October 2008

Commentary: Sarah Palin, proud socialist

By:
Published October 30, 2008, in Politics & Government

COMMENTARY FROM PERRY DIAZ

Republican Vice Presidential Sarah Palin has been accusing Barack Obama a “socialist” and for “spreading the wealth around.” Well, if we used Palin’s criteria of a “socialist,” then she would fit as a “socialist” herself. Actually, she used the words “sharing the wealth” as opposed to “spreading the wealth” which would really make her a “communist.”

Perry

Sarah Palin, proud socialist
Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, October 28, 2008
Source: www.boingbling.net

The best part of Hendrik Hertzberg’s excellent New Yorker commentary about McCain and Palin’s failed attempt to convince people that Obama is a socialist is the final paragraph containing this boast from Gov. Sarah Palin:
The state that she governs has no income or sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease its oil fields. The proceeds finance the government’s activities and enable it to issue a four-figure annual check to every man, woman, and child in the state. One of the reasons Palin has been a popular governor is that she added an extra twelve hundred dollars to this year’s check, bringing the per-person total to $3,269. A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist—Philip Gourevitch, of this magazine—that “we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.” Perhaps there is some meaningful distinction between spreading the wealth and sharing it (“collectively,” no less), but finding it would require the analytic skills of Karl the Marxist.

Letter from Paris

By:
Published October 29, 2008, in Opinion

Letter from Paris
By Antonio C. Abaya
Written on Oct. 28, 2008

We took the Eurostar train from St.Pancras Station in London to Gare du Nord in Paris. The train glided noiselessly under the English Channel in less time than it took me to read the International Herald Tribune, which has become my medium of choice, in London and even in Paris, even though I can read French passably. The IHT feels like an old shoe. When I was a student in Evanston (Illinois) in the late 1950s and early 1960s I used to buy the Sunday edition of the New York Times every weekend, to find out what was going on in the world, the Chicago papers being terribly insular and parochial.

The leading London and Paris newspapers are anything but insular and parochial, of course, but I felt comfortable in the editorial embrace of the IHT, which is the international edition of the NYT. Like slipping into an old shoe.

If you should think of taking the Eurostar, be informed that there are no porters, in either London or Paris, to pick up your luggage for you. And apparently no trolleys in Gare du Nord. We were a party of seven adults and two children, with 11 full-sized pieces of luggage and eight hand-carrieds. After unloading our impedimenta from the train, we waited vainly for a porter with one or two hand trolleys to transport our baggage to the station exit. The two young men in our party searched the station for some hand trolleys, but they could not find any..

While I was left alone with the women and children and our pile of luggage, a motorized trolley glided by on its way to pick up some official cargo at the other end of the train. When it headed back our way, I noticed that all the driver had picked up was some equipment the size of a fat DVD player, perhaps the cockpit recorder of the train. So I flagged him down and in the best French that I could muster I requested him to also load our belongings.
At first, he said he was not allowed to load unofficial cargo, but I pleaded that we were the only passengers left on the platform and we could not possibly move by hand the amount of luggage that we had. He must have taken pity either on our hopeless situation or on my bad French, because he relented and personally loaded all our 19 pieces of luggage on his mechanized trolley.

The moral of the story is: if you are travelling across the English Channel with more luggage than you can personally pull, push or levitate, take the plane.

The last time I was in Paris was in the early 1980s. I cannot even recall the exact year. But Paris has always been my favorite city. I think it is the most beautiful city in the world, and would gladly have visited it more often than I have, if it had not been so expensive to fly here and to stay here.
It was my children who zeroed in on the hotel we are staying in, after diligent search on the Internet. We are in the 7th arrondisement, less than ten minutes away from the Tour Eiffel.

We are enjoying the generosity of a wealthy friend, who has lent us a Volkswagen van with driver to take us around during our entire stay here.
Thierry has been much more than a driver. He is a knowledgeable tour guide with a wealth of arcane historical information, which flows effortlessly out of his mind in and outside the museums. He knows about wines and gourmandise. He knows about fast cars and motorcycles. He knows about films, with whom I agree completely that, after Au bout de Souffle (‘Breathless’), the director Jean Luc Godard, one of the fashionable icons of the French Nouvelle Vague movement in the 60s and 70s, has created nothing but garbage. He is also a regular reader of the satirical and irreverent political weekly Le Canard Enchaine, which probably explains why he has such a low opinion of his president, Nicholas Sarkozy. How many drivers do you know possess such impressive intellectual credentials?
Thierry has also been something of a valet. He makes reservations for dinner, buys museum tickets, and even follows up on tax-refunds for purchases at the Galeries Lafayette. And he is a most capable driver, as well as a pleasant and amiable travelling companion.
The other day, he drove us to the Loire Valley for a balloon trip which, through no fault of his, was less than the exciting experience that we had anticipated: the wind speed was almost sedentary at three knots, the balloon failed to reach the chateau that I had wanted to fly over – Chennonceaux – and instead landed on a private hunting preserve near Blois, which angered the landowner against the operator. But she was gracious enough towards us innocent passengers, whom she kindly showed around the grounds of her chateau.
Yesterday, we spent the whole day and part of the evening being expertly driven by Thierry through Normandy, which was my personal itinerary for this trip, meaning that I wanted to see what I had missed on my two previous visits to France: the extraordinarily impressivre Mont Saint Michel; the 12th century tapestry in Bayeux narrating in Latin the events leading to the invasion of England in 1066 by Guillaume le Conquereur of Normandy; and the lovingly manicured American military cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, scene of another, more formidable, invasion, this time of Normandy, by American, British and Canadian armies in June 1944. In the dark, because of the late hour, Thierry even took us to one of the concrete blockhouses, 155mm gun still intact, that the Germans had built in Normandy as part of their Festung Europa
On my request, he took us on a tour of the Paris streets which I knew in 1961. We searched the length of the lengthy Rue du Cherche Midi for the Hotel du Cherche Midi, where I had stayed in April 1961, but alas the hotel seems to have disappeared. I especially wanted to revisit it because I recall that a few hundred meters from the hotel there was a historical marker honoring Jose Rizal. I could not recall what Rizal was doing on Rue du Cherche Midi in the 1890s. But the historical marker seems to have disappeared also. Perhaps, theorized Thierry, the area had been renovated and they forgot to put back the marker.
We also visited Rue Racine, off Boulevard Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter, to look for Hotel Racine. where I had stayed in October 1961. it too has disappeared, or rather has been reincarnated as a Best Western hotel, with a new name and a modernized facade. And the Vespa agency on Rue Lauriston near the Arc de Triomphe, where I had bought my Vespa in 1961, seems to have disappeared as well.
We drove to the suburbs of Aubervilliers where my Vespa had run out of gasoline and I out of money, in October 1961. The main street, the Avenue de la Division Leclerc, is still there, but the cross street, Rue de la Republique, has also disappeared. Instead there is now a wide Avenue de la Republique which, however, does not cross the Avenue de la Division Leclerc. (Leclerc was the commanding general of the French Army division which was given by the Allies the honour of liberating Paris from the Germans in 1944).
For those who may have tuned in late. I was on the last leg of my six-month, 18,000 km Vespa trip through Europe . I had spent the night before in the auberge de jeunesse in the town of Givet, near the Belgian frontier, about 270 kms from Paris. After buying a loaf of bread, which was my breakfast and lunch for the day, I tanked up the Vespa, which from experience I knew would take me about 250 kms.
Not unexpectedly, my Vespa sputtered to a stop before I reached Paris, precisely at the corner of Avenue de la Division Leclerc and Rue de la Republique in the suburbs of Aubervilliers. It was out of fuel, and I was out of money. I had enough coins left to make one telephone call, to the Philippine Embassy in Paris, where, as previously instructed by my sister – then visiting Paris – I was to talk to Nene Zacarias,
When I identified myself, Nene exclaimed, “Naku, itung batang ito, matagal ka nang hinahanap ng kapatid mo!” What to do? Nene told me to leave my Vespa behind , take a taxi to the Embassy – at 26 Avenue Georges Mandel – where they would pay for my cab fare. I asked permission from the owner of the grill-bar where I was calling from to leave my Vespa in front of her establishment. Instead she kindly allowed me to park my Vespa inside the courtyard of the building, for safe-keeping.
As instructed by Nene, I took a taxi to the Embassy and entered Paris that day in October 1961 with exactly ten centimes – the equivalent of two US cents – in my pocket.
But now, a few days more than 47 years later, Hotel du Cherche Midi has disappeared, Hotel Racine has disappeared, the Vespa agency on Rue Lauriston has disappeared, Rue de la Republique in Aubervilliers has disappeared. And inexorably, I too will disappear. Sic transit gloria Vespae.*****
Reactions to tonyabaya@gmail.com. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com.

How Racism Works

By:
Published October 29, 2008, in Opinion

How Racism Works

“What if John McCain were a former president of the
Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom
of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he
said ‘I do’ to?

What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife
after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5 (a past scandal)?

What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the
election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes
positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative
qualities in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss… which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care,
a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage
crises, bank foreclosures, etc.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

Obama:

Columbia University – B.A. Political Science with a
Specialization in International Relations. Harvard – Juris Doctor
(J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden:

University of Delaware – B.A. in History and B.A. in Political
Science. Syracuse University College of Law – Juris Doctor (J.D.)
versus

McCain:

United States Naval Academy – Class rank: 894 of 899

Palin:

Hawaii Pacific University – 1 semester
North Idaho College – 2 semesters – general study
University of Idaho – 2 semesters – journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College – 1 semester
University of Idaho – 3 semesters – B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire? ”
All facts have been independently checked out by 80-20. If you like
it please forward it to others.

Respectfully yours,
S. B. Woo
Member, Executive Comm., 80-20 PAC, Inc.

PerryScope: October Surprise

By:
Published October 28, 2008, in Opinion, PerryScope

PerryScope
by Perry Diaz

October Surprise

Rumors were abounding in the media about an “October Surprise” by John McCain that would shatter the presidential aspiration of Barack Obama. But as it turned out, the “October Surprise” was on McCain — Obama pulled ahead of McCain in the battleground states.

On October 4, 2008, it was reported on the news that “Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama’s character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat’s judgment, honesty and personal associations.” By attacking Obama’s character, McCain hoped that it would put Obama on the defensive; thus, distracting him from discussing the economic crisis and outlining his economic recovery plan.

As soon as the decision to assault Obama’s character was made, McCain unleashed his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin to attack Obama. That day, she told three separate rallies that Obama is “not a man who sees America like you and I see America,” and accused him of “palling around” with William Ayers — co-founder of the radical Weather Underground in the 1960’s — whom she called a “domestic terrorist.” She told the agitated crowds that Obama is “not one of us.” On that same day, McCain who was addressing a crowd in New Mexico called Obama a “mystery, a liar, complicit in the economic crisis and an unaccomplished naif, at all the same time.”

For two weeks, McCain and Palin were doing their demolition job on Obama. But Obama was indestructible only because he chose not to respond to the “low blows” of McCain and Palin. McCain finally realized that these “low blows” were hurting him more than it hurt Obama. The polls were showing Obama’s rating going over 51% while McCain’s was hovering at around 42%. With less than two weeks left in the campaign, McCain changed his strategy back to selling his economic plan. But to his dismay, a lot of Americans had already bought Obama’s economic plan and many have already cast their votes in states that allowed early voting.

If that was the “October Surprise” that McCain had bandied about, it turned out to be nothing more than a distraction. However, a series of surprises occurred that helped Obama’s campaign. The “Big Surprise” came on October 19 when retired Gen. Colin Powell announced on NBC’s Meet the Press that he will vote for Obama . He said, “I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities — and you have to take that into account — as well as his substance — he has both style and substance. He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president.”

Powell was critical of McCain’s campaign tactics including the controversial “rob calls” that tried to link Obama to Ayers. He was also critical of McCain’s judgment in selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate. Powell said, “Now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don’t believe she is ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president.”

Powell also criticized some Republicans for insinuating that Obama is a Muslim. He said, “Well, the correct answer is: he is not a Muslim, he is a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is: what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no; that is not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, ‘He is a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.’ This is not the way we should be doing it in America.”

Many believe that Powell’s endorsement of Obama and blistering critique of McCain’s campaign tactics could have a devastating blow to McCain’s candidacy and which could sway the undecided voters to Obama, particularly in the battleground states.

Four days later, there were a cluster of surprises. Scott McClellan, President Bush’s former Press Secretary announced on the “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News” that he is going to vote for Obama. McClellan said, “From the very beginning I’ve said I am going to support the candidate who has the best chance of changing the way Washington works and getting things done. I will be voting for Barack Obama.”

On the same day, Alison Goldwater, granddaughter of former Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, voted early for Barack Obama. She said of McCain, “I don’t have respect for him.” It’s interesting to note that McCain has oftentimes claimed to be a “Barry Goldwater” Republican. Apparently, Alison didn’t think so.

Also on the same day, Arne Carlson, former Republican Governor of Minnesota, endorsed Obama for president. She said, “He has laid out for this nation a vision for a national purpose.”

And in a desperate act, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the fund-raising arm of Republican senatorial candidates across the country, is now running ads that “presume” that McCain will lose.

Yesterday, I was surprised when I was reading an email from a friend who was a supporter of McCain. She said that she checked her IRA account in preparation for her retirement and was shocked to find out that she lost $36,000! She was devastated because she may not be able to retire next year. She promised that she will vote for Obama.

My friend’s story is not uncommon. In early October, about 100 million Americans received a letter that shattered their dreams. Everyone received the same message. The letter told them that their savings — IRAs, 401Ks, mutual funds, etc. — were 30% down this year.

The pain, loss, and stress suffered by these 100 million Americans is a testament to the failed economic policies of President Bush. Are they going to vote for McCain or Obama? More than likely they — like my friend who lost $36,000 — would vote for Obama. This election is not about politics, it’s all about the economy. That… is the “October Surprise.”

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

Macario Sakay vindicated

By:
Published October 27, 2008, in Opinion

Landscape
Gemma Cruz Araneta

Macario Sakay vindicated

It all began last year on 13 September when the City of
Manila, led by Mayor Alfredo S. Lim, simultaneously
commemorated the 100th death anniversary of General Macario
Sakay and the 104th birthday of Amado V. Hernandez , two
Filipino patriots, natives of Tondo. General Macario Sakay
was born on Calle Tabora but no one knows where his house
once stood so Mayor Lim had no choice but to hold a dual
event at the Plaza Amado V. Hernandez, a rotunda of black
granite slabs in front of the Santo Niño Church of Tondo.

“Sword & Pen” was the elegantly
significant title devised by Mrs. Carmen G. Nakpil,
chairperson of the Manila Historical & Heritage
Commission (MHHC) The “sword” was General Macario Sakay
who fought two imperial powers, Spain and the United States
of America, as a katipunero of “balangay Dapitan” and
later as a soldier of the Revolutionary Army of the First
Republic. He was captured by the Americans in 1902 , was
later granted amnesty only to take up arms even more
ferociously and establish the Republika ng Katagalugan in
the mountainous hinterlands of Rizal and Laguna. The
“pen” was Amado V. Hernandez, labor leader and
nationalist, activist poet and writer , who was
posthumously honored with the National Artist Award f or
literature.

“Next year, ”Mayor Lim declared after extolling the
long-haired General’s love for country, “… there will
be a monument to Macario Sakay at that plaza.” He was
pointing at Plaza Morga, a narrow oval shaped plot, a
stone’s throw away from where we were.

Indomitable revolutionaries like Gen. Macario Sakay, were
a menace to the rapid “pacification” of the Philippines
so the American colonial government passed the “Ley de
Bandolerismo” which branded as bandoleros, tulisanes,
ladrones and common criminals Filipinos who vehemently
refused to pledge allegiance to the USA and continued
fighting for independence. That is why there is no monument
to General Macario Sakay. After he was betrayed in 1906,
by Dominador Gomez, the general was imprisoned in Old
Bilibid, hanged with other revolutionary fighters in 1907
and his body unceremoniously dumped in a common grave. To
this day many Filipinos believe he was a dangerous outlaw
and not a patriot.

Soon after the “Sword & Pen” , during a
“tertulia”, a monthly gathering at the Museo ng Maynila
(re-opened by Mayor Lim in 2007) historians, teachers,
principals, students, barangay captains and kagawads and an
assortment of history buffs and culture vulture, tackled
the touchy topic of historical rectification and the
vindication of our maligned and forgotten heroes. Should we
rectify historical errors and vindicate our denigrated
heroes? By all means, was the consensus at that monthly
tertulia which showed that Mayor Lim’s monument project
was very well received.

The implementation depended on a lot of other offices and
city departments, not just on the MHHC , the Museo or the
Manila Tourism and .Cultural Affairs Bureau. It is vital to
network with the barangay where Plaza Morga is located and
its neighboring units. Mayor Lim never fails to remind the
department heads of the city government that inter-office
cooperation should be cultivated for good and effective
governance.

The Manila Barangay Bureau, headed by Mr. Roland Lim, had
to be deeply involved every step of the way to assure that
barangay folk will feel they have a stake in Mayor Alfredo
S. Lim’s Macario Sakay monument project. Without the
cooperation of barangay captains, kagawads and tanods it
would be almost impossible to guarantee peace and order in
the plaza and protection against vandals and malevolent
elements who might try to deface the hero’s statue.

The City Engineers Office, led by Eng. Amado Andres,
focused on the infrastructure. “Clinging vine” lamp
posts of the past were replaced with others of a more
appropriate design (still much too gaudy for my taste). The
pedestal was a monolith, the standard 5x5x7 feet , and
samples of marble and granite slabs were submitted for
approval. Engineer E. Manimbo of the Parks Development and
Beautification Office was enjoined not to even attempt to
trim the one and only acacia that dominates Plaza Morga,
lest he suffer the fate of Intramuros Administrator Bambi
Harper.

Mrs. Monina Santiago, industrious OIC of the Museo ng
Maynila, unearthed books about Macario Sakay and other
“bandoleros” in the personal library of Atty Sioson,
member of the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission
(MHHC). Monumental and unequaled research work s of
Antonio Abad, Orlino Ochosa and Luis Dery were sent of
Mrs. Nakpil who wrote an edifying one- page article on
Macario Sakay for the “Philippine Star.” For his part,
historian Dr. Jaime Veneracion discussed Sakay and his times
during my radio program “Krus na Daan” and to our
surprise a lot of people called to ask for more information
and congratulate us for rectifying history.

“Patnubay” Award for scuplture, Mr. Benjamin Mendoza ,
was commissioned to make the monument. He first presented
clay model plus three drawings which were submitted to
Mayor Lim . Meticulous with historical details, Mr. Mendoza
asked for photos of Sakay’s weapons and not finding
pictures clear enough to show details, I ventured to ask
(Ret) General Manuel Yan, Jr. for technical advise. An
aficionado of military history, Gen. Yan said that by the
time Sakay was fighting the Americans guerrilla – style
the saber was no longer in use so he should be shown
carrying a pistol or revolver, to which Mayor Lim agreed

I visited Macario Sakay at Mr. Mendoza atelier on
Matimtiman street at the Teachers’ Village . It was
touching to see the statue of the “bandolero” take form,
projecting such indomitable force and passion. The small
clay model was much too mestizo- looking, but the big
statue was turning out to be a more faithful representation
of Sakay who had a small native nose. I told the sculptor
that Mrs. Nakpil never fails to point out that the hair
should be well-groomed, Sakay was after all a barber. With
a master’s touch Mr. Mendoza made Sakay’s mane fly in
the air, exactly how Mrs. Nakpil described it in her
poignant article.

A week before the actual unveiling, the weather was most
uncooperative; it rained torrents; streets were flooded
knee-deep, many of us were stranded in City Hall. I was
afraid the pedestal would be washed away in the downpour
and that the statue of Macario Sakay, reclined under a
makeshift canvas tent for final pouring and finishing
touches, would end up splattered on the cobbles of Plaza
Morga. The thought of having to cancel the unveiling of
the first ever statue of Macario Sakay after such elaborate
and painstaking preparations, was most depressing indeed.

By some miracle, the storm suddenly left with no
other tropical convergence threatening our “area of
responsibility” ; so on
that Saturday morning, the 13th of September, a sun like
the one embroidered on Macario Sakay’s red flag cast
brilliant rays on the Mayor of Manila, his Tondo
constituents, the navy and army men in full regalia, the
police, teachers, students , bureaucrats, historians,
vendors, workers, “Los Bandoleros” of UP, long-haired
like Sakay, and all those curious souls who gathered at
Plaza Morga to honor Macario Sakay and finally
vindicate his name on the 101th anniversary of his cruel
but glorious martyrdom.

( gemma 601@yahoo.com)

Barack “Web 2.0″ Obama will win the 2008 U.S. presidential elections by a landslide

By:
Published October 27, 2008, in Opinion

Barack “Web 2.0” Obama will win the 2008 U.S. presidential elections by a landslide
by Hecky Villanueva

A week ago, after writing an article on why Catholics could vote for Obama, I was intrigued at the wealth of information I found on the topic on the Web. Then after watching the endorsement of Colin Powell of Obama, I was further intrigued. I Googled keywords one wouldn’t expect to be related such as “Republicans supporting Obama,” “conservatives for Obama,” “Joe the Plumber supports Obama,” or “Joe Six-packer for Obama,” and so on. The Google results were overwhelming. The articles were likewise witty and humorous. I thought there was something going on here. The blizzard of favorable endorsements of Obama and Obama’s sticky presence online seemed to point to what Malcolm Gladwell has famously labeled as the tipping point. The other phenomena that seemed to jumping out was Chris Anderson’s long tail, wherein, to stretch his definition further, many people were writing about different aspects of Obama. Importantly, Obama supporters were doing the research on issues and counterpunching for him.

Notwithstanding the tsunami of polls indicating a surge for Obama, Web 2.0 analyses also indicate this observation. In fact, one internet marketing website predicted as early as June 2008 that Obama would win. An Irish bookie has even started paying out bets on an Obama win to the tune of $1.5M.

Web 2.0, coined by Tim O’Reilly and John Battelle, generally refers to how we think of and use the worldwide web and the internet as a platform of activities such as communications, information generation and dissemination, education, social networking, social media, and marketing, among others. Web 2.0 harnesses community and collective intelligence and enables a “richer user-experience.” It encourages the user to innovate. It is powerfully egalitarian because diversity and uniqueness are appreciated and valued
It becomes even more powerful when online activity translates into real world action in creative ways.

The Obama campaign has achieved this.

Here are some crude numbers and observations.

Obama has a significant online presence. Google his name and you will get 79M page results. Google John McCain and you have 18.9M page results only or 4x less. Obama’s slogan “Change we can believe in” resulted in an even larger 97.4M page results. “Sarah Palin” returned 43.7M page results compared to “Joe Biden” with 20M. However, the first two pages summarizing the results had websites that weren’t favorable to her.

Obama has a significant online community. In the rapidly expanding social networking site Facebook, Obama has nearly 4x more supporters at 2.24M compared to McCain’s 595,167 supporters. In the older MySpace, Obama again has 4x more friends at 771,493 compared to McCain’s 195,017. In comparing what goes on in their respective Facebook pages, Obama’s page again is more active with 463,890 wall posts and 1,664 notes compared to 118,199 wall posts and 125 notes for McCain. McCain though has a discussion section containing 6,108 discussion topics, while Obama has no such section.

However, there is a parallel Facebook group and website called Barack Obama (One Million Million Strong for Barack) with 835,271 members, 54,783 discussion topics, and even 4,221 pictures posted.

Obama is sticky online. By sticky, we mean content online either gets us to return to the website or it gets our attention. Obama is not only sticky but his online reputation is positive. On the widely successful video sharing website YouTube for example Obama video results numbered 571,000 to McCain’s 176,000. Palin video results numbered 90,700 compared to Joe Biden’s 32,100. If one takes the negative aspect, anti-Obama videos have 410 compared to McCain’s 229. Anti-Palin resulted in 95, while anti-Biden resulted in two videos. However, there are anti -Republican groups that consistently upload informative and critical GOP videos. One active group is Brave New Films which has 880 video results. “Joe the plumber” had video results 3,430 of various slants. “Joe six pack” had video results 740, again of various slants.

The Tech President website, which provides some of the most useful Web 2.0 analyses of the election campaign notes that Obama has a whopping 85,082,123 YouTube views compared to McCain’s 22,598,936. In addition, Obama racked up a humongous 14,548,809.05 viewing hours compared to McCain’s 488,093.01 hours. PCWorld has noted that YouTube videos are ‘kinder’ to Obama .

“Blog mentions” as measured by Technorati shows Obama leading McCain 4,624 to 3,928. Gov. Palin had a huge increase to 3,257, probably due to her numerous gaffes.

Obama’s website according to Hitwise, an internet research company, has a 67.19% market share compared to McCain’s 32.81%.
Obama is even the “Brand of the Year” awardee as declared by Advertising Age/Ad age.
In what online cave is McCain living in these days?

from Underconsideration.com

Online to real line

Obama has better leveraged Web 2.0 in myriad ways.

The Obama movement. Obama supporters from Facebook to Myspace to those who registered at MyObama have demonstrated their support with the best indicator, money. David Plouffer, the Obama campaign manager reported that 632,000 new donors donated quite a big part of the $150M raised during the month of September 2008, bringing the total number of those who have donated to more than 3.1 million. According to him, the average amount of the donations is $86. Two significant observations are; many are repeat donors and many are probably doing more than just donating. Take a look at the MyObama website . Not only does it ask for donations, it provides the online tools to do other campaign related actions in the real world including networking through its Neighbor-to-Neighbor initiative . Thus, unlike McCain’s or even earlier, Clinton’s, Obama’s campaign is highly interactive, not only online, but offline as well. The creativity is astounding. Can someone email this Obama tax-calculator to Joe the plumber and Republican supporters to see how much taxes they’ll be paying? Community organizing, derided by Giuliani and Palin, is coming back to haunt the GOP. Obama directly has at least 1.5 million active volunteers that generate 400,000 voter contacts a day.

Obama the counterpuncher movement. The movement that the Obama campaign has spawned is engaged in a variety of activities. One overlooked activity is counterpunching . By counterpunching, I refer to how Obama supporters are responding to and proactively strategizing in quad-media (radio, TV, press, Web) the Rovian sleaze, smear, scare tactics.

Nancy Scola writes about how the internet is killing the Rovian tactic of robocalls
Obama leaning websites have documented and MAPPED interactively the hows, whys, and number of McCain’s negative attacks. They’ve deconstructed and showed what’s wrong with this tactic and have generated an increasingly negative view of the McCain strategy. The 4.2M member political movement MoveOn.org has played a tremendous, creative, fundraising, networking and so important part in the get-the-vote out and organizing for Obama. For its final push it has at least 100,000 volunteers organizing parties wherein the attendees will do campaign calls and other related actions. Peter Daou has documented the rise of what is popularly called netroots and how the sector has influenced the narratives of the traditional media, especially in painting a favorable image of Obama.

Go for the heart and the wallet will follow. Reminiscent of Gawad Kalinga’s message of hope, faith-based, heroic, and servant action, the fundraising power of Obama reflects the resonance that Americans have for the message of hope and change that Obama espouses. As David Brooks noted, the fundamentals are there for Obama. The debacle of the Bush administration, the indiscretions of Republicans, the rising wealth gap, the slide into poverty of many Americans, and the environmental crisis are realities that need to be addressed. Obama’s campaign seeks to address these issues. McCain insists on fighting and continuing a destructive economic program with environmental consequences. Even his pro-life platform is contested. Fundamentally, Obama presents an even tempered, dedicated, and passionate president-to-be similar to the David Palmer character in the hugely successful 24 Fox tv series. McCain comes out as McNasty. The message of positive change and hope will most often resonate with people. That is how humans are wired. Lastly, favorable stories generate favorable stories. All these has resulted in Obama raising $600M.

Mobilize-organize, organize-mobilize. The Obama rallies from the primaries, overseas, to the Democratic convention, to the massive, massive rallies in red states are very impressive. It reminds me of much earlier political mobilizations. The Cory Aquino campaign, People Power I, and People II, which I witnessed all had the same energy, mobilization, and level of organization ultimately led to the ousting of Marcos first and Erap Estrada second. The same dynamics are unfolding and I am confident that McCain will lose this elections. People resonate with Obama and his campaign messages. Everyday people are getting more comfortable with him. His big ears and his awk-awful-ward dance steps are endearing him to people. He is surrounded with a bevy of competent and articulate campaign workers and backstopped by decentralized, but passionate and skillful netroots.

Plus, what social scientists call elite cleavages have transformed into a gushing rush to the Obama campaign. Big donors and bigwigs in a number of sectors have publicly supported him. Google, Buffet, Oprah, the onslaught of newspaper endorsements, the Clinton power couple, the Kennedy clan, George Soros, and the Republican defections, signal wide top societal support of Obama.

Numbers in. The online world has given us the opportunity to look at trends and polling on the election. All reflect a rout of McCain. The polling blog FiveThirtyEight.com which simulates the election 10,000 times a day using different polls asserts an Obama win. Website owner Nate Silver says that early voting is trending Obama. New registrants will most like vote and will vote Obama. Enthusiasm levels are higher for Democrats then Republicans. Minority groups of various stripes-remember the immigrant scapegoating and gay-bashing?- are turning up for Obama. Heck, even kids mock-voted for Obama.

Another website, 3BlueDudes, albeit leaning Democrat, lists and presents the various polls and projections on the election . Again, most are favoring Obama.

Since the 2004 campaigns and elections, the internet and Web have played an increasingly critical role. Obama, following Dean’s lead, has fully embraced it. McCain’s campaign hasn’t and it reflects the wide gulf separating them, not only on the power of the internet, but on fundamental issues of character, temperament, economic and social policies, as well as foreign policies.
Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States on November 5, 2008.
As Dr. Noel Flores of Chicago noted; “IT will be historic.”

Commentary: Bitter infighting over ‘diva’ Palin in McCain campaign

By:
Published October 27, 2008, in Politics & Government

COMMENTARY FROM PERRY DIAZ

The report below from Waterloo, Iowa tells of the division between the staffs of McCain and Palin. This appears to be the start of McCain’s Waterloo in his quest for the presidency. With only nine days left in the campaign, McCain is losing ground in all the battleground states. And Palin seems to be pursuing her own agenda beyond 2008 as the heir apparent to the Reagan/Bush dynasty. Indeed, there are already talks in Republican circles of handing her the mantle of leadership of the Republican Party after McCain’s expected defeat on November 4.

Perry

Bitter infighting over ‘diva’ Palin in McCain campaign: report

WATERLOO, Iowa (AFP) — Bitter infighting between aides to John McCain and Sarah Palin erupted into public view in a sign of tension gripping the Republican camp with the election 10 days away.
A series of recent surveys have suggested Palin’s presence on the ticket is hurting McCain’s chances in the November 4 election, at a time when Democratic rival Barack Obama has surged clear in most key polls.
The inquests into what has gone wrong with McCain’s campaign appear to have already begun, according to reports, with Palin’s camp blaming the Arizona senator’s senior advisers for mismanaging her contribution.
The Politico.com website cited four Republicans close to Palin as saying she had grown frustrated by advice given to her by campaign handlers, whom her supporters blame for a series of public relations gaffes.
The report said Palin was now increasingly willing to disregard orders from advisors, suggesting the Republican running mate was in the initial stages of forging her own identity for a future tilt at the White House.
“She’s lost confidence in most of the people on the plane,” said a senior Republican quoted by Politico, adding that Palin had already begun to “go rogue” in some of her public pronouncements on the campaign trail.
The Alaska Governor’s supporters accused McCain strategist Steve Schmidt and senior aide Nicolle Wallace of blaming Palin for the failure of the campaign.
“These people are going to try and shred her after the campaign to divert blame from themselves,” a McCain insider was quote by Politico as saying.
When asked to comment on the Politico story by AFP, Wallace said in an email: “I have no comment other than what’s in the story, if people wish to throw me under the bus, my personal belief is that the graceful thing to do is to lie there.”
Later Saturday, Politico quoted McCain advisers reacting angrily to the report, branding Palin a “diva.”
The McCain sources said Palin had repeatedly gone “off-message” recently, suggesting she appeared to be looking out for herself.
“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” the McCain source said. “She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.”
A McCain source quoted by CNN added: “She is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”
Another senior McCain adviser told the network: “This is what happens with a campaign that’s behind; it brings out the worst in people, finger-pointing and scapegoating.”
News of tensions within the McCain camp comes after polls suggested Palin — who electrified the party when named as running mate in August — is now dragging down the Republican ticket.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released on Wednesday found that Americans are less and less convinced she is worthy to serve as the country’s number-two leader.
It confirmed the findings of an ABC/Washington Post poll released earlier this month which found that six in 10 voters saw Palin, 44, as lacking the experience to be an effective president. “A third are now less likely to vote for McCain because of her,” the Post added.
After being found guilty of abusing her power as governor in the so-called “troopergate” scandal over the firing of her ex-brother-in-law, Palin now faces a second probe over whether she violated ethics rules in the affair.
Palin was also back in the headlines this week after it emerged 150,000 dollars had been spent on clothes for Palin since late August, potentially undermining her appeal as a down-to-earth working “hockey mom.”

Commentary: Bitter infighting over ‘diva’ Palin in McCain campaign

By:
Published October 27, 2008, in Politics & Government

COMMENTARY FROM PERRY DIAZ

The report below from Waterloo, Iowa tells of the division between the staffs of McCain and Palin. This appears to be the start of McCain’s Waterloo in his quest for the presidency. With only nine days left in the campaign, McCain is losing ground in all the battleground states. And Palin seems to be pursuing her own agenda beyond 2008 as the heir apparent to the Reagan/Bush dynasty. Indeed, there are already talks in Republican circles of handing her the mantle of leadership of the Republican Party after McCain’s expected defeat on November 4.

Perry

Bitter infighting over ‘diva’ Palin in McCain campaign: report

WATERLOO, Iowa (AFP) — Bitter infighting between aides to John McCain and Sarah Palin erupted into public view in a sign of tension gripping the Republican camp with the election 10 days away.
A series of recent surveys have suggested Palin’s presence on the ticket is hurting McCain’s chances in the November 4 election, at a time when Democratic rival Barack Obama has surged clear in most key polls.
The inquests into what has gone wrong with McCain’s campaign appear to have already begun, according to reports, with Palin’s camp blaming the Arizona senator’s senior advisers for mismanaging her contribution.
The Politico.com website cited four Republicans close to Palin as saying she had grown frustrated by advice given to her by campaign handlers, whom her supporters blame for a series of public relations gaffes.
The report said Palin was now increasingly willing to disregard orders from advisors, suggesting the Republican running mate was in the initial stages of forging her own identity for a future tilt at the White House.
“She’s lost confidence in most of the people on the plane,” said a senior Republican quoted by Politico, adding that Palin had already begun to “go rogue” in some of her public pronouncements on the campaign trail.
The Alaska Governor’s supporters accused McCain strategist Steve Schmidt and senior aide Nicolle Wallace of blaming Palin for the failure of the campaign.
“These people are going to try and shred her after the campaign to divert blame from themselves,” a McCain insider was quote by Politico as saying.
When asked to comment on the Politico story by AFP, Wallace said in an email: “I have no comment other than what’s in the story, if people wish to throw me under the bus, my personal belief is that the graceful thing to do is to lie there.”
Later Saturday, Politico quoted McCain advisers reacting angrily to the report, branding Palin a “diva.”
The McCain sources said Palin had repeatedly gone “off-message” recently, suggesting she appeared to be looking out for herself.
“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” the McCain source said. “She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.”
A McCain source quoted by CNN added: “She is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”
Another senior McCain adviser told the network: “This is what happens with a campaign that’s behind; it brings out the worst in people, finger-pointing and scapegoating.”
News of tensions within the McCain camp comes after polls suggested Palin — who electrified the party when named as running mate in August — is now dragging down the Republican ticket.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released on Wednesday found that Americans are less and less convinced she is worthy to serve as the country’s number-two leader.
It confirmed the findings of an ABC/Washington Post poll released earlier this month which found that six in 10 voters saw Palin, 44, as lacking the experience to be an effective president. “A third are now less likely to vote for McCain because of her,” the Post added.
After being found guilty of abusing her power as governor in the so-called “troopergate” scandal over the firing of her ex-brother-in-law, Palin now faces a second probe over whether she violated ethics rules in the affair.
Palin was also back in the headlines this week after it emerged 150,000 dollars had been spent on clothes for Palin since late August, potentially undermining her appeal as a down-to-earth working “hockey mom.”

Republicans Jump Ship: McClellan, Colin Powell, and the List Goes On…

By:
Published October 25, 2008, in Politics & Government

Republicans Jump Ship: Scott McClellan, Colin Powell, and the List Goes On…
Source: www.thinkbridge.blogspot.com
October 23, 2008

Today Scott McClellan, that famous former Bush Press Secretary, announced that he’s going to vote for Barack Obama for President!

We already heard the much-expected endorsement of Colin Powell, Bush’s former Defense Secretary, and then there’s this list:

McCain campaign advance team (Thu Oct 23):
The McCain campaign advance team is setting up an unusual election night event, one that doesn’t even feature the candidate, perhaps with the expectation of a loss. The AP reports that while supporters will have the usual election-night party in Arizona, McCain will not be physically present: “Only a small press “pool” — mostly those who have traveled regularly with the candidate on his campaign plane, plus a few local Arizona reporters and other guests — will be physically present when McCain speaks.”

Just a little question, though: How will McCain “speak” when he’s not “physically present”? Guess it will be a big screen event…

Alison Goldwater (Thu Oct 23):
Alison Goldwater, granddaughter of Arizonan and Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, early voted for Barack Obama, saying of John McCain, “I don’t have respect for him.” (John McCain has frequently called himself a “Barry Goldwater” Republican.)

National Republican Senatorial Committee (Thu Oct 23):
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is advertising on behalf of Republican senate candidates across the country, is now running ads that presume that McCain will lose. Their argument is that voters should pick Republican senate candidates because otherwise Obama will “get a blank check.”

Arne Carlson (Thu Oct 23):
Arne Carlson, former Republican Governor of Minnesota, endorsed Obama for president, saying “He has laid out for this nation a vision for a national purpose.”

That’s a lot of ship-jumping for one day! But there’s more, lots more…

Ken Adelman (Mon Oct 20):
Donald Rumsfeld’s right hand man, Ken Adelman, is the last Republican you’d think would jump ship. His reasons? Temperament and judgment. He says about Sarah Palin: “Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office–I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency.”
Florida GOP (Sun Oct 19):
The Florida GOP is planning to withhold about $2 million that it was planning on spending to help John McCain win the state. Instead, “Florida Republicans already are looking ahead to 2010 when Crist runs for re-election.”
Colin Powell (Sun Oct 19):
Colin Powell, former 4-star general, Reagan national security adviser, Bush Sr. chairman of the joint chiefs, and secretary of state, gave a full throated endorsement of Barack Obama and indictment of the McCain campaign and the Republican party.
Frank Luntz (Sat Oct 18):
Frank Luntz, GOP pollster and language expert, states bluntly: “I think Barack Obama is going to be the next president of the United States.” He adds: “John McCain cannot communicate. Stevie Wonder reads a teleprompter better than John McCain.”
Susan Collins (Fri Oct 17):
Embattled Republican Sen. Susan Collins is calling on John McCain to stop paying for automated phone calls which describe Barack Obama as having “worked closely” with “domestic terrorist Bill Ayers”. “These kind of tactics have no place in Maine politics,” said Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley. “Sen. Collins urges the McCain campaign to stop these calls immediately.”
Michael Smerconish (Fri Oct 17):
On his talk show on WPHT today, conservative Philadelphian Michael Smerconish endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Chicago Tribune Editorial Board (Fri Oct 17):
For the first time in the 161 year history of the Chicago Tribune, the paper has endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee: Barack Obama.
Peter Spaulding (Fri Oct 17):
McCain’s New Hampshire state chairman slams the campaign’s tactic of launching robocalls accusing Obama of links to terrorists.
Kathleen Parker (Fri Oct 17):
National Review writer Kathleen Parker takes another big step away from the GOP, declaring that Republicans “do not, in fact, deserve to win this time, and someone [Chris Buckley] had to remind them why.”
Richard Lugar (Wed Oct 15):
Richard Lugar, the seniormost Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, came close to a full endorsement of Obama by endorsing his approach to foreign policy – specifically, his emphasis on diplomacy..
RNC (in Wisconsin) (Wed Oct 15):
The RNC is giving up on McCain in Wisconsin. TV stations report that they’ve stopped airing ads attacking Obama, and won’t comment on the pullout.
Rush Limbaugh (Tue Oct 14):
Rush Limbaugh all but accepted the fact that John McCain had lost this election, asking Sarah Palin “have you even thought about a political future beyond this campaign?” Obviously, if Limbaugh thought McCain could win…her political future would be as Vice President.
Heather Mac Donald (Tue Oct 14):
Conservative pundit Heather Mac Donald systematically disassembles McCain’s VP pick and concludes that “conservatives should not sacrifice standards for political advantage.”
Matthew Dowd (Tue Oct 14):
Matthew Dowd, a former Bush strategist, let the cat out of the bag: “They didn’t let John McCain pick the person he wanted to pick as VP…[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that is something he will have to live with… He put somebody unqualified on that ballot and he put the country at risk, he knows that.”
Dennis Hopper (Mon Oct 13):
Loyal Republican actor-director Dennis Hopper is giving up on his party, at least for this election, complaining of the “lies” of the current administration and saying “I voted for Bush, father and son, but this time I’ll vote for Obama.”
Mickey Edwards (Mon Oct 13):
Republican Mickey Edwards, formerly a congressman from Oklahoma, distances himself from McCain, saying “today, thanks to a campaign apparently managed by Moe, Curly, and Larry, he comes across as erratic (Obama’s word, but it fits), impulsive, befuddled, and ill-tempered, and apparently unable to utter any words other than ‘surge’ and ‘earmarks.’” Edwards also plays the blame game very explicitly: “If Obama gets a big win, it will be McCain himself, and the Three Stooges calling the shots at his headquarters who will deserve whatever blame is attached for transforming a viable and energetic Obama campaign into a steamroller grinding the Republican Party into the ground.”
David Frum (Mon Oct 13):
David “axis of evil” Frum gets his “I told you so” ready at the National Review and rebukes his critics who complain that he isn’t cheerleading for McCain enough. He concludes: “Perhaps it is our job at NRO is tell our readers only what they want to hear, without much regard to whether it is true. Perhaps it is our duty just to keep smiling and to insist that everything is dandy – that John McCain’s economic policies make sense, that his selection of Sarah Palin was an act of statesmanship, that she herself is the second coming of Anna Schwartz, and that nobody but an over-educated snob would ever suggest otherwise.”
Ray LaHood (Mon Oct 13):
Rep. LaHood, who has represented Illinois’ 18th district for seven terms and is retiring in January, told WBBM Radio that Palin should control the racially-charged heckling at her rallies: “Look it. This doesn’t befit the office that she’s running for. And frankly, people don’t like it.”
Michelle Malkin (Mon Oct 13):
Michelle Malkin expresses her disappointment in McCain after learning that “John McCain had no problem calling ACORN members his friends during his ill-fated illegal alien shamnesty crusade.” She concludes, “We’re Screwed ’08.”
Erick Erickson (Mon Oct 13):
Erick Erickson, “editor in chief” of RedState.com, is giving up on McCain: “With only a few weeks left until election day, let’s be blunt: McCain-Palin ’08 does not seem to be making headway against the polling.” He suggests that McCain needs to choose between himself and senate/house Republicans, and suggests that his readers focus on downballot races: “The Republican numbers in the House and Senate can be salvaged, but in the next few weeks there must be a realistic assessment from the McCain campaign regarding winning his own race versus helping Congressional Republicans mitigate their losses.”
Ed Rollins (Mon Oct 13):
Rollins, who managed Reagan’s 1984 campaign: “And while chaos and disarray reigned supreme in Sen. Barack Obama’s opponents’ campaigns, the steady, disciplined and strategically driven Obama campaign marches forward toward likely victory.”
Bill Kristol (Mon Oct 13):
Kristol: “It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign. He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s.”
Lee Terry (Mon Oct 13):
In Nebraska, a Republican representative, Lee Terry, ran a newspaper ad featuring support from a woman who called herself an “Obama-Terry voter.”
Linda Smith (Sun Oct 12):
Linda Smith, Republican chairwoman in Clark County, Ohio. “I have to blame the McCain camp for not pushing it hard enough,” added Smith, whose rural county lies between Dayton and Columbus. “It’s so ingrained in people’s minds that Republicans are good on national security, but Democrats are good on the economy, and it’s very hard to counter that.”
Tom Ellis (Sun Oct 12):
Tom Ellis, GOP chairman in Butler County, Ohio, a key Republican stronghold in 2004, said there had been “some slippage” for McCain in recent weeks. He said Republicans were finding it “hard to penetrate” the torrent of bad economic news and deliver an effective pitch to independents. And the Arizona senator’s attacks on Obama’s past links to former radical William Ayers, he said, “do not garner him any advantage” with swing voters. “There’s a sense of frustration at this point,” Ellis said. “What I hear is people are expecting more of the Republican ticket. They’ve got to speak directly to the economic issues. People want to hear specific solutions from Sen. McCain.”
Roger Stone (Sun Oct 12):
Roger Stone, a longtime McCain supporter, said the state party and the national campaign bear almost equal blame. ”This effort lacks coordination and a cooperative spirit and it’s showing,” Stone said. “But it’s more than mechanics. The campaign has no consistent message.”
George LeMieux (Sun Oct 12):
George LeMieux, Crist’s former campaign manager and staff chief, said McCain erred in not choosing Crist as running mate. ”If Gov. Crist was the vice presidential nominee, John McCain would be winning Florida,” he said.
Charlie Crist (Sun Oct 12):
“Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World.”
Bill Kristol (Sun Oct 12):
On FOX News Sunday, Kristol said the McCain campaign was “stupid…pathetic…flailing.”
Patrick Ruffini (Sat Oct 11):
Conservative columnist Patrick Ruffini argues that the RNC needs to give up on McCain and try to save Republican house and senate seats, and that “McCain should start explicitly making the argument for divided government, with him as the only hope of preserving it. This is unlikely to be a voting issue at the Presidential level, but we need to get the idea percolating that we are about to elect Obama with unchecked, unlimited power.” That is, Ruffini wants to sacrifice McCain to save congressional Republicans.
Mitt Romney (Sat Oct 11):
Mitt Romney said McCain, who has offered scattershot proposals on the economy, should present a broad vision of how he would lead the country through the economic crisis. “I’m talking about standing above the tactical alternatives that are being considered,” Romney said, “and establish an economic vision that is able to convince the American people that he really knows how to strengthen the economy.”
Robert A. Gleason Jr. (Sat Oct 11):
Robert A. Gleason Jr., the Republican chairman in Pennsylvania, said he was concerned that Mr. McCain’s increasingly aggressive tone was not working with moderate voters and women in the important southeastern part of a state that is at the top of Mr. McCain’s must-win list.
Tommy Thompson (Sat Oct 11):
Former Republican Governor of Wisconsin, said it would be difficult for Mr. McCain to win in his state but not impossible, particularly if he campaigned in conservative Democratic parts of the state. Asked if he was happy with Mr. McCain’s campaign, Mr. Thompson replied, “No,” and he added, “I don’t know who is.”
Saul Anuzis (Sat Oct 11):
Saul Anuzis, the Republican chairman in Michigan, said “I think you’re seeing a turning point, you’re starting to feel real frustration because we are running out of time. Our message, the campaign’s message, isn’t connecting.”
Norm Coleman (Fri Oct 10):
Coleman bails on McCain rally: “[Norm] Coleman told reporters that he would not be appearing at a planned rally with McCain this afternoon. Could it be McCain’s sliding polling numbers in Minnesota? His attacks on Obama?”
Christopher Buckley (Fri Oct 10):
Christopher Buckley, son of National Review founder William F. Buckley, and columnist for the National Review himself, endorsed Barack Obama, saying “this campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him inauthentic.”
Bob Eleveld (Fri Oct 10):
Bob Eleveld, former Kent County Republican chairman who led McCain’s West Michigan campaign in 2000, said: “I’m not supporting either of them [McCain or Obama] at this point. I think the straight talk is gone.”
William Milliken (Fri Oct 10):
Former Republican Governor of Michigan William Milliken, who endorsed McCain during the primaries, said: “He is not the McCain I endorsed; he keeps saying, ‘Who is Barack Obama?’ I would ask the question, ‘Who is John McCain?’ because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me. I’m disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues.”
Ed Rollins (Fri Oct 10):
Ed Rollins ran Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign in 1984, so he knows a thing or two about landslides — and he’s predicting one for Barack Obama. At this point, he says the only question left to answer is whether John McCain will take the Republican Party down with him.
Joshua Trevino (Fri Oct 10):
Joshua Trevino, co-founder of RedState.com, wrote on his blog: “In the end, I couldn’t do it…I opened it fully intending to vote for John McCain…Do I believe in John McCain? Not as much as I used to. Do I believe in Sarah Palin? Despite my early enthusiasm for her, now not at all. Do I believe in the national Republican Party? Not in the slightest — even though I see no meaningful alternative to it. So, my choice for President in 2008, scrawled in my ballot as an act of futile protest, is Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.”
Matt Lewis (Fri Oct 10):
Matt Lewis, a contributing writer for the conservative Web site Townhall.com, told CNN the plan only further riles conservatives upset with McCain’s backing of the massive government bailout plan passed last week. “Fundamentally, the problem is John McCain accepts a lot of liberal notions, unfortunately. There is somewhat of a populist streak,” he said. “Most conservatives really did not like the bailout to begin with, and this was really kind of picking at the scab.”
Michelle Laxalt (Thu Oct 9):
Republican Laxalt slams the McCain campaign’s tactics.
Michigan GOP (Thu Oct 9):
The Michigan GOP is in disarray, and said the following about those jumping ship in an email they sent to local supporters: “In the meantime, there have been several individuals, including some disgruntled former employees, who have tried to take advantage of the situation by stealing cell phones, and other electronic equipment, as well as substantial amounts of collateral materials. In at least one instance there was an employee who vandalized their victory center on the way out the door.
National Review Editorial Board (Thu Oct 9):
“We never thought we would defend the Frank-Dodd legislation, which we bitterly opposed last summer. But it looks downright prudent compared to what McCain has proposed. McCain’s plan is a full bailout for lenders.”
Perry Diaz (Wed Oct 8):
Perry Diaz, chairman of the National Federation of Filipino-American Republicans, resigned from his post and withdrew his endorsement, saying “I endorsed McCain before the California primary believing that he was the right man for the job. I was wrong. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate and his decision a few days ago to resort to personal attacks on Obama’s character and integrity run counter to my personal beliefs and core values. I have lost my respect for McCain and I believe that a McCain/Palin administration would only worsen the economic situation in the country.”
David Brooks (Wed Oct 8):
David Brooks rips apart McCain’s pick for VP, saying “Sarah Palin represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party.”
George Will (Wed Oct 8):
George Will laments McCain’s campaign and quotes an Orioles manager: “Are you going to get any better or is this it?” His takeaway? “Obama in a romp in November? Don’t be surprised”
Lilibet Hagel (Tue Oct 7):
Lilibet Hagel, wife of Republican senator Chuck Hagel, appeared with Susan Eisenhower to endorse Barack Obama, saying that this election is “not about fighting phantom issues churned out by a top-notch slander machine. Most importantly it is not about distracting the public – you and me – with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick.”
Michelle Malkin (Tue Oct 7):
Malkin is outraged by McCain’s new mortgage giveway plan.
Jack Waldvogel (Sun Oct 5):
Jack Waldvogel, GOP chairman for Emmet County, Michigan, is furious that McCain and Palin announced their intention to pull out of Michigan, saying “Just don’t formally announce that you are ‘pulling out’ of Michigan, and then come back two days later asking the base core of support to ‘keep working.’ What a slap in the face to all the thousands of people who have been energized by the addition of Sarah Palin to the ticket. I’ve been involved in County Party politics and organization for 40 years, and this is the biggest dumbass stunt I have ever seen.”
Kathleen Parker (Fri Sep 26):
Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker wrote in the National Review that Sarah Palin is “out of her league” and should step down for the good of her country.

Wick Allison (Mon Sep 22):
Wick Allison, former publisher of the National Review and current editor-in-chief of D magazine, endorses Obama and writes “I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses. But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history.”
George Will (Sun Sep 21):
“I suppose the McCain campaign’s hope is that when there’s a big crisis, people will go for age and experience,” said Will. “The question is, who in this crisis looked more presidential, calm and un-flustered? It wasn’t John McCain who, as usual, substituting vehemence for coherence, said ‘let’s fire somebody.’ And picked one of the most experienced and conservative people in the administration, Chris Cox, and for no apparent reason… It was un-presidential behavior by a presidential candidate.”
WSJ Editorial Board (Fri Sep 19):
In a crisis, voters want steady, calm leadership, not easy, misleading answers that will do nothing to help. Mr. McCain is sounding like a candidate searching for a political foil rather than a genuine solution. He’ll never beat Mr. Obama by running as an angry populist like Al Gore, circa 2000.
Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy (Wed Sep 3):
Noonan and Murphy get caught on an open mic griping about the choice of Sarah Palin. Noonan says “The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullsh** about narratives. Every time the Republicans do that, because that’s not where they live and that’s not what they’re good at, they blow it.” Murphy adds that the choice was “cynical” and “gimmicky.”

Republicans Jump Ship: McClellan, Colin Powell, and the List Goes On…

By:
Published October 25, 2008, in Politics & Government

Republicans Jump Ship: Scott McClellan, Colin Powell, and the List Goes On…
Source: www.thinkbridge.blogspot.com
October 23, 2008

Today Scott McClellan, that famous former Bush Press Secretary, announced that he’s going to vote for Barack Obama for President!

We already heard the much-expected endorsement of Colin Powell, Bush’s former Defense Secretary, and then there’s this list:

McCain campaign advance team (Thu Oct 23):
The McCain campaign advance team is setting up an unusual election night event, one that doesn’t even feature the candidate, perhaps with the expectation of a loss. The AP reports that while supporters will have the usual election-night party in Arizona, McCain will not be physically present: “Only a small press “pool” — mostly those who have traveled regularly with the candidate on his campaign plane, plus a few local Arizona reporters and other guests — will be physically present when McCain speaks.”

Just a little question, though: How will McCain “speak” when he’s not “physically present”? Guess it will be a big screen event…

Alison Goldwater (Thu Oct 23):
Alison Goldwater, granddaughter of Arizonan and Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, early voted for Barack Obama, saying of John McCain, “I don’t have respect for him.” (John McCain has frequently called himself a “Barry Goldwater” Republican.)

National Republican Senatorial Committee (Thu Oct 23):
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is advertising on behalf of Republican senate candidates across the country, is now running ads that presume that McCain will lose. Their argument is that voters should pick Republican senate candidates because otherwise Obama will “get a blank check.”

Arne Carlson (Thu Oct 23):
Arne Carlson, former Republican Governor of Minnesota, endorsed Obama for president, saying “He has laid out for this nation a vision for a national purpose.”

That’s a lot of ship-jumping for one day! But there’s more, lots more…

Ken Adelman (Mon Oct 20):
Donald Rumsfeld’s right hand man, Ken Adelman, is the last Republican you’d think would jump ship. His reasons? Temperament and judgment. He says about Sarah Palin: “Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office–I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency.”
Florida GOP (Sun Oct 19):
The Florida GOP is planning to withhold about $2 million that it was planning on spending to help John McCain win the state. Instead, “Florida Republicans already are looking ahead to 2010 when Crist runs for re-election.”
Colin Powell (Sun Oct 19):
Colin Powell, former 4-star general, Reagan national security adviser, Bush Sr. chairman of the joint chiefs, and secretary of state, gave a full throated endorsement of Barack Obama and indictment of the McCain campaign and the Republican party.
Frank Luntz (Sat Oct 18):
Frank Luntz, GOP pollster and language expert, states bluntly: “I think Barack Obama is going to be the next president of the United States.” He adds: “John McCain cannot communicate. Stevie Wonder reads a teleprompter better than John McCain.”
Susan Collins (Fri Oct 17):
Embattled Republican Sen. Susan Collins is calling on John McCain to stop paying for automated phone calls which describe Barack Obama as having “worked closely” with “domestic terrorist Bill Ayers”. “These kind of tactics have no place in Maine politics,” said Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley. “Sen. Collins urges the McCain campaign to stop these calls immediately.”
Michael Smerconish (Fri Oct 17):
On his talk show on WPHT today, conservative Philadelphian Michael Smerconish endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Chicago Tribune Editorial Board (Fri Oct 17):
For the first time in the 161 year history of the Chicago Tribune, the paper has endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee: Barack Obama.
Peter Spaulding (Fri Oct 17):
McCain’s New Hampshire state chairman slams the campaign’s tactic of launching robocalls accusing Obama of links to terrorists.
Kathleen Parker (Fri Oct 17):
National Review writer Kathleen Parker takes another big step away from the GOP, declaring that Republicans “do not, in fact, deserve to win this time, and someone [Chris Buckley] had to remind them why.”
Richard Lugar (Wed Oct 15):
Richard Lugar, the seniormost Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, came close to a full endorsement of Obama by endorsing his approach to foreign policy – specifically, his emphasis on diplomacy..
RNC (in Wisconsin) (Wed Oct 15):
The RNC is giving up on McCain in Wisconsin. TV stations report that they’ve stopped airing ads attacking Obama, and won’t comment on the pullout.
Rush Limbaugh (Tue Oct 14):
Rush Limbaugh all but accepted the fact that John McCain had lost this election, asking Sarah Palin “have you even thought about a political future beyond this campaign?” Obviously, if Limbaugh thought McCain could win…her political future would be as Vice President.
Heather Mac Donald (Tue Oct 14):
Conservative pundit Heather Mac Donald systematically disassembles McCain’s VP pick and concludes that “conservatives should not sacrifice standards for political advantage.”
Matthew Dowd (Tue Oct 14):
Matthew Dowd, a former Bush strategist, let the cat out of the bag: “They didn’t let John McCain pick the person he wanted to pick as VP…[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that is something he will have to live with… He put somebody unqualified on that ballot and he put the country at risk, he knows that.”
Dennis Hopper (Mon Oct 13):
Loyal Republican actor-director Dennis Hopper is giving up on his party, at least for this election, complaining of the “lies” of the current administration and saying “I voted for Bush, father and son, but this time I’ll vote for Obama.”
Mickey Edwards (Mon Oct 13):
Republican Mickey Edwards, formerly a congressman from Oklahoma, distances himself from McCain, saying “today, thanks to a campaign apparently managed by Moe, Curly, and Larry, he comes across as erratic (Obama’s word, but it fits), impulsive, befuddled, and ill-tempered, and apparently unable to utter any words other than ‘surge’ and ‘earmarks.’” Edwards also plays the blame game very explicitly: “If Obama gets a big win, it will be McCain himself, and the Three Stooges calling the shots at his headquarters who will deserve whatever blame is attached for transforming a viable and energetic Obama campaign into a steamroller grinding the Republican Party into the ground.”
David Frum (Mon Oct 13):
David “axis of evil” Frum gets his “I told you so” ready at the National Review and rebukes his critics who complain that he isn’t cheerleading for McCain enough. He concludes: “Perhaps it is our job at NRO is tell our readers only what they want to hear, without much regard to whether it is true. Perhaps it is our duty just to keep smiling and to insist that everything is dandy – that John McCain’s economic policies make sense, that his selection of Sarah Palin was an act of statesmanship, that she herself is the second coming of Anna Schwartz, and that nobody but an over-educated snob would ever suggest otherwise.”
Ray LaHood (Mon Oct 13):
Rep. LaHood, who has represented Illinois’ 18th district for seven terms and is retiring in January, told WBBM Radio that Palin should control the racially-charged heckling at her rallies: “Look it. This doesn’t befit the office that she’s running for. And frankly, people don’t like it.”
Michelle Malkin (Mon Oct 13):
Michelle Malkin expresses her disappointment in McCain after learning that “John McCain had no problem calling ACORN members his friends during his ill-fated illegal alien shamnesty crusade.” She concludes, “We’re Screwed ’08.”
Erick Erickson (Mon Oct 13):
Erick Erickson, “editor in chief” of RedState.com, is giving up on McCain: “With only a few weeks left until election day, let’s be blunt: McCain-Palin ’08 does not seem to be making headway against the polling.” He suggests that McCain needs to choose between himself and senate/house Republicans, and suggests that his readers focus on downballot races: “The Republican numbers in the House and Senate can be salvaged, but in the next few weeks there must be a realistic assessment from the McCain campaign regarding winning his own race versus helping Congressional Republicans mitigate their losses.”
Ed Rollins (Mon Oct 13):
Rollins, who managed Reagan’s 1984 campaign: “And while chaos and disarray reigned supreme in Sen. Barack Obama’s opponents’ campaigns, the steady, disciplined and strategically driven Obama campaign marches forward toward likely victory.”
Bill Kristol (Mon Oct 13):
Kristol: “It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign. He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s.”
Lee Terry (Mon Oct 13):
In Nebraska, a Republican representative, Lee Terry, ran a newspaper ad featuring support from a woman who called herself an “Obama-Terry voter.”
Linda Smith (Sun Oct 12):
Linda Smith, Republican chairwoman in Clark County, Ohio. “I have to blame the McCain camp for not pushing it hard enough,” added Smith, whose rural county lies between Dayton and Columbus. “It’s so ingrained in people’s minds that Republicans are good on national security, but Democrats are good on the economy, and it’s very hard to counter that.”
Tom Ellis (Sun Oct 12):
Tom Ellis, GOP chairman in Butler County, Ohio, a key Republican stronghold in 2004, said there had been “some slippage” for McCain in recent weeks. He said Republicans were finding it “hard to penetrate” the torrent of bad economic news and deliver an effective pitch to independents. And the Arizona senator’s attacks on Obama’s past links to former radical William Ayers, he said, “do not garner him any advantage” with swing voters. “There’s a sense of frustration at this point,” Ellis said. “What I hear is people are expecting more of the Republican ticket. They’ve got to speak directly to the economic issues. People want to hear specific solutions from Sen. McCain.”
Roger Stone (Sun Oct 12):
Roger Stone, a longtime McCain supporter, said the state party and the national campaign bear almost equal blame. ”This effort lacks coordination and a cooperative spirit and it’s showing,” Stone said. “But it’s more than mechanics. The campaign has no consistent message.”
George LeMieux (Sun Oct 12):
George LeMieux, Crist’s former campaign manager and staff chief, said McCain erred in not choosing Crist as running mate. ”If Gov. Crist was the vice presidential nominee, John McCain would be winning Florida,” he said.
Charlie Crist (Sun Oct 12):
“Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World.”
Bill Kristol (Sun Oct 12):
On FOX News Sunday, Kristol said the McCain campaign was “stupid…pathetic…flailing.”
Patrick Ruffini (Sat Oct 11):
Conservative columnist Patrick Ruffini argues that the RNC needs to give up on McCain and try to save Republican house and senate seats, and that “McCain should start explicitly making the argument for divided government, with him as the only hope of preserving it. This is unlikely to be a voting issue at the Presidential level, but we need to get the idea percolating that we are about to elect Obama with unchecked, unlimited power.” That is, Ruffini wants to sacrifice McCain to save congressional Republicans.
Mitt Romney (Sat Oct 11):
Mitt Romney said McCain, who has offered scattershot proposals on the economy, should present a broad vision of how he would lead the country through the economic crisis. “I’m talking about standing above the tactical alternatives that are being considered,” Romney said, “and establish an economic vision that is able to convince the American people that he really knows how to strengthen the economy.”
Robert A. Gleason Jr. (Sat Oct 11):
Robert A. Gleason Jr., the Republican chairman in Pennsylvania, said he was concerned that Mr. McCain’s increasingly aggressive tone was not working with moderate voters and women in the important southeastern part of a state that is at the top of Mr. McCain’s must-win list.
Tommy Thompson (Sat Oct 11):
Former Republican Governor of Wisconsin, said it would be difficult for Mr. McCain to win in his state but not impossible, particularly if he campaigned in conservative Democratic parts of the state. Asked if he was happy with Mr. McCain’s campaign, Mr. Thompson replied, “No,” and he added, “I don’t know who is.”
Saul Anuzis (Sat Oct 11):
Saul Anuzis, the Republican chairman in Michigan, said “I think you’re seeing a turning point, you’re starting to feel real frustration because we are running out of time. Our message, the campaign’s message, isn’t connecting.”
Norm Coleman (Fri Oct 10):
Coleman bails on McCain rally: “[Norm] Coleman told reporters that he would not be appearing at a planned rally with McCain this afternoon. Could it be McCain’s sliding polling numbers in Minnesota? His attacks on Obama?”
Christopher Buckley (Fri Oct 10):
Christopher Buckley, son of National Review founder William F. Buckley, and columnist for the National Review himself, endorsed Barack Obama, saying “this campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him inauthentic.”
Bob Eleveld (Fri Oct 10):
Bob Eleveld, former Kent County Republican chairman who led McCain’s West Michigan campaign in 2000, said: “I’m not supporting either of them [McCain or Obama] at this point. I think the straight talk is gone.”
William Milliken (Fri Oct 10):
Former Republican Governor of Michigan William Milliken, who endorsed McCain during the primaries, said: “He is not the McCain I endorsed; he keeps saying, ‘Who is Barack Obama?’ I would ask the question, ‘Who is John McCain?’ because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me. I’m disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues.”
Ed Rollins (Fri Oct 10):
Ed Rollins ran Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign in 1984, so he knows a thing or two about landslides — and he’s predicting one for Barack Obama. At this point, he says the only question left to answer is whether John McCain will take the Republican Party down with him.
Joshua Trevino (Fri Oct 10):
Joshua Trevino, co-founder of RedState.com, wrote on his blog: “In the end, I couldn’t do it…I opened it fully intending to vote for John McCain…Do I believe in John McCain? Not as much as I used to. Do I believe in Sarah Palin? Despite my early enthusiasm for her, now not at all. Do I believe in the national Republican Party? Not in the slightest — even though I see no meaningful alternative to it. So, my choice for President in 2008, scrawled in my ballot as an act of futile protest, is Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.”
Matt Lewis (Fri Oct 10):
Matt Lewis, a contributing writer for the conservative Web site Townhall.com, told CNN the plan only further riles conservatives upset with McCain’s backing of the massive government bailout plan passed last week. “Fundamentally, the problem is John McCain accepts a lot of liberal notions, unfortunately. There is somewhat of a populist streak,” he said. “Most conservatives really did not like the bailout to begin with, and this was really kind of picking at the scab.”
Michelle Laxalt (Thu Oct 9):
Republican Laxalt slams the McCain campaign’s tactics.
Michigan GOP (Thu Oct 9):
The Michigan GOP is in disarray, and said the following about those jumping ship in an email they sent to local supporters: “In the meantime, there have been several individuals, including some disgruntled former employees, who have tried to take advantage of the situation by stealing cell phones, and other electronic equipment, as well as substantial amounts of collateral materials. In at least one instance there was an employee who vandalized their victory center on the way out the door.
National Review Editorial Board (Thu Oct 9):
“We never thought we would defend the Frank-Dodd legislation, which we bitterly opposed last summer. But it looks downright prudent compared to what McCain has proposed. McCain’s plan is a full bailout for lenders.”
Perry Diaz (Wed Oct 8):
Perry Diaz, chairman of the National Federation of Filipino-American Republicans, resigned from his post and withdrew his endorsement, saying “I endorsed McCain before the California primary believing that he was the right man for the job. I was wrong. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate and his decision a few days ago to resort to personal attacks on Obama’s character and integrity run counter to my personal beliefs and core values. I have lost my respect for McCain and I believe that a McCain/Palin administration would only worsen the economic situation in the country.”
David Brooks (Wed Oct 8):
David Brooks rips apart McCain’s pick for VP, saying “Sarah Palin represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party.”
George Will (Wed Oct 8):
George Will laments McCain’s campaign and quotes an Orioles manager: “Are you going to get any better or is this it?” His takeaway? “Obama in a romp in November? Don’t be surprised”
Lilibet Hagel (Tue Oct 7):
Lilibet Hagel, wife of Republican senator Chuck Hagel, appeared with Susan Eisenhower to endorse Barack Obama, saying that this election is “not about fighting phantom issues churned out by a top-notch slander machine. Most importantly it is not about distracting the public – you and me – with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick.”
Michelle Malkin (Tue Oct 7):
Malkin is outraged by McCain’s new mortgage giveway plan.
Jack Waldvogel (Sun Oct 5):
Jack Waldvogel, GOP chairman for Emmet County, Michigan, is furious that McCain and Palin announced their intention to pull out of Michigan, saying “Just don’t formally announce that you are ‘pulling out’ of Michigan, and then come back two days later asking the base core of support to ‘keep working.’ What a slap in the face to all the thousands of people who have been energized by the addition of Sarah Palin to the ticket. I’ve been involved in County Party politics and organization for 40 years, and this is the biggest dumbass stunt I have ever seen.”
Kathleen Parker (Fri Sep 26):
Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker wrote in the National Review that Sarah Palin is “out of her league” and should step down for the good of her country.

Wick Allison (Mon Sep 22):
Wick Allison, former publisher of the National Review and current editor-in-chief of D magazine, endorses Obama and writes “I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses. But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history.”
George Will (Sun Sep 21):
“I suppose the McCain campaign’s hope is that when there’s a big crisis, people will go for age and experience,” said Will. “The question is, who in this crisis looked more presidential, calm and un-flustered? It wasn’t John McCain who, as usual, substituting vehemence for coherence, said ‘let’s fire somebody.’ And picked one of the most experienced and conservative people in the administration, Chris Cox, and for no apparent reason… It was un-presidential behavior by a presidential candidate.”
WSJ Editorial Board (Fri Sep 19):
In a crisis, voters want steady, calm leadership, not easy, misleading answers that will do nothing to help. Mr. McCain is sounding like a candidate searching for a political foil rather than a genuine solution. He’ll never beat Mr. Obama by running as an angry populist like Al Gore, circa 2000.
Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy (Wed Sep 3):
Noonan and Murphy get caught on an open mic griping about the choice of Sarah Palin. Noonan says “The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullsh** about narratives. Every time the Republicans do that, because that’s not where they live and that’s not what they’re good at, they blow it.” Murphy adds that the choice was “cynical” and “gimmicky.”

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