Gol' Darn It, Joe

Well, it wasn't the trainwreck I thought it could be. I kind of thought this would happen--only mediocre gaffes and the refusal to answer any of the questions. No giant hyperbole about reading all the newspapers in the world or the Great Depression.

Nevertheless, a tip of the OBYCB hat goes out to Sen. Joe Biden. I'll be damned if he didn't inspire the hell out of me last night. Even DadGrace called from the truck at one point (he drives trucks on the overnight shift) to laugh about a Joe Biden comeback. It was classic. I recalled myself going "oh snap!" more times than I can remember.

Of course the media is saying Palin won the battle against herself just by keeping her cool. While that may be true, keeping cool while regurgitating memorized speeches is not the same thing as participating in a debate. Next time, the GOP better program its robot better.

You can read my blow by blow comments on my twitter feed to the left.

Here are some other observations:

1. SP's bangs really get in her eyes and it bothers me.
2. Don't question Joe Biden on being a single parent. Ever.
   
3. That flag pin of SP's was really distracting. I'm like a cat when it comes to shiny things.
   
4. The colloquialisms were off the chart. It was such an overt attempt by SP to connect to rural America that it was transparent as hell.
   
5. The 90 minutes felt like 30 tops.
   
6. My favorite part of the whole night was JB's speech about how McCain isn't a maverick when it matters. Pure brilliance.
7. I kept picturing Jenny From the Block Granholm practicing with JB.
   
8. It's a sign of weakness not to admit any weaknesses. It's a sign of strength to admit to your shortcomings.
   

You can read the transcript here. But really, all you need to read is this from JB in response to SP's mentioning of the term "maverick" for the five-millionth time:

Look, the maverick -- let's talk about the maverick John McCain is. And, again, I love him. He's been a maverick on some issues, but he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people's lives.

He voted four out of five times for George Bush's budget, which put us a half a trillion dollars in debt this year and over $3 trillion in debt since he's got there.

He has not been a maverick in providing health care for people. He has voted against -- he voted including another 3.6 million children in coverage of the existing health care plan, when he voted in the United States Senate.

He's not been a maverick when it comes to education. He has not supported tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college.

He's not been a maverick on the war. He's not been a maverick on virtually anything that genuinely affects the things that people really talk about around their kitchen table.

Can we send -- can we get Mom's MRI? Can we send Mary back to school next semester? We can't -- we can't make it. How are we going to heat the -- heat the house this winter?

He voted against even providing for what they call LIHEAP, for assistance to people, with oil prices going through the roof in the winter.

So maverick he is not on the important, critical issues that affect people at that kitchen table.

Maverick he is not, indeed great Jedi Master JB.

Eat 'em Up Joe: It's Showtime for Palin and Biden

The birds are singing, the sky is blue, the air is crisp and the stage is set for the biggest VP debate in history. Sarah Palin has just arisen to a new day and is reading EVERY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD to prepare for this debate. (She might want to bone up on some SCOTUS decisions while she's at it.)

I have the "Opening Night" song from the Producers stuck in my head. It's just that kind of furry that surrounds what is ordinarily the least watched of all debates. Get your Moosehead beer ready for the Sarah Palin drinking game and let's begin!

For those of you who want to know my thoughts on the Palin-Biden debate, you can follow me LIVE over at twitter at http://twitter.com/kmcsaks. I'm working on putting that feed on here as well.

Eat 'em up Joe: Picking Joe Biden

I have to say, I was a bit dissapointed in the delivery. I woke up with a stomach ache early Saturday morning only to find my anticipated text burried in the middle of the night--Obama has chosen Joe Biden to be his running mate. I understand that there was a news leak, but damn it, Barack. I was waiting all week like a kid on Christmas Eve and you stomped on my excitement by dropping a silent but deadly in the middle of the night.

I was less than thrilled originally about the prospect of an Obama-Biden ticket. I knew he was going to pick a white dude. That much was sure. But I was hoping for something a little more exciting.

Then I started reading about Biden. I started reading about how he lost his first wife. I started reading about his middle class roots. I started reading about labor's reaction to Biden. I started reading about his foreign policy cred. I started reading about his fight to overcome an anyeurism.

Basically, I read that this guy is alright in my book.

Then something happened that sealed the deal. Dad Grace--my white guy barometer--said how excited he was that Biden was the VP nominee. I realized then that Biden was a good choice. Obama's right--this does give him street cred.

And with that, I welcome Joe Biden to my little world of politics. I knew him before (and enjoyed his jabs early in the Democratic Primary debates). But now I feel like I know Joe better than ever. I hope to like him more as time goes on.

Eat 'em up, Joe!