WCSox

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 03:14 PM) But northern accents drive me crazy. [cheesehead] Ya, you betcha! [/cheesehead]

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 02:03 PM) she's on CNN right now. i really want to ad a "Dont scha know" at the end of all her sentences. lol Classy post AND avatar!

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 02:48 PM) I think my point was missed - I probably didn't describe it well. If the cop was guilty of those things, then he should be fired. I have zero issue with that. If the cop wasn't fired, and Palin suggested that he be fired, why did the Department of Public Safety head refuse? Would you have kept this guy on the force after he pulled all of this crap and your boss had suggested that he be let go? So, Palin should've tied her hands and refused to protect the public because this guy happens to be her ex-brother-in-law? I have an issue with blatant corruption being grossly overlooked. This guy got a freaking five-day suspension for committing almost two dozen violations. If that's not a Good Ole' Boy's network of corruption, I don't know what is.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 02:49 PM) Or, if you DO see it, you are looking for it. And you are looking for it in places where bias will, of course exist (editorials, talking heads, etc.). Media bias sticks out like a sore thumb on AM radio, Fox News, the WSJ, the New York Times, the LA Times, and MSNBC. It's almost impossible to miss it in those outlets. In other places, it's mixed almost evenly (e.g., CNN).

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 02:46 PM) I don't think we're conditioned to believe there is media bias because its there... I think we're conditioned to believe it, for the most part, because the far right has been using that perceived bias as a rallying call forever. There's massive media bias on both sides. If you can't see it, you're not paying attention.

Chiming in here late, but FWIW I was pleasantly surprised with McCain's speech. I wasn't really expecting much. He did a great job of showcasing his humility, a trait we don't see enough in politicians. Maybe I'm a complete sucker, but if any Presidential candidate puts America's success over winning the election, I'm convinced it's him. It's reflected in his life and his voting record. The "Fight with me! Fight with me! Fight for what's right for our country!" lines at the end were especially powerful. However, I do agree with some of the criticism that he wasn't specific enough about his economic plans. He did address it somewhat (and I liked the idea of "splitting the [financial] difference" with a worker losing his/her job while training for a new one), but he needed to be more specific. He also did little to convey the specifics of his health care plan, which he hopefully does in the debates.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 02:06 PM) The trooper was an asshole. But, its not her place to go firing her ex-brother in law. In fact, if she was smart, that would mean she would stay the heck away from that case. I completely disagree. If there's a documented violent alcoholic carrying a badge and a gun (who has already been found guilty and reprimanded for behavior that is grounds for dismissal) in my state, I try to remove him. I don't care who the hell he's related to or how bad it looks. At the minimum, he's a massive legal liability to the state. At the worst, he could kill somebody. Also, one thing that the MSM tends to omit is that the Department of Public Safety that WAS fired, was only removed after he REFUSED a reassignment to a different department. So it's not like Palin was trying to destroy this guy's life or something.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 08:44 AM) A lot of the "issues" brought up around Palin - their daughter being pregnant, for example - are pure B.S. But I must admit, things like this, and her involvement in the trooper firing, concern me. Seems she likes to use her position of power for her personal crusades and vendettas. I find it odd that there was apparently no discussion of what Palin may have objected to, and that the librarian's immediate response was, "No!" It's kind of difficult for me to draw a conclusion from that, given that I don't know if Palen wanted nude photograph/artwork or the local copy of Huckleberry Finn removed. As for the trooper firing, this guys has admitted to tasering a child and was apparently sanctioned (a laughable slap on the wrist) for almost two dozen violations by his department, including drinking while driving a police car. And that's on top of the alleged threats against Palin's father and sister. I know an untenured Illinois public school teacher who was fired for a picture of what appeared to be him smoking from a bong on his Facebook page, so I find it laughable that this Wooten guy is still allowed to carry a badge and a gun and that Palin is being criticized by removing the guy who refused to fire his violent/alcoholic ass. Maybe I'm biased because I support the ticket, but I don't see how Palin can be blamed for fighting obvious corruption in the police department just because her extended family fell victim to it.

Wow, I'm glad I don't live around there anymore. Both of my parents taught in public schools in the South Suburbs. I realize that this doesn't apply to all public schools, but my mother said that the overwhelming problem in hers was a serious lack of discipline and a lack of desire to learn on the part of the students. Unfortunately, politicians aren't in the business of holding negligent parents accountable.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 03:17 PM) you can do your best to cover up an affair, but you cant cover up a pregnant teen ager. You don't even attempt to cover up an affair at this point in an election, especially with the combined war chests of Obama and Soros doing a background check on you. The only way that this is true is if Palin lied about it during the vetting process.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 04:12 PM) well of course you sue. It makes you look innocent. I'm not implying it's true, but celebs sue all the time over stories they dont like... until it's proven to be true. If Palin had an affair, it would've been disclosed already, as the info about her daughter's pregnancy was disclosed. They wouldn't let the Enquirer break the news on the eve of her speech.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 03:01 PM) Well, they nailed Edwards. Or was it that Edwards nailed... oh never mind. But I dont buy it (literally and figuratively). Too soon for this to break. I don't buy it either. If it were true, they probably wouldn't be in the process of suing the Enquirer right now.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 03:16 PM) I don't think that's the case. I really don't. Hillary doesn't control her surrogates. I think Obama personally pissed off Ferraro, and I think Ferraro is just speaking because nobody would talk to her irrelevant ass anyway. I don't think that you're giving Hillary enough credit, and find it odd that both Ferraro AND Estrich continue to play the "sexism" card to draw sympathy for Palin... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,416102,00.html Agreed that collusion is unlikely, but I'm willing to bet that the Clintons leaked it to the press to further undermine Obama.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 02:21 PM) I said to someone the other day that I swear Hillary knew what was coming re: Palin. It wouldn't surprise me, given that Hillary's brother allegedly met with a senior McCain campaign worker about a week and a half ago. Hell, there could've been outright collusion between the two camps. I read a lot of Dick Morris' columns, who (despite being a biased Republican) is pretty honest in his analysis and is very insightful. He'd been pushing HARD for Hutchinson for weeks (and Lieberman, prior to Biden getting the nod) and I suspect that the McCain campaign got the message that they really needed to shake things up and do something unconventional.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 01:17 PM) It's Open Mic Day on MSNBC. WOW! (Some language here, so be careful) The voices are Mike Murphy (Republican political consultant) and Peggy Noonan with a little Chuck Todd. Church Todd: "Was she really the most qualified woman?" Noonan: "no... I think they went for the political bulls*** about narratives". She added: "It's Over" for McCain. If you turn over to Fox, you'll see either Geraldine Ferraro or Susan Estrich (both Hillary surrogates) accusing the liberal media of sexism and predicting that a full 1/3 of Hillary's female supporters will vote for McCain... ON CAMERA, every day. I think it's obvious that there is some serious media-sniping going on in both parties, because one or more key players was pissed off about the VP picks. The Clintons are obviously working against Obama so that Hillary can run again in 2012 and it's perfectly reasonable to assume that some of the GOP base want to undermine McCain (for obvious reasons).

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 01:53 PM) I tend to agree. This is backfiring, hardcore. But then, we'll see after tonight. She's going to have to hit not only a home run, but she's going to have to hit an 8 RBI grand slam, which I think it just about impossible, eh? I agree that McCain is fighting an uphill battle and is in big trouble if he doesn't get at least four-point bounce in the polls by the middle of next week. Also agreed that Palin needs to do well tonight, but I don't think that she needs to knock everybody's socks off. I also don't think that the Palin pick is backfiring at all. If it were, the liberal media wouldn't be throwing the kitchen sink at her. Think about it: They're risking a backlash of sexism charges from millions of angry women. There's no way they do that unless they see Palin as a serious threat. IMO, it's going to come down to the debates, where McCain has an advantage over Obama and Biden has an advantage over Palin. They should be very interesting.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 12:47 PM) You say that like it's a threat that would work. Given that Obama and McCain were statistically tied for much of the summer, it seems to have already worked. My point was that, Palin or not, the Ayers and Wright issues give McCain the moral authority on the "judgement" issue.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 01:33 PM) I think McCain makes judgment an issue that doesn't necessarily work in his favor. I'd still play that card if I were McCain. If Obama tries to use Pail as an example of poor judgement, he'll get hit with a barrage of Ayers and Wright ads.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 12:28 PM) To be frank, many of Ron Paul's supporters really wouldn't have supported Ron Paul if they knew what he stood for to begin with. True dat. The overall ignorance of the general public is astounding.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 10:27 AM) At the end of the day I just hope 60 days is enough time to hammer on the fact that Obama clearly isn't fit to run this country. The problem is he's such a tremendous speaker that many Americans will ignore his record. I wouldn't necessarily say that he's "not fit," but I completely agree with your second point. If you're comfortable with a Euro-socialist in the Oval Office (as at least some people here are), that's fine. At least you're paying attention. But there are A LOT of people who are completely sucked into his cult of personality and aren't even listening to his platform. They don't realize that "hope" and "change" actually refer to "economic redistribution" and "a massive sell-off on Wall Street." Jesus, I know Ron Paul supporters who are now voting for Obama. I mean, WTF? Politically, Ron Paul is the freaking POLAR OPPOSITE of Obama. What in the hell kind of logic is that?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 10:08 AM) NO ONE has questioned Barack Obama about leaving two young children at home for extended periods of time. Why is it assumed that the wife has to raise the kids? And nobody in the MSM questioned the Clintons' ability to raise Chelsea back in the '90s, when Hillary had a VERY active role in Bill's Presidency.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 3, 2008 -> 10:04 AM) Even at the convention they are still hitting his experience though. I think that's a mistake, but it also underscores the fact that the Dem ticket is upside-down in terms of experience, so maybe that's their strategy. Pawlenty would've been a great choice in terms of ability, but let's be honest: McCain needed to inject some excitement into his campaign. With Obama's charisma and the MSM propping him up, I don't think that McCain would've done well with another mundane white guy on his ticket. Obama has been polling poorly with women over 40 all summer, and I'm sure that McCain's people saw that as an opportunity. It also helped that she's young (offsetting McCain's age), likeable, and shares a lot of McCain's core beliefs, particularly working with the other side.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Sep 2, 2008 -> 08:19 PM) Good game plan, poor execution. Condi would have been game.set.match. No way. Obama's campaign is predicated on the illusion that a McCain regime would be a third term of Bush/Cheney, and bringing in one of Bush's top people would've completely validated that criticism. McCain needed to reach as far away from Bush as he could. It's sad because, under different circumstances, I agree that Condi would've been an excellent choice. McCain also needed somebody who isn't a multi-millionaire, which is most likely why Romney didn't get the nod. As for Palin undercutting McCain's "experience" argument, I think that much of that argument died when Obama chose Biden. And it didn't work very well for Hillary, either. McCain will go after Obama on accomplishments, judgement, and his liberal voting record.

Nice! From what Ozzie was saying earlier, it sounded like he wouldn't be available until October.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 2, 2008 -> 01:10 PM) I am usually optimistic, but I will admit the urine is creeping down my leg as we speak. +1 Cautiously optimistic, but I don't have a good feeling about this month.