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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/…

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/02/debate.t…

The truth about it? From what I just sent somebody else, read below. Obama and Biden are threatening to be low-life thieves and extraordinary loser-vote-buyers, stating that Washington: “should be allowing bankruptcy courts to be able to re-adjust not just the interest rate you're paying on your mortgage to be able to stay in your home, but be able to adjust the principal that you owe, the principal that you owe.” Palin could have annhilated Biden and Obama on moral and other grounds right then and there, but made a mistake, insisting on changing the subject back to energy. I suspect Biden saw this as encouraging, for it was at that point that Biden first began to do quite well and appear for the first time to do better than Palin.

…

Both candidates did okay. The universe (liberals, anyway) expected (and hoped) that Palin would fail miserably, and she did not. During the first part of the debate, she did better than Biden. She made one mistake (changing the subject rather than annihilating Biden about something he and Obama want to do: if I heard right, they want to reduce interest rates and _principal_ on outstanding home loans) and in my view was working to recover that superior position after that, and she didn't do this. Once or twice she did what McCain did that I didn't like to hear (or see), repeat typical sound bites in answering questions. She also failed to take Biden apart when Biden argued that progressive taxation is justified due to “fairness.” It is nothing of the kind, and with the size of government Obama and Biden want, it will simply be impossible to tax those over $250,000 and reduce taxes on everyone else. The amount of income that needs to be taxed to support what the Dems want forces them to reach well down into the middle class portion of aggregate income. Biden probably had begun the debate deliberately in a timid or more accurately, careful and conservative manner but loosened up about the time he made the controversial statement about revising loan contracts and Palin didn't demolish it, and him. As Biden loosened up he began to do much bettter. I know everyone was afraid of Biden saying something stupid, but he didn't, he actually did quite well when he became animated, it's probably now worth the risk to “let Biden be Biden” out on the campaign trail and for the media to begin to cover him rather than avoid covering him to conceal his gaffes from the public (so as to continue supporting the Democratic Party this year, same as every other year). Overall, it was a draw. Both candidates did fine. It's a draw because honest people would have to strain to name a winner. Neither candidate stood out immediately as better and neither one did notably better.

Obama vs McCain
Sarah Palin with women

2 out of 3 women who formerly supported Hillary Clinton now support Barack Obama.

Among women, Palin's favorability rating has dropped 17 points in three weeks. Her unfavorability rating has increased 15 points.

Fox News poll

The new poll finds Obama now has the edge among men (+5 percentage points) — a group that had previously either been evenly divided or slightly in McCain’s column. Obama maintains his advantage among women voters (+8), while white women are a bit more likely to support McCain (+2).

…By a 5-point margin more voters think the Democratic ticket has “better judgment combined” — a reversal from two weeks ago when the Republican ticket had a 4-point edge.

As to what Ayers did then as compared to his views now, his own words damn him, and I am sure you are aware of them, but for those who do not:

Then, “Everything was absolutely ideal on the day I bombed the Pentagon. The sky was blue. The birds were singing. And the bastards were finally going to get what was coming to them.”

Now, “I don't regret setting bombs.I feel we didn't do enough.”

Obama vs McCain
Sarah Palin with women
<ul><li>2 out of 3 women who formerly supported Hillary Clinton now support Barack Obama.</li></ul> <ul><li>Among women, Palin's favorability rating has dropped 17 points in three weeks. Her unfavorability rating has increased 15 points.</li></ul>Fox News poll

The new poll finds Obama now has the edge among men (+5 percentage points) — a group that had previously either been evenly divided or slightly in McCain’s column. Obama maintains his advantage among women voters (+8), while white women are a bit more likely to support McCain (+2).

…By a 5-point margin more voters think the Democratic ticket has “better judgment combined” — a reversal from two weeks ago when the Republican ticket had a 4-point edge.

AR, what you “think” means nothing in terms of electability. When Ayers was a radical, Obama was what, 9 years old? Hillary and McCain have tasked their formidable opposition research efforts to finding any smoking gun there. There isn't one. So your living in the past on this non-issue surprises me. Though we almost universally disagree, you usually seem to be a deeper thinker than this comment indicates.

Right before the VP debate. Great timing. Confidence inspiring.

Who's next, Kinky Friedman?

At any rate, I thought the LA Times article mentioned in the topic was pretty funny. Whether or not it was intended as such, I thought it was tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. Yeah, McCain's post-convention Palin strategy is working like a real charm, it is.

There has been no grand cathartic moment for [Obama] in this campaign, but rather a steady accretion of trust, a growing public sense that he knows what he's talking about and isn't going to get crazy on us. His demeanor has rendered foolish all the rumors about his alleged radicalism. This guy is the furthest thing imaginable from an extremist; McCain, by his own admission, is the bomb-thrower in this race.

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,184640…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar…

What would WFB say, I wonder. I had high regard for people like Will and Buckley because they got their points across with minimum vitriol, or at least their turn of phrase was sufficiently sublime. Now we have bloviating “pundits” ( which means sage, or wise person btw) knee-jerking and tongue-swallowing.
Problem is they breed like rats through syndication ( thanks to killing off the Fairness Doctrine…hallooo deregulation!) and reap the rewards in the millions for their high-school grade shenanigans.

And with everything, the extreme sides of the argument should be discounted like the highs/lows of an Olympic score.

I do think they share a very radical idea of government control and indoctrination of children in significantly more left-wing ideas than Obama has been willing to admit as of late, and that those views extend to the edge of true radicalism.

It appears you buy into right wing memes just as much, if not more so, than a lot of far left commenters. Pot, meet kettle.

and has fund-raising and political events at the house of an unrepentant, murdering left-wing activist

McCain is best buddies with an unrepentant war criminal, Henry Kissinger.

BTW, who did Ayers murder?

Interesting criteria, to say the least.

BTW – I didn't think she was a good choice at the time, and she STILL does not impress me, but that doesn't mean I think it shows McCain is off his rocker. From a purely political point of view, she has done what he needed her to do. I think he would be so much farther behind without all the attention she has brought. Sad commentary on modern politics, but reality.