Let’s summarize the past couple of days: (a) Politico reports that La Palin has spent $150,000 on campaign outfits, (b) John McCain’s brother calls 911 to complain about a traffic jam and then curses at the operator for telling him to get off the line, (c) the New York Times reports that Palin also spent $30,000 or so on hair and makeup over a period of two weeks, and (d) a white woman who claimed she was attacked by a black Obama supporter admits that the whole thing was a hoax.
He was also endorsed by al Qaeda. Plus, some of McCain’s own advisors are abandoning the campaign and endorsing Obama. Then there is the possibility that McCain is hanging out in Pennsylvania because the Obama campaign played him out of competing in competitive states.
By the way, wasn’t the second investigation into Palin’s abuse of power due to issue a report one of these days?
Bulworth
Mclame has us just where he wants us.
Bulworth
I wonder if the mclame camp will start issuing warnings that campaign disserters will be shot.
fronobulax
Did anybody check the kerning on that "B"?
slag
Does Colin Powell count?
slag
Oh. And she shoulda used an O. But I guess that’s pretty Obvious by now.
Stuck in the Funhouse
@slag:
Yes, for a full point, AND McClellan for 1/1000 of a point, or a wooden nickel.
demkat620
Yeah, this is what he did to Hillary. Outspent her 3-1 in PA and bankrupted her.
So John, if you ain’t got no money take your broke ass home.
Schmidt and Davis should be sued for political malpractice.
J. Maynard Gelinas
On Palin’s "VP is Leader of the Senate" claim, I think she actually has a point. Conservatives are going to push the Unitary Executive theory straight toward control of congress. Here’s a blog writeup of that idea:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/23/15010/972/726/639986
Comrade Jake
Sully had a link to an Onion piece about Obama buying ad space on the side of McCain’s bus. I think my favorite part is how, given everything that’s happened of late, it’s not obvious stories like that are spoofs.
Giddyfuckingup.
El Cid
Sean Hannity’s not having a good day today. He’s rather upset at all the "RINO’s" endorsing Obama.
Deborah
McCain is becoming positively Lockian. (The one on Lost.)
gbear
This should be on the list too:
Sarah couldn’t decide whether bombing a planned parenthood office is terrorism or not. You can tell in the video that she really doesn’t want to believe that it is.
Dork
So she faked it. She gave herself a black eye. She gave herself a black guy. I didn’t just stutter.
Sick women you have, Pittzboigah.
Smerp
@Dork: the faker’s from TX.
Keith
Now’s as good a time as any to reiterate this soon-to-be-classic from Rush: "From now on on this program, John McCain will be known as John McBrilliant."
Paul the Spud
And then there’s this.
Bad week, indeed.
Tom65
Get ready for Jeremiah Wright II – Electric Bugaloo
Calouste
@Dork:
She’s Texan, don’t insult Pittsburghers.
Zifnab
@Deborah: You’re saying he’s going to pop up dead in a coffin as a surprise ending to the campaign season?
Brett
Don’t forget the depositions!
Edmund Dantes
Sick women you have, Pittzboigah.
I do believe she is from Texas.
Comrade Jake
@Dork:
The real story there, in my view, is not that some McCain supporter would make up something like that from whole cloth. The story is how quickly the right-wing blogosphere was to embrace it as the biggest story, evah. I mean, most of these folks might as well tattoo their foreheads with "intellectually bankrupt", it’s so obvious to everyone at this point.
gbear
Please tell me he didn’t really say that.
Jen
Hey, longtime lurker, first time poster…just had to come out of the wood work for this one given Sarah’s *sigh* after Brian Williams’ question about who are terrorists.
From October 6 at rightwingwatch.org
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/mccain-campaign-palling-around-schenck
Since Sarah Palin decided to go after Barack Obama for his essentially non-existent ties to William Ayers, maybe now is the time to remind everyone about the McCain campaign’s ties to Rob Schenck, who has a long history of militant anti-abortion activism, fines, arrests, and run-ins with President Bill Clinton.
Schenck, who was meeting privately with McCain as far back as early last year, received a VIP pass to the McCain campaign event where he named Palin as his running mate and even got a chance to speak with both of them personally. And last month, when he hosted a forum, the Obama campaign dropped out at the last minute rather than legitimize Schenck and his views, but senior campaign McCain advisor Robert Heckman still attended the event, where other speakers compared Barack Obama to Hitler.
Schenck first came to prominence back in the 1990s when, along with his twin brother Paul, he began his career as a militant anti-abortion activist, for which he was repeatedly arrested, often targeting Dr. Barnett Slepian who was assassinated by an anti-abortion activist in 1998 by a man who, according to another pro-life activist, was probably known to both Schenck and his brother.
gbear
Or else they can just scratch it on.
Backwards.
The Dangerman
@Keith:
Rash (on my) Limpballs is absolutely right on one thing: it is all about race. If his Donovan McNabb episode didn’t expose himself and most of his troglodyte listeners as racists, this week’s Powell episode surely did. Daryn Kagan (what happened to her, BTW? and what the hell did/does she see in Rush? ) will have watch Rash’s head explode after the election.
Rick Taylor
And now Scott McClellan endorses Obama.
jrg
He gaffed pretty badly about Racists in W. Pennsylvania, while attempting to pin a quote from Murtha onto Obama.
If I were John McCain, I’d be getting into Cindy’s pill cabinet right about now.
dewberry
@Smerp:
College Station. That can’t possibly be "real" Texas.
demimondian
Actually, there’s an interesting comment on Klein’s posting, here. For 21 electoral votes (more than twice Colorado’s total), and no early voting — so more time to have an effect — it’s actually a very wise gamble.
J.
And W. (okay Will Ferrell) just gave him a hardy on-air endorsement, the kiss of death!
fronobulax
@Dork, @Smerp:
Not just a Texan, but an Aggie. ’nuff said.
Kali's Little Sister
I am looking forward to the obvious rebuttal to the creepy ad that McCain is running as his only highlight of the week based on Biden’s Seattle comments…
We have endured 8 years of an administration so arrogant that they ignored the NIE explicitly warning "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the US"
But McCain is deludedly declaring that he has been tested, so he is immune to being "tested". How bizarre–he was tested because he was shot down, captured, held prisoner, forced to make anti-American statements as a POW–and somehow that will keep terrorists at bay???
We need an administration that is not in denial, that is prepared to confront the issues anyone with any sense knows are coming our way.
Keith
Yep, ‘fraid he did. Right after Palin was chosen. In fact, several of my right-leaning friends expressed the same sentiment, but I just don’t have it in me to call them back up and gloat.
oh really
The RedState thread on the Ashley Todd "attack" is priceless.
Today’s Roseanne Roseannadanna moment — "Never Mind" isn’t nearly as entertaining, but I was amused by this from TankerTodd (no relation I hope):
Yep, I’ve got to admit it, if there is one thing that impresses me about Right Wingers it’s that they value truth over politics. And with John "Obama’s a Socialist/Terrorist" McCain and Sarah "Bridge to Nowhere" Palin setting the standards for the rest of the Wingers, it’s no wonder they behave so admirably.
Kali's Little Sister
@Keith:
I’d be happy to help you out with some of those calls if you like. :-) I’ve already run through my own list.
Comrade Jake
I’m just waiting for Rush to say that all these Republicans are endorsing Obama because they’re all black on the inside.
David Hunt
OMG. I work in C.S. (born five miles away in Bryan). Even though our Congresscritter is Democrate (Chet Edwards) I am hip deep in Republicans. I would give a W.A.G. of 2-1 in my personal experience. This includes my two co-workers and my dad.
However, honesty demands that I quote John Rogers when quoting figures like this: "The plural of anecdote is not ‘data.’"
Phoebe
I suspect she didn’t give herself a black eye. I suspect someone else gave her the black eye. Just not the big black dude.
For more on "It wuz the big black dude" syndrome, go read/watch To Kill A Mockingbird, or watch the "Anatomy of Two Rapes" episode of Police Woman.
Zifnab
@Comrade Jake: I’m just waiting for Rush to claim that ACORN got to them, too. AND YOU’RE NEXT!
Comrade Jake
@Keith:
Wasn’t Rush championing her for a good period of time, even describing her as "a babe"? Once I found out Rush was one of her bigger champions, I knew McCain had just gotten lost in crazy base land.
IIRC, before he picked Palin, McCain was being backed by 85% of Republicans according to the polls, even if they weren’t particularly enthusiastic about the ticket. Hard to believe he made the choice to say "fuck you" to independents at that point, but such is life.
Soylent Green
I’ve seen the righties excitedly crowing on their sites about alleged "internal" Obama campaign polls that show the race to be very tight in some key battlegrounds, although the public polling shows a widening gap. These appear to be convincing sucker bait that were "leaked" to get the McGoo campaign to waste its resources. Damn, this Obama dude is smart.
The Other Steve
This is obviously good news for John McCain.
You are just an example of a liberally biased elite media showing your shilling for Obama.
Punchy
If there’s one endorsy that is guarenteed not to matter, its McClellan’s. The right thinks he’s a traitor, the left knows he’s a liar. skinny folk find him fat, straight peeps know he’s gay, and to dog lovers its clear he enjoys Chinese food. NOBODY cares what he thinks…
Zifnab
He picked Palin after… what? A ten minute nap and a cup of coffee? She wasn’t vetted, she wasn’t interviewed, she wasn’t given any media exposure. She was pulled out of a hat. I don’t think McCain had any idea what he was getting into. Which just proves what an epic fail move it was destined to be.
Keith
I suspect the same rashness of (lack of) thought is also leading party insiders to (and I can believe I’m typing this) convince Joe the Plumber to run for Congress.
Sherrell
None of this is the McCain campaign’s fault though if you watch Morning Joe. If I hear Pat Buchanan say one more time that if the economy hadn’t collapsed Sarah Palin’s pick would of been genius I’m gonna scream. On a side note, if I have to hear one more time from that panel how smart Sarah Palin is and how she is only doing badly because she was parachuted into this election without any grasp of the national issues I’m gonna scream. No one forced her to talk the VP nominee spot. What happened to individual responsibility, is that a republican theme. It’s the same argument they used to explain the $150,000.00 wardrobe. "It wasn’t her decision." So let me get this straight she is qualified to be the second most powerful person in the world..and she doesn’t have veto power over what she wears at political events….really?
Brian J
We also learned, via Steve Benen, that a "well-connected Republican in the private sector even started to receive calls and resumes from senior McCain aides this week." Obviously, this is good news for McCain…because, er, his people are confident of a win that they are already looking for their next line of work?
Seriously though, the only thing that has me worried is that Obama’s fund raising slowed a lot in the beginning of October. He’s still raising, on average, more than $2 million a day, and it may never have been realistic to expect him to raise as much in October as he did in September, particularly with the financial crisis possibly scaring people. Then again, as several of the articles say, the month isn’t over, and the total so far was for only the first fifteen days. I might give one or two small donations to his campaign, but earlier this week, I decided it may have been better to contribute to Jim Martin and Bruce Lunsford. He’s gotta have some pals in the Senate, you know?
Mary
The thing is, a huge chunk of Republican consultants/on air commentors, NRO frothers, etc. absolutely believe that Palin is what is RIGHT about McCain’s campaign, and he’s what is wrong.
I inadvertently had to watch some of Alex Castellanos last night and he was yammering away about how wonderful Palin is and goodgoshgolly at least they have future years of her rising starlight to bask in.
Her negatives, her troopergate and cronyism and lack of real predicates, etc. – they just don’t phase them. They are all sure that most of America has the same heart palpations that they get when Palin winks a "you betcha" their way.
Brian J
It is. It’s not a great option by means, but it’s probably the best option they have left.
What I don’t understand is all of the people who say the race is so much closer than most of the polls suggest. Do I expect him to win Pennsylvania by twelve to fourteen points? Probably not, unless he wins the national vote by eight to ten points and then picks off several Republican states in the process, but unless Rendell is doing some polling of his own, and unless people like my boss are reading the internals of these polls closely, it doesn’t make sense to think he’s got a particularly great shot at taking the state.
Cris v.3.1
I have nothing but love for this comment
Laura W
I am deeply troubled by the amount of money going to Palin’s so-called air quotes "professional" hair air quotes "stylist".
HOW COME HER BANGS ARE ALWAYS IN HER EYES?
They are too fucking long, that’s why.
That’ll be $56,000 please.
Brian J
Here’s the thing. The worst public polling information out there for Obama has McCain essentially tied. He might be a point or so ahead, but it’s within the margin of error. I can’t think of a poll out of a definite swing state (think Pennsylvania, as opposed to Georgia) where he’s leading, but I can think of several where Obama is leading well outside the margin of error. One or two could be called outliers, but more than that starts to look like a trend.
As far as Obama’s internal polling showing something different, I doubt they are basing such claims on anything real. If they have it, why doesn’t The New York Times, or CNN, or some other major news organization?
Iowa housewife
@Laura W: You made me laugh out loud!!!
Peter Johnson
Yikes! Wandered over here from HotAir and feel like I’ve walked into an insane asylum. That or a fifth grade classroom.
Cris v.3.1
Stuck in the Funhouse
Ah yes, Teh Hot Air. The Wizards of Malkinite. We liberals intend to use Ms. Todds wingnuttery and subsequent mea culpa, to deny that Michelles coven of wingnuts have not been tortured by insane logic.
SGEW
Hi Peter Johnson! Or, should I say, "Rob"!
From above comment:
From commenter "Rob" on Marc Ambinder’s blog:
If you’re gonna copy an’ paste yer comments, try and mix ’em up a bit, or stick to one handle, kthxbai.
Calouste
@Kali’s Little Sister:
Well, John McCain think that sitting in the cockpit of a plane on the deck of an aircraft carrier picking your nose while waiting for the call to attack Cuba is relevant experience for as President actually trying to avoid having to or being attacked by Cuba.
It’s the same as Sarah Palin quoting her time on the PTA as relevant to the vice-presidency. Or as parents who think that because their toddler can color within the lines, it’s ready to go to Harvard.
Esther
My sentiments exactly! My fingers always itch for a pair of sissors when ever I see her.
HyperIon
hi dik-dik.
i haven’t seen you around here for a while.
i hope you don’t start living up to your handle.
HyperIon
what happened to the comment editing?
Laura W
@Iowa housewife: CS: Is that YOU?????
Krista
Thank you! If she’s going to do the long, sideswept bangs, you’d think that $56,000 would buy enough hairspray to keep the goddamned things in place. You can get a can of Finesse for $3.99. C’mon!
Between that and McCain the Combover King, their image people are seriously overpaid.
Comrade Darkness
The way I like to play this one in my head is that she is so overwhelmingly ambitious that the campaign lied/exaggerated the duties just to get her to take the job.
Comrade Darkness
@HyperIon: FWIW, I still have it. Safari on Mac OS X, which, honestly, many things don’t usually work with.
Sometimes I get these "javascript on this site is misbehaving, cancel or continue" boxes and if I cancel the edit doesn’t show up. That happens about 1/20 times I post.
tavella
Tweren’t no black eyes at all. I thought they were genuine from the first blurry little photo, but when you saw the full size one, there was no swelling whatsoever, no color modulation — they looked like mascara.
And voila, in her perp walk today, her face was shiny clean.
HyperIon
the edit thingy is back.
only the comments of others on its absence keeps me from thinking i am loosing my mind.
mclaren
Remember the mantra:
It’s all Bill Clinton’s fault!
katiemc
Laura W
I join the rest of
The women folk when I say that remark had me guffawing. Excellent work
Sorry I can’t blockquote from my
Blackberry
Iowa housewife
@Laura W: yes
Delia
I’m sorry, Laura, but as much as I despise the Moose Queen, I will defend her right to wear her bangs in her eyes. You see, way back when I was in eighth grade I wore my bangs long and in my eyes. My obnoxious home ec teacher kept telling me that nice girls didn’t wear their bangs in their eyes but I stuck up for my rights. And that is why I know that all women everywhere have the right to wear their bangs in their eyes.
Ash Can
@Krista:
Fixed and fixed. ;)
oh really
I wonder how much Palin’s English coach gets paid.
Hmmm.
Now that I think about it, Palin’s English coach probably gets paid minimum wage, which isn’t bad pay for someone in sixth grade (who has never had grammar and thinks syntax is what older people pay to have sex, drink, etc.).