Completely Unnecessary

Troopergate investigation finds ‘duh‘:

Gov. Sarah Palin abused the powers of her office by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, an investigation by the Alaska Legislature has concluded. The inquiry found, however, that she was within her right to dismiss her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, who was the trooper’s boss.

Meanwhile, more and more stories are coming in about the whipping up going on at McCain/Palin events - some of it bordering on race-baiting. In one particularly disturbing incident:

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.”

Megan at Jezebel has a good rundown (with link list at the bottom), so I won’t list them all here.

McCain and Palin have not discouraged this behavior from their supporters. Instead Obama’s campaign got the blame today:

McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers adds in another statement: “Barack Obama’s attacks on Americans who support John McCain reveal far more about him than they do about John McCain. It is clear that Barack Obama just doesn’t understand regular people and the issues they care about. He dismisses hardworking middle class Americans as clinging to guns and religion, while at the same time attacking average Americans at McCain rallies who are angry at Washington, Wall Street and the status quo.”

I’m not even sure that ‘irresponsible’ can describe this behavior (and the dog-whistle response). John McCain used to be better than this. He’s the head of his party and an authority figure; failure to denounce it is tantamount to endorsement.

If someone gets hurt - and I’m thinking most the media people at these events - it will be on McCain’s shoulders.

Vaguely Related

• Navigating the Sarah Palin Daughter Pregnancy Scandal
• Legitimate Concern on Palin

There are 25 days left in the race, and - barring the mother of all October surprises - the electoral map looks as though it’s becoming nearly impossible for McCain.

West Virginia is in play, for god’s sake.

Nearly every pollster, including right-leaning, has Obama above the 270 threshold. Many have him well into the 300s.

The angry tenor of McCain/Palin rallies has garnered the attention of the Secret Service. Today the cable channels ran with video of McCain having to grab the mic back from Minnesota supporter who called Obama ‘an arab’. This also happened:

When a man told him he was “scared” of an Obama presidency, Mr. McCain replied, “I want to be president of the United States and obviously I do not want Senator Obama to be, but I have to tell you — I have to tell you — he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States.” The crowd booed loudly at Mr. McCain’s response.

The campaign is way off on its tone. Average people - notably the independents and right-leaning Dems McCain needs to pull - don’t want ranting crowds with pitchforks.

How can we tell? Well, Norm Coleman senate race is a fair indicator.

Coleman (R-MN) has seen his solid lead over Al Franken collapse in the last few days. Coleman’s response? Get as far away from the McCain strategy as possible. He’s stopped running all negative ads in the ‘nice’ state. [Update: Coleman also pulled out of a planned appearance with McCain.]

The question now becomes how many will McCain drag down with him. Minnesota voters no doubt got footage of that nasty rally on all channels tonight. Coleman’s move clearly indicates his desire to seperate himself from the kind of negativity that’s now associated with the top of his ticket.

It might not work.

Senate races all over the country that have no business being in play are up for grabs. Coleman’s seat was always going to face a strong challenge, but Georgia?

Saxby Chambliss might actual lose his seat to Jim Martin. And last night’s debate appears not to have gone well for the incumbent.

If you’re a returning reader your likely question is (as always), ‘What’s the point of all this?’

If McCain looks like he’s going to go down hard, the RNC is likely to use its money to staunch the bleeding in Senate and House races. If you’re thinking about making a political donation, it might be time to think about at least splitting your donation between Obama and some seat races.

Some choices:

• Al Franken in Minnesota
• Kay Hagen in North Carolina
• Jeff Merkley in Oregon
• Jim Martin in Georgia
• Ronnie Musgrove in Mississippi (B)
• hell, even Mitch McConnell’s seat might be within reach - Bruce Lunsford in Kentucky

Putting money into House races also stretches your contribution dollar (though donations to Obama invariably help candidates downticket as well).

60 in the Senate seemed unthinkable even just a short time ago. Despite my general advocacy of divided government, it’s hard to look at that number and not try to reach for it.

Vaguely Related

• Legitimate Concern on Palin
• Stevens Loses Senate Seat

Hi both. I was teaching during the debate today and have an appointment now, so I’m furiously trying to watch part of the debate before I go.

I cannot tell you how much this is killing me.

Update: 7pm - Sigh. I’m still watching. I’m not going to bother commenting much, though, since it seems like everyone - including The Weekly Standard - is calling it for Obama.

It is - as many have pointed out - kinda boring. McCain didn’t totally explode (though he did call Obama ‘that one’) and Obama didn’t smack someone in the audience (though there was a lot of smirking when Obama was talking). McCain needed something awesome to happen. It didn’t.

If you want to fact check the debate - the NYT has an article up. You can also check out FactCheck.org or Politifact who will have more detailed comments up tomorrow, presumably. CQ Politics also has some bests/worsts/mosts.

Ugg, I just watched McCain make a ‘joke’. His awkward laugh makes me so nervous every time. I pray that someone chuckles with him just for pity’s sake.

Vaguely Related

• Last Debate Liveblog
• First Debate Liveblog

David Brooks weighs in on Palin’s debating techniques, and - as another testament to my studious work avoidance - I read his column.

Palin did great(ish), etc. Until:

With a bemused smile and a never-ending flow of words, she laid out her place on the ticket — as the fearless neighbor for the heartland bemused by the idiocies of Washington. Her perpetual smile served as foil to Biden’s senatorial seriousness.

I always have to look up ‘bemused’. I’m convinced that it should mean ‘vaguely confused amusement’, and fully expect that one day it will magically appear in the dictionary as such. So I keep looking.

Luckily, double clicking on any word on nyt.com brings up a definition of that word. So that’s how I know that, according to Brooks’ publication, Palin was:

So lost in thought as to be unaware of one’s surroundings: absent, absent-minded, abstracted, distrait, faraway, inattentive, preoccupied. Idioms: a million miles away. See ability/inability, awareness/unawareness.

Man, I agree with everyone these days!

Brooks goes on to ask, “Where was this woman was during her interview with Katie Couric?” Yes, because the antidote to ’senatorial seriousness’ is definitely what need on the Republican ticket - again.

And, finally, I can’t believe you’re going to make me go there, but all right:

…Palin broke no new ground, though she toured the landscape of McCain policy positions with surprising fluency… She was surprisingly forceful on the subject of Iran (pronouncing Ahmadinejad better than her running mate)…

If we’re really using pronunciation as the barometer of foreign policy depth, then her ‘mispronunciation’ of General McKiernan as “McClellan” certainly doesn’t bode well.

I mean, I don’t think it matters, but clearly Brooks must be worried about our policy in Afghanistan under a McCain/Palin Administration.

Dude, she can call Ahmadinejad ‘Joe SixPack’ for all I care, so long as she demonstrates an actual understanding of the world and its issues.

But - despite her folksy charm and well-rehearsed answers (and excellent pronunciation of words not ending in ‘g’) - that understanding is something she clearly lacks.

Vaguely Related

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• Privacy and Publicity at the GOP Convention

Cathy rightly points out that Palin’s mic capture as she walked out on stage now totally makes sense.

The first thing she said was, “Can I call you Joe?” It must have been the set up for the ‘Say it ain’t so, Joe” line. Her handlers must have told her to ask so she wouldn’t sound insolent later.

Gawker is right to call that moment her ‘failed cute’ - as she tried to mix Black Sox baseball, Reagan and goshdearnitdagnabit. It’s clear that the thing was planned…. and then poorly-executed.

Oh yeah, and followed by a reference to Joe Biden’s wife going to Heaven. His second wife, of course. Ouch - way to not know anything about your opponent; I don’t think she’d be that crass.

Postscript - from the States (and deep into the scotch), Avi notes that ‘this election is a referendum on the collective intellect of America, for the rest of the world.’

Too true.

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• This Week’s Historical and Vice Presidental Detritus
• The Toxic Mess on Main Street - The VP Debate

It’s affecting Wall Street.

What?

Well that was… interesting.

The one moment that really stood out - except for the Wall Street thing and the ‘our freedoms!’ - was Biden choking up talking about his son. It was the one moment of the debate that really seemed true and not prepared.

Speaking of prepared, you could really tell when Palin switched onto her talking points. Which was most of the time.

I loved her answer about whether or not John McCain supported what Obama and Biden want to do with home loans. She quickly said ‘no’ and then moved on to energy policy. I get the feeling she had no idea what McCain does or does not think about that plan.

She looked terrified at first, but held onto the third act of the debate pretty well. Joe Biden occasionally looked like he wanted to reach over and put his hands on her (and not in a sexy way), but - aside from one loud intake of breath and a ‘whaaa’ face during her answer about the surge strategy in Afghanistan - he kept it under control.

There’s an art to deflecting the question and answering what you wished you were asked, but Palin’s not very good at it. It’s supposed to be subtle, so that you don’t notice. Palin’s gear changes are not smooth - she more or less just blinked at the housing question and then launched into energy policy. I had my own ‘waaaa?’ face.

Gwen Ifill was maybe a little nervous about that whole book thing and accusations of bias on her part. She really didn’t follow up on a lot of questions or, for instance, make Sarah Palin actually answer what she was asked. I expected Ifill to be tougher. Oh well.

As for the closing arguments - erhm, what was that from Palin? She did such a good job of memorizing her talking points and then the close was… weird. I guess it’s because she really gave her close in the question before, but… oh look, whatever, Obama’s gonna win.

Oh yeah, I also really liked when she said, “John McCain’s the man we need to leave… lead.” I completely agree with the first part of that sentiment.

Vaguely Related

• Brooks on Palin’s Debate Performance
• Say It Ain’t So, Joe

Apparently John McCain has pulled out of Michigan - stopping both his TV and direct mail campaigns.

Michigan is still in the toss-up category on a lot of electoral sites, but I guess McCain’s internals show it a bit differently. 17 electoral votes is a lot concede with a month until the election. The morale inside the McCain camp must be terrible.

I’ve been playing with different scenarios that put Michigan in the red column, so it’s nice to know I don’t have to do that anymore.

No debate liveblog today - probably. (Dry your eyes). I’m out to the burbs for some pay tv action - no staid, informative SBS debate wrap up for me! No sir, I’m watching Wolf in all his glory. My debate day will have Beard!

To occupy yourself in the absence of my nonsense - try Palin Bingo.

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• An Ode to Lieberman

I’ve read a couple people over the last couple days talking about how Sarah Palin’s tragicomic interview with CBS’ Katie Couric last week might have been some sort of West Wing expectations-lowering stunt.

Having finally gotten around to watching the complete second half (foreign policy), it just can’t be the case. Sara has a couple of great YouTube videos of the interview/debacle. The one in which she discusses Israel (number two in LMS Brightside’s clips) is really the most frightening (and getting less play than the Russia nonsense).

While watching Palin stutter through her mishmash of talking points is grimace-inducing, reading the words is actually horrific. There’s no way that this was intentional; it is nonsensical:

PALIN: That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the—it’s got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

As noted by Fareed Zakaria, ‘This is nonsense—a vapid emptying out of every catchphrase about economics that came into her head.’

The transcript reads like a slot machine - a question is asked and you get two oranges and a lemon.

Leo’s fumbling on the West Wing was a) fictional and b) behind the scenes and leaked. There is no way that the McCain campaign sent her out there to deliver that nearly unmitigated disaster.

Given her performance in the controlled environment of the interview and against Couric’s not terribly abrasive interviewing style, I don’t know that setting expectations too low is something the Democrats or Republicans can achieve.

Perhaps she’ll come flying out of the gate, but my anticipation for the veep debate is turning into creeping terror for Palin. I guess schadenfreude overdose is one way to change the tone of the campaign.

By the way, if you want to Interview Palin yourself, it’s not much different.

Oh, and boo to the LA Times Style Section.

Vaguely Related

• McCain Out of Michigan
• The Toxic Mess on Main Street - The VP Debate

With the presidential election looming and the economy ending, it can be easy to forget that there are other decaying structures in the US.

While Attorney General Mukasey refused last month to prosecute DOJ officials (namely, Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson) for the politicized hiring of career employees, the investigation into the firings of US Attorneys will get some legs.

The internal Justice Dept review of the affair just produced a 356-page report on the “fundamentally flawed” system of hiring and firing of US Attorneys.

But the year of Administration stiff-arming “produced significant “gaps” in [the investigation's] understanding of the events”.

As a result, Mukasey has appointed the Acting Connecticut US Attorney, Nora Dannehy, to continue where the internal investigation left off.

I would quote parts of the article, but it’s really just worth reading in its entirety.

Rove, Miers and Goodling refused to be interviewed. There’s pretty much no question that Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Heather A. Wilson (R-NM-1) got US Attorney David Iglesias fired. Alberto Gonzales was “remarkably unengaged”. Etc, etc.

Vaguely Related

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Re: Mudflats comes word that the McCain campaign might be pondering pre-election nuptials for unlucky Alaskan teens, Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston.

What’s more compelling, after all, than a (nearly in the) White House wedding? John McCain’s running mate’s daughter getting married totes makes him my presidential pick!

(But, oh man, remember how crazy Elie Bartlet’s wedding was? Oh, the guest list! And poor Will Bailey!)

Regardless, the McCain campaign should absolutely devote time, money and resources to yet another insane political stunt.

How will we be asked to discuss the wedding, should it occur? Let me guess:

• Happy happy = okay;
• Discussion of the cynical use of Palin’s daughter again = sexist.

McCain is going to lose this election for the exact same reason that Hillary Clinton did - blind loyalty to people who have led them astray. In McCain’s case, however, he’s so far off the garden path that it’s barely even amusing anymore.

This campaign is going to go down in history as remarkably inept and shockingly absurd. Michael Dukakis must be so freaking relieved.

Holy crap - those poor kids.

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