Yes, we can.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Interestingly, according to Gallup, there aren't very many undecideds to worry about.

I saw that, too. Interesting, indeed.

[Ghoulish Delight]

With only 20% of voters being considered "swing votes" by Gallup, and Obama carrying a ~8-9% lead, that means that McCain would have to swing about 75% of those undecideds his way. Considering that most of those undecideds are moderates, and Palin's ravings are meant not to appeal to moderates but to try to convince the base to come out and vote, that's a pretty tall order.

And that's just get the popular vote polling lead. Obama's still got a pretty healthy electoral lead. With that 20% of undecideds scattered around the country, that leaves little room for McCain to swipe any states.

Obama's in good shape. Not that he should be complacent, but he should be acting like a candidate in the lead, not like a scared candidate panicing over every attack that's thrown his way. He shouldn't be scambling onto the airwaves just because the 'pubs show up at their convention and say what they're expected to say at their convention. He should smile, wait for them to finish their pep rally, then calmly say, "Okay, that's nice, but here's how things really are."

[innerSpaceman]

I agree. This is what the Republicans are expected to do, and they win the last word (including the wind-sucking Palin announcement) because their Convention was later on the calendar.

Frankly, I think that bit of timing is only fair, since it's the Democrats' election to lose.



I like Obama's high-road in comparison to the GOP's gutter sniping. But I trust he's wary of being swift-boated, and will respond when necessary and as swiftly as their assessment determines.

That said ... every general always fights the last war, and ever politician always counters the last campaign. Rarely does that kind of strategy work, but it's the only one most humans throughout history have ever been able to come up with.

[Gemini Cricket]

I disagree. Every fire should be extinguished. Not necessarily in a panic, but in a confident manner.

Biden's response to her was almost praise. It's sickening:

Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for vice president, praised his rival Sarah Palin for "a great night" and a "very skillfully delivered political speech" but criticized her for not focusing on such key issues as health care and the economy.

"I was impressed with her," Biden said on "Good Morning America," as part of a series of interviews he did to respond to the Alaska governor's speech. "I was also impressed with what I didn't hear. I didn't hear a word mentioned about the middle class."

Source

[innerSpaceman]

She's a child. I like the belittling tone and strategy. I think it will work for the type of voter that goes for Obama. I don't think even the undecideds leaning his way want to see his campaign sink to the mud-fight.


Ok, we can go around and around all day. I don't want them to roll over and spread their legs either. Something in between would be nice. And I'll grant it's a fine line to walk, and their balance point might be different than either you or I would wish.

[Gemini Cricket]

No, I hear you. If I had the opportunity to leave the country or go somewhere isolated (yet fun) until the day after Election Day, I would.

[Tenigma]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Last night, Obama was reamed. Reamed by Palin and the media is all over her lauding her speech and what she said.

And where is the strong rebuttal from Obama as of this post? Where is the 'Palin is wrong about the following items and here they are' response to the speech?

Do you really want Obama to dignify Palin's chihuahua-yapping? Let Biden do it. It's what he's there for.

I've been scanning the blogs this morning and while Palin has galvanized the hard right, she doesn't seem to be picking up Hillary fans and her squawking is apparently turning off some of the independents and moderates. I know McCain chose her as a political maneuver to solidify his base but I don't know how many of the independents he's gonna get from this move.

Freaky as it sounds I can kind of envision all of this as a Disney movie: "Hockey Mom"

Hockey Mom turns local mayor turns local governor who boots out an extremely unpopular boob governor. Gets picked to be VP nominee. Like Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality," Hockey Mom has to learn the ropes real fast. Does a reasonably good job.

Lots of fast-forward scenes of Hockey Mom sitting at kitchen table trying to identify country names as her kids point to places on a wall map, while she juggles feeding baby and hemming older daughter's wedding dress. There is even a little mini-drama near the end of the movie when the presidential nominee seems to have a heart attack... but it turns out he was dehydrated and the stress was a bit too much. But it's enough for her to realize that she may indeed have to fill in the President's shoes, and she realizes that it's not just a big game.

In the end, there is a big climax where it looks like her party MIGHT win... but then, she loses. Instead of being upset, she realizes what a wonderful family she has, and what a wonderful country she lives in. She ends up thanking the Presidential nominee, and for a brief moment she gets to meet in person the opposing party's Presidential nominee, whom she'd been demonizing for the whole campaign... and she sees that he loves his children and wife as much as she loves her children and husband. She realizes that he is not a demon but just looks at life from a different perspective. She returns to her home state with her family, where she lives happily ever after. Oh, but there's always 4 years from now! The end.

[Played by Tina Fey, of course.]

[Gemini Cricket]

I hear you.
I'd watch that movie.

[Morrigoon]

Tenigma: I'd watch that, sounds cute.

[Ghoulish Delight]

The party seems to be doing a good job of stepping up and being his surrogates. Governor Sebelius responds