Every pundit who claims she won points to her folksy, non-political insider, quality.

Her first words were asking Biden if she could call him Joe.

This was a calculated, sleezy, setup to say the "say it ain't so Joe" soundbite.

She's a complete phony.

You wrote:

"Well, I may be disowned soon.

"I've tried so many times to articulate to my GOP parents why I know the GOP, as it is now & has been since Reagan, is so incredibly bad for this country. Everytime it turns into a heated argument. I read this thought it might help. It's so strange they are good people. They give generously to charities, encouraged all of us kids to get an education & see the world, etc. But they cling to the GOP they refuse to see it's not Eisenhower's party anymore. I know I can't change my parents. I'm hoping they'll at least start to be open to another point of view. Sigh!!"

When it comes to dealing with parents and other family members who ignore the truth about, well, everything and vote Republican, I know how you feel. It's frustrating. As I indicated in my earlier messages, I think they're good people and they have high standards, but they are completely oblivious to the the shortcomings of their elected representatives and blind to the harm the Republicans are causing in this country and all around the world.

But I don't bother arguing with my family about politics anymore. We have other things to talk about, and I think it's more important to concentrate on things that bind us together instead of arguing pointlessly when none of us will change our minds. The path of least resistance is actually quite comfortable most of the time. The most annoying consequence of not making my beliefs plain to them is that my dear mother thinks it's okay to forward email chain letters to me on a near-daily basis. (I'm sure you know the type.) But that's what the delete key is for. No need to waste time composing and sending a response with a link to Snopes or anything like that. It wouldn't make any difference.

Hang in there. Like that old song by Crosby Stills and Nash goes, "Just look at them and sigh, and know they love you."

George Wallace gave the Republican Party its entire playbook for the last forty years when he went to Michigan in '68 and won the Democratic primary by appealing to ignorant, white, racist Michigan auto workers the exact same way Southern segregationist governors had always won in the South, by "out n--g" the opposition. Wallace added to his appeals to racist resentment his brilliant appeals to dumb working-class resentment of white educated liberal elites, the "pointy-headed intellectuals" and "limousine liberals" from the Ivy League who did constitute the liberal wing of the old WASP Establishment in America. Nixon used Agnew to be a George Wallace of his very own, won big twice, and the rest is history for the modern Republican Party, which has ALWAYS depended on the stupidities, prejudices, and bitter (yes, bitter) resentments of the white mob, exactly as Hitler did. Too bad for the Republican's nationalized Southern strategy with the ignorant mob that this year the Republicans have made such a catastrophic hash of the American economy that it's '32 again, and fear of bankruptcy seems to be trumping even fear and resentment of black people in the kitchens of working-class white America this year. Thank God! After all, if we had not had a Depression in '32, America, as ignorant and anti-intellectual and prejudiced as most white Americans are, would never have elected a single Democratic president after the demise of Wilson in '20. It turns out that economic terror is the only thing strong enough to defeat racism, right-wing religious superstition, homophobia, and all the other things that have locked up the American mob for Republicans (and the redneck Rhodes scholar and rubber-stamper of Reaganism, Bill Clinton) for the past forty years. What a shock!

I have the pleasure of being around a handful of twenty-something people at my gym who are voting for the first time. They are not yet aligned with either political party, but are forming their first serious political thoughts in this election. What one of them said to me after the veep debates yesterday was that Palin's answers were hard to decipher, but Biden was understandable. For that reason, Biden came across as the straight talker – and they are leaning Obama-Biden as a result. The "you betchas" and "doggonit" comments may be cute, but aren't attracting votes.

It started dumbing down in the days of Ronald Reagan! And it's been a downhill roll-a-coaster ride ever since. When you have the type of mentality that is run by religion and no one else is welcome. That doesn't encourage any 'free thinking'! That has nothing but venomous, obnoxious pundits who rail daily against liberals and anyone who doesn't agree with them! That are willing to commit any crime to further their political ambitions. That are willing to tell any lie to win! Who have precious few principles let alone any will to use them. Who have tried to rewrite the Constitution to serve their own conservative agendas. It becomes a very poisonous environment for the people who dwell in it. You either learn to adapt or you get out of it! The corruption in GOP has grown to staggering proportions. The very people who are supposed to be the most moral in this country (Christian's). Have learned to overlook the corruption because they are told the other side is evil. Most haven't learned to think enough for themselves to do some checking on their own.

I just gotta say...I loved the story you shared.

Biden in his debate made clear to Union blue-shirt Democrats that Obama would be his stalking horse to become a shadow president just as Cheney used W. to convince the Republican elites to take that risk. McCain is now trying to use Palin, but she is too new, too green, too little trained. The Obama problem remains fear of so new and unusual a candidate for the real blue Joe six-packs. Biden cured this for the Dems. Obama and Palin, two cute poodles tossed into the pit bull arena for amusement and distraction, when the race remains the same old one between cagey old insiders.