As a conservative, seeing things like this makes me cringe, because I know all too well that the Republicans are more and more counting on the lack of an educated electorate to get votes. Now it's all word salad -- use the right words (even in nonsense order) and the idiots will vote for you. Say something intelligent, nuanced, and smart, and God help you.

Obama makes the point here that courts are ill-equipped for administrative tasks. That same point has been made by conservatives in opposing what they term "judicial activism." It's a legally conservative point -- courts should not be in the business of trying to manage what is best left to the legislatures. I would agree. Scalia would agree. But, oooo, he said "redistribution," so the big scary black man must be coming to take your money. Everyone hide under the bed.

Of course, what he's talking about is nothing more than a change to the tax system, and even conservatives accept that taxes are both a fact of life and a positive element of society. The question is simply how we're going to run that tax system. Bush ran it in a way that helped the rich while paying lip service to the middle class, and simultaneously bankrupting the country. McCain's paying the same lip service, helping the same people, and would similarly bankrupt us. We know -- from experience (a key element of true conservatism) -- that the middle class will get screwed by McCain's plan.

So what do you do if you're McCain? Lie. Just...lie. Claim that Obama wants to do the opposite of what he wants to do. Claim that Obama is raising the middle class's taxes, when he's actually cutting them. Claim that Obama believes in taking money from the middle class and giving it to the poor, when in fact he's just asking for a higher tax rate on the rich (over $250k), and giving the middle class a tax break. Claim that Obama's a socialist, or a terrorist. Just...lie.

(If you're caught lying, lie about whether you lied. Or say that the other side lied first. Or claim that you only lied because the other side wouldn't join a town hall debate with you. In other words, lie.)

At the same time, McCain / Palin says nothing but nonsense. But idiots love nonsense. "Oooo, she said 'patriotism.' I like patriotism." And it's hard to spin nonsense. When Palin says that she loves small town America, and isn't one of those awful Washington elites with their Yale educations -- how do you spin that? She hasn't...said anything. She's just spouted nonsense.

McCain / Palin, more than any other campaign in the history of this nation, makes me think we're destined for the world straight out of the movie "Idiocracy," where intelligence is seen as a character flaw, and logos and catch-phrases replace thinking. They seem to rely on the idea that no one in the Republican base is interested in checking facts. The McCain / Palin motto seems to be "just say something," and the base will believe it. Just...lie.

The latest is this baloney about Obama having already written his victory speech and having rented out a stadium to celebrate -- it's a complete and bald-faced fabrication. But McCain and Palin are out there spouting it. McCain and Palin -- who are about to ask the American people to vote for them -- are out there saying things they know (or should know) don't have a shred of truth. They're lying, in a way that even a child could debunk. And they want to lead us?

God help this country if the electorate isn't smart enough to tell Obama's facts from McCain's bald-faced lies. But even moreso, God help conservatives if our ideas are so weak that we have to rely on a snow-job to try to get votes.

(But they aren't! Our ideas aren't weak! Christ, that's irritating. Conservatism is smart, fiscally sound, and just. Conservatism is wise and open to knowledge. Conservatism is not some Alaskan bimbo winking at a bunch of idiots who only get their news through a filter, or a president ignoring competence to worship theocracy and ideology. But we no longer have any conservative Republicans. Obama is far more conservative than these idiots.)

No one is surprised by this. Everyone knew they'd resort to it at some point.

But it's pointless -- I'll go out on a limb and say that there's not one voter out there -- not one -- who doesn't know about Jeremiah Wright. The question everyone immediately asks on seeing this so late in the campaign is "why is this suddenly news again?" (The answer: "Because we're losing." "So why are you losing?" "....look, a terrorist!")

So it's just more gimmicks from a losing campaign without any ideas. (That it comes on the day when Obama laid out his "closing argument" just adds to it -- Obama's got an argument, the RNC's got...Jeremiah Wright.)

Also, did anyone notice the the background? The word "Hate" plastered all over it? Once again, the RNC shoots itself in the foot by forgetting that credibility matters. Calling Obama a hate-monger rings false. It's an accusation that only harms the accuser -- it makes them look...batshitty.

None of that in our household, children! Wouldn't want you confused for the smart, creative types who can actually rhyme something with "eight." People who can rhyme...they're definitely gay!

Gotta get me one of those -- they're hot...