Caroline's blog

In tomorrow's WaPo, (10/26/08) conservative David Frum, resident fellow at the  American Enterprise Institute, argues that funding should be pulled from the disastrous McCain/Palin campaign and redirected to try to salvage Senate and House seats. First, the failed Hate Talk Express:

So in August, McCain tried a bold new gambit: He would reach out to independents and women with an exciting and unexpected vice presidential choice.

That didn't work out so well either. Gov. Sarah Palin connected with neither independents nor women. She did, however, ignite the Republican base, which has come to support her passionately. And so, in this last month, the McCain campaign hasPalinized itself to make the most of its last asset. To fire up the Republican base, the McCain team has hit at Barack Obama as an alien, a radical and a socialist.

Frum's suggestions:

What should Republicans be doing differently? Two things:

1. Every available dollar that can be shifted to a senatorial campaign must be shifted to a senatorial campaign. Right now, we are investing heavily in Pennsylvania in hopes of corralling those fabled "Hillary Democrats" for McCain. But McCain's hopes in Pennsylvania are delusive: The state went for Kerry in 2004, Gore in 2000 and Clinton in 1992 and 1996, and McCain lags Obama by a dozen points in recent polls. But even if we were somehow to take the state, that victory would not compensate for the likely loss of Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and other states tipped to the Democrats by demographic changes and the mortgage crisis. The "win Pennsylvania and win the nation" strategy may have looked plausible in August and September, when McCain trailed Obama by just a few digits. Now it looks far-fetched.

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2. We need a message change that frankly acknowledges that the Democrats are probably going to win the White House -- and that warns of the dangers of one-party, left-wing government.

Right. Because David Frum has been screaming about the dangers of one-party government for.... never.

Read the whole thing when you get a moment.

The GOP and the McCain campaign are pushing the "anti-American" theme in regards to Barack and Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and, well, all liberals in general.

Yesterday, Sarah Palin told a North Carolina crowd that she was glad to be in a "pro-America part of the country", begging the question of which parts of America are "anti-America". Blue states? Big cities? Where, exactly, does she see these parts of the country that are not "pro-America"?

Then we have the disgustingly vile robocalls from the McCain campaign continuing to associate Barack Obama with terrorists (question: Since John McCain has said he "doesn't care about a wa[r]shed up old terrorist", then why does this matter?), continuing the theme that Obama and Democrats hate America and are conspiring with terrorists to harm America.

And, finally, the vacuous, hateful Michelle Bachmann, the Congresswoman for Minnesota's 6th district, says she's "concerned" that Obama is anti-American, equated Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid with Bill Ayers and called for the media to  " investigate every member of Congress to see which ones are "anti-America" and which ones are "pro-America." [Link to the video]
 

Jingoism isn't patriotism and those who are using this hateful jingoistic rhetoric are a disgrace to the United States. The clearer thinking, more reasonable members of the Republican party should take their party back.

A lot of tears have been shed, apparently, in anguish and fear over the "Truth Squads" in Missouri. Why so scared? The CBS affiliate who ran the story, opened by saying ""The Obama campaign is asking Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad." That is false.

The factually challenged Michael Barone, as well as Drudge and Limbaugh (and consequently right wing blogs) reported that ""[St Louis Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce] are threatening to bring criminal libel charges against anyone who levels what turns out to be false criticisms of their chosen candidate for president." Setting aside the fact that what they say is totally false, "criminal libel"? There is no "criminal libel" in Missouri.

The story being pushed is that Bob McCulloch and Jennifer Joyce have threatened to silence criticism of Obama with threats of criminal prosecution. That is completely false.

Soon-to-be-ex-Governor Matt Blunt whined that ""What Obama and his helpers are doing is ... abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment." Totally untrue.

What Bob McCulloch actually said was " "... if they're not going to tell the truth then somebody's got to step up and say, 'wait a minute that's not true' ..."

That's it. Wow. Imagine that - pointing out lies and correcting the record. What a threat to the first amendment, eh?

So, hopefully this will allow all of those who are "terrified" by the continuous lies Limbaugh and company spoon feed their so-willing-to-believe-anything audience to sleep a bit easier tonight. Unclench your hands. Take a deep breath. Hug your ferret and rest easy.

And seriously, aren't you tired of your overlords scaring you all the time?