presentation so she doesn’t generate quite as much of a financial windfall for Obama every time she opens her mouth.

    .

  59. 59.

    wasabi gasp

    September 6, 2008 at 12:56 pm

    There is an upside to a McCain/Palin victory.

    You can be comfortably assured, no matter what your pointy head tries to tell you, at no point in your lifetime will you see politics rise above the organized community of stupid.

    With expectations dashed of living in an enlightened America sometime before you kick the bucket, you are now freed to move on to other pursuits of happiness that may be afforded to you within the expressed confines of your idiot overlords. (May I suggest moose shit sculpture, U.S.A. hollerer, or competitive crying.)

    Those of you with children will have the toughest time letting go the hope of a brighter America. But don’t worry about your young ones. They will adapt quickly. With any luck they’ll be stupider than you.

  60. 60.

    Joshua Norton

    September 6, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    It’s another Jeff Gannon moment. Unknown jumps into the spotlight. Makes pre-packaged ultra-right ideological snarks. Starts to get investigated by press and blogs. A myriad of lies are unearthed. Idiot wingnutz ramp up their “lefties are bad and prejudiced” mode to scare off any criticism.

    Bigmouth rightie implosion.

    Just a matter of time.

  61. 61.

    cain

    September 6, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    As usual, the chumps on the progressive side (I include myself here) see ā€œlyingā€ and ā€œignorantā€ and ā€œintolerantā€ and think it’s a bug, when indeed to the lizard brain it’s a feature.

    The fact that we hate the pic so virulently to the freeper mind means that it’s a good pick. ;(

    cain

  62. 62.

    r€nato

    September 6, 2008 at 1:11 pm

    re: the Kilkenny letter about Palin:

    Palin greatly increased government spending and heavily borrowed to finance it.

    She pursued personal vendettas, including firing people who refused to break the law or improperly fire employees.

    She’s incompetent and someone else had to be brought in to do her work.

    She’s a racist anti-choice homophobe and religious nutcase.

    In other words she is a perfect choice to carry on Bush’s legacy.

  63. 63.

    r€nato

    September 6, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    All of your Sarah attacks Palin comparison to how the media has verbal sodomized her and her family. I’m stunned that Tim continues to disparge, degrade, and defile her family in this post.

    I too am outraged – OUTRAGED!!!!!! – that anybody would tell the truth about Sarah Palin or dare to ask questions about her record.

    We should swallow the GOP party line about Palin hook line and sinker, just like any loyal patriotic American should.

  64. 64.

    JenJen

    September 6, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    And another thing… remind your proudly Republican friends that they no longer belong to a political party, they belong to a religious organization.

    Goldwater and Reagan are rolling over in their graves. Hell, even McCain is rolling over in his grave.

    I reiterate: This bitch is fuckin’ clown shoes. Patience, Grasshopper, patience.

  65. 65.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    To further your point, lying, even under oath, did not hurt a certain pants-dropping president in That Other Party.

    That lie didn’t *help* Bill Clinton. It didn’t raise Democrats’ opinions of him. It may not have hurt him, but it didn’t increase his stature.

  66. 66.

    NonWonderDog

    September 6, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    CNN just had a “where they stand” box up while they were showing an Obama campaign stop, and one of the “positions” said, and I quote:

    Supports a federal ban on all concealed weapons

    Where the fuck did they get that? Are they fucking kidding me? I did some looking, and apparently they’re basing that on a comment he made while in the Illinois legislature where he said that he did not support concealed carry. It’s definitely not a part of the Democratic platform this year, it’s definitely not on the Obama website, and it’s definitely not something he’s ever said on the stump.

    There’s no “where they stand” box for McCain/Palin events, either. Liberal Media my ass.

  67. 67.

    JenJen

    September 6, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    NonWonderDog: when I woke up this morning, CNN was showing a McCain speech, and the chyron (another word I learned during Election 08!) read: “MAVERICK MCCAIN VOWS TO END EARMARKS.”

    I’m starting to think we’re living in a simulation.

  68. 68.

    NonWonderDog

    September 6, 2008 at 1:34 pm

    What the fuck CNN? “LIVE: McCain, Palin: on the Road”
    Where’s the “where they stand” box, huh? Is that just something used to promote lies about the Democratic platform? Aren’t you going to “inform” us about the Republican platform too?

    I haven’t watched CNN for a long, long time. When did they turn into FOX News Lite?

  69. 69.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    I tell my educated friends that she went to five colleges in six years to get a comm degree

    IS that true? Oh my god.

  70. 70.

    Tzal

    September 6, 2008 at 1:40 pm

    I thought her son was leaving for Iraq this weekend, and that’s the reason she can’t do pressers. But she is out campaigning.

  71. 71.

    OriGuy

    September 6, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin may not be on the ballot in Texas
    Floyd Norris in the NYT Business section:

    If it is true Wall Street favors Republicans, which is the traditional analysis, then here is a reason for share prices to be falling. John McCain might not carry Texas.

    How could that be? Evidently a Texas law requires a political party, in order be on the ballot, to file the names of its presidential and vice presidential candidates at least 70 days before the election. This year, that fell on Aug. 26, before either Senator McCain or Senator Barack Obama was formally nominated.

    Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, is demanding that the law be enforced, and that neither major candidate be allowed on the ballot. He did file on time.

  72. 72.

    Blurkee

    September 6, 2008 at 1:44 pm

    “Hiding” her from the press is a game.
    She is smart and coachable (she’s probably with the media consultants now).
    By keeping her “hidden” the hype for an appearance is amped up. The audience is maxed and when she doesn’t screw it up she can be lauded as “savvy”,”poised” and best of all,”a pitbull.”
    Watch the World Wrestling Federation to see how it’s done.

  73. 73.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    September 6, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    ā€œHidingā€ her from the press is a game.

    No, it’s not a game. She ain’t ready for prime time and they’re educating her now just like they did Bush when they selected him.

    And Democrats will completely fail to capitalize on this until it’s too late.

  74. 74.

    JenJen

    September 6, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    Notorious P.A.T. Says:
    I tell my educated friends that she went to five colleges in six years to get a comm degree
    IS that true? Oh my god.

    Ron Fournier’s Associated Press sez it’s true:

    http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjGaAjQoUCE3VQ4N3M852LEdOVtwD9304JE80

  75. 75.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 1:59 pm

    Obama would appear to be taking the McCain/Palin ticket to the woodshed in Indiana.

    And yeah, Palin’s wiki page has her at 5 different colleges to get her Bachelor’s. You see, that makes her just like Barack Obama, who taught *at least 5* different law courses at the University of Chicago. These two things are comparable, just like their relative inexperience in national politics.

  76. 76.

    LiberalTarian

    September 6, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    I’m pretty bored with Palin. Failin’ Palin is what I call her. Flailin’ Palin would work too. I really like what GSD said about the GOP bringing her front and center making family values beyond the Palin.

    But, really, bored now. On the other hand, lifting this from Peggy at the ABCnews.com blog:

    Very Well stated From Senator Barbara Boxer:

    Last night at the Republican National Convention, John McCain used the word “fight” more than 40 times in his speech.

    In the 16 years that we have served together in the Senate, I have seen John McCain fight.

    I have seen him fight against raising the federal minimum wage 14 times.

    I have seen him fight against making sure that women earn equal pay for equal work.

    I have seen him fight against a women’s right to choose so consistently that he received a zero percent vote rating from pro-choice organizations.

    I have seen him fight against helping families gain access to birth control.

    I have seen him fight against Social Security, even going so far as to call its current funding system “an absolute disgrace.”

    And I saw him fight against the new GI Bill of Rights until it became politically untenable for him to do so.

    John McCain voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time in 2007 and 100 percent of the time in 2008 — that’s no maverick.

    We do have two real fighters for change in this election — their names are Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

    Snark is fun and everything, but I think we’ll do better in the long run by putting on our boxing gloves and hitting them with the facts about what idiots the GOP are at governing (see US Economy, in the news everyday) and how McSame is co-opting Obama’s best lines.

  77. 77.

    Person of Choler

    September 6, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    zoe from pittsburgh Says:
    Lying about your actual job record and lying about something that no one should have been asking you about in the first place is GODDAMN APPLES AND FUCKING ORANGES.

    Well, I don’t see how Palin lied about her job record, but I do recall that President Pantzoff did his lying under oath in a court case where, as I understand, you do not get to reply to questions with profanity about apples and oranges.

  78. 78.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Palin’s wiki page has her at 5 different colleges to get her Bachelor’s.

    If I wasn’t such a great guy, I’d point out that everyone I know who did something like that did so because they drank and screwed around so much they got shown the door.

  79. 79.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Notorious P.A.T. Says:

    I tell my educated friends that she went to five colleges in six years to get a comm degree

    …and McCain ranked 894 out of 899 students when he graduated college. Obama and Biden did fairly well in college because they’re both obviously eggheaded elitist scum.

  80. 80.

    jbarntt

    September 6, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Hi Tim,

    At first it really offended me that liberals like you would stoop to anything to destroy Gov. Palin, (oops, sorry I meant to say the former mayor of a small town in Alaska).

    In retrospect I heartily approve of the tactic. It works well for her and McCain, as ordinary Americans get to see how liberals loathe us average Americans.

    The airplane scandal ? What a joke, she sold the damn thing.

    But that is trivial, lets get to the important stuff left wing bloggers like you like to post:

    How about that affair she had with her husband’s business partner ? Pretty ugly, as I read about it on the lefty blogs, esp. after the guy sought to have the divorce records sealed. Funny thing, judge denied the motion, and guess what ? Nothing there, the guy didn’t want the record to be public because it contained his address and phone number.

    OMG, 22 years ago her husband got a DUI. That’s real bad, makes Obama’s cocaine habit look like nothing. But hey, Obama isn’t running for veep, so a few felonies are OK.

    Let’s not forget that the real mother of Gov. Palin’s Downs Syndrome baby is her 17 year old daughter. I do appreciate that liberals only search for TRUTH, regardless of where it might lead them, like John Edwards.

    Thank you for helping the McCain/Palin ticket with your lies and innuendo.

    jbarntt

  81. 81.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    Obama, today (from the link I posted above):

    A feisty and perplexed Obama continued on his tirade.

    “He says I’m going to tell those lobbyists that their days in Washington are over. Who’s he gonna tell? Is he gonna tell his campaign chairman who’s one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington? Is he going to tell all the folks who are running his campaign who are the biggest corporate lobbyist in Washington? Who is it that he’s going to tell that change is coming?”

    Obama then asked the voters in the town hall, “I mean come on, they must think you’re stupid!”

    Senator Obama then offered up his own definition of the what the Republican’s version of change means.

    “I mean maybe what they’re saying is ‘watch out George Bush’ you know except for economic policies, and tax policies, and energy policies, and health care policies, and education policies, and Karl Rove style of politics – except for all that, we’re really going to bring change to Washington! We’re gonna shake things up! What are these guys talking about? Do you think we haven’t been paying attention over the past 8 years?”

    More of this, please.

    And the McCain response is classic:

    McCain-Palin campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds responds: “Barack Obama has requested the equivalent of one million dollars in new pork barrel spending for every working day he’s been in the U.S Senate, while John McCain has never once asked for an earmark, and Governor Palin has vetoed hundreds of millions in government spending including killing the infamous ‘bridge to nowhere’. Just like so many other issues Barack Obama is all talk, has no record to back it up and isn’t ready to make change.”

    EPIC FAIL.

  82. 82.

    jake

    September 6, 2008 at 2:08 pm

    Snark is fun and everything, but I think we’ll do better in the long run by putting on our boxing gloves and hitting them with the facts about what idiots the GOP are at governing (see US Economy, in the news everyday) and how McSame is co-opting Obama’s best lines.

    No, we can stick to the snark. Camp O/B get to do the fun stuff: Punching the shit out of McCain.

  83. 83.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:08 pm

    Well, I don’t see how Palin lied about her job record

    I think we got ourselves a real, live Republican here!

  84. 84.

    Oracle

    September 6, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    Shorter PoC:

    CLINTONDIDITTOO!CLINTONDIDITTOO!CLINTONDIDITTOO!CLINTONDIDITTOO!CLINTONDIDITTOO!
    POW

  85. 85.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    Obama then asked the voters in the town hall, ā€œI mean come on, they must think you’re stupid!ā€

    Well, I don’t see how Palin lied about her job record

  86. 86.

    tomjones

    September 6, 2008 at 2:13 pm

    Where can I get my Sambo/Whitey ’08 bumper sticker? Now that is racism I can believe in.

  87. 87.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    It works well for her and McCain, as ordinary Americans get to see how liberals loathe us average Americans.

    Is your definition of an “ordinary American” someone who owns so many houses they literally don’t know the exact number?

    Is an “ordinary American” someone who hangs out with people who want to secede from America?

  88. 88.

    Oracle

    September 6, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    as ordinary Americans get to see how liberals loathe us average Americans

    You forgot about normal Americans and typical Americans. We loathe them too.

  89. 89.

    Xel

    September 6, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    Palin is used to make left-wing people direct their anger and scrutiny on her, the VP. The wrong target.

    She is a disgusting, hard-right, non-meritocratic bag of lies, and she has so many weaknesses and failures.

    But she isn’t on top of the ticket, and the GOP knows they will have an easier time creating narratives about the big names. Mark my words, lying about pork and being a fiscal trainwreck will not gain as much attention as Kerry’s windsurfing. Palin is high-risk: Use her to keep the blogs and community efforts of McCain, make her somehow irrelevant to John Q and so make the left rip apart the wrong target. It’s an outlandish theory but I want to throw it out there.

    She is a distraction of sorts, and the more we focus on (rightly) hating her with unlimited fury the more we forget the vital task of explaining to everybody that choosing her as a VP is an indictment of McCain so grave that he looks worse than Bush. She is a flak-catcher that will avoid substance and gain attention in other ways. She is the antithesis of feminism, competence and a decent political climate. She is anathema to the American spirit.

    As a Swede and a left-winger I am so damn relieved to see that Obama is still kicking ass in the electoral college calculations. I’m just so worried that high-risk Palin is used in a high-reward strategy.

  90. 90.

    PaulW

    September 6, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    Liberal is not a four-letter word. Stop using it like it is.

    Liberal is not a foreigner, a liberal is born right here in the United States, they work, pay taxes and raise kids pretty much the same way conservatives do. Stop describing them like they’re from another country.

  91. 91.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:21 pm

    McCain ranked 894 out of 899 students when he graduated college.

    Obviously, he worked really hard to learn as much as he could, since he was going to be using his education to defend America. Country first! ! !

  92. 92.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:23 pm

    You forgot about normal Americans and typical Americans. We loathe them too.

    Oh, totally. Growing up in a town of 6,000 people in mid-Michigan, I never met a single typical American until I went off to college. Boy, do I hate those typical Americans!

  93. 93.

    NonWonderDog

    September 6, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    More of this, please.

    Absolutely, but his production guys have really got to stop giving him a cardioid microphone to speak into. CNN sternly refuses to mic the crowd, so it sounds like Obama’s dying out there on TV. You can see people standing up and clapping wildly during the applause breaks, but you can barely hear any enthusiasm at all.

    It’s not nearly as bad as that one time CNN muted the applause breaks during one of Obama’s speeches during the primaries, though. I was watching that on MSNBC and decided to flip through the cable news channels, and noticed that there was no applause on CNN. You could actually hear the sound volume rolling back on a second or so after each time Obama started speaking, too, so it was transparently obvious that they were muting the applause.

  94. 94.

    JenJen

    September 6, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    Oh, my. Have y’all seen the latest attempt at an Epic Nixonian/Rovian GOP Ratfuck that’s blowin’ up in the blogs, and now on Fox News?

    McCain Camp ‘Rescues’ Flags From Obama Invesco Rally
    http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/06/mccain-camp-to-chastise-dems-for-discarding-american-flags/

    Riiiiiiiiiight. You gotta love the smell of “Ratfuck” in the morning. Read “Nixonland.”

    I guess when you can’t run on the issues or defend a heinous eight-year record of destruction, you gotta plant a “False Flag” story that I imagine will collapse under the weight of its own bullshit within hours. But be prepared to defend this to your fundie nutjob friends and concern-troll commenters for the next 60 days.

  95. 95.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    Xel Says:
    Palin is used to make left-wing people direct their anger and scrutiny on her, the VP. The wrong target.

    September 6th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    Yep. Last time I checked, Palin isn’t the one running for office. We shouldn’t be attacking her directly, but attacking McCain instead for making an impulsive unresearched pick for VP.

    Would you vote for someone who makes spur of the moment decisions with absolutely no background information? I wouldn’t trust a person like that to run a small trucking company in Columbus, Indiana, let alone run the most powerful country in the world… and it doesn’t matter if he has an (R) next to his name or not.

  96. 96.

    Stuck in the Fun House

    September 6, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    If I wasn’t such a great guy, I’d point out that everyone I know who did something like that did so because they drank and screwed around so much they got shown the door

    I totally equaled that, and it wasn’t till facing a lifetime of toil in a folding box factory that lit a fire under my ass. On the other hand, I’m not running for a heartbeat away from the leader of the free world either, which would relieve my instructors and everyone else I knew to no end.

  97. 97.

    jbarntt

    September 6, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    tomjones Says:

    Where can I get my Sambo/Whitey ā€˜08 bumper sticker? Now that is racism I can believe in.

    Best bet would be from the Clinton campaign, maybe eBay. I’m a Republican, so had no dog in that fight, but as I recollect, her fellow Democrats said she was a racist.

    jbarntt

  98. 98.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    Where did Person of Choler and Jbarntt go? They seem like normal Americans, so I was looking forward to hating them some more.

    Palin isn’t the one running for office

    6 of one. . . She wants to have the office that is a heartbeat away from the Presidency. John McCain will be the oldest man to move into the White House in US history, and he does not have a clean bill of health.

  99. 99.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    I’m a Republican, so had no dog in that fight

    I don’t think you have a dog in the current fight either, unless you can explain to us the walking, talking contradiction that is your “hockey mom/pitbull with lipstick” VP who isn’t ready to do press interviews.

  100. 100.

    Stuck in the Fun House

    September 6, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Oh, my. Have y’all seen the latest attempt at an Epic Nixonian/Rovian GOP Ratfuck that’s blowin’ up in the blogs, and now on Fox News?

    From JJ link.

    Boy Scouts were sorting 84 bags of flags in Colorado Saturday morning, before a McCain supporter had veterans distribute them to the audience.

    I swear you can’t make this shit up. Praise God and pass the fucking ammo!

  101. 101.

    zuzu's petals

    September 6, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    Even The Economist finds McCain’s choice damning.

    The Palin appointment is yet more proof of the way that abortion still distorts American politics. This is as true on the left as on the right. But the Republicans seem to have gone furthest in subordinating considerations of competence and merit to pro-life purity. One of the biggest problems with the Bush administration is that it appointed so many incompetents because they were sound on Roe v Wade. Mrs Palin’s elevation suggests that, far from breaking with Mr Bush, Mr McCain is repeating his mistakes.
    The woman from nowhere

  102. 102.

    JenJen

    September 6, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    jbarntt Says:
    How about that affair she had with her husband’s business partner ? Pretty ugly, as I read about it on the lefty blogs, esp. after the guy sought to have the divorce records sealed. Funny thing, judge denied the motion, and guess what ? Nothing there, the guy didn’t want the record to be public because it contained his address and phone number.

    Wrong Palin Business Partner. Try Brad Hanson. Never heard of him? You will.

  103. 103.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 2:46 pm

    Here’s the video of Obama throwing one haymaker after another on the McCain/Palin clusterfuck.

  104. 104.

    jbarntt

    September 6, 2008 at 2:47 pm

    Jake Says:

    I’m a Republican, so had no dog in that fight

    I don’t think you have a dog in the current fight either, unless you can explain to us the walking, talking contradiction that is your ā€œhockey mom/pitbull with lipstickā€ VP who isn’t ready to do press interviews.

    What contradictions ? You mean the smears about her sex life, etc ? Show me the proof, not just scared liberals sliming her.

    It is a curious thing that Gov. Palin is not a slave to newspaper reporters; she can do interviews if she wishes, or not. Given how she has has been treated by the press, why should she ? Her job is to help McCain win the election, the press has few votes and even fewer for McCain.

  105. 105.

    srv

    September 6, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Andrew McCain was a director and audit committee member for a bank. It just went under. He bailed a couple of months ago.

    Go figure.

  106. 106.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    zuzu’s petals Says:

    Even The Economist finds McCain’s choice damning.

    September 6th, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    The fiscal conservatives really hate the Palin choice, and I think it’s going to bite McCain in the ass.

    …sort of makes you wonder who chipped into the $10 million dollar pool to Obama after Palin’s speech.

  107. 107.

    LiberalTarian

    September 6, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Yay. You know it already, but let me say it again:

    I am voting for Barack Obama!

  108. 108.

    jbarntt

    September 6, 2008 at 2:54 pm

    Wrong Palin Business Partner. Try Brad Hanson. Never heard of him? You will.

    Can’t make one sleazy story about a woman stick, so you’ve got another. Why don’t you just give us a list of all the men she’s slept with, and her hourly charge.

    You are truly disgusting.

  109. 109.

    Xel

    September 6, 2008 at 2:55 pm

    What contradictions ? You mean the smears about her sex life, etc ? Show me the proof, not just scared liberals sliming her.

    This amorphous “We” are not sliming her, we are pointing out that she is a fucking slug. With a salt deficiency in her diet that should be ameliorated.

  110. 110.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    September 6, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    It is a curious thing that Gov. Palin is not a slave to newspaper reporters; she can do interviews if she wishes, or not.

    Why should she do interviews, anyway? Just because the 95% of voters who have never heard of her would like to know something about where she stands before they cast their ballot, that doesn’t mean she has to tell them. Not giving people information they need to make a sound decision is how one shows they are the Party of the People.

  111. 111.

    Tsulagi

    September 6, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    Hi Tim,

    At first it really offended me that liberals like you would stoop to anything to destroy Gov. Palin

    Ahh, the Sisters of Perpetual Victimhood always on the march.

    However, will give a nod of thanks to patriot Karl Rove for any influence he had getting McCain to pick Palin over Lieberman or Multiple Choice.

    Sure, she’s a Bush clone. No doubt fundies are imploring the Creation Museum to immediately install a wax figure of Palin as God’s Eve for today’s Republicans, His chosen people. But at least this time the potential country fucker firster Karl picked is female and not butt ugly.

  112. 112.

    Richard Bottoms

    September 6, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    >Two, good lord. I won’t even quote this one.

    Please unlink this. It is completely unverified and does much more harm than good.

  113. 113.

    JenJen

    September 6, 2008 at 3:07 pm

    jbarntt, chill out. I know that “Drill, Baby, Drill!” gets folks like you all excited, but maybe it’s time for your nap.

    While you express your poutrage on this forum, Obama is giving a presser live on CNN. Where’s McCain? Oh, that’s right, leading “Drill, Baby, Drill!” chants in the Fundie Capital of the World, Colorado Springs. And talking about airplanes on eBay. Riiiiiiiight.

    As far as Brad Hanson goes, who knows? But I heard his name before I heard the name of the Palin car wash partner who sealed his divorce records, so I was just trying to keep you in the loop. I’m sure the Enquirer is up in Wasilla cuttin’ checks, so if I were you, I’d hold your fire for a minute. Personally, I couldn’t give a rip about a sex scandal, I’m too obsessed about the economy and the status of the middle class and gas prices and two wars to just cede my country to the Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard.

    YMMV. IOKIYAR. BBQ!

  114. 114.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 3:08 pm

    It is a curious thing that Gov. Palin is not a slave to newspaper reporters; she can do interviews if she wishes, or not. Given how she has has been treated by the press, why should she ? Her job is to help McCain win the election, the press has few votes and even fewer for McCain.

    You’re either very dumb, or being disingenuous.

    Good luck to ya.

  115. 115.

    jbarntt

    September 6, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    Hi Xel, you quoted me, correctly:

    What contradictions ? You mean the smears about her sex life, etc ? Show me the proof, not just scared liberals sliming her.

    And then replied:

    This amorphous ā€œWeā€ are not sliming her, we are pointing out that she is a fucking slug. With a salt deficiency in her diet that should be ameliorated.

    I see no amorphous “We” in your quote of me. Please explain.

    As to Gov Palin being a slug who should be killed ala salt on a slug, very classy, just what I expect on Balloon juice. I assume you would have no problem with Obama being lynched either ? Would hate to think you are a hypocrite.

    I am somewhat surprised that John Cole would allow your post, but that’s his choice not mine.

  116. 116.

    Mylegacy

    September 6, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    A great convention for the GOP! They’ve selected the perfect GOP candidate!

    They’ve selected a Creationist – this moron believes the world is 6,000 years old. They’ve selected a woman who wants the world to “respect her daughter’s decision” while she would SPECIFICALLY work to deny MY daughters her right to choose. They’ve elected a woman with an ethics investigation against her. They’ve elected a gal that was for the “bridge to nowhere” before she was against it. Etc., etc.

    AND, they’ve teamed her with the “old white wrinkly guy” that has changed his position on EVERY thing he once believed, everything he once worked for (including voting against two of his own pieces of legislation!) – ALL SO he can get the support of people who are so appallingly ignorant that they think having a VP who believes the world is 6,000 years old is acceptable.

    Yep that was one great convention!

  117. 117.

    Ed Marshall

    September 6, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    Please unlink this. It is completely unverified and does much more harm than good.

    I’m curious about this: Do you seriously believe blog entries can do harm or ill? No one reading this is ever, ever, going to be persuaded to vote for the other guy.

    Watching these dimbulbs tring to polish up this turd is something I find intensely entertaining but it’s not going to do anything in the real world.

  118. 118.

    zuzu's petals

    September 6, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    The fiscal conservatives really hate the Palin choice, and I think it’s going to bite McCain in the ass.

    …sort of makes you wonder who chipped into the $10 million dollar pool to Obama after Palin’s speech.

    Good point.

    Also, from what I understand, The Economist reflects the way the British/Europeans/etc. observe America, and I would guess after 8 years of that idiot GWB they would find the uber-nationalist tilt of the GOP pretty nervous-making.

  119. 119.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    Let’s ignore the jbarntt troll.

    Meanwhile, check out this USAToday story showing how Alaska is the #1 state in pork-barrel spending.

    I’m sure the good Governor had nothing to do with that, since she’s so mavericky.

  120. 120.

    Chum

    September 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    This poses a vexing problem because even Larry King or Chris Wallace have to bring this up and there is literally nothing that Palin can say. If she repeats her earlier denials the evidence will damn her now and the looming investigation report will damn her even worse.

    Will it make any difference? Take a look at some of the gymnastics ppl are going through at blogs like Althouse over Samantha’s Bee’s excellent piece on the Jon Stewart show where she manages to make Republican delegates say the word choice in reference to Bristol’s choice to keep the baby.

    These guys are so drunk on Kool Aid nothing will change their minds – after all we’re all feminists now too!

  121. 121.

    LiberalTarian

    September 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    What I find surprising about the GOP response to criticism of Palin (“It’s so unfair!!! You meanies!!!”) is that they are surprised.

    They invented the personal attack, and “politics of destruction” as Bill Clinton liked to call it. I’m pretty sure I recall them lambasting us for being too milquetoast to fight back, sissies and whatnot. And, for all their Christian pretentiousness, never do they actually internalize their own Holy Bible:

    Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
    —Matthew 26:52

    Put away the phoney outrage. Nobody believes you. You took up this sword, trained your opposition in its use, so don’t come crying to us if it is used against you.

  122. 122.

    Richard Bottoms

    September 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    Watching these dimbulbs tring to polish up this turd is something I find intensely entertaining but it’s not going to do anything in the real world.

    These are false flag operations, no different than the PUMA junk before the DNC convention. Stick to verified stories and sources willing to go on camera with proof.

    Believe me there’s quite enough to defeat McCain without giving the other side their daily outrage pills.

  123. 123.

    Tim F.

    September 6, 2008 at 3:14 pm

    Do you seriously believe blog entries can do harm or ill? No one reading this is ever, ever, going to be persuaded to vote for the other guy.

    I think that a deontological argument is more persuasive than the utilitarian approach in this case. That is to say, it matters more that it is unwise to link an article so strident and unpersuasive (link in haste, repent at leisure, etc.) than that it won’t have a grand strategic impact.

  124. 124.

    dewberry

    September 6, 2008 at 3:17 pm

    I love it how liberal blogs are being thrown up as the enemy over and over. It’s like people have no clue how the tubes work.

    If I wanted to a place where people believe the earth is flat, that Obama faked his own birth certificate or that anorexia is a healthy way of life, I could find blogs that support that. Doesn’t mean normal people take them that seriously or support them.

    But sure, let’s find a flag or this year’s Murphy Brown controversy to get all het up about. It’s not like there are any real issues we could be discussing.

  125. 125.

    dslak

    September 6, 2008 at 3:22 pm

    from what I understand, The Economist reflects the way the British/Europeans/etc. observe America,

    The British and European business class, anyway. The Economist‘s leanings are center-right/neoliberal.

  126. 126.

    LiberalTarian

    September 6, 2008 at 3:22 pm

    Sorry, ā€œpolitics of personal destructionā€ as Bill Clinton liked to call it. Fixed.

  127. 127.

    jbarntt

    September 6, 2008 at 3:22 pm

    Hi Jake, you said:

    You’re either very dumb, or being disingenuous.

    Good luck to ya.

    I’m not dumb, and indeed am being somewhat disingenuous, but that latter quality is not an all or nothing thing. I mostly mean it, but yes, Gov. Palin does need to met the press.

    Nice to meet someone on BJ who makes a smart post.

    ‘night Jake, I’m off. See you later.

  128. 128.

    Richard Bottoms

    September 6, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    Good move Tim.

    The GOP is going to try to sucker you and John, and Kos, and Sullivan. Don’t take the bait.

  129. 129.

    KT

    September 6, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Yep. Last time I checked, Palin isn’t the one running for office. We shouldn’t be attacking her directly, but attacking McCain instead for making an impulsive unresearched pick for VP.

    No. We should (and can) do both.

    Unless people are exposed to Palin’s unfitness for office, McCain’s decision just looks like a mavericky but successful choice. The only way you counter that is to show how “out there” Palin is in her religious beliefs, past history and her actual record. To do that, you have to dig as McCain is basically saying: I love my country so you should trust my judgement. I would never do anything to hurt the country.

    Sorry, John, but your POW status notwithstanding, we’re going to “trust but verify” on this one.

  130. 130.

    jake

    September 6, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    Just because the 95% of voters who have never heard of her would like to know something about where she stands before they cast their ballot, that doesn’t mean she has to tell them.

    Yeah but it’s part of God’s plan that she win. God’s Will = triple 95% + infinity.

  131. 131.

    Ed Marshall

    September 6, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    Every time you shake the Sarah Palin tree something falls out. I’d keep shaking the bastard.

  132. 132.

    dewberry

    September 6, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    The only way you counter that is to show how ā€œout thereā€ Palin is in her religious beliefs, past history and her actual record.

    That’s why when anyone asks me about Palin, I refrain from a lot of the noise and just say, “She seems like a nice mother and a successful governor, but I am just so uncomfortable with her extreme views. She’s so far out of the mainstream.” Over and over again.

    In reality, I am neutral on her motherhood and don’t think she’s that successful of a governor (put her in a state with an actual budget deficit and not as high on the pork list and see how she does). I just say extreme, extreme, extreme.

  133. 133.

    Xel

    September 6, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    jbarntt

    I was referring to the generalizing word “liberals” in your post.

    As for pouring salt on the slug that is Palin, I am not asking for her to be poisoned or killed, I want her career and ambitions crushed to the size of aa peanut that is then flung into the Grand Canyon. I realize my rhetoric can imply eliminationist sentiments, but I assure you that it is *her role in life*, the lying christianist politickrister Palin, that I want removed from history, not her actual corporeal form

  134. 134.

    Richard Bottoms

    September 6, 2008 at 3:37 pm

    BTW, you think John is every going to apologize for basically telling me to fuck off back in the dark days when he was still on Gov. Tarkin’s side?

    It’s not like I was 100% right or anything. :-)

  135. 135.

    Stuck in the Fun House

    September 6, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    Nice to meet someone on BJ who makes a smart post.

    ā€˜night Jake, I’m off. See you later.

    A polite troll, night tbarnett, night John Boy, nite Mary Ellen, night baby Jeebus. There now.

  136. 136.

    Person of Choler

    September 6, 2008 at 3:45 pm

    Notorious P.A.T. asks,
    “Where did Person of Choler and Jbarntt go? They seem like normal Americans, so I was looking forward to hating them some more.”

    Hi y’all. I drop by here occasionally.

    Keep hatin’, P.A.T. That’s what you’re good at.

    (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid reference.)

  137. 137.

    Jake

    September 6, 2008 at 3:46 pm

    Larison:

    McCain provides the basic policy trajectory of a third Bush term, and Palin provides the biography of a folksy pro-life ā€reformer with resultsā€ governor of a large, oil-rich reliably Republican state in the West–it is pretty close to the Bush/Cheney ticket in reverse, isn’t it?

    Oh boy, that is TOO perfect. It’s Cheney-Bush this time. Spooky, but dead on.

  138. 138.

    zuzu's petals

    September 6, 2008 at 3:48 pm

    dslak Says:

    from what I understand, The Economist reflects the way the British/Europeans/etc. observe America,

    The British and European business class, anyway. The Economist’s leanings are center-right/neoliberal.

    Yep.

    I mean yup, yup.

  139. 139.

    mark

    September 6, 2008 at 3:54 pm

    McCain Camp ā€˜Rescues’ Flags From Obama Invesco Rally
    http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/06/mccain-camp-to-chastise-dems-for-discarding-american-flags/

    First line of the article: “Democrats are not caring for their Stars and Stripes.” Not that there was any doubt that Fox is the Republican Ministry of Truth.

    Someone pointed out that the only flags at the Republican convention were on video. I’ll bet this was to head off a “flags in the trash” counter-attack.


    Republicans Ban Flags from Convention

    I missed that headline somehow.

  140. 140.

    croatoan

    September 6, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    Did Palin Call Hillary Clinton a Whiner?

    When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism or, you know, maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, man, that doesn’t do us any good. Women in politics, women in general wanting to progress this country. I don’t think it’s, it bodes well for her — a statement like that.

  141. 141.

    zuzu's petals

    September 6, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    Someone pointed out that the only flags at the Republican convention were on video. I’ll bet this was to head off a ā€œflags in the trashā€ counter-attack.

    What do they do with their leftover flags from rallies, etc?

    Somebody should get right on this!

  142. 142.

    dslak

    September 6, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Someone pointed out that the only flags at the Republican convention were on video.

    I believe there was a lot of tacky flag clothing.

  143. 143.

    Purple State Pundit

    September 6, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Ridiculous. Hopefully the press won’t let her get away with it. They tend to get kind of negative on candidates they don’t feel they have sufficient access to, so hopefully they will start to make a stink about her hiding. Usually I don’t trust the press, but they tend not to be shy complaining about lack of access, and they tend not to reward candidates on either side who don’t give them access, so I am somewhat hopeful they will call her on it. Of course, because she’s a woman, some people think every negative thing said about her in the press is sexist.

  144. 144.

    Tsulagi

    September 6, 2008 at 4:11 pm

    Someone pointed out that the only flags at the Republican convention were on video.

    McCain didn’t even wear a flag lapel pin during his speech while Walter Reed Middle School was on the screen behind him. Republican First Jesus wept.

  145. 145.

    zuzu's petals

    September 6, 2008 at 4:16 pm

    Looks like the “Dems trash flags” meme has already been debunked:

    But according to a senior official involved in organizing the Democratic convention, the McCain camp is simply lying about the flags.

    “All of the flags at Invesco were picked up and put in bags and into storage, along with the unused flags and campaign signs. The flags were going to be donated, and the signs were going to be sent out to be used elsewhere,” the official said …

    DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney issues a statement: “American flags were proudly waved by the 75,000 people who joined Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention. John McCain should applaud that, but instead his supporters wrongfully took leftover bundles of our flags from the stadium to play a cheap political stunt calling into question our patriotism. On the same day he agrees to join Barack Obama at Ground Zero on September 11, John McCain attacks the patriotism of Obama supporters who so proudly waved the American flag at our historic event in Denver just days ago.”

    HuffPo

  146. 146.

    Joshua Norton

    September 6, 2008 at 4:20 pm

    instead his supporters wrongfully took leftover bundles of our flags from the stadium to play a cheap political stunt calling into question our patriotism.

    Ratfucking at its finest. And yet people are constantly being amazed that it’s taking place. Dems need a whole staff of people just to counter the rightie ratfuckers as they get more desperate.

  147. 147.

    TR

    September 6, 2008 at 4:21 pm

    I’ve noticed a theme repeating in the comments of conservative posters when it comes to Palin. They keep insisting that Democrats are “scared” of her, and in a “panic” over her selection.

    Um, no. No, we’re not. Go to any liberal blog — Kos, Atrios, Washington Monthly, TPM, you name it — and the overwhelming mood when it comes to Palin is pure giddiness.

    There were candidates that McCain could’ve picked this year that would’ve scared me, to be honest. I don’t think much of Romney, for instance, but I think he’d make Michigan and the Mountain West competitive. Huckabee had a folksy charm that would’ve won over some independents, and Lieberman would’ve made McCain’s case to moderates an easier one.

    But Palin? She’s alienating moderates and independents, taking several effective GOP attacks off the table, and not putting any new states in play. The only thing that scares me about her is that there are so many scandals and so many faults in her nomination that I’m afraid we just don’t have the time to talk about them all.

    When conservatives claim liberals are in a “panic” over Palin, it’s nothing but projection.

  148. 148.

    Joshua Norton

    September 6, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    The only thing that scares me about her is that there are so many scandals and so many faults in her nomination that I’m afraid we just don’t have the time to talk about them all.

    The whole Palin crew is coming off as a better dressed version of the Jerry Springer show. Maybe they’ll be throwing chairs pretty soon.

  149. 149.

    Martin

    September 6, 2008 at 4:28 pm

    It is a curious thing that Gov. Palin is not a slave to newspaper reporters; she can do interviews if she wishes, or not. Given how she has has been treated by the press, why should she ? Her job is to help McCain win the election, the press has few votes and even fewer for McCain.

    That’s a fair enough viewpoint. Unfortunately, we have the whole ‘ready on day 1’ expectation to cope with, which I think is a reasonable one but clearly varies on how voters expect the person to meet the expectation.

    For me, the ability of a candidate to meet the press head on, preferably live and publicly, and hold their reasoning and resolve is important. In a crisis the President or VP doesn’t have the option of telling the UN or joint chiefs or head of Russia or China or whoever ‘Wait, let me bone up on this for a week’ or ‘I don’t like the tone of your inquiry, I’m going home’.

    Everyone presents the situation correctly including Palin and McCain – these two positions need to be ready to play hardball all the time. Now, that requires a solid combination of factual knowledge, gamesmanship, judgement, temperament, and communication skills. We’re trying to gauge, without actually tossing the candidates into an artificial crisis, how they will respond to that.

    Criticism of Obama’s experience, knowledge, judgement and so on from the basis of his resume were valid back when he entered the race. They are still somewhat valid, but there is a raft of evidence that voters can go to since then to determine if the candidate possesses those traits – everything from speeches, debate performances, interviews, handling of scandals, managing of campaigns and strategy, choice of advisors, policy positions and so on. That is, there’s a large amount of real-time performance that voters can turn to that offer useful insights as to how Obama would handle other situations.

    Palin walks in with exactly the same problem – her resume is thin and there are parts of her resume that are questionable (as were parts of Obamas). Obama has been forced to answer for those parts, Palin has not. Palin has not given us much evidence for how she would handle a real crisis. Buttoning up and hiding from it *is* evidence, and not good evidence.

    From the perspective of ‘I want our guy to win’, it might be a winning strategy. From the perspective of ‘I want a responsible and effective leader of this country’ I can’t see it as anything but a bathtub of fail. China won’t let the President or VP hide. Hurricanes won’t let them hide. Even if the outcome is going to suck hard (there is no winning a crisis – there is only surviving it) you still need to step up and meet it and make the best of it that you can.

    That’s the problem I see with this move. You may say that she owes the press nothing, but compared to foreign leaders and crises happening whether you like it or not, the press is a cakewalk. If she can’t step up now, then I fear that we potentially have not only a poor VP, but a fully incompetent one. We can manage with poor leaders, but not with incompetent ones. I can respect your desire for your candidate to win, but I can’t respect your willingness to accept an executive position that we *could* know something useful about but argue not to solely in the interests of winning.

    Her job is not just to help McCain win, but once she has won, to be able to successfully execute the position. You seem to have completely eliminated the need for competency beyond campaigning as a necessary qualification.

  150. 150.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 4:38 pm

    dslak Says:

    Someone pointed out that the only flags at the Republican convention were on video.
    I believe there was a lot of tacky flag clothing.

    September 6th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Funny thing about that: back in the 60’s/70’s hippies often wore flags as clothing because once upon a time it was disrespectful to wear a US flag as a garment. Sounds like the RNC was packed with DFHs.

  151. 151.

    harlana pepper

    September 6, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    As for inquiries into Ms. Palin’s private and family life, I can only say (1) turnabout is fair play & (2) don’t let the hypocrisy hit you in your corrupt, Christianist, lying ass on your way out the door.

  152. 152.

    jibeaux

    September 6, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    Y’all have fattened our troll up with Troll House Cookies so much he’s not going to be able to move. Try this instead. I like how he picked up on a little remarked-on, but really freakin’ Constitutionally significant point.

  153. 153.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 4:43 pm

    TR Says:

    But Palin? She’s alienating moderates and independents, taking several effective GOP attacks off the table, and not putting any new states in play.

    September 6th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

    And as noted above, she’s even alientating the fiscal conservatives.

  154. 154.

    jibeaux

    September 6, 2008 at 4:44 pm

    Also, when this pick leads folks at the NRO to sound like they’ve got half a brain, that’s kind of clue how out there it is.

  155. 155.

    jibeaux

    September 6, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    Martin for VP!

    Oh wait, we’ve got somebody pretty good. Martin for Something Else Cool in the Obama Administration!

  156. 156.

    Anastasius

    September 6, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    I also think that hiding Palin from the media is an intentional move and not just gaffe-control.
    They let the Dems and media keep whining for a while and they will continue to lower the expectations till they agree that no one will ask her anything tougher than:
    “How did your faith help you in your decision making when you were CiC of the Alaskan National Guard?”

    And after she finished her 1 hour script on Fox the pundits will gasp for breath and their eyes will be filled with love:
    “OMG! No one could have predicted her to be this charming, warm, wonderful and even knowledgeable! Better VP pick than Biden or best VP pick in history? And I think the unicorns she promised every girl who would practice abstinence till she marries could really exist!”

  157. 157.

    L. Ron Obama

    September 6, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    In a crisis the President or VP doesn’t have the option of telling the UN or joint chiefs or head of Russia or China or whoever … ā€˜I don’t like the tone of your inquiry, I’m going home’.

    Cheney did just that in Azerbaijan when he got a less-than-warm reception — he then skipped the dinner that was to be held in his honor.

  158. 158.

    Xel

    September 6, 2008 at 5:00 pm

    Keep an eye on the polls is all I am saying. The GOP and McCain has gotten a very meek bump for having just had their convention, but we still need to look at what Palin actually causes people do. 10 mill for Obama is really effing nice, but is it so unprecedented for people to rally more for the dem when they have a complete, quantifiable GOP ticket to think about?

    Palin energizes the base and does nothing for people who actually want a less partisan, hard-wing GOP.

    *But the undecideds are not centrists or pro-bipartisans, neccessarilly.*

    They don’t have enough information, or too much (ungrounded) doubt about Obama. If they aren’t in Obama’s tank now, after Palin, then they could very well be idiots, scaredy-cats or just honest and decent people who don’t know enough to realize that McCain is so fucking bad that the dems should win no matter their own candidate.

    Once again, the GOP knows the shitheap that is the MSM quite well. Palin is a lightning rod, a very strange card to play that could be part of a long-term plan or tactic.

  159. 159.

    vaux-rien

    September 6, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    Palin has been good for Obama. After she spoke he got $10 million in donations.

    Mentioning this mostly because I haven’t heard else do so, I think the big surge in donations after Tuesday night probably had as much or more to do with the “zero zero” chants and the whole night’s apparent “n*****s ain’t shit” theme as with Palin herself.

    That’s going by my own emotional response although I didn’t actually donate any money.

  160. 160.

    vaux-rien

    September 6, 2008 at 5:05 pm

    Oops, Wednesday was “n*****s ain’t shit”, Thursday was “The Passion of John McCain”, I’m not sure what Tuesday was.

  161. 161.

    Stuck in the Fun House

    September 6, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    Everyone presents the situation correctly including Palin and McCain – these two positions need to be ready to play hardball all the time. Now, that requires a solid combination of factual knowledge, gamesmanship, judgement, temperament, and communication skills. We’re trying to gauge, without actually tossing the candidates into an artificial crisis, how they will respond to that.

    Well said. Too bad the current GOP could care less about the things you mention. It’s what really enrages me about this pick. It is so cynical as to be almost incomprehendable
    . It’s the essence of pure Rovian politicking. Create a storyline that is attractive and saleable on the surface, then rally the drones to pound it home and make it kitchen table truth. In this, it seems to me that Sarah Palin is the perfect wingnut, with charisma and ruthless narcissism having excellent political skills, albeit sociopathic at the core IMO. It’s why the true believers are wrapped in such orgasmic delight. They are seeing her as Ronald Reagan in pumps and could care less about her qualifications or ability to run the country.

  162. 162.

    wasabi gasp

    September 6, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    About the flags-in-the-bags story that’s making the rounds: the flags were stolen.

  163. 163.

    zuzu's petals

    September 6, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    Hallelujah. Some big guns are taking aim.

    Sarah Palin is an able liar, as her acceptance speech showed. She may be a coward, too, at least when it comes to facing down the reporters she blasted from the comfort of that solitary podium in St. Paul.

    ….

    Journalists should report on this press blackout as news in itself — it is a big deal that after 8 years of Bush-Cheney secrecy, the G.O.P. is running a VP candidate who won’t even make a pretense of answering questions from the press or investigators — and activists can make the blackout an issue. The Nation has learned that MoveOn.org, for example, is launching a new “clock” counting how long Palin refuses to “talk to the press.”

    Palin Coward Clock Starts Ticking

  164. 164.

    DonkeyKong

    September 6, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    The GOP did’nt nominate the first female VP. They may do that in the future though. The truth is they nominated the first machine to the VP slot, a teleprompter. Palin is the just a beard for the teleprompter in the same way Bush was a beard for Cheney.

    I for one welcome the teleprompter overlords as our masters.

  165. 165.

    Brachiator

    September 6, 2008 at 6:07 pm

    Martin Says:

    For me, the ability of a candidate to meet the press head on, preferably live and publicly, and hold their reasoning and resolve is important.

    And yet in modern times, both Reagan and Bush minimized the number of press conferences they gave, and depended upon stage managed events and friendly media (from Limbaugh to Medved to Fox News) to buttress their message.

    Palin’s convention speech was written by a White House writer. People connected to Bush are obviously the primary movers behind the hide-the-Palin strategy. They are also depending on their core supporters to buy heavily into the idea that the “mainstream media” is inherently biased against Palin, and that the media is unpatriotic if they are not actively supporting Republicans, who are the only real Americans.

    Anastasius Says:

    I also think that hiding Palin from the media is an intentional move and not just gaffe-control….

    And after she finished her 1 hour script on Fox the pundits will gasp for breath and their eyes will be filled with love….

    Bingo! The Republicans are working their own version of My Fair Lady VP. Joe Lieberman is Henry Higgins, working to turn an ignorant urchin into a foreign policy superstar, and Palin is Eliza Dolittle — or better — Eliza Know-little, singing —

    I’m getting vetted in the morning,
    Ding dong, the wingnuts are all mine!
    But please don’t talk to me,
    The press will just abuse me,
    But get me to McCain…
    Get me to McCain…
    For Pete’s sake, get me to McCain on time!

    The Democrats need to continue to hit McCain for his judgment in selecting Palin in the first place, attack the flimsiness of Palin’s record, emphasize the lies and the petty vindictiveness that is central to her past tenure as mayor and governor, and look for the smoking gun that might push Palin out of the election altogether. They need to thoroughly poison the ground so that when Hockey Mom 2.0 is ultimately unveiled, she has nothing positive or favorable to latch onto.

    The issue isn’t qualifications. It’s about temperament, character and judgment. The Democrats need to demonstrate that neither McCain nor Palin have what it takes.

    And they should double down on Palin by attacking the GOP for pointlessly hiding her away from the voters, and toss in an ominous “Palin is clearly personable and polished and didn’t need to be put away. What are the Republicans really hiding? We can’t take a chance on a party that plays such games while Americans are suffering and the economy is in a shambles.”

  166. 166.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    wasabi gasp Says:

    About the flags-in-the-bags story that’s making the rounds: the flags were stolen.

    September 6th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    They’ve stolen everything else in this campaign (slogans, talking points, theme music), so why not flags? Let’s just hope they don’t steal the election (again). :(

  167. 167.

    Martin

    September 6, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Cheney did just that in Azerbaijan when he got a less-than-warm reception—he then skipped the dinner that was to be held in his honor.

    And, in spite of being the one person in the nation that is unquestionably the most experienced for the job of President, the guy has an unbelievably low approval rating. And this approach to governance is part of the reason why.

    At the end of the day, experience is what you go on when you have nothing else. Judgement and execution is what you really look for which is why even most of the GOP hates Cheney. He’s got the worlds best one-page resume coupled with an incredibly bad track record.

  168. 168.

    r€nato

    September 6, 2008 at 6:14 pm

    About the flags-in-the-bags story that’s making the rounds: the flags were stolen.

    won’t stop wingnuts and dittoheads from repeating it/forwarding emails about it repeatedly.

    I still can’t convince my stepfather that the Obama-didn’t-have-his-hand-over-his-heart-during-the-Pledge-of-Allegiance story is bullshit, no matter how many times I point him to witness accounts and Snopes.com.

  169. 169.

    Aaron Baker

    September 6, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    Please see this for more on the problematic Sarah Palin:

    http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/09/05/alaskans-speak-in-a-frightened-whisper-palin-is-ā€œracist-sexist-vindictive-and-meanā€/

  170. 170.

    Conservatively Liberal

    September 6, 2008 at 6:32 pm

    Hallelujah. Some big guns are taking aim.

    I agree.

    Hey John! How about installing this widget on your blog?

    Why is the McCain campaign controlling Sarah Palin and having her do their bidding? If she is the best veep that McCain could find then why won’t they let her speak her mind on current topics? If she is the greatest thing since sliced bread then she should be capable of standing on her own two feet, yet these men are now pulling her strings and controlling her mouth. Sarah Palin has become nothing more than a stage puppet, and the fact that she is being kept from the press shows that these men will not let her speak until they have reprogrammed her and they are confident that she will do as she has been told.

    Sarah Palin, the woman who can’t stand up for herself and deal with it. If she becomes vice president, what makes people think that she will be able to deal with that if she can’t even deal with the press?

  171. 171.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    September 6, 2008 at 6:33 pm

    This is for someone special.

  172. 172.

    Conservatively Liberal

    September 6, 2008 at 6:57 pm

    What would be funny is if someone with a popular blog started a Free Sarah Palin! “movement”. Make it out that the McCain camp is holding her against her will and that they may be reprogramming her.

    Too bad there isn’t a female version of Pinocchio that someone could do a takeoff of. That would be a funny way to approach this, and people remember funny (and they watch it!). Show McCain carving her out of wood, painting her up real purty, her coming to life and her nose growing from lying her ass off.

    ;)

  173. 173.

    Blue Buddha

    September 6, 2008 at 6:59 pm

    You knew it was bound to happen: some lunatic conservatives are already praying for McCain to bite it after he gets elected, so that Palin becomes pres.

    So here is my three point plan:
    1. Vote Constitution Party. (I vote my conscience and cannot support McCain even with Palin.)
    2. Pray for Sarah Palin to win. (I am an idealist, but also a realist!)
    3. Pray for John McCain’s salvation and speedy death.

    Via Rising Hegemon

  174. 174.

    LiberalTarian

    September 6, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    1. Vote Constitution Party.

    BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

    Montana is rife with those fuckers.

    Don’t pay taxes on their cars, get drivers licenses, etc. (remember the Freemen???).

    But, I shit you not, I knew a woman who preached that bullshit day in and day out. One winter an ice dam (imagine that, in an area where glacial lake ice dams used to form and scrubbed the soil off most of the Clark Fork Valley when it broke) and backed up the water so that it flooded her property. Act of God, right?

    HELL NO. She sued to county, because they should have blasted the dam to protect her house!!!!

    The gall, people, the gall.

    Happy ending–she lost. Act of God is act of God, and you can’t hold government responsible for buying land in an area known to flood (even if its been 10K years). :D

  175. 175.

    LiberalTarian

    September 6, 2008 at 7:07 pm

    1. Vote Constitution Party.

    BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

    Montana is rife with those fuckers.

    Don’t pay taxes on their cars, get drivers licenses, etc. (remember the Freemen???).

    But, I shit you not, I knew a woman who preached that bullshit day in and day out. One winter an ice dam (imagine that, in an area where glacial lake ice dams used to form and scrubbed the soil off most of the Clark Fork Valley when it broke) and backed up the water so that it flooded her property. Act of God, right?

    HELL NO. She sued the county (with less than 8,000 people who actually pay their taxes), because they should have blasted the dam to protect her house!!!!

    The gall, people, the gall.

    Happy ending–she lost. Act of God is act of God, and you can’t hold government responsible for buying land in an area known to flood (even if its been 10K years). :D

    [Sorry if I double posted. +3]

  176. 176.

    dslak

    September 6, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    Glenzilla is mighty skeptical that anything benefitting the Democrats is going to come of this game of keeping Palin from the media.

  177. 177.

    PeterJ

    September 6, 2008 at 7:34 pm

    What would be funny is if someone with a popular blog started a Free Sarah Palin! ā€œmovementā€. Make it out that the McCain camp is holding her against her will and that they may be reprogramming her.

    FreeSarahPalin.com is already taken (registered yesterday by some guy in Arizona)
    RescueSarahPalin.com and LiberateSarahPalin.com are still available though.

  178. 178.

    PeterJ

    September 6, 2008 at 7:43 pm

    FreeSarahPalin.com is already taken (registered yesterday by some guy in Arizona)

    Scratch that about some guy, looks like the person that owns it is Jeff Farias, a liberal talk show host.

    Hopefully he’ll find some good use for it.

  179. 179.

    tomjones

    September 6, 2008 at 7:50 pm

    @ JenJen. Did you read the rebuttal to the McCain campaign flag escapades?

    It seems that the flags were going to be donated, but Republicans stole them. LOL!!!!

  180. 180.

    Conservatively Liberal

    September 6, 2008 at 7:56 pm

    FreeSarahPalin.com is already taken (registered yesterday by some guy in Arizona)
    RescueSarahPalin.com and LiberateSarahPalin.com are still available though.

    Scratch that about some guy, looks like the person that owns it is Jeff Farias, a liberal talk show host.

    Hopefully he’ll find some good use for it.

    I sure as hell hope so! Now we just need to find someone who can make a short Palinocchio clip and put it up on YouTube!

  181. 181.

    Rome Again

    September 6, 2008 at 8:00 pm

    I expect a Republican administration some day to propose removing ā€˜E Pluribus, Unum’ from our coinage—first because it isn’t accurate; we’re not ā€˜one’, we’re ā€˜us’ and ā€˜them’, the godly and the ungodly, the haves and the have-nots, the whites and the Others; second because if it’s in Latin, it’s elitist.

    Hey, I resent that. I’m white, but I’m supporting the victory of “the Others”.

  182. 182.

    Peter Johnson

    September 6, 2008 at 8:25 pm

    Palin will do fine in the interviews. She was valedictorian of her high school class. This is a classic rope a dope and it looks like y’all are the dopes.

  183. 183.

    Martin

    September 6, 2008 at 8:33 pm

    Hey, I resent that. I’m white, but I’m supporting the victory of ā€œthe Othersā€.

    But you do recognize that it’s still the whites and the others, or the protestants and the others, etc. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some whites fighting to change that, though. Nothing to resent.

    But a big failing of the GOP is the inability to treat people outside of whatever little club they are in with the same respect as those within. That’s normal everywhere, but conservatives don’t even make a substantive (as opposed to superficial) effort to change that.

  184. 184.

    Shygetz

    September 6, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    Palin will do fine in the interviews. She was valedictorian of her high school class. This is a classic rope a dope and it looks like y’all are the dopes.

    Bwahahahaha!!!! The trolls troll themselves! It’s great!

  185. 185.

    Rome Again

    September 7, 2008 at 1:33 am

    She was valedictorian of her high school class.

    Just because she was valedictorian of her high school class doesn’t mean she understands foreign affairs (or domestic for that matter).

    She didn’t even know what the VP did, how can you justify that?

    Small town Mayor, small state governor, and what else? Oh, yeah, she corresponds with Russia over fishing permits. Get real.

  186. 186.

    Rome Again

    September 7, 2008 at 1:38 am

    But a big failing of the GOP is the inability to treat people outside of whatever little club they are in with the same respect as those within. That’s normal everywhere, but conservatives don’t even make a substantive (as opposed to superficial) effort to change that.

    I’d rather die among those fighting for what’s right then live among the bigots.

    I do understand what you’re saying, but I don’t think I’m a rare specimen.

  187. 187.

    Peter Johnson

    September 7, 2008 at 10:40 am

    Just because she was valedictorian of her high school class doesn’t mean she understands foreign affairs (or domestic for that matter).

    Neither does Obama’s much-touted time as Hahvud Law Reivew Ediro.

  188. 188.

    mere mortal

    September 9, 2008 at 7:55 pm

    Palin may be green but she isn’t a moron. If Dan Quayle can stumble through at least one campaign without disqualifying daddy Bush then Sarah Palin can handle herself fine.

    Sir,

    I saw Dan Quayle on television a couple of times. I saw him at press events as Vice President of the United States. My understanding is that he was once an actual U.S. Senator. Sarah Palin is no Dan Quayle.

    Sarah Palin is literally an ex-beauty pageant contestant competing in what amounts to a beauty pageant as VP candidate. Except she’s requested that she be allowed to skip the interview portion.

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