You Go, Joe!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Brothers K. Debate The Debate

Two of my four brothers and I had this exchange after the debate:

K.: It reminded me of the Andy Griffith Show episode where Aunt Bee runs for mayor against Howard. She answered every question with a rote cliché whereas Howard provided nuanced understanding. Chris Matthews compared her [Palin] to a spelling bee contestant. I agree, with one addition: Instead of spelling the word she was given, she spelled any word she felt like spelling. I was impressed with Biden.

K3: Governor Palin, what, specifically, will a McCain/Palin administration do to ease the financial burden of middle-class families?

"I have to get up on Saturday mornings and take the kids to their hockey games, just like millions of Americans. My family is certainly diverse, just look at us (self-conscious giggle). I've been a hunter for about as long as I can remember, so I can relate to Joe Six Pack and his Soccer Mom wife."

My take: It's sad when the bar for a vice presidential candidate had been set so low that you "win" by not making a total fool of yourself. I also didn't realize that it was necessary to mention that you have a family (a diverse one, at that!) whenever possible -- as if there's never been a family-man in the White House.

I'm not a big Biden fan, but he more than held his own.

Finally: On CBS they had Joe Lieberman on afterward, asking for his take on the debate! Like that guy has a gram of credibility left. Ay caramba!

K5: Agree. I thought Biden did exceptionally well. He maybe could have hit her harder after the "white flag" BS, but all in all he did a great job.

She didn't implode, so she wins expectations game. But I don't think anyone outside of the Republican Party was buying what she was selling. You can only say "maverick" so many times before it starts sounding like an excuse for not getting anything done.

No harm. Advantage us.

(Note: K5 has been working in Democratic party politics in one way or another for his entire career, and so has an actual informed opinion.)...

Hrrmph! has the complete list of Palin's lies, half-truths, and misstatements here...

Breaking news! Someone in the McCain camp has apparently leaked the strategy for preparing Palin for the debate...

The Great Schlep: Sarah Silverman explains to Jewish children how they can persuade their grandparents to vote Obama...

Lame duck Republican congressman Wayne Gilchrist takes some parting shots at his party...

Friday's Choice: Encore! Encore! Paolo Szot and Kelli O'Hara sing "Some Enchanted Evening" from the revival of South Pacific:

For good measure, here's Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza from the 1949 original Broadway cast:

Sunday Funnies & So Much More

Joe Biden has never been my favorite Democrat -- like many of us, he talks too much, plus he blew the Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito hearings -- but nonetheless I think he'll make a good candidate for vice-president and a good veep. He has more stature than any available person in either party, he relish campaigning in the national spotlight, he's intelligent, and his presence addresses the perception of a so-called (and greatly overrated) experience gap between Obama and McCain...

Last night, Premium T. and I saw the Monsters of the Accordion (including our friend Amy Denio) at Fremont Abbey. Calling the place an "abbey" is a more than a little bit of a stretch, although T. was correct in pointing out that the floor felt like stone. Amy dedicated her song "Ballintubber Abbey" to us; she wrote it while staying at Carrowholly last winter. You can hear it here. After, we had dinner at Brad's Swingside Cafe, where Brad's wife, the County Mayo-born artist Helen O'Toole, stopped by our table for a chat. Brad's is one of those places where you feel like you're eating at someone's home. A home, that is, with an extensive wine list and medallions of organic lamb and venison fricasee for dinner...

Don't miss Sunday Election Issues at As Time Goes By. It provides links to elder blogger perspectives on the election, including this fascinating view from Germany. For example: "...the press would like to say that people came to hear Obama speak because they think he is a rock star. It just is not so. They are curious about his so-called rock star status, but they travelled from far and wide to hear him speak about history, politics, and his vision for America. Is it so hard to believe that hundreds of thousands of people are interested in such matters?" Maybe not in Germany...

Here's my idea of an abbey...

John McCain shows off his knowledge of technology and film history here...

Don't miss Bottle Shock, a delightful indie film about the events leading up to a 1976 blind wine tasting in which upstart California wines beat out established French vineyards. It's nothing that sports movies haven't been doing for years, but the wine country milieu adds a little extra something for the palate...

Good ol' Dick Cheney: Anything to help a pal...

Leonard Pitts writes movingly of the film Katrina's Children. It won't be coming to a theatre near you, but you can get it here. "We forget that children are in the room...We push our agendas and assign our blame and impose our narratives and forget that they are right there, taking it in. Yet, if some of them were failed by schools, community and family, all were failed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the mayor, the governor, the emergency-management director, and the president. And don't think they don't know"...

Rick Warren didn't understand his own question, writes Paul Krugman, who then explains the difference between Bill Gates rich, super rich, rich, and the middle class. He also points out that the Obama tax plan retains the middle class provisions of the Bush tax cuts...

Anna Quindlen explains who is really playing the "race card," although she finds "Caucasian card" to be a more apt descriptor. "The McCain forces have accused the Democrats of injecting race into the campaign. That's silly. The man [Obama] is black. His candidacy is indivisible from that fact, given the history and pathology of this country. When Obama said he did not look like the guys on our currency and that his opponents were likely to portray him as the Other, he was stating the obvious."