they really don't get it...

last night I watched and waited for sarah palin to wow me...or maybe just to say something of substance. I sat through an amusing speech by rudy, who always forgets that his one big accomplishment was showing up to work on september 11, 2001. (hell, I went to work and stayed the whole day...does that make me a great and courageous leader?) and I noticed that this time pbs made a concerted effort to locate the 5 black people in the audience.

and then she came out...and she started talking.

through the first half of the speech I turned to my friend and noted that this was not a vice presidential speech...it was a first lady speech. through the second half, I became glad I had a penis, because otherwise I imagine I would be even more insulted. absolutely. no. substance. now I'm no fool, I recognize that substance is traditionally missing from republican speeches (and often democratic speeches as well)...but this was painful. this was a woman who was needed to show the country she knew what the hell she was doing...and instead she told us she is a feisty dog with makeup.

the speech writer (no, palin did not write it...which I suppose might speak well for her in the end, because it was dreadful) sure took some liberties...and made some boneheaded mistakes (perhaps because the campaign failed to figure out what they hell they had before last night).

for instance, her touting her cutting on spending in alaska and praise as a "tax cutter." funny thing about alaska...they don't have an income tax. so when she "cuts" taxes she isn't doing shit to help the little guy...because he ain't paying them. cutting spending in alaska? well, not federal spending...which she requested in record levels while mayor (earmarks, and lots of them) and while governor (the bridge to nowhere...after she got the money and it became a punchline she diverted the funds). but here's the problem palin - if the feds had to bail you out to run your state...who's gonna bail you out if you have to run the feds?

she said she started in politics by joining the pta to make her kids' education better...she is governor of a state with abysmal high school graduation rates...

her claim of standing up to special interests, lobbyists and the like in alaksa...well, she hired a lobbyist to go to washington when she was mayor and ask for earmarks. all her desire to drill baby drill...well, she is the special interest - her husband is in the drilling business. the "good ol' boys network"...guess she forgot that she ran a 527 about how great stevens was.

her claim of major ethics reform in alaska - she's under investigation for abusing her office as governor to settle a family dispute.

her claim of putting the governor's jet up on ebay...well, it didn't sell. and they wound up getting almost half a million less than they wanted for it.

her "state budget being under control"...not so much of an accomplishment when you recognize that she relied on huge federal funds and alaska has an obscene amount of revenue come into the government from oil.

her claim to saying "thanks, but no thanks" for the bridge to nowhere...well, she asked for the bridge to nowhere, got the money, and then became a joke and diverted the funds to other projects (helping out the state's budget with federal monies again)...

did anyone notice that she was touting the natural gas pipeline as an answer to difficulties with oil? as soon as detroit makes me a car that runs on natural gas I will thank you.

her claim that american's taxes will go up if obama gets his way...well, only if you already make enough not to notice or if you are already dead. let's be serious...once you are six feet under, do you really give two shits what happens to your money? and for folks so hell-bent on self-reliance and meritocracy...why would we give people money just for coming out of the right vaginal canal?

her touting of mccain's great achievements? how about ensuring that mlk is not celebrated in arizona?

her claim that mccain doesn't "run with the washington herd"...perhaps because he's spent the last eight years trying to catch up after the republican washington herd trampled him in 2000...

I found it amusing that they would use the high price of gas by saying it is too expensive to get to your job at the factory in ohio...apparently the republican party still believes there are factories operating in ohio in which to get to work at...

and I really, really, really want the democrats to call the republicans' bluff on drilling. I want them to say "fine, we'll drill...but to prove it is to help joe and jane america and not line the pockets of big oil, we want to nationalize the oil coming from america so that it goes directly to americans instead of the world market. we want that oil to actually bring down prices here because it is for us only." but they don't have the balls...and that is why I still scowl at them...

three days of a major national political convention and still nothing of substance...and not a word on the economy (other than forgetting that all the factories in ohio are closing). I thought the democratic convention was largely a flop until I saw the republican counterpart. from what I can gather...here is the republican platform...

john mccain was beaten up by communist asians and still gave a thumbs up...

no abortion...

john mccain is our friend.

wow.

welcome to the end of the american far right my friends...and the beginning of a long few decades for the republican party...