www.nationalview.org and Note From a Madman brought to you by
for your Information Technology needs
owned and operated by Noah "The Madman" Greenberg
This Is What Democracy Looks Like
www.NationalView.org's Note From a Madman
September 3, 2008
Palin the Panderer
After listening to Sarah Palin's speech tonight, all can say is that she is the
perfect choice for those loyal to the Republican Party. She is just mean, and it
shows. Perhaps the way to win elections is the way the GOP run them - and they
do win them. But as far as running a nation, well, let's just say they leave
something to be desired.
Truth is a casualty when the GOP run for office, and Governor Palin is no
exception.
The following exchange came after a talking-head session hosted by NBC-MSNBC's
political expert Chuck Todd. As Todd was telling his viewers what was coming up
next, unsuspecting Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy were caught in the act of
"G-O-P-trayal" (GOP Betrayal) on an open microphone. For those of you who might
not know, Noonan is a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, owned by Fox News'
Rupert Murdoch, and was a primary speech writer and Special Assistant to
President Ronald Reagan; Murphy is a Republican talking head listed as a
"Republican Consultant". What you will read below is what real Republicans
really think:
MURPHY: I come out of a blue swing state governor world. (former Michigan
Governor John) Engler, (former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd) Whitman,
(former Wisconsin Governor) Tommy Thompson, (former Massachusetts Governor) Mitt
Romney and (former Florida Governor) Jeb Bush, and these guys - this is all like
'I want a Texas race' - run it up and - it's not going to work, but...
NOONAN: It's Over.
MURPHY: ...but McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech and do himself
some good.
(Third voice, nearly undistinguishable, possibly Todd's): ...Kay Bailey
Hutchinson...
NOONAN: I saw Kay this morning...
(Third Voice): She's never looked comfortable about this...
MURPHY: She's all bugged out.
(Third Voice): Is she the most qualified woman they could have picked?
NOONAN: Qualified? No! I think they went for this — excuse me — political
bullshit about narratives. Every time the Republicans do that, because that's
not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it."
MURPHY: Do you know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of
McCain is no cynicism... and this is cynical, and as you told me, "gimmicky".
"Gimmicky indeed. Certainly those who even have a passing interest in American
politics realize by now that the only reason that Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska
was chosen by John McCain as the second most qualified person to lead our nation
is because of the lesser intangibles she brings. Those intangibles are centered
around the wedge issue of morals and how they are perceived by one-issue voters,
with the help of Right-side manipulation
The names mentioned above were the choices McCain could have made. One has to
believe that any one of those former "Blue State Governor World" members would
have been a better choice than one-year Governor Palin.
Former New York City Mayor (and failed presidential challenger to McCain) Rudy
Giuliani believes that Palin's "experience" as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
qualifies her to run the nation. "America's Mayor" appeared as a McCain-Palin
ambassador on Good Morning America this morning. This is part of that interview:
GMA: If she were the president on 9/11, you would have been confident?
GIULIANI: I'd be confident that she'd be able to handle it. She's been a
governor of a state, she's been mayor of a city.
What a break that this guy (Rudy) didn't gain the GOP nod. No wonder why his own
children wouldn't vote for him.
What I noted during the time I watched the Republican National Convention last
night and tonight was the message of "Change" that the Republicans have been
trying to hijack from the Democrats. Senator Obama has been running as the
"Change Candidate" and the Republicans are so taken by it that they've attempted
to remake the career of John McCain in that light.
Talk about a poor-fitting suit! McCain was first elected to the US House of
Representatives in November, 1982 where he served two terms. He was elected to
the US Senate by the people of Arizona in 1986, taking the seat of another
former GOP presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater. Although called "The
Maverick" by some who focus on his earlier days rather than these George W. Bush
years, McCain has voted with the current administration 95 percent of the time.
his rating as with the American Conservative Union in 2007 was a staggering 80
(out of 100) - and that was with missing 14 of 25 measured votes. During that
year, McCain only voted against President Bush one time. he has an 82.16
lifetime rating by the ACU.
And in his Vice Presidential choice, he has chosen a woman who apparently lacks
complete understanding about the rest of the nation. Not only is she a mystery
to those in the media like Noonan and Murphy, she is a mystery to McCain and his
staff as well.
There are women in the Republican party who might have fit the McCain bill AND
have some kind of understanding about how our nation works. The state of Maine
alone has two Republican US Senators in Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Both
have experience and both are moderate and real mavericks as shown in their
voting records: Both have around a 50 percent rating from the ACU for their
lifetime votes and have had their ratings go down as they voted against many bad
Bush policies.
But that wasn't good enough for McCain.
John McCain must feel that in order to win this election, he needed a woman who
would insult the feelings of most Amrican women and embrace the policies which
they have fought against since our nation was founded; policies which they are
still fighting against today! And that says something about
"The-Candidate-Formerly-Known-as-the-Maverick".
The things Palin says that keep coming out are astonishing. Just yesterday we
reported the undisputed fact that Palin spoke at the Alaska Independence Party's
1994 Convention. For those of you who might have missed it, the AIP advocate and
exist for Alaska's succession from the US and its taking over the oil fields
which reside on that land.
Palin the Panderer knows no limits. And to that end, it was reported today that
she is not only a supporter of the Bush war for oil in Iraq, but deems it as a
Crusade In remarks made to ministry students at her former church, Palin made
the following statement:
"Our national leaders are sending them (our soldiers to Iraq) out on a task that
is from God,"
-Palin
And if that weren't enough, her pandering to Big Oil and the millions of dollars
they can contribute to her campaign coffers had her asking those ministry
student to pray for those very same companies stating that a $30 billion gas
pipeline is "God's will."
"God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line
built, so pray for that,"
-Palin
Each and every political candidate has to do their fair share of pandering and
butt-kissing. It's just a part of the game. But the choice of Palin, and Palin
herself, has been nothing but pandering for votes. It's the same 50 percent plus
one strategy which George Bush used in gaining the White House (although he
didn't get the 50 percent part done in 2000). The ideas is to solidify the base
(in this case, the Religious Right, not the true McBush "base of haves and have
mores who will benefit in the short and long run) and just win. After that the
plan is to keep them scared, on the edge of their seats and truly afraid of any
"Change" whatsoever.
And that lack of "change", as they misuse the word, is what they're attempting
to hijack.
When Sarah Palin said tonight she will be "honored to accept your nomination for
Vice President of the United States", shouldn't she have thought about it for a
minute or two? Surely not even she believes that she's the most qualified person
for that job.
-Noah Greenberg
The "P" in "POW" Doesn't Stand for
"President"
Now, being a POW doesn't qualify anyone to be president, but it does reveal
character,"
-Fred Thompson speaking at the Republican National Convention
"I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a
qualification to be president,"
-Former General and NATO Commander Wesley Clark On CBS' Face the Nation
Didn’t Thompson say in his speech the same thing Gen. Clark said? Clark said
being stuck in a cell does not qualify you for president. They applaud Thompson
and skewer Clark. The Republicans are a treat.
-Keith A. Dewey
On Off-Shore Drilling
I read Madman on occasion and know you support drilling. I think your readers
should know that this is just another sham of the right wing corporate issues
machine and will do little to solve the problem. This article reveals some
important facts.
From: Dean Baker, Truthout: "A month ago, I wrote a column saying that John
McCain wants to drill in your toilet. I was joking at the time, but that comment
turned out to be pretty much accurate. The Republicans' top slogan going into
the fall elections is 'drill here, drill now.' It all depends on your definition
of 'here.' There is very little oil potentially available in the areas in which
the Republicans are anxious to drill here and now. The Energy Information Agency
(EIA) - remember, these people work for President Bush - tells us that the oil
in the offshore protected areas will eventually add about 0.2 percent to world's
oil output. This would be sufficient to lower the price of gas by 3-4 cents a
gallon."
-Arthur Cheliotes, President, Local 1180
In
response, Madman writes:
I don't necessarily support drilling - my support for drilling comes only after
these conditions have been met:
1) Begin drilling on land that has already been leased - Why some major opponent
in the House or Senate hasn't come out with a map and dots representing all of
the areas Big Oil has already leased is beyond me. Certainly it would make for a
good presentation by the Democrats who are, by and large, correct on the issue
2) Truly begin funding alternative fuels, not just as a concept but for
production
3) Force Big Oil to offer alternative fuels at their gas stations - This would
create an environment which would force auto manufacturers hand and make them
begin building cars that take alternative fuels. Combined with the idea of the
plug-in hybrid, one could also argue that these stations should offer, for
profit, electricity for these cars (some of which are going to make their debut
in 2010).
4) Begin offering real cash incentives for those of us who would put solar
panels on our homes (including me) and promote it - make sure that we know it
exists and that it's accessible
5) REAL CAFÉ standards of 30, then 40, then 50 MPG over the next seven years
I realize that off shore drilling doesn't mean a thing for at least ten years.
Much like other bull-issues on the Right, they are using off shore drilling as a
wedge issue. We've seen them do it with religion, sex, gay marriage, immigration
and many other issues which take the real focus off making our nation as it once
was not so ling ago: Great. -NG
More on Palin
Less than two years experience as governor; no foreign policy experience;
membership in the Alaska Independence Party which can easily be described as
unpatriotic; big earmark grabber for her home town and Alaska; probable use of
political influence in firing law enforcement employees; woman who decided to
have five children, yet may be lacking in the typical definition the NeoCons
have of family values (since she has three teenagers, one pregnant and another
just thirteen, with a seven year old and an infant) while she has chosen to take
on the responsibility of being VP and possibly President (over the role of being
a mother and who knows, she might even decide to have another child) - I hope
this beauty queen, cheerleader, hockey mom doesn't fool the American people!
Think eight years of Bush was bad, with either McCain or her we "ain't seen
nothing yet!" Oh and Hillary Clinton female supporters voting for her - what a
joke!
-Denise
Even More on Palin
I have been reading about Sarah Palin. This is truly an incredibly poor choice.
Besides being ethically challenged as in Trooper gate where she used her
political influence in a police matter, she is a religious right extremist. She
believes that creationism should be taught in schools. She tried to ban books
from a public library while mayor of a small town.
Now, I just read this: Her church holds extreme evangelical points of view that
preach all Jewish people must convert to evangelical Christianity. Here's the
link.
Palin in Her Church's Pews When Jews for Jesus Founder Spoke - Two Weeks Ago
-http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/3/10452/19058/669/584124
-Robert Scardapane
Send your comments to: NationalView@aol.com
-Noah Greenberg