A hilarious video from our friend Dana Milbank:

By William Rabbe | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (0)

Tags: Dana Milbank, Media Elite, Palin

By Sarah Scully
Given the amount of red meat dished out last night, it seemed best to let it digest overnight before attempting to blog about it. Last week, Barack Obama reinforced his bridge across the aisle by trotting out various Republican supporters and honoring McCain's military record. He tried to strike a balance by appealing to Independents and moderate Republicans with an attack that was less about party identity than singling out the bad apple that is the Bush administration. The GOP took the opposite tack on Wednesday night, with a line-up of Red Meat Ramblers who revived the dialect of the 1990s partisan wars. Given that the whole purpose of a convention is to rally the base, it is appropriate that the GOP draped the convention center in red and made the week a celebration of traditional Republican values, but could the partisan fervor turn off the voters in the middle who may be deciding the outcome of the race?
The roster of McCain's former competitors, Romney, Huckabee and Guiliani singing the praises of the Arizona Senator and sucker punching Democrats in the same spot in quick succession provided a powerful image of unity with a sincerity that was lacking in the Clinton appearances in Denver. Yes, the expectations were high, but the crowd was ready to carry Sarah Palin through the streets of Saint Paul all the way to DC before she even took the stage. Her assignment was written on the wall the day she was selected and repeated again and again by network pundits (who performed the same review session for Obama the previous week): 1. Introduce yourself with an inspiring explanation of your values and defense of your record. 2. Demonstrate that you are as confident and tough as Joe Biden, capable of whupping him in a debate. She got an Incomplete on the first half of the assignment and an A on the second.
The question that still needs answering is: Who is she and what kind of leader would she be? I've no doubt she could have answered this with sufficient gusto but she chose not to. We did hear a little about her disabled son, her enlisted son, her loyal husband and her middle class parents- but that provided an opening for critics to point out the hypocrisy in exploiting certain aspects of her personal life while reacting with outrage at discussion of her daughter's pregnancy (an issue she could have used to exemplify her compassionate conservatism). Palin spent the majority of the nearly 40-minutes oration on the attack. After likening herself to a pitbull in lipstick, she tore into the media, the Washington establishment, the Democratic party, Barack Obama (without mentioning his name specifically) and, oddly enough, community organizers. As in any compelling narrative, the protagonist needs to be developed before we witness their heroics, otherwise the actions have no context. John McCain is not an idiot nor has he given up, contrary to what some fringe lefties are blogging. He chose this woman with good reason and vetted her to the degree he felt necessary. To be sure, Sarah Palin is a talented, forthright speaker and a highly intelligent person but this is not a revelation nor is it a rare quality among elected officials. It should never have been a question of whether she was some backwoods neophyte who would embarrass the party. There has been a lot of talk of sexism, elitism and regionalism in the coverage of Palin but doesn't the fact that her own party was so bowled away merely by her ability to throw a punch betray a double standard? She was hailed as "Sarah Barracuda." Is it possible for a woman to succeed in political leadership without being compared to a violent animal? Why should it be so surprising that a rural mother of five from a working class family could deliver such a forceful blow? If we are to measure her on the same scale as a man, is it possible her speech would have been as well received, had it been delivered by Mitt Romney? Vice Presidential candidate's are traditionally supposed to do the dirty work or "play the attack dog" as the pundits say, but that is not their sole task. They must demonstrate the very same ability to lead as the President.

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Tags: Barracuda, Biden, Giuliani, GOPconvention2008, Huckabee, McCain, pitbull, Romney, Sarah Palin, speech, VP

By Sarah Scully
Republicans spent the day getting their convention back on track, successfully mustering the party faithful into a red meat rally. The tone was strikingly serious compared to the joyous mood in Denver, not simply due to the potentially devastating hurricane. The evening's scheduled theme was "Service" with a focus on McCain's military record and those of his supporters. The GOP is putting forth a message of sober strength to counter the intoxicating hope of the Obama campaign. Patriotic prayers and low profile music provided a slow on-ramp to speakers who, one by one, lifted the mood with personal stories of struggle and sacrifice. By the time a recording of AC/DC's "Back in Black" came on, the crowd was primed. Thunderous applause greeted Barbara and George H. W. Bush as they entered the arena before a video tribute to the 41st President. Though many breathed a sigh of relief when our current President and his low approval ratings decided not to appear in person, he too was met with eager cheers when he appeared on the giant HD wall behind the stage. President Bush, Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman stayed on point, praising a stalwart McCain, a reinvigorating Palin and offering stern warnings against Obama. Adding a couple of whacks at the media and several invocations of the "USA" chant, the GOP was back in fighting form.

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Tags: Day Two, GOP, Lieberman, McCain, message, Obama, Palin, Republican Convention, Thompson

By Sarah Scully
The GOP scaled back several of the events planned for the first day of the convention. With hurricane Gustav looming, delegates arrived to minimal fanfare. Clumps of protestors and squadrons of police roamed the streets while journalists debated the significance of the latest revelation that Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant. The convention was called to order inside as demonstrators began to clash with the authorities outside. Cindy McCain and Laura Bush dispensed with partisan sentiment and instead called for cooperation in assisting storm victims. Party officials spent the evening monitoring current events in order to plan Tuesday's schedule. With the storms and several hundred arrests largely behind them, the GOP is looking to Day Two to boost morale. Look for more enthusiasm (and more protests) today. Tonight, President Bush via satellite, "Independent Democrat" Joe Lieberman and Fred Thompson.

By Sarah Scully | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (4)

Tags: Cindy McCain, Fred Thompson, GOP, Gustav, hurricane, Joe Lieberman, Laura Bush, police, protestors, Republican Convention, Sarah Palin, storm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2008

Contact: Press Office, 703-875-1271
press@hillaryclinton.com

STATEMENT FROM SEN. HILLARY CLINTON ON SEN. MCCAIN'S VP SELECTION

"We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain. While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate."

DISCUSS...

By Sarah Scully | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (6)

Tags: Hillary Clinton, McCain, Sarah Palin, VP, women

By Sarah Scully
Given the disparity between mainstream media interest in Obama's VP selection versus McCain's, is it any wonder the Republican candidate made such a bold move? The publicity factor was clearly not the central reason for selecting Sarah Palin, but she has managed to shove Obama off of center stage for the time being. With a "maverickish" track record of her own, an intriguing life story and a face resembling Tina Fey's, the MSM may have just found a new crush. The criticism leveled at news organizations suggesting that their disproportionate coverage of Obama is a result of liberal partisanship may be proven wrong as Palin's newness is triggering almost as much attention. Whether she wins with Hillary voters, keeps Biden from being as ferocious as he would be against a man or cancels out attacks on Obama's lack of experience, Palin is giving the GOP a long overdue boost. The public has gotten a taste of the unfamiliar and is craving more after hundreds of years of mostly the same. Palin and Obama are on opposite sides of the issues but they represent twin landmarks for the paradigm shift that is occurring in American leadership.
Reactions to McCain's selection of Palin range from outrage to delight but most pick up on the GOP candidate's understanding that it is time to break down the identity barriers in electoral politics. Below are some of the more interesting reflections:
- Mark Halperin weighs the boldness with the risks. Note his use of the word "dishy" in describing Palin's husband.
- Fred Barnes examines Palin's unsung strengths in the Wall Street Journal.
- FiveThirtyEight.com breaks down the polling data on Palin.
- Politico's Jim Vandehei & John F. Harris deconstruct the matter with a list of six key revelations.
- CQ Politics focuses on historic aspect of McCain Palin.
- The WaPo reports on Obama's cautiously respectful response.

By Sarah Scully | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (3)

Tags: bias, Biden, McCain, MSM, Obama, Palin, Sarah Palin, VP

After surprising the country with his veep pick, will McCain's choice of Sarah Palin pick up votes from Hillary Democrats, or will this be more akin to the 1984 election? Will gender be a determining factor, over party affiliation?

Look for Hillary Clinton's reaction in the coming days....

By William Rabbe | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (5)

Tags: John McCain, Sarah Palin, Vice President

By Sarah Scully
Keenly aware of the hype surrounding his speech, Barack Obama sought to change the expectations rather than meet them. On the anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech, at an undoubtedly historic moment in American politics, many thought Obama would attempt to elevate himself to Dr. King's level and continue to make the case that this was his destiny but he was smart not to do that. His campaign has seldom missed a beat in reading the conventional wisdom and they were clearly aware that the grand spectacle needed to be tempered by some earthy toughness, lest their candidate would prove arrogant and presumptuous. Trying for such lofty heights means that much farther to fall, so he instead went for something entirely different and more humble while still putting on an entertaining show. Splitting the difference was tricky though, the candidate moved the ball forward for the most part but the combination of authentic, blue collar voters, pragmatic concerns ("Looking out for Barney Smith not Smith Barney") and the glittered spectacle of a rock concert and fireworks display at times seemed awkward. Republicans have been getting decent traction attacking Obama as a superficial celebrity with a concerning Messianic fervor surrounding him. Obama needed to get out from under the notion that he saw himself as the second coming and so the "hopemonger" gave a speech that was very different than what we are used to hearing- not inspiring and full of wonder but plain spoken and tough with specific policy points. Hitting nearly every concern his opponent and the media have brought up in recent weeks, Obama almost toveremphasized that was a Regular Joe (just like his running mate), shouting: "This election is not about me. It's about you!" In a style similar to Ronald Reagan, Obama directed cutting remarks at his rival embedded in respectful praise, specifically honoring McCain's military record and explaining that his worthy opponent was not a bad person, "he just doesn't get it." He planted the seeds for future attacks on McCain's temperament and age. He may now be accused of being too mean by voters and the GOP will undoubtedly continue to exploit his unavoidable celebrity and point out errors in his "data" and policy ideas but Obama has for the most part, accomplished setting up an effective game plan for the fall.

By Sarah Scully | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (5)

IFC News takes you to the Unconventional '08 Event held at the Manifest Hope Gallery during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO

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Tags: democratic national convention unconventional manifest hope art shepard fairy