This morning on the teevee, there is McCain pushing the "bridge to nowhere" lie. Unbelievable. When will the media do its job forcefully enough to stop the nonsense?

"When will the media do its job forcefully enough to stop the nonsense?"

Maybe when Triumph the Comic Dog threatens to compete for all their viewers and readers? It is a wonder Triumph didn't end up being dog meat at the GOP convention! LMAO!

Joe's a great attack dog but at least he's an attack dog with the facts on his side.

That clip alone would make a great ad. Question: Do the republicans think the middleclass can't understand the issues, ask Rick Davis. Go Joe!, oh, and ease up on the man-love thing with John Bush, obviously, he's really not the man you thought you knew.

I saw Rachel Maddow call it lying last night. I heard a PBS truth piece the other day. I watched CBS take on some of the lies. Even Fox News had a piece accusing McCain of stretching the truth. I suspect the drum beat will increase over the next few days.

Write a letter to your editor. Tell your friends. Send them the address to factcheck.org.

This week we have to demand that politicians start telling the truth. If they are willing to lie to get elected, what will they be like once they are sworn in?

why cant the 'remember personal info?' work...got lazy at CB...keep forgetting to re-fill it in...Go Joe!

orange

The wealth of potential for really GOOD, HARD-HITTING ads is overwhelming...WHERE THE "H" ARE THEY!!????? Enough of the "he's my friend, crap" too...his old friend has lost it and is now just another lying hypocrite like every other REPUG who MUST be elected by any means!!! Never think our media will do this...Obama must forget the QUEENSBURY RULES...they aren't playing by them and it works for them, more's the pity for us...also want to see more focus on how the "race" is going in the states (EV) rather than the even/tightening national view (if even true)...AND, this woman MUST be exposed for the lying sack of excrement SHE is (notwithstanding her Jerry Springer family)...

Wait a minute - Isn't Biden THE ENEMY? And my nominee is great buddies with him? ARRRGGGGHH!

Biden is doing a wonderful job.

I'd like to see tape from Hillary from Florida on Monday (if she can make it in between hurricanes) to see how she compares. I know she's not the VP candidate but I'd love to see her hitting just as hard.

After catching that clip of Biden talking about his good buddy McCain, I felt frustrated that he went on and on so much. Later, I was thinking of how Obama and Biden seem to be maintaining this idea of being above the fray, as McCain's campaign tells lies and avoids any issues, Obama barely mentions it, continuing to detail the issues. McCain's campaign is dishonest on so many levels it's difficult to grasp, while Obama seems a model of integrity and determination.

Then I thought, isn't that what you wanted? Weren't you tired of despicable deceivers like Bush? Inevitably it comes back around to the problem, dumb Americans who voted for Bush are still dumb and stubborn. Even after this disaster they are willing to triple down on Bush policy by electing McCain. They are willing and eager to accept hollow allusions and outright lies from the media and the candidate, and will never bother to seek verification of even the most outrageous lies.

Conclusion: Obama needs to come up with a formula to counter the new superhero on the right, The Pandering Maverick. He needs to do more than just post his rebuttals on the website, he needs the bobbly talking heads repeating them on the tube, just like McCain has, because, this is America.

Finally - Biden begins to show'em how to hit the balls that the Repugs are teeing up. I've never seen him better.

He has to at this stage (he's only been the VP nominee for two weeks - I know it seems like an eternity) talk about friendship with John - he wants to establish this in NOT a personal attack (unlike the Repugs which have made it all personal) this is about the issues and by showing them up on the issues and their tactics to evade the issues - and thus showing who they really are - people who just want to hold onto power and will do anything to keep it.

This election will be about whether American people want more of the same or NOT. Period. In the end - I'm betting that they don't want more of McSame.

"Wait a minute - Isn't Biden THE ENEMY? And my nominee is great buddies with him?" - Wingnut

Don't worry Wingnut, John "Zinger" McC*nt may have people who call him a friend, but he calls everybody, and thus nobody, his friend. It's Bushite/Frat Boy loyality. You be loyal to John and John "Zinger" will step on you.

That's the way it has been the last eight year (remember the firing of Loyal Republican U.S. Attorneys?) and that's what John "Zinger" offers for the next four.

Some of us have poor internet connections and can't watch the 'clip' straight through ... will I have to abandon this blog too?

Some of us have poor internet connections and can't watch the 'clip' straight through ... will I have to abandon this blog too?

What third world country do you live in?

/snark

Good morning Steve. Are you aware that the AP is reporting the government is preparing to take over Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac as early as this weekend?

"When will the media do its job forcefully enough to stop the nonsense?"

They won't.
Here though is some strategy from Kleiman:

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

"When will the media do its job forcefully enough to stop the nonsense?"

Anybody who is depending and planning on the media doing its job is either hopelessly naive or an idiot. It is far more likely that the MSM will continue in its toxic role as enabler of GOP lies and spin.

I'll point my finger in a different direction, to an organization that has control over its own actions.

It is nothing less than criminal that the Obama campaign has yet to produce an ad highlighting the Palin/McCain lies about her record in Alaska. The information has been freely available for a week now, and what we see from the campaign are weak, generic, soft-focus ads on the economy. Meanwhile, the GOP is now running new ads appropriating the "change" theme, and they've already produced an ad featuring Palin attacking Obama. From an Obama campaign that has had more than enough time to get off its ass and attack the horseshit GOP narrative about Palin?

Crickets.

It's widely recognized even by Dems that the GOP has succeeded in great measure in the last two Presidential elections by attacking the Dem candidate's perceived strengths. Amazingly, the geniuses running the Obama campaign have apparently decided to not go after Palin, whose presence has provided literally the only enthusiasm and fire in the McCain effort.

As of now, there's no reason to anticipate seeing anything other than what we've seen already: Republicans on the constant offensive on a variety of fronts to destroy Obama's record and character, with the Dems constantly in a reactive mode, not taking advantage of the huge number of potent arguments that the GOP has handed them. That will inevitably result in a gradual whittling down of Obama's numbers, and Palin will greatly energize the nutty Christianist base. Unless Obama understands that television is a MASS medium, and that INITIATIVE is necessary to take advantage of that factor, strongly worded press releases and appearances in high school gyms by Joe Biden will be insufficient to counter the GOP media assault and voter suppression tactics in key districts across the country. As far as the glossy new voter registration numbers are concerned, a high percentage of them are first-time young voters, and this group is historically notorious for not showing up on election day.

In particular, if David Axelrod doesn't radically change and improve the Obama communications effort, he will surpass Bob Shrum in the pantheon of feckless and grossly-overpaid Dem consultants.

Well a little too much praise and not enough bury for my taste but whatever. He needs to move on to "I have spoken before and at length of my long and true friendship with John McCain..." he can't spend half of each appearance praising his opponent it - completely undermines the second half of his presentation.

I saw this first part of his talk live while at the gym (I think CNN) so it was the whole bank of TV's no sound closed caption. They gave it maybe 5 minutes and it was all the John is great stuff none of the punch throwing. It really pissed me off.

I'd say that Biden is the first clear indication that by next week Obama intends on cutting through the noise machine of the Repugs and I don't doubt that they will come after McSame/Apalin' and their lies.

But this is not checkers as they say - but chess. Obam acts - he doesn't react. They want a knife fight - he's not going to go their. Axelrod is no Shrum - This is Chicago folks - they pulled out a knife - now we pull a gun. There are different ways of being devastating.

"What third world country do you live in?"

i have the same problem. i live in rural vermont. we don't all live in the big cities

We get it, Joe. You like the guy on a personal level. -- CB

Folks elsewhere around the 'sphere have complained about that. I happened to catch Biden live, and found it rather engaging (albeit a tad rambling) and a very effective setup for what was to come. Why?

It came across as genuine (as opposed to the token acknowledgment McCain gave his opponents the night before), and being a personal story with a bit of humor, caught the audience's attention. Everyone let down their guard and when he launched into his critique of McCain's policies/convention, it was all the more powerful.

The Repubs said this campaign is about personalities, not issues -- and are doing everything possible to make that the case. Obama wants it to be about issues and the direction the country will go. Biden's approach refuted that of the Right, and supported Obama's.

Just one guy's impression.

bluestate,

Your comment answers your own concerns: the very fact that all this stuff about Palin is available via the media and the 'Nets means that they are in effect doing the very thing you wish Obama were doing. It's not as though we need Obama to fill us in on all this.

The media get their stories by, you know, reporting; Obama stays above it all, talking about the economy, stupid . . . and saves money on ads. The McCain-Palin campaign is, as a result, self-immolating: by not letting Palin give interviews, it is paradoxically giving further oxygen to the flames--journalists gots t' eat, after all.

I thought Jon Steward did an even better job last night. Both the Maverick Reformed bit and the section where they asked people at the convention what exactly "small town values" meant.

Note to Dems: Put telegenic people behind your candidate.

Quote:"After catching that clip of Biden talking about his good buddy McCain, I felt frustrated that he went on and on so much."

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But that's what Biden always does. He talks SO much he forgets what he meant to say. Biden just loves the sound of his voice.

That should stand in good stead for him when he debates Sara Palin. Right?

Quote:"After catching that clip of Biden talking about his good buddy McCain, I felt frustrated that he went on and on so much."

********************************************************
But that's what Biden always does. He talks SO much he forgets what he meant to say. Biden just loves the sound of his voice.

That should stand in good stead for him when he debates Sara Palin. Right?

Whatever Biden's assets are, brevity is not one of them. He needs to learn how to get to the point quickly, right now.

Whatever Biden's assets are, brevity is not one of them. He needs to learn how to get to the point quickly, right now.

That might work for 11:00 newscast, but Biden is working the room and I think that he connects. He can save the sounds bites for a Q&A with reporters.

"What do you talk about when you have nothing to say?" That's the best wrap-up I've heard of the Republican convention.

But please, ladies and gentlemen, can we lose the "ladies and gentlemen"? I keep expecting him to say, "we got trouble... right here in River City..."

I can't remember the last time the Dem ticket so appealed to me at a gut level.

And with the added bonus that I've never seen the trooollls so frothingly incoherent.

It's one thing to talk about how he and John McCain are friends. It's another thing entirely to say "John McCain has more personal courage than anyone I've ever known." That is fawning, and in an election that McCain wants to be entirely about his most awesomest personality, it hurts us. And he shouldn't be reminding people that Congress is a big chummy elitist club full of people who take trips to Greece, either.

I seem to recall hearing all this "sit back and relax, he has a plan, he'll ramp it up in the next few weeks" stuff back in 2004, also. That is not a comforting thought.

I'm not saying the Democrats need to turn into scorched-earth monsters like the Republicans, but we could at least try to do our best not to help them.

"That might work for the 11:00 newscast...".
That is it exactly. To win over "independents" the Democratic nominees need to explain our policies and views to the groups of people they are speaking to and that can't be done within a 30-second soundbite. It may take 20-30 minutes or more. Especially if there is a Q&A period after the speech.
The Republicans, as many have noticed, don't do Q&A periods (where IS James Gannon, by the way?) - they're afraid of the questions and don't have any answers.

"What third world country do you live in?" - Brazil. But if I wanted to watch 24hr. news cycle garbage and the gasbags that go with it I would get satellite. I prefer to read commentary and hopefully I will continue to be able to find analysists who can write.

I completely agree that Biden needs to reel the "McCain, my Great Friend" stuff in some--he went on far too long (replete with examples)in that speech.

For those of us on dial-up why not provide a brief summary of whats being said in the clip?

Not doing so leaves you open to charges of being just like that slovenly dropkick Kevin Drum.

Old Joe couldn't carry Hillary's pantyhose!

Why is the country so eager to be snookered by a VP whose resume includes bundles of earmarks and an attitude that God wants us in Iraq and drilling oil? Haven't we had enough of hypocrisy? Why are so many willing to be lectured to about morality and family values by a man who cheated on his ill wife and a woman who preaches abstinence, covers up her pregnant teen with a blanket and her own baby on TV and then ducks the hard questions from reporters? Are we going to fall yet again for 'the Democrats want to raise your taxes' while Republicans run the country into the ground? I've been hearing these slogans for more than 20 years and all of a sudden 'Change is coming.' As Joe Biden said, "Give me a break!"

I was at this event in Langhorne PA on Friday and what impressed me most is that Biden had NO SCRIPT in front of him - unlike McCain and Palin who read just about every remark from a prepared script. Biden was terrific - even better to see it live.