Green Behind The Ears

September 5, 2008 9:46 AM

What was the mysterious green backdrop behind John McCain last night? Was it an attempt to restart the Colbert/McCain Green Screen Challenge? The lawn of one of his houses? Or possibly just a screw-up?
posted by Artw (137 comments total)

I was more baffled by the blue-sky backdrop that replaced the green lawn. I assumed someone forgot to chroma-key a background of the burning twin towers.
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 9:49 AM on September 5, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

The green was definitely the lawn of a house - it was kinda hard to tell from the camera angle, but it looked more like poor planning than an actual greenscreen.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 9:50 AM on September 5, 2008

After years on the internet I finally think that a topic is worthless without pictures.
posted by Shutter at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I assumed someone forgot to chroma-key a background of the burning twin towers.

Keith Olbermann apologizes to viewers for the graphic imagery and exploitive nature of the RNC's tribute to the victims of 9/11.
posted by ericb at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

I like how the first link points out the photo of the building with the green lawn was of Walter Reed Middle School. Which has nothing to do with anything and might have been a GIS mis-hit for Walter Reed Medical Center.
posted by thecjm at 9:54 AM on September 5, 2008

Here is a picture.
posted by stavrogin at 9:54 AM on September 5, 2008

After years on the internet I finally think that a topic is worthless without pictures.

Here's a picture. And as the TPM linked article says it's a photo of the Walter Reed Middle School (North Hollywood, CA) and not Walter Reed Army Medical Center (which many think was the intended backdrop).

I guess McCain fumbled on his first attempts at the Internets.
posted by ericb at 9:55 AM on September 5, 2008

And ... don't forget the "Mavrick" sign in the convention hall last night
posted by ericb at 9:57 AM on September 5, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

Are the GOP going for the lovable screw-up pity vote? I could do a better job of running this campaign by intentionally trying to run it into the ground.
posted by stavrogin at 9:58 AM on September 5, 2008

Since we've mentioned McCain and alluded to the Republican Convention, is this finally the thread that we continue our Sarah Palin snark-fest on? The air is running out on the other one.
posted by leftcoastbob at 9:58 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

This is classic.

The first few signs of how someone will govern as president are the kind of campaign they run for the office, and the VP pick. Both have been really bad on McCain's side.
posted by nevercalm at 9:59 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

In a surprise turn of events, McCain has decided to reach out to green voters.
posted by daniel_charms at 9:59 AM on September 5, 2008

John McCain: Matlock
posted by Artw at 9:59 AM on September 5, 2008

That school was used as the backdrop for Matt Santos' (Jimmy Smits) Presidential announcement on The West Wing.
posted by Poolio at 10:00 AM on September 5, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

The same school was used as a backdrop for Matt Santos' announcement speech in the West Wing, and Santos' character was based loosely on Obama (guy talks about hope a lot)

Weirdness all around.
posted by delmoi at 10:01 AM on September 5, 2008

I guess McCain fumbled on his first attempts at the Internets.

What he said about finding a running mate: "Basically, it's a Google." Apparently he meant that literally.
posted by delmoi at 10:03 AM on September 5, 2008

why didn't they use this building?
posted by pyramid termite at 10:10 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Are the GOP going for the lovable screw-up pity vote?

This Just In: Judd Apatow hired as new GOP campaign manager, block letters and liger portraits @ 11.
posted by mannequito at 10:10 AM on September 5, 2008

He green-washed himself.
posted by wavering at 10:12 AM on September 5, 2008

The one clip I saw of Sarah Palin's RNC speech was just her in front of a black background- she looked like one of those sign-language ladies you used to see in the corner of the screen on PBS.
posted by Lord Kinbote at 10:13 AM on September 5, 2008

This is delicious.

But a GIS for Walter Reed Middle School doesn't even seem to bring up the same image he used, and a general search for Walter Reed not only doesn't produce the image (I went 25 pages in), but each page is headed by "Related searches:walter reed hospital." So I'm not totally convinced it was a Google search blunder, though it was clearly some type of blunder.
posted by The Straightener at 10:18 AM on September 5, 2008

she looked like one of those sign-language ladies you used to see in the corner of the screen on PBS.

That's the GOP just getting her used to being in her place.
posted by jsavimbi at 10:19 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

the "Mavrick" sign

I'm curious if anyone has undertaken a thorough collection of screencaps of signage from the conventions; obviously some of the high- and low-points have gotten grabbed and passed around, but as a semi-engineered, semi-organic phenomenon, these big aggregates of boosterism (and occasional protest) are really kind of fascinating to me.
posted by cortex at 10:20 AM on September 5, 2008

Are the GOP going for the lovable screw-up pity vote?

Not a good tactical move when McKinney is on the ballot.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:22 AM on September 5, 2008

Totally off topic: What's with all the Scranton PA shout-outs this year? It seems every major politician has to mention Scranton this election cycle. Are they trying to get The Office vote?

Sarah Palin about Obama: “talks one Way In Scranton And Another Way In San Francisco.”
posted by elwoodwiles at 10:24 AM on September 5, 2008

It wasn't a static image, it was footage. I recall seeing somebody walking into or out of the front door, or around the front door.
posted by cashman at 10:24 AM on September 5, 2008

(By which I mean the lovable screw-ups would all accidentally vote for her, because they got the name wrong.)
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:25 AM on September 5, 2008

Tired: "Hello Cleveland"
Wired: "Hello Scranton"

Actually, they're sniping on Obama for his speech that touched on bitterness in middle America.
posted by ardgedee at 10:26 AM on September 5, 2008

From what i saw, there was a "Vets against the War" guy with a sign that got snatched from his hands and so he stood straight up with arms outstretched giving the peace sign.

I saw a woman (with convention credentials) holding something that was grabbed balled up and thrown and then a man bear hugging her up the stairs and away from view.

I'm sure there was a lot more that the tv cameras didn't catch but I sure would like to hear more of those stories. What happened to them, what was their message...
posted by wavering at 10:26 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

What happened to them, what was their message...

Combustible Edison Lighthouse posted something in the Palin thread about the Vets against the War guy.

"I just got an exclusive interview with the heckler who interrupted McCain's address. His message was that the GOP nominee has voted against support for veterans. His name is Adam Kokesh, he is 26, and he served in Fallujah in 2004. He is a Ron Paul supporter. A friend of Kokesh's who was a Paul alternate delegate provided him with credentials to get into the Excel Center. Kokesh is a member of the group Iraq Veterans Against the War."
posted by cashman at 10:29 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Yeah, I HATED the blue that ran for most of the speech. It might have looked good in person, but dang is looked crappy on TV.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 10:29 AM on September 5, 2008

The lady was from Code Pink, wavering.

I was not aware until after the fact that the sudden non sequitur chants of "USA! USA! USA!" from the crowd were actual code for "HOLY SHIT A PROTESTER!".
posted by cortex at 10:30 AM on September 5, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Since we've mentioned McCain and alluded to the Republican Convention, is this finally the thread that we continue our Sarah Palin snark-fest on?

No.
posted by shmegegge at 10:32 AM on September 5, 2008

I was told it was to get the Irish vote
posted by Postroad at 10:32 AM on September 5, 2008

When I saw that giant building behind him last night, I thought, "Is it really appropriate to flaunt one of his huge houses up there to us like that?" So, at least it's a school, albeit one with which he has no apparent connection.
posted by onlyconnect at 10:36 AM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

And ... don't forget the "Mavrick" sign in the convention hall last night

yeah that was moranic
posted by matteo at 10:37 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

The weird green lawn is still better than the close up shots of Rudy 9/11 in front of the weird brown/red rippling water of New York Harbor, which made it look like he was delivering his speech from a terrible winamp visualization/shitty acid trip or the "blood red haze of hell" that Romney and others spoke in front of. I'm working on a complicated theory that will attempt to decipher the meta-language of Republican iconology, right now I get the feeling they want us to think they're crazy demons, but why?
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:37 AM on September 5, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

I was actually chuckling to myself a little when they showed the crowd shots and mostly it was older white people half asleep and maybe a few really bubbly people on the fringes chanting and carrying on.

Where was Sarah Palin's flag pin? Everyone knows that you're not patriotic and you don't love your country unless you're wearing a flag pin!
posted by wavering at 10:37 AM on September 5, 2008

As a Walter Reed Middle School alum (from back when it was still a junior high), I have to say I've found this whole thing pretty amusing and baffling.
posted by wanderingmind at 10:38 AM on September 5, 2008

“talks one Way In Scranton And Another Way In San Francisco.”

As if there's any doubt that the unspoken coda to that statement was "...home of all those elitist fags."
posted by shiu mai baby at 10:38 AM on September 5, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

>elwoodwiles:

I noticed the Scranton thing too. I imagine it has to do with Scranton enjoying some recent popularity due to the one-two punch of being associated with a hit TV show and a vice-presidential candidate, combined with the fact that it's a pretty classic working-class town that most people perceive as such (even if they don't watch The Office and know nothing about Biden). The fact that it's in a swing state probably doesn't hurt either. And it's got a fairly sizable number of people who consider Biden to be "Pennsylvania's third senator."

That said, I'm fairly certain Scranton is a pretty democratic place, being east of the York/Lancaster area. You don't get into the really strong Republican territory until you get west of Harrisburg, and (I say this as a former resident of Huntingdon, PA) even those guys are getting pretty sick of the nonsense of the past eight years. I think it's a safe bet PA will go blue this year.

No numbers to back up any of what I just said, just gut feelings and personal experience (I guess I'd make a pretty good Republican talking head).
posted by hifiparasol at 10:41 AM on September 5, 2008

What's with all the Scranton PA shout-outs this year?

Biden is from Scranton, as is Hilary's father.
posted by rbellon at 10:42 AM on September 5, 2008

I think the thing that is interesting about the middle school versus military hospital is how adamant the Republicans are that it is only their party who truly knows what military families are going through, and not once, not ONCE in rehearsals, conversations, planning or production did anyone say, "Wait a moment! I am familiar with Walter Reed Medical Center and this is most certainly not it!"

One PA or designer or researcher screwing up a thing like that happens every day. EVERYONE (including, presumably, McCain) screwing a thing like that up only happens when you get 20,000 hypocrites in the same room.
posted by dirtdirt at 10:48 AM on September 5, 2008 [12 favorites has favorites]

Well, McCain clearly isn't one for looking back.
posted by Artw at 10:50 AM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Scranton

Come friendly bombs and fall on Scranton!
It isn't fit for dogs to pant on,
No blade of grass without a stinging ant on.
Swarm over, Death!

[From there you can pretty much use the original, maybe replace "Maidenhead" with "Wheeling" then-]

Come, friendly bombs and fall on Scranton
To get it ready for us to plant on.
The cabbages are coming now;
The earth exhales.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:50 AM on September 5, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

No wonder they don't fund Walter Reed. They don't even recognize it!
posted by DU at 10:52 AM on September 5, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

Wasn't the blue screen a giant picture of a flagpole?

I thought the green screen picture was one of McCain's houses. His reaction to the picture popping up was a little weird also, but then again I was checking out the re-cap on c-span at about 1 in the morning after some serious smackwichery.
posted by smackwich at 10:53 AM on September 5, 2008

Yea, the blue screen was of a flag pole waving in a blue sky but you had to be in the arena to see that. The TV audience only saw the blue screen; it looked like he was about to do a weather forecast.
posted by octothorpe at 10:58 AM on September 5, 2008

McCAIN-PALIN: A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE!
posted by ericb at 11:03 AM on September 5, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

Where was Sarah Palin's flag pin? Everyone knows that you're not patriotic and you don't love your country unless you're wearing a flag pin!

She was wearing her "Son in service" pin. That's probably got her double-patriotism points.
posted by knapah at 11:04 AM on September 5, 2008

MetaFilter: 20,000 hypocrites in the same room

sorry, had to
posted by hifiparasol at 11:05 AM on September 5, 2008

The TV audience only saw the blue screen

I don't think a blue screen is something you want to associate with a guy who's unable to understand email or even log into his own website.
posted by hifiparasol at 11:06 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

> I'm curious if anyone has undertaken a thorough collection of screencaps of signage

Here's one from last night at least.
posted by churl at 11:11 AM on September 5, 2008

No wonder they don't fund Walter Reed. They don't even recognize it!

Or recognize what it's there for. I don't know when, but somehow the Republicans were able to legitimize themselves as the champions of the military while the Democrats has just let it go, which is weird, since the military is made up largely of working class people and we know how the the poor get treated by the GOP.

Oh wait. It's that fucking religion thing again. The bible thumpers have permeated the armed forces over the past twenty years. Unopposed, I might add. One of the main reasons I got out, aside from having a brain, was because of the silly nouveau religieux and how they pretended to be holier than thou and unquestionable in their beliefs. Dukakis helped with that situation. But to digress...

I hope that someday, someone in the military brass actually grows a pair and put an end to the disgusting use of uniformed women and men as political props by the most cowardly people on Earth.
posted by jsavimbi at 11:14 AM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

you don't get into the really strong Republican territory until you get west of Harrisburg

Pittsburgh begs to differ.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 11:16 AM on September 5, 2008

I don't think a blue screen is something you want to associate with a guy who's unable to understand email or even log into his own website.

Sheesh guys, I think Matt knows how to logon to Metafilter.

unless pb does it for him each morning
posted by Rumple at 11:17 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Pittsburgh begs to differ.

Well, yeah. That's a small part of the reason Pittsburgh is awesome. But there's still a heck of a strong evangelical/social conservative/Hannity fan presence in the west of PA than there is in the east.

(Not to characterize central/western PA as a fundie hotbed overall either -- it's got its fair share of progressives too.)
posted by hifiparasol at 11:19 AM on September 5, 2008

What's with all the Scranton PA shout-outs this year?

They're all bananas.
posted by lysdexic at 11:26 AM on September 5, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

A couple weeks ago the Democrats were being mocked for having a less attractive 'designed by committee' stage than the Republicans for their respective conventions.

In hindsight, though, the Dems probably did better; there were few opportunities for Obama or Biden to be overwhelmed by their video backdrops the way McCain was last night, by the simple benefit of having multiple small projection screens instead of a single massive one.
posted by ardgedee at 11:26 AM on September 5, 2008

Choice quote from that link: "the speakers on the [Democratic] stage will seem invariably dwarfed by the overshadowing backdrop.... The Republican stage, on the other hand, was designed to capture the intimate settings Senator John McCain enjoys..."
posted by ardgedee at 11:28 AM on September 5, 2008

The other thing about the single massive screen is that (as the lady hifi pointed out to me last night) you run the risk of looking like some comically evil fascist government, a la V for Vendetta or 1984 or something.

But I suspect that's actually a selling point for the authority-loving Repub base.
posted by hifiparasol at 11:30 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've searched through all of the major still and HD footage houses for "walter reed" and come up empty.

I have a hard time believing that this mistake was this hard to make.

I further doubt (given the music rights discussion) that they bought out all rights to the stock footage they used for anything that was shown on that screen.

The type of stuff you saw on that screen is what we in the industry refer to as "gack."

It's not really "content," (like the videos of Palin and McCain that were played), and it's not really set dressing.

Many times it comes from the laptop of the guy running the switch.

Rarely is it vetted by the client though, because we could be talking about hundreds of pictures, many of which may never come up in rotation.

Note: I'm not defending the gaffe - I think it's funny as heck. I'm just trying to explain it in context of the way live convention production happens.
posted by tomierna at 11:30 AM on September 5, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

lysdexic, thank you. I'd almost forgotten.
posted by phooky at 11:33 AM on September 5, 2008

I thought the massive screen was there to keep people looking at the stage. That way the crowd pan-outs wouldn't show people checking their stocks on their crackberries.

Joking aside, though, the symbolism to me: Democrats' background was solid and real. The Republicans' background was two dimensional, was changeable on a whim, and ultimately unreal.
posted by lysdexic at 11:33 AM on September 5, 2008

As long as the silliness truck has arrived with a full load LOL-GOP, I feel I can bring up the other major gaffe of the Republican convention, intellectual property theft:


Republicans Lack Heart!

Posted Sep 5th 2008 8:00AM by TMZ Staff

Ann and Nancy Wilson are pissed at the Republican Party and have fired off a cease and desist letter to the McCain/Palin campaign.

Specifically, the Heart women are upset that the GOP has used their classic "Barracuda" as a theme song for Sarah Palin. TMZ obtained a statement from Heart's rep, who says "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission."

The statement goes on: "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."

We're told Ann was watching TV today and heard the song at the convention when Palin was touted.


via.
posted by shothotbot at 11:48 AM on September 5, 2008

And ... don't forget the "Mavrick" sign in the convention hall last night

Do you think they hand them out to crowd members on the way in like they do with the wrestling?
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 11:48 AM on September 5, 2008

I'm sure this is just me being overly cynical, but for me the handpainted signs looked manufactured. The signs they would show looked oddly uniform in places and not like somebody actually created them by hand. Like they were machine printed to look handmade. Which wouldn't be all dastardly or anything, just kind of fakey. Or perhaps they had a bucket of paint in the hall and some posterboard, what do I know.
posted by cashman at 11:53 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

So if I am keeping track of this, so far the theories are:

1) Obscure reference to a fictional TV president
2) Joke played on them/screw-up by a tech with a laptop
3) Attempt to reference Walter Reed Hospital.

So either he is delusional, incapable of controlling his own message, or happy to remind people that he is a sick and feeble old man at death's door. Interesting choice.

I'm so focused on politics right now that when I was just at the library checking out I heard the little old guy in front of me say,"The one I am most scared of is Ike." and I immediately thought, "Eisenhower?!" Ike is the storm scheduled to hit us next after the one we are in right now.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:54 AM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I'm glad everyone is spending copious amounts of energy on this most pressing of issues in our democracy and its future. Please, can we have some tie analysis next?
posted by Ogre Lawless at 11:55 AM on September 5, 2008

Did anybody else notice that one of the recurrent motifs in the background music was lifted almost note-for-note from "Bonanza?"
posted by lekvar at 11:58 AM on September 5, 2008

McCain BSOD (self-link by Photoshop amateur)
posted by kirkaracha at 12:01 PM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

They meant to get a picture of Walter Reed Medical Center, but got Walter Reed Middle School instead, and no one noticed the difference? That is emblematic of the last eight years -- a lot of grandiose plans and big talk but complete failure on execution, no follow-through, and poor attention to detail. It's like a bad entry-level performance review.

I had an argument recently with someone who was convinced that the problems facing America are so complex that none of the candidates are qualified. The problems are actually very simple, it's just that this administration keeps getting the answers wrong. The problems amount to admitting that 2-5 = -3. But they insist there are complex accounting rules that allow us to borrow 3 from next year to make 0, and now we have the extra new 3 to pay for a war, so 2-5=+3 this year only, but repeat each year as necessary. No. 2 - 5 = -3 no matter what power of ten you multiply the numbers by.

Stupidity predominates here. And hubris. Holy Christ the hubris. Bush doesn't read the paper, because doing so would make it obvious to him that he screwed up. So he doesn't read it, and convinces himself he's doing a good job. And at this stage, he really honestly doesn't care because none of it affects him. So he and his administration aren't even trying. Can you name the secretary of energy off the top of your head? I can't. I can name Reagan's, but not the current one.

The market has gotten wise to this, and is tanking. The numbers in the market make zero sense right now, and the spin is that the market is discounting an Obama victory. Nonsense. The numbers are all completely bizarre. No inflation over there, but commodity inflation over here, or at least there was two months ago, but now there isn't? Huh? Rising unemployment, oil prices falling 30% in a couple of weeks, but the global markets collapsing. Etc. What the fuck is going on out there? Does anyone know?

I know. People with money worldwide have no confidence in the people in charge, so they are cashing out. They are cashing out 20 year old positions. Whatever the tax penalty, they need to get out immediately. Cash is king. Gas station charge different prices for cash or credit, but they didn't used to do that. Because suddenly $20 in the register is different that 20-1% transaction fee on a bank statement. Because they don't trust the banks to be open next week. Everyone hates Bernanke, but he is the only one anywhere actively engaging the process instead of offering mere color commentary. But he has no one at Treasury to help him, and no one to put diplomatic pressure on the ECB and elsewhere to back his decisions.

When Obama wins, and I assume he will, I hope he has the humility to understand that being better than Bush isn't enough. Simply having a vacant presidency would be better than Bush, because no decisions also means no bad decisions. Obama has to admit to himself and his staff what he doesn't know, and there is a lot he doesn't know, because the truth is no one is qualified to manage and run the US government. That doesn't mean he can't rise to the challenge, but it means he has to acknowledge his own deficiencies in the face of the task before him. It means when he screws up, and he will, he should acknowledge it and re-adjust accordingly. His choice of Biden demonstrates he has the ability to be honest about this, because Biden would make a fine co-President.

But the buck stops with Obama, and he has to do his job exceeding well. Missteps here and there are okay probably, but there is no safety net left for massive fuck-ups. If his tax plan during the campaign has fudge factors in it, he needs to fudge those numbers in the opposite direction to represent reality, because we aren't working with reliable data on any front here. Campaign bravado and the audacity of hope stop on election day. From that point on, he needs to be motivated by one thing -- humility. He job is to stop the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. There is no place in the next for years for pride, arrogance or overconfidence. He needs to wake up every morning with the singular thought, "I'm not worthy" and then spend the rest of the day trying to prove that thought wrong.

In his convention speech, Obama said that he'd cut taxes for 95% of the working people. Implicit was that it was the 95% on the low side. That sent chills down my spine, because I'm not in that 95%. So I assume he's going to raise my taxes.

When it comes to my money, I can be ruthlessly capitalistic because only I know what I had to do to get my money in the first place. I submit as evidence of this all the recordings of my profanity laced tirades that can be found in any Verizon or credit card company call center in the world.

But in this case, I will pay more. Another 10%, fuck it, here you go. If he thinks, not hopes, but thinks he can fix the big problems if people like me ante up, then I'll ante up. I won't say that everyone else in the the remaining 5% should because I don't know their situation. I'm saying you could look at it as an investment. If he needs X to fix the problems, then don't set him up for failure by giving him less than X.

But Obama has to deliver. I'm not going to get wrapped up in the excitement of HOPE or Change, because the election isn't the objective. Somewhere on Obama's laptop there should be the world's largest Gantt chart, and the first task on it should be to get elected. Everything else on that chart, as it stretches out for miles and over four years should be about how the hell he's going to stop the bleeding.

Because if he doesn't do his job right, if he doesn't stop the decline, we are all of us, all 100%, screwed on a level never before seen in history.
posted by Pastabagel at 12:04 PM on September 5, 2008 [34 favorites has favorites]

McMetaFilter
posted by kirkaracha at 12:05 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I like how this post stays up when posts on actual, you know, scandals about Palin get deleted.
posted by DU at 12:06 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I'm sure this is just me being overly cynical, but for me the handpainted signs looked manufactured.

For what it's worth, an NPR reporter on the convention floor said they looked mass-produced up-close, too.
posted by lekvar at 12:06 PM on September 5, 2008

Sure, Ogre Lawless.

Yellow Ties mean you are angry.
posted by tomierna at 12:06 PM on September 5, 2008

I'm glad everyone is spending copious amounts of energy on this most pressing of issues in our democracy and its future. Please, can we have some tie analysis next?

This is the hangover thread. The serious drinking is still going on in the original thread.
posted by lysdexic at 12:08 PM on September 5, 2008

In a bid for the fundie vote, did McCaincient hire some of them as technicians?
posted by Cranberry at 12:09 PM on September 5, 2008

Did anybody else notice that one of the recurrent motifs in the background music was lifted almost note-for-note from "Bonanza?"

We figured it was Bonanza, dressed up as muzak. Especially during the Regan montage.
posted by lysdexic at 12:11 PM on September 5, 2008

The same school was used as a backdrop for Matt Santos' announcement speech in the West Wing, and Santos' character was based loosely on Obama (guy talks about hope a lot)

How much about Obama had come out at that point? I know he'd given the 2004 speech, but had his campign platform come out? I've been feeling like reality has instead been copying The West Wing -- there is no way that the West Wing could have known that Obama would end running against an older and very respected centrist Republican candidate, just like Santos, and then choose a much older Leo Biden for his running mate, while the centrist reaches out to his base by having a really socially conservative VP pick.... it's just getting all the more coincidental/creepy.

(My only worry about this whole scenario is for Joe Biden's health. Stay safe, Biden.)
posted by jb at 12:11 PM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Did anybody else notice that one of the recurrent motifs in the background music was lifted almost note-for-note from "Bonanza?"

Personally, I thought it was from Dallas.
posted by onlyconnect at 12:15 PM on September 5, 2008

Missteps here and there are okay probably

I doubt it. All the talk about the unfair "microscope" treatment of Palin/Hilary&Bill Clinton will pale in comparison to the scrutiny placed on the Obama White House.
posted by lysdexic at 12:15 PM on September 5, 2008

The Republican Party reminds me of Bob and Ray's surreal Tippy the Wonder Dog sketches. A crisis would occur, for example, the homestead was about to washed away in a flood. Then the family would say, "Run, Tippy, Run. Go get help." Tippy would return with some random object like an eggbeater. Then the family would sit around and interpret why this was an act of genius.

Run, Tippy, fetch a vice presidential nominee. Well, she's from Alaska - so she's not afraid of global warming. And alphabetically, she's beats Quayle. She wants Alaska to secede from the union, so that will appeal to Independents.

Run, Tippy, fetch a stock photo. It has Walter Reed in its name so he must be commenting on injured soldiers. It's got a flag in front so it's almost as good as wearing a flag pin.

And the family all says, "Tippy is the bestest and smartest dog in the whole world."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:16 PM on September 5, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

That sent chills down my spine, because I'm not in that 95%. So I assume he's going to raise my taxes.

Are you sure? I don't wish to pry into anyone's finances and don't you to answer if you wish to remain private, but I'm posting because a great many Americans over-estimate what percentile they are in for income. It was a couple of years ago, but I do believe there was a survey in which about 20% of Americans thought they were in the top 1% of income.

Obama only plans to raise taxes on those making over $227,000 a year, while giving a larger tax cut than McCain to everyone making below $112,000 a year. link
posted by jb at 12:19 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

(and those are individual, not household incomes.)
posted by jb at 12:19 PM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

This is the hangover thread. The serious drinking is still going on in the original thread.

That thread feels like a hangover. I can't even load it anymore.
posted by homunculus at 12:23 PM on September 5, 2008

take heart, pb, even if you really are in the top 5%--i don't think the obama plan is to squeeze the top five percent dry. the emphasis, as i understand it, will be on closing up loop holes in corporate tax laws first, then on upping taxation and closing loopholes at the higher income levels. but even at the higher levels, any increases will still presumably be progressive, impacting the top 1% more than the lower high income earners. not that i'm going to play a fiddle for anyone, as my own income is just inches above the middle and sliding every day, so i'll probably see some relief.
posted by saulgoodman at 12:23 PM on September 5, 2008

Compare: Dallas theme song vs. John McCain bio! (most recognizable w/in first 20 seconds and at 4:10-4:50, 5:20-6:00, etc.).
posted by onlyconnect at 12:24 PM on September 5, 2008

I'm working on a complicated theory that will attempt to decipher the meta-language of Republican iconology, right now I get the feeling they want us to think they're crazy demons, but why?

Basically, when the Great Old Ones return, the Elder Gods can break through the psychic dream and present the Great Old Ones true face, but just at moments (more easily accomplished with weak sauce like Giuliani). The Republicans attempt at Immanentizing the Eschaton hasn't really gone as well as planned in Iraq, and a secret message was sent concerning the role of Walter Reed.

If you had dropped acid during McCain's speech, this would have been more apparent (school looked like something out of Silent Hill). What I got out of it was the sense of dying but never losing consciousness. My left eyeball has been twitching for about three days now, and the prospects of autopsy and cremation terrify the living fuck out of me.

Your results may vary.
posted by quintessencesluglord at 12:26 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

The signs they would show looked oddly uniform in places and not like somebody actually created them by hand. Like they were machine printed to look handmade. Which wouldn't be all dastardly or anything, just kind of fakey.

Plus I heard that woman they have playing Sarah Palin is just lip syncing and she's really a nine year-old Chinese girl.
posted by The Bellman at 12:42 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

onlyconnect, I do believe you're correct.

Still strikes me as kinda weird though.
posted by lekvar at 12:54 PM on September 5, 2008

Republicans Use Fake Troops for RNC Video
posted by homunculus at 12:54 PM on September 5, 2008

Plus I heard that woman they have playing Sarah Palin is just lip syncing and she's really a nine year-old Chinese girl.

No, it's Tina Fey!
posted by ericb at 12:56 PM on September 5, 2008

Handpainted signs that aren't really homemade are used by both parties: many political rallies don't allow you to bring your own signs. The event organizers pass theirs out to the crowd instead.

I've been feeling like reality has instead been copying The West Wing

Santos really was based on Obama. Crazy, huh?
posted by lemuria at 1:02 PM on September 5, 2008

Via this comment upthread, here's a copy of the RNC IX-XIploitation vid.
posted by acro at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2008

I just watched a little coverage about McCain's speech last night, which was made just as McCain was finishing up. I thought it was more than a little ironic that one of the songs they played as people were filing out of the arena was "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone.
posted by Dave Faris at 1:13 PM on September 5, 2008

The Wrong Walter Reed... Fake Troops.... is Michael "Brownie" Brown picking the stock footage for the Republicans?

Whoever it is, they're doing a heck of a job!
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 1:23 PM on September 5, 2008

Handpainted signs that aren't really homemade are used by both parties

Great - thanks for reminding me of that.
posted by cashman at 1:29 PM on September 5, 2008

BACKDROP
by The Fall
from the Fall in a Hole ep, 1981

The Leicester YOP, TEP, instructor
Emerged from corridor
His state-subsidized cannabis haze
Moved reptilian in its all-leveling routine

I said to him:

It's about time
You started thinking
About the black dog
On your back
Said it's about time
You started thinking
About the rerun
Which is your LIFE
Moveable
BACKDROP
The BACKDROP shifted and changed!

The Manchester regiment of the Stuarts
Would not tread on your patch
Got nearly down to Derby you know
Was stopped by stinking Billy
And rode a racing horse
which I had liberated
From a Tyneside morgue

I said to the men:

It's about time
You started thinking
About the black dog
On your back
It's about time
You started thinking
About the void
In your life:
A military prison or worse!
BACKDROP shifted and changed

BACKDROP shifted and changed
So did not even know what song it was
What it was

Who put the yellow pills in
the Gordon's gin?
Who put the yellow pills in
the Gordon's gin?

The-the-the BACKDROP!
Shifted and changed
Until did not even know
When the lot come up
Bomb-hole in our schedule

Who put the yellow pills in
the Gordon's gin?

The backdrop shifted and changed
Till the reptillian TEP instructor merged
With stinking Billy's morass of flesh
And the Yorkies drifted
1902 Metropole
The Yorkies (ripley Yorks)
shifted and drifted
I said to them:

The BACKDROP shifted and changed!

And this was The Fall

Good night.
posted by koeselitz at 1:32 PM on September 5, 2008

Douglas Rushkoff on the RNC
posted by Liquidwolf at 1:37 PM on September 5, 2008

The wealthy Republicans are being really disingenuous when they're taking about Obama's tax policies -- they don't give a shit about what the income tax rate is. They're really freaking out about the Capital Gains tax, because they don't work for money, money works for them. Taxing cap gains hits them a lot harder than some piddly income tax.
posted by amuseDetachment at 1:43 PM on September 5, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

ardgedee : In hindsight, though, the Dems probably did better; there were few opportunities for Obama or Biden to be overwhelmed by their video backdrops the way McCain was last night, by the simple benefit of having multiple small projection screens instead of a single massive one.

I noticed a couple of times when watching the RNC that the big screen was neat-but-a-bad-idea. At one point Guiliani was in front of a nearly blood red background and I found myself wondering if they were trying to make him look like a Bond villain or what?

The direction in general was pretty awful, actually. As I was watching, the director kept cutting to cameras that weren't pointed at anything, like the camera man was jostling for a better shot and didn't have it yet, but whoever was doing the switching just let it fly anyway. I can think of at least three instance were I was presented with a several second shot of the back of the audience and some wires on the ground.

It was like watching amatuer hour. I know these things are seat of your pants live directing and editing, but if they can pull it off for hundreds of sporting events, award ceremonies, etc, that are filmed each year, you think they could do a better job with one of the two largest political conventions that happen every half decade or so.
posted by quin at 1:58 PM on September 5, 2008

If it were a willfull prank on the part of a technician, they could have done a lot better. Like, say, occasionally flashing that xkcd cartoon with the Wikipedian protester. Shit, maybe I should get myself a job running media for the Republicans. Maybe this will jumpstart the 'h4x0r5 for 0b4m4' movement!
posted by kaibutsu at 2:10 PM on September 5, 2008

amuseDetachment said: The wealthy Republicans are being really disingenuous when they're taking about Obama's tax policies -- they don't give a shit about what the income tax rate is. They're really freaking out about the Capital Gains tax, because they don't work for money, money works for them. Taxing cap gains hits them a lot harder than some piddly income tax.

Quoted for truth and reiteration. Those Exxon executives that make 12 million a year? They're not paying w2 wages on those. That compensation is paid in stock and options. When vested and sold, those are taxed at a capital gain percentage of 15%. I'm not sure anymore what the top income w2 rate is, but I think it hovers near 30%, ergo, paying capital gains is a 50% savings in tax rate. (Give or take a few percentages.)

There are valid economist arguments on both sides of the fence about capital gains, and I won't pretend to understand all of them, but as someone who has spent most of my working life building a portfolio, and not being anywhere near the top 5% income earners, I'm willing to pony up a 10% increase in capital gains tax if the government is actually willing to do something to fix this giant black hole of a financial nightmare the Bush presidency has dug for us.
posted by dejah420 at 2:10 PM on September 5, 2008

The direction in general was pretty awful, actually.

It did seem like a lot of cues were missed. Wednesday night, after Palin's speech, it seemed like there was some odd bumble to getting the family out and McCain up on stage. Like a bad dress rehearsal from The Sound of Music.

I was watching it on the convention's direct feed on their website. No talking heads, nothing coming through the mics but what they were feeding. When Palin was waiting on McCain, you could hear some weird mumbling—"--he's not up here yet, I haven't--what if the family's--" is what I managed to scrawl down at the time. I'm wondering after the fact whether that was McCain and other folks out in the wings picking up on the wireless mic that McCain carried on stage.

Because he gets up there, they share a long interfamily wave-and-mouth-Thank-You moment on stage, and Palin and McCain both keep cutting glances off stage. McCain makes some short gestures off stage, I can't remember if I saw him do the hand-across-the-neck "kill it" gesture or just got that impression. All the while, loud music playing. I got the impression that he'd expected to say something and that the crew wasn't getting it or wasn't cooperating, and for a couple moment it seemed like he wanted to strangle someone.

And then they all just shuffle back off stage, McCain and Palin and the chain of kids. It was a very weird moment, and I don't know how many people saw it because it could well have been after the networks had cut away to talking heads.
posted by cortex at 2:15 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

About the taxes. A friend of mine was at the DNC and put together this break out based the on Brookings Institute's mathematical analysis of each plan. Not saying this is definitive or official, but I found it useful.

Income: $2,871,682 or more (top .01% of earners)
Obama's Tax Change: raises income tax 7.9% (+$701,688)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 3.3% (-$290, 708)

Income: $603,403-$2,871,682 (top 1% of earners)
Obama's Tax Change: raises income tax 6.1% (+$115,713)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 2.6% (-$48, 862)

Income: $226,983-$603,402
Obama's Tax Change: no change in income tax (-$20)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 2.4% (-$8,159)

Income: $160,973-$226,982
Obama's Tax Change: decreases income tax 1.4% (-$2,763)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 2.3% (-$4,437)

Income: $111,646-$160,972
Obama's Tax Change: decreases income tax 1.6% (-$2,130)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 1.9% (-$2,584)

Income: $66,355-$111,645
Obama's Tax Change: decreases income tax 1.4% (-$1,257)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 1.1% (-$994)

Income: $37,596-$66,354
Obama's Tax Change: decreases income tax 2% (-$1,041)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 0.6% (-$325)

Income: $18,982-$37,595
Obama's Tax Change: decreases income tax 3.2% (-$892)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 0.4% (-$118)

Income: Up to $18,981
Obama's Tax Change: decreases income tax 5.3% (-$567)
McCain's Tax Change: decreases income tax 0.2% (-$21)
posted by kimdog at 2:15 PM on September 5, 2008 [26 favorites has favorites]

“After years on the internet I finally think that a topic is worthless without pictures.”
Here is a picture.


“Somewhere on Obama's laptop there should be the world's largest Gantt chart...Everything else on that chart, as it stretches out for miles and over four years should be about how the hell he's going to stop the bleeding.”

Actually - he IS that smart. That’s my only misgiving in voting for him. The humility thing doesn’t enter into it (for me). He’s pretty much cool enough that it’s not a factor. (astronaut pulling a craft out of a death spiral cool, not socially gifted cool)

Thing is, he’s scary smart. And I genuinely can’t predict what it is he’s going to do in terms of power. I expect he will successfully complete whatever it is he’s set on. My only concern, of late, is the consolidation of his power within the Democratic party.
As it was, I supported (still do) him because I wanted a weaker president in office with a stronger congress because power has been concentrated in the exectutive branch for far too long.
And Obama isn’t that kind of ambitious. So, not a problem.
And expected him to win the primary. But - he’s uprooting a lot of set tradition and ways of doing things. That concerns me. Because if he does get full control of the party, and they do have a majority, and he is serious about change - you’ve got an extremely intelligent man, in one of the most powerful positions in the world - who isn’t beholden to much of anybody, not the old Dem guard, not money, not any interest groups (corporate or special), and I’m certain he could (as Lincoln did) diffuse the opposition whether within his own party or others and have them fighting each other and not him.

That is f’ing dangerous and scares the hell out of me. Bushco at least I know I could outthink. I mean, there’s no way they could really make my life turbulent on purpose. Oh, it’s been shitty, yeah. But for the most part I can pretty much weather any storm, despite whatever pain is going on in the country (within reason).

But, it could well be that the cute comparisons to Lincoln are prescient.
And if he does prove to be a great man...great men are troubling.
I mean, will I be a copperhead and oppose him in the name of peace for not making concessions on what might be the primary goal of his administration? If he has to suspend habeas corpus - do I support that if the cause is necesary or do I continue to oppose that on principle? If he ignores the congress and spends money - do I call for his impeachment or do I see it as something needed to keep the country from economic turmoil? What if he imposes activists without trial? Even if I disagree with them, do I defend the principle of liberty or do I trust he will restore the rights in the constitution once the emergency is over?
What will this country come to, what is it we all seem to be seeing on the horizon coming for us, that we need this man?

Still, and this is the most critical point - I believe we will see some rolling back of the egregious civil rights violations the Bush administration has imposed on the country.
What disturbs me is that it is likely that some forces on the right as well as Dems who oppose Obama will be leading the charge to rescind these powers concentrated in the executive branch.

Do I support them knowing that Obama may need them, and yet more license still, in order to as Lincoln did (and as you say Pastabagel) stop the decline and destruction of the union?

I’d caution everyone - don’t make the mistake of thinking people won’t vote McCain just to put off thinking about anything tough - any of this - for 4 more years.

I’m fairly ambivalent about McCain (this Palin woman seriously pisses me off though) but he’s not the right man for the job right now.

What scares me is precisely that Obama is.
Great men live under the shadows they cast, and it can be a terrible thing to be great. Oh, I know he can rise to the occasion, and do the job well and hell, his humility won’t be a problem - I’m just worried about what his greatness will evoke.
(Lincoln was the right guy at the right time, still - blood and pain, and in the end, after he saved our asses, he was murdered.
I hate that trope - it’s so oft repeated.)

Sucks that I can’t vote 3rd party this year for president.
posted by Smedleyman at 2:22 PM on September 5, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

I hear he's the antichrist too.
posted by ND¢ at 2:30 PM on September 5, 2008

With the weird RNC screen projections and the Peggy Noonan open-mic fiasco, I wonder if there is a secret cabal of left-leaning monkey-wrenching techies out there messing with stuff.....
posted by Rumple at 2:37 PM on September 5, 2008

Here's the Washington Post's comparison of the two tax plans, if you'd like that information in graph form.
posted by lemuria at 2:50 PM on September 5, 2008

To correct myself - I don't know if the incomes being thrown around are household or individual (big difference, obviously). On the Washington Post site, they are labelled "family income". Are American taxes done on households, or individuals?

I've paid American taxes, though I can't vote - yes, I realise the irony, especially as I'm descended from Loyalists - but I always did them as a single person).
posted by jb at 2:56 PM on September 5, 2008

I hear he's the antichrist too.

I'm so sick of that shit. I work my ass off for 37 years, and he gets the nod. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Take my infernal armies and demonic command structure, and what? Open a fast food restaurant or something?

Luciburger, can I take your order?

I mean, it just doesn't feel right.
posted by quin at 2:57 PM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I thought it was more than a little ironic that one of the songs they played as people were filing out of the arena was 'Everyday People' by Sly and the Family Stone.

There were more black people in Sly and the Family Stone than were at the convention.
(Sure, an exaggeration, but not much of one.)
posted by kirkaracha at 2:58 PM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I really thought the whole RNC set looked incredibly cheap and tacky.
posted by dhartung at 2:59 PM on September 5, 2008

Bwahahaha:

One other interesting development: The California Democratic Party is actually holding a press conference in front of the school within minutes, where Dems will hit McCain for not knowing the difference between the school and Walter Reed Medical Center, which is believed to be the backdrop the McCain campaign really wanted.

That sent chills down my spine, because I'm not in that 95%. So I assume he's going to raise my taxes.

why make assumptions? I mean, you're the guy who said Obama's health plan was less then 250 words or something like that, when in fact it was a 10 or 20 page PDF.

Via this comment upthread, here's a copy of the RNC IX-XIploitation vid.

Which they somehow tried to tie to Iran. Bizzare.
posted by delmoi at 3:02 PM on September 5, 2008

David Nash was executive producer on this year's RNC and has been doing it since 1992.

I have no idea if this was the case in the past, but this year he used Freeman Company as his vendor.

I'm not familiar with how their production arm hires, whether the heavy hitters for big shows like this are salaried or if they are independent contractors like most of the industry.

I read about all of this while getting curious about how all of this happened and who was responsible. If there's anyone to blame for the middle school picture, it's Nash, since the buck stops at him.

The 2000 show apparently cost 63 million.

And when I say the buck stops at him, I mean he's paid between 700k and 2 million for this show each year.
posted by tomierna at 3:05 PM on September 5, 2008

“It has been brought to the school’s attention that a picture of the front of our school, Walter Reed Middle School, was used as a backdrop at the Republican National Convention. Permission to use the front of our school for the Republican National Convention was not given by our school nor is the use of our school’s picture an endorsement of any political party or view.”

Donna Tobin
Principal
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 3:14 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear.

Green screen, Barracuda, insulting community organizers, Walter Reed JHS, and now

Stockphotogate.
posted by Herodios at 3:17 PM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

(Sure, an exaggeration, but not much of one.)

The whole RNC Infomercial was full of those kinds of ironies. Like when Romney said "It's time for the party of big ideas, and not the party of Big Brother!" Or when Sarah Palin railed against "the permanent political establishment in Washington," and doesn't even stop to wonder if that includes her running mate. I really can't comprehend the whole logical disconnect when they try to run on a platform of "Washington is not working," when it has been their party in power for six of the last eight years. Nevertheless, the delegates seemed to gobble it all up, just like chocolate puddin'.
posted by Dave Faris at 3:28 PM on September 5, 2008

KEEPING AMEIRCA STRONG
posted by EarBucket at 3:50 PM on September 5, 2008

Are American taxes done on households, or individuals?

It's the taxpayer's choice. I assume the numbers being tossed around are for married filing jointly, which is the most common option.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:52 PM on September 5, 2008

There were more black people in Sly and the Family Stone than were at the convention. (Sure, an exaggeration, but not much of one.)

"A glance around the Republican national convention this week shows a sea of white faces. Only 36 of its delegates are black, less than 2% of the total. At the Democratic convention in Denver last week, 1,087 delegates were black, about a quarter of the total."^*
posted by ericb at 4:14 PM on September 5, 2008

Frequent MeFi M.O.: We now return to our regularly scheduled snarking and political bitching. AKA "Your favorite presidential nominee suc...."
Ahh, screw it.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 5:13 PM on September 5, 2008

Is it just a coincidence that "drill baby drill" is a takeoff of "burn baby burn"? As in, we don't give a damn, let it burn/suck it dry, who cares about the future, just live in the moment and let everything be consumed.
posted by delmoi at 5:24 PM on September 5, 2008

Where was Sarah Palin's flag pin? Everyone knows that you're not patriotic and you don't love your country unless you're wearing a flag pin!

Must have been in the same drawer as McCain's.
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:01 PM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Swegen!
posted by homunculus at 8:28 PM on September 5, 2008

"I hear he's the antichrist too."

Yeah, that's what the rhetoric has come down to from what I saw from the RNC. "Me good! Him bad! Me like you. Him not you. Me big. Him weak."

Not that there's much complexity in these events, but take the Fannie Mae thing - crickets. Through the whole campaign.

I feel like I'm starving intellectually. And I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Oh, there's not much substance in this thread, but that seems to be the general tone, so no big deal.

But I think my jaw would drop if anyone in the MSM made a reference to, say, the copperheads. Or really ANY history of any kind. I mean they blew the H.Clinton analysis and you need only look back a double handful of years at most (Oh, is she going to screw with Obama? Is it all going to blow up?).

It's all just soap opera and drama and talking head crap on t.v. And visceral acrimony on the web. And the papers have almost nothing. Hell the headlines out here on Palin were all about how bad-ass she was looking.

Get that? It's commentary on opinion on appearances.

Meanwhile, real issues, historical trends, the actual REAL life going on - nada.

The reason Pastabagel can't think of Bodman off the top of his head is because nothing of substance is discussed. At all.

All nuance is either completely dichotomized or ignored as too complex or an attack.
You're either entirely for McCain, or entirely for Obama.

It's not enough you don't like one or the other for President, you can't respect the opponent at all. McCain is a babykilling fascist who abandoned his wife - or Obama is a reckless dilettante who is the worst about all thing celebrity.

And just who the hell is Sam Bodman anyway? Well, before he was secretary of energy (and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury) he was a venture capitalist and CEO of Cabot Corporation who (as a f'rinstance) donated about $10,000 to Bush in 2000, about $15k to the RNC in 04, etc. etc., and has interests in energy, special chemicals and materials.

Now, I don't think he's a total SOB he's on record as saying we've got to expand the use of alternative and renewable energy sources, but Pastabagel (et.al.) doesn't know it because there's been no discussion and no voice from anyone other than tightly controlled outlets.

Given the way Obama has run his campaign (and it's been a class act, don't get me wrong), I'd like to get a sense of what his presidency will mean to the country.

This in the context that it's pretty obvious what McCain's presidency will cost us. I mean, I do have some respect for the man, but I wouldn't trust his organization not to fuck up a cup of coffee much less run the country.

And we don't get that. We get, at best, criticism of the opinion on commentary of the appearances. Well, I mean what the hell is that?

Hey, that Lincoln guy? He's ugly!
posted by Smedleyman at 8:55 PM on September 5, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

Pittsburgh begs to differ.

Listen, I know I'm late to the party on this one, but Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas are reliably Democratic. For example, there hasn't been a Republican Mayor since 1933. Pittsburgh is also in one of the 13 (of 67) counties that won the state for Kerry in 2004.

I'm pretty excited about PA staying blue this fall - it's Ohio I'm worried about.
posted by god hates math at 10:10 PM on September 5, 2008

In case anybody cares, In a 50-minute speech, McCain used the word "I," or variations like "me" or "my" or "myself," more than 200 times.

That's about twice as many references to personal self-greatness as Obama used in Denver.

and I hope everyone watched The Daily Show last night because it was a bueat. There were two sound bite comparison segments, one comparing Old John McCain vs. New John McCain clearly showing his pandering to the extreme right in order to get their nomination and the other (more chilling) was a comparison of McCain's acceptance speech to Bush's, almost a perfect match-up right down to the weird "teachers are crappy" meme. More lighthearted was their segment when the news team went around the convention asking for a definition of "small town values" which the entire GOP-- including Giuliani-- was touting. I don't take the results too seriously because the writers can cherry pick to their hearts' content, but it was still funny.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:36 AM on September 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

TBH neother the wife or I would be that horrfied by the prospect of Old John McCain winning the election. Pity he's dead.
posted by Artw at 7:58 AM on September 6, 2008

The Old John McCain isn't dead. He just heard some music and realized all along he's a Cylon.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:28 AM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Drill, Baby, Drill: The Remix Contest
posted by homunculus at 12:32 PM on September 6, 2008

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog visits RNC
posted by homunculus at 1:28 PM on September 7, 2008

Friedman on ‘drill, drill, drill’: It’s like someone chanting ‘IBM Selectric typewriters’ during the IT revolution.
posted by ericb at 1:50 PM on September 7, 2008

'Thrown Away Flags' Story False, Dem Convention Official Says
posted by homunculus at 3:04 PM on September 7, 2008

John McCain gets BarackRoll'd.
posted by EarBucket at 4:09 PM on September 7, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

Unleash Your Inner Political Voice: Create an Online Mashup With Remix America and Kaltura
posted by homunculus at 4:10 PM on September 9, 2008