If only Obama had accepted his town hall proposal, McCain wouldn't be doing this kind of stuff.

I blame Obama.

In a word- no.

Next question.

Remember Emmett Till, a 14 year old black kid who got lynched in Mississippi, for whistling at a white woman?

McCain is targeting the lynching demographic.

I'm sure if you asked them they'd say sure. Hell, I saw a guy on MSNBC trying to defend the accuracy of the sex-ed ad. His heart wasn't in it, but he gave it the old college try.

Isn't this just more pandering to the women vote? Doesn't it indicate that the GOP thinks "disrespectful" is some sort of trigger word among women?

Obama needs to to do this, Obama needs to do that.

He can't do this all by himself. WHERE. ARE. THE. FUCKING. DEM. SURROGATES?

We are branding McCain/Palin as liars (with their help of course). We've had 8 years of liars in office, time for a change.

If it helps them win the election, why would any GOPer have a problem with it? Hell, if McCain eating a baby on live TV won him the swing cannibal demographic, they'd be all for it.

Sometimes (like right now) I wish the Dems would care a little less about maintaining dignity and staying 'above it all' and lay into these Reep bastards the way they deserve it. I think that approach would clinch it, easily. The time to walk the media back from their trivialization of our politics is *after* we've won, not before.

From:

Head of State

http://tinyurl.com/6lbfdv

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Palinism: Politics as The Content-Free Violation of Expectation

What is Palinism?

What is it about?

What policies?

What ideas?

What positions?

Even in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, while no doubt many were motivated by regional partisanship, local prejudices, and "the measure" of the candidate, one suspects that at least a rough rendering of the issues--secession vs. Union, free vs. enslaved--was carried in and animated the crowds.

Now, it is pure reaction to pattern. To one impulse expectation--the bland suited form--violated by the provocation of another impulse: a novel one. Irrespective of qualifications--blind to them, the freedom of being purposely so-- the impulse simply feels new, gleeful, aggressive--it simply feels good.

We have reached the content-free phase of American politics.

A form, an image--glasses, hair, a voice, what it suggests--is enough. She could be speaking the words to the airport timetable, the swearing-in speech of Ferdinand Marcos, the ingredients of a box of Sizzlean-- the image, the sound, and the gathering impulse, the bare stirring from dull lack of novelty--is sufficient to awaken the crowds to angry perturbence at...the stimulus to be perturbed, and the bare sense of actual directed action and purpose that comes with doing so.

Palin herself wears a glazed, slightly confused look in her eyes--bewildered at what it is that has unleashed this roar, this approbation. Being used to herself, and having been among those who are well used to her, she is unaware of the novelty that her mere form releases in the dazed electorate, yearning for a pretext for expression. Soon, she'll believe it herself.

And, after all, isn't that what democracy is all about? The ability to choose to decide without knowledge? Better yet, to choose your knowledge, irrespective of fact, in correspondence with the liberating, confirmation-free impulse?

This is what today's moment stands for.

These are our satisfactions and securities in this golden age.

Cite:

Head of State

http://tinyurl.com/6lbfdv

Is this an internet-only ad with less than 10 actual television media buys behind it?

Look, a person is impacted by a television ad after seeing it 10-12 times. If this ad is on the Web site only only or is bought to play less than 10 times in a tiny market no one cares about, then we need to know it.

The media is being strung along with this sort of free buzz for the damned McCain campaign. Do we have to participate in it too?

You can't call a woman out for anything or you'll be accused of saying it because she's a woman. I'm sick of it.

You can't call a woman out for anything or you'll be accused of saying it because she's a woman. I'm sick of it.

Why every morning when I come to TPM there's another McCain attack ad that we're talking about...where's the Obama ads?

You can't call a woman out for anything or you'll be accused of saying it because she's a woman. I'm sick of it.

Here is a response ad to McCain's pack of wolves attacking Palin.

McCain is the "Consumate Insider" has a cadre of lobbyist running his campaign. They are ready to pounce on any attempt by Democrats to get your government to work for you Enter a pack of wolves (lobbyist) ready to pounce.

You have to package the truth that Obama is trying to run on with and emotional message. That how you reframe the McCain smear.

Here is a response ad to McCain's 'pack of wolves attacking Palin' ad.

McCain is the "Consumate Insider" has a cadre of lobbyist running his campaign. They are ready to pounce on any attempt by Democrats to get your government to work for you Enter a pack of wolves (lobbyist) ready to pounce.

You have to package the truth that Obama is trying to run on with and emotional message. That how you reframe the McCain smear.

SFCWallace must love child molestation, because that's what the so-called "sex ed" was designed to prevent. It's the same kind of "sex ed" that my own kids learn in their fairly right-wing Christian elementary school.

McCain's ad was disgusting, and SFCWallace is disgusting. Both are willing to put themselves on the side of child sex predators in order to win an election. God is watching, guys.

It’s kind of makes me sad. When you first got here SF, I took you as a real conservative. A small government, keep your laws out of my house, responsible with the economy conservative. Like many of my closest friends. Over the months, you’ve become a shameless partisan. One, that in my opinion, wants to make child rape easier.

If you are not able to look at these republican tactics for what they are....

And if you are unable to look at the intentions of the bill, in the way they where intended, then you are beyond redemption, and your thoughts are beneath consideration.

I would feel much differently if you had taken a clear position based on your beliefs, not on ideological and team purity. Imagine, if you had said: you know what, I don't want the government regulating my children, and family decisions that way. I want my family to make its own choices about sex ED. And I also see the McCain Advert is a bit sleazy, but I ultimately agree with McCain’s world view more than Obama’s, I would have take your ideas very seriously.

Instead you have become a partisan shill, and rabble rousing troll. Your few months at TPM have turned you into a shameless partisan. No worries. Just another moron who's posts I will ignore.

But I thought it worth pointing out that you are not a real conservative. You are a scumbag.

It’s kind of makes me sad. When you first got here SF, I took you as a real conservative. A small government, keep your laws out of my house, responsible with the economy conservative. Like many of my closest friends. Over the months, you’ve become a shameless partisan. One, that in my opinion, wants to make child rape easier.

If you are not able to look at these republican tactics for what they are....

And if you are unable to look at the intentions of the bill, in the way they where intended, then you are beyond redemption, and your thoughts are beneath consideration.

I would feel much differently if you had taken a clear position based on your beliefs, not on ideological and team purity. Imagine, if you had said: you know what, I don't want the government regulating my children, and family decisions that way. I want my family to make its own choices about sex ED. And I also see the McCain Advert is a bit sleazy, but I ultimately agree with McCain’s world view more than Obama’s, I would have take your ideas very seriously.

Instead you have become a partisan shill, and rabble rousing troll. Your few months at TPM have turned you into a shameless partisan. No worries. Just another moron who's posts I will ignore.

But I thought it worth pointing out that you are not a real conservative. You are a scumbag.

This ad is a perfect example of the Rovian style of campaigning and as always, it's made specifically to fool the media. McCain's campaign has been utterly disrespectful, and the media is just now starting to be aware of it. So what does McCain do? He releases an ad saying Obama is disrespectful. The media will now say both campaigns have been slimy and McCain will have gotten away with the 3 weeks of the most virulent and dishonest campaigning we've seen since Bush 2000.

The weight of the ad is in the words that are printed by Obama's photo in the ad - "lying" and "disrespectful". Like Reagan said, its the picture that counts.

It’s kind of makes me sad. When you first got here SF, I took you as a real conservative. A small government, keep your laws out of my house, responsible with the economy conservative. Like many of my closest friends. Over the months, you’ve become a shameless partisan. One, that in my opinion, wants to make child rape easier.

If you are not able to look at these republican tactics for what they are....

And if you are unable to look at the intentions of the bill, in the way they where intended, then you are beyond redemption, and your thoughts are beneath consideration.

I would feel much differently if you had taken a clear position based on your beliefs, not on ideological and team purity. Imagine, if you had said: you know what, I don't want the government regulating my children, and family decisions that way. I want my family to make its own choices about sex ED. And I also see the McCain Advert is a bit sleazy, but I ultimately agree with McCain’s world view more than Obama’s, I would have take your ideas very seriously.

Instead you have become a partisan shill, and rabble rousing troll. Your few months at TPM have turned you into a shameless partisan. No worries. Just another moron who's posts I will ignore.

But I thought it worth pointing out that you are not a real conservative. You are a scumbag.

Since McSlime was running ads mockingly superimposing Obama's face on a dollar bill, specifically, as well as on Mt Rushmore etc., no, I don't think that was playing the race card. Faux outrage is faux outrage. You can be happy that it works, since your boy's whole campaign is based on it now, but let's not pretend it's anything different than what it is.

As if McCain's ads and smears aren't disrespectful. He doesn't know what the word means, kind of like he doesn't know what "honor" means.

I am reiterating once again my earlier suggestion that Obama make a speech decrying the low road that the McCain campaign has taken. The point is not to whine. Rather, it is to point out the danger of low-road tactics (those tactics are not just morally offensive but dangerous for the country), emphasize that this is part of the change that he is seeking, and use the opportunity to puncture the potentially devastating lies that the McCain camp has fabricated so far and to set up McCain/ Palin as dishonest politicians. The speech should do the following:

- cite all the media headlines and comments critical of the McCain campaign to draw people's attention to how low the McCain camp has become, emphasizing that this is a widely-shared concern, not a partisan attack;

- link the McCain camp's low road to the low road taken by the two Bush campaigns to make explicit a pattern and highlight the fact that McCain himself has been a victim of these low-road tactics before;

- link the low-road campaign tactics to the issue of dishonest leadership and its consequences for the country --- failed policies, especially the Iraq War.

- point out that democracy works to allow us to make good policies so we can stay strong and prosperous only when we have honest leadership who conduct and encourage honest debates about issues and policies.

- point out that in spite of having been a victim of Bush's low road tactics, McCain has now re-invented himself as the master of this low road by, among others, hiring those who helped victimize himself in the year of 2000;

- give egs of the lies and misleading representations that the McCain camp has made and refute them one by one.

I would strongly advise the Obama camp that they not under-estimate people's inability to grasp what is going on given all the time they have to spend on their jobs and families and everything else. If you don't make explicit to the people what is going on, they will continue to allow themselves to be easily manipulated. It is the responsibiliyt of a true leader to tell the people what is at stake.

Obama needs to make this kind of speech now --- before the lies manage to sink in, before people think that any of Obama's attempt to criticize the McCain campaign is an act of desperation.

Stop whinning and fight back. It's called winning. Democrats have to attack if they want to win.

How long before McLame's 'N****r, Know Your Place' ad?

so calling a woman "good looking" is disrespectful?

so if you called a woman ugly as sin, that would be a sign of respect?

i'm confused. this seems to be ass-backwards from everything i've been taught since i was a kid.

It's really hard to respect someone who gets up in front of 36 million people and tells lies about you.

Would be interested in people's reactions:

(1) The first Obama ad taken on its own is weak. They are trying to raise a legitimate question about McCain's age, but are mixing it up with him being out of touch. It is going to take more than just an advertisement to make this an issue. The Republicans are not stupid enough to accuse the Obama campaign of being ageist since they do not want this discussion. I don't think this will catch on. The second Obama ad is better, but does not attack.

(2) The description of Obama in the McCain ad as being "disrespectful" is brilliant. It conjures up a person (in this case, a black man) who does not know how to treat a woman (in this case, a white woman). However, Obama cannot raise the subliminal race issue.

(3) The Obama campaign needs to hit back directly:
- The McCain campaign thinks it is "disrespectful" to question the experience of a candidate for Vice President.
- But the McCain campaign thinks that it deserves so much respect that it will only let Governor Palin answer questions from people who show her "deference". Is this the type of Vice President John McCain thinks that America needs? Will America's enemies treat her with deference?
- Barack Obama said time and again that his criteria for Vice President was a person who is qualified to be President immediately.
- Governor Palin's only connection to national politics before two weeks ago was her annual trip to Washington to collect earmarks. She did not even have a passport before 2006 and her only connection to international affairs was "living next door to Russia". [Insert here whatever other facts you want.]
- John McCain is disrespecting the intelligence of the American people by claiming that "living next door to Russia" is sufficient foreign policy experience to be President of the United States.
- The request for deference and claims of disrespect sound good on the campaign. It's not going to win the war on terror.

(4) The Obama campaign needs to keep stating again and again that John McCain is out of touch because he does not know how many houses he has. And because he does not understand the economy. Why are they not using the old gaffes? I am 35 years old. Showing photos of rubicks cubes and cellphones from the 80s makes even me feel old!

(5) Finally, I think that they (or their surrogates) need to start running adds about the "Odd Couple". We do not elect co-presidents in this country. McCain is now nothing without her. And she is nothing without him. They don't do anything apart since no-one shows up for him and she can't be left on her own. This is a direct contrast with Obama and Biden. "Ready to govern." "One Nation. One President. Barack Obama."

Thoughts? If anything here actually makes sense, can someone forward it to someone on the campaign who actually does this stuff?!

are these ads actually running anywhere anyone will see them?

or are TPM and cable "news" just distributing them for free?