How The Media Got The Democratic Convention All Wrong

New York Times columnist Frank Rich, definitely one of their best, had a great column yesterday blasting the media for its "weeklong orgy of inane manufactured melodrama labeled 'convention coverage'". He discusses all of the completely media-manufactured drama, from the not-so-existent Obama-Clinton divisions to silly (for lack of a better word) GOP attacks about decorations. I definitely agree, and was similarly disgusted by the media's coverage. The only way to see the actual Convention was to flip on C-SPAN, because if you happened upon the network or cable news coverage, all you got were talking heads spouting nonsense, while muted leaders spoke in the background, saying who knows what. Those people, those in the background, were actually saying some pretty good things, but you would never know it if you watched the media's coverage. I usually watch MSNBC for election coverage, when I do watch the TV coverage (but I certainly don't do that to get informed), because a few souls on that network, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow--a few souls more than any of the other networks--, actually get it right, and cut through the bullshit most of the time; however during the Convention I just couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stand the coverage anymore. I couldn't stand ignoring 95% of the speakers. I had to go to C-SPAN, and just cut the media out altogether. Rich then discusses what technology will do to the future of media as we know it. I, for one, welcome to death of the 24/7 news networks, if they indeed die, because right now I think they are killing politics, and doing it on purpose (read: close elections = more ad revenue). It's an interesting read, well worth a few minutes, so check it out:

Obama Outwits the Bloviators
by Frank Rich, New York Times

On The Job Training From Bush III?

“ She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long.

— Top McCain Advisor Charlie Black, August 30, 2008.

There you have it. The McCain campaign admits she isn't qualified now, and that she needs "on the job training". Obama has over 11 years of legislative experience, not to mention 10 years experience teaching Constitutional law. Biden has been in the Senate for 35 years, was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and is now chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And we are supposed to be OK with McCain recklessly picking a VP who only has a year and a half of experience in local Alaskan politics, with absolutely no experience with national issues or foreign policy issues (every time she is asked about her thoughts on the war in Iraq she says she doesn't really pay much attention, and only concerns herself with local issues in Alaska). We are supposed to accept, or hope, that McCain won't have a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, or finally be officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the next four years, and hope that she can "learn national security at the foot of the master" in the time before she becomes president. Oh, and the master? The same master who got us into Iraq? The same master who was wrong on Afghanistan, wrong on timetables, wrong on Iran, reckless with his comments about Russia, doesn't know that Czechoslovakia isn't a country still, that Iraq borders Pakistan, that doesn't understand the difference between Sunni and Shia?? THAT is the master who will be filling her head with "knowledge"? Give. Me. A. Break.

Is this all for real? I'm still expecting at any moment now to take up and realize this was all a dream.

Historical Note: President William Henry Harrison died after only a month in office. Oh, and he was 4 years younger than McCain.

McCain's Shocking Choice For VP: Sarah Palin

The day after Obama's amazing acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention, where he outlined the failed policies of the Republicans and how he, with our help, will change the direction of this country, McCain picked his VP. It's Sarah Palin.

The correct response would be: Who?

Sarah Palin is the current Governor of Alaska (47th in population nationally--less people than Memphis, Tennessee). But here's the real kicker: Sarah Palin only has a year and a half of experience on the job! Before that, she was part-time mayor of a village of fewer than 9,000 souls. Before that, the PTA. To boot, she is also caught up in a political scandal (as are all of the Republicans in Alaska), her husband works for Big Oil (and, like McCain, she is a big supporter of drilling, everywhere), and she isn't a big fan of polar bears because keeping them alive might interfere with oil company profits. To me, this pick tells me many things, but chief among them is that McCain has all but given up on winning the presidency.

Let's take a closer look at what this all means:

• McCain can NEVER attack Obama for "not being ready" to be Commander-in-Chief, nor on "not having enough experience". Those days are OVER. They were baseless claims from the beginning, given that Obama has more experience than either Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan did, but now that McCain's own VP has only a fraction of the experience Obama has, that game is over.


• Lack of experience can only have one meaning in this election from now on, and that focus is squarely on Sarah Palin, who is one 72-year-old away from being president, with virtually no experience. Before there was reason to worry about McCain's age, his history of cancer, his family history of heart attacks, his showing signs on Alzheimer's, his lack of stamina, and honestly the chance a stroke could take him out at any second while on the job. Those are just the facts, and very real considerations. But that was back when we figured McCain would pick someone like Lieberman, who actually has experience, or Mitt Romney, who didn't have much experience, but still had tons more than Sarah Palin. But his insane VP pick changes everything. Now, if he is elected, this complete amateur (no offense to Gov. Palin, but seriously), this complete unknown (McCain says we supposedly don't know enough about Obama even though he has written two books, been campaigning for almost two years, and almost everyone in the world knows his name, and yet until this morning 95% of Americans probably had no idea who Sarah Palin was, let alone her positions on critical issues), will be in control of the most powerful nation on the planet. That should keep any Americans who are concerned about "experience" up at night.


• So why on Earth would McCain pick someone so drastically unqualified, someone that would undermine his primary course of attack against Obama, and someone who is embroiled in a political scandal? The answer is clear: McCain thinks women are idiots. That is it. McCain and the Republicans think so lowly of women, that they think women will vote for them, Hillary's supporters in particular, just because his VP has a vagina. How insulting. That is seriously OFFENSIVE. To think, McCain picked a token female for his VP, only because the Democrats had a woman running first, and he wanted to make a cynical swing for Hillary's supporters (PS: Palin said she couldn't support Hillary and called Hillary a whiner), and women in general, who support Obama over McCain by large margins. That is how stupid and simple-minded McCain thinks women are. And Sarah Palin is anti-choice on top of that, so for anyone who thinks that a woman on the ticket will inject a respect for women's issues or reproductive rights onto the ticket, you can kiss that goodbye. Sure, Sarah Palin doesn't look like a typical Republican, but what little record she has shows that she is just another Republican. Hell, she even believes that creationism, religious dogma, should be taught alongside evolution in our public education system (read my previous blog on why it is important for elected officials to have a decent education, case in point)! She doesn't believe global warming is man-made. She is hardcore conservative, member of the NRA, she has all the credentials.
  
  [Update: She made her role perfectly clear in her speech today, cynically citing Hillary's "18 million cracks in the glass ceiling", despite being anti-Hillary and calling her a whiner. What a hypocrite. Maybe she is indeed comfortable with her new role.]


• The choice also highlights some big differences between Obama and McCain. Obama chose a VP not to increase his chances in a particular state, and not to pander to a particular demographic; instead, he chose someone with solid experience, someone who could help him be even more effective in charting the future of this country, and making change actually happen. He was already a very strong candidate, but not content with just being very strong, he picked someone who made the ticket solid as rock. Beyond that, he also picked someone who could absolutely take over as president if something were to happen to him. McCain, on the other hand, didn't pick someone at all experienced. He didn't even pick someone who could help him in an important state (Alaska is a Republican-leaning swing state, but it doesn't have enough electoral votes to matter much). He picked a candidate because she has a vagina. He picked a candidate in order to cynically and transparently pander to a demographic group. McCain doesn't care that she has no experience, he doesn't care that if something were to happen to him, if he were to have a stroke or his health was to fail, control of the country would be handed over to an amateur with absolutely no demonstrated ability to lead or deal with major issues, foreign or domestic. That is reckless. He doesn't care that his pick could endanger the country. He doesn't care about the future of this country, or having the best person for the job. He cares about WINNING the election at ALL COSTS. And so he threw his Hail Mary. He knows he can't beat Obama on the issues. He knows he has tried to smear the hell out of Obama with lies, and even that hasn't given him the lead. He knows his POW-card is wearing thin. So he obviously made the political calculation and decided to put a token female on the ticket to pander to women, because he thinks women will vote against their own interests just because he picked a VP who happens to have a vagina. Obama is cares about leading and doing it right. McCain cares about winning, at all costs. And you can start the countdown til McCain tries to use her gender as a weapon, accusing anyone who questions of her of being sexist (in order to inflame Hillary's supporters), just like he accused everyone who questions him of attacking his military service.
  
  [Update: Back when people were wondering if Obama would pick Tim Kaine, Karl Rove trashed the idea, and said if Obama picked someone so unqualified (Kaine has been governor for three years, basically stomping Palin's resume) it would show he was doing it for politics, in order to win an election, instead of doing what was best for the country. Funny, that sounds exactly what McCain just did, while Obama picked an excellent and qualified candidate. I await your condemnation of McCain's choice Karl. H/t to unwilledatom]

I'm sure I'll add more to this later, but for now all I have to say is that I feel sorry for Sarah Palin. She should have never been put in this position. Maybe she is OK with it, but personally I think it would feel pretty shitty to know that you only got picked for a position because of your gender and nothing more. It is rather embarrassing, that because McCain picked her she will have to face the nation, face Biden in a debate about stuff she knows nothing about and has no experience in, knowing full well that she is nothing but a token female to the Republicans. Maybe I'll feel less sorry for her after we learn more about her. If she is a nasty character like McCain, then I won't feel bad. But on the surface she seems like a nice enough person, despite her right-wing beliefs. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

John McCain, you are such a prick.

Update: Even conservatives think it is a horrible decision.

Update #2: Obama's campaign responds with the obvious, seriously, what else can you say?:

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same.

Update #3: Other Democrats respond, basically a lot of the things I said, with some comparisons to Dan Quayle.

Update #4: Almost as soon as she became McCain's running mate her campaign removed a video of fellow corrupt, and recently indicted, Republican Senator Ted Stevens endorsing her from her website. I thought that was funny. There basically isn't a high level Republican in Alaska that isn't being investigated for some sort of corruption or scandal. Some call it the most corrupt state, which is why it is turning blue fast. Also, apparently Palin, Palin's son, or someone who really likes Palin scrubbed her Wikipedia entry right before the news officially broke that she was picked by McCain.

Update #5: It turns out Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty aren't so happy about being passed over for Palin. They are saying that they have been "rudely strung along" and "feel manipulated", while they now realize that they were only used as decoys to hide his real choice, someone who was far less qualified than either of them (which is definitely saying a lot with Romney), and someone who was chosen over them based solely on gender. Funny, and I bet McCain still says he is against affirmative action (not that this is affirmative action, it is a thousand times worse, at least with affirmative action they still need to be QUALIFIED). Oh yes, and we DO expect the media to report on this, since they spent months trying to hype up similar stories for the Democrats, even after it was long acknowledged that the Party was unified. Enjoy the media's double-standard.

Update #6: Oh, and then there's this:



In all fairness, she goes on to say that if she were to be VP she'd be looking to help Alaska out, seemingly unaware that the VP is a national position, and not particularly Alaska-focused.

Update #7: Now I'm really uncomfortable. Watch her acceptance speech, and see if you notice where McCain's eyes keep wandering while he unconsciously plays with (or perhaps tries to tear off) his wedding ring.

Update #8: This is a pretty decent overview of Sarah Palin, from a local point of view: "What is McCain Thinking? One Alaskan’s Perspective"

Democratic Convention: Final Day

The big day is here. Tonight Obama gives his historic speech in front of over 84,000 Americans, the biggest crowd for such an event ever, and now because he is a "celebrity" or a "rockstar", but because these people are actually engaged for once, they are inspired, and they want change.

Wow. Obama's speech was absolutely phenomenal. I know he sets an incredibly high bar, as did those who came before him during the Democratic Convention, but...they were nothing like this. Words don't do it justice, every American should watch this speech before Election Day, and take it to heart.

I'm at a loss for words. It brought tears to my eyes. As cynical as I am about this country, and about politics, he has given me hope. He makes me believe anything is possible. He keeps me from giving up altogether.

If we get him to the White House, I know he will go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents. We can change the course of history.

Update: Here's the video:



Watch Al Gore earlier.

Update: Obama's speech was watched by over 38 million Americans, more than watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics! This number doesn't count the people who watched it online, or on other networks such as C-SPAN and PBS, so this obviously greatly underestimates how many people watched it. Expect a bounce.

McCain's Health Care Solution: Pure Imagination

It would be almost comical how completely out of touch Republicans are with what is going on in this country, almost comical if it weren't for how serious and sad these issues are. One of McCain's top advisers on health care said the other day that there is no such thing as uninsured Americans. His logic? If you are poor and without insurance and have to go to the emergency room, the tax payers foot the bill! So apparently no one needs insurance because they have the emergency room to look forward to! Ow, my side hurts, oh well, no insurance, I'll just have to wait to see if my appendix bursts so my life can be in danger enough to get free health care in the emergency room! That's the McCain health care plan! We should just pretend there are no uninsured Americans, and everything is fixed! *Poof!* Look what this asshole said:

"So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said. "The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.

"So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."

Voila! Oh, and where does the money for these magical last minute lifesaving treatments come from? Taxpayers. This guy is a top adviser to McCain on health care, and he doesn't even understand the basics. If we want to drastically drive down health care costs in this country the first thing we should do is expand preventative care. Treat the problems when they are still minor, and we won't have to try to fix them in the emergency room later for 10 times the cost. This isn't rocket science, this is as basic as it comes. And yet McCain's people obviously think preventative care doesn't matter, and that we should rely on people almost dying before getting treated in expensive emergency rooms on taxpayer dollars. Voila! Problem solved? Are you insane???!

Completely out of touch. It reminds you of how we are supposedly "a nation of whiners", facing a "psychological recession". And this isn't just about a quote, you can see how out of touch he is through his policies. His tax policies, his energy policies, his social service policies, his health care policies. All of them screw over average Americans, while helping the rich and corporations. End of story. It is so blatantly obvious who McCain's base is, who he cares about and who he works for, yet those getting their information through the media haven't a clue, because they never put this kind of thing in context. It's shameful.

But that's McCain for you. His policies aren't policies, they aren't actual solutions, they are pure imagination. Click your heels together and pretend you have health care, or pretend offshore drilling will do anything to lower you gas prices, or pretend all those tax cuts for the rich will somehow help you in some backwards way, as if the rich pay that shit forward. My friends, it is pure imagination:



Update: Check out a good response to McCain's advisor's position on health insurance.

"Prickly" McCain

McCain got testy in a Time interview, didn't like answering questions it seems. Also wouldn't define the meaning of "honor", which is pours like cheap gravy over his campaign and every speech he makes. "Honor" is something, a word, the forms part of the foundation of his campaign. The word, not the meaning, because obviously there is nothing honorable about his campaign, and if there ever was any honor in John McCain, he sold it to the highest bidder a long time ago. Check out this exchange:

Interviewer: There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?

McCain: Read it in my books.

Interviewer: I've read your books.

McCain: No, I'm not going to define it.

Interviewer: But honor in politics?

McCain:I defined it in five books. Read my books.

That is McCain. Classic McCain. That's McCain when asked to answer a simple question, something that should have been easy for him. And this man wants to run a country and deal with foreign leaders??

Let's do a little thought experiment: Imagine it was an interview with Obama, and he was asked to define "hope", do you think he would refuse to define it and tell the interviewer to read his books? Hell no! Obama would define hope, he would tie it to the American Dream, he would tell you how we've lost it over the last 8 years, and how we can bring it back and triumph with it. Do you know why Obama could answer it? Because he actually understands it. It isn't just an empty word for him, he lives hope. McCain can't define "honor" because he doesn't understand honor, and he certainly doesn't live honor. This is not the character of a leader.

Read more about the interview, it is revealing.

Democratic Convention: Day Three

Today the main focus of the Convention was Bill Clinton's speech, which mirrored Hillary's in that it was surprisingly strong and sincere. Bill has been quite childish and bitter since the primary ended, and many rightly wondered if he'd step up to the plate and support Obama, and he, like Hillary, did. I'm still very not happy with the Clintons, but they did a good job at the Convention. It's a step in the right direction. I hope they follow through. Here's Bill:



Obama was also officially confirmed as the Democratic nominee, making history yet again. Biden was confirmed as Obama's VP nominee.

Kerry kicked some serious McCain ass:



Now for Biden's speech. Biden is awesome:



Update: Letterman's top 10 tonight was "Top 10 pickup lines at the Democratic Convention", this was my favorite:

#2 "Wanna pretend we are Republicans and have gay bathroom sex?"

Does McCain Have Alzheimer's? (Sign The Petition To Find Out)

I've written previously about McCain's age and how while it isn't something that should be made of, there are worrying signs that it should be a cause for concern in this election. McCain has shown many signs of Alzheimer's--not being able to remember basic facts about his personal life, his legislative record, his positions, foreign policy or geography. His inability to keep up with the rigorous campaign schedule, even though his is far more relaxed than Obama's, is also cause for concern, as is his reliance on Ambien to sleep.

Today Democrats.com sent out this email, on this very subject:

McCain's Age is No Joke

While Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama were rocking the Democratic convention in Denver, John McCain made his 13th appearance with Jay Leno to joke about his age.

But McCain's age is no joke. He will turn 72 on Friday and would be halfway to 73 if elected and sworn in on January 20. That would make him the oldest first-term President ever, two years older than Ronald Reagan. He has survived four skin cancers (melanomas), including one in 2000 that was classified as Stage IIa.

McCain is two years older than his father was when he died suddenly of a heart attack at 70. He is 11 years older than his grandfather was when he died suddenly of a heart attack at age 61.

The United States cannot afford the risk that McCain would die suddenly in the middle of an international crisis.

Nor can we afford the risk of dementia. 22% of Americans over 70 are affected by mild cognitive impairment, while 13% of Americans over 65 have Alzheimer's. Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 83, but early signs were evident during his first term. Britain's "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher developed dementia at age 75.

McCain has never had an Alzheimer's test, even though he has 6 of the 10 warning signs, including his inability to remember recent facts like the number of homes he owns, the $1M lawsuit he filed in 1990, or the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

John McCain owes America a thorough neurological examination for cognitive impairment and possible Alzheimer's long before Election Day.

Sign our petition to the Corporate Media: http://www.democrats.com/mccain-owes-america-an-alzheimers-test

[TPIP: Again, this isn't a joke, this isn't a cheap political attack at the expense of McCain's age, I have never agreed that is an acceptable campaign strategy. These are serious questions, and no matter your opinion of the candidates, or which party you belong to, this is something you need to consider. Our country cannot be run by someone who is suffering from dementia, or other age-related potentially debilitating or impairing ailments. Be sure to read my past blog post on this topic, "Is McCain (Physically/Mentally) Fit To Lead?"]

Update: Sen. Patrick Leahy apparently recognizes this is a real issue as well.

Democratic Convention: Day Two

Another day, more talk about Hillary. But it's justified I suppose, since this is "her night". At least on MSNBC they are acknowledging somewhat that the supposed divisions within the Party are largely hyped up creations of the 24-hour news networks. Those divisions are only real with a tiny fringe group of fanatical Hillary supporters. With them is where things get ridiculous, which is no doubt why the media loves to put them on the air, because they are crazy. Apparently some of these supporters actually think that the primary process was setup to screw Hillary and nominate Obama, and that the DNC was stacked against Hillary. This is what they mean by post-rational. These are the kinds of idiots who want to destroy the Democratic Party to help McCain. They actually think (or argue at least) that the establishment was anti-Hillary and pro-Obama, even though Hillary was CLEARLY the "inevitable" establishment choice from the very beginning. All you had to do was look at superdelegates, and how Hillary started the thing with well over a hundred superdelegates edge over Obama, an edge that he didn't overcome until the very very end of the primary season. Yeah, and that is apparently anti-Hillary. Hillary had EVERY advantage going into the primary, most people thought Obama had no chance, and it was an epic uphill battle for Obama. Hillary even had a former president campaigning for her full time. How anyone could say with a straight face that the process was loaded against Hillary is beyond me. How pathetic. Grow up, seriously, you fringe fanatics are embarrassments. At the very least get your facts straight.

Here was Rep. Dennis Kucinich earlier today, fired up and ready to go! (sadly it probably didn't make it to the cable "news" channels):



Can I get an "Amen"?

Hillary's speech was good, I'll give her that. I think she hit all the right notes and, unlike her concession speech, her support of Obama this time around and her urging to her supporters to embrace Obama and lend him their full support are actually believable. I'll post video when it is available. Here's the video:



Here are some other highlights the media ignores so you can hear the walking airbags tell you what to think.

Joe's Gotta Go (Not Lieberman This Time)

Wow, on Morning Joe this morning host Joe Scarborough, the biggest waste of flesh at MSNBC, had a bit of a meltdown. It was really something.

It all started with a report that *gasp* the Iraqi government agrees with Obama on a timetable to get American troops out of Iraq. This of course is a huge blow to Bush and the Republicans, and especially McCain, who is now to the RIGHT of Bush on Iraq, if that is even possible. Joe Scarborough, Republican propaganda tool, was obviously not happy with the report, and starting acting like a total child. Very becoming of a "professional journalist". The whole thing was an embarrassment to MSNBC, and this tool should FINALLY get the boot.

He also claimed that he is as "down the middle" (read: "fair and balanced") as any journalist on any network. Right. And I'm a merry leprechaun. This guy was a Republican member of Congress! You can't pretend to be non-partisan when you were part of the party establishment! Every time he is on the air he can be counted on to deliver the Republican propaganda d'jour. But you gotta love the pains he goes to to try to pretend he has been at all anti-war, when in fact he has supported the Republicans and their war from the very beginning, and even when he said we should leave, he was quite obviously being sarcastic.



Pretty pathetic. Why does this embarrassment still have a job? Tools like him belong over at FOX.

And Joe Lieberman's gotta go too.

Democratic Convention: Day One

It was a good start to the Democratic Convention today in Denver. Ted Kennedy gave a great, heartfelt speech urging the country to keep hope alive and strive for greatness. I think Jimmy Carter gave a speech, which the media decided not to show, which is rather annoying. The media in particular was very annoying, because all day was nothing but hours of talking about the Clintons, and nonsense about her supporters not supporting Obama, blah blah blah ad nauseam. I felt like we were back in the middle of the primaries again, in short, hell. All this despite polling evidence that shows Obama is having no problem, and only a few fringe crazies are holding out. Rachel Maddow had a great discussion of these, where she pointed out that the "Hillary supporter" in McCain's new ad was at a press event today and didn't know McCain's policy on reproductive rights. The idiot thought he was pro-choice, how embarrassing for her. Maddow described these fringe anti-Obama holdouts as "post-rational". It was great. Hopefully a clip will surface.

Meanwhile McCain appeared on Leno and once again tried to use his time as a POW as a "get out of everything free card". Shameless. Rachel Maddow actually nailed McCain really hard on this during the Convention coverage, basically saying it cheapens his service and at some point people need to stop letting him get away with using this as a crutch, or bludgeon as it were. Kudos to Maddow for calling him on that, because unless people in the media start having the courage to call bullshit on it, it will never stop. I'm sick of this noun, verb, and POW crap. I'll also try to find the video of that. Here's the video:



In sobering news, there was an apparent foiled assassination plot against Obama by white supremacists. That kind of thing never ceases to scare me, and I can only imagine what that does to his family. People are horrible.

On a happier note, the highlight of the night was Michelle Obama's speech, which was wonderful. She will make the best First Lady, really just a great person. In fact I love their whole family, they are adorable, and as American as apple pie. They could be one of those model families that are in picture frames when you buy them. How anyone could hate Michelle Obama or not fall in love with that family is beyond me. When the video is up I'll post it. Here's the video:

Don't Know Much...

A new, light-hearted Obama ad, highlighting McCain's lack of knowledge about...well...anything really, but this one focuses on the economy. In all honesty they could do a series of these, for foreign policy, reproductive rights, the Constitution, etc. Enjoy:

Weekend Enviro-Blog: The Pickens Scam

I wrote previously about the hypocrisy of billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens, who runs around pretending to care about the environment and ending our dependence on oil, while he has been one of Bush's biggest supporters, and is in fact still supporting Republicans who want to drill drill drill and not invest in alternative energy. I said at the time, that he wasn't to be trusted. He obviously has ulterior motives.

So curious to figure out the real reason he is pushing wind energy so hard, I did some searching, and came across this, which serves as a good introduction to T. Boone for those not fond of a lot of reading:



But for those who like to read a bit (two pages), here is an excellent overview of what Pickens is really all about. Bottom line, it is alll about profit, T. Boone doesn't give a shit about the environment, and he is still heavily invested in oil. Don't buy his bullshit:

Why T. Boone Pickens' 'Clean Energy' Plan Is a Ponzi Scheme
by Scott Thill, AlterNet

Update: More on T. Boone's water scheme here and here.

Gotta Love China!

In recognition of the Olympics coming to an end, here is some Olympic-related reading for everyone!

No Free Press at Beijing Olympics
by Dave Zirin, The Nation

And

China's All-Seeing Eye
by Naomi Klein, Rolling Stone

With the help of U.S. defense contractors, China is building the prototype for a high-tech police state. It is ready for export.

And no, I'm not gonna bitch about their obviously underage gymnasts.

Obama-Biden '08

This was Obama earlier this week talking about the VP dynamic he is going for, which he starts out with some well-placed jabs against Cheney:

Let me tell you first what I won't do.  I won't hand over my energy policy to my vice president, without knowing necessarily what he's doing.  I wont have my vice president engineering my foreign policy for me. The buck will stop with me, because I will be the president. My vice president, also by the way my vice president also will be a member of the executive branch, he won't be one of these 4th branches of government where he thinks he's above the law. But here's what I do want from my vice president, I want somebody who has integrity, who's in politics for the right reasons, I want somebody who is independent. Somebody who is able to say to me, 'you know what, Mr. President, I think you're wrong on this and here's why' and will give me (applause) who will help me think through major issues and consult with me, would be a key advisor. I want somebody who is capable of being president and who I would trust to be president. That's the first criteria for vice president.  And the final thing is I want a [vice] president who shares with me a passion to make the lives of the American people better than they are right now.  I want someone who is not in it just because they want to have their name up in lights or end up being president. I want somebody who is mad right now, that people are losing their jobs. And is mad right now that people have seen their incomes decline, and want to rebuild the middle class in this country. That's the kind of person that I want; somebody who in their gut knows where they came from and believes that we have to grow this country from the bottom up.

Today, it's official, Sen. Joe Biden is Obama's running mate! (Thank god the f-ing 24/7 mindless VP speculation can END now! YOU SUCK MEDIA!!) I'm happy with his choice. Is Biden perfect? Well, no, he voted for the Iraq war, which is unfortunate, but he did work to slow the drumbeat for war, and he has been one of the war's biggest opponents for quite some time, so, we can overlook that. We all make mistakes, what matters most is what you do moving forward. You can either acknowledge your mistake and work to fix it, or you can go the McCain route and just double down on your mistakes. Dig, dig deeper, that's McCain's platform.

Obviously the big plus is that Biden has a ton of foreign policy experience, in fact quite a bit more than McCain. Of course Obama didn't have a weakness here, but apparently American voters, at least according to the polling, seem to think Obama has a weakness here, despite the fact that he was right on Iraq, right of Afghanistan, right on Pakistan, and has kicked McCain's ass on all of these during the campaign. Apparently Americans aren't that quick on the draw though, so settling it once and for all with Biden is probably a good move. But I'll reiterate that he certainly didn't need someone with more foreign policy experience.

Another plus is that Biden is witty and good on the attack. I don't mean the nasty, childish, lying kind of attacks that come from McCain, I mean the factual, common sense attacks that expose how wrong McCain is for the job. He does it like no one else can. Probably the most memorable quote from the primaries was not from Obama or Hillary, it was from Joe Biden, with his famous description of Rudy "9/11" Giuliani:



THAT is what I can't wait for in the general election, because people respond to that. Hell, his first order of business is simple: John McCain: Noun, Verb, POW!

Update: GOP Senator Chuck Hagel had some strong words of support for Obama-Biden, which once again shows he is the only decent Republican. I think McCain can cross Hagel off the list of senators to expect endorsements from:

Joe Biden is the right partner for Barack Obama. His many years of distinguished service to America, his seasoned judgment and his vast experience in foreign policy and national security will match up well with the unique challenges of the 21st Century. An Obama-Biden ticket is a very impressive and strong team. Biden's selection is good news for Obama and America.

Good for America? Is it just me or is Hagel pretty much assuming Biden will be the next VP?

Update #2: Obama's introduction of Senator Joe Biden, his VP:


Transcript Available Here.Favorite quote:

"Joe Biden is what so many others pretend to be – a statesman with sound judgment who doesn’t have to hide behind bluster to keep America strong."

Update #3: Senator Biden's speech:


Transcript Available Here.
There were many great quotes, but I want to highlight this one, because there really is a striking difference in character between the two candidates in this election, just as striking as any policy difference, and I think "we" never really stop and acknowledge how huge, and important, this difference is:

"I must tell you, frankly, I’ve been disappointed in my friend, John McCain, who gave in to the right wing of his party and yielded to the very swiftboat politics that he so -- once so deplored. And folks, campaigns for presidents are a test of character and leadership. And in this campaign, one candidate, one candidate has passed that test."

Something Smells Fishy In Minnesota

Great new ad out by Al Fraken in Minnesota, blasting Republican Norm Coleman for his ties to indicted Republican Senator Ted Stevens and oil lobbyists:

Has McCain Finally Worn Out The POW-Card?

Haha, I came across this and thought it was funny, they found McCain's POW card! (thanks tbctbc)



It looks like he may have just used it too many times, the last straw being his ridiculous attempt to deflect criticism that he is so rich he doesn't even know how many houses he has. Of course some in the military are getting pretty sick of seeing him using his POW-card as well. And it looks like the media is FINALLY starting to notice, and getting a bit sick of having to redeem it.

Ohh it's going to be a lonely and scary road for McCain without his trusted crutch.

Update: Here's a good DailyKos diary about McCain's overuse of the POW-card, which also highlights a recent column by Maureen Dowd on the subject. Oh, and McCain did it AGAIN. Apparently he doesn't think it is used up yet. Personally, I love it. I hope he keeps using it on a daily basis, because it has moved way past the absurd, and at this rate the media is going to have no choice but to start making fun of him for it. I can envision the SNL skits now...

Update (8/28): McCain is still shamelessly using the POW-card, at every possible opportunity. Today he used it in response to a question about him being out of touch on the economy:

And in all due respect my friends, I know what it's like to not have a house, I know what it's like not to have a kitchen table. I know what it's like not to have a table or a chair. For five and a half years, I sat in a cell with nothing but concrete floor and three boards to sleep on.

And the Republican Party has an ad up in Minnesota now milking the POW-card for all it is worth. I say, keep it up Johnny, because you are just pissing off more and more veterans with your crap, and sooner or later your POW experience will be nothing but a late night comedy punchline. And then you'll have nothing left, because we all know you can't win on the issues.

McCain Doesn't Even Know How Many Houses He Owns! Talk About Elitist And Out Of Touch!

Wow, you can file this one under "I'm so filthy rich I couldn't be more out of touch with normal people". When asked yesterday how many houses he owns, McCain...well...see for yourself:

"I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told Politico in Las Cruces, N.M. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."

Yes, that's right, money bags McCain has so many houses he can't keep track! He actually has no idea how many houses he owns!!!! Think about that!!! Also keep in mind that just a few days ago he had the audacity to say that people with an income of $5 million a year were middle class!! Of course it probably seems that way when you are worth at least $100 million, you wear $500 shoes, you and your wife fly around on a private jet, and have 10 houses/condos. Yes McCain, write this down, because I know it so you probably should too, you own 10 houses/condos. Here's a rundown from Huffington Post for you McCain, you may want to bookmark it...maybe number your keys...color code them perhaps...blue for beach houses, green for ranches, etc.

Two beachfront condos in Coronado, California, condo in La Jolla, California, a two-unit condominium complex in Phoenix, Arizona, three ranch houses located outside of Sedona, Arizona, a high-rise condo in Arlington, Virginia, a rental loft, and, according to GQ, a loft they bought for their daughter, Meghan.

You can even (barely) count all of your houses on two hands, it should be easy John!

Let's take a look at the elite life, courtesy of Vogue (h/t to TPM):

It is a late Sunday afternoon in April, and I am sitting in a condominium in Coronado, California, taking in the view of the gorgeous San Diego Bay with Cindy McCain. She closed on the place just two weeks earlier, and the only things unpacked so far are the family photos that dot almost every surface. It's her family's second condo in the building. "I like the ocean, and the kids love it here, and I love that," she tells me, curled up on a nondescript couch that looks like it might have come with the apartment. "When I bought the first one, my husband, who is not a beach person, said, 'Oh, this is such a waste of money; the kids will never go.' Then it got to the point where they used it so much I couldn't get in the place. So I bought another one."

Ahh, with the ease of how a commoner would say "I was still hungry so I bought another Hot Pocket", Cindy McCain decided to just buy a second beach front luxury condo. The price tag for both? $4.7 million. Middle class pocket change for the Howells. "So I bought another one!" Classic McCain.

Oh, and I do love that the Republicans tried to brand Kerry an elitist back in 2004 because he had 5 houses, which is a lot, but a one-hander is "middle class" next to Mr. 10 over here. And of course McCain is working overtime to try to paint Obama as some out of touch elitist. Yes, Obama who only recently was finally able to pay off his student loans, Obama who has one house, Obama who grew up in a single parent household on food stamps, Obama who could have worked for any corporate law firm to get rich quick yet chose community organizing instead, Obama who doesn't run around in $500 shoes and doesn't think a private jet is the only way to travel. And I think I get it now. This is classic GOP Politics 101. You have a weakness, so you pretend it is your strength and you attack your opponent ruthlessly on it. If you are rich as hell, have 10 houses, can't even count them all, think making $5 million a year is middle class, want to expand Bush's tax cuts for the rich and corporations while leaving over 100 million Americans hang out to dry, what better idea than to attack your opponent and make the media talk about how supposedly "out of touch" he is, even though the exact opposite is true. Classic diversion. And the media falls for it like a dog tricked into chasing a ball that never actually left your hand.

Let's face it, McCain is the elitist, it is no contest. He couldn't be more out of touch with everyday Americans. He has repeatedly said that the economy is doing just fine. The "fundamentals" are strong. This recession is all in our heads! We are a nation of whiners remember? And he plays us for fools by blatantly lying to us about Obama's tax plan (which actually cuts taxes for the middle class by 3-8 times McCain's, yet he lies and says Obama will raise taxes), and providing false solutions to our high gas prices (which he helped cause). All he cares about it getting his buddies rich. The rich people his tax cuts help. The rich corporations his tax cuts help. The oil companies who'll get even more while they already make record profits. That's his base. All of his policies and priorities SCREAM out of touch and elitist! Why the hell isn't the media reporting on ANY of this??!

I think it is obvious that McCain was counting on the media being characteristically unwilling to focus on his gaffe, but it looks like it is getting a little bit of traction, which is quite amazing. No doubt shocked at the media reporting negatively on him, McCain let's out his code him response:

"This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison,"

AKA McCain was a POW, so bow your heads media! He can get away with anything! It is almost comical how predictable and utterly transparent McCain's campaign is. Because of the whole POW thing the media has voluntarily given McCain a free pass on "experience" and anything related to foreign policy or national security, even though he has repeatedly shown he doesn't know a damn thing about these subjects. They have also voluntarily given him a free pass on most everything else. And when the media actually grows a tiny little fledgling spine and dares to report something negative about him for a change? He gives them a zap with their "I was a POW" shock collar, hoping to scare them back into submission. As TPM points out, he has been increasingly using the POW shock collar on the media as of late:

For those of you who haven't kept track, the McCain campaign just recently cited McCain's POW years in explaining away the Miss Buffalo Chip gaffe, and in dealing with the allegation that he broke the rules and listened in on Barack Obama during the Rick Warren forum.

[More examples of the POW-card in use here]

I guess we'll have to see if it is effective. I'm sure McCain suspects the media will run back to their pens with their tails between their legs, and await their next orders. Will they? We'll see. I'd say if this has less shelf time than Edwards' $400 haircut (for the record the haircut didn't cost anywhere near $400, he just left a huge tip because he could afford it and hairdressers aren't the richest people in the world), which as you may recall floated around the media for weeks, then its pretty good evidence than the media is still sticking with its HUGE double standard when it comes to sugarcoating McCain.

Oh, and McCain's campaign also said this in response:

In terms of who's an elitist, I think people have made a judgment that John McCain is not an arugula-eating, pointy headed professor-type based on his life story.*

Oh, don't worry, NO ONE has ever mistaken McCain for an intellectual, *GASP* god forbid the president be smart for a change!! (See: It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant!)

And seriously, what is the GOP's hangup on arugula? You gotta love it when the GOP expects people to find a leafy vegetable more elitist than a $500 pair of shoes and a bunch of beachfront luxury condos. Leave the poor plant alone.

*Note: I believe the "life story" they are alluding to here is McCain graduating 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy. For those non-pointy headed professor-types, that puts McCain firmly in the BOTTOM .006%. Put another way, out of a class of nearly 900 people, there were only FIVE people DUMBER than John McCain. And he wants to run the country. Talk about a third term of Bush.

Update: A retired Lt. General responds to the POW-card with a request for McCain to stop cheapening the service of members of the US Military by hiding behind his service and using it as a political tool.

Update #2: Yesss! The media is starting to get tired of the POW-card!! If that spell wears off of them, Johnny Boy is screewwwwed. Apparently they take offense to being taken for granted like beaten dogs. It's only a matter of time before they snap and turn on their owner!

For The Hand-Wringers

Bush/McCain Say McCain Was Never Tortured

We all know the Bush administration has made torturing human beings an official policy of the United States. We also know that McCain has gone from opponent of torture, to Bush-hugging supporter of torture. Andrew Sullivan summed this up nicely yesterday on his blog:

And the government of the United States now practices the very same techniques that the Communist government of North Vietnam once proudly used against American soldiers. When they are used against future John McCains, the victims will know, in a way McCain didn't, that their own government has no moral standing to complain.

Now the kicker: in the Military Commissions Act, McCain acquiesced to the use of these techniques against terror suspects by the CIA. And so the tortured became the enabler of torture. Someone somewhere cried out in pain for the same reasons McCain once did. And McCain let it continue.

That is old news. That was basically the only issue I ever respected McCain for taking a principled stand on (about the only issue he ever did take a principled stand on), and then he threw his "principles" to to wind like the empty soda can that is his mind, a did one of the biggest flip-flops of his illustrious flip-flopping career. McCain now supports torture. I think his sacred POW mythos should have evaporated instantly at that point.

Anyway, the post raised an interesting question, a new angle, that I hadn't really ever pondered before. Does Bush think McCain was tortured as a POW? I mean according to the Bush definition of torture, McCain was never tortured, he was simply interrogated, maybe even "specially" interrogated, but certainly never tortured. If Bush ever states that McCain was tortured, is that not an implicit admission that he authorized torture?

Furthermore, now that McCain has accepted Bush's definition of torture, does McCain still think he was tortured by the North Vietnamese? I'm sure he has claimed many times to have been tortured by them...does that mean he has essentially acknowledged that he himself now supports torture? It's an interesting predicament...either McCain was never tortured, or he is a supporter of torture. He can't have it both ways.

Oh wait, yes he can, he is John McCain.

Add that to the pile of legitimate questions that the media will never bring up.

Full Environmental Disclosure

If we want people to start noticing how their everyday consumerism is impacting climate change and the environment, why not put carbon footprint labels on all products?

This is, after all, market capitalism is it not? The theory revolves around consumers having full access to information about available products so they can make the best market-based decisions. I think it is time for the market hypocrisy to end, and for producers to have to offer consumers appropriate information about their products (both about what those products do to our bodies, as well as the environment), instead of the typical misinformation or attempts to fight stricter labeling regulations.

Maybe plastic bottles should come with a little label that says "This product will litter the planet for billions of years, I hope it was worth it."

Good News For The News

I wrote earlier today about how the media needs to start doing its job, and I pointed to a recent article by CNN's Jack Cafferty as possibly a hopeful sign that the media's blind love affair with McCain is finally coming to an end. Is it coming to an end? I'm certainly not holding my breath, but one can hope. So what can be done about it? Well, there seem to be two choices:

One, hope the media changes, or

Two, change the media. This blog is about the latter, because today Keith Olbermann let us in the blogosphere in on a little secret: Rachel Maddow is getting her own show on MSNBC!

This is great news, because now in the traditional media we have two voices that can be counted on to give us the truth, and not sugarcoat or dumb down reality either out of journalistic laziness or desire to see the Republicans maintain power. I think the other news channels need to get with the program and either start doing a better job or start upgrading "the talent", because MSNBC was already kicking their asses in reporting, and now it isn't even a contest.

Congratulations Rachel! We all look forward to you new show! Make us proud!



According to Keith Olbermann her show will be in the 9pm time slot currently occupied by Dan Abrams starting September 8th. What's happening to him? Who knows? Hopefully he will replace that hack Joe Scarborough.

Have you noticed how I haven't engaged in the incessant speculation about VP choices? It's 'cause that shit's annoying.

Keith Olbermann Calls McCain Out

Last night on his show, Keith Olbermann called McCain out on his nasty, childish campaign, and it was fantastic. He hit McCain over his "support the troops" hypocrisy when indeed he has opposed supporting the troops. He hit McCain over his false assertion that Obama has changed his position on Iraq, when in fact he has been the one changing his position. He hit McCain over accusing Obama of wanting to surrender (although I wish he would have pointed out that the Iraqi government wants us out, and McCain had said he would obey the wishes of the Iraqi government). He also hit McCain on his campaign attacking NBC for simply reporting indisputable and non-controversial facts. He alluded to the fact that no one can say anything about McCain being McCain hides behind the fact he was a POW like it is a get out of lying free card (he doesn't put it quite like that, but you get the idea). And perhaps best of all, he chastises McCain for running a childish campaign, and tells him to grow up. Anyway, check it out, and see for yourself why Keith Olbermann is the only one in the traditional media who isn't afraid to cut through the bullshit and say it how it is:



I hope the rest of the media is taking notes, and perhaps snapping out of their love affair with McCain a little bit. They need to start having the courage to report the facts, without being afraid of McCain throwing a temper tantrum and crying about it. They have a job to do, and a handful of people on one channel can't be expected to do it all themselves.

Update: Wow, and apparently Olbermann isn't the only one in the media who is fed up. CNN's Jack Cafferty also finds McCain's character quite disconcerting, and he says it reminds him a lot of Bush. Here is some of the meat, reacting to McCain's shallow, insincere answers at the faith forum that I've criticized perviously:

It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his answer was a one-liner. "It means I'm saved and forgiven." Great scholars have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold a story we've all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a cross in the sand.

Asked about his greatest moral failure, he cited his first marriage, which ended in divorce. While saying it was his greatest moral failing, he offered nothing in the way of explanation. Why not?

Throughout the evening, McCain chose to recite portions of his stump speech as answers to the questions he was being asked. Why? He has lived 71 years. Surely he has some thoughts on what it all means that go beyond canned answers culled from the same speech he delivers every day.

He was asked "if evil exists." His response was to repeat for the umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to "the gates of hell." That was it.

He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question -- his wife is worth a reported $100 million -- he finally said he thought an income of $5 million was rich.

One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and t