For the last week, the Obama campaign has had one powerful argument against Palin after another drop into its lap, and to my knowledge neither it nor the DNC has gotten off its ass with any advertising designed to blow up the narrative that Palin (and by extension McCain) has any connection whatsoever to true reform. Meanwhile, the GOP has already run one ad featuring Palin on the attack, and now the RNC has produced this. The Obama campaign seems to live in a nice little fantasy world where high-minded press releases that nobody reads and off-the-cuff comments by Obama that nobody hears are sufficient to counter the crap that the GOP is spewing every day. Instead we get soft-focus ads on the economy with a lame cover of an old Sam Cooke song that nobody under 60 is familiar with. If Obama hangs on to win, it will be in spite of David Axelrod.

Posted at September 5, 2008 5:44 PM in response to New RNC Ad: It's Obama Who Represents "More Of The Same"

There's no chance that Palin will be dumped. For one thing, the Christianist base has rallied to her and to McCain, and the money has started flowing in at a greatly increased rate because of that. The evangelicals have made it clear that no kind of personal moral turpitude (as they would term it if it were involving the Democratic ticket) will affect their support. It's OK if You're a "Christian" Republican.

Second, there's nothing in McCain's record or makeup to suggest he's going to capitulate. He's combative to a fault, and relishes the role of the brave warrior besieged by enemies on every side. I expect he'll deliver a hearty, Zell Milleresque defense of Palin at some point during the convention.

The only thing that would result in Palin's removal would be hard evidence of criminal acts such as bribery or tax fraud. Otherwise she's going to get a free pass from the McCainiacs regardless. Obama and Biden better buckle their chinstraps because it's going to get extremely rough from here on, and media types like Campbell Brown will be few and far between.

Posted at September 2, 2008 6:18 PM in response to McCain Cancels CNN Interview As Punishment For Criticizing Palin

There's no chance that Palin will be dumped. For one thing, the Christianist base has rallied to her and to McCain, and the money has started flowing in at a greatly increased rate because of that. The evangelicals have made it clear that no kind of personal moral turpitude (as they would term it if it were involving the Democratic ticket) will affect their support. It's OK if You're a "Christian" Republican.

Second, there's nothing in McCain's record or makeup to suggest he's going to capitulate. He's combative to a fault, and relishes the role of the brave warrior besieged by enemies on every side. I expect he'll deliver a hearty, Zell Milleresque defense of Palin at some point during the convention.

The only thing that would result in Palin's removal would be hard evidence of criminal acts such as bribery or tax fraud. Otherwise she's going to get a free pass from the McCainiacs regardless. Obama and Biden better buckle their chinstraps because it's going to get extremely rough from here on, and media types like Campbell Brown will be few and far between.

Posted at September 2, 2008 6:08 PM in response to McCain Cancels CNN Interview As Punishment For Criticizing Palin

Why does Sarah Palin love a man who hates America?

If it were revealed that Michelle Obama had belonged to a secessionist group from '95 to '02, both Karl Rove and David Brooks would expire from orgasmic delirium at the prospect of hammering Obama over it from now until election day, and the rest of the MSM would gleefully join in. So far, the Brookses of the world have swallowed the "reformer" line of horseshit on Palin hook, line, and sinker. His op-ed today in the NYT was mind-boggling in its ignorance of what's transpired over the last 48 hours.

Posted at September 2, 2008 4:04 PM in response to Todd Palin Was Registered Member of Alaska Independence Party Until 2002

Is anybody aware of any anti-Palin ads run by the Dems, or anybody else for that matter, running in any state?

The image of Palin in the minds of many Americans is fluid at the moment. Plenty of information has come out that completely undercuts her glossy image as a "reformer" and enemy of earmarks (the WaPo has a good article on that today), and as Lalo notes, illustrates what a fringe loon she is. NOW is the time for the Obama campaign to aggressively attack Palin (and McCain) on all aspects of her record. NOW is the time to define her, not next week.

If the Obama campaign dithers, it will give the McCainiacs time to regroup and develop the new round of crazy attack ads that they'll be leveling at Biden and Obama, who will then have to spend days or weeks refuting and defending, instead of driving the narrative on Palin and McCain themselves.

Posted at September 2, 2008 11:22 AM in response to Associated Press To The Rescue! Palin Was Thoroughly Vetted, After All!

"it does seem to folks up here that they get less out of being part of the US than they (as a resource rich territory) give to the US."

Interestingly enough, there is a page with questions on the AIP website about the ramifications of leaving statehood, and one specifically asks what will happen to Social Security payments were Alaska to secede from the Union. Not surprisingly, these vaunted rugged individualists in the AIP assert Alaskans would still continue to receive their checks from the nasty United States government they so desperately want to leave.

In other words, they're complete hypocrites. Which puts them in comfortable company with the GOP.

Posted at September 1, 2008 6:14 PM in response to Sarah Palin And The Alaska Independence Party

"Why is this Independence Party an issue if Palin is now a Republican?"

Jesus Christ on a cracker... Rev. Jeremiah Wright says "goddamn America" and Barack Obama has to spend weeks extricating himself from that mess, even though Wright himself served in uniform as a Marine fighting to defend the United States and our allies.

Now Sarah Palin delivers a cheerful, encouraging message lauding a political party that specifically wants to secede from the same United States that Wright fought for, and you can't see any teensy problem? A party founded by a guy named Joe Vogler, who says, “I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions" isn't a potential issue for the GOP VP candidate?

If Barack Obama delivered the same damn video message to an party based in the south side of Chicago that explicitly wanted Illinois to secede from the United States of America, what in hell do you think the Republican Party would do with that?

If the Obamaniacs have any brains whatsoever, they will have the appropriate commercial in the can tomorrow morning ready to run in markets across the country. All they need to do is combine Palin's address to the AIP with the statements on the AIP website, and end with the question: "John McCain and Governor Palin, why do you support the breakup of the United States of America?"

I'm sure there are 10 or 20 visitors to this site who have the ability and the resources to put it together in half the time for a fraction of the money that Obama's overrated communications "genius" Axelrod would charge.

Posted at September 1, 2008 6:07 PM in response to Sarah Palin And The Alaska Independence Party

As we all know, IOKIYAR, and Fogu and Exposing Myself have rushed to that line of defense with admirable speed. Good work, you two.

The Christian evangelical right has been castigating the wicked morals of liberals for over two decades over the issue of premarital sex among young people, and have helped many, many Republicans get elected by blaming it all on godless, immoral Democrats. When their own children are guilty of the same base, lustful wickedness, suddenly it's all tender forgiveness and an excuse-making that would make a ACLU-loving McGovern voter blush.

It all comes down to this: if you're a 17-year old who's knocked up while wearing an Obama button, it's proof of the profound moral failings of her liberal parents, and of the spiritual decay of the Democrat Party.

If you're a 17-year old who's put a bun in the oven while wearing a McCain button, it's proof of the saintly Christian devotion and moral rectitude of her parents, and of the spiritual superiority of the Republican Party.

Posted at September 1, 2008 1:27 PM in response to McCain Campaign: Palin's 17-Year-Old Daughter Is Pregnant

While the attempt to woo PUMAs seems to be the obvious reason for Palin, there's another voter that McCain is making a subtle but powerful pitch to: the guy who chooses his candidate on the basis of whether he wants to have a beer with him or not. Only in this case, this voter will want to have considerably more than a beer with the former beauty pageant queen.

Posted at August 29, 2008 1:13 PM in response to Obama Campaign: Someone With "Zero Foreign Policy Experience" Is "Heartbeat Away From Presidency"

This is brilliant strategy by McCain on two levels. It will undoubtedly help him clinch the aggrieved PUMA vote, and if that's not enough to help him win, Palin will be perfectly positioned to become wife #3. Cindi ain't getting any younger, and Sarah's 10 years her junior.

Posted at August 29, 2008 10:57 AM in response to CNN: McCain Picks Sarah Palin As Veep