GOP Senator Warns Palin Supporters That Obama Wants Judges Who Empathize With "The Gay"

At a Sarah Palin rally yesterday in Rush Limbaugh’s hometown, Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri) fired up the crowd by warning them about Barack Obama’s judicial philosophy.

“Just this past week, we saw what Barack Obama said about judges,” Bond said. “He said, ‘I’m tired of these judges who want to follow what the Founding Fathers said and the Constitution. I want judges who have a heart, have an empathy for the teenage mom, the minority, the gay, the disabled. We want them to show empathy. We want them to show compassion.’”

So what's Senator Bond's point? Is he really using this to attack Obama? And isn't Sarah Palin's daughter a teenage mom?

You can read more on this here.

4 HOURS...

That's how long I had to wait to cast my early vote in Chicago.

Another Bad Day for McCain

It looks like today was a bust for McCain. Not only did McCain's camp bus in 4,000 kids to fill his rally, but Joe the Plumber also stood him up.

MSNBC reported:

A local school district official confirmed after the event that of the 6,000 people estimated by the fire marshal to be in attendance this morning, more than 4,000 were bused in from schools in the area. The entire 2,500-student Defiance School District was in attendance, the official said, in addition to at least three other schools from neighboring districts, one of which sent 14 buses.

On top of that, McCain couldn't find Joe the Plumber.

While riffing on a common line from his stump speech about Obama's desire to "spread the wealth," McCain confidently proclaimed, "Joe's with us today. Joe where are ya? Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today? Joe, I thought you were here today."

Then the senator covered up for Joe's absence by saying, "All right, well you're all Joe the Plumber. So all of ya stand up ,and say I thank you." McCain went on to say that he had seen Joe on TV this morning, and he asked the crowd to "give him a round of applause for what he's done for America.

Joe the Plumber now a Country Singer with a Book Deal???

Yup, Joe the Plumber a.k.a Samual Wurlzbacher is stretching his 15 minutes of fame as much as he can.

According to Politico.com, Wurlzbacher is being pursued for a major record deal and could come out with a country album as early as Inauguration Day. He just signed with a Nashville PR firm to handle interview requests and media appearances, as well as create new career opportunities, includin, including a shift out of the plumbing trade into stage and studio performances.

That's not all. According to Keith Olbermann, Wurlzbacher is also seeking a book deal to write about his campaign experience. Only in America.

Rachel Maddow a "Chirpy Gay Liberal"

The Financial Times recently discussed the shift in the U.S. media towards the Democratic party.

There was one excerpt in the article that bothered me:

This shift leftwards online has been matched on cable television, where Fox News, the rightwing news channel, has increasingly faced its mirror image at MSNBC. The latter’s leftish talk-show hosts, Keith Olbermann and now Rachel Maddow, a chirpy gay liberal, dish out scorn about Republicans in opposition to Bill O’Reilly and others at Fox.

Now why is Maddow's sexuality relevant? They couldn't find other adjectives to describe her? Are they trying to equate being gay to being radically liberal? A person's sexuality shouldn't define a person, just as a person's skin color shouldn't matter.

*Update - The FT Times author who wrote this article explains his use of "chirpy gay liberal."

A Message to Obama Supporters

Barack Obama is worried that his supporters are taking it easy. His campaign has put out a new ad with this message: "We can't afford to slip up in the final days. Volunteer this weekend and into Election Day, November 4th, 2008."

A hilarious ad and a smart move by Obama.

Obama-mericial

If you didn't have a chance to check out Obama's half-hour polticial ad, you can watch it below. It was moving, inspiring and I balled like a baby.

McCain Grumpy with a 13-yr-old Reporter

The Concord Reporter recently interviewed an eighth-grader about her experiences covering the presidential candidates in New Hampshire for Scholastic News.

Which candidates have you met? I've spoken with John McCain four, five or six times. During the primary I met Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney . . . I met John Edwards, and most recently (Joe) Biden. I saw Obama in Manchester in September. I worked so hard, begged and begged the staff people and ended up getting a one-on-one, awesome sit-down interview with Obama.

Whom do you like most? It was exciting to meet Obama and McCain, though I interviewed McCain so many times he starts to notice my red shirt, because I have a uniform, and says "I've answered her questions before." It's almost like he's a little grumpy with me now.

What did you ask Obama? I said, "You're a tough guy, I'm a tough girl living in a tough world. What advice do you have for tough people like me to make a difference in the world?" I also created five fun facts where I give two choices and he picks one. . . . For Red Sox or Cubs, he goes "neither." All his staff people cracked up laughing.

Part Two: Palin's True Political Colors?

As I previously reported in my post Palin's True Political Colors?, Palin has a history of backstabbing and lying in her political career. Jake Tapper of ABC News has compiled a list of "friends" Palin has screwed over for political gain.

* Former Wasilla Mayor John Stein says he mentored Palin during her 1994 run for City Council. Then she decided to challenge him and run for Mayor. “Things got very ugly,’ Naomi Tigner, a friend of the Steins, told Salon.com. “Sarah became very mean-spirited.” Palin allies suggested she would he “Wasilla's first Christian mayor,” even though Stein is Protestant. Palin allies also whispered that Stein and his wife – who hadn’t taken his name - were not legally wed. “We actually had to produce our marriage certificate,’ Stein said. His wife died in 2005 without ever reconciling with Palin. “I had a hand in creating Sarah, but in the end she blew me out of the water,” Stein told Salon. “Sarah's on a mission, she's an opportunist.”

* Former City Councilman Nick Carney also helped mentor Palin in her first city council run. They later had a falling out when Palin accused him of corruptly advocating that the city use his trash hauling business. “The episode might serve as a compelling, if small-bore, example of Palin's reformer instincts,” the New Republic reported. :Except that, according to those who were present, Carney wasn't quite the crooked trash magnate Palin makes him out to be. For one thing, Carney couldn't have proposed the ordinance because he'd recused himself from the matter. The council, in fact, had asked him to appear as a kind of expert witness on the relevant rules and regulations.” Carney endorsed Stein in the 1996 mayoral race against Palin, and news reports say she subsequently as mayor refused to call on him. Carney told Salon that Palin – without council authorization -- spent more than $50,000 in city funds to redecorate her office. “I braced her about it,” he said. “I told her it was against the law to make such a large expenditure without the council taking a vote. She said, 'I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.”

* State Senate President Lyda Green from Wasilla, is a fellow conservative and was an ally of Palin’s throughout the 1990s. “If you had looked at our résumés, as far as being pro-life, pro-N.R.A., pro-family, pro-parental control, saving taxpayer dollars, keeping government out of our lives, we would have been identical,” Green told the New Yorker. “She traces the chill in their relationship to her decision not to endorse Palin in her 2006 gubernatorial primary. (She stayed neutral.)…

“The animosity became public last January, when Palin turned up on an Anchorage shock-jock radio program, ‘The Bob and Mark Show.’ Bob Lester said that he knew Palin believed Green was ‘a bitch’ and ‘a cancer.’ Palin laughed at the comments. ‘Sarah can be heard in the background tittering, hee-heeing,’ Green said, ‘never saying, ‘That’s not appropriate, let’s not talk like that, let’s change the subject,’ or anything.’ Green was devastated. ‘I worked through it,’ she said. ‘The difficult thing about it was when my children read about it online. They were dumbfounded, because they had known Sarah. I had breast cancer in ’97 and had a radical mastectomy. Sarah certainly knew I had breast cancer, because she sent me flowers when I was ill.’”

* Former Gov. Frank Murkowski made Palin the chair of a state commission overseeing oil and gas drilling. Four years later she challenged him – and beat him – for governor.

* Prominent Alaska conservative talk radio host Dan Fagan was a longtime friend. But he found himself on the outs after he criticized her for raising taxes on oil companies. “He found himself branded a ‘hater,’” the New York Times reported. “It is part of a pattern, Mr. Fagan said, in which Ms. Palin characterizes critics as ‘bad people who are anti-Alaska.’”

**

"McCannibals" First Victim

Jake Tapper of ABC News reports that allies of Sarah Palin are now trying to throw McCain aide Nicolle Wallace under the proverbial bus.

Palin is blaming the $1500,000 clothes incident on her “handlers,” presumably meaning McCain's senior advisor Nicole Wallace

McCain allies say that Palin allies talked to Fox News' Fred Barnes to further throw Wallace under the bus. Barnes yesterday said, “the person who went and bought the clothes and, as I understand it put the clothes on her credit card, went to Saks and Neiman Marcus...the staffer who did that has been a coward” for not coming forward and accepting the blame for the $150,000 shopping spree. Barnes clarified that he was talking about Wallace.



According to Politico.com Wallace fired back:

There's obviously an organized campaign to lay blame for things at my feet and I’m not going to engage before the campaign ends. I have a very long relationship with Fox News and the notion that someone would call me a coward on the air and accuse me of putting $150,000 on my credit card without a single person calling and checking with me suggests that something is going on.

Obama Toughs Out Rain, McCain Cancels

Barack Obama and John McCain were in a rainy and windy Philadelphia today. John McCain canceled his morning rally in the Philly suburb Quakertown due to the rain. The rain, however, did not stop Obama. He appeared at the Philadelphia rally with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.

Is this telling of the two campaigns?

An Obama rally attendee said it perfectly:

"Philadelphia Phillies fans waited hours in the rain for the third game of the World Series. McCain either doesn't know much about the people in this area or doesn't have much faith in his supporters."

"The passion and persistence of Obama and the crowd that turned out to hear and see him despite the weather speaks volumes," said McGrady. "It's a telling contrast to the fair-weather attitude of the McCain campaign, which threw in the towel at the first drop of rain." She went on to add that John McCain and Sarah Palin went ahead with an indoor rally today in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which caused McGrady to comment wryly: "$150,000 for clothes and they apparently didn't buy her a raincoat."

McGrady felt the Pennsylvania cancellation was indicative of the entire McCain campaign, adding: "What a washout his campaign has been, in more ways than one."

Fox News Anchor Frustrated with Joe the Plumber

Fox New's Shepherd Smith was clearly upset over Joe the Plumber's view that a "vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the death of Israel." Smith addressed the comment in a phone interview with Joe the Plumber today. Immediately after the segment, Smith felt compelled to issue a disclaimer pushing back on any notion that Obama would mean the "death of Israel," saying:

"I just want to make this 100 percent perfectly clear -- Barack Obama has said repeatedly and demonstrated repeatedly that Israel will always be a friend of the United States, no matter what happens once he becomes President of the United States. His words." Smith later added, "The rest of it -- man...some things -- it just gets frightening sometimes. We'll be right back."

Watch the Clip



(Transcript below courtesy of The Huffington Post.)

SMITH: Do you think John McCain agrees with you?

PLUMBER: No, that is just my personal opinion that I've come up with by looking into different facts and what I think. That is what my message has been about. I haven't been telling people to go out and vote. Listen, you don't want my opinion on foreign policy. I know just enough about foreign policy to probably be dangerous.

SMITH: That is what I was wondering. I wonder if you think it is dangerous at all for people to say that a vote for Barack Obama is the same as a vote for Israel, if you think that is dangerous for people to start believing. What happens if the polls are right and he becomes President of the United States and people start thinking that this means the death of Israel. Are you worried about what people might do if they actually believe something like that?

PLUMBER: That goes back to what I just got done saying. Some people believe it wholeheartedly. This gentleman I spoke to is Middle America. Therefore...it is very important to him -- important to me, but especially important to this gentleman. He is Middle America and he was able to get on there and make his point, and I agreed with him. I have no idea where John McCain's position is on that. John McCain is his own person, just like I am.

SMITH: Do you think a lot of that has to do with some hateful things that spread all over the internet? After all, Barack Obama has said repeatedly time after time that there is nothing more important that the United States friendship with Israel-- and the United States will back up Israel every moment of every day if and when he becomes President of the United States. He could not have been clearer about it in his positions in speeches, and I just wonder what it is that makes you think he is lying about that.

PLUMBER: [illegible] Actions...I have heard words. I hear words from politicians all the time, but actions [crosstalk] the action that I see is offering to meet with certain enemies of the United States on no uncertain terms --

SMITH: Meeting with Ahmadinejad? That is what the campaign said. Let's put the statement on the screen. This is what the McCain campaign released after you said that at the campaign event today. So that is what they put out. "While he's clearly his own man, so far Joe has offered some penetrating and clear analysis that cuts to the core of many of the concerns that people have with Barack Obama's statements and policies. Whether it is Obama's willingness to sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or his plans to redistribute the paychecks of hardworking Americans, there is good reason to question the judgement that Obama would bring to the Oval Office." So that's what they put out, so I guess the fact that he has said it he would meet with Ahmadinejad is something that you have taken to believe would be the death of Israel?

PLUMBER: It definitely does not help the situation. I'm not trying to be dancing around this. I honestly want people to go out and find their own reasons. I tell people not to listen to everyone else's opinion. I'm not going to have them start listening to mine. Go out and get informed.

SMITH: Joe Wurzelbacher on the line with us after a GOP stop, a number of them today.

I just want to make this 100 percent perfectly clear -- Barack Obama has said and demonstrated repeatedly that Israel will always be a friend of the United States, no matter what happens once he becomes President of the United States. His words. The rest of it -- man...some things--it just gets frightening sometimes. We'll be right back

Sooo, McCain's camp has a guy out on the trail who openly admits that he knows "just enough about foreign policy to probably be dangerous???" Really? Hmm, maybe this is what they wanted. Joe the Plumber could talk as much bullshit he wants since he's his "own man" and technically doesn't represent McCain's views. That's really low, yet kinda smart. First they had Palin spreading hateful lies, now it's Joe the Plumber. Pretty soon we'll have Cindy McCain calling Obama a Commie Bastard.

Joe the Plumber Thinks Obama Will Bring Death to Israel

Just a couple of weeks ago, John McCain was blaming Obama for Joe the Plumber's unwanted media attention. So it's funny that Joe the Plumber was out on the trail on behalf of John McCain today. That's not all. Apparently Joe the Plumber, who's real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher, is now a foreign policy expert. At a McCain rally in Columbus, Wurzelbacher twice agreed "that a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for death to Israel."

A self-identified Jewish senior citizen told Wurzelbacher that he was concerned with Obama's associations and "It's my belief that a vote for Obama is a vote for the death to Israel."

Wurzelbacher responded , "I do know that."

The audience member went on to knock Obama's tax policies and reiterated his Israel comment.

"Well, you know what, I'll actually go ahead and agree with you on that one," Wurzelbacher said.

Of course McCain's aides quickly put out a statement regarding Joe the Plumber's comments and told FOX News that McCain does not share Wurzelbacher's opinion on Obama's view toward Israel.

It's sad and scary that John McCain would have someone like that reprensent him.

Hard to Watch: McCain on MTP

John McCain was on Meet the Press yesterday. He was defensive, combative and forgetful. In response to Colin Powell's endorsement, McCain brags that five former Secretaries of State have endorsed him. Unfortunately he has trouble naming them all.

Palin Ignores the $150,000 Story By Talking About Her Accessories

At the same rally Elisabeth Hasselbeck attended in Tampa yesterday, Palin voluntarily addressed the $150,000 in clothing and accessories that was spent on her by the Republican National Committee.

"This whole thing with the wardrobe, you know I have tried to just ignore it because it is so ridiculous, but I am glad now that Elisabeth brought it up, cause it gives me an opportunity without the filter of the media to get to tell you the whole clothes thing," she said.

"Those clothes, they are not my property. Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the RNC purchased, I'm not taking them with me. I am back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska. You'd think — not that I would even have to address the issue because, as Elisabeth is suggesting, the double standard here it's — gosh, we don't even want to waste our time."

Palin doesn't stop there. She continues on to describe what she's wearing in detail.

"I am glad, though, that she brought up accessories also. Let me tell you a little bit about a couple of accessories, didn't think that we would be talking about it, but my earrings — I see a Native Americans for Palin poster," she said. "These are beaded earrings from Todd's mom who is a Yupik Eskimo up in Alaska, Native American, Native Alaskan.

"And my wedding ring, it's in Todd's pocket, 'cause it hurts sometimes when I shake hands and it gets squished," she continued. "A $35 wedding ring from Hawaii that I bought myself and 'cause I always thought with my ring it's not what it's made of, it's what it represents, and 20 years later, happy to wear it. And then finally the other accessory, you bet I'm a gold — I'm a blue star mom. I'm wearing this in honor of my son who is fighting over in Iraq right now defending all of you."

I have no doubt the media is going to fact check every detail of what she just said. Why in the world would McCain's camp have Palin say all this when the media has already stopped covering the story? Because Palin strayed from the script and ignored McCain's advisors. According to CNN, a senior adviser to McCain told them that the comments about her wardrobe "were not the remarks we sent to her plane this morning." That can't be good.

Hasselbeck Screams Sexism, Has a Hard Time Not Being "Sassy"

At a Sarah Palin rally in Tampa yesterday, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of The View, went after the media for its coverage of the $150,000 in clothing and accessories spent on Palin by the Republican National Committee.

"Instead of the issues, they are focused, fixated on her wardrobe," said Hasselbeck. "Now, with everything going on in the world, seems a bit odd. But let me tell you, this is deliberately sexist."

Hasselbeck then goes on to "clarify" things by talking about Palin's accessories???

"I'm actually personally most impressed by her accessories. You know, like the flag pin that she wears in honor of her son and our military men and women fighting abroad... Now they didn't list that accessory in its value in their reports did they. You know why? Because they know it's priceless."

Warning: This video may cause your blood pressure to rise.

Best Thing Ever: Fred Armisen Shows off His Interactive Mega Map

"Ok, let's take a look at Oregon and let's move it out to the ocean. It's going to be surrounded by water and that's very, very dangerous."

Inconsistincies in McCain Supporter's Claim That She Was Attacked

A Pittsburgh woman has claimed that she was robbed and attacked at an ATM machine because of her political views. According to the woman, a tall black man approached her at an ATM and put a knife to her throat. The attacker took $60 from her and then became angry when he saw a McCain bumper sticker on her car. The attacker then punched and kicked her, before using a dull knife to scratch the letter "B" into her face.


Well it looks like the police have found some inconsistencies in the woman's story.

One red flag: The "B" on her face is backwards, similar to how it would be if someone looked into a mirror and did it to their own face. Did the alleged attacker straddle her upside down while doing it?

*Update- The racist idiot confessed to making up the story.

McCain Hates Rats, Palin Loves Them

Last night on her show, Rachel Maddow discussed the trash talking and backstabbing going on in the McCain/Palin Camp. LAT columnist Rosa Brooks likened the McCain Camp to an episode of survivor. Here's her hilarious take on it:

"The republican ticket is sort of degenerating into a really savage version of a reality tv show. Where everyone pretends they’re on the same team but in fact they’re all trying to undermine each other in these subtle ways that are getting less and less subtle…Sarah Palin is just waiting for McCain to get voted off the island so it’ll be her turn. "

Using the same reality show analogy, Brooks points out that the desperation and craziness coming out of the McCain camp "is equivalent to where everyone starts eating rats to survive and the problem for John McCain is he doesn't actually like to eat rats and it shows. He eats a rat and makes these robocalls, he brings up Bill Ayers during the debate and he looks like he's sick to his stomach because it doesn't come naturally. The problem is Sarah Palin loves to eat rats, she's eating more rats, she's saying 'Here John, have another rat.' He gets queasier and quiser and she gets stronger and stronger..."

Apparently "Hipsters" Hate Gay Marriage

Radar's Choire Sicha has compiled a collection of ridiculous ads in favor of Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in the state. Can you believe not all "hipsters" are open-minded? Some even advocate discrimination against gays! But you know that's ok because one of their best friends is gay. Here is Sicha's hilarious take on these idiotic ads.



This. Is. Hilarious. And also sad. The ads for Proposition 8, the voter initiative in California that'll undo the state's gay marriages, are out of control. Take the poor blonde in this ad: "You know as well as anyone I love Richard! He's one of my best friends! But just because he's gay doesn't mean I have to support gay marriage!" Then she can't even figure out how to convince her boyfriend and she's all "Just look at the website and you'll understand because everything on it is true!"



Here is another guy with gay friends! But, you know, FUCK THEM! "For me Prop 8 is about the family, and protecting the family, what the family means, and strengthening that." Um... I don't actually know what he means.



This ad is the most idiotic of all. Apparently promoting acceptance of others is just a form of "schoolyard bullying" and intimidation. And don't forget Jesus is about love and acceptance...so please vote to discriminate.

Newt Gingrich: SNL Skits Slander and Worthy of a Lawsuit

Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke with Greta Van Sustren Wednesday night about Sarah Palin being unfairly attacked by the media.



Gingrich thinks that Saturday Night Live's skits of Sarah Palin "were slander and worthy of a lawsuit." He goes on to say that "the elite media on the left is so desperate to elect Barack Obama that the view they're giving you of Sarah Palin is fundamentally a falsehood." Riiight, because Fox News is so "fair and balanced."

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Hitting the Campaign Trail with Sarah Palin

Elisabeth Hasselbeck of The View announced that she'll be campaigning with Sarah Palin this weekend. I'm so glad Palin picked a reputable republican supporter like Hasselbeck. See some of Hasselbeck's "views."

I Want to Get Drunk With...

Many people are crazily obsessed/ in love with celebrities. I just want to get drunk with a few of them. Below are the top 5 celebrities/musicians I want to get drunk with. They are so damn funny and smart.

1) Amy Poehler & Tina Fey - I've always found them funny, but when they are together it's pee your pants funny. Their portrayal of Sarah Palin and Katie Couric is hilarious.



2) Tegan and Sara - They are talented musicians I've been following for years now. They have hilarious banter and the funniest anecdotes at their shows. I'm sure they say funny shit all the time. I'm sure they are even funnier with a few beers in them.



3) Amy Sedaris - I loved her show Strangers with Candy. Her book "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" is hilarious.



4) Rachel Maddow - She's so damn smart and says the wittiest things. I'd love to sit down with her over beer and talk politics.



5) Ingrid Michaelson - Another talented musician who tells the funniest stories at her shows. Her last show I went to she had her "lower-region" talking into the mic (not the video below). I guess you had to be there.

Palin: Oh Wait, Aren't They Mules?

At a rally, Sarah Palin was sporting a scarf with donkeys and the word vote all over it. Is she secretly working for Obama?

Photo by Max Whittaker/Getty Images

*Update - Newsweek.com is reporting that Palin didn't have the scarf on during her speech. Supposedly she got it from someone in the crowd during her meet-and-greet. Who cares when she got it, she still put it on!

"I Don't Want to Get All Katie Couric on You"

Will Ferrell and Tina Fey returned to SNL and of course hilarity ensued.

Douchebag of the Day: The GOP Strategist Outraged That Obama is Taking Campaign Plane to Visit (SICK) Grandma

The Douchebag of the Day award goes to GOP strategist Brad Blakeman for his response to a question about how John McCain could square his opposition to wasteful spending with the RNC spending over $150,000 on clothes and accessories for Palin. Blakeman said that the real outrage is Barack Obama "taking a 767 campaign plane to go visit Grandma." [Sidenote: Obama's grandma, who raised him, is gravely ill.] The GOP strategist continued, "Forget about the energy that is wasted, what about the hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a private trip when this guy should be humping his bags on a commercial plane or taking a smaller plane. Taking a 767 of campaign money from people who could least afford it is more of an outrage in my opinion."

Seriously? Wow. My favorite part of the video is David Schuster laughing at the insensitive tool.

Palin Needed Clothes!

Here's another doozy from McCain in response to the RNC spending $150,000 on Palin's clothes...

From The Huffington Post:

"She needed clothes at the time. They'll be donated at end of this campaign. They'll be donated to charity," McCain told reporters on his campaign bus between Florida rallies.

Asked for details on how they'll be donated, McCain said, "It works by her getting some clothes when she was made the nominee of the party and it will be donated back to charity."

Asked if he was surprised at the amount spent, McCain said, "It works that the clothes will be donated to charity. Nothing surprises me."

RNC drops $150,000 on Palin's wardrobe

Politico.com reported that the Republican National Committee has spent over $150,000 on clothes and accessories for Sarah Palin AND her family.

Here is a breakdown in numbers:

$49,425.74 was spent at Saks Fifth Avenue in St.Louis and New York
$75,062.63 was spent at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis
$4,716.49 was spent on hair and makeup
$789.72 was spent at Barney's New York
$5,102.71 was spent at Bloomingdale's New York
$9,447.71 was spent at Macy's in Minneapolis
$196.00 was spent at Pacifier (a top-notch baby store)
$4,902.45 was spent at Atelier (a high-class store for men)

Check out a slideshow at The Huffington Post. And yes, there is a picture of her 7-yr-old daughter carrying a Louis Vuitton bag.

Now many people are saying that the Liberal media is making a big deal out of nothing and that we need to focus on the economy. Even Campbell Brown, who I admire, is saying that this scrutiny shows a double standard. I do see their point, but this does deserve scrutiny. Why? Because Palin is trying to brand herself as a small town pro-America Hockey Mom/Joe Six-pack/Joe the Plumber. I don't know of any small town hockey mom's shopping at Saks and Neiman Marcus. The McCain/Palin camp has also been attacking Obama for being an elitist. I swear hypocrisy is all I see from the McCain/Palin camp. Isn't it McCain who has 13 cars while Obama has one?! And just last week there was story of how McCain had cell towers put up near one of his EIGHT houses. RNC spending $150,000 on clothing for a vp candidate claiming to be "one of us" is definitely a newsworthy story to me.

And the Real Sarah Palin Comes Out

ThinkProgress.org is reporting that in an interview with CBN, Palin is in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which is inconsistent with McCain's views.

Palin: [I]n my own, state, I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that that’s where we would go because I don’t support gay marriage. I’m not going to be out there judging individuals, sitting in a seat of judgment telling what they can and can’t do, should and should not do.

Watch the video here.

According to ABCnews.com, McCain told the Washington Blade, a gay newspaper, that he continues to oppose such an amendment today because he thinks the definition of marriage should be a state matter and not one for the federal government "as long as no state is forced to adopt some other state's standard."

Palin's position also differs from what she told Katie Couric last month. When Palin was asked why she considered Roe v. Wade a bad decision, Palin said she believed states and not the federal government should decide the legality of the issue. She goes on to say, "I'm in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas. And I believe that individual states can best handle what the people within the different constituencies in the 50 states would like to see their will ushered in an issue like that."

How will the McCain/Palin camp spin this? Maybe Palin got confused on the definition of a federalist.

Muslim McCain Fans Confront Intolerance At Rally

I know I've been putting up a lot of negative stories about McCain/Palin supporters. I honestly do not believe that all McCain/Palin supporters are hateful people. American News Project has a video showing the good and the bad when Muslim McCain fans confront intolerance at a rally.

From the American News Project:

At a John McCain rally in Woodbridge, Virginia, three people handed out "Obama for Change" bumper stickers with the Communist sickle and hammer and the Islamic crescent, saying Obama was a socialist with ties to radical Islam. Several moderate McCain supporters, Muslim and Christian alike, struck back - relentlessly bombarding the group distributing the flyers until they left the premises.

This is Just Wrong

According to Christina Bellantoni of The Washington Times, McCain supporters in North Carolina are heckling early voters and calling them cheaters. Why? Because many of the early voters are for Obama.

Obama's campaign has been reaching out to his supporters encouraging them to vote early. After Obama's rally in North Carolina, his campaign gave supporters lists of early voting sites with the hours and locations. Bellantoni and a photographer went to one of the sites and came across protestors who were mainly in support for McCain. I'm not sure if this matters but Bellantoni pointed out that nearly all the protestors were white and nearly all the voters were black. In the video below, one man explains why he's protesting and accuses the voters of cheating.



This news really angers me. Why can't people vote in peace? Everyone has a right in this country to vote they way they choose and to intimidate people at polling places is just wrong.

Absolutely Moving

Here is a video of two little North Carolina girls explaining why they support Barack Obama.

Another Glimpse of McCain/Palin Supporters

Racism in Politics

Racism in politics is alive and strong. Responsible for the examples below are official staffers of The Republican party:

A California county's Republican Party Web site encouraged readers to "Waterboard Barack Obama" and compared Obama to Osama Bin Laden (image below).

The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women depicts Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken (image below). It says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps -- instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of "Obama Bucks" -- a phony $10 bill featuring Obama's face on a donkey's body, labeled "United States Food Stamps."

Next isn't from an official republican staffer, but it's just as disturbing. ThinkProgress.org reported that at the Values Voter Summit, vendors sold an item called Obama Waffles featuring a racist cartoon of Obama on the box front — with “popping eyes and big, thick lips” — and another image of him wearing an Arab-like headdress on its top flap (image below). Its creators, Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, said it was meant as “political satire,” and sold the box for $10 from a booth at the Family Research Council event.

McCain's Greatest Hits

Gawker has a video of McCain's "greatest hits." Check it out!

Negativity Still a Central Part of McCain's Campaign

The NYT is reporting that "voters in at least 10 swing states are receiving hundreds of thousands of automated telephone calls — uniformly negative and sometimes misleading — that the Republican Party and the McCain campaign are financing." One of the calls brings up Ayers and another claims Obama puts Hollywood above America. McCain has denounced these types of calls in the past. There has even been bipartisan criticism for the calls. According to The Huffington Post, "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, and Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, made separate appeals to McCain on Friday."

GOP has their own "ACORN"

The Los Angeles Times has a story on voters who were duped into registering as republicans. YPM (Young Political Majors), a group hired by the GOP, allegedly deceived Californians who thought they were signing a petition they believed were petitions for tougher penalties against child molesters. Some said they were told that they had to become Republicans to sign the petition. It's the classic bait-and-switch scheme and YPM has been using this tactic across the country.

McCain Blaming Obama for Joe the Plumber's Media Attention

John McCain is blaming Barack Obama for all the media attention and scrutiny Joe the Plumber has been getting. McCain is saying that Joe the Plumber didn't ask for Obama to go to his home and didn't ask for all the attacks Obama's camp giving him. Seriously?!?!

1. Barack Obama did NOT go to this home. He went to his street in Ohio and Joe the Plumber went up to HIM.
   
2. John McCain is the one who brought up Joe the Plumber at the last presidential debate. He brought him up more than TWENTY times.
   
3. McCain was the one who admitted and apologized to Joe the Plumber on Letterman for bringing him up at the debate.
   
4. If McCain is blaming Obama for all of Joe the Plumber's unwanted media attention, why continue to reference him NUMEROUS times at McCain's rallies. 

It's pretty sad McCain will knowingly lie to his supporters. What's even sadder is that his supporters don't care.

Third Times the Charm for McCain, Too Bad It's Too Late

My girlfriend and I are listening to the analyses of the third and final presidential debate. I actually thought McCain did better than Obama. Not because he was saying persuasive, truthful things, but because he kept Obama on the defense a majority of the time. I felt as though Obama was a little too laid back. He needed to hit back on several things: the negativity of McCain's campaign, Sarah Palin's qualifications, McCain and Palin's own guilt-by-associations, McCain's own hypocrisy, etc. But as my girlfriend and all the pundits are saying, Obama's plan was to stay calm, cool and collected. He wanted McCain to look like the angry one. And according to a few polls that are out, Obama's plan worked. 

A CBS Poll of 638 uncommitted voters: 53% said Obama won.  22% said it went to McCain. 25% saw the debate as a draw.

According to HuffingtonPost.com, CNN's poll of several hundred debate watchers also has 58 % for Obama and 21% for McCain

106 Year Old Nun Casting First Vote Since Eisenhower

This morning on Good Morning America I watched an absolutely moving piece on a 106-year-old nun who will be casting her first presidential vote since Dwight Eisenhower! Check out the video here. The article is below.

Nun to Cast First Ballot After 56 Years

The 106-Year-Old Has Lived Through 18 Presidents

By JIM SCIUTTO and ALLISON HAVEY

Oct. 15, 2008 —

The last time Mother Cecelia Gaudette voted, Dwight Eisenhower won the race for the White House.

Now, 56 years after she cast her last presidential ballot, the 106-year-old nun has decided this election is too monumental to miss.

"I think it's very important," she said. Mother Cecelia, who resides in Rome, may be the oldest voter to cast an absentee ballot this election. She reads the paper daily and watches the evening news to keep up with current events.

She asked fellow nun 78-year-old Mother Mary to help her get an overseas ballot. The problem was that on the U.S. election Web site the birth years for potential voters only goes back to 1905  three years after Mother Cecelia was born.

Eventually Mother Cecelia was able to register.

"And she was happy to know that she could vote," Mother Mary said.

And while the last time she voted Mother Cecelia sided with the Republican candidate, this year she decided to go with the Democrat.

"[Barack] Obama. I think he's the man, really. I think so," she said.

Though Mother Cecelia wants Obama to win, she said no matter who wins, the next president will have a difficult job.

"I pity the poor man who will be president," she said.

Having lived through 18 presidents, she has some advice for the next man to become commander in chief.

"He should be like a father, and love his people. And love his people & and do the best of course," Mother Cecelia said.

And if she has things her way, this won't be her last presidential election. She plans to hit the polls in 2012.

Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

Obama Supporters Calling McCain a Terrorist and Traitor???

In an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Bash brings up McCain supporters screaming "Terrorist," "Traitor," and worse at rallies. McCain claims that he too has been called those words at Obama rallies. Really???

The Worst Hits from McCain/Palin Rallies

The Huffington Post reports:

On Tuesday, Brave New Films and Color of Change (one of the nation's most influential Black American political organizations) put out a veritable greatest (really, worst) hits of the past week in McCain-Palin rallies.

Palin Scolds Invisible Protestors at Rally

Sarah Palin mistook some of her own supporters for protestors yesterday at a rally. Apparently, many of her supporters couldn't hear Palin speak and started chanting "Louder! Louder!" Palin, thinking they were protestors, stopped her speech and said:

"I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest," she said.

Her husband Todd Palin quickly stood up and said to her, "They just can't hear you back there.That's why they're yelling louder."

McCain/Palin Supporters Really Do Believe Obama is a Terrorist

Behind the Scenes at a McCain/Palin Event

I guess the McCain/Palin fear and smear campaign is working. This is a bit scary.

McCain: Do As I Say, Not As I Do

On Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, John McCain called for Barack Obama to retract the "air raiding" comment he made in 2007 saying, “that’s so insulting to the men and women who are serving in the military.”



The McCain camp, of course, has distorted Obama's words. Obama's statement was a criticism of U.S. military strategy, and not of American troops.

Obama in August 2007: "We’ve got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there."

According to FactCheck.org, The Associated Press concluded: "As of Aug. 1 [2007], the AP count shows that while militants killed 231 civilians in attacks in 2007, Western forces killed 286. Another 20 were killed in crossfire that can't be attributed to one party." Even President Bush admitted that there were too many civilian casualties, saying: "The president [Afghan president Hamid Karzai] rightly expressed his concerns about civilian casualty. And I assured him that we share those concerns."

Here's the kicker. Think Progress notes that McCain made virtually identical remarks about the U.S. military’s conduct in Kosovo during his 2000 presidential bid:

McCain: In the most obscene chapter in recent American history is the conduct of the Kosovo conflict when the president of the United States refused to prepare for ground operations, refused to have air power used effectively because he wanted them flying — he had them flying at 15,000 feet where they killed innocent civilians because they were dropping bombs from such — in high altitude.

The McCain camp, yet again, is preaching "Do as I say, Not as I Do." I think we all remember when McCain's camp cried sexism over the "lipstick on a pig" comment Obama made. People in glass houses should not throw stones, especially when they are caught on tape.

Foo Fighters Not Happy With McCain

NEW YORK (AP) — Yet another band is complaining about John McCain's use of their song to promote his campaign. This time, it's the Foo Fighters.

The rockers sent out a missive telling the Republican presidential candidate to stop using "My Hero." They said they learned it was being use through news reports.

"The saddest thing about this is that `My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential," the band said in a statement. "To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song."

The band noted it's not the first time McCain has been told to stop using a song. John Mellencamp, Heart and Jackson Browne have also complained — Browne even filed a lawsuit.

Soul legend Sam Moore also has asked the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to stop using "Soul Man."

"The McCain-Palin campaign respects copyright. Accordingly, this campaign has obtained and paid for licenses from performing rights organizations, giving us permission to play millions of different songs, including `My Hero,'" said McCain-Palin spokesman Brian Rogers.

Ann Curry IS a Comedienne

I LOVE Ann Curry. I love her even more for attempting stand-up!

McCain:Retiring "My Friends" and now using "My Fellow Prisoners?"

Earlier today, McCain made this strange gaffe at a rally:

"Across this country, this is the agenda I have set before my fellow prisoners and the same standards of clarity and candor must now be applied to my opponent."

This Hatred MUST Stop

NBC reports:

After not attacking Obama in last night's debate as forcefully as his campaign had in previous days, McCain was back on the offensive today at a rally at Lehigh University with his running mate Sarah Palin.As seen at recent McCain events, this afternoon's crowd was vocal in their support for McCain and their anger with Senator Obama. At one point one man could be heard yelling, "Off with his head," when McCain spoke about Obama's tax plan. That enthusiasm was even more present during Palin's remarks, and as other observers have reported in the past, today there was a sizeable number of people making their way towards the exit after McCain's running mate left the podium. 

Just Another Day at a McCain/Palin Event

Today at a McCain/Palin event in Philadelphia, another speaker used Obama's whole name: Barack Hussein Obama.

Remember the Overhead Projector Slam?

From Talking Point Memo:

It turns out that that overhead projector John McCain claimed Barack Obama tried to get a $3 million earmark for was actually money to rebuild Chicago's Adler Planetarium, the oldest planetarium in the United States.

McCain's "overhead projector" is the apparatus that runs the planetarium, which is a bit like calling the Palomar Observatory a new set of glasses. 

Will McCain Regret The Way He Ran His Campaign?

From Talking Points Memo

McCain the Comedian?

John McCain's jokes fell flat during the debate. He came off condescending and even bully-like. His jokes didn't resonate with voters either. MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell charted independent voters and Democrats watching the debate and it showed that they soured on McCain when he said that figuring out Obama's tax policy was like nailing Jell-O to a wall.

Even Fox thinks Obama Won the 2nd Debate

The Huffington Post Reports:

• NBC's focus group of undecided Pennsylvania voters had the Illinois Democrat winning by roughly a 60-40 split. 

• Fox's focus group showed undecided voters leaning towards Obama because of his position on health care. 

• CBS's focus group of independents had the Democratic nominee winning the debate at 39 percent to McCain's 27 percent, with 35 percent of the respondents saying it was a tie.

•  CNN's focus group of undecided voters in Ohio had the margin at an even wider spread: Obama 54 percent to McCain's 30.
  

McCain Has Left the Building

So I thought it was odd that after the debate the camera kept focusing on Obama and his wife chatting with the crowd. Why weren't they showing McCain? Well I just heard on Countdown with Keith Olbermann that McCain pretty much left as soon as the debate ended. Isn't the purpose of a town hall so candidates can interact with voters? Why wouldn't McCain want to stick around and meet them? Obama and his wife were shown shaking hands, chatting and taking pictures with voters. Even Tom Brokaw stuck around! 

McCain Having Trouble with Obama's Name

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney:

Barack Obama's campaign immediately highlighted a singular moment in Tuesday's presidential debate when John McCain sought to criticize Barack Obama for supporting the 2007 Bush-Cheney energy bill:

"It was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate, loaded down with goodies, billions for the oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney," McCain said. "You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one. You know who voted against it? Me."

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton immediately emailed reporters noting McCain's seemingly peculiar reference to the Illinois senator."Did John McCain just refer to Obama as 'that one?' Burton asked.

More Obama Hate Revealed

Racial epithets, "Terrorist" and "Kill Him"are just a few of the hateful words been used in recent McCain/Palin events. Well The Huffington Post has another to add to the list, "Treason."

In the latest instance of inflammatory outbursts at McCain-Palin rallies, a crowd member screamed "treason!" during an event on Tuesday after Sarah Palin accused Barack Obama of criticizing U.S. troops.

"[Obama] said, too, that our troops in Afghanistan are 'air raiding villages and killing civilians,'" Palin said, mischaracterizing a 2007 remark by Obama. "I hope Americans know that is not what our brave men and women in uniform are doing in Afghanistan. The U.S. military is fighting terrorism and protecting us and protecting our freedom."

Shortly afterward, a male member of the crowd in Jacksonville, Florida, yelled "treason!" loudly enough to be picked up by television microphones.

Thanks Talking Points Memo for the video.

McCain/Palin Inciting Mob Mentality?

Apparently more disgusting incident's are being reported at Palin events. Dana Milbank of The Washington Post reports:

Worse, Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."

Are the negative speeches inciting "mob mentality" at McCain/Palin events? Unfortunately this isn't an isolated incident. Does the McCain/Palin camp really want to go down such an ugly road when our country is in such turmoil? We need a president who is hopeful when many Americans are lost. This is truly sad.

Palin: Stay Away From My Supporters!

Reporters weren't allowed to mingle with Palin supporters at a Florida event today. The reason given  was "that in the past, negative things had been written. The campaign wanted to avoid that possibility."

McCain: Bin Laden Ain't That Bad

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo recently revealed this doozy. I wonder if Obama will use this to fight back against McCain's smear tactics.

John McCain being interviewed by Mother Jones magazine in the Nov/Dec 1998 issue (emphasis added) ...

MJ: You not only have had combat experience in Vietnam, but you were also a prisoner of war. When you look at terrorism right now, with people like Osama bin Laden, do you have any reservations about watching strikes like that?

John McCain: You could say, Look, is this guy, Laden, really the bad guy that's depicted? Most of us have never heard of him before. And where there is a parallel with Vietnam is: What's plan B? What do we do next? We sent our troops into Vietnam to protect the bases. Lyndon Johnson said, Only to protect the bases. Next thing you know.... Well, we've declared to the terrorists that we're going to strike them wherever they live. That's fine. But what's next? That's where there might be some comparison.

(ed.note: Special thanks to TPM Reader SM for the tip.)

This Makes Me Sick

According to Talking Points Memo, after John McCain delivered the central question of his speech today -- "Who is the real Barack Obama?" -- the first, and loudest, supporter seems to yell: "Terrorist!"

I'm not sure if McCain heard the remark, but if you watch the video closely you can see McCain first furrow his brows and then smirk. He doesn't denounce the remark, he just continues on.

The Washington Post also reports that at a Fl0rida event today when Palin brought up Obama's association with Ayers one man shouted , "Kill Him!" Palin also did not denounce this man's remark. It's not clear if the man directed that towards Obama or Ayers, but regardless that type of negativity and talk at campaign events is truly frightening. The fact that McCain and Palin are allowing it is sickening.

McCain/Palin: Fear & Smear -Obama Supporters are Communists

Posted on The Huffington Post: 

Republican John McCain is calling Democratic rival Barack Obama a liar.

The GOP presidential candidate told a campaign rally: "Sen. Obama has accused me of opposing regulation to avert this crisis. I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed."

At a campaign event earlier today, McCain questions Obama's character and asks the crowd "Who is the real Barack Obama?"

A McCain campaign strategist recently told the Daily News, "It's a dangerous road, but we have no choice...If we keep talking about the economic crisis, we're going to lose."

Are they desperate to win? Will this fear and smear strategy work on voters? The latest polls don't show it

• 10/6: Gallup Pres-Tracker: Obama 50%, McCain 42%
• 10/6: Hotline/Diageo Pres-Tracker: Obama 47%, McCain 41%
• 10/6: Rasmussen Pres-Tracker: Obama 52%, McCain 44%
• 10/6: Res. 2000 Pres-Tracker: Obama 52%, McCain 40%