UPDATE: I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. A commenter linked us to Mark Kirk's comments on Sarah Palin and he's touting her killing the "Bridge to No Where", but apparently, there was another bridge project that she allowed, the bridge to Wasilla. So much for stopping pork barrel projects. Poor Mark, back to the drawing board.
********************************
After cancelling their first day, and in a unprecedented display of bad taste and fake patriotism, republicans staged a fake soldier's funeral. Things went downhill from there. Since I've already talked about how Sarah Palin insulted the very people she expects to get out the vote for her, let's move on to McCain's speech:
John McCain used the word "fight" 25 times in his speech. I think he's trying to tell us, without telling us, that he intends to keep us at war.
The word "economy was used 8 times. He said "Government assistance for the unemployed workers was designed for the economy of the 1950s." The New Deal was created in the 1930s after the republicans destroyed an earlier economy with an earlier version of their ownership society. Again, he's trying to tell us without telling us that the ownership society is here to stay. No change there.
In discussing war, McCain used the word Iraq two times and didn't mention Afghanistan at all. Nothing to see there. He's got another war in mind:
Russia's leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world's oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire. And the brave people of Georgia need our solidarity and our prayers.
I don't know who else is reporting on this, but I noticed from the text that McCain was heckled during his speech: "AUDIENCE MEMBER: Vote Barack Obama!"
Then he blamed Obama for the Cheney energy plan and then touted the Cheney energy plan as the way to achieve energy independence. Since he's talking about keeping us addicted to oil, the question is energy independence from whom.
One piece of good news for the Democrats here, particularly John Edwards and Bill Clinton. Apparently, extra-marital affairs are going to be deemed ok by the republican party as out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies have now been deemed ok taking the heat off of Jamie Lynn Spears. The difference I think we are going to see is that Palin will continue to deny her affair while Edwards and Clinton broke down eventually and told the truth. The republicans have always been better liars.
Throughout their convention repubicans chanted "Drill Baby Drill." That got me thinking about the Palin choice. It seemed very last minute. However, they've be laying the foundation for this for a while. The drilling thing began in earnest this spring. They threw fake moderates like Mark Kirk under the bus for it and, pretty much having no choice, they jumped on the bandwagon, in Kirk's case, despite the fact that his district is against it and he attempts to run as an environmental candidate. They pushed the drilling theme, Americans love a short term politically expendient non-solution whenever one is offered, and it polled well, so they went ahead and appointed the poster child for drilling out of the Oil Drilling Permanent Fund state despite her questionable background. This is beginning to look more planned every day.
The convention in a nutshell: Drill for oil. Don't drill for truth.
9 comments:
I am in agreement that oil was the primary reason Sarah Palin was in line for the vice presidency. (I alluded to this in my first comment posted to this blog.) That she happened to be conservative was dumb luck.
I am disappointed that Governor Palin is allowing herself to be used in this way for her own political advancement. She will be chewed up and spit out if Barack Obama wins the election.
Kirk whines of how Sarah Palin is not catering to his own electoral needs:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0908/Kirk_wants_Palin_to_downplay_social_issues_.html#comments
Here's another link if that one doesn't work:
http://dyn.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/index.cfm/category/Illinois
RE: Kirk's perpetuating Palin's lies. Is Kirk so out of touch that he doesn't even read the news?
She threw out of office another corrupt another corrupt, old bull Republican? Debunked. She's under investigation. And the Alaska police union has filed a complaint against Palin. There are at least 28 more scandals surrounding her -- all in less than one week.
Killed the Bridge to Nowhere? Debunked. She was for it before she was against it. She had supported the bridge and the earmark for it secured by Alaska's Congressional delegation during her run for governor.
Sold the state jet on Ebay? Debunked. That lie doesn't fly.
Of course, no one can ask her about these things since she won't talk to the press.
Oh, it's definitely time for a new person in congress for IL-10.
The Anchorage Daily News is calling on Gov. Palin to start "practicing the open and transparent, ethical and accountable government she promised when running for governor and boasts about now that she's on the national stage." They point out that to their dismay, she's doing quite the opposite "having asked the Legislature to drop its investigation." They also report that her attorney threatened the investigator with the US Secret Service.
TPM is reporting that republican AK state rep Jay Ramras claims "that issuing a subpoena for a vice-presidential candidate "would be disrespectful." So, if you commit a crime, apparently, the thing to do is run for public office, the higher the better.
Much thanks for the AK perspective, Joni!
Thanks to the anony who tried to post the Kirk link. It can be found here This is what Kirk said with my commentary in []:
"There’s going to be a fight over her definition. Her initial introduction was as a young, good-looking female governor — and that created a positive impression. [don't even get me started on that comment--coming from the guy who voted against pay equity twice, we get where you are coming from] And the second impression is she killed the bridge to nowhere [she was for it when she ran for Governor], and that was huge. ... That was my battle.
Some of her social issues, though, they won’t be in favor of. It will be a huge job for her what to say. But if she goes out and says, "I threw out of office another corrupt, old bull Republican," my voters will think anti-George Ryan; they’ll like it. "Then I killed the bridge to nowhere," then they’ll hear fiscal conservative. "Then I wiped out the executive jet"; they’ll hear ego-free. On the other hand, if we emphasize the social issues, they won’t be there."
Sorry Mark, your district will never accept Sarah Palin as a good candidate. We are not as narrow focused and ill-informed as you think, hope.
05 Sep 2008 11:49 am
Todd Palin's former business partner files an emergency motion to have his divorce papers sealed. Oh God.
That's from Andrew Sullivan's blog. Just one more potential scandal for Palin,(accused of having an affair with her husband's business partner and named in his divorce),who now refuses to talk to the press. That will be a fun way to elect a VP.
Apparently the GOP thinks they can scrub their Wikipedias and make up anything they want about themselves- if they even know about Wikipedias or Google. They've become the party of stupid; I just hope that Ellen is right and we're smarter than that.
You know what really bugs me? For all the > decade long moralizing and assertions of moral superiority we've heard from the republican party, I've yet to hear one of then say, "well, I will vote McCain/Palin because it suits my pocketbook or world view, but I am disturbed by the affairs and teen pregnancy." It sort of makes the years of holier than thou-ness look less about religion and more about partisan politics from the getgo.
Also, what bugs me about Palin's handling of her daughter is not so much that she got pregnant as you cannot watch a teen 24 hours a day, but that for political expediency, she is going to make that girl marry that very immature and sort of sleezy boy.
I think Obama was right and we should stay out of the sordid white trash (my phrase, not his) family drama and let the news organizations do the vetting of Sarah Palin, her wacko anti-Jewish minister and her "legacy." Believe me, they are looking for red meat to keep themselves busy until the debates. Finding a scandal will be a big payday for the commentators and they are motivated to find something.
We will be best served in learning from what the Republicans taught us in their convention:
1. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are poison. They kept Bush away as much as possible and even sent Cheney to Georgia (the country) to try and stir up another Cold War. We need to keep relentless pressure on the the Bush/McCain connection and make the point that Cheney's secret meetings with the oil companies laid the blueprint for the Iraq War and the gas crisis (Want to disprove that? Reveal the records of the meetings!).
2. Throw the bums out. Yes, let's reform Washington, but make sure we let everyone know who the bums have been for the last 8-12 years. The Republican senators hold the world record for obstructionism.
3. McCain sold out to the religious right. He knew he was losing on the enthusiasm front so he made a secret deal with the ultra-conservative Council for National Policy who promised they would deliver the religionist conservatives if McCain selected Palin. We need to continue reaching out to thinking Christians (and those who actually read the Gospels) and highlight Palin's wacky conservative beliefs to capture the Independents and soft Republicans.
4. Build the enthusiasm. We need to keep the pressure on bringing out new voters and branding the Democrats as the party of community organizers and the Republicans as the party of corporations and the top 1% of wealthy people who somehow convince a lot of people to vote to protect them. Hell, if Cindy McCain's convention outfit was a person, it would be one of the few people whose taxes would be raised under Obama's tax plan.
5. If you lie often enough, even you will believe it. McCain's favorite Palin story is how she sold the state jet on eBay and made a profit (both untrue), but no attention is put on his wife's own luxury jet that was used illegally for campaign purposes. Obama and Biden are just standing for the truth and, if they are consistent, the American people will start to hear what they are saying.
Post a Comment