I submitted this before but it didn't get posted, so apologies if a duplicate suddenly appears.  Check out bluehampshire, (http://www.bluehampshire.com/frontPage.do) which reports that websites are being scrubbed of Palin news.  Here is a cached quote of Palin supporting Stevens: "It is so encouraging to hear again that Senator Stevens and I are singing from the same sheet of music," said Governor Palin. "In his address, he pushed for action this year on a natural gas pipeline. I also have the Senator's assurance that once the state has acted on the AGIA, our Congressional Delegation will do everything it can do to expedite the federal review of the natural gas pipeline project."  Who is doing the scrubbing?

Is anyone else as sick of the "talking heads" media as I am?  They talk over fine speeches like Kerry's, as if they had something to say and he didn't.  But they have nothing to say, other than that they can't understand why Obama's campaign isn't just like McCain's - ugly and full of "red meat."  Their strategy seems to be to imagine a story, ask everyone questions to prove their story, ignore the fact that the story doesn't exist, and report the story as if they had it right to begin with, which of course means they have to ignore what we all see if we simply delete them from our screens by turning on C-Span. 

One question I have today: with Gov. Schweitzer reporting that his rip-roarin' speech was a departure from the "approved" remarks, has the Obama campaign exerted too much control over the content of the speeches?  I guess it remains to be seen.  And why is it that the McCain campaign can make fun of something - like the columns - and then suddenly pundits are making fun of it too?  Is this substance? 

I really hope that my faith in the American people's ability to ultimately see through b***s*** is still there.  Surely at some point they can see that all the McCain campaign talks about is negativity.  It almost seemed like the speakers last night were deliberately trying to get to McCain by saying "he's a good man" but...I'm glad Time magazine got to him with their honor questions.  Let's see if other reporters have the courage to ask these types of questions.

I watched the convention with a mixture of dismay and delight.  Dismay at punditry who kept complaining that noone was slamming McCain and delight at Michelle Obama's speech and the way she delivered it.  I went to my favorite blogs, looking for some intelligence, and what is the first post on TPM?  Complaining that noone is hitting McCain.  Then I happen to catch the NBC group with Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell about 1 a.m.  Todd goes on and on about how noone got a glove on McCain, and then Mitchell talks about "this is a new kind of politics" and makes the point that each person who enters the stadium on Thurs. will be text-messaging and acting as a campaigner for Barack.  I was hoping that the look on Todd's face belied a dawning awareness as Mitchell eloquently explained why this is different from what they were expecting because Obama is doing things differently.  As she said, "I don't know if it will work or not, but it definitely is different."  Hooray for Andrea, revealing herself more and more to be a real class act. 

This is what I meant in an earlier post about Obama's ground game.  What people don't get, I think, is that Obama really IS mobilizing an army.  And because of his website and the outreach, it really is working.  Those of us worker bees who are part of the corps know that we are important, and we can make a difference.  It really is a different kind of politics than the "hit them when you can" and backroom deal politics. I believe it is very powerful, much more powerful than these pundits realize.  I also am amazed that none of them seemed to see that making Barack and Michelle (and I agree that the Obama tv appearance at the end was a bit too hokey) as one of us would definitely undermine most of the ways that McCain is trying to make him strange, elitist and foreign.  The pundits just can't recognize the power of what happened because are a part of the "politics as usual" function that has to be changed.  They can't see change when it is right in front of their eyes. This is why the blog universe is overtaking them. 

And just to add another tangential thought - the coming together of the assassination threat to Obama from the men caught in Aurora and the newest Ayers attack against Obama is absolutely frightening.

Something that really interests me about the dynamics of this election is the way Obama's strategy has allowed someone as far down the food chain as I am to feel like I know what's going on when all the pundits don't seem to get it.  For example, many people have talked about Obama's "ground game," but no one seems to realize what that means.  I consider myself a good example of its power.  First of all, my involvement in electoral politics has been really minimal throughout my voting life, but I am signed on in a big way for this one.  I have been canvassing each weekend (until a recent vacation), and attending every local democratic function that comes my way (a first).

 But here's the thing: we are just getting started!  First we had the campaign interns, who began with enthusiasm but not much expertise.  Then just recently the paid staff arrived, and each week there was another call from another staffer (one wonders if they talk to each other).  My inbox now has at least 4 messages a day from some Obama campaigner.  But here's the most important point, we (and the rest of the universe) are just getting back from vacation!  Canvassing was largely an exercise in ringing doorbells of people who were not home this summer.  I myself was away for a 3 week vacation.  The convention is really the beginning.  I will soon call all these paid staffers back and find out what the real marching orders are.  I will soon begin to go door-to-door every weekend to start the real push. 
If what's going on in my town (and NH is an important state) is anything like what's going on elsewhere, the ground game is just getting to takeoff.  We know we don't have much time, but once the convention is over (and hopefully Hillary supporters feel a little more comfortable) we will really get moving.  If you think I'd prefer to spend my weekends ringing doorbells, you can guess again, but I'm out there - rain or shine (and hopefully not snow).  I find that my fellow volunteers are equally dedicated.  We'll see what it feels like now that we have paid staff working alongside us.  All the political pundits in the world don't seem to understand the power of this small army of individuals who may feel, as I do, that we are -for the first time - as important as anyone else in this campaign.  Whether it's true or not, something about the Obama campaign rhetoric seems to be operational  at the ground level.