Daily Archives: September 2, 2008

What Did I Miss?

Posted on by

Did anyone see Bush’s “speech” tonight? I understand it was kept to 8 minutes. They really don’t want him around, do they?

When I got home from Tuesday night chorus rehearsal they were showing a tribute to Reagan. How many years will it take for them to get past Reagan? I realize the Dems had a tribute to the Kennedys, but that’s because there was a Kennedy on the stage.

I watched Thompson with the sound off. He’s much better that way.

Looking at the conventioneers reminds me of the folks back home. All white.

Oo, Lieberman’s up. TV off.

Anyway, I’m going to break my own rule here and say something about the Palins and their pregnancies. Via Atrios, the National Enquirer is reporting that Sarah Palin was planning to marry Bristol off to her boyfriend right after the convention and then announce the pregnancy. But Bristol refused to go along with this plan, it says.

Has anyone asked Bristol if she wants to marry the kid she messed around with? Maybe she doesn’t. If so, that would tell me she has more sense than her whackjob mother. Who the hell outside of Arkansas marries off 17-year-olds these days, even if the girl is pregnant? They might as well pay for the wedding and divorce in one package deal. It would save both those children, and the baby, a lot of grief.

Right now I’m too tired to go through all the Palin family dramas that have turned up just today. The biggies: The Palin’s association with an extremist, anti-American secessionist movement; as governor, Palin slashed money for teen moms; just three months ago, Palin called the Iraq war a messianic affair in which the United States could do the will of the Lord.

Sarah Palin — the gift (to the Dems) that keeps on giving —

I’m beginning to think the “Eagleton Scenario” is possible. If … nay, when … Palin becomes too big a drag on the ticket, they could dump her and blame the evil liberal media and liberal bloggers for being mean.

Maybe we should lay off and encourage her to stay on the ticket.

POTUS Persona Non Grata

Posted on by

Be sure to read Sidney Blumenthal’s account of the cancellation of Bush’s speech last night. The McCain campaign used Gustave to shove Bush off the program, and Bush is pissed.

In order that Bush and Cheney not seem to have been humiliated, McCain cancelled the entire proceedings for the first evening.

Almost certainly, Bush had to cancel his planned speech while Gustav loomed. But the sources say he didn’t like the idea and felt pushed. Bush is described by sources as “furious” at McCain for being deprived of his last appearance before his party, which nominated him twice, as a sitting president. He believes he is being treated disrespectfully.

Unless he’s been canceled again, Bush is supposed to speak to the convention tonight via satellite. But he’s not on the schedule on the RNC web site.

President who?

Meanwhile, McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, told the Washington Post,

“This election is not about issues,” said Davis. “This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.”

Fascinating.

RNC Updates

Posted on by

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“