All Slime All the Time

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As Frank Rich tells it, the Rovian school of smear, lie and obfuscate is in full dress battle gear these days. And there's much to lie and obfuscate about in the long and "stellar" career of John McCain.

From Keating 5 forward, McCain's practiced the politics of slippery dancin' that would make Charles [Best Little Whorehouse in Texas] Durning and more recently Karl Rove and his back-up dancer David Gregory proud.

While Rich gives somewhat of a sop to the media--bless their poor l'il hearts, they just can't keep up with the likes o'Steve Schmidt and Rove--I'm not so charitable. Just this week I commented about Brian Williams news team conveniently leaving out the detail that the Obama tax plan targets the top miniscule percent of Americans for an increase.

Bit of an "oversight" there, Brian.

No wonder a Washington Post poll cited by Rich found that half of those polled believed Obama would raise their taxes.

You'd think after the last two elections, the media would've started to sharpen up, but then that would presuppose they are [with too few exceptions] either sufficiently competent, experienced, or possessing of enough integrity and plain ol' initiative not to get themselves gutted like a Palin moose.

As it is, media clucking over Palin ineptitude or inexperience or incompetence has the taint of projection to it. Culling the herd never looked so grim.

Is this the best we can do--in our politicians? And in our press?
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Talk the Talk

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Words mean something, says Barack Obama, challenging Sarah Palin and the rest of the hate-spewing McCainiac team. "You can't just make stuff up."

Yes, words mean something.

Caroline Kennedy talked about how her children influenced her. How she sees in Barack Obama a sense of purpose and a quality of leadership that she has not seen in decades...a quality of leadership, she has been told, that reminds people of her father.

Words mean something.

So how about you? Have you had the conversation? Oh, I don't mean with other bloggers or commenters who agree with you. Nor with the folks you've met volunteering or canvassing for Obama.

Have you had the conversation with your own family? With your parents? With your grandparents?

The Sunshine family is now four generations strong...crossing party lines...but united in support of Barack Obama.

Because words mean something.

And images and "character" can be tissue thin--whether moose leather or $300,000 crass couture--while issues must be faced with honesty and truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, and no dissembling. Hypocrisy must be called out and rebuked. Racism and race-baiting must be shamed and shunned.

And it's not easy. The words don't slip off our own tongues as glibly and grinningly as a speech-written teleprompter's script. We struggle sometimes, telling our own parents or grandparents, aunts or uncles, why words mean something.

And honesty, as well.

And it may seem sometimes that we're in this alone, mocked by the Republicans, with a self-important puffed-up McCainstream media that too often shows that it is either hopelessly gullible and stupid and easily guiled or caring more for the face in the mirror than the face of real journalism instead of stenography or infotainment "news."

Because to think the agents of change will be the ones who got us in this mess for nearly eight long years is to be as vapid...and fearful...and self-dishonest...and flat-out screwed-up shallow as the cravens on the right are hoping that voters will be.

Their drumbeat will be loud, but we have the chance, each and every day, to have dinnertable conversations and talk the talk.
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Falsies

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MSNBC offers a little poll this morning. What did McCain's speech accomplish. Hmmmm. "Nothing" is not an option.

Funny how the McCainstream media keeps on hangin' around, panting for praise...like with positive-only options in the MSNBC poll. Is this the way the "real" polls operate, too? No wonder the media gets to game their horserace.

Meanwhile, you've got both McCain and Palin hiding out from the media, giving a nice little softball interview with Charlie Gibson to launch the convention. You remember Charlie Gibson--ol' flagpin, flagpin, flagpin. So if it's all about flagpins, where was McCain's last night?

Oh, wait, it's all about images, just bigger images. Like that giant waving flag... and the Walter Reed Jr. High (ooops!)... and the faked-up funeral footage... and....

So here's the image: Republicans love them some war.

And peacemaking? Making things better for communities? Being a community organizer? Mock that! United Way? Boy Scouts? Camp Fire Girls? That's so 0 A.D.

Media? You ragged us forever about what you saw as Obama failings. So where's the fair and balanced?

What's that you say? You'll get back to we, the people, soon...right after Nov. 4...right after you lick the BBQ sauce off your fingers?

"I'm Ready to Have that Debate"

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All week long we've watched the rising crescendo of Obama's taking on the mantle of [no-longer-presumptive] Democratic candidate for President.

Even Republican consultant Mike Murphy gives high props to Obama.

The naysayers are already being their predictable selves...but, but, but, what about the billionaires?????????????? asked Cavuto on the Imus Show this morning. This is more and more government, says Peggy Nooner. "Socialist" Scarborough says his moderate Republican friends are telling him....

and oooooh, boogah, boogah, Lieberman is in Dayton.

Well guess what, Republicans...and your McCainstream Media... we are all ready to "have that debate."