Reflections on the 2008 Election

The 2008 election was certainly the most momentous of my lifetime, and I include in that estimate the crucial 1968 election that began the era of Republican domination of the presidency. I've been thinking a lot about what happened, and I'd like to share some of those thoughts with you here.

1. Nationally, the Democratic Party is in the Ascendancy

Obama will end up with almost 53% of the vote, according to my calculation, once all of the early and absentee votes on the west coast are accounted for. McCain will end up with about 46%. Obama received a higher share of the vote than any Democrat has since Lyndon Johnson's epic 61% share in 1964. While Obama's popular vote margin falls somewhat short of true landslide status (a margin of 10 is generally considered the threshold), his victory was still decisive. Moreover, for the Democrats there are very heartening trends, and for the Republicans there are very ominous ones.

According to CNN's exit polls, the following picture has emerged:

Voters aged 18-24 went for Obama 68-30
Voters aged 24-29 went for Obama 69-29.
First time voters went for Obama 72-27 (!)

Studies show that people often retain voting habits acquired in their late teens and early to mid 20s. While many people switch their allegiances later, still it must be said that the Democrats look to be in good shape among the cohort of voters who are in their young adulthood now, and this bodes well for the future of the Democratic Party. McCain prevailed in only one age group: voters 65 and older, 54-44.

Moreover, consider the ethnic composition of the United States in 2050. You can get a good sense of it, perhaps, by looking at California now. And the Republicans have to see long-term disaster looming if that is indeed the case. All of the growing categories are going Democratic.

Again, according to CNN:

African American voters went for Obama 96-3.
Latinos went for Obama 67-30.
Asian voters went to Obama 63-34

In religious affiliation, according to MSNBC, Obama won among Catholics (54-45), Jews (78-21), those of other faiths (73-22), and those of no particular faith (75-23). McCain prevailed by 54-45 among Protestants/Other Christians (although I'm unsure how MSNBC is defining this category.) In gender, Obama prevailed heavily among women. In education, Obama won heavily among those who have done post-grad work and narrowly among all those with a college degree. Obama also won city dwellers AND suburbanites. In short, the Democrats are in a strong position to consolidate the gains they made nationally.

Obama flipped the following states won by Bush in 2004: Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. (He may yet win Missouri or even Georgia, but the chances are admittedly slim.) His victories in Indiana and Virginia are the first for a Democrat since 1964. Obama ran unusually strongly for a Democrat in the Dakotas and Montana, and he won a respectable 44% in Texas and 45% in South Carolina. Obama crushed McCain in Illinois and California by higher percentages than LBJ won over Goldwater in '64.

In fact, if you look at the numbers carefully, there are 21 states in the U.S. with 10 or more electoral votes, what we might call "big states". Obama carried 16 of them. In fact, thanks to Howard Dean's 50 state strategy, states such as Missouri, Georgia, Mississippi, Arizona, and even Alaska will be competitive next time.

And check this out: The Democratic Party's candidate has now won the popular vote in 4 out of the last 5 national elections.

Finally, the Democratic Party is now led by a man who raised more money from more contributors than anyone in history, and who assembled the greatest get-out-the-vote operation ever seen. In 2010 and 2012 the Democrats will have these vast resources at their service again.


Oh, and in case I forget: In the last two years, the Republicans have now lost about 57 seats in the House; their losses in the Senate, pending recounts, are potentially 15 seats.


2. The Republican Party is Becoming a Regional Party

For all intents and purposes, the Republican Party has ceased to exist in the northeast. Obama swept the region with 61% of the vote. In fact, over the last five elections, the Republicans have carried a state in the region ONCE--New Hampshire in 2000. Democrats have carried states in the region FIFTY-FOUR TIMES. (And I'm not even counting DC, which is an automatic win for the Democrats.) Obama ran 1,800,000 votes ahead of McCain in the region's biggest state, New York. Congressionally, the 2008 election was a virtual wipeout for the Republicans in the northeast. Out of 22 U.S. Representatives in New England, none is a Republican. Out of 29 House seats in New York, only 3 are Republican. In fact, out of 92 House members in the area, the Democrats now hold a 75-17 advantage. (!) In the Senate, come January, only 4 of the region's 22 Senators will be Republicans. And 8 out of 11 governors in the northeast are Democrats. In short, the GOP has been virtually eliminated in one of the major regions of the country.

In fact, the Republicans are now really only the party of the Deep South. Seven of the party's 21 governors are southern. The GOP's Senate and House membership is increasingly southern (almost half their Senators come from the South.) McCain carried 22 states; 11 of them are southern. McCain will probably end up with 173 electoral votes; 118 were from the South. Obama won the electoral votes of the non-southern states 309 to 55! And this map is almost startling. It shows the counties where the Republicans increased their share of the vote from 2004 to 2008:

In short, the Republican Party is increasingly the Southern Party. The Republicans are no longer competitive in the northeast, as we have seen, but they also face bleak prospects for the foreseeable future in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, and the entire West Coast.

The Republicans are increasingly the party of older, less educated, less affluent, somewhat reactionary white Protestants. Considering the direction this country is going in demographically, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

3. Fox "News" and Right Wing Hate Radio Have Poisoned the Minds of Millions of People Against Obama

Every hideous lie imaginable was thrown at Obama during the campaign--baby killer, Marxist, Communist, Socialist, anti-Semite, anti-white, you name it. There are actually people today who are terrified of Obama because they think he is going to terrorize and imprison whites! (One of them was telling this to G. Gordon Liddy on the radio yesterday. And he seemed to agree!) Many are convinced Obama is going to confiscate their wealth and establish an anti-Christian state in America, complete with Islamic Law! And where did such insane sickness come from? From the frothing lies of Fox "News" and right wing psychopaths such as Coulter, Hannity, Beck, Liddy, Savage, Michael Reagan, Limbaugh, and all of the other far-right sewer rats. This will be one of Obama's most crucial challenges: how to reassure and conciliate those who are literally frightened to death by him and what they imagine he will do. These people will form the passionate, crazed core of the opposition to him, and they will attack him relentlessly. Some may even attempt to do violence to him. This is the outcome of 40 years of right-wing hatred and slander directed at the Democrats--a segment of the population that is thoroughly mentally unhinged at the thought of a black progressive president. Dealing with these wounded people will not be easy.

4. The selection of Sarah Palin as a candidate for Vice President was one of the most irresponsible acts in American political history.

Only now, after the election, are we hearing the truth about the full extent of Palin's shocking ignorance, dishonesty, and instability. People inside the McCain campaign have come forward to tell us that Palin didn't know Africa was a continent instead of a country, that she lacked a basic understanding of how the U.S. government even works, that she in fact knew virtually nothing about any major issue at all. Naturally, the question arises:

Why in the hell did McCain choose her to be potentially one heartbeat away from the presidency??

Palin's selection was an absolute outrage. Many talented and capable Republicans were passed over in favor of her. How dare the McCain campaign put this nation in that kind of danger!

5. Barack Obama will not be able to fix everything right away--or even in eight years.

Obama's supporters are almost euphoric about his election, and with good reason. The choice of this spectacularly intelligent, thoughtful, competent, and talented man to be our new leader is electrifying. He will be a 180 degree contrast to the miserable failure that preceded him. But we have to be realistic and sober in our expectations. The economic, foreign, and social problems the United States faces are so severe that Obama will be tested more than any other president since FDR. He will make mistakes; he will sometimes anger us; he will sometimes fall short. But given his ability, his team, and a cooperative Congress, I am feeling a hope that I have not had for eight long, dark years. In fact, I feel as if my whole body and soul have unclenched and relaxed. On 20 January 2009, I am once again going to be proud of my president.

6. The struggle is not over.

The whole apparatus of right wing hate propaganda is still in place. The hard right conservatives will try to undermine Obama at every turn, and the liars of the radical right will try to destroy him the way they nearly destroyed Bill Clinton. But they will find out that this isn't the 1990s. A mighty Liberal/Progressive/Democratic Netroots organization has arisen to fight back against the tide of sewage being generated by the Right Wing Noise Machine. The radical right wingers think they're going to push us around again. They're wrong. We in the Progressive Netroots are STRONG. We are UNITED. We are FIERCELY DETERMINED. And whenever our political enemies go after President Obama, we'll be able to say this, loudly and proudly:

DON'T WORRY, MR. PRESIDENT--WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK!!

Wow! Over 125,000 Gather to See President-Elect Obama

From icebergslim on DKos. (Click for bigger image).

VICTORY

Not just for a party, not just for an individual, but for ALL of the American people. This is a great night for hope, for change, and for our future as a nation. Congratulations, President-Elect Barack Obama!!

Why You Should Vote for Obama and Biden Today

Oh, and one more very important reason:

VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN!

VOTE DEMOCRATIC FROM TOP TO BOTTOM!

Palin Was the Final Insult

The history of social conservatism in America is, in large part, a shameful and disgraceful one. It was social conservatives who demanded the protection of slavery in the new Constitution. It was social conservatives who helped tear America apart prior to the Civil War by their fanatical opposition to anything that would restrict slavery’s expansion. Social conservatives were the core of the viciously anti-immigrant Know Nothings in the 1850s. It was social conservatives who flocked to the Confederate cause during the war, and it was social conservatives who maintained the monstrous Jim Crow system of neo-slavery in the Deep South (and elsewhere). Social conservatives formed the post-Civil War southern church movement, based on the sentiment that the wrong side had won the Civil War. Social conservatives have, at various times, opposed votes for women, votes for African-Americans, the abolition of child labor, the end of segregation, tolerance of Jews, equality for gays, equal pay for women, biracial marriage, unions, minimum wage laws, workplace safety standards, health care for the poor, reproductive rights (including the right to birth control), the teaching of science in science classes, and environmental protection. Social conservatives were the core of the Klan revival in the 1920s. They were the howling supporters of the lynch mobs from the 1890s to the 1960s. They were Joe McCarthy’s worshippers. They were the George Wallace fans and the core of the White Backlash. They loved Jesse Helms.

 In short, on almost every issue, they have taken the most morally bankrupt stance. They are the enemies of rational thought, the enemies of science, and believers in a religiosity that borders on irrational fanaticism. Many are hoping for the literal end of the world and the physical destruction of the vast majority of the human race. The modern Republican Party has cynically used these people, but it has not let them actually govern.

 Until now. The nomination of Sarah Palin, pushed by the most brutally radical sections of the Republican Party, represents the triumph of the Kristol-Coulter-Limbaugh-Hannity branch of the Party, what I like to call the Timothy McVeigh wing of the Republicans. Palin is the final product of the long and vile history of American social conservatism. She represents the final insult to the rest of the American people, and as such, it is her malign influence that has the Republicans on the brink of a well-deserved defeat. Everything about the way Palin has been marketed is a slap in the face to every rational man or woman in America.

 We were told that being the mayor of a tiny Alaska town (one in which the city manager did the actual work) represented “executive experience”.

 We were told that proximity to Russia= foreign affairs experience.

 We were told that Palin is the “foremost energy expert in America”, a grotesque, laughable falsehood.

Palin believes in demons and witchcraft. Her church believes Alaska will be the End Times sanctuary. Her church believes all Jews will either be converted or exterminated soon. She thinks the Bible is literally true. She believes in “spiritual warfare”. Her views are so extreme that even most Christians are appalled by them. Yet we were not allowed to question her.

 Palin and her husband have played footsie with a group of traitorous Alaskan secessionists, a group founded by a man so hatefully anti-American as to beggar belief.

 Palin considers the John Birch Society to be too liberal and considers progressive income taxation to be “socialism”.

She has an understanding of American government comparable to that of a fourth grader.

She knows nothing about any national or international issue. She is a half-educated ignoramus who thinks dinosaurs and humans lived together and that the earth is 7,000 years old. She is willing to block abortions even for the physically and emotionally shattered victims of rapists, and for 13 year old girls molested and impregnated by their own fathers.

She cannot give a coherent answer to any serious question and, alone in modern political history, she has never been allowed to give a press conference. Her medical records were also embargoed for no apparent reason.

Her administration in Alaska has been fraught with corruption and petty favoritism for her friends and supporters.

Oh, and she lies. Incessantly. Insistently. Repeatedly. About everything.  She throws every smear and slander against her opponents gleefully, revealing an ugliness of spirit that is repulsive. And her hypocrisy knows no bounds whatsoever, as she crows about being against earmarks while governing a state that gets more federal dollars per capita than any other.

In short, she is the sum total and epitome of everything modern American social conservatism stands for—Christianism instead of Christianity, proud ignorance, right wing fanaticism, bigotry of the most vicious kind, contempt for science, contempt for reason, contempt for our democratic republic, and  nauseating, self-righteous hypocrisy and moral fraud. She is wildly popular among the small minority of Americans that the social conservatives, despite their lying propaganda to the contrary, actually are. To the rest of us, she is an insult to our intelligence and our common sense. She, more than any other factor, has helped expose the Republican Party for the intellectually bankrupt shell that it has become. And after her defeat tomorrow, the Republicans will say that they lost because they weren’t conservative enough, and that they should have let Sarah be Sarah.

And the Palinization of the Republican Party will accelerate, as will the irrelevance of the party itself.

A nation’s people can only be insulted for so long. After repeated assaults on their intellects and sensibilities, they will rise up in huge numbers and thunder out, as our great nominee did in August, the following declaration of independence:

ENOUGH.

And tomorrow, their voices will be heard loudly and clearly.

Yes. We. Can

Andrew Sullivan's Ringing Endorsement of Obama

It's something to behold. Sullivan has been a relentless critic of the Bush-Cheney administration's barbaric tactics in fighting against terrorism and John McCain's acquiescence to them. Key excerpt:

But, in the end, McCain emerged by default [as the Republican nominee], a torture victim himself, and a critic of some aspects of the conduct of the war. But we saw in 2006 that, when push came to shove, even McCain acquiesced to the legalization of America's use of the very same torture techniques once used against him. And in this campaign, we have seen how no Republican candidate can escape the logic of bigotry, fanaticism and xenophobia that now grips and motivates the Republican party base. We have also learned, much more importantly, that McCain would appoint Justices to the Supreme Court who would acquiesce to and constitutionally entrench the dictatorial presidency that Bush-Cheney believe in as loyally as Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalia. That means we are one vote away from the court ever restraining this unchecked executive. It doesn't matter who that executive is and what party he or she belongs to. What matters is that the controls upon it - controls critical to the endurance of constitutional balance and individual freedom in America - have been frayed to the breaking point. There is no greater cause right now than repairing that.

If I were to give one reason why I believe electing Barack Obama is essential tomorrow, it would be an end to this dark, lawless period in American constitutional government.

If They're Right..

it means Obama is about to win a blowout victory. If Gallup is accurate here, and the national turnout is about 140 million, that means Obama wins the popular vote by around 15,000,000.

Another national survey finds the Democrats with the widest lead of ANY party in the generic Congressional preference contest since 1964, the year of LBJ's huge victory over Goldwater.

No complacency! No over-confidence! Go vote on Tuesday! Help other Obama voters get to the polls!

Go for the biggest victory we can win.  

America deserves it.

The Great Debate!

Ah Yes! Cheney Endorses McSame

I have argued again and again that McCain's election would simply constitute a third term for George Bush and Dick Cheney. I'm glad Cheney agrees:



Cheney has been, by any measure, the worst Vice President in American history, and as deadly a threat to his own country's traditions and security as any leader we have ever had.

It was Cheney who said "Deficits don't matter" while he cheer-led for the policies that have left this nation's economy close to meltdown.

It was Cheney that kept America's energy policy firmly in the hands of the oil industry.

It was Cheney who vigorously sought to use the 9/11 attacks for Republican political advantage.

It was Cheney who, along with Bush, tried to block the 9/11 investigation.

It was Cheney who helped steer lucrative government contracts to his friends and former business associates. Cheney's Halliburton holdings have TRIPLED in value since 2001. He has presided over corruption that borders on fantastic in its scope.

It has been Cheney who has pushed most vigorously for the vast expansion of executive power that has taken place since 2001. He has shown NOTHING but contempt for our nation's constitution.

It was Cheney who was more instrumental than any other person in demanding the Iraq War, and it was Cheney who lied, covered up evidence, and manipulated intelligence to bring it about.

It was Cheney and his "legal" advisers who pushed the hardest for the use of torture against terrorist suspects, undermining a proud American tradition that stretches back to George Washington's time.

It was Cheney's office that deliberately exposed a U.S. CIA operative, doing so strictly to inflict political vengeance, an act that bordered on treason.

It has been Cheney, above all, who has branded anyone who disagreed with his policies as a traitor, a terrorist-sympathizer, and an enemy of America.

It is Dick Cheney who has actually been president for the eight disastrous years we have just been through.

He has manipulated and controlled the empty, narcissistic, morally bankrupt shell of a human named George W. Bush for Cheney's own purposes.

Cheney is so massively unpopular and so widely despised that he hasn't been visible at all in the Republican hate campaign until now. I'm glad he's come out from under his rock. It helps remind people of how much is at stake in this election.

On the Moral Necessity of Defeating McCain

Josh Marshall says it brilliantly. Excerpt:

I'm under no illusion that negative or even nasty campaigning will come to an end in the USA. I don't think that's realistic or even necessarily desirable. Hard-fought and brass-knuckle politics is something built into the fiber of American politics. It's part and parcel of the intensity of belief and passion that many of us have for the issues at stake in our elections.

But McCain's campaign has devolved into something altogether different ... what with its increasingly open appeals to racial conflict and aggressive invocations of blood hatred of Arabs and Muslims. As The New Republic phrases it, McCain's "subtle incitements of racial warfare and underhanded implications of foreign nativity." Over the months we've become desensitized to the moral depravity of McCain's campaign.

Moral depravity. As good an explanation of the McCain campaign as any I've seen.

Do You Really Want to Know the State of the Race?

First, read this outstanding article about the current polling situation here.

Second, watch for this guy's numbers on Monday night. He nailed the 2004 election EXACTLY.

Third, check out these two sites here and here.

That should hold you for a while.

Palin Thinks That Anyone Who Criticizes Her is Violating Her Rights!!

I don't know whether she's just this absolutely pig-ignorant about how the U.S. Bill of Rights actually works, or whether she has the frighteningly authoritarian view that the press has no right to say anything about her public pronouncements. Probably some of both.

I not only want her and McCain to go down in flames on Tuesday, I want to see Alaskans vote her out as Governor in 2010. I want to see this woman's political career annihilated.

Yeah, I'm a vindictive sumbitch. 

They'll Stop at Nothing!

Bastion of Conservative Capitalism Endorses Obama

That would be Britain's The Economist, perhaps the most respected mass circulation current affairs magazine in the Western world. And this has just gotta sting:

Meanwhile his [McCain's] temperament, always perhaps his weak spot, has been found wanting. Sometimes the seat-of-the-pants method still works: his gut reaction over Georgia—to warn Russia off immediately—was the right one. Yet on the great issue of the campaign, the financial crisis, he has seemed all at sea, emitting panic and indecision. Mr McCain has never been particularly interested in economics, but, unlike Mr Obama, he has made little effort to catch up or to bring in good advisers (Doug Holtz-Eakin being the impressive exception).

The choice of Sarah Palin epitomised the sloppiness. It is not just that she is an unconvincing stand-in, nor even that she seems to have been chosen partly for her views on divisive social issues, notably abortion. Mr McCain made his most important appointment having met her just twice.

Ironically, given that he first won over so many independents by speaking his mind, the case for Mr McCain comes down to a piece of artifice: vote for him on the assumption that he does not believe a word of what he has been saying. Once he reaches the White House, runs this argument, he will put Mrs Palin back in her box, throw away his unrealistic tax plan and begin negotiations with the Democratic Congress. That is plausible; but it is a long way from the convincing case that Mr McCain could have made. Had he become president in 2000 instead of Mr Bush, the world might have had fewer problems. But this time it is beset by problems, and Mr McCain has not proved that he knows how to deal with them.

Oh, and that other British hotbed of Commie-Socialist-Terrorist-Radicalism, The Financial Times has also endorsed Obama. And it's also noteworthy that Obama was a very highly regarded and well liked teacher at that Marxist fever swamp called The University of Chicago.

When you hear the lying conmen of the Right call Obama a "socialist" or a "Marxist", keep these things in mind. And when the head grifters, McCain and Palin do so, treat them with the scorn and contempt they deserve.

Oh, and one other thing: I doubt that Caribou Barbie even knows how to define the word socialism.

Or maybe even how to spell it.

In Case You Didn't See It--Obama's Presentation Tonight

(Without the 3 minutes live in the original broadcast.)

What Bush and the Republicans Have Done to America

See the original here. This is the situation the next president will be facing. Key excerpt:

When George W. Bush became president nearly eight years ago the world was largely at peace, the U.S. military was largely at rest, oil was $23 a barrel, the economy was growing at more than 3 percent, $1 was worth 116 yen, the national debt was just under $6 trillion and the federal government was running a sizable budgetary surplus. The September 11 attacks, for all they cost us as a nation, increased the world's willingness to cooperate with us. You, by contrast, will inherit wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tired and stretched armed forces, a global struggle with terrorism, oil that has ranged as high as $150 a barrel, a weaker dollar (now worth 95 yen), substantial anti-American sentiment, a federal budget deficit that could reach $1 trillion in your first year, a ballooning national debt of some $10 trillion and a global economic slowdown that will increase instability in numerous countries.

Thanks to Bart at BartCop for the heads up!

BTW, I question the judgment of anyone who thinks Sarah Palin is up to the job of dealing with the multiple crises Bush has inflicted on us.

Just a Reminder: McCain has a 1 in 5 Chance of Dying Between Now and 2013

AND, ABOVE, YOU SEE EXACTLY WHO AND WHAT WILL BE WAITING IN THE WINGS IF HE DOES.

And by the way...

WHY DOES SHE STILL REFUSE TO DO A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE ELECTION SIX DAYS AWAY?

WHERE ARE HER MEDICAL RECORDS? WHAT IS SHE HIDING?

WHY AREN'T WE HEARING ABOUT HER HUSBAND'S TIES TO A GROUP OF ANTI-AMERICAN TRAITORS?

It's Joe Six Pack vs. Joe the Plumber

See more Thomas Haden Church videos at Funny or Die

The Flood of Republican Lies Continues

The latest disgusting slime attack is deconstructed here. *

Racism, xenophobia, slander, smear, death threats, ranting hatred, and sheer, utter g-d damned lies is all we're getting out of the Republican Party these days. We can see them truly for what they are. And it's a repulsive sight.

*BTW, I am not the author of the article cited, even though we share a name.

The Blunt and Terrible Truth

Palin's Connection to Convicted Criminal Ted Stevens

Alaska REPUBLICAN Senator Ted Stevens was today convicted on all 7 counts in his criminal trial for various forms of corruption. MyDD examines the link between phony "reformer" Sarah Palin and the disgraced Senator here.

Gee, do you think the Alaska Disasta is gonna vote for ol' Ted? After all she did head up Stevens' 527  organization, don't cha know? Oh, you betcha. Here's some relevant details:

At the time Stevens revealed the existence of the 527 group -- a type of independent political corporation named for its the section of the tax code -- ethics experts questioned whether it was appropriate.

The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported that several experts called the group an example of the fine legal line between a legal effort to conduct political activity and then-new prohibitions against raising unlimited soft-money.

Board members of Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service were legally allowed to raise as much money as they wanted from corporations or unions or unlimited donations from individuals -- all of which would have been illegal for Stevens to do himself.

And of course Palin has stonewalled the IRS concerning just how much money the 527 raised.

Gee--what a "reformer" she is.

Civil War Between McCain and "Rogue" Palin

Heh heh heh.

It's Simple, Really

The United States of America is the most powerful nation on earth, a nation afflicted with massive problems and confronted with life-or-death issues. If, God forbid, something were to happen to the next president, it really comes down to this: Who would you want to step into office if such a tragedy struck?

Choice A:

Choice B:

At this point, you may be thinking, "Is this a trick question?"

There is no contest. There is only one choice.

And it ain't the Alaska Disasta.

After All is Said and Done, It's Simple:

DO YOU WANT A THIRD TERM FOR GEORGE W. BUSH?

Fox "News" Analyst Says Obama is Linked to Satan

And no, I'm not making this one up either. (See next post.)

I used to try to be respectful of conservatives. Hell, I used to be one. It was this kind of raving, bloody-fanged lunacy that drove me out. What in God's name has happened to these people? Has the radical right gone completely insane?

Pennsylvania Republican Party Compares Obama to Hitler

And no, I'm not making that up or writing it as a joke. The details are here.

I thought these right wing assholes couldn't sink any lower. I was wrong.

The Full Extent of Palin's Dangerous Fanaticism

Discussed by Andrew Sullivan and The New York Times here.

Palin is a border-line theocratic lunatic who wants to be president so she can rid the world of demons. Of demons, for crying out loud. Her positions are so extreme that even other Pentecostal Christians are disturbed by them.  She has also asked her witch-doctor fighting African spiritual advisor for protection against witchcraft. Yes, against witchcraft.

This isn't true Christian witness. This is perverse superstition.

What century is this woman living in, mentally? The 14th or the 15th?

Scenes from a Dying, Vicious, Morally Bankrupt Campaign

--The McCain campaign was trying to push the now utterly discredited story about an "attack" on a McCain supporter by an Obama supporter. They have now been caught and exposed. (BTW, the whole right wing blogosphere was hyperventilating about this, with a few exceptions, and has now once again shown itself to be populated largely with lying/delusional thugs.)

--McCain robocalls are now accusing Obama of being a terrorist sympathizer, against the sentencing of criminals for serious crimes, an enemy of America, and every other lying, gutter-level accusation the McCain campaign can think of. I'll say it once again: John McCain is a DISHONORABLE, MORALLY BANKRUPT PERSON, and he has been for quite some time. The people in charge of running the robocalls, incidentally, were the people who destroyed McCain with similar filth in 2000.

--While Obama continues to draw gigantic crowds--35,000 in Indianapolis, 30,000 in north central Virginia, 75,000 in Kansas City, 100,000 in St. Louis--McCain continues to be largely ignored. McCain's most recent Colorado rally was in front of 1200 people in a half-filled arena.

--McCain's people are already sending out resumes, and this is 10 days before the vote. Man, nothing says confidence more than that!

You Gotta Love Ron Howard

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Palin, the Anchor Dragging McCain Down to Defeat

Yes, the right wingers who live in their little cocoon love her, but Sarah Palin has been an utter disaster with the vast majority of the voting public. By 55%-40% in the latest NBC/WSJ Poll people say she's not even qualified for the office she's running for. And now, Editor and Publisher has the verdict from newspapers across the nation: Palin is the deal breaker. Samples:

ASBURY PARK PRESS (NJ)
“If McCain, who is 72 and has a history of cancer, should die in the presidency, he would be succeeded by Sarah Palin, whose selection as the vice presidential candidate calls McCain's judgment into serious question. She is not qualified to lead a nation facing its toughest challenges in decades.”

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
“Perhaps the worst mistake McCain made in his campaign for the White House was the choice of the inexperienced and inflammatory Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Had he selected a moderate, experienced Republican lawmaker such as Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison with a strong appeal to independents, the Chronicle's choice for an endorsement would have been far more difficult.”

STOCKTON (Ca.) RECORD
“If elected, at 72, [McCain] would be the oldest incoming president in U.S. history. He's in good health now, we're told, although he has withheld most of his medical records. That means Gov. Sarah Palin could very well become president.

And this statement by McCain when questioned about Palin is just scary or funny, depending on your perspective:

Yet McCain said today, referring to Palin, "I think she is the most qualified of any that has run recently for vice president.”

Does that statement include Cheney? Lieberman, his first choice until the right wing radicals vetoed it? Joe Biden? Is that statement supposed to be a joke, or is McCain simply incapable of admitting error?

Deal breaker indeed.

(HT: Digby)

Al Qaeda Hoping for a McCain Victory

Details can be found here. It's no surprise, really. Bush, Cheney, McCain, and all the other right-wing idiots have been pure gold for our nation's enemies. Can there be any doubt, by the way, that the Bin Laden tape released in late October 2004 was designed to give Bush the final nudge into victory? 

The CIA came to the conclusion that Bin Laden wanted a Republican victory, because the Republicans have been so good for terrorist recruiting.

And one more thing--if Al Qaeda had endorsed Obama, every yapping, lying, smearing Republican thug in America would be shouting about it.

About the Military Times Poll

You may have seen this item about the poll done by Military Times which reflects a huge lead among military personnel for McCain. What you may not have heard is that the poll is NOT SCIENTIFIC, and Military Times' editors indicated this. It was a self-selected poll based on responses to a questionnaire sent out to tens of thousands of military people. Moreover, this needs to be noted:

As with previous Military Times surveys the respondents in 2008 were disproportionately white, male and officers. The actual Army population is about 85% male, 14% regular commissioned officers (not including Warrant Officers), and 60% white. The active-duty members of the Army who responded to the Military Times poll were 90% male, 45% regular commissioned officers, and 71% white. Furthermore, the Army's junior enlisted ranks are dramatically underrepresented in the Military Times surveys. About 47% of the Army serves in the ranks of E-1 through E-4. These ranks comprise only 6% of the active Army population included in the 2008 Military Times survey. (The samples of each of the previous Military Times surveys are nearly identical in the degree to which they represent the active military population). Bottom Line: these surveys should in no way be used to assess aggregate attitudes across the force.

And it is worth noting that contributions to McCain and Obama from military members are about even. Further, from the New York Times story on military contributions (17 October):

The report also shows that Mr. Obama also is ahead of Mr. McCain in military donors with overseas addresses, both those working for the Department of Defense as well as members of the uniformed services. A total of $74,650 came in for Mr. Obama from those posted overseas to $16,600 for Mr. McCain.

The military just might have more Obama supporters than you think.

Ultimate Statement on Those Still Undecided

By David Sedaris, here:

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?

By the way, I consider Obama-Biden to be the nice chicken dinner--in case you haven't guessed.

Hat tip: Emily Likins!

What is McCain Hiding?

Huffpo reports that The New York Times is planning a major story about McCain's health, one that raises important questions about the possibility of McCain's cancer reoccurring. In light of the fact that McCain's running mate is a lying, grossly unqualified, batshit crazy, ultra-right wing lunatic who thinks the John Birch Society is too liberal (for real), I'd say these questions are pretty damned important. McCain has been uncooperative in the extreme about all of this, and Palin won't release her medical records at all, for whatever reason.

So again...

WHAT IS McCAIN HIDING??

McCain and the Radical Right Continue to Lie About Obama's Abortion Record

Of all the ugly lies the Right is circulating, none is more terrible than the assertion that Obama favors letting infants who have survived an abortion simply die without medical care. The Los Angeles Times dealt with McCain's attempt to repeat this lie in the last debate here:

McCain also criticized Obama for his position on an abortion-related bill while a state legislator in Illinois.

"Sen. Obama, as a member of the Illinois state Senate, voted in the judiciary committee against a law that would provide immediate medical attention to a child born of a failed abortion. He voted against that," McCain said.

Obama said the bill would have undermined legal protections for abortion provided by Roe vs. Wade. He defended his vote by saying that "there was already a law on the books in Illinois that required providing life-saving treatment, which is why not only myself but pro-choice Republicans and Democrats voted against it."

Factcheck.org supports Obama's assertion that there was already a law protecting such babies and has criticized an ad by an antiabortion group featuring a woman who says she was born in a failed abortion. The woman says she would not be alive "if Barack Obama had his way."

Illinois law since 1975 requires that if a child is born alive during an abortion, the physician "shall exercise the same degree of professional skill, care and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as would be required of a physician providing immediate medical care to a child born alive in the course of a pregnancy termination which was not an abortion."

Failure to do so is a felony in Illinois.

So, is everyone clear on this now?

Snopes Catalogs the Incredible Volume of Lies About Obama

It's fairly amazing.

The Republican base is filled with lying, bigoted losers. I have NOTHING but contempt for them.

"Don't forget. He's definitely black. And he may be a terrorist."

The Republican line of attack on Obama stripped down to its basics. Josh Marshall lays it out here in the plainest possible manner:

That's the message. The nuts and bolts is a concerted effort to keep Democrats from voting -- through intimidation, by striking new voters from the rolls, which is going to happen to lots of them, clogging polling stations to create delays that keep late day (predominantly) Obama voters from voting altogether. Smears in the air and voter suppression on the ground.

Many people say, well ... all this stuff just hasn't worked. But the truth is that the really corrupt and vicious part of McCain's effort only comes now because it's only in the last couple weeks that you can pull stuff that the press won't get to call you on before election day -- after which it doesn't matter. Will it take Obama down? So far McCain's gutter campaign has hurt him more than helped. But there's no reason to be sure it will continue that way. And many Obama supporters, sure the election is basically wrapped up, appear ready to slack in the stretch and let McCain smear and cheat his way into office.

Marshall speaks the truth. I can't help but notice that nobody reading this blog has contributed any money to my Obama fund raising page in the last couple of weeks (although many of you already have, for which I am VERY grateful.) Remember this:

WE DO NOT HAVE THIS THING WON YET. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. THE RIGHT WING CRIMINALS WHO RUN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL USE ANY ILLEGAL METHOD, ANY LIE, ANY VICIOUS TACTIC, TO WIN. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. KEEP WORKING, KEEP GIVING, KEEP FIGHTING!!

Colin Powell Lays It Out Directly

After his ringing endorsement of Barack Obama, Powell had this to say about the ugly, degraded McCain campaign and right-wing attitudes in general:

"Acorn's Only Crime is Registering Democratic Voters"

It takes a British newspaper so say it clearly: the Republican attempt to smear Acorn is in itself an act of fraud which is designed to cover shockingly widespread attempts by the radical Right to prevent black and Hispanic voters from casting ballots. The Republicans hate Acorn because it's effective; their campaign against is one long despicable lie. Read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

The Consequences of the Republican Hate Campaign

The Insane Filth of the Final Republican Onslaught

The Republican Party has, in the past, harbored ultra-right lunatics like the drunken demagogue Joe McCarthy, but they usually didn't run things. But this isn't Ike's GOP any more. Now, the Republican Party is totally run by people who are so dishonest, so maniacal, so perverse, and so dangerous that I shudder at the prospect of them returning to power once again. With Barack Obama and Joe Biden still holding a lead with 17 days to go, David Corn has warned us that the final, desperate attacks of the Republicans on Obama will be so demented and over the top as to almost beggar belief. When you read of these, you might be reminded of the savage and wildly destructive kamikaze attacks launched by the desperate Japanese in the waning days of World War II. Read them and shake your head in disbelief--coddler of terrorists, secret Black Muslim, Socialist/Communist, anti-Christian, the works. And there is a viciously racist tinge to all of it.

We have to beat this back. The survival of America and the safety of the world depend on it.

ACT. Give money. Give time. Give your vote. Spread the word.

Please.

"Is John McCain Losing It?"

So asks Robert Parry here. And by losing it, he doesn't just mean the election. Excerpt:

McCain’s recent irritable and erratic behavior has grown so pronounced that it is becoming a topic of worried conversation in Washington, with hushed concerns at dinner parties about whether the 72-year-old senator is on medications related to his past cancers or on behavioral drugs seeking to control the excesses of his temper.

Last spring, the McCain campaign reacted to doubts about the candidate’s recovery from repeated bouts of skin cancer by giving a select group of reporters access to some of McCain’s medical records. The reporters, including CNN’s medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, were limited to three hours and not allowed to copy any of the records.

Gupta said later that while the records he reviewed showed no evidence that McCain’s stage-two melanoma has recurred, he could not say whether all relevant documents were included in the piles given to the reporters.

The lingering doubts about McCain’s physical – and possibly mental – health were put back in the spotlight because of McCain’s surprise choice of first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate.

Though the charismatic Palin gave an immediate jolt of excitement to McCain’s campaign, her lack of experience and her shaky performance in responding to simple questions in her few media interviews have alarmed many voters over the thought that she could be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

And by the way, folks, the election is still not won. The Obama campaign still needs YOUR HELP. 

CAN YOU REALLY RISK THE POSSIBILITY OF SARAH PALIN BECOMING PRESIDENT BECAUSE AN OLD AND ILL JOHN MC CAIN HAS DIED??

If that prospect alarms you, please contribute generously 

here.

And remember--WE HAVEN'T WON ANYTHING UNTIL OUR OPPONENTS THROW IN THE TOWEL!

The REAL Heart and Soul of the Republican "Base"

These are examples that represent what the Republican hard-core types really feel. Savor the full impact of their ugly, vicious racism, their insane hatred, and their desire to torture Obama.

As I've said before, these people are

THE TIMOTHY McVEIGH WING OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

Oh, and there's a cup to match.

I Stand With This Brave Young Woman