I'm not becoming obsessed by Sarah Palin,. I'm really not, but the desperation of the left to find a slam dunk scandal about her has now plumbed new depths. The hitherto respected Daily Kos Blog has THIS offering today, which alleges that her five month old downs syndrome child is ... wait for it ... not hers, but her daughter's.
It's the sort of thing that if Guido Fawkes had written it, the likes of the Liberal Conspiracy blog and many others in this country would shout from the rooftops about him of being a sexist muchraker and the spawn of the devil. This campaign is getting very dirty.
UPDATE: A commenter points me to THIS post which compares Palin's experience with that of Barack Obama.
UPDATE: Thanks to the commenter who provided a link to the above photo. It's clear she's not going after the vegetarian PC vote...
102 comments:
What did you expect Ian? They're frothing at the mouth over this.
Ian.
Don't be daft
The first national polls on John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin yesterday came out today from Rasmussen and Gallup — and contrary to what the GOP probably hoped, she scored less well with women than men.Here’s a finding from Gallup: Among Democratic women — including those who may be disappointed that Hillary Clinton did not win the Democratic nomination — 9% say Palin makes them more likely to support McCain, 15% less likely.
From Rasmussen: Some 38% of men said they were more likely to vote for McCain now, but only 32% of women. By a narrow 41% to 35% margin, men said she was not ready to be president — but women soundly rejected her, 48% to 25%…. Overall, voters expressed a favorable impression of her by a 53/26 margin, but there was a severe gender gap on this: Men embraced her at 58% to 23%, while for women it was 48/30.
And by a 29/44 margin, men and women together, they do not believe that she is ready to be President.
Gallup numbers from Friday showed 39% of respondents believe Palin is ready to serve as president if needed. It’s the lowest confidence rate in a running mate since Dan Quayle in 1988.
That's a bit out of order. Surely there's enough to criticize without making crap up. I guess if it's just a nonsense blog though then the editors should have a stern talking to - losers.
PS - I'm becoming obsessed by her - how can you get to be a VP candidate when no one's evr heard of her? Is this tantamount for the same scenario Labour suffers from - no other serious candidates that anyone's ever heard of?
anon.3.39.
It's like asking consumers what they think of a brand they've not even heard of for Elton's sake.
Give the girl a chance.
There's always a chance that women voters will just think, "Well, I don't like that bitch."
You know what women are like.
The Obama campaign is rattled.
anon.3.39
The Polls are irrelevant right now.
You may want to reserve your comments until the US Public has heard a bit more from Sarah Palin.
US politics is a "dirty and dangerous business" but it's not the 'left' Iain, it's the parts of the Main Stream media, which made a pact with the Obama campaign team a long time ago.
There's tremendous pressure to stay 'on side', hence the knocking stories.
I've tried to give a insight into the strategy and timing from the McCain side here:
http://theorangepartyblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/mccain-palin-lesson-in-strategy.html
Daily Kos is notorious for Loony Lefties
Funny you say nothing about her inexperience, when you obviously would be harping on about it if it were the opposite.
That Daily Kos story looks scrupulously researched. The fact is mother never looked pregnant. Daughter did.
Mucky. Yes. But not in terms of what the Republicans have form for doing.
If it keeps this gun-toting abortionist, who no doubt believes that life is sacred, er, until birth - but not after, out of the White House, then all is fair in love and war in my opinion...
Sunny, I have addressed this in a previous thread. She has more executive experience than McCain, Obama and Biden, who have, er, precisely none.
Care to condemn this muckraking by your US equivalent?
sunny.
To be fair, Ian recently gave about two lines devoted to Obama's experience, which was just about right really.
Hey Iain where is the long line of your posts calling out right wing freaks over Obama's faith, paternity, nationality, assassination threats etc.
Boohoo some nutty leftists adopting the same tactics as right wingers. No fair. Diddums.
Maybe you should concentrate on people like Dobson who warn that the coming hurricane Gustav is to punish Americans for being gay, liberal or God forbid voting for Obama.
"If it keeps this gun-toting abortionist, who no doubt believes that life is sacred, er, until birth - but not after, out of the White House, then all is fair in love and war in my opinion."
I'm sure the American mid-west will be banging on your door for your opinions.
Don’t matter because sarah got a gun
The Experience of Palin and Obama compared:
http://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/aug/30/tale-of-the-tape-sarah-palin-vs-barack-obam/
G R E A T Photo of Sarah Palin :
http://blogs.news.com.au/images/uploads/bearlady.jpg
What's this single blog you're characterising at the left's desperation Iain?
What we're concerned about when it comes to SP is that she is coming from a background as a mayor of a parish of 7000-8000 souls via 18 months at Alaska HQ (smaller than Brum in citizens) to be on the undercard of a dribbling, absent minded old goat who has only met her ONCE. Possibly, he forgets.
Having "more executive experience" Iain - you're nuts you really are. You really must get over this Blairite private good public bad schtick.
There really doesn't need to be any more scandal than her trying to take out an in-law from a job to settle her sister's old score, and this ultra thin CV to indicate that she is probably not a person that you'd like to be No 2 in the world's greatest democracy.
This is like a ticket of Cecil Parkinson and Nadine Dorries for Tory PM and Deputy here five years ago ... except Nads had not even been elected to a parish pump. Hilarious, if it were not so serious.
She has more executive experience than McCain, Obama and Biden, who have, er, precisely none.
Care to condemn this muckraking by your US equivalent?
Why should I condemn something I don't know the facts about? What if its true? You don't think people have the right to know? You don't think if Obama had done something similar the right would be crowing about it endlessly?
Executive experience running a town of less than 10,000? Yes, that's VERY relevant. This line of yours is so hilarious its not even worth addressing.
The woman would be president if McCain keeled over. You don't think it might help if she knew a little about foreign affairs, given America's place in the world?
I love the way you right-wingers are getting an orgasm just because she's anti-choice on abortion and a 'hockey mom'. Nothing to do with the fact that McCain picked her just to get Hillary's voters, in a cynical attempt at pandering? Why not admit to that?
Guess who - "It's great to see another part of the country."
God help us.
The left don't need to kill her candidacy, she's quite capable on her own.
As I read this morning - Dan Quayle with ovaries. LOL.
Iain, it's not just 'the left' who think McCain made a cynical and irresponsible choice. Why do you always have to divide the world into 'the left' and 'the right'? Is life really that simple for you?
In the Times today:
"The Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, was facing a backlash from his party last night over the appointment of Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, as his running mate after it emerged that he had met her only once before offering her the job.
His choice of Palin, a 44-year-old, gun-toting, moose-burger-eating mother-of-five, confirmed his maverick reputation but also caused some leading Republicans to question his judgment.
Shannen Coffin, a former White House counsel to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, said choosing Palin seemed “desperate” and that it would be difficult to attack Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, on the grounds of inexperience. “It is hard to imagine Palin playing the same sort of role that modern vice-presidents like Gore, Bush, Cheney or Mondale played,” he said.
David Frum, President George W Bush’s former speech-writer, warned: “The McCain campaign’s slogan is ‘country first’. If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat from the presidency?”
Your comments on this really display a lack of understanding of America and American electoral politics.
Firstly, DailyKos is a website on which anyone who signs up can post diaries. The Obama campaign does not control it in any way; in fact, the website's whole philosophy is of breaking the control of the Democratic party establishment.
Secondly, while I agree the attacks are, as far as I can tell, without foundation in fact, you will not see the Democrats or the Obama campaign pushing this line. In addition, the DailyKos has apparantly deleted several diaries on the baby issue, and there has been a backlash against these sort of attacks by some on the site.
Thirdly, and most importantly, where have you been with condemning disgusting attacks on political candidates when it was Obama on the end of the right-wing smear machine? If you think the left are anywhere near as dirty as the right in America, you are deluded. Witness warm-up speakers at McCain campaign events referring repeatedly and pointedly to Barack HUSSEIN Obama. What exactly do you think they were doing? Just innocently mentioning his middle name?
I am baffled that you seem to defend Republicans at every opportunity, when it is the Democrats who are closer to David Cameron's party. They have displayed an absolute disregard for fiscal security and low spending under Bush, loading America with trillions of dollars of debt. And they have infringed on civil liberties in ways that you would surely disagree with.
Oh Sunny dear, do calm down. You rather underestimate her executive experience which you deride as being mayor of a small town. She is also governor of one of America's 50 states. Even you cannot deny the fact that she has more executive experience than Obama, despite your hysteria.
I look forward to you cutting Guido some slack next time he writes something speculative which you disapproce of. That "what if it's true line" may come back to haunt you.
Might it help if she knew more about foreign affairs? Maybe, but only in the same way that Carter, Clinton, Thatcher, Bush and Blair, to name but five, might have been advatnaged by doing so. Red herring. ANyway, Obama hasn;t exactly proved to be very knowledgeable on this so far, despite him being on the Foreign Relations Committe of the Senate - remember he suggested going into Pakistan univited. Not sure you;d approve of that Sunny.
As I have said repeatedly, if MCCain's prime motivation was to pick of Hillary voters, there were better candidates than a gun toting, anti abortion hockey mom, wouldn;t you say?
I want to make clear I usually agree with a lot of what you say on British politics, but you really don't seem to know much about America.
The fact that you link to a website that lists under Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience, "Governor of state that borders two foreign countries (Canada and Russia)", is frankly laughable. She says she never really thought about Iraq until recently. She doesn't conduct foreign relations with Moscow, which is the implication of the quote above.
Obama is certainly inexperienced, but at the very least you must admit that in a foreign policy battle between the two would-be veeps, Biden runs circles around Palin. He is chair of the foreign relations committee in the Senate. She runs Alaska, and hasn't even expressed many opinions on foreign policy until she was picked for the ticket.
"Nothing to do with the fact that McCain picked her just to get Hillary's voters, in a cynical attempt at pandering? Why not admit to that?"
Not only Hilary voters but blue collar workers also. Awww shucks, you sure are slick mister, our srategy has been blown.
Right or wrong, she needs to address this, and quick.
There is no room here for asserting a right to privacy, if it's lefty crap, she needs to prove it, now-kill the story and move on.
This thing rattling around in cyber-space is exactly the same as the 'Obama is a Muslim' story- something currently believed by 12 percent of Americans- it's a crock of you know what, but if it gets any traction at all then it becomes much harder to kill it.
This is exactly the sort of nonsense issue that derails American Presidential Campaigns, think the swift-boating of John Kerry or the Willie Horton issue/ad.
"Why should I condemn something I don't know the facts about? What if its true?"
Great so you won't mind me speculating over whether you have sex with the dead, because "what if it's true"?
Any way the story is moronic, Downs Syndrome is extremely rare in babies born to teenage girls, fewer than one in a thousand. Whereas in 43 year olds in occurs in around one in 50 births.
Thomas, the VP debates will be very interesting. She is apparently a very good debator. I am sure this foreign policy question will be tested in those debates.
Iain, come on - raise your game.
You are supposed to be a serious political commentator. I don't think your posts this week have been insightful, fair minded or well thought out.
Yes, of course, you're entitled to your views - but I think you're losing the plot.
I really do like reading your blog - but you're dumbing down.
Get your act together.
thomas.
So what for Elton's sake do the mid- west know about foreign policy?
Ignoring the unpleasantness of the accusation, one indicator that the child is probably Sarah Palin's is the fact the incidence of Down's syndrome rockets with the increasing age of the mother, from less than 1 in a thousand at the age of 20 to one in 19 at the age of 45. Just that one statistic indicates the parentage of the disabled child.
Has anyone mentioned Karl Rove, South Carolina 2000 and McCain's Asian child?
"Yes, of course, you're entitled to your views - but I think you're losing the plot."
Er, no, I think you'll find the Democrats are losing the election.
Canvas, no it is your blind hero worship of Obama which is blind.
I am not blinded by any of the four candidates. Each has their plus points and minus points. As I stated earlier on this thread or another one today, I have genuinley not made my mind up who to support but I cannot stand this leftist denegration of Sarah Palin. It stinks.
The McCain campaign think they can pick up low-information women voters who liked Clinton. That is indisputable, and to argue otherwise is delusional. They can then also tout her ultra-conservative values to try to fire up the Republican base.
Simple as that. The problem is that she is quite possibly the least experienced candidate on the national ticket in recent history, and she shares the ticket with the man who would be the oldest first term president in American history, and who has a history of cancer. It is quite possible the veep will be called into action, and therefore it was strange and irresponsible for MCCain to pick someone he had only met once before he vetted her.
The first criteria of the veep is that they are ready to be president. She will probably be ready in eight years, and she is a future star of the party, but now is not her time.
the statistics for Down's don't indicate anything. They only suggest. Some young mothers do conceive Down's syndrome babies.
However the whole thing is rather sleazy.
I wonder if McCain and Palin will ever release their full medical histories - McCain's especially because of his poor health.
Iain, it is disingenuous and hypocritical to say 'this leftist denegration of Sarah Palin' when the Republican Party are the masters of 'denegration'.
Draaz:
"thomas.
So what for Elton's sake do the mid- west know about foreign policy?"
What an arrogant and ridiculous thing to say about an entire region of America. Typical superiority thing. Why would McCain be promoting his foreign policy nous to those same Mid-Westerners if it was al going to pass over their heads? Obama needs to take on McCain's supposed strength, or he'll look like John Kerry: a timid candidate who is scared of speaking his mind and defending his views against attacks and lies.
Ian.
What do you make of the judgement of someone whose waters break in Texas, who then gets on aneight hour flight?
Iain, one thing that can certainly be said about Palin is that she would be better than Pawlenty in the debate against Biden. There are already suggetions that he'll have to rein back his attacking style against a woman, as voters maybe won't want to see him being too aggressive to her. I don't know how true that is, but it's on the Democrats' minds and is something to bear in mind.
Anonymous 4:42
Which is why I very carefully used the word "indicates" because I am well aware that nothing is provable without a DNA test.
Iain - "remember he suggested going into Pakistan uninvited."
And guess what a week later the US military conducted air strikes inside Pakistan territory to get Taliban insurgents. Obama was right. Pakistan and the ISI (is that right?) have done very little in helping us secure the border area and to capture insurgents in Pakistan. Some evidence suggests the ISI may very well be aiding them. We have every right to conduct these missions in the name of force protection and ultimately securing Afghan stability.
I didn't say I necessarily disagreed with him, but I would be that Sunny Hundal would.
thomas.
"Obama needs to take on McCain's supposed strength, or he'll look like John Kerry:"
I don't know if you noticed but Obama's presidential trip to Europe hardly registered in the States.
Chris Paul, 4.20
Commenting that Obama (and McCain and Biden) have no executive experience has nothing to do with talking about the public v. private sector. Being Governor of a state is an executive role (like being President), you are in charge. Being a Senator is a Legislative role.
The brother in law in question was suspended for tasering his son and drinking while on duty. He has allegedly made death threats against members of Palin's family. Do you really think it is too surprising that her aides were asking why he was still on the force? I don't know about you, but if a policeman I knew had done these things, I'd be on the phone to the Chief Constable every day asking why he still had a job.
Your comments about McCain as a senile 'dribbling absent minded old goat' are just pathetic. What evidence is there that McCain is not completely comps mentis? Do you think all 72 year olds are completely past it and are incapable of rational thought, or is it just all old people you don't like?
"What do you make of the judgement of someone whose waters break in Texas, who then gets on an eight hour flight?"
Irrelavent
Yep, you're right, a candidate's personal life shouldn't matter, only their political life.
Akheloios: Of course it matters. Suppose that a politician had been campaigning on an anti-drug ticket and then is found doped up to the eyeballs .....
She knows about Russia though.
(despite not having a passport till last year)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zP8uFPWxaA
McCAIN: You know, the experience that she comes from is what she’s done in government, and remember, Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia. It’s not as if she doesn’t understand what’s at stake here.
I live near the west coast, and am therefoe an expert on Irish politics.
Even you cannot deny the fact that she has more executive experience than Obama, despite your hysteria.
She also has more "executive experience" (in running a small town) than McCain. Does that make her more suited to be running as President now?
Really, you're a parody of yourself Iain.
Yeah that's right, equate giving birth to a baby and drug abuse.
???????
at the risk of being called delusional Palin won't make in impact on low information Clinton voters because those low information voters are already caught in the cult of personality that is Hillary Clinton. They don't want just a woman, they want Hillary Clinton. The polling suggests they are far more likely to stay at home or less likely follow Clinton's lead and vote Obama
sunny.
I get your logic. Why not just forget the other three, and vote Palin for President.
By my reckoning the Democrats should be at least five points ahead at this stage to have a chance of winning.
An politician using a strong anti drug platform caught using drugs would fall into a hypocrisy in public life category, and so be open to criticism.
This story would only come into that category if the report was indeed true, and second if she'd campaigned with a anti-choice, pro-abstinence only platform.
Michael 5pm - some of what you say is inaccurate AFAIK. The tasering etc. happened years before he lost his job. It wasn't until divorce proceeding came up that Palin's sister protested about these things despite having made no protest years before. The alleged death threats are especially dubious. The guy who was in charge didn't want to fire the trooper but he also lost his job for not executing Palin's personally motivated orders. Whether it matters a whole lot or not it seems certain that she abused the powers of her office. Palin is due to be deposed soon and the final report is due out on the 31st of October over the trooper allegations.
McCain really should be more careful about saying she is a kindred spirit and that he knows her well. Because the facts show that until last week they'd only met once. He just looks silly.
anon. 5.21.
You man as silly as Biden saying that Obama didn't have enough experience to be the President not so long ago?
"What do you make of the judgement of someone whose waters break in Texas, who then gets on an eight hour flight?"
That would be the judgement of a woman who was one month off the due date who had already given birth four times. And what would you know about giving birth, Tim?
She also has more "executive experience" (in running a small town) than McCain. Does that make her more suited to be running as President now?
She's the Governor of America's largest state, has been for a year and a half, and has done an amazing job of it. That is why McCain picked her. I'll take that resume over Obambi any day.
She's the Governor of America's largest state
Ha ha.
Alaska contains 0.22% of the US population.
In UK terms its the same percentage as Newcastle Under Lyme.
bertiebaumbaum - Biden was running against Obama then so he's allowed to say whatever he wanted. Biden's comments are more cutting because Obama and Biden do know each other quite well. The difference is Biden won't be repeating those comments as Obama's running mate. He'll backtrack just like Hillary. McCain just looks like a fool saying that he knows her when he clearly doesn't.
Palin has form in firing people for personal reasons. As Mayor of Wasilla she fired the police chief and library director without cause and was almost recalled as mayor by the electorate.
Getting Real About Palin by Josh Marshall (troopergate) at TalkingPointsMemo - http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/211769.php
"Ha ha.
Alaska contains 0.22% of the US population.
In UK terms its the same percentage as Newcastle Under Lyme."
Respectfully, this is typical of the quality of most of the comments on here, because they demonstrate a lack of understanding of the US that is TOTAL.
A US state is a sovereign entity: it is no way comparable to local government in the UK or even the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and London, all of which are mere creations of Parliament. A governor's job in the US is FAR more comparable to the PM in the UK than it is to a local council leader.
Yes, Alaska has a small population, but it is a third the size of the entire lower 48. It is quite literally unimaginably huge and its vast natural resources make its strategically important in a way that punches far above its three electoral votes (same as Joe Biden's Delaware, of course, which with the same population could fit inside Alaska several hundred times). Say what you will one way or another about Sarah Palin, but the idea that being Governor of Alaska is some kind of joke job is both laughable and insulting. Is it less qualification for the White House than being of, say, Arkansas (like Bill Clinton)?
Maybe. But at least some of the suspicious coverage pre-dates her VP nomination:
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/apr/22/palins-flight-labor-falls-under-scrutiny/
anonymous at 6:03
Thanks for that link from an obviously liberally biased website. Very instructive and naturally all us right-wingers will believe everything posted there. Down with Sarah Palin, she's quite clearly evil!
Iain,
I'm genuinly curious. The posts you have made about Sarah Palin have been met with a lot of liberal bile (or should that be bilge). I don't remember seeing the left leave so many comments on your site before on any one subject, particularly an american one. Are you noticing this too or is it just me.
I think it is a relection that they are genuinly worried about what this means for Obama's chances. Because of her appeal to women, the working/middle class in the swing states and to the Rocky Mountain states, they are worried that she can genuinly affect this election.
"The posts you have made about Sarah Palin have been met with a lot of liberal bile "
An awful lot of them are anons, which suggests to me that someone is trying to get out some smears without having to take responsibility for them. For instance both 5:19 and 5:50 anons are clearly lying, but as they aren't putting their credibility on the line they incur no cost.
Ross
Agreed, that is the liberal M.O. Curious to know what the motivation is though, it's not like we brits have any say on the matter.
The hitherto respected Daily Kos Blog
Ha ha.
"Respected" isn't the word I would usre.
draaz:
"I don't know if you noticed but Obama's presidential trip to Europe hardly registered in the States."
All of the big three evening news anchors (ABC, CBS and NBC) had big interviews with Obama as he went along the trip (and I think the big Sunday politics shows all got interviews too). The cable news covered it constantly. And, tellingly, the McCain campaign complained that the media were obsessed with Obama. McCain has even released attack ads against Obama that contain footage of the Berlin speech and crowds.
Conservative Cabbie, rather emphasises the point I was making, doesn't it?
This is perhaps more damaging... Palin, as a sitting governor, laughing as a Republican colleague is called a b**** (I know you have language rules, Iain, so I have self-regulated) and a "cancer". The colleague was also a cancer survivor. Not exactly pleasant.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/31/palin-laughs-as-opponent_n_122776.html
There's another example of Palin's corruption where she fired the entire Board of Agriculture and Conservation so that she could install new members to save the state owned milk business which had lost $600k in 2 years. They then at her insistence ploughed over $640k of tax payers money into a state owned business that consultants said should be wound up. A few months later the company lost another $300k and it was then decided to close but operated at a loss for another few months. Not exactly the record of fiscal conservative or fiscally responsible.
Anonymous at 7:27
Give it a rest, you post under anonymity without any links. C'mon lefties, a higher standard please.
Palin fires police chief and library director without cause
LINK
Iain, I can't find this post on the main Daily Kos page at the time that it says here - have they taken it down or is it just from a Kos diarist and not from the main page?
Andrew Halcro former two-term Republican state representative
Matanuska Maid link
Iain,
Either the story is true or, the story is false. Either way, it impacts on the judgement of Palin. Given that 9 times in the last 42 presidencies the VP has taken power during term, she's perilously close to power.
If true, then again the cover-up will be more damaging than the actual problem.
If false (and Occam's razor alone says it should be), then herwaters broke at 4am, she waited till 8am to do a presentation, then went on a scheduled aircraft trip, not telling the crew about her condition, from texas to seattle, and then on to Anchorage, and then on an hours drive to a hospital with no Neo-natal icu facilites. With a Downs Baby.
The fact that her waters had broken could lead to huge medical complciations, from infection to a prolapsed cord, to worse. The pressure change on the amniotic sack in the aircraft alone would be incredibly risky.
Either way, in my eyes her judgement is impaired. That;s the problem with this story, either answer puts her in a bad light.
This SHOULD have been found in the vetting and dealt with.
Letterman:
it was not a front-pager or an editor who wrote it, it was just a couple of diarists. They seem to have been buried or taken down anyway.
American Politics on "Iain Dale" is seriously tiresome, not all Tories love a Republican.
To be honest you sound like a New Labour wannabee praising up the right wing.
Your post about her experince. You do realise she was Mayor at a level akin to a level to Parish Council level?
Republicans like her give human beings a bad name.
The sycophantic comments about Obama illustrate the problem. The fact is things started going downhill for him when he chose to exploit his followers financially in the way he announced his VP choice. And Biden must've been chosen by the Clintons as they endorsed him more warmly than Obama. And from footage I've seen, Biden doesn't let him get a word in edgeways when they're in front of crowds. The people I know who were really keen on Obama and donated a lot of cash, are now saying saying they don't really care what happens in Nov. My brother actually said he was too busy to watch any of last Thurs' speech. And the attacks on Palin would further put off the people who got interested in the process for the 1st time. And to those questioning her judgement about travelling when her waters broke - it shows real strength of character to suppress such maddening pain. She obviously had to travel to her own midwife as she would've known there was something wrong with baby from the scans. Anyway, I hear Thatcher was dismissed as a lightweight with a funny voice in 1975 and look what happened to her.
The sexist attacks by the so called liberals would only help the Republicans in Nov. The Republicans are united in winning this, and the Dems are seriously not in the same planet as most ordinary Americans. And the Republicans have just announced they're cancelling events in solidarity with those affected by the hurricane. Things that always play well in Peoria.
Thankyou anonymous (7:39 and 7:53) for the links, nice one :-).
Please forgive me though if I don't take links to Andrew Sullivan too seriously, he's Obama's biggest fan - hardly a reliable source.
Conservative cabbie, Sullivan is a conservative blogger - an Obamacon! (Stupid term)
Andrew Sullivan develops intense infatuations with politicians during which they can do no wrong, right up until they disappoint him when he turns into a deranged bunny boiler who now thinks his former object of admiration can do no right. See his attitude to Bush up until February 2004 and then after.
A couple of weeks ago he was claiming that Karl Rove started the Russia-Georgia war. Really!
Sullivan was once a serious commentator but that was a long time ago.
Sullivan isn't the source in any case - just the go between. The best stuff is on the Anchorage Daily News website but you have to pay a fee for access to their archives.
"...not all Tories love a Republican."
And as a Republican who's worked for the Tories, not all Republicans love those among the Tories who manage to display their staggering ignorance of the US.
"Republicans like her give human beings a bad name."
Self-righteous condescension like that gives the Tory Party a bad name.
My guess is that this is simply to bring on board the hard right on cultural issues.
The only problem is:
What's the point if she's not going to deliver on those culturally conservative issues - like changing the constitution so that marriage is only heterosexual, making abortion virtually illegal and allowing terrorists AK-47s.
I think that this whole thing will unravel.
Mind you you have to give it to Cindy McCain when asked how much Foreign Affairs experience she has
`Well you know she comes from Alaska, and that's near to Russia!`
Well i never knew that!
With this distasteful story there is some misunderstanding about Daily Kos. A diarist wrote the piece - not one of the front page contributors. Anybody can become a diarist and publish pretty much what they like within the site rules which are liberal. The diarist in question is also very new to the site which often suggests a troll - I suspect in this case it is more likely to be a conservative diarist raising hell. Daily Kos diarists operate a kind of collective censorship which means diaries like this one will be buried pretty soon. If you're going to try to be true to free speech then you're going to get this kind of stuff occasionally.
"Leftist denigration"? Are you kidding me? Has spending time on your Total Bollocks magazine now severely hampered your ability to remove your own skull from your cakehole?
Seriously, Iain - grow up. Just because you have some kind of very very small stature among a tiny segment of the Westminster class - try asking 80% of your party's MPs who you are, and they will scratch their old heads in ignorance - doesn't mean you can still write like a schoolboy.
"which compares Palin's experience with that of Barack Obama..."
In a completely unbiased and objective way, natch...
Who's the daddy ?
Iain - can you explain what is illegitimate about a story claiming that Sarah Palin lied about being pregnant?
Are you saying it is a false story? You don't seem to be, so what exactly is your problem with it?
Sarah Palin is very good looking and she seems from what I've seen to be intelligent.
There may be reason for lefties (like me) to worry about her appeal to voters.
You said in an earlier post that some lefties called her McCain's Dan Quayle but, if the rumours such as troopergate and the true mother of the new baby prove to be true, she could well turn out to be McCain's Tom Eagleton.
There have been so many misrepresentations here, it's hard to know where to begin. But prostrated adoration of the former mayor of a town that is "Charmless strip malls with big-box stores" [LA Times] or "an incorporated cluster of strip malls and lumber yards" [Washington Post] is hardly seemly for anyone claiming journalistic privileges.
There's something very odd about Wasilla, Alaska: it seems somewhat elastic. It claims a population of 6,715; but the most recent census gave it just 5,470. And that included the Mug Shot Saloon. The high spot in the life of Wasilla is, I am assured, the appearance of the cast of the local strip-tease parlour on a float in the 4th July parade.
The story about daughter Bristol's pregnancy is surely disproven by the simple fact that she is (at 17 and unmarried) now five months pregnant. Which makes an April delivery somewhat unlikely. That's a Reuters story, 11.45 a.m. EST, taken from an official announcement by Palin herself.
Such stories hit the national media only over the weekend; but this one and Troopergate have been Alaskan staples for some months.
Can we also put away the nonsense of Palin's 80% approval ratings? The latest counts were in the 60s (not bad) but "in the teens" among the local Press.
One aspect that is fair dealing is to refer to the preaching at the tabernacles at which she worships. There's already an article available on line, which does just that.
Am I allowed to say that obsessions like "The purpose for the United States is… to glorify God. This nation is a Christian nation" and "We are living in the last days. These are incredible times to live in" leave me a little bit dubious. Those of us with Ulster connections have been somewhat numbed by New Earthers; but I wonder where Palin stands on Leviticus? She probably relates nicely with the likes of Iris Robinson.
"What do you make of the judgement of someone whose waters break in Texas, who then gets on an eight hour flight?"
That would be the judgement of a woman who was one month off the due date who had already given birth four times. And what would you know about giving birth, Tim?
As someone who knows a bit about giving birth, the fact that you've been through it four times before makes it a lot more likely that you're going to give birth imminently. First labours are usually long. Later labours are usually short. If I were a 44-year old woman whose waters broke, I would be looking at giving birth in two to four hours, not getting airborne.
Being one month off the due date likewise. If your waters break at month nine, you're going into labour. If they break at month eight, it's premature, it's small (though not this one, apparently), it's possibly a medical emergency. You go to a hospital, not an airport.
IF - big if - she really did take this eight hour flight after her waters supposedly broke, she's either an idiot or a liar.
she killed it her self Palin family values
McCain was never told about that
now Boris where were you
Iain,
I wish you hadn't linked to that comparison on redstate, since it's, well, disingenuous to say the least.
I'm also think the whole "executive experience" line is disingenuous - none of the candidates experience is really appropriate to the role of president, as you well know.
Of course all the nonsense about Palin's family is out of order, but if you really believe the American Right wouldn't be saying exactly the same kind of thing about a democratic candidate in teh same position I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.
Iain said:
"he suggested going into Pakistan univited."
Whereas McCain would go to the "Gates of Hell" after Osama, but not, apparently, into Pakistan.
At least Barack's position matches his oratory on this matter...
Iain, your position on the american election appears to be "ignorant partisan cheerleader". I expect rather more "Informed partisan cheerleader" from you, so maybe you should do the opposition research and point out the real weaknesses in B.O.'s candidacy. Peddling of unsubtle and misleading GOP talking points isn't what I read your blog for.
Palin is a pathetic example of leadership. McCain knows this and he only cose her to appeal to the rightwing base. She's a nobody and will end up back in her tiny village of Wasilla to care for her special needs kid. An absolute disgraceful pick by McCain. But, as I said, he knows this. When she is forced to bow out, McCain will be free to choose Joe Lieberman!
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