1) Democrats and lefties railing about the notion of Palin being a heartbeat away from the Presidency might be better served figuring out why their guy is dramatically underperforming a generic Democrat on the national ballot rather than worrying about the consequences of John McCain kicking the bucket after he beats Obama. Never mind the fact many Americans may decide they'd prefer having Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the Presidency than Barack Obama sitting in it.
Besides, if McCain does win, there will be such a bloodletting and gnashing of teeth within the Democratic party that they might not even notice McCain's passing if it were to tragically occur.
2) Obama's acceptance speech did very little to move people not already in his camp or strongly leaning that way. It was nonetheless inspiring and uplifiting to the left. Fresh - and indeed nearly mentally hungover - from that euphoria they were ready to head into a long holiday weekend, lobbing a couple shots at the rich Mitt Romney, the bland Tim Pawlenty, or the turncoat Joe Liberman along the way.
Instead they got Sarah Palin dropped in their laps.
In the midst of their laughable derision - "OMG, she's not experienced enough! (pot meet kettle) - I don't think many on the left yet understand how dramatically that selection may have changed the fundamentals of this race as it turns for the homestretch after Labor Day.
They just don't.
Posted by Eric Earling at August 31, 2008 01:43 PM | Email ThisWell, it would seem some prayers are answered...
Posted by: YLB on August 31, 2008 01:52 PMCould you please explain Senators how those remarks are any different than the despicable "God hates gays" claims from a bigoted few, that liberals rallied loudly against?
Will you issue a statement, Senators, forcefully disavowing those hateful comments?
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on August 31, 2008 01:58 PMOh, nice one rags!
Posted by: Duffman on August 31, 2008 02:21 PMnow, can we talk about all those pro-Hillary blogs that are enthusiastic about Sarah?
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on August 31, 2008 02:25 PMThe back story for that video can be found in the comment section of about this article.
by D0WNT0WN Aug 31 2008 11:39 AM I was hoping for Governor Palin to be chosen but did not believe it would happen. I'm only in my twenties but I think I now have an idea what it was like when Reagan first came on to the national stage. I made this video in tribute to Sarah: www.youtube.com/watchPosted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on August 31, 2008 02:36 PM
Oh, I DO love a challenge! I always start my day with dozens of articles from my favorite news sources, then move on to my 13 favorite blogs, ALWAYS ending her at SP.
I'll dig back through my last 4 hours of reading and provide you the links.
Yes, they said, they were troubled by Ms. Palin's opposition to abortion rights. But Ms. Hoover said she felt betrayed by pro-choice groups, and in particular politicians like Senators Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who were helped into office by pro-choice groups like Emily's List but came out early to support Mr. Obama over Mrs. Clinton, despite her being the first viable pro-choice woman to run for president.
and then move on to Camilia Paglia
"We may be seeing the first woman president. As a Democrat, I am reeling," said Camille Paglia, the cultural critic."That was the best political speech I have ever seen delivered by an American woman politician. Palin is as tough as nails."
Classical Values (I may have to add them to my persona blogroll) quotes a comment from No Quarter which is a pro Hillary site.
Comment by Clinton Fan 2008-08-30 06:19:01
I might, too. I gave his campaign $20.08 and told them Hillary sent me!
Obama's strategists miscalculated. I'm mad as hell, not gonna take it any more, and NOT getting over it.
Time to put Howard, Donna and company in the "naughty chair."
Note on No Quarter: just click on the links listed over on the RIGHT (sorry, couldn't resist) side:
"Revenge Voting"
"karen for Clinton (sigh, McPalin now) on Oh God!!"
"How Does Obama Attack a White Woman in the Post-OJ Era - part deux"
And lastly (for the moment) we have Pro-Hillary Blog On Palin who also refers us to and extensively quotes "Avowed pro-Hillary blogger, and former CIA operative, Larry Johnson".
1. Sarah Palin's Troopergate scandal 29-Aug-08 06:18 pm
"The saga of Gov. Sarah Palin's Troopergate scandal gets curiouser and curiouser. Now, with an investigator hired by the Legislature about to look into the mess caused by her firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, it turns out Palin's attorney general, Talis Colberg, has launched his own investigation to find out beforehand what the Legislature's hired sleuth might discover.
Colberg says he started his probe after The Wall Street Journal quoted Sen. Hollis French as saying the governor could be impeached as a result of the investigation. Blogger and politico Andrew Halcro reports his sources within the Department of Public Safety say department employees are being interviewed under oath about what they know regarding circumstances leading up to Monegan's firing.
Specifically, they are trying to find out if anyone from the governor's office or her family tried to get Palin's former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, fired as a state trooper. Halcro says that raises the question of whether Colberg is tampering with witnesses in the case.
Then yesterday afternoon, the governor held a press conference announcing that not only did her administration bring a lot of pressure to fire Wooten, but the troopers recorded a session months ago between Frank Bailey, her director of boards and commissions, and a trooper supervisor saying that Sarah and Todd wanted to know why Wooten hadn't already gotten the ax...."
http://www.voiceofthetimes.net/index.php...
http://messages.yahoo.com/Cultures_&_Community/Issues_and_Causes/Current_Events/US%255FNews/threadview?m=tm&bn=7088116-guncontroldebate&tid=927779&mid=927779&tof=17&frt=2
So, the question is whether she might have lied as folks around here like to throw around the term. You know, like people who perjure themselves?
2. Critics: Palin used 'Bridge to Nowhere' for gain By MARY PEMBERTON, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 5 minutes ago
"ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin was for the so-called infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it, a change of position the GOP vice presidential running mate conveniently ignored Saturday when she bragged about telling Congress "thanks but no thanks" to the pork barrel project.
Federal funds for the $398 million bridge were tacked into an appropriations bill as an earmark, the practice by which members of Congress get special funding for pet projects. Sen. John McCain opposes earmarks as an avenue for pork barrel and special interest spending.
After McCain introduced her as his choice for vice president on the Republican ticket, Palin talked about her reform credentials, and said she stopped the bridge project as part of an effort to end of earmarking in appropriations bills.
The Alaska bridge pushed by Sen. Ted Stevens became a symbol of congressional misuse of tax dollars. It would have connected the town of Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport on it. Ferries and water taxis serve the island now.
"I have championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress," Palin said in her vice presidential campaign debut in Dayton, Ohio. "In fact, I told Congress, I told Congress 'thanks but no thanks' on that Bridge to Nowhere."
"If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves," she said.
You Klowns would support a cow pie, oops, a moose pie, if it had GOP or republican stamped on it.
She didn't talk that way when she was running for governor. The Anchorage Daily News quoted her on Oct. 22, 2006, as saying yes, she would continue state funding for the bridge because she wanted swift action on infrastructure projects. "The window is now while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist," she said...."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080831/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_bridge_to_nowhere
#12 - your reality is socialist utopia, practiced in Russia and Western Europe. I am challenged about considering that to be reality.
OK, let's drop McCain and Biden from the argument, just for the principle bottom line - Palin has more experience than Obama and from what I have seen, superior judgment. BTW- McCain's argument was more about bad judgment from Obama than his lack of experience. Palin's block of women voters is different from Hillary's block - there may be some crossovers, but more likely are conservatives and independents in doubt, which may encompass some of Hillary's supporters. Time will tell.
Posted by: KS on August 31, 2008 03:45 PM"ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country"
Welcome to Obamaville, where we'll take care of you because you are obviously too stupid, lazy or ignorant to take care of yourself. Essentially, that is what the Democratic party of today thinks of the American people.
Posted by: Rick D. on August 31, 2008 03:49 PM1. Is it untrue that the Alaska Legislature has authorized an investigation of Palin and troopergate. True or False?
2. Isn't it true that Governor Palin appears in a taped interview while running for governor extolling the virtues of a "bridge to no where?"
You cow, oops, moose pie lovers will be treated to poop drolling out over the next few weeks.
How soon before this empty skirt does an Eagleton and withdraws to take care of family?
"....That is not how Palin described her position on the Gravina Island bridge when she ran for governor in 2006.
On Oct. 22, 2006, the Anchorage Daily News asked Palin and the other candidates, "Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?"
Her response: "Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now -- while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."
Palin's support of the earmark for the bridge was applauded by the late Lew Williams Jr., the retired Ketchikan Daily News publisher who wrote columns on the topic.
Williams wrote on Oct. 29, 2006, that Palin was the only gubernatorial candidate that year who consistently supported the Gravina Island Bridge, the Knik Arm Bridge and improvements to the Parks Highway.
Two months earlier, while campaigning in Ketchikan, Palin made a positive reference to the bridge, while also joking, as a resident of the Mat-Su Valley, about Sen. Ben Stevens' slap at Mat-Su residents as "Valley trash."
"OK, you've got Valley trash standing in the middle of nowhere," Palin said on a stop in Ketchikan, a quote reprinted in the Juneau Empire Friday. "I think we're going to make a good team as we progress that bridge project."
A year later, she issued a news release as governor saying Ketchikan needed better airport access, but a $398 million bridge was not going to happen.
"Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island," Palin said on Sept. 21, 2007.
The money was not sent back to the federal government, but spent on other projects.
That was hardly "Thanks but no thanks."
In his statement announcing Palin as his running mate Friday, McCain said, "She put a stop to the "bridge to nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million."
One of the immediate related questions for Alaska is whether Palin plans to change her position and accept McCain's view that earmarks should be abolished and that any bill containing them should be vetoed.
This is significant because the state, along with dozens of local governments and nonprofit groups across Alaska, routinely asks Congress to fund everything from new buildings to docks and road work. The Alaska Railroad alone asked for about $80 million this year, while Nome wanted $13 million for wind generation, North Pole asked for nearly $7 million and the Fairbanks North Star Borough asked for about $25 million.
McCain has made his position clear.
"I will veto every bill with earmarks until the Congress stops sending bills with earmarks on them. I will keep vetoing. I will make them famous. You will know their names, " McCain said in a speech on April 15, according to video on his Web site. He also said, "I have a clear record of not asking for a single earmark for my state."
Alaska has a clear record of seeking earmarks.
In March, Palin's Washington, D.C., representative, John Katz, wrote a defense of earmarks, published in the Juneau Empire in which he said the state is cutting back on its wish list.
The Palin administration requested 31 earmarks this year totaling $200 million and "we are not abandoning earmarks altogether," Katz said, as they are a "legitimate exercise of Congress' constitutional power to amend the budget proposed by the president."
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/31/sarah-palin-supported-ketchikan-bridge-nowhere-dur/
You Klowns are supporting a cow pie who is an empty skirt.
Posted by: Friend of All Facts on August 31, 2008 04:08 PM"You cow, oops, moose pie lovers will be treated to poop drolling out over the next few weeks." ~Bye Bye GOP AKA (cowardly Lyin')
That is exactly the kind of Jr. High comment I'd expect from one of David Gold Stain's students. Ignorant and crude to boot, just like the head Donkey himself at his hate site.
Posted by: Rick D. on August 31, 2008 04:16 PMUsing one of the more popular Clinton supporting sites as an example of what is seen on many of them, Tennessee Guerilla Women, shows the theme of what I am seeing.
Yesterday, they were quoting Palin's tribute to Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton, where Palin stated, "I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievement of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and of course, Hillary Clinton, who showed determination in her presidential campaign," Palin said. "It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all."The writer of that piece, Egalia writes:
Wow. Just wow. You should have picked Hillary, Barack! Here's to breaking this country's shameful male monopoly on power. It's just too effing bad that the job has fallen to the Republicans because the Democratic Party threw women under the bus!The comment section of that posts shows incredible tension still felt by female voters over Hillary's loss and what they perceived as unfairness shown to her during the primaries, with some commentators arguing having a woman on the ticket isn't enough of a reason to vote for a McCain/Palin ticket, others arguing about Obama's inexperience and pointing out Palin's executive experience and still others asking about how a Democratic woman can vote for a pro-life ticket.
373 comments on that piece.
Tennessee Guerilla Women is not the only site with this mindset, as pointed out by Washington Post's The Trail.
The common refrain: "Obama will regret not choosing Hillary now!"
No Quarter USA, an online hub for anti-Obama Hillary supporters, had this comment from Danny in Alaska, a disaffected Hillary Democrat who had pledged not to vote for Obama, on a news post. He called Palin an independent and said a "vote for MCCAIN IS NO LONGER A PROTEST VOTE! I want bumper stickers."
**
Commanding Alaska's Guard w/ 24/7 missile defense
As governor of Alaska, Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism. Her exposure to classified material may rival even Biden's.
She's also the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security's counterterrorism plans.
Palin is privy to military and intelligence secrets that are vital to the entire country's defense. Given Alaska's proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don't even know about.
**
Palin staff pushed to have trooper fired... pay attention to the DATE (August 14th, 2008) there, FACTLESS, also HERE: (August 13th, 2008): Palin launches Monegan inquiry ahead of special investigation and HERE (August 20th, 2008): Gov. Sarah Palin has placed one of her aides on paid leave until an investigator finishes looking into accusations her team broke ethics or personnel rules.
**
Non-scandal involving Gov. Palin: Even though he's an admitted child-abuser who Tasered his own step-son and used a deadly weapon to break the law, Trooper Wooten still has a job
- I assume you all can click and read, so unlike FACTLESS, I won't copy the whole thing.
**
The Absurd Palin-Inexperienced Argument
**
Experience is More Than a Punched Amtrak Ticket
"Little known fact: the Northern Lights are really just the reflection from Sarah Palin's eyes."
"Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin doesn't need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk."
"Little Known Fact: The Russians sold Alaska to America because Sarah Palin would not submit to autocracy."
Here are some more of the best Little Known Facts from around the Twitterverse.
"Sarah Palin�s enemies are automatically added to the Endangered Species List"
"Sarah Palin as VP increases Depends sales among scatalogically frightened Democrats"
"Jesus has a bracelet that says, �WWSPD?�"
"Death once had a near-Sarah Palin experience."
"Sarah Palin begins every day with a moment of silence for the political enemies buried in her yard."
"When Sarah Palin booked a flight to Europe, the French immediately surrendered."
"Sarah Palin isn�t allowed to wield the gavel at the convention because they�re afraid she�ll use it to kill liberals."
"Sarah Palin doesn�t need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk."
"Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin�s son is going to Iraq after the Surge, because a Palin during the Surge would have been unfair."
"Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin became governor because five children left her with too much spare energy."
"Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin will send Biden a pre-debate cheat sheet. The sheet will have tips on defending against Kung Fu Death Grip."
"Little known fact: Sarah Palin is on loan from the Justice League."
"Little Known Fact: Iran�s nuclear program is a response to Sarah Palin."
"We don�t know who would win in a Chuck Norris - Sarah Palin cage match because they�ve never invented a cage that can hold Sarah Palin."
"Alaska is the 49th state solely because they knew even before she was born that Sarah Palin would never finish last."
"Three of Sarah Palin�s five kids came out sideways - she never flinched."
"Sarah Palin�s hotness is the largest single contributor to melting polar ice caps."
"It�s not raining in DC. Those are God�s tears of joy that McCain picked Sarah Palin."
"Sarah Palin fishes salmon by convincing them it�s in their interest to jump into the boat."
"Sarah Palin once guided Santa�s sleigh through an Alaskan blizzard with the light from her smile."
"Sarah Palin�s brain is three times the size of Joe Biden�s. It�s science."
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on August 31, 2008 04:46 PMThere is a saying "Nothing worse than a woman scorned"
Now Obams might want to consider what he and the DNC did to those Hillary supporters, when they chose Biden as VP.
Those women are pi$$ed. They feel the Democrats have used them, and tossed them aside.
BUT..... When the GOP had enough Balls to put a woman (like Palin) on the Ticket, they even got madder.......In their frustration of their own (D) party, and the GOP doing what the D's wouldn't, they are sliding Right, at a high rate of speed.
If Obama wasn't ready for Hillary as his running mate (cause he was afraid of both Hillary & Bill), Just how in the hell is he suppose to run a COUNTRY.
Policies aside (and most of them aren't afraid of Roe vs Wade going anywhere soon) these women see the way for Hillary in the WH, is by getting Palin in their first.....
Posted by: Chris N on August 31, 2008 05:19 PMI'm kidding here, but you do have to wonder.
Posted by: Bill Cruchon on August 31, 2008 05:55 PMBesides, what's wrong with telling some government stiff to do this (or have it suggested, he should do this). Kind of sounds like a warning similar to David Brame and Ray Corpuz in T-Town.
Posted by: gottago60 on August 31, 2008 06:18 PM''I don't think many on the left yet understand how dramatically that selection may have changed the fundamentals of this race as it turns for the homestretch after Labor Day.''
I won't claim that I can accurately explain in detail just HOW it has changed the race, but I'll bet Eric is right:
Gov. Palin 4 VP has significantly changed the game in ways that picking Romney or Pawlenty or etcetera would not have.
But for the moment Hurricane Gustav has to a large degree taken over the stage; further insight into the configuration of the altered political playing field may have to wait until that storm has faded a bit:
CNN is reporting that up to 2 MILLION people are fleeing as Gustav approaches. That is close to one out of every 150 people in the whole country, and gives a sobering perspective as to the magnitude of Gustav's impact.
SIDEBAR: A tiny example of how capitalism works better than government agencies:
The political button vendors at the GOP National Convention already had a large supply of several good variations of McCain-Palin campaign buttons for sale or trade today. If a Government agency would have been given the same task, the November election would probably have been long done and over before the buttons got approved and produced.
You know, the more I read about Palin, the more she reminds me of Teddy Roosevelt, minus the lip hair and hubris of course. I mean, name the last president that went hunting for big game (moose, bear, elephants…)? Name the last Vice President…
Posted by: barrackslawyer on August 31, 2008 09:21 PMj/k
Posted by: Crusader on August 31, 2008 10:48 PMYou're scum. Those who share your view: equally scum.
Your panic is palpable. Your empty suit is in serious, serious trouble... and you're left with serious hope that another hurricane will slam into N.O. to take the focus of the McCain masterstroke.
Despicable... but typical of your ilk.
Posted by: hinton on September 1, 2008 10:07 AM