"Actual responsibilities".....I guess, under Palin's definition, those include trying to get books banned at the local library and hiring lobbyists to scrounge for federal earmarks, all the while claiming to be for "small government."

Posted at September 3, 2008 8:10 PM in response to Palin To Suggest Her Dem Opponents "Look Down" On Small Town America

Oh, great, it seems Palin wanted to ban books at the Wasilla library. (Probably because reading books about sex would lead kids to have sex...oh wait....)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Posted at September 3, 2008 11:05 AM in response to Why Isn't AIP Founder Sarah Palin's Reverend Wright?

Much better said!

Posted at August 30, 2008 2:33 PM in response to Obama v. Palin: Comparisons Ignore the Role of the Voters

The purpose of this event is not to win over the 79K, but to finally make the case to the undecided voters that Obama has the right stuff, and is not just a "celebrity." Like it or not, that theme is powerful and resonates with a lot of white, working-class voters. Seeing a bunch of hollywood performers up will only further solidify the celebrity theme and provide further ammo to McCain.

Yes, voters vote with their emotions -- but the emotional reaction can vary widely. Will.i.am will not help Obama establish his bona fides to be President among a large group of voters already primed to be suspicious of Obama for numerous reasons (some illegitimate and disgusting, and some not).

Posted at August 27, 2008 3:33 PM in response to THE FIASCO AT INVESCO

I'm not sure I can agree with you on the loss of confidence idea, at least as expressed in music. I'm 37, and I look back on the early 1990s as a great time in music -- with lots of cool bands around who were making great new music (just a few examples: Fugazi, Radiohead, and Pearl Jam). Gen X can also take lots of credit for the development of the internets and the google, and the mainstreaming of environmentalism.

I agree with you, though, that I think of Obama as "one of us."

Posted at August 26, 2008 4:50 PM in response to Obama and Generation X

Obama needs to watch out for the "Obama doesn't know where his own brother is" counterattack from McCain's surrogates in the right-wing media (already visible in comments on Politico).

Posted at August 21, 2008 1:12 PM in response to McCain Campaign Response: Obama Worries About Arugula, Vacations In Hawaii

Ok, maybe you guys are right. I certainly hope so. The "not remembering" meme is key. But, of course, there will be a strong counterpunch by FoxNews and those types -- emphasizing Obama's wealth (even if self-made) and yuppieness. My only point is that, in this back and forth, Obama is at a disadvantage with white "non-college" swingvoters -- for various reasons.

Posted at August 21, 2008 12:54 PM in response to McCain Campaign Response: Obama Worries About Arugula, Vacations In Hawaii

Bush Senior was a New Englander running against Bill "Downhome" Clinton who had a gift for connecting with middle class voters, and who was a white Southerner. More recently, in 2000, Gore tried to attack Bush Jr. for being super rich, elitist, and out of touch, and that didn't work very well (although, of course, Gore won the popular vote). Bush Jr., for all his millions and old family connections, seemed more of a "regular guy" than Gore. I think Obama is facing the same problem here, and even more so because he's not white, and thus already "other" in the minds of many Americans.

Posted at August 21, 2008 12:42 PM in response to McCain Campaign Response: Obama Worries About Arugula, Vacations In Hawaii

That strikes me as a nuance that will get lost in translation. The MSM will only hear that Obama is attacking McCain for being rich, and that McCain responds by pointing out Obama's yuppieness. That's not a good dynamic for Obama, in my view.

Posted at August 21, 2008 12:35 PM in response to McCain Campaign Response: Obama Worries About Arugula, Vacations In Hawaii

I'm a big supporter of Obama, but I think this is a very bad move to get into this issue of the "seven houses" with McCain. McCain's response is, I think, effective. Obama cannot defeat McCain by trying to win the "who is an elitist" game . McCain is a veteran, former POW, and most importantly, a conservative white male. There's no way Obama is going to convince Joe Sixpack Swingvoter that McCain is the bigger elitist, even if it's absolutely true.

It is a deeply rooted American belief that anyone can become rich. But it's also a deeply rooted belief that having cultural capital is a sign of favortism or elitism. Being wealthy, for most people, is not a sign of being "out of touch." Class warfare will not work anymore, because ever since the 1950s, the market has been enshrined as a source of opportunity, rather than unfairness. That's not the case with cultural institutions, such as elite institutions of higher education -- of which Obama is identified as being a product. (The negative view of affirmative action among working-class whites is an issue underlying all of this.)

Obama needs to play to his greatest strength: his ability to get people excited about the future and about our chance to finally fix the problems of the last 8 years, which have weakened this country both militarily and economically. McCain fears Obama's youth, intelligence, optimism and energy, so he wants to get him into the mud, and especially want to change the focus back to "elitism." Who is rope-a-doping who??

Posted at August 21, 2008 12:26 PM in response to McCain Campaign Response: Obama Worries About Arugula, Vacations In Hawaii