THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR McCAIN!!!

B-O-R-I-N-G!

I can not believe Mitt Romney just said:

"It's time for the party of big ideas; not the party of Big Brother"

He's talkin' about US!?!

Jesus.

I think Republicans are really snappy dressers
--Smithers

I have seldom heard a worse speaker than Carly Fiorini. Woo, what a snooze-fest.

Romney is pretty energetic, however.

Drill, Baby, Drill!

Now we're talking!

Looks like they've installed the Republican Party Platform v1.0 in Mitt, lubed his joints, and put in fresh batteries.

Watching the convention floor, I keep waiting for a bingo game to break out. Listening to Mitt Romney accuse the Dems of being Big Brother brings new meaning to the words "tone deaf" (warrantless surveillance anyone?) Their speakers are flat, and the party is in crisis. Every day, every hour even, there's a new screw-up. Compare this to the meticulously managed Democratic convention. any gaffes then? not that I can think of

Y'know, maybe Obama should just take McCain's words and run w/ 'em. If he says that Palin is the best qualified Republican to be VP, then he should use that to tear apart the GOP. Something along the lines of 'Senator McCain says that Gov. Palin is the "best qualified' candidate for Vice President, which only goes to show how little even John McCain thinks of the former Grand Ole Party...." etc. etc. etc.

Romney's East-versus-West, liberal-versus-conservative polemic is pretty jarring coming right after Steele's "one America" speech. It's definitely more effective, though.

Mitt Romney = Max Headroom

If they fact check Romney's speech and give me a dollar for every false hood i could fund my education.

Romney is getting the audience all fired up.

Lots of good but unsubstantial one liners.

Like I said, Mitt put up such pathetic trite or florid platitudes, I think maybe he did it deliberately out of spite for being passed over (and who can blame him?)

if the convention is measured in shockly brazen lies per minute, the Republicans definitely have the best convention. perhaps the best meeting of any kind, ever. this is Olympic caliber dishonesty with stuff like Romney calling the Dems "Big Brother," like Palin planning to claim there is no value in community organizing (guess we know she'll have no urban agenda).

Oh wait. Is that Henry Kissinger? Good lord. And look, one token black guy.

Why am I watching torturing myself with this???

How did his head not explode from the cognitive dissonance when he railed against teenage promiscuity in our schools? I'm beginning to suspect that the entire Republican party is one big performance art piece and the actors are so dedicated and method, that they've fully bought into the act.

Romney just blamed the last 8 years on liberals, and said to fix it, we need to get the liberals out of DC and elect McCain/Palin.

There is not anything about that viewpoint that makes a single solitary bit of sense.

Mind asplode.

Should anyone get ill watching the convention, I highly recommend NOT reading the ABC/Gibson interview with McCain.

Mitt Romney... but all previous speakers and spokespeople as well... It's bizzare how the Republicans are working themselves up into a righteous frenzy, promising to fix what's wrong in Washington. They ignore the fact that they've either been 100% in charge these last 7 years or have blocked Democratic initiatives; they claim for themselves the mantle of energy conservation, renewable energy and reducing dependence on foreign oil and try to blame the Democrats for preventing movement on these issues (when they've either been in charge and done nothing or blocked Democratic initiatives); they claim that policies will accomplish what their own colleagues have admitted they will not accomplish (drill now); they point to increased government spending and say it's all the fault of liberals (when it was their budgets that exploded spending); they argue that Democratic tax proposals (increase rates on the most wealthy) would be a job killer despite all evidence to the contrary (Clinton's policies v. the last 7 years).

Deny reality, blame others for one's own actions, claim that policies you have consistently opposed are now yours - and that those who have always championed them are somehow to blame for the lack of movement...

It falls somewhere between delusion and insanity.

On a more serious tactical note, is bashing the media really smart strategy? How many people are really watching this unfiltered compared to those who will read about it/watch it tomorrow? I'm just not getting it.

I tried to listen serious to Romney for a good couple of minutes, but I couldn't help cracking up.

"We need a change all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain!"

And now Huckabee with the awkward, "You want something to change."

Ack! Who wrote this stuff!

I tried to listen serious to Romney for a good couple of minutes, but I couldn't help cracking up.

"We need a change all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain!"

And now Huckabee with the awkward, "You want something to change."

Ack! Who wrote this stuff!

How did his head not explode from the cognitive dissonance when he railed against teenage promiscuity in our schools?

Better Romney bring up promiscuity than Palin.

What pornography in high schools is Romney referring to? Sex education?

'Scuse me, but do they intend to have any speakers who are actually still in office? Romney out, Steele out, Whitman out, etc.

J.W.: The GOP asserts that the Democrats let them get away with crimes and incompetence. Thus Democrats are to blame. We didn't stop them before they killed again . . .

The difference between Democrats and Republicans: Democrats attack things (poverty, crime, environmental abuse, etc.), Republicans attack people (Democrats, the poor, people that don't look like them, people that don;t pray like them.)

The huckster mentioning FDR? WTF is going on here?

I ain't watching. Has Mitt revealed the whereabouts of the golden tablets yet?

And will Sarah rise from the dead after being crucified by the press and being sealed in her vault the past 3 days?

Romney: "We need change all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain!" (Hunh?)

Huckabee: "We want something to change." My dad lifted "...heavy things." "...only soap we had was lava..."

Ack! Who wrote this stuff!

What pornography in high schools is Romney referring to?

Yeah, really. I grew up in the wrong district!

Storm KO'd electricity here. Mercifully spared the carnage.

So far, Huckabee's speech is a C-.

"Did I mention that John McCain was a POW?"

Not that I want to be thought of as a machiato sipping elist--I mean, I love the manger baby Jesus as much as the next guy--but this Republican convention is the dumbest display of cognitive incoherence I have ever witnessed. No question about it, the Republicans are devolving. In a few years, their knuckles will be dragging the ground.

I am floored listening to these people speak. Do they not get who was running this country for the last eight years? Why did those airline worker's take paycuts, Huck? So the CEO's could get multi-million dollar bonuses. Meg Whitman and the rest have been living on some distant planet. Change from them? OMFG!!! Spare me from the absurd levels of hypocriscy! I cannot believe the lies, lies, and more lies. This is a disgrace. A disgrace to America.

Like the rest of the the Republican convention: wandering pointlessness.

"Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive
Try to stay healthy, physical fitness
don't want to catch no disease
Try to be careful, don't take no chances
you better watch what you say"

If we lose this election, it must mean we're the real idiots.

I feel sick.

I actually think Huckabee is doing quite well... his small town populism is fairly charming, and it is what we have to fear from Palin.

Of course, it has absolutely *nothing* to do with the GOP platform, but it's what they are trying to sell tonight.

US Open, Venus vs. Serena, on USA, if you have cable.

The female governor of HI just came on, well - why didn't McCain consider her? Not as pretty?

Romney ridiculed a "liberal" Supreme Court for ruling that "Guantanamo terrorists" have constitutional rights. Forgetting that the whole point of the ruling is that no one has yet demonstrated that they ARE terrorists. And many, many of them are completely innocent -- and should therefore have the right to challenge the government's case against them.

And then he had the gall to say that Republicans will defend American freedoms.

Just staggering.

Looks like Mittens was trying out a speach for 2012. This stuff is painful to watch. Anybody got a copy of the Enquirer yet? Missing my copy.

Freedom is just another word for having a school desk?

It is hard for me to understand what Mike Huckabee was trying to say.

Hah! The HI goverlady just said Palin is "comfortable in her own skin" - the very phrase dopes used to show what they liked about George Bush!

would you say this is a dull convention, or the dullest convention.

I'd say it's the EPIC FAIL convention.

@ Not a Masochist

I switched to "Law and Order" but here's Fred Thompson pretending to defend the Constitution there too!

Think I'll watch "The Da Vinci Code" again. Myths I can really latch onto, you know?

Neither.

It's the DULLARD'S convention.

Rim shot!

Take my wife, please!

Thank you, thank you ladies and germs....

I find it amazing that by building up Palin they are taking down McCain ("She has more experience than the three put together."). You would think at some point McCain would think to himself, under that awkward smile, "Hey! Wait a minute!"

Rove lives by the philosophy, "Repeat it enough times and they will believe it." I want to read his bio just to find out how he came to hate Americans so much that he considers them imbeciles.

Underestimate Palin all you want. Don't underestimate Rove.

Our one saving grace is that McCain has turned his back on the media when they were once friends. Hell hath no fury like a love scorned.

Did anybody notice McCain's choice for vice president strapped to Romney's back? AND Huckabee's? Something tells me she'll be transferred to Guilianni soon.

All I can say is these people live in alternate realities.

There is no sense of reality whatsoever.

All I can think of when I see Mitt is Ridge Forrester driving down the road with his dog strapped to the roof of his car. It's difficult to take him seriously.

David Brooks on PBS along with Mark Shields both agree that Romney's speech was his first campaign speech for the 2012 election. He was staking out a very, VERY conservative position. If McCain loses, get ready to hear a lot more of this from Romney.

It's good to remember that the Republican Party has had sooooo little to cheer about the last eight years that they are desperate to find something, someone, anyone to rally around.
Palin might sound good tonight, but she won't be able to hold her own against Biden and serious questions from the MSM.
Check the polls----this is all smoke and mirrors.

Sarah Palin has "a great personal story". Right. Grew up, played sports, took advantage of her beauty to win some awards (vanity, vanity, all is vanity...), eloped (real commitment to traditional family values!), got a job, ran for office,...

Absolutely stunningly... normal.

Sarah Palin "will not try to reinvent herself during this campaign." Unlike McCain.

But then, none of this is surprising from a hall full of people who, by an overwhelming majority, would say that, yes, a child was born to a virgin, that a dead man was raised from the dead, that a loving God would tell a righteous man to kill his own son and then, at the last moment, say; "Ha! Just kidding!" Evidence, logic, and attention to detail matter little to these people.

And then let's not forget that the crowd roared and roared with approval when Huckabee said that Palin won more votes to become mayor of Wassila than Biden got in the primaries. That it's a boneheaded and patently ridiculous assertion doesn't matter at all: it's what they want to believe and it made them feel good, so they applauded.

The GOP is spiraling downwards into oblivion and irrelevance.

She says, "they [Obama, Biden] have no executive experience, zero!" and now the crowd is chanting, oblivious to the irony of that and the other experience of Sarah Palin, that John McCain doesn't either - ?

MsMuddler @ 9:40

you left out the really salient part!

We got computers, we're tappin' phone lines
you know that that ain't allowed

or perhaps a portion written just for John and Sarah:

you make me shiver, i feel so tender
we make a pretty good team

(eewwww!)

While watching Romney at first I was irritated by him. Then as time passed and his speech wore on it occurred to me how stale the ideas were. Surly they know this... Right? I mean they cannot believe these old tired lines about Washington Liberals having caused all of America's problems... right? After the past eight years? Its like a scene from a Kurt Vonagat (sp?) novel, where you expect something huge to happen... and nothing.

Its the end of an era.

Ken Lay had lots of executive experience too.

250 Delewares fit into Alaska

WFT? How disjointed is this speech by the Hawaii Gov? I need to turn this off at least until the main event starts...

Wassilia has a population of approx. 7,000.

Biden received 79,754 votes in the primaries.

http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/D.phtml

What time is Sarah on? Is it after David Letterman or Craig Kilburn? She's obviously not ready for prime-time.

I had to walk away from Linda Lingle's speech.

It was just too embarassing.

POW POW POW POW POW

Honest to god, these people have made that the most disgusting term.

This is how they honor men in service?

Oy.

Show me Trig Palin’s birth certificate, and no, I do NOT think that Steve Schmidt is using this as a smokescreen to hide Sarah Palin’s other manifold incompetence.

I also think this issue has legs, definite political legs, until we see a PDF of a birth certificate online somewhere.

Read my whole post.

The McCain campaign did not have to "out" Bristol Palin's pregnancy. they could have found some other way to prove that Sarah Palin was the mother. The child's birth certificate would show the mother was 44 years old, not 17. McCain panicked, went with the first excuse he could think of and threw 17 yr old Bristol Palin to the wolves. These people are disgusting.

Mitt Romney:

-father was the CEO of a major corporation and governor of the state of Michigan.

-used his family fortune to become an influential (and even wealthier) venture capitalist

-former governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate

(achem)

-victim of oppression by eastern elites!

Apparently they really do think they can just say anything and no one will know the difference...

What are they shouting in the background?

Giuliani:

"left-wing media"

"He has passed every test". Um, I'm afraid not. Consistency? (switching positions on multiple issues) Integrity? (suggesting that Obama is treasonous)

McCain has proven that, for him, "America comes first!" So what are you suggesting about Obama and Biden? Why not just come out and say it?

They laugh at "community organizer". Spiteful and extremely revealing. And then they chant "Freedom!"

Guiliani misrepresents Obama's "present" votes in the Illinois legislature. Deliberately misleading and therefore despicable.

Another weak speech from Rudi - it's painfully obvious that all these guys think THEY should be speaking tomorrow, not McCain.

I think the cognitive dissonance is coming from the fact that the Rovians are trying to make this work on other people. Doesn't take on people who aren't Bushies. On the whole, this is a relief.

I'm from a small town too. I remember the arrogance of a few, where having just a wee bit more than the others was enough to make them think they were above it all. The Republican's game bolsters little people with big egos. Before the Sixties, these pigs could look down on black folks, but now they're losing ground, they must open wide and swallow the whole enchilada.

They simply don't need truth. They need ego masturbation.

How does 9u11iani get away with this On The Job training shit?

This is surreal. Honestly.

Giuliani -
"No time for on-the-job training"

He just blew the GOP's explanation for Palin's eligibility out of the water.

Is this the same crowd that cheered when the Romans fed liberals to the lions?

I like Giuliani, but this speech is absolutely awful.

And then they chant "Freedom!"

I think they are chanting "Zero", which is about the amount of substance in these speeches.

Just wonderful, Rudy Giuliani giving a job recommendation for the VP. Makes alot of sense esp after the bang up recommendation he gave for the head of Homeland Security.

I was wondering for a minute why they hadn't tapped the governor of Hawaii -- similar story, more time in office (6 years as opposed to 18 months) -- so I looked her up on Wikipedia and saw the problem:

Too Jewish.

This is mean-spirited. Wow...people in twinsets and pearls laughing at community organizing. Out of touch...you can say that again. Send jobs elsewhere...who's done that??? The irony is astounding.

The R Gov of Hawaii (is that a state? isn't it too exotic?) spoke just now. It sounded like she was given a time period to fill and didn't have much to say about Palin because she s-p-a-c-e-d her sentences out a lot.

They must have the audience miked. The cheers are so fake they sound like a laugh track.

9ui11ani is whooping up the crowd now, making up stuff about Obama.

Oh, oh, Rudy brought up flip flop. Time to get out Steve's list.

I must say Rudy is being overly RUDE in his speech. I didn't hear anything this bad last week.

Drill baby drill, Drill baby drill! Oooh, that's a good one. Now they're CHANTING it! OMG! ROLFMAO!

OMG, Islamic Terrorism!

These people are severely delusional. I am having fun mocking them.

What are the orange towels for?

Christ, this is the KKKonvention.

I'm sick. Giuilani is urging them on cheering Drill Baby Drill. How infantile is this crowd? I'm afraid this is a high school pep rally not a presidential nomination.

Giuliani:

"He will lower taxes so our economy can grow." They still believe this simplistic shit. [It's a 'maybe' issue -- it depends...]

Democrats will "send jobs elsewhere"? DEMOCRATS will do this? When Obama has explicitly said he will eliminate tax breaks for corps that send jobs overseas? WTF?!?!

Rudy finally said 9-11. I think he spoke for a good 8 minutes before doing so. It's a RECORD!

"Drill, baby, drill"???

Right now, watching these people; listening to the unbelievable exclusion of the vast majority of Americans, Islamic terrorists...I am deeply ashamed of America.

The Republican's are the worst thing to happen to our country.

It's already a done deal---even Romney knows that Gramps McFlippie-Dippie has lost the election, and he's posturing to be "Mr. Feakishly-Uber-Conservative" for the 2012 run.

I wonder how many times Rudi the Ghoul will invoke 9/11?

I admire you all for tuning in. Can't stand the thought of it myself. Unfortunately, when Palin gets up there, she will look and sound strong and confident. She's too stupid to know she should feel humbled to be considered for VP; she doesn't even know what that is. They are counting on getting the bumpkin villagers to light their torches all over the US tonight. If they succeed, well, there's always Canada.

And then let's not forget that the crowd roared and roared with approval when Huckabee said that Palin won more votes to become mayor of Wassila than Biden got in the primaries. That it's a boneheaded and patently ridiculous assertion doesn't matter at all: it's what they want to believe and it made them feel good, so they applauded.
*******************
OMFG!! These repigs are IDIOTS! They applaud for that!? It is apples and oranges. One is a city of 9K, the other is the entire country, and its a primary race for the POTUS, not the mayor of Podunk, USA. It is a local race vs. a country wide race where there are many more contenders. Its the primaries, for Gods sake! You MIGHT be able to be elected president of a PTA, or even the mayor of a town with only 9,000 ppl (Atlanta, for example, has 4 MILLION ppl), but THAT is supposedly evidence to these Repig morons that the COUNTRY wants Palen to lead more than a Senator who has been on office for decades?! Total bullshit. Total Repiglican oratory crap. Eat it Repiglicans. Eat it and love it, you idiots.

Democrats chanting "USA" and Republicans chanting "ZERO!"

Hrm.

It's all about getting the stupid vote to go to the polls. They already have the capital gains folks.

Ah, I see the other problem for Lingle -- she's pro-choice. Dead in the water as far as the fundies are concerned.

Isn't this all just a little biography-heavy?

Someone needs to tell these people they're choosing a Presidential ticket, not pitching a direct-to-DVD movie...

Out of curiosity, Beep, when do they release the lions?

let me be the first to say simply,
Rudy is an ass.

Why no media are doing compare and contrasts on the tone Obama/Biden/Clinton/Clinton took versus this truly breathtaking display of mean-spiritedness baffles me.

If the American public cant see these for the outright lies they are, or would vote for these freaks who disparage community service and lionize hypocrisy, there really is nothing to recommend democracy.

i thought it might be a fun trainwreck sort of thing, but really, its just disgusting.

uggghhhh this is making me sick.

Drill baby drill? Seriously?

The war on terror is more important than anything else? More important than the economy? Healthcare? Education?

I just can't understand why people believe this stuff.

I also liked when he said "Obama has never led anything at all." Please.

Thank heavens the last night of their convention hadn't been on 9/11. Shameless whores.

UN. Boooo!

Executive experience! Cheer!

There seems to be some disconnect from reality. If there are things wrong with Washington it is because of too much Republican Rule. Here are the Rules:

Republicans Ran Washington for 12 years and George Bush for 8 years.

They Screwed Up.

People are losing their homes.
People are losing their jobs.
A Recession looms.
Our Army is stuck in Iraq, Lives have been lost and Trillions spent.
Gas Prices and Food Prices are skyrocketing.

And They are the ones that Screwed Up

Not sure, MsJ, but Rudy is doing one hell of a warm-up act.

Then again, this could be a Jonestown re-enactment.

The most sickening thing is watching Il Douche Giuliani extolling Republican "virtue" while the Palin dauighters are passing the infant Trig around among the Orcs in the front rows. "Children aren't supposed to be used in campaigns," McCain says. And there's the daughter of the unindicted co-conspirator in the assassination of Don Bolles - Cindy McCain - holding the baby with that Barbie-grin of hers.

They really do live in BizarroWorld.

Hey! Anybody heard that the economy is having trouble? Maybe somebody should be tell Rudi that. After all, he's from New York!

Giuliani is actually pretty funny at times.

I'm with Frak...I can't stand this any longer. I think Project Runway is on or something. My quotient of lies has been far surpassed tonight.

"Obama has never led anything at all"

Except the polls for President you m#^$_#%-f#&%+kers!

(sorry, it was that or throw something through the screen)

Imagine, the rest of the world believes half of Americans believe this nonsense.

The GOP is a disgrace to our great country.

I thought Fiorina would be the hardest to listen to, for all her sexism charges against the media. But Rudy Giuliani takes the slimeball schtick to a whole new low. Knocking Obama for community "organizing"? Seriously? Even Romney was better than this.

Am I the only one who thinks the flowing background, it looks a little Ben-Hurish?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the irony of Romney blaming "eastern elitists". Wow!

Who is "they"??? He is accusing the Democratic Party of questioning whether Sarah Palin can be a mother and VP after Barack Obama explicitly said that the topic was "off limits." My goodness. I keep waiting for demons to swoop down and carry Giuliani off to the underworld.

...with his.......being a maverick? tee hee?
man rats are so silly.

Then again, this could be a Jonestown re-enactment.

Hey, now, be fair -- the audio tapes that survived from Jonestown make it pretty clear those poor people didn't drink the Kool-Aid willingly. They were pretty much offered the choice of a bullet in the head or a cup of poison.

"In July, McCain stammered when asked about an advisor's statement wondering why insurance plans cover Viagra but not women's contraception. The candidate paused and looked perturbed before saying he couldn't recall his position. When pressed, he replied: "I don't usually duck an issue, but I'll try to get back to you."

LA Times - 9/2/2008"

Yeah next time call John McCain. So he can call his lobbyist.

Is anyone actually watching the convention? If you had to choose, would you say this is a dull convention, or the dullest convention.

It's cheerleading for the choir, and a big petri dish for the talking points that will be pushed for the next 60 days. What scores? What hurts? What gets the big laugh lines on Limbaugh tomorrow?

There's not a single phrase anywhere about domestic policy, foreign policy, policy of any kind.

Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain's presidential bid, insisted that the presidential race will be decided more over personalities than issues during an interview with Post editors this morning.

"This election is not about issues," said Davis. "This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

Gaia help me, in spades, it is.

It is also patently obvious that the Republican faithful will knowingly cheer and stand and clap for a blatant, bald-faced lie.

No way I want any of these people near my government.

Karl fucked up: VP should've been Governor Huckabee. Someday, late at night, I'll catch the documentary on the History channel that describes how the VP vetting occurred for the 2008 Republican ticket. And it will be the story of how the powerbrokers took a blatant piss in the face of guys like Huck.

I am seriously dismayed.

They mayor of NEW YORK is claiming that Obama thinks some town in Alaska isn't cosmopolitan enough?

GOP leaders like Romney and Guiliani telling the delegates that they -- all of them -- really want to "shake up Washington"... It's really quite poignant, until you stop and think of the sheer audacity of the fraud being perpetrated.

And so these GOP true believers will vote in the election, believing that McCain and Palin actually want to shake up Washington. But people like Giuliani and their backers won't allow anyone to even put a dent in the power structures at the heart of the GOP.

Poor deluded souls. They really believe it.

Marge Gunderson in the house!

Okay, the irresponsibility and small-mindedness of this group just pushed my stomach over its stomaching abilities. Palin will make this crowd happy: her speech is cleverly written, she can deliver well, and they all want it so badly.

I look forward, however, to the ads that can come out of this convention, the ads that show the Republicans contradicting themselves left and right, the ads that show them lying, the ads that point out their lack of concern with the economy.

Z: If the American public cant see these for the outright lies they are, or would vote for these freaks who disparage community service and lionize hypocrisy, there really is nothing to recommend democracy.

Don't go there.
Just don't go there.

Then again, the most damning statement about democracy that has ever been written is just this:

There is no accounting for other people's taste.

One more thing: I am not watching the speech.
Looking forward to your comments instead to carry me through.

The best thing written about democracy?

My taste matters as much as yours.

This rudy speech is making me throw up a little in my mouth.

Sarah Palin has more executive experience and leadership than all of the Presidents of the United States in U.S. history combined.

Ok I've had enough...the lies...I'm sure the bible has something to say about "broods of vipers" and deceitful tongues...hmmmmm!!! The self-righteousness is overbearing. I'm off to bed!

Gee Brick Head Bill, what was that shit you were saying about no teleprompters?

She reads well, douchebag nozzle.

Snow machines! Fuck yeah!

Hypocrites and Liars on Parade . . .
. . . and all in the name of God

Okay, ten minutes in and I'm REALLY getting annoyed at that uber-puuurkee voice. It'll play well in the heartland, but way too sickeningly sweet.

Her small daughter was as charming as Obama's girls, though. Gotta give her that.

I'm not a connoisseur of American political speech, but...

When Mark Warner spoke here on Labor Day, we'd clap and cheer but all of our clapping and cheering would, actually, break *into* his speech, so that he'd have to go back to pick up his "thought thread". Ie, it was spontaneous.

I didn't watch any of the speeches tonight and didn't even listen to them but I did pass by the TV room (where DH is watching) close enough to hear if not the words, then the tenor and the rhythm.

And, for a moment, thought he lied to me and was watching some old USSR movie...

Soviet political speeches had directions, *written into the text* -- "applause", "long applause" "standing ovation" -- so that the speaker would know when to pause and for how long. The "caller" -- someone sitting in front -- would signal to the public when to clap, when to stand up and when to stop and sit down. But, that kind of orchestrated "applause" always resulted in a tiny delay, before the entire audience caught on.

And that's what I heard tonight: a pause for applause, then nothing for a second, then applause, gathering strength as more people "caught on". I almost cried a few sentimental tears for old times sake...

She snarls when she means to smile. Scary.

Nerves are showing - rhythm is off.

She's for special needs children - even if she voted against helping them financially!

Same as with her "support" for teen mothers: non-existent!

Harry Truman said: "The Republican Party is, was and always will be, by the rich and for the rich." Think that's what she means?

Five minutes in, I have no idea how this is playing to the target, but she sounds to me like a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Pleasant, but no gravitas

Yikes. Sarah Palin needs to teach her youngest daughter about personal hygiene. I just saw Willow (or whatever her name is) lick her hand and then smooth the baby's hair down.

Whoa! Someone getting thrown out by M.I.B.

"Whoa! Someone getting thrown out by M.I.B."

I guess she wasn't a hockey mom.

They're booing. How lovely is that.

The more I listen to the diatribe and vehemence of their hate, the more I think to myself, "the band will strike up Deutschland Uber Alles in 5....4....3..............."

Anyone else feel this is all very choppy? Her speech, the whole evening?

I don't see this swaying anybody who isn't already going to vote for her.

Wow, running long was a major faux-pas!

As with the Obama speech the video is such a great set-up. I also think it threw Palin off by just a little bit. She's semi-effective but also a little, unsettled?

She can't be vice president because she sounds like Lily Tomlin's[sp?] phone operator.

Okay... I lied.
I just stopped doing pushups in the garage and went in to see.

She is no Barack.
Not even close.

I'm happy.
More pushups.
Sets of 50... because I am really really happy.

Does she not realize that her running mate is one of the "good ol' boy network"???

Karl fucked up: VP should've been Governor Huckabee.

Not when Huck is on the record saying it's okay to raise taxes to pay for social programs. Nah. Gah. Happen. Moneycons would never, ever let him through.

She sounds like she's about 25 years old.

Not an American flag in sight!!!!!
Oh, the humanity.

God! This is a like a flashback of the time I saw Night of the Living Dead at the drive-in.

Don't you just love that the fate of the world hangs in the balance?

By the way, I think "Il Duce and the Hockey Mom" would make an awesome sit-com. Kind of like Mr. Belvedere.

Thank you all for watching and reporting on this. I literally don't have the guts.

The delegates want to vote for her, so they've persuaded themselves that she's qualified. But for the large majority of undecideds out there, the logic, I hope, will be the other way around. And they'll see pretty clearly that she's out of her depth. Especially when she has to debate Biden.

. . .

"Thanks but no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere." An outright lie. And they KNOW she'll be nailed for it.

Breathtaking cynicism.

Good Ol' Boys everywhere just got their boxers in a bunch.

The crowd isn't even fired up.

Probably because she's talking against everything that the Republican base lives off of.

The shots of the crowd are like televised hospice.

She just repeated the lie that she was against the bridge to nowhere.

Unbelievable.

My taste matters as much as yours.

And I Vote!
I see a bumper sticker in my future ...

I think the RNC is betting that a repeat of The Gipper is in the offing: we don't know exactly what he said, but we LOVE him (her)!

Don't laugh: Obama/Biden has its work cut out. The debates loom large and the folks knocking on doors, registering new voters and getting out the vote have an uphill battle.

Hey, DEMS! You want these idealogues to run the thing the rest of the way into the ground?

GET OFF YOUR ASS NOW! For the next sixty days, if you aren't working for the Obama/Biden ticket in some way, any way, it's another day the fascists got on you.

Volunteer.
Raise funds.
Canvass.
Get voters registered, in person or absentee.
Volunteer for the polls on election day.
Hit up the Obama/Biden website and commit to something, anything, big or small. Don't kid yourself that you can kick back and let someone else take care of business. Sure, you can put it off until tomorrow, after that you are on your own!

Do you really want Governor Palin in charge of ANYTHING?

More lies about how she got elected governor; no mention of Sen. Stevens.

"Put the government back on the side of the people." No specifics, of course.

Talks about using her veto. Doesn't mention her veto of shelters for unmarried mothers.

"State budget in surplus." Not too hard if you're a petro-state when oil is over $100 a barrel.

Repeats false claim about the Bridge to Nowhere; will reporters call her on it?

http://www.samefacts.com/archives/palin_/2008/09/liveblogging_palin.php

She can't be vice president because she sounds like Lily Tomlin's[sp?] phone operator.

I'm old enough to have laughed out loud at that one.

OMG! No she didnt!

By the way, is "pass the down syndrome baby around the room" a new convention game? I've never seen a child used like a political prop like this before. By the end of this their going to have a giant neon sign strapped to this child flashing the words "Not Aborted!" on it.

Peeps, I hate to tell you this, but from a non-liberal-blog-reader perspective she's killing. I'm personally having a hard time listening to it, but the wingnut live-bloggers are orgasming, and this speech is going to get seriously, seriously rave reviews. The chances of her leaving the ticket just dropped to approximately zero.

re: foreign powers that don't have America's interests a heart.... They did well to write some detail into her speech. Iran, Saudi Arabia,... But it's only a speech. Wait til she has to debate Biden.

My mom just sent me a text that said "looks like they're serving lots of alcohol at the RNC."

Thanks to the poster (anonymous) who made the comparison to Soviet speeches. My favorite stage direction from that era is (rough translation) "continuous sustained applause changing to a standing ovation." There is a scary bit in the Gulag Archipelago where Solzhenitsyn describes a meeting where no one dared be the first to STOP applauding. Finally, one brave soul did stop, and everyone sighed with relief. Fellow was arrested the next day.

She may be telling lies or partial truths, but she's doing exactly what she had to do. She sounds confident, in control and is delivering strong barbs with a great and folksy smile. She's good. Watch out. Don't under estimate her...

God help me, I can't stop watching (train wreck, maybe).

She's likable. Cute. Perky. Might play well with some mom's in the midwest. She has that upper midwest twang (which I have to say is getting to me. I didn't realize Francis McDermond from Fargo was on the ticket). Too bad she's as full of shit. But this is their convention so it's to be expected.

She's Ann Coulter without a dick.

Can someone ask her after the speech what she thinks about the effect of the devaluation of the dollar on the price of oil?

These people are hideous. It's like an Amway convention.

60 days folks. This could be our future.

About Palin.

I don't think a women giving a speech in front of a picture of a giant phallic symbol should criticize Obama's Greek columns. Just sayin'

Yes, John Henry, she did. And she supports the rhythm method of birth control ONLY for married couples, too.

She's feeding the beast: making the argument that any increase in any tax will mean death to America. ANY increase in ANY tax. It's kindergarten economics, but it's what they want to believe, and she's giving it to them.

Palin delivered a dreadfully sophomoric speech written by young smart ass Rovian speech writers. I had expected better.

"He's worried about reading them their rights."

Wow.

At least we now know she has as much respect for The Constitution as the current President and Vice President.

The chances of her leaving the ticket just dropped to approximately zero.

Yes that's true. I was wrong. She is in.
But thats the best news imaginable.

She is all about base.
But base isn't enough to win this time around.
She is an alienator and a divider.
That's the wrong tack to take in 2008.

Okay, Ohio guy, I did just visit the Obama/Biden website and give $100. I want to see the post-convention bounce go in the direction it ought....

Yes... the lobbyists all oppose a McCain presidency.

And she was able to say it with conviction. She's definitely ready for the ticket.

Mark:

Now gets onto "energy independence."

Lies about "Obama not having authored a single law." Will the press call her on it?

Now she's getting really filthy: Obama is going to make the country weaker. Terrorists threaten us and "he worries that someone won't read them their rights."

Hasn't mentioned any of the "great things" John McCain has done. Funny, that.

Fear monger on taxes, fear monger on war, fear monger on taxes, fear monger on war.

Now we're talking about McCain's torture experience... pander, pander.

This is exactly what the GOP base loves.

She said "Cell"! Drink up!

Well if they were looking for someone to lie for them with a straight face, they could not have not vetted a better person.

Wait...

McCain's a POW?

Daily Show!

If this is a "polished" speech that is supposed to demonstrate her "intelligence," I am underwhelmed. She can't even read it right. Republicans really are space aliens from an alternate universe. Talk about a "content-free" speech.

I think that they must be totally out of ideas in the Republican party. Otherwise her speech wouldn't be so far over the top.

Too long, too long, too long. She should have shortened it.

This is an unremarkable speech well-delivered by a handsome woman.

Next.

Palin-drone...........

I tried. Giuliani was at least entertaining. I just had to turn Sarah off. She was starting to recycle the whole damn thing. I guess she will push the pod's buttons no matter what but she doesn't seem that inspiring to me.

Ditto on sending some money to Obama.

Palin inspired me, too.

You're all wrong. This speech, despite its bullshit, is going to launch a huge McCain comeback.

Red meat for the droolers. Pitch perfect, and Biden will get hassled if he's too mean to her.

Did I mention that McCain was a POW?

I, for one, am worried. Most of the electorate doesn't give a flying shit about reality, nor do they view politics as having any impact on their lives. Think, "sporting event," or, if I may, "beauty contest."

You'll see. McCain will keep her away from the press (that groundwork is already laid) and it will be another nail-biter, despite any objective evidence for what it should be.

She's feeding this crowd of cowboy wannabes what they want: belligerence, ridiculing of the opponent, cheap bravado, "he's not afraid of a fight... Reid can't stand up to John McCain... Only one man in this election who's ever really fought for you..." So many references to fighting...

And this mostly-male audience responds with wild shouting, arm-pounding, booing and catcalling. The worst of the American male, proud to be a boor and strutting his stuff.

I remember the scene in Blues Brothers, at that bar where the band has to be protected by a chain-link fence from the bottles being thrown by belligerent or maudlin patrons. It's the passion of the US-flag T-shirt stretched over a beer gut. "These colors don't run" on a suburban bumper-sticker. "U-S-A" chanted by ignorant monolingual bigots.

And the Convention crowd is actually celebrating this image of America.

The speech played well in the hall.

I wonder if we should be afraid that it played well in the countryside?

REally just a night of bitter, rancid bile vomited up. If the country choses this in November then we deserve the consequences.

It was truly repulsive. The curtain really has been pulled back to expose what these people really are.

I agree, she did what she had to do from the Repugs perspective - game on - but what the Rovians haven't figured out (and Hillary did) is that Barack Obama, and his campaign, are not John Kerry and his campaign.

I think they are going to make mincemeat about of them. It's more about the economy now than in 1994, that's for d*** sure!

Joe Biden is going to take her apart - the only thing I'm worried about is that he'll come across as too arrogant in an "I-know-more-than-you-do" way. He does, of course, but he has to remember how it plays.

But John McCain wasnt tortured. he was just beaten.

Pallin was somewhat impressive. But any progress made by the campaign was ruined as soon as McCain came out. He looks like a freaking dinosaur next to her. Old, old, old.

She is all about base. But base isn't enough to win this time around. She is an alienator and a divider. That's the wrong tack to take in 2008.

It worked before, it can work again.

Sorry, kids, Governor Palin is delivering. The RNC and the fascist machine are going to go "all in on Palin". How many low-information voters can the DNC reach before November?

What will be interesting to observe is how the trad media reacts. Brooks, Coulter, Limbaugh, Boortz, Hannity, O'Reilly, Krauthammer, Broder, Will, et al, aren't going on vacation for the next 9 weeks. How tightly they embrace this ticket, and how the rest of the crew (National Enquirer included) goes about the business of journalism is going play as big a role as in 2000, 2004.

Complacency for the Democrats puts McCain and Palin in the West Wing.

Remember, sports fans, we aren't the target audience. The media is going to come out of this singing McCain's praises for making a brilliant choice.

Ditto on sending some money to Obama.

Same here. Game on, people.

McCain would have never made it through his POW ordeal, if he had to listen to her voice all day, every day. She seems to have certain Nurse Ratched quality about her.

Surreal. At exactly what point in our history did nearly half of our population go off the deep end.
Now its the grand puba. Its like a grade B horror movie. And Levi Johnston on stage? He's got to be wondering just what he stepped(?) in. If this ticket gets elected may God have mercy on our souls.

I dont think this is going to launch a massive comeback. This was truly more of the same as trite as it sounds now. Sarah Palin has not added anything new to the debate we've been adding for the last 30 years. Democrats are sick of this crap.

The Kool Aid will where off in a couple of days, when the fact checks come out. I can't believe she repeated the Bridge To Nowhere lie. What an appropriate metaphor for this campaign.

Yep, GuyfromOhio, but I don't even think it will be a matter of complacency. That won't be the issue this year.

It will be policy ignorance, and the GOP's play towards the low-information voters, about whom we can do nothing about.

If the Corporate Media doesn't do their job (!), the GOP can and will win.

And it will be one serious wrist-slasher of a moment. The death of an empire.

Did I mention Obama is only half white?

Trouble lies ahead.

What the hell was that with McCain at the end?? He looked completely lost coming out, turned around the wrong way (had to spin 360) to introduce her, then awkwardly shuffled off the stage after maybe a dozen words?

That was pretty good.

She wasn’t looking at the teleprompter MsMuddler. She was looking all over as she said actually pretty intelligent things while engaging us with her eyes.

The soul of Bush in the body of Tina Fay.

She had a teleprompter to her right and her left and her fucking notes in front, you fecal freak.

Anyone ever tell you, you remind them of Son of Sam?

"Intelligent things"? Like repeating the bridge to nowhere lie? PTA experience?

Yes, I'd much rather see those "intelligent things" than any actual commentary on issues, what plans there are to actually get any change happening, and so on.

Sigh. I weep for this country and the suckers that believe the pandering display of trite, bitter nonsense punted up tonight.

while engaging us with her eyes

Uhm, where do you think the teleprompter is?

Well, well, well,

So they want a street fight, huh?

Fine with me . . . there is LOT'S of ammunition

And yes I am bitter.

John McCain wants to talk about teen pregnancy . . . but I'm afraid my preferred topic is LIES and CORRUPTION.

And this time, the media just might do their jobs.

..Sad to say, she did well and this is a "throw down" to our team -- team Obama.

I would like to say that things will be ok -- but we may need to fight -- we may need a real bench clearing brawl and I hope after 8 years of this s--t -- that we have the gumption to do what needs to be done. We dont need speeches, we need the Orkin man...

sorry, I am not normally like this, but I sensed a real call to arms here, and I aint taking it sitting down this time...

How many times did we all react, slack-jawed, when a speaker said something about Obama, McCain, Dems, the GOP, whatever, and say: "But that's just not true!" ?

A stunning number of lies and distortions.

Unbelievable how Palin is using her family. Disgusting, more like. What happened to McCain not talking about his son in Iraq? Half her speech was Track 9/11 Track special needs 9/11 Track (ignore the result of my abstinence only policy sitting in the crowd.)

The other half was filled with lies. Lies about the bridge to nowhere. Lies about where the money came from which she gave back to Alaskans (windfall tax on oil, not the rising price of oil.) Lies about her reform in Juneau (vindictively fire much?)

And then the personal attacks on Obama. Not that it wasn't expected but Democrats bent over backwards to salute McCain's service and in return they get everything but "don't vote for the ni**er." Shameless.

This woman is a real piece of work. She will trample over anyone & prostitute her family for anything. In fact, not all that different from McCain, whose flip-flops on everything he claimed to believe and family history line up perfectly. He dumped his wife for a beer baroness for her money. She prostitutes her family for power. What a glorious pair they make together.

Predictably, some of us are being pessimistic in order to appear more sophisticated.

We should definitely thank the kind Govenor for reminding us all that she is just a pit bull with lipstick . . . I knew she reminded me of something! :)

Now, after that speech of Palin's, with all the mocking of Obama and Biden, I will no longer have a twinge of guilt mocking McCain and Palin.

Interesting to hear the "Bridge To Nowhere" line again. I hope the press takes that as an insult of their effectiveness, which it is.

The evening was full of counterfactual statements (including some outright lies). I don't have a clue how they would defend some of them with non-ridiculous arguments if challenged. The lines about raising taxes and growing government were particularly irritating, the usual accusations that the democrats will raise taxes, implication that they are lying if they say they won't.

I was particularly touched by Giuliani's statements about the experience being a mayor of a small town brings to the Republican ticket. Giuliani was mayor of a city with literally over 1000 times the population of Wasilla, and for that matter 12 times the population of Alaska. Of the Republican field in the primaries, Giuliani has the most executive experience by far.

Imagine, the rest of the world believes half of Americans believe this nonsense. (jharp, 22:26)

At exactly what point in our history did nearly half of our population go off the deep end. (rab, 23:14)

Whether the looney Republican Right is 28% or one-third or whatever, it's nowhere near half.

But that's what you get with a system that routinely tells people who don't cheer for the Red Team or the Blue Team that politics just isn't for them. You get a highly polarized show that the centrist plurality tunes out.

I'm not saying, "a pox on both their houses," at least not equally. I don't think both major parties are equally at fault, because the Republicans are a disaster and the Democrats aren't.

I'm saying, this time around the Democrats could count on support from more of us who don't sympathize either major party if they (along with the GOP) hadn't spent decades locking us out of the political process.

The 70-30 anti-GOP split that exists in reality is hard to see, because 30 of the 70 has given up taking part.

It's not lying...
...it's serving a Higher Truth.

I'm not sure if that's Jesus, or the Party, but it's serving something.

Of course, 'situational ethics' is something only liberals have.

These people, if elected, will leave 'In God We Trust' on the currency, but will doubtless replace 'E Pluribus Unum' with Al Davis' 'Just Win, Baby!'

Well, CNN isn't quite fawning, but they are giving her props.

Buchanan is fawning, but not to much the others, but again props.

republican convention = ROCOCO BUKKAKE

Josh Marshall:

But take this as a sign that the McCain campaign has abandoned an effort to compete for swing voters and go back to the base energizing strategy that worked for President Bush in 2004. The numbers make that look like a tough proposition. But I think a few months from now, everyone will agree this was a mistake.

Yes.
For those of you who are feeling ill two things:

1) Keep donating.

2) Realize that Barack has been mining the playing field with bombs for 4 years. The old Rove playbook of divide and conquer is up against this: Not a Red America, Not a Blue America, But One America...

Palin played the same old same old: Divide America and conquer. Yes it worked before. But times have changed. It won't work again. Or should I say: Not this time. Not this election.

Her best substance was energy policy, and the best part of that is the immediate pursuit of new nuclear capacity. I disagree with her on drilling, but that’s coming one way or another. We should save that oil. It is our true strategic reserve (16 years vs. 3 months).

I would substitute the immediate pursuit of shale oil in place of the drilling.

I finally learned more about what community organizers do as well. I was wondering about that.

Let's leave the kids out of it . . . unless we need a photo op!

Did I mention that my daughter's first son has Down's Syndrome?

(How do all the folks saying that we can't "stoop" to bringing up the obvious problems with her "story" about having Trig feel now? Where's the proof she had that baby? Oh yeah, she didn't. Where's the proof the daughter is exactly 5 months pregnant? Oh yeah, we're taking the liars word for it.)

And the media is not calling her on ANY of her BALL FACED LIES! They are MESMERIZED that the self described BARRACUDA went on the attack! Wowy wow.

This bunch does not deserve decency. The deserve defeat.

This chick is good. But not good enough. Obama, just like in the Primary, will find another gear. Voter turn out. Voter turn out. Please don't let them steal yet another one. Please.

Bill Arnold:

One of the most blatant lies was Giuliani's statement that Obama has the smallest political resume of any presidential candidate in the last 100 years. This is just plain wrong. Obama has been in politics for 12 years--George W. Bush had only 6 years of political experience before becoming president. And Eisenhower had never held any elective office--although his leadership of the army gave him substantial unofficial political experience.

Second the "wtf - no American flags?" observation. As the crowd itself would say if observing democrats, this crowd doesn't seem very patriotic.

Holy shit! Brian Williams just read off the litany of the lies! That must have been a rebuttal by Obama. Lied about raising taxes, the bridge to nowhere, all the places I, too, cringed.

Wow. McCain must have really pissed off his base, the media.

Poor George W. Bush. Forgotten at the RNC.

The mocking nature of this whole evening. More than anything else. I really hate this guys. No quarter. None.

I'm sick and tired of sick bullies pretending to take the moral high ground and actually winning at it.

Obama and Biden have to hit back hard. No more high road. Just lace into them. Tell the public: "The Republicans are lying to you - lying to your face about their record these last 7 years, about what we propose to fix the mess they've left behind, even lying about themselves and what they stand for. They think you're fools. They despise you. They laugh at you behind your backs. How else can they explain their lies?" And then lay on the facts and the sarcasm.

Giuliani and Palin -- just the two of them -- provided more than enough raw material for this kind of counter-attack in their speeches tonight. So many lies and distortions. They should NOT be allowed to get away with it.

What I'd love to see is a fact-based counter-attack so swift, so harsh, and so caustic that the GOP can't believe what's happening, can't get its bearings, can't catch its breath between now and election day. They deserve it, and the electorate would rise in appreciation and approval at a Democratic Party finally showing some grit.

Am I the only one who thinks she shouldn't have been throwing around the red meat tonight? I mean, if she'd gotten up there and been all earnest, and talked about the American dream, blah, blah, blah, the Obama campaign would have looked mean even if they went after her political record.

But she got up there and lied her ass off about her own record AND snarked Obama/Biden up one side and down the other. So all bets are off now, sister. They should (and will) still lay off her personal life, but she just gave them permission to open a ginormous can of whoopass on her as a politician -- because she proved that's exactly what she is.

And if she hates "Washington insiders" so much, why is she running with McCain? And why did she let a bunch of them coach her and write her speech?

I'm getting tired of the insinuation that McCain's POW record automatically makes him qualified to be president. If this argument is accepted, does it mean that Holocaust survivors can argue that the fact that they survived such an unbelievable horror means they should be heads of state in whatever countries they live in? McCain didn't have has entire family suffocated by gas, as did Wladyslaw Szpilman (a Jewish pianist in Warsaw who was the subject of Roman Polanski's 2000 film "The Pianist.") And the Nazis never gave Szpilman a chance to be exempted from further suffering, as the Vietnamese did with McCain.

No guarantee about this rumor, but I heard this from a friend with a coworker who has family in Wasilla.

"Apparently the reason Palin's son is getting shipped off to Iraq is because he racked up so many (underage) drunk driving convictions that it was enlist or go to jail... and considering he is the son of a governor, the former was preferable."

Would love to hear the verification for this. It would establish a pattern of bad parenting and disregard for the law.

Folks, going into tonight I was very nervous about this election. Imagine having this lightweight representing the US in the world, trying to outwit the likes of Putin and Hu Jintao on an international stage. And she came in with a reputation as an effective speaker and debater.

But I’m feeling relieved after watching this speech tonight. She didn't reveal much depth, she often looked nervous, and the supporters in the hall were acting bizarre, constantly interrupting her with applause over the most trivial lines (they burst out clapping after she said she’d joined the local PTA for Chrissakes). They looked like the “audience� on those product infomercials with their forced, over-the-top enthusiasm. The interruptions often broke her flow, and she seemed uncomfortable controlling the pace of the speech. I can’t imagine this looked good to undecideds tuning in to see her for the first time.

She didn't crash in flames, but came off closer to a Fox newscaster than to a president. So I think we can start to feel better now :-)

Palin called Democrats, progressives, Obama supporters, people who love this country..."followers". She called us FOLLOWERS!

Let that be a rallying cry. Let it be a comment that she lives to regret.

I also went to Obama's site and made a contribution (the first of many more to come), and I'm goin' to work. We're gonna win this thing!

sullijan -
Exactly. Time to play hardball. Fair, yes, but please, please, please can we see some toughness from Obama and Biden? Stop taking it and start hitting back - and harder than the GOP has ever been hit before. [cf Josh Marshall's bitch-slap theory of how the GOP operates.]

This is a leeetle off topic, but:

Brick Oven Bill said: Her best substance was energy policy, and the best part of that is the immediate pursuit of new nuclear capacity. I disagree with her on drilling, but that’s coming one way or another. We should save that oil. It is our true strategic reserve (16 years vs. 3 months).

I would substitute the immediate pursuit of shale oil in place of the drilling."

Bill, if you're thinking of oil shale as kind of a spongey rock that you only need to squeeze to get the oil out of--as most people do--it's not.

Oil shale is about one million years from being a petroleum product. The best we can do is extract some precursors to oil and use them as the base of a synthetic oil. Very difficult. Very expensive. Very destructive of the environment.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. I thought Palin was nasty and the audience viscious. They can't contain the hate.

Josh Marshall:

But take this as a sign...

You'll note that in the post you pulled that quote from, a post allegedly dedicated to live-blogging Palin's speech, Josh veers off and spends the entire thing talking about Rudy Guliani. Is poor Josh as speechless after this as the McCain people were after Barack?

I agree with the poster who said this will launch a comeback for McCain. This speech is going to be very well reviewed, and not just on wingnut sites. The MSM is going to cream big time, and tomorrow we'll see many, many Sarah puff pieces. At minimum, tonight will end all the distracting silliness about Palin leaving the ticket. She was everything they needed her to be.

On the positive side, Barack in his speech laid down a kind of gauntlet for the Republicans when he challenged them to run a positive campaign on the issues. Now that they've done exactly the opposite, no one can blame him for responding in kind. I only hope he's capable of actually doing so.

Sorry, "The Pianist" came out in 2002, not 2000.

part of how this works depends on the MSM, of course, but if anyone has the guts to compare the tone of last week with tonight Obama is in -- assume he (and we) are right that the electorate really does want a change.

Palin's speech, and the entire night really, were the most mean-spirited politics I've ever seen. It makes Buchanan's 92 speech seem tame. Any rational person should compare that to Obama's tone last week (or even Biden's, Clinton's or Clinton's) and instinctively feel like the Republicans are a bunch of kids calling names in a sandbox. It was so profoundly divisive, cyncial, childish - it felt like brain cells were dying in droves just watching and listening.

I have faith that they seriously overplayed their hand. They clearly have decided that winning ugly is far better than trying to win big, and the 2000 electoral vote map will do. The problem is they are 12 down in Iowa, down in New Mexico, down in Colorado. I do not think tonight plays well with undecideds, independents - or even moderate, educated, suburban Republicans. i just cannot get over the bizarre victim complex and unmitigated hostility of all of them.

I agree w/ the poster wondering how it happened that half of America went off the deep end. Look... they brought us Bush, after all.

It is very discouraging. I imagine the fact that smarter folks have one or two kids, if any, vs. those like Palin having 5... the mathematics do catch up with you after a time.

But if the right wing is as powerful as it seems to be, how are we any different from the religious extremists in Iraq? Same thing here, just different extremists.

That being said, any way to donate to Obama campaign WITHOUT then receiving solicitations for the rest of my life and having my name sold to another list for solicitations?

I agree w/ the poster wondering how it happened that half of America went off the deep end. Look... they brought us Bush, after all.

It is very discouraging. I imagine the fact that smarter folks have one or two kids, if any, vs. those like Palin having 5... the mathematics do catch up with you after a time.

But if the right wing is as powerful as it seems to be, how are we any different from the religious extremists in Iraq? Same thing here, just different extremists.

That being said, any way to donate to Obama campaign WITHOUT then receiving solicitations for the rest of my life and having my name sold to another list for solicitations?

Sadly, Palin's speech reminded me of when I was writing a national TV show during the early era of cable TV. Our host was the owner's mistress. Beautiful woman. State-winning beauty queen. Playboy covergirl. And a really good person, actually. But, she had very little talent.

I was reminded of the array of people, including me, devoted to making her look good once a week on TV. She delivered her lines, take after agonizing take, but never came off looking genuine. (Off camera, she was quite genuine and no prima donna.) She never really grasped what it was all about.

If the speech Palin made tonight, with all the experts, writers and support and control in the world, was as good as she could do in her penultimate moment...good luck tomorrow.

I just went back on a pledge. After Obama abandoned us on FISA, I declared all my money to the ACLU for the rest of this cycle.

After tonight, I was so worried that I coughed up another $100 to the Obama campaign. And $10 to ActBlue.

This will test the Obama campaign.

This was not for us. It was to stir up the base. It is roughly 45%/45% committed with 10% undecided. They are going after the 10% in the middle.

As long as she didn't completely freak out that was good enough. The right wing media will spin it as a great performance regardless. And they'll pull out enough sound bites and still shots for their needs.

I too am having trouble believing that a speech like this could arouse anything but hate. It made me sick to my stomach. Serious playground politics. Do swing voters react positively to this? My thought is, probably not.

She gave a well-delivered speech chock-a-block full of lies. I am reminded of Buchanan's speech at the 1991 RNC. Remember that? Ol' Pat got real fired up on the old time religion and practically started foaming at the mouth. I remember thinking "when do they bring on the torches and pitchforks?" That speech scared the hell out of moderate rethugs who were not yet quite comfortable with their fairly recent bed-mates - the religious right. Bill Clinton won that election and I have always believed that speech had a lot to do with it. I could be wrong but that speech is always something I've remembered. I think we just saw the the 2008 version of that speech.

Palin attacked tonight. Not fairly and not truthfully but she attacked. It must not go unanswered. George Bush needs to be even more tightly tied around mcsame's neck. From now until Nov. 4 none of us should ever mention mcsame's or Palin's names without including the name of George Bush and the Dark Lord in the same sentence. Get up, people. Time to get to work. Get in touch with your local Democratic hdqtrs and find out what they need. Write a letter to the editor. Donate money. Talk to a neighbor or the person behind you in the grocery line (Palin is sure to be right there on the cover of the NE at the check-out so an opening comment shouldn't be awkward). Talk to someone at work. Wake up, America. Wake up! We've been sleeping for 8 years. Wake up!

The thing with blaming the liberals all the time is that the liberals are to the Republicans what the Jews were to the Nazis. It doesn't matter what the facts are or how absurd the proposition is. You just continually blame everything on the scapegoat.

I couldn't help but wonder, is it true that Palin's family is just like the normal American family? Most families have a seventeen-year-old daughter knocked up?

Using the Republican convention as a frame, it's easy to see why they speak contemptuously of Obama's speech-making ability - such abilities are manifestly unnecessary for their glassy-eyed Stepford audiences. Rudi Giuliani could get up there and say that after McCain was finally released from the Hanoi Hilton, he took a job for a few years with Swedish Erotica as a porn star - and they'd roar approval. What I find scary is that there are still that many people in the United States who can't spot a blatant falsehood when they hear it.

And then there was Huckabee, with his meandering and maudlin speech about school desks - it was obvious he had started with that "desk in the Oval Office for John McCain" applause-maker, and worked backwards to try and put a foundation under it. He does have an endearing country-bumpkin quality about him, which is probably not contrived; but if he's a storyteller, I'm Elvis Presley.

I didn't watch all of Palin's star turn, but she - predictably - appeared to fire them up pretty well. She hit all the red-meat high points, although I'm sure she didn't write the speech herself. Obama might be the only politician in history who does that, and I'm sure he doesn't do it all the time. I saw a few comments that suggest it was pretty partisan, but the Republicans don't know any other way to be. I thought the endless cutaways to Cindy McCain holding the baby were a bit too cute, though; good thing there were lots of people watching, or she might have eaten it. Cindy McCain is about as much of a PTA Mom as Lizzie Borden.

Anyway, of course the Republicans ate it up, and tomorrow their press and blogs will be full of what an energizing, cathartic experience it was, MUCH better than that Democratic pedophile-fest at the fake Greek Temple. Politics as usual, nothing to see here, return to your homes.

People who welcome being lied to deserve shitty leaders that are only out to fill their pockets, and fatten the wallets of their friends.

Anybody have an idea how many were in the audience, approximately ?

And what's with Rudy and the Hitlerian hand-chop? I kept expecting him to say, "...and a big shout-out to my friend Joe Goebbels... Joe, where are ya?"

On the upside, all that "Heil"ing distracted me from his general ghoulishness. Usually when I watch Nosferudi, I instinctively cover my throat.

And both he and Palin, when they "smile," bare their teeth like hungry animals.

Clearly Palin will spit out anything her Republican masters put in her mouth, but they're expecting us to swallow it.

Got delusional? Trip over to the POO-MA blog. They're looking forward to a "Hillary vs. Palin" match in 2012.

I need a quaalude. Make that 5.

My grandpa was a political animal, like Sarah.

He was trained in journalism, 1930s-style.

He ran for, and served as, mayor of his town, Wabasha, Minnesota, for a term or two.

He loved to tell the tale of building the first community nursing home, reinforcing the levies along the mighty Mississippi, and reworking a coupla roads. He loved to tell his journalistic tales of traveling with Truman on a whistle-stop campaign, going to Washington DC, being greeted by name at the capitol and handed a congressman's car and driver for a couple hours.

His favorite story, though, was about the small-business coffee klatch at the main street diner. A few young-to-middle-aged guys were the upstarts there that the older guys on main street needed, but generally ignored.

Their collective sense was that the young lawyer in their midst ought to push higher... he seemed to have some potential.

It turned out that they were right. The young attorney was Hubert Humphrey. He ran for, and won, numerous offices.

My grandpa was a great guy. He reveled in his friendship with Hubert, and especially that Hubert always walked directly to the back-shop of his newspaper to greet Gramps' pressmen before coming back to say 'Hi!' to Gramps.

My grandpa was an incredible performer, a wise political soul. He had potential for much more.

And yet, serving as mayor of his small town wasn't equivalent to Humphrey's background as a law school graduate, mayor of Minneapolis, and then Senator.

I fully believe that my grandpa could have been much more.

But, not because he was a great mayor of a small town.

Grandpa did that part. Hubert did much more. Is it all fair and evenly proportioned? Naw...

Gramps wasn't vetted, but Hubert was.

I don't know about glass ceiling, but the woman sure cracked my ear drum. She needs some voice control lessons, stat!

That being said, any way to donate to Obama campaign WITHOUT then receiving solicitations for the rest of my life and having my name sold to another list for solicitations?

Download the form and leave the street number and phone number off when you fill it out, and send a money order.

GotoL;

You may be thinking of extracting oil from mined shale; and are correct in noting that method will always be ‘the energy source of the future.’

The current promise is a process involving pyrolysis to separate the oil from the rock. It involves creating a ring of ice (freeze seal) around a deposit to prevent groundwater contamination. Once the freeze seal is in place, heating elements are inserted into the oil shale to heat it to 600-700F. At that temperature, the petroleum is released from the shale and would need to enter some type of collection system. Estimates are that 3 units of energy would be generated by one unit of energy. The output is light, sweet crude.

Oil shale is used in less refined ways in other areas of the world.

My husband and I amused ourselves by playing "find the minority" with the convention audience. I won - I counted 21. I've never seen so many old white people in one place since I last visited my Dad at his independent living apt. complex. And what was that with the passing of the baby? Frankly, I thought all of the children looked very nice and her husband is very handsome. They are nice looking family. Too bad they have allowed their matriarch to suck them into the evil vortex. Flee, children, flee! Run away, run away!

Good news: Obama's spokesman is pointing out that Palin's speech was written by Washington insiders -- "George Bush's speechwriter," to be exact. He then went on to talk about the 90% support of Bush by McCain etc.

They're firing back IMMEDIATELY. Woohoo!

MSNBC just said in a call in poll, 66% said Palin made them less likely to vote for McCain.

I tried to warn you guys.

You just found out what we in Alaska knew all the time.

She is even better in off the cuff interviews.

MsJoanne: Was that 66 percent -- or 666?

MsJo! Thank you for the good news.

When we take it back this time, we should fortify the damned Constitution so they never rise again.

Ship all the bastards to Alaska!

I didn't hear much (I have a weak stomach), but I was struck by how manipulative Giuliani is. First you figure what you thing the people want to hear, then you say it; but since you're out of touch, it just comes across as manipulative.

Carly Fiorina is so humorless and feminist-touchy, I'd love to see someone ask her if she's touchy because she's on the rag and watch her explode.

late to the thread, but I have to share this wisdom:
cheap ass lying piece of shit

BO now owes her nothing. He'll be sorta kind, of course... oh, she's fuk'd.

Maverick, maverick, maverick, pow, pow, pow ~ most mavericks don’t obey the rules of order, so it could be likely McCain’s experience in Vietnam could have been just plain stupidity as a maverick. For me, as a veteran of the Vietnam War there were commanders that had that maverick streak. Actually just making dumb decisions getting in trouble or other people killed. Sarah Palin said “There is only one man who is ever fought for Obama or Biden that is McCain�. That part pissed me off, like I fought there too lady. As Forest Gump said “That’s all I gona say about that�.

I am surprised at MSNBC get this from Chuck Todd, Olbermann, and Chris Mathews, and Maddow, a few word of critique ~ Yowee

Mockery, insults, nasty sniping, little to no blacks in the convention, phonic tongue tangles, in your face, handed back out of hand, Iraq war is a task from God, take the old rule book and cast it aside, did Sarah Palin win the hearts of Americans? The pattern of a pitch fork, speech was thin on substance, sarcasm, the arc of the convention, campaigning against Michelle Obama? Torpedo directed at Obama and Michelle with gusto and meanness, it will sell, targeted attack. Was a star born? Plays well around the country especially giving a punch with a smile. She had a lot of moxie.

For me, she is a jerk, and if America votes this pair in we are really in trouble.

That business about zero experience as an executive makes me think about all those legislative things “Senators Do� appropriate in terms of hundreds of billions of dollars and must think through those necessary spending issues and structures in terms of the needs of governors, mayors, administrators, or military in all levels of operations and CEO’s of industry. The incredible volley of cash flow to make America work, be secure and fill the needs of the people involved is an incredible perception to have given the varied different states, laws, cultures, and customs, priorities or immediate needs. Incredible executive talent is necessary for Senators. It takes executive talent to declare a war is wrong, and no experience is necessary for that.

Palin also said, “The journey of personal discovery is not supposed to be during the presidency�?? Hey, many of us on the jobs in our life time have learned something very critical and interesting. And one of the things in the job as president is a complete view that not many have, with an awareness that must awesome beyond anything comprehensible by the average person.

My discovery was listening to Sarah Palin as a Republican candidate and what I did not hear was the rally for unity for all Americans, White, or Black.

This follows Josh's bitch slap theory to a T. Having a woman deliver this kind of mockery means "we are putting you in your place." Obama and Dems should use this as locker room quotes. That kind of thing should not go unanswered and she is now inviting massive retaliation. As a partisan Dem, it makes me extremely fired up to support going after her and McCain VERY aggressively.

Brick Oven - You make oil shale sound so simple. Except the freeze wall has to be 3 ft. thick, has to be in place 18 months ahead of the heating phase, will be over 1,000 feet underground and has to freeze the ground to -50F. Then in the middle of this frozen ring they have to heat the ground to about 700F for 1-3 years, but not before completely dewatering the ground within the freeze ring.

They do not get light, sweet crude out of the ground, they get liquified kerogen. This stuff contains mostly hydrocarbons heavier than gasoline, and out of a 42 gallon barrel of kerogen, they'll get maybe 7.5 gallons that will go into gasoline feedstock. Most of the rest is kerosene which can be used for aviation fuel. A normal barrel of crude produces almost 20 gallons of gas.

It will take 1 normal sized electrical power plant to produce 100,000 barrels of kerogen. Ten power plants to produce 1 million barrels a day, or less than 1/20th of what the US consumes in a day.

The only people singing the praises of oil shale are politicians. Even the oil companies aren't too excited about it. Shale oil will always, always. always be one of the most expensive fuels you can buy. Always.

Well, now we know what their strategy is. They hope to draw Obama into a debate with their VP candidate about who has the most experience.

Obama won't get drawn into it. Biden shouldn't either, at least not until the debate. They need to let the surrogates take her apart.

The 29 percenters will be behind her no matter how many times it's proven she lied in talking about her record, or however many scandals she's involved in. But I really don't think it's going to wash with anyone else.

Also I question the wisdom of putting the veep candidate out there in what is her first introduction to a lot of the voters, who after the past 4 days have not been hearing a lot of positive things about her, and siccing her on the other team as an attack dog. Not real attractive, particularly if you've already been hearing lots of negative things about her. And for anyone who heard Obama's speech last week, with its list of 29 separate policy proposals, having her say "he has no plan" was a really stupid thing to do.

Brick headed bill...they are talking on the tee vee now about Palin's teleprompter and that it had problems.

Can I reiterate that you're a clueless dolt now?

You're a clueless dolt.

i just cannot get over the bizarre victim complex and unmitigated hostility of all of them.
*******************

The 'bizarre victim complex" is STAGED..., it is Psychological Politics 101. You simply abuse, smear, falsely accuse, and take advantage of your competition at every opportunity, and then claim that YOU are, in fact ,the 'victim' here. Then you 'get angry' about it, while simultaneously labeling the opposition as 'the Angry Left'. Remember, with KKKarl rove, UP is DOWN, White is Black, War is Peace. "Attack their strengths", "repeatedly accuse the opposition of doing what YOU yourself are doing" is the repig strategy dejour. We simply need to do to them what they do to us, as childish as it may be. We have little choice left now. Once we are in though, we can change the rules that govern this school-yard, Rovian attack on our sensibilities.

Remember when Rove said that McSame's adopted child was a bastard black child? And when KKKarlRove said that McIII's mental health was questionable because of the long time he spent as a POW? But now, Rove is his best friend! What an asshole. What a sell-out, win-at-all-costs crow-eating piece of sheeee-ite. Country first? Right! Pull your head out of your arse McLame, you are being used!!

Nosferudi!! Sullijan, you crack me up. He does look quite a bit like the vampire in the movie version of "Salem's Lot", with that oversize melon. What is it with Republicans and the big heads - Palin has a dome like a sunfucked onion.

And Bill: my man, what is it with YOU and that "engaging us with her eyes" stuff? Is Palin hypnotizing you or something? That's about the third time you've mentioned it, like she has anti-Democrat rays in her peepers or something. You're starting to scare me a little.

Oh, about shale oil. As someone above who sounded quite learned on the subject remarked, shale oil extraction is extremely costly. It's highly unlikely - using current and forecast technology, anyway - that it would bring the price down, for that reason. If, by some perverse twist, it did - it would make itself too expensive by doing so. Back in the golden days when oil went for about $20.00 a barrel (does that give you a pang of nostalgia? I know it does me), many companies would cap their wells and wait for the price to go up a little, because it cost them nearly that much to get it out of the ground, and they weren't making any money. As soon as oil prices sink below the price of extraction, the oil companies get disinterested.

It's true that there's lots of shale oil. There's lots of dead leaves every autumn, too, and as soon as somebody figures out how to make them power a car or a motor without breaking the bank, there will be interest.

orange

They are going after the 10% in the middle.

Not with tonight's speeches they weren't. Those were strictly red meat for the base.

I predict McCain will try to hold out his hand to independents tomorrow. But given how he's now so completely sold out to the right wing, I wouldn't be surprised to hear him announce he no longer believes in global warning, stem cell research, or evolution.

I tried to warn you guys. You just found out what we in Alaska knew all the time. She is even better in off the cuff interviews.

I'm officially scared.

Republican pols are serial liars, which is why they're so good at it--lots of practice. Palin is no exception. It's nearly impossible for the media to keep up with the neverending stream of tricks, diversions, falsehoods, gimmicks, ridicule and spin. They're playing the American people for fools, and if the undecideds fall for it again (there's no hope for the committed right-wingers), I'm gettin' the hell out before it's too late.

I think she seemed snide, snotty, sarcastic, arrogant and pretty unlikable. I was really surprised that for an introductory speech they didn’t try to make her likable, just do a great bio speech and give her a chance for people to really admire and respect her. It would have made her a really great weapon. Their mistake was overlooking the fact that her audience wasn’t just the Republican true believers in that room, it was her introduction to the world-at-large.

Hey, the upside is that any GOP lackey arguing on her behalf that the media or dems are being too tough on her will look silly-- that speech was all about attack, attack, attack.

Also, the string of lies at the end about Obama's record just pissed me off. I think I have to go over and give Obama some more money.

In case you need a refreshed on Obama's Senate Accomplishments, click the link.

And feel free to send it around to all those who are clueless - or just out and out liars.

Wow I didn't know 9ui11ani was such an asshole.

Gramps wasn't vetted, but Hubert was.
Posted by: Bose on September 4, 2008 at 12:18 AM | PERMALINK

Good post Bose.

[Enough already. You have hereby lost your trolling privileges at WaMo. --Mod]

Bill, I repeat...you're a fucking idiot.

I know few you around here are Ron Paul fans, but after lengths the McCain forces went to deprive us of our measly little 35 delegate votes, I can't wait to backstab the little SOB with Bob Barr or Chuck Baldwin this Novemeber.

Maybe only 1.1 million voted for Paul in the primaries and caucuses, but maybe McCain might need these vote in a razor close election to win states like Wisconsin, Montan and even Georgia.

Go ask Al Gore what's like to have a non-major party candidate take victory away from you. It isn't fun is it? But you sealed your fate John McCain when you decided there could be no dissent anywhere in you're little Nuremburg rally.

Ron Paul's delegates have been treated like shit by these fascists. Ron Paul himself can't even go on the convention without being escorted by some flunkies. Fine then. No one's going to remember your little party in September when you're eating ashes in Novemeber.

Barr or Baldwin in 2008, either one will work to send McCain to hell.

I don't know if it makes any sense for us libruls to comment on Palin's speech. It wasn't intended for us; it was red meat for the clueless masses, and there are a lot of them out there. Consider this-- roughly 50% of the electorate believes that Iraq attacked us on 9/11.

How the hell are we going to have meaningful political conversation and a sensible election when we can't even establish a baseline of mutually agreed-upon reality?

Thanks to all that watched the convention this evening. I could not have stomached it. In honor of your sacrifice I just donated (again) to the Obama campaign.

I'm not going to comment on the speech, except to say it was, as expected, both well-delivered, and full of lies, and that it left out some of her unpopular stands.

But while contributing to Obama is a great idea, we can do other things.

For example, why not put together a two-sided, one page paper, in your own words, "Things you didn't know about Sarah Palin/ Things you didn't know about John McCain." And hand it out to your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Hell, if you've got the money, or can get a group of friends together, buy an ad in a small local newspaper and run it there.

Get two P.O. Boxes, one for people who want to get more information, one for people to ask you -- if you are handing it out -- not to send them any similar fliers.

Only
stick strictly to provable truth, have every claim you made verified, and be prepared to respond to anyone who challenges you with cites and exact quotes wherever possible.

No calling people fascists or idiots, no passing on of dubious rumors about either candidate. there's enough truth out there, from her book-banning request to her cutting corporate taxes but raising sales taxes when Mayor, to the truth about the bridge to nowhere, to her hiring lobbyists for a town of 7,000. There's enough on McCain's flip-flops, his support for things he condemns, the fact that he DID ask for and get earmarks.

And stress the anti-abortion position they have both taken, her freezing of money for the town library but spending it on a hockey rink. Remind people of Hagee, of Gramm. Use the 'oops' on Hagee to show how badly he vets people.

Again and again I have to remind all of you that writing to people here, who already agree with you isn't enough.

WE are Obama's surrogates.

Hey, MsJoanne - send me an email. I want to ask you something off-thread.

Don't get your hopes up about the VP debates. The insipid Gwen Ifell will be moderating. If you watched her during the last debates with Bush and Kerry, you'll remember that she threw a lot of softballs to W and let him off the hook. Watch her on Washington Week and see if she doesn't lean to the right and is sometimes downright condescending to the left.

Okay, i will comment about the audience. Maybe 40% were wildly enthusiastic, yes, and another 40% waved their signs and cheered on cue, but the more you look, the more stone-faced types (almost all male, all wearing suits it seemed, whatever that means) who were 'sitting on their hands.' They showed no enthusiasm whatsoever, if you can see a replay, look for them.

The base she aims at is not the whole of the Republican party, and has little in common with true independents -- many of whom are far from conservative on the social issues.

This is going to do mcCain much less good than the nervous nellies among us think. I think it might even cost him a couple of the few states he had a chance of winning.

Prup, I agree wholeheartedly!!

N.Y. Times:

"Palin Assails Critics and Electrifies Party"

[sigh]

They went for the nastiness hook, line and sinker.

BlueGal...sent (hopefully to the right addy). I now have two email addys for you.

Do you still have mine? E me anytime.

The AP looks to be doing their thing, too, George.

Sorry, John and Sarah, there just aren't enough religious wingnuts to save you this time around. This entire Palin saga is just aimed at a group that is simply not going to decide this election. Veering hard-right is going to be McCain's downfall. The GOP lost the Hispanics that W. had. And there are too many independents and moderate Republicans that are sick of this "completely corrupt and incompetent, but I believe that Jesus will miracle our asses to victory" style of governance.

Toast.

Republican pols are serial liars, which is why they're so good at it--lots of practice. Palin is no exception. It's nearly impossible for the media to keep up with the neverending stream of tricks, diversions, falsehoods, gimmicks, ridicule and spin. They're playing the American people for fools, and if the undecideds fall for it again (there's no hope for the committed right-wingers), I'm gettin' the hell out before it's too late.

Chris, that was the consesus of the people i watched with. Much scarier than Bush and time to go if they win. Seriously. I served in the military and have travelled the world a bit, not too much. That was fascism.

I tell you, the print media might suck it up, but the tee-vee's are not being kind.

I didn't pay attention to Fox, but CNN and MSNBC are not too keen on her.

CNN is now talking about McCain whining about the coverage. Not happy.

Romney is talking about her qualifications should McCain die. Guess what? Community Activist came up again.

Talk about talking points.

Hey MsJ - I got it and I answered already. You used the right one!

Oh, she's a firecracker alright. I expected her to deliver quite a rousing speech (regardless of whether she really understood the content), based on all the "Never underestimate Sarah Barracuda" comments from Alaskans. She seemed to set up her own low expectations so that she could pounce tonight. I just wonder if people bought it...lies, lines, and torpedo. I wonder if some of men will feel castrated by her.

So will it work? It depends. I was really involved in debate and public speech throughout high school, and I can still convince people that the sky is neon green if I am in the right frame of mind. I had a formula for winning debates where I would start with the attacks (but unlike Palin, I backed everything up with hard evidence and logical thinking), and then I launched my patriotic ending that could rival the conclusion of the 1812 Overture. It worked about 75% of the time, but I never knew when it wasn't going to sell. I had three male opponents quit mid-debate because they couldn't think of anything to say in response, and then I would spend the rest of the allotted time explaining how I would have argued my own position. Again when I was younger, I have a few anecdotes where I convinced several hundred people in a room of something that they had no familiarity with, and got them all riled up.

Now I'm much more subtle. That approach was fun when I was young, but it doesn't really accomplish my current goals because I believe strongly that issues are much more complex than politicians ever present them. But after that speech, a part of me wanted to take her on head to head. She may be a barracuda, but I have a compelling life story as well...and I can deliver enthusiastic speeches to large audiences...and I can debate.

Instead, I'll fight back in my own way, not just because we as a country deserve better than her and McCain, but because *women* deserve better. Whereas Obama's daughters seemed innocently enthralled with seeing their father on the big screen in Denver, Palin's children seemed like they had been carefully coached about how to behave (except for the "lick the hand then wipe the baby's head" moment...hygiene, people...it's basic education, long before all the sex stuff!) And honestly, she makes women look bad. She makes us look like status climbers who will claw and lie our way to the top at whatever cost. Not to mention, she seems completely oblivious about the complexity of the issues that our country faces.

But we have to be careful not to "look down on" those who embrace her. This is the elitism that has hurt the Democrats for so long. The Republicans have a way of attacking and condescending without ever seeming intellectual about it, and for some reason that works. Remember that there *are* uninformed voters out there. We have part-time nursing help at home because of a sick relative, and yesterday when we had MSNBC on, our nurse said, "I didn't know that Ronald Reagan was a Republican. I thought he was a Democrat." She is in her 50's, and has lived in the U.S. all her life. I'm sure that I will repeat that little factoid because *this* is what we are up against. We assume that other people pay attention to politics, but a lot of people simply don't. They are caught up in the biographical details, the "How did John McCain fall out of an airplane and survive, then escape a prison camp after thirty years, and then swim his way back from wherever he was to Alaska and fall in love with that beautiful young woman who doesn't judge him by his age?" crowd. The media reports news a mile a minute, and unless you are really following it, the details can get a little blurry. So the strategy has to be one of repetition at an increasing volume. Start saying, "Sarah Palin is a lier who twists facts to fit her calculating agenda to make Alaska even wealthier," and don't stop until November 30th or so...of 2012...

The Republicans are just plain insulting:

Insulting to the American public that they are treating their convention as a junior high school pep rally - slamming their opponents... instead of intelligent discourse.

Insulting workers affected by steel mill closures, and others whom Obama went to help as a community organizer (and that other organizers help around the country). It's pure class warfare - they are showing that they give a rat's ass about American workers. They still haven't talked about the economy or how they will fix it!

Insulting our intelligence by lying about their opponents and giving obnoxious speeches that slam all of us who disagree with them, who, by the way, are the majority in this country.

BG, I didn't get it (big surprise). I will watch for it. Conspiracy theories, remember? :)

alibubba"If the speech Palin made tonight, with all the experts, writers and support and control in the world, was as good as she could do in her penultimate moment...good luck tomorrow."

Late to the thread; it has been a consolation reading the comments. alibubba's observation is especially encouraging. I haven't understood the Republican base for years, so I expected they would love Sarah Palin. But by about 2/3's of the way through, even many of the Republicans in the Xcel Center were looking a bit appalled.

Anyone else notice the really scary, glittery-eyed thing? Is it her idea of toughness? And I laughed when she was trying to demonstrate her foreign policy chops. Her comprehension wasn't able to keep up with the teleprompter. She read the words, but the eyes were pleading, "help, help, I have no idea what I'm saying." Go back and listen to the Paris Hilton "energy policy" video in response to John McCain's "celebrity" ad. It's the same clueless delivery. heh, Paris Hilton = Sarah Palin. This is the best John McCain could do?

Sad to say, she did well and this is a "throw down" to our team -- team Obama.

I would like to say that things will be ok -- but we may need to fight -- we may need a real bench clearing brawl and I hope after 8 years of this s--t -- that we have the gumption to do what needs to be done. We dont need speeches, we need the Orkin man...

sorry, I am not normally like this, but I sensed a real call to arms here, and I aint taking it sitting down this time...

Same sense here. they're basically running on the platform of flushing America down the toilet. If they win I'm gone but I'm gonna fight until November 4th. Gotta take the last two weeks off in October and do what needs to be done as much as possible.

I really feel like the grassroots is in the favor of of not flushing America down the tubes.

'Drill here drill now' and 'lay the pipeline' was about as complex as it got. I can't see people wanting to vote for these two losers. I pray they're toast and the media is saying 'Holy shit the Republicans are clueless.'

I'm starting to think they want her in there to push the button and nuke a few countries. The constant allusions to Truman? I heard it on right wing radio the day she was announced and thought it was weird and I've heard it once more before tonight and then from her. It seemed an insinuation of more than just the backstory they shared.

The media and the collective will better wake the fuck up on this ticket. It's a a clear signal that the party is over for America and might perilously be dead end road that ends with fascism.

Four more comments:
1) My hubby thought the audience reaction sounded like someone had held up signs "Applause", "Boo!", etc. because it all sounded prompted.
2) There was absolutely NO CALL from any speaker to unite America, and in fact, quite divisive rhetoric on display. They gave most of us no reason to vote for them.
3) Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Larry King admitted that Palin did a good job of delivering the speech and reading the teleprompter. But she also noted that she knows many young students that can do the same, but that doesn't make them qualified to be president or VP.

4) I started thinking about the Rs laughing at Guiliani's slapdown of Obama's career as a community organizer. Perhaps that's because that many of these folks think Barack is a fool for taking a $10K a year job when he could have made ten times that after graduating from Columbia. What a sap for turning down the all powerful dollar!

I hope Barack tears them a new one on that one.

And I also agree with those that say that Palin threw down the gauntlet (a smelly one at that) so no holds barred. If she can dish it up, she'll have to take what's coming.

I wonder what's going to happen during the debates between McCain and Obama. One thing I realized is that I don't necessarily know where McCain stands on so many issues (Please refer to Steve's list of McCain flip-flops).

What happens when Obama calls out certain social issues on national debates where low-information voters thought McCain stands for a certain issue, when McCain actually stands for another? The debates is going to make or break McCain. I predict the latter. Let's wrap this convention BS up already and get on with policy debates.

At 1:50 ET, Mark Kleiman posted the long, substantial response from Team Obama showing at least some of the ways in which she *ahem* 'departed from reality' in her speech.

http://www.samefacts.com/archives/campaign_2008_/2008/09/palin_v_reality.php

It doesn't get them all, but it does a good job on most of them -- though I wish they'd called her on her "I joined the PTA to support the public schools" when her record is quite the opposite.

ugh. I suffered through about 5 minutes each of Palin and Giuliani; I couldn't stomach more than two minutes of Romney. To make myself feel better I watched Kucinich at the DNC for the twentieth time.

I just watched The Daily Show--Jon Stewart nailed it with those back to back clips tonight. Absolutely perfect. You can watch it on hulu.com if you don't already get it elsewhere.

Palin's "performance" can be summed up, thus:

Rabid Stepford Coyote.

Sic semper tyrannis, GOPers. After forcing eight years of of feloniously-incompetent Bushylvanianism down America's throat, you've earned the responsibility of having this albatross hung around your necks.

Just think of it as "next-gen immolation...."

This convention isn't dull, because it's too nasty and negative. It may make you want to shoot your TV, but won't put you to sleep. It also, however, has the makings of a terrific blooper reel:

A speaker on Tuesday referring to the VP nominee as "Sarah Pawlenty"

The mayor of St. Paul welcoming people to "Pig's Eye," which he explained was the old name of St. Paul before it was renamed after a Catholic mission, and then continuing to refer to it as "Pig's Eye"

Mitt Romney suggesting that the Republicans need to make the sun rise in the west instead of the east, and claiming that the problem with Washington is that people there think the sun rises in the east

Mitt Romney calling the Bush administration and the current Supreme Court "liberal."

Rudy Giuliani venomously spitting out the word "cosmopolitan" with the kind of loathing that usually goes with the phrase "rootless cosmopolitan." Rudy, of course, used to be the mayor of a quaint little heartland village just like Wasilla.

Sarah Palin repeating a scripted line that's already been debunked about how she turned down funds for the "bridge to nowhere."

And the show's not over yet!

Oh, and I forgot to mention Cindy McCain's smile. It's downright scary how much it makes her look like Cruella de Ville, and she flashes it whenever a speaker makes a particularly nasty jab at Obama.

Jim: Unfortunately yes, the Republicans DO know what they're doing when they bash the "biased liberal media." They know from experience that the more they do that, the more the media will grovel cravenly and try to prove their "balance" by uncritically repeating every GOP talking point.

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