HOT or NOT: The Week-In-Review

Happy Halloween, politcas and politicos! As we celebrate Halloween, remember that there's nothing scarier than a McCain-Palin administration so GOTV ya'll.

HOT: Obama Airs 30-minute Prime-Time TV Appeal. Barack Obama aired a $3 million special broadcast on three major networks on Wednesday night. According to rating reports, more than 26 million people watched the program on CBS, NBC or Fox. Hey, I guess when you have cash to spare, why not?

NOT: Elizabeth Hasselbeck on the Campaign Trail. Elizabeth Hasselbeck joined Sarah Palin on the campaign trail in Florida over the weekend. She introduced Palin at two rallies with plenty of female references to “cleaning up” Washington and being able to stand the heat in the “kitchen.” Puke.

HOT: The Economist Endorses Barack Obama. The Economist endorsed Barack Obama on Thursday, saying, "America should take a chance and make Barack Obama the next leader of the free world... the Democratic candidate has clearly shown that he offers the better chance of restoring America’s self-confidence." This of course means that The Economist is a socialist paper.

NOT: “Communism” as a campaign attack. Seriously, what year is this? I thought we were over the days when we labeled anyone who fought for equal rights a “Communist” (i.e. unions, Martin Luther King, etc). The McCain-Palin campaign is clearly so desperate that they’ve resorted to a campaign tactic from 1963. Obama recently responded to such attacks, saying, "By next week he'll be calling me a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten." Zing!

HOT: John McCain Gets Stood Up by BFF Joe the Plumber. John McCain invited Joe the Plumber to join him at a campaign event in Defiance, Ohio this week. But when McCain called out for him: radio silence. Good ol’ Joe was nowhere to be found. Awwwwkward. A campaign aide later said he had "decided not to come" and may join McCain later in the day. But when contacted by CNN, Joe said it was "news to him" that he was supposed to be at the McCain rally and said that nobody from the campaign confirmed he was attending the event. Even worse: McCain had to bus in 4,000 school children from the surrounding area to fill the crowd.

NOT: Gun Sales Increasing as Economy Collapses. As the economy goes in the tank, Americans seem to be buying a lot of one thing: guns. Much of the 10% increase in firearm sales can be attributed to misguided paranoia that an Obama Administration would toughen gun laws as well as the uncertainty of a worsening economy. Yikes! Guns and economic uncertainty are a deadly (no pun intended!) combination.

And check out Our Fabulous Video of the Week:

Palin Looks to 2012, McCain Campaign Speechless

Responding to a question about what happens in 2012 if McCain loses, Sarah Palin said, "I'm not doin' this for naught." Uhhh. We all knew this is what she was thinking, but to say this six days before the election is admitting defeat. Bad form. I almost feel bad for the McCain camp on this one. Good luck defending this comment! Check out the CNN clip below.

BLITZER: I am not surprised, not surprised at all. It is one of those "wow, she is talking about 2012 if we lose," that is not supposed to be something that you say. You are supposed to say, "well, I'm not looking ahead, I'm not looking ahead only to Tuesday," and those are the talking points she's supposed to be saying, but she is obviously blunt and she is looking ahead if something were to happen on Tuesday that she wouldn't be happy with.

Major Alaska Newspaper Endorses Obama

A leading newspaper in Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News, endorsed Barack Obama on Saturday, saying, "[he] brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand."

Although the newspaper acknowledges Palin's success and notes she "draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake," they are not convinced that she is "truly ready to assume command of the important, powerful nation on earth."

Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Check out the article here.

One Week to Go...

So, I finally got my absentee ballot from Virginia last night. Phew! For three nights in a row, I've had the reoccurring dream that the ballot would never come and that Barack Obama would lose the election by one vote. Putting that bad boy in the mail this morning finally relieved me of my election guilt (sigh).

A few days ago, a friend of mine sent me this video. Although it's a rather extreme example, it's a great reminder what's at stake in this election. Customize the video for yourself and your friends here. Yes, Barack is up in the polls and some newspapers are already predicting his win, but we just won't know until Tuesday or thereafter - so let's not take voting and doing our part lightly, folks.

The Sunday Funnies

This week's Sunday Funnies is a hilarious comic strip on the Joe the Plumber-esque voter. Check it out:

HOT or NOT: The Week-In-Review

HOT: Palin Wears Democratic-Themed Scarf. VP Candidate Sarah Palin raised eyebrows this week when she was spotted sporting a donkey- themed scarf. She was photographed in Reno on Tuesday wearing a scarf with donkeys and the words ‘Yes’ and ‘Vote.’ There's just so much I could say about this one I don't even know where to start.

NOT: Naming Your Child “Zamboni.” In an interview with People Magazine, Palin said that if she had a sixth child, they have already picked the name for a boy – Zamboni. I already pity this poor hypothetical child.

HOT: Former Bush Press Secretary Backs Obama. So Scott McClellan recently announced that he would vote for Barack Obama on CNN’s new show with D.L. Hughley. He described Senator Obama as the candidate “who has the best chance of changing the way Washington works and getting things done." I wonder if Rush Limbaugh will say that he’s only supporting Barack because he’s black.

NOT: Louis Vuitton for Your Kids. Amongst the $150,000 clothes and accessories purchased for Sarah Palin and her family, is a $790 Louis Vuitton Canvas bag for her 7-year-old daughter, Piper Palin. I can't blame her though because she understands that people are voting based on "pocketbook" issues. Update: Piper Palin's Louis Vuitton Purse is FAKE!

HOT: The New York Times Endorses Barack Obama. And the newspaper endorsements keep rolling in for Barack Obama. The NYT described their decision as an easy one, saying that Senator Barack Obama “has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.”

NOT: Distinguishing between Northern Virginia and “Real Virginia.” McCain senior adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer recently suggested that McCain would win Virginia because he is doing better in the southern part of the state or, as she called it, “real Virginia.” I wasn’t aware that I was living in an imaginary place for three years.

HOT: Michele Bachmann's Tightening Race. After Michele Bachmann’s comments accusing the House leadership of being “un-American,” donations increased for her opponent, Elwyn Tinkleberg. What was considered to be a cake walk is now a close race to keep her congressional seat in Minnesota’s 6th District. Love it.

And here is Our Fabulous Video of the Week:

And They Talked About John Edwards' "Elitist" $400 Haircut...

Reports are coming in that the Republican National Committee has spent $4000 for a haircut for Sarah Palin and a total of $150,000 to clothe and accessorize the Veep candidate and her family since late August. Just a regular American girl, folks.

With all the trubs that the Repubs have had with matching the Obama camp's campaign donations, you would think that they would want to put this money to more efficient use. Priorities, priorities, priorities.

Are they preparing for a Miss America contest or a Presidential campaign?

Colin Powell and Black Racism?

Rant of the Week: So after months of hinting at it, Colin Powell finally endorsed Barack Obama. This endorsement has prompted Republicans like Rush Limbaugh to suggest that Powell is only voting for Barack Obama based on race. I find these notions that African-American voters are voting for Obama solely on the basis of race particularly troubling. Especially when Republicans try to bring up blacks voting for Obama as a way to defend or excuse the white racists voting for McCain-Palin. Not the same thing, my friends!

First of all, most African-Americans do not blindly vote based on race. Sure, there are many more blacks that will likely vote in this election because they are energized by the idea of a Black President, but they would not be voting for Obama if he was a Republican. Think about the frustration that many black voters have for Alan Keyes and Clarence Thomas. For most black voters, race is meaningless if the candidate of choice does not appear to advocate for policies that benefit many African-Americans. The idea that blacks are ONLY voting for Obama because of his race is insulting to the millions of African-Americans who are making a rational, informed decision about who they are voting for.

Secondly, it is pretty ridiculous to say that white racists who are voting against Obama based on race are the same as black voters voting for Obama. White racists are voting based on hatred, bigotry and fear of the unknown. By and large, this is not the motivation for blacks to support Obama so the two cases are not quite comparable.

What's more, Colin Powell lists specific reasons for his support for Barack Obama. Among his reasons, he notes his disappointment with John McCain's campaign and his VP choice of Sarah Palin as running mate. Even Republicans have to admit that these reasons are not exactly coming from left field (no pun intended!) .

And while many Republicans criticize black voters for voting for a Black candidate based on race, they seem completely fine with female voters voting for Sarah Palin based solely on gender - in fact they welcome it and look for opportunities to exploit her "womaness." For shame.

Ok, stepping off soapbox now...

The Sunday Funnies

This week's Sunday Funnies is a Daily Show clip about John McCain's monster that he has created at his hate rallies.

HOT or NOT: The Week-In-Review

HOT: Obama wins debate. Again. CNN reported that 53% of uncommitted voters surveyed identified Dem nominee Barack Obama as the winner of the debate and 22% identified John McCain.

NOT: McCain’s temper. It was clearly the most emotional debate to date. But while Barack looked calm and composed, McCain looked like he was about to blow his lid. Gotta love those split screens.

HOT: Wash Post Endorses BO. The Post remarked that it was an easy decision for them when looking at McCain's campaign strategy and selection of a running mate who is unfit to lead. They admire Obama's "impressive qualities" and are hopeful about an Obama presidency.

NOT: Rally hate. Reports and videos are coming in of the angry words shouted at McCain-Palin rallies. While McCain has called them "fringe" types, him and his running mate have referred to Barack Obama by using his middle name - Hussein, provoking words like "Terrorist" and Kill Him" from their attendees.

HOT: Obama goes after FOX news. At Wednesday's debate, Obama challenged FOX News' "fair and balanced" coverage, saying, "If I Were Watching Fox News, I Wouldn't Vote For Me."

NOT: Joe “The Plumber” giving more interviews in one day than Sarah Palin As VP Candidate. Um, yea this guy is everywhere all of a sudden. He said in a recent interveiw, "I'm kind of like Britney Spears having a headache. Everybody wants to know about it."

Quote of the Week:
“I'm probably going to call him [Joe "The Plumber"] this morning," McCain said. "I thought he would probably be up late. I heard that his — that his phone lines were pretty well flooded. But I think we're going to be spending some time together.”

And check out Our Fabulous Video of the Week:

Debate Part 3: Republicans Heart "Joe (insert cliched Blue-collar job here)"

So, tonight was the last and final debate between Prez candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Again, neither candidate caused fireworks but it was certainly the most interesting (translation: I didn't fall asleep) debate between the candidates.

In a nutshell: McCain played offense and went after Barack's associations. Barack stuck to the issues while McCain kept plunging away at "Joe the Plumber." What's next "Joe the miner" or "Joe the repairman?" B-rack picked up speed in the last few innings and McCain did a horrific job of trying to keep his cool.

Best moment: Watching the insta-poll dip for women when McCain talked about how Sarah Palin is a model for women everywhere. Women no likey the Sarah Palin.


Fun with wordle:

Obama:
McCain:

Philly Fans Never Disappoint

Being a native Philadelphian (woot!) myself, I know there is only one thing we like more than Philly cheesesteaks. And that's booing. The fans were more than up to the task when Sarah Palin came to town...

HOT or NOT: The Week-In-Review

HOT: Another Win for BO. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for two years, Tuesday's debate was a total bore and not a game changer, but Obama came out strong and hit McCain where it hurt.

NOT: Confusing Joe Biden with John McCain. A Tampa area resident and former Republican who supports Obama introduced Joe Biden as, "the next Vice President of the United States, John McCain." Um, awkward. Hey, at least, it’ll make for a good story at company icebreakers (?)

HOT: David Brooks on Palin. David Brooks has been taking a spoonful of straight-talk lately and called Sarah Palin a "fatal cancer to the Republican party" on Monday afternoon. He criticized Palin’s lack of intellectualism and her propensity to “scorn ideas,” comparing her to George Bush. Zing! And again, this is from David Brooks, not Barney Frank.

NOT: Cindy McCain Attacks. Cindy McCain accused Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama of running "the dirtiest campaign in American history." Really now?! According to an analysis by the Wisconsin Advertising Project, almost every ad that the McCain campaign ran last week was negative, compared to just 34 percent of those by Obama. Hmmm. If the campaign’s strategy is to make Cindy an attack dog, I say bring it on.

HOT: Voting Early and Often. The Wall Street Journal has reported that a large number of blacks in Georgia are taking advantage of the early voting option to avoid “polling problems” on Election Day. Ludacris was amongst one of the 263,408 ballots already cast in Georgia. Wonder who he's voting for...

NOT: FOX News Complains that Sarah Palin Photo is Not Retouched. So FOX News has officially run out of things to complain about and recently ran a segment in which a Republican strategist criticized Newsweek’s latest cover as a “gross slap in the face” to Sarah Palin. The commentator could not believe that Newsweek did not retouch the Palin photo! How tragic! There are Americans struggling to put food on the table and this is the subject of their criticism.

Quote of the week: "Lord knows I have a lot to repent for." - Joe Lieberman on MSNBC

And check out Our Fabulous Video of the Week:

Debate Wrap-up: Round 2 Goes to Obama

It's another W for Barack "That One" Obama. Woot! NBC's focus group of undecided Pennsylvania voters had the Illinois Democrat winning by roughly a 60-40 split. John "My Friends" McCain seemed particularly timid about attacking Obama during the debate and yet seems to be A-ok with Palin and his wifey going negative. Just like a man to make the women do his dirty work for him. Whether this non-strategy will work for McSame remains to be seen.

Using Wordle, I generated the "word clouds" from Obama and McCain's responses in the debate. Notice that McCain said the word "Friends" almost as much as he said "America." Check it out:

OBAMA:

McCAIN:

Karma At Work: Jerome Corsi Detained in Africa

I can't help but laugh about this one: Jerome Corsi, author of The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality and co-author of Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, has been deported from Kenya. Just before Corsi was scheduled to announce his findings of his investigation into Barack Obama's Kenya connections, he was picked up by authorities at his hotel and detained at the Nyayo House in Kenya. He was briefly held at immigration headquarters and then brought to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for deportation.

Corsi's book makes erroneous allegations that Barack Obama was raised a Muslim radical. Check out the article here.

Keith Olbermann Is My Homeboy

In a Special Comment, Keith Olbermann addresses Sarah Palin's remarks that Obama was "pallin' around with terrorists." Great stuff.

The Sunday Funnies

Hello Politicas, this week's Sunday Funnies spotlights a Daily Show clip on Why John McCain is the 'Black' Candidate. Check it out:

HOT or NOT: The Week-In-Review

So while everyone heaps copious amounts of praise on Gov. Sarah Palin for remembering her own name at yesterday’s debate, check out this week’s HOT or NOT on the VP debate.

HOT: Exceeding expectations. After her failed attempts at interviews the past few weeks, Gov. Sarah Palin was clearly much more prepared for the VP debate (and by “prepared,” I mean well-scripted). Her rehearsed answers and folksy one-liners seemed to resonate early on and make any sane person want to rip out their hair by the end. Palin did, however, exceed expectations (and by “exceed expectations,” I mean she didn’t royally make a fool of herself). She certainly held her own against Biden (and by “held her own,” I mean… ok you get where I’m going here…). Clearly not a game changer but she lives to fight another day.

NOT: Refusing to directly answer questions. Did Palin know that there was a moderator on stage asking her questions? It sure seemed like she thought she could meaninglessly ramble off strings of memorized phrases in between words like “maverick” and “drill” and forget the minor detail of actually answering the question. Rrrrright. The best part was when the moderator, Gwen Ifill, asked the candidates to name their “Achilles heel” and Palin started uttering her prepared speech on having experience. Wink, smile, insert folky-ism, wink. Aw shucks, ya gotta love her!

HOT: Specifics. If we’ve learned one thing from the last few elections, it’s that personality matters. The American people are suckers for a warm smile and down-to-earth charm. But as Biden stated in the debate “facts matter” and having a solid understanding of the state of the economy, foreign affairs and other prominent policy issues is a real qualification for the POTUS and his/ her side-kick. Again, Palin stuck to her vague talking points without actually giving specific examples of policy proposals and couldn’t name one thing a McCain-Palin admin would do differently than Bush. Bad news bears.

NOT: Palin on Iraq. Two Words: Massive failure. (Enter here some lame joke about how her answer having less of an exit strategy than the War in Iraq).

HOT: Insta-polls. Gotta love/hate how CNN already has the public opinion polls on the debate before the actual debate has ended. Here’s the gist: Biden Wins Debate, 51% to 36%. Woot! Republicans can claim that Palin won the debate all they want but the poll numbers tell a different story.

NOT: Excessive Winking. Nuff said.

HOT: Biden’s restraint. I truly heart Biden and his straight-forward ways but he does have a reputation for inducing cringes when he opens his mouth. He had ample opportunity to hit back at Palin for her snarky comments or blatantly ignorant statements, and yet he restrained himself in an attempt to prevent a war with the whole female race. He was very cautious about attacking John McCain and not Palin personally.

NOT: Shoutouts at VP debates. Um yea, this is not the MTV Music Awards! What’s next – “Big ups to my boo” at the State of the Union? I mean really. It may have come off as cute to some cheeseballs but the rest of us were left feeling absolutely perplexed about this move.

And here are the quotes of the week:
Palin: "How Long Have I Been At This? Like Five Weeks?"
Biden: "Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history."

Stayed tuned for: The McCain-Palin campaign trying to backtrack from Palin's apparent agreement with Biden on benefits for same-sex couples. Send in the janitors to clean it up!

Check out Our Fabulous Video of the Week:

John McCain's Latest Target: Gwen Ifill?

Aside from playing the lowered expectations game in preparation for the VP debates between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, the McCain camp has taken a shot at Gwen Ifill (?). Ifill, who is the moderator for Thursday's VP debate, has a historical book called "Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama" coming out.

Given the subject of her book, the campaign is McComplaining that Ifill is not nonpartisan enough to moderate the debate. Here's where it gets ridiculous: McCain agreed with the selection of Gwen Ifill as moderator two weeks after her book had been reported to the Associated Press. Yet, they've just decided to bring this up a day before the debate. Not to mention that Ifill broke her ankle on Monday night falling down the stairs in her home while carrying "research related to her moderating duties at Thursday's Vice Presidential debate in St. Louis." Hmm.