Uh-Huh-Huh-Huh - He Said Stimulus

(John) Boehner and Butthead?

Paul Krugman says Republicans have become the party of Beavis and Butthead (I thought this happened at about the same time as Palin-mania engulfed the radical right):

leaving aside the chutzpah of casting the failure of his own party’s governance as proof that government can’t work, does [Jindal] really think that the response to natural disasters like Katrina is best undertaken by uncoordinated private action? Hey, why bother having an army? Let’s just rely on self-defense by armed citizens.

The intellectual incoherence is stunning. Basically, the political philosophy of the GOP right now seems to consist of snickering at stuff that they think sounds funny. The party of ideas has become the party of Beavis and Butthead.

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 73

The Christmas season is upon us, and so too is the spirit of giving. There is one gift that just keeps on giving. And giving. And giving. And she is in the news again today: Sarah Palin.

It turns out that her baby's baby-daddy's mama (that would be the mother of Bristol's impregnator, Levi Johnston), got arrested on drug charges in Wasilla, a small town that continues to live up to its title as the meth capital of Alaska.

Sadly, there is nothing remarkable about this story in a vacuum. If you look hard enough, in any town or city in America, you can find a scenario like this playing out - teenage pregnancies, high school drop-outs, drug trafficking charges all within the same family, and sometimes even connected to a local family of some prominence. It never ceases to amaze me, however, that millions of Americans voted in favor of having this all-too-familiar redneck drama play out one heartbeat away from the oval office. And, on the ticket purporting to represent "traditional family values" no less. I mean, for Pete's sake, you can find a better example of "traditional family values" watching The Osbournes.



I never realized that this was the sort of thing to be celebrated. What's next? Republican-sponsored programs to increase teen pregnancy and family drug trafficking? Step right up and emulate the Republicans' would-be Second Family!!

Putting the "Old" Back in "Grand Old Party"

I love my parents, who are baby boomers, dearly. But with apologies to my parents (Burnt Rod and Burnt Rodette Lincoln), I desperately want the baby boomers - as a political force - do die out and go away.

Remember all of those stupid issues McCain and Palin ran on - "he's not like us"; "he's a communist/socialist/marxist"; Bill Ayres, Jeremiah Wright, et al.? They're baby boomer wedge issues and buzzwords. The lowest common denominator to them is this: are you with John Wayne, or with Jane Fonda? Vietnam and the 1960's are still the central front of the political wars for the baby boomers.

Others have said it better than me, particularly Matt Taibbi in this piece, but this election was a seismic generational shift in political power. If 2008 wasn't the death knell for the baby boomers as a political force, we can at least say they have been weakened to the point of irrelevance.

David Gergen in Rolling Stone:

The emergence of this millennial generation as a force in American politics is going to be one of the biggest stories in the country over the next 20 years or so. We know from past history that when young people vote for one party a couple of times, they tend to vote for that party during their adult lifetimes in disproportionate numbers. We last saw this with Ronald Reagan, who attracted an unusual number of young people. But the rising generation of millennials is bigger than what has come before. They are even bigger than the baby-boom population, and they are much more progressive and diverse. Forty percent of millennials are minorities. They look past gender and race in ways that baby boomers do not. They embrace diversity, whereas older Americans tend to be wary or even scared of it. So this is an enormous potential asset for Democrats. We talked all along about whether Barack being black would drive away voters. Among the millennials, the fact that he was black attracted voters.

It is just amazing to hear some voices from the right advocate an even more conservative path for the Republican party - i.e., more hawkish, more homophobic, more bigoted, more intolerant, more desirous of a return to a fabled 1950's (white) suburban America, and so on.

At some point, these people need to realize it's not about principles or ideas - if they want to be a viable political party, it's about the fucking math. A rabidly passionate 27% of the electorate is not going to win national elected office, regardless of how enthusiastically they cast their ballots.

Reality vs. Conservative Reality

As a follow up to Nani's post from earlier today, I had been thinking along a parallel path when considering Rep. Michele Bachmann's narrow re-election victory in Minnesota.

Bachmann, of course, famously went on Hardball with Chris Matthews, oh, about two weeks ago, and said that she believed Barack Obama held Anti-American views, and called for an investigation by the press into which liberal congresspeople were Anti-American. It was McCarthy-esque, delisional, and above all else disgusting. The video is in the above-linked story. In any mainstream part of the country, she's voted out. In her district, she narrowly survives.

I was shocked ... at first. But in a way it all makes sense.

One conservative blog I read kind of regularly is The Corner at the National Review. Why? I dunno. Mostly to get a glimpse into right-wing thinking, I guess. 99.99% of the time, I'm convinced they're crazy, but I do appreciate having the different point of view. It's a check on the (very real) risk I (all too frequently) run of getting trapped in an echo chamber of reading only left-leaning sites.

Now, while I'm not going to link to the top 5 Corner post-mortems on the election, suffice it to say, there is a serious disconnect from reality for some of these bloggers. Ramesh Ponnuru and even Jonah Goldberg have had some reasonable, frounded posts today. Kathryn Jean Lopez is predictably fucking insane. But what is striking is the level of excuse making from the putative party of personal responsibility. While the hypocracy alone is noteworthy, I was most fascinated by the impression I got that these people truly watched a different election than the rest of us. These folks, I think, have constructed an alternate reality that explains the world around them in a way that avoids any cognative dissonance with their worldview.

Hence, it's not the failure of the neoconservative philosophy that led to Obama winning the election, it was Obama's empty celebrity that fooled the voters; it's not that Obama ran a damn-near flawless campaign, it's that his campaign was corrupt; it's not that Palin was obviously incompetent and not up to the job, it's the liberal media. I could go on, but you get the point. They are coming up with anything to avoid any admission that their heralded "conservative principles" are not as infallable as they believe, or that they aren't shared by a majority of Americans.

Similarly their "silver linings" are precious. My faves: "now the Democrats are going to have to actually govern, rather than sit back and critize - let 'em see how hard it is." Yeah, things like "basic competence" - the Dems are really going to struggle to get their arms around that.

Another great one was the conspiracy theory that Obama would retain the Bush-appointed Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, but work behind the scenes to systematically undermine him so that if things went south militarily, the Democrats would have someone to scapegoat. Seriously?? More than anything this reveals how hollow the "conservative" movement is. Everything is viewed through the prism of how to hold power, how to grab power, or how to work any fact for political gain. Nice enough, but when it comes to governance, where does this get you? (Hint: look no further than George W. Bush). The idea that a decision might be made with, I don't know, the best interests of the country in mind, is something that is not even on these folks' radar screens.

Anyway, this is getting to be too much prologue for a simple point.

In Minnesota, the reason why Michele Bachmann's unhinged "Anti-American" Hardball rant didn't cost Bachmann her job was that it was only barely over the top in her district. Consider "the times" of that week - that was at the height of Palin (mostly) and McCain whipping crowds into frenzies, the charges of socialism, pro-/anti-America divisions, and the real/imaginary state distinctions.

Bachmann is like the kinda nerdy kid who's on the fringe of the "in" crowd in high school by virtue of the fact that he was the best friend of the captain of the football team up until 5th grade. Eager to please, and easily caught up in the moment.

It's a crude analogy to be sure, but you can easily imagine a scenario where a group of high school girls and guys are razzing each other back and forth, largely in good nature. And the above-described kid jumps into the fray a little to earnestly with some over-the-top comment like, "oh yeah, you bitch...," which was intended to be within the spirit of the razzing, but just went one. step. too. far.

But, while it may look overheated to me, you, or 54% of America, Bachmann was, in her mind, operating well within the bounds of the then-ongoing national electoral conversation. I would be willing to bet that neither she, nor the majority of voters in her district thought she went too far, because they really believe that, in point of fact, Barack Obama is Anti-American. And to the extent he does not subscribe wholly to their view of America, their reasoning is at least logically sound - he is Anti-American, by their unique definition of what it is to be "American."

What these poor schmucks don't get is that their America is a distortion. For the most part, in our democracy, what America "is" is determined by majority rule. Those that would cast their ballot for Michele Bachmann don't seem to grasp that, and therefore, they can brand Obama a socialist, and turn around after he wins a resounding electoral victory and deny that the political beliefs of the nation have shifted leftward and say "well, this is still a center-right nation, so Obama's going to have a hard time governing."

To such Americans, I say, sorry folks. I hate to be the splash of cold water on your faces, but facts are the facts. Get outside of the echo chamber. I'm not asking you to agree with the liberal point of view, but know that we're out here. We're Americans. We love this country. And oh yeah, since 2004 we've been cleaning your clocks in national elections. So spare us the smug self-righteousness. I think if you turn around, you'll see that your claimed silent majority no longer has your back.

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 64

A civil war is a-broo-in', with Sarah Palin as the lightning rod (or is it lightnin' in her neck of the woods?).

Quote:

If I read this right, the GOP is set splinter into a trio of factions: the Palin-philes, the Romney remainders, and those excommunicated from the movement for daring to make a lick of sense at one point. Fitting isn't it, that a McCain loss might precipitate his party coming to resemble the factionalism of the Iraqi misadventure they all cooked up in the first place.

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 63

Quote:

Palin knows nothing, understands even less, and most depressingly she does not seem interested in learning anything. Even in prepared speeches, when she ostensibly has had the time to read and reflect on what she's going to say, she says the most boneheaded things (is it possible that any educated person in her 40s, in 2008, who's gone to college, or even reads a newsmagazine or a newspaper now and then, would not know the importance of fruit flies in basic genetic research?). What's worse Palin is so self-righteous about her own ignorance.

- Commenter, Aris-Akritas, in response to the (believe it or not) non-ironic article, Sarah Palin's A Brainiac on The Daily Beast.

Yeah, I know, do your best to stifle your laughter at that one.

The article in question was written by someone named Elaine Lafferty, a self-identified "Democrat," and self-proclaimed "feminist."

Her argument is basically this: Critics of Palin don't really know Palin (OK, fair enough), and once you get to know her, you see she's actually got the skills to function as well as anyone with an IQ above 80. And for examples of just how smart she is, look at ........ uh, well........ Well, says Lafferty, just trust me - after all, I'm a Democrat and a feminist, so I wouldn't vouch for Palin's intelligence if it was not true.

That's the argument.

Oh, did I mention that Elaine Lafferty is a paid staff member of .... wait for it ... the John McCain campaign? Yep. She is. Don't suppose that's coloring her view of Sarah Palin at all.

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 62

Smackdown: McCain v. Palin!

It's happening. Palin may be as dumb as a post when it comes to national public policy, but give her this: she is a shrewd politician. Those skills actually do translate to the national stage.

There was a trickle of stories coming out about her clashing with the McCain campaign and positioning herself to emerge as the new party standard-bearer after the McCain candidacy fails, as it surely will. Those stories are becoming a steady stream. And you can bet post-November 4th, it's going to be a flood. There's going to be a lot of finger-pointing.

My favorite account (so far) comes from a "second anonymous" McCain staffer, who said of Palin:

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.

"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

No shit - you think?

Next time, dumbasses, try vetting yout VP pick. You've created a fucking monster who is going to split your party in two.

Quote of the Day

David Kurtz:

Barack Obama is noted for his powerful intellect, but I don't think he gets nearly enough credit for the mental dexterity it takes to be simultaneously an Islamic theocrat, atheistic communist and national socialist while posing as a center left candidate. Those must be the compartmentalization skills they taught him at that Manchurian madrasah in Indonesia.

The fact that Obama embodies the worst nightmares of so many on the political right says far more about them that it does him.

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 56

Well, now I feel better about the whole fucking debacle.

Dan Quayle knows a little about what Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is going through and he advised her to "just be yourself."

[...]

The former vice president said Wednesday that he's spoken with Palin since Sen. John McCain chose her for the GOP ticket in late August.

Desperation Is A Stinky Cologne.

Stay Classy, Ohio

More on Why I'll Never Go Republican

In addition to the video Conway Bangs posted below of some Ohio Republicans, check out what's happening in Pennsylvania:



There are two things at play in these videos that are just staggering.

One, is the willful ignorance of these people. They don't know the facts. They don't want to know the facts. And they seem rather proud of it.

Two, is the sheer anger and rage directed at Obama. My God, I've never seen anything like this on such a grand scale. It's like a bunch of drunks at an NFL game and they're pissed that the home team just got trounced.

It is a toxic combination. And it makes it irresponsible and dangerous for Sarah Palin to be stoking these fires.

Why I Will Never - NEVER - Be A Republican

It's finally been reported.

This week has seen the McCain campaign, particularly Governor Sarah Palin, incite crowds to shout things such as "terrorist!", "treason!", "kill him!" and now most recently, "off with his head!"

Palin's reckless rhetoric has been called "racially tinged" by the Associated Press, a sentiment echoed by African-American members of Congress. "He's not one of us," she sneers to a 98% white audience.

Well, now - to practically no one's surprise except for the those "we-can't-help-it-if..." Republicans who are in denial about, well, everything - a wack-job Republican McCain supporter got all unhinged, grabbed him his gun, made some threats, and of course, and predictably.... dropped the N-bomb in reference to Obama.

As in, "if you don't get me my voter registration card, I'm gonna shoot you. I need to vote to...," and this forthcoming part is a direct quote, "keep the n*gger out of office."

Classy. Or should I say it with a stutter: "K-K-K-Klassy."

It's bad enough that we know these assholes exist. What is really worse is when a two-bit hack politician like Sarah Palin revs said assholes up for political theater. It is fucking dangerous. Joe Biden is right. Forty-five years ago, we had a president assassinated. Let's just be honest for a moment: the thought of the first black president is not going to sit well in some "fringe" circles in America.

And what Palin is doing that is so disgusting, so vile, and so perverse, is basically mainstreaming that radical ideology. Think about it - sure, a Republican crowd is going to boo the opponent for his votes, his record, and even who he is.

But "kill him?" "Off with his head?" A "terrorist?"

And no rebuke by Palin or McCain?

No establishing any boundaries on crowd behavior?

Instead, they whip supporters into an irrational frenzy, and then wash their hands of the whole situation. Whatever happens, happens. "Hey, we can't control it!"

Except you kinda can. You can keep the racially-loaded remarks to yourself. You can denounce those who are getting - clearly - out of control. You can control your own rhetoric on the campaign trail.

But, the silver lining is that it is exposing the Republican party for the radical hatemongers that they really are. I wish I could remember who said it, but whomever it was, described the modern Republican Party as nothing more than a collection of hate-objects - i.e., hate everyone who isn't just like you - gays, immigrants, blacks, foreigners, intellectuals (especially intellectuals), and so on.

There's been a lot of open hand-wringing about the future of the Republican Party, and about how it has to reconstitute itself. Mostly, this is in reference to the current ideological bankruptcy of the party. But here's what I'd suggest: dump the elements that take pride in how dumb, hateful, and thuggish they are. Your ideas may actually see the light of day.

As for me, I think this shit is nuts. It's bat-shit crazy. No amount of tax cuts will ever convince me to associate myself with such people.(*)

(*) Note, I mean politically as a member of the same party. I know a lot of Republicans who are good people, some who are even great people (much better human beings than me in some instances) and I am proud to call them friends. However, I cannot EVER condone or be a party-by-association to the kind of behavior shown by Republican McCain supporters in recent days. Simply put, cheering for the death of a political opponent is absolutely unacceptable. It is a line in the fucking sand. You don't cross it. This is America, not some God-forsaken third-world territory masquerading as a nation that is governed by whatever warlord happens to survive the week's slaughter. Grow the fuck up! And Governor Palin, shut the fuck up!

Catholic Church: "Democrats Are Party of Death"

This is why I increasingly believe that my split from the Catholic Church may be permanent and irreconcilable. This is going to take a while to explain, so bear with me.

In the past 8 years, we have seen the Republican party:

1. Suspend the US' recognition of basic human rights of those it takes into custody for no reason other than their nationality and/or race (hundreds of whom are held for years and released without ever having been given a reason for their detainment or the legal ability to challenge it even though this has been a fundamental right recognized in western civilization since the thirteenth century).

2. Practice gruesome torture tactics against such people.

3. First deny they torture; then they are forced to admit that yes, these "enhanced interrogation" is based on what we used to condemn as torture, and now openly brag about the fact they are torturing people.

4. After declaring war against those who attacked us on 9/11, initiate a second war against Iraq for no other reason than to advance certain business interests and to allow military contractors and other multinational corporations such as Haliburton to profit handsomely.

5. Enact economic policies that have created more concentration of wealth in fewer hands than at anytime since at least pre-Great Depression times.

6. Run campaigns using Religion as tool to divide "us" and "them"

7. Run candidates for office on a platform of "family values," the implication of which is that said values are the province of the federal government, while ....

7.a. governing in a way to eliminate the federal government from people's lives and or make it completely unable to respond to citizens' needs - i.e., Hurricane Katrina ... and ...

7.b. said candidates have frequently been caught in untoward sex scandals once in office. Mark Foley, Larry Craig, David Vitters, just to name a few.

8. Has embraced the "Neoconservative" philosophy of war, war, and more war. To that end, the Republican candidate for president has whimsically joked - JOKED - about bombing Iran, and suggested that the sale of cigarettes to Iran is a way to kill them.

I could go on; these are merely the highlights. Yet, the Vatican calls the Democratic party the party of death because of abortion.

This is what should be the splash of cold water on every Catholic voter's face: Roe v. Wade is 35 years old this year. In the time since Roe was decided, Republicans have controlled the White House for all but 12 years (GOP presidents: 1973-1977, 1981-1993, 2001- present). Republicans controlled Congress continuously from 1994-2007. Have Republicans done all they could to put an end to abortion to America? For every Scalia the Republicans put on the US Supreme Court, they also put on an O'Connor. For every Thomas, a Souter. For every Alito, a Kennedy. There is a pattern here. The cold hard reality is that the Republcan party has kept the US Supreme Court balanced on abortion, ensuring that the following two facts never change:

1. The Unites States Supreme Court will be tantalizingly close to a 5-4 majority decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, but never quite there; and

2. The Republican party will be able to use abortion as its "trump card" issue each and every election year.

Yet, the Vatican, without any sense of this whatsoever, calls the Democratic party the party of death. Think about it - considering the last 8 years, could the Republican party lay claim to being the party of life absent the abortion issue without being laughed out of the room? No, not after an unnecessary and reckless war and its legacy of torture. It's not even debatable. Republicans need to have abortion as a live political issue so they can use it to stay in power. And use it, they do.

Which all brings me back to the Catholic Church, and it's present grandstanding about the Democratic party. First, let's get one thing out in the open. The Catholic Church's position on abortion has been anything but consistent and even over history. St. Augustine and later, St. Thomas Aquinas, both believed in delayed hominization - that the human soul does not occpy the fetus until well after conception. While St. Augustine still opposed early term abortion, it appears it was for more pragmatic reasons - to discourage sex without procreation. Thus, the idea of abortion as murder seems to be of comparatively modern vintage.

Moreover, the question of when life begins is one that is inherently philosophical and faith-based. It does not turn on the advancement of medical science. The lack of uniformity of opinion on this over time therefore suggests to me that the entire premise of life beginning at conception, the underpinning of the opposition to abortion, is not on the terra firma of Christ's teachings, but is rather a "political" (for lack of a better word) position of the Church.

The Catholic Church has taken the position that life begins at conception, and that is obviously its prerogative. It has gone out of its way, now, to demonize a major US political party on this issue, yet, to my knowledge, it has never taken the step of repudiating or denouncing St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas's views. It has never done the "philosophical house cleaning" that one would expect if, in fact, the idea that at the moment of conception the one-, two-, four-, or eight-celled organism has a soul and is a person is as timelessly immutable and beyond debate as the Church claims.

So why is it so much more confortable taking on the Democratic Party rather than confronting the skeletons in its own closets? Why? Because the Catholic Church, like many other denominations, has simply grown too intertwined with the Republican party in the United States.

Beyond the GOP's cynical use of abortion as a political tool, it certainly strikes me that if the Catholic Church wanted to take an honest assessment of how political party platforms in the United States matched up against the teachings of Christ, the Vatican should have a lot to say about the Republican party especially on social justice and human rights issues. But there is no criticism of the Republicans. Why is that? And doesn't that seem odd?

I actually went to Church today, and of course, my church had the field of white crosses out front, with a legend posted that each cross represents "x" number of "children" murdered in an abortion each day (or year, or whatever). I rolled my eyes, and went into Church, which felt like going to a Republican campaign rally. The priest gave a very nice homily on faith, which I actually enjoyed and found thought provoking.

But then I stumble across this news - that the Catholic Church is weighing in on the US election, and not being even-handed about it, and I find myself turned off again. Today was literally a case of one step forward toward a return to the Church, and five steps backwards.

My view of the Catholic Church is that the tail is now wagging the dog. I do not condone abortion. I will never be party to a decision in favor of abortion unless dire circumstances would dictate that it is absolutely necessary - i.e., to save my wife's life.

To me, abortion is one of several vexing moral issues facing voters. In taking the hardline that it is the only issue, the Church is asking its adherents to turn a blind eye to every other issue and simply vote for a party whose record shows that it has little incentive or motivation to make abortion illegal in the first place. That is sheer madness.

If you believe that each human being is created in God's image, you have to condemn torture just as strongly as you condemn abortion. If you are opposed to the killing of innocents, you should be just as opposed to war every bit as strongly as you are opposed to abortion because modern warfare necessarily involves the killing of non-participants. So, how can you vote Republican???

The Jesus I learned about growing up was not merely an anti-abortion activist. Jesus addressed a variety of issues, none of which involved deregulation or free markets. I have been, and am to this day, utterly disillusioned with the modern fixation on abortion at the expense of (rather than as a part of) the broader message of morality.

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 48

Of Palin's performance in the VP Debate, conservative pundit Rich Lowry wrote:

I'm sure I'm not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, "Hey, I think she just winked at me." And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America. This is a quality that can't be learned; it's either something you have or you don't, and man, she's got it.

Now, for those of us look at Sarah Palin and see not "starbursts," but instead, the word "moron" in neon letters flashing across her rimless glasses, Palin's debate performance was a nonstarter. Every wink, every cutsey crinkle of her face, and every "doggone it" only proved true SNL's observation that when Palin has nothing to say, she tries to increase the "adorability" factor.

This is nothing new. Ever wonder why the talentless tramp Britney Spears has to flaunt her sexuality like.... well, like it is her entire stock in trade? Compare the erstwhile Mrs. Federline to female musicians whose talent and skill are beyond debate - Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys - these are just three examples I thought of off the top of my head who are incredibly talented musically, attractive, and yet do not put their good looks and sex appeal front and center. That's because those with substance don't need to resort to such a cheap and transparent gimmick.

So back to Rich Lowry.

He makes no secret that he is mezmorized by the package. Can he see past it? And how many conservatives are just like him - not looking beyond the pretty veneer into the black, empty vacuum where her soul should be?

So here's the question for Mr. Lowry if he wants his opinions to be considered relevant:

Do you masturbate to Sarah Palin?

When Sarah Palin appears on TV, are you tuning out the substance of her remarks so you can focus on mentally recording as much of the visual for a later time - some "Rich time" - when you have some privacy and can beat your cock like it owes you money while thoughts of Palin flood your simple mind?

Because, Mr. Lowry, if you're not - you could have fooled me. You look a little flushed, a little sweaty.

And oh yeah, and your zipper's still down.

Another Celebrity Musician Endorsement for Obama

Great.

The Republicans are going to use this to revive the "celebrity" theme.

.... -er, who the hell is this guy anyway? A rapper in Tupac's posse or something?

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 38

In the last post, we viewed how some of the intellectual elite of the conservative movement are seeing Sarah Palin for the completely overmatched, not-ready-for-prime-time farce that she is.

Most assuredly, I will never - never - mislabel conservative columnist Kathleen Parker as one such intellectual. But even she can no longer pretend that Palin is qualified. The more the public sees Palin, the more there is a trickle-down effect, even within the Republican party.

Quote from Parker's column at the conservative Townhall.com:

Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick -- what a difference a financial crisis makes -- and a more complicated picture has emerged.

As we've seen and heard more from John McCain's running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn't know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.

[...]

Finally, Palin's narrative is fun, inspiring and all-American in that frontier way we seem to admire. When Palin first emerged as John McCain's running mate, I confess I was delighted. She was the antithesis and nemesis of the hirsute, Birkenstock-wearing sisterhood -- a refreshing feminist of a different order who personified the modern successful working mother.

Palin didn't make a mess cracking the glass ceiling. She simply glided through it.

It was fun while it lasted.

Palin's recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I've been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I've also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there's not much content there ....

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

No argument from the Hot Rod.

The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 36

All I can say at this point is thank God the poll numbers are trending toward Obama because if McCain / Palin win this election, I think I'm going to fucking snap. Not in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that there would be a candidate for national office on a major party ticket that would make George W. Bush's mental agility look formidable, or even respectable. But here she is.

Here's the video:


Watch CBS Videos Online

Quote of the Day II (or The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 32)

Sam Harris in Newsweek (a must read):

What is so unnerving about the candidacy of Sarah Palin is the degree to which she represents—and her supporters celebrate—the joyful marriage of confidence and ignorance. Watching her deny to Gibson that she had ever harbored the slightest doubt about her readiness to take command of the world's only superpower, one got the feeling that Palin would gladly assume any responsibility on earth:

"Governor Palin, are you ready at this moment to perform surgery on this child's brain?"

"Of course, Charlie. I have several boys of my own, and I'm an avid hunter."

But governor, this is neurosurgery, and you have no training as a surgeon of any kind."

"That's just the point, Charlie. The American people want change in how we make medical decisions in this country. And when faced with a challenge, you cannot blink."

The prospects of a Palin administration are far more frightening, in fact, than those of a Palin Institute for Pediatric Neurosurgery. Ask yourself: how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth—in fact, almost anyone, provided that he or she doesn't seem too intelligent or well educated.

I believe that with the nomination of Sarah Palin for the vice presidency, the silliness of our politics has finally put our nation at risk.

GOP: "The Buck Passes Here."

God Bless Chris Matthews.

Updated: 9/18 with longer video from MSNBC. Note at about the 6:56 mark - Rep. Cantor starts talking about how it's time to stop pointing fingers and start fixing things. Yeah, funny how that works - when the Republicans fuck something up (i.e., the economy, Iraq, Katrina, heeding the pre-9/11 warnings, or hell everything since January 2001) THEN finger-pointing has no place; rather,the protocol is to break out magic healing crystals, sit in a circle, sing happy songs, and, I don't know, do some transcendental meditation. Anything except take (to quote Gov. Palin) "actual responsibility."

Gutless.