Ezra, I know you've already posted on how there are only white people at the Republican convention, but I'm watching it here now for the first time, and the lack of diversity is almost astonishing. This party is demographically in the past. There's no way these fuckers are winning in November.

So, I'm watching Mitt Romney now, and I know you've already mentioned this about how this convention only has WHITE people at it, but I still cannot get over the absolute lack of diversity in this crowd. It's astonishing. This party is demographically in the past. There's no way these fuckers are winning in November.

so unless she wanders out in an octopus costume and reads a poem

That would be great. It would just be time to kick McCain off the ticket, and just run her to be President and Vice-President.

But the concerns about Palin will remain, and they are questions that relate to her performance when she's not reading from the script. Her test will come over the next six weeks, not the next six hours.

Of course, but she could be boring, like the speakers I've heard so far. Romney is up now, I think. We'll see how that goes. She could make a mess of it, or the folks writing the speech could be making many bad assumptions . . . I dunno, it's possible for her to blow it. I don't think she will. But I could see why people would be concerned.

So, I'm watching Mitt Romney now, and I know you've already mentioned this about how this convention only has WHITE people at it,

I've seen a few African-Americans, Asians and the delegation from Guam, but that's about it. It's a convention that looks like white America!

You know, instead of attacking Palin, maybe Obama should use Palin to attack the GOP. Something along the lines of "Senator McCain says Gov. Palin is the 'best qualified' Republican to be vice president. Well, when you look at the party that gave us Tom Delay, Larry Craig, George Bush, Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney and David Vitter, among others, she might actually BE the best qualified Republican."

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, but last week didn't the Obama promise that they'd mount the most impressive rapid response team evah? I don't think I've heard peep from them, with the exception of Reid and Richardson grumbling sotto voce about Lieberman's speech. How are they going to handle Palin, who's basically taunting Obama to counter-attack so as to affirm some deep, ugly racial stereotypes about black men and white women?

Make no mistake: as today's McCain campaign ad reveals, they see enormous upside in a Palin v.s Obama media smackdown. Anything Obama says or does will only touch an ugly chord in low-information swing voters in Ohio and Michigan. Today the GOP trotted out its Palin strategy, and Obama better be prepared.

It is widely agreed that she is, in fact, sentient, human, and critical of Barack Obama, so unless she wanders out in an octopus costume and reads a poem, tonight's going to go well for her.

I fell out of my chair laughing when I read that. Pure gold.

"Well, when you look at the party that gave us Tom Delay, Larry Craig, George Bush, Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney and David Vitter, among others, she might actually BE the best qualified Republican."

This does raise a good point: one of the side-effects of the 2006 elections is that the Republicans had their back bench decimated, either because the lost their seats or because their reputation was ruined. One of the casualties was Sen. George Allen, who likely would have been the nominee or, at the very least, a frontrunner for the VP nomination. The last few years have ensured that even Republicans who held their seats, like Pawlenty, aren't really that popular in his own states. So who was left? Sarah Palin, one of the last few Republicans standing who was still popular with her own constituents.

"A powerful old gal she was, plainly equal in her day to a bout with obstetrics and a week's washing in the same morning..."

Thanks for posting this. Exactly what I've been thinking: the speech is being way overhyped. I want to see her perfrom on Meet the Press, This Week, etc - if her handlers allow it

I too laughed out loud at your octopus/poem comment. Nicely done.

Lots of race baiters here tonight. It used to be OK to be white. Just sayin'.

I can't wait until Obama loses and the media frenzy encourages a few gangbangers to take revenge on the "demographic past." No white person in a city controlled by Dems will be safe, because they'll have the cops stand aside while the righteous indignation of minorities is exercised in the streets.

Lots of race baiters here tonight. It used to be OK to be white. Just sayin'.

I can't wait until Obama loses and the media frenzy encourages a few gangbangers to take revenge on the "demographic past." No white person in a city controlled by Dems will be safe, because they'll have the cops stand aside while the righteous indignation of minorities is exercised in the streets.