Palin/McCain Land at Lunken

The straight talk express flew into Cincinnati’s municipal airport this evening for a brief visit to the Queen City. Several thousand people crowded the hangar and adjoining tarmac, in order to hear from the candidates. The GOP loaded the back stage with office holders like Jean Schmidt, republican chair Alex Triantafilo, and Rob Portman to name a few. Portman also mc’ed the pep rally. Gretchen Wilson was the entertainment prior to the arrival of the candidates.

A coatless Cindy McCain, looking very cold in the 40-degree temperatures, warmed up the crowd and then introduced the Governor of Alaska, to thunderous applause and chanting. It was obvious from the response that the crowd was mainly there to see and hear their Sarah. She didn’t disappoint them, quickly jumping on the attack with her now familiar stump speech, crammed full of “gotcha” lines aimed squarely at Obama. She sprinkled the new and latest buzz words throughout her talk, switching socialist for terrorist, leaving out Bill Ayers, and accusing Obama of planning to raise taxes on everybody. She was sharp and to the point.

But I can’t say that about McCain.

He began okay, opening a notebook with a prepared script to keep him company along with the teleprompter. But he still managed to get lost within his words, constantly losing his place and repeating himself over and over, sometimes, obviously confusing his listeners. He retread the same attack territory previously trodden by his VP. He was very animated throughout. So animated, in fact, that I wondered if he was amped on something. He leaned heavily on his past history and reputation, as the man who acts and strikes quickly to solve problems. His delivery, along with being unusually hyper also smacked of desperation. Something I hadn’t seen earlier in the campaign.

He promised to cut taxes for everyone from the top, down, and told Cincinnatians that he could tell from the audience that he was in McCain country and that Ohio would make him president.

I was curious to see what fashionista Sarah was wearing today. It was dark and subtle, a suit that I’d seen her wear before. She’d peaked my curiosity because of all the talk the past couple of days about how much money the RNC had paid to buy her new clothes. She may talk and sound the way she thinks hockey moms talk, but she’s not dressing like one these days. As reported, yesterday, the republican national committee shelled out 150,000 dollars for a new wardrobe for her. That’s more than she makes as governor of Alaska. That’s not exactly a hockey mom’s budget. It’s not a Cindy McCain budget either, but close. Mrs. McCain routinely wears jackets that would pay for three or four of my house. But, then she can afford to dress like that, since daddy left her a 100-million dollars.

The republicans jumped all over John Edwards about his 400-dollar haircuts, but haven’t yet said a word about McCain’s 5000-dollar make up artist.

The thing that really got me though, was that the McCain campaign, in defending the cost of the wardrobe, said that it will be donated to charity after the election.....REALLY!? She just went to Nieman Marcus for the first time in her life, picked out some really, really nice, classy clothes, and they’re going to make her give it to charity? I don’t think so.

I mean, why lie about it? The pictures don’t lie...like many suddenly thrust into the spotlight people, Sarah has no taste...doesn’t know how to dress....she had to kick it up a notch....We Americans like our representatives and celebrities to look good, not tacky. Honestly, from what she was wearing as the mayor of Wasilla, she needs to find the negatives of those pictures and burn them.

In addition to a new wardrobe, she needs a speech and voice coach. Did you notice that she talked with no accent on Saturday Night Live last weekend? You betcha!

A Big Can of Whup-Ass

John McCain is telling folks he plans to kick Obama’s ass in Wednesday’s debate. Really? Doesn’t look like he can lift his leg that high off the ground.

McCain also promised a big new economic plan today....well, ain’t gonna happen...He’s changed his mind, again. His campaign leaked it on Saturday, then retracted the Politico.com report on Sunday.

I guess Johnny Mac thinks most of us don’t speak or read Spanish or listen to Spanish television....He gave a sit down to Univision over the weekend and tried to once again connect the dots between 9/11 and Iraq;

"No. We invaded a country that every intelligence agency said was developing weapons of mass destruction. Think of Saddam Hussein in power with oil at 100 dollars a barrel, and all that entails with his commitment which when after he was captured, he stated categorically that he would acquire weapons of mass destruction, and he would use them wherever he could. Now, Iraq--"

"But he had nothing to do with 9/11," the hosted interjected.

"He had a lot to do with invading his neighbor Kuwait, and we had to go to war and fight there," McCain replied. "He had a lot to do with using weapons of mass destruction, he used them previously, so there's no doubt about his commitment to get them."

Can we just vote now and get it over with?

One other thing that bugged me this weekend....McCain once again hiding behind his time as a POW, when defending himself against the statements of Congressman John Lewis. Lewis compared the feelings and attitudes generated at the McCain/Palin campaign rallies to those of George Wallace’s when Wallace was running for president. It was a very toxic time. I made another comparison earlier this week.

McCain said, or one of his flacks said, he was a POW when Wallace was doing his thing and shouldn’t be taken to task for the feelings that he stirred up in his campaign speeches, claiming he didn’t know about what was going on racially in America at the time.

Just more crap from McCain. He used that same line to defend his “no” vote against the MLK national holiday. But he wrote in his memoir that his captors used the civil rights movement to break his spirit...Now which is it? Did he know...or didn’t he know? Maybe he thinks some of us haven’t read his memoir.... Not surprising...McCain/Palin campaign like the browner complected citizens of this country don’t exist....

And for the record, Congressman Lewis spoke truth and should not apologize for anything he said. Critics should reread the statement.

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Caribou Barbie and the First Dude

I spent the weekend reading the Troopergate report which was a total waste of time. I should have just let Sarah tell me what was in it.

I thought the 263 pages said that Palin had abused the power of her office as governor of Alaska. But Mrs. Sarah said the “partisan” report showed she didn’t do anything wrong...maybe she didn’t do anything really criminal, but she violated state ethics laws. And as for that partisan claim...the investigative panel was made up of 8 republicans and 4 democrats....totally stacked in her favor, by my reckoning.

One of my problems with a Hillary Clinton presidency was the specter of Bill having too much power over his wife....Well....the first dude, according to the report, camped out in his wife’s office at her conference table with his own phone, and even summoned various government officials in to talk to them about firing his ex bro-in-law. The report said he took more actions than she did.

Doesn’t he have a job to go to? Or does his job exist in the same non existent place where the Palin kids attend school?

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First Baby Daddy

Levi Johnston spoke out today...says he and his baby mama Bristol are getting married in December and it was planned long, long, long before his soon to be mom in law was tapped for VP. No shotgun wedding this. I guess he wrote his myspace profile before he met and fell in love with his soon to be wife.

The report goes on to state that Johnston is a working man now in the oil fields. He’s dropped out of high school to prepare for taking care of his kid which is due on December 18th.

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Hockey Mom

Did she really get booed at the hockey game this weekend? I thought joe six pack loved drinking her bath water. Guess not.