If McCain & Palin win...

I will quit!

Palin said "Country First" is more than McCain's campaign slogan. "That's going to be printed on every page in the employee handbook" if he's elected, she said.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/mccain/1251437,palin-missouri-103008.article

Israel

I'm so sick of hearing about Israel in this campaign. The devotion to Israel by the Jesus-worshipping folk is driving me crazy! Israel should not be a top issue in this campaign. Are we electing the President of the United States or of the State of Israel? I feel like a bad Jew.

Let's get something perfectly clear: You can criticize Israel and not be an Anti-Semite. Even Israelis criticize Israel!

Slicing the pie

I've been obsessed with the McCain's campaign to slice-and-dice the American people into good groups characterized as "pro-American" and bad groups characterized as "anti-American." "Real Virginia," "pro-American parts of the country," etc. Meanwhile Obama has a unifying vision, which generally does better in Presidential elections.

The slice-and-dice view of the country has been out there for a long time. It's sometimes called the "paranoid style" of American politics. This view see conspiracies everywhere. It has often been directed to Jews, but now it's characterized by Islamophobia. Are Muslims the new Jews?

George W. Bush's November 6, 2001 address to a joint session of Congress rekindled this spirit and set the Republican Party on a self-destructive path when disagreement over Iraq or other issues is tantamount to treason. Actually, not tantamount to treason, but actual treason. In Bush's 2001 speech, he declared: "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. (Applause.)"

At the time, I assumed that he meant that other countries had to decide whether they were with us or against us. The Republican Party and the right wing applied it to the United States as well. To them, Americans, too, are either for or against "us."

Now the Democrats look like they're on the verge of controlling Congress and the White House. The hysteria we see is the wingnut freak out that a black socialist terrorist Muslim liberal elitist, all of which are disqualifications for being one of "us," may actually become President. According to the logic of the "with us or against us" crowd, the President will be against us.

What the hell do these folks do if Obama wins?

Huh?

I'm confused by Sarah Palin's pledge to fully fund educational programs for "special needs" children. How exactly do you spend an additional $15 billion during a "spending freeze."

I do like the right-wing's use of terms associated with "political correctness," aka "PC," which was the end of civilization just 15 years ago. Anyone taking bets on her use of the term "differently abled" by the end of the campaign?

East Coast Liberal Elistism Watch: #19

I don't like college football.

Debate thoughts before going to bed

1. McCain tried to capture his magic of 2000. Didn't happen. His jokes were received with crickets.

2. At all campaign stops near nuclear power plans, and maybe at every campaign stop, Obama and Biden should bring up this quote from McCain: "Nuclear power. Senator Obama says that it has to be safe or disposable or something like that." Ummm, yeah.

McCain doesn't just want to de-regulate the nuclear energy industry, he wants nuclear plants to be unsafe? It's unclear whether Obama didn't catch it or didn't want to raise it during the debate and give McCain an opportunity to clarify his remarks. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, there are 9 in Pennsylvania, 5 in Florida, 5 in North Carolina, 4 plants in Virginia, 3 in Michigan, 3 in Wisconsin, and 2 in Ohio.

3. "Bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran!" McCain walked into that one. Obama used it at the first debate, so I don't know what McCain thought he was doing focusing on judgment. McCain's response: weak references to his military experience, "I was joking with an old veteran friend who joked with me about Iran." Really, here's the joke. Doesn't sound like a casual conversation with an old veteran friend:



4. I also don't understand questioning Obama's Pakistan position. I think it's pretty clear that we will kill terrorists, let alone bin Laden wherever they are, period. By uttering the words "We will kill bin Laden" helps Obama. Do even Republicans understand McCain's position?

5. Speaking of Pakistan, I have noticed that Obama pronounces Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran correctly. "Nuclear," too. And yet he's winning? (Update: tip jar!)

6. McCain's closing remarks weren't explicit, but he was making an appeal based on his experience as a POW. According to CNN's "Uncommitted Ohio Voters," there was no reaction. Either they didn't understand that he was referring to his POW years or they just didn't care.

I am an East Coast Liberal Elitist, and I vote!

Why I am an East Coast Liberal Elitist

I'm no hockey parent. I play tennis.

I don't live in the heartland or on the frontier. I live in Washington, DC. The horror!

I like beer, but I'm no Joe Six-Pack. In my hometown, I once got laughed at by other customers at a liquor store because of the beer I bought because it wasn't American.

I have 100% Kona coffee flown in from Hawaii every other month. I am a member of a community supported agriculture group. I buy wine from a local vineyard.

I don't drive an SUV. I don't even own a car right now. I'm not complaining about gas prices. I often commute by bicycle.

I graduated from an expensive New England liberal arts college.

I got a passport before the age of 40.

My daughter, when she's born, will not be named Bristol or Piper.

My dog, a poodle. He summers on Martha's Vineyard.

I am not so widely read that I read all the newspapers and magazines, but I read The New Yorker.

Sunday mornings are for sleeping.

I don't believe in Jesus the Messiah. I do, however, seem to get him more than most who invoke his name.

I don't even own a single gun.

I'm not in the military, but I chose public service as a career to help society.

My eyeglasses frames are not rectangular.

I'm no energy expert, but I know how to pronounce nuclear. It's got two syllables, like Jesus.

I am never going to be nominated for Vice President for either party.

Let me know if I missed anything.

Giants looking good

The Giants are 4 and 0. This is a good team. I'm not saying the Giants will repeat as Super Bowl champions, but they are showing that they were no flukes. The NFC East is a good division, so the intra-divisional games will be key.

Offense

The Giants lead the NFL in points and yards. Why?

Eli Manning, 6 TDs, 1 INT, 0 fumbles lost.

Good Eli is here to stay? I sure hope so. He looks good. Turnovers, primarily by Eli, killed the Giants in previous years. This year, only one turnover.

Brandon Jacobs, 95 yards per game, 5.8 yards per rush

What I really like is that Jacobs is raking up those kinds of yards without a lot of rushes. Clinton Portis got 29 rushes on Sunday. That is how you kill a RB. A bruising runner like Jacobs will be done after 5 years of 20+ rushes per game. With the wealth of talent at RB, the Giants can keep Jacobs going until 2015.

This is all happening without the me-first histrionics of Jeremy Shockey, who is with New Orleans and once again injured. Between Burress, Toomer, Smith, Hixon, and maybe even Manningham and Moss there is enough wide receiver talent. Shockey wants to be a slow wide receiver instead of a good tight end, half of whose job involves blocking. Now we have Boss, who is happy to block like a tight end and make some catches. Shockey got a lot of TV accolades for his blocking, but he was good for a stupid holding call once per game. I don't think Boss has been called for holding yet. I will give Shockey some credit, though. The Giants did not utilize him well, so I understand some of his frustration with the team. But, still, good riddance.

Run the ball, keep the chains moving, and don't make mistakes. Classic winning Giants football, especially with a defense like this....

Defense

They are 2nd in points allowed per game, 3rd in yards per game (second against the pass, sixth against the run), and first in sacks per game. The pass defense has been not only up front, but also in the defensive backfield. Ross and Webster have been particularly good. Even Dockery has looked good. When the Giants don't have to use R.W. McQuarters and Sam Madison every down, let alone every game, you know the starting secondary is good. We're still waiting for Kenny Phillips to explode. The surprising thing is that the Giants are putting up these kinds of defensive stats with so few takeaways. I think that will improve in the games to come.

Granted, these stats are through 4 games, not 5 like most teams, because the Giants already had their bye week.

Next up is Cleveland. I think Cleveland than their 1-3 record would indicate. Their losses were to teams with a combined record of 10-4 (Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore). The Giants should win, but it won't be nearly as easy as Sunday's 44-6 demolition of Seattle on Sunday.