Listen man, the Earth is the insane asylum of the universe, and as is often the case in asylums of this kind the craziest inmates are the ones who think they're the sanest. You sir have a glib, disingenuousness about you that indicates you actually buy it when the most insane tell you they're the only ones that can be trusted.

Those of us who have served our communities at the local level - on city councils, commissions, and other volunteer positions - as well as those who pay attention to what goes on in those forums, will recognize Sarah Palin as a type of person commonly seen there.

I don't have a name for that type of person readily at hand, but characteristics include employing juvenile sarcasm and mocking in making arguments, using tortured logic and giant leaps of faith, perceiving conspiracies as the basis of all problems, making sweeping generalizations with little or no evidence to support them, and above all, playing to the galley in trying to cast the members of the council or commission as bad or stupid. Somehow the mechanism of Democracy churns on for our local bodies and it survives despite their officious intermeddling.

My guess is that many of the "undecideds" will quickly recognize and be repelled by Sarah Palin as fitting this profile, and question why John McCain would bring this level of discourse to the national arena instead of rising above it to forge solutions to real national problems.

From the NYT, about five minutes ago...

"The Obama campaign reported that it had received $8 million in online contributions from more than 130,000 donors after Ms. Palin’s addresss, and it is on pace to collect $10 million by the time Mr. McCain takes the stage later in the evening."

The energized Republican party? Not so much--one million dollars since then. It looks like Palin will energize at least one party's base, though probably not the one her handlers thought.

But related to several discussions that have been held in the comments sections to other posts.

ACLU of Minnesota will be representing the Democracy Now! team with regard to their St. Paul arrests:

http://blog.aclu.org/2008/09/03/aclu-of-minnesota-representing-democracynow-team/

http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/protest/36635prs20080903.html

I guess the ACLU DOES agree that what was done to these three journalists was unlawful.

(By the way, the charges have been suspended pending an investigation.)

Palin's speech was the epitome of cynical hate'em with a smile politics. You actually think the Repugs play cleaner than the Dems? Paging the Clinton Impeachment, yeah, that was some cleany clean-clean there wasn't it? High crimes indeed! And now, 2008, 8 years of Bush law breaking, profiteering and hate. The Repugs did everything in there power to destroy McCain 8 years ago and now he uses the same tactics they smeared him with. Repugs certainly are some choir boys, oh and principled ones at that! Blowjobs are obviously much worse than War crimes and such. What wonderful, ambiguous standards you have.

I don't have a name for that type of person readily at hand, but characteristics include employing juvenile sarcasm and mocking in making arguments, using tortured logic and giant leaps of faith, perceiving conspiracies as the basis of all problems, making sweeping generalizations with little or no evidence to support them, and above all, playing to the galley in trying to cast the members of the council or commission as bad or stupid.

Um, how about "Salonista"?

. . . . look at the freaks at the actual convention!! Talk about the neighbors from hell . . .

Sarah Palin's vision of America:

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=JaLjwSpZ6Cs

Compared to a woman that...

* went from PTA to the Governor's Mansion
* bore five children and accepted a special needs child without killing it
* has a kid going to Iraq
* Can shoot a moose and
* look hot while doing it,
* and most of all, looks natural smiling, unlike liberal females.

Yeah, liberalism is in trouble.

Run with it! That sounds like her to a "T" from the comments made by some of those who suffered her rule in Wasilla. There must be many a baked Alaskan who felt her dragon's breath.

I keep thinking of Tracy Flick in "Election" (played by Reese Witherspoon), also.

What I DON'T see is Geena Davis in Commander in Chief.

...1.) Carl Rove: Why is McCain letting this guy call any of the shots in his campaign? I mean really? This like selling your soul to the devil. Bye bye, maverick image.

2.) Palin's community organizer snark. So much for that thousand points of light stuff, huh? So now I know where she's coming from. If your the boss (read politico), it counts - if you're not, f**k you.

And please don't tell me she was digging at Obama's experience. There were a million better ways to accomplish that. She chose to mouth that particular piece of snark, and hopefully she will have to wear it like dog doo that won't scrape off her shoe, and McCain will have to deal with the Bush albatross he has willingly hung around his neck.

Yep. And you gotta never let them forget it.

And to whoever posted this: I think "Jesus Was A Community Organizer" is a great one-liner.

Other community organizers who never held political office include Mohandas Gandhi, Rev. Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez...the list goes on. For that matter, the title "community organizer" also goes for conservatives, and many of them got their start in politics by doing "community organizing" work of their own.

You know, to hear Rudy Giuliani speak of "community organizers" in that sneering tone...and then- as a former mayor of New York City- to disparage the city of Chicago....Rudy, heard from Bernie Kerik lately? I guess Andrew Dorismund and Amadou Diallo are as close as you ever get to "community organizing", eh?

Lastly, LibertyGal: I agree. At this point in the race, there's no need to compliment the opposition any more. Not unfair- just off-message.

No slander, no lies, no class-baiting- attacking them on the record of Republican rule in the Bush years, and their stance on issues, is all the political ammunition necessary. Too much to use it all, practically.

As for the rest, let the Republicans hang themselves with their own meannness and hypocrisy. Slip their noose and put it where it belongs, like properly uppity, self-respecting individuals.