There are touching infomercials

And then there’s this:

Things I don’t understand

Why does it take an economic catastrophe to get people to vote Democratic?

According to Gallup:

Concern about the economy seems to be playing to Obama’s advantage; he overtook McCain when the financial crisis worsened in the middle of September, and his strong showing today coincides with the worst rating of the economy this year (59% of Americans describe current economic conditions as “poor”)

Does whatever was the matter with Kansas from 1964 til now cease to be matter when the stock market dips?

Please explain

Enough Already

I keep on expecting at some point the McCain campaign to just fold up shop. It makes a certain amount of sense: It’s a Democratic year,  Obama is a pathbreaking candidate, one who shows how far the country has come, better to leave with some semblance of integrity, rather  than mudwrestle for a losing cause, etc., etc.,,

Then I see shit like this, and I realize how off I am

One of the best debate moments I’ve ever seen

Trickery!

I see how it works now.

McCain picked Sarah Palin because her lack of experience highlights Obama’s relative lack of experience.

McCain picked Sarah Palin because her past membership with a political party advocating Alaskan secession will only remind voters of Obama’s relationship with Jeremiah Wright.

McCain picked Sarah Palin because her extended (and growing!) brood means Obama isn’t the only family man on stage.

Man, the Republicans are totally airtight on this thing, and the Democrats are just walking right into it.

Idiots

Politics and the schoolyard bully

I think tough guy working men the world misted up last night when Joe Biden told the story about his mom imploring him to stand up to bullies: “Bloody their nose so you can walk down the street the next day.”

Question: Why do all politicians have a story where they can picked on and then their mother/father tells them to suck it up and teaches them to fight back?
In this week’s Newsweek, a long profile of Obama begins with him getting picked at school and his step-father teaching him how to box.

Hillary Clinton tells a story about a friend who picked on and when she went home crying was met by an unsympathetic Dorothy Rodham who told her Go back out there and if Suzy hits you, you have my permission to hit her back. You have to stand up for yourself. There’s no room in this house for cowards.”

Does this ever happen in real life? Don’t most mothers and fathers teach their kids to just walk away? When I got knocked down in school, my mom didn’t teach me kung fu–she called the other guy’s mom.

Is that why I’m not in politics? Is it because my parents raised an incredible pussy?

The veep dance

It strikes that the elaborate ritual in choosing a vice-president on both sides this cycle benefits McCain more than it does Obama. For one thing, McCain has proved quite adept at using the press’ breathless veepstakes speculation to get attention just when the everyone is busy looking the other way. Recall, for example, how he seemed to be ready to announce his choice just as Obama was greeting the cheering throngs in Berlin and Kabul; more speculation–that it was between Romney and Pawlenty–broke just as McCain was looking to distract nightly newscasters from pummeling him on how many houses he owns.

And another thing: McCain has done a masterful job in floating Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge as possible picks. Neither is likely of course, for no other reason than conservatives, already skeptical of McCain, would disappear in droves. But still it shows McCain to be reason on the abortion issue (when of course, he is not) and I know for a fact that a certain segment of Jewish voters, who might lean Democratic otherwise, will vote for McCain because of Lieberman’s support.

Meanwhile, every time the Obama camp floats a name, it strikes me as reminding voters of some of his supposed weaknesses that the veep pick is supposed to address–in the case of Biden, his lack of experience; in the case of Kaine, his inability to connect with working class Southerners; in the case of Bayh, his relatively liberal voting record, etc.

the ebb and ebb

Recent polling news for Obamians is bad bad bad, with McCain either having passed the Democrat or matched him, and the O-man’s lead in the electoral college erased.

I wish I could have some note of solace for Democrats but there isn’t one, really. The GOP did a great if dastardly job when they called out Obama for calling out his race, and the “celebrity” meme was right out of the old turn-your-opponent’s-greatest-strength-into-a-weakness playbook and has worked to devasting effect.

A few things of note though. Firstly, it’s important not to get too caught up in the give-and-take of polls and who’s up/who’s down day in and day out. It’s like judging a baseball player over how many hits he got in one game instead of looking at an average for the season. Also, Obama still has a huge advantage in money on hand, enthusiasm, and ground forces, which leads me to believe that if they can keep this thing close until October, they’ll be able to squeeze something out on election day

Narrative Interrupted

From The Trail:

The Democratic National Committee may be trying to get some mileage out of recent news about oil industry contributions to Republican Sen. John McCain, launching a web site spoofing the idea of McCain sharing his presidential ticket with Exxon. But they may have found an unwelcome surprise in a just-released analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Turns out, the biggest recipient of contributions from Exxon executives and employees during this campaign is not McCain. It’s Obama.

The non-partisan center writes: “Through June, Exxon employees have given Obama $42,100 to McCain’s $35,166. Chevron favors Obama $35,157 to $28,500, and Obama edges out McCain with BP $16,046 vs. $11,500.”

“McCain leads the money race with nearly every other top giver in the oil and gas industry, though — Koch Industries, Valero, Marathon Oil, Occidental Petroleum, ConocoPhillips,” the report says. “McCain also has a big edge with Hess Corp. — $91,000 to Obama’s $8,000 — which has gotten some attention. And, overall, McCain’s campaign has gotten three times more money from the industry than Obama’s has — $1.3 million compared to about $394,000.

Boom. This strikes as a moment akin to Maliki saying he supports Obama’s plan for Iraq, in that it undercuts not just a major talking, but a central rationale for his candidacy.

“W.: The Movie” by Oliver Stone

This looks all kinds of awesome. Or awful. Probably the latter, but I bet I love it anyway.