running mate

Republicans loved Chelsea Clinton. She instantly became their constant punch line. For example here is John McCain:

Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."

-- Sen. John McCain, speaking to a Republican dinner, June 1998.

And let’s not forget Rush Limbaugh:

it was Limbaugh who ridiculed Chelsea Clinton, then 13, as the "White House dog."

Now those aren’t jokes as sick as making one about raping a child, but that kind of joke wasn’t even made, but Letterman never made a joke about anyone being raped. Instead he simply said that the Palin’s daughter got knocked up by A-Rod. He didn’t even specify which daughter. It was the Palins who decided to make it about their 14 year old daughter.

But Republicans seem to forget that they loved the jokes when they were going against Chelsea Clinton. Even Palin’s own running mate was out there trying to get the chuckles. But today we have Republicans trying to say that never happened. Here’s Republican talking head John Feehery trying to say it never happened. Luckily Contessa Brewer brought her A-game and quickly shot him down:

So since there is all this outrage from the right over “leave the kids out of it”, will they start boycotting Rush Limbaugh, who never could do that? Hell no.

In an upcoming piece on McCain, New York Times Magazine reporter Robert Draper gives us this little insight into the whole Palin pick:

Having interviewed several of the Senator's chief aides, Draper details the process by which McCain ultimately chose his running mate (New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was surprisingly high on the list). And the decision may have been even more impulsive than initially thought. Gov. Sarah Palin, who had never been on the VP shortlist, was advanced at the last minute by Schmidt and Rick Davis, and was picked after a less-than-hour-long chat in with McCain at his ranch in Arizona.

(emphasis added)

The failure of the McCain campaign is going to be talked about for weeks to come, even past the election. The right wing talking heads are trying to spin this in a way to make Palin out to be the saint. They want to simply say "it's the economy and Bush", but that isn't the case so much. Look at this from the latest NBC/WSJ poll:

Now, Palin’s qualifications to be president rank as voters’ top concern about McCain’s candidacy - ahead of continuing President Bush’s policies, enacting economic policies that only benefit the rich and keeping too high of a troop presence in Iraq.

People are now saying Palin is more of a concern than McCain being tied to Bush's policies. That's a pretty damming conviction of lipstick queen.

The latest CBS/New York Times poll gives Obama a massive 14 point lead over McCain:

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is entering the third and final presidential debate Wednesday with a wide lead over Republican rival John McCain nationally, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows.

The Obama-Biden ticket now leads the McCain-Palin ticket 53 percent to 39 percent among likely voters, a 14-point margin. One week ago, prior to the Town Hall debate that uncommitted voters saw as a win for Obama, that margin was just three points.

Among independents who are likely voters - a group that has swung back and forth between McCain and Obama over the course of the campaign - the Democratic ticket now leads by 18 points. McCain led among independents last week.

McCain's campaign strategy may be hurting hurt him: Twenty-one percent of voters say their opinion of the Republican has changed for the worse in the last few weeks. The top two reasons cited for the change of heart are McCain's attacks on Obama and his choice of Sarah Palin as running mate.

(emphasis added)

Hopefully McCain will ignore that part I highlighted and continue with his usual trend of getting nastier. We need a decisive victory this year and with McCain's temper that is very possible.

Better yet - what would you call a man who has to hide behind two women? If you're a Republican then I guess you call them a "maverick".

Why is it that John McCain is such a coward that he can't ask Obama about Ayers? Instead he has to have his wife and running mate go out and make the attacks. This is really a look into McCain's character and I love the fact that Obama and Biden are now calling McCain out on it. "Say it to his face" was Biden's challenge to McCain today. Will McCain have the nerve to do that or will he continue to hide behind his women?

My God could Gwen Ifill have been any more slanted towards Biden? Ok - had to get that little joke out of my system.

Despite having one hell of a cold, I managed to watch the whole thing. Honestly, it was exactly what I expected it to be. No massive screw ups from either candidate. One small thing I did notice was that Palin was looking at an awful lot of notes while answering. Perhaps I picked that up since I was watching and not trying to live blog it.

I don't see tonight's performances helping or hurting either campaign significantly. It was basically a wash. Palin may have calmed some nerves on the right, but she didn't bring anyone over. The same with Biden and his known history of gafffs. I do however think Palin fell flat on her face when she tried to play Reagan with her "there you go again Joe" line. Watching the reaction thing on CNN, it appears the focus group also thought the same thing.

So I am sure people on the left will be upset the Palin didn't totally implode, but that's not a problem. She now has a month of doing interviews and more time for Couric style blunders with no more debates to try and recoup a little comfort amongst the population.

Also I notice the polls over all are showing that Biden won. I have to agree. Yeah I am somewhat partial, but putting that aside, I saw answers out of Biden with great substance. I didn't see that so much out of Palin. It also helps restore a little faith in the American electorate since it appears they may have seen the same thing.

UPDATE:

Here is the latest one from McCain's campaign being attributed to Sarah Palin (with my own thoughts injected):

When I joined John McCain as his running mate, I knew I was in for a roller coaster ride of ups and downs on the campaign trail. But, I want you to know that I joined John McCain and the others on our ticket in this great election because I'm putting our country first.

John McCain and I have been called "mavericks" and "reformers" because we're guided by shared values and principles and we're not afraid to stand up to the status quo in their defense. And that's why we want you to send us, and other reformers like us, to Washington.

Will you help send us to Washington by making a generous contribution of any amount to McCain-Palin Victory 2008 right away? Your financial support will go a long way in electing Reform Republicans in November.

All we have heard out of Sarah Palin since her introduction to the American people eight days ago is the same speech. We have heard how she is a hockey mom and raised five great kids, including one with Downs Syndrome. What we haven't heard is anything about her beliefs or vision in this country. Even her campaign speech is a truncated version of the speech she gave on Wednesday night and last Friday.

Just because she has raised five kids doesn't make her ready to be President. If that were the caliper we measured with then my great grandmother should have been President, since she raised 15 kids in a three bedroom farm house in the foot hills of Appalachia. And I at least knew where she stood on the issues.

I know a lot on the right are also going after the "morbid" questions we are raising on the left about Palin's readiness and McCain's age and health. There is nothing morbid at all about it. John McCain is a 72 year old man getting trying to enter the most stressful job in the world. He is also a 72 year old man lacking a good medical history. Something as simple as a stroke can catapult Palin into the top job. Look at Stephanie Tubbs-Jones. She was a perfectly healthy woman in her 50s and then one day died. It happens, so raising questions about Palin's fitness to command is very appropriate.

The only way we are going to get to know Sarah is if she is put out there to be interviewed and questioned by the fourth estate. She didn't have to accept McCain's offer to be his running mate. I am sure she knew what it would entail on the campaign trail, so she was willing to be thrown into the lion's den. Now she has to accept that decision and let the American people get to know her - the real her.