6% Is a Lot: Obama Must Go After Nader

That there is a chunk of voters Obama could seriously tap into and in Harrogate's opinion, at no risk with the centrists he is courting.

We've already seen the results of Nader wreaking havoc in New Hampshire. Harrogate likes to call it "8 years of George W. Bush." But look at the Michigan numbers!

It's simple. Say Ralph Nader's name. Attack Nader specifically by agreeing with him.

Poor Little Rich Girl

Speaking of working mothers...



Like Angelina Jolie, Michelle Williams is feeling a bit overwhelmed these days. It seems that single motherhood and a busy work schedule are wearing on her, and she needs a break. So, Michelle, who "stopped feeling creative a while ago," plans to "take a year off"--she hope to develop a hobby, like embroidery, and to "daydream."

I wish that the press wouldn't bother us with stories like this. Yes, Michelle has had to deal with Heath Ledger's death and the responsibility of raising their daughter on her own. This is very sad. However, I don't want to hear about her plans to take a year-long vacation because the stress of work and raising her child are getting to her.

Most working mothers' idea of a break from their everyday responsibilities involves a bath or a movie or a night out with their girlfriends or their significant other. So, please spare me the complaints of the rich and famous and their plans to take a year or so off of working. We should all be so lucky.

Obama Campaign: McCain is "cynically running the sleaziest and least honorable campaign in modern presidential campaign history"

Yep. And since this will only become truer and truer in the coming weeks, it will need to be said more and more.

Yes, it Has Come to This: Harrogate Takes A Page from LBJ; Or, a Response to Solon's Black Hole Post

Except that unlike the purpose of Johnson's draconian anti-Goldwater Ad, Harrogate posts this not to persuade viewers to do anything more than, perhaps, join him in saying:

Sigh.

Roe Roe Roe Your Boat

Again, it is important that Americans not allow Abortion Rights to be a sleeper issue in this election. This election is likely the Climax, so far as Roe v Wade is concerned. This is what the Palin pick was about. McCain sent his signal loud and clear that Abortion Rights would be kneecapped under his administration.

If this is what Americans are ready to do, then that is one thing. Harrogate will still be horrified at it, as he hates the idea of civil liberties being put to a vote in individual states. He thought that was what the Bill of Rights was for.

But then again, not everyone sees Abortion as a civil liberties or as a womens' rights issue. Some see it as a murder issue.

And so back to the point. If Americans are ready to see Roe overturned, and to see this issue thrown to the States. We are talking State-By-State Warfare here. Violence highly likely. But if the country is ready for it, then that is one thing.

But if the Plurality is not ready for it. If instead the Plurality is Pro-Choice, but not single-issue zealots in the ballot box. Then we have a real Breakdown in our System coming.

See Pat Buchanan's recent article. This sums it up. Ole Pat wants Roe overturned and all Abortion criminalized. Despite, or perhaps even because of this bias, his description of what this election means for Abortion Rights, is clear and true.

A final word on this. Oh the irony, Sarah Palin is attracting Independent Women voters in droves, according to every poll out there. And most of the Women polled in those Polls, say they are Pro-Choice but do not care, because they just admire Sarah Palin so damned much. And so. A charming woman, Palin. Pretty, and indeed "likeable enough," as the saying goes. In other words the Perfect Weapon against womens' rights.

Someone explain to Harrogate again how Sarah Palin is not the most Just Punishment Imaginable, for Liberal America and It's Fetish for Identity Politics.

God exists, has a twisted sense of humor, and sometimes pays attention to American politics. Sarah Palin and her impact on this election proves it.

Dishonorable Mention

John McCain has a serious problem. Each day McCain presents the American public with a new lie. Here are the current flat-out lies presented to the American people that were exposed to day:

Claim: McCain states 23,000 people show up to his rallies. Reality:Bloomburg news says that number cannot be confirmed and, in reality, is much lower.

Claim: Sarah Palin has been to Iraq. Reality: according to The Boston Globe, she has not.

This is on top of the Censorship, the Earmarks, and The Bridge to Nowhere. Classy Campaign McCain.

Thought You Should Know

There's a Notre Dame football player named Golden Tate. No, it's not actually Golden Taint, but the announcers sure like saying it as if it were.

Apparently . . .

there are multiple versions of the "Bush Doctrine," which means that Sarah Palin isn't such an idiot after all.

Wait, I'm sorry. In fact, it does mean she is an idiot, just as this article in the Washington Post signals that many of Bush's employees are also idiots. Ok, Bush may have more than one policy in place. But every single person watching Palin's interview with Charles Gibson (can I say as an aside that I found it incredibly patronizing that she kept calling him "Charlie?") knew what doctrine Gibson was referring too--yes, that would be the doctrine to unilaterally spread democracy to "undemocratic" countries.

Saturday Music Tribute; Or, No Scorpions, Please!

Why John McCain is unfit for Office

He selected someone as VP who openly believes in censorship. Worse, the censorship in question stems from her religious beliefs. The McCain campaign is now acknowledging the incident though it is attempting to define the action narrowly. According to McCain, she who shall not be named, never asked to ban the books just inquired about the possibility:

Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said Thursday that Palin asked the head librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, on three occasions how she would react to attempts at banning books. He said the questions, in the fall of 1996, were hypothetical and entirely appropriate. He said a patron had asked the library to remove a title the year before and the mayor wanted to understand how such disputes were handled.

Records on the city's Web site, however, do not show any books were challenged in Wasilla in the 10 years before Palin took office.

Palin notified Emmons she would be fired in January 1997 because the mayor didn't feel she had the librarian's "full support." Emmons was reinstated the next day after public outcry, according to newspaper reports at the time.

Still, one longtime library staffer recalls that the run-in made everyone fear for their jobs.

"Mayor Palin gave us some terrible moments and some rather gut-wrenching moments, particularly when Mary Ellen said she was going to have to leave," said Cathy Petrie, who managed the children's collection at the time.

Recent outrage has been fueled by Wasilla housewife Anne Kilkenny, whose 2,400-word critique of Palin's legacy as mayor is widely posted on the Internet. Kilkenny described Palin's actions as "out-and-out censorship."

But the McCain campaign, in a statement, said the charge "is categorically false ... Governor Sarah Palin has never asked anyone to ban a book, period."

Emmons, a former Alaska Library Association president who now goes by Mary Ellen Baker, did not return calls seeking comment.

According to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper, Emmons did not mince words when Palin asked her "how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library" on Oct. 28, 1996, in a week when the mayor had asked department heads for letters of resignation.

When public officials desire to ban books, they lack the judgment necessary to serve in office.

Thesis Statement: "What's Happening" Was a Great Television Show

Topic Sentence #1: The Opening Theme Was Sublime

Dueling Elections

As I struggle to stay abreast of the election happenings in the U.S., I'm also trying to figure out the Canadian system. Canada is also in the midst of an election, and unlike in the U.S., Canadian elections for Prime Minister are not preceded by a lengthy primary season. I admittedly know very little about Canadian politics and what I do know comes primarily from conversations with individuals I've met at CU Land, most of whom hold views very similar to my own.

Steven Harper, the current Prime Minister, is running for re-election, and he's been bombarding the airwaves with ads that don't say much about the issues. In fact, I don't think a single ad I've seen (and I've seen at least 5) mentions a single issue other than the economy. He seems to be taking his cues from his fellow conservatives in the U.S. and is running his campaign primarily on his identity. Here's an ad that, at least in my opinion, doesn't say much about his ability to improve Canada.

Gasoline: A Musical Tribute

Here's a little something from Sheryl Crow to reiterate the recently returned Paperweight's earlier post.

So Yeah

An almost $2.00 increase in gas prices overnight--I could use some lubricant please! Damn storm and big oil!

The President and Rhetorical Agency

This quote from the Service Forum should be enough to disqualify McCain as president:

“Second of all, I think the tone of this whole campaign would’ve been very different if Sen. Obama had accepted my request for us to appear at town hall meetings all over America.”

Translation- it is the fault of Senator Obama that I need to lie throughout the campaign because he ignored me. I cannot be expected to be accountable for me words if Senator Obama will ignore me and address the American people. I cannot discuss the most important issue of the day is no one will hear me.

Happy Birthday, Solon!

Lost in a Blizzard of Words...

That sums it up...

Mimesis: A Copy of a Copy of a Copy

Throughout his dialogues, Plato hates the poets because of mimesis: the repetition of thoughts without critical analysis. Well, for a long time I thought Plato referred to the poets. Tonight, I now know Plato wrote about Sarah Palin's first interview.

The transcript to the interview is now available. If you enjoy war with a side a war and, for dessert, war, she will represent you well.

Maybe it is not too hard fighting a four front war. Even though it has not been done before, I think the U.S. can handle it if it is G-D's plan.

Lies, War, and G-d. That's what we'll get with McCain. And, "I was a POW."

Humor, and alcohol, is necessary at this point. I give you Monty Python, "Spam."

This is what democracy looks like

Republicans in Michigan plan on challenging who can vote on election day, which really is no surprise to anyone who lives in the country. Of course, their method is far beyond unethical [really, there is no word to describe this move. It is just another literacy test or moral character qualification]:

The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.

“We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed.

I probably cannot express how much I despise this tactic right now. We are told this is the most important election and this is how the Republicans in Michigan treat voters.

Oh, I forgot, those who would most likely not be able to vote because of a foreclosure would not vote for Republicans.

The Macomb GOP’s plans are another indication of how John McCain’s campaign stands to benefit from the burgeoning number of foreclosures in the state. McCain’s regional headquarters are housed in the office building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The firm’s founder, David A. Trott, has raised between $100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee.

The Macomb County party’s plans to challenge voters who have defaulted on their house payments is likely to disproportionately affect African-Americans who are overwhelmingly Democratic voters. More than 60 percent of all sub-prime loans — the most likely kind of loan to go into default — were made to African-Americans in Michigan, according to a report issued last year by the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth.

Is it legal? Possibly though it is as unethical as lying to get the country in a war.

One expert questioned the legality of the tactic.

“You can’t challenge people without a factual basis for doing so,” said J. Gerald Hebert, a former voting rights litigator for the U.S. Justice Department who now runs the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington D.C.-based public-interest law firm. “I don’t think a foreclosure notice is sufficient basis for a challenge, because people often remain in their homes after foreclosure begins and sometimes are able to negotiate and refinance.”

As for the practice of challenging the right to vote of foreclosed property owners, Hebert called it, “mean-spirited.”

In a close race, denying these citizens their right to vote can swing the election. The article notes that Republicans will try this tactic in Ohio as well. Even if they just challenge voters, which slows down the process, it could prevent people from voting. Inner-cities are notorious for having outdated machines while suburbs have plush machines that are fast and work correctly.

This must be stopped. Republicans are morally and intellectually unfit to govern.

Working Mothers I Admire, Book 1

Here's the theory:
The polarity of the current campaign has split everything in twain. As Harrogate reminded us earlier today, there are multiple "third parties," and their voters, who can still be satisfied by compassionate inclusion of their concerns into public debate. We have a bad habit of roughly halving all we're offered.

It isn't "us vs them."
There are more options than choosing between my proscribed path and the highway.
It never was Blur vs Oasis as the future of Britpop after all.
You don't have to be a T-guy or an A-guy; I know someone who likes feet in pies, for the love of Pete.
It's not paper or plastic. It could be both! For, like, I guess, big milk! Or several pre-wino-ed 40s. Or spend money to buy a reusable cloth bag not even big enough for milk! (God, who does that? Really?)

One bizarre side-effect--one that even seems to have infected this blog at times-- is the amazing pretense that two women ever have managed to:
A) own one (1) vagina
B) squeeze an infant out of said vagina.
C) be successful/important/notable

I would like to even hold up for consideration that the two women held up as paragons of A+B+C aren't even anywhere near ideal examples.

So,

Here's the proposal:

Let's do this call and response style and really use the commentary area. Who do you think of when you imagine both a successful mother AND a mother of import? Let's really tally here.

Suggested guidelines:
1-Ignore Palin and Clinton for now.
2-You (or your wives) are givens. No nepotism.
3- Same thing with your moms. You should have said it on her birthday; not here.
4- Eve, Mary, etc. Yeah, I get it. Move on.

I'll lead:
Benazir Bhutto

The Roof is on Fire...

Earlier in the day, The Roof Almighty posted a Matt Damon interview where Damon addressed Sarah "I'm Close to Russia" Palin.

In an interview with a reporter form Maine, John McCain addresses Sarah "I'm qualified because I am a hockey mom" Palin. The interview is just painful. In comparison, Damon does a better job since he is more more believable.

Excluding the statements that are not baseless lies, the John McCain interview contains one fallacy after another: non-sequitur, red herring, emotive language, bandwagon, ad personam. Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah. I'm John McCain. Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah.

This entire election is absurd. We might as well speak in tongues. Oh wait.

Time's Joe Klein wants John McCain to apologize for his sleazy tactics like he did after supporting the Confederate Flag during his 2000 failed run. Right. That would take Honor.

Sarah Palin: A working mother

MSNBC has a compelling article on its site about Pallin's status as a working mother. While I do applaud (yes, Harrogate, I do) her ability to balance her career with her family, I want to emphasize a point that Allison Linn makes in the article: "just because Palin is a working mother herself does not mean she will automatically support federal policies that could benefit other working moms or dads — especially since Republicans traditionally have opposed some of those policies." Sure, Sarah Palin is a working mother, but that doesn't mean she's an advocate for other working mothers.

An Open Letter to Barack Obama; or, The Specter of Nader Draws (Vampiric?) Strength from the Fact that Some People Like Ron Paul

Every vote counts. Solon noted yesterday that Nader is on the Pennsylvania ballot. Actually if you look at Nader's website you will see that Nader will likely be on every ballot except Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, and perhaps one or two others.

And so. Will Obama do what Gore did and act as though The Nader does not exist. Harrogate wants to take this opportunity to remind everyone for the zillionth time that, had Gore taken New Hampshire in 2000, Florida wouldn't have mattered.

Opinions will differ on how to deal with the people leaning Nader. Harrogate has a lot of respect for these people. They have legitimate complaints about the way our federal government operates, and the way it does not operate. 6-10% of the electorate is a lot. Writing them off is not only impolitic for a close election, but it is moreover rude.

Harrogate's opinion on how to deal with them? Show them respect by courting them. Court them aggressively. Verily, Barack Obama needs to run Ads in Swing States attacking Nader by telling his voters that he cares about Nader's issues. Does Obama mean it for example when he says we need to stop giving tax breaks to companies that exploit cheap overseas labor? Does he mean it when he says that the tax code as currently configured makes a sham of our market system. Does Barack Obama mean it when he champions civil liberties? If he means these things, he needs to say them to audiences with whom he has not yet registered. If he had time to go on Rick Warren's set, by God, he's got time to show these people the respect and attention that they and their concerns deserve. And you know what? Even in those areas that Barack Obama fundamentally disagrees with Naderites: say, on FISA for example. He could at least show them the respect of saying look, I disagree with you, and here's why. People don't take kindly to being treated as though they don't exist, as everyone who went to high school knows well.

On a practical level, moreover. Harrogate thinks it is self-evident that Obama can attempt to persuade those leaning Nader without alienating his center-right contingent. At this point in our History, the only people who are not sick to death of the corporate takeover are far right ecocons and the far right social cons who don't care about anything but abortion and boys kissing.

The moderate undecideds, however, will not begrudge Obama going after the Nader base. In Harrogate's opinion.

Meanwhile, go here to see Nader's latest strategy of assocation with Ron Paul. Hmmmmmm. That's a lot of votes untapped by either Party, suddenly. Rather than ceding them to Nader or Barr, why not at least make an effort at them? At any rate, it seems to make more sense than going after "PUMAS", who either don't exist or who are so self-involved and petty that rational persuasion isn't going to work on them anyway.

"PUMAS" if they exist are saying we're taking our ball and going home unless you make a spectacle of yourself by grovelling. This creates a defunct Rhetorical Situation. But Naderites are saying, we have principles and we are sick of those principles being ignored. That is to be respected. Lesser of two evils surely is not the best argument that Barack Obama can make.

More evidence that this country is doomed

Lauren Conrad, star of MTV's "reality" show, The Hills, just signed a deal with HarperCollins to write three fictional young-adult books that will "definitely [be] influenced" by her life. I'm going to go throw up now.

Thursday Musical Tribute; or, Wild Man's newest favorite song

This is Wild Man's newest favorite song, so I thought I'd share it with all of you. He loves it so much, in fact, that he was singing it to himself yesterday while in the bathtub.

"Nuclear Toads?" Oh..."codes"...thank g-d!.

Thank you, sir. I like these apples very much.

Update: Its a slight note, but this crystallizes something for me that I wasn't quite seeing before:

The Palin vice-candidacy has been discussed as if it were the heir to Rod Lurie's trilogy of "accidental king" projects: Deterrence, The Contender, and Commander-in-Chief. And, as fits the subgenre, the innate "weaknesses" that define the characters make them powerful leaders of men. Deterrence plays off of the ethnicity of the newly advanced president, The Contender off of the obstinate ethical stubborness of...

But that isn't the story in front of us. That isn't the character trope we are faced with. This isn't even Dave's Dave, nice-guying the world into the future.

This isn't even--and forgive the potentially sexist reference-- The Princess Diaries; this is King Ralph saving Britain through crass mediocrity and pratfalls.

I can see Jack Lipnick selling it: "She's going to misrepresent herself to a victory over the Russians! She'll tell them we already won and they'll buy it! We're talking boffo box office! 'MOOSE CHICK'S NUKES HIT, FIX!'"

Am I actually watching the "fish-out-of-water" trope run for vice-president?

Fun with Putting Lipstick on a Pig

NPR's "All Things Considered" offered an amusing take on the whole pig/lipstick extravaganza. Definitely take a listen :)

Breaking News: Obama, CBS Call GOP Out on Their Cynical Games. And, Huckabee Blogs Some Sense

First, Obama, doing what he does best as the real battle for Virginia begins. Just awesome. "Spare me the phony outrage." Hell yes. Way to go Barack. Isn't that what we were all thinking? One thing is for sure, if he loses it won't be because he didn't give it all he had.

Meanwhile, on the "Maybe Huckabee Wasn't As Dangerous as McCain After All" front, we have this. (Heh. Sorry guys, Harrogate couldn't resist.)

And finally, the "Don't Tread on Me" category, as Katie Couric and CBS have called out McCain's shameless use them in his Ad.

Of course, McCain himself remains a pig, as illustrated by this, the last line of Smith's report:

McCain still has the ad, "Lipstick," on his website.

The Culture Wars: Part Oh My Fucking G-d this is Absurd...

In the WSJ, Thomas "What's the Matter with Kansas" Frank discusses the hypocrisy in Palin's culture war argument. The reverse elitism drives me mad. Frank writes:

But what really defines them in Mrs. Palin's telling is their enemies, the people who supposedly "look down" on them. The opposite of the heartland is the loathsome array of snobs and fakers, "reporters and commentators," lobbyists and others who make up "the Washington elite."

Frank presents his economy versus culture argument, again. Will people finally value the economy over the culture?

How soon is now?

Obama the Terrorist...

From Politico: Here is a new ad by the McCain team and my fucking G-d is it reckless. In addition to trying to define Palin as a hapless victim in society, it echoes the idea that Obama is a communist and terrorist who threatens the US.

Rhetorical Echoes:
The new ad by the McCain campaign echoes previous commercials from 1984 and 2004. The entailment is not only that Obama is unfit for office because he is attacking a defenseless woman (though isn't this a virtue for Republicans, to attack the weak?); the danger with this ad is that it suggests that Obama is a communist and a terrorist, who will invade the US.

Again. This campaign is absurd. A politician running for office will not take answers from the press. No one knows a damn thing about her except through her false statements in her speeches. A presidential campaign does not address any issues and will fuck the country through the culture war. And will not answer questions to the press. And then this ad?

Context of the Ad:
The ad from 1984 focuses on the U.S.A. versus the USSR, with Reagan as the only person to perceive the true threat of "the bear." In 2004, the Bush Administration echoed this commercial though it redefined the terrorists as wolves- a numerous, but unseen danger that travels in packs. In 2008, McCain relies upon the echo effect from the ads in 1984 and 2004. Yet, in 2008, the McCain campaign redefines the wolves to represent Obama and his invading army.

Watch for yourself and see the decline of the American Republic with your own eyes.

The ad from 1984:


The ad from 2004:


The ad from 2008:

Wow the Gloves Really Are Off

Only in this current near-hysterical political climate could we have a Rhetorical Situation where Jeralyn Merritt is linking to and celebrating posts by disaffected Republican, Andrew Sullivan.

But really. What better evidence could there be that as we enter the homestretch, McCain's cynicism and lack of honor has hit such heights that is has arguably performed Obama's "Unity" message through the backdoor, as it were. John S. McCain has, in other words, perhaps done a favor, having "United" a lot of very different Americans simply by scaring the bejeezus out of us. For his part, Harrogate is doing everything he can to hold out optimism, and trust that voters in a state like Colorado will see through McCain's banal play to the worst in all of us.

From Sullivan:

And then, because he could see he was going to lose, ten days ago, he threw caution to the wind and with no vetting whatsoever, picked a woman who....was going to reignite the culture war as a last stand against Obama. That's all that is happening right now: a massive bump in the enthusiasm of the Christianist base. This is pure Rove.

Yes, McCain made a decision that revealed many appalling things about him. In the end, his final concern is not national security. No one who cares about national security would pick as vice-president someone who knows nothing about it as his replacement. No one who cares about this country's safety would gamble the security of the world on a total unknown because she polled well with the Christianist base. ....

McCain has demonstrated in the last two months that he does not have the character to be president of the United States. And that is why it is more important than ever to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president. The alternative is now unthinkable. And McCain - no one else - has proved it.

Harrogate's emphasis with that last paragraph. Because, Wow. Nailed it.

For Solon; or, Music to Go with Your Afternoon Coffee, While Contemplating the Culture Wars

Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end its only round and round.
Havent you heard its a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
Theres room for you inside.

Among the best rock lyrics ever written, IHO.

Why Some People Like Ron Paul, Part.... What Number Are We On, Anyway???

Ron Paul, seen here casting a spell to banish the IRS,
has refused to endorse John McCain's candidacy, despite the latter's pleas.

An interesting read. Subplots abound.

Paul said the request came from Phil Gramm, the former McCain adviser whom the campaign jettisoned after he said the country was a "nation of whiners" about the economy.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Paul said Gramm called him this week and told him, "you need to endorse McCain." The Texas congressman refused.

Sarah Palin Action Figures

You can now buy your very Sarah Palin action figure. This was going to be a post about how the makers of this doll have rather sexistly rendered Palin as a Catholic school girl. Then I scrolled down the page and realized the action figures of Obama and McCain are also a bit offensive. I also reminded myself that they are, in fact, action figures, so they aren't meant to be realistic. That said, if McCain himself was a buff as his action figure I might be less worried about him dying in office and leaving the inexperienced Palin to run the country.

The Ground Game for November

At Slate, Richard Hasen presents the most important information you need to know: what legal and political challenges exist in this year's swing states. Obama may have a slight advantage because of voter registration and infrastructure. But legal challenges, such as challenges to voter fraud, and political challenges, such as Ralph Nader's presence the Pennsylvania ballot, may nullify that advantage.

McCain Squeals Like a Stuck Pig

".... but John McCain is an honorable man."

Harrogate Coins the New Feminist Saying

"American women need McCain and Palin like a fish needs a bicycle."

Take that, Stephen Colbert

Thanks to Academama . . .

. . .for bringing this to my attention. She posted this on her blog, but I think it is so powerful that it should be posted in as many places as possible.

The World Wants Obama

According to this poll.

But beware of those newfangled European ideas that Obama wants to push on us right-thinkin' Americans (to paraphrase Huckabee's speech at the RNC). We like things just the way they are: shitty.

Obama and Humor

Harrogate doesn't often associate Obama with humor, although lately, the candidate seems to have actually lightened up in proportion to the upsetness and even early stages of panic, experienced by some of his supporters.

But no matter. This was, as they say, a good 'un: Metaphors 101

Obama poked fun of McCain and Palin's new "change" mantra.

"You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd cheered. "It's still a pig."

"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."

"We've had enough of the same old thing."

Heh.

Supadiscomama is a trendsetter!

Those of us who know her have always known this to be true. But now Victoria Beckham has confirmed it. All the celebrity websites are all atwitter about her new haircut, which you can see at People.com. I am not so sure why this particular haircut is making news. Supadiscomama has been sporting a similar 'do for years. This confirms it: Supa should be gracing the pages of People, since Mrs. Beckham clearly stole her hairdo!

Announcer: "Man, they look like they're having a great time"

Of course they are. The dude's getting a handy, for crying out loud.

I don't even watch football like this at home.

Who cares about the election...

When the Earth will be swallowed in its entirety by a man-made black hole.

Tomorrow, scientists will turn on the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator, to attempt to recreate the effects of the Big Bang by crashing protons into each other.

I guess that I feel better knowing that scientists, and not John McCain or the Republican Party, will end the world.

To Progress...

Assy McGee Award®,

Today's Assy McGee Award® goes to Big Tent Democrat over at TalkLeft.

Not only has Jeralyn's site been coopted by commenters only interested in:

A)Defending Sarah Palin, Inventing Sexism Charges Out of Nothing;
B)Bitching about the Primary; And
C)Harpily Chipping Away at the Only Candidate Standing Between John McCain and the Presidency

But she continues to be undermined by her co-contributor, Big Tent Democrat, for whom Harrogate's last shred of respect finally dissipated today. Increasingly, BTD has become the Head Cheerleader for those who want to keep the Primary Angst alive, those who feel the "pull" of Palin's ovaries, and then of course any number of Republicans who by now have likely infested the site only to exacerbate matters on an already explosive site.

But the coup de gras, the final straw as far as reasonable people will be concerned, was this post, in which BTD cites the new ABC/WaPo poll that tells us McCain is up by one point.

Then he quotes this:

White women have moved from 50-42 percent in Obama's favor before the conventions to 53-41 percent for McCain now, a 20-point shift in the margin that's one of the single biggest post-convention changes in voter preferences. The other, also to McCain's advantage, is in the battleground Midwest, where he's moved from a 19-point deficit to a 7-point edge.

Then the most deserving recipient of this Award in its long and vaunted history actually wrote the following:

In essence, Obama opened the door by not picking Hillary Clinton and McCain walked through it. McCain's Palin gamble clearly has worked. He is in the game. And he would not have been if he had not chosen Palin. And McCain would not have chosen Palin if Obama had picked Clinton.

There are so many things wrong with him, and the gaggle that you will see chiming in. Jeralyn Merritt is in the process of seeing the blog she worked so hard to build in the name of civil liberties, turn into a Testament to the Absolute Ignorance of Every Person Who Still Has the Audacity To Say That The Personal Is Political. Every Person Who Would Defend Identity Politics, At This Point, Is Pretty Much Dead To Harrogate.

Seriously. Our entire country is on the verge of getting corncobbed. While everyone was jumping up and down celebrating the Historicity of the Primary. Oh My God a Black Man and a White Woman!!!! Yes, while everyone was tearing up over that, the Writing Was On the Wall at that very moment. Harrogate has seen the enemy and it is us.

And Big Tent Democrat is as good a representative of the Us Harrogate is talking about, as it gets.

To quote Eric Cartman, Harrogate is seriously.

Yes.

Thank you, Judith Warner.

Biden May Not be a Hockey Mom, But at Least He's Not Afraid to Say What He Thinks

Transcript from Joe Biden's appearance on Meet the Press this morning. Look, Biden is in many, many ways no progressive. But especially when you contrast him with what the GOP has given us, you look at this interview, and you just love his candor as well as his commitment to the principles of pluralism.


On Sarah Palin:

why--look, she had a great speech. But what was--her silence on the issues was deafening. She didn't mention a word about healthcare, a word about the environment, a word about the middle class. They never parted her lips. I mean, so I don't know where she is on those things.

On his coming debate with Palin:

I know Mitt Romney and know his positions, and I know Tom Ridge and I really respect them. And--but you know, I, I've debated an awful lot of tough, smart women. A woman who's a judge here in our superior court was one of my toughest opponents ever for the Senate. And there's a lot of very tough, smart women in the United States Senate I debate every day. So in that sense it's not new. But what is new is I have no idea what her policies are. I assume they're the same as John's. I just don't know.

On the three coming debates between Obama and McCain:

I think those debates that are going to take place, the three critical debates between the two nominees, are going to be the most watched debates in the history of American politics, and I think people are going to get everything they need out of those debates,

On McCain and Iraq:

The truth of the matter is, what do we do now? What's John McCain going to do when he's president? He says he will not sign on to a timeline, number one. Number two, he has no, no idea, no suggestion how he's going to deal with the neighbors. He has no idea how he's going to deal with Iraq. He has no idea how he's going to deal with Syria. He has no idea how he's going to deal with Turkey. We have laid out a clear plan.

More on McCain and Iraq, but this quote stands alone doesn't it?

And I, I, I just--now, John may have an idea. I've never heard it. I've never heard it.

On Abortion Rights. Look at the emphasis on pluralism. Does either GOP candidate even understand what he's saying here?

For me, as a Roman Catholic, I'm prepared to accept the teachings of my church. But let me tell you. There are an awful lot of people of great confessional faiths--Protestants, Jews, Muslims and others--who have a different view. They believe in God as strongly as I do. They're intensely as religious as I am religious. They believe in their faith and they believe in human life, and they have differing views as to when life--I'm prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception. But that is my judgment. For me to impose that judgment on everyone else who is equally and maybe even more devout than I am seems to me is inappropriate in a pluralistic society.

Here's one Harrogate suspects Biden will drag out in his debate with Palin, if abortion rights come up at all. One would like to see her respond to this:

No, what I voted against curtailing the right, criminalizing abortion. I voted against telling everyone else in the country that they have to accept my religiously based view that it's a moment of conception

John Ridley's "Pocket Guide To Speaking Palin-guage"

Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

Since not all people see the apparent hypocrisy in McCain's selection of VP, John Ridley wrote a few guides to help those who see hypocrisy change their mental constructs about Mooseburgers. A Few examples:

If you're a minority and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "token hire." If you're a conservative and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "game changer."

If you live in an Urban area and you get a girl pregnant you're a "baby daddy." If you're the same in Alaska you're a "teen father." (Actually, according to your own MySpace page you're an F'n redneck that don't want any kids, but that's too long a phrase for the evil liberal media to take out of context and flog morning noon and night).

Black teen pregnancies? A "crisis" in black America. White teen pregnancies? A "blessed event."

If you get 18 million people to vote for you in a national presidential primary, you're a "phoney." Get 100,000+ people to vote you governor of the 47th most populous state in the Union, you're "well loved."

DTD SAYS: If your pastor rails against inequality in the United States of America, you're an "extremist." If your pastor welcomes a sermon by a member of Jews for Jesus who preaches that the killing of Jews by terrorists is a lesson to Jews that they must convert to Christianity, you're a "fundamentalist."

There are more here.

You Might Be a Nutbag If......; Or, Tip of the Hat to Fox News Online

One of the big questions right now for the Presidential campaign is, will Sarah Palin remain out of the Media's reach until her debate with Biden, or will the McCain campaign let her elaborate on her views for the General Public.

Kudos and Tips of the Hat to media of all political persuasions which are in the process of trying to 'smoke Palin out,' as it were, by discussing her views and posting them online. Certainly Harrogate didn't expect this AP piece to show up on the front page of Fox's Website yesterday. But, there you have it. A blind groundhog really will find an acorn now and then.

The AP Headline reads: "Palin’s Church Promoting Conversion of Gays to Heterosexuals."

It is tongue-talking level scary. Harrogate seems to remember there was a wee bit of discourse surrounding the church that Barack Obama attended. Perhaps stuff like this deserves a bit of attention, Yes?

“You’ll be encouraged by the power of God’s love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality,” according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.

Palin’s conservative Christian views have energized that part of the GOP electorate, which was lukewarm to John McCain’s candidacy before he named her as his vice presidential choice. She is staunchly anti-abortion, opposing exceptions for rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples.

Harrogate's favorite part though is the way the AP ends it. This is also why Harrogate was pretty stunned that Fox ran it. For the final paragraph, O Readers, is is one sentence long:

“People are looking at Sarah Palin as someone who might feasibly be in the White House,” he said.

McCain, utterly void of ideas, has decided to turn this election on the Culture Wars. But the Irony is, he and Palin hope to do it without Independents finding out until it is too late. Will it work? Not if Brave Media such as Fox News keep up such brilliant participation in the discourse.