U.S. Elections 2008: General Elections -- Analysis and Commentary

[KukriKhan]

On another front*, the Wilson sisters, members of the 70's band Heart, are miffed that the RNC used "their" song Barracuda twice during the convention, in reference to Palin's "Sarah Barracuda" nickname.

"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women," Heart members Ann and Nancy Wilson told Entertainment Weekly after the song played at the Republican National Convention.

"'Barracuda' was written in the late '70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women."

Sadly for the women, they signed away veto rights over public performance of the song to ASCAP, the music licensing agency, who the RNC paid the appropriate royalty fee. So the Wilsons are getting royalties on the performance along with their hurt feelings.

*my original post on this subject discussed the disconnection between the usually copyright-protecting Repubs and their using material without permission. Further inquiry led to the ASCAP payment info.

[Ice]

Speechless.

Yeah I thought the same thing

[m52nickerson]

And to McCain's, "IM A WAR HERO". I'm as sick of hearing this as hearing about Obama's race. I could care less. Spending the Vietnam War in a cell in Hanoi does not qualify one to be president, and it actually concerns me, seeing as sustaining that long of a torture can mess you up.

Agreed.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

And to McCain's, "IM A WAR HERO". I'm as sick of hearing this as hearing about Obama's race. I could care less. Spending the Vietnam War in a cell in Hanoi does not qualify one to be president, and it actually concerns me, seeing as sustaining that long of a torture can mess you up.

You don't think that honoring the 'first in, first out' rule shows strength of character?

You can criticize him for bringing up his pow experience to deflect questions all you want.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Speechless.

Me too.

No use trying to talk with them, I think.

CR

[KarlXII]

What? I can't be sick of hearing the same thing over and over? Hell, I watched Palin's speech. Most of it was attempting to "slam" Obama while praising McCain for his past. I want to hear what they're going to do in the future not what happened in the past.

[Crazed Rabbit]

That's not the bit that made people speechless.

CR

[KarlXII]

That's not the bit that made people speechless.

CR

You mean torture can't screw with people?

[Gregoshi]

Sure it can, but you'd think that after 30-40 years, McCain would be showing some signs of being screwed up by now - besides any half-baked politcal policies - if that were the case.

And speaking of torture, I can't say I'm looking forward to the next two month...

[ICantSpellDawg]

Sure it can, but you'd think that after 30-40 years, McCain would be showing some signs of being screwed up by now - besides any half-baked politcal policies - if that were the case.

And speaking of torture, I can't say I'm looking forward to the next two month...

Why not? This is way better than the playoffs and Superbowl.

[seireikhaan]

Why not? This is way better than the playoffs and Superbowl.

Blasphemy!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Lemur]

Some days it just isn't easy to play the victim card:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sent out a fundraising solicitation today that charged that "the Obama/Biden Democrats have been vicious in their attacks directed toward me, my family and John McCain."

I asked spokespeople of the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee just which "Obama/Biden Democrats" they're referring to.

The response I got was that Obama spokesman Mark Bubriski erroneously attacked Palin as a supporter of Pat Buchanan.

That's it. That's the evidence.

An attack on Palin herself.

In other words, they can't name one person affiliated with the Obama-Biden campaign who attacked the Palin family.

But she made the charge anyway, to help raise money.

[KarlXII]

Lemur, don't you get it? You cannot say anything bad against Palin. Feel free to say anything about the Muslim Commie Nazi Fuhrer Osamabama though......

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Lemur, don't you get it? You cannot say anything bad against Palin. Feel free to say anything about the Muslim Commie Nazi Fuhrer Osamabama though......

Well...name one person in the McCain/Palin campaign who has called obama a muslim or a commie or a nazi...

[CountArach]

Well...name one person in the McCain/Palin campaign who has called obama a muslim or a commie or a nazi...

Yeah, you're right. It's only Fox News

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Saw on cnn today that palin didn't sell the plane on ebay and not for a profit and cut the funding for special needs education by 62% despite saying that parents with special needs education would have a friend in the white house.

I guess refusing to be interviewed has a downside...

[KarlXII]

Well...name one person in the McCain/Palin campaign who has called obama a muslim or a commie or a nazi...

No, it seems the Republican camp is trying to forbid and condemn any accusations or attacks on Palin.

[KarlXII]

cut the funding for special needs education by 62% despite saying that parents with special needs education would have a friend in the white house.

Lol.

Maybe 38% of a friend.......

[CountArach]

Saw on cnn today that palin didn't sell the plane on ebay and not for a profit and cut the funding for special needs education by 62% despite saying that parents with special needs education would have a friend in the white house.

Sexist!

[m52nickerson]

Saw on cnn today that palin didn't sell the plane on ebay and not for a profit and cut the funding for special needs education by 62% despite saying that parents with special needs education would have a friend in the white house.

I guess refusing to be interviewed has a downside...

Supported abstinence only programs and having her 17 year old get pregnant.

Cutting funding to special education then having a child born with Down's syndrome.

Karma can really come back to bit you in the backside.

[KarlXII]

Supported abstinence only programs and having her 17 year old get pregnant.

Cutting funding to special education then having a child born with Down's syndrome.

Karma can really come back to bit you in the backside.

Of course, these are all lies created and funded by the Muslim Fuhrer Osamabama.

[Lemur]

Man, this guy over at NRO? Every conservative I know should give him a good, hard listen. He speaks caution to hysteria.

George W. Bush had very slight executive experience before becoming president. His views were not well known. He won the nomination exactly in the same way that Palin has won the hearts of so many conservatives: by sending cultural cues to convince them that he was one of them, understood them, sympathized with them. So that made everything else irrelevant in 2000 - as it seems again to be doing in 2008. [...]

I am not denying that Sarah Palin may have great skills. She may well. I am insisting that neither you, nor I, nor John McCain has any valid reason to believe that she does. This is not an argument about the attributes she lacks. It's an argument about the information we lack. I am pleading with my fellow conservatives: Please demand more and better knowledge before you commit yourselves to a political leader. That's all.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Yeah, but did W have the same reputation of being a reformer that Palin has? I think that's a big reason why the conservatives like her so much.

[ICantSpellDawg]

Man, this guy over at NRO? Every conservative I know should give him a good, hard listen. He speaks caution to hysteria.

George W. Bush had very slight executive experience before becoming president. His views were not well known. He won the nomination exactly in the same way that Palin has won the hearts of so many conservatives: by sending cultural cues to convince them that he was one of them, understood them, sympathized with them. So that made everything else irrelevant in 2000 - as it seems again to be doing in 2008. [...]

I am not denying that Sarah Palin may have great skills. She may well. I am insisting that neither you, nor I, nor John McCain has any valid reason to believe that she does. This is not an argument about the attributes she lacks. It's an argument about the information we lack. I am pleading with my fellow conservatives: Please demand more and better knowledge before you commit yourselves to a political leader. That's all.

Right - so I'm glad that she's the vice presidential nominee. Anyone who regrets voting for Bush in 2000 should avoid Obama for the same reason; sounds great on paper, but that's all we've got.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Yeah, but did W have the same reputation of being a reformer that Palin has? I think that's a big reason why the conservatives like her so much.

You should look more closely at palin's reputation as a reformer. (not) selling planes on ebay isn't impressive.

Right - so I'm glad that she's the vice presidential nominee. Anyone who regrets voting for Bush in 2000 should avoid Obama for the same reason; sounds great on paper, but that's all we've got.

You don't nominate anyone for vice president who you wouldn't want as president!

You also missed the point of the article. We know way more about obama than we do about palin. Palin won't even give an interview for chrissake. You can't go gaga over someone who you don't really know anything about.

[GeneralHankerchief]

You should look more closely at palin's reputation as a reformer. (not) selling planes on ebay isn't impressive.

Her reputation among the general public is still the same, however. We'll talk if the ebay thing gets wider press.

Anyways, I saw Newt Gingrich speak today. He said that Obama's made two major errors that has kept things close: First, he got too confident after winning the nomination and started doing stupid things like making his own seal and going to Europe. Second, he lost too much confidence and picked Biden, which kind of depleted his "change" message. He (Newt) pretty much admitted that Obama should be blowing McCain out of the water by now and that Hillary was the only VP option.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Her reputation among the general public is still the same, however. We'll talk if the ebay thing gets wider press.

Eh, that's exactly the point the author was making. He was asking the republican base to take a closer look at her.

Anyways, I saw Newt Gingrich speak today. He said that Obama's made two major errors that has kept things close: First, he got too confident after winning the nomination and started doing stupid things like making his own seal and going to Europe. Second, he lost too much confidence and picked Biden, which kind of depleted his "change" message. He (Newt) pretty much admitted that Obama should be blowing McCain out of the water by now and that Hillary was the only VP option.

Wasn't obama polling pretty well while he was abroad?

Biden is a better vp than hillary. I don't see what makes him say the biden choice was based on loss of confidence. Hillary was never a likely choice. Biden works because he's experienced. Hillary wouldn't have been a help to his ticket (did newt explain why that would have strengthened his "change" message ).

If you look at the state by state polling and do some electoral math obama is way ahead of mccain. He has a bunch of states essentially locked up which gives him many paths to victory. McCain has to win a number of very close states to come out ahead. Obama has been polling ahead of him consistently in the national poll as well, Mccain will probably go ahead a couple points in the next couple days from his convention bounce, but bounces are temporary.

So, I'm not sure what newt gingrich is smoking

[ICantSpellDawg]

You should look more closely at palin's reputation as a reformer. (not) selling planes on ebay isn't impressive.



You don't nominate anyone for vice president who you wouldn't want as president!

You also missed the point of the article. We know way more about obama than we do about palin. Palin won't even give an interview for chrissake. You can't go gaga over someone who you don't really know anything about.

The point of the quoted paragraph was that people didn't really know GWB even though he was a governor. He said things and did none of them. People were in the bag for a president they didn't get. Be careful of Obama - he says even more and has less of a record. For whatever reason you regret putting Bush in office, you will probably regret Obama just as much, maybe more. We should have chosen McCain in 2000.

I know it was meant to deter conservatives from viewing Palin as the messiah, but I don't see that happening. We are just excited from the surprise and we like her style so far. I wouldn't compare her with Obamania at this point.

[KarlXII]

So, I'm not sure what newt gingrich is smoking

The American Flag! Commie!

[CountArach]

Wasn't obama polling pretty well while he was abroad?

Not to get involved in this discussion, but no he wasn't. That article is a good read, actually - it explains why it could be considered a negative for Obama in that it shifted the narrative focus.