So the money managers and money lenders and greedy Wall Streeters aren't part of the American public?

Obviously. What are you, nuts? It's Wall Street VERSUS Main Street!

Oh god. The nuc-u-lar thing drives me up a tree faster than just about anything else.

And people who call my dog Barn-alby. I get that there are only two common references to the name Bartleby in the vernacular but DUDE, you've heard ME pronounce it about 4,000 times. Catch up.

Ahem. I suspect I'm in a mood.

I didn't listen to the debate and am despondent to read all the 'she did better than expected' headlines. That is not what I wanted to hear.

It's Wall Street VERSUS Main Street!

Us against them, bay-bee!

God, how much do I want to go to Eastern Standard and drink nummy classic cocktails.

She WINKS.

Dude.

So the money managers and money lenders and greedy Wall Streeters aren't part of the American public?

It's just like how actors aren't real people.

all the 'she did better than expected' headlines.

Bonny, all that means is "We thought she'd speak in tongues, but she didn't." Seriously. The only bar set for her was "Don't fuck up too badly."

She's a total huckster -- if you keep talking and grin and wink, you can say literally ANYTHING, and it'll come off like you're the world's greatest orator.

Am listening to the 1776 soundtrack this morning.

"I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace; that two become a law firm; and that three or more become a Congress! And, by God, I have had this Congress!"

With the topic of the current VP coming up, I remembered that Cheney still exists. I'm sort of surprised they won't even reanimate him to deliver some "Frankly, blah blah blah" gravitas during the financial situation we're having. Well, maybe not really surprised, but boy has he disappeared from the face of the Earth.

The best ratings anyone got in the debate with an attack was when Biden was hammering Cheney. I suspect the GOP's polling says he's about as popular as scrapie right now. He needs to do something to make the people fear and respect him again. Maybe he should shoot a man in Reno just to watch him apologise.

Palin was certainly scripted, and that avoided a repeat of the Couric debacle. But I note that it meant, first, Biden had a free pass to hammer McCain (and the audience was buying it), knowing she couldn't respond without getting off-script; and second, that when Biden choked up talking about his family loss, Palin kept sailing blithely on without so much as an offer of condolences. They can bond over both supporting Israel, but she couldn't get out of her script to acknowledge her opponent has known real tragedy.

I don't see this debate changing the numbers (does it ever?), but the fact she didn't drool probably helps make McCain's existing support more solid.

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.

The pageant queen smile was creeping me out BIG time.

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???

It makes a kind of insane troll logic sense when you break it down - she hates government + she's completely unqualified for office = as VP, she would make sure the government was as adorably powerless as she is!

Palin was certainly scripted, and that avoided a repeat of the Couric debacle. But I note that it meant, first, Biden had a free pass to hammer McCain (and the audience was buying it), knowing she couldn't respond without getting off-script;

And also explained why she barely answered any of the questions.