Politics and Culture

1. In my monitoring of moderate and independent opinion, I find that McCain is doing poorly. Specifically, McCain is doing poorly with "leave me alone" political cynics John and Ken on AM640 in Los Angeles. They don't support Obama, seeing him as a big government liberal, but they don't like McCain. I haven't heard political bell weather Howard Stern, but I know he liked Hillary Clinton.

It's the same with moderate people at school. One pro-choice moderate lady liked McCain a month ago. I wonder how she feels now.

2. Yes, Sarah Palin is treated unfairly, and many leftists are unsubtle haters, but some of Sarah's interview answers are bad. We sometimes get a talking point stretched to a painful length. She punctuates her answers with some very girly eye rolls. Some, however, are better, especially on those subjects she's familiar with.

It's also notable that she never makes a huge Biden-Obama like gaffe or even gives the wrong answer- it's just the general impression she gives.

Now, I care more about instinct and values than specific knowledge. Governor Palin probably wouldn't have been friends with William Ayers, for example. Knowledge can grow. I don't expect a governor to be intimate with every single issue.

In her interviews before the she was chosen for vice-president, I thought she did a wonderful job.

I do think the liberal media doesn't like Palin's lifestyle, but that's neither here nor there.

De-emphasizing Palin would be embarrassing for sure.

3. I have no prediction on how Palin will do on the debate.

4. Nor do I care about Gwen Ifill. Republicans sound horrible when complaining about bias. I still think it was the "pig-lipstick" stuff that started McCain's slide.

5. In all of the chaos of the near-incomprehensible financial information we have received, the public seems to have decided that Republicans are responsible, as seemed likely since Bush is the president. It's like in California when people came away from the energy catastrophe thinking blaming Davis and thinking more regulation was the problem. If, and only if, McCain can convince people that Democrats are to blame- after all, it's more their fault, McCain has a slightly better chance of survival than a ham sandwich in Michael Moore's refrigerator.

6. As it is now, Obama is just standing back, cool as a cucumber, not saying much of anything except "McBush" and hoping to ride in on the wave of discontent.

7. With the race as it is, McCain shouldn't "take the high road" if, by that, he means not criticizing Obama. The highest road is the truth. McCain should educate voters on the facts of the crisis, something he didn't do in the debate. He can say that Obama hangs around Communists, takes favors from criminals, and that he did nothing to stop the crisis because it's true. Why McCain doesn't play the video of himself warning us about Fannie and Freddie is beyond me (as is why Fannie and Freddie exist in the first place).

Have the RNC run ads on Dodd and Frank's Fannie comments.

Point out that Obama cheats with campaign contributions and lies about many things. Make him apologize for for calling McCain a racist.

Tell us why ethanol subsidies are a waste of money.

It may not work, but it's not disgraceful and will be informative. Remember, there's a good, noble attack and the kind of wretchedness used against Palin.