cf. Steve Benen's revisit of the term "Mayberry Machiavellis".

These guys aren't interested in anything substantive. They just want to throw zingers and score points.

In all honesty, it struck me as more than a little creepy to hear someone like Palin, who no one literally had ever heard of less than a week ago, act as if she has the creds to mock an opponent like Obama as a lightweight.

I really wanted to be impressed by Palin, at least for the moment, but instead, like acid reflux, it reminded me of times past I'd rather forget. I just don't think I can take another four years, let alone eight, of this condescending, juvenile sleaze.

"Good line. But no responsibilities followed."

You seem surprised.

"It was an auspicious debut,"

If you're Sean Hannity etc.
The speech was a red meat bore. She came off halting and accusatory. Fail.

I really question the approach they took. She smirked her way through a disjointed collection of snide remarks and obscure references. (If you want to attack Obama for calling people bitter, you can't just refer to the remark; you have to tell people that he said it first. Not everybody has been paying attention to every moment of this campaign.)

Did she come off as likable? I'm biased, maybe she did. But this is basically her introduction to the American people, and she uses it to unleash a furious attack on Obama?

i really don't know how it's going to play. My sense is that Palin has managed to wrest her image back from the freakshow with this speech--for now. But she's still tarnished, and I don't think she's going to be big asset to the ticket anymore like McCain hoped she would be.

Of course the polling over the next few weeks is going to be the final word.

Great post Ezra. Especially for something you wrote on short notice.

I think you, Josh Marshall, and Al Giordano have the key reactions to her speech.

As Al said, Palin was small not big.

The key word you used which I was trying to put a finger on was "hollow." This was Palin's chance to show she was a independent political figure, instead she came off as an ambitious politician.

Excellent observation that every time she had the chance to expand on her experience, she derided Obama instead.

It was a good performance, but the tone was wrong for appealing to swing voters.

The question the GOP now ask when they come to a fork in the road -- like the VP choice -- is not 'What's the right thing to do?'.

It's not 'What course do conservative principles suggest?'

At this point, it's not even 'What do we do to win?'

It's down to 'What will piss the liberals off?' and/or 'What will amuse the press?'

A party whose only 'principle' is the provision of bright shiny things and middle fingers.

Are you saying they chose tactics over strategy, Ezra?

Ok, so now we know for absolute certain, in case there was any remaining question, that the entire strategy is to hate Barack Obama.

Remember when the media said Obama needed to lay out a vision for America? Let's see if they breath a word of it about McCain...

I had a headache after listening to Palin speak. Just how does McCain actually balance the Federal budget by 2013 when he has to have that undefined "victory" in Iraq? Nothing about how anything the Republicans want to do will get done. But, a lot on how wonderful her family is and a lot of one-liners about how Obama is "elitist" and has no experience.

The Republicans must think we are all really stupid. But since Bush got elected twice, may be?

The point of the speech was that "elites" look down on people like Palin and McCain.

That's the strong narrative. And most of the good lines fit it quite well.

There are only two good responses to this. The safer one is to ignore it and just keep on with the change narrative, or not having a big election about small things or whatever. The more dangerous one would be to try and show that it's Palin who looks down on people who like Obama, and McCain who looks down on pretty much everybody.

I also find it odd that the GOP seems to think that the country is yearning for tax cuts and less federal spending. They seem to be playing to the crowd in the convention hall instead of the general public.

jeebus: "But this is basically her introduction to the American people, and she uses it to unleash a furious attack on Obama?"

Americans like their presidents (and vice presidents) to act tough and strong. For a woman that goes double. So I think going on offense worked for Palin. the question is how this tough-gal mother image of hers is going to go over against her lack of experience plus all the mini-scandals, etc.

You can tell McCain's writers really, passionately hate Obama, but that and POW and heightening the rural-urban divide really aren't a vision for the country. Palin's speech was fine as a red-meat exercise and could have been a good keynote, but it was almost unprecedentedly unPresidential. Other than "winning" in Iraq and drilling everywhere, no plans were proposed and no problems were mentioned, let alone solutions promised. I can see why she thinks McCain deserves to be President, though I disagree, and I see that she doesn't want Obama to be President (though I disagree to thvt as well, of course), but I was given almost no idea why she and McCain want to be President and Veep.

Random thoughts: dark, angry, confrontational, condescending (without anything to back it up), smug, superior, elitist, unkind, nasty. The only bright moment was "God bless America" at the end.

I disagree also on the "hits." As someone already commented, coming from this newbie they came across as arrogant and absurd. What has this person really ever done?

"Palin's speech was fine as a red-meat exercise and could have been a good keynote, but it was almost unprecedentedly unPresidential."

just wait till mccain's address tomorrow...

I guess that's one spin of it Ezra. Don't you think that maybe it's the top of the ticket that will lay out the agenda?

This woman was plucked out of Alaska five days ago, all you thought she was some small town loser, and she just beat the pants off the top of your ticket, smiled, and walked off the stage. The MSNBCers were stunned, Olbermann reduced to silly "breaking news" on the phony troopergate story. It was quite spectacle, and Obama and his media supporters were the joke. Brilliant

The speech fit the classic mold of VP speeches, which is the attack dog role. It was Barack Obama's speech that was most unusual in mentioning his own opponent so many times, actually.

It's certainly the case that tomorrow night has to do some work that the first two nights did not do to lay out McCain's positive agenda. But my recollection is that liberals were upset with the first two nights of their convention for failing to lay a glove on McCain.

Nepat, it really is rich to have an Obama supporter ask of Sarah Palin (whose relative to Biden or McCain inexperience I free acknoledge) "What has this person ever really done?"

Americans like their presidents (and vice presidents) to act tough and strong. For a woman that goes double.

I don't think that's quite right. A woman has to walk a razor's edge, as any professional woman can tell you. The line between "tough" and "bitch" in the minds of men and even other women is often nonexistent.

Earlier today I had thought about inviting a few friends over to play a drinking game during the speech. Then I realized I will have to work on Friday and if I drink at every POW reference a trip to the emergency room was inevitable...

I had a similar reation to the speech. Example (out of many):

Palin said, "My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses. How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up?"

Not a bad question. Obama has said he wants to raise taxes on those making over $250,000 a year, so I can understand that small business owners might be concerned. She added to her thoughts. "Maybe you're trying to keep your job at a plant in Michigan or Ohio, or create jobs with clean coal from Pennsylvania or West Virginia, or keep a small farm in the family right here in Minnesota."

Its a well phrased argument, and one that might resonate. She asked, "How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?"

Ah ha. Naturally, she's going to nicely dovetail into a specific policy argument, how GOP policies of tax relief on small businesses will grow local economies. Perhaps she'll discuss business tax credits, or reduced rates for specific industries. Observe! "Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election: In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."

Just a clever turn of phrase and another smear.

This campaign is clearly unserious about governing.

I have to disagree on it being "auspicious".

Yes, it was filled with red meat, but it was over-aged meat, tending more to brown than red. Nobody cares about the "bitter" thing at this point, yet it ate up a lot of time; few of the other attacks were any fresher, and none accurate.

(That "my opponent" stuff just sounded crass.)

She was honestly doing better when she was playing up that small-town stuff. She's an enthusiastic attack dog—I guess somebody told her what a VP does—but I don't think she's that good at it, or that comfortable with it.

And I'm with "jeebus" on the bizarre message. Well-paid "analysts" and Republican delegates may respond to "more tax cuts! Less spending!" But it's odd as hell for them to presume that it'd play with anybody else.

Ezra:

Outstanding analysis. The best that I've seen.

JBJB: "Don't you think that maybe it's the top of the ticket that will lay out the agenda?"

no, actually, i don't. come back tomorrow after McCain spends his whole speech smearing Obama, with some vague bullshit tossed in about drilling, reforming Washington, "victory" in Iraq, and lower taxes. It's going to be the Palin speech and the Guiliani speech and the Romney speech and the Huckabee speech redux--because these guys have NOTHING else. After the last eight years of the Republican's failed policies (funny how George Bush wasn't mentioned once tonight), all they left is empty fear-mongering and nasty character attacks. Haven't we finally had enough of this?

McCain is running a surprisingly Kerry-esque campaign. They've decided to run as Democrat-lite for some reason, just like Kerry ran as Republican-lite in 2004. We're for change too! We're going to shake up the status quo and stand up to the oil companies!

Bill,
"What has this person ever really done?"
Well tonight she doubled down on a big lie - The bridge to nowhere that she opposed while wearing a sweatshirt supporting the bridge.
And by some strange quirk in the spacetime continuum she told the congress no to a project that it had already been tabled. Odd.

"all you thought"

You might take a Google at what Theresa Nielson Hayden has written about showing up at someone else's conversation and opening with "you all."

Summary: it is the stylistic signature of a net.boob.

This GOP is no different than President Bush - 'trust me, I know your well being' - as when he was lying about his rationale for Iraq war. McCain is the same story. In fact, he goes further - screw you if you ever dare to question his judgment. So as others pointed earlier, the only game in the town for GOP is to do 'what makes Liberal angry'. That is their policy. For GOP base, that justification is sufficient. But will it be bought by any other rational person? By Rest of America?

Palin said, "My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses. How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up?"

Is that the one the state is trying to close, because they don't pay their fees?

best analysis I've seen. pitch perfect....

McCain just threw a hail mary pass, but even if it was caught, it would be caught by the wrong receiver: the GOP base. Moderates and Indies will look on with disinterest.

One other thought. It was very politically inadvisable for her to go this negative, this soon. She's an incredibly vulnerable pol, almost a liability... and after tonight, the Democrats and the "angry left" will have no reason whatsoever to hold back. As of now, it's pretty much a free-fire zone for anything she's said or done.

I just donated to the Obama campaign. Fuck this shit.

Don't you think that maybe it's the top of the ticket that will lay out the agenda?

That's fine if your vice-presidential candidate is a known Washington hand, like Dick Cheney or Joe Biden or Joe Lieberman or Jack Kemp or Al Gore.

But the central issue surrounding Palin wasn't and isn't "can she deliver a speech?" or "can she attack at Barack Obama?". The question is whether she's qualified to be President, which goes to whether she has any depth in understanding the issues facing the country.

We've listened to Barack Obama for 1 1/2 years and know he has that depth, which is why Republican talking points about his experience are so hollow. But we have no idea if this woman could competently step in if she needed to. We have no idea if she has any depth of understanding on health care policy, or the Shiite-Sunni conflict, or our relations with China.

jeebus: I don't think that's quite right. A woman has to walk a razor's edge, as any professional woman can tell you. The line between "tough" and "bitch" in the minds of men and even other women is often nonexistent."

that's true. Still, to put it crassly, Palin is probably better off being a "bitch" than being a "girl." this was the calculation that Hillary Clinton made, and i think it was correct. In the sense that women are much more susceptible to the charge of weakness than men, they have to go that extra step in demonstrating their strength and fitness to lead.

Ideally of course you don't want to be a bitch, either.

Palin's speech is receiving generally positive coverage from the major networks and middlebrow websites.

I guess it all depends on what 200,000 swing voters in VA and CO thought of it.

I guess it all depends on what 200,000 swing voters in VA and CO thought of it.

Gotta love the way we elect presidents in this country.

Think about this: if some civil servant in Florida hadn't designed a poor ballot, or if a few hundred old ladies had been a little more attentive, the United States would never have invaded and occupied Iraq. Half a million people would still be alive.

sarah palin, where have i seen you before?

while i listened to her speech tonight, i was not reminded of other female politicians...not even of anne richards...but i thought of where i have seen her counterparts...
and then it occurred to me,
watching her work the crowd...
she is like a female televangelist that straggled into politics instead of religion.
the same charisma, the same ironic, sometimes mocking lack of humility that owns the truth, the kind of attractiveness that reminds one of small town beauty pageants, the same ability to "work the crowd", the same "can-do" cockiness, sense of humor that creates these huge, faithful, deep-pocketed followers who attach to the message of self~confidence,upbeatness , absolute moral certainty and redemption in the message.

she is exactly in the mold of joyce meyer, paula white, gloria copeland, karen wheaten....trim, attractive, ... no-nonsense powerhouses that "appear" to speak truth to power on behalf of women in small towns or small town as a state of mind, everywhere.
the one that is sort of like an idealized version/spokeswoman of themselves.
sarah palin ministries
the united states government

MSW,

If you read the New Republic's write up on this, it appears that she did technically kill the project, though she barely criticized it in doing so. She kept the federal money, however, and I do think it's a problematic episode of reformist courage. It's not a lie, certainly not in the sense that Barack has lied repeatedly even after being disproven about, say, the Infant Born Alive Act in Illinois. I'm guessing you didn't lose sleep over that though.

I suppose voting against it is among his signal achievements, though he can't quite remember--honestly--why he did. "I would have voted for it if it was like the federal bill." "Oh, it was like the federal bill? Oh, right, well, it turns out that Illinois law already covered this situation." Um, then why did you say you would have voted for it?

It is the nature of politics that politicians lie to cover their tracks; McCain has been caught, Obama has been caught, and I don't doubt that Palin will too.

What I find hilarious is the idea that you folks think in BHO you've found some kind of non-politician politician.

There are few things more repellent than a modern Republican convention mob in full, jeering hatred mode. The contrast between Giuliani's and Palin's sneering personal gibes with the grown-up, critical, yet respectful tone of the Democratic convention was overwhelming. Palin would have fit right in at the last Republican convention, wearing a purple-heart band-aid on her cheek and screaming encouragement to Zell Miller while waving a Bush-Cheney sign. "A star is born," indeed.

"If you read the New Republic's write up on this, it appears that she did technically kill the project, though she barely criticized it in doing so."

A blatant lie about the TNR article on your part. You, sir, like Sarah Palin, are a baldfaced fucking liar.

And take your other lies about Barack Obama and shove them up your ass.

Not this time, you mendacious piece of shit.

Dilan said:
The question is whether she's qualified to be President, which goes to whether she has any depth in understanding the issues facing the country.

Yes, but...

The question is really whether she SEEMS qualified to be the President. It may be that people who read comments on policy-minded blogs recognize the essential hollowness of her speech but how many others?

Remember how long it took both the press and the public to realize Bush was incompetent? 30%+ still think he's done a great job!

The entire strategy is premised on the press not doing its job. If they are either intimidated or simply ineffective enough to push back, this will simply be a street-fight through the end of the election. Get ready for some attacks which make the swift-boating look like a caribbean cruise.

Bill, when Congress was offering $400mill for a useless bridge, she was for it. Then the bridge plan became a national disgrace, and Congress changed its plans: they would now offer $400mill for nothing in particular. Under the circumstances, she followed along, took the money, and cancelled the bridge. A separate earmark gave Alaska federal $ for a road leading to the bridge. Unlike the bridge funds, this money could not be transferred to other projects: the choice was build an access road for a bridge that would never exist, or return the cash. So she built the Road To Nowhere. She has been an enthusiastic proponent of earmarks and lobbying, and she never refused a dime for the Bridge To Nowhere. She lied about it again tonight, and I suspect you knew that.

Listen to media service her. A joke.

Warren,

She did not lie. The bridge was a joint state-federal project, and funds are, after all, fungible. We both agree that she kept the money, and I do not deny that she flipped her position on the project. But she did kill it as a matter of state projects and priorities. So here you are simply wrong.

I do not understand people's logic on the earmarks. I would get rid of them tomorrow; but when I'm raising money for nonprofits, I seek them. That's not hypocrisy, it's recognizing the state of affairs in government funding. That Palin the mayor and governor sought earmarks that as a federal legislator she would get rid of is not hypocrisy.

Nor is her hiring of a lobbyist--absolutely no American is against lobbying, presumably. There are lobbyists for good things and lobbyists for bad things, however you cash out good and bad. The activity of lobbying is absolutely essential to governance: lawmakers and their staffs learn about the poor from their lobbyists; they learn about the rich from their lobbyists; they learn about unions from their lobbyists, and about employers from their lobbyists. It is a professional activity protected by the Constitution itself.

But tell me, Warren, since you are a truth squader, how many lies have you tracked from BHO in this campaign? How many are too many?

Brewmn, it is always possible that I've misread or misunderstood something. Your argument, while passionate, is not exactly persuasive on this point. I have explained my understanding here. Perhaps you could explain yours with fewer expletives and more logic.

The Reign of McCain falls mainly on Palin.

Rhetorically it was a very crude speech, which limped from one, over-calculated line to the next. This made it a jarring, ultimately ineffective performance, because there was no positive argument, just a series of "not the other guy" lines, interspersed with a strangely vulnerable laundry list of what she fantasizes about having achieved.

There was no real agenda for an independent or unconvinced voter, and the focus groups seemed to find her unconvincing. Overall, an A for rallying the hard right base, but a D for expanding her party's appeal beyond it.

she hates niggers.

Bill,

Saying she is technically correct is like pleading not guilty of Murder because it was the pesky bullets that really killed him, your honor!

Sarah Palin doesn't campaign by saying:

"I supported building a nearly useless bridge for $400 million dollars when it was the only way we would get the money. Then congress decided we could spend the money any way we wanted and I discovered the bridge wasn't my top priority."

she campaigns by saying:

"When Congress wanted to build the Bridge to Nowhere I said, NO THANKS!"

Don't be obtuse.

she just beat the pants off the top of your ticket

Uh-huh. She locked up the 28%ers who were voting for McCain anyway, and perhaps a few more who like the way 'community organizer' is now the approved Republican way to say 'nigger'.

You are small. You will be even smaller next year.

But tell me, Warren, since you are a truth squader, how many lies have you tracked from BHO in this campaign? How many are too many?

There is no such thing as "BHO". There is SENATOR Obama, and you owe him the respect and dignity of the office that he has attained. Repeat after me, "Senator Obama".

"Brabantio: Thou art a villain.

"Iago: You are--a senator."

A speech fit to live in infamy, right next to Pat Buchanan's. The only thing to be remembered about it in a decade will be the distasteful meanness of it.

Sarah Palin? Sarah Nasty!

The good news is the election is two months away, so Barack has time to publish one more memoir'.

Palin did a fantastic job speaking to the religion and gun clingers that Obama has such contempt for.

And Keith Olbermann let the cat out of the bag on NBCs excuse for smearing the Palin children and trying to dig up dirt on them.

He referenced, if the McCain campaign is going to use the kids in their campaign for nice photo ops then it is fair game for the media to smear and attack the kids.

Funny I don't remember Olbermann saying that about the Obamas putting their children on magazine covers and posing for picture.

Tim Russert must be rolling over in his grave to see what has happened to NBC. Which is quickly becoming the Daily Kos of news outlets.

The problem for the Obama far left campaign is Palin has them trumped. Every time they argue she is too inexperienced to be VP; they undermine their own campaign because this young, inexperienced, gun and religion clinger small town major has gotten far more accomplished then Obama.

The problem for the Obama far left campaign is Palin has them trumped. Every time they argue she is too inexperienced to be VP; they undermine their own campaign because this young, inexperienced, gun and religion clinger small town major has gotten far more accomplished then Obama.

Word is the O-Man is so worried after this Palin speech that he's back on the blow. And he's got Assholerod doing it too.

Obama hates whites.

One can tell that Palin's speech has given the progs jelly in the belly since so many are resorting to racism again. Keep it up, progs.

Ezra ""Nowhere did we hear of the great things John McCain would do"""

No, you just didn't understand. The whole point being, if you want to see what John McCain will do, look at who he is and what he has accomplished.

If you want to see what Obama will do, well, look at what he's NOT accomplished.

It is no different, say then going to a doctor for major surgery.

One surgeon; McCain, has a lifetime of experience ACTUALLY performing surgeries, he served with distiction in many capacities all revolving around surgery, he's pioneered new areas and new techniques and performed thousands of surgeries.
He's stood up to surgeons who didn't have the patients best interest at heart.

Obama, has never actually accomplished a successful surgery but he has very slick brochures and wonderful speeches that say what a great job he will do if you let him be your surgeon. He talks all about what fine surgery he will perform if you just make him head surgeon, and he's allready wrote his memoir' about the great surgery he will someday perform.

-------------------------
Obama ran for Senate on a platform of issuess.
So how many of Obamas issue promises he ran on for Senate has he actually accomplished? How many of those issues has he actually chanpioned, wrote bills on, got the support for and got passed?

If you voted for Obama for Senate based on his issue promises, well, now your seeing he never intended to get any of those things done in office, he simply planned to run for the next office.

NBC Norah O'Donell has given voice to the idea that Sarah Palin would be neglecting her children if she accepts the Republican vice presidential nomination.

This is interesting, since Norah O'Donnell has 1 1/2 year-old twins -- and a 1-month old. Meanwhile, her husband owns three restaurants -- and she is in Minnesota covering a political convention.

So who's watching her kids?
--------------------------
Shouldn't Keith and Chris ask if she is neglecting her children?

Shouldn't they send the little women home, back to her barefeet and her kitchen?

Interesting comments, some of which are certainly on the mark. And some of which are not.

The repeated refrain that Palin "came out of nowhere" is nonsense. Many Republicans, especially conservatives, were quite familiar with her and had been pushing her for VP as sort of a dream candidate. The fact is that few of us, including me, expected McCain, who we didn't think much of in the first place, to actually nominate her.

I don't doubt that many apolitical people were not familiar with Palin before the nomination. But those involved in politics, and especially those paid to be journalists, displayed a profound and inexcusable ignorance leading to an underestimation of Palin. I don't doubt that some people being paid six and seven figures to stay on top of politics were running to Wikipedia when the news broke. Which frankly is a disgrace. The media disdains but does not understand conservative America.

The response to this was profoundly arrogant: "I haven't heard about her so she must not be very important." This lead to false memes such as the lack of vetting and hilarious assertion that key Republican insiders were pushing to get her off the ticket.

Palin did what she had to do tonight. She made fools of the talking heads in the media. And she took Barack Obama, who looked down his nose and compared her experience as a Mayor to his as a campaigner, down about three notches. In fact, in the minds of many she established equivalency between the top of the Democrat ticket and the Republican VP.

However this election turns out, tonights accomplishments won or confirmed her in the hearts of Republicans who will donate, volunteer, and work our hearts out to see her elected. Many of us were not planning on doing that until Palin showed up on the ticket. That may not show up in preference polls but it will show up in turnout.

To start quibbling about why she didn't also lay out detailed policy proposals is to miss the point of the evening imo.

Good blog btw. I'm sure we disagree on much but lots of good comments here

DaMav

It is no different, say then going to a doctor for major surgery.

Hahahaha. Thanks anonymous for this antecdote. It actually fits, as John McCain has left many a patient dead on the table and had a few malpractice suits in his long career. I think I'd feel better with a new surgeon. Not one whose still bragging about his one great operation forty years ago.

Evidently this speech was already written sometime ago by Bush' speech writer. It had to be modified at the last minute to feminize it, ie. fit the nominee.

Sven,

You are clearly correct; please point me to your many comments here chastising BHO as a liar for engaging in the kind of spin she was guilty of here.

I said that it was problematic, and that she did not exactly make a show of courage in killing the program. In reply, your side says "hey, she's lying, she was for it before she was against it." Um, that does not establish a lie, any more than Joe Biden is now lying when he says Obama was right about the war, since Joe used to think otherwise. Or they say "she didn't kill it, it was dead." But that's also, sorry, just not true.

So limit yourself and your candidate to the truth: OK, she killed it, but she did so reluctantly and never actually said "thanks but no thanks." That will get you far.

Then please explain, as I have asked above, how Obama's answers on the Born Alive Act do not establish him as a serial liar.

This was a typical Republican speech. It was delivered in a year when people dislike typical Republicans, and by a woman who has sold herself as a something other than a typical Republican. In that sense, I don't think this speech is really going to go over well.

Palin's take on the experience question was main point in the first part of her speech: "I have experience being an American. Unlike the other guy."

Kudos to Ezra for a very thoughtful analysis of Palin's speech, and for taking a more-than-even handed approach.

She could have followed up some of the lines with something more--exactly right. She also could have skipped the umpteenth version of McCain's biography. Good lord, I know he was a POW, I've known it for years, shut up about it.

She showed she had a big set of balls, and wasn't going anywhere, so I guess the main goal was accomplished.

Still, after last night's speeches, I wanna vote for Rudy. He went and did some barn-burning!

Seriously, there was nothing to this speech other than 'Liberals hate America!' 'I'm a compassionate conservative!' and 'Government is evil!'. We've heard that for the past 8 years. I'm sure it will make conservatives happy, but John McCain's problem hasn't really been among conservatives. People like to say that it has, but polling strongly indicates otherwise. His problem is with everyone else, especially those 'average Americans' Republicans love to claim they speak for.

and after tonight, the Democrats and the "angry left" will have no reason whatsoever to hold back

The angry left was holding back on Palin? And now they are really going to go for the jugular?

Maybe that's the strategy. Because if the folks trying to trash Palin now try any harder, I think someone's gone have a hemorrhage.

Go Lord, if what was going on before is holding back, I want to see what "going all out" is like.

Sarah Palin: Closet Nazi? Trig Truthers: Trig is actually unsuccessful clone of Todd!

And so on.

"who no one literally had ever heard of less than a week ago,"

unless you exclude those that read blogs outside the far left. In June Beldar discussed her on his blog, that was picked up by Patterico and a handful of other blogs also discussed her credentials and almost all liked her from that point. What you really mean by no one is excluding a few million conservatives and a few million other fly over country people without their arrogant head up their ass never heard of her. Which is actually just fine, we weren't counting on your votes anyways. We just hope you can remember to show a little respect and refer to her has Madam Vice President and not small town mayor after the election.

Apparently, Kevin doesn't know the difference between a super-market tabloid and a Democratic politician. But hey, Republicans always manage to brain-wash themselves into thinking the media hates them. Even 8 years Clinton-hate followed by 8 years of the media sucking GWB's cock hasn't disabused them of that notion.

Lets be honest here: If John McCain wasn't an incompetent moron, none of this would be happening. The media does it's job, even just this once, and Right wingers scream, howl, and whine about how unfair it is. Pathetic little babies.

No executive experience

Obama seems to have left out this job from his resume ..

"Recently [1995] he [Obama] was appointed president of the board of the Annenberg Challenge Grant, which will distribute some $50 million in grants to public-school reform efforts."

... I wonder why ... this would be an excellent comeback for Obama to all those complaints that he never had executive experience or handled a payroll.

Half a million people would still be alive.

Posted by: jeebus

LOL wow some lies just never die. Haven't seen that one crawl out of any dark places or from under a rock in at least a year or two. Didn't you get the updated meme from Dr. without borders

And to think this person most likely has the right and will vote in a couple months...

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
Documented civilian deaths from violence
86,863 – 94,781

Iraqi Health Ministry casualty survey for the World Health Organization.[2] In January 2008 the Iraqi health minister, Dr Salih Mahdi Motlab Al-Hasanawi, reported the results of the "Iraq Family Health Survey" of 9,345 households across Iraq which was carried out in 2006 and 2007. It estimated 151,000 violence-related Iraqi deaths (95% uncertainty range, 104,000 to 223,000) from March 2003 through June 2006.

The United Nations reported that 34,452 violent deaths occurred in 2006, based on data from morgues, hospitals, and municipal authorities across Iraq.

Concerning war-related deaths (civilian and non-civilian), and deaths from criminal gangs, Iraq's Health Minister Ali al-Shemari said that since the March 2003 invasion between 100,000-150,000 Iraqis had been killed

2003: 260 police
2004: 1,040 police & 453 soldiers killed
2005: 1,497 police & 1,096 soldiers killed
2006: 1,585 police & 627 soldiers killed[52]
2007: 1,913 police & 432 soldiers killed[53]
2008: 630 police & 361 soldiers[54]
Total: 6,925 police and 3,898 soldiers killed

Seriously, there was nothing to this speech other than 'Liberals hate America!' 'I'm a compassionate conservative!' and 'Government is evil!'. We've heard that for the past 8 years. I'm sure it will make conservatives happy,

When you put it that way, it makes sense. The Republicans' problem since 2006 has been the fact that they're in denial about the fact that Americans don't like what Republicans stand for. When looked at from the standpoint of the sentiment of the electorate, it was a poor speech. If you think that Americans want more Republican policies but with a new face on them (which Republicans are convinced of), then you'd think the speech was a good one.

Just in case anybody is buying nate's bullshit, it should be pointed out that he is, of course, cherry picking the lowest estimates of casualties available. (As if it would somehow be OK if "only" 150,000 were dead.) Of course there are other studies estimating the total is higher, some saying over 1 million, which is why I used the mid-point figure.

Palin lied about her "bridge to nowhere" support, proving that a Republican woman could be just as deceitful and unprincipled as a Republican male.

She was unrelentingly vicious, something that will make Gingrich, Limbaugh, and Hannity proud.

That she can lie with a straight face, take credit for things she didn't do, and be nasty on top of that says that, yes, Republicans have found a new heroine.

The double bonus is that just like nobody can criticize McCain because he was a POW, the Republicans can now say that nobody can criticize Palin because she's a woman.

Of course, that never stopped somebody like McCain, who went after Hillary's teen-age daughter, but hey, IOKIYAR.

I was listening to excerpts this morning, and trying to figure out who her voice reminded me of, and then it hit me:

Molly Shannon.

When someone says "who no one literally had ever heard of less than a week ago" they mean the American Public. Not people deep into politics and people blogs and douchbag trolls like you. The American Public had no idea who this woman was until a week ago. Debating that fact makes you look like an ignorant ass, which is what you are.

"Good line. But no responsibilities followed."

I saw Palin's first draft:

"As a small-town mayor elected with over 600 votes, I had to decide which books in the library should be banned. I had to try to fire the library director when she put up a fight for free speech.
I had to hire a good lobbyist to hoover up $27M in federal earmarks. I had to fire the police chief so that my campaign contributors could keep their bars open until 5am. In fact I was so busy that I also had to hire a city manager to do the actual work"

Strangely enough they cut that out.

I also love the story about building a sports center on a site without clear title, leading to a $1M+ settlement.

she hates niggers.

That's a word that I don't particularly like or use. However, I am not the speech police and you can use it if you want to.

So, do you have some real reason for saying this or does Uncle Vee just like the sound of his flapping dumbass gums?

Governor Palin's speech was one of the best I've ever heard. She said it like it is, unlike the mindless sheep who adore Obama, even though he's just an empty suit. Most of the negative blogs on this site appear to have been written before the speech was even given. Comments by brain washed Obamabots, who infect the blog sites with the same sarcastic partisan posts, no matter what the story is about. Keep America strong, elect McCain / Palin in November. No Wright, no Farrakahn, no Ayers, no Rezko, no mean Michelle, NOBAMA

I kept waiting for Palin to mention anything McCain has done (you know, deeds instead of words) since he got out of Hanoi when she was in the third grade. I'm still waiting.

Also, what Richard Cownie (@12:13) said.

Wow... Glad to see liberal opposition wasn't affected too much by the Palin argument...haha.
I think the reason liberals are attacking her speech (defensively, I might add) for the so-called "lack of responsibilities" that were supposed to follow is because she called out your man Obama on HIS OWN lofty goals. His ideas will definitely put us in a bigger financial hole than we're in now.
Palin nailed liberals with exactly what you plan to do... spend money we don't have. If that makes her an enemy of the liberal press, so be it... she still gets my vote for being realistic.
Quit sidestepping the issue, Ez, by criticizing her speech for every detail. How long should she talk next time? Ten hours enough to cover every little detail of her platform? Still wouldn't be enough for you, but Obama can conjure up a beautiful image of his America with no idea of how to really get there...
I sure hope that someday I ge to publish a book of memoirs and accomplishments... but evidently my time has past. I should have written it in 1st grade before I even did anything useful, like Obama's premature ovation.
Bravo lefties! You have a real winner...

@eyez: Seems to me that the government was runnung a surplus when the current president took office and that we've got into that "hole" on his watch. What party does he belong to, anyway? Hint: tax cuts, Iraq.

Smarter trolls, please.

Well thats nice of you E-smartin to notice... I agree that I haven't been uber impressed with the last 8 years either, but should we scrap the whole party for one president? No. Or the whole space program for one disastrous launch? Nope, I am not even close to jumping ship... especially with you lefties bad mouthing any cuts to uselessly unchecked government programs... (i.e. raising minimum wage, useless.. funding every out of work person for years and years and years to promote..what...laziness, counting fairy shrimp in California and preventing a new UC campus to be built which would educate professionals where they're needed)
Try and set a good example, take a little responsibility for your own shortcomings and stop blaming everything on the lack of big government bailout programs like you liberal/celebrity/Oprah fans like to do.
Pretty classy with the name calling too... Glad you made it into, but not out of third grade. Have fun at recess, junior.

Anonymous, would you PLEASE learn the difference between the words "women" and "woman"??? you are polluting my eyes.

Ugh, I thought it was horrific. As an undecided voter, I found it totally undercut McCain's whole aura of trying to be bipartisan and such. Now I'll be voting Obama. That nasty speech by that vicious woman did it for me. She's an Ayatollah of hate speak.

Bill wrote: "She did not lie. The bridge was a joint state-federal project, and funds are, after all, fungible. We both agree that she kept the money, and I do not deny that she flipped her position on the project. But she did kill it as a matter of state projects and priorities. So here you are simply wrong."

She did too lie. She claimed to have told Congress: "I told Congress, Thanks but no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere". That's not only a lie but it's a bald-faced lie. Congress killed the earmark in November of 2005, 13 months before Palin took office! Congress allowed Alaska to keep the money but without the earmark Alaska could spend the money however it liked. During her run for governor, Palin supported using the money to build the bridge, claiming the bridge was necessary for development. She later (September 2007) stopped the project, but IN NO WAY AT ALL DID SHE TELL CONGRESS ANYTHING!

Palin painted herself as curageously teling Congress to shove it, but her courage in this case is just her own fantasy.

Keith

So, eyez, I'm still waiting to hear what deeds John McCain has done since Sarah Palin was in third grade. She certainly didn't mention any. Evidently, nobody at the convention is aloowed to mention the legislation he's most famous for, McCain-Feingold, because he's now against it; mentioning that particular deed would somewhat undercut the whole "he's always the same" trip. Think harder; read better.