Palin Never on Meet the Press

She poses for Vogue

But she made the cover of Alaska for being hot and she likes moose burgers and her nickname was Sarah Barracuda. Maureen Dowd puts her lovely snarky twist on the Palin story. She also explains the meaning behind each of her kids' eclectic names: Trig, Bristol, Willow, Track, Piper.

NYT: It’s easy to see where this movie is going. It begins, of course, with a cute, cool unknown from Alaska who has never even been on “Meet the Press” triumphing over a cute, cool unknowable from Hawaii who has been on “Meet the Press” a lot.

Americans, suspicious that the Obamas have benefited from affirmative action without being properly grateful, and skeptical that Michelle really likes “The Brady Bunch” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” reject the 47-year-old black contender as too uppity and untested.

Instead, they embrace 72-year-old John McCain and 44-year-old Sarah Palin, whose average age is 58, a mere two years older than the average age of the Obama-Biden ticket. Enthusiastic Republicans don’t see the choice of Palin as affirmative action, despite her thin résumé and gaping absence of foreign policy knowledge, because they expect Republicans to put an underqualified “babe,” as Rush Limbaugh calls her, on the ticket. They have a tradition of nominating fun, bantamweight cheerleaders from the West, like the previous Miss Congeniality types Dan Quayle and W., and then letting them learn on the job. So they crash into the globe a few times while they’re learning to drive, what’s the big deal?

Obama may have been president of The Harvard Law Review, but Palin graduated from the University of Idaho with a minor in poli-sci and worked briefly as a TV sports reporter. And she was tougher on the basketball court than the ethereal Obama, earning the nickname “Sarah Barracuda.”

The legacy of Geraldine Ferraro was supposed to be that no one would ever go on a blind date with history again. But that crazy maverick and gambler McCain does it, and conservatives and evangelicals rally around him in admiration of his refreshingly cynical choice of Sarah, an evangelical Protestant and anti-abortion crusader who became a hero when she decided to have her baby, who has Down syndrome, and when she urged schools to debate creationism as well as that stuffy old evolution thing.

Check out Palin's resume.
How Palin is polling.

What Hillary Sold During the Primaries

For the past several months I've been trying to understand the Hillary diehard line of thinking, how they came to the conclusion that Obama was an empty suit and this morning it clicked.

After listening to Hillary supporters talk this morning about how race affected their vote, there it was: Hillary sold Obama to her supporters as an inexperienced and unqualified black man who was trying to use his race to get ahead.

That's the way they saw it. They didn't see Obama as a qualified candidate. Geraldine Ferraro was a good example.

In Hillary's effort to get to the White House, she didn't engage in overt racism but she used Obama's race against him, which when you think about it, is devious and ingenious and it's no wonder she wasn't thought of for the vice presidency.

Ferraro Emerges From Her Hole

after making racist remarks earlier in the campaign, geraldine ferraro now accuses obama of being sexist. as the dream of the first woman president slips away (for now), "feminists" are going bonkers along with hillary who is campaigning today in kentucky, touting karl rove's assessment that she's the strongest candidate against mccain.

cnn: Geraldine Ferraro, the outspoken former Democratic vice presidential candidate and a supporter of Hillary Clinton's White House bid, told the New York Times she may not vote for Barack Obama should he be the party's nominee.

Ferraro, a former member of Clinton's finance committee who resigned that post earlier this year after making comments many viewed as racially offensive, also said she thinks the Illinois senator has been "terribly sexist" over the course of the presidential campaign.

Ferraro Just Can't Shut Up

ick. she's such a bitter bitter woman:

CNN: "To equate what I said with what this racist bigot has said from the pulpit is unbelievable," Ferraro told the Daily Breeze newspaper an interview published late Wednesday night. "He gave a very good speech on race relations, but he did not address the fact that this man is up there spewing hatred."

"What this man is doing is he is spewing that stuff out to young people, and to younger people than Obama, and putting it in their heads that it's OK to say `Goddamn America' and it's OK to beat up on white people," Ferraro also said of Wright. "You don't preach that from the pulpit."

Ferraro, a former congresswoman and the Democratic party's 1984 vice presidential nominee, stepped down from her fundraising post with the Clinton campaign last week after suggesting Obama's success in the presidential race can largely be attributed to the fact he is black.

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept" she said in an earlier interview with the Daily Breeze.

Ferarro ardently defended her comments for days, but ultimately resigned because she said the Obama campaign was publicizing the comments to "hurt Hillary."

Context to Pastor Wright’s Sermon
Truth About Trinity
FoxAttacks.com Fights Fox

Obama’s Pennsylvania Strategy
Clinton Must Win Pennsylvania
It’s Still Over for Clinton
Compilation of Clinton’s Dirty Tactics

Ferraro's Woman Glasses

geraldine ferraro is a good example of the staunch clinton supporter. all they can see is the prospect of the first woman president slipping away because of a black man. gender discrimination still tops color, they say.

that's how they see it because they have their woman glasses on. they are indignant. how could this be happening, they ask?

they don't see clinton's underhanded tactics. they don't see that insisting that counting florida and michigan's delegates is unfair no matter how you slice it.

at the same they don't see obama's talent because they haven't bothered to look. their eyes are on clinton. they can only see her her good qualities and her woman-ness and the prospect that finally, women will get what they've deserved after all this long haul of fighting for women's rights.

they are oblivious to obama's character, his fairness, his judgement and experience. so they fall back on their prejudices. it's easier that way. obama is where he is because he's black, they say.

ferraro just can't stop herself.

It's Obama's Talent Not Race

Time:

But to say that Obama got to where he is because of his race like saying that Halle Berry got to where she is because of hers. First, he is, without question, the best public speaker the Democratic Party has produced since John F. Kennedy. Second, he has shown an ability to remain cool and quick and very smart under pressure--his more recent performances in debates attest to that. Third, he is offering a less obnoxious sort of politics, an attempt to transcend the witless hyperpartisanship of the past twenty or so years while holding onto his basic principles. Obama's age and sensibility--and talent--have a lot more to do with his success than his race.

ferraro obviously hasn't been paying attention to obama with her eyes so wide on clinton.

Ferraro compounded her malicious foolishness by blaming the Obama campaign for making this an issue during an absurd, near-incomprehensible performance on the NBC evening news last night. She should take a deep breath, apologize to Obama and then go away.

Who Can Beat McCain?

Obama Up in Polls
Obama Widely Underestimated

And She's Out

but geraldine ferraro says she's not going to stop talking and says she's still right.

"I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign," Ferraro wrote in a letter to Clinton. "The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won't let that happen."
background: Clinton’s Deliberate Race Baiting

Bogus Big States Argument
Obama’s Pennsylvania Strategy
It’s Still Over for Clinton
Who Can Beat McCain?

My Favorite Comment of the Day 2

i only post these when they make me laugh out loud. here's one for its counter intuitive spin:

I agree with Ferraro, Barack wouldn't be in this position if he was a white man.

Any candidate who has energized the American people, called for Change in Washington politics, run a consistent positive campaign and have a Clear Vision for the future of America would be the NOMINEE by now.

No talk about a revote, super delegates, vice-presidency or other strategies to steal the election would even be considered or mentioned.

obama on mississippi win and the misjudgments by bush on iraq war, offering hope to the white person who lives in scranton, 3AM ad, florida mail-in ballots...

Obama: the Un-Beholden President
Bogus Big States Argument
Obama’s Pennsylvania Strategy
It’s Still Over for Clinton
Clinton’s Deliberate Race Baiting
Who Can Beat McCain?

Are Clinton's People Intentionally Race Baiting?

could it be? are we being bamboozled again? geraldine ferraro, steven king. here's ferraro caught in a flashback.
is this all part of clinton's "kitchen sink" strategy, to draw the ugliness out of people and pit them against each other, to divide people before the general election just so she can win?
i wouldn't put it past her. i will not vote for clinton if she cheats her way to the nomination. i will crawl into my apathetic hole.
the media has bitten and has been reeled in.
i have been drawn into the mud too and it doesn't feel good. the contest for the most important postition in the nation is being been reduced to the issue of race, and as one person put it, obama's campaign is being turned into a "black thing." that's not what obama is about.
well, i recognize it now and i'm no longer falling for it.
this blog will refocus on the positive. if someone says something stupid, i will ignore it. after all, if we ignored people who spew hate instead of giving them attention for their negativity, then they'd go away.
update: someone who agrees that this is just another clinton tactic. can we all call her a monster now and get on with it?
Obama: the Un-Beholden President
Bogus Big States Argument
Obama’s Pennsylvania Strategy
It’s Still Over for Clinton

Bitter Woman is Really Really Mad

and behaving foolishly. geraldine ferraro, former vice presidential nominee and clinton supporter, that is.
NYT:

“Every time that campaign is upset about something, they call it racist,” she said. “I will not be discriminated against because I’m white. If they think they’re going to shut up Geraldine Ferraro with that kind of stuff, they don’t know me.”

no one from the obama camp has said anything about racism, except in cases of racism. obama was much more diplomatic, calling her divisive.

and last year she said:

Last fall, Ms. Ferraro also indicated that she thought Mr. Obama was getting preferential treatment from the press. “It’s O.K. in this country to be sexist,” she said then. “’It’s certainly not O.K. to be racist. I think if Barack Obama had been attacked for two hours — well, I don’t think Barack Obama would have been attacked for two hours,” she said, referring to a Democratic debate.

i'll agree there's sexism going on but it's not coming from the obama camp. no way. i don't think she should be directing her bitterness and anger at obama.

clinton is sinking her own boat and mucking it up. not because she's a woman but because of her underhanded, old-fashioned politics, provoking, baiting people. it feels dirty. she distracting from the whole process of electing the most important person in the nation just so she can win. why is it so important for her to win at all costs? i'd rather see obama lose and keep on that high road.

frankly, i have so little respect for clinton's kitchen sink approach to the presidency. ick.

sadly, i think professor boyce watkins may be right.
Clinton’s Deliberate Race Baiting
Who Can Beat McCain?
Obama: the Un-Beholden President
Bogus Big States Argument
Obama’s Pennsylvania Strategy
It’s Still Over for Clinton

Congressman King Caught Still Being Stupid

it's interesting to see all of the ignorance that's been underground now bubbling up and spewing icky stuff everywhere. former vice presidential nominee and clinton supporter geraldine ferraro made her own stupid remarks recently.
i think this is a good thing, though. we need to get it out in the open and see what's really on people's minds. obama dismisses king:

“I think that Mr. King has it backwards. The fact that the continuation of a presence in Iraq as Sen. McCain has suggested is exactly what, I think, will fan the flames of anti-American sentiment and make it more difficult for us to create a long-term and sustainable peace in the world,” Obama said today at a campaign stop at The Little Dooey, a barbeque restaurant in Columbus, Miss.

“But I have to say that Mr. King and individuals like him thrive on offensive or controversial statements as a way to get in the papers, so I don’t take it too seriously. I would hope Sen. McCain would want to distance himself from that kind of inflammatory and offensive remarks.” (mccain did)

steven king defends his comments that just because obama's middle name is hussein, the terrorists will be "dancing in the streets." poor guy says he's been overwhelmed with comments. if you still want to pester him, you can do that here.

Rep. King Defends Comments About Obama
By JAMES BELTRAN

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Republican congressman on Monday defended his prediction that terrorists would celebrate if Democrat Barack Obama were elected president, despite a rebuke from John McCain, the GOP's apparent presidential nominee.

"(Obama will) certainly be viewed as a savior for them," Rep. Steve King told The Associated Press. "That's why you will see them supporting him, encouraging him."

King said his offices have been bombarded with calls — positive and negative — since he said Friday that al-Qaida "would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11 because they would declare victory in this war on terror."

King cited Obama's pledge to pull U.S. troops from Iraq, his father's Muslim roots in Kenya and his middle name, Hussein, which King said has a meaning to terrorists.

Obama's campaign has criticized King's comments and asked McCain to disavow them, which the Arizona senator's aides did Monday.

"John McCain rejects the type of politics that degrades our civics ... and obviously that extends to Congressman King's statement," spokesman Brian Rogers told The Associated Press.

Last month, McCain also denounced his introduction in Cincinnati by talk-show host Bill Cunningham, who referred to Obama three times as "Barack Hussein Obama."

Obama supporters have claimed such tactics are being used to imply that he is a Muslim.

The Illinois senator, born in Hawaii to a white Kansas woman and a Kenyan man, is a Christian and has said he has little connection to the Islamic religion, though he acknowledges spending part of his childhood in largely Muslim Indonesia.

King said the Obama family's assimilation into American culture will not change the perception terrorists would have if Obama wins the White House. King said he'll keep a close eye on Middle Eastern streets after the election to see if he's right.

Geraldine Ferraro Caught Being Stupid

update from the obama camp
former vice presidential nominee (she lost and is obviously still seething) and clinton supporter, geraldine ferraro said this:
CNN

Former New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee in 1984, told the (Torrance, California) Daily Breeze that "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." the rest

really people. first a black man doesn't stand a chance of being president and now he's going to be president because he's black? we really need to have a frank discussion about racism in this country. again, the reaffirmation that fancy title, power people (hello eliot spitzer, wow did you let people down) do, say, and think really stupid things.

it seems that any woman who makes an argument for clinton is essentially saying that clinton should win because she's a woman and a woman at long last deserves to be president. yes, she's a woman but she's one who's of the political system, a conniving, win-at-all-costs, distract-from- the-issues, woman.

Superdelegates, Superdelegates, Superdelegates
General Election Map and Calculator
Obama: the Un-Beholden President
Bogus Big States Argument
Obama’s Pennsylvania Strategy