Palin Fast

Sarah Palin? Really? Is that a bad joke? That name doesn't even sound serious. Try again, McShame. Maybe you'll choose more wisely in Round 2.

"No way, no how, No McCain"

Nice job last night, Hill. For all the criticism I've thrown at you, none of it matters in light of your speech last night. Thanks for jumping on board, and doing everything you can to ensure that your former supporters do the right thing. Far too many of them were in the "Well, I could vote for McCain," camp. Thanks for both embracing our new candidate, and doing your part to point out McCain's ineptness , something that as of yet has been far too sporadic an activity. And thanks, more than anything, for delivering your speech with such conviction. If you believe change can happen, so do we.

Hope '08

What a start to a convention! I only hope the rest of the week can deliver such passion and emotion and inspiration. The beauty of the party system, is that, when implemented correctly, the party serves as a kind of large extended family, that we can truly laugh and cry and celebrate with. Tonight's convention reminded us of all those benefits that had been absent from the system for far too long. The reawakening of the Democratic party began in Denver tonight.

Ted Kennedy. What a man! How lucky we are to have gotten to watch him grow old, as Chris Matthews so eloquently put it. His political career not only showed us what integrity, commitment, and hard work really mean, but also gave us insight into what the Holy Trinity of Kennedy's could have accomplished. This was both the valiant culmination of his career, but also inspiration for the future, as he stood up, despite his conditions, and committed to fight one last fight along side us. Ted Kennedy, you're a real hero; you're my real hero. And not just because you have the courage to say the words straight and gay in a convention speech.

Michelle Obama was equally incredible tonight. The stories she told of her recognition of the American dream were profound, yet not self-righteous. They were all stories that we could relate to, just like those episodes of the Brady Bunch we watched together. And all of her stories were told in a wonderful, motherly fashion, that reminded us what it means to be a strong woman. In Michelle's speech, she exemplified all the qualities that Hillary Clinton lacked throughout her campaign. But instead of pointing this out, Mrs. Obama stood up this evening and embraced Hillary Clinton as a sister, as a Democrat. All of the tenderness and emotion that we embrace in women combines with intuition and strength and perspective in the figure of Michelle Obama. She is going to make an excellent first lady, epitomizing the qualities that the position requires.

But the most striking part of Michelle's speech, like the rest of the night, was meeting the family. At the end, she brings out her beautiful daughters, only to surprise them and light up their faces with their daddy on the massive video phone. As mother and children stood up there, waving to daddy, is out doing his job and helping people as always, we felt as though they were our children, and that he was our daddy, coming to help us move forward. Seeing Teddy Kennedy speak tonight was almost like him passing the torch to Barack Obama and a new generation of Democrats to keep up the fight. As we saw Grandpa Teddy fighting his last fight, and reminisced about the heroes of yesterday's Democratic family, we also met and embraced the new heroes of our party, the Obama's. This night has been like one big family reunion, and it served its purpose. The Democratic party has been successfully reunited, and undoubtedly, united we shall stand.

Biden Comes Out Swinging

"These times require more than a good soldier, they require a wise leader."
Thank you, Joe Biden, for coming out swinging. Hopefully you will be not only the experience Obama needs, but also the gumption. A+ thus far. Keep impressing me.

Obama's Serious Biden for the Presidency

HECK YES JOE BIDEN! Obama's shit may have been a little weak lately, but he made it clear to me, and hopefully many other Americans that he means serious business in this race. I don't think he could have made a better choice for his VP. That should shut up anyone who is ignorant enough to say that Obama is inept in regards to foreign relations. Joe Biden is not only probably the best person to quash those rumors, but also one of the most earnest, down-to-earth politicians out there. Nice pick Barack. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have, although that answer would have been different three weeks ago. But, that would have been a subjective answer, and not the right one for the current situation. Our country is struggling in a variety of ways, but the most pressing of our issues is the international atmosphere, and Joe Biden is just the man to set things straight, or as close as possible. I was gunning for JB as Sec. of State, but this is even better. Congrats Joe, nice job B-Rack. Now go call McShame out for the draft comments, and you're golden. ;)

May I Buff Your Head?

JAMES FUCKING CARVILLE is coming to UM to speak sometime this fall. I LOVE my school. Also on the list of speakers are George Will, James Zogby, Bruce Hornsby, and a bunch of other people I didn't deem important enough to remember for this long. But JAMES CARVILLE IS COMING! How do you approach someone like that? "Hi, Mr. Carville. You're pretty much my idol. I have a picture of you over my desk. Right next to Thurgood Marshall and the empty space that used to belong to John Edwards. So glad you're here. Do you need someone to shine that lovely skull of yours before you go on stage? Please pick me." We should probably all hope I don't see him too close, because the likelihood of my saying something this idiotic is high. I'm pretty excited (<---unnecessary statement). I hope he and Matalin have a fierce, heated argument. It still escapes me how those two peacefully coexist, none-the-less are married. But I'm sure they have some crazy mad sex. All that aside, I hope they got into it. Their book was one of the best I've ever read, I can't wait for more of that, live!

Buyers' Remorse

Keynote speaker of the Republican National Convention: Rudy Giuliani. That sounds to me like a resounding oops from the base of the Republican Party. Or he was the only one who even wanted to show up to the convention.

While You Were Sleeping

So, I know I joke and poke at McCain a lot for his age and senility, but I want to clarify that I do so not for juvenile humor, but because I actually fear these conditions. On the off chance that John McCain does get elected president, I can forsee one of two situations occurring. The first involves a Commander in Chief who takes the title to heart and eats, sleeps, and breathes war. The second, and arguably the more disturbing of the two depicts a McCain who does his surface duties well, but lets lots of things go on behind his back. Do you know how much shit went down while Reagan was SLEEPING? Henry Kissinger authorized at least one of the defcons late one night after Ronnie had retired. If we elect McCain, who is REALLY going to be answering at 3AM? Because if its another Henry Kissinger, we're fucked, to put it nicely. (Pardon the language, but I thought the wording explained the situation most accurately and succinctly.) That's all I've got for tonight, just a note- keep those eyes open.

The Silver Lining

So it's been over a week since I heard the news about Edwards, and while it still stings, and likely will for a very long time, I've finally found a slight silver lining to it all.

Although I'm still uncertain and questioning the family's decision to enter the race, knowing their secret and that, if they got the nomination, the nation would be subjected to four more years of GOP bullshit, I can still see the good that came of it all. The same good that I consoled myself with when Edwards lost Iowa, and then again when he conceded. He pushed the Democrats' agenda to be more progressive. He's the reason we know that Obama's health care plan sucks, he's the reason we know about all the veterans sleeping under bridges, and middle-aged Americans who empty their 401K's to cover what their health care won't. He's the reason that people are finally standing up and rejecting lobbyist funding, and the reason Barack Obama can now talk about the issues, and not just his rhetoric of hope. So thanks for that, John. Despite every other negative feeling I have regarding your candidacy and the irreparable damage you've done to your family, thanks for pushing this agenda in the right direction, and America in the right direction.

Sigh. Still upset, but I have to start somewhere with the healing process.

The Denver Plan

Hill, Bill, news for you. YOU LOST! It happened a long time ago, and as much work as you put into your attempts to usurp this convention, it ain't gonna happen! Why do you think Obama is relaxing in Hawaii, wearing shorts, drinking a mojito, and enjoying the scenery? Because he knows he's got it in the bag, and no doubt is getting great pleasure from watching you two struggle around pointlessly, preparing for your own inauguration, only to show up in two weeks at his.

As for this week's theory of legitimacy, its no better than any of the rest. No matter how you spin it, even if Edwards had brought his mistress to a town hall meeting with him by accident one day, there's no way you would have won. In fact, you would have lost more quickly. John Edwards' supporters got it. The main bulk of your support base were blue collar, and for the most part ignorant. There was also that portion who get it, but care moreso about their own interests, which you happen to have in your back pocket. While Edwards supporters may not have gotten it about his personal life, it takes a lot of research and faith in your candidate to choose the underdog with two huge names and revolutionary candidacies to compete with. That, in a nutshell, is a John Edwards voter, and, let's face it, those voters just aren't likely to deal with your kitchen sink strategy.

You lost, Hill, and by no fault but your own. You had a great platform, in many areas superior to others, but this picture was marred by numerous and repeated hits below the belt. No one wants to see that, especially not from a lady. You are unquestionably the most powerful woman in America, but you didn't even get the women's vote resoundingly, and there was no support from the feminist community. You have to win your own demographic, Hill, and you couldn't do that. Don't blame anyone else. Get over it. Now shape up your act, and there's likely a nice cushy position for you in Obama's cabinet. Keep this up, and you may as well just start writing speeches and touring like Bill, because Washington's done for you. Now go to the convention, patt Obama on the ass, wish him luck, and sit back down next to Chelsea. I bring her up a lot, because I think you forget your responsibilities to her. I realize she's a grown woman, but you need to continue being the great role model you were for her before. That should guide all of your actions in all of your life.

One more note, on Jerome Corsi's swift boat book which was just released, Obama Nation. The book portrays Obama "as a stealth radical liberal who has tried to cover up 'extensive connections to Islam' and questioning whether his admitted experimentation with drugs in high school and college ever ceased." First of all, I love how the first slam that hits every Democrat is that they're 'too liberal,' a phrase seemingly synonymous with radical. Obama is pretty far from that, and pretty close to the center (although slightly farther left than he was at the beginning of his campaign); nowhere near radical. That's for sure, but I guess it has to be said, just like the "he'll raise your taxes" threat must always be thrown onto the table. Aside from that, Obama is a Christian, but WHO THE FUCK CARES IF HE'S MUSLIM!?!?! I know the incredibly sad answer to that question, but are we not a nation that was founded on religious tolerance? I could rant on this topic for hours, but I'll just close by saying that the fact that calling someone a Muslim is apparently a socially acceptable slur, even in Washington, is disgusting to no end. Finally- the drug references. He admitted to doing drugs. In the past. At least attack him for something he's done wrong in recent history, maybe even pointing out flaws in his POLICY would be nice, but if you find no material there, sure, why not bring up an inconsequential past? You're Republican swiftboaters, so nothing is off of the table. You and Hillary can team up, it may take more than one person to throw that massive, likely marble kitchen sink of hers at Obama, but with Rush and Hillary's powers combined, no one knows what may be in store.

The Biggest Celebrity in the World

Barack Obama: The Biggest Celebrity in the World. Really, John? Really? Can't come up with anything more believable? The ominous music was good though. And you sweeping in to save the day at the end was refreshing, though the plausability of it all is uncertain- you looked a bit tired. Maybe next time film your commercials after nap time.

McCanned

So, I have quite a lot to say, but I always like to start with the angry rants, so here goes. As I was watching McCain's speech on the Georgia conflict this morning, three things stood out to me, but one specifically. More important than the increasingly obvious toll this campaign is taking on Grandpa John, and his continued overuse of the phrase "my friends," (four times in the five minutes of speech I was able to stomach) was the incredibly canned quality of his words. I actually thought at one point, "It's like he's reading from an encyclopedia!" Well, as I discovered shortly afterward, he was almost reading from an encyclopedia, but in McDonald's style, he used the free internet version. For anyone who isn't in the know, www.politicalwire.com will give you a link to passages to compare from McCain's speech and Wikipedia. Some of the similarities are glaring, but more bothersome to me than the presumed plagiarism is that the possible (though highly improbable) next leader of our country crafts his speeches from noneother than Wikipedia, where, for one hour, I, Erin Horth, was the inventress of the lightbulb. In the words of Taegan Goddard, "Whether a presidential candidate should base policy speeches on material from Wikipedia is another question entirely."

To whichever one of Hillary's supporters blames the timing of the Edwards scandal for costing her the nomination, that's probably true, but get over yourselves. You lost, and if not to a better candidate, certainly to a more scrupulous one. Put his bumper sticker on your car already, and join the fight for change.

My last note is resounding praise for Taegan Goddard. Thanks for bringing to everyone's (or at least your readers') attention the Georgia issue, which, you are certainly correct, has been overshadowed by scandal and sport of late. I admit that I wasn't even entirely sure the nature or cause of the conflict until I did some research this morning. Cable news has been almost useless regarding the matter. MSNBC hasn't even had a regular show schedule of late as far as I can tell, instead devoting all of its airtime to gymnasts and pole vaulters. CNN has been slightly more useful, though admittedly paying much more attention to John Edwards than is necessary. I guess ignorance to the more material current events is a trend I should be used to, but I just don't expect to be let down by cable news stations, to whom I generally go when I need information. Too much faith in MSNBC I guess is never a good thing.

John Edwards

So, while driving back to Miami yesterday, I heard the news about John Edwards' admittance of his affair. Although I'd been hoping against hope that the tabloids had been false, running and hiding in the bathrooms is pretty much as good as throwing up a white flag as far as I'm concerned. I was in the mountains of Tennessee right near the Georgia border when I heard, I had just pulled up to Big Billy's Fireworks 'N More. Let me mention that the day could not have been more beautiful- bright blue skies, a smattering of brilliant, fluffy, white clouds across the enormous open sky. It was like the weather was mocking my sadness. It took me a while to comprehend why the news was so difficult for me to take, but further analysis lead me to the conclusion that a combination of two things made it so easy to rip his bumper sticker off the back of my car and stick it to Big Billy's trash can.

1. I really believed in John boy's ability to not only take the presidency (by taking Iowa and stealing the momentum), but thenceforth do extraordinary things in every facet of the job.

2. The reason I believed so strongly in his ability to do all of the above was because of what I perceived as him impeccable character and unquestionable integrity, most of which was rooted in his relationship with his family. Throughout my journey with the John Edwards campaign, I felt as though I, too, was part of the Edwards family, and that's what made his followers so powerful. Each one of us really felt as though we, too had been present when John and Liz made that fateful decision to put her health on the back burner and the future of this nation on the front. We wept along with them for Wade, and always had that lingering fear in the back of our minds that Liz's cancer would pop back up all of a sudden and ruin everything. So this comes as a crushing blow to every member of the Edwards family, of which I consider myself a member.

It's probably a very good thing that I was on the road yesterday and had twenty four hours to think over exactly what this entry should say. In that way, it involves much more perspective than my normal rants, but no one wants or needs to hear me use choice words for pages, so this is probably better. That said, as the anger fades, I have only disappointment in the man I once dreamed of calling my president. If you were married to anyone else, I might be okay with it, John. We let Bill slide in the end because we've all met Hillary, but I cannot let this slide, because I know Elizabeth. I hope you know how much you owe her, and whether or not she already knew about this, the fact is, everyone else knows now and will look at her differently. But in the end, she is the reason you were able to stick in the race for so long. I'm not discrediting your abilities or charm, but Elizabeth was the heart and soul of your campaign and you know it. I know not what else to say, other than that I now have to search for another photo to complete the gallery of heroes on my desktop, as you no longer deserve to be in the company of Carville and Thurgood Marshall. You let me down John boy, and I am not alone.

Reality Check

Hillary- I realize its August and you haven't been in the media since June, and as maddening as that must be, especially for a Clinton, whatever this delegate counting bullshit is you're threatening to do at the end of the month in Denver is ludicrous. YOU LOST! No matter how you spin it, you're out of the race, so graciously act like it, and save the rest of your party from the damage you're threatening to do to them. Having your delegates stand up will do nothing for you, or any of your delegates. Who needs a catharsis? Really? The delegates have had two months of time to cope in whatever way they felt necessary with your loss. Why didn't you do the same? Let me remind you that you've ALREADY ENDORSED Senator Obama, so all this will do is make you the sole reason that Obama doesn't get the increase in momentum he should from the convention. Now, he is an incredibly strong candidate, and the tide is certainly in our favor, but, as much as you love press, you really don't want to be blamed for the election of McBush. So head on home and fire off a couple rounds on your rifle or whatever it is you do to relieve stress, and chill out. If you don't believe me on this one, ask Chelsea what she thinks you should do. She knows.

A New Perspective

So, after having been almost entirely unable (or unwilling when I was able) to catch up on the summer's political news, I've made a quest in the past few days to get back on track and in the game. Diving back into the news after such a break has put an interesting perspective on things, and made making generalizations about the happenings of the entire summer surprisingly easy. Here's a list of what I've concluded upon my return.

- The possibility of gaining 10 seats in the senate is a lot better than anyone would guess (check CQ's Senate Ratings Chart if you don't believe me... and who REALLY thinks Craig's seat is Safe Republican??)
- If the GOP doesn't pick up a single seat from a Democrat, I wouldn't be surprised in the least.
- By waiting to announce his running mate until Obama does so, McCain is allowing Obama to define the tone and demeanor of this race, despite his intentions to steal Obama's thunder after the announcement.
- McCain is increasingly old and generally useless, yet the Democrats have yet to take full advantage of their opponent's suckiness. I realize timing on attack ads is crucial, but it shouldn't be that hard- just get him while he's napping.
- Slick Willie STILL has yet to master the art of sitting down and shutting up (although if I were making 10 mil a year giving speeches, I don't know that I'd be too bothered, either).
- Something big is a stirring in the landscape. Evidence to support this theory includes:
- A Democrat is leading by 21 points in the Senate Race in Alaska.
- John McCain is leading by an average of only about 10 points in Texas.
- John McCain is back on his haunches in Arizona.
The heading of this section could also be: Democrats: prepare for a sweep of epic proportions in both the House and Senate. 2006 was just a small preview of what's to come. Obama is going to win, and completely redefine everything we thought we knew about red states and blue states.

That's all the insight I've got for now, but more will surely come when I turn on the TV. These are all observations made strictly from the net.