The Next Vice-President?

[analog]

Troopergate? A governor uses influence to get a bad egg off the police force? This guy tasers children! And somebody objects to his being run off? I suppose we should wait until he shoots up a PTA meeting and then pillory the governor for not running him off..


Acorn is stuffing ballot boxes and the mainstream press barely raises an eyebrow?
That is huge. And conspiratorial. Where's the election commission?
I hope Acorn high muckety-mucks are dragged into court. It'll be interesting to see whose lawyers show up for that's what broke Watergate.

Troopergate is a ploy to take attention off Acorn.
I'm sick of network propaganda.
Obama is a nice guy but his friends are dangerous.

I am voting with the NRA on this one.

[Giant Communist Robot]

So the Alaska legislative report says she's guilty. I wonder what consequences there will be. It makes me a little sad.

[Haggis@wk]

So the Alaska legislative report says she's guilty. I wonder what consequences there will be.

None, the people who hated her before still hate her and the people who love her assume (more than a little correctly) this is a political hit job. Game on as before!

[dai bread]

"Troopergate? A governor uses influence to get a bad egg off the police force? This guy tasers children! And somebody objects to his being run off? I suppose we should wait until he shoots up a PTA meeting and then pillory the governor for not running him off.."


Ah, the joys of talking to people who actually live in a place! None of this has surfaced in my newspaper.

[Shapley]

Did Biden Get It Wrong? You Betcha!

I meant to post this a while back, but apparently didn't. I was commenting of Factcheck.org's apparent unwillingness to factcheck the Democrats' statements in the same manner as they did the Republicans. Sen. Biden clearly does not understand the role of the Vice-President, the job he is currently seeking. Gov. Palin has a much better grasp of those duties than he does. But that fact largely went unnoticed by the 'fact-checkers' who praised Sen. Biden for his grasp of the facts.

As I said, who's fact-checking the fact-checkers?

[Shapley]

Here is the Senate's summary of the history, duties, and responsibilities of the Vice-President of the United States.

[jamiebk]

Gov. Palin has a much better grasp of those duties than he does.

She may understand the duties...she just has no idea how to execute them

[shostakovich]

When McCain picked Palin I thought it was a good choice. She had an energy he seemed to lack. She also appealed more to the Republican base. Her material was fresh. But now the repeated talking points grow stale, and she has shown poor ability to think on her feet or think deeply (a problem shared by many). On the other hand, John McCain has become energized and more "presidential". It would be ironic if the superstar that closed the polling gap earlier became the millstone around the ticket in Nov.
Shos

PS: I saw the debate, and it was more of a real debate than the previous ones. Again, I thought it was pretty even overall. Maybe McCain had a little edge. In terms of expression, I don't think Obama's "coolness" or McCain's smug grin will win the day for either one of them.

PPS: "Media" is a plural.

[Shapley]

Gov. Palin has a much better grasp of those duties than he does.

She may understand the duties...she just has no idea how to execute them

Sen. Biden has been in the Senate 35 years. I would expect that, during all that time, he would come to know the duties of the Senate President....

[analog]

anyone know how Palin's resume` compares to what Clinton's looked like when he ran?

Bill Clinton was, and still is, a very popular president, but it is somewhat ironic that the very reasons the avid Hillary Clinton supporters now give to suggest she is a better choice, could have easily been used against Bill in 1991. The pinnacle of Bill Clinton’s experience prior to the presidency was to be governor of one of the smallest and most backward states in the union, better known as Arkansas.

[jamiebk]

anyone know how Palin's resume`

What resume'? Does she have a resume'?

[Shapley]

Besides having been Governor for, I believe, twelve years (elected 1978, defeated 1980, re-elected 1982), Bill Clinton had also been Attorney General of Arkansas for two years (1976-1978). He did hold various positions within the party during his term as governor, as well as a stint has head of the National Governor's Association. It was his association with the Democratic Leadership Council, a gang of conservative-leaning Democrats, that earned him recognition amongst a field of also-rans in the 1992 Democrat convention. You may recall that, at the time of entry, President Bush I was thought to be undefeatable because of the success of the Gulf War....

[Haggis@wk]

Why is Bill Ayers a respectable member of the upper middle class and Sarah Palin contemptible?"

[Mahlersfifth]

But who cares about some washed up old terrorist, Haggis?

I know Palin supports a ban on gay marriage, though I don't think McCain does but i could be wrong. But what I don't understand is why any one cares if people of the same sex have the right to marry? So what? If there is a church that will marry them, then why do church goers care? Why ban it? Explain this to me...

[jamiebk]

But who cares about some washed up old terrorist, Haggis?

I know Palin supports a ban on gay marriage, though I don't think McCain does but i could be wrong. But what I don't understand is why any one cares if people of the same sex have the right to marry? So what? If there is a church that will marry them, then why do church goers care? Why ban it? Explain this to me...

For the same reasons that the religious right would deny every american...and specifically a woman's right of choice to an abortion. It is their will over yours.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

But who cares about some washed up old terrorist, Haggis? ...

I do, for one. Washed up old terrorist is not that old, from my perspective, and is teaching and publishing his views. This is potentially more terrifying than the actual bomb-distribution of his youth. I find it somewhat disquieting that he's considered respectable by a politician running for POTUS.

...ban on gay marriage,... Why ban it? Explain this to me...

Some folks find it offensive that other folks deviate from what is considered "normal". In religious matters, where there's no reality check to go by, the logic chain tends to run:
1) My views are moral.
2) My behavior is right.
3) His views (and behavior) are different.
4) His views (and behavior) are immoral.

This logic often extends to:
5) Immoral behavior is forbidden.
and:
6) Immoral behavior must be suppressed.

I personally am more willing to apply conclusion (6) to terrorists in academia than I am to other people's family composition.

[jamiebk]

But who cares about some washed up old terrorist, Haggis? ...

I find it somewhat disquieting that he's considered respectable by a politician running for POTUS.

I don't think Obama ever said that! He sat on a board (funded by Republicans under Ronald Reagan BTY)briefly. Obama was not alone on that...there were a number of Republicans and other leaders who also sat on that board. Are they terrorists too? If you are going the line of guilt by association, then there are a lot of "guilty parties". Obama was 8 years old with Ayers was doing his deeds. It was not until much, much later that Obama (and many others) rubbed shoulders.

Do you really think it is fair or in any way accurate to have robo-calls "alerting" voters that Obama is associating with a known domestic terrorist? It's misleading at best and downright slanderous at worst

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I disquiet easily. I'm also inclined to view academic political theorists, as a group, with suspicion.

Robo-calls? Please, join me in reviling them. I've given up answering my house phone until after the elections - live people will leave a civilized message and if I want to speak with 'em I'll call them back.

[Haggis@wk]

But who cares about some washed up old terrorist, Haggis? ...

I find it somewhat disquieting that he's considered respectable by a politician running for POTUS.

I don't think Obama ever said that! He sat on a board (funded by Republicans under Ronald Reagan BTY)briefly. Obama was not alone on that...there were a number of Republicans and other leaders who also sat on that board. Are they terrorists too? If you are going the line of guilt by association, then there are a lot of "guilty parties". Obama was 8 years old with Ayers was doing his deeds. It was not until much, much later that Obama (and many others) rubbed shoulders.

Do you really think it is fair or in any way accurate to have robo-calls "alerting" voters that Obama is associating with a known domestic terrorist? It's misleading at best and downright slanderous at worst

My question never mentioned Obama or Ayers' relationship.

Why is Bill Ayers a respectable member of the upper middle class and Sarah Palin contemptible?

Just because he hasn't been responsible for any murders in the last two or three decades is the threshold of respectabillity? Just wanted to get other peoples' perspective. Thank you.

[shostakovich]

If Bill Ayers were interviewed for public consumption, we'd have a better idea of whether or not he deserves respect, and opinions on that would differ. Whatever he disseminates in his classroom is likely covered by some teacher privilege. I've forgotten the actual term for it. Obama does not share his past "terrorist" view.

As for Palin, she's not "contemptible", just not ready for prime time (like Tina Fey ).
Shos