Sarah! II

My definition of feminism: When incompetent and/or corrupt women have equal opportunity to incompetent and/or corrupt men.

So saith Andrew Sullivan:

— Stevens and Young, redux. She has distanced herself from the state’s two most popular politicians, but both appeared at Palin fundraisers during her 2006 gubernatorial bid.

— The environment. As governor, Palin vetoed wind power and clean coal projects, including a 50-megawatt wind arm on Fire Island and a clean coal facility in Healy that had been mired in a dispute between local and state governments.

— And, maybe, censorship. According to the Frontiersman newspaper, Wasilla’s library director Mary Ellen Emmons said that "Palin asked her outright if she could live with censorship of library books.” Palin later dismissed the conversation as a “rhetorical” exercise.

So one tenth of her campaign financing in 2002 was from oil company bosses, she's being investigated by her own legislature for a scandal where she appointed a sexual harasser, she vetoed wind and clean coal energy projects, and wanted to impose Christianist censorship on public libraries. I mean: did anyone even vet her?

Palin's Web Site

was scrubbed of this timely little reminder of how politics in Alaska works. But we, the progressive blogosphere, know how to find things.
Should remind you, Stevens is under federal indictment — seven counts — for accepting "gifts" from oil interests. Essentially, they built him a new house.

UPDATE: Oops, I must have been nodding out. Meant to a link to video of Sen. Ted Stevens speaking for Palin during her campaign for governor. Take my word for it.

Obama Bio Video From Last Night

McCain's Base

Oh, and PUMAs.

Sarah!

Will McGrumpy

call Sarah Palin a *c* word, too, like he did his wife?
Oh, and as Talking Points Memo reminds us, she comes with her own scandal.

I don't have anything against Sarah Palin except for the usual bias against pro-lifers and other conservative crazy thinking.

The Heaths were avid outdoors enthusiasts; Sarah and her father would sometimes wake at 3 a.m. to hunt moose before school, and the family regularly ran 5k and 10k races.[

Post-Speech Comment O' Teh Day

from jeanrenior at Huffpo:

The original smart call on Obama was David Brooks' column starting off with "What saps the Republicans have been about Obama," then going on to argue that the saps had bought his "Obambi" image, just as wanted them too, to set them up for the surprise of discovering they're actually in a fight to the death with a real Chicago political street fighter. I say this all in praise of Brooks, though Brooks himself acted as if Obama had somehow fallen from grace when Brooks figured this out himself. More power TO Obama for sucking his opponents in, until they foolishly commit themselves with his trap and get cut to pieces. The Democrats haven't had this kind of fighter since JFK's machine, which was also centered on Chicago politics, where Daley no doubt stole the election from Nixon in the clutch. Thank God. Clinton, Carville, and crew were pikers compared to Obama and Axelrod at political warfare. You have to feel a little sorry for poor McCain. He's way too old for this fight, and he was never smart enough for it at any age.

Namecalling 101

McP.O.Dubya

Some Advice from Another Contrarienne

Her name is Theda Skocpol
for all of it go here

It is time for all of us -- professional experts and commentators, too -- to cease self-importance (listen up, Carville) or distanced and pallid commentary (that means you Harold Ford and Mark Shields) and join the fight of our lives. This election matters like only a few others in the history of the United States. Our nation will either move forward, or fall down very far -- think of what it will mean in and about America if we cannot grasp the bright potential Obama's candidacy embodies! The battlefield has been set, and all of us should network, speak, write, give money, and do whatever we can to achieve the November victories for Obama/Biden and Democrats all down the ticket that offer the opening wedge toward a better tomorrow.

Funny

First known picture of Michael Phelps

(Hat tip to  this guy.

About That Schweitzer Speech

He adlibbed it, refusing to give the speech vetted by the Obama campaign. And he excited people, the way he'd planned. Obama's people need to learn from this. They didn't control the Big Dog either, and he was great.

Vote for This Contrarienne's Recipe

and help her win money and CHEESE!

Remember August 29, 2005?

Waiting for Convention

Today's the day, 45 years to the day MLK gave the Dream speech. NPR had a short piece this morning on the history of that speech. Apparently King abandoned his prepared text about halfway through and, at the urging of Mahalia Jackson who was standing behind him saying "tell them about the dream, Martin," did so.
It's a grey day here, and misty. Talk is that Hurricane Gustav might interfere with Republican plans for Monday. Somebody thinks McCain will choose Condi. How can you have a vice president who can never leave the country for fear of being taken into custody and tried for war crimes? Come to think of it, why hasn't that happened yet?

Anyway, here's a little early morning reading from the Wapo. Nugget:

Committee chairmen have been advised to steer clear of troop withdrawal legislation until the spring, to give Obama time to mobilize a diplomatic offensive and get the Iraqi government and its neighbors more involved in maintaining regional stability.

In tandem with that challenge, the prospect of defeat on an issue as big as universal health insurance is already kindling memories of 1994. Some Democrats argue that Obama should start with universal health insurance for children and a federally backed catastrophic health insurance fund that would lower the costs of traditional insurance policies and take the pressure off businesses tempted to drop employee coverage.

Clooney and Swinton

together again!

Picture O' Teh Day

from the floor of the DLC.

Poll Workers Needed

Sign up here. I like these Credo people, I'd switch to their cellphones if I didn't live in a black hole.

Hillary's Face

gets a close analysis at a wonderful new Web site called In Your Face.

Comment O' Teh Day

from jsterets over at Huffpo.

We're talking about a University of Chicago progressive. Of course Obama never had any intention of running against Wall Street like he runs against Big Oil. Markets work, in Obama's view, but it's government's responsibility -- not the markets' -- to promote an equitable distribution of wealth. He's a free market redistributionist, which is why Warren Buffet likes him so much.

As for the MIC, I think Obama will move us left on missile defense and nuclear disarmament. I think he'll cut from the Pentagon and perhaps invest a little more in the CIA and FBI. We'll shift from force projection and counterinsurgency to intelligence and co-option. It will be a cheaper, less troop-intensive force with hopefully less weapons system pork.

I think it's a bit of a stretch to think Obama's law school teaching position puts him into the econ. dept's fold, although he does have that Gosbee guy as an advisor, and he's a U of C economist.
But the second part of the comment bears watching.
Too inside baseball for ya?

Post-Convention Organizing

starts this weekend, and here's where to find an event near you.