PSoTD

There's been a bunch of simplistic jingoistic crap commercials running in Central Pennsylvania for McCain, and that is really not much of a surprise - there really doesn't appear to be any sophistication available within the brain trust of the McCain campaign.

However, the visual imagery is somewhat surprising. They're using a gawdy and cheap looking technique of making images appear pasted on top of each other that recalls the early days of National Enquirer covers. Is that what they're going for, the look that appeals to National Enquirer and World Weekly News fans? It just seems to scream "unbelievable" during their ads...

It seems to provide tourism revenue to regions at a pretty low cost.

Mazomanie's comeback is partly because of historical society members who saw the potential of their hamlet nestled amid rolling hills, the Wisconsin River, Black Earth Creek (a Class A trout stream) and farm fields.

Its location is a tourism promoter's dream: on the road between the popular Taliesin -- the home of Frank Lloyd Wright -- and the state capital of Madison. It's also within an hour's drive of water-park-filled Wisconsin Dells.

"It's really been an awakening in the last year or so," said David Friske. He and his wife, Karisa, own the Walking Iron Bed and Breakfast, a brick Victorian Italianate house built in 1865 just outside downtown.

The area is also known for its onetime controversial nude beach on the Wisconsin River in the nearby Town of Mazomanie. It attracts naturists from other states and is the only public nude beach in Wisconsin, though not officially designated as such.

All the Republican recommendations and suggestions about what Sarah Palin should do in the debate and the campaign. Apparently, sometimes Republicans don't walk in lockstep on candidates and issues, and the amount of debate and recommendations on what to do about Palin has to be confusing to the McCain camp. They're back at square one: trying to satisfy their base.

They probably should be embarrassed that one of their associate professors gave such a public viewing of his lack of reasoning and logical argumentation. This is, in college student terms, about the same as providing a presentation to the entire class that earns a D minus, leaving all classmates to realize there's a thudbrain in their midst.

John McCain's just a liar. He's running new commercials in Pennsylvania that basically say:

Economic Collapse
John McCain Is Going To Stop It
McCain Has the Record To Prove He Can
Obama and His Buddies Will Tax You Billions
John McCain Approves This Message

It's basically throw any shit against the wall time for McCain, and he doesn't care how bad his reputation is going to die for it.

McCain's just another lying liar after all.

Seriously, all the McCain puffery is starting to look, well, suspicious.

So Dan Balz sees McCain's "campaign suspension" as a gamble.

Why not call it what it is? It's abdication of his campaign responsibility to the American people. If John McCain didn't believe he could run for President and fulfill his responsibilities as Senator, then he should have abstained from running. Yes, he owed Arizona's people the responsibility of adequately performing as U.S. Senator, and by running for President he promised them that he could do so, and he promised the rest of America that he would be an available candidate for consideration for the highest office in the land.

Now he is reneging on both promises. He's saying he can't be both Senator and candidate, and that being Senator is more important. That's his choice. But Americans are owed more than this - they are owed a full review of the candidates who are running for the Chief Executive office for the next four years. Americans expect, as part of that review, timely and orderly debates. Calling off on them isn't a good gamble for getting the job as Chief Executive. If we expect the Chief Executive to be able to manage several issues at the same time, why shouldn't we expect candidates to do so, also?

I think McCain is going to get punished in the polls for this little ploy, particularly if he grandstands in Washington - and he'll richly deserve it. This is a weakness of McCain's being masqueraded as patriotism, and he doesn't have enough veneer to keep Americans from seeing the difference.

It is time for the bullshit to end on this weak premise:

I'm a strong believer in free enterprise. So my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention.

It is neither natural, nor an instinct, to oppose government intervention. Governance is what we get in our natural search for consensus in direction of competing viewpoints. When President Bush says his natural instinct is to oppose government intervention of a democratically elected government, it is an admission that he believes that his belief trumps the electorate.

It is an admission of the dictatorally-inclined.

And it is an admission that for him, it is not a considered belief, but something he stumbled upon - an "instinct" - and he's thought about it as much as a dog thinks about why he smells the bushes for the urine scents of other animals as he walks along the sidewalk.

I'm sure that his presentation last night gave much of America a sense of deja vu wretching, but for whatever reason, this line stuck out for me. It is time to crush the acceptance of "instinctual governance" with TMIPFE* being the example of why it should not be accepted. We cannot have morons that pride themselves as unthinking as they make policy decisions in the position of making those decisions - and when they admit that they are just that, by using such terms as "natural instincts", well then, they have to be crushed out of politics and government.

*The Most Inept Public Figure Ever

So when is Senator McBunnyPants II going to suggest that the nation postpone the election because of the Depression they are promoting?

It's clear that one's not a competent candidate.

It should do so for the remainder of Bush's life.

But sometimes a driver stumbles on the right location by a general directional focus and pure luck. And it appears that Will might be leaning towards voting for Obama by the same route.

Just watching this guy on BBC news on Friday in Rome, watching him live discuss the bailout effort while we checked into our hotel, gave a palpable sense of Administration panic to a couple of ordinary Americans who had been without televisions or news for five days.

In other words, he gave two ordinary citizens of the United States traveling abroad a mood of NO CONFIDENCE.

John McCain will tell you.

Although it doesn't come with the cool sound effects of the 1970s series of a similar name...

A pair of congressional audits released Wednesday raise serious doubts about whether the federal government will finish a promised border fence this year and confirmed that a system of high-tech sensors won't be working soon.

The plan to build 670 miles of border fence by Dec. 31 has been thrown into doubt by slow property acquisitions, higher costs and the prospect of a federal budget stalemate.

....

The cost of the fence is also hindering progress. When new construction began in early 2007, the fence cost an average of $1 million a mile. It has now climbed to an average of $7.5 million a mile.

The government eventually could face bigger problems with the fence. Congressional auditors found that the government made no estimates for the cost to maintain it.

What party runs the Executive Branch again?

Just watch how he campaigns.

At least in terms of being able to stand American politics and American political news coverage.

In 2000, about George W. Bush and his compassionate conservatism. Apparently it works again this year:

What about her religion, you say? Yes, she’s a social conservative to the Nth degree — but as far as I’m concerned, that only matters if she thinks her views should be translated to national policy. Her record (as opposed to the rhetoric) indicates that she won’t. Since this is of enormous importance to me, it’s an area on which I’m intensely focused.

Is there enough record to decide this for Palin? Was there enough record to decide that for Bush? Ask yourself this - what is the point of running for Vice-President if you're not going to follow your own views in governance and policy questions?

I think that's a winner.

People really shouldn't pardon this on age or era or anything else any more, after all, it's the 21st Century. People like this ought to be tagged with a sign that says "I'm a Moron" because saying this in the press is basically promoting that fact. I'm sure her kids and grandkids, if she has any, appreciate the notoriety.

In a corner booth, Biden sat down and, after a moment's conversation, planted a kiss on the forehead of Carolyn Bauer, age 89. Bauer explained afterward it wasn't such a friendly encounter.

"I told him I'm not going to vote for him," Bauer said. "Anybody who runs with a guy with a name like that is not going to get my vote. It'd be disgusting to get a man named Barack Obama as president of the United States. No way. I mean it . . . I'm going to vote for McCain and the lady."

"[Obama's] a Muslim," Bauer added. "He pretends to be a Christian, and he isn't, he's a Muslim."

Obama has attended Christian churches for years, and his children are baptized.

BTW, if Democrats want to talk about Sarah Palin, I would suggest they make the comparison of her to Dick Cheney:

Dick Cheney was a surprise selection - one might argue a "mavericky" pick - for VP by Bush.

The public didn't really know that much about Dick Cheney despite his public visibility in positions held prior to 2000.

The news media really didn't question the Cheney selection, or his stands on anything during that campaign outside of the one Edwards-Cheney debate.

Cheney made a LOT of policy during the last 8 years.

The public doesn't like Cheney according to the polls.

Shouldn't the press have asked a lot of questions then?

One of the unspoken downsides to democracy is that apparently about 3 percent of the population floats from day to day not sure enough of what direction for the United States should move towards in order to prefer a candidate - a three percent that moves from candidate to candidate depending on the most recent glossy convention - and that three percent will probably end up determining our next President.

I think Obama's strategist allowed himself to be outmaneuvered by McCain's strategist in the immediate post-convention time. Regardless of the quality of the decision, McCain's choice of VP candidate stepped on Obama's buzz after a pretty great convention. Unfortunately, Obama's folks didn't have anything similar to release last Friday. A big surprise endorsement could have been the ticket, but alas, none were forthcoming.

On the other hand, the conventions will be pretty much forgotten after the debates. But it would have been useful to hollow out the Republican energy after their convention.

Some Republicans are so... subtle.

It's the press. They run the Republican strong on defense narrative without critical analysis. Seriously, with the Republicans in charge, is our defense stronger now than 8 years ago? If so, tell us how, and look at the whole glass, not just to the level the water goes up to.

It's easy to say "Republicans took the fight to the terrorists" but it's much more difficult to say whether they've done it in a wise or effective way. Using something stupidly doesn't make you strong.

Actually, I will disagree with Josh Marshall, I thought McCain's presentation was pretty darn good, and he'll get a bump, and the race may be tied by early next week.

The problem with the speech, however, is that in the process of trying to elevate the man, it indicts the party. Yes, it sugarcoats it, but the fact that it happened at all - and that for McCain to have any chance, it HAD to happen - leaves voters with the following choice:

Change Washington with a guy who's been there for decades, and with a political party brimming with people that have been responsible for the past 8 years of failure to follow their philosophy, which was tacitly acknowledged by McCain last night; or

Change Washington with a guy who's relatively new, with a political party that has been mostly out of power for the past 8 years and with philosophies that have been largely ignored by the Republicans for most of that time.

If a change is what is desired, then it really leaves voters with only one option. That realization will probably be coming home to voters in the next two months.

One other thing that struck me last night - we have two different kinds of pronoun candidates. McCain is an "I" and "you" guy. If you look at his speech, the use of the word "I" jumps out even for a campaign speech.

Obama is a "we" and "our" guy.

I think there's something very important there. If change is to occur in our national policies, I don't believe that an "I" can do it - can't change the environment, can't win against the dollars.

The President will need people power, and know how to build it and how to use it.

A President needs a "we".

Has a point. Where are Joe Biden's medical records?

But the 9/1 through 9/3 results show Obama still holding a 49-42 lead.

Sarah Palin and the Republicans put community organizers on the Technorati map, albeit in a belittling way.

I trust that some major media outlet will report how many mentions of the torture McCain received as a POW have been made on the stage of the Republican National Convention after it ends tonight. It has to be in double figures, at least.

Well put.

The mockery went too far. They played the “Obama doesn’t love America, just himself” card, over and over and over. For people already inclined to believe that (i.e., the hardcore Republican base), the speech was a smashing success. Maybe they will work a little harder, volunteer a few more hours, dig a little deeper into their pockets. But so will partisan Dems, who are far more plugged into watching the election coverage.

So my reaction: St. Paul loved this speech… and so did Chicago. Palin swung for the fences, mocking the very notion of community organizing. So did Giuliani. This was the day after “Service” was the theme, and Republicans fell all over themselves praising their party’s commitment to give back to the community. Jarring.

Sarah Palin, the desire of conservative bloggers and right wing radio, gave a refreshingly honest speech last night.

No, the content wasn't honest. No, too many of the statements weren't true or were downright falsehoods.

But still, it was honest. She showed Americans who she was, and who her base wants. It was honest about what the "young Republicans" bring to America:

Misrepresentations
Snark and Mockery
Repetition
"Culture War"
Cynicism

I guess we'll see if that's really what America wants: "Snark and Mockery '08".

Ingredients:

6 gallons of John McCain was a tortured POW.
6 gallons of Barack Obama will raise your taxes.
6 gallons of Mock Obama and Democrats for pure sport.
1 gallon of Mavericky Maverick Maverick juice.

Combine ingredients then add a dash of daddy worship and fear of foreigners. Bottle in gallon jugs. Liberally coat the mouth of the jug with salt from tears from stories of John McCain's torture, then chug.

Courtesy of Talking Points Memo.

We should start believing these Republicans that are saying that Palin has greater qualifications than Obama. I don't mean to say that we should believe it is true in how they frame it.

I mean we should believe that THEY believe it. Which really goes back to their judgement, doesn't it?

As promised.

I'm watching the Republican Convention on CNN, and Bush just spoke. No real insight about that, it was horrible as I expected, but I do think that CNN should move their microphones away from the guy in the crowd imitating Barney from The Simpsons. A few of his drunken-sounding "yeahs" were entertaining, but c'mon...

I wonder if the Republicans didn't invite Ron Paul to speak at the RNC.

But Cernig has a valid point about the quantity of coverage by bloggers.

A Leading Hillary Supporter Defects to McCain

Then throws it out in the first sentence.

John Coale, a prominent Washington lawyer, husband of Fox TV host Greta Van Susteren and a supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, announced today that he was supporting John McCain for president.

I suspect that most of the "prominent Washington lawyers" will go for McCain. Fear of change, ya know.

From Technorati:

Blog Posts that contain Palin per day for the last 90 days.