Friday, August 29, 2008
We'll See
Not sure I can really add anything to what is already being said about McCain's surprise pick of Sarah Palin, except to say that McCain's having waited to make the selection public until the day immediately after Obama's generally well-received speech was probably a pretty astute move, and that considering the VP options available to McCain weren't all that great, this might have been the best he could do. After last night, McCain needed a jolt that I don't think Pawlenty or Mittens would have provided. But picking her seriously undercuts McCain's argument against Obama's seeming unreadiness for the job. And it was clearly an electioneering choice as opposed to a readiness choice.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Barack Hussein Obama
Sullivan:
The McCain campaign set Obama up as a celebrity airhead, a Paris Hilton of wealth and elitism. And he let them portray him that way, and let them over-reach, and let them punch him again and again ... and then he turned around and destroyed them. If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check.
While we're at it, let's own the middle name, too, should the GOP, in its final death throes, gasping at last straws, try to make something of that. Suck. On. This.
The McCain campaign set Obama up as a celebrity airhead, a Paris Hilton of wealth and elitism. And he let them portray him that way, and let them over-reach, and let them punch him again and again ... and then he turned around and destroyed them. If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check.
While we're at it, let's own the middle name, too, should the GOP, in its final death throes, gasping at last straws, try to make something of that. Suck. On. This.
Chelsea!
Chelsea Clinton has gotten so Veronica Lake, it's a shame the camera can't cut to her every night at the Democratic Convention.
Amen to that.
What Catholic Dems Should Say About Abortion
From Stephen Suh at Cogitamus:
First, church doctrine has no place determining this nation's laws and policies. Even aside from the many American citizens who belong to other religions or none at all, there are many Christian denominations which either fully support a woman's right to choose or temper their abortion stance with the realization that no doctrine or policy can account for every situation.
Second, Democrats are neither "pro" nor "anti" anything as an abstraction. Democrats support the right to choose, full stop. Abortions occur in every nation, and have for all of human history, so obviously women have seen the need for them no matter what laws may be in place. As Democrats we not only want a society in which a woman who needs to terminate a pregnancy can do so safely, but a society in which those women who want to bear a(nother) child can actually choose to do that as well. The Republicans who are so affronted by our stance have been busily making it harder for women to choose to carry their pregnancies to term by opposing attempts to expand healthcare, parental leave and other pro-family policies supported by the Democratic party.
Finally, we're tired of Republicans continually spreading the myth of promiscuous women who, after having unprotected sex with multiple partners, run down to the local clinic for a quickie abortion during their lunch break. For some women, abortion is a difficult decision; for others it is simple and clear. But it is never made lightly. The fact that the Republicans cannot make their argument without painting half the population of the United States as either irredeemably stupid or conniving whores just shows how intellectually and morally bankrupt their position is.
There. That's not so difficult, is it?
First, church doctrine has no place determining this nation's laws and policies. Even aside from the many American citizens who belong to other religions or none at all, there are many Christian denominations which either fully support a woman's right to choose or temper their abortion stance with the realization that no doctrine or policy can account for every situation.
Second, Democrats are neither "pro" nor "anti" anything as an abstraction. Democrats support the right to choose, full stop. Abortions occur in every nation, and have for all of human history, so obviously women have seen the need for them no matter what laws may be in place. As Democrats we not only want a society in which a woman who needs to terminate a pregnancy can do so safely, but a society in which those women who want to bear a(nother) child can actually choose to do that as well. The Republicans who are so affronted by our stance have been busily making it harder for women to choose to carry their pregnancies to term by opposing attempts to expand healthcare, parental leave and other pro-family policies supported by the Democratic party.
Finally, we're tired of Republicans continually spreading the myth of promiscuous women who, after having unprotected sex with multiple partners, run down to the local clinic for a quickie abortion during their lunch break. For some women, abortion is a difficult decision; for others it is simple and clear. But it is never made lightly. The fact that the Republicans cannot make their argument without painting half the population of the United States as either irredeemably stupid or conniving whores just shows how intellectually and morally bankrupt their position is.
There. That's not so difficult, is it?
Zooey!
"I don't feel very good about the last eight years. And I feel like we're in a place where we really need _ there's a lot of damage that we need to recover from, and we need a very strong and inspirational leader to bring us out of this. It's pretty grim." - Zooey Deschanel in Denver
Grim? Well, not from where we're sitting.
Ready to Defend The Constitution
Ezra Klein highlights Bill Clinton's money quote:
My fellow Democrats, I say to you, Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be president."
A somewhat subtle--and important--turn on the ready-to-lead meme. Being "ready" to wage endless war is a different thing than being ready to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the U.S."
My fellow Democrats, I say to you, Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be president."
A somewhat subtle--and important--turn on the ready-to-lead meme. Being "ready" to wage endless war is a different thing than being ready to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the U.S."
Monkeys Working Around The Clock
Fox "news" gets the scoop on Obama and William Ayers once having had a cup of coffee together. Maybe. John Cole responds.
Arrogant and Dangerous
Clark Stooksbury, via John Cole, on the Greek columns:
I’m not paying close enough attention to know if this whole Obamamessiah business is justified. For all I know, Obama might literally believe himself to be a Greek God; but even if he does, he would still be less arrogant than George Bush and most likely less dangerous than John McCain.
"Arrogant" and "Dangerous" might be good ways to describe the last eight years and what McCain-Rove are promising for the future. It'd be good to see these terms find there way into an ad buy or two.
I’m not paying close enough attention to know if this whole Obamamessiah business is justified. For all I know, Obama might literally believe himself to be a Greek God; but even if he does, he would still be less arrogant than George Bush and most likely less dangerous than John McCain.
"Arrogant" and "Dangerous" might be good ways to describe the last eight years and what McCain-Rove are promising for the future. It'd be good to see these terms find there way into an ad buy or two.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Bill Clinton: Mailing It In
Josh and Andrew seemed to like it. I thought the Big Dog was all over the place, issue-wise, pretty stiff rhetorically.
And while it was early enough so that most people probably missed it, please don't ever allow Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Rockefeller near a microphone at a Dem convention ever again. Ever.
I guess Biden finished strong, but his opening moments were just nothing much. Very bland stuff.
A lot of people liked Kerry's speech, too. And while the "candidate McCain--Senator McCain" line was pretty good, Kerry also managed to throw in something about what a threat Iran was being, so I don't know where this takes us except into Republican 100-year-wars land.
I think if Obama loses, and someone besides Hillary throws their hat in the ring for '12, they will probably lose their knee-caps. I'm not saying that in support or opposition to a future Hillary candidancy, I'm just saying. Something's missing at this gig, I don't know what. Genuine specifics, maybe? The biggest threat coming from a McCain presidency in my mind is obviously the courts, but I don't know that that point is being made or will be made. In the absence of that, we have our candidates basically agreeing with McCain and Rove that Iran is a Serious Threat That Must Be Delt With. Not sure what the change is we're supposed to be believing in.
Maybe Obama will woo me back tomorrow night. Here's hoping.
And while it was early enough so that most people probably missed it, please don't ever allow Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Rockefeller near a microphone at a Dem convention ever again. Ever.
I guess Biden finished strong, but his opening moments were just nothing much. Very bland stuff.
A lot of people liked Kerry's speech, too. And while the "candidate McCain--Senator McCain" line was pretty good, Kerry also managed to throw in something about what a threat Iran was being, so I don't know where this takes us except into Republican 100-year-wars land.
I think if Obama loses, and someone besides Hillary throws their hat in the ring for '12, they will probably lose their knee-caps. I'm not saying that in support or opposition to a future Hillary candidancy, I'm just saying. Something's missing at this gig, I don't know what. Genuine specifics, maybe? The biggest threat coming from a McCain presidency in my mind is obviously the courts, but I don't know that that point is being made or will be made. In the absence of that, we have our candidates basically agreeing with McCain and Rove that Iran is a Serious Threat That Must Be Delt With. Not sure what the change is we're supposed to be believing in.
Maybe Obama will woo me back tomorrow night. Here's hoping.
But Iran IS "tiny" and DOESN'T "pose a serious threat"
From TPM:
New McCain ad sliming Obama for supposedly saying Iran is "tiny" and "doesn't pose a serious threat" is a comically dishonest distortion of what Obama actually said.
Probably the most infuriating development of the past several years has been--in addition to the fact that the invade-Iraq cheerleaders are still treated like Very Serious People--is the drumbeat to "do something" about that Very Terrible and Exceedingly Dangerous Threat, Iran. Be nice if Obama and the Dems pushed back on this, but unfortunately, in his AIPAC concession speech, Obama largely ceded the ground to the "dangerous threat" forces. And although it is largely water under or over the bridge, so did Hilary (who will certainly be the Party's nominee next time if Obama doesn't win this year).
New McCain ad sliming Obama for supposedly saying Iran is "tiny" and "doesn't pose a serious threat" is a comically dishonest distortion of what Obama actually said.
Probably the most infuriating development of the past several years has been--in addition to the fact that the invade-Iraq cheerleaders are still treated like Very Serious People--is the drumbeat to "do something" about that Very Terrible and Exceedingly Dangerous Threat, Iran. Be nice if Obama and the Dems pushed back on this, but unfortunately, in his AIPAC concession speech, Obama largely ceded the ground to the "dangerous threat" forces. And although it is largely water under or over the bridge, so did Hilary (who will certainly be the Party's nominee next time if Obama doesn't win this year).
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Defeatists in Iraq
So, who is this Mister Maliki dude-guy and why is he demanding that U.S. troops precipitously withdraw from his country by a fixed date?
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