When you don't have the facts (resume) or the law (Trooper-Gate) on your side, attack the media.

That's what three years of full-time job experience in the past 16 years will get ya.

Erin Brockovich? I don't know Erin was against the environment!

Posted at September 4, 2008 8:00 PM in response to Sarah Palin: 1, Josh Marshall: 0

Unlike Sarah Palin's resume and Ron Fournier's analysis, markets don't lie. Here's a letter I just shot off to the AP/McCain guy - has anyone noticed that Palin has 2, maybe 3 years of full-time job experience in the past 15 years?

Dear Mr. Fournier,

There are a number of issues with your analysis. I will focus on a couple of them.

It seems the analysis should focus on what Ms. Palin actually has done (vs. what she and the McCain campaign touts her as having done), rather than truncating that story by digressing into the supposed shortcomings of the Democratic resumes. A more thorough, ahem, vetting of the facts would better serve your piece.

For example, you say that Obama's resume is just "a bit longer than Palin's". By any objective standard it much more than that. Let's leave aside Obama for the moment and ask a non-relative question about Palin: Hpw many years has she actually held a full-time job?

The Governor is a full time job. Oil and Gas Commission probably is not, though obviously comes with some responsibility - I've worked with enough state boards in California to know that. Probably not a full-time job though, if you look at the short terms that people on the commission have served - but that could be *your* research assignment!

What about Mayor and city council? Isn't that part time, considering the size (broadly speaking) of the city? I can't imagine such a small population would be able to support mayor's full time salary, let alone those of its city council.

So, 2 maybe 3 years of full-time paid work in the past fifteen years. I'm asking just two things Mr. Fournier: 1) Tell me if I am correct. 2) Tell the country.

Philip

2 years _Governor, state of Alaska: Dec 2006-Present.

1 year? _Chair, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: 2003-2004.

part time? _Mayor, Wasilla, Alaska (population: 9,780): 1996-2002.

part time? _City Council, Wasilla, Alaska: 1992-1996.

_University of Idaho; television sports and family fishing business.

_Miss Wasilla: 1984

Posted at September 4, 2008 7:56 PM in response to Wall Street & The War Party

Unlike Sarah Palin's resume and Ron Fournier's analysis, markets don't lie. Here's a letter I just shot off to the AP/McCain guy - has anyone noticed that Palin has 2, maybe 3 years of full-time job experience in the past 15 years?

Dear Mr. Fournier,

There are a number of issues with your analysis. I will focus on a couple of them.

It seems the analysis should focus on what Ms. Palin actually has done (vs. what she and the McCain campaign touts her as having done), rather than truncating that story by digressing into the supposed shortcomings of the Democratic resumes. A more thorough, ahem, vetting of the facts would better serve your piece.

For example, you say that Obama's resume is just "a bit longer than Palin's". By any objective standard it much more than that. Let's leave aside Obama for the moment and ask a non-relative question about Palin: Hpw many years has she actually held a full-time job?

The Governor is a full time job. Oil and Gas Commission probably is not, though obviously comes with some responsibility - I've worked with enough state boards in California to know that. Probably not a full-time job though, if you look at the short terms that people on the commission have served - but that could be *your* research assignment!

What about Mayor and city council? Isn't that part time, considering the size (broadly speaking) of the city? I can't imagine such a small population would be able to support mayor's full time salary, let alone those of its city council.

So, 2 maybe 3 years of full-time paid work in the past fifteen years. I'm asking just two things Mr. Fournier: 1) Tell me if I am correct. 2) Tell the country.

Philip

2 years _Governor, state of Alaska: Dec 2006-Present.

1 year? _Chair, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: 2003-2004.

part time? _Mayor, Wasilla, Alaska (population: 9,780): 1996-2002.

part time? _City Council, Wasilla, Alaska: 1992-1996.

_University of Idaho; television sports and family fishing business.

_Miss Wasilla: 1984

Posted at September 4, 2008 7:54 PM in response to Wall Street & The War Party

I find that calling Obama "elitist" is rather racist, like Ferraro's treatment of his disadvantage as an advantage, as if he didn't share the same humble material beginnings as the millions of people whose anger he is giving voice to.

If he had white small-town roots and he made these statements, this wouldn't even be a blip on the rader. Wait a minute....

Posted at April 12, 2008 8:24 PM in response to You are totally missing the point of Obama's being an elitist

I find that calling Obama "elitist" is rather racist, as if he didn't share the same humble material beginnings as the millions of people whose anger he is giving voice to.

If he had white small-town roots and he made these statements, this wouldn't even be a blip on the rader. Wait a minute....

Posted at April 12, 2008 8:22 PM in response to You can't say Americans are angry? Whose dictator dream is this?

"Matthew J. Weaver is racist." That's all the blogosphere is going to pick up from the dust of all your trolling.

Fortunately, millions of white men (and women) DON'T agree with you, and DO support Obama. And that fact has given millions of non-white Americans (including me) cause to hope and maintain our good faith in this country's system, and faith in our white neighbors. Obama is doing you a favor, even though like your racist forbears you are virtually spitting at him in the face.

Posted at March 23, 2008 5:03 AM in response to Repost: Obama's Church IS Racist

Matthew Weaver is simply repeating himself - go to his page and you'll see it's simply the same mostly cut and paste text.

I'm getting tired of the "blacklash" I hear from people like Matthew Weaver, who I won't hesitate to call an out-and-out racist.

I think it's racist to tie Obama to Wright in a way that would not happen to a white person. If Bill Clinton had a black pastor friend like that, people would not attempt to render him guilty by association - because he is white. Even in white on white pastor-politician relationships, the guilty by association stuff doesn't stick - I know McCain is not like John Hagee, and a simple statement of distancing is fine with me. Why was it not enough for Obama? Is this typical white person behavior. Fortunately he rose to the challenge, as he always has, in the face of white America, turning the other cheek and desiring to build something better than the cities of racial fear and ignorance that make up our body politic.

As for generalizations about white people, why not? Whites have been doing it all the time to blacks, Latinos, and Asians (me), so it's high time (and sometimes high comedy) to see the shoe on the other foot.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

Why don't you asks someone who isn't white, if there are typically white ways of interacting with racial minorities?? Ever seen Harold and Kumar? Instead of getting offended at the characterization why aren't we equally (if not more) offended the casual racism and fear that has contributed to segregation, English First laws, welfare "reform", and the Minutemen??

It's unbelievable how much in denial many white Americans are about white racism. All you have to do is browse the Internet comment boards, read Craigslist personal ads, count the number of black Senators.... C'mon, don't treat us like we're two year olds!

Obama is a fundamentally and thoroughly honest intellectual, and mention of his grandmother - well that's something I hope every American with white forbears comes out and says - the truth!!

Posted at March 21, 2008 4:07 AM in response to Edwards Didn't Endorse Anyone On Leno Tonight, NBC Flack Confirms

You don't need an ad exec to write up - just refer folks to eminent historian Timothy Garton Ash's piece,

"The tragedy that followed Hillary Clinton's bombing of Iran in 2009: In retaliation, suicide bombers trained by Tehran massacred civilians in Tel Aviv, London and New York"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/apr/20/comment.iran

Posted at March 21, 2008 3:53 AM in response to Edwards Didn't Endorse Anyone On Leno Tonight, NBC Flack Confirms

One can be objective without having to be neutral.

Maybe McCain deserves better coverage, but he also deserves a better party....

It's not so much a McCain Presidency, as much as a Republican Presidency, that would be objectively bad for this country, if our objectives have anything to do with the First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, health care, climate change, our standing in the world....and everything else Bush is wrong on.

Having McCain as opposed to, say, Romney doesn't change any of that really.

Posted at March 21, 2008 12:53 AM in response to Poll: McCain Now Leading Obama Among Independents

Yes, Hillary made a strong speech in '95 - I remember she got flack from the right-wing from the Beijing conference. But it's one thing, and a relatively easy thing, to call out another country. China's an easy target, for lots of reasons due to its government, human rights record, and also (let's be honest) its foreign-ness.

Calling on one's own country to come to terms with its social ills, its human rights record, and its government - as Obama has done, eloquently and humanely - that requires real courage.

And you know, it's 2008.

Posted at March 21, 2008 12:48 AM in response to Poll: McCain Now Leading Obama Among Independents