I have graded one paper since 10:30am this morning. Anyone else getting basically nothing done?
Snap poll
read more
The third "debate" turns out to be an actual debate. Other than that, no live blogging tonight. Had to finish a midterm for one of my classes.I may post some general impressions after the debate. My...
There's this video of McCain supporters in line at a rally in Pennsylvania that has been making the rounds on the 'Net (tip of the hat to Janice Bially Mattern for sending it to me). Here it is...
One thing that has been bothering me of late in the Presidential debate is how the press and the public are asking the wrong questions of the candidates about the economy. While part of it may be...
I would so love to know if any of the Harry Potter books were among those Palin wanted taken out of her town's library. Maybe I'd even get to do some media again.Via Brad DeLong.... Alas, as John points out in comments, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone had not yet been released. If only I had looked closely at the relevant dates, then I never would have gotten my hopes up.
I am now officially over Sarah Palin. Hard to believe, yes, given the odd fascination with her odd-for-a-Republican-VP nominee background, but its over.More importantly, the Republicans need to start getting over her, or they are in trouble.Palin has now done what the McCain camp needed her to do. She effectively seized the campaign narrative form Obama and brought it to the Republicans. She did so without involving President Bush. She energized the party base. She gave what everyone is going to say was a good speech last night (though I'll admit I didn't really watch it because I was...
Listen people, Palin delivered a friggin speech. That someone else wrote. Biden delivered a speech. That someone else wrote. Obama delivered a speech. That he apparently wrote at least part of. McCain will deliver a speech. That someone else wrote.This is not speaking for yourself. It's more like a high-school forensics, albeit with the functional equivalent of performance-enhancing drugs... and woefully inconsistent judging on the "supportment" and "factual" citeria. Despite of the apparent evidence of my video blogging, I was, in fact, pretty good at high-school forensics. But I'd make a...
Is 2008 more like 1988 or 1992?
The youtube video of Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy saying what they really think about McCain's pick of Palin as VP will obviously get a lot of play among left-wing circles. But it is probably more significant as a window (if not a particularly surprising one) into the nature of contemporary punditry. As Taegan Goddard points out, Noonan's frank assessment of what Palin's pick means--"It's over"--directly contradicts her "own column in today's Wall Street Journal. Noonan clearly views her job as boosting her party rather than calling it as she sees it. I'd wager that outlook is pretty common...
Further thoughts on the Palin pick...There seem to be two different logics to picking a running mate.*Logic 1: Would this person make a good VP once elected? Could the person step into the role of President should the worst case scenario arise? Will the person be a partner in governing, capable of taking on a significant portfolio?Logic 2: Will this person help the ticket win the election? Does the person bring some sort of constituency into the fold? Does the person shore up a perceived weakness in the top of the ticket?You can kinda see where this is going... Obama seems to have followed...
My initial reaction to McCain's choice of Sarah Palin to be his VP was: Who?This is very out of the box for McCain. On the one hand, you kind figured he'd try something like this, because after watching Obama's speech, he really to kickstart his campaign. On the other hand, picking a VP is supposed to be a serious choice, with the heartbeat away from the presidency thing and all. Palin, with zero, and I mean zero, national political profile, just doesn't seem to fit that bill. She's a major unknown. Under-experienced and unknown.Davenoon, the resident Alaskan at LGM, drops some knowledge...
Whadda ya know? Left-wing bloggers are extolling the speech and right-wing bloggers are talking it down. Gosh. You'd think they were all a bunch of partisans who not only watched it through their own filters, but consider it their duty to help or hurt Obama's cause. Nah. Bloggers are a new breed. They'd never do that.Image source: DemConvention on Flickr