Don’t disagree with your assessment on her being formidable. I do think that the facet is dripping now and the shine will start coming off of her.

Obama and Biden need to respond but also put McCain on the defensive. And the they have strong voices who can take her on. They need to make the point that right now she is learning about foreign policy because she had no interest in it prior to this time. Janet Napolitano meets regularly with Mexican governors. Does Palin even know who her counter part across the Bering Strait is? What does she know about the challenges of large urban areas? Farm policy? She knows nothing.

Have to agree. All the lies and the scandals brewing in Alaska also have potential to derail her. Right now she is still largely unknown. I think people may like her a lot less once they get to know her. More importantly, we need to focus on the top of the ticket and keep slamming McCain hard, fast, and from all directions. Obama campaign needs to go into attack mode now.

I think we are all watching Bill Maher. Whew!

Your earlier post today emphasized not getting caught up in trying to beat her. That advice is still sound 12 hours later. The real focus needs to be on McCain and the issues. Nobody is beating the drums about the deficit. The Republicans are playing a shell game of claiming that they aren’t raising taxes when they are borrowing money. Palin is going to get a lot of press but Dems. are better off showing the country how badly they are being misled about government spending. Borrow and spend is infinitely worse than tax and spend. If Dems. try to knock the halo off of Palin they are going to dig a big hole. Ignore Palin and talk about the dishonesty of borrowing money from China while claiming to be against taxes. Expose the lie to this dishonest shell game.

I don’t know if Camp Obama is peeing itself over how to counter the Palin phenomena or if they simply haven’t been watching TV or reading the news this week. They’d better figure out an appropriate response quickly though.

From Glenn Greenwald’s column today.

Every four years, the GOP unleashes unrestrained personality attacks on Democrats and exploits cultural resentments. Every four years, Democrats tell themselves that such attacks don’t work and are counter-productive. And every four years, that belief is disproven.

I’m told that Biden absolutely killed in PA today. Scrumming through C-Span now looking for it.

Her favorables are at the highest they will ever be. She can only go down fast from here, and she will crater if even some of the things we hear are true. And her cratering will sink McCain: it’s his judgment at issue, finally.

Right now, she’s the People Magazine/American Idol-like star, and America loves her as our new bright shiny new object, but when she’s shown to be an utterly corrupt, power-abusing, oil-company-loving, book-banning creationist (and maybe worse, thanks to the Enquirer) people will flee. She will be left with only Bush’s 23%ers.

And it will happen very quickly.

Think Sanjaya.

C&L’s has a clip up.

Unless I’m mistaken, they are still going with the attack McCain, ignore Palin strategy. It might have seemed like the best approach at the outset but when a dog has already taken the seat out of your pants, the next bite might prove difficult to ignore.

I’m sure you’ve all read Anne Kilkenny’s letter, but when it shows up on Snopes, it carries a little weight with the internet crowd:
http://www.snopes.com/politics.....lkenny.asp

I think backing off and just giving the proverbial rope is gonna be a good approach. Goopers ebb and goopers flow, but who can know what a gooper knows.

Well, they need to be loud, hard, and unrelenting starting now. Greenwald is right, all the policy advantage will mean nothing if we cannot derail the GOP bullshit personality narrative. Hit McCain on being a completely out of touch elitist (which he actually is). Hit him for selling out every principle he ever claimed to hold. Hit him on his consistent lack of judgment (you crashed how many planes as a pilot?).

Nice. Thanks Matt

I think you have it nailed there. She is the bright shiny object to distract us from attacking McCain.

I don’t know if Camp Obama is peeing itself over how to counter the Palin phenomena or if they simply haven’t been watching TV or reading the news this week. They’d better figure out an appropriate response quickly though.

Bullshit. Obama is running for Presiednt, not PTA chair, Mayor or Veep. Obama and Biden need to continue to do what they began today and that’s hammer the GOP’s top of the ticket man and their party’s record. Palin might be big news now, but she’s got more than enough on her plate. People have still lost their homes, jobs and security and broken bodies and monds continue to flow in from Iraq.

This about national politics, not a perky mom from Dogwhistle, Alaska. Palin has made her impact, from here it is all downhill. She adds no experience, no knowledge and no push for whomever these so-called “independent” voters.

They don’t have to counter the Palin phenomenon, they have to continue the fantastic momentum built up over the past 19 months. The GOP is going to hide Palin anyway, so attacking her head-on is a lose-lose proposition. There are plenty of excellent Democrats who can handle the light work, let Obama and Biden do the heavy lifting.

As far as canine analogies, I woke up with this one on my mind:

Sarah Palin styles herself, “A Hockey Mom: a pit bull with lipstick.” I’ve known a fair number of hockey moms (my own, included) and she’s a piker by comparison.

But, it doesn’t really matter if she is a Chihuahua with lipstick or a Great Dane in a thong; if she’s more bark than bite, she’s just a noisy dog.
/blockquote>

Obama’s camp would do well if they read the 63 page oppo research done by the AK Dems during the ‘06 election… Which can be found here… (warning it’s in pdf)

I can’t conceive that Palin can move off script. So she’ll be limited to staged appearances and handshaking…as much as possible.

She jumped through six colleges (five actually, she went back to Univ. of Idaho to complete her degree) in under six years. Two different colleges in Hawaii (the first one she left because “it rained every day”…so one transfers to ANOTHER school in Hawaii???). Then North Idaho, U of Idaho, an Alaskan JC, then back to the Univ. of Idaho.

She’s contradicted and switched positions numerous times on policy issues up in Alaska, and evades questions on certain issues…apparently not very subtlely.

Given that she is going to be cocooned from all but the most fawing of the Media what do you think should be the strategy to deflate her effects, Jane. After all, you’ve said not to attack her on personal issues?

BTW came across this interesting item on an Alaskan website
Todd Palin’s Alaska Permanent Fund residual. Can a person legitimately get two APF checks in a year?

Let’s keep it civil. We aren’t the opposition or the enemy.

Randy and I were talking about the college jumping today. In my twenty years of teaching and 18 years as a student, I do not think I ever knew anybody who went through that many schools. Both of us think is indicates academic or other issues at those schools.

Let’s keep it civil. We aren’t the opposition or the enemy.

Then next time read the who,e post.

I noticed McCain’s and Palin’s talking points today were identical to their convention speeches. McCain has probably already forgotten that he spoke to the convention and Palin’s speech is the only one she has had time to practice.

The fact that they can’t even create a reasonable facade of professionalism is striking. Case in point, the Walter Reed Medical School fiasco. Were you too busy to preview the backdrop Johnny or have you just forgotten what the Walter Reed Medical Center looks like?

Linkie. Lifted from a Kos thread: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....lykos.com/

IMO Palin appeals to and motivates a segment of the population which might not have been motivated to vote for McCain, but very likely would not vote for Obama either.
That is not to say that she has not had a positive effect on McCain’s chances, but rather to say that she presents a challenge to the Obama campaign to continue what has worked so well so far: motivating a new and previously apathetic base to turn out in large numbers.
US elections are not a zero-sum game. The key to victory is not to convert the other side, but to tap the 50% who are not voting.
You can tap the Fundie base with red meat like Palin, and you can tap the previously apathetic under 35 and non white votes with an articulate advocate such as Obama.
Let the two old white guys duke it out for what little play in their demographic. Fact is that 40+ white guys don’t switch loyalties much unless their name is Lieberman.

Thanks. C&L is a little clogged right now.

What is the latest number of schools? 4 or 5?

I don’t know how many of you missed this yesterday (9/11) but I do know I did and man it has pissed me off. How dare they use this for political gain??? I did lose someone on flight 93 (she was just 22) and I am with Keith on this one freaking rethugs have no shame and this should be shown far and wide what they have done, I know I will be sending the links to everyone I know!!!

Sure, sure, sure.

But those numbers came out before Palindrome-O-Gate!

All snark aside, I reckon all it’s going to take to reverse those numbers (and/or remove the lipstick from the stickhandling canine) is to encourage lots and lots of folks to keep sipping from that firehose flowin’ out of Fairbanks.

.

I’m still standing by my “wishful thinking“ though I’d call it something else.

In fact, I’ll even repeat it *g*:

I’ve been reading that McSame’s choice choice of Palin is “good, bad, brilliant, incredibly stupid, etc.”

The MSM, as expected for a gaggle of gotcha gossips, is beside itself with joy over fresh meat.

This too will pass.

After all the circus hoopla has died down, 48-72 hours for Palin, and for McSame, no later than the end of next week with the end of the Republican convention, the rubber will finally hit the road.

As the final stretch campaigning gets underway then, Palin will prove to be the lightest of light-weights. Cue the flashbacks to Dan Quayle.

And John-boy McSame will, in essence, be campaigning all by his lonesome.

The “judgement” and “experience” issues that were to be the central thrusts of the McSame playbook will instead be inexorably turned back against him.

And the most important point? This will be by McSame’s very own hand.

Judgement? Poor will be charitable.

Experience? John-boy McSame should’ve known better.

He didn’t, and he doesn’t.

Jane, your patience with alt.mouse is commendable.
My 8 year old’s juvenile motivations are less transparent than hers.
Amazing.
Note to self - don’t pursue Constitutional law at a Midwestern party school.

I stand by my assertion that anyone who watched her speech and concluded that she would not be a formidable opponent is engaging in wishful thinking.

If not for wishful thinking I probably wouldn’t have a thought in my head (life-long GS Warriors fan, f’example).

That said, I’ll find her formidible when she handles a tough question, something the McCain campaign appears eager not to let happen.

For instance — what did she mean when she said he “shares the vision” of the secessionist Alaska Independence Party?

American celebrity culture tends to build ‘em up just to tear ‘em down.

She can run but she can’t hide…

(EPU’d at ew’s place:)

Observations from one who spent both convention weeks joyously far from any TV set or web browser: I agree with the folks who are seeing that the R’s can now feel that they cannot win this election. From the newspaper coverage the truncated, quickly retooled, and “de-politicized” RNC show read as a party attempting an oxymoronic race from its own shadow, indeed as an embarrassment at publicly displaying their very identity itself. How can you “de-politicize” a party Presidential nominating convention? You can’t. Of course in the end the Palin and McC speeches re-politicized the show with a sincere (if knowingly hopeless and therefore hollow and therefore wan) vengeance, but that they even attempted such a nonsensical “de-politicization” maneuver in the first place speaks volumes as to a thorough dereliction at the top of the R party. This ship is adrift. The oh-so-timely Katrina echo — some intelligent divinity with a memory for justice just might exist. They couldn’t even keep not one but .two. Code Pinkies out of the hall, fer Chrissakes — with signs, even. And then picking Palin without vetting — I ask ya.

Bottom line: They are clearly acting like it just doesn’t matter what they do in their Prez campaign, how completely they botch the job, however they are also not acting like they expect to lose power. That’s extremely scary.

So now I wonder what, exactly, the R’s are going to do with this un-winnable electoral situation, and I have to say their options still seem to me completely wide open. Including but not limited to any combination of the following, in no particular order: Diebolding the election; triggering a shooting war by continuing to poke the bear; generating some sufficiently successful character attack on an Obama; raising the Threat Level Candy Color Code; turning a blind eye to some impending domestic attack; overreacting to some foreign attack; launching some new adventuresome war; making some de-stabilizing announcement about the extent of existing domestic surveillance and/or D complicity in establishing same; acting or failing to act in such a way that the housing crisis and/or personal/family financial services sector are further compromised in some de-stabilizing manner. Was it Rove who told us there were a whole lot of surprises still to come?

Shameless ploys? Damn straight, but remember, at this point they have, after all, nothing left to lose by trying. LIke the man said, they don’t have to cancel the election, they just have to make it close enough to steal it. And despite all the implosion, I think they still have that within reach.

It ain’t over yet, kids. Stay glued to the ol’ wireless, keep watching the skies, keep an ear to the intertoobz, etc.

Obama graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School and spent over six months locked in a do or die battle with Hillary Clinton. He knows Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton. Yes she is intelligent and extremely ambitious but so is Obama. My bet is that Obama and Biden understand the power of her narrative and know that they can’t underestimate her appeal. At the same time she is going to have to learn the complexities of foreign policy and legislative action. She can’t be exposed as a know nothing so the Republicans are going to have to keep her quarantined to avoid bursting the bubble. She is going to be limited to friendly situations. The goal is to pound away at McCain’s servitude to Bush while she strokes the base. How ironic that the Republicans demonize Obama for being a rock star and then glorify their own.

“Two different colleges in Hawaii (the first one she left because “it rained every day”…so one transfers to ANOTHER school in Hawaii???).”

Hey, cinnamonape, Hawaii may be a small state, but we have dry places (leeward) as well as wet places (windward).

Palin’s second stop in Hawaii was apparently Hawaii Pacific University, which is smack dab in the middle of downtown Honolulu, which must have been culture shock to a girl from Alaska. Maybe not her cuppa tea.

Bob in HI

Time will tell. My concern is that Obama already has most of the well informed voters. Anybody who is still “undecided” probably doesn’t pay close attention and is harder to reach.

Personally, I am still cautiously optimistic Obama will win and by a larger margin than pundits are currently predicting. Having said that, McCain will be sticking with the Rove playbook for the duration and I am detecting an ominous echo of of the unanswered pummeling Kerry took in 2004.

i think that palin mostly benefits from what i like to call the “shiny penny syndrome”. she’s just too new for people to really have much other than a mostly positive opinion of her. i also saw focus group polling in which her numbers dropped once people were informed of her more extremist views. that’s the whole reason they want to keep her away from the press, the minute she starts spouting off about banning birth control and how we should teach creationism in schools she’s going to start turning off moderates big time.

60 days is a long, long time in politics. Palin is off on the right foot, but she could stumble. Everyone is starting to say she was so impressive at the RNC that she is taking the country by storm, though we have not yet seen one interview where she speaks her own words yet. McCain at a rally today I saw on CSPN looked like he was physically weak, could hardly hold his eyes open, appeared to be about ready to pass out. 60 day is a long time in politics.

The only poll worth watching is intrade:
https://www.intrade.com/aav2/trading/tradingHTML.jsp?evID=23190&eventSelect=23190&updateList=true&showExpired=false#

It moved two points but, the actual chance of Dem over Rep in general only moved one point. So the smart money is still on the Dems, hands down.

Five was the last I heard this morning, but I haven’t really been following it. It is just one more piece of the puzzle that says she is a lousy choice for VP and could well come back to bite McCain in the ass. While I do not think we should entirely ignore her, especially if she goes on the attack, but I think we should keep most of the focus on McCain. If Obama or the Dems go after her too hard the GOP will accuse them of sexism or of beating up on a defenseless girl which could resonate with some of the low information undecideds. I think the key is to undercut her credentials (keeping away from the purely personal stuff) and tie it to McCain’s lack of judgment.

HPU does have two campuses, Bob! One in Kaneohe and the one downtown!

Jane, as I commented earlier as I watched Palin I felt we (lefties) were all cast as the baddies in a sequel to a sequel to Legally Blonde. The perky underdog heroine bullied by the intellectual amoral/immoral know-it-alls … and she’ll bring us our come-uppance.

Bravado is what wins in the magic box. Her incredible grandiosity shining forth. The big smile hauling all that zealotry behind it. Zero tolerance. One more colossal ego among the neocons. Competition for Obama’s youth attraction. One more voice of the anti-intellectuals. The xenophobic, low info voter.

And MSM enthralled so they were dispensing SP kool-aid immediately. One more loose cannon in the mix. And just think… now they don’t have to stray to other profoundly serious world and U.S. events… they can “titillate” with one lazy, damn scary (for me) story. Keep the camera on SP, one 24-hour reality series.

And the soccer moms helped give GWB another term. Now we got a super hockey mom. So we got the macho patriarchal McCain as the big gruff scolding daddy, and now we have “trust me” for I am SUPER-MOMMY!

I think she will inspire women … younger women, especially … and she terrifies me. I am sending money to Obama and committing to push for Obama.

maybe we could get lucky and KKarl get to be on the hot seat on Conyers committee facing questions from A-Z… That might just make him have to think about other things???

When all one has to gauge any unknown politician by is the last speech, the MSM goes on the offense with responses from the opposition party and shuts down any relevant discussion, Sorry, I am the enemy and I will find a way to say my piece. No arguments with ya, just my opinion.

In my professional life, was an admissions person for med, then MBA, schools. Read on average 7000 apps per year. That “hopscotching” among schools during Palin’s UG years (absent some extremely well documented family concerns of tragic proportions) would be a huge red flag.

This type of record usually indicates social infractions involving mandated “take a break” or “asked to leave” issues. Reading/interpreting academic transcripts is easy. Figuring out the how/why there’s this type of cafeteria approach to a BA is more like reading tea leaves.

I think it’s the story of Palin’s adventure as Mayor into public library book banning that’s likely to hurt her the most.

All the more reason to attack her without mercy. EVERYTHING is on the table. Attack her and burn her down.

Attack until we win.

Someone who doesn’t go off script and can read the teleprompter well is an ideal front for a complete fascist takeover of the government. The concern should not be about Palin but about those who will manipulate the candidate if there is any untimely exit by McCain. Her substance is ambition and not much else. The interests that will drive the candidate and the opportunists who will jump in are the ones to watch out for. Absent the candidate’s availability for interviews (just as well), all enablers and supporters should be interrogated mercilessly.

I am sending money to Obama and committing to push for Obama.

I have worried at times that if Obama appeared to build too substantial a lead supporters might become complacent. Perhaps better to have it remain close and keep people motivated, provided it breaks in the proper direction in November.

Her checkered college career is a plus with the repuke “know nothing and proud of it” base.

True on staying away from the personal unless it touches on policy decisions then it fair game. It is not easy for some rural/small town kids to go to the big city, there is a big culture difference. Usually it is is a semester to settle in. She did graduate eventually so it may not really matter much.

I notice when Palin complains about Clinton’s whining that isn’t sexist.

OT: 10 sec quake here…no damage…

He has trained an army of Rove-lites. Karl himself is little more than an over-sized figurehead at this point.

I think the media is catching on…. McCain stopping cozying up to the media with his new beauty queen… ..another younger woman….. when she will not be allowed or wont answer questions ….. they will be hounding them….. they can’t stand to be ignored

Tonight on Olbermann, Maddow pointed out of the multiple lies that Palin and McCain keep repreating from their convention speeches. They know they are out right lying and they continue. I hope Obama nails them on this. I think the Press will react to being shut out of the McCain campaign. The MSM may be corrupted, but they don’t like to be screwed. It’s OK when the American People get short shrift, but not them. Hopefully this backfires on McCain/Palin.

As a librarian, I hope you are absolutely right.

If the GOP wants to hide Smilin’ Sarah in the wilds of Alaska, to keep her from having to offer up unscripted answers to unrehearsed questions — another proof that choosing her was cobbled together at the last minute — then the TradMed should respond in two ways. Let the junior paparazzi swarm after her as if waiting to catch her without a bikini, not giving her a moment’s peace to get a coffee at the Randy Reindeer Cafe. Let the real reporters, even the Sunday circle jerk journalists, ignore her. Completely. McCain, too, for that matter.

When Old John and Smilin’ Sarah promise not to trash the place and the take their marbles home whenever they feel like it, then maybe the TradMed should consider restoring coverage. Let’s see how long Smiley Face stays hidden in the Alaskan woods then.

I have to disagree with Jane, once the media love affair dies down (assuming it does) and she OOPS just had a jolt in San Francisco!

She gives good teleprompter, but it remains to be seen whether she can stay on script. She really has not been tested there at all, with only very limited largely well scripted appearances. The fact that the campaign is hiding her away does not indicate confidence.

Where R U?

yikes, looking for it at the usgs site for details

You and Kirk be cool and safe.
25 miles south of you, didn’t feel a thing.

was a 4.1 in berkeley

its the red box

4.1 in East Bay — no worries.

Now off to convince the cats….

Look at this way. It was her first time in front of any audience, and generally, it was good. It wasn’t great, but the MSM wants McCain to do well, so they’re over-exagerrating how great her speech was. It’s like Bush’s first debate performance in 2000. He didn’t royally screw up, but he wasn’t breathtaking either. The fact that she didn’t royally screw up is good enough for the weak, right leaning, GOP worshipping MSM.

Now, it’s all downhill from here. It’s like a rock band that has a great, classic first album, and the rest of their discography is complete s***. She’s not going to top this. And the McCain people know this. Why do you think they wisked her off to Alaska, and are trying to stall the “troopergate” scandals? And why do you think they’re not allowing her to do any interviews?

And remember it’s McCain, not Palin, who’s running for president.

McCain’s speech was horrible, one of the worst in convention history. It took all the wind out of Palin’s sails.

actually, quake in alamo, east of the oakland/berkeley area

SF - that was a short, sharp shock.

I’m with you.

No, no.
When the Republicans try and drag her family out to support their message and then whine about the response to that, all l I can say is wake the hell up to what you are doing to justify your bad decision to bring that out in the first place.
If ya don’t want to talk about it, don’t fly the potential subjects two thousand fucking miles away from Podunk Alaska to parade them in front of Forty Million potential voters who just happen to be watching the REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION!!

I’m in Oakland near Berkeley and it wasn’t anything like a mag 4 here. When I reported it, the form said only mag II here.

Culture shock accounts for one shift, not five. I really think we should avoid as much of the personal stuff as possible even when it impinges on policy issues (troopergate does not count). It just gives the GOP more ammunition to say how elitist and nasty Dems are. Yes I know it is stupid and a doubles standard, but the press follows along with it and that is the narrative the undecideds will hear and internalize. McCain, however, is totally fair game, including personal issues.

If McCain had picked a rock, 40% would say it was a good, solid choice.

She will bring out the religious nut vote but she will also bring out plenty of women who will want to see her defeated.

About a 4 point between Concord and Oakland.

Anybody watch Bill Maher?

they now say 4.0

I wish I could agree with the Conyers will get Rove angle but today I’m hearing that Conyers failed to report some offshore rental income. Probably not a big deal but that’s all Karl and his buttbuddy Rush need to start blovating and reverse the heat.

Traditionally, the MSM response to getting kicked by the GOP has been to yell, “Thank-you sir, may I have another?” Now that the pregnant daughter distraction has passed, they are showing more interest in digging into Palin’s actual record. I think spending the week covering a convention at which they were constantly demonized might have provided some long-overdue motivation. Gwenn Ifill said on Washington Week that some RNC attendees actually shook their fists at her.

I have seen some strange happenings on FDL of late.

For example, this post was submitted to Digg 8 hours and 14 minutes ago.

Missed the east coast feed, waiting until 11 pacific

Not short nor sharp here. About 8 seconds long and rolling. Soft, as these things go.

yes

Hillary hits the trail on Monday and TPM reports she will have a lot to say to her 18 million supporters.

i have no idea how that happened neuro.. i do know the digg has been funky but was unaware they could see into the future

Ooh: recalculated at 4.2

Jumpin’ grounds of Calaveras faulty….

Hmmm, ain’t it weird how the seismic waves/enegy propagate?

During the Northridge quke, I lived about 15 (?) mi south in Santa Monica. Lots of damage in Northridge - near zero damage in some intervening area…and houses on my blockk knocked off their foundations.

OTOH, perhaps I’m just bad luck….

Sarah Palin believes that a twelve-year-old girl who is the victim of rape should be forced by the government to bear a child. Even if the rapist is the girl’s father.

McCain is gaining the social conservatives with Palin that would of, should of, been with him already. I don’t think Obama is counting on any of them.

Yes, the time on this article says 12:32 pm but it’s on top at the front page. What gives, o ye elves and LurkMods?

*wiping egg off face*

jane posted this earlier today and it was cross posted at the lake in the late nite slot for us to chew on tonight

That was Rangel. See here.

im of a mind to agree. Right now she’s a fresh face and she CAN give decent speech. I, too, wonder about their hiding her away. If she could take the intense questioning they would certainly throw her out there. I personally feel like there’s just too many question concernign her for them to take that chance.

If her presence still effects the polls a week or so from now, i think then we’ll need to be concerned. 60 days IS a long time and we should have a bit of faith in the reeally smart campaigning of Obama and his staff to be able to take her only asset away from her. Her attacks.

yep: I’m a slow typist — refresh showed 4.0

Cool, I love re-runs!

It came up at mid-day and no one but me commented at that time. It has been there the whole afternoon.

I was going to say:
Jane Hamsher - Time traveler.
But Suzanne is correct.

Hamster feed too heavy on the tachyons?

The polling is too close to the event to be of much value.

My guess is that her wing wax will melt long before November 4.

They want to mess with our heads…!

I see 4.0, not 4.2. Did you feel it?

Nah! They’re just out to get yah.

Getting back to Ms Palin, I just find her irritating and shallow. She would be a formidable opponent if she were on a sales team and she was gobbling up the best territory or the best leads, I would really fear her.

She does add a particularly unusual dynamic that must be dealt with carefully. I think so far the campaign has set the right tone concentrating on McCain.

Well, given Obama got $10 million in donations between hers and McCain’s speeches, I’m thinking she was a serious wake-up call.

Listening to her talk, with her “this is a good joke” smiling, I felt like I was watching one of those creepy commercials that shows people happily frolicking in a meadow or at the beach for some medical product, while the counterpoint narration is telling you about ghastly side effects … and it is crazymaking. Seduced by the pretty picture … minimize the SUBTEXT! Fascistic theocrat!

I know this babe is a real doozy, but we must not apply logic to the “American Idol” public. The MSM and public can forgive anything as long as you are not boring!

Superliminal computing, it’s the latest thing. My pal Linda and I are starting a new company, Predictive Recording, Inc.

Don’t miss it!