Get High Feed Your Yeast Colonies!

Click my name for the scoop.

This is all just a random accident, Gotham ;)

I am the father of that child and science is over-run!

Nate and Sean of FiveThirtyEight from the
Xcel Center:

[Nate]. I think McCain's goals tonight are fairly obvious. To hit a double, reach out to the center. To hit a triple, find some way to distinguish himself from Bush. And to hit a home run, do all of the above with more specificity about the economy than "drill, baby, drill!".

[Sean] All right, let’s face it. The energy among the Republican partisans is bashing Obama. 'This is the Nobama convention'. Sarah Palin was a “home run” among the St. Paul partisans because she went for it against Obama. And that was smart – she doesn’t have anything to really say about herself beyond hockey mom, short-term governor-of-Alaska, so bashing Obama was wise as both a distraction tool and revving up the base.

But for McCain, the task was different. He had to sell himself to independents, which perhaps he did – we shall see. But by nature, that meant his speech was directed outside of St. Paul, which explains why Nate noted McCain’s final stretch run was working against rather than with the applause. It wasn’t for these people here in Minnesota.

....

Nate: Post-Convention Six-Pack

1. No, You First.

Did the Republicans benefit from having the last convention? It's not like their convention was responsive, substance-wise, to much of what the Democrats had to say. But, had the Democrats gone last, they would probably have had an easier time undercutting what the Republicans had to say, highlighting the lack of real policy meat (especially on the economy) and the lack of real differentiation from Bush. These things were already the core messages of the Democratic Convention, but had Democrats had the last word, they might have had even more resonance.

Moreover, it would be easier for the Democrats to deflate the Sarah Palin balloon had they gone last. Of course, if the Democrats had gone last, the McCain campaign might never have seen those internal polls that made them panic, and might have made a more conventional VP selection like Tim Pawlenty.

2. My Frenemies?

A notable facet of McCain's speech tonight was that he seemed to be fighting the Xcel Center crowd -- and not just the imbecilic Code Pink protestors. The crowd simply wasn't giving him much love when he wasn't talking about the three P's -- Palin, Petroleum, and POW. That led to a fairly dreadful stretch of ten or fifteen minutes as he tried to rebut the Democrats on the economy, which in turn reduced the energy level and deprived Mark Salter's conclusion of some of its thunder. I don't know anything about the Republicans' delegate selection process, but it might do them some good to ensure a bit more intraparty ideological diversity. One certainly gets the sense, by the way, that there would have been very tangible risks to McCain in selecting a VP like Joe Lieberman.

3. In Which I Agree With Larry Kudlow.

"In St. Paul ... There has been no reference to the populist revolt against high gas prices at the pump," Kudlow says, and he's right. As I argued last month, gas prices were the one economic issue on which the Republicans could strike a populist tone while maintaining a straight face, by pushing the issues of offshore drilling and the gas tax suspension. We heard plenty about drilling (though very little about the gas tax) -- but the populist framing was gone. Instead, it was drilling for drilling's sake, annunciated rather vulgarly with the "drill, baby, drill" refrain. That might work well enough for people like -- well, Larry Kudlow -- but the Republicans probably forsook some ground with Middle America on this issue.

4. Two-for-One?

Overall, I think that the Republicans accomplished one major objective with their convention: uniting their base. But the Democrats, I would argue, accomplished two major objectives: uniting their base by bringing home the Hillary supporters, and finally hitting their stride on domestic policy with keep-it-simple-stupid, 1992-style messaging on the economy. It is possible that the Republicans' one big win will outweigh the Democrats' two. But they've essentially chosen to concede the domestic policy argument -- which is exceptionally dangerous because the last major event of the campaign is the October 15 debate at Hofstra University, a debate which is focused entirely on domestic policy.

5. Win, Baby, Win?

Did anyone else get the sense that, when McCain said "Let there be no doubt my friends, we're going to win this election" -- he really seemed to believe it? Whatever else Sarah Palin has done, she certainly seems to have boosted McCain's morale.

6. Schrödinger's Catharsis.

Sometime it's what isn't said that is most important -- and what McCain didn't do is to have a cathartic moment in which he called out George W. Bush. For example, imagine a line like:

"Make no mistake, my friends. This Administration was wrong in its response to Hurricane Katrina."

A simple, relatively innocuous statement like this would have made for an excellent soundbyte (even if it were proceeded by something like "...and I made sure we'd get it right with Hurricane Gustav.")

Of course, McCain could have upped the difficulty -- and the potential payoff -- by replacing "Hurricane Katrina" with something like "climate change" or "torture". But a single line like this would have had a lot of rhetorical force. McCain wasn't willing to take that risk. As it stands, I don't really understand the talking point that McCain distanced himself from Bush.

FiveThirtyEight.com

Musings Over Morning Coffee

http://tinyurl.com/58r7js

McCain palin(g) in comparison, speech wise. Jay Leno had a field day last night. He said Sarah Palin was coached by McCain's senior advisors, and added.. "for heaven's sakes..the man is 72-how old are his senior advisors and who are they?
Its scary to think if something happened to him, Palin would be King

McCain Camp Says Palin Won't Talk To Media During Campaign

"According to Nicole Wallace of the McCain campaign, the American people don't care whether Sarah Palin can answer specific questions about foreign and domestic policy. According to Wallace -- in an appearance I did with her this morning on Joe Scarborough's show -- the American people will learn all they need to know (and all they deserve to know) from Palin's scripted speeches and choreographed appearances on the campaign trail and in campaign ads."

http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/Mark%20Nickolas/blog/&blogId=3591

As John said, 'and the lies persist....'

I woke up this morning, checked out the internet hub bub after McCain's speech. Didn't expect to hear anything about economy, education, technology, dependency on oil, unemployment - you know, the issues we face every single day. Instead it was all rhetoric and his version of "change". I still ask, "Change what?" McCain's been around forever and he's part of what needs changing. So I did what everyone here who complains about McCain needs to do if they haven't already.... I reached into my pocket and made a DONATION TO THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN.

The Wilson sisters say NO to McCain/Palin.

I was very surprised to hear 'Barracuda'(apparently, she is known among her Alaskan inner circles as 'Barracuda Sarah') being played at the RNC given the political views of the band Heart and, in particular, Ann and Nancy Wilson. These are strong women who've made their way in the men's world of Rock and Roll.

According to CNN, they, along with Sony BMG, have sent a cease and desist order to the Republican party:

"We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored," the group said in a statement that said they "condemn" the use of the song at the Republican convention."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

Ann and Nancy have released the following statement:

"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

I love these women! Always have, Always will :)

Nancy went a step further:

"With that elephant in the room, Heart's Nancy Wilson felt compelled to personally respond. "I think it's completely unfair to be so misrepresented," she said in a phone call to EW.com after the speech. "I feel completely f---ed over."

Hey Gotham,

Well you are great at sarcasm, however, lacking in irony,mockery,and wit. I didn't realize you were so sexist and age-biased as well.

Remember community organizers can't get the job done!

Speaking of weakness, will she or won't she?

BIG DILEMMA: OPRAH BALKS AT HOSTING SARAH PALIN; STAFF DIVIDED
Fri Sep 05 2008 08:55:46 ET

Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America -- but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket!

Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

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

One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!

It is not clear if Oprah has softened her position after watching Palin's historic convention speech.

Last year, Winfrey blocked an appearance by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, timed to a promotional tour of his autobiography.

Oprah and executive producer Sheri Salata, who has contributed thousands of dollars to Obama's campaign, refused requests for comment.

Ambasteve, #9.

You are the one to know talk about the difference between satire, cynicism, sarcasm and mockery? What a joke.

And take your Drudge Report gossip somewhere else.

It's clear the right wing thugs, aided with Drudge noise are trying to create diversion with sexism and racism bullshit with Sarah Palin on Oprah show.

The last time Oprah had a VP candidate on her show was in 2000 during the Al Gore....George Bush election.

From that point on she vowed never to have another candidate on her show again.

She passed on having John Kerry and George Bush on her show in 2004, instead they both spoke with Dr. Phil.

John McCain and the right wing republicans are trying to have this election be about Sarah Palin and not about John McCain.

Why in the world would Oprah want to have her on her show?

Amba Clown reports that there is a big headline on Drudge claiming Oprahs staff is divided on Palin.......She is getting 1000's of emails trying to get her to cave and interview Palin on her show...Okay!

There's also a headline claiming Palin won't do interviews! (also see #8)

Oprah should merely insist that Palin also do interviews in all the usual "Meet the Press" type shows.

I say, get her on Oprah. Unscripted with Oprah asking the questions? Awesome.

To answer Preity's "why have Palin on Oprah?" it might be the only chance anyone ever gets to ask her about Troopergate, the AIP, cutting funds for pregnant teen mothers and, separately, cutting funds for special needs kids, the Bridge to nowhere, her support of Ted Stevens, etc. etc. etc. since the McRove campaign has announced that she will not be taking questions from the media.

I know McCain wants to promote his running mate as Soccer Mom of the Year, and Oprah's show WOULD probably be the best place to push that particular frame, but it would also be a double-edged sword... and the only way I see this happening, is if the McCain team gets a chance to vet ALL questions ahead of time (McCain vetting. Heh.) and also receives some assurances that Oprah won't go aggro on their Veep.

Oprah isn't dumb, although she had Bush on her show in 2000 and had helped him. She knows they want Palin exposed to all that female viewership and milk the sympathy vote that the boys are beating up on her.

ha ha ha, they won't let her interview but they want her on Ophrah?

Oprah can do a good interview, she's on record for being an Obama supporter, so if things don't go well they can blame it on this.

I can see it now....the campaign wont put her on any shows. But they want to try to put her on the one show that they know won't say yes-- given Oprah's vow not to have any political candidate on this elections season. If/When Oprah denies her, the McCain campaign and the right wing noise machine can scream and cry, "oh, but you see, we tried to put her on and you denied us, so now we're not trying anymore."

Bring on a "community organizer" with Palin on Oprah.

Watch the fur fly.

I watched the whole convention.
I watched every speech last night not just McCain's.

Most speeches were ignored by the audience. The audience was completely bored. It's wasn't just about McCains very weak speech, it was a night of very very weak speeches. Very Very week speeches. We probably wont hear about any of the other speeches or the mood of the convention or the demographics of the convention.
I have mentioned about the demographics but no one has responded. I'm not sure why.

Did anyone watch the convention? Did anyone else notice the crowd shots? When I hear and read about the convention it doesn't seem as if anyone did.

Am I the only one who noticed how badly McCain read his speech, stumbling over words and his countenance was one of fear and insecurity. I didn't see any conviction in him or any other speaker last night.

Interesting though, he said " I accept this nomination with gratitude , humility and confidence.
That is what I've been looking for in a leader, humility and confidence. I saw none in McCain or speech last night. None at all. It was a flat speech. The audience had been virtually silent until Cindy spoke and McCain spoke.

I was completely disappointed in McCain's speech and in opinion it was one of the worst speeches I've seen. No conviction no passion no confidence and no humility.

Sahra Palin is his strong hand. He seems very weak to me.

I don't want to have Sahra Palin as my president. I don't trust her at all.
I don't have any confidence in McCain, especially after the night of flat speeches to an all white audiance.

And that's my opinion.

derek

Wingnuts want Oprah?

Well then, let's give Hillary her own show,

first guest, Palin...

There would be a moment of silence at the end.

What a pair.

It's the old crank and his sidekick shrew.

McCain/Palin pair... that is

Hi there all,

Well it was a toss up, listen to McCain or contemplate a doorknob....the doorknob won and I had a bullsheet free evening, since I haven't cleaned up the mess from the night before...watching and listening to Palin the great and gutsy gail pal of the white haired dude.

I am soooo glad the conventions are over. Well, Barak and Biden better get their sheet together because...Palin is on their sass...big time......now, it makes even more sense why John picked her....his days of getting on anyone's sass in any big hurry are over and done....fineeshed. Yeah, Palin is his right hand man...she packs his gun....for him...but, you know, it happens to all of us...time and age walk clear across our once oh, so powerful bodies and then sits right smack in our faces and refuses to budge... we step a bit slower, no need to hurry...is there....My Friend?

I would say out of all the men in the race...it is the "hockey mom/pit bull" I would be a bit leary of...is she hoovering around my ankles? where is she now? should I turn my back on here while walking away or should I back out of the room.....yes, I would be ever watchful as to Palins whereabouts if we were in the same room together...plus...I would pad my ankles and backside....really, I hate being bitten....

oh, well...this is the stuff my doorknob ponderings has brought to the surface....hmmmm.

ruth

This is not about Oprah.
This is about McCain and Palin. This is about Obama and Liden.
McCain is relying on Palin's popularity as a bulldog hockey mom to get elected to the most powerful job in the world. He has nothing else to offer.

and that's a little more of my opinion

derek

oh, just wanted to add...it seems that Palin's arrival on the national political scene as taken the "-itch" right out of Hillary Clinton.....now, we get to see the "serious -itch"....and every woman out there knows exactly what I am talking about.....now, I have my -itchy side(no one here has probably noticed, though, but trust me, I do) but Palin...you notice I do not even call her Sarah Palin...no...no Sarah....it's Palin to us..you can bet on that and you can bet she has made herself clear to John. I have noticed that their hugs are not the coziest and I mean that just in the most friendly of ways...but she hardly looks at him.....

oh, chew on that bone for awhile...:)ruth

McCain too mavericky; weeps for real estate investors.:

"I fight for Americans. I fight for you. I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/05/mccain-i-work-for-you/

McCain weeps for the ones who lost "investments". Plural.

Seriously do I laugh or cry at that?

Cry for the speculators...for they lost big on the housing market, and now they're speculating that McCain has a chance at the White House.

"I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market." #21

Hmmm...

Farmington Hills is one of the wealthiest cities in Oakland County. More than 40% of the population has an annual income of over $100,000.

http://www.ci.farmington-hills.mi.us/Business/DemographicsandOtherData.asp

Can someone find out what these people lost?

If that is the only example McBush can cite--someone in a wealthy community--then everyone need to be screaming about the average people who are losing their one-and-only home.

John: Can someone find out what these people lost?

Lost their real estate investments?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/4/23712/96201/515/587305

From the comments:

'The Nebes own a $660,000 house. They run a real estate business that boasts at the top of thee website:

"Looking for a home? Can't qualify for a conventional mortgage?

We have a wide selection of creative financing options available."

http://www.baskervilleproperties.com/

Good to know McCain is looking out for sub-prime lenders. Can you be more out of touch?'

***

"When Asked How Many Investments They Lost Bill and Sue Nebe looked puzzled and said that they would have their staff get back with them."

"Also did you know McCain was a POW? "

" Oh yes, and by the way...just how did he fight for these poor Nebes who appear to have lost more than one house?"

"Oh, well, there are lots of new opportunities going into foreclosure daily. Bill and Sue should make out alright. What a country!?"

'"Lost their real estate investments". What about someone who "lost the house they were LIVING in"?!'

http://www.teamnebe.com/

"You know, most real estate agents are probably not mega rich assholes (like the McCains), but really, how stupid can you be to bemoan the loss of "real estate investments" by real estate agents when so many people are losing their residences, not just their investments."

"AND, Sue Nebe is HIRING on behalf of what appears to be one of her "side jobs":

http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/suenebe/feature-detail?featureid=10357

Drudge bullshit?

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

Enjoy.

David Waldman: What Makes Troopergate so Dangerous?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Yes, your new fresh face, that down home Average Hockey MomTM turns out just to be twice the Mayberry and every bit the Machiavelli:

"Aides to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin improperly obtained her former brother-in-law's state police personnel files and cited information from those records to raise complaints about the officer, the head of Alaska's state police union said Thursday.

"It's apparent to us that the governor or someone on her staff had direct access to his personnel file, as well as his workers' comp file, and those are protected," said John Cyr, executive director of the Alaska Public Safety Employees Association."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/palin.investigation/index.html

There are a million problems with naming someone as Not Ready for Prime Time as Sarah Palin to the ticket. But one that deserves more attention is the broader implications of her "it's not rocket science" attitude toward governance.

While it's a great applause line for the Republican Party faithful who hate government anyway, and who, frankly, have fallen a bit too much in love with anti-intellectualism, it's also indicative of the fact that she's grafted together the absolute worst possible aspects of several different brands of Republicanism.

She's never played in a world where there are real procedures that are in place for a real reason. She thinks everything's a PTA meeting, and she can just do what she wants, because she's the boss and everyone hates red tape. Fire town officials on a whim? Sure. Fire state officials on a whim? Well, sure. Though it turns out someone actually cares about process a little bit there. Still, it's Alaska! So who'll ever focus on it?

That attitude is, in part, derived from Tom DeLay-ism, which is itself just the greedy and overly-cavalier and dimwitted cousin that devolved from Gingrich-ism. Gingrich, for all his faults, understood at least some of the mechanics of government, and moved to implement his vision within their bounds to the extent possible. DeLay-ism, however, was unconcerned with formalities, and grabbed at power with both fists figuring no one would ask any questions of people in suits.

A more sophisticated cousin of DeLayism is Cheneyism. For all his flaunting of the intent of the law, Dick Cheney and his top lieutenant David Addington he knew its letter, and that's what ultimately made it hard to pin him down and hold him accountable. Palin knows precisely nothing about it, and worse, doesn't think she has to. She things the trappings of office will bail her out any time she steps in it.

And the very, very worst thing about that executive branch Dick Cheny has spent the last eight years building is... she might be right.

But is there a more dangerous attitude in the world to plug into the Vice Presidency that Dick Cheney has created?

Imagine four to eight, or even 16 more years of Sarah Palin's Mayberry-Plus Machiavellianism, with every petty, personal vendetta firing defended on grounds of "national security."

Hell in a the proverbial handbasket.

This was why Cheneyism needed to be nailed down during the Bush "administration." Having failed to stamp it out, we're now staring down the barrel of exactly what we didn't want: Cheneyism as precedent, in the hands of a fundamentalist cipher, programmed by GOPAC.

Prominent Conservative Outlet 'The Politico' reports:

Ben Smith: Not selling on eBay

Sarah Palin, in her speech, told a carefully stated -- but accurate -- story of putting a state-owned jet up for sale on eBay.

Palin did not, as the ADN reported at the time, succeed in selling it on eBay; she tried and failed.

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/203814.html

She didn't actually claim to have though:

"While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for.

That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay."

And she did put it on eBay, which seems like a good piece of symbolism and a clever stunt, even if she wound up selling it through more traditional channels.

But McCain, retelling the story, misstated it today:

"You know what i enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay -- made a profit," he said, introducing Palin."

Well, no. And the state sold it at a loss of half a million dollars.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/691/

******

Too bad, "eBay" is something very exotic and out-of-reach for McCain.

Today's Anchorage Daily News editorial

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/516641.html

"BOTTOM LINE: Gov. Palin is stonewalling on Troopergate; the Legislature should issue subpoenas".

I too think McCain is a good man and I really liked his speech last night and I think a lot of Americans also liked it. However, I have decided that I am still staying with Obama - the young male, who will be the next president of the USA.

Timothy Lange: eBay Jet Sale? Didn't Happen

Once embedded in the popular consciousness, certain themes are hard to dislodge. Somebody starts a rumor or recounts a fable or embellishes an anecdote, and the next thing you know it's a fact: 'gators in the sewers or how a guy named Esteban (or maybe it was Bob) found a treasure map and buried it at the turn of the century somewhere in those hills up behind the high school. Debunk these tales 'til you're blue in the face, but often they simply cannot be uprooted.

During the campaign season, scores of such stories come to light. Some stick, some don't. Many are, of course, pure fabrications. Others are only half lies. And still others merely fudge the truth around the edges in the interests of creating a solid applause line.

The latter seems to be the case in regards to the eBay jet.

That would be the used Westwind II 10-seat jet bought by the state of Alaska in late 2005. The jet that played a prominent role as object and symbol of what Sarah S. Palin called the state's culture of corruption in her successful 2006 primary campaign against Governor Frank Murkowski.

As she said in her speech to the Republican National Committee Wednesday night to a roar of cheers: "That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay."

But as Adam Raymond at Radar's Fresh Intelligence pointed out Thursday, Palin failed to mention that the plane didn't sell on eBay.

____________________
"After going unsold for months, the jet was put into the hands of Turbo North Aviation, an Anchorage aircraft broker, which put an asking price of $2.45 million on the nearly $2.7 million jet. It quickly sold to Alaska businessman Larry Reynolds for $2.1 million ($31,000 of which went to Turbo Aviation). Today the Westwind II jet spends its days ushering wealthy hunters around Alaska and Russia."
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/09/sarah-palin-did-not-sell-that-jet-on-ebay.php
___________________

A small matter? No doubt. But as Jason George and Andrew Zajac of the Chicago Tribune write today:

__________________________________________________
Palin's statement implied the plane was sold through the online auction site revered for empowering millions of small entrepreneurs, and Palin's spokeswoman insisted Thursday that the transaction occurred. But the plane failed to sell on eBay. ...

Also, while Palin characterized the plane as an extravagance of former Gov. Frank Murkowski, who arranged for its purchase in November 2005, the plane saw heavy use transporting Alaskan convicts.

Alaska does not have adequate prison capacity and contracts for space with a private facility near Phoenix. On Thursday, 24 percent of the 4,546 Alaskans in jail or in prison were serving their time at Arizona's Red Rock Correctional Center, said a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Corrections.

When the state first began using the plane in November 2005, prisoner transport accounted for 58 percent of the jet's use, and Murkowski's office used it 23 percent of the time. Over time, Murkowski's usage increased.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-palin_planesep05,0,3470364.story
__________________________________________________

In a crucial campaign at a time we're in crisis over the economy, the environment, energy, foreign and military policy, globalization, health care, education, human rights, civil rights and the Constitution itself, harping over such a small matter may be seen as petty, partisan carping. Indeed, Palin didn't lie - she did try to auction the plan on-line. And there are plenty of actual lies to follow up on.

But the eBay jet does matter. Part of John McCain's whole ever to remaverick himself despite being Mister Bush's 90% man is to attach himself firmly to his running mate's supposed maverickness. Thus, whether it's stances on earmarks, or reversals on bridges to nowhere, or fudged tales of executive derring-do, they ought to be disembedded from the national consciousness before they become unshakable truths.

I say let us get rid of the democrats and republicans! Stage-show bullshit with millions of people signing on b/c they are idiots!

SP is not qualified to be prez nor is JM...throw the bums (the pretenders) out!

The shadow party controls both parties.

Dear Gotham and others,

Evidently many listened to what McCain had to say but, DID ANYONE HEAR what he said?

He said that the Partisan Political Fighting is not a result of there being two political parties in Washington. It is because there are some members who place their personal career interests before the interests of the country.

He specifically outlined the CHANGES he wishes to implement in government:

He wants to eliminate the "pork barrel" spending by self serving representatives. He vows to veto any bills containing "pork barrel" spending.

He wants to make America energy independent by drilling for oil right away. He wants to develop our own resources so that we do not have to rely upon foreign powers. He wants to do this now.

He wants to eliminate billion dollar handouts to governments that don't even like us.

He wants to keep jobs in America and develop our country's industry independence. He does not want to allow our industries to be farmed out to third world countries so that our citizenry will have more employment opportunities.

He wants to lower taxes and cut unnecessary bureaucracy.

He does not want government to dictate health care choices for the people, thereby eliminating the field of choices available.

He knows the importance of having a servant's heart. He knows the sacrifice needed to defend freedom. He has experienced sacrifice more than most of us ever will. There is a high price for freedom. It is paid for by those who are directed by a moral compass. It is paid for by those who have the "Right Stuff".

Best Wishes,

"Betsy" S.

Did anyone watch the either convention?
Did anyone here watch the Republican Convention?

derek

#18 Ruthie darling, you're a treat.

Blog on!

The majority of the speakers last night were former Bush administration people.

Most speakers did not even have a crowd response. The C-SPAN cameras scan the audience constantly. I watched for hours as the overwhelmingly white middle aged crowd looked bored and disengaged. Most were not even listening to the speakers.
There were speakers who had no reaction from the crowd whatsoever.

derek

You are so funny "Betsy"!

You crow the party lines very well.

McCain is a 3rd generation welfare recipient, and just like all military families they know better than to betray the government that feeds, employs, and clothes them.

The only freedom McCain defends is that of his corporate and defense industry paymasters who also love defending freedom, as long as they make money at it that is . . .

Not that the democrats are any better but at least they act like they care about other people, in stark contrast to "we are all under the curse of this sin-filled body, so let greed reign"!

You people kill God every time you kill for your "freedom."

peace

Boy the piranhas are hungry today, must not have had much sleep this week.

Ruth states: I am soooo glad the conventions are over. Well, Barak and Biden better get their sheet together because...Palin is on their sass...big time

The problem is that both B and B don't like to get dirty, they leave it to the Soros orgs. to do their fighting for them and so far they swing and miss each time.

Oh but Biden did diss AIPAC this week, that's a great start. And Barak was on The Factor, I guess he must be desparate, stating the surge worked.

OK boys and girls go to work and laugh at the Amba Clown, let's see who has the last laugh.

Btw, I see Mallika has a post about whether Gov. should be on Oprah, apparently their is a lot of interest even amongst the Chopra clan. Hot is hot and she will bring big ratings, sort of dumb business move to turn her down.

Steve

emperor...are u being cynical?

how's betsy funny? she needs help, badly! she drank the koo-koolaid! yo!

They've got your gossip side running, albeit with a good-humored grin pasted on.

Dear Empyrius,

You really are cynical today! I expected better from you. You have always sounded reasonable previously.

MCain is not as bad as you paint him. I have met him and spoken briefly with him at our local hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona while I was working there. He was there visiting the Special Care Unit while researching healthcare.

While following all the mad dog approaches to political debate and listening to all the misleading rhetoric, I can see how someone could become cynical but, please let's try to keep our discussions on a high level and not allow ourselves to sink to the namecalling tactics of some of the tasteless contributors here.

Best Wishes,

"Betsy" S.

It's so easy to find Republican comments here. You don't have to read them to avoid them... Just look for ones that GO LOUD sometimes, and have a few mispeled wurds.

Betsy, according to all accounts, Mussolini was a charming dude, but would he have been a good prez for us? No.

Btw, why do you quote your given name?

Dear Empyrius,

In reference to your comments in Posting No.37:

What do you mean by "You people kill God every time you kill for your "freedom"? Who are we people? And, do you believe that God does not want us to defend our freedoms?

You also said,"The only freedom McCain defends is that of his corporate and defense industry paymasters who also love defending freedom, as long as they make money at it that is..." I believe you to be dead wrong on this issue. There have always been and there always will be individuals who desire to take away the freedoms of others for selfish motives of their own. Are free men supposed to allow themselves to be taken over by evil forces without defending themselves?

"Betsy" S.

Yea "Betsy" I am sorry for #37, the edgy-ness, I didn't call you a particular name, other than implicitly calling all of us Christ-killers, but, yeah,

check this out:

I am going to answer your questions in a thought out response, try to keep it as short as possible, and post later this evening or in the early morn.

peace

Heath,

NOW who's being elitiist when it comes to spelling? Could it be that I receaved my education when the democrats were in ofice? Just saying.

by the way I have changed my tune and I would like the nation to be unifyed under President Obama.

"I have changed my tune"

Really? Olivia?

Your new role must be very boring.

McCain is not a good guy. Sorry, that just doesn't fly. You folks sound like you'd think Charles Manson was a jolly good fellow if he gave a speech about what a good guy he was (and offered you a beer).

McCain is not a good guy. He's a manipulator, he's vain, he's an opportunist and we really don't know whether he was involved in illegal activities with the Keating Five. Regardless, that certainly proves his level of unrespited greed.

Good guy he ain't. Sorry. You're dead wrong on that one.

Dear Gothem and others,

I think it is very misleading to refer to a current candidate by using his predecessor's name. I surmise that this is to suggest guilt by asssociation. This again, is an example of trying to suggest that all people believe in the same principles simply because they carry the same party (partisan) name.

In reality, there are no longer true distinguishing factors between the parties. George Bush is not a true representative of "so-called" Republican values any more than Joe Lieberman is a true respresentative of "so-called" Democratic values. There is now a blending of ideologies amongst the parties. There is no true conservative representation. Ron Paul is the closest representative of the conservative philosophy that we have heard from recently.

It should not be suggested that simply because two people carry the same party name that they are both motivated by the same values.

"Betsy" S.

I hope nobody has a fit because Gothem should be spelled Gotham.

"Betsy" S.

Sorry "Betsy" b/c for every sentence I write, there are ten more I need to write to explain . . .

I'm keeping your #44 and one day I shall respond!

peace

Dear Empyrius,

Thank you for your responsiveness and for being a gentleman. Sometimes it seems like folks like you are a dying breed.

Your consideration is apreciated very much.

Best Wishes,

"Betsy" S.

Dear Empyrius,

Thank you for your responsiveness and for being a gentleman. Sometimes it seems like folks like you are a dying breed.

Your consideration is appreciated very much.

Best Wishes,

"Betsy" S.

John,

Touchay! However, perhaps not so boring as you seem to be quite passionate.

(ps. I was really only trying to see who could spot the spelling errors--the content was negligible. And...yes, I know I am leaving myself wide open with that statement, but the constraints of the English language being what they are and it being late...)

Always "Betsy"

pax est via
peace is the way

A little photoshop fun with John & Sarah.... I couldn't help myself!
Take a look.....
http://e14studio.blogspot.com/2008/09/little-photoshop-fun.html

Dear Gotham and others,

I recommend as a Must See to anyone who is under the spell of the Grand Illusion that the real war is between two political parties (Republican and Democrat). I sincerely hope that you will go to Youtube.com and search: (David Icke Big Brother) and (David Icke Alex Jones).

As leader of the United States I prefer a person who is best equipped to stand against the real forces of destruction facing our nation. I want someone who has a Moral Compass directing him. I want someone who places Humanitarian Interests aboove Economic Interests. I want someone who knows where he stands on prinicples without having to consult with numerous advisors before he decides what course of action to take.

I believe that it is much less likely that a "seasoned warrior" like John McCain will be under the influence of the power elite who are fighting for control of the world's governments.

Best Wishes,

"Betsy" S.