Am listening to the 1776 soundtrack this morning.

I can parallel park, on a hill, in SF, and know which way to set my wheels. Don't like doing it, but I can.

Cheney may be the most unpopular politician in America. His negatives are higher than Bush's, probably higher than Mussolini. Nobody is going to put the spotlight on him to help pass a bill. He may or may not be doing stuff behind the scenes, but I guarantee he won't be the public face of anything through Nov 4.

That is an awesome story connie. Bless the miners for their collective standards.

"One thing that Americans do at this time, also, though, is let's commit ourselves just every day American people, Joe Six Pack, hockey moms across the nation, I think we need to band together and say never again. Never will we be exploited and taken advantage of again by those who are managing our money and loaning us these dollars. We need to make sure that we demand from the federal government strict oversight of those entities in charge of our investments and our savings and we need also to not get ourselves in debt. Let's do what our parents told us before we probably even got that first credit card. Don't live outside of our means. We need to make sure that as individuals we're taking personal responsibility through all of this. It's not the American peoples fault that the economy is hurting like it is, but we have an opportunity to learn a heck of a lot of good lessons through this and say never again will we be taken advantage of."

huh? how do those two sentences live so close without imploding? So the money managers and money lenders and greedy Wall Streeters aren't part of the American public? interesting.

And an excerpt from another answer:

"Patriotic is saying, government, you know, you're not always the solution. In fact, too often you're the problem so, government, lessen the tax burden and on our families and get out of the way and let the private sector and our families grow and thrive and prosper. "

So does she want the government to increase regulation on the private sector or "get out of the way"? So confusing.

I think we need to band together and say never again

And let's not even get into how "never again" is a phrase that's generally used with regard to GENOCIDE and not, say, failing to qualify for a mortgage.

We need to make sure that we demand from the federal government strict oversight

Get out of my way, government, and go over there and get in someone else's! Now shoo!

huh? how do those two sentences live so close without imploding?

I actually get what she's saying there and somewhat agree with it, clumsily said though it was. I took it to mean that "Our economy is shit. we didn't do it, but if we cut back and don't run our credit card debt sky high and then default on those cards, we won't add to the problem."

Now -

Some people are being FORCED to live on their credit cards - it's the only way they're getting - nay, squeaking - by. And those are the people who have the credit cards to fall back on. Those who don't, IME, are living so hand to mouth right now that they HAVE NO CHOICE but to live within their means. And more often than not are living far below it as inflation and COL are so unproportioned. So I think that while the sentiment is true, she is, as usual, not living next door to Reality of the Middle and Lower Class land.

She's a walking talking country song.

Yup. You lose your job, lose your car, lose your house. And your dog might die.

She's a walking talking country song.

So: "Country music, the music of Palin"?

I am sad. I expected at least a *little* speaking in tongues from Palin last night. Although I almost had an embolism when she said that Biden's wife's "reward is in heaven" b/c she's a teacher. (Actually, I said, "Here comes the snake handling!")

One commentator last night said that Biden basically acted like Palin wasn't even there, not really; he didn't so much reply TO HER as much as he used her as a springboard, and I think that was the absolute best way for him to debate. That way no one could say "Oh, poor Sarah, that mean mean Senator just attacked her like the rest of the liberal media!"

And Palin scares the CRAP out of me -- she was well-prepared, and since the format meant that Palin wouldn't have to actually answer the question she was asked, she could bust out with that snake-oil huckster beauty-pageant blather that had NO CONTENT at all in it.

His teeth are brilliant!

I was *mesmerized* by his teeth. Hand to god, I actually said that to The Boy during the debate.

Now I am confused, yet curious. Is Biden actually attacking McCain for not being a maverick?

That was a thing of beauty. I loved how he kept repeating the slams against McCain. ("Let me repeat: John McCain -- I love him, I do -- IS A TOTAL DICKSMACK who voted with Bush 90% of the time!")

I loved that when Palin busted Obama on not voting for funding the troops, Biden calmly pointed out that McCain ALSO voted no.

When she was like, "I have a family! I understand what it's like!" And he was like, "Bitch, please. When my wife and daughter died, I was a single parent, and didn't know how I was going to make. I understand trouble."

Heh. She's pretty dumb, ain't she? Seriously, how can you try to pull the "I know suffering" card against a man whose family DIED?

Biden appears to be sighing heavily into his mic. He should watch that.

I was listening on the radio (while driving!) and at one point I thought dude, did he just snort?

I actually thought that he *did* snort, possibly on purpose.

"Oh I'm just a hockey mom, I don't understand big government!" FUCKING BULLSHIT. If you DON'T UNDERSTAND GOVERNMENT, THEN YOU SHOULD NOT BE IN IT, YOU STUPID FUCKING BINT.

Right? She kept saying stuff like "Government should get out of the way of the American people," etc., and I thought, if you have such a low opinion of the Federal Government, then WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE IN IT???

Honestly, Palin did better than I thought she would. Although I loved the part where Biden had just talked about McCain's history of pursuring deregulation -- I think Biden used the word "deregulation" about 50 times -- and Palin said something about McCain being in favor of "regulations." Even The Boy laughed at that one.

but our economy is shit and a bunch of Americans DID do it.