Palin = hypocrite

In case you didn't know this about Republicans, the party of "reform" is going to stonewall every possible attempt to investigate Palin before the election. Palin has already contradicted herself on her willingness to work with the Alaska legislature (this is a reform candidate?) and now check this out:

Gov. Sarah Palin's lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, made an absurd threat in his battle to get the Legislature to back off its ethics investigation of the governor and her staff.

Van Flein said legislative investigator Steve Branchflower tried to call First Gentleman Todd Palin directly on "a secure and confidential line. This represents a serious security breach that we may be obligated to report to the Secret Service."

Let me summarize that for you. "Stop calling and investigating us, or you will be on a fast boat to Guantanamo."

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/516641.html

RNC 2008

I thought this was a pretty nice summary of the Republican convention:

Can't you sense the patriotism? Hell, McCain-Palin is so damn American it might as well be a McDonald's McRib sandwich dipped in Crisco and cooked over a Chevy Tahoe's exhaust pipe at a tailgate party in Kid Rock's bowels. Feel the jingoism, hippie!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/09/05/notes090508.DTL

Barracuda

You know when you're on one of those long road trips, and people start to ask odd questions just to keep the drive interesting? One of my favorite questions to ask is - what was your first live concert?

It tells you a lot about how people grew up, and really little else. So, a fun question, embarrasses nobody. My answer, in case you're wondering was a Heart show I saw my senior year of high school. I took this girl who I had a crush on. Mister Mister was the opening act.

Why do I bring this up? Because Heart is threatening Sarah Palin with legal action if she doesn't stop using their "Barracuda" song to introduce Palin. Apparently, Barracuda was her nickname as a high school point guard.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/05/heart-wants-mccainpalin-t_n_124167.html

Oddly enough, the girl I took to that concert was also a good high school point guard. She went on to become a girl's high school coach, won the coach of the year award in Kentucky, and has produced at least one McDonald's All-American. I'd take her as vice president any day of the week.

Snowmobile driving welfare queens

This issue came up a bit in the 2004 election (mostly after the fact), and I thought it would be interesting to look at again in light of Palin's candidacy.

Tax records show an interesting fact, which is that, not always, but in general, the states which receive the most federal dollars in spending per federal tax dollars paid happen to be typically Republican states. Given what we've heard in recent years about the Bridge to Nowhere, Palin's $27 million in earmarks for a small town, and so on, I thought it would be a good time to look at the data again.

Alaska ranks 3rd in the country in dollars received per dollars paid ($1.84 received for every dollar paid in). Of the top 10 states in the rank, roughly 7-8 are typically red states. So, the very people who get themselves worked up about the growth in government are the very ones who benefit from it, and are enjoying a great transfer of wealth from blue states in order to maintain their standard of living.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/266.html#fedspend_per_taxesbystate-20071009

Interesting, Alaska moved up in rank, they were 5th in 2004. So, Palin has had a first hand look at how to make a state even more dependent on others for it's well-being, at the same time that oil prices have been rising. The state run fund that distributes money to Alaska residents doesn't even count in these figures, so Alaska would be far and away numero uno if those totals were included.

Will people ever wake up to the fact that what the Republicans say and what they actually do are completely different things? Are the constant self-contradicting comments in defense of Palin going to appear to be such obvious bullshit to Americans that they'll finally just reject these blowhards once and for all?

Time will tell.

Palin coverage

I saw Palin's speech last night, and my sense is this: if you were already a Republican, she's your kind of candidate, and you might be more excited now than you were, particularly if you are a guns/church/values voter.

If you were an independent, or former Clinton supporter, I can't really see what it is about this woman that would make you want to be with that ticket. Her speech was surprisingly partisan and mocking, I think she really missed an opportunity to rise above some of the negative coverage about herself. Had she been more even keeled and friendly towards the other side of the aisle, it could have potentially tugged at those Clinton folks.

But this pick is clearly about cheering up the "base", and I would expect more of the same out of McCain later tonight.

One final thought, it is really fun watching Republicans these days simply open their mouths. Because every time they do, they directly contradict themselves. John Stewart is doing a great job of showing clips of these guys, side by side, saying polar opposite things, depending on who they are talking about.

Republicans have become the party of stupid. They think Americans will buy whatever crap they try to sell them, and for a large number of Americans, it still works. We're the party of reform, even though we were the party in power for the past 8 years of debauchery. We're the fiscal conservatives, when every shred of evidence points to the contrary. How dare you question Mrs. Palin, it's all just because she's a woman, when that same argument was jeered at when made by Clinton supporters.

The only moment of honesty you ever get out of these blowhards is off camera. Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy let some honesty slip out this week, but only because they thought they were off the air. Republicans no longer have anybody approaching a public intellectual on any topic, because they have all become partisan hacks willing to say/do whatever is necessary to get their folks in office. Democrats will at least criticize each other from time to time. Take the Clinton impeachment. Lots of Dems came out against Clinton (can't remember how many voted to impeach, my guess is very few), but they were willing to say they were disappointed and offended and all that. Meanwhile, George W. Bush is a proven war criminal, and you hardly hear a peep out of the Republicans about it.

Just look at last night. Sarah Palin talking about how we should honor McCain because he was tortured, while the previous night Bush (a torturer) was on stage, also singing his praises.

Republicans think you're stupid.

Gustav

I've been encouraged to write something about Gustav, and the fact that it has fallen out of the media's attention this week as the Republicans descend on St. Paul.

Gustav apparently caused about $12 billion in damage, and 2 million people were evacuated. The Red Cross reports that 60,000 are still sleeping in their shelters.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94187442&ft=1&f=1003

Officials deserve lots of credit for getting everybody out, and minimizing the loss of life. But there's still work to be done, both in terms of rebuilding after the recent damage, and thinking about the Gulf Coast's long term future.

To be clear, I'm kind of biased, in that I'm from the South and love the redneck Riviera, and I particularly love the uniqueness of New Orleans. No other American city compares to the culture and energy there.

That being said, there are a lot of legitimate arguments about whether or not New Orleans and parts of the Gulf Coast could be saved even if we wanted to save them. If you noticed photos like this, the result of a Category 2 storm hitting 70 miles west of town, then you can only imagine what this place might look like if a Category 4 storm hits downtown.

New Orleans geography (saucer shaped, below sea level) means that any major storm would be hard to survive, no matter how good the levees, no matter how much money we spend. We will continue to invest there, I'm betting, mainly due to the political implications, as well as the desire to continue to use the Gulf Coast for oil/gas production. Half of the US refining capacity is near the Gulf Coast.

http://climate.weather.com/articles/neworleans090201.html?page=1

I think New Orleans is worth saving, but it's a worthy debate.

In other news, the Daily Show is at the Republican convention, asking questions about Gustav. Check out the guy who basically says "I can't believe they are delaying the convention because a bunch of people are getting rained on". Of course he was a dorky looking white guy, who else would you expect? Video here:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=183780&title=the-best-fucking-news-team-ever

Declining to prosecute

There is a special "get out of jail free card" that seems to exist for Republicans. It's tricky though, because a) it depends on having a Republican president who will b) appoint a lap dog Attorney General who will do his bidding.

A couple of weeks ago, it was Mukasey saying that Monica Gooding had broken the law by using political questions in hiring practices at Justice, but that, to paraphrase "not every violation of the law is a crime". This is your Attorney General ladies and gentlemen.

This week, it's the old AG, Alberto Gonzales. After committing the exact same crime that led to fines and disbarring for Sandy Berger, he gets off with hardly a wrist slap.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080903/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/gonzales_security_breach

Please don't try to tell me that the Democrats act the same way, because they do not. There is a very clear choice in this election. Are we a nation of laws, or a nation of men?

Palin's "Reverend Wright" problem

Thank god for Sarah Palin, seriously. How else would I be entertaining myself on a Tuesday? Movies just don't do it anymore, not even Imax movies.

Check out these tidbits - direct from Palin's mouth - about how it's "God's plan" for us to be in Iraq, and "God's will" that Alaska build a gas pipeline. She sounds a bit like the Pope, speaking for God like this:

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Religion, however, was not strictly a thread in Palin's foreign policy. It was part of her energy proposals as well. Just prior to discussing Iraq, Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

And oh yes, it does get better. Check out some of the things here pastor has said over the years. Can't wait to see what Fox news says about this. All's fair in love and war and politics right? If you felt scared by Rev. Wright, what does this guy do for you?

During the 2004 election season, he praised President Bush's performance during a debate with Sen. John Kerry, then offered a not-so-subtle message about his personal candidate preferences. "I'm not going tell you who to vote for, but if you vote for this particular person, I question your salvation. I'm sorry." Reverend Kalnins added: "If every Christian will vote righteously, it would be a landslide every time."

Months after hinting at possible damnation for Kerry supporters, Kalnins bristled at the treatment President Bush was receiving over the federal government's handling of Hurricane Katrina. "I hate criticisms towards the President," he said, "because it's like criticisms towards the pastor -- it's almost like, it's not going to get you anywhere, you know, except for hell. That's what it'll get you."

Criticizing the President sends you to hell? Wooohoooo! Now I don't have to worry about this anymore! I can shoot heroin while clubbing baby seals and stealing money from the rich! I'm going to hell already, why behave?

Hank! You and I need to party it up baby, nothing slowing us down now, we're going straight to hell!

I'm evil

Why am I evil? Because I was thinking of stealing the Onion's page, hosting it on my own site, and substituting the names of various Carolina graduates in for the name "Nate Walsh".

But, I have to admit, Obama makes me want to be a better person, so I'm trying to rise above such frivolity. Some days.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/obama_modifies_yes_we_can_message

All bets are off

I'm glad nobody took me up on this, because I'm now convinced that Palin will stay on the ticket.

There are two clear reasons. First, if McCain pushes her off, it means he's admitting that he made a mistake, which he is loathe to do, ever, and is particularly unlikely to do in the middle of a campaign. In short, it would be disastrous, his judgment, and almost reckless decision making style would be the topic of conversation through November.

Second, maybe more importantly, if McCain throws Palin overboard, the Right will never forgive him. They will absolutely abandon his candidacy, and with them goes any chance of keeping this election close.

So, she's in for the long haul. Fasten your seat belts, it's likely to become way more fun before this is all over!

I've always wanted one of these

Behold, it is a "stupid filter". Software you can load (into your browser, your blog? unclear..) that will automatically delete stupid comments. How do they know something is stupid? I think they just look for too many !!!! or lots of LOL, OMG! type comments.

http://stupidfilter.org/main/index.php?n=Main.About

Hopefully, they won't start sorting on emoticons. How else are you supposed to indicate sarcasm in an email? ;-)

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American"

UPDATE: Looks like Palin has registration records proving she's only ever been a Republican, so this story looks to be dying a slow death, even if the original quote came from the party chairman, speaking to ABC News. Just goes to show you, hard to know who to trust as a source!


To be fair, Palin didn't say that. But it is a quote from the founder of the Alaskan Independence Party. Palin and her husband were not only party members, they apparently attended a convention. Here's the whole quote:

I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions.

When you think about it, given general Republican disregard for American institutions, maybe this is really one of her true qualifications for office.

Thank you, Mrs. Palin, for greatly, greatly enhancing the fun in what was becoming a rather bore of an election.

Well, at least her husband is named Todd

Other than that, I can't think of many other good reasons to be excited about Palin as VP. Don't get me wrong, she's very interesting, but Republicans don't typically go for interesting, and this one might be too much for them to handle. For example, I got all this in about 10 minutes of reviewing the news tonight:

She once belonged to the Alaska Independence Party, which thinks that Alaska should secede from the United States.

She apparently hired lobbyists to go to Washington to get lots of earmarks for her town when she was mayor. A town of 6,000+ got over $5 million in earmarks while she was there.

She is under ethical review by the Alaska legislature, yet no prominent Alaskan has come forward to say that they helped McCain vet her. Repeat, McCain didn't even ask any of them - Republicans included - their opinion before he announced her candidacy.

And I'm not even going to touch all the personal stuff. I have no problem with Palin, she seems like a nice enough person, but this is the kind of decision making we can expect from McCain? It's yet another in a long line of moves by his campaign that suggest to me that he doesn't really take the job very seriously. It's like he's running for student body president, and just thinks that it doesn't matter how disengaged he is, the principals and teachers will be there to clean up the mess.

But enough of all that, here's my bet. I will bet $10 to any takers that McCain has to pull this nomination. Palin will "change her mind so she can focus on her family", but they just won't be able to stand the distraction of all this craziness for the next few weeks, it makes the entire campaign look like a Bill and Ted sequel.