Biden, Palin, Better Than The Bosses
We need diversions. A good book would be helpful (See banner above!). Certainly the best diversion in this town is the Philadelphia Phillies. Let’s start with Shane Victorino. The little guy (he’s short for big time sports) slams one out to beat the Brewers. The Phillies are just what we need in the time of bailouts and the biggest question of our current time – DO WE… DO WE HAVE ANY LEADERSHIP IN THE CAPITOL?
One last look at the debate.
Despite the suggestions otherwise, we don’t take sides here. So it is with the Palin-Biden debate. First of all, Barack and John should look at the replay. It was a much more emotional and direct debate than the Presidential. I suggest that Obama and McCain watch the tapes carefully for some tips on how to proceed on Tuesday night. First off, a little body language from McCain would be good. Looking at your opponent can be effective. Obama could loosen up a bit, but he should stick with the smile. Smiling at the appropriate time is good. But John, don’t smile as much as Sarah. She smiled at everything. As a communicator, I would have a field day training these candidates, but as you know, I’m “on” politics, not in, and besides, no one has asked me for my input.
I was fascinated by the family deal at the end, when the Biden and Palin clans socialized for awhile on the stage. I liked it. It was much warmer than the quick goodbye’s offered by Barack and John and Cindy and Michelle the week before. It offered a personal face to the political facade. Biden has always been so cool under fire, and irritates me the way the national media tries to make him into a the king of the gaffes. In a way, he and Palin both have a down home style, which is attractive to many Americans. Of course, Biden has years of experience, and Palin was smart not to try and outdo him, which is pretty hard. She stuck to her points of expertise, but she never tried to beat him up verbally. That too, was smart.
There is something fascinating about campaign 08. It began with Obama. Conversational styles are making a comeback. The old time campaign bluster looks old and tired. People liked to be talked-to, not talked at.
Final note: To all the writers on the blog. Thanks for taking the time and for being so frank , and at rare times, creative. You are all semi-great Americans! Keep on writing, if that’s what you call it!
Comments(75)
I’ve come to the opinion that modern debates are useless. The candidates don’t so much answer questions or engage in discourse as they spit out talking points and slogans. I think it’s symptomatic of a larger breakdown in civic discourse in modern society, driven by television and internet. People can’t follow subtle argument at all anymore. Last night’s debate is a perfect example. Palin went so far as to inform the audience she wasn’t going to answer the moderator’s questions. She dodged 10 entirely, and Biden dodged 6. There were no bold new policy proposals.
I don’t know if I’ll bother to watch the remaining debates. At this point, I imagine Obama will be cautious and cool like a cucumber, and McCain will have to be on a full-scale offensive. It’s going to be a lot of attempted zingers from McCain and Obama trying to rise above the fray.
I do hope that McCain discusses his plans to create a Department of Pirate Affairs. He could bolster his maverick image by wearing an eye patch and a peg leg. He’d win for sure if he had a parrot that imitated Sarah Palin sitting on his shoulder. I can hear it saying, “You betcha, maverick! Polly want an oil well!” It will be sweet.
Thanks, Larry, for the semi-great American compliment. If I had FREE AIR, I know I’d be a fully inflated great American. Where is the War on Air standing today?
Larry it has been a long week and I am very tired. I don’t know what you’ve been doing but I have been working my ass off. Your condescending comments about the people who respond to your silly rants is indicative of a has been gone bad. Why don’t YOU loosen up a little and give us a break. If you would chime in every once in a while and change the subject matter more than once every week maybe things would be different. Other than Leo I think you as a great “communicator” can grasp quite a lot of information about what regular people like myself are thinking.
I am only regular in the literal sense.
Larry,you’re right the VP debate was much better then the first debate,Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air,she held her own against a man with 35 years experience Joe Biden who is a great debater.
McCain and Obama need to spice up the next debate, Maybe McCain can wear his Navy uniform and tell us how he will protect America and Obama will wear his Mr Wizard Hat and his Purple Cape and tell us how he will save the World with his paper thin resume of experience.
Then after the debate the Rev. Wright can say a prayer while McCain and Obama hold hands in a prayer circle and to end the event Michelle Obama singing God Bless America.
Leo-The “breakdown in civic discourse” isn’t helped by the lame,”unwritten rule” of not discussing religion & politics.Don’t know when that came into vogue but in my more paranoid moments I think it’s a government plot.
And speaking of pirates,the situation in Somolia is taking quite a turn.Kenya arrests this guy Mwangura as it tries to refute reports that arms were meant for southern Sudan.Maybe a Dep’t of Pirates isn’t such a bad idea.
YBP, I blame Peanuts and Linus in particular. You know he wouldn’t discuss religion, politics, or the Great Pumpkin during social visits.
I think the breakdown in civic discourse is more fundamental. It occurs when demagogues like Moore, Limbaugh, Coulter, and O’Reilly spring up. They engage in outrageous, polarizing blather and demonize their opponents, using every term in the book to describe them as sub-human and sub-rational. If you cannot understand that reasonable minds can differ, then civic discourse goes out the window. I used to respect McCain as someone who seemed to understand that. He doesn’t seem to get it anymore. Obama seems to have more respect for those with whom he personally disagrees. It’s one of the things I like about him and Biden and one of the things I dislike about Bush, Cheney, and Palin (their certitude and inflexibility, that is — you’re with us or against us).
Larry. thanks for your comments, I tend to agree it was a happy debate and both sides did well, with no gaffes, so now we are on to the main event. I have an absentee ballot and will wait till the end on the last presidential debates to decide. Given the current turmoil I’m more comforatbble with McCain, but given his risk of death based on his age, and Obama’s risk of assination given his race it’s hard not to look at VPs. Biden gives more comfort if he had to step in the first term. I’m leaning toward Obama for the safety and security of the Republic.
Larry, thank you for changing blog topic.
Contrary to your comment to the contrary, you are in the bag with the rest of the media. You try to conceal your true opinions in this blog but as an ultra liberal member of the Fourth Estate. You can’t wait for W to leave Washington and a new liberal regime.
If reports are accurate and Palin called Obama a terrorist, they should be ashamed of themselves unless they have some proof. That is an outrageous statement made by a desperate candidate. Short of finding AK-47s or C-4 in his basement, a sleeper cell in his neighborhood or emails directly to Osama bin Laden, McCain has really stooped to new level. I hope this is not the “bomb” he was waiting to drop. It will explode in his face.
BTW, Tina Fey has the most to gain from a McCain/Palin White House. She is better at being Palin than Palin. She was hilarious again last night on SNL.
George, all Obama will do for the Republic is introduce Obamanomics. Running in Iraq and converting those billions of $ to heathcare and handout programs. Tax cuts for the poor and higher taxes for the middle class.
OOOJ, I agree that Obama will be expensive, but current circumstances tie the hands of either party, so he’s never going to be able to spend what he wants. In the big picture I just can’t imagine Palin has the intelligence and wisdom to be president, God forbid something happen to McCain early on. Everone likes to say there will be great advisors, GW had that and it was a mess, further even if you have great advisors you still need to make great decisions on what to accept from them, I just don’t think she could possibly have the same wisdom of a 65 year old 35+ year senator. Tts not gender, if Hillary were McCains VP I’d be 100% McCain. We’re at a point in history where the risk is too high, foreign goverments are pulling money out of the U.S, and we face a crisis of confidence like we’ve never seen before. Asian leaders will like Biden, they will panic with Palin. I’m a hard right conservative, so its tough to say this, but I’m worried, and McCain/Palin presents some real risks that cannot be ignored at this time in history.
This is terrible, but I’m seeing it reported that Hustler magazine is producing a movie with a Sarah Palin look-alike called Nailin Palin! It involves Russian men and their back door approach to Alaska!
Mr George no asian not like Joe Biden he mean and nasty like godzilla.
We like Maverick John McCain and Sarah Palin Sonny Lee give her rickshaw ride Sonny Lee make Sarah Smile.
Mr Larry Flint you cockeye you dirty old man you pimp.
sonny ree you come home. you bad man but yap and reo no interested. i don’t remember yap. so many gis so rittle time. rarry frint kim chee belong in your magazine. one hot chick even if 50 rike sarah palin.
MAVERICK!
Larry, I hope you have your money in gold. The market drop today couldn’t have been worse for McCain’s new “smear campaign” strategy. Who wants to hear smears repeated when there is an actual crisis facing the economy?
Ah, George, you just had to go and should “maverick.” The irony is that mavericks were unbranded, and here McCain and Palin are going around trying to “brand” themselves as mavericks. I’m laughing.
Uh, “shout” maverick.
Chevy MAVERICK!
Tina Fey really knocked it out of the park with her debate parody. Leo, I don’t think you need to worry about Obama losing the election anymore. Bush had another huricane Katrina moment on the financial crisis. MCCain made a fool of himself suspending his campaign and trying to be the fixer of the bailout, a program that’s not going to help matters much. The problem is banks don’t have the capital and being able to sell securities to the governmnent at huge markdowns just raises the issue that more capital is needed in the system. Foriengers have stopped coming to the rescue with capital as they had at beginning of crisis. the next five years will be tough no matter who is president. Larry listened to his depression era parents with that good New York Jewish Immigrant commom sense, and he’s already loaded up on hard assets.
I know a Russian guy who survived the bank failures there in the 1990s by putting all of his money into tires. (yes tires, and this is not a set up for a free air joke) He was able to barter with and sell them, while his mother who thought he was crazy filling the house with tires, lost all of her money in a Russian bank. Larry, be honest, how many tires you got the basement?
George….. you must be something when you are drinking, if you aren’t already drunk. The Irish should be very proud to call you son………I hope you were lucky enough to convert your investments into potatoes. There is never a shotage of demand for french fries.
rarry have one spare tire above his belt
“I AM SURE WE CAN TRUST ALL FOREIGN COUNTRIES NOT TO ATTACK US IF WE
ELIMINATE ALL OUR DEFENSE SYSTEMS, DON’T YOU?”
This will be pulled off the air soon. .
This should get your dander up.
This is an uninterrupted 51-second video of Obama speaking. He’s
Telling us exactly what he will do to the military…watch it
Before this too is removed off the web site.
Pass it on…the USA needs a wake-up call.
This is absolutely shocking & reprehensible. He plans to
Unilaterally disarm our nation. The question is… For what? And
More specifically, for whom ?!!!!!!!!
Http://macsmind.com/wordpress/2008/06/08/obama-wants-to-protect-
America /
Where did everyone go? Too much celebrating after Phils beat Brewers? Was everyone selling off their investments? Regulars have abandon site and left to sock puppets?
Is the debate tonight still meaningful? Does anyone even care what John McCain has to say? Does it really matter anymore?
it matters to me,i am scared to death of obama,his associations, the ayers mess,ayers giving obama millions to dole out to radical education groups,the rev.wright and now this he wants to disarm america,if this is true,then we are doomed,I pray for all of us,especially the children.God help us!
pat,you’re spot on,the american people would be playing russian roulette to vote for a cotton candy candidate with a paper thin resume,and now with the associations and friendships to a radical terrorist is very troubling.
also the polls are slanted just like the bias media,we will have to wait for nov 4th to find out the truth.
So the debate is meaningless. Either you are voting for Obama or against him. McCain and what he says or does is not relevant, correct?
did the debates mean anything in 2000 and 2004 bush did poorly in all the debates but still won the race.
pat=jr
McCain has supported domestic terrorism by refusing to make the bombing of abortion clinics a federal crime. He also served on the board of an anti-Semetic organization in the 1980s. He sold his office to Keating.
I wonder what this supposedly great resume is that McCain has.
The desperation on the right is palpable. They even are inciting and perpetuating hate at their rallies now, with people responding to Palin’s remarks about Obama chumming with terrorists by yelling out “KILL HIM!” And people yelling out in response to McCain’s question “Who is Barack Obama?” by yelling, “TERRORIST!” Yeah, McCain is covering himself in honor.
The Ayers connection is becoming troubeling, its seems to be much stronger than an accidental cocktail party encounter.
Also, Michelle Obama was on 2020 last week. She was really piss-poor, living in a one bederoom apartment sleeping in the living room with her brother. It’s great that she has risen from those circumstances but it also says she will have a very heavy social injustice ax to grind. She probably never was proud to be American until she and Barrack started to get their big slice of the pie. The Obama’s owe a lot of people for their fast rise, and most would not consider the people owed to be mainstream Americans. He probably is a high risk vote, but McCain/Palin is risky too. I’m going to watch next two debtes to decide, and ignore all of the cable TV and blog chatter.
Leo=Larry Flint.
Leo,you need to take your meds,can you please take 30 seconds and detail barry obama’s paper thin resume,everyone knows he’s a cotton candy candidate,these last 28 days will uncover barry obama’s associations with dirty chicago politicians and friendships with domestic terrorists,the American people deserve to know the truth.
pat-don’t let leo scare you,you are a great American.
jr, you can get treatment for multiple personality disorder.
Obama is going all tai chi on McCain. McCain is attacking, and Obama is sidestepping and letting the force of McCain’s attack work against McCain. Obama’s new ad? “We need a president who will change the economy, not change the subject.” And the Keating video shows just how poor McCain’s judgment has been, and it demonstrates how self-serving his campaign finance reform effort was. He was only doing that to try to repair his corrupt image. He doesn’t actually believe in it.
p.s. jr, I could see how being equated with you might be scary. I’m sorry, pat, for equating you with jr.
p.p.s. jr, read Larry’s entry. pat is, at best, a semi-great American. Get with the program.
Finally the gloves are off.McCain should just continue to hammer away & make sure everyone knows of Obama’s affliations with Ayers,Wright,Raines etc etc.Hell,tie him into the Cubs loss too.The Chicago fire,whatever it takes.
jr-You’ve been a lonewolf here,keep up the good work.
Leo what about barry obama’s paper thin resume?tick-tick-tick.
you are right barry obama’s side stepping the questions Who is barry obama?
and what association does barry and lady obama have with the domestic terrorists?
‘we need a president that will protect the country not attack the country’.
Sonny Lee tai chi expert my son Bruce the best he champion Sonny Lee teach tai chi and run rickshaw business Sonny Lee private eye too look for terrorist Sonny Lee work very hard.
Kim Chee-You don’t remember the veranda of the Continental ? Lansdale was there,sweating like a wheel of cheese in his tropical suit,surrounded by all those fawning CIA rookies.You said you would never forget that day.
YBP, what connection with Raines? That’s been debunked. Why would the media want to carry water for McCain by repeating his inaccurate smears?
I think the Obama camp has done a thorough job answering the question “Who is Barack Obama?” It’s the right wing bloggers who ignore the answer and who keep throwing out factually inaccurate smear rumors and race-baiting false claims, who want to open the question so as to fill it with their Swiftboat lies. The people aren’t going to stand for it this time around, especially because McCain looks so calculating in trying to change the issue from the economy to a bunch of stuff that was debunked or thoroughly explained already in the primaries.
Of course, Obama could take the McCain tack and answer the question by peevishly saying, “It’s in my book. Read the book.”
I guess we’ll get a full dose about how John McCain hangs around with an adulterer every day and has a longstanding association with a drug addict who stole from charity. Straight talk!
I left out Rezko.McCain & Palin need to keep on message here,make the American people aware of who Obama is & how dangerous an Obama Presidency would be.The American people need to know the truth.
Listening to Bush on TV trying to explain credit crisis is very painful, there’s no way someone could hear this guy and feel like the worst is over and that he had a handle on it. It’s both sad and scary, cannot wait until he’s out of office!!!
These are tough times and tough times call for the tough to get going and the going to get tough even though it will be tough for those who have never toughed it out before to toughen up and face the fact that these are tough times and tough times call……….
George, just imagine if we had Palin trying to explain it. Just sayin’.
Say no more Leo, I cannot imagine it. Foreign governmnets are already repatriating their investments as fast as they can, the risk of a President Palin is no longer an acceptable outcome. I am coming to the dark side (please, don’t misconstrue that one)and begining to think markets will respond better to the clean slate of an Obama presidency. I’ll worry about saving the fetuses in 2012.
It’s hard to remember presidential debates occurring at a more interesting time. I think there’s no room for attacks tonight. People just don’t want to hear that. Which raises the question of just what it is McCain is going to say now that his campaign has admitted that it wants to avoid all discussion of issues in favor of raising questions of character.
George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.
A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at
a 2 1/2 year high
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon
3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%
4) The DOW JONES hit a record high–14,000 +
5) American’s were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations overseas, living large!
But American’s wanted ‘CHANGE’! So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes–we got ‘CHANGE’ all right. In the PAST YEAR:
1) Consumer confidence has plummeted
2) Gasoline is now over $4 a gallon and climbing!
3) Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 10% increase)
4) Americans have seen their home quity drop
by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS and prices are still dropping
5) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure
6) as I write, THE DOW is probing another low
$2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS
EVAPORATED FROM THEIR STOCKS,
BONDS & MUTUAL FUNDS
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS!
YES, IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE…AND WE SURE GOT IT!
REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT HAS NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THESE ISSUES, ONLY CONGRESS DOES.
AND WHAT HAS CONGRESS DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
NOW THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT CLAIMS HE IS GOING TO REALLY GIVE US CHANGE, AND HE HAS THE BACKING OF A DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS!
JUST HOW MUCH MORE ‘CHANGE’ DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND?
Be afraid, very afraid!
The housing bubble happened on GW’s watch, he may not have been able to have stopped it, be he should have been having fireside (poolside) chats with the country to educate them about these dire straights, it was well known long ago and his laisaz faire attitude looks silly now. This was his chance to have had a 9/11 moment on the domestic economy and he missed it -big time- as Dick Chaney would say.
Has anyone thrown up in their office trash cans? Or, lost a stool in their pants recently? It’s been rough in the markets, and its okay to admit those things it in this forum, you’ll feel better!
It’s no secret that I had a boy friend who was an executive at Fannie Mae in the 1990s. Apart from the obvious conflict of interest for me literally being in bed with an executive there, does anyone find it to be particularly funny or ironic that I’d be into a guy who worked for a company called “FANNIE Mae”? I mean even O’reilly has not mentioned or smirked at the coincidence. Barney Frank, the king of fannys, gets a guy who works for Fannie Mae, it doesnt get any better than this! Now that Obama is going to win I’m going to start acting unusually gay, so get use to it!
I’m watching the Graduate before the debate, it made me think of Larry. Do you think he tooled around in an Alfa Ramoeo spider after seeing the movie in the late 60s, or do you think he was driving a Checy Vega and didn’t realize it was an important movie until the 1980s? He does have the Dustin Hoffman look, and has aged a it better I might add. Who knows maybe Larry was dating Jessica Savitch back in the day? Perhaps it will come out in his new tell all novel. Is everone juiced for the debate, it’s McCain’s last stand Leo, you must be excited.
Gee QVC is promoting Christmas in October, how nice of them. Why don’t these people push Easter in December??
Oh they do……..The commercialization of Christian holidays is an affront to me and everything holy in this world. Who are these people who promote sacred holidays as if they were the Forth of July?
Jesus, put on the Graduate, you should not even be watching a materistic channel like QVC. Today the Pope said money doesn’t matter in response to the market swoon, the only thing that matters is the word of God according to the Pope, so listen to your father and turn off the QVC. The debate is on in two minutes, there’s two real sinners for you to reform!
Instant polls give this debate to Obama as well:
Also, I like McCain’s new proposal to have the federal government intervene and buy up troubled mortgages and give people lower and better interest rates because they bit off more than they could chew. He says it’ll be really expensive. I’m interested to see how he’s going to do this once he implements that “spending freeze” across all departments that he’s talking about. Nice basic inconsistency, John.
First of all, where can you find 100 uncommitted voters at this point? Are these people complete idiots, oblivious or just lying? That would be harder than finding 12 unbiased jurors for the first OJ trial. Unable to choose between 2 bad choices maybe. Uncommitted, I don’t think so.
Watching John McCain in these debates is like watching Adam Eaton pitch last year for the Phils. You knew he had the ability to succeed but every start ended up badly. Sometimes he started well but eventually he’d get rocked and pulled.
The final analysis will say that McCain lacked a message. He ran on his patriotism, his service and “maverick” reputation. It’s hard to argue the first 2 points. James Garner is the only real Maverick. At a time when so many are looking for answers to so many problems, he offered nothing but rhetoric. Maybe he would have been better off selecting Tina Fey as his VP.
tina fey no good but funny. john mccain old man with old man smell. he visit kim many moons ago. he grumpy in 1962. he probabry rearry grumpy now.
I hereby withdrawl my candidacy as Presidential of the United States of America. Certain facts will soon be revealed which will make my candidacy no longer viable. I would like to thank all of my supporters, all those who intended to vote for me and particularly Bill and Hillary Clinton for their ardent support. I would also like to wish my good friend, John McCain, the best of luck in office. Peace. Out.
Boring debate,not really a debate but just a chance to re-inforce agendas.Slight edge to McCain,probably not enough to change anyone’s mind.
Didn’t McCain get Sarah’s Memo? “Gloves off and high heels on..”
McCain’s “that one” statement was odd. The press has picked it up and I can see why, it’s a weird way to refer to someone. It revealed a mean old man attitude. It was like watching Bob Dole in 1996, old war hero with visible wounds, served his country honorably, and now ready to be put to pasture.
Kim Chee, where is angry Bob Dole, he use to visit you too, who smells worse Dole or McCain?
I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.
Mr Kane,I agree with you John McCain is just too old he’s lost his groove,the debates have shown his age and his bitterness he’s also a racist,adulterer and he has that old man smell and he is too short.
When he called Mr Obama “that one” he should have just said Mr Obama is friends with terrorist and he only has one year’s experience,it just did not sound good.
Mr Obama is the man to save america and to fight the terrorist he’s a man with a plan,I don’t care if he is friend’s with terrorists or only has one year experience because John McCain is a has been,over the hill and is the same old McSame.
LARRY, TIME TO CHANGE THE BLOG TOPIC!
LARRY, PLEASE CHANGE BLOG TOPIC!
LARRY, I’M BEGGING YOU TO CHANGE THE BLOG TOPIC, PLEASE!
Fish, houseguests, and blog entries start to stink after three days. It’s been longer than that.
And why isn’t Sarah Palin wearing a wedding ring anymore?
http://www.700wlw.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=294530
Ahoy maties! Her fingers swell during pregnancy so looks like Todd has been stuffing the parrott again. Or was it exposure to Katie Couric’s extreme toxicity? Arrrrgh!
Leo that’s so sex in the city.
Larry,barry hussein obama’s past with the terrorists bill ayers still might come back to haunt him,26 days to go.
The bias media networks and newspapers and angry bloggers are starting to get a little nervous.
Ahoy maties!
Stuffing the parrott.
Boarding the ship.
Raiding the treasure chest.
Looting the drawers.
You get my drift.
Shivering her timbers.
Arrrgh!
Yes,I agree its time to change the blog,but before we do I have recently read that obama would immediately after being elected,go abroad and meet with world leaders to make amends for america andthus up our standing in the world.
I was raised to be proud of my country and that america kowtows to no one.I do not like Mr.obama I fear his radical ideas and I urge every proud american not to vote for him.Americans have always stood united that is our strength
and our courage,no other country can compare to us.I am a lifelong democrate,
but I am ashamed of my party and will never vote with them again.
First of many things you will grow to dislike about President Obama…
LARRY, PLEASE CHANGE THE BLOG TOPIC!
LARRY, YOU SHOULD HAVE A COMMENTARY/OPINION ON THE DEBATE AND OBAMA ALLEDGEDLY CLOSING IN ON KEY STATES LIKE PA. WHY HAVEN’T YOU CHANGED BLOG?
LARRY, ARE YOU WATCHING ‘I LOVE LUCY’ RERUNS AGAIN?