Obama Evening Wrap Up....National Enquirer on the case again?

barack in new philadelphia, ohio

::

The GOP, "Good Old White Boy Party", don't know how to win, so back to the re-threads

Here comes Mittens!!!

Yes, good old attack dog, Mittens!!!

The one who could not win Iowa, tried to stay in with his deep money well, the conservatives distrusted him, Mike Huckabee trounced him, now is finally having his say at the Republican podium tonight.

Mitt Romney is going to give his speech to the base, tonight.

In his speech he has taken another re-tread out of the McCain drawer for a dig at Michelle Obama.

"Just like you, there has never been a day when I was not proud to be an American. We inherited the greatest nation in the history of the earth. It is our burden and privilege to preserve it, to renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future. To this we are all dedicated and I firmly believe by the providence of the Almighty, that we will succeed. President McCain and Vice President Palin will keep America as it has always been - the hope of the world."

One thing is painfully obvious about the Republican Party. This is a party of NOTHING. When I state nothing, I mean absolutely nothing. So far, this party has not given a platform of what they are going to do. Nothing about the economy, energy, college tuition, food prices, China, jobs, wages, pensions, military families, Iraq, Afghanistan, the trillions of dollars of debt this country is in. NOTHING.

The GOP has presented zero, nada, zilch to the public of why McCain should be the next president. Folks are hurting. Worried about retirement. Prices are sky high. Parents wondering if their kids can go to college. Jobs staying or leaving. No they have addressed nothing.

This party want to make this a "personality contest". Well, this country has gotten all the personality it needs from George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Barack breaks it down right here:



::

A must read, "Governor Palin, You're A Disgrace", by Angry Mouse

Also, clammyc, "Blood in the Water"

::

Lieberman criticizes Obama's record

Two of John McCain's best pals in the U.S. Senate gave the Republican National Convention some of the red meat they'd been waiting for Tuesday after a delayed start to speeches with high praise for McCain and tough words for his opponent.

"I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party," said Joe Lieberman, the Democrats' 2000 vice presidential nominee who was re-elected as an independent in Connecticut in 2006. He said Barack Obama has not reached across the aisle in a bipartisan effort since he has been in the Senate.

Lieberman, like McCain a strong supporter of the war in Iraq, also said: "When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, when Barack Obama was voting to cut off funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge, and because of that, today our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure but in honor." continue

Robert Gibbs, Communication Director, Obama Campaign



::

An examination of Obama's bounce

Last week in this space, I argued that we are better off looking beyond "the bounce" as measured in polls to more specific measures of what voters learn from the conventions and whether their views of the candidates have changed. Today I want to try to follow that advice.

Yes, in six different national surveys released early this week*, support for Barack Obama has increased, so the Democrat has experienced a modest bounce. While the magnitude of the change differs, all six polls have Obama gaining, with most of the shift coming from the undecided category.

However, convention bumps can be fleeting, and as noted last week, the unique timing of this year's conventions makes historical comparisons problematic. So rather than obsess on the metaphysical meaning of the bump, let's look beyond the horse race to the "internals" -- questions within the latest surveys that show how voter perceptions of the candidates changed over the last week. continue

::

The Truth About the Republicans, Thanks to an OPEN MIC

TRANSCRIPT

Noonan: [Can't hear since Todd (who is still on air) is talking over her]

Murphy: Um, you know, because, I come out of the blue swing state governor work. Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, I mean, and these guys, this is all how you win a Texas race, just run it up, and it's not gonna work.

Noonan: It's Over.

Murphy: Still, McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech and do himself some good.

Todd: Don't you think this Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson to...

Noonan: I saw Kay this morning...

Todd: She's never looked comfortable about..

Murphy: They're all bummed out.

Todd: I mean, is she really the most qualified woman they can turn to?

Noonan: The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives and youthfulness and the picture...

Todd: Yeah, but the narrative?

Murphy: I totally agree.

Noonan: Every time Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

Murphy: You know what's the worst thing about it, the greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and..

Murphy and Todd together: This is cynical.

Todd: And as you called it, gimmicky.

::

National Enquirer is on the case......

The McCain Campaign is threatening a lawsuit, against the NE for publishing an alleged affair that Sarah Palin supposedly had with her husband's former business partner.

Again "alleged", this is the NE who broke the John Edwards affair, remember?

John McCain’s campaign threatened legal action against the National Enquirer today for running a story about McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, allegedly having an affair with her husband’s business partner.

“The smearing of the Palin family must end. The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Gov. Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false. It is a vicious lie,” said McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt.

This is what happens when you DON'T VETT.

And the NE Response:

ENQURIER RESPONDS TO MCCAIN/PALIN
Wed Sep 03 2008 18:19:21 ET

"The National Enquirer's coverage of a vicious war within Sarah
Palin's extended family includes several newsworthy revelations,
including the resulting incredible charge of an affair plus details of
family strife when the Governor's daughter revealed her pregnancy.
Following our John Edwards' exclusives, our political reporting has
obviously proven to be more detail-oriented than the McCain campaign's
vetting process. Despite the McCain camp's attempts to control press
coverage they find unfavorable, The Enquirer will continue to pursue
news on both sides of the political spectrum."

Oh, snap!! McCain Campaign you just MAGNIFIED THIS, with a threat of a law suit. Talk about a campaign circus!!!

Cover

::

and...................................

The bar is so low, a baby can crawl over it.

Big Union To Blitz Battlegrounds With 200,000 Anti-McCain Flyers Tomorrow Night

New Attack Ad on Obama up in Michigan and Ohio

Little Diversity Among GOP Delegates

Obama Campaign Aims at Palin’s Speech, Experience

And the Morning Break, here.

Joe Biden in Ft. Myers, FL



Home Page

LIVE MIC: Chuck Todd, Peggy Noonan, Mike Murphy: "It's Over" (VIDEO)

Turn Your Volume Up. Noonan and Murphy are Republicans. Say one thing on TV and tell the truth when the "mic is supposed to be off". Hypocrites.

Ben Smith on the hypocrisy

TRANSCRIPT

Noonan: [Can't hear since Todd (who is still on air) is talking over her]

Murphy: Um, you know, because, I come out of the blue swing state governor work. Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, I mean, and these guys, this is all how you win a Texas race, just run it up, and it's not gonna work.

Noonan: It's Over.

Murphy: Still, McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech and do himself some good.

Todd: Don't you think this Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson to...

Noonan: I saw Kay this morning...

Todd: She's never looked comfortable about..

Murphy: They're all bummed out.

Todd: I mean, is she really the most qualified woman they can turn to?

Noonan: The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives and youthfulness and the picture...

Todd: Yeah, but the narrative?

Murphy: I totally agree.

Noonan: Every time Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

Murphy: You know what's the worst thing about it, the greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and..

Murphy and Todd together: This is cynical.

Todd: And as you called it, gimmicky.

Home Page

The bar is so low, a baby can crawl over it.

That is Sarah Palin's speech.

Let's be honest here, her speech will encompass her love and passion for her family. She will state she is not perfect, that well "shit" happens, in regards to her daughter. She will go after the liberal blogs, like Daily Kos and the liberal media, like the New York Times. She will reinforce McCain's position. She will present herself as a woman who is charge and ready to lead on DAY ONE.

It will be eaten up, because most of America doesn’t know anything about her. The cocoon of the Xcel Center in St. Paul will be warm and fuzzy.

For them, with Palin, no bar is necessary.

::

That is nice and good for the conservatives, but the rest of America is another question.

Just do a poll, simple in your office, at your kids’ basketball games or soccer games, at the beauty and barber shops, and you will find a different take on this.

As kos, pointed out about Obama's gain in the polls, some of it is post-convention but a lot is the uncertainty of the Palin pick. To back this up, view the new McCain ad below, comparing Palin to Obama.



Pathetic.

I remember watching this Friday and discussing this with my husband when he came home, distinctly stating, "She deserved a better rollout than this." All this stuff coming out now and in daily dose cannot be a welcome mat for John McCain. In fact, the campaign now is controlling and giving no access to Palin, in doing so they are just feeding the media frenzy, themselves.

I don't blame Palin for this. The blame falls on the McCain Campaign for improper vetting, or lack of it. While the McCain Campaign can rant about unfair treatment of Palin, the issue is why would this campaign put their VP nominee on the barbecue grill to burn? This is what they have done, unfortunately.

The coverage about Palin has been uncovered by the blogosphere and the MSM. Why? The McCain Campaign gave no information, forthcoming about Palin. Their biggest bumble and the very FIRST public information about her family is her 17 year old daughter, pregnant and unwed. This is no big deal, it truly is not. This happens everyday in America, mostly due to lack of sex education and birth control information. With all the drama going on about the Palin Family, why would McCain think or believe he could fool the public and media with no vetting of this candidate? Mind boggling.

I do believe the National Enquirer when it said it informed Palin that they were going ahead with the pregnancy story, found Palin's teen's boyfriend, etc. Again, it took the NE for a politician to come clean. Déjà vu, for sure.

After all of this, it has been a steamroller that just won't stop on Palin. Is it just or fair? Not regarding her daughter, which most have not dumped on, but everything else, yes. Remember, Barack Obama had to go through this and it was not pretty. Remember, Hillary Clinton has gone through this since 1992; a lot of it was not pretty. Palin and McCain should have expected the same.

In the end, this is about the judgment of John McCain. This is about how reckless a Commander-in-Chief McCain will be. This is about how easily led and swayed McCain is. This is about John McCain, period.

As for Palin? A friend reminded me that she is the female version of George W. Bush:

Failed business = check
Religious conservative = check
Using her authority to abuse the law = check
Governor of an oil state (and friend to big oil) = check

That says it all = check

::

Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

Home Page

Obama Morning Break....Joe Lieberman, a man without a party

barack in detroit

::

Joe Lieberman is toast.

That is, if we win in November.

When Barack Obama entered the senate, Joe Lieberman was his mentor. That is how the senate is structured for new members, unfamiliar with the chamber and its processes.

This is what he has to say about Obama in 2006, then:



This is Lieberman a loser as VP Pick in 2000; not a factor for president in the primaries of 2004; losing the democratic primary in 2006; turning bitter and sour towards his own party who supported the democratic nominee in 2006, Ned Lamont; ran in 2006 for his senate seat as an Independent; and watching Liberman perform political suicide in 2008. This is Joe Lieberman, Senator of Connecticut. If Barack Obama wins, he is toast. Stripped, will he be of his chairmanships of the senate and thrown to the curb to a nothingness. Will he win again in Connecticut as an Independent Democrat in 2012? NO. Lieberman has been giving money to Democratic PACs while endorsing John McCain at the Republican Convention, last night, it is called covering your BASES. WTF, indeed.



::

George W. Bush, a presidency that will go down as the worst in history

Damn, you know that you are not welcomed to your own party's convention when you have to deliver a TAPED speech from the White House.

That is what happened to GWB, last night.

McCain wanted him NO WHERE near the convention. Remember, he is trying to get his reformer/maverick "mojo" back by picking compromising Sarah for his VP.

So, having Mr. 28% or even Mr. 19% (psst, that is Dick Cheney) at the convention, LIVE, for all Americans to see is or was a "no-can-do". So, Mr. 28% was relegated to a taped speech thousands of miles away and Mr. 19% was told "don't bother to show up."

Yep. These are the Republican Party's leaders. The worst destroyers of this country we, Americans have ever had the privileged to watch.



::

Sarah Palin, will be a hit tonight

She will be. She will come out fierce; point fingers at the liberal blogs for rumor mongering (see below); embrace her roseanne-like family which is playing out on the national stage; back off of some of her lies, but not all; look great; embrace "family values"; push the McCain-Bush doctrine; etc.

The GOP running on empty:

The GOP, sensing a loss, is going to try to reignite the culture wars. They are starting with the old bromide about "the liberal media", with Mark Halperin as proof. Go after the NY Times and the Daily Kos. Pick on Elizabeth Bumiller and Dan Balz. And it's already started. This is standard GOP playbook. The problem is the tabloids in the supermarket are not on their side.

All the above is for the base. The conservative base. Remember that is her job, to energize THEM, not me. So, the more they give a "shoutout" to Daily Kos, the more hits and advertising the site gets.

So, remember ALL that, just sayin'.

::

Obama support hits 50 per cent as Republicans look to Palin speech

Barack Obama has hit the crucial 50 per cent mark in the polls for the first time after an impressive Democratic convention and concerns over John McCain’s choice of the Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

The Democratic nominee now holds an eight-point lead over Mr McCain – 50 per cent to 42 per cent – according to today’s daily tracking poll released by Gallup.

Mr Obama has bounced back from a poll low earlier this month when the two presidential candidates were tied on 44 per cent. Undecided voters have dropped from 11 per cent to 8 per cent, suggesting that those who have recently made up their minds are opting for Mr Obama.

Today, the McCain camp was pinning its hopes on a successful convention to peg back its rival.

Mrs Palin is due to address delegates tonight and Mr McCain’s top advisers have been busy prepping her for a speech that they hope will dispel doubts over her experience, grasp of national issues and the various personal and political controversies that have been swirling around her since the selection was announced on Friday. continue

::

and....................

Sarah Palin, Church Video

James.Dobson.In.A.Dress Slashed Funding for Teen Moms............................

Fred Thompson Speech......................................

What If Bristol Palin Were Black?...............................

Sarah Palin’s Jeremiah Wright................................................

Life of Her Party by Maureen Dowd...........................................

Obama on O'Reilly Factor on Thursday.............no shit......................

And the NY Times, Editorial Board on McCain's Judgment...........................

McCain Aides state Palin interviewed LATE in process.........................

Evening Wrap Up, here......................................................

::

Obama/Biden Today
Obama: New Philadelphia, Dillonvale, OH
Biden: Sarasota, FL

CBS on Palin Vetting, or Lack of it



Home Page

CBS Evening News on Palin....Video.....

Home Page

Obama Evening Wrap Up....It is all about winning LOCALLY....

joe in florida

::

Obama content to stay local and low-key

Barack Obama's presidential campaign can hardly believe its luck this week. Coming off a well-received convention where 40 million TV viewers saw Obama's acceptance speech, the Democratic nominee made three nightly appearances in battleground states that each drew 14,000 or more people.

Meanwhile, the start of the Republican convention was blown off course by Hurricane Gustav and questions surrounding vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

All of which helps explain why Americans outside a few heartland industrial states may hardly be aware that Obama is campaigning this week. The campaign is so satisfied, aides say, that he's making no effort to shake things up or to make national news. There are no new proposals or new lines of attack on Republican John McCain.

Obama spent all of Tuesday out of public sight after cutting short his Labor Day speeches in deference to Gustav's victims. After all, there's an old saying in politics: If your opponent is self-destructing, don't get in his way.

McCain has hardly self-destructed, of course, and he may rebound quickly with some good events at the convention in St. Paul. For the moment, however, Democrats could hardly have hoped for a better one-week run. continue

::

Winning it Locally

I have been thinking about all this drama that have taken off since McCain's VP pick on Friday. We all know what is going on and if you don't know, just read here.

Through all of this, you need to keep the perspective of what is really going on. McCain has to justify his pick due to lack of vetting. As things come out daily, this is just more adjustments that the McCain Campaign needs to deal with, but we need to remember how this race is won.

For Obama, it started in Iowa. Then it was New Hampshire. We went to Nevada, then South Carolina. Super Tuesday came and went with a draw, then 12 state wins in a row. Meaning the general election is won state by state, just like the primaries, only everyone votes on the same day, November 4th.

While the Republican Convention is going on, Obama and Biden are being greeted by record crowds in the all important swing states. So remember, even though we hear the national noise, politics in the end is always LOCAL and this means getting your message across to the local press, something that Obama has been brilliant doing since pre-primary days.

::

McCain cancels CNN interview after that disastrous Tucker Bounds interview

Tucker Bounds was interviewed, yesterday by CNN's Campbell Brown. Brown repeatedly tried to get Bounds to give one decision that Palin made in regards to foreign policy since Bounds was bragging about her "supposedly" credentials. Well, you decide from the video below. My take, Bounds got an "F" for trying.



::

And as I listen to the cable desks clerks chirp away in St. Paul, Minnesota, Andrea Mitchell of NBC/MSNBC said, "A Republican Party that doesn't want the President at the Party".

Ummmmm. Team Obama, that sounds like an "AD LINE" to me. Just sayin.........

::

Backstage Pics w/Barack from the Obama Blog



::

and.....................

Absence of Bush and Cheney cheers Republican delegates......................

PHOTO: The image that proves McCain has lost this one, big time........................

Levi Johnston to join Palin family at convention..................................

Sarah Palin controversy stokes Mommy War......................................

Poll: Obama hits 50 percent mark............................................

Meanwhile, Obama Doing Everything Right.............................................

How Liberman got kicked out of the GOP..........................................

and read Morning Break, here.....................................................

Obama's new ad, "Same"



Obama, Biden tomorrow

Obama: New Philadelphia, Dillonvale, OH
Biden: Sarasota, FL

Home Page

James Carville on Larry King destroyed the Palin Pick

I am not a Carville fan, but last night he was "Carvillesq", truely he was. Just watch the whole clip. That congresswoman should hide under a ROCK.



Home Page

New Obama Ad, "Same"

Home Page

Tucker Bounds, McCain's Spokesperson taken to TASK by CNN's Campbell Brown

Had to post this. McCain Spokesperson, Tucker Bounds on "attempting" to explain Palin's Foreign Policy experience. CLASSIC.



Home Page

This is why the Vice Presidential pick is IMPORTANT.

h/t pobalno/nate

::

That image above is burned into the minds of millions of Americans.

Why I bring this up is quite simple, John McCain is 72 years old and has had 2-4 bouts of cancer, will become the OLDEST president that this country has ever elected.

Can you imagine Sarah Palin in the role of LBJ? Vision the above, take away what happened in this picture and put Palin in this role.

This is why, for me, she is a disastrous pick.

You know things are not going your way when you put your wife on ABCs "This Week" to justify Palin's foreign policy experience by stating Alaska is close to Russia? You know your campaign has issues.

Why, again? Sarah Palin has never traveled anywhere. She got her passport, as governor, when she visited troops in Germany and Kuwait. This does not justify having a candidate with a global view. Can you imagine her negotiating anything with Putin, al-Maliki, etc., staring down her throat? I don't see it. And this premise by Charlie Black, McCain Aide that she will learn foreign policy as she goes along is the very point why she should not be the Vice Presidential candidate. When you have an old presidential nominee, you need assurance to the American public that voting for him means, if something happens to the president, that vice president will step in with NO ISSUES.

This is what the John McCain pick has resulted in. John McCain's lack of judgment. We know Palin has other issues politically on her policies and views, but in the end it is John McCain's judgment that will take the brunt, not Palin's.

McCain's lack of judgment to thoroughly vet Palin, make a wise choice, pick a strong choice, but more importantly to choose a person who will be ready to be President of the United States, DAY ONE, if something happens to McCain is the issue here. This is what Americans will chew on, especially as more information of Palin comes out.

McCain has brought his age back to the fold and it is exposed on the table. Americans now are processing this pick and in the end I think America will view this as I do.

John McCain is 72 years old. John McCain has/had health problems. John McCain picked a novice. John McCain's VP pick has no foreign policy experience. John McCain's VP pick has traveled very little to the lower 48 and virtually has not traveled internationally at all. John McCain's pick has been a governor for less than two years and was a part-time mayor prior of a town with less than 7000 residents. What if something happens to John McCain? Will this VP pick be ready on DAY ONE to assume the responsibility of the presidency?

Answer: NO.

::

cross-posted @ Daily Kos

Home Page

Obama Morning Break...On the Road for Change...

barack in detroit, michigan

::

Palin Problem On-Going

Many are asking why Palin?

Well, let's look at the basics. McCain does not have boots on the ground. He does not have offices open across the country and many have been open for Obama pre/post primaries. McCain does not have that.

John McCain was never the conservative pick. He was not. They never liked him nor trusted him. He is a media darling, but not to this group.

The conservative base is what got George W. Bush elected in 2004, period. This is the far right of the Republican Party that has boots to put on the ground and know how to perform GOTV. John Kerry lost this race on the ground.

The far right demanded that McCain pick a person of "their liking" not the other way around. As have been reported, and you can read it from the links in, This Week With Barack Obama, Joe Lieberman was McCain's choice, followed by former Governor Ridge of Pennsylvania. The problem, both are pro choice. The far right was not going to stand for it and threatened havoc at the Republican Party.

Thus, Sarah Palin.

Forget her personal family issues, that is not important. She brings other baggage troopergate, former member of AIP in Alaska, lied about the "bridge to nowhere" which she supported, former director of indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens' 527 group, said she did not take/was against earmarks but got 40M for her tiny town of 8000 in Wasilla. This is not a reformer nor change. This is a riddled candidate with issues back home.

I say, if Palin withdraws it will be for troopergate. CNN reported there are now emails, more documents and phone calls coming forward implicating the governor in this investigation. She finally had to lawyer up. Not good.

One thing you don't want on your ticket is a candidate that is problematic with ethic problems, along with everything else. Not good.

I viewed the media, yes questioning Palin and the pregnancy of her 17 year old daughter, but really going after the McCain Campaign and their lack of vetting. Especially, since they just sent a dozen aides to Alaska on Sunday. Perplexing, yes, indeed.

No one wants to talk about teen pregnancy. It is a major problem in this country. But it was the Palins who decided to put their daughter out there like that and it is unfortunate.

I agree, the families should be off limits, but when you run for the President and Vice President of the United States of America, VETTING FROM THE MEDIA WILL BE DONE. Period.

::


barack in milwaukee, wisconsin

::

Obama speaks at end of Detroit Labor Day parade

Buffeted by years of jobs loss overseas and a domestic auto industry struggling simply to stay afloat, local and national union leaders are looking to Barack Obama as their life preserver.

Thousands of Obama's supporters, many from organized labor, jammed into Hart Plaza along the downtown Detroit riverfront to hear the Democratic presidential candidate assure them of their place of importance in his White House.

"I'm a labor guy. I believe in the labor movement. I believe in American workers," Obama said. "I think it's important to have a president that doesn't choke on the word 'union.'"

Then he began to speak about a different type of solidarity and urged his listeners to support relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Gustav.

"Today is a day for all of us to come together as Americans and send our thoughts and prayers to our brothers and sisters who are concerned about their loved ones and their homes," Obama said. continue

::

Obama does have executive experience

How? What has he been running for almost two years? A ground breaking, disciplined organization that never was riddled with money problems, people problems and management problems.

Barack Obama told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday's edition of "360" that he has more executive experience than Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. He compares his national campaign organization to Palin's stint as a mayor of a small town and ignores that she is a governor.

On CNN's "360" Obama "also countered critics who suggest that he has less executive experience in this situation compared to Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin saying, "...my understanding is, is that Governor Sarah Palin's town of Wasilla has, I think, 50 employees. We have got 2,500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. You know, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. So, I think that our ability to manage large systems and to execute, I think, has been made clear over the last couple of years. continue

::

and...................

Year-by-year break down of Palin & Obama resumes..........................

Ready, shoot, aim ...........worth a read........................

The Early Word: Palin Dominates Convention Talk.........................

Obama would have fit right into the old neighborhood, Biden says.......................

Two Weeks Ago, Palin Said She Wasn't Being Vetted..............................

With Palin revelations, McCain's gamble is clearer...................

Joe Biden is in Florida today.....and the Republicans Convention convenes.......

and Joe Biden welcome home to Scranton, PA......................



Home Page

(Late Edition) This Week With "The Democratic Nominee", Barack Obama, August 24-31, 2008

barack, joe in dublin, ohio

::


michelle, jill at yankee kitchen family restaurant, boardman, ohio

Polls

Quinnipiac Colorado; PPP Virginia; Mason-Dixon Southwest States; CNN National; Suffolk Colorado; Columbus Dispatch Ohio; EPIC/MRA Michigan; Zogby National; SUSA Issues in 15 States; Rasmussen Texas; Kitchens Florida; Quinnipiac Battleground States; PPP North Carolina; Diageo/Hotline National; Brown University Rhode Island; Strategic Vision Florida; CNN/Time CO, NC, MN, PA Poll; Mason-Dixon Florida; PPIC California; Hill Research Colorado; Greg Smith Idaho; CNN National; CBS National; USA Today/Gallup National

Denver................



::

Focus Group Not Good for McCain
Palin Trooper Scandal Could Become Problem
Was McCain's VP Pick Ever An AIP Member?
Palin Was a Director of Embattled Sen. Stevens's 527 Group
Michelle Obama Attends Care Packaging Event For Troops
Kennedy passes the torch to Obama


the obamas and bidens at the yankee kitchen diner

Reflection the Democratic Convention

First off, this was one of the best staged conventions that I watched on television in years. Usually, these conventions are boring, but not this year. In fact the ratings were off the chain from Monday to Thursday. It averaged 30 million viewers a night. These numbers are huge for a political event and proves that the public is getting engaged.

From the surprise speech of Ted Kennedy; to the passionate plea of Michelle Obama; to the "set the record straight" speech of Hillary Clinton; to the "Yes he can, but first you got to vote for him" speech of Bill Clinton; to the introduction of Joe Biden; and to the final climax of the best convention speech given in modern day history by Barack Obama, it was a smash.

Some other speeches I fondly remember is Governor Schweitzer of Montana, this was the one speech my husband said, "should have been the keynote address." John Kerry's peeling the onion of John McCain and George W. Bush made me wish he was like that in 2004. Senator Bob Casey stating we don't need four more years, we can't take four more months. The democrats followed the lead of Obama with the ending being a convention to be talked about for years to come.

Job well done, Democrats.


obama's acceptance speech to the democratic convention in denver, colorado

Photo Blogs

Rise of Barack Obama; Denver Photoblog #1 by casperr; -------- DENVER -------- ---( Inside Day One )--- by Al Rodgers; Obama Blog: Economic Roundtable Pictures; Obama Blog: Last Day of Convention Pictures; Ted Kennedy Speech and Pictures; Michelle Obama Speech and Pictures; Denver photoblog #2 (yes, a little late) by casperr; ---- The Audacity of ---- -------- DENVER --------- by Al Rodgers; Obama/Biden: From the Mountaintop to the Valley - Pics! by dharmafarmer; Hillary Clinton Speech and Pictures; Joe Biden Speech and Pictures; Barack Obama's Speech and Pictures; Obama/Biden in Dublin, OH by jmknapp; Denver photoblog #3 -- INVESCO by casperr

McCain raises $47 million in August
Palin news: Obama blasts McCain camp
Obama and Biden's Chemistry Test
Biden can deliver what Dems need: votes and wisdom
For disciplined Obama, character is destiny
Pelosi sees Dem's women leaders as key to Obama win


joe biden's acceptance speech at the democratic convention

Shoutouts, Stuff You Should Read....

Obama: 'Back Off' by turneresq; Abramoff, McCain, Palin, Corruption & the GOP... by dengre; Barack Obama In America's Story - Part 1 by maureen; John McCain: Ready to Vet on Day Three by turneresq; The Last Gasp of Identity Politics by The Bagof Health and Politics; John McCain - A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Religious Right by rikyrah; The Hurricane Katrina Hall of Shame by Bill in Portland Maine; ZOMG: Juno in Juneau by Clem Guttata; Stevens & Palin: "Singing from the Same Sheet of Music" by Dean Barker; Didn’t want to ‘ go there’, but we must. John McCain’s AGE by rikyrah; Worse Than Quayle by Trapper John; John McCain : No Choice for Women by kath25; Pimp Daddy McCain embraces "Daddy Yankee" by Deoliver47; Noun, Verb, POW; Musings Over Morning Coffee by DemFromCT; Marching Orders on Palin. by RenaRF; ABC News Confirms That McCain's VP Pick Was AIP Member georgia10

McCain Tries to Rile Up Clinton Voters Against Obama
New goal, new style of speech for Obama
Obama Takes the Fight to McCain
How Obama Would Handle Putin
Obama & Co. must take high road on Palin
Top black donors see Obama's rise as their own
McCain’s ‘Hail Sarah’ Pass

Audio/Video

Barack Obama and Joe Biden visit Biodiesel Plant; Ed Rendell Speech; Mark Warner Speech; Spike Lee Comments; John Kerry Speech; Bill Clinton Speech; John Lewis' comments on Obama's Nomination; Michelle Obama's One-on-one with Brian Williams; Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute; will.i.am and john legend perform "Yes We Can"; Al Gore Speech; Bill Richardson Speech; Obama, Biden on 60 Minutes

icebergslim's last word: our team is the best team

After the past three days and all that drama? Compare our team to their team.

God Bless, Joe Biden.

Nuff said.

::

Weekly Slideshow..................


::

well, barack is our official nominee and he has joe by his side. after all this weekend drama, i told my mother, "i am glad joe biden is barack's vp." can you just imagine after all this crap, otherwise? at any rate, we have a lot of work to do. continue to donate to the campaign, and you can tip my obama jar for that. continue to volunteer, phone bank, all information below. the general election has commenced, as always keep your powder dry and remember to focus on obama and not the drama.....................

::

Tip the Obama Jar, Here

::

Get Involved Here
For Inspiration: Yes.We.Can!!!

::

icebergslim1047 (at) gmail (dot) com
cross-posted @ Daily Kos

Home Page

Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, 17 is pregnant. (And Obama's Response)

There have been some ugly rumors floating on the internet about Sarah Palin and her infant son. Which have been proven not true. Moving from that noise, now we encounter that the 17 year old daughter of the Vice Presidential nominee for McCain is indeed five months pregnant.

Reuters: "The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

This is bad on many levels.

First, we look at the first family and second family of this nation as above board. Sure, kids may get in trouble, but we don't expect pregnancy. Sorry, we don't.

Next, this validates that the McCain Campaign picked Palin in haste, thus did not vett Palin, nor her family at all. Now we know why McCain aides are in Alaska, now trying to clean up and scrub this mess. Yes, it is a mess, since they never sent an advance team to question Palin at all.

This is a reminder, for me, of the Britney Spears, little sister Jamie Lynn incident. She was 16 when pregnant and 17 when she had her baby. The press had a field day on the "mothering" of the Spears Girls. Opening a door on parenting and the Palins will be questioned on this front. The Palins have a disabled challenged infant, as he grows will need immediate and total care, now a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant, confused does raise questions if Sarah Palin should have this VP job. Palin's view on abstinence only, will also be questioned. Sorry all this will be brought up.

Now McCain Camp are trying to say they "knew about this", which means they "did not" and are attempting to put lipstick on a pig.

Here's a statement the McCain camp released from Todd and Sarah Palin, which is identical to the quote in the Reuters story: "We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support."

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."

Imagine if one of Obama's daughters were pregnant? They would be raked over the coals. This is a turnoff to moderate voters who are Democrats or Republicans. Palin touts abstinence but obviously the teachings did not go to her daughter.

This stinks.

And if anyone believes that McCain knew, THINK AGAIN.

This campaign is turning into a soap opera, and that is NOT what the presidency is about.

And McCain's judgment? That is the question here, his judgment.

Barack Obama's Response:

"I have said before and I will repeat again: People's families are off limits," Obama said. "And people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18 and how a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be a topic of our politics."

On charges that his campaign has stoked the story via liberal blogs:

"I am offended by that statement. There is no evidence at all that any of this involved us," he said. "Our people were not involved in any way in this, and they will not be. And if I thought there was somebody in my campaign who was involved in something like that, they would be fired."

Home Page

Obama, Biden interview on 60 Minutes (Video)

Full Transcript Here

Home Page

John, keep Cindy McCain at home. Foreign Policy is not her thing.

On ABCs "This Week with George Stephanopoulos", Cindy McCain had the gaul to state that since Alaska is close to Russia, this constitutes Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience. She sounds as dumb as that dimwit on Fox in the Morning who made the same exact phrasing. Oh, btw, that dim light bulb at Fox in the Morning should be fired for making morning shows look DUMB.



And here is dim light bulb, Steve Doocy, from Fox in the Morning defending Sarah Palin's Foreign Policy experience:



And as always, Andrew Sullivan hits it out of the park summarizing Sarah Palin and her lack of experience, here.

Home Page

Hurricane Gustav will deliver a punch to the Gulf and the GOP

Well, Gustav is no joke.

If you are in the Gulf, just "GET OUT", or "GET THE HELL OUT".

Don't play around with a storm of this magnitude, just don't. Here is the storm surge and the magnitude of Gustav.

Hurricane Katrina is a strong reminder. The images of the Bush Administration and their lack of response still resonates with the American public. It was this devastation that turned the public on the Bush Administration and got the media to finally do their damn job on reporting about the failure of this Administration.

Since the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina, which happened on the Republican watch, there should be no whoop-dee-do in St. Paul, Minneapolis for the Republican Convention. Most speakers have canceled appearances for the first day and there will be no evening speeches, just the gaveling in for party platform. The GOP is running on a "wait and see" aspect. The problem with that is that the Republicans will have to make some tough decisions. They can not have the press linger around when the media is not looking at this convention. It is a waste of time and man power, besides the public will want to know about the situation in the Gulf and what is needed for the region, not hearing or seeing any party time from the GOP. If the storm surge is strong and New Orleans is flooded, expect this convention to be scaled down enough for McCain/Palin to accept the nomination and any speeches to be given in a scaled back fashion. In other words, the convention practically canceled.

Brings me to James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" group. They actually was praying for rain on Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. Yes, no joke.



Be careful what you wish for. No one want what is happening in the gulf region, again, those people don't deserve it. Many still putting their lives together, but remember God does not like ugly. And ugly is what the GOP has been for the last 8 years.

And BooMan says it perfectly:

I don't know if Hurricane Gustav is going to deliver a devastating hit to the Gulf Coast but it will be a significant storm that produces a lot of damage. And...it will be have political ramifications. The Republicans know that they cannot afford another failed response. The federal government needs to perform, and if they perform well enough they may even be able to turn it into a plus for them. More likely, however, the storm will simply remind the public of the Bush administration's second biggest failure. While New Orleans' levees failed and it citizens drowned, Condi Rice went shoe-shopping on Fifth Avenue and George W. Bush ate birthday cake with John McCain.

McCain knows he's vulnerable. That's why he is traveling to Mississippi with his running mate to send the message that they care. That's why Bush has canceled his Monday speech at the Republican convention. And that's why John McCain is saying he might deliver his nomination speech from the 'disaster zone'. The Republicans are in a bind because they can't allow themselves to be seen fiddling in Minneapolis while the Gulf Coast burns. But they also can't allow themselves to be seen as overcompensating for their failure during Katrina. An acceptance speech from the disaster zone is overcompensation.

We're all very concerned for Americans in the path of this storm. Yet, the timing of this storm is some kind of divine justice. It's as if all the souls that succumbed to the Katrina floodwaters have whipped up Hurricane Gustav and sent it to breech the levees protecting what remains of the Republican Party. Gustav will slam into the mainland just around the time the Republicans planned to start their convention, and that timing will not be lost on anyone that harbors even a modicum of superstition.

The best the Republicans can do is to show concern and make sure the federal government does a competent job of taking care of the victims. They seem to understand this but it remains to be seen if the Bush-led federal government is capable of competence. And McCain's making a mistake if he's serious about accepting the nomination from the disaster zone. That will be seen as exploitative and defensive at the same time.

Just a remembrance of Katrina, h/t to Muzikal203, also make sure you read what Obama proposes in helping this region by Muzikal203:



Lastly, Gustav will hit the gulf coast region as a category 3, just like Katrina, if you are in New Orleans, please heed what the local, state and federal government is stating and GET OUT.

Hurrican Gustav Information

Evacuation Number: 866-205-6485

This Week With Barack Obama will be posted tomorrow evening, spending some time with family and friends, tomorrow is Labor Day, enjoy this weekend and pray for the people in the gulf region

Home Page