Who Needs Paris When You Have Palin

Over the past week, since Barack Obama won the election, I have been pouring over Newsweek's Special Election Project. If you're not familiar with the project (and I wasn't until last week), it operates like this: Newsweek sends a few reporters on the campaign trail with the candidates and gets lots of insider access by promising not to disclose or publish any of the information they receive or events they witness until after the election. So these reporters basically get to hang out and see the most intimate parts of these major political campaigns for weeks. They have aides coming and venting to them about what pissed them off or what crazy thing just happened. They sing karaoke with chief strategists. They see the candidates at their best and their worst. It's a really interesting depiction of the massive efforts that are going on behind the candidate, who is the only person that most of America gets to see. It's like a soap opera. Here is the entire report (it's long and will probably take you a few sittings, but is totally worth it).

McCain's Debate with Women's Issues

I was listening to the Diane Rehm Show on NPR this morning, on which they were discussing the debate last night. A listener, a 60-year-old man (I don't remember from where he was writing) wrote in an email about three things that John McCain said last night that really stuck out to him. I wish I could get my hands on the transcript because his email was concisely written, but this is basically what he said:

Three things McCain said last night struck him:

1) McCain championed Sarah Palin as a "role model to women and to other--to reformers all over America," even as she has been found to have grossly violated Alaskan state ethics laws;
2) McCain more or less dismissed consideration of a woman's health in the abortion exchange, calling an exemption for abortions when the health of the mother is at risk as "extreme";
3) McCain seemingly does not know the difference between Down syndrome and autism, repeatedly referring to Sarah Palin and her knowledge of autism, when her son does not have autism, but rather Down syndrome. Any parent who has a child with either of these disorders knows the difference, including Sarah Palin.

The listener then goes on to argue that John McCain has very little grasp of women's issues in this election; his views are outdated and come from a time where old, white men decided the lives of women in this country. I didn't watch the debate last night, so I can't say I also noticed these things (although the blogs I read certainly picked up on 2 and 3), but I can definitely say that I'm not surprised. McCain's attitude towards women--even in his own family--has been less than respectful. I'm curious what Palin and Puma feminists think about this.

Update: After a little bit more research, I found out that #3 may not be entirely true. What appeared to be a McCain gaffe about autism vs Down syndrome may in fact be a reference to Sarah Palin's nephew, who does have autism. I'm still waiting to see her record on actually championing the causes of autism and Down syndrome (which may actually exist, I just haven't heard about it yet). One may understand the difficulties of having a special needs child from experience, but understanding alone does not help a cause.

We're All Drinking the Kool-Aid

Okay so other things were going on last night that didn't involve the Phillies. You may know that there was a presidential debate! I almost feel like after three dozen of these things, that everything that could be said has already been said. But oh no, there was more. You can probably guess that I did not, in fact, watch the debate because the Phillies winning the pennant trumps all other television. And really, why should I? I know who I am voting for, I'm confident in that decision, and nothing either candidate said in this painfully calculated exchange is going to change my mind. I think most people have decided the same. As Gail Collins points out today in her NYT column:

"...None of their effort during the debate was for those of us who have been with them since the beginning. At this point, they only care about the small chunk of undecided voters in swing states. That means a handful of people in Ohio who have managed to avoid noticing that Obama and McCain disagree on virtually every important issue facing the nation and continue to insist that they are torn between them.

Plus, of course, a couple of folks who got picked for a long-running television panel of undecided voters and don’t want to admit they’ve made up their minds because they’ll get thrown out.

This is one of the reasons why the last few weeks of a presidential campaign tend to be so awful. The candidates are gearing their remarks to people who have managed to completely ignore nearly two years of news about the 2008 elections. In the end, it’s always all about the ones who play hard to get. "

While occasionally flipping to the debate while watching the game last night and undoubtedly while reading and watching coverage of the debate today, the general consensus was that it was the "Joe the Plumber" debate. First of all, guys named Joe are really getting a lot of publicity this election. First we had Joe Sixpack, now Joe the Plumber, next we'll have Joe the Voter Who Stood in Line for Six Hours Only to Have His Vote Thrown Out in Colorado. Honestly though, I was kind of surprised that this Joe the Plumber guy got so much play, and especially that this play was seen as an advantage to McCain. Because before the debate last night, I actually watched Obama's conversation with Joe in his neighborhood in Ohio and I thought that he gave a really great response to Joe's concerns. Here's the video:

When I watched the video, I thought Obama's answer was honest and nuanced. He told Joe the facts of his plan, admitting that Joe's small business will be taxed higher, but explaining the necessity for taxes. The amount of time Obama spent really explaining his thought process and his plan say a lot about who he is; Obama doesn't just memorize the facts for a multiple choice test, he knows the ins and outs and analysis and reasons for his policies as if he is ready to take that long essay exam.

I don't think Joe bought Obama's response. In fact, he had an entirely different interpretation than I had watching it. He told Katie Couric last night that he thought Obama gave him a tap dance. I disagree. But I also do not believe in trickle-down economics, which Joe seems to subscribe to. It all basically comes down to people reaffirming what they already believe. We like the taste of our own Kool-Aid.

Climate of Fear

Again today were are hearing about supporters at a Palin rally yelling "Kill Him!" at the mention of Barack Obama. This is just sad and scary.

I was talking the other day with my uncle about the scary state of the election and the violent vitriol coming out of the McCain rallies. He mentioned to me, because I was in elementary school at the time, how it was this same kind of fear that, in his opinion, caused the Oklahoma City bombing. When Bill Clinton won the election in 1992, the Republican party and the conservative movement went into a panic. They created an environment, with the help of rising stars like Rush Limbaugh, in which people were encouraged to mistrust and hate their government. Indeed, in 1994 when the Republicans won Congress, Newt Gingrich at times even went so far as to shut the government down. This climate of disgust, disdain, and suspicion of the federal government fed unstable personalities like Timothy McVeigh, who purposefully chose a federal building as the target of his heinous attack in 1995.

We are seeing this same kind of emotion now. The Republicans are drumming up without restraint a personal hatred for the other party, and specifically, their very popular candidate. It is no accident that many leaders who introduce McCain or Palin at their rallies talk about Barack Hussein Obama. It is no accident that my own mother is convinced that Michelle Obama hates white people and that they are friends with terrorists. And it is certainly no accident that angry shouts of "Kill Him!," although not unnoticed, are going almost unchecked at these rallies. This kind of environment is dangerous for Republicans and Democrats alike, not just because it could cost votes, but it could ultimately cost lives.

Just a Thought

Instead of blaming the economy for their poor polling numbers, as if we should feel sorry for them or something, the McCain campaign should probably try to come up with a good plan on how to fix the economy, you know, to maybe provide their supporters with legitimate reasons to vote for them.

The Arena Weighs In

I've posted about Politico's new feature, The Arena, briefly before. I've kind of forgotten about it until now, when I went over to see what they had to say. The question today, I think, is kind of ridiculous: Is Obama headed for a blowout victory? As many of the contributors to the Arena begin their responses, I think it's naive and dubious to predict a win for Obama in this crazy election cycle, much less a blowout. And I am naturally suspicious of anything that I consider a jinx (I like to knock on wood). But it is really interesting to hear what different people have to say about the election and how each person's niche factors into their answers. I get so caught up in my own reasons for voting for one candidate or another that I forget that every other person out there has their unique perspective on the issues based on their interests and experiences. Someone who works for an economic think tank focuses on Obama's tax plan; a Democratic strategist asserts Obama's dominance in the polls; professors take a very contempletive and analytical approach to the question; politicians avoid a straight answer all together.