Things About Obama, McCain, Biden, Palin, the Two Parties and The Mainstream Media That Everyone Should Know
"[The Vice Presidential candidate] had had no experience in relations with Britain or Russia...didn't know the right people...[The Vice Presidential candidate] didn't know [the] Secretary of State, more than to say hello. [The Vice Presidential candidate] had no background in foreign policy, no expert or experienced advisors...to call upon for help."
A liberal/Democrat media source, pundit or politician speaking about Sarah Palin?
"To many, it was...that the least of elected officials--ar at any rate the least likely of them--[would] assume the President's place upon his death."
No. David McCullough, biographer of Democrat Harry S. Truman. While those quotes were of Truman after Roosevelt's death, it is clear that, since McCullough further documents how "unprepared, bewildered" Truman remained throughout his Vice Presidency, it is obvious that he was so before becoming Vice President."You could argue that nobody is ready to be president. I certainly learned a lot about the job in the first year. You can argue that even if you've been vice president for eight years, that no one can be fully ready for the pressures of the office. And that everyone learns something, and something different. You could argue that. "
A Republican talking about Sarah Palin?
No. Bill Clinton, giving Obama a "pass" on the experience issue, when Clinton was pressed to endorse Obama's readiness to be President.
(from The Wall Street Journal article, "Palin and the 'Experience' Canard")- It just keeps getting worse and worse: "Obama supporters go negative--on a baby: Trig Palin"
- And worse and worse still (hear it on YouTube):
Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus...Pontius Pilate was a governor.
~ Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., on the floor of the U.S. House - "MAJOR" LEGISLATION "WRITTEN" BY OBAMA? No.
Two Laws, Naming a Post Office and Promoting Relief and Democracy for the Congo? Yes.
This was posted by a commenter to a story about Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson:Posted by: Neon at September 13, 2008
This is the response:
Just because McCain repeats it frequently does not mean that Obama hasn't written any legislation. He was sponsor of 136 bills in the US senate and cosponsor of 619 other bills. This includes the Coburn-Obama Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency act of 2006 which was a major ethics reform bill. That doesn't include any amendments or committee work. His Illinois senate seat had more constituents than the whole state of Alaska.
For a complete list of his sponsored bills go here (http://tinyurl.com/6nzbg4)
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 didn't go by their names, and it was sponsored by only Coburn (with 47 other cosponsors including Obama and McCain) or "by Senator Tom Coburn, for himself and Senators Barack Obama, Tom Carper and John McCain" equally, depending on which source you consider objective and accurate.
It didn't create the requirement for accountability/transparency; that already existed. Its sole purpose was to "ensure the existence and operation of a single searchable website, accessible by the public at no cost to access" for federal funding info.
That law only created a website. That's it. Valuable, yes. Groundbreaking and major? No.
Obama hasn't written any MAJOR legislation in D.C., period.
Factcheck.org claims he "was instrumental" in crafting the "Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007" but so far as I can find, Obama didn't even cosponsor it, and only Harry Reid was the main sponsor.
Being cosponsor of that many bills is really not saying much. They all cosponsor tons of bills. It's tagalong time for them all. A lot like signing a petition, for you or me.
Also, please provide your objective sources that Obama sponsored 136 bills, with a list please, or even a few names of the bills that passed into law. I'd really like to see them. Because remember, if they don't at least become law, they're really not noteworthy, never mind "major."
Anyone can "lift" selective quotes or "facts" from Wikipedia alone. If I did that, I might have lifted this, from that tinyurl link which directs us to Wikipedia here which cites FactCheck.org which in turn cites the definitive THOMAS site documenting the Library of Congress:An accurate comparison would have included only the bills Obama has sponsored that have been signed into law. Obama has had just two in his three years:[1]
- I'd really love to get to the bottom of "McCain only spent 15 minutes meeting with Palin before choosing her."
I know there was lots of speech-film reviewing of Palin, but by whom, McCain and/or his team? How much time did JM and SP spend talking on the phone prior to the nod? My guess is they spent a lot of that time, over months.
I know from extensive personal experience in my "day-job" for over 15 years that, when done right and in depth, I have interviewed, recommended and successfully placed half-a-million-dollar candidates in CxO executive positions with my client companies, without ever having met them face-to-face, and only by multiple, extensive phone interviews and discussions, plus references.
If you truly hit upon "that right person", it is most definitely not necessary to meet them in person at all. Some of my closest, most important placed executives and business references are men and women whom I have never met or met only once. Yet they have unequivocally and wholeheartedly recommended me and my contributions to everyone who has ever asked.
I've queried Factcheck.org to explore just exactly the kinds and quantities of communications McCain and camp engaged in with Palin and her references prior to her being chosen.
The "only 15 minutes" story that even respected maintream media are lobbing around truly sounds like total bunk to me. - "Palin did NOT demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library."
- "Palin has NOT pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska's schools."
[Just this very week, this bunk is still spoon-fed to the liberal masses by people including uber-liberal-feminist Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (who tries to propagate several of these urban legends), The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, actor Matt Damon by way of The Washington Post (oh, then, of course it must be true!), Judge Judy, Froma Harrop of The Providence Journal, Bob Herbert of The New York Times, Andrea Cornell Sarvady of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Is it any wonder we get so much flack when we point out the fact that the mainstream media is so liberally-biased?] - "Palin NEVER endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president."
["Footnote from FactCheck.org: At least one Obama spokesman has repeated an allegation that we debunked in our story, that Palin was a supporter of Pat Buchanan. However, the Obama campaign was not the originator of the claim." The Miami Herald reported August 30, 2008: "Palin was a supporter of [MSNBC analyst] Pat Buchanan, a right-winger or as many Jews call him: a Nazi sympathizer,'' Obama spokesman Mark Bubriski wrote in an email."] - "Palin did NOT cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent."
- "She was NEVER a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States."
Those five slimes were circulated by a staunch Democrat. - FactCheck.org on Obama's Speech: "He stuck to the facts, except when he stretched them." It sounds like more than "stretching" when FactCheck uses phrases including "That's wrong", "twisted McCain’s words", "isn't correct", "This is misleading", "Obama gave only half the story" and shows that Obama generally omits several other important facts from his speech.
- FactCheck.org on Palin, Giuliani and Huckabee Speeches.
- FactCheck.org on McCain's Speech.
Bottom line is: everyone's got some things wrong. - "Obama's own record of supporting Bush policies has averaged slightly under 41 percent since the senator took office."
- Obama told CNN's Anderson Cooper his executive management experience--running his campaign--compared more favorably to Governor Palin's mayoral experience, not her gubernatorial experience. Here's how it really stacks up:
EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE PALIN OBAMA * PALIN B. CLINTON, 1992 WASILLA CAMPAIGN ALASKA ARKANSAS Employees 50 2,500 16,000 full-time unk Budget PER MONTH $1 million $36 million $1.27 Billion $167 million
Above facts from various news sources including The Wall Street Journal, along with this fact Obama ignored:* And Mr. Obama is not running his campaign's day-to-day operation. His manager, David Plouffe, assisted by others, makes the decisions about the $335 million the campaign has spent. Even if Mr. Obama is his own campaign manager, does that qualify him for president?
- EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE - PART TWO
Thad Beyle, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina, has maintained an index of "institutional powers" in state offices. He rates governorships on potential length of service, budgetary and appointment authority, veto power and other factors:2007 State Office Power Rating Index, on a scale of 5 as highest ALASKA 4.1 NATIONAL AVERAGE 3.5 CALIFORNIA 3.2 VERMONT 2.5 ("remember Howard Dean") In Alaska, the Governor has line-item veto power over the budget and can only be overridden by a three-quarters majority of the Legislature. In 1992, the year Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton was elected President, his state budget was $2 billion and among the smallest in the country. Compared to that, Sarah Palin is an executive giant.
- EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE - PART THREE:
They appreciate the irony of one question they've heard nonstop this week: Is this person qualified to be president? If the initial response is silence, don't worry. They're not dodging the question. They're stunned speechless. They can't believe the wailing and gnashing of teeth over Palin's resume when their own concerns about a certain presidential candidate were dismissed for so long. When they do answer, expect them to highlight the executive years of their No. 2 vs. the Democrats' No. 1. For them, one can't be talked about without the other.
~ Kevin Ferris, commentary page editor, The Philadelphia Inquirer - GENDER BENDERING:
Regarding [The Connecticut Post's] editorial "The Beltway Boys" (Sept. 3): I have been a feminist for almost 40 years. I have been a staunch supporter of abortion rights since the 1970s and have admired Hillary Clinton throughout her political life. I am outraged by the sexist media treatment of Sarah Palin, and am appalled that other feminists have not decried this conduct.
Why didn't anyone ask Mr. Biden to stay home and care for his young, motherless sons rather than take his seat in the U.S. Senate? Apparently, I am going against the trend because I am a pro-choice Hillary supporter who will be voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin in November.
Elizabeth Bobe Barron
Panama City, Fla.Ms. Kay and Ms. Shipman [authors of this article questioning Sarah Palin's ability to "do it all well" and asking "why is she doing it?"] write that "It is not sexist to have this conversation. It is sexist not to." They are completely wrong. When did anyone question John Edwards' run for the presidency when he had two young children and a terminally ill wife? No one ever questioned how he would juggle his home life and familial demands with truly the most inflexible job.
And from the same edition:
Shiela Yessenow
Schereville, Ind. (letter to the editor of The Wall Street Journal, Sept.10, 2008Where were these two women, and others like them, when Hillary Clinton was running for senator (with truly no experience) or when Nancy Pelosi was named Speaker of the House?"
Erik Dahl
Bethesda, Md.Lisa Burns, Quinnipiac associate professor of media studies [and] an expert on media coverage of first ladies, [said]: "It's true that women candidates are judged differently than men... The question was, with five children, including an infant, when will [Palin] find time to run for vice president...When you have a male candidate, you don't get that question."
Jennifer Sacco, assistant professor of political science at Quinnipiac University in Hamden...agreed: "If she were a man, would people question what his priorities were? "Rebecca Johnson: 'I am a liberal, but I'm blown away by Sarah Palin':
My liberal friends were outraged when rumours about Barack Obama attending a Madrassa or being a Muslim surfaced on the internet, but all week they have been gleefully trading emails of Sarah Palin distortions.
There was the doctored picture of her carrying a rifle, wearing a stars-and-stripes bikini while a man in the background drank Schlitz beer. Or dopey quotes about God, creationism and moose, all of which have been subsequently debunked.
...
It's no wonder the latest Washington Post poll shows an unprecedented shift of 20 points among white women towards McCain since he announced Palin as his running mate. Times are hard and getting harder.
...
We should celebrate what is groundbreaking about Sarah Palin: a card-carrying member of Feminists for Life is a big step forward from Housewives for Life. And then we should talk about the issues. - MORE VIEWERS WATCHED MCCAIN THAN OBAMA, AND #2 PALIN'S VIEWERS ALMOST BESTED #1 OBAMA'S:
SOURCES: Nielsen: "Coverage of day three of the GOP convention drew a large female audience (19.5 million) — 5.2 million more women than tuned in for day two of the Democratic convention, when Hillary Clinton addressed the delegates, and 6.9 million more women than watched Joe Biden accept the Democrats' vice presidential nomination."MILLIONS OF VIEWERS OF CONVENTION SPEECHES PALIN OBAMA MCCAIN BIDEN HILLARY 37.2 38.4 38.9 24 26
"Gov. Palin's numbers are comprised of viewers on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC. The Democratic convention was covered by two additional networks that aren’t airing the Republican convention: TV One and BET." - EARMARKS REQUESTED: PALIN VS. OBAMA (then "add" to that the earmarks McCain doesn't ask for)
EARMARKS PALIN OBAMA Year 1 $550 Million Avg. $312 Million Year 2 $198 Million Avg. $313 Million Year 3 not applicable $311 Million 2-Year Total $748 Million $625 Million 3-Year Total at recent rate, would be $946 Million $936 Million Current Yearly Avg. $374 Million $312 Million Projected 5-Year Total if continued at most recent rate $1.34 BILLION $1.56 BILLION Mrs. Palin did seek earmarks as Wasilla's mayor. But as governor, she ratcheted down the state's requests for federal dollars, telling the legislature last year Alaska "cannot and must not rely so heavily on federal government earmarks." Her budget chief directed state agencies to reduce earmark requests to only "the most compelling needs" with "a strong national purpose," explaining to reporters "we really want to skinny it down."
The state government's earmark requests to Congress in her first year in office exceeded $550 million, more than $800 per resident. But there's only so much Palin could do with state bureaucrats used to a free-flowing spigot of federal dollars from Washington."
My common-woman advice to Palin on addressing the "bridge to nowhere" early support then later non-support: Say to the media "When you the media finally, officially hold Obama accountable for his 15 flip-flops, then you can fault me for this one!" - McCain didn't make the same "lipstick on pig" comment about Hillary but rather about her universal healthcare plans. See it for yourself on YouTube in not one but two speeches.
There are indeed many on the liberal side (just google this string: "lipstick on pig mccain hillary -obama") who are deadset convinced that McCain called Hillary herself "a pig with lipstick". The liberals got all incensed thinking this when McCain said it, though they were totally wrong. Now those on the right are getting all incensed, though they are wrong too, and yet the liberals attack back for the same misguided outrage they still cling to?? Come on! Perhaps liberals ought to calm down a little first and set a good example for us conservatives? By the end, Democrats knew they had been dinged, and badly. After the speech they descended on cable news en masse with the dart-eyed, moist-browed look of the operative who doesn't believe his talking points. They seemed like they were thinking, "I've seen this movie before and it doesn't end well." Actually they haven't seen it before in that Palin is something new, but they have seen it before in terms of what she said.
This is exactly, to the letter, what I was thinking Chris Matthews looked like immediately after Palin's speech when he was asked, live on camera, what he thought. And others have ably observed Matthews' and other Obama-lover news folks' "sounded shell-shocked" reactions.
Listen to the actual commentary (or click the video below), staying tuned for the later part. Note the deep frown and furrowed brow of Matthews' face as he begrudgingly admits Palin's speech and demeanor were "very appealing...very strong." Matthews is not seen in the early part of this video, but when he does appear on camera, he truly looks like a deer caught in the headlights. There's a look of "oh, sh**" confusion in his eyes. Almost fear. He's truly stunned.
His comments, when selectively quoted in black and white, appeared negative, but here is the entire transcript for context:MATTHEWS: Well, I have to say that I was completely surprised by what I saw. I thought that, in selecting the governor of Alaska, they were offering up to the working women of the country who liked Hillary Clinton an alternative to Hillary Clinton.
[Ed.Note: Perhaps it has finally dawned on Matthews et. al. that that isn't what the GOP was offering up after all.]
At no time during her entire presentation did I think of Hillary Clinton. They have nothing in common.
What she did was offer a rejoinder to Barack Obama personally in his comments about bitterness and small town America, about religion especially. She offered a rejoinder to Michelle Obama in her [Palin's] pride, her relentless pride in America.
She is a torpedo aimed directly at the ship of Barack and Michelle Obama. That's what she is. She's an alternative to them. This is not an alternative to Hillary. This is a cultural alternative to Obama and his proposed first lady. This is a very direct cultural shot.
We will see how it works out. It has nothing to do with Hillary Clinton.
OLBERMANN: Agreed, and a great point.
There's a -- there's a series of strongly worded phrases in there, some might call them insults. There was a lot of sarcasm. And there even, if not -- it wasn't bitterness -- that's not the term I'm looking for -- any condescension in there towards Obama is -- and the Democrats and Joe Biden and the rest of them, is that -- is that the right tone? Is that a - - a tool to be used outside of that convention hall, Chris?
[Ed.Note: "Condescension is an interesting word. Here’s a woman who was belittled for being a small-town mayor by a guy who described small-town people as clinging to their guns and religion because they’re bitter. And yet, when she hits him back, she’s the condescending one."]
MATTHEWS: Well, she posed it as a response to an attack, as if she were playing defense, very much in the way that Barack Obama did in his presentation last week. It was in response to an attack.
She was defending small-town America, in a way that -- that it was very -- very affecting, I think. I think it was a very appealing presentation. I think people will like her.
I have been speaking for weeks now about a Norma Rae America, these small-town working people, working women, who have to stand up against factory owners and bosses and maybe sometimes husbands. I think she had a certain way about her that made that a -- very appealing, that she was standing up for -- for her, for herself and her family.
I -- I found it very appealing. But, again, it has nothing to do with Hillary Clinton. It had to do with a cultural challenge to Barack Obama, very strong...... very strong, about bitterness in small-town America and about pride in America from the time of birth, very strong.
OTHER NEWS FOLKS' COMMENTS:
NORAH O`DONNELL, NBC CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: There`s no doubt this woman is tough. She nailed this speech. But, at times, it was sarcastic.
[Ed.Note: and Obama doesn't use sarcasm occasionally?]
MATTHEWS: OK. The last word, is this the first time a candidate for vice president of the United States has ever said: "We met in high school and two decades and five children, he`s still my guy"? I think that was a winner. A lot of guys like to hear women say that. They like women to like us.- Sarah Palin and the Anti-Semitic Accusation:
The latest smear is an attempt to paint Palin as an anti-Semite. Two weeks ago, the executive director of a group called Jews for Jesus spoke at Palin’s church. Her pastor says she was in church that day. The guest speaker made some controversial comments and insinuated that the conflict in the Middle East is attributable to God’s “judgment of unbelief.” So, just to be clear: This was a guest speaker, not a man that Palin sought out, befriended, and received spiritual guidance from for over 20 years.
"Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me."
~ Senator Biden, responding to a question at a town hall-style meeting at Nashua Community College, New Hampshire, Sept. 10, 2008
posted by Annie at 9:42 PM
