Dem: Palin "Cliff-Noted" Her ABC Interview

[Nambe]

Source: CBS

When asked to characterize Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's qualifications to be the Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., stated flatly that Palin isn’t ready to be vice president.

"She doesn't know anything," Wasserman Schultz said on CBS' Face The Nation, responding to a charge by a fellow guest, former Mass. Gov. Jane Swift, that Palin has been forced to undergo scrutiny in the media that some would characterize as sexist.

"There shouldn't be a double standard," Swift said. "We shouldn't ask of her questions about her ability to do the job that we wouldn't ask a guy in a similar circumstance. ...

... "Well, she's been asked what she knows," Wasserman Schultz said. "She's been asked to demonstrate her foreign policy knowledge, which she clearly has very little, based on the Charlie Gibson interview. I mean, she didn't know what the Bush doctrine was. She really had almost no grasp of America's foreign policy. She really knew very little about domestic policy.

"Quite honestly, the interview that I saw and that Americans saw on Thursday and Friday were similar to when I didn't read a book in high school and had to read the Cliff Notes and phone in my report. She's 'Cliff-Noted' her performance so far. And all of that is fair game. The American people deserve better than that." ...

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/14/ftn/main4448077.shtml

---

[mzmolly]

1. Debbie

is right on! :toast:

[TommyO]

5. "Debbie" needs to atone for her attacks on populists.

[mzmolly]

12. Such as?

:hi:

[TommyO]

36. Try this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3905348

[mzmolly]

41. She may have said it in a

joking manner?

I think we need to bury the hatchet on some of this stuff? Some people don't want to let the primaries go it seems?

[liberalmike27]

81. I thought

her answers were kind of "beauty queenish," well, except for that part about wanting world peace. But then, that peace part, fell out of favor a long time ago.

[George II]

30. Off the subject...back to Palin and her ABC interview!!!

[MadMaddie]

2. I love to watch Debbie because she is so cool and composed

and yet she has an undertone of complete disgust that Palin could even be considered for the role.

I like Debbie alot!

[AlinPA]

3. Debbie is the right person to tell it like it is with Palin. Some others-Cantwell, Murray,

Sebelius, could help (to keep the media from saying that it's sexist men beating up on her).

[and-justice-for-all]

4. But Moosilini knows JEEEEEESUS!! nt

[tmoore411]

6. out of curiousity, why are the democrats running against the VP??

Obama is not running against Sarah Palin, every time people compare the two, the elephant in the room is he can't compare to John McCain, and the dems are the worst at this. Again, Obama is running against McCain, make those comparisons, not comparisons to someone who isn't applying for the same job, that makes you look like you can't compete with the guy you should be competing against.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. it's Obama/Biden vs McPain/Palin

they come in a package

[bushisanidiot]

10. The elephant in the room is that Little Johnny McCain picked a MORON as a VP.

americans need to be VERY afraid that this woman was picked to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. McCain's judgement is clearly out of whack.. his Palin pick is evidence of that.

Palin's incompetancy needs to be shouted about from the rooftops until people understand the ramifications of her possibly becoming V.P. This is a very serious issue and for the good of nation, we CANNOT let the media slide on asking her pertinent questions and not letting her get by with "cliff note" answers.. the way they did AWOL Bush in 2000 and again in 2004. He has DESTROYED our country. We cannot let another incompetent republican in the white house!!!!!!

[Cassandra]

74. No, he picked a RW authoritarian as his running mate.

She's not stupid. She thinks knowing something is not really necessary to the job. Her religion and her narrow viewpoint are all that is necessary.

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

[AlbertCat]

78. Um....

She thinks knowing something is not really necessary to the job. Her religion and her narrow viewpoint are all that is necessary.

*************

I'd translate that as STUPID.

[mzmolly]

13. Because the media has elevated her to the top of the ticket.

:shrug: I think when they settle down, we'll focus on that old white haired dude? ;)

[emilyg]

14. Why do we let the media

dictate what we do?

[mzmolly]

16. Because voters

do.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Because she is so darned cute

And we don't like cute. :evilgrin:

[Honeycombe8]

19. Fact is, Obama is NOT running against Palin. Read the orig. post again. No ref. to Obama.

Get it?

I think YOU are comparing the two in your mind. Which is YOUR problem. Not the problem of the interviewees on that show.

It is normal to question the qualifications of a VP who is unknown. That was done of Edwards, and he was far more known than Palin.

That's all it is. Trying to get some info on an unknown that the Repubs are trying to keep under wraps, sort of. But Obama scarcely mentions her. And I have heard no one compare the two...except for every now and then someone wants to know why everyone is comparing the two. Which they aren't.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

23. So whom are you supporting in November?

Please familiarize yourself with the rules of this site.

[bjobotts]

29. Not supporting a continuaion of the last 8yrs.CEO's salary vs co.worker = Xs 547 to 1

[bjobotts]

31. Polar bears are ok yup yup still plentyof 'em but we pay for severed wolf's legs.

[bjobotts]

32. Just like with Bush, supporters end up saying, "I didn't think they'd do THAT".

[Nihil]

84. Talking to yourself is not a sign of sanity.

Mind you, neither is claiming that "the polar bears are OK"
so at least you're consistent ...
:shrug:

[MindMatter]

24. Because the VP is the real candidate. Nobody gives a shit about McCain.

[Alcibiades]

28. True

He's likely to not finish out his first term, due to age or infirmity.

[Alcibiades]

27. Are you mad?

What is it that "the dems" (i.e., all of us here on DU) are the worst at?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Obama certainly can compare with Washington insider and Keating Five player John McCain--in fact, Obama compares favorably.

The bottom line for you is that Palin is applying for the job of president. Other than presiding over the Senate, the main quality one would want in a vice president is someone who is qualified, and seems qualified, to be a legitimate president. That's in the Constitution.

McCain has shown extremely poor judgment in his selection of Palin. This isn't the time to pick someone we have to get to know: it is a time to pick someone with a national stature, someone with the gravitas of an LBJ in case that person needs to step in like--well, just like LBJ. Instead, McCain went with a gimmick.

[atjrpsych]

33. It really is an insult to place her in the VP role, they are just reacting

I think the act of nominating Palin as the VP candidate has just sent everyone in different directions! It is outrageous and I think the high level of reactivity and comparisons is more about the "shock" factor. It likes placing a medical assistant(not that there is anything wrong with medical assistants) in charge of cardiac surgery. It is just way beyond Sarah Palin's abilities, and it is potentially very dangerous.

[progdonkey]

48. because there's a 25% chance she'll be president within the first term...

I've heard that the actuarial tables show McCain has a 25% chance of not making it through his first term, which is ridiculous. (Politico had an article which listed a 14.2-15.1% chance of McCain not making it to his second inauguration, which is ten times higher than the chance for Obama--that's much lower than the 25%, but Politico appeared to have based it solely on age, and ignored McCain's war injuries, repeated bouts with cancer, etc.)

So, much more so than in any other election, the VP candidate is practically a "co-presidential candidate", which means she needs to be treated like she's running for president, because for all intents and purposes, she is.

[Dumak]

50. bambino said it correctly

It's a package deal, and in this case there's a very good chance that McCain could not complete a full 8 years as President. The idea of Palin becoming president is horrifying to many. She seems completely unprepared, and to many of us psychologically disturbed. The main job of the VP is to be prepared to become president.

[ordinaryswimmom]

54. It just LOOKS that way...

I don't see it as a matter of Dems running against the
VP--actually they've had very little to say about her. It
seems more like McCain's been relegated to the
background,almost out of the picture, so nobody can get to him
to run against him whether they wanted to or not, because
Pailin gets all the attention.  

Look at what's been going on-- People are much more interested
in Pailin than they are in McCain, at least for the time
being, because however legendary his heroism, he's a known
quantity, while Palin seems to have been shot out onto the
national scene via the cannon from nowhere. People's curiosity
about her is genuine and legitimate. Also, she gets attention
for being beautiful, at least more so than McCain, and for
being an interesting person with a penetrating voice an
endearing accent, and many colorful attributes like moose
hunting, a dashing husband, beautiful children, and the
majesty and darkness of Alaska itself around her, which most
people don't know much about. 

When her handlers put her under wraps right after her
butt-kicking convention speech, it had a peephole effect that
fanned the flames of her intrigue higher and sent everybody
straight to the internet to see what they could dig up about
her on their own, which has been engrossing for many. So she
continues to overshadow McCain as a topic of interest, and
presently there's not much for him to do beyond tooling around
as a team,somewhat obscured by her skirts as it were. 

However, during the interviews this past week, Gibson asked
her some questions regarding her positions in relation to
McCain's positions, which might start  hopefully shifting the
focus on McCain and give everybody something to campaign
about, hopefully, cause there is not a lot of time. 

[JDPriestly]

56. Because, if you consider McCain's age, serious health problems

and the stress of the presidency, it is as likely as not that he won't complete even his first term. And if you also look at actuarial tables -- it is even more unlikely that he can complete two terms.

No one is immortal, but, as one who is older myself, the older you get, the more likely you are to die sooner rather than later. It's just a fact of life. So, McCain's VP choice is extremely important.

And Palin is a very unwise choice. She is not ready to be president, and, frankly, I seriously doubt that she ever will be.

[jmowreader]

59. The Republicans seem to have made her the public face of their campaign

The elephant in the room is the Republicans are running someone who will get exactly nothing done, because he is nearly universally despised among his fellow Congress members, senators and house members alike. REPUBLICANS will send him bills he'll have to veto.

They're showcasing Palin because their standardbearer is a man who called his own wife a cunt.

[earthlover]

65. If Palin goes unchallenged.....

I understand that she is a distraction to say the least. But she is like a rattlesnake that is on the path of someone hunting something else. Sure, the ultimate goal is to hunt the something else. But first you also have to deal that pesky snake.

[BearSquirrel2]

70. Good point ... need to focus on flip flopping ...

If the election is about character, then you have to focus on the dishonestly of McCain and Palin. They are both flip-floppers. Running ads on McCains flip-flopping is a two pronged attack. You attack McCain support amongst swing voters. At the same time, you remind the base why they have hated McCain all along and hopefully convince them to vote for Bob Barr.

[RaleighNCDUer]

79. There is every liklihood that if McCain/Palin is elected, that SHE would

wind up serving most of HIS term.

That said, it should be, and is, the surrogates and Biden going after Palin, while Obama goes after McCain - however, the MSM always frames it as Obama v Palin.

When we get to the debates there will be no way for them to re-frame it the way they want, and we will see Obama devastate McCain and Biden slaughter Palin.

[fascisthunter]

82. Ahhhh... I Saw This one Coming... now that She's Attacked: "Why are they Running against the VP"

Reacting to the CORPORATE media's hype of PALIN. Don't worry, they'll be attacking McCain too...:rofl:

[cliffordu]

7. I hated her during the primaries, but I have to say I like her steel resolve and

absolute commitment to the Democratic party....

She is also one of the toughest Democrats on the tube....

[Imagevision]

8. Indeed The American people deserve better than that." ...

[The Woodpecker]

11. It's obvious now that McCain was brainwashed as a POW

How else could any rational person justify picking this whack job for a VP candidate? Seriously, everyone knows shes not qualified, so lets drop the pretense. McCain has severe mental issues if he seriously thinks this Palin lady has the qualifications.

[bertman]

15. Democrats, there are a lot of other very competent Democratic women who can do this

OTHER THAN Debbie Dubya.

She is a treacherous DCCC Democrat who needs to be replaced by someone who represents Progressive Dems not Blue Dogs.

They are grooming her for a leadership position, which is entirely consistent with the corporate wing of the party and the DCCC. But anyone who refuses to support Dems against Republicans because she has long-standing personal relationships with the Republicans is a traitor to our party and is undercutting our goal of undoing the damage that Bush and his Republican Congressional and Senatorial enablers have wrought upon our nation.

[stevenleser]

17. In the meantime we have to get our candidate elected...

you might want to concentrate on that before you worry about whether another Democrat who is working toward that goal is progressive enough.

Sorry to be short with you but get with the program.

[bertman]

42. I'm already with the program because I can do two things at once, steven.

[stevenleser]

45. No, you can't

your flip (and quite trite) comeback might work if our candidate was up by 20 points in the polls. Not even or slightly behind.

[bertman]

77. Two years from now do you really think many people are going to remember Debbie's role in

keeping her Repub friends in office?

At least now I'm informing a few more folks that she isn't the Democratic angel the DCCC wants her to be seen as. To me that's important. If it's not important to you, that's just fine.

Please explain to me how having someone other than Debbie Dubya be our spokesperson compromises Obama's chances to win.

[liberal N proud]

20. I just watched today's Face the Nation

I was glad to see she the way she went after them.

[knitter4democracy]

21. She didn't even Cliff Notes it.

Even kids who only read the Cliff Notes did better in my class than that chick did. She had memorized sound bites only and blundered her way around those. She didn't know squat.

[firedupdem]

22. If that was an employment interview, the hiring manager would

have thrown her resume away and immediately have his secretary send her a "thanks, but no thanks" letter. She was horrible. She has no business even being a governor. Clueless!

[2CheeseEnchiladas]

25. I made my fiance watch the interview

My fiance who absolutely hates politics watched her interview and she flat out said that she could tell Palin was faking it.

[casus belli]

26. Amen sister...

While some in the Republican camp would like to characterize Palin's treatment as sexist, the real sexism is demanding there be two different standards.

[FirstLight]

34. Yep, she reminded me of a person who had just "crammed" for an oral exam

...you know, cliffs notes actually helped me ace a few book reports! lol

but NOT okay for the VPOTUS!!!!!

[fortyfeetunder]

35. This, my DU friends, is what Affirmative Action REALLY looks like.

See, for years people of color have had to deal with the assigned stigma from being second-guessed, achievements dismissed, and credentials disregarded because it was assumed these qualities were inferior to the average (white) Joe America. And oh, these people got jobs because of affirmative action.

Sen. McCain's choice of Gov. Palin is a case of affirmative action.

[Duke Newcombe]

37. Now, where have I heard THAT before...?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7060876&mesg_id=7061523

Duke

[City Lights]

38. GMTA...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6986179#6986630

[lilyannerose]

39. No doubt

Those Cliff notes were written by a Bushie neocon, and I don't find that to be very funny. Jeez, those asses have screwed this country time and time again. BofA just acquired Merril Lynch, Lehman Bank is going to go all wet banktuptcy and we're living in anxiety that an old man showing signs of dementia and his moose hunting gal are going to be in charge along with their gang of lobbyists and neocons. Could it potentially get any worse? Good Night America is they prevail.

Wait there is an alternative and we've got to work it hard to make it reality, just think what could happen if cool, calm intellect came riding up on a horse to 1700 Pennsylvania Ave., dismounted, tied that horse to post and walked into the Oval Office.

[Greyhound]

60. I'm sure this calm, cool, intelligent rider would quickly realize that he stopped his horse

at the wrong house...

:rofl:


Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

:rofl:

[roody]

40. Glad to see Debbie do something useful.

[francis72]

43. 15 Reasons Sarah Palin should not be Vice President of the Wasilla Hockey Mom Association

http://www.jokezine.com/politics/palin.html
Jokezine.com: The Humor Magazine of the Internet

15 Reasons Sarah Palin should not be Vice President of the Wasilla Hockey Mom Association, let alone Vice President of the Alaska Hockey Mom Association, let alone Vice President of the United States Hockey Mom Association, let alone …. (and so on)

by Casey Flynn

[Heidi]

76. Welcome to DU!

:thumbsup:

[Douglas Carpenter]

44. KICK AND RECOMMENDED ---

[DissedByBush]

46. "she didn't know what the Bush doctrine was"

Bush has a doctrine? I thought he was just winging it. It's sure looked like it over the years.

Maybe I can forgive her this lapse of knowledge.

[Dumak]

51. If you can forgive her stupidity

can you also forgive her deceptiveness - pretending the did know it?

[0rganism]

53. You've hit on something key here -- most people DON'T know the "Bush doctrine" offhand

Gov. Palin's not knowing just makes her comprehensible to her supporters.

She can make all kinds of mistakes and they will simply say, "well heck, I didn't know that one either!" The more detail-oriented the mistake, the easier it is to turn the question around and blame "that bad old liberal media" or "Democrat elitists attacking a female candidate".

This is why she cannot be beaten on the field of public policy: she's not even playing that game!

We need to be emphasizing her differences, but instead all such criticism does is make her seem similar.

[DissedByBush]

83. I don't think Bush knows the Bush doctrine

Seriously, has there been a presidency this chaotic and without vision? He could have kept it to a simple and logical "The friend of my enemy is my enemy," but then it rambles on into various imperialist ideologies.

You are right about Palin. She was a politically smart pick to throw a monkey wrench into the election campaign that Obama was so far winning. It will be bad if they can keep the hype up for just a month and a half more.

[Nambe]

63. The bush doctrine is very real, but specifics are not public.

The Bush manifesto displays bluster, romance, and illogic in equal measure. Premise: America is fundamentally righteous. "In keeping with our heritage and principles, we do not use our strength to press for unilateral advantage." This will be news to much of the world, but never mind. An imperial strategy is justified because there is in the world but "a single sustainable model for national success: freedom, democracy, and free enterprise" -- a model that, surprise, the United States embodies. (As for success without freedom or democracy or free enterprise, what about China? As for free enterprise and democracy of a sort without success, what about Argentina?) Conclusion: Whatever America does will be right -- pursuing terrorists, preemptive war, free trade, whatever. Nuance be damned. For all the boilerplate about national differences, the doctrine's key concern is clear: If all the world speaks American values (though sometimes in funny local accents), why shouldn't everyone dance to our tune?

[Rdmn]

47. Palin helps Ted Stevens, that may be one reason for the pick

I think Palin on the ticket will also bump up republican turn out in Alaska helping one of the corrupt Republicans hold his Senate seat.

Ted Stevens, the most Senior Senator on the Republican side, I would guess has a better chance with higher turnout. I am sure he has some sway over who gets picked. Also keeping Alaska Senate in the R column would be important to big oil, since Alaska is a huge state of interest for them.

Palin also divides America, one of the cornerstones of Rovian politics, get people angry upset about anything and they think less when voting.

Palin gets Religious right thinking she is being attacked for being Christian, and so they get all worked up. She also gets some women upset thinking she is attacked for being women. This is where picking a unqualified candidate helps, it makes sure the left goes nuts and over the top with comments that Low info voters will not notice as accurate and will just believe it is smear, so it will help turn out in down ticket races.

I am trying to not comment on Palin in a way that can be distorted as an above attack. But its hard to do since the Repubs just make stuff up. I still don't understand how a person can think that is a Christian value or small town values.

[Arugula Latte]

57. Welcome to DU, Rdmn!

:hi: :toast:

[lisainmilo]

49. Kicked Again!

Recommended Again too! :)

[0rganism]

52. attacking Palin on matters of substance completely misses the mark

Every criticism the Dems level at her on the basis of incompetence will, at best, pass by unnoticed -- no matter how substantive. At worst, they backfire completely and solidify the McCain/Palin gains.

Democrats need to understand this: Gov. Palin was not selected on the basis of her presidential qualifications. (We've been playing catch-up on this idea for the last 14 years or so.) She's on the ticket because she appeals to a base who have no interest whatsoever in any "book larnin'" candidate -- hell, they consider knowledge and competence to be a turn off, realms of the "liberal elite". McCain also annoys those people to no end, thus the lackluster six months in the run-up to their convention.

Authoritarian followers like her because she's "one of them". They can imagine her as a neighbor or shop clerk, they know people like her at church or on the job, and they like how she pisses off the liberals. Palin connects with them on a deep coded level, and once accepted as their leader, her supporters will give her every benefit of every doubt. She is, therefore, above critique on all matters of political substance and most matters of ethics or personality. Every claim of such defects leveled against her gains her sympathy points, and solidifies the impression of Democrats in general and those making public comments in particular as blue meanies.

There are two ways for Democrats to go on offense against McCain/Palin now. The first, best option is to go after McCain instead. He has not gained personally any of Palin's immunities, and some of her hardcore supporters pray for his quick demise. He can and should be attacked using all manner of substantive political critique available. Point out that he's ostensibly topping the ticket, pester him if that's really the case, ask him about the churchies who are praying for his death to enable a Palin presidency. Undercut his assurance, attack his spotty record, show him up as the weak hypocritical warmonger that he is, make sure everyone knows he's playing second fiddle to a strong woman.

The next is to attack Palin's strengths. Show that she is NOT like everyone else, attack her numerous abuses of gubernatorial and mayoral power, start rumors that she's a branch Davidian cultist, and so on. As long as she's self-assured, no amount of confusion or downright idiocy will damage her public image. What will damage her is the notion that she is different in some undesirable ways.

But this second option needs to take a distant back seat to the first. The GOP has its motivated base back in force, so we primarily need to go after the McCain "moderates" and any GOPers who find the thought of a theocracy repulsive. The initial strategy remains sound -- attach Bush to McCain's wagon, and he'll weigh down the ticket just fine on his own. Go after Palin for policy mistakes and McCain will just ride her fundamentalist sympathy backing to victory.

[beltanefauve]

58. A very coherent

and sensible post. Thank you.

[Number23]

55. Kerry was plagued by flip flops at campaign stops

... I think Mizz Sarah might get bombarded with a couple of Cliff Notes when she hits the trail, if she can stop fund-raising for five minutes to actually speak with the American voters.

She should just start here and memorize this entire section....

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/American-Government.topicArticleId-65383.html

[bulloney]

61. Gee, I wonder if Swift felt the same way when the RW stooges relentlessly attacked Hillary.

If there's a double standard, it's being practiced by the Republicans.

Don't attack John McCain's military service, but mock John Kerry's.

Make Hillary out to be Satan's wife, but any criticism of Palin is sexism.

Are they Nazi yet?

[OakCliffDem]

62. Palin is a Republican Facade, set up by powerful people in the background

She is the fake front for the real power brokers operating behind the scenes. Palin is an expendable pawn in the republicans efforts to continue holding the power of the White House.

If we manage to get her to withdraw from the nomination, the Republicans will just find another willing surrogate to fill her shoes and their campaign will continue.

Our objective should be to expose McCain for the incompetent dolt that he is, and get Obama elected President.

[DWinNJ]

64. What is fair???

If it’s fair to ask questions about a candidates religion, flag pins, etc.,
Then Pandora’s box is open.
There are many questions not yet asked of McCain and Palin that would cause hissy fits if Obama refused to answer.
Lets start with medical and financial records. (think Eagleton and Kerry)

[DWinNJ]

66. My Bad

I forgot
McCain did let
a limited number of reporters look at his medical records
for a limited amount of time
with conditions that limited their ability to analyze the data.

[DWinNJ]

67. But then again

John probably has limts to what he is allowed to see.
That would explain why he didn't know how many houses he owns.

[kmdemqueen]

68. jane swift

Ha Jane swift has know Idea what she is talking about. She could not even run Mass. Ya will take what she has to heart.:puke:

[BearSquirrel2]

69. BTW, Bob Scheiffer is an empty suit ...

There was a point of fact on Palin's record at the end of the roundtable and he said that that was an issue to be resolved elsewhere. I believe it was over the "Bridge to Nowhere".

Since when has it been the role of the newsmedia to resolve opinion and leave facts to someone else. We have video of Palin pimping the bridge to nowhere and now the McCain camp is running campaign ads about her opposing it.

Why can't these assholes just play the fucking video?

[Porschenut1066]

71. Lies and more Lies

I came across this and felt it should get more air, I hope you like it.

You Can't Fool All the People All the Time
By Jared Bernstein

Truth appears to be on an extended holiday, but with about fifty days left in this election cycle, this isn't the time for hand wringing.
What's the best strategy when your opponent lies? It's not a simple question. The obvious move is to call them on it, but analyses of viewers reveals that "he said, she said" arguments leave observers confused and apathetic. "There they go again," seems to be the reaction, and they tune out the substance of the debate. This hurts us a lot more than them, because we need the electorate to focus on substance; they need them to focus on nonsense.
It helps if there's a referee to cry foul when the lies are proffered, but the media has been inconsistent at best, compelled to feign "balance" even when doing so means implicitly endorsing the lies.
Like this Wednesday AM, when I made the mistake of turning on CNN, where I witnessed a series of intense arguments and interviews about lipstick-gate, including the clip from the speech in which Obama made the lipstick comment, with not a hint, of course, of what the speech was about.
Let's just pause for a moment here and look at this moment under a microscope. It is one of the best examples of Rovian politics I've ever witnessed. This is the sentence in question--the one that ended with the "lipstick on a pig" comment:
"John McCain says he's about change too. And so I guess his whole angle is: 'Watch out, George Bush. Except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy, and Karl Rove-style politics, we're really going to shake things up in Washington!'"
Now, it's clear that the McCain strategy has shifted from stressing "experience" and "country first"--both causalities of his choice of Palin for his running mate--to the old Rovian move of hitting your opponent where he's strongest, in this case co-opting Obama's message of change (re Kerry, they swift-boated his military cred, which should have been his critical advantage over GW Bush's chicken-hawk military "career").
Of course, the McCain agenda unequivocally contradicts their new message, which was Obama's point, but the opposition managed to completely avoid that part of the debate, while their dupes in the news media amplified their message by focusing exclusively on the lipstick smear. They took a potent attack on the hypocrisy of their agenda--McCain/Palin's plans on the war and the economy are, if anything, Bush on steroids (more war, no timetables, far more tax cuts for the wealthiest than even Bush has dared to propose)--and turned it to their advantage.
So how do you beat these folks? At times it seems like we're fighting the bad guys in a science fiction movie: "resistance is futile." But I don't think it is. In fact, I think they've exposed a weak flank, and while it's a race against time, the stakes are so high that we've got no choice but to devote all of our energies to establishing this simple meme:
They're telling lies, and liars make fatal leaders. I don't just mean fatal in terms of fiscal recklessness and more economic failure. I mean fatal in terms of decisions that could cost people their lives. Sound familiar?
It may also sound over the top, and there are caveats that I'll stress in a moment, but it's true. Krugman had this exactly right the other day:
"...the deceptive and dishonest 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign provided an all-too-revealing preview of things to come. In fact, my early suspicion that we were being misled about the threat from Iraq came from the way the political tactics being used to sell the war resembled the tactics that had earlier been used to sell the Bush tax cuts.

And now the team that hopes to form the next administration is running a campaign that makes Bush-Cheney 2000 look like something out of a civics class..."
Palin didn't say "thanks, but no thanks" re the bridge to nowhere. Her state got and spent the federal money. On this point, the media's been pretty good, but she keeps repeating her mantra. Obama's tax plan provides a larger break to the middle class than McCain's--about $1,100 vs. $300--the polar opposite of what the McCain folks keep saying. Obama didn't promote sex-ed for kindergarteners. McCain's campaign is run by the very lobbyists he consistently inveighs against; Palin's aggressively and effectively pursued Congressional earmarks.
We all know presidential politics are a nasty business, but they've taken it to another level. The untruths we're used to are conceptual, fuzzier, more ambiguous, stuff you can't easily prove or disprove, like, "we'll pay for our tax cuts by cutting spending (and don't worry, we'll only cut the wasteful stuff that nobody outside of a few crooks really wants)." Or "by cutting taxes on the wealthy, we will free the invisible hand and unleash untold riches that will trickle down to all." Or the stuff about victory in Iraq, whatever that is.
The McCain squad touts this stuff too, of course, and we can and do have good arguments over their validity. But the lies they're telling now are different. As Krugman said, they're "making assertions that anyone with an Internet connection can disprove in a minute, and repeating these assertions over and over again."
(The caveat I mentioned is that they're not all lying. Doug Holtz-Eakin, a leading McCain economic advisor and an acquaintance/fellow traveler for whom I've always had great respect, has a history of speaking truth to power. I suspect he's not too comfortable with a lot of the stuff he has to sell these days...see here for an example of what I mean.)
So why is resistance not futile? Because the lies could form their campaign and candidates' persona, and that could hurt them big-time. It's becoming a negative, mainstream theme. Jay Leno's making fun of it. The mainstream media is starting to come around. Obama's team is hitting back harder. You really can't fool all the people all the time.
The lying persona could become their 'Dukakis in the tank,' Papa Bush at the scanner, Kerry's "I voted for it before I voted against it"--the meme that defines a deep and fundamental weakness that reaches voters in their guts and just gives them a bad feeling about this ticket.
And given the last eight years, that may be enough to tip the scales. Not, of course, with the evangelicals allegedly charged up by the Palin pick, but with the independents in the swing states who will likely decide the outcome. They may be unfamiliar with someone like Obama, or too familiar with someone like Biden, or unable to sort through the fog of misinformation to assess with any clarity the campaigns' positions on the issues that matter to them. But if the truth about these naked lies is out there in a palatable way, they'll know they're being lied to, and they won't like it.
And then, they can honestly use that phrase that's been so misleading repeated over the last couple of weeks:
McCain/Palin? Thanks, But No Thanks.
Hey, that might be a neat bumper sticker, no?

[happygoluckytoyou]

72. BUT SHE HAS TITS!!! Come on... that's GOTTA count for something!!!

[macjule]

73. Someone needs to interview Charles Gibson....

I would love an HONEST take from Charles Gibson on his
experience interviewing the bimbo.

[grannylib]

75. That's a great phrase...good way to frame her lack of experience

We can't have someone "Cliff-noting" their way through the vice presidency. Again.

[Kermitt Gribble]

80. Debbie has been kickin ass lately.

She's been by far the most effective I've seen on the MSM circuit since Failin was introduced. They need to get her more air time.

Go Debbie!!!