I must say it’s amusing that on the day John McCain bounced to a ten-point lead (likely voters) over his unprepared opponent, MSNBC gave the hook to its “nattering nabobs” of bourgeois pseudo-leftism – Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. Somehow parent company NBC got the idea these clowns were not up to moderating a serious political debate. So much for sideshows.
Meanwhile the mainstream media must be in a state of shock. Their hero is in serious jeopardy of losing. It’s stunning how simple-minded most of these idolatrous journos were and are – glomming onto Obama just because he was black and a good public speaker. (Can someone give me another reason?) It all seems almost reverse racist, especially since we have had two African-American Secretaries of State in a row, the first of whom, Colin Powell, might have gotten himself elected President just by raising his pinky. America is more than ready for a black President–I for one would love to see one– but why must it be someone with virtually no experience other than running for office? (Obama practically admitted that himself when comparing himself to Palin).
And then there’s John McCain who has more experience than anybody in my lifetime and who has taken more true bi-partisan actions than virtually anybody in the history of our country, at least in the Congress. (Obama has taken a total of none.) But the mainstream media still abjured McCain, practically en masse, for the untested Obama. Pathetic. Fortunately, the American people are now feeling differently. Perhaps it’s because they like Palin, but I suspect McCain himself has more to do with it than most acknowledge. I have listened to his speech a second time and, prosaic as it is, the words are inspirational. I have also noted that McCain recently pledged to fill his cabinet with the best people irrespective of party. As much as any big time politician I can think of, the man is for real. Obama is again the opposite. From the outset I had no idea who he was and I still don’t. I’m not altogether sure that he knows himself.
When I voted for Schwarzenegger and Bush (only in ‘04), I did so with hesitation, because I do not identify as a Republican – or with any political party, for that matter. That’s over for me. But when I punch the hole for McCain, I will do it wholeheartedly. This man says he puts “country first” (before party). I believe him. He’s proven it again and again.
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128 Comments
1. David J.:I saw three speeches (mcCain, palin and Obama). of the three I though McCain’s was the best delivered to the undecideds and independents. Palin and Obama are perhaps better public speakers but they were both preaching more to the converted. On that basis I think mcCain was the most effective.
Sep 7, 2008 - 10:36 pm 2. Mike_K:Obama may have lost the election with his unbridled ego. MSNBC has made adjustments but the Obama campaign may not have time.
Sep 7, 2008 - 10:43 pm 3. Godzilla:And not to be underestimated for its affect on the comparison between Obama and McCain is that Obama was abjectly wrong about the surge. McCain is going to rightly hammer him like a nail about this.
Sep 7, 2008 - 11:03 pm 4. Sandy P:haven’t even unloaded on the PA gun gaffe that he can’t take their guns cos he doesn’t have the votes
the union bigwigs taking away their secret ballot
Ayers – and the rest
and a rumor that at the EO October – Rezko may be settled – a plea may be coming if he spills…….oh, please – good-bye – BLOWDRY!
doesn’t help, tho.
Sep 7, 2008 - 11:18 pm 5. Jay:signing off from the Peoples’ Republic of IL
Well, Roger, now that you’ve finally, openly identified yourself as a Republican, I see you’ve also taken up their tactic of implying that the opposition party doesn’t love America (They don’t put country first? Why? Because Joe Lieberman lost a primary?). If you think so many of your fellow countrymen are traitors, you ought to have the guts to say so directly.
Then, you latched onto the Geraldine Ferraro line that Obama owes all his success to his race. Christ almighty. For a former civil rights worker, this is neanderthal stuff. Hillary Clinton spent a mere six years in the United States senate. Her one legislative effort, health care reform, was a complete and total failure, yet something tells me you would not suggest her success is owed to her gender.
All this doesn’t even begin to touch the stupid air of whining and victimhood your post has. A guy gets 18 million votes in a primary, and it’s the fault of the media? Wait, I thought it was his race. Your writing is so incoherent here, you can’t even keep your strawmen straight.
Altogether, this line of argument does not bode well for the voters whose wisdom you hail (”the American people are starting to feel differently…”) as long as, on the basis of one poll, they suddenly favor McCain. What happens if the polls are wrong?
Then, there is this laugher:
“And then there’s John McCain…who has taken more true bi-partisan actions than virtually anybody in the history of our country.”
Can you name one “bi-partisan action” that hasn’t failed? This stuff is what the Senator still uses to reach out to moderates, yet McCain-Feingold brought us the Swift Boaters and MoveOn, and the Kennedy immigration bill was such a mess that it forced McCain to change his position. As for Obama’s cross-aisle stuff, Google “Obama/Lugar loose nukes” and “Obama/Coburn spending database” for a treat. This isn’t sexy stuff, but it does reek of the kind of wonk-driven scut work McCain’s 2000 campaign really, truly promised (and which would’ve kept the country on the healthy centrist streak of the Clinton years). But what do I know? I’m not a Hollywood screenwriter.
Surely, I’ll be mocked as a “humorless liberal” for so heartily disagreeing with Roger. But really, the resentment in his post cannot go unquestioned. Don’t bring the Geraldine Ferraro (how many states did her ticket lose again?) crap in here, Mr. Simon; it shows only contempt for those who would cast a different vote than you in this election, and compared to your recent soul-searching post on abortion, it makes you look positively small.
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:54 am 6. Pops in Vienna:Roger,
I always enjoy reading your comments with my morning coffee. Like you, I don’t identify with any political party. I wonder how Jay got the idea that you are openly Republican because you prefer McCain and Palin over Obama and Biden? I think many people who would like to vote for Obama are having second thoughts due to the reasons you have cited.
Word is getting around about a crowd in a small Wisconsin town, booing the press corps coverning a McCain-Palin rally. I’d like to see more of that. I really believe most people have had enough of the biased media.
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:26 am 7. hermie:As an Illinois resident all my life, I’ve seen the corruption and nepotism in Chicago Machine politics. Obama has not been anything close to a ‘reformer’. He has always been a supporter of the Machine and has benefited from it. A true reformer would still be here fighting the Daleys, not having them running his campaign.
Sep 8, 2008 - 4:36 am 8. William of Orange:Jay writes:
All this doesn’t even begin to touch the stupid air of whining and victimhood your post has. A guy gets 18 million votes in a primary, and it’s the fault of the media? Wait, I thought it was his race. Your writing is so incoherent here, you can’t even keep your strawmen straight.
..er, excuse me Roger. Do you have an alternate-reality post that I am missing? Apparently Jay has read that one BECAUSE HE SURELY CAN’T BE REFERRING TO THE ONE YOU WROTE ABOVE.
(Sorry for raising my voice.)
Sep 8, 2008 - 4:39 am 9. jedrury:Jay has definitely had far too much coffee this morning.
Sep 8, 2008 - 5:14 am 10. Steve:The MSM is racialist (vs reverse racist).
Sep 8, 2008 - 5:17 am 11. Michael Smith:Roger asked:
“Can someone give me another reason” why the media latched onto Obama?
The reason is simple: Obama is able to pitch socialism and pacifism with a straight face, as if both did not have near-perfect records of global-scale failure — as if they are actually “new” and “idealistic”.
In effect, Obama is valued because he helps Democrats pretend that the events of the 20th century never occurred — that socialism didn’t starve millions to death while impoverishing millions more — and that pacifism didn’t invite the horrific aggression of German National Socialism (Nazism), Italian Fascism, Japanese Imperialism and the international Communist movement.
Democrats and their puppets in the media have long been desperate for someone to help them evade the disastrous consequences that inevitably follow when any nation attempts to actually practice the ideas Democrats promote. The grinning, empty-headed Obama is their man. His ability to ignore the facts and pretend that these disastrous ideas can actually work is unrivaled.
Sep 8, 2008 - 5:30 am 12. srlucado:1) Good riddance to Olbermann & Matthews, but let’s hope that MSNBC doesn’t now consider itself neutral. It’s only less hysterical.
2) Despite all that we don’t know about Obama, what we *do* know is reason enough not to vote for him, unless he’s running for the Politburo.
3) I’m still not too sure about McCain; I’ve worked around too many fighter pilots to feel much warmth towards them. (”How do you know when you’re in a room with a fighter pilot? Don’t worry, he’ll tell you.”) But he really impressed me by selecting Palin, and I feel much more optimistic about America’s future with the two of them in the White House.
Scott
Sep 8, 2008 - 5:35 am 13. Lem:Obama is again the opposite. From the outset I had no idea who he was and I still don’t. I’m not altogether sure that he knows himself.
Having to send “female surrogates” to defend him, not only signals that Obama’s message of “change” is more about packaging than the value of content that is important. It also confirms that it’s really McCain the agent of “change”.
McCain Palin is already changing the rules.
Sep 8, 2008 - 5:37 am 14. Richard Nieporent:Surely, I’ll be mocked as a “humorless liberal” for so heartily disagreeing with Roger.
Jay, that is a good starting point but there are so many more reasons to mock you. One is because you can’t even read a simple post without reading into it things that were never said. However the best reason to mock you is because you are acting positively hysterical.
Don’t bring the Geraldine Ferraro (how many states did her ticket lose again?) crap in here, Mr. Simon … it makes you look positively small.
Jay, are you out of your mind? Don’t you realize that you are a “guest” in Roger’s “house”? Do you often go to your neighbor’s house and insult him for having the audacity to express an opinion that you disagree with? However, please keep it up Jay. Diatribes like yours just reinforces our decision to vote for McCain, if for no other reason than to prevent people like you from controlling the country.
Sep 8, 2008 - 6:00 am 15. david foster:Media people like Obama because they can imagine BEING Obama; they share many personal attributes with him. They can’t imagine being McCain.
The idea that a President may need attributes that are different from those of an anchorman or a writer is beyond their scope of understanding.
Sep 8, 2008 - 6:44 am 16. Sandy P:…, yet something tells me you would not suggest her success is owed to her gender….
———
We will never know how far Hillary Rodham would have gone. We will know how far Hillary Rodham Clinton will go.
Sep 8, 2008 - 7:31 am 17. Sandy P:yet McCain-Feingold brought us the Swift Boaters and MoveOn,
——
I thought Move-On came out of the 90s impeachment?
M/G was 2002.
swiftboaters would have been around either way.
Sep 8, 2008 - 7:33 am 18. Jim,MtnViewCA,USA:Swiftboat: to tell the truth about a Dem politician…
Sep 8, 2008 - 8:22 am 19. marymcl:Jay – “Humorless”? You? Amen to that!
First of all, an independent voter doesn’t have to stay undecided up to the last minute. We may, in fact, make our minds up at any time and in any case we do get to decide on one candidate or the other. Which is what our host appears to have done. Nobody’s been betrayed, OK?
As for Hillary, I’d say her success was only marginally due to her gender. As with so many doctrinaire feminists,(who are very much a class unto themselves and most women know it even if you don’t) she came to public life on a succesful man’s arm. That doesn’t take away from any efforts of hers in support of his career or actual accomplishments of her own since she took office herself, but she owes her Senate seat to Bill’s popularity and some timely Presidential pardons. That’s just the way it is. Deal with it.
And another thing, Jay, what I’ve written here “doesn’t even begin to touch the stupid air of whining and victimhood your post has.”
Sep 8, 2008 - 8:34 am 20. Pajamas Media » McCain’s Big Bounce Bounces over Olbermann and Matthews:[...] Read the entire story here… [...]
Sep 8, 2008 - 8:41 am 21. tess mcneil:Roger, you ought to correct the record or respond to Jay because this…
And then there’s John McCain who has more experience than anybody in my lifetime and who has taken more true bi-partisan actions than virtually anybody in the history of our country, at least in the Congress. (Obama has taken a total of none.)
…is wrong.
This post won’t correct itself, you know!
Sep 8, 2008 - 8:47 am 22. Chris R:Sen. McCain’s personal bravery doesn’t equate, necessarily, to that character trait of steadfastness required of the President of the USA. Sen. McCain’s performance to date on the campaign trail suggests to me that the steadfastness required – to the extent it ever existed – doesn’t exist and that were he to be elected, his management of the affairs of state would be relegated to chasing ephemera like “earmarks” rather than dealing with the fundamental issues of the country or taking potentially wild and dangerous actions in foreign affairs. Our needs are too great and the risks too large to leave them to this kind of casual stewardship.
Sep 8, 2008 - 8:50 am 23. Godzilla:Jay, the only one who brought in Geraldine Ferraro is you. So who is it that is looking positively small?
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:00 am 24. always right:“Can someone give me another reason” why the media latched onto Obama?
Because the media is first and foremost in love with itself. This includes the ‘intellectual elites’ and entertainers in general.
By latching onto Obama early on (i.e. ditching HRC as the ‘reasonable choice’ at this time), help creating this frenzy over their candidate and cementing his nomination, it showed to the world “How broadminded and superior to the rest of you”.
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:14 am 25. Judy, NYC:just this morning a group of islamics were arrested in london, conspiring to board planes in london to blow up several targets here. My Country First, is a good bumper sticker, and this life long democratic voter is voting mccain-palin. i am not taking any chances with this character, obama. and you should know, as i have been posting everywhere i can, that invited to speak at the democratic convention was none other than islamic fascist, ingrid mattleson, president of the isna (whose website calls for the murder of jews). the group has ties to the fanatic muslim brotherhood and is funded by khalil mansour, barry obama backer and another one of his pals who are friends of america.
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:15 am 26. always right:My Country First.
mccain-palin ‘08
Ooops, forgot the last sentence:
It also showed the world WE are the true power to be reckoned with. WE have the power to anoint or elevate anybody, even one as powerful as the POTUS.
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:18 am 27. Insufficiently Sensitive:yet McCain-Feingold brought us the Swift Boaters and MoveOn,
McCain-Feingold brought us the ghastly concept that only the MSM might criticize candidates within 60 days of an election. The implicit assumption that MSM was opinion-free ‘news’ was enough to sour this voter on John McCain – that and the severe damage to the First Amendment. And the success of the BCRA made plain that NGOs like the PEW Foundation (which ran an exaggerated big-bucks propaganda campaign that citizens ‘wanted’ campaign reform) were as much hazards to democracy as your garden-variety subversive.
MoveOn was just an everyday leftie organization bent on defending Bill Clinton from the truth. The Swift Boat Veterans represented the majority of John Kerry’s Vietnam colleagues and shone bright lights on his sordid wartime activities where the MSM refused to do so. Both of these organizations were perfectly legal in their use of First Amendment rights.
The strongest evidence we have of the pernicious effects of a savagely biased MSM is its success, after incessant repetition of a wholly unexamined assertion, in planting the phrase SwiftBoating in public consciousness as meaning propagating a lie.
For McCain-Finegold to carve out special protection for media as truth-carriers was one of John McCain’s worst failures in perception – and he even attacked the Swift Boat Vets himself.
However, he’s a hell of a lot more believeable today than his competition, whose track record is dubious associates and zero accomplishments covered by fluffy pink BS, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:18 am 28. Master Cranky Hucklebubble:Olberman is, and always will be, a clown. That’s what he’s paid to be. Matthews, on the other hand, is a decent fellow who lost his focus from spending too much time in the DC personality-driven cocktail circuit. I miss the old Chris Matthews.
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:24 am 29. bmc:Palin was a city council member and chairwoman for four years, mayor for six years, ethics commissioner for four years and governor for two years. Combined she has 16 years of experience. Obama has been a state senator in Illinois for seven years and a U.S. senator for the past 3 ½ years, two of which have been spent running for president.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/674001.html
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) released its 2007 Congressional Ratings. Since 1991, CCAGW has examined roll-call votes to separate the taxpayer advocates in Congress from those who favor wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending.
CCAGW’s 2007 Congressional Ratings
• Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) 2007 rating was 10 percent, making his lifetime score 18 percent. The 2008 Congressional Pig Book contained 53 earmarks worth $97.4 million for Sen. Obama, including $1,648,850 for the Shedd Aquarium.
• Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) received the worst possible rating in 2007 with 0 percent, while his lifetime rating is 22 percent. According to the Pig Book, Sen. Biden had 70 earmarks for a total of $119.7 million in fiscal year 2008, including $246,100 for the Grand Opera House in Wilmington.
• Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) received a score of 100* percent and has a lifetime rating of 88, has never requested nor received a single earmark, and has pledged to veto any spending bill that contains any earmarks.
http://swineline.org/2008/08/28/pork-in-the-presidential-race/
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/06/guy-who-requested-740-million-in-earmarks-on-palin-you-cant-really-be-for-change-if-youre-pro-earmark/
Gov. Sarah Palin is Commander of the Alaska National Guard. Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Misssile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It’s on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units.
As governor of Alaska, Gov. Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism.
Palin is also the Commander in Chief [CinC] of the Alaska State Defense Force [ASDF], a federally recognized militia incorporated into the Dept. of Homeland Security’s counterterrorism plans.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=2483
http://www.airdefenseartillery.com/online/PhotoGallery/GMD/49thMissileDefenseBattalionHome.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/agency/49md.htm
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:32 am 30. john:i feel sorry for brian williams i think he would at least try to be a little more to the center, but to put olberman on nbc football is going to be another meltdown how dan patrick got into this will be interesting, judged by friends and working relationships. sound like someone else ?
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:45 am 31. Herb:“America is more than ready for a black President–I for one would love to see one– but why must it be someone with virtually no experience other than running for office?”
“Virtually no experience,” huh? He doesn’t have a BS in political science? He doesn’t have a JD from Harvard Law? Wasn’t the president of the Harvard Law Review? Didn’t teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago for 12 years? Never practiced private law? Served in the State Senate, the US Senate, secured his party’s nomination for President. (I’m not even mentioning that “community organizing” stuff. Don’t want you to shoot coffee out of your nose in mocking disdain.)
See…that’s what bothers me about your analysis, Roger.
What you meant to say was “experience that I have deemed inadequate,” but instead you said, “virtually no experience.”
It would be like me saying that you’re not a real mystery novelist because I don’t like your books. No?
Sep 8, 2008 - 9:55 am 32. Promoguy:Regarding the bounce in the polls set me to thinking, which in and of itself might not be good. But as I arose to some of this good news it occurred to me that maybe other than a good RNC, maybe there’s another factor in play. With all the hate pointing at a very decent Palin family, it could be a wonderful backlash and tilting folks to the R side.
And here’s the thought. Maybe what has happened is that a lot of white folk out there who were frightened to have been thought racist by suggesting that they wouldn’t vote the the anointed one are now free to say hold on we have a woman and a very decent woman. And at the same time they can point to PDS as another reason to support McCain/Palin. It’s just a thought.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:01 am 33. Roger is right on!:Fox pairs Hannity and Colmes and they interview persons across the political spectrum and argue. MSNBC has Olbermann and Matthews talking, then turning to Maddow and Buchanan to agree.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:05 am 34. James:Regarding the continual denigration of the Bush years. No one mentions the horror of what would have been had we been forced to live with John Kerry. Regarding Obama’s supposed eloquence. Anyone can read a speech. His frightening lack of substance was revealed at Saddleback when he could not, and would not, answer one question directly. McCain won my vote that evening. Direct, forthright, substantive, no hedging. Sarah Palin is also the most direct public servant I have seen in a long, long time. In the Clinton election, the term “character issue” was thrown around as though good character is an elective. Character is the main thing — the source from which every decision flows. McCain and Palin have character. Obama and Biden are sorely lacking.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:08 am 35. Captain Hate:Herb,
Why don’t you give us some examples of what he did of significance in all those stepping stones which you value so highly that provide an indication of how he would lead the country as the President? Thanks in advance for your response.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:10 am 36. PJ:“Well, Roger, now that you’ve finally, openly identified yourself as a Republican”
Gee, what gave it away? The “I do not identify as a Republican” line or something else? I think the millions of Democrats and independents who come out to support McCain will surprise everyone.
Herb: “Didn’t teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago for 12 years?” Everybody 40 and above has done something for 12 years. The very unseriousness of the activity as a resume bullet point tells you he’d not ready for President. It’s like a high level professional putting summer jobs in high school on the resume. Who cares?!? Let’s be clear: the community organizer and law prof bullet points are really more about stroking the left-liberal base’s ideal of Uber-man than about qualifications for President.
Prior to running for President, Obama has not had any major responsibility where he was solely accountable; he never met a payroll, never ran a city, a state, a company. As a legislator, his record of accomplishments is thinner than a sheet of paper. Rather than saying “no experience” we should say “zero accomplishments” that show he can cut it as President.
Grading law student papers is hardly a job to cut your teeth on the hard decision-making as President. None of Obama’s experience is executive experience.
Obama should try being a small-town mayor first and then audition for leader of the free world.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:12 am 37. Diane:Okay, after reading all the comments and the ‘attack’ on Jay, it makes me nervous about saying anything.
First, I’m voting for Nader; my second choice would be Obama and the worst and last, is McCain. I met this man back in the 1980’s; have heard him ’speak’ – or shout as I’d call it. I’ve seen the way he openly ‘undresses attractive women’ – he’s crude, and on top of all that I got quite a kick from one entry:
3) I’m still not too sure about McCain; I’ve worked around too many fighter pilots to feel much warmth towards them. (”How do you know when you’re in a room with a fighter pilot? Don’t worry, he’ll tell you.”) I’M MARRIED TO A RETIRED MARINE FIGHTER PILOT, AND THIS PERSON SURE GOT THAT RIGHT!!!
Because I’m the wife of a retired fighter pilot who did 2 tours in Viet Nam; who is much like McCain in that he believes he can push his way around without regard for others, and only his OPINION counts (even when FACTS PROVE OTHERWISE), means I’d never trust the likes of a person who has been brain-washed; indoctrinated in the ’style’ of thinking and doing that certainly is not what we want as a president. To this type of mind-set, negotiation is not a word they understand. Even to UNDERSTAND is not in their nature.
We don’t need an old brittle, angry, and vindictive skirt-chaser in the white house.
Okay, now I should run quickly before the attack-dogs start dumping on me the way they did on Jay.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:18 am 38. Retep:Herb
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:24 am 39. TMF:Did you just say that Obama’s BS in poly sci qualifies as experience to be president? You have got to be kidding.
Thanks Herby…you are making our case for us.
Diane-
Your vote for Nader speaks volumes. No need to “pile on” your inane, fabricated charges.
Peace! (as they say..)
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:29 am 40. cedarford:When I voted for Schwarzenegger and Bush (only in ‘04), I did so with hesitation, because I do not identify as a Republican – or with any political party, for that matter. That’s over for me.
Well, more good news is you can vote again for Schwarzenegger if you want and not worry about him being a Republican anymore. It took being Governor for Arnold to finally go true California native nutty.
And Roger, thanks a bunch for all the great reading pleasure you gave me with your Moses Wine books.
BMC – I expect it of Lefties, but I hate it when Right Wingers like you cut and paste dishonest Right Wing talking points about Palin and SPAM them all over the Internet. It doesn’t help her to spread positive lies.
Because lies are lies. It makes the Right look desperate to concoct more “executive experience” – and as easily debunked as Hillary’s claim of being under sniper fire.
Gov. Sarah Palin is Commander of the Alaska National Guard. Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Misssile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It’s on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units.
As governor of Alaska, Gov. Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism.
Palin is also the Commander in Chief [CinC] of the Alaska State Defense Force [ASDF], a federally recognized militia incorporated into the Dept. of Homeland Security’s counterterrorism plans.
1. Palin has absolutely nothing to do with any decisions or command over Guard missile defense or aircraft-based air defense. That is Federalized and under DOD chain of command.
2. She is not briefed on any “highly classified” military issues because she has no military role as governor, and no need to know. Her use of the Guard is limited to emergency response and in domestic policing situations.
3. Nor does she have any authority to order State law enforcement or Guard to do actions in a counterterror situation. Since Federal Law made that a Federal responsibility where they can call on the States for assistance. Her role would be simply to be asked to free up X,Y amount of state resources/people in a situation and turn them over to be used by Homeland Security’s Federal decision-makers.
She would be as much a Commander in Chief as Gov George Pataki was on 9/11.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:33 am 41. Independent Boy:As a former Republican, I feel like the Republican Party has lost it’s way, and your “slightly” right tilting website is just a composite of the problems the Republican’s have caused. As a person with an acute amount of common sense, I have been able to sit back, observe what has happened and what is happening in our nation and the affect that has on the world in general. You guys have got to be delusional if you don’t think that it’s the Republican’s who have gotten this nation in the extreme mess we are in now. The Republican’s have DEREGULATED EVERYTHING, turning almost every business and industry hostile to the average consumer. The Republican’s have opened the door to EXTREME PREDATORY lending, which is what opened the floodgates that have caused our current foreclosure and bank crisis, they let the credit card companies run rampant on average American’s, in turn causing record bankruptcies. They got us into a war in Iraq that is NOT winnable, no matter what fantasies McCain-Palin try to sell the American people, we are not close to victory in Iraq. Nowhere near it, just ask anybody in the military when you get them alone, they’ll usually be honest when they have anonimity. Besides, I would love to hear what defines victory.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:38 am 42. Sandy P:I’m not sure anymore what the clear path is in America, and why we can have eight prosperous years under a president who was emensly popular and how that prosperity can disappear so quickly. What’s wrong with you people, I mean all of you. Both Democrats and Republican’s–The Republican’s are so desperate to hold onto power that they tell OUTRIGHT LIES……And you all, like sheep, believe them. Everyday average American republican’s should be ashamed of themselves. I left the Republican party because I felt that it was no longer the party whose platform I once subscribed to. It had somewhere along the way lost it’s way to power and corruption and persoanl gain and profit. They robbed from Peter(the American middle class) to line the golden pockets of Paul(the wealthiest one percent & major oil)…When John McCain says that he’s a maverick, well then you know that he is full of sh-t, nobody refers to him or herself as a maverick…You never heard John Ford, great maverick film maker ever say, “I John Ford, maverick film maker accept this Oscar.”…You people need to start thinking for your selves and stop accepting the party line, because I’ll tell you what John McCain’s twenty six years of serving on Capital Hill tell ME–He was and continues to be part of the problem, not the solution. And why would anyone want a pitbull in charge or in a postion of power? Pitbulls are notoriously unbalanced and unpredicatable dogs, they attack not out of fear or anger, they attack just to taste the blood…and they may act normal for a while, but when they turn and attack, they will go after their owners just as quickly as a stranger.
yet McCain-Feingold brought us the Swift Boaters and MoveOn,
McCain-Feingold brought us the ghastly concept that only the MSM might criticize candidates within 60 days of an election. The implicit assumption that MSM was opinion-free ‘news’ was enough to sour this voter on John McCain – that and the severe damage to the First Amendment. And the success of the BCRA made plain that NGOs like the PEW Foundation (which ran an exaggerated big-bucks propaganda campaign that citizens ‘wanted’ campaign reform) were as much hazards to democracy as your garden-variety subversive.
——
Ya think John will learn from his mistake?
Naaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh – admit he was wrong to let the media only criticize 60 days out?
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:38 am 43. No one was forcing you to watch them « The Old Right Daily:[...] by regularron on September 8, 2008 Did any of actually watch MSNBC during the conventions? For some reason, I don’t think you did. And for you to be [...]
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:39 am 44. TMF:Wow.
The talking points trolls are out in full effect today
“Long time Republicans”. Yeah, heard a few of those on CSPAN.
Goebellsesque.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:41 am 45. schnargley:“We don’t need an old brittle, angry, and vindictive skirt-chaser in the white house.
Okay, now I should run quickly before the attack-dogs start dumping on me the way they did on Jay.”(Diane)
Yes. You better run you right-wing nutcase. How dare you tear down Bill Clinton like that. (Though I agree with your assessment of our evil military people. BTW- How’s that marriage thingy going for you?)
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:47 am 46. Andrew Russell:Factoid alert: McCain wasn’t a fighter pilot.
He was a bomber pilot, flying the A-4 Skyhawk in an “Attack” configuration. He dropped bombs, he didn’t go “toe-to-toe” with the North Vietnamese MIGs.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:49 am 47. Herb:Captain Hate,
Alright, let’s review: Political science degree from Columbia University, legal degree from Harvard. In other words, he has an ivy league education in both politics and the law.
Was the president of the Harvard Law Review, which is far from being POTUS, yes, but that opportunity gave him some management experience.
His law professor career indicates that he knew the law well enough to teach it to future lawyers, and that he did that for 12 years indicates he was pretty good at it.
His community organizing experience indicates that he realizes that things get done not only by corporate or government interests but on the community level, which if you think about it…is kind of a conservative idea, no?
He was re-elected to the State Senate twice, so clearly his constituents approved of his performance, and then later, they sent him to the US Senate so they must have really approved.
And, let’s not forget, that he convinced enough Democrats (who had previously swooned over anything Clinton-related) to pick him over Hillary.
I don’t intend to persuade you that this experience qualifies Obama for the presidency, or even serves as a reason to vote for him.
I only hope to persuade you (and anyone else) to stop using the “no experience” canard.
Just admit his experience doesn’t impress you. And then explain why the guy with the ivy league education, experience in state and federal legislatures, private practice in the law, and experience as an educator and community organizer is not qualified to lead the country.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:51 am 48. Lem:The talking points trolls are out in full effect today.
New polls confirm a convention thumping.
So, I’m not surprised if they have also released surrogate trolls
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:53 am 49. Promoguy:TMF: I think the problem is that this is what happens when the Roger Simon Headline topic gets onto the main page of Pajamas Media.
Hey Independent boy, who was the last Republican you voted for.
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:54 am 50. Herb:Retep,
Yes, I did say that. Apparently you’d prefer a guy who graduated 894th out of 899 at the Naval Academy for president and a woman who got a journalism degree to be vice president.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:01 am 51. Godzilla:but after first having joined the PTA, after having been elected to the city council, after having been elected mayor, after having been elected governer, and after having established a record proving her to be a reformer and opponent of corruption.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:06 am 52. Sandy P:Wasn’t the president of the Harvard Law Review? Didn’t teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago for 12 years?
—–
Paper trail – what articles did he author?
Taught at U of C – but wasn’t tenured……
what articles did he author while there?
Herb – I’m from the Peoples’ Republic of IL –
Home of the Machine? the Combine?
As to convincing enuf dems to choose him over hillary – take IL out of the question.
And then someone else had a very interesting post – check out whether the state caucus was secret ballot or not and who won which type.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:06 am 53. Promoguy:Hey Herbie, actually what you described would be a lovely breath of fresh air.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:07 am 54. Godzilla:I just love the PTA part.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:07 am 55. susan:“the guy with the ivy league education”
2 words for you: affirmative action
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:07 am 56. Herb:Lem: a “convention thumping,” huh? Talking points trolls, you say?
Enjoy the bounce while it’s lasts, bud.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:08 am 57. Feingold:Obama hasn’t done an honest day’s work in his entire self-serving life. Everything is about BO to BO. That sums up BO’s world: BO
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:12 am 58. Sandy P:Now I wasn’t paying too much attn at that time but I believe The One’s competition was a guy named Ryan who was formerly married to actress Jeri Ryan –
He was knocked off the (R) ticket because someone leaked their nasty divorce details.
He was a strong candidate.
And I cannot remember if those documents were sealed at the time……
They may have been.
and then the old guard pubbies carpetbagged – IF I’m using the term correctly – someone who wasn’t from the state to replace Ryan.
So there is some nuance and demographic indicators from my state which should be taken into account.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:13 am 59. TMF:Joe Biden- Nearly failed out of law school after getting caught plagiarizing.
Joe Biden- Failed out of a US Presidential race when he was caught plagiarizing speeches
Joe Biden- Graduated at the very bottom of his law school class
Barak Obama: Refuses to release his SAT, LSAT, college and law school grades.
Barak Obama:Voted “present” more times in the Il legislature and US Senate than any other legislator
Herb:
EPIC FAIL
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:13 am 60. susan:also herb
you seem to be watching in admiration obama school curriculum. According to this logic Churchill was tremendously unfit to lead considering he did very poorly in school and also had speaking difficulties and a lisp.
Of course Churchill proved to be totally unfit for the role (sarc off)
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:16 am 61. TMF:Wiki:
Biden: 76 out of class of 85
“Impressive. Most impressive”
-Darth Vader
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:17 am 62. Sandy P:AND the constitutional lawyer can’t take our guns away cos he doesn’t have the votes.
eeeeeeehhhh – who needs votes when you have the judges?
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:17 am 63. Stephen:Goodness, all this back and forth about Ivy league this and university that. Would anyone here dismiss out of hand a person running for the Presidency who had, say, only a few months of formal schooling? If so, why? If not why not?
Any examples in the nation’s history to draw on?
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:25 am 64. Herb:Kudos to TMF, who is at least willing to argue from a position of “I think Obama has inadequate experience to be president” instead of the fact-free method Roger prefers of “The guy has no experience.”
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:26 am 65. M.P.:Herb, my Ivy League education (Columbia), did nothing to prepare me for any real job. It just looks good on a resume. Once you’re in the door, it’s all you and the guy from State U sitting next to you. Law Review is just another resume booster. For anyone to be impressed by an ‘Ivy League’ education as proof of competency to be President of the United States is clearly someone who has not experienced what actually goes on in those supposedly hallowed walls.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:26 am 66. Herb:No, Susan, I am simply asserting that Obama has a lengthy resume and plenty of experience. Whether you think that experience is adequate is up to you.
We are entitled to our own opinions. But not our own facts.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:27 am 67. penny:MSNBC hasn’t learned much. Their replacement, David Gregory. is as big a partisan hack. When MSNBC decided to be the radical left’s network they didn’t do much research as to how well that would work out for them. Air America, the economically failed lefty niche on radio, should have told them something.
Like economically failed newspapers, the airwaves herd needs culled too. I’m betting MSNBC will be the first to fail and be off of the air. How long is GE going to put up with this financial albatross?
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:36 am 68. DougS:“and then the old guard pubbies carpetbagged – IF I’m using the term correctly – someone who wasn’t from the state to replace Ryan.”
Obama’s opponent in the Senate race wound up being Alan Keyes, who had recently relocated from Maryland and was a chronically marginal candidate in the Repub Presidential primaries for a while. He did even less well than Biden did in the Dem primaries.
Honestly, if you can’t beat Alan Keyes in an election with that high a profile when you have the Chicago machine at your back, you ought to give up politics all together. It still astounds me that the Illinois Repubs couldn’t do any better, even on short notice.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:40 am 69. Captain Hate:Just admit his experience doesn’t impress you. And then explain why the guy with the ivy league education, experience in state and federal legislatures, private practice in the law, and experience as an educator and community organizer is not qualified to lead the country.
Herb,
Thank you for the response. Yes his experience doesn’t impress me. And my explanation is that you’ve only told me where he’s been, not what he’s done. When I write a resume, in addition to telling where I’ve worked I like to fill in some information of what I did while I was there. Since Obama is asking for my vote for an executive position, I feel that he should give me some examples of what he’s done on his previous jobs so I can get a better idea of how he’ll staff his cabinet and the types of decisions he’ll make when an important issue confronts him. I still don’t know that but based on things that I’ve found out independently of what his campaign people have distributed, I don’t like what I think he’ll do.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:45 am 70. rspar:One might say gender got Hillary where she is today. If she were not a woman she would not have been on Bill’s coat tails. Unless he was gay and the US is a long way from that one.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:45 am 71. Thomas Vann:Dear Jay,
I am happy to admit that I beieve the Democrats are UNPATRIOTIC. I don’t question your judgement, I question your loyalty. I admit guys like you hate our capitalistic system. You can’t stand that we won the Cold War. You hate the US Military. You want to destroy ever US Corporation.
I will admit that you believe it is only through the the destruction of America that a Socialist Utopia can be built. I admit that your idea of diversity is people of all different races, religions and nationality goosestepping toether singing
“Le Internationale” in unison.
Satisfied?
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:24 pm 72. Donna:I was just referred to your website – clicked on this page and the first thing I read is you voted for Bush in ‘04 and
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:46 pm 73. David P:Schwarzenegger – I need read no further. Thanks but no thanks on your opinions.
FOX, CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC should all follow suite
continuity impedes impartiality fostering mediocrity
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:50 pm 74. obiterdictum:Yes, I believe more people will vote for Obama because he is black than will vote against him because he is black. If he wins, he will be our first affirmative action president. (BTW, how did he get into Harvard Law without winning any honors at Columbia?)
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:52 pm 75. Austin:Maybe All-over-for-the-mann can go hunting with Sarah and Todd.
I hear he has a nice hunting hat.
And why does Barack count his experience as a community organizer like it is something special?
Isn’t Chicago ALREADY organized?
How do you vote Present? I looked for that chad when I voted last, but could not find it.
Didn’t Bill Ayers try to murder women with a bomb in a Ladies’ Room? Didn’t he kill his friends and fiance’ with a bomb? Is he unrepentant about this, too?
Why is Barack associating with an admitted terrorist?
Do they teach this to Ivy grads or is this something you learn in Law School? Did he take a test on this?
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:55 pm 76. Militant-Infidel:Jay:
Thank you once again for elucidating the reasons why this non-affiliated voter is finally excited about this election. I finally have somebody I can support.
McCain/Palin 08
MI
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:55 pm 77. Kirk:I have yet to come around on John McCain. He has done identifiable damage to our freedom of political speach with his unconstitutional campaign finance reform. His efforts on amnesty for illegal aliens was in contradiction of law and the will of the majority of the electorate. McCain is one of those statists that believe they know better, and are willing to cram that “better” down your throat with any tool available.
Temper your enthusiasm and wait, is my advice. He said he would sign Kyoto irregardless of a crowd of screaming economists fortelling the impact it would have on the US economy. He has yet to say if he has changed his mind on Anwar drilling. Is he another politician (like Obama) too proud to admit he was wrong? I have heard him say “he didn’t convince a majority of the voters” or some such weasel words, but I’ve never actually heard him say he was “wrong” about a obviously wrong policy decision. He could do MORE damage than Obama, just in different ways. Remember, whatever he thinks the “medicine” is, if he thinks you should get it, your going to be held down and get it. A combination of Kyoto and just a few bargains from hell (Fairness doctrine, Bush tax cuts, healthcare socialization) with democrats could be disasterous.
I DO support Palin though. LOL I have two “Sarah Palin for Vice President” mugs and bumper stickers on their way. Sarah Palin is McCains redeeming point.
Sep 8, 2008 - 12:57 pm 78. Whitworth:I for one will miss the rabid duo Olbermann and Matthews because they did more to unite the GOP than anyone other than Palin. But I take heart in the fact that his replacement, Gregory is cut from the same fabric and is sure to be just as helpful
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:19 pm 79. Deb:WHAT A BOUNCE! ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE, JUST LIKE TIGGER! HA HA MCCAIN / PALIN ……LEADERS WE CAN DEPEND ON…….
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:21 pm 80. Adjoran:A guy teaches Con Law for 12 years and publishes NO scholarly articles?
Find another “professor” who could get away with that . . .
And people count that as “experience” . . . they should have stuck with the community organizer thingy. At least we all can recall seeing a few communities in need of organization.
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:22 pm 81. W::McCain’s main draw isn’t “bravery” as Chris R puts it; its “honor.” To a lot of us, that’s a lot. Like JFK hauling an injured swimmer with a strap in his teeth. The act tells me more than 50 speeches.
Obama appears to be a decent man indeed. But he has all the solidity of a soapbubble shining in the sun.
PS: Chris Matthews I can take in small doses: Olberman not at all: good riddance to him.
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:36 pm 82. OLDPUPPYMAX:The MSM are unabashed Obamessiah cheerleaders because he is a leftist dem. The black part is the extra scoop of ice cream in the Sundae–the history making part about which the media is so excited. They get to elect a BLACK Marxist…not just a regular one. How cool is that!! The extraordinary danger he represents, to the nation and to the American people…well, get over it. After all, he’s a black guy and a leftist. Obviously he deserves the medias 24/7 shilling and relentless protection.
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:47 pm 83. Sandy P:Honestly, if you can’t beat Alan Keyes in an election with that high a profile when you have the Chicago machine at your back, you ought to give up politics all together. It still astounds me that the Illinois Repubs couldn’t do any better, even on short notice.
——
they don’t want to.
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:50 pm 84. Roy Lofquist:Dear Sirs,
I have read this thread with a great deal of interest and would like to make a couple of observations.
—
Obama won because he was the not-Hillary. The Clintons embarrassed and angered a large portion of the Party. Some may argue with that statement so I will point to three objective events. The first is that he was disbarred by the Supreme Court. Second, he was disbarred by the Arkansas Bar. Third, all nine Supreme Court Justices boycotted his State of the Union Address. A large part of the Democratic Party want never to see Billary anywhere near the White House – even as guests. I believe that a large part of Obama’s campaign contributions were not from supporters but from enemies of Hillary.
—
As an attack pilot McCain did not go head to head with MIGs – he went head to head with missiles.
—
Albert Einstein was a poor student.
The bottom ranking graduate of a US Military Academy is better educated than 90% of Ivy League graduates.
—
I’ve known a lot of military pilots. I spent about a year flying as crew on missions which merited hazardous duty pay. Brave and cautious men all. I’ve seen the braggarts but I have also seen those who are humble and loving. All honorable.
—
The Chicago Machine. I imagine it’s pretty like the New York Machine. My late wife managed a labor union in Manhattan for 30 years. Her office was right next to the president’s office. She knew how that machine worked. NYC is run by an entwined triad – Party, Labor and Organized crime. When the real politics are done they aren’t with the mayor or the council or the Borough President. They are done with guys nobody ever heard of. My wife, who the president treated like a daughter, was often told to go home early or go shopping when a meeting was scheduled. These guys did not want to be seen.
—
I lied to you. That was more than a couple.
Regards,
Sep 8, 2008 - 1:57 pm 85. Herb:Roy
“The bottom ranking graduate of a US Military Academy is better educated than 90% of Ivy League graduates.”
That’s rich coming from an admitted liar. (Kidding.)
Actually Roy, that did make me laugh. That defies common sense, but as comedy…it’s pretty good.
Sep 8, 2008 - 2:41 pm 86. Get Olbermann Off NBC Football! « The Dude’s Blog:[...] McCain’s Big Bounce Bounces Over Olbermann and Matthews [...]
Sep 8, 2008 - 2:51 pm 87. Debalee:Matthews should be feeling something going DOWN his leg about now; something wet, warm and yellow colored. Hopefully Olbermann is so nonplussed that he won’t have much to say. That will be a relief.
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:04 pm 88. Kirk:“”Actually Roy, that did make me laugh. That defies common sense, but as comedy…it’s pretty good.”"
Actually, it is good probability. Carter is the most notorious failure of the military education system to produce a leader and an honorable human being. Other than him, I’m hard pressed to recall a genuine total failure of that system. There was one other, but I forget who…perhaps before my time.
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:11 pm 89. Believer:Herb:
Your candidate’s resume doesn’t impress me one iota. For a number of reasons.
And, since you asked, I’ll explain why he isn’t qualified to be POTUS:
It’s a matter of character and judgment. He has neither.
I explain more fully in an answer to another challenge of yours on another thread. Perhaps you didn’t read it. But I see you failed to include “marrying and starting a family” as a qualification here — one you made an awfully important one a day or so ago.
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:19 pm 90. MrTender:Your comment >>>>>>>> It’s stunning how simple-minded most of these idolatrous journos were and are -glomming onto Obama just because he was black and a good public speaker. (Can someone give me another reason?)
I can…..
Highest Unemployment Rate In Five Years… Housing Crisis… Stretched Military… Resurging Taliban… Energy Drought… Never-Ending War… Growing Nuclear Enemies… Global Warming… Lack Of Healthcare… Underperforming Schools… and lobbiests running the McCain campaign with a continuation of George Bush’s failed policies….
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:32 pm 91. Roy Lofquist:Dear Herb,
It is apparent that you are not familiar with the military academies. You might look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Academy
From the article:
In the 2009 “National Liberal Arts College” category in the US News & World Report rankings, West Point ranks #14 overall, and #1 of the public institutions on the list. The 2008 Forbes Magazine report on America’s Best Colleges, which puts more weight “on the quality of the education they provide, and how much their students achieve” ranks West Point as the #6 college in the country and #1 among the public institutions. According to the Office of the Dean, “West Point is 4th on the list of total winners for Rhodes Scholarships, 7th for Marshall and 4th on the list of Hertz Fellows.”
That’s from a student body of about 4,000. It’s not all academics either. They get up to reveille, march to the mess hall then march to class. In the Ivy league you can flunk a few classes and still get a B average. If you flunk a class at West Point you’re an enlisted man. As a break from their academic work they do a little PT. The same kind that olympians do. And they do it year round. Summers are spent in training and service in active military units.
Again from the article:
The academic program consists of a core of 31 courses balanced in the arts and sciences. All cadets are required to take at least three engineering courses and three calculus courses.
Herb, you really shouldn’t be snide with people unless you know a little bit more about the subject than you appear to be.
Regards,
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:42 pm 92. JimB:Roy
Who cares about all this stuff. The Olbermann guy and finally got spanked. What a tool. America’s news media is despicable. These people are lazy and uninformed lemmings. They do us a great disservice, since they are supposed to be the guardians of The People’s liberty etc…etc…
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:47 pm 93. Matt, Esq.:Is it just me or have none of the Obama supporters posted anything of substance, as to why he SHOULD be president. I’ve seen alot of talk about why McCain is not qualified (age, temperament etc) but when asked for Obama’s relevant experience, you folks seem to draw blank. I can safely say, I went to undergrad, I went to law school and was on law review, I’ve worked in the public and private sector for 10 years and NONE of that qualifies me to be President of the United States. The sheer arrogance of Obama’s enablers, believing despite his gross inexperience, white guilt would help get him elected president.
I would vote for a black man for President. I would vote for a woman. I would vote for a hispanic, asian, nordik, whatever. BUT THAT MINORITY CANDIDATE MUST BE QUALIFIED. Unfortunately for the Dems, their star black members are so wrapped up in either race hustling or democratic machine politics, that Obama’s the only one who has every made it to the pinnacle.
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:50 pm 94. Herb:Roy, no doubt the military academies are great. But that’s not what you said. You said that the bottom 5 at the academy is better than 90% of the students at Harvard. Nothing you cited backs that up.
You’re entitled to your opinion, of course, but it would be wise not to pretend it’s a fact.
Kirk, you didn’t learn about probabilities at one of those lame ivy league schools, did you?
Believer, I’ll seek out your comment, because I’m curious as to what insights you have about his character and judgment.
I will admit I was disingenuous about the family remark. I honestly wanted to be slammed for that.
By people who are using Palin’s “hockey mom” status as a feather in her cap.
Why do Republicans only get credit for family values? Do you have any insight into that?
Sep 8, 2008 - 3:58 pm 95. newton:Hey guys, may I remind you that John McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy?
Apples, oranges?
Sep 8, 2008 - 4:46 pm 96. john from cinncinati:i heard the left say it takes a village to raise a child. who is the mother and the father? it sounds like to me that it takes a village to raise an idiot. i am responsible for my kids. duh.no one else.
Sep 8, 2008 - 4:48 pm 97. Roy Lofquist:the jet jockey you can tell, is the one shooting the dial out of his watch with his hand. i still like them. doesn’t matter i’m voting Mccain/Palin
Dear Herb,
I have met and worked with many Ivy League grads in my life. Some brilliant, some not so. Remember that 90% of Ivy League students do not graduate with Bachelor of Science degrees. USMA graduates have in depth instruction in science, mathematics, history, philosophy, arts, language and other fields determined by which of the 43 majors they choose. Their basic education in the above list is equivalent to an Ivy League major.
You can not rise above O-4 (major, lieutenant commander) without at least one advanced degree.
The ultimate test lies in the real world. I’ve been there. A USMA graduate has the best ticket in the world for responsible positions. Better than a Harvard MBA. They don’t apply for jobs. Companies come looking for them.
Please do read the article for a better flavor of who these people are.
Regards,
Sep 8, 2008 - 5:16 pm 98. FJ:Roy
Good-bye to bad rubbage. Good riddance.
Sep 8, 2008 - 5:23 pm 99. Dark Helmet:Roger…..
obammy isn’t black any more than he’s white.
The two people who have held top posts that happened to be black, are in fact Americans that happen to be black, not african- Americans.
Figure that out and you’ve arrived.
Sep 8, 2008 - 6:03 pm 100. Never voted for Arnold:About Arnold: I think the Prison Guards Union just played into his hands. When Arnold did what he did to the rest of the other State workers in July, it appeared he expected them to go on strike so then he would have “opposition”, the citizenry would rally to him and he would have a budget. Instead they sued him. Now Arnold has a “money wasting” recall that was brought against him because of his tough budget stand to rail against. As an actor, I expect he will give a better performance during any recall vote campaign than did Davis, who was a real Vietnam action hero.
Sep 8, 2008 - 6:06 pm 101. Michelle:I wish that MSNBC had kept Matthews and Olbermann anchoring for election season-McCain would have won by a landslide if they were anchoring. I think that their behavior actually opened some peoples eyes and started making them think before they threw their votes away. I am very offended that the majority of our media expects us to swallow the stuff that they have been feeding us. CNN has had more unbiased coverage that MSNBC lately and I am not a CNN fan by a long shot.
BTW, did you know that on some spell check programs when you have Olbermann, the program suggests Doberman! Too funny and true considering how he dogged the RNC all last week.
Sep 8, 2008 - 7:02 pm 102. Sandra M:Independent Boy said:
“The Republican’s have opened the door to EXTREME PREDATORY lending, which is what opened the floodgates that have caused our current foreclosure and bank crisis, they let the credit card companies run rampant on average American’s, in turn causing record bankruptcies.”
I believe those bills were the work of Senator Joe Biden.
Sep 8, 2008 - 7:53 pm 103. Sandra M:Chris Matthews has also probably lost all chance of becoming the Washington Bureau’s Managing Editor, the Tim Russert job he wanted.
Since I find Keith Olbermann especially loathesome I am experiencing a rare case of schadenfreude.
The media seem to be very slow learners but do you think they are finally learning not to piss off at least 50% of their customers?
Sep 8, 2008 - 8:27 pm 104. David:Great discussion. My take on this…..I will vote McCain just so we have a counter balance to a Dem controlled senate and house. I always get an uneasy feeling imagining only one party having power. If memory serves me correct Bush had this and where did it get us?
Proud Independent…aka election deciders!
Sep 8, 2008 - 8:53 pm 105. Insatty:When Bob Dole accused his opponent of “lying about my record,” the MSM went wild, deriding him into oblivion.
Obama accuses McCain/Palin of “lying about being mavericks,” the MSM shouts out loud in agreement.
What phony asses!
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:07 pm 106. Roger L. Simon » Campaign ‘08: Attack of the Cyber Cockroaches:[...] scurrilous manner but without very much attention to what I have written. After one of my posts yesterday, Jay begins a rather lengthy screed “Well, Roger, now that you’ve finally, openly [...]
Sep 8, 2008 - 10:27 pm 107. crossover:I remind myself of what Will Rogers said.
“I don’t belong to either organized political party.”
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:00 pm 108. Ike:“I am a Democrat.”
I signed up as a Democrat because at the time,
being “spongy”, I couldn’t spell Republican.
Then Lyndon Johnson sent me to Vietnam-
I have voted republican ever since.
Some things are just hard to ever forget.
Attention: Judy, NYC:
just this morning a group of islamics were arrested in london, conspiring to board planes in london to blow up several targets here. My Country First, is a good bumper sticker, and this life long democratic voter is voting mccain-palin. i am not taking any chances with this character, obama. and you should know, as i have been posting everywhere i can, that invited to speak at the democratic convention was none other than islamic fascist, ingrid mattleson, president of the isna (whose website calls for the murder of jews). the group has ties to the fanatic muslim brotherhood and is funded by khalil mansour, barry obama backer and another one of his pals who are friends of america.
Judy, NYC
I searched and searched through http://www.isna.net/ but was not able to locate any such insinuations as you specify in the entire website, if you have a link that you can pass around where the ISNA website calls for the murder of Jews, kindly post it here, I will appreciate your help finding this.
You are so devoted to the cause, we need more Americans like you.
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:14 pm 109. Gary Rosen:Thank you.
Herb is right, it is inaccurate to say “Obama has virtually no experience”. It should be “Obama has virtually no record of accomplishment or leadership, unlike Palin.”
Sep 8, 2008 - 11:45 pm 110. tanarg:http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=195195-1
The 2006 Alaska Gubernatorial Debate
Worth every minute to hear and see Sarah do a job that if Biden sees, will make him cry.
Sep 9, 2008 - 1:32 am 111. Nancy:Simon Quote: Perhaps it’s because they like Palin, but I suspect McCain himself has more to do with it than most acknowledge.
=====I think it is the combination of the two. Never before have I seen a “chemistry” between a President-VP (and I don’t suggest romantic).
They do NOT agree on all positions but they have very much the same nature, character and principles. In brief: they fit well together and have the right sort of “balance” which suggests more that they will be a team working together.
Maybe it is just me, but it appears to me that McCain has an entirely different role in mind for his VP –one which makes them much more a team.
Sep 9, 2008 - 4:56 am 112. Media, Authenticity, Feminism and Election ‘08 | The Anchoress:[...] “volunteerism” being put forth by the Obama campaign, but the piece touched on the authenticity of the candidates as [...]
Sep 9, 2008 - 5:53 am 113. JAR:Well, Keith Olbermann apparently didn’t get into too much trouble. Last nite (Monday) I watched the last 20 minutes of his show just to see how he really is, and oh my gosh. That man was spewing and spitting about Sarah Palen, her church and FOX news. I never saw so much hatred in a person. Too tell you the truth, it was quite disturbing. He was so mean and you could see the hate in his face. And he trashed her church, well Pentacostals anyway, big time. I feel sorry for him. He needs some help.
Sep 9, 2008 - 5:54 am 114. Doc5000:You guys are splitting hairs. In context, Mr. Simon’s comments about Senator Obama’s experience clearly refer to experience that would prepare him to be president. I don’t think he was suggesting that Senator Obama has been in a coma since he got out of high school.
Sep 9, 2008 - 7:23 am 115. Sandy P:Maybe it is just me, but it appears to me that McCain has an entirely different role in mind for his VP –one which makes them much more a team.
—
Care to share?
Sep 9, 2008 - 8:01 am 116. Mack:It seems McCain has an attack dog in Palin. McCain has been weak in this area for the past few months. (ô¿ô)
Sep 9, 2008 - 8:15 am 117. harry:Not much here regarding Herr Olbermann and Matthews. They are being replaced by David Gregory who might even be worse! The first time I saw this buffoon was a story he did about a man putting up a fence because his neighbor’s kids were constantly running on his property. The man was white and his neighbors black. Gregory the pompous ahole he is made the man out to be a racist. They say good fences make good neighbors but Gregory rewrote that into good fences make racist neighbors. Gregory is equally as inept and disdainful as Herr Olbermann.
Sep 9, 2008 - 8:53 am 118. Allyson Rowen Taylor:Roger,
Sep 9, 2008 - 10:36 am 119. AlexinCT:I tried to watch the Matthews and Olberman show during the debates, just to see how they would handle themselves. I could not take more than a few minutes, not due to my partisan politics, but they were offensive, and vile. I just wanted to see how they would handle themselves, and the fact that they came in with the lowest ratings was probably why they got kicked off the politics game. NBC should have fired them for good. The MSNBC channel, now with Rachel Maddow from the leftist radio channel “Air America”, has replaced Dan Abrams and Carlson Tucker. The channel is a joke, and nobody should take them seriously as a news source. Thanks for all your work during the conventions. Bravo, job well done!
Herb says: “Alright, let’s review: Political science degree from Columbia University, legal degree from Harvard. In other words, he has an ivy league education in both politics and the law.”
That’s a turn off right there for me. I am tired of lawyers that become politicians. They are all sleazebags. And why do leftists think getting Ivy League degrees, especially in PS and Law, makes one prepared for anything? Ivy League degrees might have meant something 30+ years ago but for the last couple of decades these institutions have produced some of the dumbest people ever (anyone that buys into collectivism is a moron incapable of dealing with reality). Their greatest skill is to pass themselves off as knowing it all when they know absolutely nothing of value.
Obama is not prepared to lead or run anything. He has had no successes. That is unless you think fooling so many people into seeing so much that is not there while missing the disaster that really is a success. Heck, I would be afraid to let this guy run the local PTA because he would likely screw that job up.
Sep 9, 2008 - 12:41 pm 120. Pickerhead :: Pickings from the Webvine ::September 9, 2008:[...] Roger Simon thinks it’s sweet how McCain got his big bounce just when Olbermann and Matthews got yanked. [...]
Sep 9, 2008 - 1:57 pm 121. Mike Boyce:For those who have never taken seriously the idea that the main stream media was slanted to the left, then this so-called election coverage should cause a change of mind, if a person looks at the situation honestly (which left wingers supporting Obama are not prone to do). In the past year the anti-conservative movement has become increasingly vile and vulgar, from their attempts to shut down the USMC recruiting station in Berkeley and launching demonstrations at the funerals of American troopers killed in action (direct attacks on the men and women who serve and fight for this country and their families) to the blatantly filthy attacks against Gov. Palin and her family in the media the past two weeks.
Shame on the liberal/left-wing machine which includes most of the main stream media (I’ve read that even Fox news has agreed to back off of Mr. Obama..is there anyone out there interested in the facts and the truth anymore?).
All I can say is God-speed John McCain and Sarah Palin. There are many of us on your side and supporting you. Do the right thing for the right reasons at all times.
It is really no wonder that the Democratic party wants to re-introduce the “Fairness” Doctrine to shut down conservative and Christian talk shows. They can’t keep the truth bottled up any other way.
In many ways this election is a turning point in American history. We have a chance to save this country and its Constitution by voting conservative, or we can kiss well over 200 years of freedom and liberty as we have known goodbye. That’s the way I see this election. I’m more interested in the principles involved in the overall picture than I am in what the “government” can do for me personally. Anyone who thinks the government owes them a living has already subverted or totally relinquished their true freedom already. Deomcratic party equals big government equals big dependency equals socialism leads to big brother/communism/totalitarianism. It’s another rung in the ladder. No thanks..not for me. I didn’t wear olive green fatigues for this.
Sep 9, 2008 - 5:51 pm 122. Rubicon:Seems everyone is parsing everyone else’s words. Seems some want to call something experience while others want to call it something else.
Sep 9, 2008 - 6:09 pm 123. Ike:If you believe your candidate is the better, then just vote for em. But, if you want to observe & think through what each is proposing, NOT what some say they are proposing but what they are actually proposing, then do that.
I intend to vote for the candidate whose proposals are the least intrusive to my life, the least taxing, & those that protect me & mine from those who would do us harm.
On taxes.. if one thinks some are not taxed enough (including some extremely wealthy people), I ask…. why have these wealthy folk not sent checks into the Treasury Dept for the past 200 years? Its not like they’d refuse the money! Why do these folk use tax shelters, off shore accounts, foundations, endowments, etc. to avoid paying taxes?
If wealthy should pay more then do it, don’t spew babble about legislation & policy to force other folks to do it!
newton:
Hey guys, may I remind you that John McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy?
Apples, oranges?
So did Jimmy Carter!
Sep 9, 2008 - 9:43 pm 124. mwl:I watched clips on YouTube of Matthews and Olbermann’s RNC coverage. I was struck by how totally unprofessional their behavior was. They should consider themselves fortunate to have suffered only a demotion.
America may be ready for a black President, but I prefer to wait for a pioneer more like Thurgood Marshall or Jackie Robinson, as opposed to embarrassments like Alberto Gonzales and Nancy Pelosi. If you ignore Obama’s race (as you should), then all that’s left is a doctrinaire liberal demagogue.
A word on education: I hold a M.Eng(EE) from an Ivy League university. I’ve been back a few times to interview seniors from the same school, and have been disappointed to learn that far too many of them (even those graduating with higher GPAs than I had) couldn’t answer basic sophmore-level technical questions in interviews. An Ivy League education, by itself, isn’t as impressive as most would have you believe.
Sep 10, 2008 - 3:36 am 125. Abraham:I was just wondering if anyone on here is considering voting(or supporting) a Third Party Ala, Libertarians, Constitution Party etc? Are any of them sane? Are any of their ideas good?
Thanks
Sep 10, 2008 - 7:00 pm 126. SGT Ted:The only times the Press ever loves McCain is when he’s bashing Republicans.
Going to School should not be considered so big an accomplishment. I know plenty of morons with Certificates of Attendance…oops I mean Graduate Diplomas from Universities. A Law degree? I see that as a disqualification as he probably thinks he’s better than the rest of us. Poly/Sci? Big whoopee. It just shows he’s good at going to school. Obama hasn’t reformed anything; he’s a go along/get along Chicago machine politician.
Sep 11, 2008 - 11:49 am 127. Jeff:To those of you who have family, friends, or relatives in the Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan or Iraq. It is imperative that I mention these facts below to you. I welcome you all to do your own research on this or Google it.
For a man to be an ex POW in Vietnam who has endured so much torture and punishment and who promotes “Country First” on his campaign, his history should lead him to do better for his fellow men and women in the Armed Forces but here are the FACTS below —
1) For every GI Bill that is proposed to Congress in favor of more spending for the protection of our troops, both in Afghanistan and Iraq, McCain has voted AGAINST it and Obama has voted FOR it.
2) For every GI Bill that is proposed to Congress in favor of deploying more armor and artillery for our troops, both in Afghanistan and Iraq, McCain has voted AGAINST it and Obama has voted FOR it.
3) For every GI Bill that is proposed to Congress in favor of giving more compensation and more medical benefits to our injured troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, McCain has voted AGAINST it and Obama has voted FOR it.
4) For every GI Bill that is proposed to Congress in favor of giving more compensation to our veterans of all the past wars, McCain has voted AGAINST it and Obama has voted FOR it.
Please look over these FACTS and do your own research. For a man to promote character, wisdom, and the love for his country; the facts don’t coincide with this man.
This Election 2008 is a colorless election. It is about two human beings that want to lead our country, either in the right direction or in the wrong direction. We have lived the wrong direction for 8 years and have been in the wrong side of history throughout that time. Do we want to live it again?
Sep 12, 2008 - 8:45 pm 128. Jeff:Everyone should look at all the compelling info on this link below –
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/flipflops
Sep 12, 2008 - 9:22 pm