Yes.
If he can reach the voters directly ... Here are his challenges.
First, the polls are unreliable. When you look at a poll, you have to ask one question: what is the ratio of Democrats to Republicans? By upping the number of Dems or lowering the number of Repubs, a pollster can manipulate the results to favor Obama. I won't name names but this has happened more than once over the last few weeks.
Second, the MSM will run with these bad polls because they desperately want Obama to win. How else to explain the lack of coverage for Biden's outrageous gaffes about clean coal, who was president during the Great Depression, and his egregious debate whoppers? (I'm sure a few experts on the Middle East are scratching their heads about the "Biden-Obama Hezbollah-Lebanon" policy.) By pushing the idea that Obama's win is inevitable, they hope to sway undecideds and dispirit McCain-Palin backers.
Third, McCain has to step up to the plate. He has to make it clear to the American people that the Democrats blocked Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform, enabling the housing bubble. He has to link Obama to the freshman senator's crazy cohorts, because, trite though it sounds, you really can judge a man by the company he keeps. And, most important, he has to give voters a reason to vote for him. What is he going to do to fix the economy? Tax cuts won't cut it.
Fourth, Americans need to realize they are being played - by the media, by the Democrats, by the Obama campaign, by George Soros, by moveon.org, by labor unions, and by Hollywood loons who make millions reading lines other people write for them. All of these groups have vested interests in presenting a candidate with no real job experience as a viable president. If McCain's campaign can't drive home the prospect of a Pelosi-Reid-Obama government, he deserves to lose.
I believe this election is closer than the polls say. Neither candidate has made the sale to voters. I'm not confident one will before November 4th, which actually favors McCain as the known commodity.
Can McCain pull this off? If he wants to.
Showing posts with label MSM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSM. Show all posts
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
If You Can't Beat 'em, Bully 'em
"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face."
-- Barack Obama, Elko, NV, September 16, 2008
Alrighty, then. (Note: I've not linked to the points below because there are copious reports that support them that have been clicked on to death.)
First, the DNC tried to bully Hillary Rodham Clinton out of the primary.
Then, the MSM, mesmerized by The One, tried to bully primary voters into snubbing HRC by accusing ordinary citizens of racism.
Next, the DNC Rules Committee strong-armed the Democratic electorate in Florida and Michigan to give The Big O delegates conjured from thin air.
Then, the Unholy Trinity of Pelosi, Dean, and Reid conspired to buy superdelegate support by pouring cash into campaign coffers, causing a stampede of shameless political hacks to The One and finally shoving the people's choice out of the primary.
Next, the DNC and The One, he of the hopey/changey/post-partisan/post-racial/new politics kumbaya campaign, harangued national delegates into abandoning their states' voters to support the worst sham election since Syria's.
But, it hasn't worked. The McCain-Palin ticket is tied with The Eared and Plugged Ones. M-P is ahead in key battle grounds, like Florida, and competitive in Michigan. (Go figure. Those Dems didn't like all the maneuvering at their expense.)
So, the Unholy Trinity and the Chicago Cabal are panicked. The country just doesn't seem to like this guy and no amount of shilling from SNL and Bill Maher seems to help. What's a dirty Daley machine pol to do? Bully the electorate.
For all I know, the American people can be humbled and despirited enough to grudgingly vote for the Ear-Plugs ticket. Who knows? Stranger things have happened. (See Bush 2000 and Bush 2004.) But, color me skeptical, if I'm allowed to be without that being misconstrued as a racial taunt.
Here's what I see as the DNC/Ear-Plugs strategy.
1. Inspire its minions to harass their friends, neighbors and coworkers.
2. Call the American people racists by making bogus claims about The One's inherent electability were he not (b)-(l)-(a)-(c)-(k). I said, were he not BLACK. BLACK! Can't you people see there's a BLACK man running for president? There was a poll telling you what a racist sack of pig excrement you are! (lipstick optional)
3. Threaten us with THE CHRISTIANS.
4. Scare us that the old man may not make it to January, leaving us with - a sitting governor!
5. Scream about leaving the economy to A CHRISTIAN and and an old guy who can't even send an e-mail (because the Viet Cong broke his arms in multiple places but he can't tell you that because that's "playing the POW card").
So much for the politics of hope and change. Let's examine these tactics.
1. - Great way to get fired/dumped/shunned/disinvited to your mother-in-law's annual New Year's bunko blowout. Seriously, The One did this in the primaries and a quarter of HRC's voters are so mad they're either voting for the other guy or undecided. In fact, Ear-Plugs is so not worried about HRC's supporters that it's formed an outreach group (read gang) called "Hillary Sent Me." Good plan. Not. (I love you, Hill, but I don't worship you. Thanks but no thanks.)
2. - Great way to get Americans to lie to pollsters because they're afraid of looking bad. Not a great way to get votes. I expect most M-P voters to harden out of disgust and most independents will feel slighted. Americans like to feel good about themselves, not scolded for feelings few have.
3. - Most Americans are Christians who live in small towns and like their guns. See 2. Since Palin is drawing huge crowds, my guess is this isn't working.
4. - Way to insult 50% of the population! So, a female governor with the highest approval rating of any current sitting governor is a worse option than a freshman senator who's spent his ENTIRE tenure in the senate running for president. (And, he's being propped up by the star-struck Unholy Trinity and their Horse Faces of the Apocalypse, Kerry, Kennedy, and Clyburn.)
5. - And, Senators, your economic plan would be ... Yeah, that's why a prominent Democratic strategist urged you to come up with one plan, one, just one, because voters can't name any.
Well, as the old saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, bully the shit out of 'em. At least, that seems to be the Chicago version. Luckily, The One isn't in Chicago anymore. If Governor Palin clicks her heels just right, he'll be back there soon enough.
-- Barack Obama, Elko, NV, September 16, 2008
Alrighty, then. (Note: I've not linked to the points below because there are copious reports that support them that have been clicked on to death.)
First, the DNC tried to bully Hillary Rodham Clinton out of the primary.
Then, the MSM, mesmerized by The One, tried to bully primary voters into snubbing HRC by accusing ordinary citizens of racism.
Next, the DNC Rules Committee strong-armed the Democratic electorate in Florida and Michigan to give The Big O delegates conjured from thin air.
Then, the Unholy Trinity of Pelosi, Dean, and Reid conspired to buy superdelegate support by pouring cash into campaign coffers, causing a stampede of shameless political hacks to The One and finally shoving the people's choice out of the primary.
Next, the DNC and The One, he of the hopey/changey/post-partisan/post-racial/new politics kumbaya campaign, harangued national delegates into abandoning their states' voters to support the worst sham election since Syria's.
But, it hasn't worked. The McCain-Palin ticket is tied with The Eared and Plugged Ones. M-P is ahead in key battle grounds, like Florida, and competitive in Michigan. (Go figure. Those Dems didn't like all the maneuvering at their expense.)
So, the Unholy Trinity and the Chicago Cabal are panicked. The country just doesn't seem to like this guy and no amount of shilling from SNL and Bill Maher seems to help. What's a dirty Daley machine pol to do? Bully the electorate.
For all I know, the American people can be humbled and despirited enough to grudgingly vote for the Ear-Plugs ticket. Who knows? Stranger things have happened. (See Bush 2000 and Bush 2004.) But, color me skeptical, if I'm allowed to be without that being misconstrued as a racial taunt.
Here's what I see as the DNC/Ear-Plugs strategy.
1. Inspire its minions to harass their friends, neighbors and coworkers.
2. Call the American people racists by making bogus claims about The One's inherent electability were he not (b)-(l)-(a)-(c)-(k). I said, were he not BLACK. BLACK! Can't you people see there's a BLACK man running for president? There was a poll telling you what a racist sack of pig excrement you are! (lipstick optional)
3. Threaten us with THE CHRISTIANS.
4. Scare us that the old man may not make it to January, leaving us with - a sitting governor!
5. Scream about leaving the economy to A CHRISTIAN and and an old guy who can't even send an e-mail (because the Viet Cong broke his arms in multiple places but he can't tell you that because that's "playing the POW card").
So much for the politics of hope and change. Let's examine these tactics.
1. - Great way to get fired/dumped/shunned/disinvited to your mother-in-law's annual New Year's bunko blowout. Seriously, The One did this in the primaries and a quarter of HRC's voters are so mad they're either voting for the other guy or undecided. In fact, Ear-Plugs is so not worried about HRC's supporters that it's formed an outreach group (read gang) called "Hillary Sent Me." Good plan. Not. (I love you, Hill, but I don't worship you. Thanks but no thanks.)
2. - Great way to get Americans to lie to pollsters because they're afraid of looking bad. Not a great way to get votes. I expect most M-P voters to harden out of disgust and most independents will feel slighted. Americans like to feel good about themselves, not scolded for feelings few have.
3. - Most Americans are Christians who live in small towns and like their guns. See 2. Since Palin is drawing huge crowds, my guess is this isn't working.
4. - Way to insult 50% of the population! So, a female governor with the highest approval rating of any current sitting governor is a worse option than a freshman senator who's spent his ENTIRE tenure in the senate running for president. (And, he's being propped up by the star-struck Unholy Trinity and their Horse Faces of the Apocalypse, Kerry, Kennedy, and Clyburn.)
5. - And, Senators, your economic plan would be ... Yeah, that's why a prominent Democratic strategist urged you to come up with one plan, one, just one, because voters can't name any.
Well, as the old saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, bully the shit out of 'em. At least, that seems to be the Chicago version. Luckily, The One isn't in Chicago anymore. If Governor Palin clicks her heels just right, he'll be back there soon enough.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Why the Media Don't "Get" Sarah Palin
It's not the hockey shtick or the sarcasm-with-a-smile that makes Governor Sarah Palin a "game changer" in this election. No, the former small town mayor is John McCain's secret weapon for reasons the East Coast Elite can't fathom. Unbeknownst to the Ivy League talking heads, there are smart folks out here in the Heartland. How can that be? (Have they heard of Warren Buffet, the first generation billionaire who's based in Omaha?)
First, let me say how entertaining it was to watch Sally Quinn, the self-appointed Doyenne of DC, squirm in Bill O'Reilly's hot seat and be bitch-slapped by Soledad O'Brien, who has four kids and a demanding job as an cable news anchor. Lacking any discernible talent for journalism or writing, Quinn's official job at WaPo has been Editor's Wife Who Thinks She's Smarter Than You Serfs Who Work For People Like Her Husband. Nevertheless, Quinn took it upon herself to lambaste GOVERNOR Palin for being a self-made working mom. Presumably, members of Quinn's bunko group only dabble when the whim strikes them.
O'Reilly made Quinn look like a simpleton. Dressed in a teal blouse - with an unwisely low neckline that emphasized how far her 67-year-old boobs have sunk, Madame blathered on about special needs kids and the challenges of raising them. One assumes that the Quinn-Bradlee household of three eked by.
But let's return to the subject at hand, how Sarah Barracuda has single-handedly changed the presidential race. As reported by Rasmussen, Gov. Palin's approval ratings top both presidential candidates. Here are my reasons why the Palin pick is absolutely brilliant, and not "brilliant" as in Michelle "1100 SAT" Obama. I mean the Merriam-Webster's definition of brilliant.
1. Todd Palin is part Yup'ik. Can he connect with Native Americans in the Lower 48? If so, he should be dispatched to the Dakotas and New Mexico pronto. The Dakotas should be red but have been wavering and NM looks like it will turn blue. Maybe Palin, who is proud to call himself part Eskimo, could be a strong advocate for Native American rights and make a difference with voters.
The McCain-Palin ticket has played up Todd's heritage for another reason, one that can't be mentioned in polite company (Sally, if you can find your ears under that white helmet of a bob, cover them): it insulates Palin from attacks that she's racist and frees her to go after Obama with impunity. What the Obama campaign seems to have forgotten but I'll say out loud is that not all Americans of color are black. And, the ones who aren't wonder how much influence Obama's old church has had. This could be big issue with Hispanic voters who consider McCain's failed immigration bill a valiant effort. Also, Asian voters, few that there are, granted, are skeptical of Obama's sympathies and despise affirmative action, which has been used to limit their numbers at top universities.
2. Sarah Palin will attract Hillary's voters. While there are thousands of Democrats who will vote for McCain/Palin rather than the candidate they believe stole the nomination, they aren't the target. Blue-collar white males and their spouses are.
When a fancy suited young man alights on a factory floor, workers think one thing: layoffs. So, you can't blame blue-collar voters for not warming to Obama. He reminds them of every other corporate trailblazer whose favorite words are longer than his resume. And, they know what happens after his "synergies" and "efficiencies" are realized. They need a new job.
These are the workers Palin is supposed to attract. Until a few years ago, her husband, a union member, was the primary breadwinner. The Palins juggle their work schedules through hard work, flexibility, and family support. They understand the challenges of childcare and mortgage payments.
The Democrats' veep pick was supposed to appeal to working class voters. Whatever. Is it me or does Joe Biden need to stop talking about taking the train home from the Senate? Doesn't that make Delaware a suburb of DC? Wouldn't that make Biden part of the entrenched establishment Obama is supposedly running against?
3. The Base. This is a no-brainer. Really, Hillcrats, he wasn't going to put a Hillary clone on the ticket. McCain is a Republican.
4. The Media hate her. With a passion. So, of course, American wants to know why. Frankly, I have no sympathy for members of the nattering class who claim ignorance about a sitting governor, the most popular governor in the country, no less. I knew who Sarah Palin was before that fateful Friday. If they didn't, they should be docked a month's pay. Shouldn't these "experts" know their subjects?
5. Suburban women see themselves. No matter what their political persuasion, suburban moms see one of their own running for vice president. They can't help but relate.
It's difficult to be a working mother. Most women still handle more than their share of household duties. Once you have a baby, you're "mommy tracked" and you don't get the same responsibilities and raises. Then, along comes Sarah, ready to show the world that moms have brains as well as uteruses. And, her supportive husband sits beaming proudly, comfortable in his skin as snowmobile champion and dad that cooks. "We CAN do it!" shout these suburban moms.
But, it's not all roses and sunshine for Gov. Palin. There are her detractors. The Loony Left has gone bananas seeing a pro-life Christian woman on the undercard. Strident feminists are penning columns implying she's not a real woman. And, then there are the divorced moms. They are a category unto themselves and a lost cause for McCain-Palin. In order, here are the candidates most despised by these women:
1. Women married to "flawed" men who stay married. This drives the divorced moms crazy since they ditched their jerks only to end up lonely and living hand-to-mouth waiting for the child support check. Yes, they're jealous.
2. Happily married women, happily married/committed gay men, lesbians of all relationship status because they don't deal with men. Yes, again, the divorced moms are jealous. Many are insanely jealous. Too bad for them.
3. "Flawed" male candidates like Bill Clinton. Interestingly, these women can overlook the men's indiscretions but not their wives for staying. Petty. That's all I'll say.
4. Happily married men, like Obama claims to be. Honestly, they want to marry him. It's a school girl crush. And, immature.
5. Single gay men. Divorced women LOVE single gay men! They aren't a threat to these women's worldview and they can dish about what louts men are.
In other words, these women hate other women. I can't tell you how many divorced women I know who hate Hillary for not leaving Bill. I believe they want to marry Obama. And, they hate McCain for dating Cindy while he was separated from his first wife. They overlook two facts, that McCain's first wife remains on good terms with him and that John and Cindy raised the three kids from the first marriage. Not that it matters, except that it speaks to his character, but John had adopted his first wife's two sons from her previous marriage. Cindy and he raised these sons, one of whom is on tap to take over Cindy's position as Chairman of the Board if John is elected.
Let the media focus on distractions like Palin's foray into beauty pageants and her patchwork scholastic career. She's smart and tough. And, best of all, unlike her Democratic rivals, she seems disinterested in courting the DC elite. Of course, playing hard to get will get you one thing: more attention.
The media may not "get" Sarah Palin but she seems to "get" them.
First, let me say how entertaining it was to watch Sally Quinn, the self-appointed Doyenne of DC, squirm in Bill O'Reilly's hot seat and be bitch-slapped by Soledad O'Brien, who has four kids and a demanding job as an cable news anchor. Lacking any discernible talent for journalism or writing, Quinn's official job at WaPo has been Editor's Wife Who Thinks She's Smarter Than You Serfs Who Work For People Like Her Husband. Nevertheless, Quinn took it upon herself to lambaste GOVERNOR Palin for being a self-made working mom. Presumably, members of Quinn's bunko group only dabble when the whim strikes them.
O'Reilly made Quinn look like a simpleton. Dressed in a teal blouse - with an unwisely low neckline that emphasized how far her 67-year-old boobs have sunk, Madame blathered on about special needs kids and the challenges of raising them. One assumes that the Quinn-Bradlee household of three eked by.
But let's return to the subject at hand, how Sarah Barracuda has single-handedly changed the presidential race. As reported by Rasmussen, Gov. Palin's approval ratings top both presidential candidates. Here are my reasons why the Palin pick is absolutely brilliant, and not "brilliant" as in Michelle "1100 SAT" Obama. I mean the Merriam-Webster's definition of brilliant.
1. Todd Palin is part Yup'ik. Can he connect with Native Americans in the Lower 48? If so, he should be dispatched to the Dakotas and New Mexico pronto. The Dakotas should be red but have been wavering and NM looks like it will turn blue. Maybe Palin, who is proud to call himself part Eskimo, could be a strong advocate for Native American rights and make a difference with voters.
The McCain-Palin ticket has played up Todd's heritage for another reason, one that can't be mentioned in polite company (Sally, if you can find your ears under that white helmet of a bob, cover them): it insulates Palin from attacks that she's racist and frees her to go after Obama with impunity. What the Obama campaign seems to have forgotten but I'll say out loud is that not all Americans of color are black. And, the ones who aren't wonder how much influence Obama's old church has had. This could be big issue with Hispanic voters who consider McCain's failed immigration bill a valiant effort. Also, Asian voters, few that there are, granted, are skeptical of Obama's sympathies and despise affirmative action, which has been used to limit their numbers at top universities.
2. Sarah Palin will attract Hillary's voters. While there are thousands of Democrats who will vote for McCain/Palin rather than the candidate they believe stole the nomination, they aren't the target. Blue-collar white males and their spouses are.
When a fancy suited young man alights on a factory floor, workers think one thing: layoffs. So, you can't blame blue-collar voters for not warming to Obama. He reminds them of every other corporate trailblazer whose favorite words are longer than his resume. And, they know what happens after his "synergies" and "efficiencies" are realized. They need a new job.
These are the workers Palin is supposed to attract. Until a few years ago, her husband, a union member, was the primary breadwinner. The Palins juggle their work schedules through hard work, flexibility, and family support. They understand the challenges of childcare and mortgage payments.
The Democrats' veep pick was supposed to appeal to working class voters. Whatever. Is it me or does Joe Biden need to stop talking about taking the train home from the Senate? Doesn't that make Delaware a suburb of DC? Wouldn't that make Biden part of the entrenched establishment Obama is supposedly running against?
3. The Base. This is a no-brainer. Really, Hillcrats, he wasn't going to put a Hillary clone on the ticket. McCain is a Republican.
4. The Media hate her. With a passion. So, of course, American wants to know why. Frankly, I have no sympathy for members of the nattering class who claim ignorance about a sitting governor, the most popular governor in the country, no less. I knew who Sarah Palin was before that fateful Friday. If they didn't, they should be docked a month's pay. Shouldn't these "experts" know their subjects?
5. Suburban women see themselves. No matter what their political persuasion, suburban moms see one of their own running for vice president. They can't help but relate.
It's difficult to be a working mother. Most women still handle more than their share of household duties. Once you have a baby, you're "mommy tracked" and you don't get the same responsibilities and raises. Then, along comes Sarah, ready to show the world that moms have brains as well as uteruses. And, her supportive husband sits beaming proudly, comfortable in his skin as snowmobile champion and dad that cooks. "We CAN do it!" shout these suburban moms.
But, it's not all roses and sunshine for Gov. Palin. There are her detractors. The Loony Left has gone bananas seeing a pro-life Christian woman on the undercard. Strident feminists are penning columns implying she's not a real woman. And, then there are the divorced moms. They are a category unto themselves and a lost cause for McCain-Palin. In order, here are the candidates most despised by these women:
1. Women married to "flawed" men who stay married. This drives the divorced moms crazy since they ditched their jerks only to end up lonely and living hand-to-mouth waiting for the child support check. Yes, they're jealous.
2. Happily married women, happily married/committed gay men, lesbians of all relationship status because they don't deal with men. Yes, again, the divorced moms are jealous. Many are insanely jealous. Too bad for them.
3. "Flawed" male candidates like Bill Clinton. Interestingly, these women can overlook the men's indiscretions but not their wives for staying. Petty. That's all I'll say.
4. Happily married men, like Obama claims to be. Honestly, they want to marry him. It's a school girl crush. And, immature.
5. Single gay men. Divorced women LOVE single gay men! They aren't a threat to these women's worldview and they can dish about what louts men are.
In other words, these women hate other women. I can't tell you how many divorced women I know who hate Hillary for not leaving Bill. I believe they want to marry Obama. And, they hate McCain for dating Cindy while he was separated from his first wife. They overlook two facts, that McCain's first wife remains on good terms with him and that John and Cindy raised the three kids from the first marriage. Not that it matters, except that it speaks to his character, but John had adopted his first wife's two sons from her previous marriage. Cindy and he raised these sons, one of whom is on tap to take over Cindy's position as Chairman of the Board if John is elected.
Let the media focus on distractions like Palin's foray into beauty pageants and her patchwork scholastic career. She's smart and tough. And, best of all, unlike her Democratic rivals, she seems disinterested in courting the DC elite. Of course, playing hard to get will get you one thing: more attention.
The media may not "get" Sarah Palin but she seems to "get" them.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Can't a Guy Just Take His Vacation?
The nerve of some fledgling democracies and their megalomaniac imperialist neighbors!
Poor Barack Obama. After tirelessly watching the MSM and DNC do the heavy lifting during the Democratic primaries, he desperately needed a vacation - and a photo op with Granny, whom he hadn't visited in two years even though she is an unhealthy 85 and she raised him.
And, what happens? War breaks out in the Caucus Mountains. Damn those Caucasians! Always trying to thwart his plans!
To make matters worse, his time jogging on the beach and relaxing with a Mai Tai (yes, you can still get one in Hawaii) was interrupted because the Doogie Howsers running his campaign wanted a statement. Something presidential. Something with gravitas. (Isn't there an antibiotic for that? Well, there should be.) Something to show his bona fides! (I know there's a cream for that at CVS.) And, those idiot Jonas Brothers took three attempts to come up with a decent speech.
After that McCain guy went out and kicked some Ruskie butt!
After that McCain guy presciently called on the UN Security Council to have an emergency meeting!
And, as if things couldn't get worse, The Changeling had to give his speech in the ugliest black windbreaker to escape from MIT's annual Best Einstein Hair fundraiser!
Rewrite!
Except, this is the real world, Barry, not a perfectly choreographed speech (following a free concert). These are the kind of issues that presidents deal with, not selecting faux seals and posing for promotional pix.
Yes, Barry, these world-changing events - Russia wanting to rebuild the Soviet Union and threatening a major pipeline that Europe desperately needs - these are the times when sipping a Mai Tai comes second to getting on your private jet back to DC. Now.
If Obama really wanted to be presidential, rather than just appearing presidential, he would be in DC meeting with experts on Georgia and Putin. It's work, I know. It can't be delegated or outsourced or parsed. It's the unglamorous, yeoman side of the presidency that changes lives - real change.
But, a guy needs some time off, doesn't he? Can't a guy just take his vacation? No. Not if that guy is the president - or wants to be.
Poor Barack Obama. After tirelessly watching the MSM and DNC do the heavy lifting during the Democratic primaries, he desperately needed a vacation - and a photo op with Granny, whom he hadn't visited in two years even though she is an unhealthy 85 and she raised him.
And, what happens? War breaks out in the Caucus Mountains. Damn those Caucasians! Always trying to thwart his plans!
To make matters worse, his time jogging on the beach and relaxing with a Mai Tai (yes, you can still get one in Hawaii) was interrupted because the Doogie Howsers running his campaign wanted a statement. Something presidential. Something with gravitas. (Isn't there an antibiotic for that? Well, there should be.) Something to show his bona fides! (I know there's a cream for that at CVS.) And, those idiot Jonas Brothers took three attempts to come up with a decent speech.
After that McCain guy went out and kicked some Ruskie butt!
After that McCain guy presciently called on the UN Security Council to have an emergency meeting!
And, as if things couldn't get worse, The Changeling had to give his speech in the ugliest black windbreaker to escape from MIT's annual Best Einstein Hair fundraiser!
Rewrite!
Except, this is the real world, Barry, not a perfectly choreographed speech (following a free concert). These are the kind of issues that presidents deal with, not selecting faux seals and posing for promotional pix.
Yes, Barry, these world-changing events - Russia wanting to rebuild the Soviet Union and threatening a major pipeline that Europe desperately needs - these are the times when sipping a Mai Tai comes second to getting on your private jet back to DC. Now.
If Obama really wanted to be presidential, rather than just appearing presidential, he would be in DC meeting with experts on Georgia and Putin. It's work, I know. It can't be delegated or outsourced or parsed. It's the unglamorous, yeoman side of the presidency that changes lives - real change.
But, a guy needs some time off, doesn't he? Can't a guy just take his vacation? No. Not if that guy is the president - or wants to be.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Hey, NYT and WaPo, Are You Protecting Obaby, Too?
After months of dogged reporting by America's premier investigative news outlet, The National Enquirer, the truth has come out about John Edwards. I wish I were joking about NE being our best source but I'm not.
It turns out that the major national media players have been sitting on the Edwards affair story for, oh, almost a year. Yeah, not a few days to give the former senator and his family time to regroup and formulate a strategy. No, 9 FREAKING MONTHS. That must be a helluva strategy there, Johnny.
See, the MSM didn't think it was a major story - even though Edwards had been heavily touted to be a VP contender, Attorney General possibility, or Supreme Court candidate - and they didn't want to hurt Elizabeth's feelings - like she hadn't been hurt by the affair while she waits to die from stage 4 cancer - and they doubted the veracity of the source - which is fair, considering Edwards paramour was the inspiration for an unhinged coke head in a novel written by an ex-boyfriend. Still, two things bother me. One, if NE could find the dirt, surely our best journalists could have unearthed a few spadefuls. Second, even after finding the truth, our most trusted news sources sat on the story. For months.
Tragic.
And I don't mean the affair.
Here's the important question: are the MSM going to make amends by investigating The One?
You know the drill, Rezko, Wright, Ayers, his campaign tactics in Chicago, the birth certificate questions, etc. I'm looking forward to some kick-ass articles about all of this, now that the MSM has decided not to protect its Democratic favorites. (By the way, it was pretty clear to anyone with more than two brain cells that HRC was not an MSM fave. Can you imagine the uproar if she'd lied about speaking a foreign language? Yeah, exactly.)
Now, there are some gold stars to be handed out. The Boston Globe did an excellent series on The One's district. The Weekly Standard had an superb piece examining His Loftiness' writings for his local paper. There was a so-so article in The New Yorker about Chicago's influence on The Community Obamanizer by a reporter who has since been banned from The CO's sight. And the blogosphere has been on these stories from day one.
I understand being cautious. I understand checking sources. I even understand protecting friends or respected members of the community, especially if a story is highly personal and innocent bystanders, like spouses and children, will be hurt. But, I don't understand protecting candidates when the nation's interests are at stake.
I think it's time we stopped calling the New York Times our paper of record when it seems to have a pattern of keeping important stories off the record. And The Washington Post sure has fallen since it's heyday during the Watergate scandal. But the worst offenders are our major networks. Surely between updates on Britney's custody drama and the latest on the Brangelina twins' photo saga they could have squeezed in this little tidbit.
Because the nation cares.
Because Americans want to know who our politicians are as people and what their true values are. And, nothing exposes your true values like trotting out your family at campaign stops while you're betraying your dying wife.
But here's what has really stuck in my craw. Many of these same "journalists" who sat on the Edwards story were Bill Clinton's loudest critics. They tried their damnedest to bury the Clintons over Bill's one-night indiscretion (as opposed to an affair and yes there is a difference!). Yet, they held tight to their keyboards when the Edwards story was burning up cyberspace - likewise with many Obama stories.
So, let's see if we have this straight.
It turns out that the major national media players have been sitting on the Edwards affair story for, oh, almost a year. Yeah, not a few days to give the former senator and his family time to regroup and formulate a strategy. No, 9 FREAKING MONTHS. That must be a helluva strategy there, Johnny.
See, the MSM didn't think it was a major story - even though Edwards had been heavily touted to be a VP contender, Attorney General possibility, or Supreme Court candidate - and they didn't want to hurt Elizabeth's feelings - like she hadn't been hurt by the affair while she waits to die from stage 4 cancer - and they doubted the veracity of the source - which is fair, considering Edwards paramour was the inspiration for an unhinged coke head in a novel written by an ex-boyfriend. Still, two things bother me. One, if NE could find the dirt, surely our best journalists could have unearthed a few spadefuls. Second, even after finding the truth, our most trusted news sources sat on the story. For months.
Tragic.
And I don't mean the affair.
Here's the important question: are the MSM going to make amends by investigating The One?
You know the drill, Rezko, Wright, Ayers, his campaign tactics in Chicago, the birth certificate questions, etc. I'm looking forward to some kick-ass articles about all of this, now that the MSM has decided not to protect its Democratic favorites. (By the way, it was pretty clear to anyone with more than two brain cells that HRC was not an MSM fave. Can you imagine the uproar if she'd lied about speaking a foreign language? Yeah, exactly.)
Now, there are some gold stars to be handed out. The Boston Globe did an excellent series on The One's district. The Weekly Standard had an superb piece examining His Loftiness' writings for his local paper. There was a so-so article in The New Yorker about Chicago's influence on The Community Obamanizer by a reporter who has since been banned from The CO's sight. And the blogosphere has been on these stories from day one.
I understand being cautious. I understand checking sources. I even understand protecting friends or respected members of the community, especially if a story is highly personal and innocent bystanders, like spouses and children, will be hurt. But, I don't understand protecting candidates when the nation's interests are at stake.
I think it's time we stopped calling the New York Times our paper of record when it seems to have a pattern of keeping important stories off the record. And The Washington Post sure has fallen since it's heyday during the Watergate scandal. But the worst offenders are our major networks. Surely between updates on Britney's custody drama and the latest on the Brangelina twins' photo saga they could have squeezed in this little tidbit.
Because the nation cares.
Because Americans want to know who our politicians are as people and what their true values are. And, nothing exposes your true values like trotting out your family at campaign stops while you're betraying your dying wife.
But here's what has really stuck in my craw. Many of these same "journalists" who sat on the Edwards story were Bill Clinton's loudest critics. They tried their damnedest to bury the Clintons over Bill's one-night indiscretion (as opposed to an affair and yes there is a difference!). Yet, they held tight to their keyboards when the Edwards story was burning up cyberspace - likewise with many Obama stories.
So, let's see if we have this straight.
- Bill Clinton - fair game
- Hillary Clinton - fair game
- John Edwards - golden boy
- Barack Obama - The One They Desperately Want to Elect
Monday, August 4, 2008
What Happens in Indonesia Stays in Indonesia
So, here's what I don't get. If Barack Obama was adopted by Lolo Sotero and became legally, socially, and academically Barry Sotero, is his real name, legally and ballot-wise still Barry Sotero?
Are you catching my drift?
Did "Barack Obama" legally change his name from Barry Sotero? Or did he just show up in Honolulu with an old US passport and a wrinkled original birth certificate and get enrolled in school as Barack Obama? Who would have known, right? How would the school secretary know? Just because he had Indonesian school records (assuming those got passed along) wouldn't mean he wasn't American. Think about it! Hawaii is home to countless bases. People come and go from exotic locales all the time. And, in multicultural Ha-va-ii, nobody was going to question either "funny name."
So, what happens in Indonesia stays in Indonesia?
I know it's hard to imagine in our hyperlinked, ID obsessed, new millennial world that there was a time when people didn't ask for your eye scan when you used your Target gift card. But, yes, there was a more innocent period in America when a good, upstanding bank president's word and a few old, dogeared documents would be all you needed to register your child in school.
Nowadays, you need to leave fingerprints inked in your own blood and a DNA test proving parentage. Kidding. And, we really do plan to get those shot records in as soon as possible.
But, I digress ...
According to TexasDarlin's research, also documented at NoQuarter, the state of Hawaii seals the original birth certificates of children who are adopted. A new certificate is produced with the child's new last name, new father and/or mother, and other relevant information. So, if Barack Obama, Jr. was adopted by Lolo Sotero, he would probably have a birth certificate that says Barry Sotero.
What if Barry Sotero showed up with his original US passport and a copy of his original birth certificate (the one that had to have been sealed after his adoption in accordance with Hawaiian law), who would know he wasn't legally Barack Obama? And, why would they ask? Why would anyone ask?
They wouldn't. And, Barry Sotero could go all the way to the US Senate on those old pieces of paper. Would that be legal? I don't know but I have a feeling it's not. When you run for office, you have to do so under your legal name. What if Barry Sotero never got around to filing for a name change, something that would be part of the public record and would have come up on at least one of the gazillion searches I did on The Google. I'm no lawyer ... but ... I don't think Barry can be the legally elected junior senator from Illinois.
See where I'm going with this? Following the same logic, it's possible his name on the primary ballots wasn't valid and he received ZERO votes for the Democratic nomination.
Congratulations, Senator Clinton! Now, all you have to do is hire a team of private investigators, contact the FBI, and convince the MSM to take up your cause all in the next three weeks.
Or else, what happens in Denver will stay in Denver.
Are you catching my drift?
Did "Barack Obama" legally change his name from Barry Sotero? Or did he just show up in Honolulu with an old US passport and a wrinkled original birth certificate and get enrolled in school as Barack Obama? Who would have known, right? How would the school secretary know? Just because he had Indonesian school records (assuming those got passed along) wouldn't mean he wasn't American. Think about it! Hawaii is home to countless bases. People come and go from exotic locales all the time. And, in multicultural Ha-va-ii, nobody was going to question either "funny name."
So, what happens in Indonesia stays in Indonesia?
I know it's hard to imagine in our hyperlinked, ID obsessed, new millennial world that there was a time when people didn't ask for your eye scan when you used your Target gift card. But, yes, there was a more innocent period in America when a good, upstanding bank president's word and a few old, dogeared documents would be all you needed to register your child in school.
Nowadays, you need to leave fingerprints inked in your own blood and a DNA test proving parentage. Kidding. And, we really do plan to get those shot records in as soon as possible.
But, I digress ...
According to TexasDarlin's research, also documented at NoQuarter, the state of Hawaii seals the original birth certificates of children who are adopted. A new certificate is produced with the child's new last name, new father and/or mother, and other relevant information. So, if Barack Obama, Jr. was adopted by Lolo Sotero, he would probably have a birth certificate that says Barry Sotero.
What if Barry Sotero showed up with his original US passport and a copy of his original birth certificate (the one that had to have been sealed after his adoption in accordance with Hawaiian law), who would know he wasn't legally Barack Obama? And, why would they ask? Why would anyone ask?
They wouldn't. And, Barry Sotero could go all the way to the US Senate on those old pieces of paper. Would that be legal? I don't know but I have a feeling it's not. When you run for office, you have to do so under your legal name. What if Barry Sotero never got around to filing for a name change, something that would be part of the public record and would have come up on at least one of the gazillion searches I did on The Google. I'm no lawyer ... but ... I don't think Barry can be the legally elected junior senator from Illinois.
See where I'm going with this? Following the same logic, it's possible his name on the primary ballots wasn't valid and he received ZERO votes for the Democratic nomination.
Congratulations, Senator Clinton! Now, all you have to do is hire a team of private investigators, contact the FBI, and convince the MSM to take up your cause all in the next three weeks.
Or else, what happens in Denver will stay in Denver.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Race, Hypocrisy & Bottle Blondes
Subliminal miscegenation! Racist! Sinister overtones!
Yes, I'm sure Barack Obama is horrified, HORRIFIED, at the thought of a black man and two white women being pictured together. But not together. In an ad.
Pass the smelling salts, Minerva! A black man and a white woman togetha?
Oh, yeah, That's how we ended up blessed with The Blessed One.
Is it me or does the MSM suffer from a wee bit of hypocrisy? How can a biracial man, one who blathers on and on and on annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddddd ooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn about being the son of a " typical white woman from Kansas" and an "African man black as pitch," honestly get riled up about being in an ad showing the candidate with two "typical white women?"
What am I missing?
John McCain's campaign, making light of Obama's celebrity persona, made a G-rated ad showing brief glimpses of blondes Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. It was an amusing commercial but nothing like the infamous Ford/Corker "Harold, call me" debacle. There were no sexual or racial overtones, undertones, or Coppertones. Simply a white face, a brown face, then another white face. And some music.
All those colors! Minerva, those smelling salts!
What are we becoming as a nation? First, Hillary Clinton is raked over the coals for having the temerity to suggest President Johnson had anything to do with Civil Rights and now this crap. A benign ad starring two of our most vacuous celebrities is branded "racist" and "sinister" because their race only half-matches the candidate's.
If it's racist to feature a half-white candidate in the same ad as two white women, is it equally racist to feature a half-black man with two African American starlets? Would the ad have passed muster with nervous netroots nellies if it had depicted Omarosa and Crystle Stewart (our most recent Miss USA Winner to fall on her world stage)? Perhaps McCain's campaign could have gotten away with mixed-race celebrities like Halle Berry and Mariah Carey, except both are accomplished women and the meme of this ad was a lack of experience.
Wait! If there are other mixed-race people in our country, Obama isn't the only biracial American, is he? He just thinks he is because it's always about him. Just like this story wasn't about race but hypocrisy and double standards.
Simply put, because he is half-white himself, a half-white-half-black candidate cannot cast sinister aspersions on an ad's white celebrity faces. Does the good senator have a problem with inter-racial dating? Wouldn't that make him a hypocrite? Or, even a self-loathing hypocrite?
It wasn't just the race card that got played this week. It was the hypocrisy card. It was played by the Obama campaign and the jokers were the liberal MSM.
Minerva, a case of smelling salts for MSNBC and HuffPo ASAP!
Yes, I'm sure Barack Obama is horrified, HORRIFIED, at the thought of a black man and two white women being pictured together. But not together. In an ad.
Pass the smelling salts, Minerva! A black man and a white woman togetha?
Oh, yeah, That's how we ended up blessed with The Blessed One.
Is it me or does the MSM suffer from a wee bit of hypocrisy? How can a biracial man, one who blathers on and on and on annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddddd ooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn about being the son of a " typical white woman from Kansas" and an "African man black as pitch," honestly get riled up about being in an ad showing the candidate with two "typical white women?"
What am I missing?
John McCain's campaign, making light of Obama's celebrity persona, made a G-rated ad showing brief glimpses of blondes Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. It was an amusing commercial but nothing like the infamous Ford/Corker "Harold, call me" debacle. There were no sexual or racial overtones, undertones, or Coppertones. Simply a white face, a brown face, then another white face. And some music.
All those colors! Minerva, those smelling salts!
What are we becoming as a nation? First, Hillary Clinton is raked over the coals for having the temerity to suggest President Johnson had anything to do with Civil Rights and now this crap. A benign ad starring two of our most vacuous celebrities is branded "racist" and "sinister" because their race only half-matches the candidate's.
If it's racist to feature a half-white candidate in the same ad as two white women, is it equally racist to feature a half-black man with two African American starlets? Would the ad have passed muster with nervous netroots nellies if it had depicted Omarosa and Crystle Stewart (our most recent Miss USA Winner to fall on her world stage)? Perhaps McCain's campaign could have gotten away with mixed-race celebrities like Halle Berry and Mariah Carey, except both are accomplished women and the meme of this ad was a lack of experience.
Wait! If there are other mixed-race people in our country, Obama isn't the only biracial American, is he? He just thinks he is because it's always about him. Just like this story wasn't about race but hypocrisy and double standards.
Simply put, because he is half-white himself, a half-white-half-black candidate cannot cast sinister aspersions on an ad's white celebrity faces. Does the good senator have a problem with inter-racial dating? Wouldn't that make him a hypocrite? Or, even a self-loathing hypocrite?
It wasn't just the race card that got played this week. It was the hypocrisy card. It was played by the Obama campaign and the jokers were the liberal MSM.
Minerva, a case of smelling salts for MSNBC and HuffPo ASAP!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
