The fix is in

During the 2008 presidential election cycle, I wrote over 60 posts — including extensive analysis of the primaries and conventions — at my personal blog, The Vulture Lurks (recommended by 4 out of 5 curmudgeons). So far this election cycle I’ve written a handful of minor posts. Why the drop-off? That’s easy. This isn’t an election we’re witnessing. It’s a coronation, at least on the Team Elephant side of the ledger.

Why would I call it a coronation? How could I call it a coronation when there is no clear front-runner and the first primary hasn’t even occurred yet? Follow along as I read the tea leaves.

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Conservative media: Fox News (“fair” and “balanced”) is in the tank for Romney. Big time. Some of Fox’s so-called analysts are so far up Romney’s butt that they taste his lunch mere seconds after he does.

Fox has proclaimed Romney winner of nearly all of the debates. Yet after one of the debates, Michele Bachmann surged into the lead in the polls. After another, it was Herman Cain. After yet another, it was Newt Gingrich. You should be getting the idea by now. No matter Romney’s showing, he’s the winner.

Every time Fox gets on the subject of the “Primary front runners”, Romney’s name is first on their lips. No matter where he is in the latest polling, first, second, even FOURTH, he is always “a front runner”. Meanwhile, if he is first or second, NO ONE beyond second place gets a mention. Hell, when he was in fourth place in an Iowa poll recently, the candidate ahead of him, Ron Paul, was omitted from mention in the front runners discussion. But not Mitt.

Talk radio isn’t quite as blatant; in fact, many talk show hosts are reluctant to be seen as endorsing anyone, such is the general distaste for Romney among the listening public. But almost without fail, all talk show hosts assert that no matter who the Republican nominee is, no matter how much they might deviate from conservative principles, we HAVE TO vote for them – ANYONE but Obama. Never mind that a vote for Romney is a vote for “Obama-lite”. You gotta do it!

Columnists of various stripes have wandered hither and yon regarding Romney. But two powerhouse conservative pundits have lined up foursquare behind him: Ann Coulter and Charles Krauthammer. Both of these two alleged conservatives have shelved principle and gone with “electable” as be-all/end-all for their candidate. Never mind that it was said of Ronald Reagan in 1980 that he was unelectable. This is different.

Bang the war drums: Every candidate still in the race, with the exception of Ron Paul, is obsessed with proving their warrior bona fides. “I would go to war with Iran NOW!”, one after another will thunder. The audience (God help us!) eats that shit up. It would appear that so-called conservatives have bought into the propaganda that never-ending pre-emptive war is “defense”. Again, God help us!

One is left in amazement that a candidate can spew vitriol with regards to all of the wasteful spending in Washington, and yet opine that the military, estimated to hit around $1.4 TRILLION in spending in 2012, needs to be beefed up. We’re drowning in debt, but without war-without-end and the trillions of dollars it requires, we’re going to be overrun by cave-dwelling terrorists, and conquered.

The military-industrial complex lives and thrives.

The Team Elephant elite: They’ve made it clear for over a year – Romney is their guy. I suppose they’d settle for Gingrich in a pinch (much as they settled for McCommie last cycle, when Rudy Giuliani was their preference). But they’re adamant. It WILL be Romney or an equally conviction-free statist. Period.

Do you really think the attacks on Governor Perry Gardacil, Herman Cain, and Michele Bachmann happened because Big Media (the BM for short) hates “real” conservatives and wanted to destroy them? Those attacks were friendly fire. Those attacks were orchestrated. Don’t be surprised if Newt succumbs to something similar to what happened to Cain between now and mid-January.

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“Okay, Vulture. You believe there’s a coronation afoot. What do you say we do about it, smart guy?”

What CAN we do? Truthfully, we in the West have gone so far down the slippery slope to ruin that I don’t think it matters any more who we elect.We might crash and burn and start to recover sooner with one candidate over another.

But crash and burn we shall.

McCain’s Perfect Choice for a Running Mate: Governor Sarah Palin

While most of the pedantic, two-dimensional, inside-the-box-thinking, conservative political hacks are touting Tom Ridge for the slot (Not a bad guy, but…), David Freddoso notes a far superior choice has been proposed: The Republican Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

I believe this is a truly inspired idea. Gov. Palin ran as an anti-corruption outsider, and handily defeated a corrupt and entrenched Republican political machine. Plus, at 44, she would almost totally wipe the “age issue” McCain has off the slate, and since Obama is only two years her senior, there is no way they could attack her for her youth and inexperience: She has much more executive experience than Senator Obama has.

Not to mention the fact that, she’s a gorgeous woman who exudes mass quantities of charisma…

and has a super-solid family life.

Dibs on the eldest daughter! LOL!

This inspired choice would allow McCain to actually capitalize on his “maverick” persona, as Gov. Palin shook Alaska politics to the core: She’s a charming, charismatic woman, but she can also play with the big boys and kick ass.

What say ye?

UPDATE: Things are looking optimistic!

UPDATE II: Welcome to all 4500 8000 40,000 in the past few hours (so far!) people visiting us from Google. We’re a fairly opinionated right-wing blog, and you might like to take a look at our “About” page. You might also be interested in our other coverage of Sarah Palin and whether she becomes a prospective Vice President of the United States. You can find this coverage here and here. Personally, I hope she does, but you can feel free to debate the idea in comments below. All first comments are moderated, but unless you either insult or use severe profanity (and I mean severe by my standards, which generally only means the C U Next Tuesday word or the implication that someone has had a rather enjoyable erotic experience with someone who has borne a child), however if you come up with a new one, I may simply delete your comment. I, and all other contributors to this blog are more than fair in what we permit.

UPDATE III: Nayr Drahcir, don’t bother even trying. You will not be published.

UPDATE IV: A lot of people must like Palin.

UPDATE V: More coverage of Governor Sarah Palin and a theme song here.

UPDATE VI: Funniest observation on the announcement yet: “Put Obama and Palin on a basketball court one on one. Winner takes all!”

UPDATE VII: [spot_the_dog] No, we do not have any pictures of “Sarah Palin + Naked,” nor do we have any of “Sarah Palin + Swimsuit.” In the past 24 hours, there have been 157 separate searches on this site for “Sarah Palin Swimsuit,” and 161 separate searches for “Sarah Palin Naked.” I repeat, we have no bathing suit, swim suit, bikini, or naked pictures of Sarah Palin. What kind of people do you think we are, anyway? 😉

UPDATE VIIa: [spot_the_dog] Ace has noticed a similar search phenomenon on his blog and has a theory…

UPDATE VIII: A well-rounded view of the selection of Sarah Palin for the Vice President Nomination can be found here.

UPDATE IX:  We got it!  YES!  Nude photo of Sarah Palin right here!  (C’mon.  You know you want to click.)

UPDATE X: Feel free to visit our main page and read the latest posts we’ve written.

Sense Spoken

I don’t agree with everything the man in this video clip says, but he says it well and makes his points clear. It’s worth a watch.

Does anyone know who he is?

This video, focusing mostly on abortion, is also worth watching. Excellent points are made.

I’m not sure who he is either.

The Vice-Presidential Debate: My Wrap Up (Updated)

The line that spoke to me most came from Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin:

“I think we need more of Main Street Wasilla in Washington, so that these people, these middle-class, hard-working people are heard in Washington.”

Contrast this to the line that almost made me cry with laughter:

“I go down Union Street, and speak to folks in Home Depot…”

On to the serious stuff, I think Palin nailed this debate. She spoke in a way that showed that she’s far outside Washington circles, using some very homely expressions such as “doggone it”, “ya”, “Say it ain’t so Joe”, and she sounded nowhere near as rehearsed as Joe Biden, plus Governor Palin didn’t rely on her notes almost every sentence. Certainly, she looked at notes (although hers were clearly in dot point form, whereas Biden’s can’t possibly have been) yet she spent the majority of her time making eye contact with the camera.

An Alliance Worth Keeping

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain has written an excellent article examining the Australia-US alliance and puts forth a very convincing argument as to why the alliance should be kept.

An extract:

In the middle of 1908, Australians and Americans recognised immediately the kindred spirit of two rugged and energetic peoples separated by half the globe but united by shared hopes for mankind. That initial friendship would be forged into an inseparable bond through many struggles in the years to come. Ten years after the Great White Fleet left Sydney Harbour, American soldiers would serve under Australian general John Monash at the decisive Battle of Hamel on the Western Front. My father and grandfather would both serve side by side with the Royal Australian Navy in the Pacific theatre, turning back the Japanese tide and then building a post-war network of alliances that would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in Asia.

He makes a solid argument for the continuation and deregulation of free trade, as well as the case for maintaining an alliance with Australia, and furthering relations with Asia. It’s an excellent article and well worth a read.

John McCain – Too Old? An Entirely Subjective Post

Frankly, I don’t think so.  Much has been made about John McCain’s age (which is just the adjunct to “not conservative enough, too tempermental, unhinged by his POW years, etc., blah de blah blah blah”).  I am turning  62 this year, and I’m discovering (as people my age inevitably do) that all my youth-oriented biases were just so much ignorance and misunderstanding.  Not that I claim to be all-wise and stateshiplike at this point, but just that I’m finding out, as my parents and grandparents did, that I really didn’t know shit when I was young.  Kind of like when you leave your college years and get a job and find out you didn’t know everything after all.  It’s a humiliating process, and unfortunately for the ego, it doesn’t stop when you move into middle age and after.

Whatever you think about McCain’s political philosophy (and I certaintly don’t agree with all that either), let’s put to rest his age.  At 72, in this day and age, he’s unlikely to die in office.  My mother-in-law, bless her heart, is 80, and still spry and self-sufficient, and not at all stupid.  But, if our worst fears are realized, McCain will still be surrounded by the advisers and government functionaries whose job it is to keep the Office Of The Presidency operating at maximum, and if he has chosen wisely, a responsible second who will step in to take over.  Let us all remember Ronald Reagan, who even in his presidential heyday was no doubt showing the initial signs of Alzheimers, and yet the Republic did not fall and did not falter.

The fiction is that we elect a man we think will save us all.  The truth is, he will set in motion processes that will, if nor guarantee, at least lend momentum, to the political direction we, the American people, desire. The man is not important.  The office, and its guiding principle, is.

My mother in law turned 80 this year.  She’s still sharp as a tack when it comes to what matters.  She doesn’t like McCain.  She likes Obama even less.  She lived through the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam, and now the Great Middle East Mess.  She is the daughter and granddaughter of German immigrants.  She’s never lost sight of American values.  So what makes her irrelevant because of her age?

Same deal when you’re choosing a president.  Crusty old warrior, or clueless metrosexual?

Sarah Palin: All The Right Wing Cred McCain Can Get

The choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential nominee is an absolute masterstroke. It truly is, and for a number of reasons.

Palin has been quoted as being tenacious. The senior pastor (Ed Kalnins) at Palin’s church, the Assembly of God, said of Palin: “Once she understands a truth, she bites down on it and won’t let go of the truth.” This tells me that a) she’ll research what she’s talking about, b) form her decision on the subject, and c) she’ll stick to her beliefs until step a) reveals more information, then she’ll re-evaluate. The United States could very well deal with that kind of skill and decision making, particularly as it’s something many on the Left side of politics say that neither the current President nor the current Vice President are capable of.

Palin is also unafraid to not pull the Republican party line. While mayor of Wasilla and later Governor of Alaska, she was unafraid to propose new projects and different ways of resolving issues facing her communities which were in contradiction of the proposals put forward by other Republicans in the party, and her stance on ethics was a major contributor to her being elected to Governor in a landslide against previous Republican Governor Frank Murkowski. While she has had her moments of being rather divisive, she also has a lot of talent for working in a team.

Alaska Gov. Palin to be Named as McCain Running Mate

Angus, you are a seer, extraordinaire… :). All HAIL Angus.

Fox News

Reasons why McCain is still doing OK

Say hello to Sergeant Schmidt.

Pajamas.

An Australian’s View On McCain

John McCain hasn’t received too much media coverage here in Australia at this point, but now that Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic Party nomination, that will probably change.

Australia isn’t likely to hear too much about John McCain’s outstanding military service, or that a number of people in the McCain family have served their country, or that McCain and his wife adopted one orphan who couldn’t get the medical treatment she needed in Bangladesh, so Cindy McCain brought the child home and cared for her, or that McCain and his wife also rescued another child, who was taken in by a McCain aide.

The Year Ahead

Ever since the birth of the United States of America, there has been political discord between the major parties, each believing that they knew the best way to lead the nation and prepare it for the challenges of the future. The values of the two major parties have always differed, and always will.

The Republican party was originally founded by “anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge”, and gradually built up a profile as a party known for promoting diversity and equality. The Republican Party worked to free the workers from slavery, guaranteed the workers equal rights under the law, and gave African-Americans and women the right to vote. The basic values of the Republican Party have shifted over time to encompass the belief that: “Individuals, not government, can make the best decisions; all people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home.”

The Dark Lord Writeth

Karl Rove has put his blood and parchment (does he look like a Microsoft Word kind of guy?!) to an excellent piece on John McCain. He’s quite accurate on much of it.

Rev. Wright Discusses ‘Public Crucifixion’ at Sunday Services, McCain and the Hussein Obama, campaign

Bits and Pieces:

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the embattled pastor of presidential candidate Barack Obama, gave a 45-minute sermon on Sunday that included a reference to his “public crucifixion” for past comments from the pulpit.

Wright also was the subject of political dispute on the campaign trail, as Republican John McCain criticized some of Wrights earlier remarks that have recently surfaced, and Obama taking a swipe at McCain.

McCain has been fighting the North Carolina GOP over an ad set to air Monday that links Obama and Wright, saying the ad is unfair. But on Sunday, McCain made the most confident steps so far on the subject, criticizing Wright over comments he made comparing Marines to Roman soldiers who killed Jesus, and comparing Al Qaeda flags to the AMerican flag.

Of the Roman comparison, McCain said, “It’s beyond belief. And then of course saying that Al Qaeda and the American flag were the same flags. So I can understand, I can understand why people are upset about this. I can understand why Americans, when viewing these kinds of comments, are angry and upset.”

Obama campaign spokesman Hari Sevugnan said McCain had “broken his word to the American people” in his criticism of Wright, according to a statement from the campaign.

“By sinking to a level that he specifically said he’d avoid, John McCain has broken his word to the American people and rendered hollow his promise of a respectful campaign. With each passing day, John McCain acts more and more like someone who’s spent twenty-six years learning the divisive, distracting tactics of Washington. That’s not the change that the American people are looking for,” Sevugnan said.

Fox News

John McCain, if you want to win this election, you must step up your game. The Leftist’s in this one…are quite good. If one likes Leftist’s that is.

UPDATE:

He also defended Obama and lashed out at the newsmedia for running excerpts of his heated sermons, media pundits and those who have tried to connect him to Islam because of his full name — Barack Hussein Obama.

“Please run and tell my stuck up stupid friends that Arabic is a language, not a religion,” said Wright. “Its not a religion stop trying to scare people like you are giving him a religious name.”

Fox News

Rev. Wright, pray (no pun intended) tell, WHAT exactly is the predominate “religion” of the “Arabics”? His Mommy and Daddy gave Hussein Obama that name, Just as the Kennedy’s named one of their sons, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. That name he used with pride. Is Obama not proud?

Seems to me Rev. Wright you are a smartass racist…hiding behind your color, are you not proud of your color?

The only one “stuck on stupid”, Rev. Wright, is you.

 

The McCain Family Is Very Impressive

A recap of the history…

The family and military history of Senator John McCain III (R-Arizona) is extremely impressive. There are a great many members of the McCain family who have served in the military, and the family has a tradition of military service which goes back to the time of the Revolutionary War. This is just incredibly awesome.

McCain: Democrats’ stance on Iraq flawed

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Monday that calls from his Democratic rivals to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq stand as a “failure of leadership” as they are making promises they cannot keep. Democrat Barack Obama said the failure rests with McCain’s support for an open-ended occupation of Iraq.

It’s getting to the point that I’d like to smack Hussein in the chops…Poor baby has his SS detail though and has, since last year. Whatsa’ matter Hussein, Black Panthers couldn’t get it up? You could have at least put your lovely “just proud” ugly wife out there. She’d frighten buzzards off a shit wagon.

At last word, McCain had none…Which I think is a silly ass thing to do, John.

I mean come on…out of the three running…YOU are the only one to vote for… Shape up, tough guy.

Yahoo/AP

Clinton likens herself to ‘Rocky’. This has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Not just Hillary’s…Hussein’s as well. Just keep your head low, McCain. Brush up on rhetorical mysticism, and how to counteract it, just in case Hussein the Messiah wins this thing for the donkeys (a more fitting animal, could not have been picked).

This ‘thing‘ will go down in history, as THE low point of America, not our fighting for others freedoms, but this asinine Democrat, saying campaign would give the word, campaign, a bad name….Spectacle, is more apt.

PHILADELPHIA – Perhaps the analogy was inevitable: Hillary Rodham Clinton as Rocky Balboa, the scrappy underdog boxer from Philadelphia memorably depicted in the 1976 Oscar-winning film. Even if Rocky did lose his first big fight. Addressing a meeting of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Tuesday, the former first lady and New York senator said that she, like Rocky, wasn’t a quitter.

Yahoo

Blackburn on McCain’s short list? This is where John McCain, could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

A South Carolina blog claims to have seen the five names on John McCain’s short list for Vice President: Joe Lieberman, Charlie Crist, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, and Marsha Blackburn.

Blackburn would certainly be a good choice to help consolidate some of the Talk Radio Conservative who claim that they’re going to sit out the election rather than vote for John McCain. The Tennessee Republican congressman is fiscally conservative, strong on illegal immigration, and a supporter of victory in Iraq. She is also a scrappy fighter who came to prominence as a Tennessee State Senator who spearheaded the successful fight to stop a state income tax proposed by a Republican governor, and then emerged successfully from a heated primary over two better-funded candidates to win her first term in Congress in 2002. Blackburn is also a darling of Talk Radio Conservatives and frequent guest on their shows.

The blog claims that the McCain campaign is also considering a “secure the center” strategy which would allegedly put 27 states, instead of the usual 12 to 14, into play for Republicans in November.

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McCain’s VP choice is crucial…and while Marsha Blackburn…is an attractive person…outside of Tennessee, she is an unknown. John…make it a damn good one, unless you really like the sound of President Obama, or President Clinton.

Bob Krum

Read about this yesterday, after getting home. Did I post it…OH NO…I’d rather have a few beers…or Tequila shooters.

This is a must see…

Hot Air

Were I John McCain with his friendship and trust in this man, I’d seriously ask myself and Joe Lieberman to be my Vice President.

Although I believe Lieberman would turn it down…for two reasons:

One. He could be of more use to and for the country if he remained in the U.S. Senate.

Two. It may radicalize* the more sensible, if there are, Democrats to support either of the two Leftist candidates out of anger, over them sitting on the fence about McCain, OR holding their noses voting while voting for McCain.

*asterisk explained. “Radicalize”= Islam, which many are ready NOW (which is another like the following two) to cede power to in this nation…Through the ACLU and CAIR, now. Knowing full well, that ‘they’ would never be eaten. Yeah, Right!

McCain’s Perfect Choice for a Running Mate: Governor Sarah Palin

While most of the pedantic, two-dimensional, inside-the-box-thinking, conservative political hacks are touting Tom Ridge for the slot (Not a bad guy, but…), David Freddoso notes a far superior choice has been proposed: The Republican Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

I believe this is a truly inspired idea. Gov. Palin ran as an anti-corruption outsider, and handily defeated a corrupt and entrenched Republican political machine. Plus, at 44, she would almost totally wipe the “age issue” McCain has off the slate, and since Obama is only two years her senior, there is no way they could attack her for her youth and inexperience: She has much more executive experience than Senator Obama has.

Not to mention the fact that, she’s a gorgeous woman who exudes mass quantities of charisma…

and has a super-solid family life.

Dibs on the eldest daughter! LOL!

This inspired choice would allow McCain to actually capitalize on his “maverick” persona, as Gov. Palin shook Alaska politics to the core: She’s a charming, charismatic woman, but she can also play with the big boys and kick ass.

What say ye?

UPDATE: Things are looking optimistic!

UPDATE II: Welcome to all 4500 8000 40,000 in the past few hours (so far!) people visiting us from Google. We’re a fairly opinionated right-wing blog, and you might like to take a look at our “About” page. You might also be interested in our other coverage of Sarah Palin and whether she becomes a prospective Vice President of the United States. You can find this coverage here and here. Personally, I hope she does, but you can feel free to debate the idea in comments below. All first comments are moderated, but unless you either insult or use severe profanity (and I mean severe by my standards, which generally only means the C U Next Tuesday word or the implication that someone has had a rather enjoyable erotic experience with someone who has borne a child), however if you come up with a new one, I may simply delete your comment. I, and all other contributors to this blog are more than fair in what we permit.

UPDATE III: Nayr Drahcir, don’t bother even trying. You will not be published.

UPDATE IV: A lot of people must like Palin.

UPDATE V: More coverage of Governor Sarah Palin and a theme song here.

UPDATE VI: Funniest observation on the announcement yet: “Put Obama and Palin on a basketball court one on one. Winner takes all!”

UPDATE VII: [spot_the_dog] No, we do not have any pictures of “Sarah Palin + Naked,” nor do we have any of “Sarah Palin + Swimsuit.” In the past 24 hours, there have been 157 separate searches on this site for “Sarah Palin Swimsuit,” and 161 separate searches for “Sarah Palin Naked.” I repeat, we have no bathing suit, swim suit, bikini, or naked pictures of Sarah Palin. What kind of people do you think we are, anyway? 😉

UPDATE VIIa: [spot_the_dog] Ace has noticed a similar search phenomenon on his blog and has a theory…

UPDATE VIII: A well-rounded view of the selection of Sarah Palin for the Vice President Nomination can be found here.

UPDATE IX:  We got it!  YES!  Nude photo of Sarah Palin right here!  (C’mon.  You know you want to click.)

UPDATE X: Feel free to visit our main page and read the latest posts we’ve written.