Political News: Anchorage Daily News and Financial Times Endorse Obama

Good Morning Bloggers - Alaska's largest-circulation paper, the Anchorage Daily News, is endorsing Senator Barack Obama while saying that state governor Palin is "too risky" to be one step away from the presidency. One of my favorite newspapers, The Financial Times, is also endorsing Barack. YES!!!!

The Daily News editorial says her nomination "captivated" Alaskans, but that must not "overwhelm all other judgment."

They called McCain the "wrong choice" and said that Obama has a "cool, steady hand." They added that "[John McCain] embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years", it says. By contrast, the Daily News suggests, Mr Obama "brings far more promise to the office."

The Financial Times editorial said that Obama "ran his [campaign] superbly; Mr McCain’s has often looked a shambles. After eight years of George W. Bush, the steady competence of the Obama operation commands respect." Despite criticizing my candidate throughout the article, they seemed to think of him as the lesser of two evils. Oh well, I'll still take it.

The overwhelming majority of major newspapers in this country are supporting Barack Obama. I think you Republicans out there should take notice and read a few of the editorials. You never know, you might learn something. I know you don't want to admit it, but you could be wrong blindly supporting your candidate without thinking through all the facts. Perhaps it's time to put logic over loyalty. I'm just saying.

Monday's Political News #1 - Michael

Editorial Cartoon: UK Guardian

Hello Bloggers - I thought you guys might enjoy this great editorial cartoon that I found on the UK Guardian Newspaper's website. I love the "Clothes Horse Express" on the side of the plane. I certainly hope we can see the back of that woman in twelve days.

Political Rant: The McCain Campaign's Chemical Breakdown

Good Morning Bloggers - Anybody who watched Hardball yesterday would have noticed the remarks made by MSNBC's Political Director Chuck Todd after he sat in on the Nightly News interview with McCain and Palin. He kept telling Chris how he felt their was "NO" chemistry between them.

Todd kept saying it over and over. It was obvious to him. He also said that he sensed a great deal of "tension" in the room. I wonder if they had a big fight before the interview. McCain did make faces during the interview - then again, when does he not make stupid faces. I wonder if McCain is beginning to blame her for his own problems and screw-ups. The really funny part is that they're both pretty awful.

I don't know about you guys, but most Republicans I know are famous for passing the buck. The ones I know rarely take any personal responsibility. I'll bet that's happening with McCain. He's probably blaming her for everything. I'll even go so far as to bet the man's a misogynist - just look how he treats his wife at times. He's probably regretting the Palin decision and it's starting to show. Oh well, all the better for us.

It's also reported on Raw Story this morning that the New York Times Magazine is set to publish an explosive story on Sunday detailing "the inner workings and combative personalities" of the McCain campaign.

Raw Story reports that the piece, written by Robert Draper and titled The Making (and Remaking and Remaking) of the Candidate, will highlight "a growing weariness within a campaign that seems more interested in tactical victories and the next compelling narratives than an overarching strategy." It sounds interesting, but it's been pretty damn obvious to me for a while.


Excerpts: "By October, the succession of backfiring narratives would compel some to reappraise not only McCain's chances but also the decisions made by [Chief Strategist Steve] Schmidt, who only a short time ago was hailed as the savior who brought discipline and unrepentant toughness to a listing campaign."

Having interviewed several of the Senator's chief aides, Draper details the process by which McCain ultimately chose his running mate (New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was surprisingly high on the list). And the decision may have been even more impulsive than initially thought. Gov. Sarah Palin, who had never been on the VP shortlist, was advanced at the last minute by Schmidt and Rick Davis, and was picked after a chat with McCain at his ranch in Arizona.

From there, Draper tracks the campaign through Palin's widely praised convention speech, the roaring early campaign events, and then the first glimmer of doubts. There are additional, juicy nuggets that he uncovers earlier and along the way. These include the birth of the Obama-as-celebrity attack line -- the campaign felt it was on the wrong track, its pollster described their situation as "third and nine," and Schmidt "blurted out the epiphany concerning Obama. 'Face it, gentlemen,' he said. 'He's being treated like a celebrity.'"


Reports like that confirm a great many of my suspicions. The ironic thing is that everybody I know in Washington (I used to work for a Senator on Capitol Hill) tells me that John McCain has the ultimate celebrity ego. Supposedly, in addition to an early film about his time in Vietnam, he expects a full-feature film spanning his Senate years one day. If it's true, than Obama's rise to fame - at his expense - must be leaving him feeling pretty sore.

I've mentioned before on this blog how I'm a big believer that "the fish rots from the head down." It's not a pretty saying, but it sums up my belief that the top dog creates the "personality" of any organization - based on who he draws into it.

It's pretty obvious that McCain attracts awful people that don't function well together. Think about it, there have been rumors since the primaries about the infighting. That's a pretty damn good reason to vote against him right there. Just think about his potential White House. Scary!

John McCain is a negative person who surrounds himself with negative people. Unfortunately, the fruits of his labor are beginning to rot, and the stench is getting out. It's interesting to watch. I'll bet they're all pretty sick of each other at this point. I suggest we all just sit back and watch the fireworks. If it continues in the same way, there should be a pretty good finale.

Thursday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Political News: Anchorage Daily News Skewers Palin for Vindicating Self

Hello Bloggers - Yesterday's Anchorage Daily News featured an editorial skewering Palin for claiming that the "Troopergate" report just released somehow "vindicates" her as she claims.

Excerpt from: Palin vindicated?

"Sarah Palin's reaction to the Legislature's Troopergate report is an embarrassment to Alaskans and the nation. She claims the report "vindicates" her. She said that the investigation found "no unlawful or unethical activity on my part." Her response is either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian."

Read the whole editorial here.

Personally, I consider her outrageous "spin" to be more Rovian crap spewed by the McCain campaign. We've put up with it over the Bush years and have grown used to it, kind of like the Moose crap you scrape from your boot walking around the outskirts of Anchorage. I look forward to the day when we don't have to deal with the crap anymore. I look forward to the day when we've all scraped our boots off for the last time, and the smelly, stinking, flee-bitten Rovian herd has moved way beyond our horizon.

Tuesday's Political News #1 and Rant #2 - Michael

Political Rant: Palin Might Spell Trouble for the Republicans in the Future

Hello Bloggers - I was just talking to somebody today about how I felt Sarah Palin represents bad news for the Republicans if they lose this election, and they pointed me to a piece on the Huffington Post where "conservative" columnist David Brooks of the New York Times is saying pretty much the same thing.

David Brooks is calling Sarah Palin a "fatal cancer to the Republican party." Funny, I was calling her a"broken compass," pointing the party in the wrong direction. Both are good in my opinion.

In an interview with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, Brooks decried Palin's anti-intellectualism and compared her to President Bush. I was telling my friend the same thing today. If this election goes south for them, I believe the Republicans will need to reject a lot of that "good-ole-boy" anti-intellectualism because it will be obvious that things are too complicated these days to elect simpletons.

Brooks went further to say:
"[Palin] represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party. When I first started in journalism, I worked at the National Review for Bill Buckley. And Buckley famously said he'd rather be ruled by the first 2,000 names in the Boston phone book than by the Harvard faculty."

"But he didn't think those were the only two options. He thought it was important to have people on the conservative side who celebrated ideas, who celebrated learning. And his whole life was based on that, and that was also true for a lot of the other conservatives in the Reagan era."

"Reagan had an immense faith in the power of ideas. But there has been a counter, more populist tradition, which is not only to scorn liberal ideas but to scorn ideas entirely. And I'm afraid that Sarah Palin has those prejudices. I think President Bush has those prejudices." Read the whole article here.

Brooks is predicting an Obama victory by nine points, and though he harshly calls Obama "a very mediocre senator," he says that he surrounds himself - by what Brooks calls - "the most impressive people in the Democratic party." Between you and me, what is it about Republicans and their love of teams? That's all we ever heard about when Bush ran both times; he's okay, but most important he surrounds himself with a good team. Look how that turned out - oh yea, and his team SUCKED!

Teams are important, but the individual who picks them is more important. I give Barack credit for his team. It's not by chance he runs a professional operation. I've always believed - since running a few companies - that the old Russian proverb "the fish rots from the head down" is very profound. The leader of any organization, or the person who direct all the layers of people hired beneath him, creates the "personality" and professionalism of the whole organization. So, to put it another way, Barack's team is good because Barack is good.

I'm glad to see that conservative columnists like George Will, David Brooks and others are seeing Obama for the good man that he is, and McCain for the not-so-good man that he has become. I hope the trend continues. Regarding Palin, I do hope the Republicans figure out that our country needs smart leadership. We've had enough of those who feel they govern from the gut and do God's work despite all arguments and urging not to.

Wednesday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Political Opinion: Dumbing Down the GOP

Hello Bloggers - I saw this piece on Salon.com and just had to share it. If you read my work then you'll agree that it fits a pattern. I often ask the question, "WHY are Republicans so willing to nominate unqualified people to run the country?" It makes no sense to many of us observing from the other side. I challenge Republicans to make the same claim, and if you say Obama then I say you're comparing apples to oranges - the man is brilliant! Even your smartest, most obnoxious Republican pundits agree with me on that one.

Excerpts from "The dumbing down of the GOP"

"Why aren't more conservatives disgusted that their party nominated a person devoid of qualifications for the vice presidency (again)?"

"Sarah Palin's debate performance should signal the beginning of the end of her fad. But for the moment it is worth looking at the meaning of her nomination, without the protective varnish of what conservatives usually dismiss as political correctness."

"Why should we pretend not to notice when Gov. Palin's ideas make no sense? Having said last week that "it doesn't matter" whether human activity is the cause of climate change, she said in debate that she "doesn't want to argue" about the causes. It doesn't occur to her that we have to know the causes in order to address the problem. (She was very fortunate that moderator Gwen Ifill didn't ask her whether she truly believes that human beings and dinosaurs inhabited this planet simultaneously only 6,000 years ago.)"

"Why should we ignore her inability to string together a series of coherent thoughts? As a foe of Wall Street greed and a late convert to the gospel of government regulation, along with John McCain, Palin promised to clean up and reform business. But when her programmed talking points about "getting government out of the way" and protecting "freedom" conflicted with that promise, she didn't notice."

"Why should we give her a pass on the most important issues of the day? Supposedly sharing the fears and concerns of the average families who face the burdens of mortgages, healthcare and economic insecurity, Palin simply refused to discuss changes in bankruptcy law and proved that she didn't know the provisions of McCain's healthcare plan."

"There was a time when conservatives lamented the dumbing down of American culture. Preservation of basic standards in schools and workplaces compelled them -- or so they said -- to resist affirmative action for women and minorities. Qualifications mattered; merit mattered; and demagogic appeals for leveling were to be left to the Democrats."

"Not anymore."

"The ultimate irony of Palin's rise is that it has occurred at a moment when Americans may finally have grown weary of pseudo-populism -- when intelligence, judgment, diligence and seriousness are once again valued, simply because we are in such deep trouble. We got into this mess because we elected a man who professed to despise elitism, which he detected in everyone whose opinions differed from his prejudices. That was George W. Bush, of course. Biden was too polite and restrained to say it, but the dumbing down is more of the same, too."

(Read the whole story at http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/10/04/dumb/)

I agree with the author completely. I hope you consider what you're doing to the country, not just your party.

Saturday's Political Opinion #1 - Michael

Political Rant: Doggone It, I'm Begging You, Send the Winking Wacko Back To Alaska!

Good Morning Bloggers - I thought I would post prior to reviewing the press this morning to give my gut reaction to last night's debate. I thought Joe Biden was brilliant! He proved that he will make an awesome VP and possible president in the case of a disaster. Sarah Palin did very well, but so mind numbingly annoying, corny, folksy and "good-ole-galish" that I wanted to gag. I don't understand how anybody could vote for her, but I would say that she did well in a very difficult setting - a bit scripted, but well.

"Ah, say it ain't so, Joe," was one of those remarks that crawled under my skin and died. I couldn't stand the "now doggone it," the winks, or the wrinkled nose. I also hated the way she said "mavericky." All of it gave me the creeps. She would be fine as a congresswoman, but running for VP during one of the most difficult periods in American history, I say NO WAY!

What is wrong with you Republicans? How can you even consider putting that woman one step away from our presidency? McCain could have stage two or three melanoma - it's been reported by reputable sources, just not covered by the corporate media. She could wind up our PRESIDENT if you don't reconsider your vote. You already get failing grades as voters for electing the incompetent boob George Bush, but to consider another one makes me feel like you should all be disqualified as voters. You guys need to go to voting school or something.

Overall I think Biden did a great job. He made me feel proud as a Democrat and American. It was Scanton versus Wasilla, and Scranton won. Palin made me cringe most of the time. I'll give her kudos for not screwing up, but that's about it. Please, I'm begging you, don't put that woman in office. She scares me even more than Dick Cheney. God help us! Please, send her back to Alaska - and soon!

Friday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Political Video: Gays in Alaska Upset About Potential for Palin Power

Hello Bloggers - I found this fascinating video created by the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign Fund profiling gay and straight people in Alaska - including clergy - and the way they feel about the possibility of Sarah Palin as VP. I thought it was very interesting. I recommend it to get a better idea of how terrifying our future could be.

(Watch the video at http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2008/10/video-lgbt-alas.html)

I hope you agree that the people interviewed seemed very concerned and thoughtful. I agree with them that Palin with more power is a very scary thing.

Thursday's Political Video #1 - Contributor

Political News/Rant: Palin Forced to Apologize to British Embassy in DC

Good Morning Bloggers - I spotted a new Sarah Palin gaff perusing London's Daily Mail this morning that hasn't even appeared in the American media I've reviewed so far. Incredibly, Sarah Palin has been forced to apologise to the British Embassy in Washington after claiming she had held talks with the ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald.

In an answer to questions about her foreign policy experience ahead of tonight's make-or-break vice presidential TV debate, her aides listed numerous contacts with foreign officials - including Sir Nigel. However the meeting never occurred. It was a BOLDFACE LIE!

Officials at the embassy swiftly contacted the McCain-Palin campaign to inform them of the discrepancy - or LIE! A British Embassy spokesman said the error arose after Sir Nigel's name was listed among guests attending a US Governor's meeting in July. The problem was that he wasn't actually there, but the campaign listed him anyway - they didn't even confirm it. It blows me away how the McCain campaign are such SCREW UPS and yet they're still getting decent support from the American people. McCain and Palin aren't qualified to run an embassy, much less a nation.

(Read the whole story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1066426/Red-faced-Palin-forced-apologise-blunder-talks-British-ambassador-ahead-crucial-TV-debate.html)

My Republican friends keep saying that the media is "beating up" on Palin, but the way I see it she's following John McCain's example of incompetence, stretching the truth and outright lying. If anything the media is not doing enough.

Considering her lightweight interviews with Gibson, Hannity and Couric so far, I think the Republicans are getting a free ride when it comes to Palin. She has lied about her positions and many other events like the one with the ambassador, so why should any of us take this campaign seriously. I hope tonight's debate shuts the door on the campaign and we never have to look back at its ugly face again.

Thursday's Political News/Rant #1 - Michael

Political Rant: Some of You People Are STUPID!

Good Morning Bloggers - I'm not going to cushion my blows this morning, and just say outright that I beleive anybody who falls for this Rovian bullshit - about how Senator Obama was insulting Palin when he made his remark about how dressing McCain's policies up as "change" is like putting lipstick on a pig - is the proverbial turnip truck moron. Even worse, you probably have trouble spelling, can't tie your shoes in the morning, and are pretty much dumb as dirt. Come on people, this is bullshit. We have so many problems in this country and the world, and we cannot allow the Rovian politics of distraction - being used clumsily by Rove's pathetic Republican proteges - keep us from seeing what needs to be done. The majority of Americans are suffering, and McCain doesn't offer any new ideas - listen up people, he's more of the same.

If McCain and his camp want to keep pointing to Palin, then let's talk about her EXTREME views. There's more and more evidence every day that she is George Bush in a dress. Recently discovered articles from local Alaskan press point out that she doesn't like to get "her hands dirty" with details and likes to govern using "principle" and "big picture" ideas. Do we really need another ill-informed, policy retard in the White House? There's also more evidence that her church - a "splinter" group too extreme for even the Assemblies of God - is one of the most radical born-again sects in the nation. Her views are EXTREME! Feel free to debate me, but I think you're going to have a hard time making a case for installing another radical in the White House after the past seven-plus years.

Wednesday, Rant #1 for today - thanks - Michael

Political Rant: My Anger After the Republican Convention and Possible Voter Stupidity

Hello Bloggers - I created this blog to fight against the cynism of today's American political scene. After watching the Republican National Convention I was struck hard by it. The way the audience laughed with Guiliani [sic] and others as they described Senator Obama's community service made me extremely angry. They laughed at things I've spent my life doing, and service that Senator McCain has encouraged in all Americans. The flip-flops, mixed messages, lies and deceit of the Rove Republicans and the the McCain campaign didn't anger me until recently after he chose Palin and I saw the polls begin to lean in their direction. I'm wondering what's wrong with the American voter. I'm disgusted with it to be honest. McCain's entire campaign prior to Palin was about experience, while criticizing Obama for being a celebrity (ridiculous, but it was their strategy). The media and its pundits even debated the "experience versus celebrity" craziness. Now Palin is the celebrity and McCain's campaign has reversed itself to promote huge crowds and Palin's "personality," and nobody seems to notice the absurdity of the switch. It's like we're all living in an alternate reality. Nobody seems to see the forest through the trees anymore. Sometimes, except for my heroes in media and online (and the quiet supporters out there), I feel like Americans have lost their sense of perspective. Why are they beleiving it, especially the obvious lies and deceit. Do people believe really believe the same old Rovian lies and stage-craft? I see it for what it is: marketing, messaging, and stage-crap. I'm SHOCKED that the voters are telling pollsters that they like McCain and Palin, and how close the race is today. The whole thing is crazy. They should remember the old lies that got us into this mess and know it's all BS! How can this be happening? The numbers should be going in the OTHER DIRECTION! I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone.

Tuesday, Rant #1, Michael Boh