(Jake Turcotte)
Biden: Ready to rumble (with love)
By Jimmy Orr | 09.04.08
If Sarah Palin’s speech were a diving event in the Olympics, she may have pulled off the vaunted “triple lindy.”
Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden would have been the equivalent of the East German judge who in a series of 10s would have scored the Alaska Governor an 8.5.
But 8.5 is still pretty good. And the Obama campaign sure isn’t going to give Palin a free pass. Substance, they say, is the issue. And Biden was touring the morning shows on Thursday dispensing plenty of platitudes for the now-almost-deified Governor, but pointing out a few flaws as well.
He did call it amazing and “incredibly well-crafted” but, said Biden, it had a few holes in it. Gaping holes. Perhaps craters.
“I didn’t hear the phrase middle class,” Biden told CNN. I didn’t hear a single word about health care. I didn’t hear a single word about helping people get to college. I didn’t hear a single word or phrase about how to deal with the retirement, security for people, and Social Security. I didn’t hear the word Afghanistan or Pakistan mentioned where the terrorists live. You know, I mean – where Al Qaida is.”
These omissions would seem to present Mr. Biden the opportunity for a full-out nuclear attack during the upcoming vice presidential debate.
Not gonna happen says Joe. He told a crowd today in Virginia that he was raised to “never, ever, ever” attack other people.
“I will take issue with her ideas as strongly as I possibly can,” he told MSNBC earlier in the day. “I will be unrelenting in my debate with governor, the governor of Alaska in terms of the positions she has taken. But I will not do what she is able to do so well… I am not good at the one-line zingers.”
Speaking of one-line zingers, how about that line last night that Palin sold the Alaska state plane on Ebay. Any truth to that?
Thanks to Yahoo’s Buzz Log, that mystery is solved:
She did, indeed, list the previous governor’s Westwind II plane on the popular auction site — three times. But no buyer ever made the minimum bid. According to AskMen.com, she eventually sold the machine through a broker for a cool $2.1 mil, “at a loss of around half a million dollars.”
Maybe Joe Biden will claim fiscal irresponsibility on this deal – with love, of course.
<< Sarah Palin: How do you like me now? | MainComments
2. Charlette | 09.04.08
The REAL reason why McCain picked Palin:
http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/McCain-Hijacks-Christianity-Via-Palin.240929
3. Fred Distefano | 09.04.08
Well, I guess Ms. Palin is spirited and all, and has a very nice family, and has “family values”…… but Im sorry, eight years of Republicanism is enough.Enough Enough Enough
4. Todd Gatts | 09.04.08
Problems:
millions with no health care insurance
sub-prime mortgage causing people to loss their homes
$10 billion a month for a foreign war
dependence on non-renewable energy sources
poor public schools and expensive colleges
under-funded social security
stagnant wages for workers
loss of influence in the world
torture
wiretapping
immigration
global warming
Solutions:
(we might want to start talking about this stuff real soon.)
5. randy | 09.04.08
Sarah Palin - WOW! GO Baby GO!
Sarah Palin opened up a six pack of Whip-A** on Barack Obama and said, “let’s rumble”!
Hey Barack, is she “likeable enough”?
6. Deaner | 09.04.08
I’m still struggling with the concept of Joe Biden representing some sort of change. This guy has had 35 yrs in the senate to bring about change…
Unfortunately, Americans operate on a pretty simple plane politically speaking, and will probably vote for these duds, Obama and Biden.
7. John | 09.04.08
Her speech was full of red meat and barbs, but not much else. The whole night was a hate-fest. Bush brought up the ‘angry left’ on Tuesday, but it seem like it’s the right that’s really angry. Angry at the media. Angry at the left. Angry at the government. It’s like they forgot that they’ve been calling the shots for the past 8 years.
8. commoner | 09.04.08
All the Republican agenda seems to boil down to is oil and war preparations.
If America cannot think outside of that box, we are doomed; we will just be one war driven economy from this day to eternity. We need smarter, more sophisticated and caring people as leaders. Obama and his supporters are offering Americans an opportunity to not only change America’s infastructure, but help build bridges with other nations. Noting all of the smiling, but very aggressive rhetoric in the convention last night, sure made me feel that nothing has changed in the Republican heart—war, oil, and special intersts is still the agenda. No thanks. I want to think about solving problems and building a future through more humane, reasoned, and co-operative thinking.
McCain and Ms Palin are from the past–all they know is how to aggress every situation–it’s all about “Them.” Obama says, it’s not about Me, it’s about You, and that makes me want to get up and do what I need to do, not wait around for McCain and Palin to encourage more big corporations. Selah.
9. GOD IS VOTING FOR OBAMA | 09.04.08
As I was re-reading my bible last night I noticed something very disturbing.
It was Jesus that was a community organizer and Pontius Pilot was the governor.
VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN AND VOTE WITH GOD
10. jade | 09.04.08
Palin’s National Guard faces a crisis:
The Alaska National Guard, which Republicans are pointing to as an important national-security credential for vice presidential choice Sarah Palin, is the most poorly staffed in the nation. Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the Alaska Guard’s top officer, warned in an internal memo 6 months ago that that “missions are at risk.” The lack of qualified airmen has reached a crisis level.” That could result in missions and equipment being moved out of Alaska.
The Alaska Air Guard has only 84 percent of its assigned positions filled, the lowest rating in the country. Overall, the Alaska National Guard has about 3,800 troops in its air and ground units.
Under state control, the Guard’s frequent duties are minor and routine operations. For example on Monday this week, Guard soldiers had to transport a woman with an eye injury to Nome for medical treatment. A few days earlier, Guard airmen rescued a man after his plane went down in a spruce bog 57 miles southeast of Galena. And in late July, the Guard was called in to a help a man who’d fallen off the roof of his cabin in the Brooks Range Mountains.
On the mainland US such duties are effectively handled by Fire Departments, volunteer firemen or Emergency Medical Technicians.
11. commoner | 09.04.08
I have one more issue with Sarah Palin. I am a Christian, and I know very well the indoctrination that she has had (I attended that same denomination that she has fellowshipped at.) For her to imply that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, was so anti-Christian, that I could hardly believe my ears. Dr. James Dobson, who is a big time Christian voice has supported Palin, I wonder what he thinks of this “revelation.” (I would like the media to look him up and ask him, as I have spent money on his books, and I will burn them if he supports this kind of slander and rhetoric.) No, Palin just knows how to fight for what She wants, including the use of highly inflamable rhetoric. Palin may be a slanderer of the worst sort, and a very dangerous naive person–watch and pray America–we can’t afford to be fooled again. Stay Blessed. Peace to All.
12. greg | 09.04.08
Important point I have yet to hear. John McCain and his advisors are veterans of political campaigns. In their rush to upstage Barack Obama’s speech and surprise the electorate they introduced a candidate for Vice President that is a complete unknown to the American people. Instead of flooding the airwaves with her biography and making themselves available for interviews (which they still have yet to do), John McCain left the media (who’s job it is to inform the public) twisting in the wind and scrambling to tell America who she is. For 6 whole days the McCain camp let an ugly firefight go on and then attacked the “Liberal” media for shameless behavior. Is this Presidential behavior? I call it a monumental lapse in judgment.
13. Canuck | 09.04.08
Just looking from the outside in from North of the border, it’s painfully obvious that the Republicans are duping the American public. I laughed last night watching this just removed Mayor on stage, she’s more eye candy then she is a candidate. McCain, is respectable, a little reckless but no doubt a soldier of great stature with little interest in helping the average American family and more in helping the big companies that make massive profits off of your backs. I’m more interested in your politics then that of my own Country, the reality is your president has more effect on my world then my own Prime Minister, it’s like that in other parts of the world too. America is a pillar in the world of strength, justice and opportunity, this image has faded in the past 8 years and is dangerously losing it’s luster. I truly hope that Barack/Biden get voted into office and promise the Change they are preaching. God Bless America.
14. OIF Veterans For McCain | 09.04.08
[QUOTE BY]: GOD IS VOTING FOR OBAMA | 09.04.08
As I was re-reading my bible last night I noticed something very disturbing.
It was Jesus that was a community organizer and Pontius Pilot was the governor.
VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN AND VOTE WITH GOD [END QUOTE]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, if you read your Bible further, Jesus will say, “False prophets will come in my name.” Perhaps the “Prophet Obama” is a false prophet.
–McCAIN ~ PALIN 08–
15. ghraydon wallick | 09.04.08
Anyone who votes Republican should immediately take all their children down to their local army recruiter and sign them up for military service. The “all-voluntary” army will be history and the DRAFT will blow once more, sucking up future generations to profit the darkness.
Mc Cain’s 100 year occupation of Iraq is just the beginning of a tragic Crusade to hasten the “Rapture”. How did America and Christ’s teachings come to this?
16. JT | 09.05.08
Problems:
millions with no health care insurance
sub-prime mortgage causing people to loss their homes
$10 billion a month for a foreign war
dependence on non-renewable energy sources
poor public schools and expensive colleges
under-funded social security
stagnant wages for workers
loss of influence in the world
torture
wiretapping
immigration
global warming
Solutions:
(we might want to start talking about this stuff real soon.)
18. Terri | 09.05.08
[QUOTE BY]: GOD IS VOTING FOR OBAMA | 09.04.08
As I was re-reading my bible last night I noticed something very disturbing.
It was Jesus that was a community organizer and Pontius Pilot was the governor.
VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN AND VOTE WITH GOD [END QUOTE]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, if you read your Bible further, Jesus will say, “False prophets will come in my name.” Perhaps the “Prophet Obama” is a false prophet.
–McCAIN ~ PALIN 08–
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your ignorance shows. Only those who want to believe the worst of Obama would have the nerve to liken him to Prophets in the bible. Obama is a God fearing man who follows God’s will in his life and that he lets God order his steps. What you have done is perverted God’s instructions to us in the Bible and used his name in vain.
Palin derided community organizers everywhere in her speech. Like their work does not matter. She is able to stand as the Republican VP choice becaue a community organizer somewhere fought for women’s rights and for her to destroy that work in one sentence is an insult to us community organizers.
However to bring it to a level you understand, I have included below a saying by Abraham Lincoln:
“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right”
Abraham Lincoln.
19. Kathy in Texas | 09.05.08
As long as the McCain campaign can avoid talking about the issues the better it will be for them.
Looks like the GOP is going to run on exaggerations and fairy tales and not the issues. If forced to talk about the issues the GOP is going to go bust.
I have never heard so many lies and the media is allowing them to get by with all of the tales.
4 more years with McCain will be worse than the last 8 we have had to endure with Bush
20. Jean | 09.05.08
McCain spent quite a lot of his speech discussing the ways in which the federal government should dictate education, traditionally a state and local concern. Palin told families of special needs children that they would have a “friend in Washington,” rather than telling them to rely on themselves and their own resources. Both candidates want the federal government in the bedroom, telling women what reproductive choices are available to them.
The issues in which the federal government apparently has no role are economic — no regulation of the financial industry — and environmental — no reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (drill, baby, drill!), no commitment to infrastructure improvement (so a bridge falls down now and then, stuff happens).
Republicans don’t make “government smaller,” they just move it around to benefit their friends and their religious beliefs. That’s what the past 8 years have shown, and there was nothing in either speech to indicate that anything will change.
21. Mary | 09.05.08
Thank you #7 John for your words of wisdom. On Wednesday night I tried to watch the RNC to learn about their plan and hear them out. All I heard was mock and distain for the Dem candidates and Americans in general. First they lied about his Senate record, then they made fun of community organizers. A classy bunch, I must say.
22. katie | 09.05.08
Well if Joe Biden’s long time service in the senate works against the idea of change even though the Democratic candidate is being criticized for not being around long enough…how can john mccain possibley tell us that change is coming if he and Sarah palin are elected…Outside of her gender it seems to me she is just another right wing extremist whose record as a mayor and governor is far from impressive
23. bena | 09.06.08
Republicans are definitely ignoring the main issues, most importantly that they are the ones who have been in Washington calling the shots for the last eight years. Just because they ignore the turmoil Bush has created (voted for by the one and only John McCain and “endorsed by God” in Sarah Palin’s world) doesn’t mean that it’s just gonna go away.
They messed up big time, and they seem to think that divisive barbs and lies about their own achievements that are as far from bipartisan and American as one can get are the way to combat their huge economic/social/environmental mistakes that the next generation will have to pay for.
Thanks Bush.
24. mark 5.56 | 09.08.08
McCain is a maverick, and a genius, if Sarah did not convince you of that, looks like California and her 55 EVs are now in play…. holy cow, this is some serious change for country, the last time california was inplay was Reagan, and they are now calling sarah: “Reagan in a dress” last poll I read, Obama is only down by 9%
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. chett maruyama | 09.04.08
Go getum BigGirl. You showed those wimps, especially those media snakes how it’s done.
You are the answer and the problem for the libs.