"Palin Power"

So despite all the Republican bitching about Obama, I guess giving a good speech IS politically advantageous. She can talk, I'll give her that, but what she says! I remember having the same reaction during the Republican convention 4 years ago - they're willing to say anything with a straight face. And the crowd applauds everything, no matter how absurd. I couldn't believe that she, and others, were MOCKING Obama for working as a community organizer. Palin says she was serving in government (as mayor of Wasilla) while he was doing that, but since when is the Republican party the one that prefers government service to private actions? It truly made me scratch my head. But my favorite was definitely Palin's assertion that she returned the taxpayer's money to them when the state's coffers filled with oil company revenue. What? First of all, it's not citizens' money, it's the oil company's money, but more to the point, that extra income for the state came from a windfall profit tax - exactly what the Democratics are proposing on a national scale. But who cares what reality is, as long as it creates an applause line.

ADDENDUM

How about this assertion: Palin got more votes for mayor of Wasilla than Biden got for president . . . They're only counting the votes he got in Iowa (2328), since he dropped out after that (Wasilla is a town of about 5400). However, he was on the ballot in both Florida and California and got over 33,000 votes in those states. The Repugs do have nerve, you almost have to admire it.

I wonder about this line of argument also (this text is from Hawaii governor Linda Lingle's speech, a couple hours before Palin's) - this exact same thing could be said about the TOP of the Republican ticket:

I find it especially amusing that the other party says Governor Palin lacks experience when their own candidates for president and vice president...have NO executive experience... ZERO! Neither Senator Obama nor Senator Biden has ever managed a multi- billion dollar budget, or been a chief executive of any city... or state, of any size... or of anything for that matter.

ADDENDUM

I like what Obama said in response: "I've been called worse on the basketball court." He has a reputation as hard to rattle. He also said this about critiques of community organizing:

"Why would that kind of work be ridiculous? Who are they fighting for? What are they advocating for? They think that the lives of those folks who are struggling each and every day, that working with them to try to improve their lives is somehow not relevant to the presidency? I think maybe that's the problem -- that's part of why they're out of touch and they don't get it 'cause they haven't spent much time working on behalf of those folks."

I also loved what Jon Stewart said about the way they mocked being a community organizer: "For all you out there trying to make a difference in your communities, you know what you are - a thousand points of bullshit."