The deep freeze strategy only assures that future press interactions will be dominated by mini scandals. The drip, drip, drip of revelations and evasions ...

She's in training. The longer she waits, the lower expectations will be. If she looks confident (and she's good at that) and avoids a major flub when she finally accepts an interview, they'll call it a home run.

Right now on CNN they have a small crowd with a bunch of cheerleaders leading them in synchronized responses.

They also have the microphone amps turned up to 11 to make the crowd seem bigger than it really is.

referring to a palin/mccain rally of course

Everyone knows that the primary duty of the VP is to hang out in an undisclosed location; she's just practicing, so she'll be ready.

Well at least she was Miss Congeniality. Oh wait. Maybe not.

In a way, it's sort of a test of just how gullible the American public really is.

The entire election is a test of the intelligence of the American public.

Every thinking person will be voting for Obama in November. The problem being, we're not a majority.

What prevents the networks from saying, "until she sits for an interview we decline to cover anything she does."

Palin's poll numbers are pretty good right now given the scandals and her lack of qualifications. The McCain camp is probably smart enough to know that the more the public learns about her the less they will like. So this strategy makes perfect sense.

Gullible and American Public in the same sentence? You jest!

I'm surprised that people are surprised by the campaign's efforts to hide Palin from the press. Is the campaign afraid that she has crazy, radical, and unpopular ideas, or maybe a a poor understanding of policy or the complexity of government? Maybe they're afraid she'll betray a deep lack of curiosity about governing, the world, history, and the responsibilities of an executive.

Let me introduce President Dick Cheney and his Vice President George Bush. This is the way that a modern Republican administration both campaigns AND governs.

Sounds like a good Daily Show theme... Where in the World is Sarah Palin?

but until she's ready

Really? They must be joking! The pit bull with lipstick must be ready to fight like a dog, no?

So - She'll be qualifed to step into the big shoes - soon?

It feels like we have a candidate from a foreign country, more qualifed to run one of those little countries in the UAE, or something.

the polling on Palin is a bit suspect though???... supposedly 33% of Americans knew who she was before she was picked? What 33% are they talking about? I guarantee you under 1% of Minnesotans knew who she was 2 weeks ago...
the best course of action for Dems is to ignore her,paying attention raises her standing, focus on McSame and his 90% Bush lovin voting record...

and with 6.1% unemployment and a record number of Americans either in foreclosure or late on mortgage payments and home prices still sinking toward a housing situation near the Great Depression benchmarks.... its time to go to the Bill Clinton playbook ala 1992. "It's the economy, stupid."

Kevin wrote: "The McCain campaign is scared to death ... they realize now that she ... could blurt out anything at any time, and they're terrified about what might crop up next."

Based on this report, the McCain campaign should be afraid, very afraid, of what Sarah "Macaca" Palin might "blurt out":

“So Sambo beat the bitch!”

This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days after Obama locked up the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

According to Lucille, the waitress serving her table at the time and who asked that her last name not be used, Gov. Palin was eating lunch with five or six people when the subject of the Democrat’s primary battle came up. The governor, seemingly not caring that people at nearby tables would likely hear her, uttered the slur and then laughed loudly as her meal mates joined in appreciatively.

“It was kind of disgusting,” Lucille, who is part Aboriginal, said in a phone interview after admitting that she is frightened of being discovered telling folks in the “lower 48” about life near the North Pole.

Then, almost with a sigh, she added, “But that’s just Alaska.”

Racial and ethnic slurs may be “just Alaska” and, clearly, they are common, everyday chatter for Palin.

Besides insulting Obama with a Step-N’-Fetch-It, “darkie musical” swipe, people who know her say she refers regularly to Alaska’s Aboriginal people as “Arctic Arabs” – how efficient, lumping two apparently undesirable groups into one ugly description – as well as the more colourful “mukluks” along with the totally unimaginative “f**king Eskimo’s,” according to a number of Alaskans and Wasillians interviewed for this article.

The Sarah Palin time bomb is ticking, ticking, ticking.

Maybe Caribou Barbie needed to gnaw on some bloody moose flesh after an unsatisfying week of bland Lower 48 slop.

ok, it's a test of my gullibility, but it's also a test of the Fourth Estate's--including your--responsibility to bitch and moan about this in your blog. And coming up with ideas as to how to do this and what to say doesn't seem too hard ...
(p.s. I do enjoy your work and have followed you here to MJ)

The question now has to be put to McCain. Why is she unwilling to be interviewed.
Why does she deserve a special treatment from the press?
Then he needs to be confronted with the contradictions in her resume.

Has everyone seen this? It's from the Anchorage Daily News regarding the status of the "troopergate" investigation:

Palin's lawyer has asked the Legislature to drop its investigation. He had the governor file an ethics complaint against herself, in a bid to turn the entire matter over to the state Personnel Board, which would hire an independent investigator.

No wonder they're attacking the media-- so they can try to get people to ignore stories like these.

Nope, nothing to see here, just move along.

Has everyone seen this? It's from the Anchorage Daily News regarding the status of the "troopergate" investigation:

Palin's lawyer has asked the Legislature to drop its investigation. He had the governor file an ethics complaint against herself, in a bid to turn the entire matter over to the state Personnel Board, which would hire an independent investigator.

No wonder they're attacking the media-- so they can try to get people to ignore stories like these.

Nope, nothing to see here, just move along.

This post reeks of sexism, Sexism, SEXISM! and the Republican Party is not going to stand for it! John McCain spent five years in a prison cell in Hanoi, so a woman of Sarah Palin's experience could one day be his wingman in the political skies, and he isn't going to sit idly by while you liberal, America hating queers, niggers, and bitches run her down like this.

The DNC should start one of those clocks the RNC loves so much. "Days since Palin spoke to the press"

It's tempting to get in a lather about Governor Sarah-in-Hiding, but the Obama campaign and everyone who hopes Senator Obama wins the presidential election should keep a 'laser focus' on McCain himself.

The out-of-touch, insulated, self-important, dependent-on-his-wealthy-wife candidate who can't talk knowledgably about almost any issue, who's at sea on things like health care and the economy -- he's the focus. The Palin pick is useful because McCain himself has now made his age and health an issue, but there's no need to belabor that point.

One key issue in this election is that McCain's agenda (insofar as he even grasps it himself) is a continuation and extension of the worst parts of the Bush policies on all important fronts. Bush-McCain 90% needs to repeated long after all of us are sick of hearing it.

The other issue is John McCain's judgment (or lack of it). Here, Palin is evidence, but need not be visible to serve that function -- indeed, the more sequestered she is, the better the point works. McCain's temper, lack of gravitas, anger issues are all on the table. The campaign should NOT be about these characteristics, primarily, it SHOULD be about issues...but whenever McCain proxies try to play the 'experience' card or (coming soon, I fear) the alien-stranger-(we're not saying African American, oh no)-card, then McCain's lack of judgment needs to get played back.

Pretty bad judgement; on the part of McCain & staff and on the choice for VP, who appears to be a fraud.

Isn't meeting the press a large part of spending time with the voters?

Two words come to mind: Total clusterfuck.

The key is to push the "afraid" taunt: Why is McCain afraid to let Palin talk to reporters? Why is the tough-talking Palin afraid to talk to anyone? It's just like Bush being afraid to take tough questions at pressers. No whining, remember, taunting, mocking laughing. And if she gives a puff interview, continue to taunt, and make them explain.

from the mccain campaign's point of view, the reason for palin to meet the press would be to reassure independents who are a) sick of republican incompetence and b) still have reservations about obama. (after her roll out at the RNC, she has the base GOP voters locked down and they're not going to be dissuaded by the drip, drip of alaska revelations.)

so, from the obama campaign's perspective, keeping her on ice suits them just fine: it keeps frozen the initial impressions the various slices of the electorate already has from this past week: christian love her, independents and dems think she's a lightweight.

All well and good, however, I think Ms. Huffington is correct. Palin is a distraction. John McCain is the one who needs to be called out on his lies, his flips, his positions, his support of BushCo, his tax cuts for the wealthy, his wife's $300,000 outfit, etc.

PITBULL WITH LIPSTICK TURNS OUT TO BE CHIHUAHUA ON CHEAP LIPGLOSS.

News at 10.

Look, last time I checked, "the press" was still owned by large corporations that have a lot of business before government and have a big stake in the outcome of the election. Expecting them to fight back is a bit much- Bush and Cheney have proved that point over and over. In pursuit of ratings & "me first" points they might raise some flack, but in the end they will roll over for their masters.

McCain/Palin: The Audacity of Nope

Will it work?

The last eight years, accelerated especially during this campaign so far suggests that it will. A large number of Americans appear to be either really stupid or politically indifferent.

27 days until the VP Debate! I suppose they could refuse to show up for that, too - "Biden will be mean to her - not fair"!

"...
the best course of action for Dems is to ignore her,paying attention raises her standing, focus on McSame and his 90% Bush lovin voting record...

... its time to go to the Bill Clinton playbook ala 1992. "It's the economy, stupid."

Posted by: leftymn on 09/05/08
---------

John McCain says he doesn't know how the American economy works. I'm certain people threatened with foreclosure would feel comforted by that. I'm sure people recently unemployed would love to hear that.

Barack Obama is a bright Harvard grad who actually will change things to improve the economy for everybody. Democrats showed they can do that during the Clinton years.

McCain offers us more Enron loopholes.

Obama supporter here. Please, Hillary, bail us out of this mess!

I'll make, like, three novenas. I'll light 100 vigils.

Move along, nothing to see here.

Did you know John McCain was a POW?

Rachel Maddow and E.J. Dionne had it right, comparing her (respectively) to Dan Quayle and Harriett Myers. Actually, Myers looks like freaking Oliver Wendall Holmes beside Palin. She's certain to crash and burn, and anyone who thinks she's the future of the GOP has taken leave of his/her senses.

The longer she waits, the lower expectations will be.

Why would that be? Presumably, the longer she spends at the feet of Henry Higgins, the more she'll blow everyone away when she finally deigns to meet with the press. Expectations can only rise. In any event, I have no doubt that her inevitable sitdown with the press corps, to whatever extent they allow such a thing to happen, will receive uniformly high marks. The McCain folks are just gaming everyone's expectations, and I maintain that we're stupid to play along. (Remember the MSM's glowing review of Bush after his debates with Gore, simply because managed not to fall on his face?)

I'll repeat what I've said in other threads -- Palin is a sideshow to all interested parties. She's designed to distract the Republican base from the fact that McCain's at the top of the ticket, and she's distracting liberals from that very same fact, as well. It makes absolutely no sense to obsess over her, as many of us seem to be doing. The point is McCain's burning desire to repeat the mistakes of the last eight years ad nauseaum, making the rest of us live out the role of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Wake up, folks. Palin ain't the point -- or the problem.

GHWB won the Presidency with Dan Quayle as his running mate ... but then Sarah Palin is female, which makes for more attention, and billed as the anti-Hilary, which makes for even more. She is unqualified and inexperienced to a potentially disastrous degree, lacks circumspection, and stands behind a candidate who would serve to the age of 78 if elected. Compared with the other ticket on offer, there are negatives in there that no amount of flag-waving can cover.

Seems to me that the debates will be pretty telling in the polls.

My quiet little blog has been flooded with hits by people inquiring about Sarah Palin and the education cuts - I'd reprinted something I saw on Mud flats and Daily Kos. I got two angry debunkers right away. What do they call those minions they pay to sit around and comment on blogs? THere's a term. Anyway. The activity is unusual and makes me wonder. I never get those people visiting my place.

I wonder if there really is a groundswell of support for her, or if the Wurlitzer is trying to generate a fake movement and shape perceptions thereby.

Yes Kevin, you are "correct" but we must remember how many voters don't care about such things, all those low-information voters, gripers against minority identity politics who love it for themselves, "who may be struggling economically, detest President Bush and oppose the Iraq war -- but still may vote based on a visceral sense of which candidate respects their way of life." (LA Times)

To think that such people can determine the fate of the nation - it will take a great effort to keep McBushlin from getting to the top, no complacency can be allowed.

There are Republicans who also think she's a lightweight. They just aren't saying it for attribution, or when they know the mikes are on.

Kevin, they are scared so that is why they keep saying "Please throw me into that briar patch."

We'll see how the debate goes but I wouldn't count on her collapsing. It is amazing to see Obama comparing his experience to hers. That shows how rattled he is.

I have seen so many mean and idiotic comments and posts around from Palinites that I don't even know if MG's post is real or parody.

Wait till her myspace and youporn vids show up.

I would think there would be a real problem with any serious press interview. You said you were against the bridge, but here is a recording saying otherwise ... Do you think you lied? And several other questions about thinks the party would rather nor air before the election. At this point, I think trying to avoid a serious press interview is there only hope. And I think it just might work.

Seriously though, the Democrats got to change the frame. The Republicans always set the frame. The current frame, is who is more like the common average Joe Sixpack. The Democrats cannot win in this frame. Elitism, is more about Obama, and Biden having well developed thinking skills, whereas McCain/Palin think and talk like ordinary uneducated folks. We have to change the frame. Howabout something like this:
It is about having a chief executive smart enough to play geopolitical chess against the likes of Vladimir Putin. Gee Putin must be drooling over the prospects of playing this game against McCain. He makes Bush seem like a genius, and look how easy he was to checkmate in Georgia.

Then we got energy. Again our friend Putin, just loves drill, drill, drill: so convinced is he that we won't find enough to matter, but will be distracted from alternatives. Expensive oil, and gas, is the thing that will power the Russian empire ahead of the US. Expensive energy, and tricking the US into a new cold war, will bankrupt the Americans, and by default the the Russians as the defacto hyperpower.

It is all about selecting a favorable frame. The frame determines the mental battlefield. The battlefield for the hordes of low information voters must be a frame that is favorable to the Democrats. The Republicans are masters at this game. The Democrats better get good real fast, or this election (and probably our democracy) will be lost!

The most galling thing about all this is that today she marches out to a rally with a big smile and rips into Obama on the surge. Palin has virtually never expressed on the record a single opinion on foreign policy, is scared to take questions from the media, and said this when the surge was first taking place (not really that long ago!)

"I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place."

And she has the nerve to criticize Obama on the surge? Who the hell does she think she is, and why doesn't the media treat her more like the laughingstock she should be?

Caribou Barbie is gonna bring ree-form to Warshingtun.

She's sharp, but does very dumb things. Pull her string and revel in the insights.

What I'd like to know is WHY in Heaven's name is your first paragraph not a nation wide ad run by the Dems!!?! The MSM is not going to report it, what are they waiting for.

Meanwhile, McCain is mis-quoting Obama on purpose: "Obama will raise taxes" even though Obama explicitly said in his speech that he will cut taxes for 95% of the people.

"Obama is against drilling and nuclear power plant" when Obama explicity said in his speech that he ie for safely harnessing nuclear power.

No wonder we lose elections.

Well Drinks, I'll let you 'run' the government if I get to fill your three-ring-binders.

Kevin, Kevin, Kevin,

Re: "just how gullible the American public really is"

The American public has not significantly changed its stripes since it elected GWB, twice. The American public is a veritable, inexhaustible, fountain of gullibility. I have recently been reading (it doesn't take long) a (small!) collection of MSM news accounts written before the invasion of Iraq which totally nailed the situation, every lie, and accurately predicted how the war would play out. Though these stories were swamped by the majority of news, they were not published in obscure outlets. It's simply not true that all the intelligence was wrong, or that all of the media missed the story. The American public is probably the most gullible, and *lazy*, in the world. It is certainly the least well-informed of the developed world. As I did before the Iraq war, I'm once again muting, fast forwarding, and flipping pages because I'm already sick of the "smile" on the face of the press over this "feisty" newcomer, who is apparently more popular than Obama at this point. How cool is that? I think the press loves her because she's easy to write about. It doesn't take much thought. It's not like the...um...economy, for example. Americans get the government they deserve, and god help us, we could end up with this mean-spirited beauty queen as our president. There would, of course, be much hand-wringing at that point, as well as an infinite number of media stories moaning that "we couldn't have predicted this disaster".

As predicted yesterday,

GOP Ignores Copyrights, Raises Ire Of Multiple Recording Artists

Heart - Barracuda

...the Wilsons condemned the usage, adding that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign, according to CNN. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music,'' the group said in a statement.

The dems will attack her at some point. The Obama campaign usually takes time to both draw attention and form a carefully crafted comeback that is untouchable; the man is a political genius.

That racial slur thing from the LA Progressive--that can't possibly be true, can it?

Frame of reference: I studied nearly non-stop for over 6 months for my 5-hour masters' qualifying exam. It looks like she has about 26 days to hide away and try to 'prep' for the vice presidential debate, yet she was wasting time in Michigan retreading her acceptance speech with McCain late today. She's either incredibly arrogant, or incredibly stupid--or both.

The Republican Party has been high-jacked by the religious right as McCain’s selection of Palin proves. I thought McCain might bring some sanity to back to the party but it turns out experience does count and he is following the George Bush/Carl Rove play book of appealing to the "Gun tottin, God fearin" mob with his choice of Sarah Palin. The least you can say for George Bush is that he picked Cheney, whatever you may think of him, he is no light weight. Another trait about McCain that makes me very uncomfortable is his quick shoot from the hip decision making process. His selection of Palin seems to be a perfect example of this. This seems very similar to George W. Bush's decision making methodology which landed us in $3 Trillion and counting war without end. And I'm not a democrat. I voted for Bush the first go around. But McCain just doesn't seem to have the necessary personality traits to be an effective executive. He lost my potential vote for good with his selection of Palin.

Palin has no problems handling the Press. I think the main problem is that it's a lot more difficult to regurgitate someone else's policies. As a VP she has to echo McCain. She has never had to play 2nd fiddle to anyone in her short political career, so I suspect this is the reason for the delay. Eventually, she will master the talking points, and be let loose.

As a Palin supporter, I would like to see her out more, but I can understand McCain keeping her under wraps to reduce the odds of a blunder. The campaign is getting the bounce they need, why change strategies?

Also, as a Palin fan, please, please, please keep spreading the rumors about racist comments (ignore the fact that the terminology used in the article is completely wrong for Alaska, and that the allegations are un-sourced). The more rumors, the bigger the backlash.

How can one explain the appeal of Ms Palin other than by "clinging to guns and religion"?

rory, I have no doubt she can handle the press...but can she handle the Vice Presidency? Or, God forbid, the Presidency? She's a pathological liar. Don't you have *any* reservations about that?

I think it is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS that a VP nominee - someone who may be President in less than a year - refuses to do interviews with the press. We know nothing about this woman!

I find it laughable that the McCain campaign claims she is ready to take on Putin or Kim Jung Il, but she's not ready to go toe-to-toe with Wolf Blitzer or Brian Williams? I don't understand why more people aren't outraged by this... here is a major VP candidate who has only done an interview with People Magazine.

It's not entirely beside the point that the National Enquirer is alleging that she had an affair with her husband's former partner in an Anchorage carwash. Scurrilous nonsense perhaps, spillover from a messy divorce, but certainly detrimental to her polished image, and conspicuously available in every supermarket.

By election day, Sarah Palin as slut ought to be as commonplace a notion as Barack Hussein Obama as Muslim. Unfortunately, we're more sympathetic to adulterers than heretics.

I'd still like to see this bumper sticker:

Adulterers for
John & Sarah

I think she said that she "put" the plane on E-bay and I believe that --initially -- she did BUT she didn't manage to "sell" it on E-bay.

She did not INITIALLY oppose the Bridge to Nowhere. She SUBSEQUENTLY opposed it.

The people who have already decided how they are going to vote can find what they need to comfort them in their decision. The SERIOUS voters, that is to say, the SWING voters will have to make the effort to sift through it all and, of course, BALANCE OUT THE ABOVE POST by visiting blogs on the other side of the electoral fence.

Rationalize much?

The point on the plane was that John McCain publicly stated she made a profit selling it. She didn't.

As for the bridge, she publicly supported it for as long as the money was earmarked to it. She took the money that Congress approved after it was unbundled from the bridge project and told Anchorage residents she would still build it. She used the money for something else when it looked like it would require more state money than she wanted to commit to the project.

All of this is perfectly reasonable, but it DOES NOT support her REPEATED assertion that she told Congress 'Thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere.'

I am struck by a statement made by Palin in a a recorded address to the Alaska Independence Party: "We have a great promise to be a self-sufficient state, made up of the hardest working, most grateful Americans in our nation."

As a reflection of Christian ideals, the idea of gratitude has an attractive resonance, but invoking it here is odd. Collective gratitude is an ideal state of mind for congregations and subjects; but gratitude was never a public duty of free men and women in the post-feudal society that I grew up in. There were too many, ah, mavericks among us.

But then perhaps America changed when I was not looking.

I don't think they are scared at all, but I don't think she goes in front of anything but the most sympathetic interviewer over at faux news ever. And the murican people will follow along like lemmings. Best hope is for more videos to pop up on youtube. Not a good hope.

McCain really is old-fashioned, even as he loves his gambling and his surprises.

Nostalgia wins out. Still, even Nixon waited until he was president before launching the Saturday night massacre.

Why is the media not covering the CCain comments about killing Iranians with Cigarettes and his singing of "Bomb bomb Iran"?If more Americans could see these references I think or hope the choice for Obama would be clearer. And we should ask Palin if she agrres with these racist MCCain comments!

McCain picks a running mate that isn't up to the job of running for the office of 2nd in command, but expects us to believe that she's ready to be commander in chief? Are we a nation of suckers or what?

"The McCain campaign is scared to death."

That's ridiculous -- they're on the verge of overtaking the lead in the polls. Obama's half page Resume is whats scaring people.

I think she said that she "put" the plane on E-bay and I believe that --initially -- she did BUT she didn't manage to "sell" it on E-bay.

McCain said:
"You know what I enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay -- and made a profit!"
Palin was standing beside him. She could have corrected him, she didn't.

My Theory: Palin's a pathological liar, and not very good at it.

McCain and his people realized this after bringing her on.

Their only hope: The press continues its pathological avoidance of the word LIAR.

McCain is somewhere between the guy who justifies his recklessness on the self-referential and "self-evident" grounds that no one can make presidential decisions better, always a comforting personality type in the absence of evidence, and the traditional pol who understands the fact that negative campaigning usually works. In this election, targeting the "values" voters to "address" those issues gives the media a diversion from McCain-the-actual-man-as-potential-president, as opposed to "McCain the man as I choose to present myself this election cycle, the reforming hero (or is it the heroic reformer?), which I grant is funny given my current positions on issues from which I used to differ from Bush, and given the story of my own life, the whole thing so far, as I present it myself, but which is understandable given how cynical one must be to win this damn election, even though once I win it the sheer force of my personality will overcome the interests always arrayed against a coherent vision or, in my case, an incoherent vision."

I feel better now having working it through. McCain really does have an integrated personality after all.

STEP RIGHT UP and be one of the "friendly media" that gets to softball the pit bull...and when that happens (and it will) then EVERYONE must denounce those folks for what they are...REPULICAN SHILLS...it's beyond ridiculous that the public will stand for this woman being HIDDEN away for prepping to cover her own a-- and there is no OUTRAGE...when will it really be ENOUGH!!!!!

TYPICAL...a Palin supporter who is "concerned" about unsourced material when it has to do with HER/HIS (my dog named RORY is a male) candidate...not so much when it's about someone on the "other side"...

"In a way, it's sort of a test of just how gullible the American public really is."

Indeed. And the American public is about to fail that test miserably.

Not widely blogged yet but a fun read: The thrilla from Wasilla: recounting Palin's reign

Great idea----FLASH

McCain / Biden in dual with a game of checkers........

Palin / Obama in dual on basketball court..1 on 1

Isn't Obama also known for avoiding wide-open news conferences, as well as long interviews with anyone who might not be adulatory?

And hasn't he gone through a few flip-flops as he makes the transition from ordinary Illinois Democrat to national party nominee?

If McCain has shown poor judgment in a decision that turns out to be a stunning success, I guess he'll take it.

Rory...stay tuned for more racist commentary from Palin. There is a long history of nasty racism that runs through the underbelly of Alaska. Most of it is directed at Native Alaskans, but blacks get their fair share of it too.

Will it work?

Hard to say. I'm reminded of the huge poll numbers Fred Thompson had *before* he entered the Republican primaries -- and how they dropped like an anvil after he did.

Palin is, for the general public, a curiosity. Any reasonable person of either party knows she isn't qualified -- but, she might be! The made-for-TV, imaginary miracle that could convince us is still under wraps. But, there *could* be an elephant in that tent.

If she's brought out like a celebrated groundhog now and then, she can make little stage-managed cameos. If she actually does debate Biden (which I don't see), all she has to do is recite pre-packed one-liners and wink.

The Democrats need to articulate the fact that the Republican campaign is all about excuses.

Kevin: I analyzed how all the strands fit together in my post, The Palin Convention and the Culture War Option, written the night before Sarah Palin spoke.

Part of it involves keeping the press at bay..."double down on defiance by never letting her answer questions, except from friendly media figures who have joined your narrative; like Cheney with Fox. No meet the press at all. No interviews of Palin with the DC media elite— at all. De-legitimate the ask. Break with all 'access' expectations. Use surrogates and spokesmen, let them get mauled, then whip up resentment at their mistreatment. Answer questions at town halls and call that adequate..."

Jvove wrote:
My Theory: Palin's a pathological liar, and not very good at it.

I think you hit the nail on the head my friend. Eventually however she will be found out.

They're not even putting her on FAUX News? My God, she must be unprepared.

I think she'll probably do all right in the debate, though, because she'll just stick to her ReThug Talking Points, like "a community organizer but with real responsibilities" no matter what the question.

When did you last see a Presidential debate "moderator" really ask pointed follow-up questions?

The truth about Sarah Palin is that the Bush Administration pick her FOR McCain's campaign.

Nobody can miss the obvious signs here because who else doesn't do vetting or see any need for it? BUSH, that's who! McCain is so obviously being directed by the Big Oil people behind the Bush Administration that the ONLY requiresment for "Ms. Pumpjack Sarah" Palin is that she be Pro-Drill ANWR, that was the ONLY issue that mattered to Big Oil, the ONLY issue that kept Big Oil from contributing big money to the McCain campaign. McCain's past disloyality and wayward ANWR vote was the correction McCain need to make so the Bushies gave him his VP, Gov. Palin, in order to get the full blown affect of big oil money.

This is where the national press fails to respond repeatedly, when our government lies to you and manipulates you - the press and media both don't say a word, not a word at all. Half the time the press actualy helps the US government lie to you, when they don't allow the lying, the press is label "liberal" media. It's no excuse of course, but our press has been doing and it's the number 1 reason THEY don't need a shield law. I'm just grateful that Patrick Fitzgerald came along and put one of them jail, and I don't have problem with more journalist going to jail, anymore than I have with Jack Abramoff going off to jail.

Aiding and abetting this administration lies is just like doing the crime yourself. The journalist need to understand that aspect about law in general.

Don't let the McCain campaign get away with keeping her under wraps until Election Day. Call the McCain press office - (703) 650-5550 - and demand that Governor Palin submit to press interviews with no preconditions and no topics off-limits.

FWIW, it looks from the Google that I am first with "McBushlin" as an epithet for the the Bush/Palin team.

I really would like to see her express an original idea about something besides lipstick! In every clip I have seen of her, she is repeating her campaign speech almost line for line. I am very offended as a woman that they will not let her express herself, and I surely don't want the first female VP to be a puppet. It also frightens me greatly that this same VP would be the POSSIBLE PRESIDENT OF ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AND POWERFUL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD??? HAS EVERYONE GONE MAD???? WHEN DID PEOPLE BECOME THIS EASILY MANIPULATED INTO AVOIDING THE OBVIOUS CATASTOPHIC CONSEQUENCES HERE?? THIS WOMAN IS ABOUT AS WORLDY AND CULTURALLY AWARE AS A FARM MOUSE!!!!

Have faith the poles are still in a dead heat, and that is because we are in a culture war. The Eduucated VS the Ignorant (who are manipulated by the powerful and money hungry elite).

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the antidote is to get out there, register voters and canvass for Obama. I've been out canvassing in my community 6 times this week, I registered people for 3 hours this morning, I organized a voter register for this evening at a public event, and I'll be canvassing again tomorrow.

The day after Palin's speech the performance was discussed on the News Hour. Gwen Ifill had a panel of three Republicans who simply raved about how wonderful it was. Gwen, as usual, asked no tough questions and didn't challenge any assertions. This passes for news? (I shouldn't be surprised as this is not the first time she sucked up to the right wing.)

No one on television will do any fact checking on Palin or McCain or their surrogates. If any questioning gets the least bit tough McCain et al will condemn them for being beyond the pale. If they continue they'll be moved off air.

It is unlikely that Palin will be asked any tough questions or be put on the spot in the debate. The only opportunity I see for that debate is for Biden to stand out by his obvious competence compared to Palin.

What's left?
Air America.
Daily Show
Political ads by the Obama team.
Blogoshpere
Letters to the editor?
Letters to NPR and local news programs?
Letters to national news programs? (probably useless)

All,

Like JohnK said above, I have been truly concerned about the state of news and journalism as covered by the media. I want to do something to help clear the smears and lies put out there by the Repubs.

How do we get the facts across in a timely manner? I dont want to wait around for the Obama camp to think their reponse. I have already contributed to them financially. Other than talking about it to friends, neighbors and family, what can I do to get the message across to people who don't read The Daily Koz and Mother Jones?

I am taking Varecia's lead, there is a local Obama office in my PA town, and I'm there tomorrow. Thanks for the inspiration Varecia. Canvasing and influencing votes is the answer.

Jen

I'm in CA, where we are a decidely blue state already, so not sure canvassing helps here. I found it pretty devastating to do the phone bank thing. Perhaps, I will take up writing to the editors of papers...not sure if it will work.

a slut is a slut