Why Sarah Palin Still Haunts Me... And Why She Should Still Haunt You Too

And, honestly, I don't think we should let her simply disappear for a couple years. We can't. And I'll tell you why.

Yeah, it's great that McCain/Palin lost last week. In fact, "great" doesn't begin to explain the magnitude of the gigantic bullet that this country dodged by not electing the Republican ticket. John McCain returns now to the Senate, where he'll probably make some amends and retire when his term expires in two years. But Sarah Palin, as is evident by her round-the-clock media bonanza the past few days, isn't going anywhere. And that scares me.

Sarah Palin is someone that must never be allowed to come anywhere near the White House. She is a fanatical, fundamentalist kook lacking not only in ideas, but in intellect. Yes, I said it: the woman is against thinking. She carries a disdain for, well, smart people that is painfully obvious, and totally unfit for a potential PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

John McCain lost this presidential election, thank God. And we will not have to suffer through another four or eight years of a George W. Bush-like presidency. But the real damage McCain did was that, in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate, he turned her into a national figure. Over 56 million people voted for her to be their next vice president. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that GOP voters liked Palin more than McCain. Rasmussen also found that 64% (!) of Republicans want her to be their party's presidential nominee (!!) in 2012.

So, you see, therein lies the problem.

Let's say she runs in 2012. In fact, barring some kind of unforeseen event (like she loses her 2010 re-election bid for Alaska governor), Palin will indeed run for president in four years. She will have legions of devoted supporters right off the bat. And she will indeed begin the race as the prohibitive favorite to win the Republican nomination. Okay, fine. Those are just Republicans, you might say. Well, yes - but there's more.

The main reason Sarah Palin was dumped by independents and some Republicans is not because they saw her as the braindead farce that I - along with many others - saw her as, it's because she was seen as "not ready." That's all it was. "Not ready." Not "you're a crazy, scary bitch and you will never be competent enough to even go on a White House TOUR." No, just "not ready" - meaning that, with three or four years of "executive experience", along with some clever political posturing to engage her in issues that actually matter, come 2012 a great deal of people are more likely to see her as "ready" to do the job.

And that's my fear. My fear is that, by virtue of the fact that she'll have four more years doing... whatever it is that she does up in Alaska under her belt, she'll have a far easier time convincing enough of the American electorate that her biggest weakness this time around - her readiness to serve as president - is no longer a weakness. In fact, she may even be able to turn it into a strength. No joke.

This is why I will not stop talking about her. This is why Andrew Sullivan and Kevin Drum and others will not stop talking about her either. She is too dangerous, too fundamentalist, too stupid, quite frankly, to ever - ever - be on a national ticket again - not in four years, not in eight years, not in 20 years.

Never. Again. Not if I have anything to say about it, at least.

Obama Victory: The Aftermath

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Cutest Thing Ever

Check out this live puppy cam:

Live video chat by Ustream

Gold Star Winner: November 12, 2008

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)
Used to Have a Mullet
"Rising Star" in the Republican Party... Whatever That Means

Here's T.Paw at today's Republican Governors Association conference in Miami:
“'Drill baby drill' by itself is not an energy policy.”

Yes! Thank you, Tim. Personally, I'd go one step further and say "drill baby drill" even as part of a broader package is still not an energy policy. But I'm just a crazy, tree-hugging, environment-loving, natural resources-saving leftist. Anyway, I thank the governor for at least taking one step away from the Far Right's oil-loving descent into idiocy. "Drill baby drill" is indeed not an energy policy, and Pawlenty's comments today are what I would call "straight talk," or at least a start.

That being said, somewhere, Sarah Palin is crying.

Politicians Who Have Smoked Pot

A list.

(Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

Mormons, Gays and 2012

The Mormon Church is getting a big round of applause from the Far Right for their efforts - $30 million worth of efforts - in helping Proposition 8 pass in California. First Read ponders if that could have any effect on the level of social conservatives' support for Mitt Romney, if he does as expected and seeks the presidency again in 2012.

I'm sorry, but what kind of fucked-up fantasy land are Republicans living in if, as a result of Mormons' efforts in barely passing a gay marriage ban in a state unwinnable in a presidential contest, they all go out and support Robot Romney for president?

Yes, I believe that the insanity on the Right may get worse before it gets better. Perhaps they'll be a reasonable political party again by... oh, 2024, or something like that.

Sarah Palin Alert: God & 2012

GOV. PALIN (R-AK) ASKS GOD TO LET HER KNOW IF THERE IS AN OPEN DOOR FOR HER REGARDING THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

"You know, I have -- faith is a very big part of my life. And putting my life in my creator's hands -- this is what I always do. I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door.

Show me where the open door is. Even if it's cracked up a little bit, maybe I'll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don't let me miss an open door.

And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door."

Girl, you crazy.

Putting the "Young" in "Cy Young"

Tim Lincecum, all of 24, won the National League Cy Young Award today.

This means that, according to the BBWAA (Baseball Writers' Association of America), the San Francisco Giants ace was the best pitcher in the NL this year.

That's probably true, though I would have loved to see Brad Lidge of the *ahem* WORLD SERIES CHAMPION Philadelphia Phillies get the award. He did go 41-for-41 in save opportunities this season (and then 7-for-7 in the playoffs).

Obama Transition's Rules for Lobbyists

Here they are:

• Federal Lobbyists cannot contribute financially to the transition.
• Federal lobbyists are prohibited from any lobbying during their work with the transition.
• If someone has lobbied in the last 12 months, they are prohibited from working in the fields of policy on which they lobbied.
• If someone becomes a lobbyist after working on the Transition, they are prohibited from lobbying the Administration for 12 months on matters on which they worked.
• A gift ban that is aggressive in reducing the influence of special interests.

This strikes me as about as aggressive a president or president-elect could be when it comes to steering clear of lobbyists. Unfortunately, you can't simply get rid of them. Washington would cease to function. Personally, I'm comfortable with these guidelines. I think Obama is sincere about not wanting to be beholden to lobbyists and special interests. Of course, we'll see what happens come January 20th.

(For that list, hat tip to Marc Ambinder.)

Hope & Change? Try My 50-State Strategy.

David Plouffe, David Axelrod and President-elect Obama himself all deserve an enormous amount of credit for competing in, and winning, such traditionally Republican states like Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana. But Howard Dean, the outgoing DNC chair, wants some credit, and he also had a large part do with the Democrats' electoral success.

Remember, Dean was the guy who, in the year 3 B.B.O. (Before Barack Obama, also known as 2005), implemented a 50-state strategy at the DNC, meaning Democrats were finally going to start competing in states they hadn't competed in since like the James K. Polk administration.

As Adam Nagourney points out in the article I linked to above, I think this year represented a perfect storm for Democrats which helped make a 50- (or 30-, or -25) state strategy possible. Consider this:

1. Lots of people everywhere, including independents and Republicans, were pissed off at George W. Bush and, by extension, the GOP.
2. The long primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Obama meant that Obama, the eventual nominee, had spent time, resources and committed staff in basically all 50 states.
3. Obama had a simple yet compelling message, along with a shitload of cash (that helps).
4. Changes in demographics worked in the Democrats' favor.

So, yeah. Everybody deserves some credit - Plouffe, Axelrod, Obama, Dean, even John McCain (which is not to take away anything from Obama's brilliantly run campaign). "The fundamentals of the economy are strong" ... Sarah Palin ... suspended campaign ... Sarah Palin ... Joe the Plumber ... Sarah Palin ... you get the point.