Category: Presidential Campaign

Worst Political Commentary Ever

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You can almost visualize Rich Lowry masturbating to the debates:

A very wise TV executive once told me that the key to TV is projecting through the screen. It’s one of the keys to the success of, say, a Bill O’Reilly, who comes through the screen and grabs you by the throat. Palin too projects through the screen like crazy. 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.

And them, I guess, he cleaned off his keyboard.

I’m thoroughly squicked by this.

This is So Undeniably Cynical and Dishonest

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It appears that the McCain campaign wants Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston to have an October wedding, because they think that it would have a positive impact on their campaign:

In an election campaign notable for its surprises, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice- presidential candidate, may be about to spring a new one — the wedding of her pregnant teenage daughter to her ice-hockey-playing fiancé before the November 4 election.

Inside John McCain’s campaign the expectation is growing that there will be a popularity boosting pre-election wedding in Alaska between Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, her schoolmate and father of her baby. “It would be fantastic,” said a McCain insider. “You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week.”

As Lily Tomlin says, “No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up.”

Unfortunately for John Sidney McCain III and His Evil Minions™, it appears that the love birds are looking at a Summer wedding.

Eisenhower’s Kid Speaks

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John S.D. Eisenhower, Dwight Eisenhower’s son, notes that he is the only son of a president or vice-president who served in combat while their parents were serving, and he notes that Sarah Palin’s, Joe Biden’s, and John McCain’s sons should not be serving in Iraq:

As the time for my deployment approached, I discussed my intentions with my father. We met at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, just after the Republican convention, and I explained my position. My father, as a professional officer himself, understood and accepted it. However, he had a firm condition: Under no circumstances must I ever be captured. He would accept the risk of my being killed or wounded, but if the Chinese Communists or North Koreans ever took me prisoner, and threatened blackmail, he could be forced to resign the presidency. I agreed to that condition wholeheartedly. I would take my life before being captured.

On looking back, however, I now feel that I was being unfair and selfish, and that my father was being far too conciliatory in giving me such permission. On the other hand, I don’t think that the army should ever have given me an option in the matter.

(emphasis mine)

This argument also applies to Prince Harry, by the way.

VP Debate Live Blogging

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She is doing better than I expected, but then again, how could she do worse.

OTOH, she’s just ignoring the questions.

Biden is doing a good job of going after McCain.

…….

She keeps referring to herself to talking straight to the American people….Must have been something that polled well.

…….

The war:

Palin said the troops were down to pre-surge level …. Lie.

We just had her crack about “surrendering” in Iraq … Sounded fracking loopy.

Biden brings up McCain’s vote against MRAP armmored trucks, and the fact that McCain has been wrong everything.

……

Biden asked about Iran and Pakistan and nukes, and he brings up the fact that McCain keeps calling Iraq the central front on the war on terror.

Palin brings up Iran, DPRK, Cuba, and how they are really scary people.

She is awfully screechy.

Biden just pointed out that Achmedinajad doesn’t control the Iranian security apparatus, and has said that McCain doesn’t have a clue on this.

Biden’s talking point on foreign policy is “abject failure,” which is a good way to tie McCain to “Mr. 27%.”

Palin admits that there have been blunders…Will Biden ask her to name some.

……

Palin is pissed when Bide said that commanding General in Afghanistan said that a “surge” won’t work there.

……

Joe Biden talks about Genocide in Darfur, and Sarah Palin talks about how much she is a “Washington Outsider,” and a, “Straight Talker”.

Maybe it’s me, but she is unbelievably lame.

……
Biden, “John McCain was in lockstep with Dick Cheney,” and Palin is saying that, Biden was a big supporter of McCain’s positions.

…..

When asked about what they would do if the unthinkable happened and they became president, Sarah Palin sounds a bit too gleeful about McCain dying.

Her smile is starting to grate.

…..

Is it just me. or is Palin realy angry? I just get the sense that she wants to shoot someone.

….

Nice question from Ifill about what exactly is the role of the Vice Presidency.

Palin goes back to talking points, Biden says that he would function as a fixer of things in the Congress, as that is his background.

….

Palin just dropped brought up her Downs Syndrome kid in the debate…Classy…Then Biden brings up his wife and daughter dying in a car accident…also classy.

Biden actually choked up when talking about wondering whether his sons would live or die following the car accident….Don’t know how that will pla.

….

How many times can this woman say “Maverick”???? Jeebus.

Biden appears to be sick of that word too, he’s going after her on that.

….

Closing statements:

Palin sounded a bit rote.

Biden a bit, but only a bit less so.

Analysis:

Palin did well, much better than was expected.

Biden did well too.

My gut, I really dislike Palin.

Palin Took Blessing From Witch Hunter After He Unleashed Anti-Semitic Screed

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I can’t believe that I’m quoting aAndrew Sullivan, but he has the video, where he makes this comment at about 1:10:

The second area whereby God wants us, wants to penetrate in our society is in the economic area. The Bible says that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. It’s high time that we have top Christian businessmen, businesswomen, bankers, you know, who are men and women of integrity running the economics of our nations. That’s what we are waiting for. That’s part and parcel of transformation. If you look at the — you know — if you look at the Israelites, that’s how they work. And that’s how they are, even today.”

(emphasis mine)

And at 7:20 Sarah Palin walks up to stage to accept a blessing from him.

She wasn’t just in the audience, she walks up and accepts his blessing after an anti-Semitic screed.

I agree with Andrew Sullivan, when he says, with no small amount of snark, “Sure they vetted her.“

Rick Davis Was Getting Freddie Mac Money Until Last Month

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John Sidney McCain III’s campaign manager’s firm was getting $15,000 a month until the government took them over.

Note that Davis is still on the board of Davis & Manafort, and two sources in the story that the money was specifically in order to maintain access to John McCain.

McCain claims to have learned from his Keating 5 experience, but now it appears that he could swim in a sea of knowledge, and emerge completely dry.

He Came, He Saw, He Queered the Deal

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Silly me. I figured that McCain’s “suspension” of his campaign was a completely empty gesture which would contribute nothing to any bailout deal.

I was wrong. John Sidney McCain III’s high profile involvement, and the White House meeting that his his campaign engineered, just had a deal blow up, because John McCain allied with conservative Republicans in the house to propose yet another tax cut.

About the only good things to come out of his involvement are a couple of bon mots from Democrats, the first from Christopher Dodd, who said that the entire affair sounded more like, “a rescue plan for John McCain than one for the financial system,” and the other from Barney Frank, “Senator McCain has said he had to interrupt his campaign and couldn’t do a debate because he had to come here to help us. God save us from such help. But in any case, there is no sign whatsoever that Senator McCain’s got any real role here, so he certainly ought to feel free to go back and debate.”

In the mean time, Boehner aHis Evil Minions&trade make it clear that this is just another exercise in dick swinging for purely partisan gains.

Lovely fellows, I’m glad that I have a daughter, so that I can forbid her to marry them.

McCain “Suspends” Campaign

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It appears that he believes that his campaign the country needs him to go down to Washington so that he can inject politics into the matter.

He is also calling for a delay in the first debate, doubtless because with the financial crisis, there will have to be some questions asked on the economy, though Obama is having none of this, noting that multi-tasking and delegation are crucial skills for a president.

My theory is that he knows that no one is concerned about foreign policy right now, so he wants the foreign policy debate delayed until people will pay attention.

It’s also certain that the economy would come up in the debate, even with the ostensible focus on foreign policy, so he’s looking to cut and run.

Of course, it may just all be a ploy to distract people from Sarah Palin’s disasterous interview with Katie Couric……How the hell do you get owned in an interview by the mistress of softball questions anyway?

H/T This Modern World for the pic