DEMS PICK OBAMA; GOP PICKS BIG OIL, AGAIN

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AMERICA TAKES ANOTHER STEP TOWARD JUSTICE FOR ALL

MCSAME LAGS BEHIND: VP PICK AN INEXPERIENCED RADICAL EXTREME RIGHT-WING OIL-STATE GOVERNOR

"Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech"



Historic Selections Close Old Wounds, Open New Ones

As the Democratic Party took one small step into the future, the Republicans took one giant leap into the past. The United States of America is the first world power to nominate a member of a minority group, a subjugated race, a former slave-people, to become its' leader, and the leader of the "Free World." That term may have some meaning again now that Barack Obama is wielding it.

The fact that Barack Obama is a brilliant man, dedicated to his roots, his community, his faith and his family should not be counted against him, whatever the tame corporate media say to please their masters. The fact that his father, his wife, and his two adorable little daughters are black will, of course, be counted against them by the media, the Republican Party, John Sidney McCain III of the Mississippi McCains, and other racists. The fact that, although he is a committed Christian, his name, and his father, are of Muslim origin, will be used to damn him by the same foul elements listed above.

But Americans have grown up. As Martin Luther King said, in speaking for all of us exactly forty-five years ago, a hundred years after Emancipation, we have had a dream for centuries, millenia, we the brotherhood and sisterhood of Humanity: That one day, a man or a woman might be judged by the content of their character, and not by the color of their skin, or any other superficial prejudices.

"Martin Luther King "I have a dream""


Meanwhile, back in the oil patch, the corporate-controlled GOP have chosen to roll back the clock to a point before even George "Dubya" Bush's neolithic advent. Cynically hoping to cash in on her gender, McSame has picked a woman with two years experience in Alaska State politics.

Palin is best known for her support for drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and for the oil industry in general. She is also even more irresponsible and farther to the right than Dubya or his clone McCain: She opposes Bush's designation of the polar bear as an endangered species. Guess we know where she stands on global warming, hunh, this ice-cave-woman? She also happens to be anti-Choice, pro-gun, pro-war, and a former "Beauty Queen," i.e., unreconstructed bimbo. (That's McCain's idea of a real woman. Just look at his druggy wife, an aging bimbo.)

Barack Obama and John Biden, by contrast, have taken many strong and principled stands on energy and the environment over their many years in National politics. They offer a clear choice between the future and the past, responsibility and recklessness, good stewardship and raping the land. Republicans have managed to choose two "conservative mavericks" who can be counted on to continue the failed policies of George W. Bush, and even roll them back farther into ancient, awful history.

Then there's the ethics issues: Obama and Biden have spotless records, and no ties to lobbyists. McCain & Palin are owned by coporate lobbyists, and both have been charged with major ethics violations. So it's either a new era for clean government run by the People, or the recurring nightmare of Republican corruption and corporate control.

The choice for voters is clear. Given the youth of Obama, and the age of McCain, in two or three years it will either be Barack or Palin in the oval office. So that's who you're voting for. A moderate, mainstream, progressive striver from the Heartland, or a radical right-wing crook from the crookedest State of all, far-off Alaska, the Siberia of American politics. Don't get fooled again. Let's keep Big Oil the Hell out of the White House!


The Christian Science Monitor
"Soaring speech from Obama, plus some specifics"
Substance over style, specifics over rhetoric, programs over propaganda, Obama kicks McCain's tired old ass.

' Obama began his speech recalling his parents’ belief in the American promise that, “through hard work and sacrifice,” their son could “do whatever he set his mind to.” That promise, “that has always set this country apart,” is now threatened by eight years of the “failed presidency” of President Bush, he said. “Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive, credit-card bills you can’t afford to pay, and tuition that is beyond your reach,” he said. “America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.” He added that “now is no time for small plans.” And he pledged to “set a clear goal as president: in 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.” Obama berated McCain’s repeated calls to “drill more, drill now” as “a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.” That was just part of the sustained attack on the presumed Republican nominee, from his decision to support the invasion of Iraq to his overall support of the Bush administration’s policies. “Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than 90 percent of the time?” Obama told the crowd, to cheers. He also questioned whether McCain really wanted to follow Mr. Bush’s example of “tough talk and bad strategy,” but said it was “his choice.” Obama then tried to lay to rest the stereotype that Democrats are not as tough as Republicans on national security. “We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy,” he said. “So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans – Democrats and Republicans – have built, and we are to restore that legacy.” '

YAHOO NEWS
"Palin views on oil, polar bears may be liabilities"
McCain goes for inexperience: "Anything with a vagina. We need the Hillbots!"

' If McCain hoped to stop Democrats from getting much mileage out of the oil issue in this presidential election, he picked the wrong vice presidential candidate. His choice, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, comes from a state whose lifeblood is oil. Palin favors opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development, something McCain opposes. Her family even gets one of its paychecks from the oil industry: Palin's husband, Todd Palin, earned $46,790 last year as a facility operator for BP Alaska in Prudhoe Bay. Palin opposes the Bush administration's decision to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Alaska sued Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne earlier this month to try to overturn his decision. Palin argues there isn't enough evidence to support a listing, and she fears it will harm oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off Alaska's northern and northwestern coasts. The Legislature is investigating her firing of the state public safety commissioner. A legislative oversight committee wants to know if the commissioner was dismissed because he refused to fire a trooper who went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister. The investigation is expected to wrap up around election time. Campaign contributions Palin collected earlier in her political career could also provide fodder for Democratic campaign ads, tying her to an Alaska Republican political scandal from which she has tried to distance herself. '

CNN
"Commentary: Palin is brilliant, but risky, VP choice"
Watch out, Cindy, here comes Mrs. McCain number three!

' The "who" is a young, articulate, smart, tough, pro-life woman who is the governor of our northernmost state. She is conservative and a mother of five, including a son in the Army who is set to be deployed to Iraq on September 11. Her youngest child has Down syndrome. The "Barracuda" nickname came from her aggressive basketball play on the state championship basketball team. She is a hunter, pilot and lifetime member of the NRA. She is blunt, outspoken and charming. And don't assume she can't stand toe-to-toe with Joe Biden. She is a great debater. And she was runner-up for the Miss Alaska title, won Miss Congeniality in that contest and plays the flute. '

TIME MAGAZINE
"The Palin Pick: Bold or Disastrous?"
"Right-To-Lifer," Gun-Nut, Bambi-Killer, Tree-Hater, Oil Whore, what's not to like? She's your NEXT next President...

' On the face of this, McCain has failed the ultimate test that any presidential candidate must face in picking a running mate: selecting someone who is unambiguously qualified to be President. Palin is a talented politician who has both support among conservatives and a compelling personal story. But her short resume in Alaska politics and her nonexistent national track record will make it impossible for McCain to argue with a straight face that she was the most qualified person he could have selected. In the short term, the pick will create excitement among the kind of grass-roots conservatives who have never been enthusiastic about McCain, and in the media, which will be fascinated by Palin's good looks (matched by those of her dishy husband), intelligence and charm. But Palin is now going to have to perform at a very high level to persuade the media and the public that she is truly ready to be a heartbeat away - and a 72-year-old's heart at that - from the presidency. How she handles questions about federal issues, national security and foreign affairs will be closely scrutinized, and her margin of error is next to zero '

POLITICO
"Palin dissed veep job"
Palin: "Alaska (oil) First!" VP's job is "beneath" her.

' Count Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as one of the most surprised that she was chosen as running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). In an interview just a month ago, she dissed the job, saying it didn’t seem “productive.” In fact, she said she didn’t know what the vice president does. Larry Kudlow of CNBC’s “Kudlow & Co.” asked her about the possibility of becoming McCain's ticket mate. Palin replied: “As for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.” '

USA TODAY
"Experts: Palin chosen for women's votes"
Republicans, suddenly discovering women, crudely seek to exploit them.

' Republican presidential candidate John McCain's surprise pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is an attempt to court women still angry after the most promising female presidential candidate in history lost a bruising Democratic primary, strategists in both parties agree. The debate is over whether it will work. Ellen Malcolm of Emily's List, a political action committee that promotes Democratic female candidates, said women should oppose the Republican ticket because both McCain and Palin favor overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal nationwide. "They both want to continue the failed economic policies of the Bush administration, and they both offer more of the same that has led this country down the wrong path," Malcolm said. '

[Cross-posted at DemocracyForCalifornia.]
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