U.S. Campaign Reader

Here are a few articles from both the US and international media about the US Presidential race. Highlights of each article provided with a link to the full article.

Democrats Just Don’t Get It as Sarah Palin Pounds ‘em
By Michael Goodwin in the New York Daily News.

First of all, here’s a bulletin: being pro-life and pro-gun doesn’t automatically make her look stupid to most Americans. Second, she’s no rookie at the politics/media game, as her record, convention speech and stump appearances prove.

Third, well, do we need a third reason to prove the Dems are way off course in expecting the media to destroy Palin? If anything, there is a backlash against ganging up on an underdog.

The line about insanity being a case of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result applies to the Barack Obama camp. Underestimating Palin before her debut last week was a big mistake, but they’re so sure they’re right they’re doing it again.

Obama Turns Into Dukakis, Kerry, Gore
By John Brummett of the Northwest Arkansas Morning News.

One thing Democrats stand for — or we thought — is ending the war in Iraq. So now Obama says the surge is working. One thing Democrats stand for — or so we thought — was a well-articulated position to protect a woman’s right to choose abortion. So now Obama says the morality of the abortion issue is “above my pay grade.” Then he says he doesn’t like the way he put that.

Please — somebody send for Hillary, quick.

‘I am a Liberal, but I’m Blown Away by Sarah Palin’
By Rebecca Johnson in the UK Telegraph.

Once upon a time, I also would have been contemptuous of Palin’s incurable optimism but, having been knocked around by life a bit, I now understand what a gift chronically happy people are given.

Life hands them difficulties -a Down’s syndrome baby, a 17-year-old daughter pregnant before her life as an adult has even begun, a much-needed job on the oil and gas commission that comes with too many strings – and she is not flummoxed or depressed or angry or self-pitying. She endures.

My liberal friends were outraged when rumours about Barack Obama attending a Madrassa or being a Muslim surfaced on the internet, but all week they have been gleefully trading emails of Sarah Palin distortions.

Deriding Palin’s modest background and lack of Ivy League credentials will only turn voters off. We should celebrate what is groundbreaking about Sarah Palin: a card-carrying member of Feminists for Life is a big step forward from Housewives for Life. And then we should talk about the issues.

Reeling in The Barracuda
By Tom Cardell in the Southwest Philly Review.

Here’s another reality for you: Don’t ever underestimate your opponent and the Democrats are in danger of doing just that. Palin is not some pretty, empty-headed piece of fluff. She may look like the cosmetics salesperson at Macy’s, as The New Republic’s Martin Peretz jokes, but she’s ambitious, smart and a quick study. If you think Palin will wilt under the pressure of a debate with Joe Biden or a “Meet the Press” appearance think again. You are being set up for a letdown. An intimidated media is already telling us it has low expectations for Palin. Low expectations means you can already write the headline after her debate with the better-qualified, more-experienced Biden: “Palin holds her own in debate.”

Autumn Angst: Dems Fret About Obama
By David Paul Kuhn & Bill Nichols in Politico.

Polls showing John McCain tied or even ahead of Barack Obama are stirring angst and second-guessing among some of the Democratic Party’s most experienced operatives, who worry that Obama squandered opportunities over the summer and may still be underestimating his challenges this fall.

“It’s more than an increased anxiety,” said Doug Schoen, who worked as one of Bill Clinton’s lead pollsters during his 1996 reelection and has worked for both Democrats and independents in recent years. “It’s a palpable frustration. Deep-seated unease in the sense that the message has gotten away from them.”

Joe Trippi, a consultant behind Howard Dean’s flash-in-the-pan presidential campaign in 2004 and John Edwards’ race in 2008, said the Obama campaign was slow to recognize how the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate would change the dynamic of the race.

The World’s Verdict Will Be Harsh if the US Rejects Obama
By Jonathan Freedland in the UK Guardian. Note: I wouldn’t waste your time reading this one but I wanted to show that the insanity isn’t just limited to this side of the Atlantic. The summary should suffice.

For Obama has stirred an excitement around the globe unmatched by any American politician in living memory. Polling in Germany, France, Britain and Russia shows that Obama would win by whopping majorities, with the pattern repeated in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. If November 4 were a global ballot, Obama would win it handsomely. If the free world could choose its leader, it would be Barack Obama.

Barack Obama Was Run Over as He Took to Middle of the Road
By Tom Baldwin in the Times of London.

Barack Obama is beginning to resemble the man who turns up to a fancy-dress party in a suit while criticising everyone for what they are wearing: lipstick, fish wrappers or, maybe, the mantle of change. Chastened by the summer’s sneers surrounding his celebrity status, they decided it was time to dim his dazzle a little by donning more sober and serious apparel. Mr Obama chose Joe Biden as his running-mate rather than more exciting alternatives because he expected the Republicans to attack him over a lack of weight and experience.

The Angry Left Should Beware of Palin
By Rod Dreher in the Dallas Morning News.

Does the Angry Left really want to launch a culture war over Sarah Palin? Fine. Lock and load.

That’s the feeling of many conservatives who until last week were lukewarm at best about the prospect of a John McCain presidency. The unhinged malice of the cultural left’s assault on the Alaska governor’s personal life has focused their minds and stirred their hearts. Palin’s astonishingly poised and confident performance in her convention speech proves that this Iron Lady is not about to quail before the judgment of her would-be betters.

Neither will conservatives. If they were indifferent or hostile to the Republican ticket, the cultural elite’s savage treatment of Palin reminded them of what’s really in play this year. It’s the same snarling spite for small-town folks, religious believers and anybody else who was on the wrong side of the 1960s.

What’s Behind Palin’s Appeal to Women
By Fred Barbash in Politico.

“They see themselves in her,” as scholar Diane Ravitch said, and they see the things they care about.

“White women are supporting Palin because suddenly issues they live with everyday are finally being discussed, balancing work and family, the challenges of having a disabled child, the heartbreak of teen pregnancy, the agony of having a child in military service and so on,” said former Rep. Patricia Schroeder, a Democrat who is now head of the Association of American Publishers. “These issues are often cited by politicians in political speeches, but nothing is ever done to help families cope with all these modern day pressures.”

“Working women have the common experience of being passed over for a younger, less experienced, male who was supposed to be the great new talent,” said Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) “They now see Obama’s choice of Biden over Clinton through that lens and, I suspect, resent it. The same perspective gives working women a unique appreciation for McCain’s choice of Palin.”

Sarah Palin Gets a Warm Welcome Back in Alaska
By Stephen Braun in the Los Angeles Times.

Gov. Sarah Palin returned triumphant to her home state Wednesday for the first time since she was named to the Republican ticket with John McCain, and received thunderous cheers as she promised 3,000 supporters: “I will do my best to do Alaska proud.”

Palin reprised many passages from her vice presidential nomination acceptance speech at the party’s convention in St. Paul, Minn. But she steered away from explicit attacks on the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, instead gushing about her home state and its sudden role in the limelight.

By The Fault.