Wednesday, September 03, 2008

The end of the world moment at tonight's Republican National Convention

Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams said: "Let me make it clear. Drill, baby, drill! Drill now!"

Then the whole fucking crowd chanted "Drill baby drill! Drill baby drill!"

And a few more points about the campaign:

First is this one about journalism and ethics. The "liberal media" is getting attacked now for "going after" the Palin family. Republican VP nom Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol is pregnant. When news broke pretty much everyone said that this was a family matter, including reporters and Barack Obama. Obama said anyone on his campaign who brought it up as a talking point would be fired.

But then the Palins and McCain decided to "use it" staging a photo opp this afternoon with McCain hugging Bristol and shaking hands with Levi Johnston, Bristol's fiance and the father of the baby.

Well, to quote the Poynter Institute on this one ...

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=149870

Palin's Choice: From Privacy to Photo Op
Levi Johnston, Bristol Palin's boyfriend, has joined the vice presidential nominee's family at the Republican National Convention, greeting Sen. John McCain at the airport in front of cameras and eliminating whatever compulsion I might have had to lay off the pregnancy story now that the campaign is trotting out the kids for a photo op.

Earlier today, my Poynter colleagues Kelly McBride and Bob Steele offered good ideas and thoughts on the Palin family troubles and right to privacy. Steele says:

My concern for this 17-year-old and her privacy is deep and genuine. As the father of three daughters, I can relate to what she and her family are experiencing. Yet, I strongly believe the American public deserves to know about this piece of this teenager's life. Bristol's mom –- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin –- could become the vice president of the United States.

The White House, Barack Obama and John McCain have all urged the media to give the teenage couple their privacy. To back off. But you can't have it both ways, asking journalists to back off while putting the teenagers in the spotlight on Sarah Palin's biggest night.

Second point, watch this ...




Third point referencing Slate.com and the LATimes.

In recent days, several pieces of information have come out that dispute McCain's description of Palin as a government reformer who has "stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money." But perhaps none of it is as damaging as a story in today's LAT because it turns out that McCain himself criticized some earmarks that Palin's small Alaska town received while she was mayor. In "pork lists" that the senator has published to call attention to wasteful government spending, McCain has included earmarks for Wasilla, Alaska, as "objectionable" three times in recent years. Palin was far from embarrassed about these earmarks, as she defended the practice in a newspaper column. And although McCain's campaign is trying to say that Palin had no choice but to work within a broken system, the LAT couldn't be clearer: "Wasilla had received few if any earmarks before Palin became mayor."

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