Girl Politics

I’m going to take a moment to talk about VP pick Sarah Palin.

There isn’t any doubt she is a pretty incredible woman (now that I know who she is) with five children, a meteoric rise apparently in Alaska politics and a hard-core conservative.

I’m going to repeat that several times. She is a conservative.

For my right-leaning buddies out there, I realize this is a slam dunk. I’m not a conservative as you know if you read this blog and I’m really not posting this to you guys but more to my brethren who say they will vote for a woman for the sake of that’s she’s female. McCain shrewdly released the information after the eve of an amazing, historic speech from Barack Obama. As a matter of strategy, no one can deny that this was masterful pr move.

It was an amazing display. I’m going to give the McCain camp that one.

On the other hand, why has this entire race become about girl parts?

I wasn’t a Hillary supporter but I respected the experience and the warrior-like strength of Clinton. She honestly set much of the tone for the DNC convention this year and was very much the statesman/woman about the direction of the party. My lack of support for her candidacy had nothing to do with the fact that she is a woman. It had to do with how divisive she has been in the America mainstream over the past 16 years.

But I respect the hell out of her.

With Palin in the mix, I have to say that the whole “experience” thing has been thrown out of the political spin. I’m guessing that McCain knew that when his camp made their choice.

She was the mayor just two years ago of a town that is the about the size of Hooterville Central. Let’s think about that. Let’s also look at what has happened. In Palin’s defense, I’m offended by the VPILF (or whatever it’s called ’cause I’m not linking it) which is so sexist it’s not funny. If anything were to happen to McCain, we would be dealing with a woman, who in her own way, is a game-changer or so the MSM reports but she is still very right wing and has little experience in foreign relations which is a big deal. I am ok about this that she did but that’s basically the only thing I see as she did not do it for gay rights but due to the unconstitutional fall out so let’s get that balanced out. There are also some scandals attached to her (but in all fairness, there is always a scandal attached) but there is one thing bothering me more than anything.

It’s about her being a woman and that being the home run out of the park. Not her experience or belief system but the fact that “Hey, look, it’s a girl.” That’s the selling point that McCain banked on but when did it become a gender race and not a presidential race about issues facing this nation? A weakening economy, a war, a global uncertainty about the United States intentions, the rights of individuals … are these not important things to be discussing?

I resent that a woman is, once again, being used as a gimmick. I don’t like that. Palin, however, knew what she was getting into so there’s that.

For my conservative friends, I know this is inspiring. For me, it’s just another objectification at this point of a female but I also know you dig her politics and that’s cool.

But for those left-leaning people who are just voting for McCain because he’s got a woman on the ticket, I can only say, look at her track record and tell me, is this what you want one heartbeat away from the White House?

Going to look at Bigfoot pictures to get the buzzing out of my head.

The Vetting Of Sarah Palin

Andrea Mitchell reported this evening that John McCain only met Sarah Palin once.

I met Elvis once or so they say. I was three and I don’t remember it.

I’m just saying.

Rural Voting Key In Presidential Race

I have been preaching this for months.

From the Dallas Morning News:

And rural voters have been key — in helping former President Bill Clinton offset slippage in the suburbs and President Bush make up for declining urban support.

Former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder, who made history as the nation’s first elected black governor, said that the rural vote is key to an Obama victory and that he must campaign aggressively there.

“I told him, ‘Go to the sticks,’.” said Mr. Wilder, now the mayor of Richmond. “People there want to see you, touch you, hear you.”

And then there is this:

.S. Rep. Chet Edwards of Waco said Mr. Obama should highlight his opposition to the privatization of Social Security and his plan not to tax seniors earning less than $50,000.

“I think he can make real inroads in rural America,” Mr. Edwards said.

On Monday, Obama surrogates talked jobs, health care and rural highways at a meeting of the Democratic National Convention’s rural caucus.

The Obama rural platform includes promoting recruitment of doctors to rural areas, restricting the sale of methamphetamine ingredients, boosting incentives for ethanol and biodiesel production and use, and requiring country of origin labels on imported meat.

I realize that Barack Obama and John McCain are not going to come to Hooterville but they should go to some rural areas that are being impacted by higher gas and food costs as well as 26 manufacturing plants shutting down in the past 7 years. (Umm, that’s Hooterville and much of West Tennessee. Whoops.)

Working class folks could care less about words but are ready and need action.

I can tell you that the first thing folks here would bring up is NAFTA. It’s a hot-button issue here.

I have been talking about rural communities since I began this blog nearly three years ago. I will do the awful and link to myself. And Rep. John Tanner needs to be paying attention too. If you have money, things are rosy so how are you going to know what’s going on unless you go out to where average, real people are. People with money do not understand people without, and thus we head back to the Sneetches with the haves and have nots. Rural issues are somewhat tied into class issues, but I guess that happens everywhere.

A coffee shop, a tavern or other places that aren’t media events is what I’d say. Talk to the people serving low-income people who have nowhere else to turn.

Currently, I say to both political candidates and to our local ones as well, there are some things you don’t know that are happening. We are experiencing crimes of necessity (that’s the word local law enforcement uses where food from freezers is being stolen but not $5000 tractors. It’s happening quite a bit), gas pump drive offs, shoplifting of food and empty parking lots that used to have bustling businesses.

This is one of irritations with the political process right now. Rural voters in the south are so stereotyped by the media that it’s appalling. And politicians take their cue from MSM.

Wilder got it right.

One thing about rural citizens though. If the candidates came, they need to listen and not talk.

Then they will get a real view of what it’s like and then their words will have substance for people barely making it.

Thanks for listening.

Slogans For McCain T-Shirts

As we were talking about Bigfoot T-shirts earlier this week, the Lovable Liberal has some ideas for T-shirts slogans for John McCain. I laughed.

Here is a sample:

Pick your favorite gibe and put it on a T shirt:

• McCain doesn’t count his condos.
• The White House would make an even dozen.
• Ask me how many houses I have.
• Can you pay? I left my wallet in my other … house.
• I’m out of touch with my real estate empire.
• Ain’t never been there, they tell me it’s nice

John McCain Doesn’t Know How Many Houses He Owns

Jeez.

John McCain said in an interview with Politico on Wednesday “that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own.”

“I think — I’ll have my staff get to you,” McCain said. “It’s condominiums where — I’ll have them get to you.”

The answer, according to the group Progressive Accountability, is an even 10 homes, ranches, condos, and lofts, together worth a combined estimated $13,823,269.

What does one say? How can he know what people living on peanut butter and ramen noodles need? I’m not saying that Barack Obama isn’t a rich dude too but can anyone with this much money really understand how someone making $30,000 grand a year is financially surviving?

Seriously. I find this disconcerting. I don’t begrudge folks having money. I just want them to understand everyone’s plight because those are the majority of the folks I know.

Joementum Or Something Like That …

To the surprise of four people living in Guam and an orange cat named Humphrey, Joe Leiberman is speaking at the Republican Convention.

Question because I really don’t know the answer: John McCain wouldn’t pick him. Would he?

Advice To John McCain

I think it goes without saying that John McCain has had a rotten couple of weeks.

I guess that’s why he canceled his press conference, the only one scheduled for this week.

I know these guys get tired. I get tired. I probably need some fruit or something. Possibly a vitamin or a beer.

Maybe I’ll live dangerously and have both.

Anyway, right now McCain is sounding like that weird old guy standing in a dirty wifebeater and plaid golf shorts yelling at kids to get off his lawn while they are sitting on the bikes on the road.

If I were to give any advice to McCain, I’d probably say that the best thing he could do is realize that people have had 8 years of muck. Obama is causing attention because he’s doing things differently. Do something different if all of this is ticking you off.

Oh, and then there is this.

McCain Vs McCain

From My Confined Space

Two Gaffes: Two Days

I offer this to you without comment from CNN.

For the second time in two days, John McCain has referred to current events in “Czechoslovakia” – a country that officially ceased to exist in January of 1993.

“And I regret some of the recent behavior Russia that has exhibited, and I’ll be glad to talk about that later on including reduction in oil supplies to Czechoslovakia after they agreed with us on a missile defense system, etcetera,” said the presumptive Republican nominee at a New Mexico town hall Tuesday.

More than fifteen years ago, Czechoslovakia officially split into two nations – the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

John McCain On The Internet

Yesterday, McCain tried to surf the Internet for half an hour, until his staff told him he was actually holding an Etch A Sketch.

— Conan O’Brien

From Random Man

Weapons Of Mass Distraction

I haven’t weighed in on the New Yorker cover that caused such a stir yesterday. I don’t know, spiders were eating on my foot and I was a bit distracted.

My first thought was pretty much what Joe Lance wrote about. I thought of the Tennessee GOP and how Bill Hobbs’ recent actions have formed some of this. Did I see the satire? Yes I did. Did I think it was funny?

No, not really. Lucille Ball also doesn’t make me laugh. And I hated the Titanic movie. Just saying.

With that said, Joe said this:

The Tennessee Republican Party has created no small stir with its less-than-ironic attempts to paint Senator Obama and his wife as terrorist-connected America-haters. I thought of the TNGOP immediately when I saw the New Yorker cover. I wonder if the artist had them in mind.

A sad part to this story is that those targeted truly won’t get that they are the butt of the joke, and will fail to see themselves as the asses they have been, despite this clever mirror that has been held before them.

I don’t think people being upset is wrong at all. I also know that political satire can turn on a dime. I can’t help but think that Jeffraham made a good point.

The one thing about offering change is reacting differently that what is expected. I’m not discounting that the cover was offensive but let’s remember that the same artist, Brian Blitt, did these covers. That’s was political cartoonists do. In news, at least, if you have everyone hating on you, you did your job well.

Images from The Huffington Post

We are still living in the world of weapons of mass distraction. For Tennesseans, we can see the stamp of the Tennessee GOP’s smear campaign working here. The deep wounds that have been created by some of the GOP’s antics have hit a national audience. I don’t like it but it is what it is.

But less remember that the GOP is working on untrue stereotypes of Barack Obama. Which is no different that being Captain Obvious and saying that John McCain is old.

Let’s move on and get back to the issues of $4 bucks for a gallon of gas, Iraq and health care.

This election has become like the television show “Big Brother” and it shouldn’t be. Creating drama where this isn’t any. We have too much at stake in this country.

Dear Sen. Phil Gramm

Sir,

I know you are out there advising John McCain and stuff, but I don’t think you and he are saying the same thing. Just a few days ago, McCain said the economy was in shambles.

No, really. That’s what he said.

And then, doggone it, you go and say this.

You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. “We may have a recession; we haven’t had one yet.”

“We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline” despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

Sen. Gramm, let me ask you sir, could you come over here to northwest Tennessee? I can show you about seven empty plants, downtowns with more closed businesses than open ones and … awww, forget about it. You don’t get it. I understand that.

Oh, and now that you are with usB, well, how’s that going?

Sir, I am not a fan. I admit it. But if you are going to be McCain’s economic advisor, maybe you should know about the entire country’s economic condition and not just your rich buddies complaining that poor folks are messing with your good life.

The 12-year-old in me says this: “Bite Me.”

Your truly,

Newscoma

P.S. You might want to talk to Warren Buffett.

Project Make McCain Exciting

From the Colbert Report.

And, yes, it is fabulous.

Jones Soda Campaign Cola War 2008

Well, it’s the same drink but with different packaging from Jones Soda.

Whitney has the scoop.

For this election season, Jones has launched a series of “Campaign Colas.” They come in three varieties: Yes We Can Cola, Pure McCain Cola and Capitol Hillary Cola. I’ve tried all three, and they taste exactly the same! The only difference is the labeling.

Apparently this site is keeping tracks of the sale.

For more information, head to Campaign Cola 2008.

Barack Obama is currently kicking everyone’s butt over there.

john.he.is

Opting Out

Barack Obama has opted out of public funding for his presidential campaign.

Good.

I’ve never understood taking public funding in the first place. Oh, I know there is a science behind government and politics. There is also science behind bacteria growing.

Of course there is the wrangling from the John McCain campaign that Obama has broken a trust.

Well, as a taxpayer, my bank account is broken. So there.

I don’t know. I think the system has been broken a long time. Obama has proved he can raise funds needed in small (and some not so small) increments.

Of course I might be missing the big picture, but I’ve always been uneasy about lobbyist/corporate monies going into campaign coffers held in public trust.

And being that many people have talked about government being broken (I’m eyeballing you, Lou Dobbs) and should be run like a business, isn’t this good “business?”

I’m chewing on that in my cranium.

Steve Cohen Is Blogging

If you aren’t getting Left Wing Cracker’s daily e-mails, well, you should be. He’s amazing, tireless and just the best.

He sent me a link to where Steve Cohen is blogging. I love it when politicians’ blog.

My vision for that generation is one of fully recognized freedoms for all individuals living in a nation where government helps those less fortunate to be a part of our great society. My vision is of one People, one Nation, one America. “E Pluribus Unum” is not merely some trademark stamped on the Great Seal as part of some American branding scheme. It is a vision of our world. It is a call to unity. It is, in and of itself, a sacred purpose.

As a society we do not gain the right to call ourselves unified or just if we are not. Just being American does prove us great and good. It is those things that Americans have done that has made America so, and America will continue to be great, to be good by continuing to expand civil liberties for all, by embracing all walks of life into one society, into one America.

There’s more here.

On another note, I’m watching Sen. Joe Lieberman defend John McCain this morning. Mabel may have to get back in the race if Lieberman keeps it up. Just so she can bite him. I’m a pacifist. She’s not.

McCainiac

The McCain Girls are back.

I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but they are back.

The Game Has Two Opposing Sides

When the antics of Bill Hobbs makes the New York Times, CNN and all of the major news outlets, you know he’s sitting home grinning. He did his job. Not only did he get the Tennessee GOP noticed, but he’s gaining a Rovian presence on the national front.

Rove is, despite his diminished role in the Bush White House, and will always be the GOP’s Go-To guy.  Bush is a lame duck. Rove has moved on despite the whispers in Washington.

Want to see non-scandal du jour? Call on Hobbs these days. Hobbs is this decade’s new Rove. Little Rove, if you will. Instead of lurking, he’s out there. Mark says this is not the way usual shillers do it but I’m not sure if Hobbs is just changing the game. Hobbs has gained infamous celebrity. Addictive, ain’t it Bill.

Will it blow up in his face? I’m not sure. You see, if the Tennessee GOP disapproved, then they’d get rid of him. Yeah, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have issued statements condemning his latest drive-by but it hasn’t changed anything.

I’ve spoken about how this impacts, long-term, this state’s reputation but it doesn’t matter at this point. The Tennessee GOP is more than satisfied with Hobbs’ shenanigans. And he doesn’t back up.

But here’s what bothers me the most. Our state has shown with the Tennessee GOP’s actions that the perception is our state did not display goodwill toward Michelle Obama. We didn’t show goodwill toward Barack Obama back a couple of months ago. The individuals who did are secondary to the actions that Hobbs put up and videos he’s done. Kindness was not reported on. Issues were not reported on. And Obama defended his wife. Most folks love chivalry and he displayed it.

The Tennessee GOP got the national play though.

Is what Hobbs did fair game? I guess it is. I don’t have to like it but the local GOP party is going to continue with this. And Hobbs just might get a national gig out of this because his actions are proving that mainstream media is going to pay attention to him.

But one thing that Hobbs and Co. maybe didn’t take into consideration is if they are changing the game, then they have to play by the rules they set. I’ve noticed around the Tennessee blogosphere this morning that Cindy McCain’s background is being questioned in comments at some of the blogs. Her father’s history, her money etc.

When this happens to the Republican nominee for president’s wife, how is Hobbs going to react then? If the game is gutterball and it takes two sides to play, the Tennessee GOP is going to have to deal with long-term ramifications that they created.

Mud always gets slung in politics. I’m not naive.

Just my observation.

Dwight Shrute Has Demands

Dwight Shrute as John McCain’s VP has demands.

Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, John McCain, made a bold announcement last week when during an interview on THE DAILY SHOW he announced that Dwight Schrute would be his running mate on the ticket come November. It was an obvious choice and one, frankly, we all saw coming. But what Senator McCain didn’t anticipate was the list of demands that Mr. Schrute would enforce prior to agreeing to appearing on the ticket as the nominee for Assistant President.

Go see the video at Give Me My Remote.