September 2008
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RNC Updates

Sep 2, 2008

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President Bush may address the RNC convention tonight via satellite. Oh, please make it so …

The Republican National Convention web site has no schedule up for today, as of a bit before noon EST, so I have no idea what’s going to happen there today, and apparently neither do they. I’m sure they were hoping that they’d get more mileage out of Hurricane Gustave.

Update to the update … this just in…

The Republican National Convention, cut back Monday because of Hurricane Gustav’s arrival on the U.S. Gulf Coast, will resume a full schedule Tuesday, convention officials said.

President Bush, who was scheduled to speak Monday, will deliver his address via satellite at 9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, officials said.

Tuesday’s theme will be “Who is John McCain,” officials said.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who ran in the early GOP 2008 presidential primaries, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democrat’s 2000 vice presidential nominee, will deliver primetime speeches after President Bush.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will have a speaking role at the Republican National Convention, a GOP official told CNN Tuesday.

Alas, I will be out tonight and will miss the President’s speech, but maybe I can catch Joe and Fred. (Note to self: Get Pepto Bismol.)

According to rightie bloggers, “leftists” are rioting in St. Paul. It appears the chief troublemakers are a group called “The RNC Welcoming Committee,” which describes itself as “an anarchist / anti-authoritarian organizing body preparing for the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.” They make it clear on their web site they don’t like Democrats, either, but they didn’t protest at the DNC because they would have had to travel to get there. Apparently most of these characters are local to St. Paul.

I can’t tell how much of the Welcoming Committee’s agenda is “left” and how much of it is “we’re assholes.” And are we sure some of these persons aren’t Ron Paul supporters?

It’s striking, though, that protests at the DNC (which were relatively mild and gentle), according to wingnut bloggers, “proved” that liberals are bad. Protests at the RNC also prove that liberals are bad. Funny how that works.

Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Released After Illegal Arrest at RNC.

Evangelicals rally behind Palin after pregnancy news — not surprising. Pregnant, unmarried teenage daughters are as common as coffee and doughnuts with this crew. All they care about is that Bristol is not getting an abortion.

Speaking of abortion, I’ve got an article on the Buddhist view of the abortion issue up on the other site.

Stuff to read:

Eugene Robinson, “The Cynicism Express”

Greg Sargent, “The Palin Meltdown in Slo-Mo”

George Lakoff, “The Palin Choice and the Reality of the Political Mind“

Spotlight

14 Comments

Jack K., the Grumpy Forester • Sep 2, 2008 @12:52 pm

…it might actually be instructive to hear a bunch of Republicans against whom McCain has claimed to go all Maverick on in the past explain to us why he’s the best choice to carry forward all of those Republican policies he claims to have been so Mavericky against in the past and to which he still presumably would object.

If not instructive, it could at least be entertaining…
joanr16 • Sep 2, 2008 @1:25 pm

There’s a diary over on dKos of an email by a Wasilla resident, a summary of Sarah Palin’s history with the town. I won’t link to it because the diarist disregarded the writer’s request that her email not be posted on a website (originally the diarist even left in the writer’s full name). However, this info is must-read:

CLAIM VS FACT
•”Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•”PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since
•”NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to promote it.
•”Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation
•”Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

Sounds to me like Sarah Palin, with another 30 years’ political experience, really would be the female Dick Cheney.
moonbat • Sep 2, 2008 @1:36 pm

It’s great that the MSM is picking up on the various aspects of the Palin story. I was impressed with the Lakoff article, how he separates the reality from mythos. In Palin’s case, everyone is focused on the myriad real world details of her past, but Lakoff states what’s been lurking in my mind, unarticulated, that Palin is conservativism’s sweetheart. It’s for this reason that our side must tread carefully.

I’m waiting, along with millions of others, for Obama or someone to offer a full throated rebuttal of the conservative mythos, the conservative worldview, instead of a mere denouncement of John McCain or Sarah Palin. Obama has done some of this, but it’s something that should be front and center, instead of hidden away in corners of his speeches. Until that time comes, Democrats will operate in semi-fear of offending conservatives, compromising all the way.

The great success of the conservative project this last generation was to instill fear and doubt into Democrats, making us ashamed of who we are, and getting us to question what we believe. They did it by inventing and promoting a phony worldview. They were really good at putting enough doubt in our minds as to whether up really is up and whether down really is down. This is what needs to be faced head on and crushed. Do that, and any of their candidates will look silly.

But of course, as Lakoff himself pointed out, the reality of McCain and Palin is damning enough. But I don’t want the conservative beast to live to see another day, at least not while I’m still alive. Especially since large numbers of the public are starting to wake up from the conservative pablum they’ve been fed all these years – the time and opportunity to kill this beast is now.
jerri • Sep 2, 2008 @1:39 pm

I find it strange that none of the experienced, well educated, elected to public office republican women are competely silent about Palin. You know women like senator Dole or senator Snow. The only female senator to say anthing was Clinton and she was just PC to the max.
moonbat • Sep 2, 2008 @2:09 pm

jerri, comment 4, I’m waiting for an official Republican, anyone, to come out against her. They’re still waiting for the situation to settle, but when the first one opens their mouth, McCain-Palin will be in serious trouble. I’ve been reading speculation from various quarters that she’ll be taken off the ticket – it’s a very quiet murmer but it’s there.

joanr16, comment 2, I was tempted to provide the link you did not to the DKos article – it’s a must-read. It also mentioned how Palin tried to fire the city librarian because she refused to remove certain books Palin found offensive. Completely over the top. Palin is a true blue authoritarian, a Dick Cheney with looks and personality, who, like Cheney, probably sees nothing wrong in her actions. Sarah Barracuda indeed. No wonder Republicans like her.
Dave • Sep 2, 2008 @4:16 pm

I saw an article on HuffPo that said that Carly F is howling “sexism” because Biden said Palin is “good looking” (as if the Repugs hadn’t been saying it themselves all weekend, and the comment was taken a wee bit out of context) and Obama said something about her Wasilla staff being around 50 people, compared to the Obama campaign organization.

I used to have some respect for Carly. Gone for good.

I have a persistent mental image from the “long line of old white men” Republican primary debates. Newsie asks a question. Respondant says three nasty things about Hillary Clinton before even attempting an actual answer. I thought it was pathetic, but didn’t think sexism; after all, running for national office is not for the thin of skin.

So. They claim she has more executive experience than Obama because of Wasilla. Obama counters with the size of his campaign organization. Carly screams sexism. Out of line.

If they dredge this up every time somebody makes a valid criticism, they’ll devalue sexism like they are devaluing POW status.
rege • Sep 2, 2008 @4:39 pm

This is tinfoil hat territory, but if the last eight years have taught us anything it is that you can’t be too paranoid when it comes to America under Bush/Cheney.

We know that the FBI infiltrated some of the RNC convention protest. Any chance that the infiltrators were in fact provocateurs egging tasked with the groups on to violence with the motive of turning off middle America to the left? Certainly when it comes time to defend these protesters in court their lawyers should fully investigate this possibility.
zeppo • Sep 2, 2008 @5:17 pm

I’m still in awe of the argument some in the right wing media are pushing that essentially states that, since Alaska is RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Russia, then Palin obviously has bone fide foreign diplomacy chops. I am astonished that anyone can actually make such a ridiculous statement with a straight face.

I think the Republicans in this country are very close to having a complete emotional breakdown. It must be difficult to defend what they must know to be totally indefensable, and do so with self righteous anger.
jerri • Sep 2, 2008 @5:22 pm

moonbat, something is going on…both mccain and palin have cancelled public events scheduled for today. Me thinks their polling is not what the pr guys predicted.
Bucky Blue • Sep 2, 2008 @5:50 pm

Palin is the darling of the Christianistas, but the not so religious republicans are aghast. I say go after her and make her a martyr of the Christianistas, and split that bastard of a party. Dems agree in principle but disagree on extent, Republicans are at opposite ends of principle and extent. Religious righties believe that the US gov. was founded by Jesus and it needs to be brought back to the fold with Christian people. That scares the crap out of the other 80% of America, and the Christinistas don’t get that.
JK • Sep 2, 2008 @5:56 pm

Who was it who said the “Welcoming Committee” is really a subdivision of Blackwater?
uncledad • Sep 2, 2008 @5:59 pm

In a real world, she would not make a difference, Ask yourself why, the right wing neoconsuperfratboys,have surfeyed the landscape, and decided, we thought Gustave would be worse.

Instead of nominating a strong woman, they nominate a fundalmental lightweight. A church going patriot, it makes me wonder about our Maverick. Is he still in charge? Or is Cindy’s goldsuit in charge?
joanr16 • Sep 2, 2008 @6:26 pm

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth….

I’m really starting to love Joey B:

(CNN) – If Sen. Joe Biden was hurt that Republican operative Karl Rove called him a “big blowhard doofus” at an event in Minneapolis Monday, he didn’t show it.

On hearing the news, Biden grinned and said “he’s a great American.”
Doug Hughes • Sep 2, 2008 @9:30 pm

On the subject of Bidens comment that Palin is ‘better-looking’ than he is, he should admit it was a slip. He had prepared remarks expecting that Romney would be the VP selection. And then say that the Republicans seem to have no difficulty finding VP candidates better looking than ol’ Joe, and the only chance he has against the Republicans is on the issues and on the qualifications he has.