No questions for her?

It’s just weird, isn’t it?

btw, they already stifled McCain’s fiesty 90-some year old mother during the convention — they wouldn’t let her talk to anyone without a minder being there. What’s is up with them? What are they afraid might slip out now?

i think she could be a loose cannon and say something really wrong.

Do you really mean to tell us that wanna-be VP can’t handle the flood lights, too hot for the Alaskan?

well, from the look she wore all through Palin night, I can see why his minders would be afeared of what would happen if she did open her mouth.

He can’t wait to introduce her to Washington. Well, why not tomorrow?

John’s a maverick because he hasn’t been in Washington for the last two years.

Good Morning Christy and Firedogs,

Big Wet Smooches with Lots of Tongue for the Techies !!!!

That evil leer on McSFB’s face in the pic is priceless. We know what yer thinking, “mavrick” (Rethug spelling on sign at convention last night). They want to rule the world and can’t f*kin’ spell.

morans

Geez, it’s 9 in the mornin’, fer cryin’ out loud.

I was gonna put that pic up but thought, naahhh.

HAHAHAHAHAHA Oh man — I so wish there was a pix of that somewhere. No child left behind!

Oh, and can you tell I had a little fun at LOLCats this morning? *G*

I think they are hoping that for the vast majority of people who either are a)non-thinking Gooper voters, they will vote for McNobrain anyway, or b)people(ahem pick your own descriptor) who would not vote for Obama because, well, you know..he’s one of those ‘uppity xxxx’ and all — won’t notice that she’s not exactly on the campaign trail. There are a lot of people out there who don’t WANT to hear the truth and don’t WANT TO KNOW. They just want someone to stand up there so that they can vote against the Democrats — because you know, we ARE the people they are scared to death of.

apparently their handling of Caribou Barbie aint all that’s been scripted

They faked a Medal of Honor winner’s funeral on Tuesday night

yep, the bp through the roof

Attaturk!
link

It was on CNN’s site earlier, that’s where I saw it. Not there now.

Excellent — thank you!

How did we come to this? I mean, honestly, I know this has all been bubbling up since the Nixon ratfuck days of divide and conquer at any cost. But, can people stop being so f-ing stupid and think for themselves once in a while and stop being led by the nose with pee-yer-pants fear mongering?

Ooops, I musta been surfing too fast for brain to keep up. Thanks, Elliott.

what can I say, I’m a wanton hippy hussy *g*

They can spell DOOM for a free country.

We should start a collection of the works of these prominent English majors.

POW = Panderer of War

Have I mentioned L’il Joey Lie-berman? Thanks Christy for givin’ another opportunity to ask…Quisling or Goldschlag…you decide.

I think they are testing out the media’s reaction to McCain’s strategy of blaming all troubles on a liberal media. The McCain campaign’s relationship with the media is in the balance. Tip one way and the media goes back to being McCain’s base. Palin will then become accessible, as the media will go back to being the subjugated dog. Tip the other way and the media is treated as an adversary. If the questions turn “nice”, then look for Palin to be accessible. If the questions remain “tough”, then look for McCain’s attacks on the media to increase in volume and brashness. I think McCain would rather have the media act has his base, but he also is beguiled by the way his base reacts to his rant that the media is the source of all problems.

Reading over at TPM that the Walter Reed building behind McInsane last night was Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California, instead of the hospital.

She going back to AK to lead the “Heli hunting” for those pesky “National Enquirer” reporters.

I made a long comment about this on Attaturk’s post here, which basically said that there is a large disconnect from the uninformed and those that are informed, especially us that populate the blogosphere.

Although we have certainly made some in-roads, we have a long way to go. Witness the mostly glowing reviews on the major reviews of McCain’s speech on the major networks last night, all the while while we were playing drinking games with “my friends” or picking out how McCain was calling for abolishing unemployment insurance while being too chickens**t to actually saying it.

The “tax and spend” Democrat myth really needs to get knocked down with the independents. I honestly don’t know how to really go about it, except for talking to people that I know, one person at a time.

I assume that is a rhetorical question?

Will Jon and Stephen have special Friday convention shows again this week?

I really am lookin’ forward to seein’ that green screen at Colbert…and Walter Reed Jr High? Surely Jon will give that a nod….’course maybe that’s a part of McCain’s draft recruitment program.

Wiping liquids off monitor.

Obama and Biden got on the road to PA, OH and MI on the Friday morning after the Dem Convention. Together.

I saw them at the Dublin, Ohio event and both Obama and Biden spoke.

Our job is to make it clear to one and all that the Republicans are running Sarah Palin for President. John McCain is is just as much a pass-around prop as Trig.

He’s a “Special Needs” Adult, on the fast track to buying the farm.

That says to me that while they are listening to Rove (as Schmidt’s campaign strategy surely shows as Krugman notices as well) in some area, they are really falling down on the stage craft issues, the “turn your television vision sound down” and still have a good picture that Rove has advocated in some interviews.

Another interesting issue is what David Kurtz points out in his last report at TPM Media. The XCel Energy Center was not full my friends. Large portions of the upper deck were unoccupied. Another commenter noted that the average age of the crowd last night was surely over-50. These are all images that, while may not consciously register, certainly may register subconciously and therefore have a delayed effect.

The GOP convention reminded me very much of Bob Dole’s convention down to the “get off of my lawn” nastiness, while Clinton’s 96 convention was exciting and vibrant, even more so that 92 in my mind. I’d still like to see what the long term effect of the RNC is. Hiding Sarah Palin is another Potemkin strategy as well.

I am already tired of this Sara Palin game. The media is falling for it too. She get’s to come out make a personal attack and then go hide. Doesn’t she display much integrity of the Christian nature?

Clearly I need more coffee… *g*

Christy - I’m really sorry to say that the one thing(the very one thing - the ONLY thing) the GOP has succeeded at doing is making a whole lot of people in the US really, really afraid. Pick your fear: Fear of attack; fear of people who don’t look like you; fear of people who go to a different house of worship than you; fear of people whose physical attractions are different from yours; fear of being listened in on; fear of having your emails read; fear of (fill in the blank). The GOP figured out that for Americans, it’s NOT pride or patriotism or love of country or anything like that - it’s just…fear. Make us afraid enough and they can rule forever.

I keep hoping photos of Palin will surface that are similar to some memorable shots of Dr. Laura.

Money quote from Krugman:

“What makes that so vexing — and so cynical — is that this is precisely how Mr. Bush destroyed Mr. McCain’s candidacy in the 2000 primaries, with the help of the Karl Rovian team that now runs Mr. McCain’s campaign.”

Apologies for the crappy grammar and spelling in the first paragraph - can we get the edit function back?

It’s going to be fascinating. They’re not going to allow her to be interviewed by anyone who doesn’t work for Fox, and the “Straight Talk Express” is up on blocks.

Consequently Obama and Biden have a wide open field to dominate what should have been a conversation,

Good Morning, I had been thinking about the Dole nastiness, unending in that race, also, And he never recovered from that image and history. This morning, and I watched very little, I feel like we have been hi-jacked &/or I have a hangover. This man is creepy old; not even energy to give that speech. And the lassy with the glasses is standing in the wings, even if at some distance.

The media I saw last night were incredulous at how hard he tried to run against this 8 years of his party, and somehow did not distance or distinguish himself. Crazy time? No wonder I hae a headache.

From Think Progress:

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) will brief Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) on foreign policy in preparation for the vice presidential debate on Oct. 2, along with other conservative experts.

The best thing I’ve read about Gov. Palin over the past couple of days was something on a blog by a woman who grew up with her, attended every City Council meeting in Wasilla, etc. etc. And, she said something that I think we need to remember and get much more of in the media and out there, which was that the reason SHE was telling the truth about Palin(that she trashed a budget surplus in Wasilla and left them 22 million in debt; that she has an enemies list, that her leadership as mayor was so poor that the council had to hire an administrator to actually run the village while she was mayor, etc.)…the only reason…was that unlike a lot of people in Wasilla and the rest of Alaska who seem to owe their livelihoods and lives to Palin, SHE does NOT. She knows she’s on the enemies’ list, knows all that but that she does not owe her livelihood to Palin so she feels she can and must speak out. People need to feel that they can speak out - say what they believe - but the past eight years have made people feel that they can’t.

I know of what you speak. That string was a topic of discussion for some time.

The Republicans have an 8 year record of disaster and failure. They can’t run on that so in what amounts to a dissociative fugue they are running against it. That’s right, folks, the Republicans are running against themselves. They want to get rid of the rascals. They want change. And they want to do this by bringing us more of the same.

As I said last night, if the country elects this fossil and airhead, then we are doomed and deserve to be.

I was watching Rick Davis this morning on Morning Joe. He was totally belligerent about media access to Sarah Palin. Paraphrasing he said, “If it’s in the best interest of the campaign to put her on talk shows and interviews, then we will. If not, we won’t.”

I can definitely tell this campaign is being run by Rove and associates. MSM has crawled inside every candidate in this election for 20 months. Now Palin, the wonderkin of Alaska, can’t be interviewed? They hiding her because she hasn’t memorized all the talking points yet.

Good morning Christy and pups.

Something tells me some librul moose will sit on her by next wednesday…

I can’t believe this bunch of folks, applauding change yesterday night. How can these republicans do that while they’re suffering from the worst case of misoneism EVER…

actually, she’s going through desensitization therapy in the hopes she can mask her sheer physical revulsion to McCain

Sorry OT:

Interesting Article outlining all of the Abramoff players from the AP of all places. One glaring point that stood out to me: with so many people cooperating with investigators, where are the others??????????? I bet Mukasey is stonewalling these too, huh?

Regarding fear, my 7-year old daughter was helping my wife out cooking dinner last night and caught a lot of the Hurricane Hanna coverage, which, by the time it gets to Baltimore will be a 5-inch rain storm, but of course they showed Gustav coverage with blown down trees and that “Piggly Wiggly” sign blowing around.

Before bedtime we had a long talk after explaining what a hurricane and a tornado is, I explained that television has a lot of things on to make you afraid because it is captivating and therefore sells more advertising. The second part came to me while thinking about the first part.

Our television media do a very good job hyping up fear. In took my 7-year old to let me realize that we internalize said fear and minimize it at our peril.

ah Boo, sigh… what a world

I now find myself looking forward to Joe Klein’s posts and regularly cruise the National Enquirer site X~o

From Think Progress:

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) will brief Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) on foreign policy in preparation for the vice presidential debate on Oct. 2, along with other conservative experts.

That will go something like this…

“Sarah, I’d like to introduce you to Michael Ledeen. Do whatever he tells you to do, and say whatever he tells you to say.”

Someone asked the other day if some thing happened to McSame before the election, would Palin be the choice for Pres of the Rep party?

Powerful statement there. Somebody should be making that commericial right now.

Don’t forget fear of losing your job.

McCain’s wife can go on talk shows but Sarah can’t. Oh just great!

Christy,

Regarding fear…My son is in AP American History right now and they are studying the Salem Witch Trials. The teacher handed out a 1992 Newsweek article written by Laura Shapiro titled, The Lessons of Salem.

My son did a great job getting to the heart of the article.

Here are some quotes you might appreciate:

The concern and question as to why the trials happened is best echoed in the words of Boston merchant, Thomas Brattle who wrote, “What will be the issue of these troubles, God only knows…I am afraid that ages will not wear off that reproach and those stains which these things will leave behind upon our land.” Those “stains” that Brattle noted were examined during the Salem witch trial’s Tercentenary as Amnesty International focused their participation on human rights and the role of the individual conscience in times of terror.

The witch trials unfortunately “stand for the terrible victory of prejudice over reason, and fear over courage.”

Shapiro writes, “Perhaps the best way identify a witch hunt today or 300 years ago, is to look for fear.” Shapiro further notes that fear grows fear and the only way to stop the spiral of fear is the will to see clearly beyond prejudice.

Seemed apt………

hehehehe

Haven’t seen any questions raised about who’s gonna govern AK for the next two months.

except Sarah Palin is one of those “You aren’t the boss of me” kinda people

Palin took too much of the spot light away from McSame.

Okay, so Palin won’t meet with the press. I don’t see how McCain gets away with that shit (avoiding the press), so he should be asked over and over, “Why won’t your Vice Presidential nominee talk to the press?” McCain will either lose it or be forced to schedule press availabilies for her.

The more I think about it, the more this is a national security issue. I mean living up there next to Russia…how do we know she’s not a spy, or a double agent? Heh.

Rick Davis?…..so that’s the guy who sent me heading for the toilet bowl this morning.

The primary value of the Senior Senator from Arizona was always his constituent service - he was really good for that and that is why, mostly, we kept electing him.

But last week - you know, the week that he was ‘vetting’ Palin in Sedona - Phoenix had the most appalling storm I can remember in more than fifty years. 100 mph winds, power knocked out for days, people forced into ‘cooling centers’ (the local variation on storm shelters), incredible damage everywhere… A situation that really would have benefitted from the presence and assistance of a powerful Senator.

He was doing other things.

MSNBC survey

inspired the nation?
explained his motivation?
outlined his policies?
positioned himself as change mavrick?

None of the above is not an option….

She already drank the Zionist Kool-Aid.

See the flag on her office window?

http://one-village.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!BC643D0EE3B38628!13286.entry

a sleep deprived thought . . .

last night’s Ambienapalooza isn’t gonna produce so much as a dead cat bounce - they’ll get sloppy in their desperation and unleash her

two things could happen - the much anticipated gaffe and McCain no likey when someone else has all the adorationattention

Link re-directed, try this one.

she didn’t need to drink the kool-ade, shes’a fundie

I don’t know if it would help but you can go here

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/FULLDISK/GEIR.JPG

to see current conditions in the Western Hemisphere. At the moment the remnants of Gustav are over Ontario. Hanna is striking Florida. Ike is further east in the Atlantic and Josephine is off the coast of Africa.

Sometimes understanding things lessens fear of them.

I just want to report that people especially in the south are totally creeped out by these people. They are absolutely fed up with the Republicans. They don’t want to hear about war, let alone more war. They’re all going to vote for the Obama ticket, not a doubt in their minds about it.

Just thought I’d mench.

Can somebody tell a little about why FDL was functionally off the air for the last 24 hours of the RMC and is not back on-air? Was it just something in the boiler room, or was it something else.

I’d really like to know, having killed over twenty minutes in toto waiting without success for FDL to load yesterday.

Think about it. She’s gone to AK to throw together the shotgun wedding. Her base will eat it up.

As I said last night, if the country elects this fossil and airhead, then we are doomed and deserve to be.

I don’t mean to single you out here, but I thoroughly disagree with this last part. We should be greater than this. This is what the “community organizer” smear is all about - the grass roots are not supposed to be able to do anything about the “great unwashed.”

It is surely quite important to share ideas on a comment board such as this, but we should not allow ourselves to get caught up in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yes, the economy is crap, our government is wire-tapping us and putting innocent people in jail while torturing them and people’s lives are being effected all around, but sitting on our hands while failing to reach out to the uninformed and to inform them what is going on and WHY the “fossil and airhead” should not be elected.

My greatest fear is that while people certainly know that things are screwed up (80% wrong track), too many people are going to be believe the David Broder’s of the world that it’s because the Democrats don’t compromise enough on what the Republicans want. That is what McCain was saying, my friends. Engage people that you normally wouldn’t talk to about politics - do all you can to inform them. That was we won’t get what you say we deserve, four more years of the same.

As an aside, this is how the Weimar Republic became the Third Reich. Enough people became so disengaged in politics in Germany that radicals from both sides of the aisle brought down a democratically elected government.

From the Atlanta Journal

By Susan

September 5, 2008 9:02 AM | Link to this

I find it ironic that Westmoreland refers the them as “uppity.” I went to school with his daughter for several years, and never encountered someone so snobbish and elitist. I wonder where she learned that from? And by the way, I’m a Republican.

Computer models are now showing Ike pointing towards NOLA :(

It was a malfunction at the junction.

Totally agree - my wife is much more of the “don’t talk about it anymore cause it scares them even more” variety more than what I like to do.

As an aside, please don’t take my prior #73 comment personal - you just made me think of something that I am hearing too much of all around the blogosphere and it is something that is pissing me off - we need to DO something and, as you’re comment here shows, you believe in informing people, even 7-year olds.

Maybe she should now be called “Sarah Armadillah”?

Or perhaps the Secret Service called her “Ni” because after her speech she was goiung to “run away, run away”.

I’m sure that the Agents will enjoy a little holiday fishing on Todd Palin’s boat…Sarah has to go up there and help out with the early Fall salmon catch, I suppose.

The big clue will be which handlers disappear from the campaign to assist her in preparation for the debate with Biden.

I think that Biden should go haerd after the fact that Palin is actually Governor of a fairly socialistic economy…not much different than Norways. That contrary to the Republican mantra in the lower 48 that Alaskans heavily tax the oil companies. And that Alaskans certainly do love her when she talks about drilling more and more since that means that they will get more money into the Alaska Permanent Fund. Of course Palin accepted the VP position…it will profit Alaskans immensely, perhaps tripling or quadrupling their residual payments from the APF. It’s Alaska First! Not USA First!

Now Biden should suggest that the Federal Gov’t do something similar in charging extractive industries more for leasing Federal lands, and taxing oil companies the way that Alaska does. Yeah. especially those Federal Lands in Alaska that Alaska already requires oil companies to pay for.
Then that money could be placed into a Permanent Fund to support, like Alaska, lower tuition for Universities, college grants-in-aid, hospitals, health care, reducing the deficit, and income tax for most of us, and Federal sales tax.

Just like Alaska!

But unlike what McCain and his cronies are suggesting when then insist on LOWER corporate tax rates and reducing services….and putting in more sales taxes.

You can’t make this up. Josh has the info on that strange building the Maverick was in front of last night. Rove must be mortified at the sloppiness.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/213806.php

As I said last night, if the country elects this fossil and airhead, then we are doomed and deserve to be.

I don’t mean to single you out here, but I thoroughly disagree with this last part.

My point is that there are real consequences to stupid choices. This country keeps electing dopes and expects sound government. The Republicans and fundies are into magical thinking. This not only doesn’t solve the problems we have, it makes them worse and creates new ones. What I am talking about is cause and effect.

I think that Biden should go haerd after the fact that Palin is actually Governor of a fairly socialistic economy…not much different than Norways.

excellent, excellent point !

Do we really want a VP who is one heart beat away from Commander and Chief who has to have a cram course in foreign affairs before being ready to face the scrutiny of a campaign?

Sort of thought that experience should have already been learned and was a qualification for the position.

My first post here after lurking for years.. love the site.

Biden should invite Palin to a series of joint townhall meetings, much like the one McBush offered Obama, to dare her out of her cave. Probably won’t bring her out, but would be nice to see her decline the offer and watch the pundits repeating her denial 24/7.

What south do you live in? I went to a labor day party and there was absolute gushing. I didn’t stay long.

Welcome!

Keep coming back!

Indeed - but I see a lot of around the blogs is discussion about how dumb people elect Bush, McCain and all of them, without seeing much of a discussion of how they can become less dumb about it.

At this moment, I am reading “Cracking the Code” by Thom Hartmann, which addresses this very issue about how we can communicate progressive ideals effectively. Your comment about getting what we deserve struck a nerve.

Not to mention a basic knowledge of history: “If it [”one nation under God”] was good enough for our founding fathers, it’s good enough for me.”

That phrase, of course, was added on June 14, 1954.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance

Good idea! How do they get around the fact that Obama did not join McCain, although he did want to four times just not ten. McCain refused.

Great idea!

And welcome!

Yes, we were having technical issues. And we’re clearly back “on the air” this morning since you were able to comment. We’ve been working nonstop on it for days — sorry for the inconvenience.

Good Morn to you Christy and Pups.

Sorry? Please do NOT apologize. It removes one of my reasons for hating the wanna-be-RNC-police-state and its tactics.

Funny thing, how the toobz get cleared up pronto as soon as those idgits are outta town & back in their home castles.

I’m looking at it rejecting the Exceptionalist view of American history. We have become an empire and empires have historically predictable trajectories. I am reminded again of a quote by Kevin Phillips:

11/5/04 on NOW with Bill Moyers reviewing the 2004 Presidential election

Well, the worst thing to me is we’ve had so many second rate choices really, for the last 30 or 40 years relentlessly. It seems that that’s likely to be true in the future, too. I don’t see what changes it. I don’t have any sense that the average person sees a whole lot of hope for politics. And as a result, the turnout among young people, the people expected in this last election, didn’t materialize. I would hope that something would really engage ordinary Americans, not just those who are mobilized by churches and that was a very large percent of the mobilization this time, I don’t know what’s going to produce that.

I think the United States is really in some respects, on the sort of downhill slope that the great economic powers of the world get when they’ve got this division between rich and poor, when they’re overextended globally, when they’re building up debt. I mean, this has happened many times before. It seems like it’s where we are. And I don’t expect politics to address that honestly. I don’t expect the people to be mobilized in a serious across the board way. And frankly, that makes me very concerned about where it’s all going. So I’d like to be proven wrong in the next four years.

Actually there are more contrasts in openly espoused policy positions between McCain and Palin besides the corporate tax issue.

Stem Cell Research: McCain for, Palin against
Community Organizers [according to the speech] McCain for, Palin against

The issue is that there is a real difference between a security con, which McCain is and Palin who is an absolute Christian con. Biden’s job will be to drive such a large truck through that wedge that both sides of the GOP won’t know which way is up.

Curious here, Christy. Do you think they really can get away with having Palin sand-blast the Dems the way she did, and then hide her away like a piece of fragile china?

not gonna work.

no way.

*crossing fingers*

Though it isn’t the entire answer, the creeping felonization of public assembly, public petition for redress of grievances, public speech, and non-violent civil disobedience — as in MN’s version of the “Patriot” Act and the Federal “Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act” (which makes a Federal felony out of the non-violent civil disobedience techniques the women’s suffrage movement and the civil rights movement used to extend voting rights) — is a big part of the answer.

In my book, that sure helped the “pee-yer-pants fear mongering” along.

On AETA:

Virginia Representative Bobby Scott—often called the “go-to-guy” in the House on civil liberties and civil rights issues—came out swinging in support of the “ecoterrorism” bill. Scott, a Democrat, said that existing laws have been “reasonably effective,” but “gaps and loopholes” prevent law enforcement from going after animal rights “extremists.”

Scott failed to note, even in passing, that the existing AEPA was used to successfully prosecute seven Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) activists on “animal enterprise terrorism” charges for running a website. Ignoring this crucial bit of information, Scott said that activists are taking advantage of the fact that the AEPA doesn’t cover “affiliates and associates” of animal enterprises.

Disturbingly, Scott said in passing that civil disobedience could be covered in the bill—which some other supporters of the bill have denied—but he tried to ease public fears by saying that the civil disobedience would have to cause disruption and loss of profits to qualify, and that “it must be proven that such losses were specifically intended.” The same congressman who frequently praises the achievements of the civil rights movement is suddenly standing on the House floor and advocating the inclusion of that movement’s tactics in a “terrorism” bill.

Of course, for the corporatists who wrote the AETA (via their creature ALEC) and then used their purchased state and Federal corporate servants in elected office to enact the criminalizing legislation,”pee-your pants fear mongering” is simply one among many tools available to them to prevent public discussion and scrutiny of megacorps and the pols who serve them.

they won’t let the press anywhere near this woman

maybe their post selection vetting turned up more trash!!

“Stupid is as stupid does.” It’s depressing and sometimes hard not to throw one’s hands up, walk away and saying, have at it, it’s all yours.

Hi, I’m puravida, I’m an FDL addict…

“I started just a little bit at a time. First it was Valerie, then Scooter. Then TBogg started hanging out here and now, well, I can check out, but I can never leave.“

FDL, come for the issues, stay for the snark, and before you know it, you’re into the hard stuff.

Thanks Jane, Christy, BT, the other front-pagers, techs (!),mods, and all you good-looking commenters!

“Hi puravida”

*with the chorus*

Lindsay’s up with
Hundreds of Demonstrators Detained at RNC

As a former 20-year expat, I have never really been on board with the concept of American Exceptionalism in the first place. Growing up in Europe, we always learned to distrust excessive nationalism of any ilk. Watching the ‘84 Olympics from outside this country was pretty cringe-worthy actually.

When Moyers states this :“And as a result, the turnout among young people, the people expected in this last election, didn’t materialize”, I feel there certainly was a reason for it - a very conscious effort on the part of the Bush Administration to suppress the vote in key battleground states, especially Ohio. It is what the attorney general scandal is really about.

For fascists states to occur, you need a whole scale disengagement of the political process by the young. From all that I have read and seen, I think that Obama has managed to counter that disengagement to a certain degree. He got in trouble for it, but Obama, when speaking about “bitterness” was in essence talking about how so many people, especially in areas of economic distress have become disengaged in the political process. In Germany in 1933 this is what happened as well with its huge unemployment numbers.

It is our job, as the informed, is to ensure that that disengagement does not occur wholesale. I think that Moyers is sort of saying the same thing in your quoted piece.

Do repugs shred their trash after a convention? Do they vet the pro- & anti- beliefs of the pofolk who get ta sweep the hawl? make em empty they pockets n’ all? check visas & i.d.???

Can’t ask poor fragile Sarah. She’s -um- suddenly, for the 1st time in quite awhile apparently, got family issues to tend to.

Sarah honey, that ship left the dock some time ago.

*SMACK!*

oops. yes’m. i behave now. honest. sorta. in a manner of speaking. as it were.

Hey Dragon! You up too late last nite or whut?!
Find yer marchin’ shoes, hon.

“Uppity” has nothing to do with snobbish eitism. It means black people who don’t know their place.

the main reason they need to keep palin unavailable right now is she is the only one people are interested in. she has totally stolen the spotlight from mccain. i think they misjudged the “excitement” she would bring to the ticket that quickly became obsession and left john standing in the corner saying, “hey, remember me”.

excitement and panic are different somehow, maybe.

and yet.

issues. stick to issues.

I AM, Ma! HONEST!

I think the reason they need to keep Palin unavailable is that she is in no way ready for prime time and they know it.

It won’t work. Sooner or later the press will catch on. Sooner or later the Obama campaign will make it an issue. The sooner, the better.

LOL! That’s a good one.

Did anyone see this guy (one of the minor speeches after Brownback)? He stood up like he had a megaphone, wearing a full suit and started shouting WoooooHoooo! (Er, not Henry Kissinger, who was looking a little to smug for a war criminal). This guy reminded me eerily of the guy who wore a Vote for Joe t-shirt, pretended to be from CT, and harassed Lamont at a diner and other events. It turned out he was a defense contractor.

I think the reason they need to keep Palin unavailable is that she is in no way ready for prime time and they know it.

It won’t work. Sooner or later the press will catch on. Sooner or later the Obama campaign will make it an issue. The sooner, the better.

I disagree. I think they’re keeping her unavailable precisely because it will feed speculation that she’s “not ready for prime time”. then, with the bar nicely lowered to about ground level, they’ll send her out on Larry King or some other softball show and the fact that she sat up straight and didn’t drool on herself will send everyone into a tizzy about what a “triumpH’ it was.

See: her speech.

Correction@107 lobbyist for the defense industry.

Something tells me that the Rethuglicans put all these plants in the audience whose job it was to hoot wildly at various parts in Palin’s speech, as if she just said something absolutely brilliant. It looked fake. That is my goodness to honest Rohrshach feeling. How will she fare without the adulation of the 30% to prop her up?

We don’t need to keep harping on the strategy of insulating Palin from the press. There is plenty of reporting that can be done comparing the public statements she had made to date with the facts: support of the bridge to nowhere, board member of Ted Steven’s PAC, cuts in budget proposal for teenage mothers, cuts in budget proposal for special needs kids, leaving the mayor’s office with a deficit, and on and on. Just keep reporting on those discrepancies and eventually she will be forced out of the woodwork, or the public will see her one-liners for what they are - cleverly packaged lies. In either case it’s a win for us.

Palin mentioned special needs, as if she was big on it and the crowd whoopped and cheered. She said she said to Congress, No thanks to the Bridge of Nowhere (very firmly). And of course, she talked about not liking earmarks and lobbyists (even though she hired Silver, Team Abramoff). I am curious about the Ted Steven PAC part. And how could she leave the mayor’s office with a deficit when she got $$$ in earmarks via Team Abramoff?

Big Wet Smooches with Lots of Tongue…

Yech! Gross!

Can somebody tell a little about why FDL was functionally off the air for the last 24 hours of the RMC and is not back on-air? Was it just something in the boiler room, or was it something else.

I’d really like to know, having killed over twenty minutes in toto waiting without success for FDL to load yesterday.

DANGEROUS QUESTION! I raised this issue, as did some other frequent contributors, and FDL jumped down my throat and today I am, apparently, persona non grata. Plus they seem to vet contributors by how much or whether they send $. The answwer I got for my inquiry, similar to yours, was “send money!”.

Where were you told that? I haven’t seen that at all - anywhere. Can you provide a link, please?

We’ve had tech issues, and are trying to work out the kink — something Dave posted about several weeks ago the last time we had a spate of problems. I’ve seen no request for you or anyone else to “send money” so if you are getting that, I’d like to see where it’s coming from — thanks.

Wait. Her son’s name is “Track”?

Christy, you are always so good and responsive. I appreciate that. In this huge blog, you always have a personal touch.

I have the data you want, and I shall send it to you at your emaial address at FDL. I have got to attend my physician in a few minutes, so I will send this data, along with my comments on related issues, to you there around dinnertime. I shall give you my personal email address at that time to facilitate our discussion(s).

Again, your response is gratifying. As you know, I have followed FDL since its very inception, back when it was a one woman (Jane) show. I feel rather proprietary and protective of FDL.