parah salin?

[Deckard]

It probably won't make a difference, but... oops!

[chuck]

Originally Posted by gambit

The Anchorage Daily News endorses Obama for President.

What's odd about that endorsement is this quote:

The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Is McCain a poor choice because he's not presidential or because he chose a complete amateur for his running mate?

For me - it's a bit of both.

Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she's a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.

oh. god. please. no.

I don't know if I'd call what's being sown in her wake as "excitement".

Incitement possibly - stirring up of racially based, negative stereotypes possibly,

Incoherent, rambling, inaccurate statements - definitely.

I mean - judging the reports from her campaign stops - could you really be in there and walk out feeling excited, lifted and positive about the future?

[chuck]

I guess until someone from the GOP really comes out and calls her on the bullshit - she's going to be able to keep going. And that's not going to happen during the next couple of weeks. I'm amazed that some of the noises about the rift between her and McCain are even getting out. Just examples of how erratic the McCain-Palin ticket is. But after the election - there might come a reckoning - and I would hope that those who really believe in conservative values (small govt, less taxes, less foreign intervention) actually step up.

Reading Sullivan, who's a conservative, he talks of this internal war - and has a hope for the future of the conservative movement in the US. As a political way of thinking the McCain-Palin-GW Bush-Rove ideology is far removed from traditional conservatism. (As I understand it anyway.)

I think Palin is the obligatory result of the last 8 years of Rove-led/O'Reilly-managed/Fox spun bile. It's only natural for her to appeal the base level responses of the electorate - after all, that's what Rove appealed to and who Fox speaks too.

If you've watched any of O'Reilly's rants over the years - as dirty and as sordid as that might make you feel - you can understand how those screaming "socialist", "communist", "kill him" feel justified.

This isn't a culture war - it's a thinking war.

And war is not even the right word for it. It's a battle over the discourse - not the content of the discourse - but how we even go about discussing the content. Possibly a little too post-modern and meta for most - but hugely important.

I think the polls are showing that - they're so random and all over the place - and in part I think that's because so much polling takes place now, a certain percentage of those polled play the game. No-one really knows what those polls mean - and do people even believe the polls, or place much faith in them.

Palin and those who buy into her discourse are frustrating to me on a personal level.

But those who are thinking - on both sides of whatever issue is at hand - well they need to be looked out for and listened too.

Case in point:

http://www.conservativesforchange.com/

[Sean]

Originally Posted by chuck

I think Palin is the obligatory result of the last 8 years of Rove-led/O'Reilly-managed/Fox spun bile.

So then what you're basically saying is that Palin is America's vomit.

Originally Posted by cacophony

elisabeth hasselbeck makes me want to eat my own eyeballs.

You people are on fire tonight!

[cacophony]

Originally Posted by Sean

So then what you're basically saying is that Palin is America's vomit.

put that on a t-shirt and i'd wear it.

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

You lot are completely heartless. It makes me sad.

Then, I laugh really hard holding my belly.

[cured]

Palin is going to be in some trouble when she gets back to Alaska. She's rubbed republicans the wrong way, as with democrats, and with the legion of cronies she's employed coming out into the light, there will definitely be some very tough moments ahead for Governor Palin.

[chuck]

No.

When it gets hot in the kitchen - a smart cook opens a window or turn the extractor fan on.

[cured]

I think Palin's career is over. If the democrats manage to get a filibuster-proof majority in the senate and continue gaining in the House, the conservative movement will likely have to come back to the center from the right. When these seats are safe for their demographic region, neither democrats or conservatives have to worry much about being challenged bysomeone from the other aisle. Rather, their competition comes from their own flanks so it encourages the lefties to stay on the left and the righties to stay on the right. Throw that into chaos and you have, now, an entire party that has to re-examine their message and their focus. This election is largely a verdict that the right has failed.

[dubman]

i think it's too soon to call that. call it having a bush in office for more than half my life but the way i see it republicans have a child-like tenacity and baselessness that wont stop them from plumbing the depths of pathos and division at every opportunuity to get what they want. i dont say democrats are free of this, but they def. stop short of the demagoguery we've seen this decade.

i'd say right now theyre simply confused. they dont have the right kind of rhetoric against his type that can sink him yet. he's like a rookie pitcher unleashed into the world series who gets the best men out because no one has seen his style to know how to swing against it. it'll only take time to figure out the angles of attack and form the unified front again. unless he's an unmitigated success they will definitely construe him as a major disappointment and know how to word it right this time.

they may be fumbling too late to scare everyone away from him, but this just means they have 4 years to do it now.


ok this next bit is unrelated but gambit sent this to me and it made me lol:
http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html...523119-z_nbbwx