The Brookings Institution is publishing a series of charts on the candidates' positions on a wide range of topics. They are all worth a read.
Winning Back Dems
As was said earlier in this forum, the primary mission of the convention was for Obama to win back the support of his Democratic base. Though it's still very soon after the primary, the latest poll from Gallop suggests a strong change in his support amongst conservative Democrats.
Palin and Creationism
"The volatile issue of teaching creation science in public schools popped up in the Alaska governor's race this week when Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms.Source.
'Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.'"
Things Younger Than McCain
An incomplete list:
Alaska
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Chocolate Chip
FM Radio
Minimum Wage
Automatic Car Transmission
The PB & J Sandwich
McDonald's
Polyester
Velcro
Television Commercials
Mount Rushmore
Barack Obama's Mother
Duct Tape
The Zip Code
The Slinky
The Area Code
The Polio Vaccine
What Does The VP Do?
Fast forward to 2:50 and then watch as Palin admits to not knowing what the Vice President does, or watch the entire clip if you care about such things as 'context', which I really just think is some liberal elite bullshit for 'talking out of both sides of you mouth'.
My Cynical Palin Thoughts
After looking at a few photographs of her I think there’s a glaring issue: She’s young and attractive. I wonder how much this will come across as a ‘newer, better’ version of that other female statesman whose named was batted around for the Vice Presidency. Palin clearly doesn’t have Hillary’s record on substantive issues. With that hollow core she might smack many voters as a pretty face, which could be a huge backfire when you’re clearly targeting Hillary voters.
Speaking of a pretty face, this isn't the first time that McCain has gone for a young, beautiful woman, although I would not suggest that he married Cindy McCain for purely political motives. That said, there will certainly be a trophy wife aspect to the GOP ticket.
McCain turns 72 today. He was a prisoner of war. He cannot be in the best of health. But he just chose a woman who's been governor for three minutes to be his successor should tragedy strike. That damages his 'lack of experience' attack on Obama.
Joe Biden is a huge talker, often to the point of blunder. So does anyone expect that he'll be deft enough in a debate not to come across as mean? Yes, this is a gender issue. If he piles on too much there will certainly be political fallout.
This pick signals that McCain thinks he cannot win without courting disenfranchised Hillary Democrats. So in that light it's a reactionary pick that makes him look weak. However, nothing from the die hard HRC supports inspires confidence in me that they wouldn't vote GOP just to spite the DNC.
Straight Talk Express Off Rails...Again, Again, Again
McCain is solidly pro-life. He does not have a pro-choice record of which to speak, so do not be confused by what you are about to read.
"I'd love to see a point where it is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary," McCain told the Chronicle in 1999. "But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations."
Er, what did you say? Let me clean my ears out. Come again?
“I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned,” McCain said during the South Carolina primaries.
That sounds better.
Fat Tax
Alabama is considering a "Fat Tax" of $25 per month. They say it's to pay for the extra health insurance.
Obama's Tax Cuts: Would You Save?
A great website that I hope will make the rounds. Tells you how much you'd save under Obama's plan compared to McCain's.
College Football TV Schedule
Because there must be at least one other person in the office who cares. Link.
McCain Lies
No, it's not just purposefully misleading. It's blatant lying. On matters this huge we ought not allow for there to be wiggle room between the two. If it's designed to mislead it's on par with lying. To what am I referring? McCain's latest attack ad.
Watch it here.
Read about it here.
Think about it here.
Laugh about it here.
And then enjoy this:
McCain, POW part 145
A long article in The New Republic about how John McCain became John McCain (answer: Cindy McCain) contains this little ditty from his inaugural run for Congress in the 70s: McCain's first television advertisement ended with him saying the following, "I can tell you, if you go for six years without being able to see the sunset or the sunrise, like I did, you can truly appreciate the beauty of what we have [in Arizona]."
Wind Power
The lead story on the homepage of the New York Times is about wind energy, specifically how the limits of our antiquated power grid are bumped up against by the necessity to transfer the energy created by turbines across distances. The technology for a massive increase in wind power is there, we just lack the infrastructure to deliver it.
The article cites $60 billion as the cost to overhaul the power grid to accommodate wind power. Sounds like a lot of money until you consider that we spend $60 billion in Iraq every six months. Wouldn't you rather see that money go back into our economy via the jobs rebuilding our power grid would require (can't outsource those), not to mention the long-term gains of having a modernize power grid?
Biden > McCain Re: FP
The former ambassador to Romania offers the following on Biden's foreign policy knowledge:
I got a chance to see his approach up close one day in early September 1999, when I was U.S. ambassador to Romania. In the aftermath of NATO’s success in stopping ethnic cleaning in Kosovo, Cabinet members and Members of Congress stopped in Bucharest to thank the Romanians for their support of NATO and get a feel for where the Balkan region was going in its aftermath.
Unlike some of the other visitors whose approach was helpful but remarkably relaxed, Biden was a whirlwind of inquiry, analysis and commentary from the time he landed at Otopeni airport.
On the 20-minute drive into the city, he quizzed me on Romanian attitudes, the status of various government leaders and the inside story on Romania’s foreign policy toward Slobodan Milosevic, who was still in power next door in Yugoslavia. Because Biden has known all the major Romanian leaders since the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the questions were Ph.D. level, not Romania 101. That was remarkable in itself since he is no specialist on Romania; he could do the same, landing in dozens of nations around the world.
Did I mention that John McCain, who was once a prisoner of war, confuses the geography of the Middle East and cannot remember the difference among the various sectarian tribes in Iraq? Because he does and he can't.
(H/T: Sullivan)
From The Man Who Knows
David Plouffe offers up some interesting tidbits. Highlights:
** If McCain doesn't win Colorado, "he has a 5% chance to win the election."
** He believes that they have "a slight edge" in Virginia.
** He said Obama is underperforming only among working class whites over 70 and pointed to a poll showing that Obama is over performing John Kerry with working class white voters under 50.
** Said that the campaign's target in Georgia is about 47% of the vote, owing to Ex-Rep. Bob Barr's ability to siphon votes away from John McCain.
** Said HIllary Clinton's speech "could not have gone better."
** Said the campaign "is really pleased" with where they are in Montana.
Smart Take on McCain's FP
The whole column is worth a read but here's a good quote:
Mr. McCain, a tempestuous Russophobe to the marrow, demanded that the U.S. accelerate efforts to bring Georgia into NATO, thus extending a trip wire for war with Russia to Moscow's southern border. Because, you know, having conquered Iraq and Afghanistan while barely breaking a sweat, we're rested and ready to let an adventurous Caucasus nation led by a nut shown on TV chewing on his cravat drag us into World War III.I'm not sure why McCain is considered the candidate with the foreign policy credibility -- oh wait, did someone mention he lived in captivity for five years? -- but it's increasingly clear that a vote for McCain is a vote for a third Bush term when it comes to a knee-jerk foreign policy based on an increasingly diminished in military force THAT IS ALWAYS STRONG BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICA.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
When Reality Cannot Be Topped
Allow me to quote the news story:
When 48-year-old Frankie Lewis couldn’t get any butter on Sunday from the buffet line, police say he took out a knife and threatened to slice parishioners.
Lewis eventually went to put the knife away, but that’s when a church member hit him with a wooden board, according to authorities.
Lewis then rode away on a bicycle, but police quickly caught him.
Perfect Match
Mitt Romney and John McCain, POW, would make a great pair
Trying to hit Barack Obama for not standing up to Russia as aggressively as McCain after the invasion of Georgia, Romney twice referred to "the Soviets," prompting a reporter to point out his mistake. "I'm sorry," Romney said. "Excuse me for the slip; if I said Soviets, I meant the Russians." But then he went on. "Poland is in NATO," he said. "And if the Soviets were to invade Poland, we might be in armed conflict. But the Soviets are not going to invade Poland, because Poland is in NATO."Source.
Anti-Christ, Schmanti-Christ
I'm sure we've all heard the ridiculous comments that Obama is akin to the anti-christ, so I thought you all might like to read what Snopes.com had to say...
Swift Boating John McCain
The same folks who swift boated John Kerry are now targeting John McCain, who was once a prisoner of war. This is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
Interesting Re: Health Insurance
Link.
More people have health insurance now than a few years ago and the state with the biggest increase is Massachusetts, which has adopted an aggressive health care reform agenda for public insurance offerings. A template for a national reform perhaps?