Dave Caolo

My wife came home with a present for me this afternoon: A Barack Obama bobble-head and a Barack “…action figure we can believe in.” The best part? The bobble says, “Yes, we can” when his head jiggles.

Awesome.

Fort Mill, S.C. Mayor Danny Funderburk sent a chain email to people he knows to “…get documentation if there was any scripture to back up” his idea that Obama is the anti-christ. “I am curious about current events and their connection to the Bible,” he said.

America, we’re screwed.

Congratulations to the New York Times on this wonderful, interactive timeline of the 1st Presidential debate. Very well done.

For decades, the Republicans have campaigned not on their strengths, but on their opponents’ faults. It’s as if the old Republican book of political strategy says, “You don’t win elections by making yourself look good, you win elections by making the other guy look worse.” It’s a strategy of misdirection and hate.

At last night’s GOP convention, newcomer Sarah Palin demonstrated that it’s business as usual for the Republicans.

Here was her first opportunity to address the bothersome stories of the Labor Day weekend and introduce herself to America. For most Americans inside the continental United States, the convention was their first look at Sarah Palin.

What did she do with her first time on the national stage? She ripped Senator Obama apart. After describing herself as “… a pit bull,” she launched into attack mode:

“This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word ‘victory’ except when he’s talking about his own campaign,” she said.

She slammed Obama for “…saying one thing in Scranton and another in San Francisco,” argued that he had written two memoirs but never authored a major piece of legislation and asked what he would do “…when those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot,” a reference to the stage where Obama gave his acceptance speech last week.

It’s very disappointng. She’s a veritable unknown, the first woman on a GOP Presidential ticket and only 44 years old. But in every other way, she’s no different the rest.

Oliver Willis agrees.

“Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father … It’s up to us to tell our daughters, ‘Don’t let the images on television tell you what you’re worth.’ I want my daughters to dream without limits and reach for those goals. It’s up to us to tell our sons, ‘Those songs on the radio that glorify violence and glorify materialism…that’s not going to cut it in my house.’”

Please let this guy win.