Since Alaska is right next to Canada, I can only assume that her opening line about being both progressive and conservative was a nostalgic reference to the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Have you seen the Milbank piece where he reports that Republicans hurled epithets at the gathered press. This is in addition to the campaign not allowing interviews at some of Palin's events.

One crowd member called a black netword soundman a boy. Told him, "Sit down Boy." She is playing with some serious fire.

Well, if that's your attitude toward hockey moms, young man, why don't you just go live in our neighboring country of Afghanistan?

Actually, I think the temperature of the culture war against Teh Librul Media depends to some extent on the polls. Dubya wasn't this far down in '00 or '04, and didn't have to whine about his press coverage; by contrast, his distinguished-elder-statesman dad, in the waning moments of his faltering campaign in '92, did haul out the "annoy the media -- vote Bush" tactic. Not with this kind of ferocity, though, I agree.

i think it bears repeating, that if mccain and palin are elected, it will make the era of joe mccarthy look like a walk in the park.
sarah palin unbridled, grows scarier everyday.
with the economy in shambles, this culture war paints an ominous scenario.
the only heartening aspect to the cultural and economic backdrop/crisis is the volume of people registering to vote. in the last few days, many people are coming in to re-register out of the republican party and also to vote for the first time.
friends are pulling in friends.... the incredulousness, fear and anger that palin and mccain are inspiring, are bringing in droves of new voters.
the hopes of many are riding on this election.
may it all be enough.

That PETA pig ad is vile. Not nice to look at in the morning.

the perfect portrait of sarah palin
was done in 1870.

"salome"
by henri regnault

the winking seductress
with silver platter and glittery knife.
well worth a look.
the animal~skin rug under her feet
is the finishing, prescient touch.

You know, Kay, it is how pigs are treated on industrial farms that is vile. Agribusiness doesn't want people to know the truth, but if we are going to have more integrity than the Palinites, we can't just bury our heads or blame the messanger.

Have you seen the Milbank piece where he reports that Republicans hurled epithets at the gathered press. This is in addition to the campaign not allowing interviews at some of Palin's events.

The first time I read about how they've got the press penned up at her events and won't let them talk to the crowd, I thought they were being a little totalitarianistic, and were afraid that the press would portray her supporters as hicks and rubes.

Since then, I've read the account the Millbank piece that Kay linked to. Now I think they're rounding the press into a protective pen for their own safety.

That PETA pig ad is vile. Not nice to look at in the morning.

I'm not really a PETA fan, but I think that's the point.

Oops, should have italicized the bit I quoted from Kay in the post above.

Bush actually gave press conferences too. You know you're a terrible candidate when you make George W. Bush look good.

this is not culture war stuff anymore.

this is sheer thuggishness.

Yes but this is also a LOSING strategy. Let them use it. This is an electoral strategy assured of gaining the votes of the 22% of dead-enders (who they already had) and absolutely nobody else. If that's the game they want to play, I say let them. This whole election I've been waiting for Obama to go negative and now that they finally are, I'm thinking they were right along. Just let the GOP implode. They are not gaining any traction with this bullshit.

She drinks STARBUCKS!?!?! And a mocha no less.

I thought it was only high-falutin' liberal media elitist types that drank that stuff?

"and now, California, let's see what a comment like I just made, how that is turned into whatever it's turned into tomorrow in the newspaper."

Headline:
"Palin tells women vote for her or go to Hell."

I think the key factor here is that Bush is a huge phony. When he does something like this it's a strategy, not an instinct. But whereas he is among the most privileged of post-war presidents, Palin actually does have a modest background. She doesn't need to use proxy coffee to pretend that she's a cultural conservative -- she's quite secure in her conservatism, and is thus free to drink what she wants. And part of the cultural conservatism that animates her is irrational hatred of the media, no matter what.

It's right out of the David Horowitz / Ann Coulter playbook. Deliberately provoke outrage and ridicule. Complain that liberals are so mean and intolerant. Hope nobody remembers how outrageous and ridiculous you are.

I don't think Coulter is fearing for her job though. Palin's too clueless to be subtle about it. You can't openly brag that this is what you're up to.

It's right out of the David Horowitz / Ann Coulter playbook.

Except that Horowitz and Coulter are niche authors/pundits not politicians. The difference is that it's easier to keep turning a profit promoting your Republican brand as a pundit than it is to get 51% of the vote using this strategy.

Palin thinks she's setting herself up for a 2012 run for the presidency. What she's actually doing is merely setting a place for herself on the wingnut welfare/cable news host gravy-train.

I think the whole new culture war ferocity is partially motivated by fear of the changing demographics. The simmering anger or angst of the “hard working Americans” or the “Joe six-packs” (code for “white Americans”) seems to be the result of their realization that they are not going to be a majority very much longer. Throw in failed immigration policies, a bad economy, and a minority presidential candidate, and I think the situation is ripe for a religious, conservative, political opportunist to exploit this situation to shore up the slowly dwindling base for a presidential run in the not too distant future. It’s a variation on the theme that the “barbarians are at the gate.” I would like to see how Palin and Huckabee parlay this as they struggle to maintain the religious right’s grip on the party. I do find it interesting that Palin sounds more like Pat Buchanan than Reagan.

Didn't McCain do the same thing earlier, when he said "rich" started at $5 million and immediately complained about how it would be reported?

What she's actually doing is merely setting a place for herself on the wingnut welfare/cable news host gravy-train.

Look, Kate O'Beirne, Ann Coulter, Linda Chavez, and other wingnut welfare women are able to occasionally string a coherent sentence together on paper or on TV and have some opinions on public and foreign policy. Palin is a doofus by comparison. I think a more apt fate for her would be hosting an early afternoon talk show on a small network affiliate in Juneau. Small talk, banter, head-nodding. She can do that with minimal prep.

Palin thinks she's setting herself up for a 2012 run for the presidency. What she's actually doing is merely setting a place for herself on the wingnut welfare/cable news host gravy-train.

You know, what if she isn't setting up for 2012, but in fact is setting herself up for a cable news show at 5 million a year? From what I know of her, she might prefer that.

Our cultural politics are certainly becoming impressively confused when conservative candidates are brandishing feminist quotes written by Clinton appointees on Starbucks' coffee cups in order threaten religious consequences for women who vote Democratic.

Oh, Ezra.
So Albright actually was threatening religious consequences for women who don't help other women?

It is a trite saying, and Palin used it for a little tweaking against the so-called feminists who now attack her for having children and running for office. Or more precisely, for not supporting abortion.
That Albright is offended that it's being used for political purposes just goes to show the ridiculousness of trying to say anything general about women and their relationship to other women.

If Albright wanted to say something about Democratic women, she should have. It's her fault she said something overgeneral (and religious!) for Starbucks to print.

Or perhaps she should have said "There's a special place in Hell for women who don't support abortion".

Be serious, Ezra.

Thank you, Kay. All the PETA ads are awful to look at. I like reading Ezra enough to take the trouble to prop an extra long postcard against my screen when the start to get to me. But I'm sure many just leave instead. Ezra, can't TAP run text only PETA ads? Or just stick with ads for relevant books and mags?

What I can't help thinking is isn't it kind of odd for somebody running for national office to keep speak dismissively of the east coast and California? Aren't there people who vote in those places?

She didn't misquote Albright, you idiot, the coffee cup did. Didn't you see the picture at the link?
And, it was a joke. Something with which you sre not familiar.

CS, what picture are you talking about? The picture on Huffington Post has the Albright quote correct on the cup, and not as Palin said it.

Palin's not funny any more. She's dangerous. She's pure wingnut, a little bit Freeper, a little bit LGF, a little bit militia -- and she's mainstreaming the backchannel of smears from the past nine months. She's Hutu Radio.

Ezra,

You're young. We understand.

The comparative isn't 2004; it's 1992. That ugly last week of GHWB going about yelling about Ozone Man and railing at the Heavens in fury.

That the Ugly Week appears to be about to run a month is sad. That this one, too, is a prelude to impeachment may take a while for people to understand.

I love how the crowd isn't sure how to react. "Madeline Albright, the Clinton apointee? Booooooooooo!...Oh, wait, she said something we can use against Obama/Biden? Wooooooooo!"

Fucking marionettes, the lot of them.