Palin and Autism

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The selection is "brilliant"? Huh? Much of the press devoted to Palin relates to scandal. Which is unsurprising, given that she was a complete unknown until last Friday. (I know I'm biased, but I thought it was a bit bush league of McCain to try and take the focus away from Obama so quickly, after what was undeniably a historic moment.) Palin probably helps McCain with religious conservatives, but not so much with moderates. I agree with McCain's staff person in that this campaign has veered away from the issues--but I think that happened a long time ago. McCain contributed to it with the whole stupid "Obama is a celebrity" meme. Personally, I couldn't care a wit about Palin's family, but I do care about her various incidents of possible corruption, dubious associations (AIP), and extreme politics.

oooh secessionists! I like those. One of our states (Australia) has a history of attempting to secede.

....besides, does anyone really believe elected representatives control the destiny of countries? Isn't the whole thing a bit of a farce?

Her and her husband's association with the Alaska Independence Party does not count for much. She is pro-Alaska, and why shouldn't she be? There is an argument for Alaska to be independent and Alaskans could be better off without all the baggage that people in the lower 48 impose on them. As for her husband's DUI, you might want to consider the problems that Hilary's husband have.

But let me tell you why Palin was such a brilliant choice. McCain is most definitely a centrist. So much so that he has had a hard time getting the support of powerful right wing elements of the conservative movement. Hilary is also a centrist and many thought that because she was up against a decidedly left wing Obama, she would win hands down. Things did not turn out that way. In order to bolster support within the ranks of the Republican Party, McCain needed to find someone who is acceptable as a representative to the Christian right but who will not offend his own constituents. Palin fits the bill perfectly. As right wing conservatives go, she is as cuddly as they come. Obama made the mistake of choosing a running mate who agreed with his vision and is thus as left oriented as he is. Even though Biden can help Obama deliver the working class vote, the appeal of an Obama-Biden ticket is to the left whereas McCain-Palin is to the right and center. Regardless of your rhetoric, people will not vote for you if you do not appeal to them. So it comes down to this: McCain-Palin will appeal to far more voters than Obama-Biden. The fact that practically all the news outlets and fanatical websites have stopped talking about Obama and his "epoch defining" attempt for the presidency is just gravy on top of a very big mountain of votes.

I'm thinking Lara Croft, with specs.

...and as they say in the meeja: 'all publicity is good publicity' - it's brand name reinforcement.

McCain is not a centrist. He votes with the standard GOP position most of the time, and has backed Bush for the past eight years. The notion of him being a "centrist" is more media creation than fact--and even that tends towards McCain being a "maverick" rather than a "moderate." There's a difference. He only seems "moderate" in comparison to Palin. It's hard to say with "moderates," anyway, since almost everyone thinks they're "moderate." Despite all the people here talking about what a "brilliant" pick Palin is, that's not reflected in the most current polls. Granted, Obama did just have his convention, but all publicity does not equal good publicity in politics. The reason Palin's selection has garnered more interest and attention than Biden's is because Biden is a known quantity and Palin was almost completely unknown until Friday. Maybe the pick will turn out to be a big advantage, but there's at least that much chance that it will backfire. Regardless, VP picks have rarely influenced elections in a significant manner.

Lara Croft, with specs.

Centrist, Left Wing, Right Wing, it is all relative. Everyone thinks that they are centered and others are extemist. That is just part of the necessary narcissism that is the human condition. What matters is how many people the candidates appeal to.

Truth is, as a Singaporean who has lived in the States for a number of years, I started out supporting John Edwards and "participated' in his campaign via the web but that was before his love child scandal broke (a real scandal if you ask me) and my support was mostly because of the Chapel Hill connection. Alas, Edwards did not stand a chance (thank goodness given the sword that hung over his head) and I was left wondering who I would like to see become President of the United States of America. Even though I am not an American, I have great affection for the United States and do wish the people of America well.

The real issue for this election is Iraq. The real players are not Americans. The fact is that Obama lost the election when he refused to recant on his pledge to bring the troops home from Iraq. You see, the Saudis and the Emirates cannot have a situation where Iraq falls into total anarchy nor can they live in a world where Iran and Iraq (note the very slight difference in their names) are joined together to form perhaps the most powerful grouping in the Islamic world. This election means far more for the House of Saud than it does for any other interest group in the United States. It just so happens that these oil sheiks control more than $3 trillion dollars in liquid assets that can be mobilized to support their candidate. If Hilary had won the primary, then they would have been indifferent between the Clintons and McCain and given their long term friendship with the Clintons might have welcomed the change. But Obama won and he wants to withdraw American forces. On top of that strategic blunder, Obama seems to have gone out of his way to piss off the Jewish lobby.

In case anyone is wondering, I am not some Israel loving Apocalypse Now Jew hating anti-gay right wing Christian fanatic. I do not care how people choose to f**k so long as it is consensual. But this attack on Palin is as stupid as it is vicious. The more she gets beaten up, the more powerful she is going to become. Mark my words, her views on congenital disorders will define what it means to be born with a disability. As members of an autism movement, she is someone we need to pay attention to.

Shouldn't this be in the Autism Politics/Media Representation forum? Along with the Obama and autism thread?

Palin Assails Critics and Electrifies Party

And now for the counter attack.

she bites!

couldn't Cindy afford a comb for her hair? or am I helplessly behind the styles?