Sarah Palin’s “Target” List: Incited Murder, or Unfortunate Coincidence?

Last March, I wrote here expressing my alarm over ex-Governor (and currently holding no elected office) Sarah Palin, and her publishing of a list targeting public officials who were supporters of health care reform (see ” Domestic Terrorism: Sarah Palin Puts Democrats in the Crosshairs, Tells People to “Reload”.)

The worst thing imaginable has happened. One of those people on Palin's list – Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D - AZ) – was shot in the head yesterday while making a public appearance. While she is still alive and in intensive care, others were not so lucky. Six people were also killed, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl, and 14 others were wounded. The “alleged” shooter – you know, the guy who had the gun and was wrestled to the ground, nothing “alleged: about that – is in custody.

As of this writing, the motivation for the shooting remains unclear. But Sarah Palin’s earlier call to arms mentioning Giffords’ name along with many others, is still is fresh in the minds of many. I believed then and I believe now that her anti-health reform rhetoric was dangerous and could be perceived as a literal call to action by those with a gun looking for an excuse to use it. If there does appear there was a connection with Palin’s call to action and this shooting, then I think there should be some way that she should be charged for something, like threatening elected officials or conspiracy to commit murder. It is simply not excusable to let anyone encourage others to shoot and/or kill in the name of their personal beliefs without paying the consequences if someone takes them up on their suggestion.

If it turns out that there was no connection with Palin’s words and the shooting and this is all a horrible and unfortunate coincidence, let this be a lesson to Palin and other big talkers who incite and rile up people for their own causes or political gains: learn to keep your mouth shut and your threats to yourself. (And for voters: don’t support or vote for people who stoop to this type of rhetoric.)

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Domestic Terrorism: Sarah Palin Puts Democrats in the Crosshairs, Tells People to “Reload”

The Republican Party has hit a new low, and the behavior of some of their members is becoming downright frightening.

Ex-Governor (and currently holding no elected office) Sarah Palin crossed the line yesterday with a post on her Twitter account that said “Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" Pls see my Facebook page.” Her Facebook page then goes on to encourage those unhappy with the recent passing of health care reform to “...not get discouraged. Don’t get demoralized. Get organized!”

She goes on to express the desire to “ “reclaim the power of the people from those who disregarded the will of the people. We’re going to fire them and send them back to the private sector” …” commenting that when they join the ranks of the unemployed, maybe they will understand. But Palin also goes on to show a chart from Sarahpac.com listing specific democrats that she wants to target, and the chart has crosshairs – literally - on their congressional locations. With the all the references to guns – the crosshairs, the “reload” comment, and other words in her message such as “aim” and “salvo” – it is frightening in its blatant attempt to incite violence. She goes on to list them by name as follows, which reads like a proverbial “hit” list:

We’re paying particular attention to those House members who voted in favor of Obamacare and represent districts that Senator John McCain and I carried during the 2008 election. Three of these House members are retiring – from Arkansas’s 2nd district, Indiana’s 8th district, and Tennessee’s 6th district – but we’ll be working to make sure that those who replace them are Commonsense Conservatives. The others are running for re-election, and we’re going to hold them accountable for this disastrous Obamacare vote. They are: Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1), Harry E. Mitchell (AZ-5), Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8), John Salazar (CO-3), Betsy Markey (CO-4). Allen Boyd (FL-2), Suzanne M. Kosmas (FL-24), Baron P. Hill (IN-9), Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL), Charlie Wilson (OH-6), John Boccieri (OH-16), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3), Christopher Carney (PA-10), John M. Spratt, Jr. (SC-5), Tom Perriello (VA-5), Alan B. Mollohan (WV-1), and Nick J. Rahall II (WV-3).


While I understand that all Americans – even those that aren’t particularly smart – have the right to free speech, that does not mean they have the right to incite hate or violence. Sarah’s message, while it may seem innocent at face value, almost seems like it was written in “code” with key words, as if she is hoping someone will take her up on the subliminal intent and make it real. Let’s be honest here, if some “normal” person made threats like Sarah Palin has done here, the FBI would be knocking on their door. Her not-so-subtle suggestions and threats are alarming and I think that not only should the FBI consider her words as real threats, but should also make an effort to make sure that the people on her list get protection.

I am greatly concerned with the amount and level of vitriol coming out of the Republican Party, which has only gotten more frequent and more caustic with the passing of the health care reform. It seems that some members of the Republican Party are only happy with the way our government works when it works to the advantage of the Republican Party alone. Party officials need to reign in - or jettison – those party extremists that are acting more like petulant, spoiled children who are having a tantrum because they didn’t get their way. Maybe for starters, Ohio voters should make sure that when Republican Leader John Boehner (R-West Chester) comes up for re-election that he is voted out of office. But, in the meantime, someone with real authority in the party should come out with a clear statement that they do not condone violence as a solution to any political disagreement. If Sarah Palin can’t remove or retract her hit list, then I expect the party to distance themselves from her. At the least, I hope the FBI comes knocking on her door for her apparent threats of violence against our elected officials. Domestic terrorism, no matter what form, cannot be tolerated.

Update January 9, 2010 - In light of the recent shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and the killing and wounding of several others at that same political event, I have have more commentary on this topic which can be found at this link: "Sarah Palin’s “Target” List: Incited Murder, or Unfortunate Coincidence?"


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Who’s to Blame for the Palin Debacle?

Newsweek, the magazine that gave you a cover with a close up of Sarah Palin’s moustache, now has revealed allegations of many behind the scenes problems with Sarah Palin as she campaigned for John McCain. These problems included uncontrolled spending for clothes for herself and her family, having staffers put clothing purchases for her on the staffers credit cards, tantrums and infighting, diva behavior, refusing to take coaching before TV appearances, and greeting male staffers in her hotel room wrapped in a towel. (SHE was wrapped in the towel, not the hotel room.) There were also many concerns about her overall intelligence, saying she didn’t know Africa was a continent, and not knowing the three big countries involved in NAFTA.

This doesn’t come as much surprise to me and I find these allegations completely believable. I found myself wondering why these allegations didn’t come out sooner. In the video below (oddly, from Fox (Faux) News - who never utters a bad word about a republican, ever!) the reporter seems to indicate that they DID know about it, but since it was information given off the record at the time, it couldn’t be used.

Of course, Sarah Palin defends herself. She makes it sound like it’s just negativity from negative people. And frankly, if staffers felt this way about her, then they shouldn’t have continued working for the campaign. The fact that they kept this under wraps during the campaign may be considered commendable as far as their ability to keep a secret, but their true colors are showing now that the campaign is over and the blame game is beginning. It seems they are very quick - maybe too quick - to throw Palin under the bus.

I think the person on the top of the blame list should be John McCain. He selected Sarah as his running mate. His campaign clearly didn’t vet her thoroughly or they didn’t care to. Many voters saw his selection of a woman for his running mate as his last ditch attempt to get ahead of the game with women voters that had been in the Hilary Clinton camp. When Sarah opened her mouth for the first time for an interview, it was clear that his choice was flawed, and people began to really wonder about McCain's judgement.

It seems they couldn’t control her, either. Palin may have figured that this may be her one and only chance to play in the big leagues, so she probably tried to use the exposure for all she could. As a result, she has to accept some of the blame for her failures in being able to present herself in the best light, especially after she reportedly went “rogue” and strayed from the campaign message, or if she really did refuse attempts to be coached before TV appearances.

The news of all the troubles with Palin may have another purpose than just disgruntled staffers finally getting the last word. With some news sources reporting that maybe Sarah will make her own bid for the presidency in 2012, I wouldn’t be surprised if even those in her own republican party want to quash those chances by releasing her “behind the scenes” antics.

Let’s hope that her two months of fame are up.

Fox (Faux) News on Palin Allegations



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Election Day Wrap Up

Needless to say, I am thrilled that Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. He’ll have a lot on his plate, and he will have to also manage expectations as the bar has been set high. But I feel confident that the American people will support his efforts to pull this country out of the hole of the last 4 years of the Bush administration.

I’m happy that my home county – Lake County, Ohio – went blue, with the majority selecting Barack Obama. But, to prove that every vote really does count, the vote count was very close between Obama and McCain: (the numbers are from the Lake County Board of Elections)

Barack Obama/Joe Biden (DEM) 52,556 49.11%
John McCain/Sarah Palin (REP) 52,431 49.00%

Also a plus is that the state of Ohio has now also turned blue, with 51% of the vote going to Obama. There were also no major problems (only tiny ones) in the voting process in Ohio, and many polling places finished their counts very quickly. A welcome change from 2004.

The balance of power in the House and the Senate has also shifted to the Democrats. I’d say that the American people spoke loudly with their votes and wanted change all throughout the government.

Now, on to the TV coverage. I was a little crazed last night when, sometime after at about 6:15 PM, our NBC affiliate in Cleveland, WKYC, developed some audio problems on the HD channel. And when I switched to the regular, non-HD channel, the picture was horrible. I suspect it was a problem with the Time Warner cable, not with WKYC. After a while, I couldn’t watch the regular channel because the picture was so bad, and switched over to watch ABC. I have to admit that I actually liked ABC’s coverage. Sometime after 9:00 PM (I think) we got audio back on NBC/WKYC and I switched to their coverage. They had their “green screen” set in full force and even though I knew the images were all graphics and computer based, it looked slick. Sadly to say, though, my brain hit overload at about 9:30 and I developed a horrible migraine from trying to watch all the images, results, crawl lines, etc. all over the screen. Shortly after they called Ohio for Obama, and shortly after I took an Imitrex, I went to bed, knowing that if Ohio went blue that I would be waking up to a President Obama.

During a local election update, my husband switched on Fox (Faux) News just for a minute to see how they were calling things. The electoral maps looked close, if not identical, to what we saw on NBC and ABC, but the commentators were clearly trying to pump up McCain’s chances. After watching two minutes of it we laughed at their coverage, came to our senses, and changed the channel back to NBC. I wonder how Fox News will be able to handle 4 years of criticizing our new president? I am sure that even when things go right, they will find something negative to say. They always do. Maybe they will get lucky and Elizabeth Hasselbeck will leave The View and go work for them, so all the negativity can be in one place and we can all vote with our remotes and turn them all off.

I wish Senator McCain well. I wish Sarah Palin would just go back to Alaska, and stay there.

So that’s it for now. Interesting times are ahead, that’s for sure. And I’m looking forward to getting our country out of the quicksand and back onto solid ground.


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Palin’s Twisted View of the First Amendment

John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin seems to have a skewed view of what the First Amendment means. In fact, she seems to want to squelch what is really the core of the First Amendment, which is a free press. You see, it seems she thinks that her being questioned by the media about her negative campaigning that her First Amendment rights could be threatened.

In an interview with WMAL Radio, Palin told interviewer Chris Plante,

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations…then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

I think Sarah must have fallen asleep during her social studies or history classes when they explained the First Amendment. She seems to have completely missed the whole concept behind free speech – it’s for everybody, maybe even more so for the press, who often serve as the watchdog for the people. Sure, sometimes the press can get annoying. But that’s their job – to flush out the story and the truth of the matter.

So here’s my own message for Sarah, don’t worry, you’re First Amendment rights are not being violated. You still have a right to make a fool out of yourself when you speak if you so desire.


The complete radio interview is here if you want to listen (2 parts)








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McCain, Palin Visiting My Home Town October 30 – I Think I’ll Pass

My hometown of Mentor, Ohio and Lake County are no strangers to Presidents, or presidential politics. It is the home (now a National Historic site) of the 20th President of the United States, James A. Garfield. His home was named “Lawnfield” by reporters who used to wait outside Garfield’s front porch for him to deliver campaign speeches.

George H.W. Bush flew right over my house in a helicopter (accompanied by a group of huge military helicopters) on September 5, 1992 when he spoke at the County Fairgrounds a few miles away on US Route 20. I heard the helicopters coming and ran out to my front yard to wave, like if anyone could really see me. (Well, maybe they could, they were flying pretty low.) I stood in line for a few hours at Rep. Steven LaTourette’s office in Mentor to get a ticket to President George W. Bush’s September 2004 campaign appearance in neighboring Kirtland. (Sadly, when the big day arrived I was sick and couldn’t attend.) I got much closer to seeing President George W. Bush when he visited Mentor on April 15, 2005, and he stopped at a restaurant only a little over a mile from my home. I was standing at the curb on the corner of Mentor Avenue (US Route 20) and Center Street as his motorcade zipped by, going so fast that most of my pictures were worthless except for maybe one where the presidential limo was in part of the shot (below). It was the closest I’d even been to a sitting president.

G.W. Bush's limo. Not a great pic, I know.

It was the best I could get
The Republicans know that to win Ohio, they must win Lake County. According to a 2007 article by Associated Press. the voting record of Lake County, “mirrors Ohio's more accurately than any other county in the state, according to an analysis by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer of voting in Ohio's 88 counties since 1960.” While it’s the smallest county in the state by area, the same report ranked it 11th with a population of 227,511. So it comes as no surprise that over the last few elections where Republicans felt they had to win Ohio that they made sure to visit the area.

But, with today’s news that John McCain and Sarah Palin are coming to town for a rally at Mentor High School, my first thought was indifference. My second thought was they won’t have Lake County. Not this time. At least, that is what I hope. So, despite that I’ve always been interested in politics and it would be interesting to go to the rally just to see the event, and document it, I just can’t do it. Why? Because I can’t bring myself to sit idly by in a crowd of McCain supporters. It would be hypocritical. And I hope that anyone else who wants to go out of curiosity would also just stay away. I don’t want anyone, even if it is one person like me, contributing to the impression that there is big support for McCain in Mentor, Ohio or Lake County.

So despite the fact that I’m curious as to how the event will go, my curiosity ends when I realize that by attending it makes it appear that I am supporting the ticket, which I am not. This time, I won’t be standing in line for a ticket, or waiting on the street corner for hours on a cold day to see someone drive by. Nope. Not this time.

But, if anyone else is interested , here is a link to information on Road to Victory Rally in Mentor, OH. I sure hope that road leads them to nowhere this time.


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The Hypocrisy of Hasselbeck at Palin Rally

I cringed when I first heard a few days ago that Elizabeth Hasselbeck of The View would be speaking at a Palin rally this week. While Elizabeth was fighting for her own opinions when Rosie O’Donnell was moderator of The View, I defended Elizabeth’s right to have her own opinions many times. I still agree she is entitled to her own opinions.

But now, not only do I not have the desire to defend her opinions any more; I actually become sickened every time she opens her mouth. Elizabeth now has the nerve to accuse Palin opponents of being "fixated on her wardrobe" and "deliberately sexist."

I do not agree with Elizabeth, in fact, I think her comments show the hypocrisy in the republican campaign. The true sexism here was when John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate to begin with. My opinion is that the McCain campaign so wanted to capitalize on the fact there were eligible voters out there who may have been disappointed that Hillary didn’t win her party’s nomination, that they were willing to select ANY woman as a running mate. It seemed that McCain believed that disillusioned female voters would be dumb enough to vote for any woman at all, regardless of qualifications, just because she was a woman.

That is sexism. And the McCain campaign only has themselves to blame by selecting someone with such thin credentials as Palin, which only has invited scrutiny on every level possible. By the way, if I recall correctly, it was the republicans that released the information on the wardrobe to begin with.

According to CNN, Palin stated at that same rally:

"This whole thing with the wardrobe, you know I have tried to just ignore it because it is so ridiculous, but I am glad now that Elisabeth brought it up, cause it gives me an opportunity without the filter of the media to get to tell you the whole clothes thing," she said.

"Those clothes, they are not my property. Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the RNC purchased, I'm not taking them with me. I am back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska. You'd think — not that I would even have to address the issue because, as Elisabeth is suggesting, the double standard here it's — gosh, we don't even want to waste our time."

Personally I do not have a problem with the campaign footing the bill for some clothing for her. But, I do have issue with the overall price tag. She did not need designer clothes. I’ve bought dress suits off the rack for years that look great and don’t cost a lot. Same for my dress shoes – I have 5-6 pair of dress pumps that look stylish and were priced reasonably. I probably could have done very well with less than one tenth of that $150K for my wardrobe for a political campaign. But, then again, I’m not one of those “elite” people that have to wear something with a designer label. So here’s one woman who isn’t being sexist when I say that Palin would have scored more points with voters - and women - had she resisted the urge to buy the expensive stuff. And frankly, if this is Palin’s biggest worry that she has to make it part of her campaign speeches, she’s not ready for the office of Vice President.

And Elizabeth, it’s time to put a zipper on it.

Clip of Elizabeth at Tampa, Florida Palin Rally


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McCain and Palin: Honeymoon Over?

Apparently, there is trouble in the McCain/Palin campaign. CNN is reporting that advisors and sources close to the campaign say that Palin seems to be “going rogue” and has been going off message. In all honesty, in the recent interview that McCain and Palin had with NBC’s Brian Williams, I swear that McCain seemed a little uncomfortable every time Palin opened her mouth and added something to comments he had made.

It seems that the trouble between the presidential candidate and his running mate are getting harder to hide. One aid reported to CNN:

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.

"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

They also report that "A second McCain source says she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign. "


While I am sure that all presidential campaigns have some friction between running mates, it seems clear that it this case, the nature of the problems seem to validate the fact that Palin isn’t ready for the big leagues, and McCain should have chosen someone else as his running mate.

You can read the entire article on the CNN web site, here. The interviews with Brian Williams are also below.

The NBC Nightly News Interviews with Brian Williams
Part 1


Part 2


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Sarah Palin’s Newsweek Moustache: Tempest in a Teapot

Newsweek Cover

Fox News (AKA Faux News) and Republican pundits/bloggers seem to be having a hissy fit over the recent cover of Newsweek Magazine featuring Sarah Palin for their main story “The Palin Problem”. Why? Because Newsweek didn’t retouch, airbrush, or photoshop the picture of Palin, and her facial flaws, including a faint moustache, are showing.

Fox (Faux) seems to forget that Newsweek is not a fashion magazine. It’s not a beauty magazine. It is a NEWS magazine. I don’t expect fake news nor do I expect fake pictures in a publication like Newsweek. But apparently, Fox (Faux) likes its photos retouched, in the same manner it appears to handle its coverage of the news.

But let’s think this situation through. If, for example, I knew that I was going to have my picture taken for a magazine – or for any reason for that matter - I would be sure to have on my makeup and make sure that I don’t have any hair on my face that I don’t want there. Sure, if someone zooms in up close they may see imperfections. But that’s just the way it is. If Sarah is not bright enough or concerned enough to make sure that she doesn’t take care of a little moustache hair before a photo shoot, then this whole thing is of her own doing.

Fox (Faux) News wants to have all their news retouched so it is flattering to their candidate of choice. That’s their way. They say they are fair and balanced; I say they are consistently UNfair and IMbalanced. Sure, they try to bring on a talking head or two every now and then that supports the other side or a differing opinion, but they frequently, if not always, try their best to argue with the person for having an opinion counter to whatever agenda Fox (Faux) is pushing that day. In fact, being a Democratic talking head on Fox (Faux) News is akin to being a "red shirt" on Star Trek - you know when you get to the alien planet, you'll be the one who gets killed by the aliens, instead of the stars of the show.

In case you didn’t see it, here’s the video of the Fox (Faux) News meltdown over Sarah Palin’s moustache. It’s pretty pathetic. With all that’s going on with the economy right now, I guess that a little facial hair on a woman is more important to Fox (Faux).





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McCain Campaign: The Smell of Desperation

Probably one of the lowest blows to come out of the McCain campaign is Sarah Palin's accusation where she attempts to create a connection with Barack Obama and a former member of the Weather Underground, William Ayers. But this tactic may backfire.

According to CBS News:

“Before her campaign plane took off for a Sunday fundraiser here, CBS News asked Sarah Palin to respond to an analysis by the Associated Press that concluded her attempts to establish a friendship between Barack Obama and Weather Underground member William Ayers were “unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret.”

"The Associated Press is wrong,” Palin said. “The comments are about an association that has been known but hasn't been talked about, and I think it’s fair to talk about where Barack Obama kicked off his political career, in the guy's living room.”

Palin was referring to an event that Ayers hosted for Obama early in the Illinois senator’s career. But the AP notes, “No evidence shows they were ‘pals’ or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.”

Associated Press goes on to say that Palin’s comments are “a deliberate attempt to smear Obama” and “exaggerated at best if not outright false”

With McCain rapidly losing ground in the polls in swing states, apparently he is becoming desperate by trying to make this an issue. What is even more pathetic is that McCain now seems to be relegating his dirty work to the inexperienced newbie Sarah Palin, who at this point seems to be willing to parrot anything that she’s told by the campaign.

The Obama campaign isn’t taking any of this lying down. Later today, the Obama campaign will be releasing a 13-minute documentary about the Keating Five scandal called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis". I have some very personal recollections of the Keating scandal because one of my banks was affected by it, so I followed the issue very closely when it happened. Frankly, I don’t think John McCain should be trying to point fingers about a person’s association with someone, as flimsy as it was, when McCain’s own past has the Keating scandal.

On the lighter side, if you haven’t seen the Saturday Nigh Live version of the Biden/Palin debate, here it is:




PS: I can't stand MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, but I have to admit his fact checking of Sarah Palin's statements at the debate was very interesting. The first two minutes gives you most of it. Watch and listen:



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McCain Pulled Out of Michigan Long Ago

McCain and Palin in Michigan (AP Photo)

The news is all over the place about John McCain shifting his campaign resources away from the state of Michigan, essentially ceding the state to Obama. This is also a decision, according to CNN, on which his VP running mate, Sarah Palin, disagrees.

The fact is, John McCain mentally pulled out of Michigan in January of 2008 during the primary, when he told Michigan voters that the lost jobs in Michigan "aren't coming back." He lost Michigan to Mitt Romney in the primaries, seeing that voters probably weren’t buoyed by McCain’s defeatist tone. So it should be no shock now to McCain that he can’t win Michigan. After all, he basically told the people in that state in January that there was nothing he could do to help them to recover from the job loss.

This could come back to bite him in other states being hit hard by job loss. One state comes to mind: my own state of Ohio, which has been hit very hard with job loss in the last 8 years. McCain made an appearance in Youngstown in April, where the message was the same as it was in Michigan - jobs are gone. An excerpt from a New York Times article titled McCain: These Jobs are Gone, Gone, Gone says it very plainly:

Is NAFTA a four-letter word?

No, Senator John McCain told an Ohio voter on Tuesday, he didn’t think so.

“I am prone on occasion to make a mistake,’’ the presumptive Republican nominee told Jack O’Connell, a retired labor leader, at a town hall-style meeting at Youngstown State University. Still, he said, “last time I checked, NAFTA has five letters, not four.’’

Mr. McCain was responding to a question from Mr. O’Connell, who called NAFTA, or the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, “a bad four letters,’’ then asked Mr. McCain what he thought of the deal. Mr. McCain’s answer made the crowd laugh, even if his more substantive response –- the overall result of NAFTA has been “a benefit to our country’’ — was politically unpalatable to many Ohio voters who blame the trade deal for lost American jobs.

Nonetheless, Mr. McCain kept up his free-trade-is-good message in this economically depressed city, a contrast to his Democratic competitors, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who both have called for renegotiating NAFTA. Mr. McCain also repeated his message that lost manufacturing jobs would not return, a position that polls show may have helped him lose the Michigan Republican primary in January to Mitt Romney.

But Mr. McCain, who compared the struggles of Youngstown to his own back-from-the-dead campaign, insisted that in the end workers would be better off through retraining and education programs in technology he has promised them as president.

“I can’t tell you that these jobs are ever going to come back to this magnificent part of the country,’’ Mr. McCain told another questioner, Sam Carbon, a student at Youngstown, who asked Mr. McCain about how he planned to save American jobs. “But I will commit to giving these workers a second chance. They need it, they deserve it. I know that’s small comfort to you, but I can’t look you in the eye and tell you those steel mills are coming back.’’


Now, he’s giving voters in Michigan the “I don’t care about you” attitude by pulling out of the state because he can’t win there. He also doesn't have the campaign money to even try. I have a feeling that Ohio voters who live in what is now considered a swing state leaning toward Obama won’t take kindly to McCain’s flip and thoughtless comments about job loss in Michigan or Ohio.

The old saying goes – “Never say never.” While McCain thinks that some states have permanently lost jobs and that they will never return, I don’t see that as a hard fact. Just looking in the city of Cleveland, the city is trying very hard to recover lost manufacturing jobs from the steel and automotive industries by gaining new jobs in medicine. In fact, Cleveland is one of the best places to be in the world if one needs medical treatment, and medical field continues to grow here by leaps and bounds. While it hasn’t made up for all the “blue-collar” job loss, it certainly has helped to slow the complete decline of jobs in the area.

So while John sees no hope, I see a chance for these areas hit my manufacturing job loss to reinvent themselves to attract a new kind of employment boom, in things like medicine, renewable energy, technology, etc. Some of those industries could very will bring some blue-collar jobs back that McCain says are gone for good. And NAFTA probably does need a second look, and changes to that could bring even more blue-collar jobs back, but McCain doesn't seem to think NAFTA is broken. Things do not have to be hopeless…well, except maybe to John McCain, who has no real vision for the future.


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Palin’s Debate Performance: Style over Substance

After watching the Vice Presidential debate with Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, the differences in each candidate became obvious.


Biden’s “bar” to measure his performance was set very high.
Palin’s “bar” to measure her performance was set very low.

Biden would focus on the issues and John McCain.
Palin would focus on the cameras and appealing to Joe six-pack and hockey moms.

Biden’s responses seem to be effortless and drawn from experience.
Palin’s responses seemed rehearsed (almost memorized) and shallow.

Biden would smile and laugh, seeming very loose and comfortable.
Palin would wink at the camera, as if there was an inside joke going on.

Biden respected his opponent’s title and addressed her as “Governor”.
Palin asked immediately if she could call him "Joe".

Biden appeared Vice Presidential and likable.
Palin appeared cute and folksy.


All in all, I think while Palin did not give the media any real sound bite to be used to mock her (unlike the Katie Couric interview), she seemed to be more concerned with how she looked on the camera. Biden, because he knew that all eyes would be on him for a gaffe or to make sure he didn’t bully poor Sarah, may have shown too much restraint. However, his game plan to debate the issues and the platform of John McCain rather than focus on Palin’s responses or recent gaffes of her own worked in his favor. He exuded confidence and experience. I didn’t get the same feeling from Palin.

I admit I am biased, seeing that Palin has not impressed me one bit before the debate. But the key thing here is that she did nothing last night that was remarkable enough to question my original opinion of her. So I’d have to say that Joe Biden was the clear winner, and I suspect that John McCain will not see any measurable “bump” in his poll numbers after this debate.


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Sarah Palin: Give A Straight Answer Already!

Chance for VP

In one of my favorite movies – “Being There” the main character, Chance the Gardener (played by Peter Sellers) is a sheltered, simple minded man, whose life revolved around watching television and gardening. He finds himself thrust into the world of politics when he’s mistaken for a genius by people who mistake his name as “Chauncy Gardener”. Everyone sees what they want to hear and hears what they want to hear when it comes to Chance. While Chance looks distinguished and his brief comments about tending his garden are taken to be deep philosophical musings, he’s thrust into a the powerful world of money and politics. When, at a high-class social gathering, Chance is asked by someone about whether he’d write a book, we get this dialog:


Ron Steigler: Mr. Gardner, uh, my editors and I have been wondering if you would consider writing a book for us, something about your um, political philosophy, what do you say?

Chance the Gardener: I can't write.

Ron Steigler: Heh, heh, of course not, who can nowadays? Listen, I have trouble writing a postcard to my children. Look uhh, we can give you a six-figure advance, I'll provide you with the very best ghostwriter, proofreaders...

Chance the Gardener: I can't read.

Ron Steigler: Of course you can't! No one has the time! We, we glance at things, we watch television...

Chance the Gardener: I like to watch TV.

Ron Steigler: Oh, oh, oh sure you do. No one reads!

I’ve come to the conclusion that Chance really would do well in politics these days. The problem is, his answers are truthful, direct, and right on target. That would never work!

Direct answers seems foreign to Sarah Palin, who seems to have difficulty answering the simplest of questions. Case in point, the continuing saga of the Katie Couric interview, where Palin is asked about what newspapers she reads: (video and transcript below)



COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read, before you were tapped for this, to stay informed and to understand the world?

PALIN: I've read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press for the media, I mean...

COURIC: Like what ones specifically? I'm curious that you...

PALIN: Um, all of 'em, any of 'em that um have been in front of me over all these years, um...

COURIC: Can you name any of them?

PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news too. Alaska isn't a foreign country where it's kind of suggested it seems like, wow how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, DC may be thinking and doing, when you live up there in Alaska. Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.

What is so hard about this question? Even, if like Chance the Gardner, she doesn’t read a newspaper, she can say something like: I don’t have time to read the paper, but I watch CNN, or Fox, or check the internet, or get updates from my advisors….. She must be getting her news from somewhere, no? Just for a point of reference, I’m not running for public office, but I read, daily, two local papers (The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The News Herald), and the Wall Street Journal. I read Barrons on Saturday and Investors Business Daily on Monday. I check the Internet often, I watch the news – local and national – several times a day. I would have NO problem answering Katie's question. But Sarah Palin seems to be stumped by it. It’s almost as if she is afraid that Katie will use her answer against her. I don’t know how that could be, at least it couldn’t have been worse as how her non-answer is being used against her. (Or could it?)

I’ll be watching the Vice Presidential debate tonight, but not for reasons one might think. I’m watching it because I want to see how this “great debater” Sarah Palin will fare with Joe Biden when she actually has to provide a definitive answer to a question. So far, she avoids specifics so she can’t be pinned down to anything, turning avoidance of a question into an art form. Maybe she should watch the movie “Being There” before the debate and take a lesson from Chance – answer the question completely and honestly, and talk about television and gardening. There really is no way to fail if one can do that.



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McCain: Asking Simple Questions Now “Gotcha Journalism”

John McCain apparently has to now come along with Sarah Palin when she interviews with Katie Couric of CBS News. In this clip, McCain and Palin try to clarify, maybe even retract, a recent statement that Palin made about cross border attacks into Pakistan. Her original answer was in response to a question from a person who happened to be near a visit she made to a restaurant. (Palin said the voter was “hollerin’ out a question.”) What makes the matter a big deal is that it appears that there was egg on Palin’s face when she discovered her approach to Pakistan was more in line with Barack Obama’s than John McCain.

When I watched this clip, I was stuck by how condescending John McCain seems when he refers to the person who asked the question - who seemed to be the average American citizen at your average restaurant. Adding insult to injury, McCain seems to put down that it happened at a pizza place, as if you can’t expect real people to ask real tough questions if they happen to be in or near a pizza place. But McCain calls it “gotcha journalism.” Since when is asking a question, expecting an honest answer, and then the media reporting on it “gotcha journalism?” And when Couric asks Palin if she is sorry she made the statement, McCain answers for her. I guess she's not a big girl and can't stand up for herself. By the way, McCain also shows his vanity toward the end of the segment.

I guess women in the McCain campaign are supposed to be seen and not heard? By the way, asking a question and expecting an honest answer is not “gotcha” journalism. I have to give Katie Couric credit for going after the issue.



Take a look:

Watch CBS Videos Online

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The Palin and Couric Interview: The Interlude

This is part 2 of the story I relayed earlier today (The Palin and Couric Interview: The Emperor Has No Clothes! ). It’s another excerpt that was shown on CBS’s Early Show. I have to admit that I don’t understand Palin’s answer to Katie’s first question one bit. It seems like she can’t connect her thoughts well. Take a listen, you’ll see what I mean. She seems to be looking at notes and struggling to come up with something from her notes that sounds like an answer. Even Katie Couric says that “She’s not always responsive when she’s asked questions…It was a really interesting experience for me to interview her yesterday.” I bet it was interesting. Katie looked like she just could not believe what she was hearing.

(Note: the video may give you a message that it is unavailable, but then it should load and play after a brief commercial.)


Watch CBS Videos Online


Even any Republican voter with half a brain has to see that Sarah Palin does not belong in a position where she will be one heartbeat away from the presidency.


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The Palin and Couric Interview: The Emperor Has No Clothes!

The interview with Sarah Palin conducted by CBS’s Katie Couric (video below) shows that there really isn’t much substance behind Sarah Palin. She seems to struggle with answers, and also seems unable to speak solidly about McCain’s record or his platform. Palin tries to stonewall Couric and talk her way out of direct answers. Here’s an example from the transcript:


COURIC: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?

PALIN: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie--that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.

COURIC: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.

PALIN: He's also known as the maverick though. Taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about--the need to reform government.

COURIC: I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation?

PALIN: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.


It’s no wonder McCain wanted to suspend his campaign. It’s looking more and more like a diversionary tactic to get the Palin interview out of the news cycle quickly and off the minds of voters. Clearly, Sarah Palin needs a little more “programming.”




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Media Questions Banned For Palin Meeting with World Leaders

Associated Press reported that Sarah Palin met with world leaders today, calling it a
“tightly controlled crash course on foreign policy for the Republican vice presidential candidate, the mayor-turned-governor who has been outside North America just once.”

Photographs were public, but apparently questions from reporters were off limits. The AP article went on to say “There was no chance of putting such questions to rest with photo opportunities Tuesday. But Palin, who got a passport only last year, no longer has to own up to a blank slate when asked about heads of state she has met.”


The American people should be outraged. And, hopefully the manner in which the Republican campaign has continually sequestered Palin from the media should raise alarm bells with any voter with a brain. One controlled meeting day with heads of state does not make one experienced in foreign policy.

The media should take this situation and run it with all they've got. And the voters should speak as well, by NOT voting for the McCain/Palin ticket this November. If they are wiling to hide from voters now, what will they do when elected?

Personally, I don’t want to ever find out.


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Palin A Weak Debater; An Accommodation is Made

So much for women being treated as equals to men. Sarah Palin and the Republican campaign have just made a step backwards for women.

The New York Times is reporting that the vice presidential debates required a change in format because of Sarah Palin’s weak debating ability. Patrick Healey of the New York Times wrote:
At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive….

…McCain advisers said they were only somewhat concerned about Ms. Palin’s debating skills compared with those of Mr. Biden, who has served six terms in the Senate, or about his chances of tripping her up. Instead, they say, they wanted Ms. Palin to have opportunities to present Mr. McCain’s positions, rather than spending time talking about her experience or playing defense.


My question is, if Sarah Palin is unable to freely debate the issues and speak coherently about the Republican platform, how can she be even considered for the office of Vice President of the United States? Would she expect that when dealing with members of Congress or world leaders that those encounters would be so tightly controlled or scripted for her?

This situation makes me even more convinced that John McCain needs his head examined for choosing someone who can’t even argue the issues. It seems clear that McCain et al. are aware that Joe Biden would chew Palin up and spit her out, and they just can’t have that on national television. I’m not a politician but I bet that I could debate her and win without any problem.

My opinion is that even with the tighter structure, that her inexperience will be evident. I only hope is that the candidates are not given any question in advance, because true debate is best when spontaneous. And since Sarah Palin has been largely sequestered to the media, we are seeing very little spontaneity with her. If she doesn’t know how to handle unrehearsed, unstructured real life politics, she shouldn't be running for Vice President. And McCain doesn’t deserve to be President for his poor choice of running mate.



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Political Fundraising and The Economy

Be careful when you point fingers,
because three are pointing back at you.

It takes money to do or get just about anything these days. And depending on what you want to do, or what you want to get, makes a difference on how much money you will need. Running for the office of President of The United States is one of those things that require a massive amount of money. With so many people to see, and so many advertising methods to use (print, television, internet), candidates need more money than ever. BOTH candidates.

Last night, Barbra Streisand held a benefit concert for Barack Obama which reportedly raised $9 million. But the McCain campaign, who hasn’t performed nearly as well overall in the fundraising category, took the opportunity to mock the Streisand fundraiser , saying about Obama: “Talk about siding with the people, siding with the people just before he flew off to Hollywood for a fundraiser with Barbra Streisand and his celebrity friends.”

How short is McCain’s memory? Very. It seems he forgot his own posh fundraiser just this past Monday in a swank Miami hotel, where he raised $5.1 millions dollars. McCain should be careful at whom he points a finger – because three more will be pointing back at him.

Coming on the heels of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers , and now the bailout by the Fed of AIG, the politicians are turning their sights on the economy. The McCain campaign accuses Obama of capitalizing on a crisis. But, earlier in the day, when McCain called for a crisis commission, Obama called it "the oldest Washington stunt in the book."

McCain’s prior statements that he doesn’t know much about the economy (see short video ad below) are coming back to haunt him. While McCain may be trying to use the Streisand fundraiser to portray Obama as being elite and out of touch, it may backfire on him as more are reminded of his own fundraising from the wealthy, not to mention his lack of understanding of the economy. My opinion is that his running mate, Sarah Palin, won’t bring much to his economic knowledge base. Since Barack Obama is a Columbia University and Harvard Law graduate, I would think that his education, not to mention his senate seat covering populous Chicago, would give him a much better grasp of the US and world economy. And Joe Biden's background and experience is also a plus.

John McCain’s vocal disdain for the Obama fundraising steamroller is only a diversion. If McCain doesn’t know that a political campaign needs lots of money (he would take more of it if he could get it, don’t let him fool you) and if he doesn’t understand the economy, I don’t want him or his VP candidate sitting in the big chair, making big people decisions.

So John McCain, that’s my two cents, because that will be the only "money" your campaign would ever get from me .

Don’t know much about the economy:




This is a 30+ minute video of a Barack Obama speech on September 16 in Golden, Colorado.









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Did Obama Err By Mocking McCain’s Computer Illiteracy?

The Barack Obama campaign may have made a slight slip up in an ad that focuses on how they think John McCain is out of touch. Most of the ad is fine, but there is one section where the ad states “He admits he doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an e-mail" could cause them to have red faces. It seems that McCain has limited mobility due to his experiences as a POW, which allegedly restricts his ability to use a computer keyboard.

First, here’s the ad in case you haven’t seen it yet:



Now I am not one to minimized John McCain’s experience as a POW, and certainly I think what happened to him was horrible. He does seem to be limited in how high he can raise his arms, which is evident when he waves to the crowd.

But I wonder if it really has prevented him from using a keyboard. After all, he seems to have no problems holding a pen and writing, nor does he seem to have any problem twirling around his wedding ring and doing the “thumbs up” in this little video someone put together (with humorous references added) when McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate:



(At least his eyes seem to work just fine.)


An article in the LA Times (below) now brings the issue to a larger audience, which may create problems for Obama.

Personally, it is not surprising to me that even despite McCain’s reported inability to use a keyboard that he doesn’t’ know how to send an email. I know a lot of his people the same age that are the same way, and their fingers and hands work just fine. But what I don’t get is why the Obama campaign seemed to think they had to make this an issue, because as far as I am concerned, it’s not a reason why I would – or wouldn’t – vote for someone. I still question whether McCain is just not physically able to use a keyboard or he's just simply a luddite, either way, there are bigger issues where the Obama campaign should focus.

The Obama campaign would be smart to re-issue the ad without the email references, and just focus on the issues themselves that make McCain seem out of touch. That would be much more meaningful to voters.


Oops, Obama ad mocks McCain's inability to send e-mail. Trouble is, he can't due to tortured fingers


As part of its effort to show the 72-year-old Republican Sen. John McCain as old and out of touch, the Democratic Party's hip campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, which frequently says it honors the former POW's military service to his country, Friday released a new ad.

As noted Friday by our blogging colleagues over at the Technology blog here, the ad says, among other things: "1982, John McCain goes to Washington. Things have changed in the last 26 years, but McCain hasn't.

"He admits he doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an e-mail."

Here's the ad. Listen for yourself. [the ad is already listed above]

Like many of his generation, McCain does not like to talk details a lot about his wartime experiences, certainly not about any lingering physical symptoms. To be honest, it could sound like complaining and, as he's ruefully noted, unlike many others, McCain did come home.

The former pilot does joke sometimes about flying his plane into a telephone-pole-sized North Vietnamese missile.

Last week in his speech to the Republican National Convention, McCain opened up more than usual, mentioning his two broken arms and broken leg from ejecting over Hanoi, and his 66 months of imprisonment and torture, calling it simply working him over.

But something he did not go into in that speech were ...

... some of the lingering results of his poor medical treatment and brutal beatings.

Here's a passage from a lengthy Boston Globe profile on McCain that was published the last time he ran for president. It was headlined "McCain character loyal to a fault." It was written by Mary Leonard.

And it was printed more than eight years ago, on March 4, 2000.

It is available online, where Jonah Goldberg of The Corner blog at the National Review found it.

"McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain's encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He's an avid fan -- Ted Williams is his hero -- but he can't raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball."

Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer denied that the freshman Illinois senator's ad was making an issue of McCain's age. "It's extraordinary," he said, "that someone who wants to be our president and commander in chief doesn't know how to send an e-mail."

The Obama campaign has seen some significant and disturbing poll shifts since its convention in Denver, including a broad movement of white women toward the GOP ticket after that party named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin its vice presidential nominee. And some local and congressional Democrats have begun to fret and grumble over a perceived softness in the Obama-Biden ticket.

According to the Associated Press, Obama campaign manager David Pfouffle issued a stern campaign strategy memo Friday that said, in part:

"Today is the first day of the rest of the campaign. We will respond with speed and ferocity to John McCain's attacks and we will take the fight to him, but we will do it on the big issues that matter to the American people."

The "big issues."

Like fractured fingers?

-- Andrew Malcolm



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