Partying Over Pigment And Plumbing
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 6:55 pmJed Brewer is excited that, no matter what happens in the election, one of the top two spots will be held by someone who is not a white male:
Bravo to you Senator for looking past the labels this country sometimes has problems looking past. This is a truly historic selection, as it ensures that one of our top two offices will be held by someone other than a white male.
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Yeah, She Also Birthed Five Babies Though
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 6:45 pmRon Fournier belittles the experience of Republican Veep nominee Sarah Palin:
Palin is 44, Obama 47. She served in her statehouse 20 months. Obama served in his statehouse for eight years. Obama and Palin are running less on their resumes than on they are on their promise. The promise of change and new politics.
The difference: Obama wants the top job, Palin the No. 2. But experience is something that matters to all voters — whether Republican, Democratic or independent. And, as McCain has suggested himself, his 72nd birthday is a reminder that age matters, too.
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Passing The Torch
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 6:41 pmR. Neal wraps up his coverage of the Democratic National Convention:
Anyway, Obama rolls like a rock star and his well-run campaign has done an incredible job of energizing a new generation of voters and attracting working-class Americans who are willing to at least take a look at the long-overdue change Obama is selling.
And looking around at the young (and young at heart), diverse, highly-charged crowd at Mile High stadium, there was a palpable sense of the torch being passed from the Baby Boomers in charge of Depression-era politics to Generation X, with Generations Y and Z jumping on the bus for the wild ride into November.
The Obama campaign’s masterful job of juxtaposing stodgy, old-school GOP politics and the image of their fossilized leadership with the spectacle of last night’s stadium-rock-fueled 21st Century politics gets one thinking “maybe we can,” which is the first step to closing on “yes we can.” I don’t know how it played on TV, but Obama, the “always be closing” candidate, likely moved millions of prospects one step further down the road to closure.
Speaking for us fatigued Baby Boomers on board, all I can say is that we’re happy to hand over the reins of government (well, maybe not the Clintons so much), but these kids, they’d better deliver.
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Buchananite Palin
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 6:34 pmFrom Christoper Hayes:
“Pat Buchanan brought his conservative message of a smaller government and an America First foreign policy to Fairbanks and Wasilla on Friday as he continued a campaign swing through Alaska. Buchanan’s strong message championing states rights resonated with the roughly 85 people gathered for an Interior Republican luncheon in Fairbanks. … Among those sporting Buchanan buttons were Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin and state Sen. Jerry Ward, R-Anchorage.”
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Sarah Palin On Northern Exposure
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 6:27 pm(via newscoma)
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I Would Have Bet You One Thousand Dollars It Was Trent Seibert
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 5:00 pmThe second journalist investigated by rogue THP officer Ronnie Shirley was Victoria Hansen:
A former News 2 anchor was one of two journalists whose personal background was accessed by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper currently on administrative leave.
Victoria Hansen, who left WKRN-TV in 2006, told News 2 the Tennessee Highway Patrol confirmed with her an unauthorized check of her personal background was conducted.
She was not told why.
Lt. Ronnie Shirley is on administrative leave while the THP investigation continues.
Hansen is the second named journalist on the list of 182 people.
The THP has refused to release the list of names.
SEE ALSO: Theo Emery
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Just For Kix
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 4:30 pmBrooks & Dunn’s music is politically universal:
Those watching Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last night (8/28) at the Democratic Convention in Denver might have been surprised to hear Brooks & Dunn’s “Only In America” played after the now-official nominee finished speaking. Especially because the same song, was used during the last election at the Republican Convention.
Kix Brooks offered this following statement, “Seems ironic that the same song Bush used at The Republican Convention last election would be used by Obama and the Democrats now. Very flattering to know our song crossed parties and potentially inspires all Americans.”
I Don’t Think A Veep Tap Was Gonna Help
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 4:26 pmBut Bruce Barry thinks that Mitt Romney’s political career is now done for:
But lost in the understandable attention to the surprise Palin pick is the fact that this effectively nails the coffin of Mitt Romney’s presidential hopes. His feckless high-cost low-yield primary campaign made it clear that the only path that will take him to the Oval Office runs through the vice presidency. With McCain now giving Romney an ignominious brush-off in favor of someone whose public service has mostly involved elective office in a town with a population one-tenth the size of Passaic, New Jersey, it’s time for the Mittman to face reality and move on to his next ideologically vacant ambition.
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Down On CNN
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 4:10 pmTim Chavez chastises CNN for questioning whether Gov. Sarah Palin can properly care for her Downs Syndrome child while Vice-President:
Palin, a mother of five, has a Downs Syndrome child. Her son was born in April. Roberts and his fellow chauvinists immediately questioned the properness and the time she would have to care for her child as VP.
What dunderheads! She has a husband, who also is a father. He can care for the child. And in Palin’s case, it already turns out that he does and with the other children as well.
A Downs Syndrome child is not some alien from another planet. In the child’s first year and more, he or she will mostly be like any other infant. My wife returned to college just six days after having her first child. Should she have stayed home with a non-Downs infant?
That’s not to say there will be a lot of issues Palin and her husband will face soon. But there are many heroic families with Downs children who do incredible things. I know of them, and they are remarkable people.
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The Line Of Succession
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 4:03 pmJohn Carney discusses what may happen to Joe Biden’s Senate seat where the Obama ticket to elevate to the Presidency:
According to Wikipedia, if he is elected to both positions, he would of course decline the Senate seat, and the governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, would appoint someone to serve for the next two years, until a special election. That appointee might be Biden’s son Beau, who introduced his father at the convention this week. But if Beau Biden’s National Guard service in Iraq makes that inappropriate, Wikipedia suggests that the governor might instead appoint whichever candidate loses the Democratic primary for governor next month. There are two candidates, one of whom is the lieutenant governor of Delaware, the honorable John Carney. He’s no relation, but it might make for some fun newspaper headlines, bumper stickers, etc., for me to collect.
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Civil Rights For Nativists
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 3:59 pmMichael Cass reports on the English First folks’ intention to take their fight for ballot access to the federal courts:
Jon Crisp, a former Davidson County Republican Party chairman who is working with Crafton, said a federal suit would be “bigger and more involved” than the one they filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Thursday. It would allege that the election commission violated the Voting Rights Act of 1964.
But attorneys are still doing their homework and might not make a decision until late September, Crisp said.
“We want to make sure we’re on really solid ground,” he said.
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The Race For The General Assembly Is About More Than Some Realize
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 3:56 pmFrom R. Neal:
Former Senator Jim Sasser spoke about the importance of state legislative races. He said if Democrats lose the Tennessee House they could lose Congress because Republicans are planning to redistrict Bart Gordon and Lincoln Davis into the same Congressional district which would eliminate one of two seats currently held by Democrats.
It’s All About The Ratings
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 2:53 pmFrom Live Feed:
Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night was seen by 38.4 million viewers — 57% more than watched John Kerry four years ago — and was the most-watched convention speech ever.
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Attention Walmart Voters
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 2:30 pmTurns out Phil Bredesen wasn’t lying about Obama’s problems with Walmart voters:
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Why Palin And Not Jindal?
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 2:12 pmEve Fairbanks explores the cynicism:
Both Palin and Jindal are young reformers tackling hellaciously corrupt states. Palin is a few years older, but Jindal — who reformed Medicaid in Louisiana, served as an Assistant HHS Secretary, and did several years in Congress — has more experience. Is there any difference between what the two accomplish as v.p. picks, except that Jindal seems modestly stronger and Palin has two X chromosomes?
Mismatch Or A Debate Biden Was Born To Lose
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 2:04 pmKatie Granju asserts that Sarah Palin may be out of her league when she has to debate Joe Biden this fall in the Vice Presidential debate.
I’m not so sure. A gaffe prone Senator accustomed to the old boy’s club of the Senate against a fresh faced young woman? Not entirely a layup for old Joe.
Biden’s style, while formidable, can be somewhat abrasive. Against a woman, Biden will face a labyrinth of potential pitfalls he likely hasn’t often encountered.
Whether it should be this way or not, is a question for another day, but the fact remains that debating a woman in the modern media environment requires a certain skill set. It is a skill set Biden lacks.
Bredesen Thinks He Could Have Taken Down Alexander
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 1:37 pmLast year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tried to persuade him to take on Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Maryville) in this year’s election. Bredesen professes confidence he could have won.
He also thought briefly about running for the open Senate seat two years earlier, before Harold Ford Jr. made his decision, but he opted for reelection instead.
Accustomed to managing, Bredesen isn’t sure he’d be comfortable as a legislator. Then again, former governor Alexander used to say the same thing.
One thing is sure. Bredesen doesn’t plan to retire when he leaves the governor’s office in January 2011. He would consider further public service. And he can also see himself returning to the business world.
While down-playing national ambitions, Bredesen has hinted many times he harbors them. He made several published lists of potential vice presidential candidates over the past year. It’s hardly a secret he’d have jumped at the chance to be Barack Obama’s running mate.
He’s made the most of opportunities for national exposure in his second term. But he’s also taken the attitude that odds of getting on a national ticket are slim, and the best way to improve his chances is to keep his “nose to the grindstone” and do a good job as governor.
SEE ALSO: Jackson Baker
King Willie For Veep
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 1:25 pmI need to know more about the mysterious Sarah Palin before passing judgment. But I thought it would be valuable to put her two whole years of experience into context. She’s the governor of Alaska — a state with a population of 670,000. Her entire state has about as many people as Memphis, Tennessee, the country’s 17th-largest city.
Feminists For Life
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 1:10 pmPalin is a member.
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Palin As The Ultimate Outsider
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:55 pmEnclave sees this as a negative:
Wasilla is just too far outside of Washington to do us any good.
More Palin, More Problems — For A McCain Administration
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:51 pmAunt B. points out that John McCain may have just given manbirth to a potential problem in executing his neoconservative vision for the country if he does get elected:
The interesting thing to me, though, is that she doesn’t seem to be a political insider. And she seems to be kind of a bad-ass. And while it’s true that it’s probably what McCain’s candidacy needs, I do wonder if it’s what McCain’s administration wants. She doesn’t seem like the type to play Washington games (though I could be wrong). She very well may be the maverick McCain wishes he were.
Tina Fey Now Poised For A Return To SNL?
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:47 pmI don’t think Lorne Michaels really has a choice.
Palin’s Sixth Child: The Birth Of The New Republicanism
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:46 pmMcCain, through his need to pick a conservative and a woman, may very well have advanced a woman who is now be poised to lead the new conservatism that must emerge from the chaos of the current Republican Party if the party is to have any type of future. From Ross Douthat:
I’m pretty excited, I have to say. This could, of course, turn out to be an enormous debacle if she isn’t ready for prime time. But for now, Sarah Palin looks like a perfect face for the sort of Republican Party I want to support: She’s a pro-life working mom; she’s tough on corruption and government waste without being a doctrinaire Norquistian on taxes; she’s more supportive of gay rights than the current GOP orthodoxy (while stopping short of backing same-sex marriage); she has a more conservationist record than your typical GOP pol, but supports drilling in ANWR; she’s an evangelical but she isn’t a southern evangelical.
Bredesen To Raise It Up For Ruppe
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:40 pmFrom a presser:
Governor Phil Bredesen will make his first campaign visit into the 12th District on Wednesday, September 3rd for Becky Ruppe.
Bredesen will be making stops in Roane County and will end his trip in East Tennessee by attending a campaign fundraiser in Kingston for the Ruppe for State Senate CampaignThe event will be an intimate get together and will begin at 3pm on Wednesday. Tickets are just $100 per person.
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Lamar On Watershed Sarah
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:28 pmFrom CBS:
“Senator McCain made a bold choice that will provide a strong, balanced alternative to the competition offered by the other side,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). “Once again, Senator McCain has shown the sort of creative leadership and independent thinking that will serve us well in the White House. Every presidential race is one for the history books, but this truly is a watershed moment for our nation.”
Fred Admires McCain’s Taste In Veeps
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:09 pmVia Nathan Moore:
“I am absolutely delighted by this selection. Once again, John McCain has shown that he is an independent thinker who paints in bold strokes. Sarah Palin is a conservative reformer with executive experience who will bring a breath of fresh air to Washington. She will be an ideal running mate for John McCain, and will make a major contribution to our country’s future.”
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Palin On Kudlow
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 11:53 ampermalink | Comment on this post
The Obama Palin Retort
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 11:48 amNice.
Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies — that’s not the change we need, it’s just more of the same.
Does Sarah Palin Believe In Evolution?
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 11:18 amDoesn’t sound like it.
Well Played, Sir
Posted on August 29, 2008 at 11:14 amNathan Moore gives John McCain a golf-clap, not only for his choice of Veep, but the way he unveiled it.
So much for a second day of Obama speech coverage. The McCain campaign has played the veep selection game to perfection - plus, no one had to suffer a cheesy “you’re the first to know” 3am text messages
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