THE GENERAL ELECTION 2008

I've long thought McCain would pick Palin, but her recent scandal and the fact that she will be under investigation may be a real problem for her.

With a VP candidate who is under investigation for abuse of power during the election, it's going to be hard to avoid the McSame moniker.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121746477267499109.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Cycloptichorn

Possibly, but since those who called for the investigation are mostly Republicans, they will most likely expedite the investigation and bring it to a fair conclusion within a relatively short period. Palin does not appear to be concealing anything, but if she is found guilty of abusing her position, then she should suffer appropriate consequences for that. The GOP is not typically lenient with their own when misconduct is involved.

Carly Fiorina is also an intriguing idea and would bring much fresh perspective and economic savvy to the position, but I wonder how much expertise she could provide in the world of dirty politics?

Gleaned from a quick review of today's election headlines and a personal observation/impression/summary of where we are now:

Obama now says he will agree on a bipartisan compromise re offshore drilling in the Gulf. (And as noted by TV pundits, he has changed his mind but does the 'magic' "I haven't changed my position because I've always been open to compromise - yadda yadda.")

McCain stated flat out he had changed his mind based on much different conditions creating serious difficulty for the people that exist now. The situation was much different when he previously opposed offshore drilling.

Neither are willing to open up ANWR. (Personal opinion: that is unfortunate.)

Obama goes to the midwest -- apparently had a little speech memorized -- accuses his opponents of using his name, his background, his color, and the fact that 'he doesn't look like all those other Presidents on dollar bills' to scare people. He denies that this is a racist comment and, when pressed in a press interview, admitted the McCain ads are cynical but not racist. (I suggest the speech was memorized because he gave the near identical spiel at three different stops on the same day.)

(Rasmussen poll today indicates that most Americans do think Obama's spiel was racist and that the Mccain ads are not.)

Meanwhile most of what I have heard Obama talking about lately are complaints that the McCain campaign is talking about Obama.

Pundits think McCain ads mocking Obama are a 'bit juvenile' but appropriate to show the media adulation heaped on Obama and the almost frenzied worship of the man coming from the Europeans. (The Europeans see Obama as the Messiah even more than American liberals do.)

Some two dozen members of Congress are co-sponsors of legislation to create a commission that would study reparations - that is, payments and programs to make up for the damage done by slavery. To this Obama says: "I have said in the past - and I'll repeat again - that the best reparations we can provide are good schools in the inner city and jobs for people who are unemployed," the Illinois Democrat said recently.

In my opinion, Obama is right about that. I haven't been able to find a quote from John McCain, but McCain doesn't have the 24/7 media attention that Obama is getting so he probably has commented on it at some point.

Given Obama's obvious and embarassing ineptness at extemporaneous speaking, it is understandable that he is backing off going toe to toe with McCain in anything other than a formal debate structure. It is also unfortunate that Obama will be allowed to maintain his choreographed and scripted 'savior of the world' image with little danger of large exposure that shows his weaknesses in that role.

On the McCain front, he is still being criticized for having a disorganized message--a terrible campaign--but the lack of press covering whatever the message remains stunning.

Latest Rasmussen poll indicates fewer Democrats identifying themselves as Democrats these days. The large gap between those identifying themselves as Democrats and the minority Republicans remains large but has narrowed. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues and if it will have any impact on the campaign.

The Ted Stevens scandal seems to be having little impact and McCain's polling numbers have not suffered. As I have said before, Republicans usually don't tolerate (or re-elect) their crooks and scoundrels though Stevens has not been convicted. He is highly unlikely to be re-elected in Alaska, however.

John McCain has not led Barack Obama in the polls at any time since Obama clinched the nomination, but the polls remain close despite a huge disparity between registered Democrats and registered Republicans. What does that mean?

Meanwhile, Obama is providing much more interesting fodder for the cartoonists to ridicule and they don't have to be mean--they just have to use his own words:









The McCain cartoons seem to need more speculation since he doesn't leave that much to interpretation when he speaks so they make stuff up to spoof or at least it's a lot tougher to be clever:

My EngliBUSH is not perfect.
Better than chewingum coca cola language.
do you think USA deservers our respect?

In the last week--actually since Obama's recent missionary tour to the Middle East and Europe--a slow and perhaps insignificant, but perceptable nonetheless shift seems to be occuring in the general national psyche.

If half the country likes McCain and half the country likes Obama, then whoever gets more people out to the polls will win. There seems to be a huge disparity between these candidates when it comes to drawing crowds.

Hi Ros.

And yes, you're right about that, though it remains to be seen how it will all shake out in this last 100 days. According to what I heard recently, with a few exceptions, the candidate who has led in the polls at the end of July will lose the general election. (Don't ask for a link--this was reported by some election analyst on CNN or Fox or someplace a week or so ago.) Obama was leading in almost all polls at the end of July but in almost all of those, it was by a statistically insignificant margin. So I don't think tradition is gong to help us out much this time.

It has long been said now that with President Bush's and the GOP's low approval ratings, even within their own party, and McCain, not all that personally appealing as a candidate and running an abysmally inept campaign, the election is Obama's to lose. He should be ahead by strong double digits. But he can't seem to pull away.

And there are more and more hints that the bloom is off the rose, and the new messiah is losing some of his rock star appeal. It could be that his attempts to take all sides on all issues is beginning to insult the intelligence of his adoring flock, and they are beginning to resent that a bit. Or could it be that there are enough among his throng of worshipers who actually think and they are beginning to realize that he is mostly an empty suit as to what he actually understands and can deliver? Or has the media so fawned on him to the point they have made him boring?

McCain actually has some substance to his game plan if he would just stick with it and deliver it. He will most likely be temporarily forgiven for some things conservatives don't like about him because he at least is more conservative about more things than is Obama. But he definitely is not getting his message out effectively which is partly his fault and partly due to the intense media focus Obama.



And then there always remains that pesky double standard that sometimes actually does increase the resentment:

And in the 'what if' category, 'what if' Obama should start sliding in the polls and the advantage shifted strongly to McCain . . . .

along with. . .

Hillary Clinton deciding to give her delegates 'a voice' and keeping her hat in the ring. . .

What would those super delegates do then? Stay with the anointed one? Or go with the one who might be able to salvage the election?

It's provocative to think about. It would also make the first really interesting convention we've seen in this country for decades.

HILLARY KEEPING HER OPTIONS OPEN


And another for the 'what if' category

The MSM's Latest EmbarrassmentWe also have the obligatory column from Clark Hoyt admitting that the New York Times was wrong, but denying that their reticence to cover the Edward story was the result of liberal bias. Yes, who could imagine such a thing of the paper which ran a front-page, uncorroborated story of the Republican nominee's alleged relationship with a lobbyist some nine years ago?

The Edwards mess is the most recent and visible, but hardly unique, example of the mainstream media's hear no evil/see no evil approach to newsgathering. How many other stories has the MSM missed, denied or avoided? From Rathergate to Reverend Wright to the success of the surge, the pattern is the same: MSM stalls, shuffles its collective feet, and doggedly ignores information for as long as possible until they can no longer do so with a straight face. The fact that these stories without exception work to the detriment of Democrats is apparently a grand coincidence.

And the notion that they are upholding some "journalistic standard" is rendered absurd. Edwards' story wasn't important on Thursday, but it was on Friday because he confessed? No, the level of proof changed, but the story's relevance did not. If it wasn't worthy of investigation before the ABC interview then it was unworthy of mention afterwards. Their explanation for their editorial decision-making is no more credible than . . . well than Edwards himself.

There is a reason why the news media's trustworthiness is rated so low. MSM news reporting by and large has not improved or become more rigorous with the advent of so many alternative news outlets. (To the contrary, the 24-hour landscape of cable news has sent them scurrying for their niche audience, wary of any mildly opposing views that might offend their target audience.)

However, because of this and other similar episodes, the public now fully appreciates just how deficient most of the MSM outlets are. That's generally a good thing (the public should know what they're reading and watching is a pale and shaded immitation of reality), but it would be even better if the MSM engaged in some real introspection and cleaned up their act.
LINK

This is the "post your favourite cartoon of the day" thread, right?

'cause I found this one rather funny:

The spoof Paris Hilton did that poked fun back at John McCain was clever, funny, and actually made a point. There was nothing mean about it and she has been included in late night humorous monologues since including a suggestion (I think by Leno) that she could be the VP pick. Those familiar with the background therefore see the humor in a spoof of Hilton being picked as Veep over Romney.

I fail to get the point in the cartoon OE posted. Perhaps he would care to explain it?

I care a goose or jot about the outcome of this election. Iwill be here to expose American democracy.

With the Saddleback forum generating quite a bit of internet chatter, focus seems to be back on the November election a bit.

Obama says he'll pick his VEEP by the end of this week. Hubby is predicting Biden. That seems reasonable to me EXCEPT how does that enhance Obama's theme of change?

I have no clue at all about who is really on John McCain's short list. If he picks a liberal, I think Obama is the next POTUS. If he doesn't, then I think we have a horse race.

Do you suppose the Democrats are considering dumping Biden before his name is officially placed in nomination this week?



Or is the problem a less-than-riveting Democrat convention so far?

Okay, we all get lots of e-mails, many of them completely ridiculous, full of charges and smears and innuendo about all the Presidential candidates during the election cycle. This one I thought was rather creative, especially if you are a Columbo fan. (I was a Columbo junkie):

Ah, sorry to bother you ...Mr. Obama, Sir



Excuse me Mr. Obama, I mean Senator Obama, sir. Um . . . know you are busy and important and stuff. I mean running for president is very important and . . . ah. . . I hate to bother you. I will only take a minute ok, sir?

See, I have these missing pieces that are holding me up, and I was wondering sir, if you could take time out of your busy schedule and help me out. You know no big deal, just some loose ends and things.

Hey, you have a nice place here! The wife sees houses like this on TV all the time and says boy she wishes she had digs like this you know? Is that painting real? Really? Wow. I saw something like that in a museum once!

Oh, sorry sir. I didn’t mean to get off the track. So if you could just help me out a minute and give me some details, I will get right out of your way. I want to close this case and maybe take the wife to Coney Island or something. Ever been to Coney Island? No, I didn’t think so. .

Well, listen, anyways, I can’t seem to get some information I need to wrap this up. These things seem to either be “locked” or “not available’. I’m sure it’s just some oversight or glitch or something, so if you could you tell me where these things are . . .. I . . . I . . . have them written down here somewhere . . . oh wait. Sorry about the smears. It was raining out. I’ll just read it to you.

Could you help me please find these things, sir?

Your Occidental College records
Your Columbia College records
Your Columbia Thesis paper
Your Harvard College records
Your Selective Service Registration
Your medical records
Your Illinois State Senate records
Your Illinois State Senate schedule
Your Law practice client list
A Certified Copy of your original Birth certificate
Your embossed, signed paper Certification of Live Birth
Your Harvard Law Review articles that were published
Your University of Chicago scholarly articles
Your Record of baptism

Oh hey . . . listen! I know you are busy! Is this too much for you now? I mean tell you what. I will come back tomorrow. Give you some time to get these things together, you know?

I mean, I know you are busy, so I will just let myself out. I will be back tomorrow. And the day after. . .

Make use of your rich experience to expose the USA's system.
In fact i am one among the few who is engaged in this misadventure.
I have a Dream
Yes we can
eith you are with me
things happen.

Show your dirty linen whichis called flag.
forget about the plight of the poor under the bridge.
speak a language with chewing gum
allow those intellectual idiots who had studied at home
and forget not to possess your bible in one hand and pistol in your pocket.

this is my view and I am human .

The Conventions are almost over and we'll be out of the real starting gates for this election cycle. And here's how it may be shaping up: