America Wins

On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Barack Hussein Obama was elected President of the United States, set to take office on January 20, 2009.

Here is his speech:

Alaska's Largest Newspaper Endorese Barack Obama

Alaska's largest newspaper endorses Obama

...The Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Sunday after declaring Gov. Sarah Palin "too risky" to be one step away from the Oval Office.

"Like picking (Republican presidential candidate John) McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time," The Daily News said.

The newspaper said Obama "brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand."

The Daily News said since the economic crisis has emerged, McCain has "stumbled and fumbled badly" in dealing with it...

For more of this article, please click here.

McCain v. Palin?

Are tensions rising between Sarah Palin and the McCain campaign? Maybe.

First, Ben Smith reports that Palin is "going rogue," disregarding the advice of McCain advisers, going off-message, and even trying to talk to the media. Funny story:

Palin strolled over to a local television crew in Colorado Springs. "Get Tracey," a staffer called out, according to The New York Times, summoning spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt, who reportedly "tried several times to cut it off with a terse 'Thank you!' in between questions, to no avail."

It's telling and sad that Palin's handlers freak out if she tries to talk to the media.

Palin's rogue status has been cheered by a camp of Republicans who see Palin as a fresh face that could revitalize the Grand Ole Party. The "Palin camp" is disgruntled with McCain, particularly with his campaign's handling of their savior, and is afraid that a McCain loss will be blamed on Palin.

Smith's report was based on four anonymous Republican sources. In response to the story, Tracey Schimdt retorted, "Unnamed sources with their own agenda will say what they want. But from Governor Palin down we have one agenda, and that's to win on Election Day."

And after that, a McCain advisor called Palin "a diva. She takes no advice from anyone. She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else."

Regardless of where total truth ends and exaggeration begins, one thing is clear: things are not going well in McCainLand.

Another Senior Moment with John McCain

John McCain accidentally insults the people of western Pennsylvania. Oops.

Sarah Palin Does it Again...

So right after declaring herself clear of any wrongdoing in Alaska's "Tasergate," an AP investigation discovered this about Palin:

AP INVESTIGATION: Alaska funded Palin kids' travel

...The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel...

...In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls...

For the entire article about Sarah Palin's expenses (and waste of taxpayer money), click here.

Obama Has Incredible Sunday

First, as J-Mad mentioned in passing, Barack Obama raised an astonishing $150 million in September. Astonishing because it broke the previous monthly fundraising record of $66 million, which Obama himself set in August.

Second, Obama received an endorsement from probably the most respected member of the Bush Administration, former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell is the highest-ranked Republican to endorse Obama, counterbalancing Joe Lieberman's support for John McCain nicely. The endorsement is notable not only for obvious reasons but also for his declaration that Republicans' condemnation of Obama as Muslim is shameful both because it is a lie and because 'Muslim!' should not be a tacit insult. Watch it:

The picture to which Powell referred.

Palin on SNL

So perhaps there is a movement by the presidential campaigns to make their respective candidates appear more human by being funny and able to laugh at themselves. Or, maybe people have finally realized the ridiculousness of the current American political campaign system and are choosing to laugh to keep from crying. I don't know.

Last week, we had the Presidential candidates roasting each other (click here), and last night, GOP VP pick Sarah Palin was on SNL. It was actually funny and probably the only good thing she has done since joining the campaign. However, her SNL involvement was far less than when other candidates, like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, were on the show. Personally, I think Tina Fey makes a better "Sarah Palin" than Sarah Palin (at least we know that Tina Fey knows the truth about dinosaurs).Take a look at the videos below and see for yourself.

Some people may think that Palin being able to laugh at herself or John McCain taking a joke during the presidential roast might have a positive effect for their campaign. Well, Obama is still raking it in ("Obama Raises Stunning $150 million in September").

This first one is the opening sketch.


The second sketch is the one of Sarah Palin on Weekend Update with Seth and Amy.

Presidential Roast

Last night, at a dinner hosted by the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation in New York, Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama took turns laughing at themselves and roasting each other. Both candidates were quite funny (yeah, even John McCain got some laughs) and the jovial tone of the evening made John McCain look like pre-2004 McCain (as in, not a jerk).

Take a look and judge for yourself which one is funnier.

Senator McCain spoke first.


Senator Obama spoke second.

Delusional

I couldn't help but snicker reading this editorial in the Michigan Daily. In it, Alex Prasad laments the opportunities Palin missed at the vice-presidential debate:

For example, Biden, speaking of Vice President Dick Cheney, said, “The idea
(Cheney) doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of
the vice president of the United States, that's the executive branch.”

Palin easily could have retorted, “Actually Joe, Article I of the
Constitution discussed legislative power. Ya know, it’s disappointing that a
sitting senator doesn’t even know the Constitution he’s sworn to protect. The
American people need somebody who is intimately familiar with the
Constitution.”

Seriously? Do you really think Sarah Palin is "intimately familiar with the Constitution"? Do you think someone who can't even remember what publications she reads knows which article of the constitution refers to what? Does it seem like Palin would say anything in that above statement besides "Actually Joe" and "Ya know"? Prasad continues:

The moderator, Gwen Ifill, asked Biden if Americans have the stomach for all
the intervention he has proposed over the years, citing his calls for
intervention in Bosnia, Iraq, Pakistan and Sudan. Biden responded, “I think the
American public has the stomach for success. My recommendations on Bosnia …
saved tens of thousands of lives … (and) the end result was it worked.”

[....Palin] should have answered as follows: “Ya know, let’s talk about
success senator. Certainly, I can’t match your long record in the realm of
foreign policy. But, I don’t think the American people — those Main Streeters —
just want experience. They want good Main Street judgment. You cite Bosnia as a success, yet 13 years after the initial conflict, we still have 10,000 troops
there. You were one of the few opposed the first Gulf War, saying thousands of
U.S. soldiers would die. In fact, only 293 did in an overwhelming victory. Your
maverick opposition was irresponsible.

In addition to the fact that Palin again probably does not know these things, I fail to see how these points will help her win the debate. How can you criticize Biden for supporting something that resulted in 10,000 troops staying in Bosnia for 13 years when McCain wants troops to stay in Iraq for 100 years?* If our victory in the first Gulf War was so overwhelming, why was it necessary to go to war with Iraq again just 12 years later? And you're really going to criticize someone who is not John McCain for being an irresponsible maverick? Yeah, that's a good idea.

Despite the hopes of the Obama campaign and many liberals, electoral defeat
may just be the thing that reignites the conservative base. Democrats better
hope that Republicans don’t find the second coming of Ronald Reagan by 2012, or
conservatives will again unite behind a presidential candidate.

Wow. Are conservatives really that relentlessly optimistic/out of touch with reality? Maybe I'm wrong here, maybe I'm the one being overly optimistic, but it seems to me that we're in the middle of a paradigm shift. The pendulum is swinging leftward. Americans are tired of the excesses of conservatism and the Bush administration: deregulation, wars without provocation, living without a safety net, ignoring our civil liberties, corruption, etc. This is not to say that liberals cannot be guilty of their own excesses; indeed, Americans upset with Great Society, Vietnam, the Chicago protests, race riots, and the Iranian hostage crisis deserted Johnson, Humphrey, and Carter and turned to Nixon and then Reagan. We've been living in a conservative age ever since. Until now.

*NOTE: McCain does not want to see American troops fighting in Iraq for a century like the Obama campaign might want you to think. McCain wants the U.S. to establish a peacetime presence there as in Germany or South Korea or Bosnia. Permanent bases in Iraq are still a bad idea, though.

Second Presiential Debate

Here is the CSPAN footage from the second presidential debate. The moderator was Tom Brokaw and the style was that of a Town Hall debate. All in all, both candidates did far better than the previous presidential debate, with Barack Obama making great improvements and doing an excellent job of differentiating between his and McCain's policies. McCain, on the other hand, often times sounded condescending and quick to levy false accusations. Both candidates, however, were constantly harassed by Tom Brokaw about the time constraints.

For the New York Times' interactive webpage on the debate, please click here.

To view the debate, please watch below.

Another Dilemma with Iran

The Associated Press reported that Iran ordered an aircraft to land due to invaded airspace and then questioned the plane's passengers. Iran then allowed the plane and its passengers to continue to their destinations.

If this behavior of negative reciprocity continues, there will be escalation and more tension between Iran and the United States, making attempts for genuine diplomacy more difficult. And genuine diplomacy is what is really needed between the United States and Iran. Also affecting the possibilities of real progress and improving relations between the two countries is each country's presidential election (2008 for the United States and 2009 for Iran). Hopefully, the leaders elected in each respective country are more serious and sincere about diplomacy and less inflammatory to one another.

Read the Associated Press article below for more information on the plane situation.

Iran says it forced down Western plane

TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian news reports claimed Tuesday that Iran forced down a Western aircraft that accidentally entered its airspace, then allowed the plane to continue to Afghanistan after questioning its passengers.

The state-owned Al-Alam, Iran's official Arabic-language television station, quoted an unidentified senior Iranian military official as saying the plane belonged either to a British or Hungarian relief agency. It said Iran forced the aircraft to land on Sunday and then permitted the passengers and crew to leave the following day.

The U.S. military in Iraq issued a statement noting "media reports that a small, civilian passenger jet was forced to land in Iran. This was not a U.S. aircraft and there were no Americans reported on board. All U.S. aircraft are accounted for and none are missing."

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, "We're looking into the various and conflicting reports coming from the Iranian `news' agencies, but do not have any information at this time that would lead us to believe they are correct."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi said he had no information about the case. Other Iranian officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The official quoted by Al-Alam said the plane "lost its way" and violated Iranian air space. He said the passengers — who he said included American military personnel — were questioned and that the plane was allowed to continue to Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, officials with the U.S. military, the American Embassy and the British Embassy said they had no information about a plane being forced down in Iran.

Initially, the semiofficial Fars news agency said the plane was American. Fars reported that the plane was carrying five military officials and three civilians from Turkey to Afghanistan when it "unintentionally" entered Iranian airspace.

According to the Fars report, Iranian fighters guided the plane to an Iranian airport, the passengers were questioned and a day later were released and allowed to continue to their destination.

Fars said the plane was a Falcon, apparently referring to a passenger aircraft manufactured by the French firm Dassault and primarily used by business executives. Dassault Falcon produces five jets with ranges from about 3,250 nautical to more than 4,000 nautical miles, with cabins that typically carry about six passengers and two crew members.

SNL Says it All

SNL says it all when it comes to this election season's Vice Presidential candidates.

To see the newest skit, check this out from this past Saturday.


For the real deal, you can view the entire debate as well as the Associated Press' Fact Check by clicking here.

Vice Presidential Debate, AP Fact Check

On Thursday, October 2, 2008, the first and only vice presidential candidate debate was held. Below is the article from the Associated Press fact-checking statements made by the candidates. You can also watch the full footage of the debate, courtesy of CSPAN.

Some facts adrift in veep debate

By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Republican Sarah Palin criticized a version of a Barack Obama health care plan that doesn't exist and Democrat Joe Biden clung to a misleading charge about Republicans and big oil when the two clashed in the vice presidential debate Thursday.

Some examples of facts cast adrift in the debate:

PALIN: Said of Democratic presidential candidate Obama: "94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction."

THE FACTS: The dubious count includes repetitive votes as well as votes to cut taxes for the middle class while raising them on the rich. An analysis by factcheck.org found that 23 of the votes were for measures that would have produced no tax increase at all, seven were in favor of measures that would have lowered taxes for many, 11 would have increased taxes on only those making more than $1 million a year.

___

BIDEN: Complained about "economic policies of the last eight years" that led to "excessive deregulation."

THE FACTS: Biden voted for 1999 deregulation that liberal groups are blaming for part of the financial crisis today. The law allowed Wall Street investment banks to create the kind of mortgage-related securities at the core of the problem now. The law was widely backed by Republicans as well as by Democratic President Clinton, who argues it has stopped the crisis today from being worse.

___

PALIN: Criticized Obama's "plan to mandate health care coverage and have universal government run program" for health care, and added: "I don't think it's going to be real pleasing for Americans to consider health care being taken over by the Feds."

THE FACTS: Wrong on several counts. Obama's plan does not provide for universal coverage, only mandates insurance for children and doesn't turn the system over to the government. Most people would still get private insurance through their work. Obama proposes that the government subsidize the cost of health coverage for millions who have trouble affording it and he'd set up an exchange to negotiate prices and benefits with private insurers — with one option being a government-run plan.

___

BIDEN: Warned that Republican presidential candidate John McCain's $5,000 tax credit to help families buy health coverage "will go straight to the insurance company."

THE FACTS: That's not surprising — the money is meant to pay for health insurance. The Obama campaign tried to capitalize on the candidates' health care exchange by issuing an ad Friday contending that the Republicans can't explain "the McCain health tax."

___

PALIN: "Two years ago, remember, it was John McCain who pushed so hard with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform measures. He sounded that warning bell."

THE FACTS: Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska led an effort in 2005 to tighten regulation on the mortgage underwriters — McCain joined as a co-sponsor a year later. The legislation was never taken up by the full Senate, then under Republican control.

___

BIDEN: Said McCain supports tax breaks for oil companies, and "wants to give them another $4 billion tax cut."

THE FACTS: Biden is repeating a favorite saw of the Obama campaign, and it's misleading. McCain supports a cut in income taxes for all corporations, and doesn't single out any one industry for that benefit.

___

PALIN: Said the United States has reduced its troop level in Iraq to a number below where it was when the troop increase began in early 2007.

THE FACTS: Not correct. The Pentagon says there are currently 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, about 17,000 more than there were before the 2007 military buildup began.

___

BIDEN: "As a matter of fact, John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that he wants to do for the health care industry — deregulate it and let the free market move — like he did for the banking industry."

THE FACTS: Biden and Obama have been perpetuating this distortion of what McCain wrote in an article for the American Academy of Actuaries. McCain, laying out his health plan, only referred to deregulation when saying people should be allowed to buy health insurance across state lines. In that context, he wrote: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."

___

PALIN: Said Alaska is "building a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline, which is North America's largest and most expensive infrastructure project ever to flow those sources of energy into hungry markets."

THE FACTS: Not quite. Construction is at least six years away. So far the state has only awarded a license to Trans Canada Corp., that comes with $500 million in seed money in exchange for commitments toward a lengthy and costly process to getting a federal certificate. At an August news conference after the state Legislature approved the license, Palin said, "It's not a done deal."

___

PALIN: "Barack Obama even supported increasing taxes as late as last year for those families making only $42,000 a year."

BIDEN: "The charge is absolutely not true. Barack Obama did not vote to raise taxes."

THE FACTS: The vote was on a nonbinding budget resolution that assumed that President Bush's tax cuts would expire, as scheduled, in 2011. If that actually happened, it could mean higher taxes for people making as little as about $42,000. But Obama is proposing tax increases only on the wealthy, and would cut taxes for most others.

___

PALIN: Said a McCain-Palin administration "will support Israel," including "building our embassy ... in Jerusalem."

THE FACTS: Moving the U.S. Embassy from its present location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a perennial promise of presidential candidates courting the Jewish-American vote. In fact, moving the embassy is actually required by U.S. law. But successive administrations of both parties, including George W. Bush's, have made the same pledge only to find that the realities of Middle East peacemaking have forced them to invoke a waiver to delay it. Jerusalem is claimed as a capital by both Israelis and the Palestinians and Israel's occupation of east Jerusalem is not internationally recognized. The city's status is one of the key issues of disagreement in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Headlines, 9-25-08

"Obama calls on McCain to keep Friday Debate Date," LA Times.

Either McCain has the worst campaign manager ever or he is afraid to debate Barack Obama or he truly wants to lose the election. Or, all of the above.

"NYPD investigates two officers in Taser death of naked Brooklyn man," Daily News.

The NYPD lieutenant who ordered the second officer to Taser Inman Morelas was stripped of his badge and gun and assigned to desk duty. Yet another example of persistant problems with NYPD officers' aggression towards minorities.

"Energy Drinks can cause caffine intoxication," LA Times.

Lay off the caffine. From the LA Times, "Caffeine intoxication is a recognized clinical syndrome. It is described as nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, tremors, rapid heartbeat, restlessness and pacing. In rare cases, caffeine intoxication can cause death."

"Judge Orders Mistrial in P2P Piracy Case," PCMag.com.

From PCMAg.com, "Jammie Thomas, who was ordered to pay $222,000 to a group of music labels for allegedly pirating songs using the Kazaa peer-to-peer service, has been granted a new trial...The key word and definition was 'distribution,' which both the labels and Thomas' lawyers disputed. Both sides agreed that the only copying of files in the case was by MediaSentry, a firm hired by the labels to seek out pirates. The lawyers for Thomas had argued that a copyright holder or its agent, MediaSentry, can not infringe its own copyright."

"Johnny Depp Signs on to bring back Captain Jack in 'Pirates 4,'" MTV.

Oh, please. Give it a rest. The man is 45 years old and his most famous role is a pirate with make-up and the movie is based off of a roller coaster. Time to move on.

What's Up With the Bailout?

Who knows? I've been reading almost every article I've come across and things are still a little fuzzy:

What's going on in Congress? On Monday, there was a tangible fear that a Congress pressured by Bush, Cheney, Treasury Secretary Henry "Hank" Paulson, Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, and SEC Chairman Christopher Cox would hurry up and pass a bill without holding hearings or bothering to think about granting broad new powers to the Treasury Department and expanding next year's deficit to $1 trillion. Newt Gingrich complained that conservative voices were "silent or confused" because this fiscally irresponsible, socialist (We are basically nationalizing the financial industry here.) plan was proposed by Republican leadership.

On Tuesday, Congress woke up. Bernanke, Paulson, and Cox testified before the Senate Banking Committee. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asked if $150 billion would be enough for now with a promise of more to come later if needed; Paulson said that would be a "grave mistake." However, compromises were made. Paulson agreed to assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure, limits on compensation for participating firms' executives, and congressional oversight of the program. He balked at the idea that the government should receive stock for helping these companies so the taxpayers could recoup their investment, saying that companies would be less likely to participate if this stipulation was made. (Never mind that that was part of the deal with the savings and loan scandal in the '80s.)

The consensus seems to be that Congress will pass a bill, just one significantly different from Paulson's original proposal.

What's happening on Wall Street?

It seems like nobody knows what's happening. On Friday, the Dow rose nearly 369 points on news that a bailout plan was being suggested. On Monday, it fell 372 points supposedly because investors had a weekend to examine the plan and did not like the lack of details. On Tuesday, it fell an additional 161 points supposedly because investors did not like the details Congress was considering. (Today, it remained relatively stable, losing only 29 points.)

How is it affecting the race for president? Hoo boy. A mere yesterday, both Obama and McCain trod softly, reluctant to make the first move. Neither had given any word about how the expensive deal would affect campaign promises. But it was clear that the bailout was becoming increasingly unpopular; by Monday night, 44% opposed the plan compared to 25% supporting. It was less clear, but the economic mess seemed to help Obama in the polls; a WaPo-ABC poll showed Obama with the first statistically significant lead in the general campaign. (Both campaigns found it hard to believe that Obama could gain 11 points on McCain in one week.)

Yesterday night, Obama said the bailout would likely delay implementing his campaign proposals as president.

And if they were reluctant to make the gambit 27 hours ago, the chess pieces are flying tonight. (Perhaps you'd prefer a poker metaphor?) First, McCain said he'd suspend his campaign tomorrow and fly back to Washington. He also asked that Friday's debate be postponed. The two campaigns agreed to issue a "joint statement outlining their shared principles," which turned out not to say much. But Obama said he'd still want to hold the debate:

With respect to the debates, it's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess. . . . In my mind, actually it's more important than ever that we present ourselves to the American people.

Are these gimmicks? Probably. But the issue could fundamentally alter the presidential race.

Losing a Little More

Under Michigan state law, political parties are allowed to post election challengers at polling sites to prevent voter fraud. James Carabelli, chairman of the Macomb County Republicans, might be taking the law a bit too far.

About two weeks ago, the Michigan Messenger, an arm of the Center for Independent Media, reported that Carabelli planned on dispersing lists of foreclosed homes to the election challengers to "make sure people aren't voting from those addresses." Now Carabelli claims he never said it and is suing Michigan Messenger for libel. Right...

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign and DNC filed suit against the Michigan GOP for the plan, citing in particular a state law allowing people to vote if they've lost their homes within 60 days of the election.

Obviously, voter fraud is not the primary concern of either party, but the fact that the Republican Party would discount a legitimate vote is sleazy, if not particularly surprising.

For more.

Lies and Blinking

"This is the narcissism of partisan. You get furiously outraged at the other campaign's lies, and you love your own. Nonetheless, I do think it is fair to say that the McCain campaign has been more egregious than the Obama campaign." --David Brooks

John McCain is drawing criticism for claims he's making about Barack Obama, even from the normally welcoming ladies on The View:

In one of the two ads to which Joy Behar is referring, McCain accuses Obama of sexism for saying, "You can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig." But Obama wasn't insulting Sarah Palin; he was referring to the McCain-Palin ticket's attempt to portray themselves as agents of change. And compare Obama's comment to Palin's "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick," and McCain's saying the same thing about Hillary Clinton's health care plan during the primaries.

The other ad accuses Obama of perversely wanting to teach comprehensive sex ed to kindergartners, when he really supports teaching what constitutes inappropriate behavior from adults.

And while speaking in Missouri last week, McCain said that Obama's health care plan would "force small businesses to cut jobs and reduce wages and force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor." Even though Obama's plan drew criticisms in the Democratic primaries for not forcing all Americans into a government-run system. Said Jonathan Oberlander, a professor of health policy at UNC-Chapel Hill, "I would say this is an inaccurate and false characterization of the Obama plan. I don’t use those words lightly.”

"We must do whatever it takes, and we must not blink, Charlie, in making those tough decisions of where we go and even who we target." --Sarah Palin

On the New York Times' most-emailed list lie at least three editorials criticizing Sarah Palin's naïveté. And why not? Her ignorance is shocking even if you're not an Eastern media elite. (Side note:

Perhaps Mitt Romney thinks he's a reporter for the Daily Show?)

Palin argued that Alaska's proximity to Russia gives her better insight into Russian affairs. Can you "[i]magine the derisive laughter in conservative circles if the Democrats had tried such nonsense"?

She was completely ignorant of the Bush Doctrine. Talking heads later argued that most Americans couldn't explain the Bush Doctrine, but how many of them are running for vice president? Others have argued that several policies could be labeled that way, but Palin seems completely unaware that the label exists at all.

She claimed that our soldiers in Iraq are fighting "the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans." In short, Sarah Palin's ignorance is frightening, reflects poorly on McCain, and is oddly reminiscent of Bush circa 2000.

It is also nicely satirized by Tina Fey:

Palin Problems

Personally, I think Sarah Palin is a terrible choice for McCain's running mate. But the general public seems to disagree. Palin embodies the conservative myth of small-town America. And McCain is now leading among white women 52% to Obama's 41%, when they were basically tied a month ago. (Some of this is probably attributed to a post-convention bounce, so don't worry too much, but worry a little.) And she's received 10% more press attention than Obama last week, and nine times more than Biden. (Who's the real celebrity?) So, for all of you enamored by the Palin story/myth, here are the facts.

THE TOP TEN REASONS TO DISLIKE SARAH PALIN:

10. She may have odd political affiliations. Her husband Todd was a registered member of the Alaskan Independence Party from 1995 to 2002. The AIP advocates greater state sovereignty for Alaska, and some members, including its founder Joe Vogler, have advocated secession. (Rumors have circulated that she supported Pat Buchanan in 1996 and 2000. These appear to be untrue.)
9. She taxes your oil. Sarah Palin is the most popular governor in the U.S. Perhaps because Alaska makes 89% of its revenue on four different taxes on oil. Enough for every Alaskan to get a $3200 check from the state government last year.
8. She was for the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it. Thanks, then no thanks. When running for governor, she was asked if she supported the bridge. She answered, "Yes...The window is now — while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.” Congress stripped the appropriations bill of language saying the $233 million had to be used for the bridge, so Alaska still received the money.
7. She supports shooting wolves from helicopters. I'm not making this up. She even offered a $150 bounty per wolf.
6. She charges the state more than a "crusader for fiscal rectitude" should. Governor Palin received per diem allowances, intended to cover travel costs, when she stayed at home, which is perfectly legal if not exactly in accordance with her principles.
5. She supports teaching creationism in public schools. Of the three candidates running for governor of Alaska in 2006, she was the only one to support it.
4. She believes humans are not responsible for climate change. She even sued the Bush Administration for listing the polar bear as an endangered species because it would hamper drilling for oil and gas in Alaska.
3. She is inexperienced, making her an especially odd choice for McCain, seeing how his best attack against Obama was Obama's inexperience. (For those keeping score, Obama has spent four years in the Senate, and Palin has been Alaska's governor for two.) And it's telling that she thinks Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are taxpayer-funded, especially when they hold 80% of the country's mortgages and are being bailed out by the Treasury Department.
2. She tried to ban books from the Wasilla library. She asked the librarian how one would ban books from the library, particularly Go Ask Alice (about drug use) and Pastor, I Am Gay. When the librarian refused to answer the question, she was fired then reinstated after a public outcry.
1. She does not support abortion, even in cases of rape or incest.

Veiled Racism abord the "Straighttalk" Express

New York Governor David Paterson today gave a statement at a business conference in which he states that the McCain campaign is using the term "community organizer" as a shield for their veiled racism against Barack Obama.

As stated by Governor Paterson, "I think the Republican Party is too smart to call Barack Obama 'black' in a sense that it would be a negative. But you can take something about his life, which I noticed they did at the Republican Convention – a 'community organizer.' They kept saying it, they kept laughing."

For the video, please see below.



Matt Damon gave an interview with the Associated Press that also critiques the McCain/Palin campaign. He compared it to a "really bad Disney movie" and stated that "...this [McCain/Palin campaign] is absurd...I want to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were around 4,000 years ago...because she will have the nuclear codes...I want to know if she banned books or tried to ban books because we can't have this."

Attention Young People!

Attention young people! It's time to be inspired!