Tag Archive for 'RNC'

Just Words

Published on September 9, 2008 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Two weeks ago, Daily Kos posted several graphic depictions of DNC speeches using Wordle.  I thought it might be interesting to compare DNC and RNC speeches by the key players.

I’ve included the word clouds DKos generated for Biden, Clinton, and Biden and created several more to cover the Republicans and our possible first ladies.

The candidate for President

Barack Obama

John McCain

The candidate for Vice President

Joe Biden

Sarah Palin

The (soon-to-be) Former President

Bill Clinton

George Bush

The Presidential candidate’s wife

Michelle Obama

Cindy McCain

Check out wordle for all your word cloud needs.  Thanks to Kara for her speedy response to my jpg question.

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RNC: The Hater's Ball

Published on September 4, 2008 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

IllDoctrine offers commentary about Palin’s attack on community organizers, who apparently don’t have responsibilities in her eyes.  Seriously? You’re going after all the voters who have ever canvassed their neighborhoods for a cause that they cared about, be it school taxes, homelessness, poverty, or their candidate of choice on election day.  Tres welcoming, Palin!

According to Jay, community organizers

take the RESPONSIBILITY upon themselves to help their fellow citizens without the benefit of a government budget behind them, and go out there every day doing the hard, thankless work to make this country livable, which allows you politicians to go on TV and brag about this is the greatest country in the world.  And for you to go on TV and spit in those peoples’ faces for the sake of a rhetorical flourish, is disgusting.

H/T Frau Sally

UPDATE:

Here’s a great video on remarkable community organizers throughout history. Nerdette points out that give Palin’s “credentials,” she too can be considered a community organizer. . . how brave to laugh at yourself with the Republican party.

H/T Jason Linkins

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GOP shuts down "Party Favors" Reading at RNC

Published on September 3, 2008 in Books and Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Given police have been arresting journalists for doing their jobs, why is not surprising to see some censorship of the traditional kind taking place in St. Paul.

According to Susan Johnston, co-author of Party Favors with Nicole Sexton, the GOP Killed “PARTY FAVORS” reading at RNC.

Well, it’s finally happened. The GOP has officially shut us down. As some of you know, Nicole, my co-author, has been fighting a very quiet, behind-the-scenes battle on behalf of PARTY FAVORS.

Nicole is personally taking a beating in D.C. and now, she’s been “politely” asked to cancel the book signing/reading at The Barnes & Noble in MN during the Republican National Convention.

I can’t come right out and say who made this “polite” request but I can tell you he’s one of the biggest muckety-mucks within the party. And yes, he’s in the book.

Apparently the GOP feels that the book is critical of GOP fundraising and campaign related tactics and therefore a book signing could be embarrassing to the Party.

Nicole doesn’t even work for them anymore! She no longer has any affiliation with the Republican Senate and in fact, the book is critical of fundraising efforts on both sides of the aisle. She had a reading/signing in Denver but the Democrats didn’t shut her down!
. . .
If we’re just an innocent “beach-read” and “chick-lit novel” then why is the GOP so scared of a book signing??? Clearly, they see this book as a threat.

More details and articles about the book and its authors available here.
From the book jacket:
Temple rises quickly through the ranks of the Republican Party’s fundraising elite, navigating a treacherous community of lobbyists making deals for dollars, gossiping staffers, and child-like senators, to be appointed the highly coveted position of Finance Director for the Republican Senate Campaign Committee. Her every  waking moment is spent convincing the über-rich and ultra eccentric to hand over the cash money green and, in the process, she learns everyone’s secrets. Temple knows which senators can be manipulated by baked goods, which donors are most likely to pass out drunk at  dinners, which chiefs of staff are still “in the closet” and, unbelievably, which senators are actually good people, behaving with integrity even if no one is watching. She is envied, adored, respected, feared, and most of all needed as a fundraiser.
From the outside, Temple’s life looks like one fantastic party, but on the inside she’s tired of dating the wrong men and sleeping on the office floor. Her successes are measured in dollars, all of her status is derived from the politicians she knows personally, and all of her friendships stem from her career. But with her entire identity so wrapped up in D.C., can she walk away from it?

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RNC: Country first?

Published on September 1, 2008 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

With the threat of Gustav pummeling New Orleans a 2nd time in just 3 years, McCain and Palin headed to New Orleans to look Presidential.  In an Time interview, McCain shared what changes would be made in this convention to show the proper respect for those battening down the hatches before Gustav’s arrival.

“There’s very little doubt that we have to go from a party event to a call to the nation for action, action to help our fellow citizens in this time of tragedy and disaster, action in the form of volunteering, donations, reaching out our hands and our hearts and our wallets to the people who are under such great threat from this great natural disaster.

One would expect the Republican delegation and other convention attendees would follow in McCain’s lead.  Instead, ABC News’ Charlie Gibson reports on the hard partying being done Saturday night while New Orleans residents evacuated the area.

The most offensive quote, when asked about the appropriateness of a party in light of people fleeing New Orleans, one attendee said, “everybody goes through hard times,” dismissing the reporter.

Note to McCain, it sounds  a bit more sincere, if people actual make the effort to act subdued and concerned.

Also, In addressing the RNC, Cindy McCain said, “As John has been saying for the last several days, this is the time when we take off our republican hat and put on our American hat.”

Arianna Huffington makes a great point. . . “Why did we ever take off our American hats?  Why do we need to put them on only when there’s a natural disaster facing us?”  McCain has essentially been pushing the who’s more patriotic game with Obama for months. . . now we find out Republicans are only patriotic during natural disasters?

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John McCain, Class Act, Part Deux

Published on August 30, 2008 in Environment and Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Politico reports that in lieu of canceling the Republican National Convention while a Category 5 hurricane pounds New Orleans again, the show will go on less festively.  John McCain may deliver his passionate acceptance speech via satellite on Thursday from Gustav’s aftermath.

The self-imposed hits keep coming for McCain. He plans to deliver his acceptance speech from the same geographic region that was drowned in 2005 while Bush & Co. diddled.  Seriously?

Won’t all the networks be pulling up photos from 2005, like the one with Bush and McCain and a festive birthday cake on an Arizona tarmac on the very day Hurricane Katrina devestation occurred.   Probably not the reminder you want while you make your plea for votes  this November.  Republicans bungled Katrina and the city isn’t close to bouncing back. Not the mnemonic device you want affiliated with your Party’s talking points.

I can’t help but compare Eastern Europe, which has been leveled in one war after another, to New Orleans.   New Orleans will increasingly be the bulls eye for heightened hurricane seasons as a result of global warming.

PS.  Sarah Palin isn’t convinced global warming is a “man-made” phenomenon.

Part One

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Final thoughts of Palin for the evening

Published on August 29, 2008 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

I would feel sorry for Palin, but that she accepted the offer from McCain.

On the one hand, the media and the blogosphere are going to tear this woman apart.  She’s the punchline to a bad joke.  She has no national or foreign policy to run on, and she most certainly cannot begin to compare herself to Hillary Clinton beyond genitals.

Kevin Jones of Mother Jones points out that McCain met Palin exactly 3 times.  Politico’s Jonathan Martin confirms the whirl wind vetting this week.  It means she’s going to wind up being more thoroughly vetted in public by the media and the American people.  It is not an enviable position.

But on the other, she actually agreed to this charade. She didn’t see it for the pandering that the public seems to take it for? She felt she could fill Hillary Clinton’s shoes for the GOP, for sure?   She expects to win?

She can’t truly think she’s prepared to step in a run a gov’t that supports more than 300 million people because she’s spent about 2 years running a gov’t that supports less than 750,000 Alaskans, in a state whose largest city is 65th in size in the US.  And McCain’s age makes that reality a factor.

What did she get in return for agreeing to be VP? What promises have been made regarding her future in the Republican Party?

I also wonder about the backlash she’s going to take from conservative women.  She’s a pro-lifer, who supports teaching creationism in schools. . . I don’t get the impression that segment of society would approve  of a woman with 5 children — one that’s still an infant — placing her very public political career ahead of motherhood.

Clearly, having a job is as far as her feminist streak extends, given her stance on family planning and gay marriage, but it seems at odds with her very conservative ideology.

Phyllis Schlafly must be torn this evening.

Gustav and GOP

Published on August 29, 2008 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Yesterday I asked, how will the GOP spin Gustav, should it hit land?

Early McCain supporter Hagee suggested that God sent Katrina to New Orleans as punishment for its acceptance of homosexuality. . . so surely, there’d be some deeper meaning to a hurricane strike in the same region again?

Some would suggest karma would bring the nation’s attention back to the Bush administration’s most hellacious domestic failing of its tenure.

After tonight, it might be considered a GOP gift, because they’re going to need a few extra days to prepare a decent come back to Obama’s nomination speech.

I’ll be thinking positive thoughts for Gulf Coast residents this weekend; they do not deserve a repeat of 2005.

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