IT BEGINS

Today is officially the first day of the Presidential campaign. Can you tell? Now that John McCain has officially accepted his party’s nomination with a snoozer of a speech riddled half truths and out of touch aphorisms we can officially commence official campaign coverage. Let us know if you notice a difference.

 

Either way, we’re ready to fact check the fluff out of McCain’s speech last night. No truth loving listener will want to miss it.

 PALIN – and another thing!

Remember Sarah Palin’s community organizer barb? Well community organizers around the country sure do. We’ll talk to one who will explain just what a community organizer organizes and what Barack Obama did as a CO. The real question though is why would Palin denigrate do-gooders in a convention exalting service?

FROM THE RNC

Did Sarah Palin rock your world? She sure had a nice speech written for her. We’ll play plenty of excerpts and fact check all the innuendo, vague allusions and misleading statements.

 

We’ll also run through the former Presidential aspirants who blathered at the podium last night. You won’t believe the gall of Rudy Giuliani … or maybe you will.

 

IT’S STILL THE ECONOMY STUPID

Yesterday we had on Tim Kane, Economic Advisor to John McCain. So today, Kuby’s going to speak with Jason Furman, Director of Economic Policy for Barack Obama. We’ll leave you to make the comparison and see which candidate scores better for your pocketbook.

 

SEX SELLS

OK.  I am officially scared.  Sarah Palin's speech did everything it was supposed to do.  Predictably light on specifics (solution for the economy--drill, solution for foreign affairs--kill), the "drill and kill" speech wowed 'em across the country.  Palin was poised, articulate, animated, and forceful.  I recognize that reading a speech that someone else wrote from a teleprompter is not exactly the Gettysburg address.  I know that it is not winning a debate, or answering questions from the press.  I realize that a single swallow doth not a summer make, etc.  But let's face it folks--she was good last night.  So some facts were wrong (well, many of them).  So she never mentioned the fact that she would ban abortion, even in cases of rape and incest.  She she bashed Michelle Obama by saying that Palin, at least, was "always proud of America," while omitting the fact that her husband spent 7 years registered to a political party that advocates Alaskan secession from the United States (also known as treason--google "Civil War").  These folks are not about content--they are about image. 

Lighter moments included the really uncomfortable baby-dad Levi chewing gum on stage (he forget to put in under the seat), and Romney's weird timewarp speech where he seemed to forget that Republicans have completely dominated every branch of government for 6 of the past 8 years.  Also--one name not mentioned:  Bush

RNC

It’s all Palin all day in the political news, and we’ll give you even more unexpected unvetted shockers about Sarah Palin’s political past. But we will also catch you up on the speeches from last night – Bush did speak despite heroic efforts to keep him out of the McCain spotlight.

 

Congresswoman Betty McCollum will tell us what she’s seen from the inside the convention halls.

 

Over 300 protestors and journalists have been arrested at the Republican National Convention. We’ll get the latest news on the police treatment, the protest tactics and the political impact from Boston Globe reporter Bryan Bender who is live on the scene in St. Paul.

 CULTURE WARS

As part of our small heroes series, we’re going to talk with a humble biology teacher who fought to have the right to teach evolution in the face of bible belt opposition. Don’t miss it.

So much more Sarah Palin news--every hour brings a different, scary, or just plain weird nugget.  Mayor Sarah Palin trying to ban books from the Wasilla library; then attempting to fire the librarian for refusing.  Sarah Palin on shock jock radio giggling while her opponent is called a "bitch" and a "cancer." 

Or Sarah Palin's pastor problem--her fundamentalist pastor announces that Alaska will be a refugee during the "last days," while Sarah Palin stands on stage.  Previously, he announced that critics of George Bush will go to hell (see u there--bring hotdogs).  Or Sarah Palin calling the faithful to prayer for a gas pipeline.  A gas pipeline???  Where is that in scripture.  Jesus had remarkably little to say about the comparative merits of gas versus oil, or even green technology, for that matter.  Oh, and Sarah Palin invoking the Allmighty in support of the Iraq War--now that's a change!  Or my particular favorite--Sarah Palin using her line item veto to cut funding for......................