Riehl World View

Quote Of The Day

Forget the quote they picked to headline a TimesOnLine report from Sarah Palin's home town of Wasilla: "She's like a moose going after a cabbage."

Meanwhile, at a table directly underneath one of the TVs, Lu Sackett, 70, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of a grizzly bear and a floppy hat decorated with flag pins waved his burger in appreciation when Palin laid into the Democrats' tax plans.

"She's like a moose going after a cabbage," he marvelled.

You have to read quite a ways down to get to the real money quote from the woman who mistakenly claimed Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party.

Among those who couldn't make it to the Tailgaters bar was Lynette Clark, chair of the Alaskan Independence Party, who last night issued an apology for incorrectly claiming that Palin was once a member of the pro-separatist group. In fact, only Todd Palin was ever a member.

Ms Clark lives just north of Fairbanks, a six hour drive from Wasilla. "My husband and I are both gold miners, and right now we have water flowing through our sluice box, and when that occurs we don't do a lot of socialisin'," she said.

No doubt many Americans can relate to that one ... somehow.

Some Speech Reax

See Michelle Malkin for a few reax from the Dems. Shrill? She wasn't shrill at all. Man they are lame.

Instapundit offers a different round up as well.

No doubt there will be even more up at Memeorandum eventually. Take your pick.

Rudy and Palin Smack Obama: So Why Is Biden The One Stumbling Stupid?

Did you notice how Palin's speech had a certain intimacy mainly because she was inside a hall and not out in a stadium tonight? I'd wager America did.

So, Joe Biden said what basically on the night Republicans were all "Country First!"?

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden said yesterday that he and running mate Barack Obama could pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration if they are elected in November. Biden's comments, first reported by ABC news, attracted little notice on a day dominated by the drama surrounding his Republican counterpart, Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Bad, bad move, choo-choo man. It's a good thing his foot is in his own mouth, were it in Obama's tonight, he might have lost a toe. STACLU has the video of Palin.

How tough can Palin be? Not very ... she stopped to blow someone a kiss in between savaging Obama for this and that. Maybe the strong attacks by Rudy and Palin were what all the Dem strategists were complaining about not seeing at the Dem convention last week?

There is only one thing that matters as regards Palin's speech - what will average Americans who didn't see the early teases think?

I suspect we will now see a miraculous conversion - from corrupt trailer trash small town mayor to Governor America's sweetheart almost over night ... assuming the mainstream media can keep up, of course. Ha!

Well, Everyone Can't Be Sarah Palin

But I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of this.

Though the man's world thing is overdone in general terms. I know dogs who have it better. No one yells at them when they scratch. ; )

A Poll Number To Haunt Obama?

Given that a political convention often gives a candidate a "bounce" from which they may, or may not fall - I decided to compare post Dem convention polls from 2004 and 2008.

2008:

Prior to now, no more than 49% of registered voters supported Obama for president in Gallup Poll Daily tracking. Still, Obama's eight percentage point lead over McCain in the new poll falls one point shy of the lead he attained in late July after returning from a well-publicized trip to Europe and parts of the Middle East. At that time, Obama led by nine points, 49% to 40%.

2004:

The poll showed Kerry with the support of 50 percent of all registered voters, compared with 44 percent for Bush, with independent Ralph Nader at 2 percent. On the eve of the convention, Bush led Kerry 48 percent to 46 percent.

If I didn't know better, I'd think we had been here before.

Not The Howard Kurtz I Know

Of

Palin/Obama: Well, There Is That

Interesting question ... why isn't the media hailing Bristol Palin's baby as someone who might just grow up to be President one day?

On Feb. 2, 1961, several months after they met, Obama's parents got married in Maui, according to divorce records. It was a Thursday. At that point, Ann was three months pregnant with Barack Obama II. Friends did not learn of the wedding until afterward. "Nobody was invited," says Abercrombie. The motivations behind the marriage remain a mystery, even to Obama. "I never probed my mother about the details. Did they decide to get married because she was already pregnant? Or did he propose to her in the traditional, formal way?" Obama wonders. "I suppose, had she not passed away, I would have asked more."

Latest Palin Nonsense: You Be The Judge

Let's see - ABC claims Palin faces ethics questions over firing a police chief and some others.

And yes, as Confederate Yankee points out - that was 1997, there was a lawsuit and she won.

Now how would you judge the story based upon this report in The Seattle Times:

The drama splashed out across the front pages of the local newspaper, with the fallen police chief filing a lawsuit accusing Palin of canning him after he exercised his free-speech rights. Palin, a staunch supporter of the National Rifle Association, was unhappy that her police chief had spoken against a state bill to ease restrictions on Alaskans who carried concealed weapons, he said. And Palin, who had gained the backing of Wasilla bar owners in her mayoral campaign, also disliked the chief's proposal to roll back tavern closing hours from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.

"She wanted to show that she was the boss, and could get rid of people," said Irl Stambaugh, the former Wasilla police chief. "She kept calling it the good-old-boy network." Within her first year, she had dismissed three other department heads, roiling city politics and spurring talk of recalling the first-year mayor. Palin survived the backlash, serving six years as mayor and then winning election to Alaska's statehouse in 2006.

Along the way, Palin, now 44, emerged as one of the most popular politicians in Alaska history, burnishing an image among voters as a crusader out to reform a corrupt political establishment.

"She never tried to vault herself over anybody. She was just comfortable with who she was, and is a natural leader," said Hank Nelson, 75, who recalled how Palin offered a hug and a hot cup of coffee when he waved a campaign sign along a chilly, windy highway during her successful run for governor.

Whatever she did, the people of Alaska seemed to like it and as she obviously hasn't violated any laws, that all sounds good to me. Maybe she should go to work for ABC and get rid of some of the "old boys" there? Especially when they are behaving like drunken school children. I can feel the hang-over and hand wringing coming just around the next bend, er uh, I mean a few news cycles.

It's Not Just About Palin

I'm pretty much still staying away from the Palin stuff as I find it pretty twisted. I can't imagine being a teenager and having the world, led by the media, come down on you like this. Actually, it's beyond sick - simply pitiful.

But this is about more than just Palin and you could sense it building in the blogosphere beginning with the Democrat's convention.

Two months to go until the election and it's on. It's war, otherwise known as election season.

Surely Obama must have knocked up some college chick during his "lost years," right? Heh!

Seriously, paybacks can be a bitch and the Right is now carrying a grudge over this.

I'm afraid it's going to be a very ugly two months. And unfortunately, blogs will end up being at least partly to blame.

Is US Media A Bigger Threat Than Russia?

Remember when Russia invaded Georgia and based only upon Obama's request Russia instituted a cease fire?

Well, Obama may have bested the Russians ... but apparently our media is just too powerful for him! Which leads to the obvious question: Who is the bigger threat to America - Russia, or the American press? ............. Not as easy a question to answer off the top of your head as one might hope, now is it?

"Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president."

Obama said reporters should "back off these kinds of stories" and noted that he was born to an 18-year-old mother.