Here on the good old Oregon coast, in a state that wouldn't even ALLOW blacks to live here a hundred or so years ago, you just don't hear this kind of thing anymore. No more "nigger jokes" in the working class taverns that I've admittedly spent far too much of my life in. No more self identified Republicans anywhere to be seen. They might collect in knots in the back of the bar at the country club after 18 holes, but they sure don't seem to be willing to engage any more than that. Of course, Oregon will go for Obama, so it's not much surprise. But even out in the decidedly purple, high desert of Eastern Oregon the predominance of Obama signs and bumper stickers is rather obvious.

We ARE apparently quite a bit different than other parts of the country. But I think he's got a pretty good chance of picking up a lot of electoral votes throughout the West. Montana is looking good right now, for instance. There's just a "leave me alone" sort of self reliance out here that often rejects overt appeals to someone else's religious beliefs being shoved down our throats disguised as a political position.

Sure... there aren't an awful lot of black people up here in basically lily white PNW, but there isn't a reservoir of overt racism either.

I've decided to be cautiously hopeful at this point. Could just be wishful thinking though, after all Palin is nominally from "the West", although Alaska is a whole 'nuther thing from the lower 48.

Really... this was funny. Good work Gary. If we can't make humor out of the ridiculous, then what's to laugh at? Palin is ridiculous, regardless of her plumbing. Swipe at her with abandon. She richly deserves it. If you want to sell yourself as a stereotype, then don't be surprised when you're objectified.

I give up

Dworkin, you are obviously another academic.

I would still like to know the percentage of people on any lefty website who get money from the government in some way vs. people who don't. It would be interesting to find out.

-- palintropos

Do you realize that the entire state of Alaska is on the tit of "government money" at roughly ten times the average state? Would you include Wall Street Bankers and Auto Industry Executives as people "who get money from the government in some way?"

If not, why not?

You seem to be highly selective and grossly uninformed about what the government does with your precious money. A "community organizer" is denigrated and assumed to be supported by taxpayer dollars while the entire corporate welfare establishment supported so enthusiastically by Republicans is to be ignored.

I guess some taxes are different that others, eh?

Just askin'

To all you supposed "jilted women" (if indeed, you are all women), claiming to be PUMAs or some variation of that fiction.... why even pretend that you were EVER going to vote for anyone other than whoever the Republicans put up?

There is simply NO WAY to get from being a Hillary supporter to voting for this Palin travesty. If you claim there is, and you are truly delusional enough to be fooling yourself then your version of politics is obviously COMPLETELY based on chromosomes. There is NOTHING beyond her XX makeup that Palin has in common with Hillary. NOTHING....

So skip the jilted woman BS... it doesn't fly. Go ahead vote against everything that Hillary stands for. Vote against HER clearly expressed opinion ABOUT EVERYTHING.....

You were NEVER going to vote for her anyway... or ANY Democrat.

Nobody is fooled. And you will all get EXACTLY what you deserve. Unfortunately you'll drag MY country down with your silly hysterics.

If you're playing Cribbage.

I refer to: Better to be a noble loser than a crude winner.

No... strip out the terms and you're left with the fallicy. NO... NO NO NO... it IS NOT better to lose. There are many very important, even NOBLE things about this nation that the last eight years of the Bush regime has worked overtime to destroy. This country cannot stand another four or eight years of this.

The Democrats MUST win this time... By any means necessary.

If you sit on the sidelines, tut-tutting and being civil to raging madmen, you WILL end up with Sara Palin as YOUR President. And there's NOTHING noble about that prospect.

I've raised pigs. They're extremely social, inquisitive friendly creatures by nature. Even without lipstick....

Sarah Palin is no pig.

If only she could exhibit some of the characteristics of pigs, perhaps she wouldn't be so offensive.

As a far left edger, it was hard for me to understand just how much residual latent racism there still is in this country. I truly thought the Obama campaign would prove to be a watershed event in the tortured history of racism in our nation. But, as this campaign enters the home stretch it is getting hard to ignore what seems to be the direction all this is going. It looks like there are simply too many closeted white racists to let get Barack over the hump. I hope I'm wrong. But when poll after poll show just how unpopular - nay, reviled - the majority of proven to fail Republican policies are, there is only one factor left to consider as to why Obama isn't walking away with this. And that is his perceived "blackness".

I'm sick to my stomach at the direction this country is headed. That it's doing so for what appear to be blind racism only makes it worse. Add to that the absolutely FAKE "feminism" of this godawful bad joke from Alaska and, should they prevail, there IS no hope for this country.

Speaking of STFU, perhaps you should take your own "sage" advice KittyTango. You seem to have an opinion about everything, often several.