the eyes on the prize edition

I've been meaning to send out a bunch of links for more than a week, since Palin began really hitting out at Obama, and the rallies started to turn ugly...the fact that people were yelling things like "traitor" and worse was making me fearful and angry, and I started realizing just how hard an Obama presidency is going to be for some people. I guess I knew it at one level before, but I started to get a better emotional understanding of how much an Obama presidency was going to upend some people's worlds, and how scared they are of having an African-American in the White House.

And I realized that, although times have changed so much, that this election is partly a continuation of the civil rights battles of the 50s and 60s...that the ugly racism and violent rhetoric about anti-Americanness is a reaction that is threaded through to those struggles, those birthing pains, that deep conflict. I realized that someone might get hurt, someone could even die. And I had a glimpse of how brave those civil rights activists were, and how brave the Obamas are today.

So I've been singing in my head, off and on for the last week or so, that civil rights era song:

Ain't gonna let nobody, Lordy, turn me round,
Turn me round, turn me round,
Ain't gonna let nobody, Lordy, turn me round,
I'm gonna keep on a-walkin', Lord, keep on a-talkin', Lord,
Marching up to freedom land.

I had started collecting stories and links of all the violence and threats, but then switched to collecting links to those stories that showed how many people are ready. I've decided not to focus on the fear and the hatred. It's a good thing, because yesterday brought the news that a plot to kill African-American high schoolers and to assassinate Obama was thwarted. I think Obama's response, yesterday, says it all:

"I think what has been striking in this campaign is the the degree to which these kind of hate groups have been marginalized. That's not who America is. That's not who our future is. What I've found is people here [in w. Pennsylvania] don't care what color you are. What they're trying to figure out is who can deliver. It's just like the Pttisburgh Steelers: they don't care what color you are, they just want to figure out, can you make the plays?"

Obama's right, and this year, I think we've got a good portion of the American people who are willing to stand with him and not be deterred: Responding to Palin's meanness, he said: "We're not going to be distracted. We're not going to be diverted. Not this time. Not this year. Our challenges are too great for a politics that's so small."

Check out this link for inspiring pictures of what this campaign is really about, and a video interview with a 105 year old woman, who's waiting for Obama to be elected...

That's what America looks like. People are coming out and doing the right thing. Just look:

We've got people walking off the job, refusing to participate in McCain's nastiness. Yesterday, around 40 people in Indiana walked off the job--when they were assigned to call people for the McCain campaign, and leave nasty messages. Indiana forbids robocalling with pre-recorded messages, so such messages have to be delivered by people individually.

We've got ex-Dept of Justice officials who are speaking out about the still-existing partisanship within the DOJ

We've got the two Senators from Maine speaking out against McCain's robocalls, asking for them to cease

We've got a GOP official from Wisconsin endorsing Obama, denouncing the robocalls

We've got 5000 lawyers committed to monitor the polls on election day--we still need more!

We've got McCain supporters confronting the ugliness at McCain rallies--challing the anti-Muslim rhetoric

We've got the fact that Obama has historical, record-high favorability ratings for a Presidential candidate. Those who would spew ugliness are the minority.

We've got the fact that at least 26 newspapers that backed Bush have now endorsed Obama--including the Hartford Courant, which has only backed one other democrat in 244 years.

And we've got the fact that 100,000 people turned out in Denver a few days ago, when only 4,000 turned out for McCain; last week, 100,000 in St Louis, and 75000 in Kansas City. The majority enthusiastically supports Obama... now we just have to get everyone to get out there and vote!

The bat signal is on, even in North Carolina.

The people are ready, even the schoolchildren in Nebraska.

Burly NASCAR men in Ohio are being inspired by little old Jewish ladies while waiting in line to vote, and changing their minds to support Obama, because they too want to be part of history.

All we've got to do is keep working and keep our eyes on the prize...

Volunteer. There's seven days left. Help make this historic election happen. If we all stand up, together, we will not be moved...

Yes We Carve!

Great photos and inspiration for making your pumpkin Obamariffic--make it a "Glowbama!"

Yes We Carve!

the "keep your eye on the ball" edition

Hi everyone,

It's going to be a quick one tonight. The final (mercifully) debate is tonight, but first I've got to just get a couple notes to you.

It's Not Voter Fraud:
The right-wing, voiced mostly through Fox, is making a lot of hoopla about "voter fraud."
Check it out: it's a ruse and a distraction, and a way to racialize McCain's seemingly impending loss, should it come to pass just 20 days from now.

What they are so exercised about is "voter registration fraud." There are no cases of people voting illegally in this election (and in the last five years, only a very few)...only of some fake voter registration forms (numbering in the hundreds, at most) being turned in, and then rejected. No "precious right" is at stake here, although lots of Repubs would have you believe that the very health of our democracy is on the line.

Here's how it happens. Some groups, like ACORN (who seem to all of a sudden be the devil, according to Repubs, more on that below), pay people to go out and register voters. To make money, some people have defrauded ACORN by getting paid and turning in phony voter registration forms. ACORN is legally obligated to turn in all forms--only state offices that process voter registration forms are allowed to discard forms. (Because believe it or not, some people actually ARE named Mickey Mouse and Han Solo.) So ACORN sometimes flags forms that look suspicious. These forms are then discarded. There's no way that fake people are actually going to cast ballots. You can disagree with ACORN for paying people to register voters, but this still doesn't add up to voter fraud.

So the Repubs are hoping to stir up a shitstorm and confuse the media and electorate about the legitimacy of this election. Then they can claim that it was stolen from them or that there was massive widespread fraud. And because they steered many states to buy paperless voting machines, there won't be a record to contradict them. What's even richer is that McCain apparently has a bunch of people on his "Clean Elections Committee" who have questionable histories when it comes to voter rights.

Racializing a McCain Loss
More disgustingly, though, this smokescreen is about race. You see, ACORN is a poor-people's organization, one that's been around for 30 years doing the hard work of community organizing--one that McCain, when he was the keynote speaker for them a couple years ago, praised effusively. But this time around, the Repubs are so desperate to tear down Obama, that ACORN is now being used to paint him as a radical, black leftist...What you've got here is the operationalizing of a racially motivated resentment and resistance to a future Obama presidency.

Remember when Sarah Palin started dissing community organizers in her acceptance speech? And remember, just a few weeks ago, when the financial meltdown all of a sudden was being pinned on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac alone, and all the poor minorities who took out loans they couldn't pay back? ACORN was invoked as part of that, as well. I have to imagine that ACORN is now operating as a kind of racial code, to divide the electorate among racial lines.

What the Repubs want to do is say that McCain lost because there was fraud, the socialists took over the ballots, people were duped... They want to be able to contest anyplace where it might be close. Remember, this is the party that tried to get voters kicked off the rolls in Michigan because they were in foreclosure, even though they were still living in their homes. This is the party that in NH jammed all the Democratic office phone lines, basically paralyzing the communications hub for getting out the vote, on Election Day--and were found guilty of it.

The Purge is beginning--they're trying to kick people off the rolls all around the country. The Repubs don't like it when a lot of people vote--and a lot of people are voting this time. We should expect a lot more of this crap from them, and we have to fight it. They also want to distract from the real issues, especially the economy--McCain's own staffers said that "if we keep talking about the economic crisis, we're going to lose"--and by manufacturing a scandal, they can get the media to focus not on the 700 point loss in the stock market today, but on ACORN. Don't believe that it works? Media Matters does the math:

*Number of times CNN has mentioned ACORN since Friday: 67

*Number of times Fox News has mentioned Joe Biden since Friday: 130

*Number of times Fox News has mentioned Sarah Palin since Friday: 541

*Number of times Fox News has mentioned ACORN since Friday: 556

Finally, this issue is classic Karl Rove--hit your opponent on what you are actually weak on. It's kind of jaw-dropping that the Repubs are the ones accusing Dems of voter fraud--take a look at the "US Attorneys Scandal" at the dept of Justice a few years back--remember when all those attorneys were fired without cause? And then it came out that the DOJ had become totally politicized, and attorneys who didn't do the political bidding of the President and Justice Dept were cast out? Guess what...many of those attorneys refused to pursue bogus "voter fraud" cases in close elections where Repubs were trying to keep their seats...

This is a pattern. This is an outrage. And that's why we have to win by a landslide.

We might be up in the polls, and that lead might even last (though it would be very unusual) through Election Day...but we cannot become complacent. We have to win BIG. It has to be a rout. With the way these bozos rig elections, scare off voters, challenge voters at the polls...we have to win bigger than ever just to win at all.

• Sign up to do Voter Protection on Election Day.
  
  
• Volunteer to Get Out the Vote
  
  
• Donate to support that tremendous field operation which is making all of this possible. (Great description of the field operation here).

Thanks!

the defense against the dark arts edition

If you're like me, you might be feeling a little like you're on a rollercoaster(never mind what's going on the markets, I can't even go there), as you look at the great poll numbers in all the swing states, the fact that we're closing in on a number of Senate races (which we need to actually get things done!), the ass-kicking Obama delivered in the last debate, and then look at the crap McCain/Palin is flinging. So I've pulled together a few links to help you focus on the light...and help you defend against the Dark Arts.

Remember: There's solid ground under these poll numbers
1) We've changed the map in terms of party identification in Pennsylvania--look how blue it is!
2) We've made amazing gains in voter registration in the battleground states
3) Early voting shows that new voter and African American turnout might be higher than even expected. Take a look at Georgia~!

Remember: This is not your father's Democratic Party--we're fighting back!
1) We know the Repubs will stoop very, very low to suppress the vote. But so far, we've battled them back in Michigan, and now we just won again in Montana. But today's NYTimes shows there's much more to be done. Want to get involved? Volunteer to be a help out in Obama's Voter Protection Program.
2) Obama and Biden are showing McCain to be a coward, criticizing McCain for talking about Ayers on the stump, but "not saying it to [Obama's] face."
3) No swiftboating here! Robert Gibbs, one of Obama's campaign spokespeople, takes it to Sean Hannity, and show's how ridiculous the whole "association politics" is. Anyone hear Tom Petty? "No, I won't back down..."

Be prepared for stomach-turning sleaze, and know that it's not a winning tactic.
McCain will be snide and mean, and hypocritical, "going along to get along" with the paranoid racist xenophobia of the Republican base, and Palin will incite her crowds (stirring it up til' they yell "treason" and "kill him," and yell racial slurs at African American camera crew staffers). And they're going to do this in a big way--with %100 negative ad buys...not a single positive ad running, at all. But remember that these tactics are just driving independents away, driving McCain and Palin's unfavorables up, and turning off the press and even the conservative commentariat.

The Truth Will Out.

• We're ready to talk about McCain's role as one of the Keating Five--and one of the Keating Five says it's fair game.
• People are pointing out that McCain is linked to an Iran-Contra organization.
• Some have even begun to question the "myth of the maverick".
• And we haven't even started on Troopergate (released on Friday), and Palin's ties to the secessionist Alaska Independence Party.

But until it does, we get grounded, get inspired, and get to work...
Some good advice about getting grounded:

Be like Barack. Brush the bullshit off your shoulder, and soldier on. Be cool. Look like you know something nobody else knows. Don't break your stride. And don't do hysterical stupid shit. That's [the Republican wingnuts'] job.

Some inspirational words: Donna Brazile tells it! "I'm not going to the back of the bus." (Very, very worth a look)

And some words to keep you working hard--it's only 26 more days!

[We need to] deliver a defeat worse than they ever imagined. We do that by winning states that have no business turning Blue -- like North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, and so on -- states that were easy Bush victories in 2004. We do that by electing a 60-seat supermajority in the Senate. We do that by defeating their leadership, like Mitch McConnell in the Senate. We do that by defeating their heroes, like wingnut go-to hero John Shadegg. We do that by making sure a record number of Americans reject conservative ideology, leaving it utterly discredited.

The day after the election, I want to see an electoral battlefield littered with defeated Republicans, their ranks demoralized, their treasury in heavy debt, and no real leadership to take the helm. I want a vacuum so complete, that a bloody leadership battle between the neocons, theocons, and corporate cons shakes the GOP to its core, and leaves it fractured and ill-equipped to stymie the progressive agenda, much less ramp up for an even bleaker (for them) 2010.

...We're not out to win this thing. We're out to crush them. And that's going to require a level of engagement beyond anything you've ever done before. It'll mean more phone banking, more canvassing, more donating.

Phonebank. Canvass. Volunteer to protect the vote. I'm happy to talk with you about what volunteering is like, and what you can expect.

And please, we're almost there...donate, once more.

Let's join hands, take a deep breath, work even harder, and crush them...

the mental health break edition

So, the polls are looking good (*understatement*) and so let's take a breath before McCain/Palin start getting really, really ugly, and have a laugh and a smile.

Feel-good Video:

• The great Tina Fey skewers Sarah Palin a sketch about the VP debate. (Previous sketch with "Katie Couric" here.)

• Sarah Silverman urges all good Jewish grandchildren to make "the great schlep" to Florida to convince their nanas and their bubbies to vote for Obama. It's sweet and funny and a little bit crass, guaranteed for a laugh.

• Homer Simpson tries to vote for Obama--Diebold sounds evil, right?

• David Letterman goes after McCain again, in a new segment: "John McCain, Presidential Material" Hee hee!

• Sarah Palin's "debate flow chart." She her decision making process for yourself.

• A promo for a sure-to-be-a-hit movie: Sarah Palin, a la Disney Studios.

• The pundits are losing their patience: here, on CNN Jeffrey Toobin actually starts correcting his peers about the fact that McCain did not actually do anything to "suspend his campaign."

• Alright, it's not a video, but it's a pretty funny picture.

• And since we're posting picture, check out this one. The campaign's really gone to the dogs.

Stories to make you smile:

• A voter registration story from Carol, my mother-in-law--who rocks!!

As you may know, I have been registering folks to vote. Yesterday, I was at Walmart in Vero Beach, FL. I ask everyone going into the store if they are registered or need to change their address, etc. One man wearing a Marines cap and I assumed a Vietnam vet came out after grocery shopping and stopped by the table. He said "I am 58 years old and I have NEVER voted! Can you believe THAT? I want to vote." He filled out the registration form and checked the Democratic box. He turned around to get his cart with his groceries and it was gone! We looked all around for it and it was nowhere to be found. He talked to the baggers and they had not put it anywhere. Walmart gave him a couple of pizzas, but what a pathetic sign of the times. My heart broke for him. Every day I spend time registering folks, my heart is touched by someone:college students, parents, vets, senior citizens, immigrants, etc. It has really been an education for me and "all" I thought I was doing was volunteering to register folks to vote! There's a BIG difference between hearing the pundits on television talk about the economy and being in the midst of the reality on the street. My resolve has been made even stronger to work harder for Barack Obama!

Carol

P.S. There is no discussion of candidates when registering people.

I encourage you to get into the campaign too!

• Yes, Obama actually is a good person. He doesn't just play one on TV. Here's a heartwarming story about how he helped out a stranded traveler 20 years ago.

• Here's a story about one blogger's grandfather, who lived through the Great Depression and sees Obama for the leader he really is... Readers of the blog sent the old man hundreds of letters and postcards to express their appreciation, and here's the update.

Tools for you to use:

• Make sure you're registered to vote, or request an absentee ballot.
  
• Know your facts. Fight the smears corrects Obama's record against the McCain campaign, and others. And here's thirty refutations of the lies about Obama and William Ayers. There's a lot more crap getting ready to be flung, and we need to be prepared.
• Here's Obama's senate record, again.
• Know the myths. Here's the top five myths about McCain's maverickyness.
• Know the lies. Factcheck looks at the Palin-Biden debate. She lied, a lot. Big surprise. She even lied about calling for Alaska to "divest from Sudan" because of Darfur. In fact, her administration worked to block such divestment.
  
• And know that some Rethugs will do anything to suppress the vote--their leaders, like George Will, don't prefer "quality" over "quantity" when it comes to democracy--so get yourself and your friends prepared to vote, and don't be deterred!
  

Finally: please make a donation, if you can! We will win this by playing a better ground game--which is why McCain is playing defense in Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia...and the ground game means lots of paid organizers to coordinate the hundreds of thousands of volunteers that we've got working all across the country...So far I've raised $115 for the campaign by writing this news digest--thank you to everyone who's given so far!!

what's behind us and what's to come

I'll send a more substantial update soon, but wanted to get a couple of items out today.

We've just had the first of the presidential debates, which poll after polll showed that viewers' estimation of Obama grew. It was, for many people, their first time really listening to and watching Obama, and he managed to move many undecideds and independents in a positive direction.

We've also had the media--both news and entertainment--start to really go after the McCain/Palin campaign, with conservatives and mainstream journalists calling on Palin to drop out, and with comedians hitting hard against Palin by basically repeating her gibberish verbatim (Tina Fey), and going to town on McCain's fake-suspension of his campaign (Letterman). The SNL skit truly is must-see TV.

With the national polls going Obama's way (with 5-9 point leads in the 4 national tracking polls, and expected to go higher today), we can expect the McCain campaign to go into full bizarro creepy nasty mode. They've said that now they're going to start attacking.

And today is the last day of September, and the last week of voter registration.
Please give another donation to the campaign--it's important that we keep gaining the resources needed to win in places like Indiana--where we have 14 campaign offices and McCain has had none, and where's McCain's starting to have to defend this age-old red state--and in North Carolina, where two recent polls give the advantage to Obama by a couple of points.

We really can do this thing, and I'm asking you to help out by making another contribution before midnight tonight, to make our September fundraising as strong as possible.

And if you're interested in volunteering, please let me know and I'll get you hooked up with the right people!

bailouts, debates, and the never-ending lies

I've been waiting for things to calm down so I can give you all a little overview of what's new with the campaign...but unless you've been under a rock, you probably know that "calm" hasn't happened this week. We've got a couple games of chicken going on (will McCain come to the debate? Will the House Republicans stymie a bailout compromise?). Key questions at the end of today include: Is McCain playing bailout spoiler? And is this all a way to trap the Democrats?.

Before we get to the Fourth Huge Gimmick of McCain's campaign, which I see as a kind of "chicken-axis" around which the current games are being played (the four big gimmicks: 1. gax tax holiday, 2. gotta cancel the first day of the Repub convention when Bush & Cheney are scheduled to speak because of Hurricane Ike, 3. The Alaskan Wonder, 4. "I'm suspending my campaign and we should forego the debate")...let's review quickly what he is trying to distract us from:

The Fundamentals of Our Economy Are Strong.
Here's a starter timeline on McCain's statements/actions on the financial crisis. Please note: As of Tuesday, he hadn't even read the Paulson bailout proposal (all of three pages!). Here's a great review of how the campaign-obsessed media didn't see the crisis coming.

Quick, Look Over Here! No, No, No, Don't Ask Me About...

• Sleazy Lobbying and Lying. Wednesday morning, McCain was hit with more actual reporting on his campaign manager's relationship and influence peddling with FannieMae/Freddie Mac (guess what, his campaign manager Rick Davis is STILL an officer of his "former" company, which was getting 15k/month to do nothing but maintain access for the mortgage companies to John McCain, and the campaign lied about it repeatedly). When asked, they didn't deny it...but very soon after came the distractions...

• The fact that people are backing away from McPain, slowly: ABC News/Wash Post poll that showed Obama up 9 points and making huge strides with independents and white women voters. Just one of many good data points: "Over the past two weeks, the percentage of independents with favorable views of Palin dropped from 60 percent to 48 percent." And it's not just in the national polls--state polls, such as this one in Colorado, show that people are reacting negatively to Palin and moving toward Obama. And then, there's this: Obama now holds a double-digit lead on the question who's better to lead in this crisis.
  

• Keating Who? Also, we can't have ONE DRAMA-FREE MOMENT BECAUSE PEOPLE MIGHT REMEMBER that guess who...John McCain...was involved in the last major financial scandal in the US. If you need a refresher on McCain and the Keating 5 Savings and Loan scandal, you can watch a 97 second video right here. For a little perspective--the Keating 5 cost the US $3 billion....

I'm the Reformer! I'm Above Politics! Country First!
So...time for another hail mary pass! McCain decides that he--he who hasn't been to vote in the Senate since APRIL (even Tim Johnson, stroke victim, has voted more than McCain)--needs to swoop in and save us all. Wed. afternoon, he calls for a suspension of his campaign--which he did by appearing all three nightly news shows, grandstanding, allowing his surrogates to continue to attack Obama, running ads, and actually not suspending on-the-ground campaign activities AT ALL--and for the debate to be postponed. Better yet, later that day, the McCain campaign suggested that the VP debate be rescheduled, and the first debate should take place on Oct 2...that's right, they don't want us to hear her at all!

And there's good reason why. Her Wed night interview with Katie Couric has been widely panned, and her poll numbers have continued to decline. Now almost 50% say she's not prepared to be vice president. You can watch the pain here. And then today she spoke off the cuff with reporters for a few minutes at the site of the World Trade Center...here's some more pain. And here's a video of one of her spiritual leaders, who is an honest to god witchhunter, laying hands on her, casting out evil, and praying for her political ascension.

But don't look or read or think about any of that! I agree with some of the pundits who say that this latest stunt is pure Rove politics...just try to win each day's newscycle at any cost. And to some extent they won yesterday, because they moved the sleazy lobbyist story off the headlines, and barely anybody was talking about Palin at the UN (described as "speed dating world leaders"), or the lame media revolt trying to make sure they could actually have a reporter in the room during her meetings and not just a camera...They also were able to bury Campbell Brown (CNN) actually stating "Free Sarah Palin!" as she protested what she interprets as McCain's sexism in not letting Palin speak to the press.

I'm Needed in Warshington! I'm A Hero, Dammit!
Last night, the media response and the public polling showed that this gambit had largely been seen as a gimmick (although today many were still blithely saying that McCain had suspended his campaign, even tho he clearly had changed nothing). And then lo and behold, George W. Bush all-of-a-sudden thought it would be a good idea to have the candidates (even tho Harry Reid had said stay away, it's not productive for presidential politics to get injected into this situation) come to D.C. and have a nice photo op. Made for a lot of pretty pictures of McCain in the Senate...where, did I mention...he hasn't voted since APRIL! So a meeting was scheduled for today.

Obama said, "No." And "the president has to be able to do more than one thing at a time."

There was some biting humor, in the midst of the drama, last night, when McCain tried to ditch Letterman by saying he had to run to DC and save the economy, but Letterman wasn't having ANY of it. It's actually pretty good TV. And then McCain actually did an interview with Couric instead. What will this man NOT lie about?

Today, it looked like some kind of compromise had been forged with Dems and Repubs that included accountability measures, a staged rollout of money, help for homeowners, getting a piece of the profits back when these companies revive (I should say "if"!), but did not apparently include bankruptcy reforms, which was a dealbreaker for Repubs. Word was spread around 1-2 pm that things were moving forward. Then McCain swooped into town, had a meeting with House minority whip John Boehner, and all of a sudden Boehner backpedals. In the white house photo op meeting, Boehner starts talking about the "other" core principles agreed upon by House Repubs, which hadn't been seen by anyone...this gummed up the works, and made Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, and the leading Repub senators on the banking committee. Turns out, we learn later, that what McCain wants is more tax breaks and less regulation. SURPRISE.

Here's Chris Dodd being very clear: McCain's posturing has derailed everything with his huge gimmick. "

What happened here, basically, if you want an honest appraisal of the thing, we have been spending a lot of time and I am tired. I have spent almost seven straight days at this in trying to come out with a workout plan for our economy a rescue plan," said Dodd. "What this looked like to me was a rescue plan for John McCain for two hours and took us away from the work we are trying to do today. Serious people trying to do serious work to come up with an answer."

Now it's back to the drawing board, reconvening at 8 p.m. tonight.

For the record, I'm not in favor of the bailout in its current or proposed construction, for all kinds of reasons that I'm sure you've heard about. And I'm in good company on this.

I do think that something needs to be done, and I do think that Dodd and Frank are negotiating in good faith in a horribly impossible situation. I was heartened to hear Dodd last night on one of the shows, and I think the Dems have done a lot to make this a better piece of legislation. In the end, the Republican shenanigans may have bought us a little time to make a better bill. But they are also making the public ever more distrustful of the ability of government to actually work together to come up with solutions. There was movement forward, and now hackery has scuttled it.

What I'm left with is this: I think the ways that McCain has gambled, postured, and distracted throughout the last week (as the epitome of the campaign as a whole) says a good deal about what kind of president he'd be, and how little he trusts the American people...and how little faith he has in Sarah Palin. If there was ever a Manchurian Candidate, I think this would be he.

the good friday edition

Now that the US government (meaning you and me and our progeny) have agreed to cover the risky behavior of the mortgage lenders and their insurers, and the markets have rebounded, we can pause to take a look at the state of the campaign.

And, after doing so, we smile.

For your pleasure:

• A great graphic of Palin's plunging approval rating.
• Focus group undecideds in Florida are moving toward Obama: Palin scares them to death.
• Obama's regained lead in national tracking polls; Obama is in a better position in the state-by-state race than he was prior to the RNC. A summary of this week's polls here.
  
• Dems continue to strongly lead in voter registrations in key states. See esp. Pennsylvania: "Pennsylvania added 107,000 registered Democrats from April to early September, while Republicans added 2,700. Democrats already led registration there."
• Palin "slips" and mentions the "Palin-McCain Administration"--good for laughs from lots of pundits
• Better laughs here: watch Keith Olbermann condense Palin's interview with Sean Hannity into 62 seconds. I'll give you a hint: she uses the word "reform" A LOT.
• Remember the Keating 5? Neither do I. Here's a little primer (2.5 mins) to get you up to speed, and it connects McCain's role as a deregulator from that scandal to the present-day crisis. I think it's safe to say that McCain's role in the Savings and Loan debacle will become fodder for the campaign presently.
  

Head-scratching Pain about Spain: in an interview with a south Florida hispanic radio station, McCain appeared not to know who Zapatero, prime minister of Spain, was...repeatedly referencing Latin America and "the hemisphere" even after the interviewer said..."but what about Europe, I'm talking about Spain." Rather than admit to mishearing, McCain's campaign has doubled down, stating that McCain did, in fact, indeed, intend to take a hard tack with Spain, by refusing to commit to meet with the Prime Minister. This is not being believed by most reporters and pundits, and causing a good deal of consternation. It's the last thing we need, more dig-your-feet-in bellicosity.

Good news on anti-voter suppression efforts! John Conyers is calling out McCain on his party's efforts to disenfranchise homeowners in Michigan who are undergoing foreclosures. Obama's suing to prevent the "caging" of voters, or challenging their right to vote through various processes, and launching a huge voter protection effort to have lawyers at the polls.

the economy, silly season, fading Palin, as the worm turns, little treats, and more

Hi everyone,
It's been a few days, and there's a lot to catch up on.

But before we go on: I've included a bunch of new email addresses in this mailing--if you don't want to receive semi-regular updates on the campaign and general politics, please let me know and I'll remove your name right away. If you want to take a look at my previous email blasts, you can see them on my blog (which is missing the last week or two of posts, will be updated soon).

First, briefly, the economy:

• McCain thinks the "fundamentals are strong."
• Obama criticizes McCain's call for a commission to look into the bank collapse as "the oldest Washington stunt in the book...You pass the buck to a commission to study [it] . . . We know how we got into this mess. What we need now is leadership that get us out. I'll provide it. John McCain won't."

It's well into the "silly season"

• McCain advisor tries to give McCain credit for the Blackberry
• The talking point that went awry: Carly Fiorina, McCain's economic advisor, asserts that neither Palin nor McCain could run a company...
• More false balance: CNN's Candy Crowley says it's not her job to "tell you whether [the lying from both campaigns] is equal or not"--well, who's job is it, if not journalists'?
  

Is the Palin shock and awe starting to fade?

• Saturday Night Live gets into the act: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
• Palin's popularity starts to decline as people get to know her.
• Good coverage of the largest political protest in Alaska--women against Palin
• Obama regains ground in national tracking polls
• And McCain seems to be getting a little upset that things aren't going so well...

Mainstream and conservative journalists are starting to sour on McCain

• David Ignatius (Washington Post), Richard Cohen (WashPo), David Brooks--
• Fox News's Megyn Kelly is challening McCain's flunkies, and the traveling press corps actually held a miniprotest today on the campaign plane.
• The Wall St. Journal has taken, as well, to correcting McCain's lies--regularly! Here they are correcting his lie from his appearance on The View (watch here!) that Palin's never pursued earmarks.

One of the scariest things I've read: Palin is a neo-con project.

"Golden Week" in Ohio!!!
One of the best opportunities we've got: "golden week" in Ohio--one week during which we can register new voters and they can vote early! It's like "banking votes" for the election. Help out with this effort by going to Ohio or contributing directly to vans and other costs to make this a big push.

Palin's Lying Problem?
I'm starting to think that Palin's lying is just compulsive, rather than tactical: She continues to lie about the teleprompter failing during her RNC speech. She cut funding for the Special Olympics, but promised she would be an advocate for special needs children. Andrew Sullivan has been tracking "the Odd Lies of Sarah Palin," and is up to ten as of this writing (teleprompter, the percent of energy from Alaska, habeas corpus, and it goes on and on...

Palin's Troopergate Problem
Palin is now fighting the Troopergate investigation, which she embraced just a few months ago, and it now seems like she can't get her stories straight. The state official who was allegedly pressured to fire Palin's ex-brother in law has now come out and baldly stated that Palin lied to ABC news.

Little Treats:

• Great line from Obama: John McCain's trying to say he's all about change. "If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Alaska to sell you!"
• Amazing pictures: near-empty McCain rally (and palin fans leave during mccain's speech in florida today), awesome turnout in Colorado for Obama
• Biden kicks some ass!
  
• Rundown of recent, hard-hitting ads against McCain
  
• Even John McCain's cousin is calling him out.

And as always, here are a few actions you can take right now!

1. Donate (through my fundraising page, or elsewhere!)
2. Make sure you're registered and/or request an absentee ballot
3. Volunteer

Every day in New York:

Obama for America New York HQ urgently needs phone bankers!
Every night this week from 5-9 PM; Shifts are 5-9pm, 5-7pm and 7-9pm. Please arrive 10 minutes early for a brief training. @ Teamsters Union -- 216 W. 14th St., 6th Floor MUST RSVP! Please RSVP to nyobamavolunteers@gmail.com

This weekend in PA (get there by bus and cars--click links for more info):

9/20, this Sat

• Northeast Philly
• Scranton
• Women's rally in Scranton
• Wilkes-Barre
• Latino voter reg event in Allentown

9/21, this Sunday

• Voter Reg in NW Philly
• trip from Forest Hill, Queens, to Scranton

the "damn, this is a nasty campaign" edition

hey people--i'm going away for a few days...i'll be back on the case on monday.
until then...

viral video--that is, pass it on! (it doesn't go viral just sitting in your inbox)

• enough is enough! obama's pushback on the fabricated "lipstick on a pig" controversy
• a funny, illuminating look at "earmark reform" sarah palin-style
  
• smart AND good-looking: thank you, matt damon!
• not really video, but still worth passing on: obama tax cut calculator

innoculate yourself from future pain:

• palin's first interview (tomorrow) with abc will be a sham
• charlie gibson is known to let mccain lies slide
• mccain embraces the staged rally (hint: rove et al is in control, which means there's much, much more crap to come.)
  

And a great read: the harshest call out on mccain's loss of integrity: thank you, andrew sullivan (i can't believe i'm saying that)

Again, a call to action:

• as always, please donate.
• volunteer, if you can.
• here's tools for letter writing--to newspapers, on notable blogs and news sites...if you have an opinion about what's going on, about a particular issue, this is one way to help change the conversation
• and please read and pass along a letter against Sarah Palin, collecting and posting comments from women across the country on this website

what goes up must come down

Some of you may be worried, because McCain's numbers are in an upswing.
Remember: a bounce does not a trend make.

So now for some perspective:

Good overviews and analyses of the polls. Nate Silver--things are pretty much where we expected them to be. Evangelicals will move a little to McCain, Clinton democrats move a little to Obama. It will take a few days for us to see how the two conventions wash out, but so far there is no evidence that McCain's convention shifted anything dramatically. Because this is a state-by-state election, not a national contest, Kos has a look at the state-by-state numbers, which are still good for Obama.

No more "oh noes!" Here's a good response to those who demand "Obama, you must hit back, harder, now! You've got to get McCain to be on the defensive!" Well, one smart guy points out that McCain IS playing defensive, trying to catch up as the "change" candidate. Remember in the primaries, when all the other candidates tried to poach Obama's turf? And, just think, could this guy be right, that the Obama campaign is exactly where they want to--and where they've planned to--be? Finally, a great primer/rant on why not to panic.

Great new ad from Obama. And voila! Look at this neato ad Obama's made...hitting back against the maverick meme, but also sticking to the message: mccain is no different than bush.

The truth will out (i think). The press is starting to report Palin's many lies. Here's the AP actually noting Palin's earmark requests. WashPo calls McCain's new ad a "whopper." And even the Wall Street Journal is getting in on the fun.

Still feeling worried? Then make a little donation (via my fundraising page here) to soothe your nerves. And take a look at the great voter reg numbers in Georgia, which is what's happening in all the battleground states...if you want to volunteer in PA, let me know!

the short edition

The short version. A few tidbits to make you smile, and cringe.

Stimulating the base...the democratic base! Volunteers coming out of the woodwork...One great story from LA, and another from somewhere else...

Apparently, the McCain campaign tried to use wounded troops as a prop, and f-ed up big time. The image shown behind McCain during his acceptance speech (snore) was Walter Reed MIDDLE SCHOOL...not the Walter Reed veterans hospital...and school administrators are not happy about it..

you know that cute talking point about how palin is such a maverick that she cut government spending by getting rid of the governor's plane, by selling it on ebay, for a profit! well, actually she tried to sell it on ebay, no one nibbled, so she sold it, through a broker, at a loss...

and last night, the mccain campaign pimped 9/11 to make us afraid...and keith olbermann calls them on it, and apologizes that such extended, and graphic, footage was played. thank you, keith!

excellent tv alert: monday night, obama will be on keith olbermann's countdown, and that will be followed by the debut of rachel maddow's new show!

no longer reeling from the virtriol, praise be. (but i haven't seen tonight's speeches yet...)

The Palin Speech edition

Wow. That was a lot of nasty. Watching last night, I felt like I'd been thrown back in time, and Newt Gingrich was leading a charge on Congress....the pitchfork brigade, as Pat Buchanan lovingly called it back then.

But it may have been just a tad too nasty, too petty for most people to stomach. Sure, the Repub haters were thrilled to get their hate on, and that self-righteous sneer comes very easily. And they don't have a record, a sitting president, or a top-ticket candidate to feel good about.

But the night was full of cognitive dissonance, from Rudy Giuliani criticizing Obama on the grounds of cosmopolitanism...all while standing in front of a picture of the NYC skyline... to Mitt Romney blaming everything on liberals and east coast elites (um, he was gov. of Massachusetts, which passed universal health care and gay marriage while he was there...)--as if the Repubs hadn't controlled D.C. for 6 of the last 7 years...

Anyway, here's some tidbits to brighten your night, and smooth out your wrinkled gray matter:

First, (a snippet of) Obama's great response (click for video).

You wouldn't know that this is such a critical election by watching the convention last night. I know we had our week. And the Republicans deserve theirs. But it's been amazing for me to watch over the last two nights. If you sit there, and you watch it. You're hearing a lot about John McCain, and he's got a compelling biography as a P.O.W.

You're hearing an awful lot about me. Most of which is not true.

What you're not hearing is a lot about you.

Focus groups in Michigan and Nevada didn't seem to like Palin all that much, Indiana man-on-the-street interviews showed the same thing, and Sunday night, Minnesota CSPAN viewers didn't think much of McCain's pick, either. A choice quote, for your pleasure, from a 66 year-old independent: "She was a Republican novelty act with a sophomoric script. It was not even a speech I would expect for someone running for the local PTA, much less for vice president."

Palin repulsed moderate McCain supporters, Republicans, and Hillary supporters: Field reports.

• Ron Paul supporter, registered Republican, now will vote for Obama.
• Immediate negative responses on media websites' blogs.
• Republican husband wavers all summer, finally comes on board.
• Sister-in-law dumps GOP.
• Two registered Republicans come on board.
• 102 year old, W.Texas grandma finally decides to vote Obama
• "Sarah Palin vs. my mother" (Guess who wins?)
• New to volunteering, another joins the campaign
• And another first-time volunteer
  
• Anti-Obama Hillary supporter changes her mind
  

Here's people making first-time donations to Obama, repulsed by the Repubs. Obama's on track to raise $10 million in 24 hours since her speech. Want to donate? Here's my fundraising page! As Obama said last week: "Enough!"

Unintended consequences?
Nate Silver says Chicago's Obama headquarters have got to be happy

St. Paul delegates are giddy with Sarah Palin's speech. The mood is buoyant, enlivened, energized. It's a party. There are revelers. The faces shine with joy and pleasure at a convention finally fully underway. Their VP nominee did it – she hit it out of the park. There is joy in Mudville, here on the ground.

And it worked wonders – for the Dems.

And here's a great analysis why Palin's speech was great, and why it bombed anyway.

And the Scandal Update

• Palin's handwriting on earmark: "we did well!"
• Emerging email trail on Troopergate. The Alaskan police union is filing a complaint.
• Cindy McCain's outfit last night: worth 300k!

McCain's Whining about the Media Isn't Completely Working
The AP actually does some factchecking on Palin's speech
Joe Klein (Time Magazine) dares his colleague not to crumble, and to continue to look into Palin's record.
Roger Simon, of Politico.com, snarks up an "apology" . One of the only times I've ever agreed with that guy!

fired up!

Sarah Palin and John McCain have decided to run a small campaign full of old ideas, to divide and distract us, to stir up old resentments and fan the embers of the culture wars. These two are both warriors, of a sort--and we can't let them lead us down the path toward increased international conflict and hyperpartisan social conservatism. The challenges we face are too complicated, the geopolitical field is too dynamic, and the real longing of the American people for leadership is too great to reboot that old 1980s game of us vs. them.

As most of you know, I've put some time and some money into this campaign, and I have to say it feels great. I volunteered during the primaries, I've started going on daytrips to Philly to register and turn out voters, and whenever I can, I blog and digest the news for friends and family.

I hope that you'll join me in volunteering, if you can, and I hope you will consider supporting the Obama campaign financially. If we're going to win, we're going to do it on the ground--that means more than 30 field offices in Wisconsin, it means full-time organizers in the 13 offices in Philly alone...and it means supplies, office space, phone lines, and all that's needed to run a grassroots campaign.

I've set a personal fundraising goal for the campaign, outside of my own donations--will you please make a donation and help me reach my goal?

------
Now, about that speech:

In short: repubs 2008 is a lot like repubs 1992--distract and divide.

Last night, very late, i collected a lot of links to interesting stories of people donating and volunteering for the first time since seeing Palin (and Giuliani, and Romney)...and will get them pretty for you and send them out this evening.

In the meantime, in case you are feeling jittery, this is a great take on the impact of Palin's speech, and her candidacy. the upshot?

The mockery went too far. They played the "Obama doesn't love America, just himself" card, over and over and over. For people already inclined to believe that (i.e., the hardcore Republican base), the speech was a smashing success. Maybe they will work a little harder, volunteer a few more hours, dig a little deeper into their pockets. But so will partisan Dems, who are far more plugged into watching the election coverage.

So my reaction: St. Paul loved this speech… and so did Chicago...Fire up both bases equally, it's not even close. Obama wins going away. In 2008, there are so many more Democrats, numerically.

i'm going to philly this weekend again to register voters. anyone want to join me?

am i rubbernecking?

The pre-Palin Speech edition.

WHOA...now tell me what you really think.

• Top GOP journalist, Peggy Noonan, and GOP strategist, Mike Murphy, caught on live microphone: "It's over...political bullshit...gimmicky."
• Mike Murphy tells Chuck Todd, on the record: "I love John McCain to death, but this is the stupidest thing in the world."
• Who is Levi Johnston, and what does he have to say? On his MySpace page, he writes
• "I'm a f - - -in' redneck . . . I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in' chillin' I guess...Ya f - - - with me I'll kick [your] ass." And here's the kicker: "I don't want kids." (Isn't anyone going to say that this is technically a prosecutable crime (date rape) since she's 17 and he's 18?)

WHOA...that's not reform we can believe in!

• Pulling a Cheney: Palin is refusing to testify in the Troopergate scandal, and also and trying to run out the clock. She IS a Republican, all right!
• Palin stumps for the Bridge to Nowhere, with pics!
• Palin was on McCain's anti-earmark shameful "pork" list.

Three pleasant things:

• Fairbanks, Alaska--Republican mayor endorses Obama
• DNC viewership higher than RNC
• Early reactions, a la the Gallup poll, make it appear that since Palin pick, Repub women are going to McCain, but independent and Dem women are going to Obama--which means that McCain's strategy is not, at least initially, succeeding.
  

Two not-so-pleasant things:

• Both history and actuarial tables show why this vp choice matters. Nearly 1 in 3 vice presidents have ascended to the presidency, 9 without being elected; there is a 1 in 3 chance that McCain won't live until he's 80.
• Only 36 black delegates at RNC, at a 40 year low (1.5% of total delegates)

More scandal? Really?

• National Enquirer following a story now that Palin had an affair with her husband's business partner. McCain camp is denying it...but then, so did Edwards.
• Another Palin firing scandal?
• And some kind of scandal in relation to a big dairy operation?

the good, the questionable, and the ugly (bonus pic)

(a preface: to state the obvious, this was a freakin busy news day. send me links to anything i've missed that you think important, and i'll blast that out tomorrow)

GOOD:

• Check out this great new ad by Obama's campaign! obama's killer new ad!

• While the Sarah Palin storm sucks up all the air in newsrooms across the country, Obama's out there doing all the right things. And the polls are showing a positive trend upward.

• The media actually have started asking real, reasonable questions about Palin's experience. And having to start every other sentence with "but the fact is..." is not a good sign.

QUESTIONABLE:

• Did Rove really just say that Palin was "not a governing decision, but a campaign decision?" Since when does Rove speak truthfully?

• Did McCain really just cancel an appearance on Larry King's show? Since when does tough-guy McCain shy away from talking to his buddies in the media?

• Did Charlie Black, McCain's campaign manager, really just say that this election is not about the issues? Since when does...oh wait, that's right, McCain's campaign has ONLY been stunts and biopics, not focused on the issues...

• Is McCain's campaign stalling the investigation into "troopergate"? That's not maverickyness we can believe in!

• Is she really crying sexism, after criticizing Hillary for "whining"?

• Do they ALL have ties to Jack Abramoff? Apparently her lobbyist worked for Abramoff, too~!

• Are her surrogates really so unprepared that they can't summarize her vast and profound experience?

• Palin uses religious language in stark ways--hoping that Iraq is a "task from God," and that it's "God's will...to get that gas line built."

• Does Palin have her very own Rev. Wright? Who said: "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government..."

AND JUST DOWNRIGHT UGLY:
Palin sought to ban books, tried to get librarian who protested fired.

Her company (co-owned car wash) was SHUT DOWN by the state--after she became governor--for noncompliance and for not paying requisite fees...

Palin finagled $27 million in earmarks for Wasilla, population 6k. I love the smell of a reformer in the morning!

Palin slashed funding for programs for teen mothers who need a place to live!

Palin got her first passport in 2007. Said she traveled to Ireland, in addition to visiting the troops in Germany and Kuwait. Turns out Ireland was just to refuel. Truthiness!

And whoa! Check out this pic. That is not the cover headline they were hoping for, I bet!

The Palin Edition, part deux (plus a few choice tidbits)

Because Talking Points Memo rocks, they summarized all the developments with the Palin pick, and I reproduce it here, in full, for your reading pleasure:

The Palin Meltdown in Slo-Mo

By Greg Sargent - September 1, 2008, 6:20PM

On the same day that the Republicans were forced to dramatically cut back their convention activities, the Palin Meltdown unfolded with extraordinary speed. It's worth pondering the totality of what happened today, in a mere half day...

* The news that Palin once backed the Bridge to Nowhere went national.

* It emerged that Palin has links to the bizarro Alaska Independence Party, which harbors the goal of seceding from the union that McCain and Palin seek to lead.

[update: the AP confirms she was a member of this group
and a commenter to this blog points us to more information, including video of Palin addressing the AIP]

* The news broke that as governor, Palin relied on an earmark system she now opposes. Taken along with the Bridge to Nowhere stuff, this threatens to undercut her reformist image, something that was key to her selection as McCain's Veep candidate.

* The news broke that Palin's 17-year-old daughter became pregnant out of wedlock at a time when the conservative base had finally started rallying behind McCain's candidacy.

* Barely moments after McCain advisers put out word that McCain had known of Bristol Palin's pregnancy, the Anchorage Daily News revealed that Palin's own spokesperson hadn't known about it only two days ago.

* A senior McCain adviser at the Republican convention was forced into the rather embarrassing position of arguing that McCain had known about the pregnancy "last week" -- without saying what day last week he knew about it.

* It came out that Republican lawyers are up in Alaska vetting Palin -- now, more than 72 hours after it was announced that she'd been picked.

* Palin lawyered up in relation to the trooper-gate probe in Alaska -- a move that ensures far more serious attention to the story from the major news orgs.

What else will come out today? After all, there are still six hours left until September 2nd...

--------------
What else will come out today? Well, since that writing, it seems that the McCain campaign has hired Tucker Eskew, the lovely man who directed the 2004 smear against McCain, accusing him of having fathered an illegitimate black child...

Democratic women are not moving to McCain--pass it on! They do not like the Palin pick.

A successful convention. Obama's speech was watched by more than 40 million people; it was well received and he's seen a good response in the polls--not just on who people would pick, but also on his leadership and his favorables. These polls were taken post-Palin, so that's good news for us.

And here's good old Sarah, in all her glory--
She wants to know, "what does the VP do, anyway?"

She's a little confused about the pledge, "under God," and the founding fathers...

She laughs as radio talk host calls her political foe (who is also a cancer survivor) a "bitch" and a "cancer" who "needs to go away".

A last note: What I hope all of this makes clear is McCain's supremely poor judgment and his dangerous shoot-from-the-hip decisionmaking style. He did not fully vet this VP pick, and he expects us to believe he has the right experience and disposition for the presidency???

The Palin Edition

Some of you have written me to ask "WTF???"--or, more genteelly, to ask me what I think is going on with McCain's pick. I honestly have no idea. How you read it depends, in the end, on how smart (read: devious) you think the Rovian staffers running McCain's campaign are, how much control you think McCain has over his own campaign, how desperate you think he feels, and how much of a gambler you think he is.

Evil plot or impetuous hail mary pass?
I'm still trying to sort it out. It's been reported that Rove and McCain's staffers put the kibosh on McCain's preferred pick, Lieberman. It's also been reported that McCain has bowed to the advice of his handlers, in a significant break with his past behavior, now refusing to say much to reporters and being pretty "prickly" about it. Some analysts argue that the Palin pick shows McCain is desperate (and that his internal polling is giving him reason to be so). And we have heard about McCain's actual predilection for playing high-stakes craps, and for gambling. We know he only met her once in person before offering her the position, and that he made his decision after Bill and Hillary Clinton successfully brought together Democrats at the convention. But we also know that voters decide largely on emotional responses, not logical analysis, so we're cautioned to listen to the analysis of George Lakoff (who started us thinking about language and framing after Kerry's loss), which argues that Sarah Palin activates a whole lot of positive emotion in voters, no matter her stance on issues or her level of experience.

Plusses and minuses, and McCain's decision-making process.
One of the most balanced and rational commentaries I've seen is the response from a reporter from Anchorage, on the PBS Newshour (watch here). Many of the above indicators could sway you to believe that McCain is getting internal polling data that have convinced him that he needs to do something radical to shake up his campaign. And his pick will definitely solidify and energize his base, which can help him. It can also turn off women and independents, which can hurt him. This pick is not, foremost, about trying to sway Hillary holdouts. He may get a couple of votes from that group, but by and large Palin is too socially conservative and too inexperienced in comparison to Hillary to take Hillary's place. It does appear that Palin was not comprehensively vetted (an understatement, if there ever was one!). Her hometown paper's archives were not studied, and the McCain campaign did not know she originally supported the Bridge to Nowhere or that she supported a windfall tax on oil profits. Today, we learn that her 17 year old unmarried daughter is 5 months pregnant, and that her husband had a DUI. McCain's people might have known this, and decided to leak it when most of the country is watching Gustav. Who knows.

No matter what the rationale, or the way this plays out, here are some more substantive things you should know:

Dubious claims about reform. Palin is touting herself (and the brainless pundits and news-stenographers are happily parroting her claims) to be a reformer. She may be, to some extent. But two of her biggest claims are patently false:

1) She says she's against wasteful government spending and earmarks. USA Today reports:

While running for governor in 2006, though, Palin backed federal funding for the infamous [Bridge to Nowhere], which McCain helped make a symbol of pork barrel excess. And as mayor of the small town of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002, Palin also hired a Washington lobbying firm that helped secure $8 million in congressionally directed spending projects, known as earmarks...

Palin supported the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere" before it became clear the bridge was not going to happen and would be a political liability, at which time she dropped her support of it. The millions that were allocated to Alaska have not been returned to the federal treasury; she has kept them for "other projects" for the state.

2) She says she's a fierce anti-corruption reformer, taking on her party (read: Ted Stevens, the head of the Alaskan GOP, currently under indictment). While it does appear that she did create a lot of enemies among Republican in Alaska, Palin was not out to take down Ted Stevens--in fact, she was one of the directors of a 527 (independent campaign group) that was created to support Stevens.

In addition, she's under ethics investigation for potentially exercising inappropriate influence to get her former brother-in-law fired (shorthand in the media: "Troopergate") and her mayoralty was troubled by inappropriate firings there, as well. She should be deposed in the ethics case in September, with the verdict expected by early November.

Dubious definition of feminism. Although she belongs to a group called Feminists for Life, Palin is far to the right on many social issues, including abortion and contraception, than what is conventionally associated with feminism.

Palin has said that she'd oppose abortion in all cases including rape and incest, even for her daughter were her daughter to be raped.
Palin strongly supports abstinence-only education; on the 2006 gubernatorial questionnaire, she was asked the question:

"Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?"

Her response: "Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support."

There is some confusion as to where she stands on birth control. I read initially that she is opposed to birth control for married couples; other reporting states that she supports birth control.

And the apparently low levels of support from some of the people who know her.
Two Alaskan newspapers are doubtful about her capacity for the VP position...
Her mother in law doesn't know what she brings to McCain's campaign....
First-hand account of a resident of Wasilla, where Palin was mayor.