The Palin bump is over; it's all downhill from here

"McCain is being viewed as running for Bush's Third Term. The Palinpalooza is basically over, despite the attempts of some to keep it going." - From Big Ticket Democrat/Talk Left
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Another piece in Talk Left said: "Obama [is] regaining the momentum in the presidential race and leading John McCain. It's not just the economy. It's also McCain's opportunistic pick of Gov. Sarah Palin for Vice President. A majority of those polled (pdf)find her unqualified and 3/4 of them believe she was selected primarily to help McCain win. "




"More than half of registered voters do not think she is prepared for the job of Vice President, and a majority express concern about Palin being able to take over the presidency, if necessary. Even supporters of John McCain cite “inexperience” as what they like least about her. Palin’s unfavorable rating is also up eight points from last week."
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Palin-McCain Halloween Card

From the often amusing blog site, BartCop.com, a Halloween card. . .
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60 Frames campaign ad video: "I masturbated to Sarah Palin."

Palin's cronies--Agriculture Head: "I liked cows when I was a kid"

The New York Times has a fascinating article this morning on page 1 in the "print" version. You can read it online here, but you may have to sign up (you may have to be a subscriber...I'm not sure).

"Gov. Sarah Palin lives by the maxim that all politics is local, not to mention personal.

"So when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture, she appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency."

Pamela Anderson weighs in on Governor Sarah Palin: "Suck it"

Pamela Anderson, a PETA member, and anti-fur model, weighed in on Sarah Palin after she heard about the Governor's bear-skin rug.

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Republican Vice Presidential Gestures: Saran Palin's air kiss and VP Rockefeller's middle finger to protestors

Here are two favorite photos of Vice Presidential/Vice Presidential wannabe gestures. I did like the Sarah Palin air kiss, and my absolute favorite ever was Nelson Rockefeller, grinning broadly and giving the finger to some hecklers

click Nelson to enlarge

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Oprah is not telling the truth about the Sarah Palin-Oprah controversy

Oprah Winfrey has come out and attempted to refute recent articles (which leftists are calling Republican propaganda): "The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At the beginning of this Presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over."



Lie One: "I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates." Obama appeared on her program just before he announced his candidacy, and once prior to that--when we all knew he would be running. In his 2007 appearance, Oprah Winfrey asked him if he would announce a presidential bid on her program."I don't think I could say no to you," Obama replied. "Oprah, you're my girl." She offered his show for the announcement; he chose to make it elsewhere.

Lie Two: "There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show."

An Oprah show insider said that "Half of her staff really wants Sarah Palin on. Oprah's website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama."

Does that really sound like "absolutely no discussion" to you? I'm pretty sure that Sarah Palin would just sit on the couch, Oprah, not jump on it like Tom Cruise.

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Republican convention was most-watched convention on television--ever

Closing night of the GOP convention - click to enlarge


By Pablo Fanque
All This Is That National Affairs Editor



Party unity, a TV ratings bonanza, an "energized base," and the Democrats on the run have resurrected what might have been a moribund convention. A few months ago, John McCain almost dropped out of the race, and the party was in shambles. The Republicans leave Minnesota with a new lease on life and the stunned Democratic Party once again playing catch-up.


According to Rasmussen Reports polls, the choice of Sarah Palin as VP candidate is only slightly more popular that Obama's choice of Joe Biden. However, the buzz seems to belie that, when coming off the convention Obama/Biden seem--for the moment--to be little more than a footnote, and an irritating presence to disposed of later in the fall.


The Rasmussen Reports now say that Palin’s favorable ratings are .a point higher than either man at the top of the ticket. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%.


Senator Obama, however, vowed yesterday to fight back: "We're not going to be bullied, we're not going to be smeared, we're not going to be lied about," Obama said. "I don't believe in coming in second."


Unlike McCain, Obama is still madly fundraising. Last night, Obama attended a $2,300-per-person party at the .home of party fundraiser Phil Murphy. About 200 people, including the Bon Jovis and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, attended.


Republican nominee John McCain can raise no more campaign money because he accepted about $84 million in public funding and the restrictions that go with it. Obama turned down the public funding (and broke an earlier pledge to the voters), in hopes he can raise and spend more on his own.


This next eight weeks promise some excellent political theatre.
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John McCain's acceptance speech: "We have failed you. Re-elect us."

John McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican Convention, after kudos to the unnamed 41st and 43rd Presidents, and even Barack Obama and Joe Biden, was less a celebration of the G.O.P. than an admission of failure. He hammered away at the failures of the Bush administration over and over and over. After this speech, it's hard to imagine George Bush ever campaigning for McCain/Palin. I've never heard anything like it. It wasn't a great speech, but then John McCain is not a great orator. He didn't offer a lot of substance, but he probably got the job done. And he left the democrats an incredible array of sound bites on failed Republican policies.

Even his own party blanched at the excoriation and abuse he heaped upon the Bush Administration and all of their enablers (including, of course, many Democrats):

Of the 67 paragraphs in his speech, six focused on Barack Obama. One of those paragraphs praised Obama, and five took issue with his policy. But the most interesting paragraph was one that was met with near silence from the assembled multitude.

He did mention his predecessors, George Bush, although he could not bring himself to actually name them:

"I’m grateful to the President for leading us in those dark days following the worst attack on American soil in our history, and keeping us safe from another attack many thought was inevitable; and to the First Lady, Laura Bush, a model of grace and kindness in public and in private. And I’m grateful to the 41st President and his bride of 63 years, and for their outstanding example of honorable service to our country. "

And then, McCain began to talk about his own President, his own party, and the failed policies of the last eight Republican, years.

"I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption."

"We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics."

"We need to change the way government does almost everything"

"I know some of you have been left behind in the changing economy and it often seems your government hasn’t even noticed."

"We have to catch up to history, and we have to change the way we do business in Washington."

"All you ever asked of government is to stand on your side, not in your way."

"when we tell you we’re going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country’s problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it."

"I’ve fought corruption, and it didn’t matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. They violated their public trust, and had to be held accountable. I’ve fought big spenders in both parties, who waste your money on things you neither need nor want, while you struggle to buy groceries, fill your gas tank and make your mortgage payment.
"

"I’ve fought to get million dollar checks out of our elections. I’ve fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes [Jack note: coincidentally, yesterday, Jack Abramoff received an additional four years in prison]. I fought crooked deals in the Pentagon. I fought tobacco companies and trial lawyers, drug companies and union bosses."

"We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles."

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Kisses at the GOP Convention

The Republicans have become the party of the air kiss.

Last night, Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin fired a couple at the attractive crowd of Republicans.

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Sarah Palin blows an air kiss and Joe Biden catches it!

...Click to enlarge image...

If you look at the current (as of 3 PM PDT) Drudge Report page, you'll see Governor Palin blowing an air kiss. If you look at a photo of Senator "Smilin" Joe Biden on the same page, you'll see that it appears he caught the kiss. . .and loves it.
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