The point is not that she was not found guilty of breaking the law. The point is that Sarah Palin was found to have abused her power while in office. This is not what we want in an executive branch member. Rather, this isn't what we want again.
Further proof that she was not thoroughly vetted, and speaking volumes about Senator McCain's decisionmaking ability.
For more on this - read Andrew Sullivan's post, here.
Friday, October 10, 2008
McCain Tries to Tame Flames He Earlier Fanned
This is what a grown up does. I think he and his staff enabled this line of thought, but I am glad to see McCain saying what needs to be said.
Still won't vote for him, but this is the right thing to do.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Judging Sarah
According to this post by John Cole at Balloon Juice (not my best friend from high school John Cole, a different John Cole), the Alaskan Supreme Court will not intervene in the release of the findings of the investigation into the state trooper firing by Sarah Palin.
John Cole Writes: "Tomorrow should be fun."
Part of me thinks this is all much ado about nothing and perhaps there won't be any disastrous findings.
However, the practical side suggests that if there was nothing to hide, then the campaign would not have gone to such lengths to hide it - after all, as Governor Palin has said, when you run for public office, your life is an open book, and as President Bush's enablers have stated - if you have done nothing wrong, then what are you worried about?
The thing is, I would not put this past the campaign: they put up all the smoke to try to conceal what they know is much ado about nothing, thereby showing, when the report indicates what they maintained all along, that their candidate is, in fact, what she claims to be and that the media and the public were all fools for thinking she might be up to no good up there.
It's a very risky gamble, but McCain is a gambler. The question is, if the latter possibility is the case, will the public be so gullible as to believe what McCain's campaign says, that this shows she was a thoroughly vetted, well-considered choice? Or will they continue to believe their own eyes?
John Cole Writes: "Tomorrow should be fun."
Part of me thinks this is all much ado about nothing and perhaps there won't be any disastrous findings.
However, the practical side suggests that if there was nothing to hide, then the campaign would not have gone to such lengths to hide it - after all, as Governor Palin has said, when you run for public office, your life is an open book, and as President Bush's enablers have stated - if you have done nothing wrong, then what are you worried about?
The thing is, I would not put this past the campaign: they put up all the smoke to try to conceal what they know is much ado about nothing, thereby showing, when the report indicates what they maintained all along, that their candidate is, in fact, what she claims to be and that the media and the public were all fools for thinking she might be up to no good up there.
It's a very risky gamble, but McCain is a gambler. The question is, if the latter possibility is the case, will the public be so gullible as to believe what McCain's campaign says, that this shows she was a thoroughly vetted, well-considered choice? Or will they continue to believe their own eyes?
Cast a Blind Vote
I have mentioned before that I cannot vote for Senator McCain. In part it's because of the rashness of his decisions and the inability or unwillingness to own up to them. Perhaps the best example, certainly the one that shut the McCain door for me, is that he chose Sarah Palin for Vice President. He is so certain that she's the best choice, that he doesn't think we need to find out what her positions are, other than what she parrots in stump speeches. What Sarah Palin needs is to give a press conference. She needs to be made to answer questions - answer them, not evade them. And she needs to be made to answer follow-up questions.
This is not "gotcha journalism," this is assisting the public in casting an informed vote.
Senator McCain's Campaign, however, would have caught in a game of "Gotcha Vice-President." The premise of this is that he vetted her completely, and therefore we need to trust him on his decision. I've explained numerous times why I can't do that, but to add to that, let's remember the last time we elected someone who asked us to trust him on issues that affected millions of lives without giving us the complete details. What Senator McCain hopes, I guess, is that we will trust his instinct, and then when he's elected, who cares what skeletons are in her closet, as she will already be in office...
And he worries that we don't know enough about Barack Obama.
This is not "gotcha journalism," this is assisting the public in casting an informed vote.
Senator McCain's Campaign, however, would have caught in a game of "Gotcha Vice-President." The premise of this is that he vetted her completely, and therefore we need to trust him on his decision. I've explained numerous times why I can't do that, but to add to that, let's remember the last time we elected someone who asked us to trust him on issues that affected millions of lives without giving us the complete details. What Senator McCain hopes, I guess, is that we will trust his instinct, and then when he's elected, who cares what skeletons are in her closet, as she will already be in office...
And he worries that we don't know enough about Barack Obama.
"The Fundamentals of Our Economy Are Strong"
In January, 2001, President Bush took office with a Dow Index of nearly 11,000. In 7 years of tax cuts, deficit spending, artificial inflation of stock prices through gimmickry and stealing from the coffers of our children, the Dow closed today at 8579, almost a 40% decline from the artificial high at the beginning of the year.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did not do this. They didn't help, but they didn't do this. Deregulation, poor planning, deciding to delay the inevitable in hopes that the crash would come to the next person to take office, over 2/3 of a decade spent on war economy and deficit spending, increased spending with decreased income through tax revenue - this is what did this.
For those Dittoheads who wait for Rush to tell you what to think, I'm sure you will find an easy way to blame Barney Frank - we know he's the one behind ALL of this. He's the one who held the Republican held congress hostage and FORCED them to not look into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But for those who choose to think, it's easy to see that not just one person is responsible for this, but rather a party line and its 8 years' worth of elected enablers that led to this.
Understand that I am not absolving the Democrats in general or Barney Frank specifically, as I do not have the complete set of information. However, rather than finding a solution, we have finger pointing and political posturing on one side, while the other remains silent while weighing what is in store. At least, I hope that's what he's doing. We know the other guy isn't.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did not do this. They didn't help, but they didn't do this. Deregulation, poor planning, deciding to delay the inevitable in hopes that the crash would come to the next person to take office, over 2/3 of a decade spent on war economy and deficit spending, increased spending with decreased income through tax revenue - this is what did this.
For those Dittoheads who wait for Rush to tell you what to think, I'm sure you will find an easy way to blame Barney Frank - we know he's the one behind ALL of this. He's the one who held the Republican held congress hostage and FORCED them to not look into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But for those who choose to think, it's easy to see that not just one person is responsible for this, but rather a party line and its 8 years' worth of elected enablers that led to this.
Understand that I am not absolving the Democrats in general or Barney Frank specifically, as I do not have the complete set of information. However, rather than finding a solution, we have finger pointing and political posturing on one side, while the other remains silent while weighing what is in store. At least, I hope that's what he's doing. We know the other guy isn't.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
Country First
Senator McCain, as recently as 3 weeks ago, was chiming in about how the candidates need to put country first. As such, he reported, he was going to suspend his campaign to go to Washington and fix the economic crisis and he wasn't going to leave until there was a deal in place. That was leadership, he said. That was putting the country first.
Of course, as most people know, he didn't suspend his campaign. He continued to air commercials. He met with donors. He lied to David Letterman. (all three above sources from Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish). And of course, he did not keep said "suspension" in place until there was a deal. No, instead, he attended the debate he thought he could posture into postponement.
Senator McCain apparently has decided to stop showing how he would put his country first, and instead decided to put Obama in the crosshairs. Yesterday, the well-vetted, best-possible-choice for vice president in the entire Republican party (From BoingBoing)was out attacking Barack Obama with a well debunked smear. She has also resurrected the spectre of Reverend Wright, (Minneapolis Star Tribune article) apparently not recognizing that this tactic was denounced by Senator McCain (LA Times) just a few months ago. Of course, at that time, Senator McCain was not certain that Senator Obama would be his opponent in the election, so perhaps what is acceptable has changed with the circumstances.
Part of Senator McCain's problem is that he's representing a damaged brand. Fair or not, his party is taking the brunt of the blame for the financial crisis. He's also saddled with being in near lockstep with an historically unpopular incumbent. But it goes beyond that. The first problem is his schizophrenic campaign. First it was experience, then it was change, then it was country first, then it was the "original maverick," and now it's Obama - not fit to lead. It is difficult for people to get behind a leader who can't follow one plan.
This follows Senator McCain's reckless behavior of late. From "We're all Georgians now" to his selection of Sarah Palin to his "suspension" of his campaign, what we see is a man who shoots from the hip without thinking about what to do next, and that's how we damaged our international reputation and got ourselves mired in two wars in the first place.
That's not going to stop the attacks, though. Senator McCain today attacked Senator Obama, (from Time) as well, stating "For a guy who's already written two memoirs, he's not exactly an open book. It's as if somehow the usual rules don't apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that." As Andrew Sullivan points out - Senator McCain and Governor Palin are not open books either (also here, from MSN.com), despite their insistence that their opponents be (see the Time article above and this article from The New Republic).
Even Senator McCain's and Governor Palin's attacks don't necessarily make sense, as so many of the topics share common ground with their own foibles. Senator McCain, who has attacked Senator Obama regarding regulation in the current financial crisis (H/T The Gun Toting Liberal - I still read ya daily), was clearly involved as a member of the Keating Five (From Wikidpedia) where he pushed to avoid regulation while an investor and donor fleeced the S&L out of billions of dollars. Sarah Palin has her own wingnut minister (again from Andrew Sullivan - the man knows where to find his stuff) and is on record stating that Iraq is a task from God (From the Moderate Voice). McCain staffer Rick Davis has been on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's retainer list (From Obsidian Wings) for 2 years, doing virtually nothing for the money, this is much more well documented than anything linking Obama to Fannie and Freddie in a nefarious manner. The inability to recognize (or unwillingness to care about) how the attacks reflect problems of his campaign members' past underscores his rash nature and reflects on his ability to lead in a calm, rational manner.
Senator Obama has his problems, as have been shown during his campaign against Senator Clinton and as will be shown in the next 4 weeks. But of the two major candidates, he's the one who has kept a level head during the past several weeks, and he is the one who definitely looks the better man. If I vote for a major candidate (and not third-party), it will not be for Senator McCain.
Of course, as most people know, he didn't suspend his campaign. He continued to air commercials. He met with donors. He lied to David Letterman. (all three above sources from Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish). And of course, he did not keep said "suspension" in place until there was a deal. No, instead, he attended the debate he thought he could posture into postponement.
Senator McCain apparently has decided to stop showing how he would put his country first, and instead decided to put Obama in the crosshairs. Yesterday, the well-vetted, best-possible-choice for vice president in the entire Republican party (From BoingBoing)was out attacking Barack Obama with a well debunked smear. She has also resurrected the spectre of Reverend Wright, (Minneapolis Star Tribune article) apparently not recognizing that this tactic was denounced by Senator McCain (LA Times) just a few months ago. Of course, at that time, Senator McCain was not certain that Senator Obama would be his opponent in the election, so perhaps what is acceptable has changed with the circumstances.
Part of Senator McCain's problem is that he's representing a damaged brand. Fair or not, his party is taking the brunt of the blame for the financial crisis. He's also saddled with being in near lockstep with an historically unpopular incumbent. But it goes beyond that. The first problem is his schizophrenic campaign. First it was experience, then it was change, then it was country first, then it was the "original maverick," and now it's Obama - not fit to lead. It is difficult for people to get behind a leader who can't follow one plan.
This follows Senator McCain's reckless behavior of late. From "We're all Georgians now" to his selection of Sarah Palin to his "suspension" of his campaign, what we see is a man who shoots from the hip without thinking about what to do next, and that's how we damaged our international reputation and got ourselves mired in two wars in the first place.
That's not going to stop the attacks, though. Senator McCain today attacked Senator Obama, (from Time) as well, stating "For a guy who's already written two memoirs, he's not exactly an open book. It's as if somehow the usual rules don't apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that." As Andrew Sullivan points out - Senator McCain and Governor Palin are not open books either (also here, from MSN.com), despite their insistence that their opponents be (see the Time article above and this article from The New Republic).
Even Senator McCain's and Governor Palin's attacks don't necessarily make sense, as so many of the topics share common ground with their own foibles. Senator McCain, who has attacked Senator Obama regarding regulation in the current financial crisis (H/T The Gun Toting Liberal - I still read ya daily), was clearly involved as a member of the Keating Five (From Wikidpedia) where he pushed to avoid regulation while an investor and donor fleeced the S&L out of billions of dollars. Sarah Palin has her own wingnut minister (again from Andrew Sullivan - the man knows where to find his stuff) and is on record stating that Iraq is a task from God (From the Moderate Voice). McCain staffer Rick Davis has been on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's retainer list (From Obsidian Wings) for 2 years, doing virtually nothing for the money, this is much more well documented than anything linking Obama to Fannie and Freddie in a nefarious manner. The inability to recognize (or unwillingness to care about) how the attacks reflect problems of his campaign members' past underscores his rash nature and reflects on his ability to lead in a calm, rational manner.
Senator Obama has his problems, as have been shown during his campaign against Senator Clinton and as will be shown in the next 4 weeks. But of the two major candidates, he's the one who has kept a level head during the past several weeks, and he is the one who definitely looks the better man. If I vote for a major candidate (and not third-party), it will not be for Senator McCain.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Saturday Night
Last night, the Princess had a slumber party she went to. She apparently had a lot of fun. The wife's good friend came over to visit, and brought her youngest with her. This was good, because The Boy and the Apple got to play with the guest, while the adults learned how to play Pinochle.
I had never played before, but I had heard from several different sources that it was a great game to play. The rules are complicated to learn by yourself (we took our rules from Wikidpedia, which has 3 handed pinochle rules, which is what we played, as well as the others), but we persevered and have our house version of Pinochle now.
As I understand it, there are any number of variations of Pinochle, not unlike Spades, and that is part of what makes it entertaining.
I lost. But I had fun. And that's good when you're learning a new game.
Now if I can just remember the melds.
I had never played before, but I had heard from several different sources that it was a great game to play. The rules are complicated to learn by yourself (we took our rules from Wikidpedia, which has 3 handed pinochle rules, which is what we played, as well as the others), but we persevered and have our house version of Pinochle now.
As I understand it, there are any number of variations of Pinochle, not unlike Spades, and that is part of what makes it entertaining.
I lost. But I had fun. And that's good when you're learning a new game.
Now if I can just remember the melds.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Pounding on the Table
There's an old lawyer saying: "When the law is on your side, pound on the law. When the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. When neither is on your side, pound on the table."
Senator McCain's campaign, clearly running out of gimmicks and apparently unable to mount a credible campaign that can legitimately distance itself from the Bush Hindenburg, has decided that it needs to spend the rest of its time until the election in negative campaign mode. The first salvo came from ethics investigatee Sarah Palin (the campaign is now making an emergency appeal to the AK Supreme Court to intervene and delay the "troopergate" investigation reports until after the election). Governor Palin stated that Barack Obama seems to see the United States as being so imperfect that he is "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." (Source: the AP) The article also notes that Senator Obama served on an advisory board with the subject of this statement and denounced said board member's past activities.
You know, 8 years ago, I had some respect for Senator McCain. I never knew Sarah Palin until 5 weeks ago, so I couldn't have had too much respect for her, other than to respect that she was elected governor of Alaska in her early 40s.
But these are desparate times, and if you can't win with lies and obfuscations, and your one trick pony doesn't change the game, then I guess there's nothing wrong with slinging all the mud you can, not unlike the last two Administrations. But then again, isn't McCain supposed to be a maverick?
This is not leadership. This is pathetic.
Senator McCain's campaign, clearly running out of gimmicks and apparently unable to mount a credible campaign that can legitimately distance itself from the Bush Hindenburg, has decided that it needs to spend the rest of its time until the election in negative campaign mode. The first salvo came from ethics investigatee Sarah Palin (the campaign is now making an emergency appeal to the AK Supreme Court to intervene and delay the "troopergate" investigation reports until after the election). Governor Palin stated that Barack Obama seems to see the United States as being so imperfect that he is "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." (Source: the AP) The article also notes that Senator Obama served on an advisory board with the subject of this statement and denounced said board member's past activities.
You know, 8 years ago, I had some respect for Senator McCain. I never knew Sarah Palin until 5 weeks ago, so I couldn't have had too much respect for her, other than to respect that she was elected governor of Alaska in her early 40s.
But these are desparate times, and if you can't win with lies and obfuscations, and your one trick pony doesn't change the game, then I guess there's nothing wrong with slinging all the mud you can, not unlike the last two Administrations. But then again, isn't McCain supposed to be a maverick?
This is not leadership. This is pathetic.
Flirting for Votes
The first time I saw Sarah Palin wink during the debate, I thought to myself "Did she really just wink during a debate where she's trying to convince us she's a serious choice for Vice President?" I could not believe someone auditioning for one of the top roles in the country would attempt to flirt with the public in such an obvious manner. It seemed incredible to me.
But, apparently, for some people, it worked. Like for the National Review's Rich Lowry:
But, apparently, for some people, it worked. Like for the National Review's Rich Lowry:
I'm sure I'm not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, "Hey, I think she just winked at me." And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America.We don't need a cheerleader in the White House. We need a real leader.
Working For a Living
I went to Massachusetts last week. I had a Deposition in Shrewsbury, which is right near Worcester. It went all right, the opposing counsel and the medical provider's counsel and I were all rather civil together. It sort of reminded me of the old Looney Tunes cartoon with the coyote and dog that are friendly to each other, punch in to work, and then spend the time doing what they need to do, then punch out and are friends again. That's how depositions should go. Listen, you don't need to be an asshole to zealously represent your client. Be civil to the opposing counsel, (but don't let them steamroll you).
Anyway, the deposition, as I mentioned, was in Worcester. I've not been to Worcester before, but I have made a few trips to Boston in the past. I really like the area. Gorgeous scenery, the song "Life in a Northern Town" ran through my head as I drove through Worcester. Old buildings; you can feel the history.
I found out that Worcester is not the nicest city to be in. I didn't realize this. I also didn't really have any problems there, myself. I ate at a restaurant called Northworks, which looked like it was in an old converted factory. Great food. I would go back.
I need to take my family up to Boston for a few days; do the sightseeing thing. And, of course, eat at the Bull and Finch. But that's for another time.
Anyway, the deposition, as I mentioned, was in Worcester. I've not been to Worcester before, but I have made a few trips to Boston in the past. I really like the area. Gorgeous scenery, the song "Life in a Northern Town" ran through my head as I drove through Worcester. Old buildings; you can feel the history.
I found out that Worcester is not the nicest city to be in. I didn't realize this. I also didn't really have any problems there, myself. I ate at a restaurant called Northworks, which looked like it was in an old converted factory. Great food. I would go back.
I need to take my family up to Boston for a few days; do the sightseeing thing. And, of course, eat at the Bull and Finch. But that's for another time.
Friday, October 03, 2008
The Cheney Litmus Test
I first read this at Andrew Sullivan's blog here. The question was posed to both VP nominees by Katie Couric, what were the best and worst things done by VP Dick Cheney?
Senator Biden on Cheney's worst:
And we definitely don't need someone who admits that one of their goals is to "bleed" executive authority over to the other two (coequal) branches - from ThinkProgress.
Senator Biden on Cheney's worst:
I think he's done more harm than any other single elected official in memory in terms of shredding the constitution. You know --condoning torture. Pushing torture as a policy. This idea of a unitary executive. Meaning the Congress and the people have no power in a time of war. And the President controls everything. I don't have any animus toward Dick Cheney but I really do think his attitude about the constitution and the prosecution of this war has been absolutely wrong.Senator Palin on Cheney:
Worst thing I guess that would have been the duck hunting accident--where you know, that was an accident. And I think that was made into a caricature of him. And that was kind of unfortunate. So the best thing though, he's shown support, along with George W. Bush, of our troops. And I've been there when George Bush has spoken to families of those who have suffered greatly, those who are serving in the military. I've been there when President Bush has embraced those families and expressed the concern and the sympathy speaking for all of America in those times. And for Dick Cheney to have supported that effort of George Bush's, I respect that.The VP nomination is, quite seriously, style vs. substance. We don't need winking and "aw shucks" mentality. This country doesn't need a Vice President (or, for that matter, a President) who is a cheerleader. We need a real leader.
And we definitely don't need someone who admits that one of their goals is to "bleed" executive authority over to the other two (coequal) branches - from ThinkProgress.
Sarah Palin, the Symbol
Understand that I do not dislike Sarah Palin. I don't know enough about her to dislike her. There are things about her behavior since she's been nominated that I don't like, and I don't like the nomination of her. More to the point, her nomination represents a short sighted gimmick that was not well thought out, well planned, or, as it seems, well executed. She was not ready for the spotlight the McCain camp put her under. She might someday, but right now, she's in way over her head and it shows in her "interviews" and it showed in her debate. The fact that the campaign fought so hard to keep "troopergate" from coming out is telling, as is the absolute refusal of the campaign to allow her to take part in any press conferences where she would have to answer follow-up questions.
Her nomination represents the McCain Campaign's impulsive, reckless decision making process. We cannot have another administration that makes decisions before considering the effects of those decisions. It's like jumping into a lake and then realizing you don't know how to swim. Even worse is that he seems to be taking every opportunity to deny the people the chance to learn about Governor Palin to decide for themselves if she's the best choice for Vice President. The audacity of us! He said she was great, that should be good enough for us.
If he's not going to allow us to gauge his decision-making now, when he's applying for the job, then why should we expect anything different when he's in office if we give him the job? We cannot afford this.
This inability to make reasoned, calculated decisions, or to admit when you've made a mistake - this is what Sarah Palin represents. And this is why I cannot support Senator McCain for President.
Her nomination represents the McCain Campaign's impulsive, reckless decision making process. We cannot have another administration that makes decisions before considering the effects of those decisions. It's like jumping into a lake and then realizing you don't know how to swim. Even worse is that he seems to be taking every opportunity to deny the people the chance to learn about Governor Palin to decide for themselves if she's the best choice for Vice President. The audacity of us! He said she was great, that should be good enough for us.
If he's not going to allow us to gauge his decision-making now, when he's applying for the job, then why should we expect anything different when he's in office if we give him the job? We cannot afford this.
This inability to make reasoned, calculated decisions, or to admit when you've made a mistake - this is what Sarah Palin represents. And this is why I cannot support Senator McCain for President.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
The Vice-Great Debaters
In my opinion, Senator Biden won tonight. He managed to make a case for Senator Obama and himself and against Senator McCain. He did so without attacking Sarah Palin, that I could see (I did not watch the entire debate, so cannot speak to the entire body). He gave examples, he connected with the audience.
What I saw from Governor Palin did not alter my view of her - not because I dislike her (I don't), but because she did not provide concrete answers to guide me toward why I should vote for her. She would respond to a question with talking points that were at best tangentially related to the question, and seemed to resort to folksiness when she was stuck (god bless ya, there ya go, Joe, etc.). Perhaps the reason why she couldn't give more direct or concrete answers is because she's such a devout Christian, and as we all know, the Devil's in the details.
Governor Palin was clearly overmatched in this debate, and her charm could not carry her through. Even if it had won the moment, it's much like cotton candy - it looks like there's a bunch there, but looking back, you wonder what it all was.
What I saw from Governor Palin did not alter my view of her - not because I dislike her (I don't), but because she did not provide concrete answers to guide me toward why I should vote for her. She would respond to a question with talking points that were at best tangentially related to the question, and seemed to resort to folksiness when she was stuck (god bless ya, there ya go, Joe, etc.). Perhaps the reason why she couldn't give more direct or concrete answers is because she's such a devout Christian, and as we all know, the Devil's in the details.
Governor Palin was clearly overmatched in this debate, and her charm could not carry her through. Even if it had won the moment, it's much like cotton candy - it looks like there's a bunch there, but looking back, you wonder what it all was.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Great(?) Debaters
I watched parts of the debate last night. I can't handle watching a whole debate, but I came in and out.
My father in law thought McCain won, but conceded that Obama looked rather good. I thought it was a draw on content, but had a couple problems with McCain. First and foremost, someone who has spent time in the military and 26 years in Congress should know the difference between a tactic and a strategy. McCain got that wrong; it wasn't a question of semantics, he was wrong. I didn't like Senator McCain's refusal to look at Senator Obama, it seemed condescending to me. I thought his "You just don't understand" line, which seemed like it was coached, or at least prepped, wore thin. Others thought it interesting that Senator McCain seemed to resort to this statement when his own answers seemed weaker (in their minds), based on what I've read in blog reactions, but I won't opine on that here.
Other opinions? Andrew Sullivan considers it a home run for Senator Obama.
John Cole at Baloon Juice has a nice collection of links supporting his conclusion that Senator Obama came out on top.
Talking Points Memo has poll results showing Obama as the winner according to 51% as opposed to 38% for McCain.
Finally, Angela Winters posted One Down, with a collection of reactions to the debate, on the Moderate Voice.
My father in law thought McCain won, but conceded that Obama looked rather good. I thought it was a draw on content, but had a couple problems with McCain. First and foremost, someone who has spent time in the military and 26 years in Congress should know the difference between a tactic and a strategy. McCain got that wrong; it wasn't a question of semantics, he was wrong. I didn't like Senator McCain's refusal to look at Senator Obama, it seemed condescending to me. I thought his "You just don't understand" line, which seemed like it was coached, or at least prepped, wore thin. Others thought it interesting that Senator McCain seemed to resort to this statement when his own answers seemed weaker (in their minds), based on what I've read in blog reactions, but I won't opine on that here.
Other opinions? Andrew Sullivan considers it a home run for Senator Obama.
John Cole at Baloon Juice has a nice collection of links supporting his conclusion that Senator Obama came out on top.
Talking Points Memo has poll results showing Obama as the winner according to 51% as opposed to 38% for McCain.
Finally, Angela Winters posted One Down, with a collection of reactions to the debate, on the Moderate Voice.
Day 2
This is my second day with power again and my first full day.
We've got just about everything back; the only missing item is the refrigerator. It's odd, because the freezer works fine, but there is no cooling in the refrigerator portion...
I want to thank all of my friends who offered help to us during the outage and to those who sent the good thoughts vibes our way - they were greatly appreciated.
Today will see us going to the baseball game. Father in law is an ardent Braves fan and they are in town to finish up the regular season. It should be fun.
More later.
We've got just about everything back; the only missing item is the refrigerator. It's odd, because the freezer works fine, but there is no cooling in the refrigerator portion...
I want to thank all of my friends who offered help to us during the outage and to those who sent the good thoughts vibes our way - they were greatly appreciated.
Today will see us going to the baseball game. Father in law is an ardent Braves fan and they are in town to finish up the regular season. It should be fun.
More later.
Friday, September 26, 2008
And Now, Something on Sarah Palin
I will not subject anyone to the agony that was Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric. I had no electricity for two weeks and even I know how badly she bombed.
I will point you to Andrew Sullivan, a Conservative writer for the Atlantic whose Daily Dish has become one of my daily reads. Pithy and poignant, he says in five sentences what I would have difficulty conveying in fifteen minutes.
First and foremost are the Twelve Lies of Sarah Palin (though there is a thirteenth out there as well). I know what you are saying, every politician lies. True, but not every politician lies on matters that are easily discoverable and continues the lies every after demonstrably proven to be lies.
Then there's the post titled "Palin: Kissinger is Naive."
He is also rather upset at the lack of transparency of Palin as a candidate.
That's just a sampling. Palin is a horrible, truly awful selection.
I will point you to Andrew Sullivan, a Conservative writer for the Atlantic whose Daily Dish has become one of my daily reads. Pithy and poignant, he says in five sentences what I would have difficulty conveying in fifteen minutes.
First and foremost are the Twelve Lies of Sarah Palin (though there is a thirteenth out there as well). I know what you are saying, every politician lies. True, but not every politician lies on matters that are easily discoverable and continues the lies every after demonstrably proven to be lies.
Then there's the post titled "Palin: Kissinger is Naive."
He is also rather upset at the lack of transparency of Palin as a candidate.
That's just a sampling. Palin is a horrible, truly awful selection.
Relighted
So, after 13 days, 11 hours and 30 minutes, we have lights again.
The power came back this afternoon at about 2:30 I was told.
I'm in my air conditioned house listening to two politicians blow a lot of hot air.
I'll be posting on the monumental mistake that was the selection of Sarah Palin here shortly, I'm sure. She's truly a horrific pick.
The power came back this afternoon at about 2:30 I was told.
I'm in my air conditioned house listening to two politicians blow a lot of hot air.
I'll be posting on the monumental mistake that was the selection of Sarah Palin here shortly, I'm sure. She's truly a horrific pick.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Boiling Point
And not just because it's hotter than a snake's ass in a wagon rut.
I've pretty much reached my saturation point with Ike. We've been without power for 9 days now. We were informed, via the power company's website, that we were scheduled to have power back by Monday (tomorrow). This was welcome news to us. Instead, we find out today via our neighbor, who has a generator and thus power and thus access to the internet for longer than 30 minutes via dialup that our projected power return date has been moved to Thursday.
What's the big deal, some might ask? Well, when you've been without power for over a week and then they inform you that you are going to have to wait up to another 1/3 of the time you've already been out, you get frustrated.
Photog and his wife were quite gracious in offering the use of their laundry facilities for us, and we took them up on it on Wednesday. I declined today, primarily because we were expecting the power back tomorrow and we didn't want to impose any more than necessary. However, since we're running short on clothes, I may be giving them a call after work tomorrow to run a couple loads.
I'm so upset right now that I can hardly see straight. Everything is setting me off. I can't even wash dishes (in the dark) without getting upset about something. Perhaps what is most frustrating is that in our office of well over 30 people, there are approximately 3 who don't have power yet. What makes our neighborhood so damn unimportant?
We have hung in there like champions. We don't complain (until right now), our kids have been phenomenally well-behaved considering they've been upset from their routine like never before. We have kept the house relatively tidy. I didn't even bitch when I had to throw out half the refrigerator, because I figured that was part of the game. Had I known that we'd be camping in a POA for up to 2 weeks, perhaps I would have done things a little differently.
Give us some damn power. We've been good.
I've pretty much reached my saturation point with Ike. We've been without power for 9 days now. We were informed, via the power company's website, that we were scheduled to have power back by Monday (tomorrow). This was welcome news to us. Instead, we find out today via our neighbor, who has a generator and thus power and thus access to the internet for longer than 30 minutes via dialup that our projected power return date has been moved to Thursday.
What's the big deal, some might ask? Well, when you've been without power for over a week and then they inform you that you are going to have to wait up to another 1/3 of the time you've already been out, you get frustrated.
Photog and his wife were quite gracious in offering the use of their laundry facilities for us, and we took them up on it on Wednesday. I declined today, primarily because we were expecting the power back tomorrow and we didn't want to impose any more than necessary. However, since we're running short on clothes, I may be giving them a call after work tomorrow to run a couple loads.
I'm so upset right now that I can hardly see straight. Everything is setting me off. I can't even wash dishes (in the dark) without getting upset about something. Perhaps what is most frustrating is that in our office of well over 30 people, there are approximately 3 who don't have power yet. What makes our neighborhood so damn unimportant?
We have hung in there like champions. We don't complain (until right now), our kids have been phenomenally well-behaved considering they've been upset from their routine like never before. We have kept the house relatively tidy. I didn't even bitch when I had to throw out half the refrigerator, because I figured that was part of the game. Had I known that we'd be camping in a POA for up to 2 weeks, perhaps I would have done things a little differently.
Give us some damn power. We've been good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)