Oh No He Didn't!

I think this is probably the first time that the Obama campaign has explicitly (though wordlessly) called into question McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as VP nominee.

Full post and comments here...

From Russia With Love

Co-worker Mike sent this along to me.



Disclaimer: I cannot verify that these guys are actually Russian, but they rock that mullet-action with such pride it's hard to expect otherwise. Full post and comments here...

SNL Just Dropped It Like It's Hot

Gov. Palin was in last night's funniest sketch...and had very little to do with it.

Yo! Spin that ish!

Full post and comments here...

RE: You Wanna Know...

It appears John McCain does actually pay attention to the "liberal, elite media" that's been rebuking his ear-splitting silence while his fired-up supporters bellow epithets and falsehoods at and about Barack Obama.

Ana Marie Cox describes the revamped McCain response in her recent blog on TIME's Swampland. Here's an excerpt:

Indeed, he just snatched the microphone out the hands of a woman who began her question with, "I'm scared of Barack Obama... he's an Arab terrorist..."

"No, no ma'am," he interrupted. "He's a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements."

Let's hope Gov. Palin gets the "Respect in the Workplace" memo this time. Still, too little too late?

UPDATE: Here's a video montage of the encounters described above...

Full post and comments here...

You Wanna Know What's REALLY Frightening, Mr. McCain?

There is no doubt that there are feisty Obama supporters who have made and probably will continue to make offensive comments about Palin and McCain. Still, the responses of some of these Republicans to the question, "Is Obama a terrorist?" is actually quite saddening.




And where was McCain's leadership and respect for his opponent during this speech in New Mexico?



We even witnessed this type of acquiesence during the primaries when McCain was asked an unthinkable question about Sen. Clinton - and gave an even more unbelievable response (viewer discretion is advised)...



Did you catch that at the end there? "I respect Senator Clinton. I respect anyone who gets the nomination of the Democrat party." My jaw dropped when I saw this for the first time (and I don't like Clinton at all after the debacle that was the Democratic primary).

And then today one of the McCain camp co-chairs, Frank Keating (no relation...I think) made these comments on Dennis Miller's radio show (listen to the audio here):

Well, and that's what concerns me, Dennis, because when I was in the State Senate and statehouse of my state, if someone had voted against the entire state budget because it had too much money for corrections, all of us would have, you know, strained our necks to find out who is this because that would have been a very extreme position, basically saying to a law enforcement officer as I was or my son was a state trooper, "you know, you make an arrest, you risk your life, for nothing" because we're going to make sure that person doesn't go to prison even though the laws of the state require it. So, that puzzles me. Just he ought to admit, "you know, I've got to be honest with you. I was a guy of the street. I was way to the left. I used cocaine. I voted liberally, but I'm back at the center." I mean, I understand the big picture of America. But he hasn't done that...

I'm sorry... "I was a guy of the street"?!?!? What the hell is this guy implying?

Look, there are concerns that the newest line of attack that the McCain campaign is taking against Barack Obama is not only inappropriate and blind to the current economic crisis (the Dow closed under 9,000 points), but it may actually be very dangerous. There are some truly unstable people out there who feed off of this type of fiery, unsubstantiated rhetoric and who might not think twice about taking action against a "Muslim, terrorist sympathizer."

John McCain and his campaign have sunk to lows that no one would have expected of him, and I honestly don't think he believes much of what he's saying about Obama. I think he wants to win, and I think he's surrounded himself with people who want to win and are willing to do so at a high price. The extent to which they will go to win, however, is approaching a line that McCain should be very careful about crossing. He would do well to renounce and rebuke patently false assertions, calm his supporters down, and bring the focus back to the economy and the war and the other issues that most of America cares deeply about. Full post and comments here...

They Must Windex Their Walls

I think the old saying goes, "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones."

The McCain campaign has made the peculiar decision to avoid dealing with the pressing issue of our slowing economy and its causes and effects both at home and abroad; instead, they'd like to make undecided voters afraid of Barack Obama. Ooooooh. Their present angle in this effort is to send good ol' Sarah Palin out on the stump with a speech chock full of hum-dingers aimed at tying Obama to William Ayers, the former domestic terrorist.

I think most reasonably unbiased news organizations have spent time investigating the link between Obama and Ayers and it's become pretty apparent that there is no evidence to support Palin's claims of the two of them "palling around" or even being close at all. Furthermore, Obama has gone out of his way time and time again waaaay back during the primaries (when all of this was actually relevant to the national discussion) to strongly denounce Ayers actions. Now, I do think it is completely reasonable to ask Obama and his campaign surrogates whether it was wise to continue serving on a charitable board with Ayers, knowing his past, as Mark Halperin did of one of Obama's senior advisors. But to belabor the point, as the McCain camp is doing, instead of dealing with the most important issue for the vast majority of voters is excessive and hopefully fruitless.

But here's what's really annoying. Some of the folks the McCain camp has sent out on the warpath to call Obama's judgment (and at times his patriotism) into question don't make a lick of sense. Number 2 on the list is former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose own track record of picking upstanding public servants of integrity was called into question in a pretty high profile way: (as Robert Gibbs pointed out on Fox the other day).

And of course, sitting at the top of the list is my favorite person in the race: Sarah Palin. "What?!" you exclaim, "What in the world could Sarah Palin be hiding/downplaying that could possibly be more damning than the tenuous-at-best relationship between Obama and Ayers???"



It's one thing to sit on a board with someone and it's a very different thing to be married to someone, supported by their cohorts, and delighted with their anti-US party. And I quote:

I am delighted to welcome you to the 2008 Alaskan Independence Party Convention... We have a great promise to be a self-sufficient state... Keep up the good work and God bless you. [emphasis added]

So if it's a bad idea to throw stones, how much worse is it to hurl flaming boulders of ire and hypocrisy?

UPDATE: Less damning but just as indicative of the senselessness of this whole political approach is this article on McCain's link to a certain guy we've heard a lot about lately... Full post and comments here...

Coming To A Theater Near You...

I think Matt Damon would be pleased with this treatment of his movie idea.



Look at it this way - it couldn't be worse than "Head of State" with Chris Rock. He should really stop doing movies.

Really...

UPDATE: If you can't view the video above, you can watch it online here.
Full post and comments here...

SNL Writers Take The Week Off...

On last week's Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey took a different approach in her impersonation of Gov. Sarah Palin. The first time Fey played Palin she created a caricature that got major laughs and was clearly a big hit. This time, Fey decided she'd try and present Palin...in her own words. Keith Olbermann (that socialist leftist MSNBC...ist) provides a side-by-side comparison below...



Yeah...this is worth sending to you friends. Full post and comments here...

Hypocrisy?

I wanted to wait a few days before this post to make sure all (five) of you had an opportunity to read through the four post-debate posts I put up on Saturday. Ironically, that one was just a teaser for the grudge match coming up this Thursday. I will be watching that one with bated breath (as will the SNL writers, if last week's Palin bit was any indication).

This week, it appears the McCain camp is looking to share the title of "hypocrite" around a bit. Here's one of their newest ads...



So, of course, my Spidey sense told me something was amiss with that clip. Like, maybe they were TAKING OBAMA'S WORDS OUT OF CONTEXT???? A little Google investigation and I found this site that provides context around the McCain edit. Here's what Obama actually said:

I have said it before and I’ll say it again: we need to pass, after this immediate crisis is over, an economic stimulus plan. Right now. For working families – a plan that will help folks cope with rising food and gas prices, that can save one million jobs by rebuilding our schools and our roads, and help states and cities avoid budget cuts and tax increases. A plan that would extend expiring unemployment benefits. For those Americans who have lost their jobs and have been working hard to find a new one, but haven’t found one yet. That’s part of the change we need. And then after this immediate problem, we’ve got the long-term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows. Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses that deserve it. As president I am going to eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups. That’s how we’ll grow our economy and create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

It's not even a nice try, McCain. I understand that campaigns will take statements by the candidates and their surrogates out of context for the point of trying to undermine the opponent's position (the linked site mentions an Obama ad that pulls a similar stunt), but to go so far as to call Obama a hypocrite when McCain completely switched positions on the state of the economy 4 times in as many days is just despicable.

Speaking of hypocritical statements, here's another clip of Palin with Katie Couric...



Is it just me, or did she just succinctly present an argument to vote for Obama ("fresh face", new ideas) over McCain (20+ years of experience)!?!? You know, I'm starting to suspect that there may be something wrong with her - like, medically wrong. She seems to be missing some neurological filter or delay mechanism that allows her brain to review what she's saying before she says it. How else would it be possible for her to make an obvious joke about how old Biden is without turning the top of her ticket into collateral damage?! Geez...

UPDATE: TIME's Amy Sullivan had this to say about Palin's comments:

Okay. Shelving for the moment the question of whether age should be fair game in politics and setting aside the fact that if you read Palin's statement above she could easily be talking about either Biden or McCain... Does it make sense to frame the election as a choice between experience and change when your running mate is the old Washington hand taking on the young new upstart? (And McCain, by the way, is 25 years older than Obama, while Biden has 21 years on Palin.)

If she's using this line on the stump, this isn't Palin going off the reservation. But I'll be darned if I can see the point of it. Maybe there are voters out there willing to support the GOP ticket because they value newness over experience when it comes to Palin but not with Obama. I'm not sure all three of them will swing the election, though.

Full post and comments here...

RE: I Can See Russia From My House!

Can you hear that? If you're quiet, and you listen very closely, you can hear the chorus of voices starting to call for Gov. Sarah Palin to step down from the Republican ticket. Now, anyone (of the 4 of you) who read this blog know that I won't soon be mistaken for a Palin fan. But I thought all of the speculation and fringe calls for her removal from the ticket were a little much - primarily because most of the grumbling was coming from Democrats who weren't happy about her effect on waning right-wing enthusiasm. But now that she's started to give interviews so we can hear what she has to say off-prompter there appear to be more and more conservative political minds who have come to realize that she may do more damage than good to their cause.

The latest voice is that of Kathleen Parker (apparently a big name amongst Repubs) whose analysis of Palin's recent performance is downright scathing. Here's an excerpt:

“If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself," Parker also writes. "If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true."

“Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves," Parker writes. "She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country."

Ouch. Full post and comments here...

I Can See Russia From My House!

Seriously? Seriously???

The economy:



Foreign policy:



You've GOT to be kidding.

UPDATE: Lydia has confirmed that she never actually said she could see Russia "from her house"; rather, she indicated that it could be viewed from "here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."

I stand corrected. She's still clueless.

UPDATE 2: The quote, "I can see Russia from my house!" comes from the SNL sketch with Tina Fey (the video is in an earlier post). I knew I'd heard it somewhere before! Full post and comments here...

RE: Troopergate 2008

Just happened upon this article in TIME magazine about Gov. Palin's renewed interest in cooperating with the investigation. It appears that her new-found desire for transparency and openness isn't quite what it seems. Here's an excerpt:

Palin won't actually cooperate with the original investigation — the one approved unanimously by a majority Republican committee in the state legislature this summer, which Palin welcomed in a spirit of transparency and accountability before she became the Republican Party's vice-presidential nominee. The Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee had started the inquiry when former public safety commissioner Walt Monegan alleged that he might have been dismissed for not firing the allegedly loutish state trooper Mike Wooten, who was in a bitter custody battle with Palin's sister Molly McCann and was accused of threatening members of the governor's family. The investigation has since been painted by John McCain and Palin backers as a purely partisan exercise, particularly because the committee chair, state senator Hollis French, is an Anchorage Democrat who made several seemingly prejudicial statements to the media early on, including that the probe could yield an "October surprise" right before the election...

Instead, Palin plans to cooperate with an investigator from the state personnel board. That investigator is a Democrat, but the board's three members are political appointees who ultimately answer to the governor herself. (One was appointed by Palin, the other two by her predecessor.) They got involved only after Palin took the unusual step of filing an ethics complaint against herself in early September to spark an investigation that her lawyers hoped would overshadow — and effectively kill — the legislature's inquiry.

The article goes on to talk about how Alaskans are a bit put off by Palin's sudden hesitance to expose the truth in this matter. It appears she, like McCain, was all straight-talk until she entered the race:

Many Alaskans have sympathy for the anxiety and frustration the Palins felt over Wooten's continued employment. In Anchorage, I've heard time and again that Palin could have avoided further scrutiny with a single convivial mea culpa at the outset, apologizing in particular for her initial inaccurate denial that anyone in her administration, including herself, had contacted Monegan about Wooten. Something that simple would have defanged any investigation, and signaled to Alaskans that even as the Vice Presidential nominee, she would still be the same supposedly straight-talking Sarah they voted for overwhelmingly.

Ha! As if the GOP apologizes for anything (like, say, a war we never should have started). Full post and comments here...

The Hypocritic Oath

So I was tooling around on the National Review website (that's right - I try to see what's happening on both sides) and found a link to an email from a Fox producer concerning some recent event turnout numbers.

From: Oinounou, Mosheh
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 3:04 PM
To:
Editorial
Subject: Re: Obama @ Green Bay speech

This may be the first time during this campaign that McCain beat Obama at attendance since it is one of those rare occasions where they used the same facility in a matter of days.

McCain and Palin easily pulled between 10,500 and 11K at the Resch Center at their joint rally last Thursday night. Per Bonney’s reporting–it appears Obama pulled in 6K–a little more than half of the GOP rally.
——————-
Mosheh Oinounou
Producer, Fox News Channel

I read somewhere else that Palin spoke in front of a crowd of 60,000 people in Florida today.

Mmk...let's make sure we've got all of our ducks in a row on this one.

Obama: Young + Soaring Rhetoric + Moderate Experience + Huge Crowds = Rock star, out-of-touch, celebrity phony

Palin: Young + Sassy Style + Moderate Experience + Huge Crowds = The best hope for America

Well there's the problem: Obama needs to up his sass. Give me a break! I guess it was inevitable given how much press she's been getting and how excited the reds are about their ticket, but c'mon. At least make some half-respectable attempt to be kind of consistent. You can't mock Obama for his crowds yesterday and then tout the size of your crowds today.

What am I saying? It certainly appears you can.

Full post and comments here...

I Oughta "Organize" You Right In Your "Community"

OK, here's a little refresher video...



And here we have Obama and McCain responding...



And finally a clip from Gov. Palin's recent interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News (thanks to Ben for helping me get the embed code)...



Let me be clear. For all of the wonderful things about them, McCain and Palin are convinced that they exist on an intellectual plane somewhere north of logic. I've discussed the unnecessary shots below the belt the McCain camp has made regarding the "Lipstick" and "Sex Ed for Kindergartners" fake controversies in previous posts. And for those I can understand why there is room for argument, did he or didn't he, back and forth political maneuvering to sway public opinion instead of present actual fact.

But these digs on helping communities as an organizer is frankly beyond the pale. Where in the world do McCain and Palin get the cojones to boldly ignore the gross inconsistencies in their statements? From whence comes the abounding gumption and wherewithal that lead McCain to justify the denigrations made Palin and Guiliani and, in the same sitting, actually claim that "he thinks it's very honorable" that Obama was a communitiy organizer? Give me a break! I think they may have lost some votes.

And Palin....ooooh, she is getting on my last nerve. With the smug, pretentious air of "sass" that we've come to know and expect from her, she confesses to Hannity

Oh, I certainly didn't mean to hurt his feeling. Didn't mean to offend any community organizers either - I have respect for those who have chosen public service...

I'm sorry, what was the line again?

A small town mayor is...sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities. [emphasis added]

I see her point. Obviously the new, hip way to compliment someone is to insult them. Why, just the other day I expressed my respect and admiration for my coworker by calling him a "fat-cat yes-man who has never had an original thought." Funny, he didn't seem to get my meaning either... Full post and comments here...

Troopergate 2008

And yeah, I like to rhyme. I do it all the time.

So I just happened to stumble on an interesting opinion article in the Anchorage Daily News written by a "conservative" radio host in Alaska. The commentary obviously concerns the recent subpoenas in the investigation of whether Sarah Palin, in her position as governor, wrongly fired former commissioner of public safety Walter Monegan. I haven't been following this particular issue very closely because all politicians lie, why would she be any different. I mean, if she was really confident everything she did was on the up-and-up, she would have welcomed the investigation. Imagine how popular she would be (and that guy she's running with, the older one...I can't think of his name just now) if it turned out she had done nothing wrong. The whole thing would be played up as egregious and underhanded attacks by "the left and its elite media cohorts" to besmirge her sterling reputation.

Anyway, for those who aren't going to take the two minutes to click the link and read the article (tsk, tsk...), here's a nice quote to give you a taste of the flavor that is the savory blend of rebuke stew this guy is serving up:

If anyone should be on the hot seat, it's not Monegan, but Palin for her inconsistencies.

The governor has given so many different reasons for firing Monegan I've lost count. From the "we need new direction" and "new energy" to "he wasn't hiring enough cops," to "he wasn't doing enough about alcohol in the bush" to "he lobbied for budget increases" to the latest version, which is a doozy; Monegan displayed "egregious rogue behavior."

The governor also originally said that neither she, Todd nor anyone from her administration pressured Monegan regarding Trooper Wooten. Palin then was forced to admit there was serial contact once the Frank Bailey tape surfaced. But she insisted she was just learning of it. But e-mails have surfaced detailing Palin complaining to Monegan about Wooten.

...

Clearly most Alaskans choose to ignore the facts of the Troopergate scandal. They want Palin to make it to the national stage.

Republicans scold me all the time, "You don't want Obama to win do you? Stop criticizing Palin!"

My question to my conservative friends is simple. Does the truth still matter?

Truth is at the very heart of the conservative movement. Isn't it true that smaller government, self empowerment, and personal responsibility are worth fighting for? Isn't it true that promoting a culture of life and defending marriage will keep us strong as a nation?

But some Republican leaders are abandoning truth and closing ranks to help Palin cover up her scandal by attacking the investigation.

Right from the elephant's mouth. Wow, that was partisan. Full post and comments here...

Palin and Clinton Press Conference!

UPDATE: Now that we know Tina Fey can play Sarah Palin (and to a tee, I might add), who, oh who, will play Tom Palin? Hmm... Hey, here's a thought:


Lydia brought this to my attention. Brilliant idea! Full post and comments here...

Speechless...

John McCain was on The View today*. Here's a clip:



What is simply mind-boggling is the commitment on McCain's part to continuing to justify the absurd claim his campaign made in this ad. I posted a video of Obama responding to McCain's ad already, but here's a direct quote of what he said at the actual campaign event:

Let's just list this for a second. John McCain says he's about change, too. Except -- and so I guess his whole angle is, "Watch out, George Bush, except for economic policy, health-care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy, and Karl Rove-style politics. We're really gonna shake things up in Washington." That's not change. That's just calling some -- the same thing, something different. But you know, you can -- you know, you can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig. [emphasis added]

Hmm...I think I'd agree with Bill O'Reilly (you heard me right) when I say that the McCain camp has really crossed the line on this one. I don't blame them - they've been able to cow the media into thinking any criticism of Palin, or anything having to do with Palin, or anything not having to do with Palin, is motivated by sexism. And initially there were a lot of inappropriate comments made about her. But they went and got cocky, a little too bold, they played their hand a little too quickly and we're not buying it.

Here's the twist...they're still selling it. Hearing John McCain blatantly, unequivocally claim that the ads "are not lies" got me so fired up I had to step away for a minute. And don't even get my started on the second ad that claims Obama wanted schools to teach kindergardens about sex (when in fact the program was to warn small children about sexual predators - I mean, why would anyone want to do that?).

I used to think McCain was a stand up guy who had an honest disagreement on the issues with Obama. And the argument of the role of government is a good one that needs to be continually discussed because, frankly, I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all type of thing (more on that in another post). But the sudden willingness of the McCain campaign to distort incontrovertible facts in order to draw attention from issues that are actually worth discussing is, in my opinion, disgusting and disgraceful. And the claim that if Obama had done town-halls with him the tone of the campaign would be kinder - malarkey!

I'll admit that the Obama campaign's hands aren't clean either (they've been using McCain's claim of being "out of touch" from the CNN Service forum last night way out of context today), but nothing to such an extent as this. It's an absolute wonder that anyone would even buy this drivel.

Oh, and it's worth noting that McCain used the same phrase to refer to Hillary Clinton's health care proposals (watch here and here).

I think we've just witnessed the death of honor in the McCain campaign.


*For the record, I don't watch The View. I do regularly check The Page (thepage.time.com) for the latest in political news and they had a clip.

Full post and comments here...

No Second Chance at a First Impression

For the purpose of full disclosure, I am an Independent, but during this election I am considering myself a morally conservative Democrat who supports Barack Obama.

That said, I have spent the day trying to encapsulate my opinions on last night's speech by Sarah Palin, McCain's VP nominee. I guess the ultimate question is, "Was her speech effective?" The answer - yes and no. And no.

The Republicans needed to do three things this week, but, barring a major change-up from McCain tonight, they'll only have accomplished one - rally the base. Get conservatives and doubters and those disheartened by the nation's opinion of the sitting president to jump up and get excited about being a Republican. McCain needed yesterday's speakers, and particularly Palin, to start dishing out hefty portions of the proverbial "red meat" (which apparently has less to do with Republicans being the red states and more to do with the color of raw meat - go figure). And last night, Palin was everyone's favorite butcher. Wearing a crocodile smile, she jabbed at "her opponent" (little late for feigned civility, isn't it?) like a seasoned middleweight, bobbing and weaving around her own hypocrisies like a pro. And the crowd ate it up. Anyone with bad knees would have suffered from the repeated stand, cheer, sit, stand, cheer, sit, stand, boo, cheer, sit that she incited in them. So, the McCain camp can check off exciting the party.

The second thing they needed to do was refute the policies proposed last week by the Democrats and replace them with their own. Right...um...well, at least the party's excited? The most important issue on voter's minds right now is the economy. Palin talked about bulldogs and Styrofoam columns and a lot of other stuff that's funny and gets a great reaction in the hall, but leaves the listener just as uninformed as they started. Well done.

Finally, Palin was supposed to be the bridge that Independents, swing voters, and those last couple of disaffected Hillary supporters (PUMA, I'm looking at you) cross to get from political purgatory to McCain's side. Their plan to get it done: let Palin be as sarcastic and cynical and smug and condescending as she could be about Obama and the Democratic Party. Yeah, that oughta work... I'm willing to overlook her false accusations about Obama's plan for the economy - if you don't have a plan to suggest, all you can do is try to make the other guy's plan look bad. I'm willing to overlook her fallacious claims concerning her own accomplishments regarding a bridge, some earmarks, and a couple of lobbyists. But Governor Sarah Palin crossed the line when, echoing Giuliani's nasty remarks, she delivered this memorable line: "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

Wait...are you...are you serious? It is completely beyond me how she felt the appropriate response to those questioning her foreign policy and national security experience as compared to Obama's was to demean people who volunteer to do for themselves and their communities what no one else cares to. It boggles the mind why she would insult the very people who work tirelessly with churches and schools and residents of neighborhoods to improve their communities. *sigh* Luckily, the general public, including those all-important independents and swing-voters, think community-organizers are total idiots, am I right? Anybody? Who's with me?

So I guess the question is, how did the general public receive Gov. Palin's first major speech on a national stage? Here's one insight:

Michigan Independents Cold to Alaska Governor

September 04, 2008 9:42 AM

The Detroit Free Press invited a panel of Michigan voters to weigh in on Gov. Sarah Palin's speech last night. Their reactions run the gamut, but the independents didn't seem to care for her very much.

Ilene Beninson, 52, Berkley independent: "Her speech contained few statements about policy or the party platform. … I am not convinced that Palin's experience as a mayor or governor in Alaska meet the qualifications to be vice president much less one stroke or heart attack away from being commander in chief.”

Mike Kosh, 38, West Bloomfield independent: “The way it looks to me, she's the Republican vice presidential nominee for one reason: Because Hillary wasn't selected.”

George Lentz, 66, Southfield independent: “I was completely underwhelmed. She was a Republican novelty act with a sophomoric script. It was not even a speech I would expect for someone running for the local PTA, much less for vice president.”

Diane Murphy, 42, Sterling Heights independent: “It appears that once she makes up her mind, that is the end of it. We live in a gray world, not every answer is black and white.”

Jan Wheelock, 58, Royal Oak independent: “Nothing worked for me. I found her barrage of snide remarks and distortions to be a major turnoff. She is not a class act. The most important point she made is that she will be an effective attack dog.”

Talk about a bridge to nowhere. Good thing Michigan's not that important. And independents schmindependents. Full post and comments here...