blogs.kxly.com

University of Kentucky President Lee Todd will personally apologize to the family of Barack Obama after an effigy of the candidate was found hanging from a tree on campus. Todd says he is personally offended and deeply embarrassed by the incident while Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear says it was not political speech, but “simply hate.”

A faculty member spotted the effigy with a noose around its neck, hanging from a high tree branch Thursday morning. He described it as life-sized with a Barack Obama Halloween mask, a suit jacket and sweat pants. The Secret Service is investigating, but not commenting on the situation, but a spokesman says the agency is very proactive about addressing these matters.

Meanwhile the Secret Service has visited a California home where a mannequin of Sarah Palin hangs from a noose. So far no one is apologizing for this effigy. West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang has urged resident Chad Morrisette to remove the mannequins, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich is calling for an investigation into whether the effigy constitutes a hate crime, but the Secret Service says this incident seems to be a harmless, though unusual, Halloween display. It is not treating it as a threat.

So why the different treatments?

One reason is that so-called “hate crimes” do not involve gender. Did you know that? Because Sarah Palin is a white woman, notwithstanding that she is a candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States, this kind of ugliness will go largely unpunished. Yet the effigy of Barack Obama is afforded a higher level of seriousness, both by the law, and by the Secret Service.

The disparity points out both the absurdity of the social engineering concept known as “hate crime”, and also illustrates a double standard when it comes to the impact of equal acts of stupidity and tastelessness when one incident involves a woman, and another involves race.

No one can justify either of these nasty displays under any rationale, but it makes you wonder about the obvious oddities in our treatment of same or similar offensive conduct.

       When it comes to clothes, I’m probably one of the thriftiest shoppers you’ll ever meet. If it’s not on sale, I won’t buy it. And 10% by the way, isn’t a sale. I’m talking 50 and 75% off. That’s a sale. There are of course, some exceptions to the rule, but most of the time I head directly to the sale rack when I enter a store. 

      That’s why I’m surprised that I’m not flabbergasted (I think that’s the first time I’ve ever used that word FYI) at the $150 thousand that the Republican National Committee has spent on Sarah Palin’s wardrobe. That is a ton of money, but now that I’ve visited Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Barney’s (two stores where Palin got her duds) on-line, I can see how the bill added up so quickly. I figured the stuff was expensive… but actually seeing the prices listed next to the pieces of clothing blows my mind. I can’t believe that people fork out this kind of dough for a label.

Here’s a peak at some of the standout pieces from Barney’s and Sak’s that caught my eye. 

       For the record, I know a lot of people, mainly the media, are spending a lot of time talking about the fact Palin has spent so much money on clothes. My thought is this: it’s not taxpayer money so why should we care. I think the only people who have a right to be upset are the people who donated to the RNC. I can understand why those donors would want their money spent on something else besides Palin’s designer clothes. My other thought: a $3 thousand suit kind of contradicts the ideals of hockey moms and blue collar America, don’t you think?

Republican Vice Presidential Sarah Palin likes talking about Joe Six Pack. Both Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama spent a lot of time Wednesday night talking about Joe the Plumber.

Unfortunately, with our economy in the dumps those are pretty much the only two Joes we hear very much about these days.

Too bad there aren’t any more debates because here’s one other Joe that both candidates - and the American people as a whole - should probably spend a little bit more time talking about.

GI Joe.

Alaska’s ousted public safety commissioner claims that a state legislative report damages Gov. Sarah Palin’s image of being an upfront and open political figure. Hardly anyone is listening to him. Walter Monegan says he was relieved that a legislative report concluded last Friday that Palin abused her powers as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. Monegan thinks he was fired because he refused to let the trooper go.

What he doesn’t discuss is why he really was fired. He wasn’t a team player, and on several financial matters, he did not carry out the budgetary procedures that the governor ordered. That was insubordination, and that’s why he lost his job. The legislative report recognizes that and agrees that the governor had every legal right to can him for defying her order.

What happened in Anchorage last Friday was exactly what Democratic State Senator Hollis French promised six weeks ago, shortly after Sarah Palin was named as John McCain’s running mate. Hollis vowed to carry this trite investigation forward with a committee that he hand-picked from among Democrats and dissident Republicans, who he knew would be willing to embarrass Governor Palin if they could.

He even went so far as to promise an “October Surprise”.

The committee hired investigator Stephen Branchflower, who turned in evidence to the effect that Todd Palin had overstepped his authorioty as “First Dude” in pressing Monegan to fire the abusive state trooper who court records show, had injured and threatened Palin’s sister and her children. There was no recommendation in the report for any action, civil or criminal against Governor Palin, and the committee took none. In other words, this was political theater. It afforded a chance to score a negative headlines and get a little negative national media attention, despite its lightweight news value.

Why would anyone be surprised that a legislative committee, headed by a flunky from the opposition party, would find fault with Sarah Palin?

With less than a month before the country selects a new president, national polls show John McCain slipping. The better than expected performance of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in last week’s debate with Senator Joe Biden appears to have helped to slow what looked to be perhaps insurmountable momentum, but the road to the White House for the McCain-Palin ticket remains steep.

Supporters are saying that tonight’s debate could be a critical moment. If John McCain doesn’t sway some doubters, it could be all but over. Others are saying that four weeks in a political campaign season that has been filled with the unexpected, means it’s entirely possible there’s more that is unexpected to come. In any event, tonight’s debate must go well for McCain.

He must do what he did not do in his first encounter with a confident and capable Barack Obama. He must go on the offensive. He must look Obama in the eye, and he must confront the Democrat with many of Obama’s most vulnerable shortcomings….issues that the mainstream press has succeeded in blacking out during most of the post-convention period. This approach is risky, and for it to work, it must be carried out with precision.

McCain is a risk-taker, and he knows the stakes are high. He also knows that unless he does this, his base in several key states will likely drift away.

McCain is no longer playing for the hearts and minds of voters in states where his party has experienced mixed luck in national elections. He actually can afford to cast off Michigan, as he did last week. He must now assure that states that have taken his party to victory in the past, are there for him on November 4th. McCain needs Florida, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Missouri and Nevada. If they come through for McCain, he will score a narrow Electoral College win, even if he loses the popular vote.

If any of them don’t he’s finished.

The good news is that these states historically have come through for Republican tickets. If they do this time, McCain will win a thin Electoral College vote of 274-264. There are few other scenarios that will result in a Republican victory.

Sorry. I’m a Republican supporter but even I just threw up a little bit in my mouth when I read this on the Interwebs.

IDAHO FAMILY WELCOMES NEW BABY, NAMES HER AFTER VP HOPEFUL

(BOISE, IDAHO – October 5th, 2008) Tyler and Crystal Hurst welcomed a new baby girl on Sunday, October 05, 2008. Palin Brinli Hurst was named after Republican Vice Presidential hopeful Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Baby Palin was the first known baby to be named after the Alaskan Governor. She arrived with her family at her bedside donning Palin T-Shirts showing support for the baby and for Sarah Palin. The newborn infant weighed 7 LBS and 6oz and was 21” Tall.

“We are just so excited and thankful to have this new baby bless our lives” exclaimed the new mother Crystal.

Since their Marriage in 2007, the Hurst’s have worked in many different capacities to help promote the Republican message of conservative principles and family values. When asked about why name your child after Sarah Palin, Tyler commented:

“Sarah Palin stands for values and principles that we embrace. We are honored to have her on the ticket and we are proud to name our child after her. We hope that our child will grow up with a strong determination to fight and stand up for what is right just as the Governor has done throughout her career”.

Crystal, an American Falls, Idaho native, currently serves as the sales director for a local sticker and sign company, 123Decal.com. She has recently owned her own salon, and worked as a certified cosmetologist. Tyler currently works for LiveRez, Inc. a vacation rental software company and is the founder and owner of 123Decal.com. He has worked and volunteered on various state, and congressional campaigns, as well as the Republican party on many levels. “I worked for Bob Dole when I was 13 years old” said Hurst. Palin, is their first child.

The Meridian couple decided to name their baby after Governor Palin, during the Republican National Convention is Minneapolis in which Tyler attended. “After her Wednesday night speech I called Crystal and suggested the idea. She accepted and he had a name!” Said the father Tyler.

Governor Sarah Palin didn’t win the debate last night. Neither did Senator Joe Biden, but there was a clear winner, and it was Sarah Palin.

If that sounds confusing, let me explain.

Joe Biden, a 30-plus year Washington insider took on an opponent with less than five weeks in the so-called big leagues, and in many ways she cleaned his clock. She didn’t out-fact him, but she decidedly connected with voters in a way that all his experience and formidable credentials couldn’t match.

She demonstrated that she knows enough about the capitol political game to know that the American people are tired of slick talk, and mind-boggling figures, so she confidently told Senator Biden, and veteran Washington media insider, Gwen Ifill that she might not give them the answers they wanted from her, but she would offer talk straight to the viewers who tuned in. And that’s exactly what she did. She had more than competent command of the issues. She wasn’t expected to display that kind of knowledge. She understood the objectives of the McCain campaign, the shortcomings of the Obama campaign, and the fundamental differences between the tickets. She gave no quarter. She held her own and she even topped Biden on several topics.

Some will dismiss Governor Palin by claiming that the bar wasn’t as high for her as it was for Sen. Biden. That’s nonsense. The bar was higher. She had to go toe to toe with her opponent and lose no ground, and she had to convince her questioning base and independents, that she was no burden to John McCain. She more than accomplished both of those objectives.There was no knockout punch thrown in the debate by either side, and that alone is evidence of Palin’s success.

Sarah Palin was the underdog, but she beat the spread, and silenced the doubters.

In other words she won.

I’m trying to multi-task right now as I’m engaged in a heated debate. We’re talking about the recent media “lockout” from the McCain/Obama campaign and the lack of access to Sarah Palin. As a journalist, I can’t help but be disturbed by the lack of access to someone running for national office. As a citizen, I’m upset that I can’t get a good read on a campaign or candidate because they won’t let her step in front of a camera.

I can’t explain why the campaign won’t let reporters question Sarah Palin. It depends on who you ask, of course. Some suspect they’re afraid she’ll slip up and say something she shouldn’t. I don’t believe that’s the case, but I can see why people think so. The more they try to “protect” her, the more it’s going to look like she needs to be protected. She’s obviously smart enough and capable enough to handle the media. She would not have been chosen if she wasn’t.

I don’t have any great insight into this - I just want to hear from her. I like the take on this by CNN’s Campbell Brown.

Sarah Palin really doesn’t want to entertain the media as she meets with several world leaders in New York this week.

Palin got a passport just last year. Before this week, she had not previously met with any international leaders. By the end of this day, the Republican vice presidential nominee will complete meetings with seven foreign heads of state. She began with a half-hour session with Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai and Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe Tuesday. The McCain campaign has arranged Palin’s visits with these foreign leaders during the United Nation’s annual General Assembly.

The plan is to give her exposure to foreign policy in advance of her October 2nd debate with her vice presidential opponent, Senator Joe Biden.

The media wanted in on these meetings, but only a pool camera crew from CNN and some still photographers were admitted. There was much Media grousing about not being invited to attend Palin’s briefings. Some networks and newspapers actually threatened not to cover the meetings. The reason the media were restricted is because the McCain campaign knew these media vipers, most of whom are already in the tank for Barack Obama, only wanted to catch Sarah Palin in a mistake.

These so-called “reporters” who followed Barack Obama to Europe like it was the second coming, and made his first meetings with world leaders seem like a gift to world peace, only wanted to capture an embarrassing moment, if there was one. It turns out there were none.

The left-tilting mainstream media has been upset that the McCain campaign has not made Palin available to reporters for questions. Since the nomination of Alaska’s governor as John McCain’s running mate, she has given two network TV interviews, and will soon do another with CBS, but shehas held no news conferences.

The fact that Barack Obama has held no general question news conference in many months doesn’t seem to bother the media.

The media will discount any value in the meetings Palin has had with foreign leaders. They’re already saying they don’t improve her stature. Clearly the campaign coverage double standard remains inplace.

If indeed experience matters when selecting candidates for the highest office in the land, if not the highest offices in the world, then let’s put this experience issue into perspective.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has significant experience, but probably not enough to be elected to the presidency were she the primary candidate…which she is not. Still she has more relevant experience than Barack Obama, who seeks to be our next president.

It is a fact that from the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That’s how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.

If you worked for McDonald’s, you couldn’t make it to district manager after 143 days. No hospital would make you chief of surgery after 143 days of experience as a surgeon, even if you were a brilliant surgeon. If you were a teacher, even an extraordinary one, you wouldn’t be elevated to superintendent of the school district after only 143 days of service. If you were a bank teller, even if you were a genius and an extraordinary leader, you’d never be elevated to become president of the bank after a mere 143 days.

Barack Obama is a promising young Democratic politician to be sure, but he’s not ready to be president of the United States.

Sarah Palin is equally a promising Republican politician, but she’s not ready to be president.

The difference is, Palin with more genuine experience than Obama, will serve with the only candidate who truly is ready to be president, and over time, her combined experience will ready her for the oval office one day. There is nowhere near the raw risk associated with a Vice President Palin, as there is with a President Obama Think about it. We are not voting for the next American Idol here.

House Ways and Means Chairman, Democrat Charles Rangel of New York admitted last week that in recent years he has underpaid his taxes by about $10,000. The media reported the story with a heavy theme of sympathy, casting Rangel as a victim of the very tax code he helped to write.

How does one just accidently fail to record some $75,000 of rental income?

Charlie Rangel, who is a self-proclaimed champion of the poor and underprivileged, received the money from a beach house he owns at a posh Dominican Republic resort. The veteran congressman claims he made an honest mistake. He says that he didn’t know how much money he made from the property because his Dominican business partners would “start speaking Spanish.”

The mainstream media has already dismissed the matter as unimportant. Had Rangel been a Republican, would the media have been so understanding?

Then there’s the re-election attempt by incumbent Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana. You haven’t heard much about this guy either, have you? You will recall that Jefferson was indicted in June of 2007 on 16 charges of corruption. He was the lawmaker in whose freezer the FBI found $90,000 in cash a couple of years ago. Yeah … that guy.

We find the media reporting on all the seats that the Democrats plan to gain in the upcoming November election. We also find reporters scouring for perceived scandal involving a Republican. If they find something, it gets plenty of front page press such as the nothing story involving Governor Sarah Palin that the media is calling “troopergate” and the Senator Ted Stevens corruption matter in Alaska.

Yet if it involves a Democrat, it gets buried on page 56. I just wondered if you noticed.

I’m shocked and stunned this morning at the latest high-profile person to be exposed as a political flip-flopper. Really, I expected so much more from this person. And, sadly, millions of young Americans will get their information about the upcoming election from her - who, in a recent blog post, proved she truly does have no idea what she is talking about. Frankly, I expected more.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about Lindsay Lohan’s take on Sarah Palin - and that we should all give her a chance and stop focusing on her family life. Well, Lindsay has apparently taken all the time she needs. She’s now decalared an all-out war, it seems, on Palin and her views. In addition to being against all of them - she also apparently has something against TV news anchors. It’s worth a read - because your kids may be reading it and they may believe everything they read.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin participated in her first extended interview since becoming John McCain’s running mate yesterday, when she talked with ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson. Some in the media have claimed bitterly that Sarah Palin is scared to answer questions. That claim is laughable.

Likely Palin’s reluctance to subject herself to press interviews has nothing to do with fear, but rather with a healthy skepticism that reporters have any intention of being fair and balanced with whatever she might tell them.

The media has not exactly earned high marks for ethics and objective inquiry so far during this campaign. 69% of Americans see this clearly according to the latest polling. The Media has this self-serving sense that candidates must talk to them in order to be properly screened to earn valid public regard. What absolutely frustrates the media into fits of rage are the ones who know how to bypass biased reporters, and talk directly to the American people.

Ronald Reagan knew how to do this. I have many fond memories of Sam Donaldson making a complete fool of himself trying to get President Reagan to answer one of his loaded questions.

Sarah Palin has the ability to bypass the media vipers too. The American people, even those who aren’t sure Governor Palin is sufficiently qualified to serve as Vice President, appreciate that the national media have less than honorably and ethically covered her candidacy. They are willing to hear what Palin says in one of her many campaign speeches, and statements to local reporters. They have identified a fundamental lack of fairness in the way Palin has been portrayed to date, and they really don’t need some self-important media star to help them make up their minds.

I look for Sarah Palin to do a few, but not many interviews with the mainstream media through the remainder of the campaign. Why should she? She knows what all of us know … they are lying in wait to pounce.

It has only been a day since Barack Obama made his now infamous lipstick/pig comment. Since then, it has probably received more attention than any other comment made on the campaign trail. The Republicans already have a TV ad, responding to the comment. It seems everyone else is weighing in on this, so I figured I may as well add my voice to the chorus. Be advised: this is not a reflection on my political views; really, it’s more of a commentary on the political process in general. I think the lipstick comment was offensive; not to Sarah Palin, but to pigs.

The phrase “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig” is a common phrase. It’s something you’ve probably heard several times in your life and it probably never was in reference to a person. I believe some radical supporters of the McCain/Palin ticket took that comment and ran with it, saying it was not only a slam on Palin, but a sexist remark in general. One McCain supporter said today, “Calling girls names is something you do in fifth grade and I don’t want a fifth grader running my country.” Give me a break. First of all, the interpretation of the quote, in my opinion, was totally off-base and the comment was taken out of context. Obama was talking about the new McCain campaign approach, touting his ticket as the “change” ticket (a sudden twist, but one that appears to be working very well). But, those who believe Palin is untouchable and can’t be questioned or commented on because she’s a woman seized the opportunity to make this about her gender, calling the remark sexist. As a woman, I’m offended by that - and, I hope Sarah Palin would be, too. I hope a smart, strong woman like Palin would recognize the context of the comment AND be able to see that just because someone references make-up doesn’t mean they’re misogonistic.  McCain supporters were upset when they perceived Obama “playing the race card” - yet, those same supporters are doing the same thing with the “gender card.”

Don’t forget: McCain used the same expression when he talked about Hilary Clinton’s health care plan. I don’t remember leagues of women lining up to call him sexist and demanding an apology over that.

I believe Sarah Palin can more than handle herself. We already know she’s a tough woman who has stood up to the “good old boys” before. So, why do people feel the need to keep coming to her rescue every time she’s criticized (or in this case, every time she’s not really criticized, but someone interprets it that way)? She can hold her own. Yes, she’s a woman. No, she’s not a fragile flower that needs protection. She’s a candidate for the second highest office in the country. This is politics - it’s ugly. And, you know what they say… “You can put lipstick on a pig…”

A couple of days ago, Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson summed up national media coverage of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin by saying:

“Some Washington pundits and media big shots are in a frenzy over the selection of a woman who has actually governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows.”

Joe Kernan, host of “Squawk Box” on CNBC has chastised the media’s hypocracy over the relevance of Palin’s 17-year old daughter’s pregnancy:

“As a member of the media I’m kind of embarrassed….the media says it shouldn’t matter, it’s not going to matter…we’re not going to cover it, and then they put it on the cover of every paper.”

Media coverage of Palin has been called “tacky”, “sexist” and “over the top”, and now some reporters claim to be redecent to delve into Sarah Palin’s record, for fear of coming under attack. Their complaint now is that the Republican veep choice is avoiding direct interviews and press conferences.

Palin has been on the campaign trail since the convention. Alongside John McCain she has been drawing Obama-like crowds, and the G.O.P. ticket has been enjoying the momentum. She hasn’t had time for one-on one media meetings, and that seems to have frustrated the vipers.

There are legitimate questions about Sarah Palin to be asked and answered. Most prominent among them is whether she is ready to step in on a moment’s notice, should anything happen to John McCain. She has significant experience, but is it all applicable to becoming the president of the United States. What seems odd is that media interest in this area of inquiry with Sarah Palin seems more intense and urgent than it has been in the case of Barack Obama. From the very beginning his qualifications have merely been assumed, though never really tested by the media.

Aside from the obvious overstepping and foolishness by the media in vetting Sarah Palin, what is most troubling is the apparent double standard when it comes to substance. As a voter, I want to see the same concerns about readiness applied to each of the candidates, not just the one that appeals most to the media.