Vice Presidential candidates are important, I'm told, three times only. The day they're chosen, at the convention, and at the VP debate. Well, Sarah did fine at the first, even better at the second, and my impression (I didn't watch) is that she did quite well at the third.
And that's the end of that. It's pretty clear her boss is going to come in second, which means that on a Wednesday in early November she'll be going back to Wassila, a place none of us had ever heard of until 5 weeks ago. I expect, however, that once there she'll take out a subscription to the NYT, the Economist, and a few other important news outlets. She then has about two and a half years to work on her main weakness this time, namely that she knows nothing about the world and not too much about the USA. She seems intelligent, so 30 months will easily be enough to fix that. Expect her to be back with a vengeance next time round, perhaps even taking on President Obama himself.
In which case, John McCain's most important legacy at the presidential level will have been to invent Sarah Palin. Whether this will be good or not, I have not the faintest idea.
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3 comments:
FROM CAROL HERMAN
Israelis know that Olmert isn't popular! So, now you can compare a woman who can hold her own: PALIN ... Against the way people really "feel about" politics.
Sarah Palin instills confidence. Sorry to have to tell Israelis, Livni doesn't.
And, yes, McCain stepped on a land mine, with other republicans, when he went for a pork-infested "bail out." Let me tell ya, most Americans believe that if you GAMBLE AND LOSE, nobody comes to bail out your bare ass. You might as well attach suspenders around a barrel. And, substitute this for clothing.
Why are the congress critters doing what they are doing? The emergency, by the way is real. We're heading into a "slump" ... where lots of people will lose money. That's actually how Capitalism WORKS, folks.
What's at stake? IF the congress critters win, and slam the taxpayer with holding the bag for TOXIC LOANS (meaning giving people who have no credit worthiness, CREDIT) ... then taxpayers will be paying "top dollar." And, a few wall street stinkers will amass even more money. Even ahead, when the stock market fails for everyone else.
That's what happens when a bubble bursts. And, there's no way to "inflate this bubble." Just for a few to pick the pockets of the many.
So, what does it mean when a politician is really popular, OR you get someone like Olmert, who isn't?
In America, the answer isn't in yet. You'll have to wait for the elections to be held on 11/4.
McCain's biggest blunder? Well, let me tell ya, just like John Kerry, McCain came out of Vietnam and immedidately married UP. So he never had to go to work, and actually prove that he's skilled at "something." Instead? He went to the legislature, in DC. Ah, yes. Just like Biden. And, Obama.
So, if you're looking for better apples, you'd have to first find a "better apples" basket. And, that's where you'll find the outside, Palin.
I'm not betting Obama wins. Not by a long shot. Even though I know there's lots to compare between McCain and Dubya. Start with this: TWO RICH GUYS WITH TIN EARS.
Since Olmert has a tin ear; and didn't care much as he handed off Jerusalem to the Haredi, during his tenure as mayor ... It becomes rich to watch Israelis bespeak poorly of Sarah Palin's stint as mayor of Wassila, Alaska.
How do you spell this out?
Well, Arik Sharon, who was popular, found cardiologists who injected him with rat poison; so he could have "beneficial surgery" guaranteeing that his "ticker would keep on ticking." (He's still ticking. But his brains have been blown out of his head.) Some Jewish doctors, there, huh?
Meanwhile, Americans had Ronald Reagan as their last BELOVED president! Loved in spite of the media.
Where's the media now?
Just like yours. In bed with radicals. And, unpopular candidates. (Though the mess with Olmert? A charade of cat-calls from the police. Never with a judge and jury.) But it passed your inspection. So, good luck to ya, in that department.
Yes, McCain has a tin ear. Yes, McCain "could try" to keep on doing what Bush has done. BUT THEN HE LOSES, the people. He'd lose the race by February 1, 2009 ... if he didn't see where the PEOPLE stood.
Most politicians can figure out how to win the local contests. For Americans, our saving grace is our SIZE! (Not 57 states, like Obama claimed. But 50.) And, every four years ONE CANDIDATE gets elected ... that MORE THAN HALF THE PEOPLE "select."
Is Congress in the USA, wounded? Yes. But they're not dead moose, yet. Only dead can they be "dressed." (Look it up. It's an interesting term used by hunters.)
And, you might have thought there are no hunters, left. Well, I'd beg to differ.
FROM CAROL HERMAN
I want to come back, again, to something that's obvious: McCain doesn't instill confidence!
I have no idea how Americans are going to pick a president from what's being offered. (But then, again, how do Israelis pick, ahead?) Politicians aren't warriors. They're actually pathetic actors for the most part, without the good looks, or the sense of presence, real actors have on stage. Or screen. (But they like the money.)
As I've pointed out, McCain, like John Kerry, came out of military uniform, back in the 70's. Married themselves UP. So money wasn't going to be a problem. And, found that instead of having to go to work for a living; where business would either make them or break them. They chose political careers, instead.
And, as bad as Bush is, nobody misses John Kerry NOT becoming president.
Still, the real political fights are party fights. And, the democrats want to be back in power, again. Meaning they want to have what FDR brought to the party! ALL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT. Yes, it took FDR time. I don't remember who said it, but it was said that "FDR had a second rate intellect, but a first rate temperment." And, this had much to do with his success. Even polio didn't rattle his exterior. He always put on a happy face. And, for Americans, many of them didn't even know the extent of his paralysis. He instilled confidence.
When you look at failed politicians what you see is that they DON'T INSTILL confidence. Not Bush the Elder. Not his son, Dubya. And, certainly not Olmert! Or Livni!
Sometimes, if the press runs in your favor, you can have a candidate lacking in character; who still gets portrayed well. I'd say JFK (John F. Kennedy), was blessed with this ability. But then he got murdered. An inside job with so many characters in such a play, you could blame the CIA. As well as the mafia. (The mafia got busted and went broke in Cuba.) And, bad players do strange things.
And, then you get the cover ups.
In a few days, Tuesday, October 7th, and then again on October 15th, there will be two debates. Between McCain and Obama. What if it doesn't matter who wins?
McCain brought this on himself.
Something happened during Bush's emergency meeting; where McCain "suspended" his campaign. Then, during this meeting Obama insulted him. SO he rose out of his chair, and left the room. (Shades of Mofaz, if you need a comparison.)
You'd think McCain would have, at least, NOT voted for the PORK FILLED, and pretty useless, trillion dollar package. But he didn't. He does his song-and-dance routine around "bipartisan." This includes shooting conservative republicans; as he can't seem to aim at anybody else.
What happens if Obama wins? What happens if the democrats retain the HOUSE. (They retain the senate, because there are only 12 democrats up for re-election from the senate. And, all the democrats were smart enough to vote AGAINST the "bail out.")
The HOUSE on the other hand is a different matter. HOUSE seats go for two years. In every even year the entire HOUSE is up for re-election.
With America's economy tanking. With the "wish lists" of both parties nothing but crap. So that putting doctors in jail for doing abortions; or finding ways to making legal abortions impossible ... That's the republican ticket. And, MOST everyone on the Supreme Court is OLD. If Obama wins, the democrats will be choosing Supreme Court justices. Won't be right wing advocates.
As to the financial stuff? When your economy goes south there's not much you can do ... but survive the "hurricane" force of it. No "Mission Accomplished" banners are gonna work.
And, just getting through this will prove to be difficult. In other words? You can't "redistribute wealth" if you've killed all your business models.
And, it's this Dubya that just signed the bill that can push America onto the road to surfdom.
By being "for" the bail out, McCain has already put his party into the ditch.
Sounds familiar?
Sometimes, when a man is unpopular he is way more dangerous than one who leads. Again, now that really sounds familiar, huh?
FROM CAROL HERMAN
Oh, yeah. I'm back, again. It's another day. And, today, it dawned on me that the most important thing a politician can offer is MAGNETISM.
In other words? To like a politician they need to have an attractant, that makes you enthusiastic.
Bush? Nada. None. Ditto, for Olert. Yet these are dangerous men. (Even though Debka rarely gets anything right; supposedly, Abbas, visiting DC, was told by Bush that "it's a done deal." Everything VERBALLY agreed to with Livni? Doesn't need no "stinking piece of paper."
And, Palin's line? Yes, she's for the 2-state solution. Are these code words for what's being hidden by Bush? Could be picked up by McCain, no problem. Israel isn't really an American hot button. So someone without magnetism can just "play" and look presidential. While lots of people don't give a rat's patootie.
Of course, Debka could be wrong!
But Israel has no politician at the forefront who can pull along "at least half" the voters. All democracies need to attract "at least half."
Which got me to thinking about Obama. Boy, is his base enthused! There are people so happy that he's in the presidential race, they're attracted to Obama's magnetism.
While McCain (like Bush), has none.
If McCain wins? Oy. We get 4 more years of disappointments, as the Bush policies are all these marginal players know how to play. The people won't get kick-started.
Al Gore had this going on, (here, I'm reversing parties). Back in 2000. In other words while the race was close, the republican were energized for Bush. Al Gore? Nope. Base wasn't enthused.
Did Bush destroy his legacy? Yup. But it took lots of mistakes. From Harriet Meirs, to Katrina, to the Dubai Ports deal, to this bone-headed "bail out." Where "bailing out" is something pilots do when their losing their aircraft under their arses. And, they pull the rip-cord.
No, I have no idea how the race will go on 11/4. But I'll be watching to see if MAGNETISM makes a difference? Because if it does? Obama has a large base of happy people, rooting for him to win.
In a country, where only "a little more than half" have to vote for the winnah.
Perhaps, as democracies, we haven't quite learned to cope with politicans? Where for them, it's all about power. And, "dictatorship." They do what they do, because no one stands up to stop them.
Thanks for listening. Meanwhile, I'll go back to just waiting and watching. To see how the two presidential debates, ahead, turn out. (Remember, about 60-million people vote in the USA presidential races.) For Biden/Palin? Which had a "huge" audience? The count was 12-million watchers.
And, much fewer people comment on the Internet. Can the Internet make a difference? The MSM is thoroughly enthused with obama.
One day people will ask: How did McCain win in the primaries? Were there just too many others? What happened to all that talent? Almost anybody else, had they been chosen, would be ahead.
Hillary? She lacked Obama's magnetism. Though she was definitely the better candidate. Oh, well. We can only choose from what's on the menu.
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