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Saturday, September 6, 2008
SRO for McCain-Palin in Colorado
Posted by on 9.6.08 @ 7:13PM
More than 10,000 went through the metal detectors for a McCain-Palin appearance in Colorado Springs and the campaign had 15,000 RSVPs.
In just the second day of campaigning together, Republican Presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, gave a command performance of their convention week speeches to a crowd of more than 10,000 here. . . . They began lining up as early as 5:30 a.m., even though doors for the event didn't open until 9 a.m. By the time doors did open, traffic jammed for miles around the airport and the line of people waiting to get in wound for several hundred yards around large hangars.
Much more at the link, including quotes from a 2000 Al Gore volunteer who loves Palin so much she says she's "never been inspired by anyone else like this except Bobby Kennedy."
Patrick Poole says, "Last week in one fell swoop, John McCain completely changed the dynamic of this presidential election . . . For the first time in this campaign, Obama is playing catch-up."
Sarah Palin: No Eagleton
Posted by on 9.6.08 @ 3:34PM
It appears that Team Obama was pushing its surrogates to compare Sarah Palin to George McGovern's doomed 1972 running mate, Thomas Eagleton, but the analogies are invalid:
Jeralyn Merritt at TalkLeft seems to have been the first to invoke the Eagleton comparison, within hours of John McCain's announcement of his running mate, but she had plenty of company after Monday's news that Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant. Richard Gizbert of Huffington Post flatly pronounced Palin "the new Thomas Eagleton" and predicted that she would withdraw "within the next week or so." By Tuesday, Joshua Green of the Atlantic Monthly had an article online examining the comparison in detail.You can read the whole thing here, and as to Republicans rallying in support of Palin, she's already helping draw record crowds for McCain -- who's closed the gap with Obama to 2 points in the latest Gallup daily tracking poll. (In the Rasmussen daily poll, it's Obama 49%, McCain 46%, with "leaners" included.)
Yet nothing in the attacks that Democrats or the media have made against Palin compares to the scandal that brought down Eagleton -- a hidden history of severe mental illness he hadn't disclosed to McGovern before his selection as running mate. And judging from the way Republicans have rallied to Palin's defense, it seems highly unlikely she will be bumped from the ticket.
Indeed, the spectacle of a media feeding frenzy over a working mother and her pregnant teenager seems to have produced a backlash that could have an effect quite the opposite of what Palin's enemies originally imagined. She may yet turn out to be the anti-Eagleton -- that rare choice of a running mate who makes a positive difference in a presidential election.
'Lucille, the Waitress' says . . .
Posted by on 9.6.08 @ 2:57PM
A "progressive" blogger claims that Sarah Palin routinely uses racial slurs, including referring to Barack Obama as "Sambo," basing these allegations on such sources as "Lucille, the waitress serving her table at the time and who asked that her last name not be used." There's more:
Besides insulting Obama with a Step-N'-Fetch-It, "darkie musical" swipe, people who know her say she refers regularly to Alaska's Aboriginal people as "Arctic Arabs" - how efficient, lumping two apparently undesirable groups into one ugly description - as well as the more colourful "mukluks" along with the totally unimaginative "f**king Eskimo's," according to a number of Alaskans and Wasillians interviewed for this article.
Given that there is no previous accusation of this sort on the record against Palin, to hang such claims entirely on anonymous sources -- who may be lying, who may be political enemies of Palin, who may be figments of the author's imagination, for all we know -- is absolutely irresponsible. Whatever happened to Team Obama's vow to "fight the smears"?
"Lucille" the waitress, "Hazel" the maid, "Jeeves" the butler ...
Friday, September 5, 2008
Re: Can't Agree
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 8:08PM
Sounds like high risk and no/low reward to me, RSC.
Why do it before you get into the swing of a national campaign? Maybe to satisfy somebody's idea of moving the storyline along or to provide a feast for a punditocracy needing one more thing to talk about.
She can do it on her terms and the American people won't spend a moment worrying about it in the meantime. They surely won't be sweating Alan Colmes' "good opinion."
Besides Which ...
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 7:55PM
Do you really want to give Alan Colmes an excuse to gloat?
Re: Can't Agree
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 7:50PM
Well, Hunter, if she's a superstar, she'll shine, eh?
A press conference is better than a one-on-one, because in a press conference, if somebody asks you a question you don't like, you can bat it back with quick joke, and then call on someone else. And when you get a question where you're strong, filibuster for five minutes.
It's really not hard to do a 40-minute press conference and avoid the worst of the "gotchas" that way. I assume that, as governor, Palin knows how to do this. She really seems like a natural, and I think they're making a mistake by trying to keep her away from reporters.
Re: Make Her Talk
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 7:39PM
Good points, all, J.P. Rather than giving one-on-ones with umpteen different interviews, though, the way to defeat the "she's hiding" angle is to give an "availability" after a rally -- short notice, and let 'em have a half-hour or 40 minutes of shouting questions at her. And if the networks still whine about no one-on-ones, you answer, "Well, we don't want to play favorites."
That one 40-minute "press avail" buys you a few days, at least. If it were up to me, I'd at least have her do "Fox News Sunday" this week. Surely she can handle that.
Can't Agree "Other McCain"
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 7:37PM
Why in the world would you rush your brand new superstar governor into a press conference or one on one interview? You know what they want. The idea is to think of lots of detailed foreign policy questions with answers requiring memorization rather than simple analysis and start tossing those like bombs. She needs time to transition from the governor set of facts to a presidential set of facts and then she'll knock their teeth out.
Why take a chance on turning your most valuable acquisition into damaged goods? There's a long campaign ahead, sir.
Troopergate! That's our line!
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 6:44PM
In an act of negligence, reporters are hopping all over this "troopergate" story. Except it's not "troopergate." It's something-else-gate. Troopergate was a story about how, while governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton used state troopers and state facilities to have extramarital affairs (depending on what you mean by sex, of course). This story was reported on by the Spectator in the early 1990s as an example of a story that the media didn't want to cover because it was too "tabloidy," but mostly because it didn't want to malign the then-candidate of Change.
Of course, that was the very story that led to other problems for the Clintons, ones that would eventually lead to the Spectator's official unmasking as the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. If it's a conspiracy to dig up stories where you're exchanging the public trust for sex, well, pleased to be of service. Ahem.
Yet what's Palin accused of? Wanting to fire a trooper who might have tazed a kid? Even if Palin were found guilty, is this a crime that rises to the level of absurd corruption we found while digging around Arkansas's public records? Really?
How about they find another name for the darn thing and move on with it. This is silly. Stop trying to confuse your audiences.
The Press Has Ways Of Making Palin Talk
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 6:24PM
"If she can't handle a press conference, how can you argue she's ready to be vice president?"
I completely agree with you, *but* I was just on MSNBC with David Shuster, and realized something. These people are salivating. They're eager to rip into her.
First he asks me what I figured Palin was going to talk about on the trail -- I suggested that it's likely she's going to stick to the conservative themes that made her convention speech so popular. He then asks, abruptly, why she won't do one on one interviews yet and answered "the American people" and if that means she's not ready to be vice president.
Wait, wait. She's been in the spotlight for how many days, and the fact that she hasn't pitched up for a one on one means that she's not ready for the slot? If anything it's probably a smart move right now. The press is mistaking itself for The People. The more self-righteous it gets about not getting a Sarah Palin interview, the better she'll look. Her speech was so well-received in part because it was a good speech and she was good at delivering, but also because everyone said she's a total novice. She's benefitted from low expectations. By the time she actually does an interview, she'll be expected to be boring/rehearsed/inchoate, making it all the more impressive when she knocks it out of the park.
Anyway, I responded that I thought it was strange that the press hasn't really scrutinized Barack Obama despite having months to do it. Shuster claimed, "Oh we have, and we've asked all the questions, and I could show you." I just responded, "Yeah, but did you ever get any answers?"
It doesn't count if you didn't wind up getting answers to the questions. If Palin needs a few more days before she faces the press, that's fine. Frankly, the whole point of having Palin on board is that she's so down-to-earth. She contributes nothing to the ticket by hiding. She'll have to come out at some point.
Snore
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 5:38PM
John McCain's acceptance speech reminded me of no one so much as...Al Gore.
Real Change
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 5:20PM
Two lines in McCain's acceptance apparently escaped nearly all the chatterers. They are confessions, accusations, and the heart of the matter that defines "change" better than anything uttered on either side of the aisle:
"I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us."Beat that for an admission of GOP guilt, an explanation of why grand juries are meeting overtime, and an intimation that in McCain's view change must come from within. Not the sort of talk "K" Street Washington is used to.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 4:44PM
A senior McCain campaign official advises that, despite the gaggle of requests and pressure from the media, Gov. Sarah Palin won't submit to a formal interview anytime soon. She may take some questions from local news entities in Alaska, but until she's ready -- and until she's comfortable -- which might not be for a long while -- the media will have to wait.
Grrrrr. If she can't handle a press conference, how can you argue she's ready to be vice president?
This fear-based, defensive, curl-up-inside-your-shell posture toward the press is killing the GOP. It's insane: Treat the press like the enemy and then complain about media bias. Oh, I wish Tony Snow were still alive to explain to these "senior campaign officials" why this approach doesn't work.
'Married to an Eskimo'?
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 3:51PM
Sarah Palin is what the McCain camp has badly needed: an attack dog who can be deployed against Obama. She slides the stiletto in without either losing her femininity or coming across as catty, and given that she's married to an eskimo, it's going to be hard to fit her into the narrative of conservative closet racists trying to perpetuate white domination.
Now, wait a doggone minute here:
- Is Megan trying to say that all prejudices are created equal? Just because you're not prejudiced against Eskimos means you're altogether free from prejudice? Wait until the folks in Alabama hear about this!
- Does anybody look at blue-eyed Todd Palin and think, "Hey, Nanook, where's your igloo?"
This whole identity-politics thing has gotten out of hand, when marrying "first dude" Todd Palin is considered an act of tolerance.
Daily (non-Convention) Must-Reads
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 12:27PM
Yes, Russia wants an empire again
Economics of drill, drill, drill in ANWR
Cardinal Francis George responds to Pelosi forcefully
When browsers start warring, we all benefit
Trying to affect climate change won't be easy
Backlash vs. US Weekly
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 12:02PM
US Weekly is reportedly losing subscribers because of its "Babies, Lies and Scandal" cover story about Sarah Palin:
"When Us went to print Monday night, it looked like the ticket was falling apart," says one magazine editor. "They went to print thinking Palin was dead in the water, and their mistake was thinking everyone who reads Us is a Democrat, when they're not. Readers are loyal, but the base of a political party is more loyal."Here's the cover:
Compare to
the Obama cover in June: 
Early Vote Returns: Barr Wins Texas
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 11:37AM
Looks like McCain and Obama both missed their chance to get on the Texas ballot. Obviously, they're going to wind up on it, but Barr is threatening legal action if it happens. See, Barry O? You're not the only one who knows how to throw opponents off a ballot!
Re: Kuo Doubles Down
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 11:18AM
Indeed, I think that's wrong. There was a quality to Palin's speech that hasn't been at the center of Republican oratory for a while -- her ability to communicate a common understanding. Looking at the field of GOP leaders recently confirms this: W. was a silver spoon baby, John McCain, in spite of his personal story, is stilted, Newt Gingrich is aloof, and Ron Paul always seems nervous.
Some bloggers felt that Palin was too negative, but I think how she handled the negativity was instructive -- it felt like a wrist slap than a schoolmarmish clucking, or a bitter political attack. It was proportionate.
As to whether chills should come down the spine at the thought of a President Palin, perhaps similar chills should have surfaced at the time President Bush was nominated. At that time he had more failures and fewer achievements than Governor Palin. I don't know what was so chilly, though -- she was fine.
'Fearful Shiver'?
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 10:40AM
Palin's speech . . . fell spectacularly short on convincing the American people that the the two words "president" and "palin" could be uttered together without a fearful shiver going up one's spine.Unlike Kuo, I don't claim to speak for "the American people," but I'm not feeling any such shiver. How about you, J.P.?
CBS Poll: TIED!
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 10:33AM
It's now even at 42%, says CBS News, while Rasmussen shows a 2-point advantage for Obama.
John S. McCain: Anatomy of a Speech
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 10:18AM
John McCain deserves tremendous credit for maintaining his cool while being repeatedly interrupted by protesters. Somehow, he managed not to lash out or show visible irritation. I kept expecting him to yell, "What the hell did you ever do for your country? Don't you think I deserve to be heard? Have I earned that much?" He soared above it.
On the other hand, I have to rate the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the speech as weak. It had the same uninspiring feeling as a George W. Bush State of the Union. The laundry list, the calling out of ordinary Americans. When he started naming people struggling with recession, I thought of some campaign functionary looking at the poll results. "Cares about people like me" -- Check. The first part of the speech had to be endured, sort of like direct mail that repeats the old pattern and the old tricks. You have to wade through it to get to the meat.
The good news is that there was meat. McCain got through the faux SOTU and began talking about what really matters -- who he is, what his life has been like, why he is ready to lead. When he talked about that, the tingle started to develop. You could feel it. The contrast sharpened almost painfully. You realized, "Barack Obama has scarcely held a full-time job and we are about to elect pretty words when we desperately need a veteran." That's when John McCain scored. Scored points in bunches. He shook off a tired old cocoon and metamorphosed into the great man when he did that.
Re: Isaiah Berlin on McCain
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 9:27AM
Jeremy, were the commenters so surly that the Guardian took down the column? I'm getting a dead link.
UPDATE: Here's the actual link, and yeah, the commenters are indeed surly: " I saw a dithering old man on the verge of dementia. He belongs in a museum, not the White House."
Isaiah Berlin on McCain
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 9:13AM
Here's my reaction to John McCain's speech from today's Guardian. The commenters sure are surly today.
C-Span today, bright and early
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 1:35AM
I'll be on C-Span's Washington Journal at 7:45 a.m. opposite the New Republic's thoughtful Franklin Foer. We'll be agreeing and disagreeing, but all at a comfortable decibel level, and excited to see the over-the-shoulder camera work its magic on the newspaper clippings.
UPDATE: Here's the link to the show.
His ending was strong
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 1:32AM
It would make sense that he was being so constantly interrupted by the protesters, given how distracted he seemed to be at times. But was that really the cause of it? I don't think he managed to summon the ability to get past the prompter -- he seemed like he was still using it.
Whatever the case, as a speech, on paper, it looks far better than it was spoken. Unfortunately, no one reads. That said, his run towards the end was impressive. Yes, it was Churchillian. I don't think he's given a better speech during his campaign.
But there were problems. He did the example thing, where he provides a story about your average American who's having trouble feeding her dog (well, maybe not *that*, but close). He stammered on some lines, again, possibly because of protesters. But there's something eminently strange about a man at a Republican convention highlighting his credentials as being more than just a Republican. And more, there's something strange about how he attacks -- his uneasy smile after he lunges, as though he didn't really mean that, and hopes you'll excuse him.
I just hope he paid attention to what got him the largest cheers of support.
Re: Wrap-Up on McCain's Speech
Posted by on 9.5.08 @ 12:39AM
Watching from home, I can't disagree more with the idea that McCain's speech "was overall pretty flat and dull." To the contrary, it was the best speech McCain has given since launching his candidacy. He rose to the occasion as never before, and for the first time I got the sense why he's running for -- and why he is determined to become -- President. In the wake of Sarah Palin's triumph Wednesday night, McCain not only surpassed expectations but delivered his own walk-off grand slam.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
McCain
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 11:21PM
McCain isn't generally a great speaker, and he was slow to get going tonight, but he ended strong, with a recount not just of the heroic portion of his captivity, but of when he was broken and ashamed, with nothing to fall back on but the counsel of one of his fellow soldiers, and the love of his country. His Churchilian rallying cry at the end of the speech brought the house down. It was delivered with a level of conviction that few others could muster, because he's lived it. "Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history."
Wrap-Up on McCain's Speech
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 11:10PM
Some good moments, but overall pretty flat and dull, I'm afraid.
The Background
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 10:55PM
The blue screen behind McCain isn't as bad as the green that prevailed earlier, but it's still not good.
Snake(s) at the Garden Party
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 10:25PM
I'm not sure how clear this is on TV, but McCain's rhythm is being broken a bit by the audience's reactions to a heckler in the rafters.
UPDATE: More protesters, as I'm sure you know by now. This happened at the 2004 GOP convention, too, but Bush didn't stop to adlib a response the way McCain did.
"It's Not About Talkin' Pretty"
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 9:28PM
"It's about talkin' straight." So says Tom Ridge, another less impressive speaker than Sarah Palin.
On the Road to Victory
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 9:13PM
Not in November, but in Iraq. Lindsey Graham's speech has been about the most war- and surge-centric speech I've heard yet. He also gives credit to Joe Lieberman, and the delegates applaud enthusiastically. Graham accuses Obama of offering the troops "a patronizing pat on the back."
UPDATE: Graham just said, echoing the Democratic nominee, "I'm not saying Barack Obama doesn't care. I'm just saying he doesn't get it."
Convention Video
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 8:47PM
I think the Republican convention just declared war on Iran, but I could be wrong.
"Yes We Can, Yes We Will!"
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 8:33PM
I thought I'd heard the last of this nonsense in Denver.
Right Choice Made
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 8:17PM
Tim Pawlenty (speaking now) is, to put it kindly, less impressive than Sara Palin.
Marsha Blackburn
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 7:56PM
Has some level of Sarah Palin appeal and is out here praising the vice presidential nominee -- and panning the "good ole boys and their earmarks" -- right now. "It's about damn time!" Now she's trashing all of us in the media section.
UPDATE: I think her voice just broke some glass.
"Hockey Moms of the World, Unite!"
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 7:49PM
Coincidentally, that's what Utah Gov. John Huntsman said as he placed Sarah Palin's name in nomination. After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that she had been nominated they started blasting rock music -- Heart's "Barracuda," of course.
'Community Organizers' Unite!
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 7:34PM
Lots of outrage from the Left over Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani mocking Barack Obama's early career as a community organizer, with Ezra Klein endeavoring to obscure categories:
A community organizer can be a PTA member or a Christian Coalition lieutenant. Indeed, there's something deeply conservative about the vocation, which informally organizes citizens to demand better, fairer, and wiser treatment from detached government bureaucrats.
Well, no, a PTA member is not a "community organizer," Ezra. The "community organizer" gig, as now practiced, goes back to Saul Alinsky and the Industrial Areas Foundation, and is based in the Marxist notion that the problems of the poor are essentially political.
Community organizing as a practice got a federally-subsidized boost via Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society," and the effect of the community-organizing model on municipal governance is hilariously chronicled in Tom Wolfe's Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers.
Several journalists have noted that Obama's organizing efforts didn't bring any meaningful, lasting improvement to the Chicago South Side community in which he worked, but then community organizing never does, simply because politics is not the solution to poverty.
Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 6:26PM
1. If a prominent liberal had called Palin "Dan Quayle with mammaries" conservatives would pounce like hawks. Kuo's status as a conservative somehow exempts him from this?
2. Perhaps I'm a bit touchy over this particular matter because my expressions of concern over the McCain campaign's mishandling of the situation subjected me to vilification.
3. The strain of the past few days -- the uproar over Palin's selection, Obama holding a steady lead in the polls -- is probably to account for all this snappishness.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 5:57PM
JP: You don't think that's a nasty, biting description but get all huffy when RSM calls David Kuo a RINO? Maybe I'm missing something here.
Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 4:50PM
I guess that's where the disagreement is. I just don't think it's a nasty, biting description. Do you have something against mammaries?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 4:45PM
JP: My instinct is to illustrate why I'm right on this point by coming up with a really nasty, biting description of you and speculating that you could, in fact, be something equally bad as well, but that I hope that neither is the case. And then D.C. area denizens who read the Spectator could throw these back in your face over lunch, at parties, etc. Now, I won't do that because it would be extremely uncharitable (if funny) and we like to keep it classy here.
All-New! Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 4:40PM
Republican calls Obama ... uh, the "u-word."
Re: Palin's Hair
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 4:05PM
Am I the only one who's mighty afraid that we're going to have to see 4 or more years of "How's It Look" journalism should a McCain/Palin administration become a reality? Every time she gets a new haircut, we'll have people quoting Whitman and referring to how it represents the state of the American soul.
re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 3:56PM
The lightweight image was what I meant. Was Quayle, by the time he was named Veep, respected for these achievements, or was the bumbling thing what dominated his media cycle? I ask because in our brand new ADD riddled history classes, Quayle was just the guy who couldn't spell potato.
Jeremy, really? You can't puckishly use a phrase and expect it to be taken as a cautionary note? Don't we do that, uh, all the time? Again, I don't agree with him and our worldviews are likely to be greatly different. But how being a RINO figures into the discussion, I'm not really clear.
I disagree with Amanda, mainly because I think Kuo was pointing to the oft-commented-on "cuteness" of Governor Palin. Quayle's obstacles in his image, among other things, were being good-looking and appearing younger. He seemed out of his element for someone who was very much in it. I'd say making the comparison isn't really offensive, and don't see how it justifies calling him a "jerk." But that may be because she holds a special disdain anatomical creativity, in which case I'll never explain to her the strange similarity between GWB's and Obama's ears.
Palin's Hair
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 3:27PM
I passed along the story from the Boston Herald that Drudge linked today about Gov. Palin's hair maintenance to my wife, who is a stylist and cosmetologist. She wrote back:
Re: Re: Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 3:16PM
Here's the start of Culture11 managing editor Joe Carter's response to his colleague's comment: "'Dan Quayle with mammaries?' Oh. No. You. Didn't. Go. There." More...
Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 3:05PM
Dan Quayle isn't without blame for his own lightweight image, but he was an elder statesman compared to people we consider for high office now, including both George W. Bush circa 1999 and Barack Obama circa now. He also mastered some fairly complex defense issues while in the Senate. Whether it is better to be Dan Quayle with mammaries or John McCain in a dress I'll leave to the readers to decide, but I'm going to try my hardest not to picture either of them.
Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 2:23PM
Amanda Carpenter on Kuo: "What a jerk."
BTW, Ed Morrissey had a nice video interview with Amanda at Hot Air.
Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 2:01PM
It's not every day that someone rallies to the defense of Dan Quayle. But while we're at it, I'll call attention to one of the most famous magazine articles of the 1990s, "Dan Quayle Was Right," by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead. She later elaborated her argument into an excellent book, The Divorce Culture.
Re: Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 1:51PM
JP: Sorry but not buying it. You simply cannot coin and publish "Dan Quayle with mammaries" and expect it to be received as a thoughtful cautionary note. The phrase was meant to cut. In Kuo's defense, if Palin had bombed last night, he would have looked remarkably prescient. In re: Dan Quayle, he knocked off a sitting congressman and a sitting senator, was reelected with record margins, and sponsored or co-sponsored some important if dull legislation in the Senate.
Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 1:48PM
This seems to be "Offend Everyone Week" for me, J.P., but I plead guilty to ad hominem. I've never met David Kuo, but his book Tempting Faith is one of the most wretched "conservative" books I've ever read. It absolutely reeks of Gersonism -- which isn't surprising, considering that Michael Gerson is Kuo's "hero" (p. 56).
Re: Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 12:55PM
Way to take that line out of context and employ some ad hominem. Really glad you've taken to classing up the blog. Kuo wasn't saying she *was* Dan Quayle-like, simply that he was afraid she could be. Given how little most folks know about her, I appreciate the candor. It's nice when someone doesn't pretend to be an expert on Governor Palin's career. That said, Mitt Romney would have been more Dan Quayle-like than I think anyone is willing to admit, especially given his speech last night. Palin's far less likely to make the same mistakes Quayle did, and probably has more to offer. I'm a little young to provide much, but I can't quite recall the clever achievements of the Indiana senator.
The Reviews Are In
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 11:23AM
If favorable liberal reactions to Sarah Palin's speech last night are any indication, the Democratic ticket may never recover. To start our sampling, consider Tom Shales, the Washington Post's aging TV critic. (I use "aging" advisedly: how can anyone with any memory argue that "Reagan's time in the White House was a virtual love affair with the press, whom he charmed as infectiously as he charmed the whole country"?) In his review today, he takes Palin very seriously, concluding:
She proved herself in the great arena; that's what counts politically. Nobody could watch that speech and still consider her a joke, no matter how flimsy her credentials and qualifications may seem on paper. The joke, it seems, is on those who'd been laughing at her. Last night the laughing ended -- and the cheering began.
Then there's Mother Jones's David Corn, an upstanding lefty with no reason whatsoever to defend Palin, which makes his assessment, as the friend who drew my attention to the MJ link noted, one of the "most credible" out there:
Decrying the Democrats as tax-hikers and national security weaklings, while blasting Washington, is the usual fare for Republicans. But Palin read her lines with flair and confidence. And--can we be frank?--she looked darn good doing so. She was with the program: this election is not as much about change, hope, or issues as it is about the measure of one man.... It's some ticket: a made-in-small-town-America working mom and the man who goes off to war to protect her way of life.
Finally, how could one resist a story headlined on Slate's home page this way: "O'Rourke: The political eros of Sarah Palin" -- particularly if you assumed the author in question is P.J. O'Rourke. Turns out it's not, but Megan O'Rourke is plenty sharp-minded herself:
What made Palin appealing wasn't that she was pretty in a beauty-contest kind of way, but that she possessed a real charge as she spoke, a charge that derived from her palpable sense of enjoyment at finding her voice and being loved for it....What Hillary Clinton pretended to be at the end of her campaign, Sarah Palin is: a red-blooded Middle American populist.
What do the Democrats do now?
Worst. Comment. Ever.
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 11:10AM
Notorious RINO David Kuo calls Sarah Palin "Dan Quayle with mammaries."
Palin and Global Warming
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 10:29AM
Obviously I have the worst timing in the world with all the celebration over the great speech last night, but I finally got through the public records I had obtained months ago from Alaska's Department of Conservation regarding Gov. Palin's Climate Change Sub-Cabinet. They produced a lengthy post: a blow-by-blow account (as much as I could put together with what I had to work with) -- with lots of links to the documents I obtained -- about the state's hiring of the global warming alarmist group Center for Climate Strategies to manage the Sub-Cabinet.
My conclusions: That yet another state (nearly half of them by now) have fallen victim to the temptation of hiring this activist, alarmist-funded group to ramrod through dozens of policy recommendations designed to raise taxes and costs of energy, and restrict individual freedoms like property rights. Also, the whole process of obtaining records from the state somewhat undermines the reputation of Gov. Palin as a tranparency-promoting reformer. Judge for yourself, though.
Daily (non-Palin) Must-Reads
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 10:25AM
$100 oil doesn't mean the end of inflation
Exposing UCLA's illegal affirmative action
J.P. Freire on conservative journalism
All You Need Is Smug
Posted by on 9.4.08 @ 9:22AM
My latest Guardian column on Sarah Palin's spectacular speech has attracted some typically dismissive replies. Poster Move Any Mountain slaps a few of those down and says, "I love Leftist arrogance."
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Palin's Speech
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 11:19PM
The media spent five days lowering the bar. She cleared it easily.
HUGE Applause
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 11:18PM
For John McCain. By far the loudest crowd reaction in the hall of the night. Even a year ago, who would ever have thought McCain would be the biggest star at a Republican National Convention?
The Next Four Years
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 11:14PM
I'm not looking forward to an Obama or McCain administration either, but geez Sarah, I don't think it will be as bad as being tortured at the Hanoi Hilton.
Sarah Palin
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 10:45PM
Doesn't have to do very much do get cheers from this crowd, but they are definitely on her side throughout her discussion of her family.
Rudy Giuliani
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 10:42PM
Remains every bit the master showman and an effective anti-Obama attack dog.
Rudy's Speech
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 10:37PM
Giuliani has to be the all-time champion of partisan attack dogs. If only there were a cabinet position where the only job was to give speeches slamming the opposition...
Romney's Speech
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 9:26PM
One of his weaker performances, I thought, and a reminder of why McCain beat him in the primary. Romney really has a lot of trouble connecting to an audience in a large room the way he can in a small room.
Mitt Romney on the Supreme Court
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 9:16PM
Interesting for him to call the Supreme Court liberal, focusing on the Gitmo decision, especially given the Heller decision.
Michael Williams
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 8:18PM
Republicans really ought to try to get him elected to something more prominent than the Texas railroad commission.
Hillary Clinton Applauded At Republican Convention
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 8:10PM
For the love of God, a woman was just applauded because she admitted being a Republican who supported Hillary in order to break the glass ceiling. She did, in fairness, receive heartier applause when she decided to support McCain-Palin "after the excitement wore off."
UPDATE: A Democratic woman who owns a small business and said she's voting for McCain because "higher taxes scare the biofuel out of me" got more applause than the former Hillary voter.
Some People Are Falling Through the Cracks
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 8:05PM
If I closed my eyes, only the favorable mentions of John McCain and the unfavorable mentions of tax increases and the IRS would give me a clue as to which convention I'm at.
We need healthier meals! Tear down the barriers!
Quality Health Care For All Children!
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 7:46PM
So promised Senator Kennedy at the Democratic National Convention. He was followed by a speaker who promised that Barack Obama will end childhood obesity.
Oops, I am sorry, that was Senator Coleman at the Republican National Convention, and the next speaker said John McCain will end childhood obesity. Thank goodness I got that straight.
Early Favorite for Line of the Night
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 7:36PM
Among released excerpts from Palin's speech: "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
Thus Spoke Ventura
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 6:16PM
Dave Weigel's write-up of yesterday's Ron Paul event provides a good launching point for me to bring up a detail I didn't mention in my column but nevertheless think should be recorded for posterity. When Jesse Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota who now looks like a homeless person with regular access to a weight room, arrived backstage before his speech he was swarmed by reporters and people who wanted their picture taken with him. As he was being escorted to the podium, the event staff announced that the press couldn't follow him any further. Ventura turned to the reporters and said, "Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah." He then smiled and promised to answer questions at his press conference.
Tale of Three Covers
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 3:43PM
US Weekly cover, June:
Pro-Lifers Rally to Palin
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 3:01PM
The story of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her pregnant 17-year-old daughter has generated a new level of interest in the presidential contest among pro-life conservatives.
Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life of America, says she is "excited to see that Bristol has chosen to put someone else above herself and give life to her child. She should be praised for making such a responsible decision."
In an e-mail statement, Hawkins said her organization, which supports pro-life activism on college campuses nationwide, "is pleased to see that Gov. Pallin and her family are acting out their pro-life beliefs":
Making pro-life decisions may not always be easy, but are certainly well worth it in the end. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to Bristol, her unborn child, and family. Facing an unplanned teen pregnancy is always a tough situation [and] even more so when in the national spotlight.Earlier today, I spoke to a conservative activist who said evangelicals are "on fire" in supporting Palin and predicted that her presence on the ticket will drive strong Republican turnout this fall. Former Clinton pollster Dick Morris says dumping Palin from the ticket would be a "huge mistake" for the McCain campaign.
Obligatory McCain Story
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 2:17PM
Finally a McCain story that doesn't induce comatosis. Editors: "Running this story was, regrettably, the right thing to do...Granted, nobody's actually going to read the story."
Levi Johnston, Media Hero?
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 1:46PM
A reader writes to offer a theory of why the media is treating Bristol Palin's baby daddy with kid gloves:
[A]ll the wimpy liberals in the media who would normally excoriate this type of jerk (because he is the kind who used to beat them up behind the middle school gym) are instead giving him a pass because he created a nice scandal for them.I suspect, however, that if the backlash against the media helps elect a Republican, Daily Kos will be fueling conspiracy theories that Levi Johnston is a right-wing provocateur trained by Karl Rove.
Fred Thompson and the Famous Flames
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 1:40PM
I'm not exactly sure why he felt the need to bring up John McCain's relationship with a stripper.
Re: Pat Buchanan
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 1:39PM
Gee, I thought I read in Reader Mail that Pat Buchanan and I were harsh critics of the Palin choice. D'oh!
Sharp and Fresh
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 12:39PM
Pat Buchanan always has something politically astute to say, as in the final sentence of this from his recent column:
None of them has ever started or run a business as Palin did. None of them has run a giant state like Alaska, which is larger than California and Texas put together. And though Alaska is not populous, Gov. Palin has as many constituents as Nancy Pelosi or Biden.
Post Protection
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 11:32AM
"Questions abound," says the Washington Post in its editorial this morning ominously headlined "Who is Gov. Palin?"
I'll say. The editorial even takes Palin to task for failing to sign "the anti-tax pledge pushed by Grover Norquist's American Taxpayers Union." While it's nice to see the Post put in a nice word for Grover's Taxpayer Protection Pledge, it would be nicer still if the paper knew that Grover's organization is named Americans for Tax Reform.
In fact, there's no such thing as the "American Taxpayers Union." There's a National Taxpayers Union. Questions abound about what the Washington Post doesn't know.
Inconceivable!
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 11:03AM
In Slate, William Saletan looks at the statistical likelihood of abortions by the daughters of past presidential and vice presidential candidates. He writes, "the notion that none of these young women got knocked up before their parents' nominations or elections is -- pardon the term -- almost inconceivable." But since that somehow didn't happen to any of the young women that he looks at, he speculates that a few hasty abortions were probably procured. Saletan warns critics to "Remember that before you judge or poke fun at Sarah Palin. She's not the candidate whose daughter messed up. She's the candidate who didn't get rid of the mess."
Daily Must-Reads
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 9:41AM
Eminent domain lends itself to abuse
Kashmir is as unstable as ever, but India is changing
Why is everything the government's responsibility?
Biden shouldn't even be a senator, let alone a VP
Fifteen Angry Letters . . .
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 3:59AM
. . . including one canceled subscription for my, er, puckish reference to Levi Johnston.
OK, I'm sorry. Levi Johnston is a fine upstanding young man, and all the Republicans in St. Paul can congratulate him when the Alaskan Lothario shows up at the convention for Wednesday's speech.
National Enquirer Goes After Palin
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 12:39AM
Now the story gets even more interesting:
Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin attempted to quietly have her daughter Bristol get married before news of her pregnancy leaked out, the NATIONAL ENQUIRER is reporting exclusively in its new issue.The John Edwards "tabloid trash" defense has been proven ineffective, and the Enquirer says more "shocking allegations" are to come.
Palin planned for the wedding to take place right after the Republican National Convention and then she was going to announce the pregnancy.
But Bristol, 17, refused to go along with the plan and that sparked a mother-daughter showdown over the failed coverup.
The ultra-conservative governor's announcement about her daughter's pregnancy came hours after The ENQUIRER informed her representatives and family members of Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol's child, that we were aware of the pregnancy and were going to break the news.
In a preemptive strike Palin released the news, creating political shockwaves.
Eagleton Chatter
Posted by on 9.3.08 @ 12:20AM
Allahpundit at Hot Air notes murmurs of an Eagleton-like dumping of Sarah Palin, from Joshua Green and Ben Smith, overlooking my own categorical statement on the subject:
At this point, McCain and the Republicans cannot win by backing away from Palin. The choice of a running mate doesn't allow for second chances, as Democrat George McGovern discovered in 1972. Having made his bet, the maverick must play out the hand.
Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt surely know this. Team Maverick holds the high ground, and ought to defend it fiercely. The worst scandal attached to Palin so far is the effort to have her ex-brother-in-law fired from the state police and this was a matter where (to quote Allah), "she's morally right even if she's ethically wrong."
I still maintain that the McCain campaign mishandled the news about Palin's daughter -- the Palins should have been warned to go public with that before the announcement -- but a P.R. blunder is not a scandal. If Palin performs well in her Wednesday speech, that will change the subject, and the campaign can move forward from there. But there's absolutely nothing to be gained by dumping her at this point, and GOP spokesmen ought to speak very forcefully in ruling that out.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Re: Joe
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 11:50PM
We should be thankful to the MoveOn.org/DailyKos/DFA crowd for driving Lieberman out of the Democratic Party. Kind of hard for the Democrats to accuse Republicans of being narrow-minded, intolerant partisans after the Democrats expelled from their ranks such a mild-mannered liberal.
Re: Sarah Palin A "Freakin' Awesome Governor"
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 11:43PM
My favorite bit from that Reason interview with the pro-Palin Real ID activist is this part:
Matt Welch: I was just talking to someone who claimed to have knowledge of Alaska to some degree, and they say where Sarah Palin comes from it's the equivalent of Humboldt or Chico in California, like, of course, you know, she'd have a Girls Gone Wild phase, and smoking pot. Is this just wishcasting, or what can you tell us about her geographical background?
Bill Scannell: So the Mat-Su Valley, you know, Matanuska-Susitna Valley, otherwise known as Upper Wingnuttia, is full of right-wing libertarian militia fundamendalist Christian gun-toting, pot-growing dope-heads.
Welch: Awesome.
Scannell: Yeah. If Jerry Falwell rolled his own, you would have the Mat-Su Valley...
Joe
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 11:07PM
Clearly, not a red meat speech for the audience here, but for swing voters watching at home, it's a strong statement to have the former Democratic VP nominee vouch for McCain as a reformer who can shake up Washington, and to push back against the "McCain is four more years of Bush" attack Democrats unleashed last night.
Fred
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:49PM
The speech was basically divided into two parts-- Fred the narrator and Fred the attack dog. Thompson told McCain's moving story quite well from his days in the military to fighting earmarks in the Senate and standing up for the surge. A key line was when he said that being a POW "doesn't qualify somebody to be president. But it does reveal character." All throughout, he contrasted Obama as a talker and McCain as somebody who has actually had his character and courage tested throughout his life. He said "we've heard a lot of hope in this campaign, but John McCain knows hope, because hope is all he had." He also said, "That is character you can believe in." His point was also pretty clear when he said that with McCain, you don't have to ask, "Who is this man? And can we trust this man with the presidency?" There were also times when he twisted the knife deeper, saying that McCain didn't have to make a "teleprompter speech attempted to appeal to those abroad" and that Obama is only making history as "the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee ever to run for president." The speech will also be remembered for its defense of Sarah Palin, and criticism of the liberal media for going after her and her family -- an especially big hit with the crowd. I wonder if all of the lines directed at Obama will detract from his telling of McCain's life story.
Good Stuff From Fred
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:42PM
From Thompson's speech (as prepared -- I think he might have made a trivial change):
Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases.That's as good a riposte to economic populism as I've seen in quite a while.They tell you they are not going to tax your family.
No, they're just going to tax "businesses"! So unless you buy something from a "business", like groceries or clothes or gasoline ... or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small "business", don't worry ... it's not going to affect you.
They say they are not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the "other" side of the bucket! That's their idea of tax reform.
The Bushes
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:21PM
It was an interesting choice to bring Laura Bush up to make the case for the Bush record, which will probably be more forgiving than if President Bush did so himself. Bush's speech itself -- via satellite, behind the Presidential lectern at the White House, will be of much less use for Democrats in attack ads than if he delivered it within the convention hall itself. One thing that stood out for me was Bush's line (paraphrasing) that, "If the Hanoi Hilton couldn't break McCain's resolve to do what's best for the country -- the angry left never will." This seemed like a clear attempt to reassure conservatives who are skittish about McCain because of his sometimes cozy relationship with liberals.
Fred Thompson
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:04PM
I've just scanned Thompson's as well -- McCain and Palin the mavericks is a major theme.
Joe Lieberman
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:03PM
Scanning the text of his GOP convention speech, putting country above partisanship is a larger theme of his remarks than their agreement on Iraq. Though there is a funny line about not being a certain antiwar liberal's favorite Democrat.
Dept. of Bad Coalition Relations
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:00PM
The 12th Commandment for Republicans: Thou shalt not diss Phyllis Schlafly:
Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly is taking the McCain campaign to task for notifying her at the last minute that Sarah Palin will be a no-show on Tuesday when the Republican National Coalition for Life holds an event honoring the Alaska governor.Where would the GOP and the conservative cause be today, if not for Phyllis Schlafly? For the McCain campaign to diss her (and her supporters) is a blunder of monumental proportions.
"I think this is clearly somebody in the McCain campaign who doesn't understand where the votes are coming from," Schlafly told ABC News. "They only told me this at 10 o'clock last night, and it was a call from somebody down-the-line in the McCain campaign.
"The pro-lifers who paid $95 to come to this event because of Sarah Palin are going to be very unhappy," she added.
Dept. of Bad Media Relations
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 9:42PM
The McCain campaign canceled the candidate's scheduled appearance on "Larry King Live" because of campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds' Monday meltdown in an interview with CNN's Campbell Brown:
Sarah Palin A "Freakin' Awesome Governor"
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 6:36PM
Reason's Matt Welch has an interesting Q&A with an Alaska anti-Real ID activist on Sarah Palin.
Jesse Ventura for President?
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 6:05PM
In his speech to the Ron Paul rally, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura hinted that he might run for president -- in 2012 if the crowd convinces him the country is still "worth it." The audience started chanting, "Jesse! Jesse!" to which Ventura replied, "Yelling and chanting won't do it my friends." Ventura teased Minnesotans with a possible Senate race this year and declined to run at the last minute. I'll have more to say about his remarks later on the main site.
Re: I've Still Got T-Shirts Older Than You, Kid
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 5:00PM
Let me just say, "Ew." Oh and happy birthday to Juan Paulos Freire. Misery and despair / people dying everywhere...
Bill Kauffman
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 4:46PM
There is no question that he was cheered lustily by the audience. Stacy McCain covered the colorful antiwar journalist's recent Cato book event here; I reviewed Kaufman's Ain't My America here.
Lew Rockwell
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 4:33PM
It sounds like there was as smattering of boos when he took the stage at the Ron Paul rally, unless they were low-pitched cheers of "Leeeewwwwww."
Birthday Haiku to J.P.
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 4:30PM
At his Facebook page, managing editor J.P. Freire demands that birthday greetings be delivered in haiku form. Since I'm way past the age where I remember exactly what the form of a haiku is supposed to be, I hope he'll accept this faux-ku:
InitialsAnd I've still got T-shirts older than you, kid.
Like an acroynm
Haiku he demands bosslike
HB, JP
LOL
Veepstakes: Where Credit Is Due
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 3:19PM
California College Republican Jessica Austin says she beat the MSM and the blogosphere to the punch, predicting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain's running-mate choice before 11 p.m. last Thursday.
Can anybody point to an earlier veepstakes tip on Palin?
Live from Ron Paul Country
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 3:07PM
I'm here at Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic in Minneapolis, a non-canceled counterconvention of sorts. I'm waiting for Grover Norquist to come on, but the event is running a bit behind schedule. Longtime conservative activist Howard Phillips just relinquished the stage to Doug Wead. I haven't had a chance to gague the crowd size just yet -- Paul himself doesn't speak for another few hours -- but I was told that some 500 media people were registered for the event. If you are looking for me, I am the only person without a speaking slot who is wearing a suit.
UPDATE: It sounds like Congressman Paul is having trouble appearing even in a non-speaking capacity at the main convention.
UPDATE II: I have spotted another non-Tucker Carlson journalist wearing a suit.
Bristol Palin Gone Wild
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 2:35PM
Lots of angry e-mail over my column today, as pro-life conservatives are rallying in defense of Bristol Palin. Seems nobody on the GOP side wants to consider the possibility that Crazy Cousin John's choice of Sarah Palin was a mistake, or to hear criticism of Team Maverick's handling of the story.
One thing for sure, the choice of Palin, and the news of her daughter's pregnancy, has generated intense public interest -- the Site Meter at my personal blog passed 10,000 hits before 2 p.m. today, mostly from people seeking information about baby daddy Levi Johnston. The high-school hockey star who put the puck in Bristol's goal has been pronounced "sex on skates."
Liberal blogger Jeralyn Merritt has started a pool on when Palin will quit the ticket, but I'm betting she sticks it out to Nov. 4. There's simply no political percentage in having her quit at this point. Exactly how this impacts the ultimate outcome, I'm not sure, but Republicans must be worried to learn that Barack Obama just hit 50% in the Gallup daily poll for the first time.
The Audacity of Calling People Nazis
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 12:01PM
The "Morning Joe" crowd hits back at the Obama camp for lending its imprimataur to Robert Wexler's comments about Pat Buchanan.
Stanley Who?
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:19AM
Nobody cuts to the chase quite like Heather Mac Donald. If he needed a white woman, why the heck didn't McCain pick her?
Thanks a lot, John McCain. With his selection of an unknown, two-year female governor as his running mate, he has just ensured that the diversity racket will be an essential component of presidential politics forever more. Had the 44-year-old Sarah Palin, whose greatest political accomplishment before being elected Alaska's governor in 2006 was serving as mayor of Wasilla (population 9,780), been named Stanley, she would have had exactly zero chance of ending up in the Oval Office in the next four years. But from now on, any presidential ticket that consists solely of white males-no matter their qualifications-will likely be dead in the water.
There's more here.
Does God Hate John McCain?
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 10:12AM
That's the question I take up in this column for SpliceToday.
Meet Bristol Palin's Boyfriend
Posted by on 9.2.08 @ 1:38AM
Levi Johnston, 18-year-old hockey player. In today's column, I wrote, "How long do they suppose it will take reporters to identify the mysterious Levi? Less than 24 hours, I'll bet."
Turns out it was less than 12 hours -- the New York Daily News went live with Levi's ID scarcely an hour after I filed the column, and before it appeared online. But my question still remains: "So why didn't they fully disclose his identity in their statement?"
Monday, September 1, 2008
Chafee lives
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 10:40PM
For those worrying about how former RINO Senator Lincoln Chafee would spend his time after
The liberal Chafee’s main function during an undistinguished Senate career was to act as perfumer for bad legislation Democrats wanted to characterize as “bipartisan.” He’s doing the same thing now.
Tuesday and Wednesday Chafee will appear at
Many of us are glad there aren’t “many Republicans” like Lincoln Chafee.
Re: 'My mother had me ...'
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 6:16PM
OK, then, call me a Pollyanna for thinking maybe Larry Levy's got a point here about the possible upside of this with "the average working-class woman":
Re: "My mother had me..."
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 6:11PM
Stacy: Just because you're a genuine reporter doesn't mean you're also genuinely cynical. Similarly, just because I'm not a real reporter doesn't mean I'm hopelessly naive. By comparing Bristol Palin's situation with his own mother's when she had him, Obama has elevated what could be a political fiasco into a poetic moment, the implication being that if one 18 year old gave birth to a political savior who is to say young Bristol may not herself be carrying the next Messiah Obama?
Of course, I suspect Obama knows the common sense of the American people will lead many to wonder why in the world Sarah Palin accepted the vice-presidential offer in such circumstances...
Game, set, match, election.
Re: 'My mother had me ...'
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 5:20PM
Call me a cynic, Wlady, but I think Obama's just inoculating himself against accusations of complicity when the liberal MSM goes hounding after Palin. "Oh, how terrible of these reporters to make a big deal out of my opponent's scandal!"
I was born at night, but it wasn't last night.
"My mother had me when she was 18."
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 4:36PM
The New York Times' report is headlined, "Palin's Teen Daughter Is Pregnant; New G.O.P. Tumult." But Barack Obama isn't buying:
Mr. Obama said the pregnancy "has no relevance to Governor Palin's performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president." He added that, "my mother had me when she was 18. How family deals with issues and teen-age children -- that shouldn't be the topic of our politics."
Tacky, Tasteless, Typical Maureen Dowd
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 1:51PM
John McCain drew blood with the Palin pick. That was obvious from the ill-considered instant press release from the Obama campaign deriding the accomplished governor of Alaska as the former mayor of a tiny burg on the tundra.
It hurt. McCain fooled everyone. The fumble-rooski just took a backseat to the McCain Maneuver.
Maureen Dowd is on the case, though. She's got that Sex and the City world-weary cool thing working, see. All smart, jaded, and hard-hearted. With all that going for her, she writes with the subtlety of Randy "the Macho Man" Savage selling Slim Jims.
Check out this winning sentence in her latest column:
But that crazy maverick and gambler McCain does it, and conservatives and evangelicals rally around him in admiration of his refreshingly cynical choice of Sarah, an evangelical Protestant and anti-abortion crusader who became a hero when she decided to have her baby, who has Down syndrome, and when she urged schools to debate creationism as well as that stuffy old evolution thing.
Careful, Maureen. We know your tastes. Here, you point out that Sarah Palin is an evangelical Protestant (a group you find less than admirable), a supporter of a more open conversation about Darwinism (a concept you find baffling and disturbing), that she is pro-life (Taliban Alert!), and that she gave birth to a baby with Down Syndrome. There are three things about Sarah Palin in that sentence which you find really disagreeable. Those three things surround the fourth thing, which is the baby with Down Syndrome.
Would I venture too far afield if I were to assume you don't care much for that, either? You prefer the Jocelyn Elders route? The one for really sophisticated types, right? Wasn't it she who proclaimed a reduction in the birth rate of Down Syndrome children a public health victory? Even though the reduction was due to an increased abortion rate for such children? Ms. Elders, of course, is probably more what you have in mind when you think about effective and enlightened female political leadership.
More charitable readers may give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you just happened to mention the baby along with the things that bother you so much about Governor Palin. I'm not sure I can. I still remember when you gleefully referred to supporters of George W. Bush as "extra chromosome conservatives" in a conversation with the equally kindly Bill Maher (a guy who got kicked off the Craig Ferguson show for suggesting being fondled by adults might not be the worst thing that could happen to a kid). At the time, the National Down Syndrome Society called on you to apologize for your insensitivity in using the term pejoratively. I can recall the elder Bush and Al Gore both apologizing publicly for using the term in the past. Can't recall you ever did. Huh.
Put the barbed tail back in its mucousal enclosure, Maureen. You're about to let folks know more about you than you really want.
'Responsibilities of Adulthood'
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 1:34PM
Since the McCain campaign has released a statement declaring that 17-year-old Bristol Palin now faces "the responsibilities of adulthood," might I be so bold as to suggest that they arrange a press conference where Bristol can attempt to address the horrible embarrassment she's caused her parents?
Excuse my paternal (and political) indignation but I am in no mood for pleas that the media respect anyone's privacy at this point. I don't think it an exaggeration to say that this girl (and her boyfriend) have caused a crisis of global significance, and if her parents are serious about "the responsibilities of adulthood," Bristol ought to face the consequences, including about 45 minutes in front of the klieg lights while reporters shout stupid questions.
It's not Bristol's fault her mother was picked as the GOP running mate, but she certainly should have understood how her personal behavior would reflect on her family.
Department of You're Not Helping
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 12:46PM
The Palin pregnancy story that W. James Antle III links to below includes this sentence: "Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said."
Another Palin Pregnancy
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 12:35PM
This time, it's 17-year-old Bristol. The Palin family has released the news to swat down rumors on liberal blogs that Trig is really the governor's grandson instead of her son. So much for the new politics.
Re: Regrets
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 11:46AM
The strangest Muzak I've ever heard was a Chinese restaurant version of Coldplay's "Clocks."
Re: Regrets
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 11:33AM
Frankly, I realized I'd slid into geezerhood when Cadillac used Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" for an ad theme.
McCain Camp Says He,Palin Will Likely Speak to RNC
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 11:30AM
I'm on a conference call organized the RNC about the convention. No news on what is going to happen beyond today in terms of the speaking schedule. RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said they were continuing to monitor the situation and make "day by day assessments."
But McCain campaign manager Rick Davis did say that Sarah Palin arrived in town last night and was working on her speech, and was "confident" she would deliver it, and that, at this point, there are no contigency plans for McCain to accept the nomination anywhere else but St. Paul./
Davis described a number of plans Republicans have to help those affected in the Gulf states:
-- On Wednesday morning, they're asking for volunteers to gather at the Minneapolis Convention Center to assemble "comfort packages" of toilietries and snacks, with help from Target and FedEx.
-- There will be a fundraising drive, with a list of charities suggested by governors in the affected states.
-- Laura Bush will introduce a video featuring the affected governors asking for help and Cindy McCain will ask delegates for their support in a speech that will not be "over-politicized."
Re: Regrets
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 10:44AM
James, I decided long ago that, given enough time, Muzak would play virtually anything. Some 20 years ago, I was wandering a grocery store, while the Thousand Strings zinged away in the background, and I wondered, "What is that tune?"
It was Bob Dylan's "Masters of War."
'Who Is the Real Barack Obama?'
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 10:19AM
My friend Francisco Gonzales is one of three young co-authors of a new book, Who Is the Real Barack Obama? The book, according to their Web site, is aimed specifically at younger voters.
What may make the book particularly interesting is that the three co-authors are all libertarian-leaning conservatives. Steve Bierfeldt was active in the Ron Paul campaign and managed the Paulista congressional campaign of Amit Singh in Virginia. Brendan Steinhauser works at Dick Armey's FreedomWorks. Gonzales is employed by a Florida free-market think tank, the James Madison Institute. So it might be expected that their treatment of the Obama phenomenon will differ from run-of-the-mill Hannityesque stuff.
Sarah Palin: Ordinary American
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 6:56AM
Heather Mac Donald of City Journal scoffed at John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as "playing the identity-politics game," but Mac Donald's colleague Lisa Schiffren puts her finger on why the choice is so popular with the GOP rank-and-file:
In the first 36 hours after McCain announced his pick, $7 million in new contributions poured in online. This isn't because Palin is making history as the first woman on a GOP ticket. It's because of the type of woman and politician that she is. She's a normal person, a mother and wife, who entered politics in 1992 by running for city council in Wasilla, Alaska to oppose tax hikes.
In short, Sarah Palin is an Ordinary American -- a graduate of the University of Idaho, rather than an Ivy League college; a high-school basketball player, not a windsurfer; a beauty-pageant contestant, not a lawyer; a member of the PTA, not NOW; a hunter, not an environmentalist. Palin clearly identifies with, and shares the interests of, the middle-class majority, rather than the elite.
(Cross-posted at The Other McCain.)
'Some Right-Wing Nutcase'
Posted by on 9.1.08 @ 5:48AM
Former DNC Chairman Don Fowler was flying from the Democratic convention in Denver to North Carolina when he was recorded saying that Hurricane Gustav shows that "God's on our side." The resultant video was posted at RedState.com, and Fowler was forced to apologize:
"If this offended anybody, I personally apologize," Fowler told ABC News. "It was a mistake, and it was a satirical statement made in jest. And one that I clearly don't believe." . . .Well, who's the real "nutcase" here? The guy who gloats about partisan advantage from a destructive storm, or the guy who surreptitiously records the gloating?
"One doesn't anticipate that one's private conversation will be surreptitiously taped by some right-wing nutcase," said Fowler. "But that's the nature of what we're dealing with."
Sunday, August 31, 2008
'Equality Is For Ugly Losers'
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 6:20PM
A slogan that I coined has turned up on a protest poster at Yale University. The counter-revolution begins!
Re: Antle and McDonald's
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 5:15PM
James, those gentlemen were clearly insane. My coffee loving wife has completely abandoned Starbuck's for the new blend at Mickey D's. She didn't bother much with it before.
Hoping McCain Doesn't Tank the Palin Ticket
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 3:30PM
In my column on Friday, I said I was more worried about John McCain wrecking Sarah Palin's political future than vice versa. Ross Douthat seems to agree.
Regrets, I Have A Few
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 2:52PM
At the McDonald's where I've set up shop, they are playing what sounds like Liberace performing "My Way."
UPDATE: Two old men at a table near me were trying to figure out which presidential candidate will be more disastrous: "hothead" McCain or "peacenik" Obama (their words). They were unable to resolve the question and switched to a conversation about whether they preferred the old or new coffee.
UPDATE II: Now Mickey D's is playing an instrumental version of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head."
Hurricane Guvstav Hits Minnesota
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 2:17PM
The original Republican convention schedule is blowing away.
Bring on the Harpies!
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 12:38PM
The usually sensible Richard Brookhiser unburdens himself of the following: "Liberals love Obama because he is a Numinous Negro. Conservatives love Palin because she has a Downs baby and an M-16." And before that: "Reader after reader said that the base was now energized. You would have thought the base was energized by being in a war. If not, perhaps we need a new base."
Perhaps we need new conservative intellectuals.
Surprise, He Predicted
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 12:06PM
Here's what I had to say about the veepstakes in an interview with Gannett: "I guarantee that at least one of the vice presidential picks will take everyone by surprise; it just tends to happen. Bush the first was a complete shock, so was Dan Quayle, people didn't expect Al Gore -- they sneak up on you."
What Do the Clintons Think of Palin?
Posted by on 8.31.08 @ 8:06AM
An interesting take out of a Washington
Times story:
"Palin is either an extraordinary political play or absolute suicide," said pro-choice Republican Wendeen Eolis, former first assistant to George E. Pataki when he was New York governor and top adviser to Rudolph W. Giuliani when he was New York mayor.
One downside, she said, is that the Palin nomination will give Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton more reason to campaign seriously and sincerely for Democratic nominee Barack Obama, lest a McCain victory make Mrs. Palin the presumptive Republican nominee in 2012 or 2016 and jeopardize Mrs. Clinton's position as the top female presidential prospect.
"Palin means that Hillary [Rodham Clinton] will be motivated and mobilized to campaign for Obama as she would not have been otherwise," Mrs. Eolis said. "The Clintons feel completely snubbed and insulted by the idea that anyone other that Hillary could go to the head of the class."
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