Step outside yourself and DU and put on a nasty costume for a few moments of reflection

[Boz]

and devils advocacy. What did you hear (as a republican who doesnt "do politics", not a DUer)

Be real, be the devil, so we can see what we are up against in the real world, not here in DU world.

[countingbluecars]

1. I heard the same old

divisive rhetoric that we have been hearing for the past eight years.

[cali]

2. uh, I'm sure most repukes who normally don't think much about politics

loved Palin and all the red meat lying bullshit last night. So what? Put on your independent hat. That's much more important. Be real, the repukes aren't fishing for pukester votes. they're looking for indie and dem votes. it's the only way they can way.

[Boz]

10. Nope they are done going after Indys, thats the point of chosing her and attacking the media

McCain believes by not naming Hillary Obama left too many people on the table, that wont vote for him, so in the repub book the election is no longer about saying new people that need has been offset(in his book) so Palin was directly to shore up the base and cheerlead John McCain, because republicans wont care about what we or anyone says about her experience or ability, because they know that in their party it hasnt been about who is president but who is in control.(Look at Reagan)

They started attacking the media left and right and canceling media interviews not because they are afraid because with out them the media will get bored contrasting only half the challenge, so they took the game out of the media.

What McCain missed forgot or pompously ignored, is the new voters, the people that have already started moving for Obama/Biden McCain doesn't listen to the people so he cant hear the people.

Palin was a game changer, it took the fight out of the Mass communications and into the realm of answering So what to questions.

We just happen to have a man that was smart enough to be a community organizer during his primary along time ahead of this 60 day window and is now carrying that in the streets. Thast why you arent seeing much of Biden and Obama on TV they are talking to people on a new people to people level, the ground game is on.

[cali]

16. You couldn't be more wrong. they absolutely cannot win

without independents, dems and moderate pro-choice repugs. Please take a look at dem and repuke registration before you make such silly pronouncements.

[Boz]

19. I didnt say they could win, I said thats what THEY think, pay attention

I said they missed our ground game because its people and the Repubs dont listen to people.

Its not me saying they don't need them, but it is clear that in choosing her and the attacks begining on the Media is a direct signal of the fact that they think they dont need them.

Also remember by the old numbers(last 30 years) Registrations don't equal votes, I know its different Ive been on the ground, McCain doesn't.

[melody]

3. No ideas, no vision, no answers about the economy, just a lot of hate and viciousness

Last night was just a hatefest.

[PassingFair]

4. This "soccer mom" will kick her ass.

Puck her and her book banning ways.

[vaberella]

5. I could go borderline Repub because my mum is one. She turned off the tv and walked away.

She dislikes that woman. As feminists in this house she's insulted our integrity. Her speech didn't provide any form of subsistence.

What I would like to point out and as someone "republican or not", I need to find out what is your intentions and how are you going to fund it. I think even republicans and we're talking the ones that feel the brunt of the economy must be asking where is the funding coming from. She never provided that. She was very very general. I was surprised by the media on many levels for not point out that her speech had no bite. She gave us no indication of where the economy would be going with her and McCain in the helm. She mentioned alternative energy but in that field I actually felt she stole Obama's stance on that. I thought her statement for over seas drilling was dangerous and reckless...but as a money-grubber I would love it.

There was no here and now and definitely nothing solid in the future. It's very vague and I felt that was extremely dangerous. Even in the frame mind of a Republican. There was a lot of negativity but nothing really on the issues. I would have picked up on her snide remarks, but as a repub I guess they praise that.

Lastly her delivery was shit. I would have clapped because everyone else was.

[Armstead]

6. She's cute and spuinky so she's qualified to be President

That's my fear about how she will be perceived by too many fucking idiots.

Forget that her policies are on the side of the same forces that oppress the average American. She's "one of us."

Forget that E-Bay is probably not the most effective or kosher way to sell a government jet.....It;s cool.

[pdxmom]

7. I pulled up a list of the top 100 newspapers in the country. I then went

to papers from the toss-up states to see what kind of comments they were getting. I also looked at the comments on the network sites and from the "major" papers (WA Post, LA Times, etc.).

It was really interesting. Either it's mostly liberals/progressives that post on news sites, or the average person wasn't impressed by that speech. Of course, certain sites had more rah-rah Sarah posts than others, but I got a sense that at least half of the people, and often more than half, found her speech to be lacking substance, mean and devisive.

The MSM on TV is totally out of touch with their viewers, if they're all doing nothing but praising Palin. The public didn't see it that way, and a lot of people were totally turned off.

[slackmaster]

8. The race is about two radically different, artificial visions of the USA

We've been manipulated by cynical politicians and their lapdogs in the media into two distinct camps, neither of which has much understanding of or insight into the thoughts of the other.

It's neither necessary nor beneficial to break everything down into a binary decision - Black vs. white, right vs. wrong, pro-this vs. anti-that, etc. But that is how we have been divided. We've been conditioned to believe that each person must choose a side, and must view others who chose the other path as the enemy. Those of us who choose our own way, we who think for ourselves get ignored or ridiculed, or accused of colluding with those who would destroy our way of life. It doesn't matter which side you are on, both use exactly the same methods and language.

We need to do a better job of teaching critical thinking to our children. The interests of the extremes that call themselves "liberal" or "conservative", "left" or "right"; run contrary to the pursuit of happiness by all of the people. They seek to impose on all of us their particular radical notions of what it means to be a citizen. They have lost the vision that our nation's founders had of the relationship between government and the governed.

I need some coffee now.

[VWolf]

9. Umm, didn't Obama address that in his acceptance speech?

I don't think he was cynical at all.

Please have some coffee. I need some too!

[Boz]

13. Im with you Slack, thats why I posted this, I don't think anyone is seeing the real world.

We re easily days to weeks ahead of the real world in our DU bubble. There are only about 1500 hours until the choice is made, let the non thinkers let that sink in.

[Sweet Freedom]

11. Well, I have a shocker.

In fact, I'm still upset this morning. My mother, who has been a dem all her life and whose liberal views cemented my choice as s dem (she had me start writing about choice issues to my senators when I was 13) thought Pailin was brilliant. She said all those old men who don't like McCain and weren't going to vote this year, just got aroused about the idea of Palin and that she just lit a fire under them.

:wow:

[Boz]

14. Your Mom is right, She just gave them the words to convince themselves they arn't the people that

Did this to this Republic, now they can vote for people that will tell them that as much as they want and not have them be Obama/Biden

[Virginia Dare]

18. She definitely preached to the choir...

but I think that she is too much of an extremist to garner much support from the middle, which will be needed to win the race. I think she will ultimately alienate more people than she will bring into the fold.

[CatBO]

12. From that perspective...

If I were an independent, I'd say she's a woman who doesn't speak for me. After hearing her attack her opponent, I would say her politics were nothing new.

If I were an Independent mom, I would not consider myself qualified and would not consider a person who still puts PTA on her resume qualified.

I think I'd feel pretty much the same way I do now. Having your first speech out of the gate be a mean one is a bad sign...

[Boz]

15. Your not an independant, Your a repub, and choosing Palin signaled screw the wishy washy Indys

[renie408]

17. I heard an appeal to my nastier nature. An effort to whip me into an anti-Barack/Democratic frenzy

that would make me ignore the fact that nothing was said that would help me out.

The problem is, frenzies are hard to maintain.

[slackmaster]

20. Yes, frenzies are hard to maintain

They have to be fed until they burn out, then you must replace them with another frenzy.

This last week has seen a frenzy of mini-frenzies. And they just keep coming, one after another after another.

[Boz]

21. Its only about 1500 hours until the election, denial can be a very powerful frenzy

You mean its not my fault? You absolve me for George Bush, well I told all my friends he wasn't my fault. But now if I vote fo you I can show them with out letting those liberals spend my money, awesome, hey your kinda cute, and you put out, Im in.