Fun McCain-Palin moments of the past 24 hours:
Walking around town with my McCain-Palin t-shirt is sooo fun. One white liberal, complete stranger, walks up to me, "Seriously? You're not serious??"
Her 100+ page bio "Sarah" just arrived at the bookstore. Completely different feel as David Mendel's Obama: From Promise to Power (which is also published in a condensed version for kids, mind you) nor Biden's Promises to Keep, but still that adds to the breathtaking quality of her sudden rise. It's about 50-50 personal life and political career. This woman is all small-town and big-heart. Lots of kid, teen and young adult pics - my fave is her posing sassy in front of Todd's Trans Am. Lots of outdoors pics - trees and snow, mostly, also fishing. (When the NYTimes endorses Obama, I want to see her back home wrapping fish with it.) It's like a Star Wars movie where she's a jedi warrior from some tundra covered planet where the sun never sets.
Liberal Dem acquaintances - ones who root for and support Dems - are on edge. Their voices strained and ratcheted. I answered one guy point for point, trying to inform not persuade, and all he comes back with is a "Fuck you". (This is a guy who reads the Times, the Journal, the Economist.).
Another asks me in good faith and frustration, "What!? What is it about the Democrats? Why can't we ... given the state of the country ... the economy, Iraq is the most unpopular war -- since Vietnam (I point out there are different reasons why people are unhappy with Iraq) ... Bush is the most unpopular president since (his voice trails off, I remind him Congress's approval ratings are lower). Then
--Do you remember George McGovern?
--I wasn't around then, but sure, I know who he is.
--What's the first word you think of when you think "McGovern"?
--"Failure."
--Fine. What's the second word you think of?
--"Stalwart." I know he's tried to remain influential. When I was a kid he did a pitch for the Southern Poverty Law Center. In '04, when I volunteered for Wesley Clark, he was in on a conference call we had - as one of his high-profile endorsers. Besides, so many people came up through his campaign: the Clintons, Willie Brown, much of the modern Democratic Party.
-- McGovern flew 35 bomber missions in World War II!... Suicide missions, practically.... One time he crash-landed a bomber. Crash-landed - a bomber!
--Ok.
--What's the first word you think of when you think "Nixon"?
--"Crafty."
--Heh.
--Well, he pulled together different segments. James Brown endorsed him, you know. He tagged McGovern with "Abortion, Anarchy, Acid"
--Nixon did nothing in World War II.
--He probably did the minimum to get through.
--He did nothing.
--It's a mixed bag. Johnson pretty much faked his service. But Jimmy Carter had a respectable career as a submarine officer.
--Thirty-five bomber missions.....
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