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Sat Oct 18, 8:01 PM Pacific
175,000!
Wow. First a 100,000 person rally in St. Louis. And then a 75,000 person rally in Kansas City. icebergslim has got the photos.
Sat Oct 18, 6:20 PM Pacific
Real America Is All America
A YouTube posted by the Obama campaign nearly one year ago:
Sat Oct 18, 4:19 PM Pacific
John McCain's New Map
Also, the WaPo notes that today McCain was campaigning in "fake" Virginia:
Sen. John McCain headlined a boisterous outdoor rally in Woodbridge, Va., today, while his campaign took heat for suggesting the populous region was not part of "real Virginia."
Sat Oct 18, 2:53 PM Pacific
If Powell Endorses Obama...
...then this will be a great talking point:
Powell knows McCain far better than Obama and gave $2,300 to his then-struggling primary campaign in August 2007.
Sat Oct 18, 2:36 PM Pacific
McCain's Hooligans
Jonathan Martin reports how McCain supporters greeted CNN's Ed Henry today in "fake" Virginia:
"CNN sucks!," yelled one voter at Henry. "Communists go home," shouted another"
At one point, Henry was hit with a flying pack of chewing gum.
Sat Oct 18, 2:04 PM Pacific
Not In McCain's "Real" America
Political reporters are paying attention to the McCain campaign's assertion that northern Virginia isn't "real" Virginia:
- Politico's Ben Smith: Fake Virginia
- Politico's Jonathan Martin: McCain adviser: Northern Va not the "real Virginia."
- ABC's Jake Tapper: McCain Adviser Says Northern Virginia Not "Real" Virginia
- AP: McCain aide says he's strong in 'real' Virginia
- TIME's Swampland: Interesting Strategy
- NBC's Carrie Dann for First Read: Will The Real Virginia Please Stand Up?
Sat Oct 18, 12:16 PM Pacific
100,000 For Change In Missouri
The biggest crowd in Missouri's history shows up to hear Barack Obama and his message of change. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has photos here and blogged it here.
Sat Oct 18, 11:20 AM Pacific
McCain Campaign: "Real Virginia" Is "Southern In Nature"
There is no level of desperation to which the flailing McCain campaign will not stoop. It is now their official position that the suburbs of our nation's capitol, home to millions of Americans, are not "real" because they aren't "Southern in nature."
Here's McCain spokesman Nancy Pfotenhauer making the campaign's views clear on MSNBC earlier this morning:
Sat Oct 18, 2:23 AM Pacific
Countdown To Change: 17 Days
In just two and a half weeks, this campaign will come to an end and the American public will render a final verdict on the Bush presidency.
There's really no question what that verdict will be. Whether it's health care and the economy, Iraq and foreign policy, or global warming and energy independence, the fundamental issue of this campaign has always been the same: our nation's desperate need to change course from the disastrous path charted by the Bush Administration.
Now, as we enter the final stretch of the campaign, Barack Obama is winning because more than any other candidate, he has been able to make the case that he can provide the change we need.
So when you hear another false smear from John McCain or Sarah Palin, all they are trying to do is distract attention from anything that might remind voters that they support the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place.
It's clear that their strategy is failing, just as it's clear that Barack Obama's strategy is succeeding. And because of that, we are now in the closing stages of the countdown to change.
Just seventeen more days.
Sat Oct 18, 1:11 AM Pacific
Digital History
An odd thought just occured to me: Barack Obama will be the first president ever to actively use e-mail.
Fri Oct 17, 9:45 PM Pacific
Salt Lake Tribune Endorses Obama
Another Bush 2004 endorser for Barack Obama.
Update: And another Bush 2004 paper for Barack Obama: The Denver Post.
Fri Oct 17, 8:55 PM Pacific
Why Colin Powell's Endorsement Would Be Important
I don't know if Powell will endorse Barack Obama or not, but it's hard to imagine that he won't endorse somebody during his Sunday appearance on Meet The Press. (Would they really invite him on to say he's undecided?)
Whoever Powell endorses, I doubt that it would sway most of the readers of this site, given what he did to enable the Iraq War. But setting that aside for a moment, the thing that really matters is electing Barack Obama by the widest possible margin, and Colin Powell can play an important role in making that happen.
As FreedomFries pointed out in the comments, the real value of a Powell endorsement is that it would singlehandedly destroy the entire GOP argument against Barack Obama.
It's not just that Powell is a respected figure among political independents and conservatives. It's not just that he's a Republican, and it's not just that Powell is as mainstream as you can get.
It's that if the GOP caricature of Barack Obama were true, Colin Powell would never endorse him. Given the dynamics of our discourse, on questions of patriotism, Powell is about as good a character witness as you can get.
So with that all being said, I predict that one of two things will happen. Either (a) Powell will endorse McCain, and the GOP attacks on Obama will intensify; or (b) Powell will endorse Obama, and the GOP will be forced to destroy Powell before they can touch Obama.
Whatever happens, it won't change my opinion of Barack Obama, nor should it change yours. But if Powell does do the right thing and endorse Obama, he's going to be creating one hell of a political problem for John McCain.
Fri Oct 17, 6:18 PM Pacific
Media Bias At TJR
Every day or two, I get an e-mail accusing me of being biased against conservatives. They are usually fairly entertaining, but this one was one of the best I've ever received:
Jed,
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR LEFT WING SPIN ON CURRENT EVENTS. JUST GOES TO SHOW WHY NBC AND THE LIKES OF YOU CONTINUE YOUR DOWNWARD POPULARITY. I'M A REGISTERED DEMOCRAT BUT OPEN MINDED ENOUGH TO SEE WHY PEOPLE HAVE SO LITTLE TRUST IN THE MEDIA. MY GOD MAN WHY DON'T YOU JUST PROCLAIM IT BEFORE EACH NEWS STORY AND AT LEAST GIVE THOSE WHO SUPPORT YOUR VIEWS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW YOUR DAILY DOSE OF HALF TRUTHS EACH DAY. YOUR A DIGRACE TO A MEDIA WHO'S JOB IS TO REPORT AND LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE. FOR YOUR SAKE YOU AND THE MAJORITY OF THE MEDIA LEFT AND RIGHT HAD BETTER HOPE THE BRAIN DEAD AMERICANS WHO FOLLOW YOUR TRASH NOT AWAKEN TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES FOR WHEN THEY DO YOU AND THOSE LIKE YOU WILL SURELY BE LOOKING FOR ANOTHER LINE OF WORK.
Hah!
Fri Oct 17, 5:56 PM Pacific
Faux Joe
So the GOP organizes an "I Am Joe" rally to show how they are in solidarity with blue collar America. They dress up in overalls and everything. But it turns out that the leaders of the rally are...the head of the College Republicans, and some guy from Australia. FireDogLake, on the other hand, actually has some real "Joes the plumber."
And don't forget the most important point: under Barack Obama the actual Plumber Joe would get a tax cut. Under John McCain, he wouldn't. There's no question about it: even Joe admits Obama would cut his taxes.
Fri Oct 17, 4:01 PM Pacific
GOP Rep. Rants Against 'Anti-American' Forces In Congress
Is it just me, or does Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (MN-06) seem totally paranoid? Not only is she "absolutely" concerned that Barack Obama has "anti-American views," she thinks there needs to be an inquiry into whether or not there are anti-American members of Congress.
Update (4:19PM): Here's a link to the ActBlue fundraising page of Bachmann's general election opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg.
Fri Oct 17, 2:33 PM Pacific
Joe Biden Stands Up To Sarah Palin: We All Love This Country
Joe Biden responds to Sarah Palin's boast that she enjoys campaigning in the "pro-American" parts of this country:
Fri Oct 17, 1:01 PM Pacific
Making History
For the first time in the 161 year history of the Chicago Tribune, the paper has endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee: Barack Obama.
Update (1:09PM): Conservative radio talk show host Michael Smerconish joins the O-Train to victory and change.
Fri Oct 17, 12:01 PM Pacific
Obama Slams McCain's Radical Health Care Agenda
Obama in Roanoke, VA earlier today, going after John McCain's radical health care agenda, including his plan to slash Medicare and tax health care benefits for the first time ever. Obama's bottom-line: "Every single American has a right to affordable, accessible health care."
Fri Oct 17, 11:22 AM Pacific
Palin: I Love To Visit "Pro-America" Parts Of Country
The Washington Post reports on another strange Palin statement made at a North Carolina fundraiser:
Palin also made a point of mentioning that she loved to visit the "pro-America" areas of the country, of which North Carolina is one. No word on which states she views as unpatriotic.
The statement is obnoxious enough on its own, but when you consider the unanswered questions about her support for the pro-secessionist Alaskan Independence Party, it's a downright bizarre thing for her to say.
Remember, Sarah Palin still hasn't explained why she palled around with secessionists:
Fri Oct 17, 10:27 AM Pacific
SCOTUS Deals Blow To GOP Vote Supression Agenda
The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a decision by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals from earlier this week. The appeals court decision had been in support of a vote suppresion plan by the GOP; the SCOTUS decision vacates that ruling, and will ensure newly registered voters in the state have an opportunity to cast a ballot in the November election.
Fri Oct 17, 4:14 AM Pacific
Not Better Off
John McCain 4.0 (or is it 4.5?) is now making the argument that we need to elect him because we can't afford another four years like the last eight. He must not think we have much of a memory, because earlier this year -- when he was still leading in the polls -- McCain was eager to tell us that we were actually better off than we were eight years ago. Here's video:
Fri Oct 17, 2:31 AM Pacific
The Geritol Effect
No real analysis here, other than that I'm sick and tired dishonest reporting about the Bradley Effect, which no longer exists -- if it ever did. Maybe it's time to ask: how many folks aren't voting for McCain because he's so old?
And if that strikes reporters as a loaded and unfair questions to ask, well, they are probably right. All I'm saying is this: be consistent, please.
Fri Oct 17, 2:18 AM Pacific
It's FOX "News" Channel vs. The Middle Class
debrazza's post reminded me that I ought to post this follow-up (also posted over at Daily Kos) on FOX has turned itself in the 24-hour ACORN and Ayers network, with updated stats.
Based on a search of closed caption data gathered since Sunday, FNC has mentioned the GOP's favorite issues (ACORN and Ayers) nearly thirty percent more frequently than they mentioned the GOP's least favorite issues, the economy and the middle class.
The numbers are staggering:
- Combined, FNC has mentioned "ACORN" or "Ayers" 1,231 times
- Compare that to 963 references to "economy" or "middle class"
FNC's propaganda puts it out way out on a limb. Combined, MSNBC and CNN have made 798 references to ACORN or Ayers. Remember, that's both networks, combined.
Put another way, FNC has mentioned ACORN or Ayers 50% more often than both of its competitors put together.
Fri Oct 17, 12:49 AM Pacific
Destroying The Fox
Guest post by debrazza
During his speech at the Al Smith dinner last night, Barack Obama once again mocked Fox News, boosting an effort to destroy the power and influence of the conservative media networks, an effort that I consider to be every bit as significant as the destruction of the modern Republican party. As noted by Kos, this continues a theme for the week where Obama mocked Fox during the debate last night and then again in the upcoming New York Times Magazine in an article by Matt Bai. This is also the continuation of a recent theme for the Obama campaign: Robert Gibbs famously ambushed Sean Hannity after the last debate in Nashville, David Plouffe recently called them the "24-hour ACORN channel" and Bill Burton has been all over their network embarrassing them over and over.
Let's consider the strategy of this for a second, because it is really smart. Obama is laying the foundation of delegitimizing Fox as a respectable news network and openly making the case that Democrats and others in the news media have been afraid for so long to say out loud, that Fox News serves the sole purpose of Republican and right wing propaganda. While this may certainly sound like an obvious point to many of us on the left, it is something that has become a bit of a taboo for people to say out loud to mainstream audiences out of fear. For Democrats, the fear is that Fox will train their sights on them and further alienate them from Fox's core Bubba audience. For the rest of the media, it is a well documented fear of the Fox's heavy handed media relations machine that intimindates other journalists from writing critical stories about the network, leaving the only critical voices about the network to come from the left from filmmakers like Robert Greenwald.
The difference with Obama is that he is not afraid of Fox. Given the platform and opportunity to take them on, he is using it, unlike the Democrats on the past. In addition to the candidate and his campaign openly mocking the network, we know that Obama knows no fear of Fox because consistent with his moral code, he let Murdoch and Ailes know he didn't respect them directly to their face as Micheal Wolffe recounted in Vanity Fair.
But beyond Obama allowing Democrats to regain their self esteem, by taking Fox down a notch, the strategy behind this is equally important. This is not just about winning the media war, this is about fundamentally about governing the nation and Obama being true to his word about fundamentally changing our politics. By openly mocking Fox in the manner that Obama does, he is effectively delegitimizing them as a respectable news outlet and giving the rest of the media license to do so as well. This is particularly effective because the Obama campaign, outside of being highly protective of stories about their biographies, do very little to influence the rest of the mainstream media. A stance that has riled some of us and even driven Frank Rich to write an Op-Ed advocating them to take a much more aggressive stance with the media, advising, "What Obama also should have learned by now is that the press is not his friend" and for Paul Krugman to ominously warn that the media will turn on Obama and put his administration under siege 3 months after taking office.
It appears that Obama either already understood this or is taking the advice perfectly. Everything he has done throughout this campaign has been with an eye towards governing. These latest salvos against Fox are no different. With the propaganda arm of the Republican party effectively delegitimized before the election is even over, it will make it much easier for Obama to govern. A lesson he seems to have learned from the Clintons, where Fox put them under siege.
And make no mistake, conservatives in the media understand this as well and it is driving them insane as we see with Michael Barone's recent rant about Obama's "thugocracy" detailing his worry about how effective they have been at delegitimizing fringe conservative critics seeking media attention. The effectiveness of the Obama media strategy however is precisely in the non-aggressive way they interact with the mainstream media. That keeps the media from getting a common sense of disgruntlement that would turn them all against them. The rest of the media are left with the option of defending these fringe lunatics despite the fact that they are treated more respectfully than the current administration, the McCain campaign or the Clinton campaign. And it makes it even harder for them to defend Fox if Obama is out there openly mocking them and exposing their bias and idiocy, particularly since Fox is a competitor and a rather obnoxious one at that. Fox will be waiting a long time if they are looking for defenders among other journalists.
This is just another clear example of the Obama campaigns emphasis on strategy over tactics and governing over campaigning that has been the hallmark of this impressive campaign. Most importantly, it demonstrates in the clearest terms possible that Obama is not interested in winning just so he can govern from a defensive crouch. The boldness of it is remarkable, it shows that Obama is aiming to not only win this election with the largest mandate possible, but to pull the trifecta of destroying the Republican party and their propaganda arm Fox for good measure. What we know about Obama is that his a man fundamentally of his word and when he told us at his victory speech in St. Paul, "I didn't get into race thinking that I could avoid this kind of politics, but I am running for president because this is the time to end it.", I think we can rest assured that he meant it.
Thu Oct 16, 11:39 PM Pacific
Joe The Plumber: Obama's Plan Will Cut My Taxes [new video]
Here's how pathetic McCain's "Joe The Plumber" gambit is: despite the fact that Joe is a raving right-wing loon who thinks McCain is too far to the left, even he admits that Barack Obama's tax cut plan will lower his taxes. Watch as he (reluctantly) rebuts McCain's lies in this mock mini-debate:
Thu Oct 16, 10:10 PM Pacific
McCain Plays Dumb On Gordon Liddy Ties
David Letterman asks John McCain if he's ever attended a fundraiser at G. Gordon Liddy's house, and McCain (who has done that very thing) plays dumb. (Liddy, if you recall, is a convicted felon who has called for shooting Federal agends in the head.)
Update: I've swapped the video out for a longer, better quality video from CBS.
Thu Oct 16, 7:22 PM Pacific
Joe: Obama Would Lower Taxes
Even Joe (reluctantly) admits Obama would lower his taxes. (I'm working on a video related to this that I think is going to be fun.)
Thu Oct 16, 5:45 PM Pacific
NBC Profiles Todd Palin, And It Isn't Pretty
Among the many items of interest in this report: Todd Palin spent 50% of work hours in the governor's office itself. Doesn't that make his membership in the Alaskan Independence Party relevant?
Thu Oct 16, 5:33 PM Pacific
Washington Post Endorses Barack Obama
It won't change anybody's vote, but earlier in the campaign, I never would have expected this to happen.
Thu Oct 16, 4:05 PM Pacific
Joe The Plumber In A McCain Campaign Ad?
You've got to be totally ****ing kidding me! But it's real.
Update: The vetting of Joe The Plumber is like the vetting of Sarah Palin is like the vetting of the Iraq war. These guys are totally ridiculous!
Thu Oct 16, 3:22 PM Pacific
Obama Turns Against FOX
Last night, debrazza mentioned to me how important it was that Obama challenged FOX during last night's debate. I'd planned on writing something about it this afternoon, but kos beat me to it.
I always feel sappy/cheesey saying this, but we are so fortunate to have a nominee that we actually want to win. It's not just about beating McCain: it's about helping Obama win.
Thu Oct 16, 3:19 PM Pacific
Heyo
Please excuse the self-promotion, but it was kind of neat seeing two of my first headlines on Daily Kos posts showing up on MSNBC earlier this afternoon!
Thu Oct 16, 10:04 AM Pacific
Anger Mismanagement
I'm going to be away from the machine for a little while, so while I'm going please enjoy this brief guided tour of John McCain's rage by CNN:
Thu Oct 16, 10:00 AM Pacific
I Lied
I said no more posts on that super lame plumber stunt guy. But he's not a licensed plumber. And I just couldn't resist posting that.
Thu Oct 16, 8:52 AM Pacific
McCain's Lame October Surprise: Joe, The Right-Wing Loon
This will hopefully be the last I have to say about Joe Wurzelbacher, the plumber occupying way too much of our national mindspace this morning, and I'll do it in bullet point format.
- Yes, his taxes would go down under Obama. (He makes less than $250k.)
- No, his taxes would not go up under Obama. (The cost of the firm he's seeking to buy is $250K, not it's annual revenues. Nobody earning less than $250K will have their taxes hiked.)
- No, he's not undecided, and he never was.
- His full legal name appears to be Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher.
- He is a registered Republican and voted in the GOP primary in March.
- His first registration was with the right-wing Natural Law Party (according to a press conference he held earlier this morning).
- Also at his press conference he said that he was sad when he found out he was born in Toledo because it meant he was a "Yankee."
- He's fond of calling Obama a socialist.
- His story about his plumbing firm is not consistent. For starters, he now says the cost of the firm is $250K, which means under Obama's plan he'd get a tax cut.
- He also told Obama that he'd been a plumber for 15 years. He's 34. He also says he has served in the military. So unless he was a military plumber, something doesn't add up.
- He appears to have spent time as a resident of both Arizona and Alaska
- Finally, yes, I'm aware of the speculation that he is related to Charles Keating's son-in-law, Robert M. Wurzelbacher of Cincinnati, Ohio. That Wurzelbacher spent 40 months in prison as part of John McCain's Keating Scandal, but even if they are related, I have trouble believing McCain was aware of the connection.
Thu Oct 16, 2:25 AM Pacific
Joe The Plumber Admits He Wasn't Undecided After All
We don't know much about Joe The Plumber, but we do know this: he made up his mind who he was voting for before last night's debate.
Speaking with Katie Couric, "Joe" said that he "wasn't swayed" by the debate last night, yet pretty much knew who he was going to vote for. So if (a) he wasn't swayed by the debate and (b) knows who he is going to vote for, then (c) he had already made up his mind before the debate.
Here's video:
Unfortunately, the national media has had a field day with Joe, almost universally reporting that he is an uncommitted voter, even though he doesn't make the same claim. He certainly is a nice little story for them, but it's a story they might want to ask some questions about, especially now that they've invited a relative unknown to appear on the morning shows.
For starters, according to Ben Smith, he's not registered to vote. It's hard to believe that this could be the case; it seems likely that there is some sort of clerical error. For example, his name could be mispelled as Worzelbacher instead of Wurzelbacher in the Lucas County file.
(Update: Ben Smith notes that appears to be exactly what happened. 'Joe' appears to be a registered Republican under the name of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher. Also, earlier today at a press conference, Wurzelbacher said he originally registered with the Natural Law Party.)
It also seems odd that he just happens to be buying a business that would earn exactly the amount of money that would qualify it to be a McCain campaign talking point -- $250,000. Even more intriguing, McCain-land said they had never spoken with Joe before, but also made the following statement to Ben Smith:
McCain aides say there was no heads-up for Joe the Plumber, who's headed out to the morning shows tomorrow.
"Joe didn't know" that he'd be at the center of the debate," said Matt McDonald.
"We tried to call him during the debate, but his phone was busy," he said. "We're not going to put him through media training."
So the McCain campaign says they never contacted Joe the Plumber...but they also had his phone number. Now it's very possible someone in the media gave them his phone number, but if you can find any listing for Joe Wurzelbacher in Holland, Ohio, you're more industrious than I am.
The last thing that struck me as odd was that when talking with Katie Couric, Joe was totally on message for McCain (except the part where he said that he had already made up his mind on who he was voting for).
Bottom-line: it's not entirely clear what the real story of Joe The Plumber is. But it is entirely clear that he's not just some undecided voter. He supports McCain, and the McCain campaign sure seems to support him.
This wouldn't be a story worth mentioning if the media wasn't so excited to put him on all the morning shows, but since they are, they have a responsibility to get the story right. So far, there's little indication that they will.
Thu Oct 16, 1:39 AM Pacific
New Obama Ad On The Debate (This One's Funny)
The Obama camp takes aim at McCain's assertion that he's not President Bush. True, he's not Bush...but he voted with him ninety percent of the time.
Wed Oct 15, 10:52 PM Pacific
McCain: Women's "Health" Just A Loophole For More Abortion
He really is crazy:
Wed Oct 15, 9:53 PM Pacific
McCain's Eye Rolls: Raw Video Montage
Here's a clip of about 90 seconds worth of John McCain's condescending, snotty, and childish grimaces, grunts, and eye rolls that turned off so many voters during tonight's debate.
I'm planning on using some of this video to make a shorter, snazzier video, but thought it'd be worth getting the raw video up right away. If you've got any ideas for music or other ways of making the video funny, please share!
Wed Oct 15, 8:03 PM Pacific
Perfect Record: Obama Wins 3 Of 3 Debates
Obama wins in the CNN poll, 58%-31%; wins the CBS poll 53%-22%.
That makes 3 of 3.
Wed Oct 15, 6:58 PM Pacific
Second Open Debate Thread
Post-debate #3: CBS snap poll shows resounding Obama victory, 53-22.
Post-debate #2: CNN panel seems to think that Obama did well towards the end of the debate, when McCain started to lag. Overall, 15 gave the win to Obama, McCain just 10.
Post-debate update #1: FYI -- I'm working on a video now of McCain's reactions to Obama, so I might not be posting much for a little bit.
Original post and update: Obama is sticking to what matters, and correcting McCain's lies. McCain is attacking, avoiding the issues. Here's a funny moment during the debate when McCain got totally befuddled by Obama's refutation of one of his attacks:
Wed Oct 15, 5:54 PM Pacific
Bob Schieffer's Debate Open Thread
Two things to remember:
- The Dow today closed lower today than it has before any presidential debate since 1996.
- Even more telling: the unemployment rate today is higher than it has been before any presidential debate since 1992.
Oh, and I'll add a third. This debate is largely irrelevant, short of a major gaffe. Perhaps it's worth a two or three points in the final margin, and that is significant, but no matter what happens tonight, Barack Obama is winning.
Wed Oct 15, 5:26 PM Pacific
Some (Good) News
Effective today, I'm joining the team at Daily Kos as a contributing editor.
I couldn't be more excited at the opportunity to reach a wider audience, and to work with a group of exceptional individuals. I don't need to tell you the role that Daily Kos has played in changing our political discourse, and I'm lucky to be a part of it.
As for The Jed Report, I'll still be posting here, and nothing much will change other than the logo on my videos and the YouTube channel to which I post them. (Update: The new channel is a Daily Kos channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/DailyKosTV.)
(My earlier post about setting up a new page of headlines and links isn't related to this announcement. I'll offer more comments later, but the bottom line is that I am not going to nuke this blog page; if and when I launch that page, it will be in addition to this one.)
I also want to thank everybody here at TJR. You folks make doing this worthwhile, and I've learned so much from you, and I'm looing forward to learning more in the future.
Wed Oct 15, 4:06 PM Pacific
Bob Schieffer's Debate
Be prepared to dislike Bob Schieffer even more than Tom Brokaw...
Wed Oct 15, 3:53 PM Pacific
Fla. Gov. Crist: GOP may be exaggerating voter fraud
Another Republican unwilling to continue telling lies for John McCain. Don't forget to digg it up! (The digg link in this post is affiliated with the article linked above.)
Wed Oct 15, 3:31 PM Pacific
Take Ya' Jacket Off
LOL...will he do it?
Wed Oct 15, 1:54 PM Pacific
Verizon, AT&T Gave McCain Ranch Cell Towers -- For Free
My friends, I think this qualifies as part of the culture of corruption that we need to change in Washington, DC.
Wed Oct 15, 12:32 PM Pacific
McCain's Farm Team Lies About Aide's Ties To Saddam
When you see the McCain campaign trotting out guys like Ben Porrit to be their spokesman you get the feeling that you're watching a last-place team wrapping up the end of the baseball season, concerned only developing new talent for the next season.
I mean seriously -- he's pinch-hitting for Tucker Bounds, who couldn't hit his own weight in the majors.
I will give Porrit this much: he's learned quickly, lying straight out of the box, just like a good Republican.
Wed Oct 15, 11:33 AM Pacific
Perspective On Tonight's Debate And The Economy
Here's a couple of things to keep in mind tonight when John McCain makes personal attacks to avoid discussing the economy.
Even if the Dow manages to recover its losses for the day, it will close lower today than it did before any presidential debate since 1996.
Even more telling: the unemployment rate today is higher than it has been before any presidential debate since 1992.
Update: Ben Smith takes a look at what's framing the debate:
Could the day's news be worse [f]or McCain? The market is back down, and the rest of the news is about health crises for political figures of his generation.
Wed Oct 15, 10:54 AM Pacific
Out Of Sync (Or Just Out of Stuff In The Sink?)
As John McCain is promising to go back to his discredited and self-destructive Ayers line of attack in tonight's debate, the most active pro-McCain 527 is abandoning it, electing to instead associate Obama with (of all people) Chris Dodd.
Wed Oct 15, 10:39 AM Pacific
I Thought She Could See Russia From Her House?
Seems that Palin can't even track when the Russians are in Alaska to do business with the state:
The campaign of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said the Alaska governor was unaware of a visit by Russian energy officials to Anchorage on Monday.
Wed Oct 15, 9:37 AM Pacific
McCain Debate Prep Video!!!
Here it is...
Wed Oct 15, 4:34 AM Pacific
Requesting Your Feedback
For some time now, I've been interested in creating an extemely simple set of links to newsworthy and intersting stories -- basically, something like Drudge Report without his conservative bias.
At the same time, I'm going to keep on blogging, so figuring out exactly how to accomplish both tasks with one web site is a bit of a challenge.
I've put together a beta of a hybrid solution -- the top of the page is simple links, and if you scroll down, the blog and vodpod are there, just like they are now.
If you have a moment to check the beta out, I'd like to know what you think of it. Specifically, I'm wondering:
- Do you like the layout for the quick links (it should look fairly familiar)?
- Are you interested in the content that I put on that page?
- What do you think of the way the blog is integrated into the beta page?
- Whether or not you like the way I accomplished the integration, do you think I should just keep the pages totally separate, or do you like the idea of one single page that has both the blog and the headlines?
And of course, I'm eager to hear any other thoughts you may have on it. Thanks!
Tue Oct 14, 10:03 PM Pacific
The FOX Propaganda Network By The Numbers
Here's some more data from my SnapStream Server (more on that here). These figures represent the number of mentions of each word or phrase on each channel since Saturday morning (using closed caption data). The numbers speak for themselves -- over the last few days, FOX has mentioned both ACORN and Ayers twice as frequently as CNN and MSNBC combined.
| FOX | CNN | MSNBC | |
| ACORN | 609 | 90 | 30 |
| AYERS | 475 | 222 | 211 |
| ECONOMY | 898 | 903 | 988 |
| ERRATIC | 8 | 52 | 62 |
| MCCAIN | 2,288 | 2,200 | 2,615 |
| MIDDLE CLASS | 113 | 107 | 151 |
| OBAMA | 2,645 | 2,364 | 2,383 |
| VOGLER | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Note that Joe Vogler is the founder of the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party, which Todd joined in 1995 and Sarah Palin addressed earlier this year.
Tue Oct 14, 9:00 PM Pacific
Mocking McCain 4.0 (More Like McCain Rewound)
This was brilliant (now using a YouTube version, I'll replace it with Comedy Central's player when available):
Tue Oct 14, 6:17 PM Pacific
Unethical Behavior From David Gregory
Joe Sudbay catches David Gregory engaging in some seriously unethical behavior: cherry-picking old polls to make it seem as if McCain was leading in some states where he was actually losing. Gregory showed polls from VA and NC, both with McCain leading Obama. Problem is, since the polls Gregory showed, there have been 8 polls conducted in those states, and Obama has led in 7 of those polls (he was tied in the 8th).
Tue Oct 14, 6:00 PM Pacific
ACORN-Mania: FOX vs. The Middle Class
Media Matters notes that FOX News has mentioned ACORN on 342 occasions since Friday. Media Matters uses the tveyes.com service, but I actually get different numbers using a raw feed of the transcript as recorded by my SnapStream Enterprise Server, a fantastically cool product that allows me to record up to 4 channels simultaneously, including live searchability of closed caption data.
Here's the numbers I get (since Saturday):
- FOX: 609 mentions
- CNN: 90 mentions
- MSNBC: 30 mentions
But that only tells part of the story. Look at how infrequently both FOX and CNN discuss the middle class:
- FOX: 113 mentions
- CNN: 107 mentions
- MSNBC: 151 mentions
Here's another way of looking at it:
- FOX mentions ACORN 5.4x more often than "middle class"
- CNN mentions "middle class" 1.2x more often than ACORN
- MSNBC mentions "middle class" 5.0x more often than ACORN
So what is the lesson here? Well, if you're in the middle class, MSNBC should be your channel. If you're a paranoid right-wing freak...by all means, enjoy FOX all you want.
Tue Oct 14, 5:02 PM Pacific
Barack Obama And The Plumbing Business Owner
I was surfing around this afternoon and found this video of Barack Obama explaining to a plumbing business owner why his tax plan (check out the new Obama tax cut calculator) was superior to John McCain's. It's really something to behold: initially, the question was fairly hostile; by the end, although I don't think Barack won the guy's vote, I think he'd managed to ease his concerns dramatically. It's hard to the exchange justice with mere words -- it's a video worth watching:
Tue Oct 14, 4:57 PM Pacific
Needs Another Line Of Attack
John McCain keeps on launching attacks on Barack Obama, and then it turns out that he has the same problem. Take, for example, his attacks on Barack Obama's fundraising machine: turns out he suffers from the exact same compliance issues. As Marc Ambinder reports, McCain's donor database includes entries from fictitious zip codes, anonymous sources, and even donations from China.
Tue Oct 14, 4:30 PM Pacific
(Lots Of) Stuff I Should Have Blogged
Please pardon the dust as I catch up on some of what I missed while wrestling with my server earlier today:
- McCain's transition chief aided Saddam in lobbying effort -- after the first Gulg War.
- Chris Buckley on Hardball to discuss his endorsement of Obama and his resignation from National Review (h/t Genevieve)
- Lilibet Hagel (Chuck Hagel's wife) will be Michelle Obama's guest at tomorrow night's debate.
- They're still shouting "kill him" at Palin mob scenes.
- Anatomy of Eraticism
- The race to become RNC chair is already taking shape, and the focus is already on why they lost.
- McCain promises that he is manly enough to make the false, discredited Ayers attack to Barack Obama's face
- FOX has a new name: It's the 24-hour ACORN channel.
- One-half million early voters in Georgia -- already.
Tue Oct 14, 4:01 PM Pacific
The Problem With Losing
I generally don't post much about polls; with Nate Silver and Sam Wang, the blogosphere has already pretty much got that covered. But between the new 14-point CBS poll and the fact that virtually every other poll shows Obama leading McCain by a wide margin, the polls are now inserting themselves as a major asset for Barack Obama.
It's not just that people like a winner, although that does give a boost to Obama's aura of strength and confidence. And it's not just that it will encourage more Republicans to bail on McCain, although it will.
It's also that every single thing that John McCain does is now viewed through the prism of polling data that shows him to be in a desperate position indeed. It makes everything he does seem more political than it might otherwise appear, and as a result, it means that no matter what he says, his credibility is automatically discounted.
When you combine this dynamic with the fact that McCain's campaign has been thoroughly dishonest since at least this summer, he now faces a nearly impossible task: getting voters to believe anything he says. And if he can't get them to believe him, how can he expect to win their support?
Tue Oct 14, 3:34 PM Pacific
Every Little Bit Matters
At Barath's urging, I've posted an ActBlue thermometer in the side bar to help raise money for candidates in the close Senate races in addition to Barack Obama. The Senate is especially important because if we can manage to get 60 seats, the GOP's ability to thwart progressive legislative intiatives will be decimated. So if you can afford it, please drop a few bucks in the ActBlue jar. (Thanks to Barath for setting it up.)
Tue Oct 14, 2:03 PM Pacific
FYI - Working On Resolving Tech Issues
Update 2:57PM: I think things are back up and mostly normal. Today has been a very heavy day of traffic, and it turns out that my server had been running an old version of Apache in an inefficient manner. After resolving that problem earlier today, my ability to post was nuked. That seems to have been resolved. I'm currently on a phone call (a conference call), but I'll be getting back to posting soon. Sorry for the interruption!
Tue Oct 14, 1:42 AM Pacific
Olbermann On The Crazy McCain Rally Invocation
You have to see it to believe it. The man is a total lunatic -- he is literally telling God that unless McCain wins, God's reputation will be shattered. Who in the world was crazy enough to invite this confused, sick man to a McCain event? Keith O. rightfully gives him a world's worst award.
Tue Oct 14, 1:20 AM Pacific
It Ain't Over Until Adam Nagourney Has Sung
Ad Nogs asks the tough question:
With 23 days, one presidential debate, and countless advertisements, speeches and attacks and counterattacks left to go, could this hugely anticipated race for the White House really be over?
Well, no. It's not over. But will be over before Ad Nogs seems to think. His article -- published on the Oct. 13 -- claims there to be 23 days left in the campaign. That would mean a general election on Wednesday, November 5. To be fair to Ad Nogs, he probably wrote this piece on Oct. 12, and didn't realize that by the time people read it, one day would have elapsed. Sometimes, it's the simplest things.
Anyway, his article is an otherwise boring affair, but every time I get the opportunity to dredge up his analysis of the situation in Iowa in 2004, I take full advantage. So here goes, Ad Nogs just days before John Kerry won and John Edwards finished second:
THE 2004 CAMPAIGN: THE OVERVIEW; CAMPAIGN IN IOWA IS CALLED PIVOTAL AND STILL CLOSE
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: January 11, 2004Eight days before the Iowa caucuses that will start the voting for the Democratic presidential nomination, Howard Dean and Richard A. Gephardt are battling for dominance in what many Democrats describe as the most contested and potentially decisive caucus campaign their party has seen here in 16 years.
...To muddy matters more, Democrats said it has been increasingly clear that any success by Senators Kerry and Edwards at coming in second or third could draw votes from Mr. Gephardt or Dr. Dean, pulling them out of first place. That dynamic has become particularly apparent with Mr. Edwards, who is making a concerted effort to draw votes from Mr. Gephardt, to the concern of Mr. Gephardt's advisers and to the delight of the Dean camp.
In other words, I take most of what Ad Nogs says with a grain of salt.
Mon Oct 13, 10:55 PM Pacific
Michael Barone, Pathological Liar
Michael Barone spreads this lie in the pages of the Washington Times:
Other Obama supporters have threatened critics with criminal prosecution. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Mr. Obama that were "false." I had been under the impression that the Alien and Sedition Acts had gone out of existence in 1801-'02. Not so, apparently, in metropolitan St. Louis.
Notice that Barone fails to cite a source. The reason he cites no source is that there is no credible source for his story.
Neither McCulloch nor Joyce have ever been quoted saying anything remotely similar to what Barone claims. It's a total lie, manafuctured by rightwing bloggers and radio shows, and the fact that Barone spreads it further underscores the fact that he is not a man to be trusted.
Mon Oct 13, 8:31 PM Pacific
McCain To ACORN: You Are 'What Makes America Special'
Marc Ambinder digs up a pretty damning video, given McCain's current line of attack on Barack Obama. In 2006, McCain told members of ACORN, UNITE HERE, SEIU, and PAW that they were "what makes America special."
As Ambinder says:
McCain had no trouble fraternizing with ACORN in 2006 when their political interests coincided with his. Now, his campaign is writing e-mails in his name bashing ACORN as a tool of the Obama machine.
Ben Smith also posted a picture of McCain at the same rally. Here's the video Ambinder posted:
Mon Oct 13, 7:35 PM Pacific
Man Overboard!
To hell with McCain, the Republicans are trying to jump ship from their entire party!
Mon Oct 13, 6:02 PM Pacific
McCain Still Won't Condemn Comparing Obama To Bin Laden
Dana Bash raises the remarks by Virginia's GOP state party chair urging canvassers to tell voters that Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden are both friends of terrorists, and John McCain again refuses to condemn them, instead attacking John Lewis, who had absolutely nothing to do with the issue at hand.
Watch as McCain once again reveals his pathetic inner-self:
Mon Oct 13, 5:07 PM Pacific
Barack Obama's Economic Rescue Plan For Middle Class
Here's video of Barack Obama's speech in Toledo, Ohio from earlier today:
Side note: I've been experimenting with using Google Video so that I can upload videos longer than 10 minutes. By the time this one processed, the Obama campaign had also uploaded a copy of the speech onto YouTube, whcih you can view here.
Mon Oct 13, 4:11 PM Pacific
Abandon Ship!
We've added an RSS feed to the "Republicans Jump Ship" page that I posted about earlier. Also, as you can see on the sidebar, there's a link from the home page along with the most recent additions to the list.
Mon Oct 13, 2:39 PM Pacific
McCain Claims Obama Rally Crowds Call Him Terrorist, Traitor
The man is just a pathological liar. Here's video, from a CNN interview with Dana Bash. (And by the way, Bash gets serious minus points for not challenging McCain on his lie.)
Mon Oct 13, 2:36 PM Pacific
Idiot Fail
Palin chastizes a group of what she thinks are protestors. Problem is...they were actually supporters.
Mon Oct 13, 1:26 PM Pacific
McCain 4.0
That's what CNN's Ed Henry is calling it. Here's video:
Mon Oct 13, 1:11 PM Pacific
Republicans Jump Ship: The Official List
Barath Raghavan and I have collaborated on a new web page dedicated to documenting the collapse of support for John McCain from Republicans and conservatives. So far, we've got 27 examples of Republicans jumping ship and expect the list to rapidly grow.
We'll be rolling out a widget and an RSS feed shortly, but for now, you can check it out at:
We're planning on updating it at least until it becomes superfluous. If you notice any examples that should be added to the list, please e-mail me with "Republican Ship Jumper" in the subject line.
Mon Oct 13, 10:13 AM Pacific
Trapped Himself
Rich Lowry, Sunday evening:
"McCain to unveil new economic plans"
Here. Better late than never.
Today: no new economic plans. I guess the implication of Lowry's Sunday evening post would be something like this: "Worse never than late."
Just goes to show the perils of trying to read McCain's erratic tea leaves.
Mon Oct 13, 9:59 AM Pacific
Dean Smith For Barack Obama
It's nice to see Obama winning the endorsement of legendary UNC basketball coach Dean Smith, and not just because I was born in Chapel Hill. As this Kos diarist notes, Smith is a winner, and as Jason Zengerle notes, John McCain once said of Smith: "Dean Smith is not merely a basketball coach of historic accomplishments. He is also a man of uncommon integrity and decency." True, that. And he supports Obama.
Mon Oct 13, 9:49 AM Pacific
Obama's Economic Plan For The Middle Class
The campaign has posted details here.
Mon Oct 13, 9:40 AM Pacific
More Funny
Palin said of her running mate this morning in Virginia Beach: "Since he won't say it on his own behalf, I'm gonna say it for my running mate here: There is only one man in this race who has ever really fought for you."
Then McCain took the mic and said: "I''ve been fighting for this country since I was 17-years-old and I have the scars to prove it."
Mon Oct 13, 9:30 AM Pacific
Is McCain-Land Calling Kristol An Obama Supporter?
Hilarious -- in the wake of Bill Kristol's self-serving (and history denying) repudiation of the McCain campaign, the McCain campaign is now claiming that Bill Kristol "has bought into the Obama campaign's party line."
Mon Oct 13, 3:45 AM Pacific
Obama To Unveil Economic Rescue Plan For Middle Class
The Obama campaign announces that today at 1.30PM Eastern in Toledo, OH, Barack Obama "will deliver a major policy address to lay out his economic rescue plan for the middle class."
I don't know if it will be broadcast live, but if it is, here's the link.
Mon Oct 13, 12:32 AM Pacific
Desperate Measures For Desperate Times
This is the sound of dishonorable defeat: McCain refuses to condemn the Virginia GOP chairman for telling McCain canvassers that they should compare Obama to Bin Laden when going door-to-door. McCain says he needs "context" first. Video here and in the vodpod. (h/t: Raising Kaine)
Sun Oct 12, 10:51 PM Pacific
Conservatives Blame McCain As Obama Landslide Approaches
Sun Oct 12, 7:02 PM Pacific
The Vote Fraud Fraud
Tom Matzzie has an excellent post over at Huffington Post debunking the the GOP's fraudulent assault on "vote fraud" and ACORN.
Matzzie's overall contention is that the while McCain will lose this election, the GOP is going to try and claim that it was stolen by "community organizers" from "Chicago."
I've got no doubts they will try, but (a) as long as people like Matzzie get the facts out; and (b) we win this election by a large margin, it won't be an issue. Of course, it still is absolute bull that their charade might work in a close election, but hopefully we can just keep that a theoretical injustice.
Here's an excerpt from Matzzie's post:
The facts about ACORN are worth getting out. ACORN is an organization that, among other things, registers low-income people to vote. One of the ways they do this is to hire door-to-door canvassers from the neighborhoods they are working in. This sort of work is tightly regulated. So, when one of the thousands of people they give jobs to doesn't do their work right and brings back bogus or phony voter registration cards, the law REQUIRES that ACORN turn the forms in to the voter registration office. The law, rightly, doesn't want anybody throwing out voter registration forms for any reason.
But ACORN goes a step farther. They have people assigned to do quality control on all the cards--calling people on the forms after they fill them out. When they find bad information on the cards they attach a cover sheet to the card but, as mentioned above, they turn in the cards as required by law. The effect is that a few bad canvassers or a poorly run office will mean that bad cards are submitted as part of the normal process. But ACORN has done everything possible to make sure voting officials know to check the forms.
The sad fact is that in at least one state--Nevada--the voting officials disregarded ACORN's cover sheets flagging the voter registration forms. That should have never happened. The resulting blowup was a scandal in search of a scandal.
The stunning con of this whole thing is the assumption that bad voter registration cards being submitted will lead to vote fraud. If somebody submits a card for Mickey Mouse it isn't like Mr. Mouse is going to show up to vote. There is no voter fraud if nobody votes.
Sun Oct 12, 5:35 PM Pacific
Pathological Liar Watch, Continued
The McCain campaign responds to Tapper's post about Palin's lie regarding the Troopergate report. Their basic argument: the report cleared us because we disagree with its findings. Truly phenomenal.
Sun Oct 12, 4:34 PM Pacific
Pathological Liar Watch - Troopergate Edition
Sarah Palin, talking with Alaska media yesterday (via Jake Tapper):
Well, I'm very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing, any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that.
Um, that's a total lie. The report says:
Finding Number One
For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides
"The legislature reaffirms that each public offer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust."
Andrew Sullivan calls them the odd lies of Sarah Palin. Amen.
Sun Oct 12, 4:22 PM Pacific
Will Annotations Be The End of YouTube's Dominance?
This post has nothing to do with the campaign, at least not directly; it does, however, concern YouTube, which has played a powerful role in the campaign.
You may be aware of a new YouTube feature called "annotations." You may not have yet seen an annotation, but if you have, they are those little gray overlays on YouTube videos, typically urging you to visit a website, to subscribe to the channel of whoever posted video, or just to another watch video.
In my view, these annotations are just about the video equivalent of the <BLINK> tag. I say just about because when used sparingly, they can serve a valuable purpose. But almost every time that I've seen them used, they have been overdone, and really do kill the video experience.
In addition to being garish, annotations also present another problem: bait-n-switch. For example (hyopethically speaking), if I'm a blogger and I embed a YouTube video, the person who posted that video can decide to add annotations after I embed the video; those annotations might drive traffic away from my blog, or they might contain messages that I don't want to see on my blog.
In other words, once you embed the video, the video can change; the implication of this is that you are going to be reluctant to embed videos from unknown providers. (I know that I already am.) When you know what you're going to get, there's no such reluctance; but when you don't know what you're going to get, there is such reluctance.
I suppose YouTube could get around this problem by offering embedders a way to turn off annotations. This strikes me as a mandatory feature, in fact. But it is sort of odd that YouTube would release a new feature -- annotations -- which most embedders are going to want to disable.
I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that one of two things will happen:
- YouTube will publicize a mechanism to allow embedders to turn off annotations (I'm sure there is a hack to do it now), in which case annotations will prove to be a useless detour.
- YouTube won't allow (or publicize, if there is a mechanism now) embedders to turn off annotations, in which case over time, only high-profile, trusted channels will be broadly embedded, striking a dagger in the heart of YouTube's democratic ethos.
Who knows...I might be overthinking this. But I do get the sense that Google and YouTube have underthought the implications of annotations. In general, I will say that they are fairly closed off; even as a highly trafficked channel, I've never had any interaction with them. Probably they would be well served by staying in closer touch with their user base, because as they should well know, things can change almost overnight on the Internet.
Sun Oct 12, 1:15 PM Pacific
Let The Bailing Begin
Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen a trickle -- about to turn into a flood -- of Republicans bailing ship on John McCain.
Each has their different reasons. The earliest to leave never really liked John McCain all that much anyway -- case in point, conservatives like George Will or Kathleen Parker. And certainly McCain's mortgage plan, which so enraged the National Review, cost him support from ideologues on the right.
But most Republicans abandoning ship just don't think John McCain will win. Their primary interest is protecting their own hide. They don't want to get blamed for defeat, and they don't want to go down with McCain. Take Bill Kristol, for example, who has been one of the biggest McCain apologists of the campaign. His unloading on McCain earlier today on FOX was all about saving his own skin. Basically, what Kristol is saying is that if McCain had used his strategy, then McCain would have had a chance.
My sense is that McCain's closing strategy is going to exacerbate the GOP flight from McCain.
In recent days, McCain has focused his time in states that seem firmly in Obama' grasp, puzzling some analysts. His strategy seems pretty straightforward, however. His bet seems to be that in order to win the election he needs two things to happen: (1) a big national swing that will take states like Florida, North Carolina, or Virginia off the map; and (2) put states like Pennsylvania and Iowa back in play.
McCain's strategy may very well give him the best chance of winning, but it also creates the best chance for an Obama landslide because unless there is a large swing in national polls -- which would be unlikely -- McCain is going to lose a lot of states like North Carolina and Florida that he would have otherwise won, even in defeat.
The problem this creates for McCain is that as it becomes increasingly obvious that he needs a miracle to win, and it becomes increasingly obvious that his current strategy is likely to produce an Obama landslide, Republicans are going to start abandoning his campaign in ever-growing numbers.
It's already turned from a trickle to a steady drip. Soon, it will be a rapid flow.
Sun Oct 12, 10:43 AM Pacific
Kristol Unloads: McCain Campaign 'Stupid...Pathetic...Flailing'
Update: (2:27PM): As Glenn Greenwald points out, this is the same Bill Kristol who was the chief proponent of McCain's strategy of attack, attack, attack. In fact, he was one of Palin's big boosters before she was picked. So he's basically calling himself stupid.
Original post: Oh, this is just too much fun...they know that they've lost, and they're already pointing fingers. It's the beginning of the great unraveling:
Sun Oct 12, 3:26 AM Pacific
Great News For Johnny Mac!
barath sent me this fun little article in the Miami Herald. Apparently, Florida Republicans are already playing the blame game on why John McCain lost the election.
Even GOP dirty trickster Roger Stone is getting in on the action, complaining that McCain's "campaign has no consistent message.''
That's just such an awesome thing to see Roger Stone say. I mean, he's basically pushing the Democratic line attack on McCain -- that McCain is erratic -- without even realizing it.
It seems as if the entire GOP is falling into disarray. It's nice finally being on the winning side, isn't it?
