Obama and abortion

Terrible Ted

The Nuge with a take on Palin.....

With grave suspicion and reservations, I nonetheless rejoice that the fading embers of conservatism may have indeed caught fire once more. That fireball is Gov.Sarah Palin of Alaska, I pray the next Vice President of the United States. Now I know why I have seen no one with any guts in the Republican Party in so long: the governor of Alaska has them all. Her speech last night was clearly a grand slam out-of-the-park home run. America, we have liftoff!

By selecting Gov. Palin to be his running mate, Sen. McCain has finally electrified the conservative base -- the very base he desperately needs to defeat Sen.Obama in November. I, for one, am greatly relieved and inspired by her message, delivery, confidence, poise, class and grace.

To borrow a relative quote from Michelle Obama, with the selection of Gov. Palin, it’s the first time in quite some time that I’m proud of the Republican Party.

More.....

Rangel's tax problem

Charlie Rangel apparently didn't know that he needed to pay taxes on rental income despite the fact that the committee he chairs only WRITES THE TAX LAWS....

Representative Charles B. Rangel has earned more than $75,000 in rental income from a villa he has owned in the Dominican Republic since 1988, but never reported it on his federal or state tax returns, according to a lawyer for the congressman and documents from the resort.

Mr. Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes the federal tax code, bought the beachfront villa at the Punta Cana Yacht Club and has received twice-yearly payments from the resort, which rents the property for $500 or more per night.

Records from the development, now called the Punta Cana Resort and Club, indicated that Mr. Rangel’s rental profits varied from year to year, from $2,700 in 2004 to $7,600 in 1994.

What's so "progressive" about tax evasion?

What is a "community orgainzer"?

Apparently, Obama has his buns in a bind after Sarah Palin questioned what no one else had the balls ask. What the hell is a "community organizer"?

Sen. Barack Obama ditched his normal languid cool today, punching back at Gov. Sarah Palin as he spoke with reporters in York, Pa, hotly defending his work as a community organizer. He said he assumes Palin "wants to be treated same way guys want to be treated, which means their records are under scrutinty. I've been through this for 19 months. She's been through it, what four days?"

Obama's hackles were clearly raised by Palin's dismissal of his community organizing --a response to his earlier dismissal of her record as a small-town mayor. "Why would that kind of work be ridiculed?" Obama said. "Who are they fighting for?" The idea that community organizing is not relevant to the presidency, he said, just shows why Republicans "are out of touch and don't get it."

He is right. We republicans already live in organized communities. That's probably why we don't have to worry about 235 murders IN ONE SUMMER.

I've got a question apparently missed by all the traditional media while vetting Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter.

Who actually paid Obama during this so called "community organizer" activity? Was it a non profit group? We already know that he has some affiliation with ACORN. Was that who paid him?

Where did his paychecks come from?

What was his primary mission? Was he providing free legal advice? During the convention, I must have missed all those testimonials of people who Obama helped doing this "community organizing". Who are these people?

Maybe the NY Times can pull one of their 100 reporters in Juneau and ask the same questions.

Where's that community organizer when you need one?

So you're looking for a nice quiet life in that tony, little, democratic enclave known as Chicago.

You may want to consider moving to Iraq or Afghanistan, it's safer.

An estimated 123 people were shot and killed over the summer. That's nearly double the number of soldiers killed in Iraq over the same time period.

In May, cbs2chicago.com began tracking city shootings and posting them on Google maps. Information compiled from our reporters, wire service reports and the Chicago Police Major Incidents log indicated that 123 people were shot and killed throughout the city between the start of Memorial Day weekend on May 26, and the end of Labor Day on Sept. 1.

According to the Defense Department, 65 soldiers were killed in combat in Iraq. About the same number were killed in Afghanistan over that same period.

In the same time period, an estimated 245 people were shot and wounded in the city.

For you progressive types, I have a question. How is it that all the cities you run have all these murders?

A take on the Palin speech

A take on the Palin speech at Reason....

The aw-shucks quality and class warfare elements here are familiar. The indirection, sarcasm, and unembarrassed intelligence are new. It's a measure of how surprising Palin's style was that so many of her detractors could respond only with rage, incomprehension, and irrelevant complaints. In particular, Palin's Democratic counterpart Joseph Biden's predictable-as-Pickett's-Charge objection that the speech lacked substance sets up a very plausible scenario for the vice presidential debate: I'm willing to predict that the hyper-informed Biden will demonstrate his mastery of the facts, leave no doubt about his flair for complex policy questions, get his ass handed to him in the debate, and never understand what went wrong.

Is love for Palin irrational?

David Frum with some salient points on his doubt about Palin....

Sarah Palin is exciting and appealing. But what kind of executive is she? None of us have even the remotest idea. We don't know whether she takes advice from a wide circle or a narrow one, whether she tends to decide quickly or slowly, whether her budgets are realistic, whether she is calm or excitable in a crisis. We have no idea whether she is decisive or vacillating, prompt or procrastinating, curious or incurious. These things matter enormously in a president.

He has a good observation here but this is what I think he's missing about what the conservative base sees in Palin.

First, when you are grounded in principle, decisions are actually quite easy. Reagan was effective because he had a belief system he actually believed in. As a result, he was able to attract, recruit and delegate authority to people who bought into his belief system. He never needed to micromanage his presidency and no one cared.

Reagan's team was enrolled in his vision and they were able to execute. You don't need to sit around and create a management "style" when you're committed to a larger purpose. People get it and advise and counsel accordingly.

Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers is a total result of a politician incorporating political calculus in front of principle. It was a disaster.

Second, in Palin's case, if she is truly a conservative, conservatives will pick up the baton and run with it when it's needed.

For instance, how does a moderate like McCain rally his "base" for support on a tax cut when that same "base" sense that he'll sell them out on immigration reform? Using the word base is actually a misnomer since there is no "base" for moderates. Every issue becomes an advocacy play.

So once again, management style becomes important when you're evaluating a candidate who has no core principles.

Third, without saying one thing in a speech, conservatives can already see what a government looks like through Palin's eyes more than they ever will be able to do with the other three bozos in this race.

Who were the other people available with this quality? Newt Gingrich is the only one who comes to mind and he's unelectable.

In my mind, the other available candidates here were variations of McCain (Romney, Giuliani, Huckabee, etc.). Just how do conservatives get any love there?

These conservatives are willing to risk the details of a management style to share in a conservative vision. This is especially true when the republican "brand" has been so bastardized it's hardly recogizable to anyone, much less conservatives.

Frum is probably correct in that conservatives may have jumped the gun in their unconditional love for Palin. But how do undecideds get enrolled in a republican candidate when conservatives can't?

Maybe they'll vet this

I wonder if the NY Times will pull away one of their three hundred investigative staff members from Sarah Palin's home town library long enough to vet this?.....

Nigerian anti-graft investigators have seized money raised by the head of the Nigerian Stock Exchange to support US presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it would give the money back to those who attended a gala dinner in Lagos last month.

The EFCC said it had seized 74m naira ($630,000, £314,000), but said no Nigerian laws had been broken.

US political parties are not allowed to receive contributions from abroad.

Stock exchange chairwoman Ndi Okereke-Onyuike is also the head of Africans for Obama, a Nigeria-based support group.

More....

Obama Endorses Kwame Kilpatrick

Another one bites the Obama bus.

Don't worry Kwame. You're a democrat. Next year, you can run again and win in a landslide. It doesn't matter how corrupt and/or incompetent you are. Just ask Marion Berry, William "Cold Cash" Jefferson, BJ Clinton, Ray Nagin, and Ted Kennedy.

Do democrats or republicans run this mess?

From My Way...

A decade behind schedule, a $350 million downtown high school finally opened on Wednesday after years of environmental, seismic and legal troubles.

"We've been waiting a long time to get this," said Uriel Rivera, an 18-year-old senior at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center. "A lot of people in the community were supposed to graduate from here, but they didn't. I thought it was going to be the same for me."

Rivera was among more than 2,400 students who streamed into the school on its first day - long after what had been expected to be a late 1990s debut of an education showplace to relieve sorely overcrowded classrooms.

Much of what was then called the Belmont Learning Center was already constructed before fears grew about toxic gases rising from an old oil field upon which it was built.

Construction was halted in 2000, then resumed in 2002 only to be thwarted again, this time by the discovery of an earthquake fault that crosses the site.

Lengthy investigations by the county district attorney's office, the city attorney and the California attorney general found no criminal wrongdoing, but in 2003 District Attorney Steve Cooley labeled the project "a public works disaster of biblical proportions."

So what do you think? Are the republicans or democrats responsible for this debacle?

Sick day measure pulled

Maggie, Right Runner and WMD all have posts on the paid sick day proposal off the ballot.

Ms. Williams said the decision "was not easy nor made lightly," but was reached after "it became clear that a shrill and vitriolic ballot campaign marred by misinformation and disinformation would be impossible to avoid."

Wait a damn minute here. Either this law was a good proposal or it was not. Since when has a "shrill and vitriolic ballot campaign" ever dissuaded a union from moving ahead on any issue. In fact, I believe everything unions touch is surrounded with "shrill and vitriolic". What's makes this so different?

There's more going on here that's not being reported. My guess is that Ted promised something big to these guys.

The good news is at least this one has been put to bed; for now.

Wait 'til next year

The NFL kicks off tonight. I'd like to say that Cincinnati has an NFL team although I'd like to maintain my credibility as a semi intelligent person.

At least we're getting pretty used to saying "wait til next year" around week five.

For the life of me, I will never understand why people support an organization as lousy and awful as the Bengals. For 1/5th the price, you can cruise right up to Clifton and see a decent college football product. But people insist on spending hundreds of dollars a week to watch this miserable display of football.

I used to think that being a US Senator was the most disgusting, dishonorable profession in the world until I started reading about Mike Brown.

Think about it, Mike Brown could be a US Senator...

1) He has basically voted "present" since he inherited the team in 1990.
2) No matter how horrible of an owner he is, his pockets are always full.
3) If he failed to show up for work for, say, the next fifteen years, would anyone notice?
4) He's single handedly extracted hundred of millions of dollars from taxpayer's and provided absolutely nothing in return.
5) After the taxpayer's were bent over for millions upon millions of dollars, he got to name the stadium they paid for after himself (OK it was his dad).
6) Every six years or so(election time), he fires a coach, tells us things are going to be different and it's exactly the same.

In all seriousness, Mike Brown is said to have a soft spot for players who have run afoul of the law. In fact, he's given some players chance, upon chance, upon chance. Just one time, I'd like to see Senator Brown shows some compassion for the people who lined his pockets with $700 million bucks.

The rules in the NFL make it an almost mathematical possibility to be so horrible for so long. If you want to run a successful NFL franchise, read Mike Brown's business plan (assuming he has one) ..... then do the opposite.

By the way, the over under for this season's team wins is at 7.5. Have you ever seen a Bengals team over achieve? Take the under.

Until then. Go Bears!!!!!

Biden

This is the lunacy we get to look forward to if the President and Congress is dominated by liberals.

That "community organizer" experience

Are these the same Chicago city schools where Obamamania worked as a "community organizer" and, along with uber patriot William Ayers, pumped $100 million into those same schools?

Say it ain't so.

Life in "Progress City"

You know you live in a crappy community when NFL players steal other players stuff.

In this case, Detroit....

A strange thing happened to running back Rudi Johnson when he visited with the Detroit Lions

on Monday.

Someone stole his stuff.

Seriously.

Specifically, and as we’re told by a reliable source (i.e., not the person who told Mort that Joey Harrington had agreed to terms with the Ravens on Monday, or the person who told John Clayton that Todd Bouman had agreed to terms with the Ravens on Tuesday), Johnson left his bags outside CEO Matt Millen’s office while he met with team officials and, ultimately, worked out a deal with the team.

So when Johnson came back to get his bags, they were nowhere to be found. Johnson and Millen were stumped.

Enter the eye in the sky.

The team checked the videotapes generated by the team’s in-house surveillance system, and they quickly identified the culprit.

So who might it have been? None other than Tatum Bell, who lost his gig with the Lions after Rudi arrived.

More....

From hot to cool

I go from hot to cool on the Palin nomination, right now I'm a blazing hot.

During the vetting process, one of McCain's advisers allegedly gave her a warning about the media attacks coming which prompted this exchange....

"You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?"

No.

"The lipstick"

The one thing that is frequently overlooked in her biography is the total lack of "play along to get along" game. It tells me that she's more about principle than resume.

She could have climbed up the macho ladder of Alaskan GOP politics by playing the game of winks and nods that has made Alaskan GOP politics the corrupt machine that it is today.

But she didn't.

Each and every step of her political rise has been due to actually doing something. Namely, getting rid of the stench of political "business as usual".

No wonder she has an 80% approval rating. The voters get that.

The previous Newt video really says it all. Has their been one time in either Biden's or Obama's careers where they put their political aspirations on the line, bucked the party machinery and stepped up for principle on an issue?

(cricket chirps)

I'm always saying that I think the person most qualified for the job of President is the person who least wants it. The person who believes they are called to take on all the crap. The person who, when they chose colleges and jobs, didn't do it with their eye on their political "viability".

When Sarah Palin went to the University of Idaho, took her job as a sports broadcaster, and became a city council member, I don't think she had designs on working up her resume to be a VP candidate.

Contrast this to Joe Biden, who's spent the better part of 36 years longing to be president one day and who still lives in the delusion that he would be president if "he had hair".

Two America's

A must read piece at the American Thinker on the "Two America's" and where Palin fits in the puzzle...

Liberals have long lamented the existence of two nations in America. They are right to do so today, but in a way they never meant. It is not the divide between rich and poor which soon will be causing serious pain on the left. Sarah Palin's pending nomination for Vice President is exposing the depth of the cultural divide between Middle America and the leftists who have taken over the education, media, and cultural establishment of our country.

Newt on MSNBC

Building Stonehenge - This Man can Move Anything

Like Sarah Palin, the genius is in the simplicity.

Underestimating Palin

A must read piece about Sarah Palin from an unlikely source, The New Republic....

That the Republicans missed about Sarah Palin then--and what the Democrats seem poised to miss now--is that she is a true political savant; a candidate with a knack for identifying the key gripes of the populace and packaging herself as the solution. That keen political nose has enabled her to routinely outperform her resume. Nearly two years into her administration, she still racks up approval ratings of 80 per cent or better.

One might reasonably ask to what extent her local popularity is buoyed by the high price of oil (and thus, a budget surplus, and thus, the ability to carry a stick into meetings with big oil). One might speculate about the durability of her anti-corruption stance in light of her conflict of interest in the dismissal of her director of public safety. And only the truly feckless would not concern themselves about her dearth of foreign policy experience. But in probing this candidate, it would behoove the Democrats and the pundits to shed the notion that they are dealing with some dimwitted bumpkin (Dan Quayle seems to come up a lot lately) who’s going to start crying when they ask her to name the president of Azerbaijan; or that Palin is the townie who was brought into the Skull & Bones initiation night for the amusement of all; or that somehow the prom queen ballots got mixed up with the Alaska gubernatorial poll. Trivialize her at your own peril.

Sarah Palin is a living reminder that the ultimate source of political power in this country is not the Kennedy School or the Davos Summit or an Ariana Huffington salon; even now, power emanates from the electorate itself. More precisely, power in 2008 emanates from the working class electorates of Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Sooner or later, the Obama camp will realize that the beauty pageant queen is an enormously talented populist in a year that is ripe for populism. For their own sake, it had better be sooner.

And more vetting

I guess opposition research just isn't complete without revealing someone's personal phone numbers and social security number.

And you wonder why people aren't flocking to go into politics.

Read here. Page 58

HT redstate

Vetting, vetting & more vetting

By now, we all know about the horrible sin of Palin's seventeen year old daughter but how about the Biden's.... (HT WMD)

A son and a brother of Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware are accused in two lawsuits of defrauding a former business partner and an investor of millions of dollars in a hedge fund deal that went sour, The Washington Post reported, citing court records.

The Democratic vice presidential candidate’s son Hunter, 38, and brother James, 59, meanwhile say it was they who were defrauded by their former partner, whom they have accused of misrepresenting his experience in the hedge fund industry, The Post said.

According to the legal skirmishes, which have been playing out in New York State Supreme Court since 2007, Anthony Lotito Jr. said that he agreed to help set up Paradigm Companies, a hedge fund group for the Bidens, because the V.P. nominee was concerned on how his son Hunter’s lobbying activities would reflect on his campaign.

WHOOAAAA cowboy. I see hedge funds, fraud, lobbying. Aren't these the three mortal sins of democratic politics?

But then again, we have the 22 year old DUI for her husband but nary a word about the Big O's admitted cocaine use.

Long before the national media spotlight began to shine on every twist and turn of his life's journey, Barack Obama had this to say about himself: "Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. . . . I got high [to] push questions of who I was out of my mind."

I guess Todd's biggest mistake was not to drown any witnesses. If he had, they would have thrown a tribute for him at the DNC convention.

UC Bearcat

Right where my seats were

Even P. Diddy gets it

See, I agree totally with P.Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Combs, whatever the hell his name is.

He's right. Alaska; no crack heads, no crime, etc. That's because it's republican. I guess if you want a quality of life that includes these things you need to go to vote for the democrat. Don't take my word for it. Even the Diddy says so.

Just think. If you vote for Obamamania, you'll share the same political acumen as this ding dong.

HT Rush

Second Amendment

Senate testimony on the 2nd Amendment. From the Luby's cafeteria shooting.

Thanks to reader Fred for a reminder as to why I detest liberalism.

Photo's from the "green" convention

More at Brian Thomas

Pregnancy politics

Over the weekend, I tried to do a weekend news blackout. Unfortunately, the first thing I get when I finally turn on the news is the Palin pregnancy issue.

A couple of thoughts.

1) If Palin's daughter had decided to have an abortion, no one would have known and all would have been A-OK. Right? Can you imagine the feminist outrage if the media had disclosed an abortion for someone exercising her "choice"? Why shouldn't the daughter have the same protection for having the baby?

Yet, because she decides to have a baby, she get to have the whole issue spread all over the media. Today, on Drudge, is a picture of the boyfriend.

2) Even if the Palin VP choice doesn't work for an election victory, I think the social lessons of the Palin will be profound. Basically, it sends the message to women that pregnancy, no matter how "inconvenient", doesn't have to be a liability for the mother. Why make a baby pay with death for one of life's "inconveniences".

3) A lot of people on the left are crucifying Palin for both of these pregancies. I believe many who will criticize don't like the mirror that Palin puts in front of them. For instance, how many women have had abortions knowing their child would have Down's Syndrome or when an unplanned pregancy would interupt a great career path, etc.

Seeing the Palin family forces people who have exercised their choice to deal with the consequences of that choice. Something many are not willing to do.

After all, misery loves company.

Comparison of experience

Gerald Baker with a thorough comparison of "experience" between Pail and Obamamania...

Political experience

Obama: Worked his way to the top by cultivating, pandering to and stroking the most powerful interest groups in the all-pervasive Chicago political machine, ensuring his views were aligned with the power brokers there.

Palin: Worked her way to the top by challenging, attacking and actively undermining the Republican party establishment in her native Alaska. She ran against incumbent Republicans as a candidate willing and able to clean the Augean Stables of her state's government.

More....

The party of change?

From Bloomberg News

There was much talk about change last week at the Democratic convention. But are the Democrats really offering any substantive change?

To find out, I pulled out John Kerry's 2004 Democratic national platform and compared its fiscal policy with that contained in today's Barack Obama-inspired missive.

The documents are so similar it's creepy. While there are a number of new minor policies, and fresh details on old targets such as health care, the big picture has stayed the same.

When Democrats say they offer change, what they really mean is that things will be different if voters accept the policies they rejected last time.

To be fair, there are some alterations this year.

Both platforms promise to extend the Bush income-tax cuts for the middle class, but repeal them for the rich. In 2004, Kerry defined rich as those making more than $200,000. Today, Obama promises not to increase taxes on anyone making less than $250,000.

So the definition of rich has increased from $200,000 to $250,000. That's change you can believe in that will be especially appreciated by everyone making between $200,000 and $249,999.

More....

Happy Labor Day America

DNC loaded with class

Obamamania - Catch it

Thought of the Day

How many times did Sarah Palin vote "present" as governor of Alaska?

Maybe that's the "experience" democrats are talking about.

Kristol on Palin

Bill Kristol on Palin

There will be rocky moments. But they will fade if the McCain campaign lets Palin's journey take its natural course over the next two months. Millions of Americans--mostly but not only women, mostly but not only Republicans and conservatives--seemed to get a sense of energy and enjoyment and pride, not just from her nomination, but especially from her smashing opening performance. Palin will be a compelling and mold-breaking example for lots of Americans who are told every day that to be even a bit conservative or Christian or old-fashioned is bad form. In this respect, Palin can become an inspirational figure and powerful symbol. The left senses this, which is why they want to discredit her quickly.

A key moment for Palin will be the vice presidential debate, to be held at Washington University in St. Louis on October 2. One liberal commentator--a former U.S. ambassador and not normally an unabashed vulgarian--licked his chops Friday afternoon: "To steal an old adage of former Secretary of State James Baker .  .  . putting Sarah Palin into a debate with Joe Biden is going to be like throwing Howdy Doody into a knife fight!"

Charming. And if Palin holds her own against Biden, as she is fully capable of doing? McCain will then have succeeded in combining with his own huge advantage in experience and judgment, a politician of great promise in his vice presidential slot who will make Joe Biden look like a tiresome relic. McCain's willingness to take a chance on Palin could turn what looked, after Obama's impressive speech Thursday night in Denver, like a long two months for Republicans and conservatives, into a campaign of excitement and--dare we say it?--hope, which will culminate on November 4 in victory.

More....

Where are the misogynists?

As I surfed the number of political blogs yesterday, I had to ask the question.

Where are the misogynists?

You know, those knuckle dragging, conservative, angry white guys who's whole meaning in life is being able to hold down women.

Rush Limbaugh

This woman's nickname is Barracuda, from her high school basketball days. She takes no prisoners. She's a government ethical reformer. She's been opposing Ted Stevens, who's got problems. Her husband works in the oil business. He helps to create the fuel that Obama uses to fly all over the country. The fuel that Obama says he wants to get rid of in ten years. This is tremendous, and everybody saying, "Well, how is she going to stack up against Biden?" It's not how she stacks up against Biden. It's how she stacks up against Obama. McCain has the experience-vs.-Obama thing wrapped up. "Well, what about foreign policy? She doesn't have any foreign policy." Neither does Obama! Our vice presidential choice is more qualified to be president of the United States than Barack Obama, the Democrat choice.

Hugh Hewitt

Sarah Palin is a real deal conservative, down the line, on all of the issues.

James Dobson

I shared with a colleague just a few minutes ago exactly what you said about the period of time when Ronald Reagan had broken onto the scene and I was in Washington D.C. the day he was inaugurated. That was one of the most exciting days of my life, because everything that we had hoped for and been working for had come to pass. I feel very much that way today.

Mark Steyn .

....And for the gun-totin' Miss Wasilla then to go on to become Governor while having five kids makes it an even more uniquely American story. Next to her resume, a guy who's done nothing but serve in the phony-baloney job of "community organizer" and write multiple autobiographies looks like just another creepily self-absorbed lifelong member of the full-time political class that infests every advanced democracy.

I have to admit I was cool to her selection because I believed Obama's experience was an easy target to exploit and I was against her selection as well as Bobby Jindal's.

None the less, she has the opportunity to transform what the GOP looks like. It's going to be harder for democrats to claim their tent is so big when there was room for Joe Biden but no room for a woman on their ticket when republicans found room.

In addition, how is it that conservatives like myself are more enthusiastic for a woman than the guy on top of the ticket? Because she's a conservative. It proves that conservatives are more committed to principle than labels such as race, sex, etc...

See, Obama disciple's aren't the only one's hungry for change. Conservatives are dying for someone to pick up the conservative flag and run with it. Palin fits that bill.

That could open lots of doors for people to say "democrats talk, republicans walk".

Game on!

Stipe to leave US

How many of these are we going to hear going over the next two months.....

Asked what he felt it would mean for America if McCain wins the election, Stipe smiled and said: "Well I'd have to move to England".

Mike, get your passport ready.

Messiahmania - Catch It

Pot, Kettle Black award

This is the first one in a while that hasn't gone to The Billary.

This week's award goes to Obamamania....

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies — that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same.

Hello!!! Experience? I'm still turning pages to resumes to see what exactly either Biden or Obama have actually run. What has either of them accomplished?

Was it that "community organizer" thingy that Obama ran? By the way, I've driven through South Chicago, unless his goal there was to organize an outhouse, he didn't run that well.

Biden? I watched him run those Clarence Thomas hearings. That was pretty successful by most accounts.

What does either of them offer for foreign policy experience? Diplomat? A governor trying to lure foreign trade?

In my mind, she might be more qualified than any of these dirt bags.

Naughty Alaskan librarian

The politics of abortion

I was curious to see other blogger's thoughts on the Palin nomination and I ran into this little barb over at Jill's

For women’s vote, Eleanor Clift says: Clinton asked are you for me or the issues I stand for? Overturning Roe will now come up. How will she perform - like Dan Quayle and not up to it or dazzle us and make us think she can step in?

I've never understood why abortion is the one and only issue for some women; especially those past child bearing age.

First, we went through Reagan, Bush I and Bush II administrations. They were all allegedly pro life and despite 20 of the last 28 years of these pro life candidates, Roe v Wade still stands. It's not going anywhere.

Second, even if Roe V. Wade is overturned, a woman will still be able to chop up the baby in her womb at anytime because states will never be able to place significant abortion restrictions into law.

See, right now it's easy to be pro life because the you can always blame abortion on the Supreme Court. If, by some act of God, it's overturned, many of those "pro life" elected officials are going to be hiding in corners.

Third, if you are a woman that holds this issue so dearly and you are absolutely certain that you do not want a baby. I have an idea, don't get pregnant in the first place. If you can take the time and energy to worry about your elected officials taking away your "right", you have more than enough energy to avoid a pregnancy in the first place.

Maybe a woman past child bearing age can clue me in on why they'd vote for a pro abortion male over a pro life woman.

Where's Geena Davis?

I didn't realize that ABC brought back Commander in Chief. Given that McCain is all of 89 or 90, she could be the next president, much like the TV drama.

I've been critical of Obama's campaign playing right into McCain's hand. McCain must have decided to return the favor with his selection of Palin.

Look, she seems like a great conservative. But how do you bang on someone's lack of experience with this selection. This selection communicates that experience isn't important.

You can mix the four of these picks any number of ways and they look like the same thing.

McCain must have some kick ass polling that shows some truly pissed off Clinton supporters.

Unlike these other three senatorial ding dongs and derelicts, at least Palin has actually run something. These other dolts have never even run a lemonade stand.

Evaluating the demographic #2

A few weeks ago, I printed a GOP analysis of the rock star demographic. This week, my insider friend at GOP headquarters provided me with a breakdown of the movie star demographic.

Name: TV & Movie Personalities

Description: Made up of established actors, directors and producers in the motion picture and television industries.

Like the rock star demographic, this group contains an unusually high number of drug addicts & alcoholics. Multiple marriages and sex partners (and subsequent sex addictions) are also part of this group’s demographic.They also suffer from large amounts of emotional instability as evidenced by a higher suicide rate than the public at large.

In addition, there appears to be quite a little man complex among the Hollywood elite Tom Cruise (5’7”), Dustin Hoffman (5’5”), Richard Dreyfus (5’5”), Al Pacino (5’7”), and Bill Maher (5’8”). These were people who probably weren’t talented enough to be the jocks on campus. As a result, they carry an ingrained resentment against traditional power structures.

Current members of this group include but are not limited to Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Pete Wentz, Rachel Leigh Cook, Kal Penn, Jennifer Hudson, Fran Drescher, Method Man, Sean Penn, Giancarlo Esposito, Danny Glover, Margaret Cho.

Estimated poll figures: Obama 84% - McCain 16%

What they are looking for in a candidate: For the most part, this is a group that wants their artistic talents appreciated by the general public (regardless of how crappy). In addition, many of them feel that they have an appreciation for the exploitation of the poor as a result of their own moral and ethical sell outs to get prime Hollywood jobs.

In addition, much like other democratic supporters, this is a group who is used to having people doing life’s dirty work for them. So in their minds, the democratic party would appear to be a nice fit to take of things they really don’t want to be bothered with.

Finally, because most of these people were freaks and geeks in high school, they see support of the democratic party as an attempt to put one over on the quarterback who stuffed them in a trash can back in high school.

How to impact the demographic: At this point in time, the GOP has some moderate vocal support from the likes of Jon Voight, Bo Derek and Patricia Heaton. Unfortunately, many conservative Hollywood types will remain in the background to avoid a potential blacklisting by directors, producers, etc.

Cost/Benefit of drawing this demographic: If you saw the Obama acceptance speech last night, you’ll get how truly unstable some of these people are. As a result, it’s probably a good thing to let these people continue their support for democrats.

Just leave them alone.

Friday Funny II

McCain v Obama guess which one is which

Friday Funny

Here's an old classic...

The party of the people

A good time for democrats in Denver....

An unruly crowd gathered outside a fancy lounge near the Pepsi Center for hours, pressing up against bouncers to get to the party inside. Anyone who made their way through the door found an open bar, a horde of lobbyists, political strategists and reporters and a handful of lawmakers. But first, you had to wait in line, then prove you were invited by finding your name on a pre-printed list. Unless, that is, you were former White House chief of staff John Podesta, in which case you hopped out of your black SUV, walked up to the door and strolled right in at around midnight with barely a nod at the security guys.

The nightlife at the Democratic convention has seen the usual celebrity hierarchy turned sort of upside down, with wonky Washington power brokers suddenly commanding the sort of VIP treatment at swanky clubs usually reserved for ex-reality TV stars. As soon as the night's speeches end -- and sometimes before then -- trendy bars and clubs around town have filled up with D.C. types wearing convention credentials around their necks. Performers from Kanye West to Willie Nelson have appeared on late-night stages, and most people in Denver could probably have managed to get through the week without spending a dime on dinner or drinks by bouncing from party to party.

There's a reason, of course, that even junior House aides are able to get into lavish events that keep them fed, drunk and entertained all week; the parties are sponsored by huge corporations with plenty of business pending before them when the whole scene heads back to Washington. With Democrats in charge of Congress, and aiming at the White House, corporate interests who only used to care about Republicans are using the convention to cozy up to the other side. In fact, according to tip sheets compiled by D.C. lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie (an equal-opportunity employer of Republicans and Democrats alike), there were far more evening receptions, cocktail parties and big blowouts this week in Denver than there will be next week in St. Paul. But the new interest in Washington's Democratic rulers made for some unusual juxtapositions between the party's platform and the anti-lobbyist rhetoric of Barack Obama's campaign.

College football starts tonight

Gordon will be down at Nippert Stadium tonight for the kickoff of college football season (UC v. EKU).

Things to look for this season.

1) After the top 20 teams load up on 5 weeks of cupcakes and ho ho's, all the pundits will be charting out the road to the BCS championship with more than half the season and seven real games to go.

2) The Heisman voting will be down to six candidates by Sunday.

3) The NCAA will schedule a game between Penn State and Miami in Leavenworth.

4) The Big Ten will still not be able to count its members.

5) Temple will finally break out with a win against a MAC school

6) The teams in the BCS championship game will be chosen by a Chinese gymnastics judge, a Slovenian diving judge and Hugh Hefner; a marked improvement over sports writers.

It should be a good time.

Another city life amenity

City dwellers love to point out all those great amenities city life offers.

They probably always forget this one....

New data indicate New York City residents are contracting the virus that causes AIDS at three times the national rate.

The city health department said Wednesday that almost 4,800 New Yorkers were infected with HIV in 2006. The number represents 72 in every 100,000 residents, compared to a national rate of 23 per 100,000.

The figures are the first to pinpoint when people became infected, not just when they were diagnosed. Better blood tests have helped make that possible.

More....

Obama Hilton

More "progressive" schools in the toilet

Question. Can you guess what party runs this school district and community?

Clayton County schools have lost accreditation. The 50,000-student school system becomes the first in the nation to lose accreditation in 40 years, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools announced today.

The ruling confirms the worst fears of Clayton’s 271,000 residents.

Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell, who was in the meeting at SACS headquarters in Decatur when the announcement came, confirmed the loss of accreditation.

“I’m disappointed. I think we still have a window of hope because there is an appeal process,” he said.

Bell said he summoned the committee of citizens who helped the school district when it was on probation five years ago.

“I cannot allow this to happen. We are going to step back up to the plate to reassure our community that there is hope and we care about our children.”

No accreditation means students will have a tougher time getting into some colleges and universities. They may also have difficulty obtaining scholarships.

If your answer is democrats, you would be correct.

What's so "progressive" about shitty schools?