Only a Few Days More, Thank God!

I've been busy for the last few days, preparing for the NSTA regional meeting in Charlotte. Yesterday, I was at the convention, where there was email access only.

My running around has had an unintended side effect - I haven't watched much TV.

Fortunately.

Because the airwaves here in the NC/SC region have been saturated with local political ads, which have been repetitive, nasty, and, frankly, enough to get me to turn off the TV completely.

I can't wait until it's all over.

On another note, I've noticed that many of the Obama partisans have virtually stopped talking about "when" the big O wins. The talk at work was non-stop for a while, but now, there's very little discussion. Could it be that the assumption of inevitability is beginning to fall prey to reality?

Nah.

Something for Catholics to Think About

The above link is to a Dominican priest's website. It is thoughtful, and should be read before Catholics vote. I'm not insisting that you vote his way, but that you be aware of the facts, and how Catholic teaching positions itself on the issues.

Note, he does NOT endorse McCain. However, he lays out the reality of Obama's past votes, and how Catholics are affected.

Slo-Mo Day

I'm lounging around this morning, thoroughly enjoying NOT having to get up early.

I'm on my own this morning - DH is in Cleveland, visiting his doctor. As the air fare was too much (more than $350, one way), I opted to stay in SC by myself. While I enjoy the company most of the time, every once in a while, it's fun to give in to total selfishness, and eat what I want, sleep when I want, and, generally, do anything I please.

One thing I enjoy is NOT having the TV on. On my own, I either have nothing, or some jazz on the radio (often Internet radio - I'm especially fond of the Pandora station). I have my own stations - Billie Holliday, Miles Davis, and Jazz Fusion.

I've been reading Ari Kaufman of the Pajamas Media, who is analyzing the chances of the swing states swinging for Obama. I was struck by a phrasing I've noticed in many commentators, on TV, radio, newspaper, and Internet: he talks about Obama, but then uses the phrase McCain/Palin.

Think about it - Palin is considered influential enough to be an integral part of the ticket, mentioned in one breath. So, Obama, as planned by McCain, is running against 2 people - no wonder he looks tired lately.

Has anyone noticed they almost never mention Biden the same way?

Does Experience Count?

The Volokh Conspiracy has a good point to make about the politician's experience issue. He cites a post by Bill Stuntz, that looks at different types of experience:

• Time spent on a job
  
• Time spent in a management job
  
• Accomplishments

They are different measures of experience. And the different candidates have varying degrees of the above.

Crowning the Next Kennedy?

I read this comment in Instapundit - Kevin Green thinks Caroline Kennedy will be the Obama VP.

This would be HUGELY popular with the Baby Boomer demographic, who still hold Kennedy in high esteem. It MIGHT pacify the Hillary crowd, although I wouldn't bet on it. If announced early enough, it might just take the wind out of Hillary's sails, leaving her no option but to graciously applaud the choice.

As a side benefit, Caroline is one of the few choices who would make Obama look experienced, by comparison.

I Just Smell a Rat in This Scenario

Let me get this straight:

This is a symbolic gesture - hey, Lady, you lost!

Does anyone else think the Clintons have another agenda? Maybe one involving superdelegates being swayed to vote for another candidate, one who has shown that she can win the all-important blue collar white man vote.

To do that, enough people have to either switch votes, or abstain on the first ballot. Could Hillary & Bill persuade delegates to grant that little favor? I think so. They campaigned for enough Democrats, they are owed favors by enough people, and, I'm guessing, they have enough dirt on enough people, that a little favor like that seems to be OK.

Obama better watch his back. He thinks he's a strategist. He's a babe in the bouncy seat.

Who's about to get dumped out.

If This Happened in a 3rd World Country, We'll Start Calling for an Investigation

These aren't random street accidents.  They are targeted killings of superdelegates.

I find it disturbing that so little attention is being paid to this.

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News Update

I'm going to provide a quick update on news I've missed blogging about:

• The John Edwards Affair (like the Thomas Crowne Affair)
  
  
  What can I say? That his behavior was sleazy, selfish, and, ultimately, doomed to failure in the cover-up? Well, some are excusing it, saying that he was obviously under stress, due to his wife's illness.
  
  The trouble is, so was she - and she wasn't catting around. So, I don't think that dog will hunt.
  
  
• Russia slaps down Georgia (no, not the US Georgia, the Russian one). The breakaway provinces need to understand - Russia is like that estranged, psycho wife - she'll NEVER let you go, no matter how much you want it. You're HERS, for all eternity.
  
  Pity it had to happen during the Olympics. But, Russia will continue to participate, and the Games will go on. Wouldn't do to have a repetition of the Carter 1980 debacle, when we tried to get the Olympics cancelled.
  
  
• The rumor is that the "heckler" was a plant. Good idea to get that out of the way BEFORE the convention, O.
  
  Meanwhile, a factory working the late shift was woken with questions about the incident - his only crime was to share the same name as the free-lance photographer.
  
  Some reports have listed John Quinn as a Republican - I doubt that McCain's people were involved, although I suspect that Obama will scream "Foul!"

McCain's Rocky Moment

The Money Line:

Senator Obama told the American people what he thought you wanted to hear. I told you the truth.

With 3 months to go, McCain is making his move. The momentum could be in his favor.

The only down side is that Obama may pull a last-minute save, by selecting Hillary as his running mate. It would be hard to beat those demographics, and the Independent and Undecided voters might break Obama's way.

Yet Another Conde Nast(y) Satirical Cover

It looks like the parent publisher is running scared.

The "McCain" spouse cover makes fun of John's age (can't imagine that will hurt him with the likeliest voters), and Cindy's pain killer addiction.

I'm betting this is an attempt to deflect criticism for the New Yorker ("we're just having good fun with ALL the candidates") cover of the Obamas.

Click this link to judge for yourself - I think the cover's humor is kinda lame.

South Carolina - Stuck in Post-Civil War Molasses?

Over at The Next Right, there's a heated discussion of voting patterns. The poster, Sean Oxendine, believes that voting patterns are stable over time. While it's true that the coastal region of SC has not changed much, as the following popular joke indicates:

How many Charlestonians does it take to change a light bulb?

CHANGE? (horrified face)

nonetheless, this year will be different.

Why?

The incredible growth in the Piedmont area, particularly in Rock Hill and surrounding locations. Every day, there is major road building, house raising, and office construction going on. The distinctive Southern speech of most of SC is fast disappearing, as the Northern newcomers move in.

And nowhere is the growth faster than in the Piedmont region.

By sheer numbers, the Reds will gain a majority of the state's votes. The newcomers are educated, liberal-leaning, and likely to vote.

Obama to Advertise on Olympics

For $ 5 million, Obama's ads will reach a young audience.

The trouble with that thinking, is that the audience includes many who will not vote: viewers from other countries, unregistered residents, under-18s, and, well, the young, whose record of turning out is not stellar.

I'm wondering when the commercials will be aired, and whether the timing will be for major sports, or for the ping-pong semi-finals.

This has the potential to turn into one of the bonehead moves of this campaign. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Egad! Obama's Staff is Growing Like an Invading Space Alien!

I knew that Obama had more money - considerably more - than McCain. What I didn't realize is that he planned to spend it all, as soon as possible, leading to a growth industry - the Obama Monster That Ate Pittsburgh!



If this is a preview of what we can expect for the federal budget - anytime there's a problem, throw money at it - we're in a lot of trouble if he wins.

Which is by no means a surety.

Bernie Mac - A Little Too Raw?

Obama made it clear that he didn't appreciate off-color humor.



What was inappropriate? Apparently Mac used the word "ho" - and he wasn't referring to Obama's Farm Policy. He made a few other crude remarks - but, after all, he's a comedian, and one that has always cussed in his act. Did Obama expect him to change now?

Another of his "jokes" that the women in the audience didn't find funny

"Having a black first lady is different: You're still going have to do the dishes and the laundry and all that . . . you got to pick up the kids," Mac said. "'You didn't pick up the kids?' 'I just came from Korea, talking about nuclear weapons.' 'You were on Air Force One and you couldn't stop to pick up the kids?'

Actually, that IS kinda funny.

Who's Ahead? Obama, But Undecided is Moving Up Fast

The MSM is portraying Obama as a virtual slam-dunk winner, but the uncooperative voting public isn't playing along.



This week, several people, staunch Democrats, came up to me and confided their unease with Barack Obama in the presidential slot. The word that came up repeatedly was "inexperienced". Few voters feel comfortable with the prospect of a rookie in the White House. Obama's thin resume isn't reassuring them.

Now, That Should Bring in the Redneck Vote!

I had to read this twice to make sure I wasn't reading The Onion.




Yeah, that'll impress Bubba and the boys - "Lookie here, Gordie, that African guy that's running for president is a NASCAR fan. Wull, guess that means we'uns need to show our support by putting him in office. Maybe he'll turn that ol' Rose Garden into a track! I'd visit Washington for THAT!"

Yeah.

That'll happen.

Make Up Your Mind, Kid!

Obama has another flip-flop moment. He can't decide what to do with Osama.



I used to think there would never be another candidate as indecisive as Kerry.

I was wrong.

Misunderestimated

I've been reading the electronic version of Bill Sammon's "Misunderestimated", and it's utterly fascinating. I highly recommend it.

I've also been thinking about the upcoming election. Conventional wisdom is that Obama is a shoo-in. I'm wondering whether this is one of those times that the conventional wisdom is dead wrong.

Obama comes from the leftist tradition of scorched-earth tactics. His previous background of community organizer is widely viewed, by the general public, as a kind of guardian of Boys & Girls clubs, community gardens, and clean up the streets efforts.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The community organizers are an offshoot of leftist radical theory. These organizers were trained to go back into the 'hood, and deliberately fan the flames of discontent. They were told to frame every dispute, not as a problem that could, with existing systems, be resolved, but as a way of digging a trench between the people and the current government structures. It's an natural progression of the "Speak Bitterness" strategy that the Chinese Communists employed at the beginning of their reign against the landlord class, which eventually culminated in the Cultural Revolution, when average citizens were imprisoned for the crime of being of the "wrong" class.

So, Obama is comfortable with the tactics. And many of his supporters are, as well.

Couple this with the "scorched-earth" mindset of the Clintons and Gores, and you have the ideal combination for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Unbought & Unbossed - NOT!

Anyone besides me old enough to remember the phrase that Rep, Shirley Chisholm used when she ran for the Vice-Presidency?

Unbought & Unbossed

Well, that DOESN'T describe Sen. Clinton, who traded a pay-off of her unpaid campaign debt - over $20 million - for her smiling and twinkly support of Sen. Barack Obama. [why do I feel the need to use both names? Surely no one could mistake him for some OTHER Obama. But I still do it - madness.]

The report below says PART of her debt - bet she gets it all.

Barack is Broke - IF You Believe This Video

This is priceless! Barack is asking for even more money - because John McCain (and the Shadowy group behind him) are so loaded.

Here's the text copy of the video appeal from David Plouffe.

I checked - the RNC, in fact, has more money than the DNC. It appears that Barack burnt through much of the money he raised so far (via The Moderate Voice.

Based on the numbers so far, the Republican Party appears poised to act as the financial equalizer in the fall campaign. The RNC disclosed that it ended May with $53.5 million in the bank, compared to $3.9 million for the Democratic National Committee, which is headed by Howard Dean.

McCain, an Arizona senator, had $31.6 million as of May 31, compared with $33.3 million for Obama, Federal Election Commission records show. The RNC had $53.5 million to just under $4 million for the Democrats. The party committees act as shadow campaigns, concentrating their efforts on backing the presidential candidates.

Don't get over-confident - the RNC and McCain can still use your donations.