Updates a Coming...

I hope to do some run-through from September to date in a bit.  Including my work on the Obama legal team, a move to New Orleans, and the opening of my law firm.  Sorry I've been so slow...

Florida Pictures are Coming.

This is one of the signs we had on the legal team.  I plan to get this framed for my office. (ahem, pinky...you around?)

When Will it Get Here??

I will have a full election update in the coming days.  I have just arrived back in town (5 states, seven days) and need to catch my breath.  I'm also ending my Pfizer Health Law Fellowship in 2 days, so I have many loose ends to wrap up.  That said, I have insider news, gossip, photos, etc coming to you shortly.  Sorry for taking so long, as I'm apartment hunting and packing as well.

Thanks for all the kind words here, in emails, and on the phone/in person.

Polly & Mr. Mooch.

Joe the Plummer is a Queen!

Well, it just gets better. Remember Joe the Plumber? The guy that was scared of Obama being a socialist? the one that was scared at the idea Obama might be 'spreading the wealth around'? well, it turns out he was on WELFARE! So after he gets his own 'hand up', he wants to kick the ladder down because he's scared about spreading the wealth. was he using his welfare money when he decided he wanted to buy that plumbing company? what a hypocritical bastard of a has-been, yesterday's news joke.

ELECTION UPDATES

As many of you know, I was part of the Obama Legal Team down in Florida.  I also covered parts of Mississippi's legal team by remote.  It was an interesting day.  a few losses and a few big wins.  We caught LOTS of voter suppression and vote tampering attempts and we were able to stop nearly all of it.    I have photos and stories and will update you all as quickly as i can get it together.  please be patient and accept my sincere apology!

The World is About to Change

i'm heading to florida to do my part on the obama legal team. do your part where ever you are. look down the ticket and add to what is about to happen. 25 years from now, make sure you have a story to tell that will make your family proud. vote. campaign. volunteer. DO SOMETHING. it is about as important as anything you can do as a citizen. be an American and be proud.

love to you all,

Jason Pollan

ps
dispatches coming as i can send them.

If you Didn't Hear Already...

There was a McCain campaigner from College Station, TX up in Penn. She was attacked by a black guy (6'4, 200lbs) that robbed her of $60 and when he saw she was a McCain supporter (saw her bumper sticker on the car), he said he was going to make an obama supporter out of her and carved a "B"into her face.

except ....she made it all up. and it is turning out that there were some other members of the campaign staff that were spreading the word to the press a bit too early and with a bit too much detail. How pathetic can you get?

My Favorite Campaign Ad

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

This one has Opie, Andy Taylor, and the Fonz.  

one more...

If you were wondering what this campaign was really about, you may want to hear what some NON-Southerners have to say (up in Ohio) about what is at stake this year.  Are you concerned that 'the blacks will take over?'  somebody is.

Watch This

You might find this interesting.  Some people were handing out stickers claiming Obama is a communist and a Muslim. (really?  a communist?  what year is this?).  Anyway, as you can imagine they had some not so fun things to say about muslims.  Watch the reactions when the guy is confronted by a few Muslim McCain supporters.  It seems no one wants to talk big when they're confronted by the people they're attacking.

Quick Thoughts About Debate #2

Some quick observations:

The format wasn't as good for McCain as he'd hoped. He has physical deformities/limitations due to his being tortured in vietnam. most people know this, but the way you normally see him is via one camera angle and that masks the awkwardness. tonight it was the first time the age difference was really pronounced.

McCain kept stalking around the stage as Obama talked. it seemed awkward. Contrast how Obama sat on the stool when McCain stalked the stage making his comments.

I was a bit surprised that when Obama took a swipe at McCain he didn't refute the attacks. Obama, on the other hand, did this. no reason for that. it was surprising. Also, I thought it was a bit boring. god knows what people that don't follow politics thought.

Huh...funny that this was the format McCain demanded and the old format was the one where he did a better job. i gave the last one to McCain 55/45. this time around i give it to Obama 60/40. i liked the questions that were asked. i just didn't like the missing follow up to make them answer.

Whoa...

WASHINGTON — By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign.

And though she may have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret.

Even the AP is calling out McCain/Palin on this one. the one thing that has been keeping Obama from running away with the election is race. there are just a few weeks left and it seems the heat on the dirty side of this race is turning up. expect to hear more dripping with race, the muslim rumor, and various and sundry dirt.

The Biggest Political News of the Campaign Week

You may think it was the VP debates. All i will say is that Palin did FAR better than anyone's worst fears...but that just wasn't enough. to quote a GOP operative 'it helped stop the bleeding'. she lost the debate but accomplished a mission. so...was that the biggest news?

Nope. it wasn't.

It was this. McCain is pulling his Campaign out of Michigan. his threat in this swing state was one of the things making people very antsy 1-2 weeks ago. Obama doesn't win without Michigan and it appears he will.

So Why do we Need that Bailout?

This is the best breakdown i've seen of what exactly happened last week that made everyone think we were going over the edge. This will explain the thing that triggered our leaders to suddenly say 'we may only have days to handle this crisis'. What is amazing is how clear they make what happened last week and how no other media outlet (i saw) explained this. Spend 5min and listen even if you have only a passing interest.

go here to listen to it (it is short):

The Week America's Economy Almost Died

UPDATED--Holy Cow!

Did you see David Letterman when McCain ditched the show after 'suspending' his campaign? oh my goodness! Letterman really went after him. If only in scheduling and logistics, I think this is a major mistake in his campaign. All indicators seem to point to a resolution passed by congress and on the desk of the President within a week, if not by Friday. People expect candidates to still do their jobs as Senators while campaigning and if McCain 'suspends' his campaign so that the bill can be passed anyway 3 days later, this will be seen as a major gaffe. This IS uncharted territory for the candidates, but this has been very difficult for McCain. Watch this short clip of his positions over the last 10 days. it doesn't point to his competence as much as it points to his lack of a developed, coherent position.



You know, what I like about McCain is that I respect him even when i don't agree with him. That's how i feel about the republicans i know in my everyday life, that i call my friends. I think McCain has had to do some unpleasant things to obtain and secure this nomination. I like to think that he wears it so poorly because it is so against his nature. I feel bad for him more than i dislike the man.

What do you REALLY Think?? (video/audio)

You may have heard already, but here is a transcript.  it seems a few pundits (Mike Murphy and Peggy Noonan) were still on mic when the cameras cut away.  VERY interesting is the comment about Sen. Kaye Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), possibly the most qualified female VP candidate alive.

UPDATE:  Noonan tries to clear up the "it's over" comment.  she wasn't REALLY talking about the McCain campaign with that.  I'm not sure if she commented on what she was 'meaning' when Palin's nomination was called "gimicky" and "bulls**t".

Chuck Todd: Mike Murphy, lots of free advice, we'll see if Steve Schmidt and the boys were watching. We'll find out on your blackberry. Tonight voters will get their chance to hear from Sarah Palin and she will get the chance to show voters she's the right woman for the job Up next, one man who's already convinced and he'll us why Gov. Jon Huntsman.

(cut away)

Peggy Noonan: Yeah.

Mike Murphy: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor world: Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. I mean, these guys -- this is how you win a Texas race, just run it up. And it's not gonna work. And --

PN: It's over.

MM: Still McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.

CT: I also think the Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.

PN: Saw Kay this morning.

CT: Yeah, she's never looked comfortable about this --

MM: They're all bummed out.

CT: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

PN: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this -- excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --

CT: Yeah they went to a narrative.

MM: I totally agree.

PN: Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

MM: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical.

CT: This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky.

MM: Yeah.

Not Much Time

It seems the McCain vetting team got to interview governor Palin one day before she was asked to be VP. not much vetting time, but that matches the stories i've heard about how all this unfolded. from the AP:

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 2 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate, and she did not disclose the fact that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant until that meeting, two knowledgeable McCain officials acknowledged Tuesday

VP Nominee is Pregnant Out of Wedlock...Move Along, Nothing to See Here....

This is a pretty good sign they didn't vet Palin very well for the VP slot:

A statement released by the campaign said that Bristol Palin will keep her baby and marry the child's father. Bristol Palin is five months pregnant, and the baby is due in late December.

FoxNews declared it a "Private family matter". Yeah. Because that's how they ALWAYS handle unwed, pregnant minors in the news. This cannot bode well for the candidate that was supposed to shore up the "values (read: theocracy) voters".

The New GOP VP Nominee! Updated TWICE for Your Gossipy Needs!

Overheard today from people i like to consider smarter than the average bear:

ok, here are the notes from earlier:

She's DOA. People are scoffing around the politic-arati and you wonder...why?

Why? Because she's gone on record as saying that creationism should
be taught in schools.

Because her ads for governor featured Ted Stevens.

Because she's been involved in her own steadily growing scandal in
Alaska for the past three months, damning her in her own state--losing
the thousands of excited Republicans she had behind her originally.
(It involves using the governor's office to attack a cop--a
cop!--because he happened to once be married to her sister).

Because she's from a state with the fewest electoral votes IN THE
COUNTRY--three. Less than Mississippi, y'all. She's tied with Maine
and Montana. Three is the set minimum (hotly contested Penn. has 21).

Because Alaska has been rated as "trending Blue" towards Barack
anyway--in part because of the horrifying corruption of Stevens and
the growing disenchantment with Palin, who recently endorsed Barack's
energy plan as a sop to the huge environmental factions in Alaska.

Because 1 1/2 years ago, she was the PART TIME MAYOR OF A VILLAGE OF
6,000 PEOPLE.

Because Kay Bailey Hutchinson just said "I don't know much about her."

Because they're already calling her Geraldine Quayle.

Because she's only been to the Mainland a few times.

Because McCain's "lack of experience" attack on Obama is now off the table.

Because potatoe.

Because Trig, Willow, Bristol, and Piper are all shitty names. poor kids.

Because she won't be able to find Georgia on a map, let alone bust
Biden's chops over it.

HER ONE PLUS:

She ain't rich.

I say she's a hotter Harriet Miers. Her qualifications seem to be a uterus and a governership. I'm not saying she's terrible, but if you built your campaign around "he's not tested and ready to lead" then, she ain't the one.

as of 6pm today i have not seen any new press reports, but ...if they aren't giving her a hard time, It's Christmas in August. Don't get me wrong. she's not terrible. I'm not either...but if Obama picked me, he'd catch hell too.

UPDATE (the headlines):

VETTING PALIN: McCain Only Met Palin Once... Palin: What Exactly Does The VP Do Everyday?... McCain Spokeswoman: I Have No Idea What McCain's Relationship Is With Palin...

This is about to get "not-pretty."

UPDATE 2!:

Kreepy televangelist and McGod profiteer Dr. Dobson declares...

Dobson: 'I Would Pull that Lever'...

kreepy bastard.

Oh I Like This

Oh, i like this! Time Magazine seems to think Mitt Romney is about to be named McCain's VP pick.
This is more than just a little great if it is coming out.

1. McCain doesn't like him
2. Evangelicals don't trust him because he basically switched to 'their side' when he decided to run for president.
3. If this is about to break it screws the PRIMO news cycle he had coming.

See, after the olympics the Dem convention is gonna saturate the news. lots of room for gaffs with the clintons and no need to introduce anything new. it won't be helpful. BUT when they finish
the time allows them a late week reveal of the VP, a prolonged stretch through the weekend to make news over the VP pick and start hitting on weaknesses that develop out of the convention. Next you have the GOP convention to further dominate the news cycle. this would not only step on Obama's post convention bump, but prolong McCain's.

...that is, unless the story is breaking now. heh. I hope they are that stupid. i don't think they are, this makes me think 'false alarm'. However, this is the 'regular guy' that couldn't answer the question "how many houses do you and your wife own?"

Yeah, good thing he isn't an elitist like Obama. going to school on student loans because he's so rich. yeah. exactly.