Oh sweetie

Sarah Palin comparing herself to Joe Biden (after mocking Biden's age):

So he's got a tremendous amount of experience and, you know, I'm the new energy, the new face, the new ideas and he's got the experience based on many many years in the Senate and voters are gonna have a choice there of what it is that they want in these next four years.

Oh sweetie.... how to say this without hurting your prodigious -- yet unwarranted --self esteem... you are nothing new. You are Dan Quayle in a Wonderbra and fashionable glasses.

Palin is somewhat of a type. She has all the confidence of someone who was always the smartest, prettiest, and most cunning person in every room she has walked into. Probably since high school. Had she only lived in towns of larger than 1000, or in a state with more people than the City of Baltimore she may have had to face better stocked rooms and taken a more accurate assessment of the world. But she hasn't done either and and she won't any time soon.

Random Notes

Some in the GOP are blaming a partisan speech by Speaker Pelosi for the majority of House Republicans who voted against the President and against party leadership to kill the Bailout Bill. Gosh. That mean'ol Speaker. Always telling Republicans what to do. Beweeen her and Katie Couric picking on Sarah Palin, the macho males of the GOP are in a bind.

I have concluded that Sarah Palin has already won Thursday's debate. She has managed to set expectations so low that she will be viewed as a winner if she avoids drooling. Also, I sense some people are actually feeling sorry for her and feel the McCain camp has left her out to dry. (According to one analyst, Palin has done one campaign event for every ten (yeah 10) that Biden has done in the same period.)

A Less Self Centered Man Might Take Notice

From the Post:

In the midst of a spiraling financial situation, two core measures of public opinion toward President Bush have dipped to all-time lows in Washington Post-ABC News polling.

Just 26 percent now approve of the president's overall job performance; 22 percent, another record low, give him positive marks on handling the nation's economy.

There are also signs of growing dissatisfaction among the president's base: 39 percent of Republicans and 49 percent of conservatives now disapprove of how he is handling his job. Both are new highs. And for the first time, a majority of white evangelical Protestants, 52 percent, rate the president's performance negatively. In each of these groups, even higher numbers disapprove of how Bush is handling the economy.

Bailout Bill Dies....

"Its the ned of the world as we know it.... "


My two cents: Had there been a President in the White House with any level of credebility -- even within his own party -- this does not happen. Opposition from ... the opposition... had to be expected. This was Bush's ballgame and he lost it.

More Ouchies

Kathleen Parker, a conservative columnist for the National Review has called for Sarah Palin to step down because she is in clearly over her head. Check out NR's website.

The WSJ messed up and mistakenly ran ads touting Sen. John McCain's victory in tonight's debate. The ad featured a quote from McCain's Campaign Chairman Rick "I'm not, ok I am a lobbyist" Davis saying McCain won "Hands Down." The adds have been taken down now but Salon has some screen snaps.

Palin and Couric

I spent some time watching clips of this interview -- played over two days. I cannot get enough. Good guys and bad guys? We should not second guess Isreal? I cannot get enough of this woman.

The sad thing is there are still folks out there who will make excuses for her. I suppose we will now hear how mean Katie Couric is.

Stay Tuned

Good news: the bailout talks are stalled. John McCain may still get to save the day and get a nice press conference to boot. Bad News: the stall may be attributed to McCain's support for a House Republican proposal.

Black eye or a feather in the cap? Stay tuned.

Update

Looks like the only holdouts on the bailout bill are a group of conservative House Republicans. I actually kind of agree with them insofar as they are trying to keep tax payer money out of the pockets of Wall Street.

I am not sure that Wall Street institutions are deserving of the helping hand in this instance and I would much rather see direct aid to middle America. The capitalist in me says that the government need not assist a private entity whose only problem is greed and who doled out $62 million in bonuses last year.

Also, I am not sure that capitalism will grind to a halt if we lose a couple i-banks and some bigger players. If lending is what you are worried about, there are plenty of regional banks, credit unions and S&Ls who are in pretty good shape. The fed could pump some cash into them (probably less than $700 billion) and relieve any lending pressure.

As to our foreign bond holders, we would be sending the message that we are clearing the brush and what will remain is viable and unencumbered. (This is exactly the type of Chicago School shock capitalism we forced on much of the Third World and Latin America via the World Bank and IMF. Geese and ganders.)

As to foreclosures, put a moratorium on them and then have the Fed or OTC or HUD issue mandatory workout guidelines. At the end of six months all you will have is the loans that are in the worst shape.

I have a sinking suspicion that one root of this crisis was too many players, chasing too few dollars, who invented some complicated vehicles that allowed the same dollar to go into two pockets. If I am right, a reduction in the number of players is going to have to happen.

The news is doubly bad for McCain. Not only did he not play a role in the deal, its his party who now refuses to cooperate. Even if he can get them in line, it appears that they are not needed to do this deal.

UPDATE 9/26: According to a columnist in Slate, the Republican bailout plan required holdres of toxic mortgage backed securities to buy insurance against them. The columnist raised two good points: 1) who would insure anything that is virtually guaranteed to default and 2) isn't that what sunk AIG?

Ouch....

The NYT is reporting that a deal has been cut regarding the outline of the relief package. This kind of makes Sen. McCain look silly for the moment. Really no way he can take credit for it. Hope springs eternal though. Maybe he can suspend his campaign to save some children from a burning building.

If You Pull a Dramatic Move, It Has to Be Transparent

Sen. McCain's bold move -- suspending his campaign to save America -- is starting to backfire. Already news is out that, while the Senator was far too busy to campaign, he did have time to address the Clinton Global Initiative and give an interview to Katie Couric. Additionally, the reaction from Washington has been a resounding, "Huh?" Doesn't seem like anybody really thinks he is that necessary to the process and Sen. McCain didn't help things much by admitting that he did not even read the Fed's proposed plan. (Memo: If you say you are reacting to an emergency, you have to act like it is an emergency.)

If in fact a deal is already imminent (which was the news this morning), McCain's attempt to change the script is gonna blow up on him.

McCain Calls Time Out

How will McCain's decision to suspend his campaign and return to Washington play? For me it is junior high b.s. We don't always have the luxury of doing one thing at a time, and sitting presidents, let alone Senators, often have to make time to debate their opponents. Second, McCain has already said he knows little about economics, so I don't see how his presence is going to help.

The Senataor from AZ can wrap this up in the flag all he wants, but I suspect many will think it is gimmicky, or worse, a sign of weakness. (And John is never weak. He is TOUGH.) It seems doubtful that Americans will not notice that this adventure accompanies a precipitous drop in national and state polls.

On a less partisan note, the very fact that McCain can do this is a sign of the weak leadership coming from the White House. Other than saying "give me what I want now" the President has been a no show.

That's Gotta Hurt

"John McCain showed his personality this week,and made some of us fearful." (conservative commentator George Will on John McCain's reaction to the economic crisis)

Wow

The big news this morning is that the government is paving the way for the few remaining investment banks to become staid and stodgy bank holding companies like their European counterparts. The investment houses are trading some profitability and some of their business for future stability. To get a sense of how dramatic this change is, check out this quote:

"The marketplace won't give them leverage, the regulators won't give them leverage and so now we have formal confirmation that the model of freestanding investment banks is kaput," said Ed Yingling, president of the American Bankers Association.

Wow. Even six months ago the suggestion that any part of the European regulatory state had a place in the US financial system would have drawn raspberries from our red meat free marketeers. In fact, when the Fed suggested it wanted to review the trading of mortgage backed securities, the investment community and GOP pushed back saying such oversight was over regulation. (The plan never got off the ground, as you can see.) Now its the new reality under a Republican administration.

Isn't it odd how Republican America castigates Progressive ideas, right up until they become reality? Also, how long can McCain/Palin keep harping on over regulation when even they are forced to swallow this pill. There is more than a little irony in hearing Governor Palin prate on in a Reaganesque fugue when precisely the policies she champions (and I think she believes she thought of them herself)are the root cause of our current crisis.

In the same vein-- and I won't pretend that this really fits here -- Sen Obama made a salient point last night on 60 Minutes. When asked about the feds bailout, he simply responded that the government let this problem fester for so long, by the time they dealt with it they had few good options.

Why, you may ask, did this problem grow for so long? Because successive Republican administrations as well as the Clinton Administration acceded to repeated Wall Street demands for deregulation.This is not a crisis we could not see coming. Plenty of politicians and policy folks (some of them Republican) warned us about the dangers of our unregulated securities market. (Warren Buffet comes to mind.) We just chose not to listen.

Anyone Noticed?

The financial meltdown has dominated both political campaigns and news coverage has focused on how the candidates are reacting. That is understandable. But has anyone noticed that the sitting President of the United States has been almost invisible throughout?

The Not So Much Mavericks

The Democratic National Committee, using publicly available records, has identified 177 lobbyists working for the McCain campaign as either aides, policy advisers, or fundraisers. Of those 177 lobbyists, at least 83 have in recent years lobbied for the financial industry McCain now attacks. So reports Mother Jones Magazine

Bringing the Pain to Spain

Earlier today, Sen. John McCain appeared to say that he was refusinga meeting with Spain's President Zapatero. Many assumed McCain was making a mistake and thought Zapatero was some Latin American autocrat, not the President of a major European democracy, fellow member of NATO, founding member of the EU, and major trading partner.

Later today, a McCain spokesperson made it plain that no mistake was made. McCain in fact meant to insult the Spanish President largely because he withdrew his troops from Iraq.

At this point, one does not know if Sen. McCain would honestly stand by his comment, or whether it was just an attempt to inflate his stock with the right wing of his party who dislike most thing European and strongly dislike anyone who didn't play ball on Iraq.

Either way, this is no way to rebuild our nation's image. Furthermore, it just seems childish and petulant to punish Spain because they would no longer aid us in committing a humanitarian atrocity. Is this the vaunted foreign policy experience at work? Is this the type of relationship we want with European democracies particularly given the specter of a hostile Russia?

Who is this guy?

This Sh-t Gets Old, John

Yesterday, Sen. McCain blasted his rival for attending a Hollywood fundraiser:

"He talks about siding with the people just before he flew off for a fundraiser in Hollywood with Barbra Streisand and his celebrity friends" McCain said of his rival. "Let me tell you, my friends, there's no place I'd rather be than right here with the working men and women of Ohio."

He neglects to mention that on August 25, he himself was at the Beverly Hills Hilton pocketing $4.6 million at a two day campaign event attended by a bevy of celebs including Angie Harmon, Wilford Brimley, Jon Voight and Pat Boone (yes, Pat Boone).

This used to be a candidate whose integrity separated him from the pack.

The Palin Update

I know. She is odd. Not worth the time. A gimick. The New Dan Qualye. But she is like a trainwreck. I cannot keep my eyes off her. Here is today's scuttlebutt:

She had a tanning bed installed in the Governor's mansion. At her own expense according to the Alaskan government official unlucky enough to field this press call.

Yesterday in Ohio, she repeated her big story about the teleprompter going out on her at the Republican convention. RNC staffers and journalists present said it never happened. Credit WSJ Online for this tidbit. (This seems to fit with my impression that she is a bit of a self glorifier.)

As mayor of Wassilla, she lowered property taxes (a gift to homeowners) and raised the sales tax (a regressive tax).

As the WSJ reported yesterday, her earmarks were out of control as both mayor and governor. This, combined with her record on the Bridge to Nowhere, needs to exploited. Not so much for its substance, but to show she will say anything to be elected.

UPDATE: Robert F. Kennedy uncovered the source for Palin's paen to small town values in her acceptance spech -- Westbrook Pegler. No more need be said here. (Note to speechwriter -- it is called Google.)

The McCain campaign has hired Edward O'Callaghan, a former DOJ Prosecutor, to help shutdown Alaska's investigation into Palin's firing of Alaska's Director of Public Safety. O'Callaghan's first move was to file a lawsuit to stop the probe approved by the Alaska legislature.

This Week In The News

This week, the New York Times reported that the US military is researching the use of stem cells to make red blood cells on an as needed basis in the field of combat. The research carried out by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has surprisingly not drawn the ire of religious conservatives who oppose stem cell research. Curious, TWN reached out to Ron Souzer, President of Every Cell is Sacred, who said, "It is a tough issue for us. While we usually treat stem cells as the absolute equivalent of a human life, their application to warfare is problematic for us. I mean, religious conservatives are a friends to the stem cell community but like a lot of religious folk we have never met a war we didn't like and sometimes we get carried away when you start waving Old Glory around. So we would hate to make it harder for the US to wage wars. I mean, without wars how will be we spread god's gifts throughout the world? "

This week, as Governors John McCain and Sarah Palin continued their campaign, it became apparent to all observers that the GOP had discarded an issued based approach and instead decided to stake their claim entirely on the duo's combined biographies. Whether it be McCain's wartime heroism or Palin's self proclaimed status as a "hockey mom," Republican's have placed a bet that Americans will simply like their pair better than the Democrat's pair. The strategy seems to be working based on our informal sampling. Paul Estehaus of St. Cloud, MN told us, " I am voting for Sen. John McCain. I saw the film at the convention. He overcame great adversity in Vietnam. I mean he is so TOUGH. Can you imagine how TOUGH he is. Everything he says is TOUGH. And all those wimpy Democrats can do is point out that he is lying or contradicting himself." Dana Loverna, from Dayton, OH expressed her admiration for Sarah Palin, "I love her. She is so TOUGH. Did you see that mean Charlie Rose try to trip her up by asking questions the average American cannot answer. But she was TOUGH. She just kept on saying the same things over and over. I mean, she was TOUGH. And that is the most important thing. That and she has lots of babies."

This week, Governor Palin will return to her home state of Alaska to prepare for a much awaited (and heavily negotiated) interview with Charles Gibson. To date, Palin has done more than her share to energize to Republican base and has even enjoyed some crossover appeal. Asked how the McCain camp managed to roll out a virtually unknown politician without a glitch, Ted Myers, a McCain aide noted, "Our strategy is called "Opposite Day." It means we just do the opposite of whatever we did yesterday. For instance, one day we roll out her pregnant child and her child with Downs in front of the whole country. The next day we chastise the media for reporting on them and say that family is private. One day we make a big deal of how tough she is. The next day we castigate anyone who says anything critical of her and call them a sexist. One day we fly her around the country with a prepared speech. The next day we don't let the media near her."

This week, a report from the Department of Interior's Inspector General indicates that the Deprtment has been broken for much of the last six years. According to the report, officials responsible for collecting royalities on oil leases regularly socialized, had sex, accepted gratuities, and shared cocaine with oil industry executives. Numerous officials also steered business to favored companies, engaged in self dealing, and allowed vendors to change their bid documents after a bid had been awarded. While a few officials have already been indicted, further criminal charges against oil industry and Interior officials are expected. At least one Interior official spoke out defiantly, "We were told long ago that government was supposed to run more like a business, that we needed to get rid of the 'regulator' mind set, and that we needed to partner with the private sector. Well, I for one thing we have had a smashing success. I think we are finally getting government out of the way of business."

More Palin

I am still collecting my thoughts on Sarah Palin. Michael Seitzman at HuffPost is not:

Now, I want to be clear and speak directly to those of you who LOVED that Palin interview. You're an idiot. I mean that. This is not one of those cases where we're going to agree to disagree. This isn't one of those situations where we debate it passionately and then walk away thinking that the other guy is wrong but argued well. I'm not going to think of you as a thoughtful but misguided person with different ideas who still really cares about the country and the world. No, sorry, not this time. This time, if you watched those interview excerpts and weren't scared out of your freakin' mind, then you're mentally ill, mentally disabled, or mentally disturbed. What you are NOT is responsible, informed, curious, thoughtful, mature, educated, empathetic, or remotely serious. I mean it.

Let's be clear. I did not write this becuase I would never be this intemperate. Really.

RIP - David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace, a great writer, has died, apparently at his own hand. While he could be a very difficult read, I liked him. I also envied him becuase he made being smart and observant seem easy. At least from my view he did a very good job of displaying how very complicated it is to be a sensient American in the 21st century. The hope that Americans would end up doing the smart or moral thing was never a given, and now more than ever, that has resonance. RIP.

On the Ground

If you want a taste of what the Mccain camp is doing on the ground, I reprint below one person's experience with a "push poll" done on behalf of the campaign. A push poll is a campaign tool inwhich polling data is secondary to conveying negative messages about your opponent. It is great way to get out a negative message because people tend to think pollsters are unbiased and truthful. (Also, the polls are usually not funded by the campaigns, so they are tough to trace.) A journalist from the Atlantic got the same call.

I received an incredibly offensive, anti-Obama push-poll tonight from 'Opinion Access Corporation.' When I said that I was voting for Obama, they asked if I would be more or less likely to vote for Obama if I knew that he voted to let convicted child sex offenders out early, voted to allow convicted child sex offenders to live near schools, is for sex education in Kindergarten, voted for some offensive and incredibly graphic abortion procedure, and so on and so on for 5 minutes. This was a really offensive push-poll. They also brought up the statements of Rev. Wright and Michelle Obama."

The sex education thing is funny. What they don't mention is that the plan Obama supported consisted of teaching Kindergartners about good and bad touches and how to avoid being a victim of a predator.

UPDATE: The Republican Jewish Coalition is taking responsibility for the poll. They claim it was just a "message poll" (that tests the viability of certain lines of attack) and not a push poll.

Judy Blume Weighs In

The Novelist weighs in:

I don't know about you, but I'm making my decisions based on the issues. There are no "do overs" here. We have to choose a leader whose judgment we respect. One who doesn't make important decisions based on gut feelings. That's why I want the calm, thoughtful, intelligent, knowledgeable candidate who will surround himself with the best and the brightest. That's why I'm supporting Barack Obama What I don't need is some sarcastic hockey mom who describes herself as a pit bull, who flaunts her pregnant teenager and her new special needs infant, a heartbeat away from the presidency.

I guess she is not jumping on the "Are You There Sarah, It's Me Judy" bandwagon.

Too Much

Two things that just got me this morning. First, the McCain campaign is calling barak Obama a sexist because he uses the term "lipstick on a pig." They say it is a reference to Sarah Palin and have dispatched a Republican former Governor of Massachusetts to move the story. No room for cynicism there.

Second, I notice that McCain/Palin keep reporting two lies: as Governor, Palin initially supported the Bridge to Nowhere and took the money even after the plan was killed. She keeps repeating the lie (at least 7 times) that she was against the Bridge. This goes to the heart of this campaign and I hope she gets nailed on it; Barak Obama will lower taxes on all Americans making less than $250,000 and eliminate taxes for many seniors and low wage workers. By any estimation his proposed tax cuts hit more Americans than anything suggested by John McCain. Stop the "will raise taxes" lies.

But of course little of this will seep through. Most Americans get their news from local newspapers and TV stations that do little fact checking and rely upon wire services and news releases. By the time the lies catch up with candidates it is too late and they have become "fact" to many voters. Case in point, a recent poll of senior citizens indicated that 51% thought Obama would raise their taxes. In truth, he would lower most of their taxes and eliminate taxes on many seniors making less than $50k a year.

Game Over

Remember the Culture Wars? Remember the 1988 GOP convention? Remember when the Republicans were not only going to smite our enemies abroad by get rid of abortion, illegitimacy, adultery, and homosexuality at home? Remember when they promised we would be returned to the "traditional family?"

Last week, a divorced man who has admitted to adultery took the stage with a woman who wears the pants in her household and whose teenage daughter is pregnant by another teenager she has yet to marry. They were the Republican Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.

For better or for worse, the exact behavior the culture warriors have fought against is now in the middle of mainstream America.

God is My Precinct Captain

You may have gotten through the GOP convention with the feeling that Sarah Palin was a little rough around the edges, but not really a bad sort. You may have given her the benefit ofthe doubt, given the short timeline of her selection and appearance in St. Paul. That is over for me right now.

Turns out that Ms. Palin is a churchgoing member of the Assemblies of God, who unlike other evangelical sects, believes that god manifests himself through speaking in tongues and body spasms. Also seems they believe that the mess in Iraq is god's will. Palin told a group of ministry students gathered at the Church that: "Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God ... that plan is God's plan." She also said it was god's plan to have a gas pipeline from Alaska to the lower 48.

Gosh. Guess we have to vote for her now.

This Week in The News

This week, John McCain and Sarah Palin accepted the Republican nominations for President and Vice President. McCain came into the convention dogged by his inability to say how many homes he and his uber rich wife own. Asked about his prospects, McCain noted, "My friend it is all about finding niche voters and we have one niche filled: the kept man. If you rely on a woman for your income, to keep you in comfort, or to fund your hopes dreams and ambitions, this is clearly the ticket for you. There are three ways to wealth in America, hard work, inheritance and marriage. Our policies may not reward the first, but they revere the second and third. Some men pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Others of us rely upon our wife's garter belt."

On Thursday night, Sarah Palin introduced herself to the GOP faithful and the nation in her acceptance speech. By all accounts, Palin charmed some and alienated some with her speech. Asked about her performance Palin replied thoughtfully, "It was tough. there was a lot of little messages I had to work in some of which seemed contradictory. For instance, I am a tough woman, but I know my place is subordinate to an important man. I am all about traditional marriage and family, even though my family is far from traditional. I don't like elites, even though I champion economic policies that have created an elite class of the uber rich. I don't like pork even though my state and town are built upon it. " Asked if she was given any advice by the candidate himself, Palin replied, "Yeah. He told me to pimp the down's kid and drop my g's."

This week, the Republican Convention in St. Paul, MN had to be delayed as the White House prepared for Hurricane Gustav to touch down in the Gulf Coast. Aware that the public still has a dim view of the Administration's lackluster response to Hurricane Katrina, the Bush Administration was prepared. Said one aide, "We have a new training module called "ALYGAS" short for "Acting Like You Give a Sh-t." It comes with various training programs including one on how to furrow your brow and look concerned and another one on how to talk to poor people just like they are real citizens. It is like... totally helpful."

This week, Sen. John McCain got to meet one Levi Johnson, the father of his running mate's illegitimate grandson. TWN was able to place a listening device on the tarmac as McCain greeted the young man and his soon to be wife. Some snippets from their conversation:

"So how did abstinence education work for you…"

"Boy, I bet when you heard you knocked up the Governor's daughter, you thought it couldn't get any worse."

"Son, I spent five years in a POW camp where I got hornier than all hell. Let me give you some advice. They are called condoms….. "

"So this is the little Peckerwood that caused all this trouble…"

"So, how does it feel now that your life is over…."

Cindy? oh yeah I'm pretty sure they are real ... .

"Hey there dad…. psyche!"

"A shotgun wedding with Sarah Palin as your Mother In Law .... give me the VC any day…."

"Aww who am I to talk. I like 'em young and skinny too."

"No seriously. The Republican convention is a sh-tload of fun. Make sure you go to the Rotary's ice cream social and the DAR's Sew A Thon."

"You know, most youthful mistakes you can put in the past. Not this one. "

Well, if its not The Dirtiest Dog Under the Northern Lights …

"Levi… its biblical isn't it? Aramaic for "I think with my D---k."

The Culture War has Flipped

I did not see Sarah Palin's speech last night although I would have liked to. Her candidacy marks one of the most interesting flip flops in the this election cycle. In case you have noticed, it is now Democrats who have the upper hand in the so called culture war. It is now Republicans who have the divorces (McCain), affairs (McCain) and out of wedlock chidren (Palin). Biden and Obama, with their dutiful wives, well scrubbed children and Leave it To Beaver home lives, now seem almost stuffy compared to the running soap opera in the GOP.

I could say that the GOP's reaction to this evolution will be interesting. It won't be. They will blame it on the liberal media.

Ooops

Republican strategists Peggy Noonan, Mike Murphy, and "CT" were caught on live mike's having a candid discussion about the McCain campaign. I like Noonan's comment about the Palin pick. Nichols ends by calling the pick cynical.

Mike Murphy: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor world: Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. I mean, these guys -- this is how you win a Texas race, just run it up. And it's not gonna work. And --

PN: It's over.

MM: Still McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.

CT: I also think the Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.

PN: Saw Kay this morning.

CT: Yeah, she's never looked comfortable about this --

MM: They're all bummed out.

CT: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

PN: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this -- excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --

CT: Yeah they went to a narrative.

MM: I totally agree.

PN: Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

MM: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical.


CT: This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky.

MM: Yeah.

In Her Own Words

More Palin Updates. This is her on her work as Mayor, "It's not rocket science. It's $6 million and 53 employees." Governor, in this position, you need to exaggerate your accomplishments, particularly when your running mate is touting you as ready to be Mayor of America.

Second, the Chicago Tribune reports that some of Mayor Palin's earmarks in the federal budget made John McCain's annual list of wasteful spending. The earmarks came in 2001 and 2002. Check out the Trib for details.

Fair is Fair

VP nominee Sarah Palin has gotten more than her share of the spotlight lately. Not only has she been dealing with the truth, she has to deal with the rumors as well -- such as the pernicious rumor that her son, Trig, is not hers, but her daughter's firstborn. I could go on, but I will quote the bloggers as Jezebel.com who say it best:

When we waste our time and energy rooting around in someone's personal life for John McCain's next black baby, we are conceding to conservatives that they are right. They have spent the last couple of decades saying that the gender of the person one chooses to love should be grounds for discrimination at work, in housing choices, in marriage rights and whereever else a little homophobe's heart desires. They have said that the government should be able to limit (and to know) what woman does with the contents of her uterus based on what they wish to make a government-sanctioned religious conception of when life begins. They use their power in government to limit children's access to age-appropriate sex education in schools in the name of teaching children their religious-inspired world view on sexual behavior. I could keep going, but you get the point.

And when liberals and progressives pounce on rumors like this one about Trig's "true" parentage — whether or not it is true, which I'm pretty sure it's not — or rumors about Republican politicians' sexuality (in the absence of crimes committed) we are conceding that conservatives are right, and personal choices do qualify or disqualify one for certain aspects of participation in public life and this democracy. We are accepting their terms, their definitions of appropriate private behavior, and attempting to use those definitions to defeat their candidates. And once we do that, even if we do "take down" Sarah Palin or whatever Republican candidate in order to protect gay rights or reproductive rights or educational rights, then we've lost on those issues anyway because we've conceded that the underpinnings to the Republican positions on those issues is valid.

Sarah Palin

A few thoughts on McCain's VP pick.

It is transparently cynical. However, I said that through most of 2004. Isn't she really just the second coming of Dan Quayle. An attractive right winger with little actual utility? Laugh if you must, but DQ was VP for four years. Being a lightweight with odd politics is not is disqualifier.

Surprisingly, we agree on the Iraq war. Palin said: "We are a nation at war and in many [ways] the reasons for war are fights over energy sources, which is nonsensical ..." I think the McCain camp sent her a memo about the war being a about WMD/9-11/freedom. I suspect she will soon read up.

Governor Palin keeps saying she is proud about the "choice" that her daughter made to get married and have her baby. Isn't this the "choice" she wants to deny all women?

Turns out the baby's dad describes himself (on his MySpace Page) as a "f--ckin' redneck" who will "kick your ass if you f-ck with" him. Obviously a class act. I seem him with a Friday night speech at the convention.

It appears Palin and her husband were members of Alaska's third party, the AIG. They advocate that Alaska secede from the US, although members differ on what form of government the new nation should take. She left the AIG when she ran for Mayor of her hometown.