He said it better than I could

[tlynn78]

I have to laugh when considering BobJ's Sarah Palin posts in light of his signature line:

"Frankly, I'm suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue. - Scott Adams (1957- )"


t.

[Beebs52]

I have to laugh when considering BobJ's Sarah Palin posts in light of his signature line:

"Frankly, I'm suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue. - Scott Adams (1957- )"


t.

Geez you're snarky.

[Bob Juch]

I have to laugh when considering BobJ's Sarah Palin posts in light of his signature line:

"Frankly, I'm suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue. - Scott Adams (1957- )"

I'm suspicious of Sarah Palin.

[flockofseagulls104]

Sorry, no. That was just forward to me via email.

Who he is isn't important. What he said is.

What he said is pure garbage. Like you, Bob, he knows nothing about conservative thought. What he thinks he knows is just warmed over cliches from 20 year old talking points and DNC memos. Most conservatives are not 'group' oriented. We are individuals that have differing viewpoints on many issues, but the main thing that holds us together is that except for things like national defense, the government is not the answer to social and economic problems. Most often, it is the indirect cause of those problems.

I don't know what you think you read, but your response has nothing to do with what Willis said. He was talking about how Palin's speech will galvanize the Democrats. There was no mention of Big Government.

They are already spooked to the point of wetting their pants over the made up fantasy of the secret Muslim black man and his black militant wife turning the White House into a flophouse for the Black Panther Party.

If that's what you think conservatives think about Obama, you are way out in left field, my friend. We are 'wetting our pants' over his ideas of raising taxes through the roof, creating hundreds of new programs and vaccilating to our enemies, just to name three things. Most conservatives are not in any way concerned about his name, race or gender. And I for one am tired of being portrayed that way, as you did with your joke post last night. It's tiresome and laziness.

[silverscreenselect]

Willis main point is that "moderate swing voters" which he defines exclusively as whites are turned off by Mr. 24% (true) and essentially aren't there any more. Wrong. These are the people that came out in record numbers for Hillary, in OH, PA, and other states and whose votes are very much in play. Palin was trying to connect with them during her speech, not with Obama fanatics or with the Republican base, neither group really being in play.

She may have succeeded temporarily, but when they understand who she really is, there's not a change a Hillary supporter would vote for her.

I know of one who will and you can take that to the bank.

[Weyoun]

Oliver Willis:

As is to be expected, the mainstream media is falling all over themselves to congratulate Sarah Palin on her speech and to get first in line for the next barbecue at the McCain compound(s). The consensus -- and we know just how wrong the consensus usually is -- is that Palin's speech has consolidated and galvanized the conservative base. The first problem with this is that the conservative base has been mostly galvanized already. They are already spooked to the point of wetting their pants over the made up fantasy of the secret Muslim black man and his black militant wife turning the White House into a flophouse for the Black Panther Party. They are already there. What the pick did for McCain is get the last dregs of a dying voting bloc lined up for him.

The problem is the Palin pick and the traditional Republican nonsense she delivered has the side effect of rousting another base: Democrats. The Palin pick was originally sold as an appeal to Hillary Clinton voters -- but what Clinton voter with an ounce of sense could possibly pull the lever for a ticket so proud of its knuckle dragging like McCain/Palin? Those already in the Obama camp and responsible for the Grand Canyon sized gulf in enthusiasm between the two candidates are just going to get fired up by Palin's speech and the other promises of another Bush term being offered in the sparsely occupied Xcel arena (seriously, why can't they get people to fill up all the seats in such a small venue?).

The other group of people likely to be unintentionally fired up by McCain and Palin are moderate, swing voters. The biggest reason Republicans lost the House and Senate was buyers remorse from those swing voters who voted for Bush in 2004, not realizing that the GOP's promise of protection and sanity were washed away in Katrina and the rush to privatize social security. The GOP is now tuned up for a replay of the 2004 strategy, but all they have left of that coalition is their white conservative male base. The minorities are all gone. The women have left them. Moderates have moved on. Elections in America are not won by James Dobson and Pat Robertson acting alone, no matter how they try to sell that to you.

In large part America is tired of fire breathing partisanship. They have seen the 50+1 percent presidency of Bush devolve into a 24% presidency. People, especially those in the middle, realize that a president that every day is focused on "winning" the base turns out to be a loser with people in the middle and in the other party. It is not a way to govern a nation -- and it stymies the effectiveness of the presidency. People like Reagan and Clinton had presidencies that worked for better or worse because they hadn't written off half of the country on inauguration day.

For those who needed reminding, the Republican convention has done the job. Mission accomplished.

Like many Dem commentators, he assumes that the voters assume McCain = Bush. That's not true.

[Bob Juch]

Willis main point is that "moderate swing voters" which he defines exclusively as whites are turned off by Mr. 24% (true) and essentially aren't there any more. Wrong. These are the people that came out in record numbers for Hillary, in OH, PA, and other states and whose votes are very much in play. Palin was trying to connect with them during her speech, not with Obama fanatics or with the Republican base, neither group really being in play.

She may have succeeded temporarily, but when they understand who she really is, there's not a change a Hillary supporter would vote for her.

I know of one who will and you can take that to the bank.

If that's you, you need to stop pretending to be a Democrat.

[Bob Juch]

What he said is pure garbage. Like you, Bob, he knows nothing about conservative thought. What he thinks he knows is just warmed over cliches from 20 year old talking points and DNC memos. Most conservatives are not 'group' oriented. We are individuals that have differing viewpoints on many issues, but the main thing that holds us together is that except for things like national defense, the government is not the answer to social and economic problems. Most often, it is the indirect cause of those problems.

I don't know what you think you read, but your response has nothing to do with what Willis said. He was talking about how Palin's speech will galvanize the Democrats. There was no mention of Big Government.

They are already spooked to the point of wetting their pants over the made up fantasy of the secret Muslim black man and his black militant wife turning the White House into a flophouse for the Black Panther Party.

If that's what you think conservatives think about Obama, you are way out in left field, my friend. We are 'wetting our pants' over his ideas of raising taxes through the roof, creating hundreds of new programs and vaccilating to our enemies, just to name three things. Most conservatives are not in any way concerned about his name, race or gender. And I for one am tired of being portrayed that way, as you did with your joke post last night. It's tiresome and laziness.

I guess you make over $250,000 a year if you're worried about higher taxes.

What new programs have Obama proposed?

Vaccilating? That's a fancy name for flip-flopping. How has Obama done that?

[silverscreenselect]

She may have succeeded temporarily, but when they understand who she really is, there's not a change a Hillary supporter would vote for her.

I know of one who will and you can take that to the bank.

If that's you, you need to stop pretending to be a Democrat.

In other words, Barack Obama is now the Democratic Party.

[silverscreenselect]

Flash polls like this are notoriously unreliable, but this one shows independents 9% more likely to vote for McCain after the Palin speech last night.

http://www.mediacurves.com/Politics/J69 ... /Index.cfm

And the latest CBS News poll, taken Monday through Wednesday, shows McCain and Obama tied at 42%. No word on when Wednesday the poll was taken, but these are usually done before 10:30 at night when Palin gave her speech. The previous CBS poll taken over the weekend showed Obama with an 8% lead.

Ratings for Palin's speech were 37 million, compared to 38 million for Obama and 24 million for Biden.

[flockofseagulls104]

I don't know what you think you read, but your response has nothing to do with what Willis said. He was talking about how Palin's speech will galvanize the Democrats. There was no mention of Big Government.

They are already spooked to the point of wetting their pants over the made up fantasy of the secret Muslim black man and his black militant wife turning the White House into a flophouse for the Black Panther Party.

If that's what you think conservatives think about Obama, you are way out in left field, my friend. We are 'wetting our pants' over his ideas of raising taxes through the roof, creating hundreds of new programs and vaccilating to our enemies, just to name three things. Most conservatives are not in any way concerned about his name, race or gender. And I for one am tired of being portrayed that way, as you did with your joke post last night. It's tiresome and laziness.

I guess you make over $250,000 a year if you're worried about higher taxes.

What new programs have Obama proposed?

Vaccilating? That's a fancy name for flip-flopping. How has Obama done that?

Find Fred Thompson's speech the other night and read it, if you're really interested in trying to understand.. He said it better than I can.

[Rexer25]

They are already spooked to the point of wetting their pants over the made up fantasy of the secret Muslim black man and his black militant wife turning the White House into a flophouse for the Black Panther Party.

If that's what you think conservatives think about Obama, you are way out in left field, my friend. We are 'wetting our pants' over his ideas of raising taxes through the roof, creating hundreds of new programs and vaccilating to our enemies, just to name three things. Most conservatives are not in any way concerned about his name, race or gender. And I for one am tired of being portrayed that way, as you did with your joke post last night. It's tiresome and laziness.

I guess you make over $250,000 a year if you're worried about higher taxes.

What new programs have Obama proposed?

Vaccilating? That's a fancy name for flip-flopping. How has Obama done that?

Find Fred Thompson's speech the other night and read it, if you're really interested in trying to understand.. He said it better than I can.

FactCheck's view of Tuesday's speeches

[TheCalvinator24]

Willis main point is that "moderate swing voters" which he defines exclusively as whites are turned off by Mr. 24% (true) and essentially aren't there any more. Wrong. These are the people that came out in record numbers for Hillary, in OH, PA, and other states and whose votes are very much in play. Palin was trying to connect with them during her speech, not with Obama fanatics or with the Republican base, neither group really being in play.

She may have succeeded temporarily, but when they understand who she really is, there's not a change a Hillary supporter would vote for her.

I know of one who will and you can take that to the bank.

I think the key here is to define "Hillary Supporter." With the exception of sss, and those who share his distaste for Senator Obama, the solid Democrats who chose Hillary as their Candidate of choice in the Democratic Primary will not come vote for McCain/Palin. However, there is a significant number of people who would have voted for Hillary in November but who won't vote for Obama. We won't know for sure for a couple of months, but I do believe that many of these voters will find Palin as an attractive choice, even as "only" the #2 on the ticket.

We'll see.

I assure you that Republicans aren't so deluded to think that the James Carvilles of the world will jump to McCain because of Palin, but a lot of soccer/hockey moms just might.

[silverscreenselect]

She may have succeeded temporarily, but when they understand who she really is, there's not a change a Hillary supporter would vote for her.

I know of one who will and you can take that to the bank.

I think the key here is to define "Hillary Supporter." With the exception of sss, and those who share his distaste for Senator Obama, the solid Democrats who chose Hillary as their Candidate of choice in the Democratic Primary will not come vote for McCain/Palin. However, there is a significant number of people who would have voted for Hillary in November but who won't vote for Obama. We won't know for sure for a couple of months, but I do believe that many of these voters will find Palin as an attractive choice, even as "only" the #2 on the ticket.

We'll see.

I assure you that Republicans aren't so deluded to think that the James Carvilles of the world will jump to McCain because of Palin, but a lot of soccer/hockey moms just might.

I have seen figures that indicate that as many as 20% of those who voted for Hillary (and a number who voted for Obama in early primaries and were later disillusioned) are not planning to vote for Obama in Nov. Not all of these will vote for McCain; some may vote Nader, McKinney or simply not vote for President. But they represent votes Obama is not getting.

There is also the question as to how much of the youth vote Obama got in the primary will still care enough to vote in November. They aren't the most reliable voters in the world.

McCain's speech tonight was intended to reach out to disaffected Democrats and independents and give them sufficient cover to vote for him. He was light on specifics, but he criticized his own party, praised Obama on one occasion early in the speech and kept emphasizing that he intended to fight for people.

Most of it was rather low key, but the finale, when he summed up his POW experiences and explained how that made him a better man was very effective. Those who stayed until the end would definitely be moved by that.

I gave the last five minutes of his speech an A and the rest a B-.

One final note: whoever the morons were who tried to break up his speech by shouting him down didn't help their cause any. It reflects poorly on Obama and the Democrats and gave McCain an opportunity to look witty and magnanimous in response.