Couple things today.
Take a look at the counter to the left. Obama's bounce from last week is starting to show. Let's see what the polls bring next week. Will there be a Republican bounce?
If you click on the map, you will notice that Obama is ahead in North Dakota. Bush won this state by 27 points in 2004. Granted, his lead is still in the margin of error but the interesting thing to note is that Obama has offices in North and South Dakota as well as Montana. John McCain does not. Obama plans on spending money and campaigning there. Why? Because If he takes two of those three, Iowa and Colorado, Ohio doesn't matter. And he is still leading in Ohio. I think McCain is being terribly short sighted here. He's not looking at the new voters Obama has gotten out in those states.
McCain's lead in Arizona, his home state, isn't all that big either...44 to 36 percent with 20 percent undecided. That's a lot of undecideds that could make it close in McCain's home state and you better believe that Governor Napoliatano is going to be ovaries to the wall for Obama.
I rarely agree with Charles Krauthammer but he is is absolutely right on Sarah Palin.
Obama was sagging because of missteps that reflected the fundamental weakness of his candidacy. Which suggested McCain's strategy: Make this a referendum on Obama, surely the least experienced, least qualified, least prepared presidential nominee in living memory. Palin fatally undermines this entire line of attack.
McCain picked Palin to give the base erections-literally and figuratively-and, in doing so, gave up his argument against Obama's "inexperience" which was an enormous mistake. It was the one thing he could really hammer Obama on which would make some people listen. Now they look at Palin and think, "Well, maybe McCain was disingenuous about Obama and the experience thing. He picked someone who knows nothing about foreign policy.
And speaking of opinion columns. This one has been making me laugh all morning. It is a "text" from a conservative college student to his parents. My favorite line?
Iraq, oil prices, the economy, blah, blah, blah. Here's the thing that I like. Watching Huckabee, Guiliani, and Sara Palin rip into the Obama last night was like watching caged dogs. With our guys (and girl) being the mean dogs and Obama being, like, a Schnoodle with a soft throat.
Pretty much sums up the whole convention.
12 comments:
…this could be one of those times that we actually agree on something.
A few lines stand out for me:
“Obama showed that star power can trump the gravest of biographical liabilities.”
And
“She has the unique potential of energizing the base while at the same time appealing to independents.”
“…Yet she managed to banish a week's worth of unfriendly media scrutiny and self-inflicted personal liabilities with a single triumphant speech.”
Although I think McCain’s advantage in experience took a hit w/ Palin’s nomination, it didn’t completely negate it in my opinion because it’s not a one-to-one comparison; unless Obama focuses the rest of his campaign again Palin rather than McCain. A strange pick, yes, but I think that McCain was looking at his weakness, that he’s not a dynamic presence like Obama, gave in to that fear and decided to improve the dynamic of the ticket w/ Palin, which the pick certainly does.
From a conservative perspective, I can tell you that the base is now as eneregized as the previous election which means a large turnout from both sides and a very, very close election.
Oh I think the disingenous charge was first out when Obama chose Biden. After consistently reminding Hillary of her vote for the war as well as reminding all of us that being in Washington DC for as long as McCain has is a problem, he picks a running mate that has been in DC longer than McCain and who also voted for the war. As vheights likes to say, "You know, we didn't start it!!!!"
I mean look at what you're doing here - comparing your guy at the top of the ticket to the #2 on the other ticket.
Funny how the only thing mentioned on here about Palin is that she was a former beauty queen who gives people erections. Just go back to the archives of this blog to May of 06 to see Mark saying the following in his profile of Barbara Boxer......
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Towards the end of the conversation she said something to me that I thought was very poignant. "Y'know, Mark, the future of politics rests in the hands of women. The next president should focus their agenda on women's issues because that is where elections will be won and lost." We went on to discuss what those issues were. Most women, in poll after poll, consider health care, education, and the environment to be the most pressing issues of our time...not the war or the economy.
If you think about it, this really makes sense. Women make up the majority of voters in this country and being a mom myself, I have become deeply concerned about similar issues.
So, what better person to tackle women's issues than a.......WOMAN. Folks, we need a female president. It has been way too long. Not only do we need a female president, but we need female leadership overall.
I am sick and tired of seeing a bunch of old, fat men in suits getting their guns off for four to eight years. Our country desperately needs someone who can put these three issues at the forefront of the country's agenda.
Which brings me to my final point of why it would be great to have a female president: what better weapon in the War on Terror than a WOMAN fighting and winning against a bunch of Arab men?
And, dude, I'm sorry I hate to be a total guy here but...Barbara is hot. I have seen her on several chat shows and she is bloody gorgeous. I don't get the screaming thigh sweats for many 64 year old women but she just does it for me.
Anyway, as we head to the polls in 2006 and 2008, let's think about selecting a candidate who will focus on these issues with great care, gentleness, intelligence, and inner strength. In other words, how about a woman?
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Now a woman comes along who Mark disagrees with who has a record of accomplishment along with 5 children....and, to him, she is apparantly not more than a beauty queen who is there to give erections. I'm sure you ladies on here can take comfort in the fact that your accomplishments only seem to be recognized by some if you stay on the intellectual plantation of liberalism. Keep up the good work and, heaven forbid, don't stray from the cause.
She actually has a record of reform, Obama does not have a record of reform at this point in time. I'm not saying reform won't happen in the future (because I still think he's going to get elected this year) but he doesn't really have a long list of original legislation passed into law at all thus far. No need to google your afternoons away refuting that charge, you all know it to be true, it's one of his liabilities, just like McCain has plenty of liabilities too.
First of all, I just put in the link to the text from a college student bit at the end. Sorry for being a chowder head.
Dave, I'm not sure the election is going to close. In 2004, 60 million voted for Bush and 57 million for Kerry. Some of those Bush voters are going to Obama. This is according to Rush Limbaugh, btw. He thinks it is around 2-3 million people...maybe more because of the economy. Rush also said the other day that right now 2 or 3 percent of the evangelicals are going to Obama. If that number hits 5 percent, the election is over, according to him.
Some Kerry voters might vote for McCain...maybe around a million. So that does look pretty even, right? Now, figure in the 17 million new voters that Obama has registered in the primaries. You are looking at around 76 million voting for Obama and about 58 million for McCain and that includes the energized base which accounts for about 30 million max. Popular votes wise, not close at all.
Now, it's going to depend on where those votes are. If these new voters are in Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Virginia, Dakotas and Montana-it will be a landslide.
"comparing your guy at the top of the ticket to the #2 on the other ticket."
I think it is fair comparison considering McCain's age and health. Do you think Palin has the experience to navigate issues in Pakistan, Iraq, and elsewhere? We know Biden does.
"with great care, gentleness, intelligence, and inner strength."
Except that Boxer has all of those qualities and from what I have seen so far, Palin does not. Sure, she is nice to look at it but, again, how do you see her handling diplomatic relations with Russia? I will say this, though, the first female president will be a Republican. No doubt.
"apparantly not more than a beauty queen who is there to give erections."
Most of the erections are not physical but the right wing belief porn thing. In other words, it doesn't matter what her policies are or her list of achievements...as long as she believes what I do. It's belief first and qualifications second which is ironic because that is what the right falsely accuses the left of doing all the time.
I'm kind of glad I'm not paying attention to numbers. I still feel like I am sitting this one out cause Ron Paul isn't the nominee. Paul/Ventura 2012. The New Hampshire primary results kind of give me the impression that polls are going to become less and less accurate. Just a hunch.
I have no idea if Palin has the experience as I need to see her on a Sunday show or two or hear her take some tough questions.
So you've already made up your mind that she isn't a caring, gentle, intelligent, strong person? You can figure that out from watching the nes coverage? Achievements don't matter?
Wow.
What I will look forward to is Tina Fey playing her on SNL.
"You can figure that out from watching the nes coverage?"
Actually, I figured it out when I read this the other day
http://www.crosscut.com/politics-government/17341
The banning books thing pretty much made up my mind.
She tried to have books banned from the library in Wasilla? I really didn't have much of an opinion of her, I skipped most of the convention coverage the last couple of weeks, but now that is a real problem. It's a good thing she didn't succeed.
The real issues with Palin are lack of judgment on using executive power, and her dogged adherence to things that the majority of women disagree with.
In particular, I'm talking about the firing of the Alaska commissioner of public safety. When he wouldn't bend over and fire the trooper that was having custody issues with her relative, she fired the commissioner. The guy that replaced him was then fired two weeks later when it was discovered that he had sexually harassed women. This is incompetence of Bushian magnitude -- I mean, if you're going to do the wrong thing, at least do it right.
Her views on abortion, sex education and the environment are at odds with the vast majority of women. The issue with her daughter getting pregnant isn't that the kid got knocked up (though you have to wonder what the woman was thinking when her daughter was dating a guy the papers were calling "sex on ice," while he called himself a "fucking redneck" on his MySpace page).
No, it's not the pregnancy, it's that Palin's beliefs (and the policies they would translate into if she ran Health and Human Services and made appointments to the Supreme Court) will cause more teenage pregnancy, reduce the options that women have to prevent unwanted pregnancies (no morning after pill or any birth control at all), and would ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade (she wants to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape).
It's fine and dandy that Bristol made the choice she made. But all other girls and women should have the right to make that same choice. McCain and Palin want to stop that.
What's truly disgusting is that all these people praising Palin now, like O'Reilly, were only two weeks ago still acidly criticizing the parents who "let" their daughters get pregnant. Now they are angels of understanding, chuckling about how "kids will be kids."
Some of them even have the gall to say that this sort of thing is just fine, as long as they don't become a burden on society. Translating what that really says: the rich don't have to follow the rules. They can do whatever they want. It's perfectly moral for the rich to fornicate because they can pay for their mistakes.
Finally, Palin says global warming is not caused by humans. Of course she believes that. Alaska gets like 85% of its funding from oil revenues. Alaska doesn't even charge an income tax, instead they give out $1200 bonus checks to every resident. And who pays for those bonus checks? Why, we do!
Her toughest executive decision was deciding whether to make the bonus checks lump sums or monthly.
Ironically, the Iditarod sled dog race used to start in Wasilla, Palin's home town. But climate change has raised the temperature so much that they had to move it to another town this year.
Palin is still in complete denial about climate change and teen pregnancy prevention, even when she's being smacked across the face by reality so close to home. How can anyone take her candidacy seriously?
No shit, blk. You have hit it right on the head. Oh, but of course, cue the protestations, by the right, that people are being unfair to Palin. The same ones who, as Mark always says, don't want a culture based on victimhood.
Only a liberal would look at a $1200 tax rebate check from the government to the people and worry about who is "paying" for it, as if it is/was the governments money all along. I'm glad those people got rebates. Overturning Roe would not outlaw abortion, it would return the issue to the states, but you know that already. For the record, I'm pro-choice. This is news to me, you mean 1 person in this society can ban the sale of the pill or ban the sale of condoms?
Hey blk, why don't you tell people about all the tough executive decisions obama has made thus far during his time in the us senate.
Steve
I'd like to know, did anybody look through obamas records as much as they are looking through Palins right now? I am curious, are there any first-hand perspectives out there from people who worked with obama or who were his neighbors? Perhaps some people who benefited from his community organizing, or from his constituent service while he was in the Illinois legislature? blk is surfing around the net looking for dirt on Palin, my guess is that he hasn't surfed around for obamas past. The author could be one of those "small town hicks" that markadelphia makes fun of all the time for all you know.
In that link you referenced above markadelphia, the author freely admits that there is animosity between her and Palin over the library issue. Small town gossip and backbiting can be vicious. Killkenney admits that Palin is extremely popular throughout the State of Alaska and was even voted to a second term as Mayor of the small town and then on the other hand she blasts Palin for various issues. Something doesn't pass the smell test here at all. You people are blind if you can't see that.
How she describes Palin -
Charming, good-looking and charismatic?
Rose to early success based on dazzling style rather than substance?
More concerned about herself and her career than the people she claims to serve?
Avoids tough positions and takes undeserved credit for popular ideas?
Very little actual experience?
Sounds like obama.
If all of this were true, how in the world did Palin get reelected as mayor of that town and why in the world would she have an 80% approval rating as Gov. Sounds like someone has an ax to grind.
What isn't stated is what Sarah did to the author. There's always two sides to a story. This smacks of cattiness, not much more. The fact that you folks read an opinion piece from someone who admittedly doesn't like Palin and choose to believe everything in it says a lot about you. There isn't a one of you that has looked at obamas record as closely as you have Palins and you know it.
I'd expect anyone in a position of authority where tough decisions have to be made to have a few enemies.
Steve
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