Made it back in time for the 2nd quarter.
For the first time that I can remember, Tunch is not angry at me for having left him alone for two days. He will probably attack me in my sleep.
*** Update ***
A nice win.
Do the meatheads on the CBS post-game show have enough lapel pins on? Another piece of flair and they will be ready to work for Chotchkie’s.
Cowher looks like he has a serious illness.
jake
Check your shoes, man. Check your shoes.
Go Colts.
sparky
might i suggest a new banking/open thread re: Fannie/Freddie.
it really is a big deal, and what i find most interesting is (a) which banks are gonna fail on monday (b) how much did PIMCO et al make demanding to be kept whole and c) what’s the significance of Paulson injecting cash but NOT giving a guaranty for the bonds(!)
/non finance spectator
/stupid autoformat
gbear
Wait until you find out the reason that Tunch doesn’t mind you being gone anymore…(damn, couldn’t find a Fountains of Wayne version).
CaseyL
Not sure about that, but you might want to check your shoes before you put them on :)
Alternatively, maybe Tunch is happy that Dad has a steady girl and is getting out and about…
Brian J
Since I cannot think about much else besides politics and inventing something related to electronics or computers, like a Web site that will allow me to sell it for $XXX million/billion and live off the interest, and since all of the real men at my nephew’s birthday party are watching football, I have some questions:
1. Do you know of any good sites that monitor political advertising? I’d like to be able to track this stuff myself, because it seems easier than reading otherwise good articles that don’t always put numbers behind they describe. For instance, Obama cut back on advertising in Georgia temporarily, but he’s not pulling out of the state. I’ll trust the campaign to know what it’s doing, but it’s one of the states that I’d love to see huge rallies in during this month and the next to cause them to panic.
2. Speaking of said rallies, I realize it’s not always possible to attract tens of thousands of people, or even the most effective way of connecting to voters. However, there’s something to be said about the ability to attract a crowd, and while there might be nothing to it, I think if a lot of people see a 50,000-person crowd screaming for Obama and Biden in Atlanta, it’s going to open up their minds to voting for him just a little. (Of course, if there’s some basic social science research that says this isn’t the case, please let me know.) I guess my question is, is it the right time for said rallies? Again, it’s not always possible–I don’t imagine people can ditch work in the middle of the day for a political pitch in the middle of a big city–but I imagine that if it wanted to, Obama’s campaign could start doing it. If it’s not the right, when will it be? Later this month, the middle of October?
The Dangerman
Are you sure Tunch was ALONE for two days?
SGEW
I don’t know of any site that exclusively monitors ad spending (but I’d love to hear if anyone knows of one), but I usually find that TPM Election Central and 538 often post relevant reports of advertising strategies.
Brian J
Oh, I go to those frequently. I love those sites.
Assuming I haven’t worn out my welcome with the questions,
does anyone here read Tom Maguire’s blog? I remember reading it in 2004. Not only do I hate his writing style, but it seems like he’s the most irritating of right wingers: the type that actually believes all of the junk from his side.
gbear
McCain gets BarackRoll’d
SGEW
Why would anyone read that blog? For instance: he just posted a Bill Kristol piece with the single comment: “Indeed.”
I can get my daily portion of outrageous right-wing lies straight from the source, thank you. No need to read this guy’s slack-jawed seal-clapping take on them.
Phil
Well well, I told you not to underestimate Sarah Pallin and you did. And now all polls that have come out today show you falling behind. Now, will McCain win? I’m still not sure he will. He may be ahead now but it is post-convention, so he is supposed to get a bounce. But as Bill Whittle said after the RNC convention regarding this election, “For the first time I feel like we deserve to win more than they deserve to lose.” The hysterical reactions by the Sullivans and Daily Kos’ of the world show that the inmates have taken over the asylum. The pork-barrel spenders, the corrupt officials, the ones who got just a little too comfortable in Washington among the Republicans are being put on notice. And it is the left who is being taken over by the extremists like the Daily Kos (after all, it the MOST widely read weblog on the Left by far and it was the one who peddled the “Pallin faked her own pregnancy!” meme)
Ironically, while I think Palin’s speech was very good, the best line of the convention belonged to neither her nor McCain, but to Rudy Guiliani just prior to Palin’s speech:
“When Russia rolled over Georgia, John McCain knew exactly how to respond.
Having been to that part of the world many times and having developed a clear worldview over many years, John knew where he stood. Within hours, he established a very strong, informed position that let the world know exactly how he’ll respond as President. At exactly the right time, John McCain said, “We’re all Georgians now.”
Obama’s first instinct was to create a moral equivalency – that “both sides” should “show restraint.” The same moral equivalency that he has displayed in discussing the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel.
Later, after discussing it with his 300 foreign policy advisors, he changed his position and suggested that the “the UN Security Council,” could find a solution. Apparently, none of his 300 advisors told him that Russia has a veto on any UN action. Finally Obama put out a statement that looked …well, it looked a lot like John McCain’s.
Here’s some free advice: Sen. Obama, next time just call John McCain.”
It was effective because it was true, and it was simply devastating to any Obama supporter honest with themselves. For the first time during the election cycle between the two, a real life crisis seemingly emerging very rapidly burst onto the scene. The two candidates had to make a decision that could affect the world and its state of affairs. Would Russia get away with this? Would it continue on to Poland, or Ukraine, or other ex-Soviet satellites?
And when the candidates had to decide how to respond, Obama required three opportunities before ultimately repeating what McCain had long already said. It revealed how small Obama really is and how little experience he has to offer (there’s no “heartbeat away” here – he’d be the President on DAY ONE). It revealed that if Bush were not so unpopular and the Republican “brand” not so damaged as it is now, that Obama wouldn’t even be even worth talking about. He gives a very great speech from a teleprompter, but he’s a very small man in the grand scheme of things. He is the embodiment of style over substance. Which is why the conclusion of that quote was so devastating. If you want that style over substance, then Obama is for you. But when push comes to shove and there is a matter of crisis either in the US or abroad, don’t bother with the lightweight Obama. Next time, call John McCain.
SGEW
gbear, you are hereby awarded three win points.
4tehlulz
We’re part of the McCain campaign? Who knew! After all, it is them that are hiding Gov. Palin from the media, not TEH LEFT. Is she such a delicate flower that she can’t handle some softballs from Chris Wallace? And here I thought that Sarah Palin was tough.
Maybe you should let them know that Sarah is a strong woman that can take care of herself and doesn’t need to be babysat by a liberal like Joe Lieberman.
Brian J
“Why would anyone read that blog?”
I need to find a list of conservative/right-wing/Republican-like Republicans so I can broaden my mind. I usually check Marginal Revolution a few times a day, but then, pretty much every blogger I read does. It’s one of those sites that you know isn’t garbage, even if you don’t agree with or entirely understand all of what’s written. Also, when you understand the criticisms other people make, it helps you in debunking them. So right now, I’m looking at the link below, trying to see if Obama’s record on housing while he was in the State Senate in Illinois is a “debacle” like Maguire says. I get that upon first impression, and perhaps after several impressions, that he’ll look like exactly what you say, but again, sometimes you need to go right to the source (in this case, the bloggers) if you want to know what they think.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/27/grim_proving_ground_for_obamas_housing_policy/?page=2
gbear
It’s nice to be recognized in one’s own lifetime.
That video was just too good to not share.
gbear
News embargo over. Sarah has now agreed to one hard hitting one-on-one interview – With Charles Gibson.
Fail.
John S.
Then go trade your keyboard for a Kalashnikov and head over to Georgia you fucking cheetoh-stained armchair warrior.
And when you get injured or killed, we’ll call John McCain for you.
Bostondreams
Phil, no matter what McCain says, I am not Georgian. You are not a Georgian. We are Americans. We are not citizens of a country led by a man who admires Stalin and thinks the US owes him something. We have no need or security interest in engaging in a conflict with Russia. Why should we? They are a third rate power using its petro dollars to try and become second rate while thinking they are first rate. Do you HONESTLY believe Russia would go on to Poland and the Ukraine? Why? What evidence is there? And John McCain’s words mean nothing, because they were ignored, and as far as I can see, Poland and Ukraine are still independent. Pathetic, really, that you fear a bald bear. I thought Islamofascism was the big threat; now its the Russians. How utterly unrealistic.
John McCain is part of that same old corrupt system. He has been in Congress for decades; and you say he will shake up the system? He couldn’t even follow his own campaign finance reforms! His running mate is the Queen of Earmarks and a proven liar; she says thanks for the bridge, oh no wait, no thanks, but I will keep the money and help Ted Steven’s get re-elected. And you say they will shake up the system? How? By lying about it?
It is incredible that you people can believe a word out of your mouths. You accuse Obama supporters of being ‘bots.’ What does that make Palin supporters? Replicants?
Ninerdave
Are you kidding me?
Seems they’ve blacked out the Niners game in SF. It’s opening fucking day, jesus christ have a fucking heart.
SGEW
Oh, no doubt (I have a gigantic bookmark list of right-wing sites); I was just saying that that guy’s blog is weak – if I want to know what Bill Kristol thinks, I go read Kristol. I don’t need some instaputz “indeed” or “what he said” commentary.
This guy is no Chuck Norris.
Brian J
Hey, guys, I think we may have to concede a point to the Republicans. It looks like Palin does have foreign policy experience, after all. As seen by Patrick R. Sullivan at Tom Maguire’s blog, the governor of Alaska has “international trade responsibilities.” Take a look at this link: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/trade/Exports_China.pdf
I think they got us on this one, my friends.
Brian J
“Oh, no doubt (I have a gigantic bookmark list of right-wing sites); I was just saying that that guy’s blog is weak – if I want to know what Bill Kristol thinks, I go read Kristol. I don’t need some instaputz “indeed” or “what he said” commentary.”
Oh, I see. In other words, go to someone who actually talks about what other people write and offers his own opinions, as opposed to acting like Digg.
Ninerdave
1:15…not 1pm Dave…relax…
Of course if they continue to suck, I will be looking forward to blackouts.
SGEW
Oh dear, Phil. What a load of demonstrably disingenuous* talking points.
I know I’m wasting my time, but I hope people shall forgive me for feeding the troll as I brush up my fiskin’ chops.
Andrew Sullivan is not . . . I repeat not . . . illustrative of the “left” in any way. The man is a self-described conservative who wrote a book that savages the Democratic party’s platform. He is loathed by many progressives/liberals, and is only appreciated for his defense of Constitutional rights (e.g., due process, free speech, equal protection, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment) and his visceral hatred of Bush.
The DailyKos did not “peddle” the pregnancy rumour. It was a user diary that has since been scrubbed, and never appeared on the front page. Markos et. al. are a lot more savvy than that.
[also: don’t make us laugh by saying that commenters here are part of this either. Balloon Juice comments threads do not represent the “left,” by any stretch of the imagination.]
Please compare this with, oh, say, Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Jerome Corsi, Karl Rove, Steve Schmidt, etc. etc. etc., who are actually, objectively, embraced and touted by the “mainstream” Republicans. This is not even apples and oranges.
Follow the links to weep with shame at the doublethink.
what happened to “Country First”? I suppose that the “Country” Sen. McCain refers to is in the Caucusus. Who knew?
* Read: false.
SGEW
Oops. My last post is held for moderation. Too much linky make site go ouch?
Bostondreams
Yeah, what SGEW said. A whole lot better and more linktastic than they way I said it.
grumpy realist
Oh great–so not content with Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, we’re supposed to pick a war with Russia as well?
Hint to Republicans: Saber-rattling only works if you have actual power behind it. The more you threaten and the more times people call your bluff, the less power you have.
So all those of you wanting WAR WAR WAR–signed up for the military yet? Willing to have your taxes raised to pay for it all? Or are you going to try shoving it on the (maxed-out) Chinese credit card again?
Idiots.
smiley
Anyone see the Saints game? I just saw a few highlights. What’s up with the turf in the Superdome?
Stuck in the Fun House
You do know where Mccain borrowed that from don’t you. It was first coined in French Newspaper after 9-11 proclaiming all Frenchmen as Americans. Viva La France there Phil.
How much is the Mccain camp paying you to disperse your outdated talking pints. What a waste of energy posting it here, when you can be a real star over at Freeperville. The conservative movement is dead Phil, It’s dead, dead dead! Live with it.
Brian J
“we’re supposed to pick a war with Russia as well?”
How dare you forget Iran and China! Why aren’t you putting country first? Are you a gay Commie MOOOOOSLIM elitist?
SGEW
[nods graciously]
I’m feeling linkarific today.
Charity
Awesome Eagles game today, 38-3! w0000t!
myiq2xu
So far, you’re not missing anything
Oops! As I was typing that, Gore (Frank, not Al) ran 41 yards for a TD
SF-7
AZ-3
mark
Moose-lim?
Just Some Fuckhead
Yep, almost made up for having to listen to Randy Cross for three hours.
LiberalTarian
Too bad they don’t have a cspan analog for football.
Just Some Fuckhead
lolz. I do not think that word “broaden” means what you think it means.
iluvsummr
So, disingenuous saber-rattling from a candidate whose campaign boasts Georgia lobbyists constitutes “knowing how to respond?” If McCain’s goal is to unleash the “nuclear genie” he couldn’t have made a better start. (History lesson, Phil: what caused the Bay of Pigs crisis?) In that light, I will echo something Scott Ritter said a while back: pick the American city you’d like to see disappear in a nuclear retaliatory attack because Republicans want to play tough in a world that’s fundamentally changed as a result of misadventure in Iraq. Fighting hard and fighting smart are two different things. I trust Obama to fight smart anyday. McCain? Not so much.
Notorious P.A.T.
You can’t fool me, John. Watching football is something typical, normal Americans do, and non-Republicans can’t stand anything to do with normal, typical Americans.
The Moar You Know
I was lucky enough to live there during the DeBartolo years. I was unlucky enough to also live there during the York years. The Yorks, flat out, do not care about the Niners, or the history, or the wins. They want to feed that team the minimal amount of money to stay afloat, collect the checks, and if they stay at the bottom of the division for the rest of eternity it will be fine with them – so long as the check arrives on time.
t jasper parnell
Well, the Cuban Revolution which led to the Bay of Pigs Invasion, which was an ill-planned, poorly-conceived, badly-lead, and illegal invasion of Cuba, which convinced Khrushchev that Kennedy was a dangerous warmonger and thus helped pave the way toward the Cuban Missile Crisis.
liberal
phil wrote,
Would that it were so.
Kevin
?? It’s on KTVU right now.
Phil
“Phil, no matter what McCain says, I am not Georgian. You are not a Georgian. We are Americans. We are not citizens of a country led by a man who admires Stalin and thinks the US owes him something. We have no need or security interest in engaging in a conflict with Russia. Why should we? They are a third rate power using its petro dollars to try and become second rate while thinking they are first rate. Do you HONESTLY believe Russia would go on to Poland and the Ukraine? Why? What evidence is there? And John McCain’s words mean nothing, because they were ignored, and as far as I can see, Poland and Ukraine are still independent. Pathetic, really, that you fear a bald bear. I thought Islamofascism was the big threat; now its the Russians. How utterly unrealistic.
John McCain is part of that same old corrupt system. He has been in Congress for decades; and you say he will shake up the system? He couldn’t even follow his own campaign finance reforms! His running mate is the Queen of Earmarks and a proven liar; she says thanks for the bridge, oh no wait, no thanks, but I will keep the money and help Ted Steven’s get re-elected. And you say they will shake up the system? How? By lying about it?
It is incredible that you people can believe a word out of your mouths. You accuse Obama supporters of being ‘bots.’ What does that make Palin supporters? Replicants?”
Where did McCain say he wanted to start a war with Georgia? Anywhere? Bueller? The Left doesn’t get it. McCain said it himself, he “hates war. It is the worst thing imaginable”. As he was someone who was tortured in a war, he would understand that. Much more so than you or I. But he knew how to END the war in Georgia, and what he said is preventing further expansion of that war. Russia is diplomatically isolated and foreign money is flowing out of Russia now. Not everything needs to be solved by war. But blaming both sides equally or asking for UN Security Council resolutions (while being oblivious to the fact that Russia is on the Security Council) shows that when the going gets tough, your beloved Messiah is really, truly an empty suit. He is style over substance. A small man.
Now will you ever admit as such? Of course not, you’re too far into the tank. You’re too personally invested in him. You’ve probably even donated some of your own money. But deep down you know – why did you nominate someone who has no experience whatsoever? Why are you so invested in a guy whose campaign is so vacuous it resembles more of a marketing campaign – “Change you can believe in” – than a Presidential campaign?
And then enter Sarah Pallin. The pick was genius not because she would appeal to Hillary voters. There will be some but not many. It was genius because she actually HAS executive experience – not a lot of it but much more than her detractors would care to admit. And infinitely more than their beloved Obama, who has none. And because she’s popular, with the highest approval ratings of almost any Governor nationwide. And because most people outside of NY and Washington, LA and San Francisco relate to her. While these elites (who are among both parties) disdain her, there is a lot more to the country (and a lot more voters) than their shallow selves.
If the President were a non-partisan job and those in charge of choosing the President non-partisan, the reality is that Obama’s resume would have been thrown out. The experience that the far-Left mocks of Sarah Palin is the experience that Obama doesn’t even have.
Obama is a small man in the grand scheme of things. He opposed the war in Iraq at a speech in Hyde Park of Chicago, which is about as courageous as being in favor of gambling in Las Vegas. But other than that speech, there’s nothing that anyone would vote for him on. He was completely wrong on the surge as even he admits now. He was wrong about Georgia as the world can see.
He’s a partisan hack – Palin took down the Republican Governor of Alaska and the entire GOP establishment there, while Obama could not seem to find any hint of corruption among the Democratic machine politics of Chicago. And he has authored no legislation of substance.
While this resume may be good enough for most of you, it’s increasingly becoming clear that the Emperor has no clothes. Running as “Change!” and “I’m not Bush” can only take you so far. Why else is Obama mostly popular among the young but not so popular among voters above 30? Because Obama appeals to people who don’t mind vacuousness, because they are pretty shallow themselves at this point in their lives.
Just Some Fuckhead
Phil, it might be time to get yer own blog.
liberal
Phil wrote,
Why are the affairs of Georgia a matter of national interest to the US?
liberal
Brian J wrote,
The most annoying thing about TM is that even if you trap him in some inconsistency, he’ll attempt to weasel his way out of it by pointing to some lawyerly wiggleroom in one of his statements.
Yet another example of the adage “There is no honor among
thievesright-wingers.”Josh
Phil…Palin was chosen not because of her little executive experience or her thin reform credentials, but because she is a bugfuck crazy Christopath, which restores McCain’s cred with the GOP’s ofay base, while still coming across as a moderate soccer mom so not as to freak out independents.
liberal
Phil wrote,
LOL! As some commenter pointed out somewhere recently, by this measure and these claims(*), your local high school chess club president has more executive experience than either Barack or McThug.
((*) Viz, the idea that Obama has no executive experience is funny, given that he’s been running a so-far successful campaign for the presidency of the most powerful nation in the world),
liberal
Phil wrote,
Nope.
Violence has indeed gone down, probably partly due to the surge, but also due to other circumstances, like (a) the completion of the ethnic cleansing of Baghdad, (b) the bribing of Sunni tribal leaders (a situation that is not stable and will not last forever) in the Sons of Iraq program, and (c) the decision of Al Sadr to restrain his militia (probably partly as a result of some kind of truce or deal between him, the Shi’ite parties running the Iraqi government, and other Shi’ite factions brokered by … Iran).
But in terms of political progress in Iraq, which must be the true end goal of any long-run strategy? Zero. (Cf plans for the status of Kirkuk, the national oil law, the next set of elections, the languishing attempts at renewing hte status of forces agreement with the US…)
liberal
Phil wrote,
LOL!
Which is why he joked, “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran…”
Phil
“LOL! As some commenter pointed out somewhere recently, by this measure and these claims(*), your local high school chess club president has more executive experience than either Barack or McThug.
((*) Viz, the idea that Obama has no executive experience is funny, given that he’s been running a so-far successful campaign for the presidency of the most powerful nation in the world),”
Fortunately, Palin is running for VICE PRESIDENT, and not the President, as Obama is. Her experience (while superior to Obama’s experience) is not sufficient enough to put her at the top of the ticket , which is why she’s not at the top of the ticket.
And I know this may be news to many here, but most Americans don’t consider running a Presidential campaign as indicative of having experience to be the President. It’s actually a laughable comment and shows again how small of a candidate Obama really is. This is not your Vice Presidential candidate, this is your Presidential candidate!
But hey, I’ve always said you may still win this year. The polls today all show Obama behind now, but maybe after some more nice speeches, he could win. The economy is in poor shape and a lot of people seem to like vacuousness right now. Just remember that Jimmy Carter’s main campaign theme was “Change!” as well and look at how that turned out.
Josh
Right…if Wasilla had been 12,000 in population instead of 6,000, Palin would have the chops to be President…uh huh.
liberal
Brian J wrote,
Patrick R. Sullivan was one of the more despicable right-wingers who would post on the USENET forum sci.econ.
Here are some posts in threads involving Sullivan, AKA SUSUPPLY, in which one of my favorite posters repeatedly demolishes him.
Just Some Fuckhead
If you insist on being a pain in everyone’s ass, Phil, least ya could do is learn how to blockquote:
Click the lil “>>” button over the window yer pasting your talking points into and you’ll see some special buttons. The Bquote one will put everything after it in blockquote. Don’t forget to end the blockquoted text with the slash Bquote button.
liberal
Phil wrote,
LOL!
Phil
“He was completely wrong on the surge as even he admits now.
Nope.”
You really do need to keep better tabs of the Messiah and his statements:
“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated,” Obama said in an interview on Fox News show “The O’Reilly Factor.”
“I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”
Except Obama’s newest statement is STILL incorrect. The surge exceeded beyond HIS wildest dreams – not McCain’s and not those of people who supported it.
The problem with Barack Obama is that history keeps proving him wrong.
Phil
Liberal,
Were you going to provide some evidence to support your “LOL” about Obama’s comparative experience contention or are you pretty much stopping there? I can’t blame you for stopping there.
liberal
Phil wrote,
I didn’t say that Barack’s campaign experience was sufficient to show that he’s prepared to be president, but rather that he has executive experience. And yes, I will claim that winning the Democratic national primary in 2008—which was highly competitive—shows he has more executive experience than Palin.
Your continuing parrot-like repetition of the talking points by your right-wing masters on the topic of Palin’s ostensible “experience” is pathetic.
Again, by the mind-numbing, ludicrous, literal, nominal, idiotic standard of “X has executive experience if and only if X was titular head of a government body,” McThug has no experience, either.
But the likelihood that Palin would become president because McThug will either pass to the great beyond or become incapacitated is, actuarially, quite high.
liberal
Phil wrote,
You clipped the other points he made in the interview. Besides, he’s not my messiah. I voted for him in the primaries because at that point it was either him or Hillary, but both of them are too far to the right for my taste.
And you haven’t made any counterargument to my own valid points that the surge has been a complete failure by the most important metric—political progress in Iraq.
Of course, to a troglodyte like yourself, the only measure is level of violence, because (a) violence likely has an intrinsic emotional appeal to right-wing, knuckle-dragging folks like yourself, (b) the concepts involved in the description of a stable polity are too complex to be grasped by someone with as low an IQ as you.
Finally, please cogently list the national interest of the US in the Caucasus, specifically Georgia.
SGEW
I see that others are doing an excellent job of feeding our friendly troll with yummy truth, but I figgered I’d join in th’ fun.
Reading comprehension failure. Bostondreams did not, by any stretch of imagination, claim that Sen. McCain wants to “start a war with Georgia.” Off to a bad start (and a rather lame pop culture reference, but that’s neither here nor there*).
Therefore he advocates war every chance he gets. Much like how he’s been complicit on torture. Doublethink is not hypocrisy, after all: it’s a way of life.
So . . . John McCain supporting a UN resolution is also a sign that he’s an “empty suit”? Ok, then: it’s a draw. (And do you really think that Sen. Obama is “oblivious” to Russia being on the Security Council?!? You must think he’s, like, James Inhofe level stupid, I guess.)
Because we are reasonable people who believe that Sen. Obama’s stated policies, evident intelligence, intellectual background, proven temperment, past judgement, professed ideals, and detailed proposals were the best among all the options, while watching a grueling campaign in which he was thoroughly vetted on the national stage. OLATSQ**.
Oh, and he does have experience, you dipshit. It’s simply a bald-faced lie to claim he has “no experience whatsoever.” Either qualify your contentions, or STFU.
Are you actually claiming that a first term governor of Alaska has the best “executive experience” resume the Republican party could find for the #2 spot? This would reflect very poorly upon the state of the G.O.P., n’est pas***?
Hooray! Alaskans love her! The approximately one person per square mile demographic of Alaska are truly representative of the assorted peoples of the U.S.A.! [seriously: Alaska?]
Even if this were true (we have no reliable data on this point****), is “relating” to someone as a person a qualification for V.P.? Are we back to the “prefer to have a beer with” debate?
That means they would have disqualified Abraham Lincoln as well. But then, maybe you would have prefered that*****.
No, we mock Gov. Palin’s experience (stop laughing, guys! srsly!) because it is the only argument they have for her qualifications. Obama supporters do not solely rely on his “experience” or his ability to relate to people as his qualifications (experience != qualifications: see Cheney, Dick) . . . but it’s the only thing you can trot out.
Except that he was running for a Federal seat, and the majority of Illinois voters were for the war (unlike, say, gambling in Nevada). Besides, it’s not his “courage” in giving the speech that we really appreciate: it was that he was correct in his assessment of the invasion of Iraq.
Again, false******. Unless “substance” means something different to you than it does to, oh, anyone who understands legislation.
You will win many friends with your pointless personal attacks. You will also convince us by being a complete dick. Fuck off.
*Oh wait, I get it. It’s a Ben “Evolution is fascism!” Stein reference. Subtle.
**Overly Lengthy Answers To Stupid Questions.
***Yes, French. Mange la merde et mort.
****No, comments threads on WND do not count as “data.”
*****Yes, I am implying something here.
******And if you complain that Hilzoy is a “lying liberal” or whatever, you have lost your argument by default.
liberal
Just Some Fuckhead wrote,
I thought the same thing, but then I realized he’s not intelligent enough to understand the concept of HTML.
SGEW
Whew! That was fun. Time to go phone bank now.
Ninerdave
Suggestion for the blog…a Sunday Football open thread where no politics is allowed. Now, that football season is here…would be nice to have a refuge from politics for one days.
SGEW
Sorry! (bashfully backs out of the room full of sports fans)
Ninerdave
Moar: Yeah I grew up with the Niners, from when they sucked to the glory years, to York. I agree to York it’s just a trophy, and while Eddie D will always have a spot in my heart, I’m still pissed that he fucked up and lost the team.
Brian J
Hey, look, I learned how to use this. Hopefully, I’m not a pain in the ass, like Phil.
Anyway, I can’t say in a simple way why I don’t like TM’s blog, so I’ll think more about it and get back to you. Suffice it to say that you have to wonder about the evidence that certain people trot out. If Palin had legitimate experience dealing with a foreign nation in its trading practices, as PSR indicates she had with China, why in the world wouldn’t the McCain campaign mention it? Do they not know about it? If that’s the case, why doesn’t he shoot them an e-mail? And if they don’t know about it, what does that say about the way his campaign is being run?
zuzu's petals
He’s also known to “investigate” commenters he disagrees with, and only those he disagrees with, to the extent of looking up their IP addresses. I’ve never heard that it’s gotten to the Amy Alkon level of actually publishing the info, but he’s still known for playing dirty pool and his in-house commenters are just as bad.
Just Some Fuckhead
He’s too busy asserting to actually learn anything. If he can’t be bothered to learn how to use the site tools that everyone else appears to be using without difficulty that oughta be a big clue as to your chances to get thru to him, missionaries.
Brian J
Okay, it’s clear that I haven’t used the block quote feature in a while and haven’t learned how to use it properly again.
Ninerdave
Actually they are looking better than I though. O’Sullivan’s definitly an improvement over the previous hack: Smith.
D’s looking good. O line looks improved. 3rd quarter has been lackluster…but over all…
Beej
Wow! phil has bought the whole shipment of kool-aid hasn’t he? Has Russia left Georgian territory? Does that include Ossetia? I think not, phil. All McCain did was rattle a saber. No one listened. Mostly because his party, with his eager acquiesence, has pretty much drained the American military.
Isn’t it interesting that in all this talk about “community organizers” and “executive experience”, everyone forgets that McCain has never been a mayor or governor either? Where is his “executive experience”? Also forgotten is that Obama was in the Illinois legislature. Wanna bet that his legislative district had more people than the 3 largest cities in Alaska combined? The state itself has something like 700,000 people. That’s slightly smaller than the population of San Jose, California. Alaska’s 5 largest cities have a total of 374,743 people, and that includes the students at the University of Alaska. That is slightly smaller than the population of Omaha.
Oh, and by the way, I grew up in a small town, went to school in another small town. Believe me when I say that small town mayors don’t do much, unless they invent things for themselves. Apparently Palin did just that. Takes some work to leave a town of 8,000 $22 million in debt. She must have worked really hard at it.
And one more thing, phil, if you really want to build a bipartisan concensus to get things done, as McCain says he does, then some experience in “community organizing” would certainly be a plus.
Adrienne
I’m sorry. Did I miss the memo? The last time I checked, the standards were the same for VP as they were for President. If you are not qualified to be at the top of the ticket, you damn sure ain’t qualified to be VP either.
If and when a VP must step in and ascend to the presidency, the country will necessarily be in a crisis because that is the ONLY reason a VP will become president. There is no grace period for a VP who is called upon to be President. They must be as ready on day one as their running mate – just as an understudy in a Broadway play must be as ready as the lead on night one.
However, to me, experience is not and never has been the main issue. While I dispute that her experience somehow outweighs Obama’s it really doesn’t matter. Experience is what you go on in the absence of any other evidence. Experience is important insofar as it gives you better judgment than a “rookie”. But, if your experience doesn’t stop you from making shitty decisions – a la McCain and the Iraq debacle – it’s fucking worthless. Just as criticism of Obama’s experience (or lack thereof) was valid in the beginning, so is her’s. Just as his readiness has been debated so must hers. Just as Obama has proven himself to be knowledgeable, reasonable, responsible, serious, steady, and generally has shown himself to be the caliber of a person who could be President so must she prove the same to the American people.
The difference here is that, by November 4, 2008, Americans will have had nearly two years to poke, prod, question, and observe Obama on the national stage in order to make their decision. He has had nearly two years to prove himself to be capable and ready to lead this nation. We will have less than two months to do the same to Gov. Palin. Hmmmmmm. Two years vs. two months? Apples and Oranges.
iluvsummr
No Phil, you don’t get it. After seeing what happens when the Republicans hold both the presidency and congress, many of us are tired of the politics of fear, abuse of power, incompetence and sheer arrogance. Mrs. Palin has shown herself to be a politician in the same mold as George W.: as mayor, she found a town with a balanced budget, took on some cockamamie project without thinking it through properly (getting title to land she built a stadium on) and left the town in 20 million dollars of debt and in litigation that hasn’t ended. We’ve seen where that road leads and we’re not having it. That’s why Republicans raised 1 million when she gave her speech at the convention, and the Democrats raised 10 million. If that didn’t get you thinking, it should. Lord knows, I personally stand to benefit more financially under a McCain administration in terms of tax breaks but here I am donating the maximum amount I can to Obama’s campaign because I know it doesn’t mean much if my friends, relatives and most of the country fall behind. We shake our heads at countries like Iran, or Saudi Arabia but what people like Palin want is essentially a theocracy on US soil. Over my dead body.
Have you wondered why 2 million people are willing to donate to Obama’s campaign? Do you think we’re all young, impressionable naifs just waiting for the Messiah to lead the way? It seems you do. Well keep thinking that way, because then you won’t know what hit you come November. Barack Obama will win the election because enough people have seen through the Republican spin even with the media refusing to do its job. It will be a close election, but mark my words, he will win. And he will be held accountable in away that George W. never was. Because for many of us, this goes beyond Obama, to what and where we want to be as a country. And that’s what you don’t get. This is bigger than McCain or Obama, Biden or Palin. As it should be.
Ninerdave
It’s not even that, it’s select the text and click the B-Quote button. No html experience required.
Adrienne
As Obama said, when you have no record to run on, you try to make a big election about little things. This election is so much bigger than any of the candidates, yet the Repubes just want us to be distracted by shiny objects and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain and ignore the very grave issues we face and the lack of new solutions coming from McCain. Well, we’ve had eight fucking years of that and, again, in the words of Obama – ENOUGH! They must think we’re stupid.
Dennis - SGMM
Palin Media Avoidance Watch: Day 9 — McCain Camp Says She Won’t Do Interviews Until It Knows She’ll Be Treated with “Deference”
Respect maybe, but, deference? Sounds like campaign-speak for “none of her statements are to be challenged.” Palin clearly has some baggage and she is definitely a hard core fundy. The last thing the McCain campaign wants is for those things to be examined in front of the non-twenty-eight percenters.
sistermoon
McSame gets Barack-rolled:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/7/18118/46765/597/590282
t jasper parnell
Given the different tenor of McCain’s and Palin’s speeches and the other-worldly weirdness of McCain’s green-screen, that’s-not-change-we-can-believe-in speech, I suspect that McCain has not say over the campaign at this stage and he is now is, in fact, a reformed maverick. Bad enough when he was just batshit crazy now he seems no longer in charge.
Brian J
>
I watched that interview, too. It seemed like Wallace was getting pissed off at the obvious bullshit coming out of Davis’ mouth.
The strategy is fairly clear: try to wait this out and limit her exposure. If she can get through the debates without looking like a fool, she’ll have to do little more than fire up the crowds at campaign stops and run quickly to a secure car. I wouldn’t be surprised if the campaign shuttles her to locations that are very far away, like from Colorado to Pennslyvania then to New Mexico then to Michigan, simply so she’ll be in a plane for a lot of the time. We’re already in the second week of September. It’s not like they have to keep this up for a year. Pretty soon, it’ll be November. And if anybody questions the strategy, they already have a number of distractions–sexism, small-town-ism, POW-ism–at their disposal.
Stuck in the Fun House
Hey Phil,
Please tell us the story again about how your Angelic wingnut heroine Sarah Palin is going to come out of hiding and smite all the corrupt Republicans in Washington. Will she be riding a White Horse adorned with trinkets of purity. I sure hope so, cause I love stories of wingnuts reforming themselves. She’s off to a good start too, with reforming that bipartisan panel investigating her. They were a bunch of Pagan Democrats anyway, buddyed up with all those corrupt republicans. Please Phil, we love GOP fairy tales here.
LiberalTarian
So, I guess I’m cool with the idea that blogs get so much media attention that every one with the ability to read Dick and Jane get on the internet and troll the people they want to convert.
Wait, no, I’m not. When the GOP starts regulating the board room and stops trying to regulate my bedroom, well, we might be able to have a conversation.
Until then, fucking starve you idiot troll.
Notorious P.A.T.
Russia didn’t attack Georgia, Georgia attacked Russia, you dumbass.
Notorious P.A.T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg
Phil
It’s funny to hear some of you belittle Palins’ supporter’s propensity to…you know…genuinely like her. Or perhaps ironic is a better word, considering the love affair the Left had with Obama over these past 19 months. If you’re suggesting Palin will be some sort of stealth candidate to the end of the campaign, that will not be so. She’ll be vetted, as she should be. Her record is certainly being scrutinized now – you know, her actual record, not her “fake baby pregnancy” or whether her daughter’s pregnancy makes her a bad mother, or whether her becoming a Governor made her a bad mother, etc etc. Now on those issues, she is not a god-like figure (already I’m being more humble than the average Obama supporter) but her record is sound and she is popular across party lines in her state.
Trooper gate, despite the Left’s best efforts, doesn’t seem to have a lot of “there there” – the trooper you’re hailing as a victim seems to have a lot of skeletons in his closet, including tasering a family member, threatening Palin’s father’s life and drinking on the job in his patrol car. These are generally, dismissable offenses, so again, not much “there there”. I’ll let her record as Governor, with all its plusses and minuses, stand as is – you don’t get an 80% approval rating by being incompetent.
Perhaps if you focused on Palin’s actual record instead of her family’s sex life, you might be taken more seriously. Instead of…behind in the polls. You have to remember that not even 1% of the country reads the Daily Kos, and most people don’t really don’t take kindly to conspiracy theorists who think Sarah Palin faked her own pregnancy. Or who condemn her for working despite having a family…seriously, am I talking to a 1960s male Nixon voter here or liberals from 2008? I’m having trouble telling the difference sometimes.
t jasper parnell
It is not the trooper it was the head of public safety who got fired for not firing the trooper. The trooper was, in fact, disciplined.
dbrown
Facts: the surage in troops did not lead to the current success in Iraq – fact. Even the idoit general in command agreed.
What worked and stopped most the violence? Dumb fuck Bush whack paid off the Sunnis terrorist and got them to stop killing Americans, their own people (Shites) and pointed out Bin Laden’s people. We didn’t just talk to terrorist, we have and still are paying people off who killed thousands of American soldiers. If that fuck head bush the ass sucker had sent the right number of troops at the start of the war with the brainless ass hole McInsane’s blessing, we never would have had to pay off cold blooded murders of American soldiers in the first place.
The troop surge did not and has not caused the majority of the success in Iraq – peroid.
Mrs. Peel
God. I can smell the desperate flop sweat through my monitor. Notice how you only hear this from the most brain dead ideologues? What he was REALLY doing was investigating a crime that involved soldier-boy Track and some friends severing the brakes of a schoolbus, endangering the lives of elementary school children. (His going in the army is part of the deal to keep him out of jail).
And the martinet Caribou Barbie is trying to bury the investigation, but she has too much of a history of being an uber-tyrant to hide her past.
t jasper parnell
She increased Wasilla’s debt from nearly zero to around 20 million in order to build a hockey rink on land the city did not own leading to a 1.5 million dollar judgment against the city and hired a full time lobbyist to garner more and more earmarked pork, etc; as governor she put the state into debt to pay for infrastructure repairs while sending money back to the voters to keep them “happy.” She gave a Canadian company 500 million dollars to start the paperwork on a pipe line they cannot build, etc.
Heck of a record Paliny
Josh
Mrs. Peel…Are there any links to that story about the school bus and Track going into the army to stay out of jail? I’m not trolling, I would actually like to know.
Stuck in the Fun House
I wouldn’t do that Phil, I see wingnuts liking other wingnuts every day. The rest of us not so much though. As for the charges on Palin’s husband, the only thing a Police investigation found credible was the Tasering of the boy which he has admitted, which was done in safety mode. It wasn’t deemed a problem by the Palin’s until Sarah’s sister filed for divorce and custody of their kids.
And nothing there you say. that must be why the GOP is trying to crush the investigation and make it go away. Maybe then she can come out from hiding.
Just love this one. You must be referring the Obamamessiah moniker created by wingnuts and know cited by wingnuts as the Gospel truth (NPI).
Don’t you guys ever get dizzy with all the spinning about each and every day.
dbrown
Phil, even KOS had trouble believing Eye-candy Palin would so endanger her own child as to break her water in Texas, then fly back to Alaska, take another flight to another smaller airport, then drive to a small local hospital just to deliver her child there. Of course, she was that stupid.
Also, she has lied about the bridge to nowhere which she fully supported before she found out Congress didn’t. Then she went with the wind and said she didn’t now support it. But the pork queen took all the money and used it. Eye-candy Palin is the worst of the pork queens.
As for family issues she is quick to use her family when it suits her – all the crowing about her son going to Iraq or throwing her daughter under the bus to kill a rumor rather than just producing medical records. But she knew that the truth would come out – she (as Bill the cock sucker O-Rilly would call her) the pinhead couldn’t even control her own child – so much for family values bullshit. Ignorance is all she knows because ignorance is all most republicans can handle. Creationist? What a stupid loser – teach a false ideology with science. Why not ban books … wait, the pork queen even tried that old NAZI trick.
Martin
Where’s the court or disciplinary committee ruling?
At what point do you guys finally admit that you care only about the flag and not about what the flag stands for. Due process is a fundamental American right and you guys seem perfectly happy to shit on it whenever it favors you politically. Are we a nation of laws or a nation of laws that the GOP feels like following?
(That was a rhetorical question, by the way)
Mike in MI
McCain on Georgia:
McCain on Iraq:
Of course I could also link to McCain thinking the war would be quick, easy, not costly; the war was won (mission accomplished); WMDs, anthrax, Saddam etc… Compare that to Obama’s speech on Iraq, whether you think it was politically bold or not, it was fucking RIGHT.
McCain on Afghanistan:
Truth is, Bush and McCain have had to shift their foreign policy closer to what Obama has been saying for a long time. Diplomacy with NoKO/Iran, killing Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, timelines (horizons?!?!) in Iraq, shift of focus from Iraq to Afghanistan…
McCain scares the living crap out of me with his approach to foreign policy. He hyperbolizes situations, reacts on gut feelings without regard to details or long-term strategy, and errs towards violence over all else.
Final thought, McCain says “I know how to win wars.” Answer these 2 questions:
What fucking war has JSM won?
Does he have a clue how to avoid wars?
SGEW
Must post this:
NYT Photography department continues to be full of teh awesome.
Note the one on the upper right, featuring a smiling Sen. McCain and an image of Rev. MLK Jr. in jail. Says quite a bit, eh?
dbwhite
Anyone who believes Russia could or would take Poland (ethnically homogeneous, extremely Catholic and culturally distinct, EU and NATO member state, highest disapproval of Putin in all of Europe and highest disapproval of Russia in general in all of Eastern Europe (http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/256topline.pdf)) is automatically disqualified.
On the other hand, Ukraine has a large Russian minority (about 20 percent), has similar cultural traditions as Russia, and the highest approval of Russia, Putin, and Russian foreign policy of any European country except Russia. Not to mention the overwhelming majority of the public is against NATO membership.
But I’m sure overheated rhetoric about Russia’s aims gives many in the Republican foreign policy establishment huge boners. So let’s pick some random countries in Eastern Europe and say they’re under threat. The Russian Empire is coming back, baby!!! And NATO membership for countries we can’t plausibly defend, with populations that don’t even want it: WINNING IDEA.
These people seriously need some foreign policy Ritalin.
reid
Some of the comments on that abcnews blog are so pathetic. “day 570 of the press aviodence of Obama”? Where do these loons come from? I see these ridiculous claims about the press being in Obama’s pocket, and I have to wonder if they were comatose in March and April when you couldn’t find a channel that wasn’t discussing Rev. Wright. Or the deep debate questions about Ayers and lapel pins. I weep or vomit for our country, I’m not sure which…. Maybe both, let it all out.
Peter Johnson
What Phil said.
tomjones
I think I have Phil figured out. If you take any one of his “arguments” and simply replace his words with “Republican talking point,” there is scant any difference.
Phil, in effect, is upset that we aren’t all Republicans and don’t see the wisdom in Republican POVs.
To that, I say, “Liberal talking point,” “liberal,” “lefty.”
jake
Fixxled.
Pit-bull with lipstick? More like a Pomeranian. Lots of yapping until you look at it. Then someone has to clean up the puddle on the floor.
Zifnab
Well, don’t mind me. I’ll be in the corner hanging my head in shame. Guess we can kiss that .500 season goodbye.
*sigh* Texans *sigh*
matt
We’re no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of
You wouldn’t get this from any other guy
I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
We’ve know each other for so long
Your heart’s been aching
But you’re too shy to say it
Inside we both know what’s been going on
We know the game and we’re gonna play it
And if you ask me how I’m feeling
Don’t tell me you’re too blind to see
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
give you up. give you up
give you up, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, five you up
I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Gus
Indeed they are being put on notice. They’re being put on notice that if McCain wins there will be at least four more years of the same pork barrel spending and corruption. I don’t think anyone underestimated Palin as much as they overestimated the intelligence of American voters. That’s a mistake no one should make any longer.