Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Various And Sundry Election Items

The election news is flying fast and furious, so I'll try to pass along a lot of stuff in a brief but intelligent manner.

What is the Obamessiah's main claim to experience?  Running his own campaign.  Hot Air destroys that argument by pointing out that Mayors and Governors have to actually make decisions and manage disasters, but that Obama's actions after Katrina are a joke.  And, as I said a few days ago, it's just stupid because he has a campaign manager, speechwriters, budget people, etc., and Obama is little more than the pretty face over which the ignorant masses can swoon.  And, don't forget that Palin does have experience being the commander-in-chief of the Alaskan National Guard.  It is amazing that Obama-Biden keep bringing up experience, because the GOP #2 beats out the Dem #1.  I hope they keep it up!

And what about the Us Weekly debacle?  In case you missed it, they ran two covers, one depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as a loving, caring family, the other depicting Sarah Palin as a scandalous wench.  It appears that Us Weekly is sorely regretting that move, as they've received an avalanche of cancellation requests before the issue even hit the stands.  But it gets worse.  In that same episode that took aim at Palin was an article that presented Michelle Obama as close to walking on water, while yet another article continues to slander and accuse Palin of even more lies about her most recent pregnancy.  In response to the mass cancellations, Us Weekly first begged subscribers to stay.  Then, at least one advertiser made it known that they were not happy to have been included in the hitjob.  Now, it appears that Us Weekly is offering a bribe to keep its subscribers with five free issues.  The bleeding hasn't stopped yet...

The key problem we see now is desperation in the Obamessiah and his propagandists in the MSM.

For an illustration of how down they are about the so-called McPalin bounce, take a look at Andrea Mitchell at the end of the RNC.  You'd think her dog just died or something because she knows what a hit the RNC (and Palin) was.  Some have gone so far off the deep end that they've willingly damaged their own credibility and jobs.  Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, for example, were removed from the anchor chair of their MSNBC shows because they were so obviously biased.

The desperation shows in the attacks on Palin, and it's making a lot of people re-think their vote.  It is also evidenced by the Obamessiah's more frequent use of outright trash talk.

Part of the desperation comes from the most recent round of polls in key battleground states:
- McCain leads in Ohio 51%-44%
- McCain leads in Virginia 49%-47%
- Obama's lead in Colorado (where the DNC was held) is down to 49%-46%
- Obama's lead in Pennsylvania is down to 47%-45%
- Florida is now tied
- overall, McCain's lead is up to 2.8%

Some of the smears are downright ridiculous.  Outside the initial round of accusations that included Palin's son Trig was actually Palin's daughter's son, the most outrageous include accusations that she's an Al Qaeda terrorist or that she's an environmental extremist.  Also coming out now are a bunch of minor political scuffles in Alaska that the MSM are magnifying well beyond reasonable proportion into national scandals.  Another recent non-scandalous 'scandal' is that she is a wacko fundamentalist who would force schools to teach creationism and ban books.  All of these smears (and many, many more) have been thoroughly debunked, and are just signs of how crazy the Left has become.  In addition, none of these are sticking well with the American public, largely because the American public agrees with her rather than the radical Leftists, and the truth has a way of resonating with people in a way that hate-filled lies don't. 

Even when they're reporting facts, they add their spin.  Let's take a look at just one recent one and how a smear was shaped to look bad.  The Washington Post's headline is "Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home".  Here's how it starts:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post.

The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show.

Now, stop and think what your impression of this headline and intro are at this point...sounds like she's doing something wrong, doesn't it?  It isn't until about two-thirds of the way to the end of the article that we see this:

Gov. Palin has spent far less on her personal travel than her predecessor: $93,000 on airfare in 2007, compared with $463,000 spent the year before by her predecessor, Frank Murkowski. He traveled often in an executive jet that Palin called an extravagance during her campaign. She sold it after she was sworn into office.

In reality, she spent about 80% less than her predecessor, but the MSM is trying to make a scandal out of it.  It's laughable.

FactCheck.org has even gone to the lengths of publishing a list of the worst (debunked) smears in Newsweek.  Some excerpts:

Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn't cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.

She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.

She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She's been registered as a Republican since May 1982.

Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to "debate both sides" of the evolution question, but she also said creationism "doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."

It's not true, as widely reported in mass e-mails, Web postings and at least one mainstream news source, that Palin slashed the special education budget in Alaska by 62 percent. CNN's Soledad O'Brien made the claim on Sept. 4 in an interview with Nicolle Wallace, a senior adviser to the McCain campaign.

More details can be found at the link above.  Dozens of other Palin rumors (the list is over 60 now) are also debunked here.  Expect a steady stream until November.  This also reveals the blatant bias in the MSM, and that only makes Palin more sympathetic.

They're also seeking to think of a name that would be properly derisive, like Caribou Barbie.  The thing is, those on the Right understand the ploy, and tend to embrace those kinds of pokes (remember Bush's 'strategery', which is now a commonly used -- and loved -- mispronunciation by the Right?).

Also due to their desperation, the Democrat party has dispatched dozens of investigators to Alaska to dig up dirt on Palin.  The mission that would be really illuminating is to dispatch a few dozen investigators to Chicago to tell us more about Barack the Obamessiah's relationship with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers.  The media's treatment of the two candidates is jokingly unfair and slanted.

Speaking of non-scandalous scandals from Alaska, did you know that both Obama and Biden voted in favor of the bridge to nowhere that Palin killed?

Although Palin has garnered considerable animosity from Leftists around the world, at least some realize what she means to America and are crying out for a pit bull with lipstick of their own.  Real feminists -- those who want to see women succeed regardless of party -- support Palin, too, and McCain haters are coming back to McCain now because of her.  She's more of a uniter than the Obamessiah!

One of the most anticipated events of the election cycle is the upcoming Veep debate.  It will be Palin's time to shine, but Joe Biden is already setting the bar low.  Nice.  I suppose that's only natural, though, since Obama -- in another sign of his sheer classiness -- chides his supporters and whines about the sacrifices he's made in this campaign, including putting up with lots of hotel and airplane food.  Waaa-haaa-haa...!  Where's the arugula?  These guys are a total mess.

Obama continues making stupid, stupid mistakes, like doubling down on his assertion that McCain thinks the 'rich' are defined by making $5 million in yearly income.  The funny part about this is that McCain, in the very next sentence of that statement, predicts that Obama will twist it out of context.  Nevertheless, Obama blunders right into it, and refuses to back out when he catches the first whiff of heat.  Obama also slipped in a recent interview and referred to his 'Muslim faith' before being corrected by the interviewer.  Let me be clear: I don't believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim.  I think he's steeped in black liberation theology, which isn't much better.  Still, there are those who believe he is a Muslim (including Muslims), and these stupid mistakes don't help him at all.

There's your election roundup for the day, and...

There's my two cents.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

***And, as I said a few days ago, it's just stupid because he has a campaign manager, speechwriters, budget people, etc., and Obama is little more than the pretty face over which the ignorant masses can swoon.***

And governors, or others with "executive experience," do all of their work absolutely alone, right?

***Palin does have experience being the commander-in-chief of the Alaskan National Guard.***

For which she made no defense decisions. In all sincerity, do you think if Obama had picked Sebelius or Kaine as VP and then floated the "they were Commander-in-Chief of the KS (or VA) national guard), you would have bought the argument?

***US Weekly debacle...***

It really shows a lot of confidence in the ISSUES that you are concerned about US Weekly's coverage of Palin. You know they are a gossip rag, right?

***Outside the initial round of accusations that included Palin's son Trig was actually Palin's daughter's son, the most outrageous include accusations that she's an Al Qaeda terrorist or that she's an environmental extremist.***

I love, love, love the double standard. Obama has been facing attacks, smears, and lies like this for MONTHS, and no one on the right or in the RSM (right stream media) bats an eye. It happens for 2 weeks to a barely known governor from the 47th largest state in the county who wants to be the VP of the country and all the sudden, these smears are "outrageous." It is not right for Sarah Palin to be falsely smeared, but it is ALSO not right for Obama to be smeared.

***Also coming out now are a bunch of minor political scuffles in Alaska that the MSM are magnifying well beyond reasonable proportion into national scandals.***

These things may be "minor" but need to be investigated. If true, Troopergate represents one of the worst uses of the power of an executive office (using that power to get back at an ex-FAMILY member involved in a bitter, private, FAMILY dispute). That is, at its best, tacky, and at its worst an abuse of power.

The creationism thing ain't bad, I agree, but the idea that she even considered banning books is a little sketchy.

***Even when they're reporting facts, they add their spin.***

Hmmmm, where else have I seen that?

As to the special education budget, etc., I haven't read anything (from either side) on that.

***Dozens of other Palin rumors (the list is over 60 now) are also debunked here. Expect a steady stream until November. This also reveals the blatant bias in the MSM, and that only makes Palin more sympathetic.***

Have you ever linked to the pages debunking all the Obama smears? If not, why not? Shouldn't the truth matter whether it's good, bad, or ugly for either candidate?

***Also due to their desperation, the Democrat party has dispatched dozens of investigators to Alaska to dig up dirt on Palin.***

I'm sure NO Republican operative or supporter has been to Chicago to dig up dirt on Obama, right? Wrong. I know for a fact that National Review sent people there to investigate his "community organizing" and I am sure MANY others have been there as well.

***She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She's been registered as a Republican since May 1982.***

But her husband was. And she has videotaped addresses for the party conference. Again, if Obama had the same connections, you (and others) would be ALL OVER IT.

***Speaking of non-scandalous scandals from Alaska, did you know that both Obama and Biden voted in favor of the bridge to nowhere that Palin killed?***

Did you know that Sarah Palin supported the Bridge, too, before she opposed it? Did you know that she, as mayor of Wasilla, hired a lobbyist to secure $27 million in federal earmarks for the town, more than any other previous mayor? Did you know that some of those earmarks made it onto John McCain's list of wasteful and innapropriate spending when he was in the Senate? Did you know that one of her poor decisions on her biggest mayoral project (a city sports complex) resulted in the city having to buy land for over 1 million dollars when it could have earlier condemned the land for about a quarter of that price? Did you know that she has already taken a page from Bush's playbook and claimed "executive privilege" on about 1100 emails even though some of those emails were in reference to her political opponents (rather than policy matters) and some were CCed to her husband, Todd (not a member of government)? Did you know that she raised money for indicted Senator Ted Stevens (one of the "porkiest" members of the senate) foundation? Did you know that her only real experience prior to governor was being the mayor of a town with 9,000 people? Did you know that she is a Muslim terrorist?

JUST KIDDING!! (Seeing if you were paying attention).

I guess my point is that the TRUTH matters. Sarah Palin is probably not quite the anti-pork "reformer" she claims to be. The TRUTH matters, regardless of political party. Regardless of who you want to win. And for my money, the TRUTH about Sarah Palin is not being revealed by EITHER the MSM OR her campaign. She seems like a decent person. To me, she doesn't seem like such a reformer and she doesn't seem like she should be the VP.

B J C said...

Yes, I would have. Being a Governor is automatically better executive experience than a Senator. For the record, yes, I think Palin has better experience in actually governing than McCain, too. Alaska is different that most other states on the National Guard, though, since it is constantly on active status because of its proximity to Russia and its critical energy supply.

Yes, they are a gossip rag. They are also representative of the far Left of this country, and are currently a good example of what happens when the Left steps too far out into the spotlight.

Are you seriously suggesting that Obama has been smeared? Obama has been protected by the media in a way that is not even remotely similar to any of the other candidates. Even the Democrats complained about this during the primary! I'm making a leap to assume that you're talking about things like the Wright debacle and his relationship with Ayers (just to name two). If that's a correct assumption, I'd like you to point out where the smear is, since those things are factual - Wright did say those things, and Ayers did do those things. Where's the smear if it's factual? The fact that Obama doesn't like it doesn't make it a smear. The things being thrown around about Palin are not factually correct, or are being grossly blown out of proportion.

I agree - bring on the investigations. Regarding Troopergate, did you know that the position that was fired was one of those that serve at the Governor's discretion? Similar to U.S. Attorneys, this guy could be fired for any reason or no reason at all, so there is no question of legality. That leaves the ethics of the matter. From what I've read, this trooper should have been fired for any number of reasons - he tasered his own child, he drove his police car while drunk, he had threatened to kill members of his ex-wife's family, etc. The fact that he was allowed to remain on active duty should be investigated, too, and the guy who Palin fired needs to explain his actions, too. Let's bring both situations to light and let voters decide.

Her husband isn't running for office. Still, I grant you that his political affiliation is a matter of secondary importance, and should be explored. He is not a member of the AIP, but is a registered Independent, as is Palin's oldest son. From what I've read, he was a member of AIP in 1994. If we want to look that far back, Obama was snorting cocaine about then (by his own admission in his own book). Are you sure you want to go there?

Yes, I did know that Palin supported the bridge before she opposed it. I see nothing wrong with coming around to a correct position over a reasonable amount of time for a reasonable reason (i.e. McCain's change on oil drilling due to skyrocketing prices). If she flips again, I'll cry hypocrite. Same goes for supporting Stevens, though she has (since becoming Governor) actively opposed him on many of his pork measures. Didn't know about the land deal or the e-mails (although I think there is some call for executive privilege at times), but I'd love to find out more. I also had heard that she's a Muslim terrorist! ;)

I grant you her reputation as a reformer could be considered a gray area. Where I depart from you on that, I think, is that I'm willing to grant some reasonable position changes if it looks genuine rather than politically expedient. That is subjective, of course, and is one of those things where both sides need to be portrayed accurately to the American people for them to judge. In the case of Palin, I see a trend of her being fairly typical in her early political career, and then course-correcting as she became more experienced in policy-making and achieving results. If she turns back, I'll be the first in line to call her a hypocrite. Until then, she looks solid to me, certainly better than Obama, who has not show a lick of effort to work on any significant bipartisan measure or any measure to curb government...other than the military, of course.

Thanks for your comment!