TresSugar

Ladies' Man Gets the Vote? Vogue Declares Early Victor

CitizenSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:15:05 -0700

Looks like the Obama-Biden ticket is starting to close in on the coveted fashionista vote. Vogue took a chance in its November issue, which will hit newsstands over the next week, by titling a feature story "All the Vice President's Women." Cute! Let's hope it's not wildly prophetic, because the profile is really about one woman - Jill Biden, the would-be vice president's wife. Second Lady?

A representative for Vogue spoke to the Huffington Post and said of the cover line, "Win or lose, we thought it was a clever cover line that would serve to get people's attention." I've written entire posts to fit headlines I've come up with, so I understand the urge, but putting it in print and on the cover seems a lot like buying a dress one size too small.

Is it just me, or is there a lot of Obama-presumptiveness around lately? To see what I mean, read more.

On last week's Political Gabfest, Slate's David Plotz went on a whole riff about when the Obama administration is sworn in, before he caught his slip. Are people going to have a lot of knocking on wood to do not to jinx their hopes (maybe Vogue has a big wood pile . . . ?) or are the numbers pointing in a way that makes printing an early result like this prudent?

Did I hear anyone say "Dewey Defeats Truman"?

Have You Dated Someone With Opposing Political Views?

DearSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

I'm sure most of you were glued to the TV last night watching the vice-presidential debate, and regardless of your political stance, I bet you had quite a bit to say throughout their heated discussion. Now as we all know, topics like politics, race, and religion are usually avoided in certain situations, but what happens when you don't see eye to eye with your significant other on important matters like war, the economy, women's rights, or where our country is headed? Can you agree to disagree? Does it change the way you see your partner? Or do politically heated debates at home keep you on your toes? I'm curious so tell me, have you ever dated someone with opposing political views?

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He's Back! Diddy's all Halloween-y - Sarah Palin "Scares Him"

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:00:18 -0700

Diddy's back with a new video blog, and though it's not as long on nonsense as his last offering it's equally (and arguably) as short on substance. At least it's seasonally appropriate! Starring in his own horror movie, Diddy plays the clip of Katie and Sarah discussing newspapers, and Palin's reluctance to name a specific paper. The rest of the video is Diddy under the covers, in a not un-amusing homage to The Blair Witch Project, he cowers and says things like, "She's worse than the Boogeyman."

The meat of his argument seems to be, "You could become the president of the United States. Did you hear the answer to that question? John McCain is 72." Though he opts not to go further with specifics. Much like Palin opting not to reveal certain media titles by which to possibly present a bias? Similar, Diddy? His claim isn't without some basis in fact, 30 percent of all Vice Presidents have gone on to takeover the top spot - though it would have been a nice addition to his argument if he'd included it. Maybe in the extended director's cut.

His grand finale, "I'm not coming out the covers. It safe underneath the covers. . . if I stay underneath the covers, she won't become president," is punctuated with a "Sarah!" His heart might be in the right place it's allegedly about getting out the vote - but I'd love to know a little bit more about why he's so scared of Sarah Palin. He caps it with an appeal to register to vote and the deadline (which in some states is sooner than the 6th, so check for yourself.) Who do you think is scarier - Sarah - or Diddy?

Debate Rebate: Our Reactions to the Big Biden vs. Palin

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:57:11 -0700

Whoa. That debate was like running a half-marathon at a 5k pace. It was hotly anticipated and proved to be even more intense than expected. Your fantastic comments during the debate came almost faster than the candidates' answers themselves. Here's what we thought of the big #2 showdown:

Citizen:
This was a fast and furious debate. It barely paused long enough to get questions uttered before zooming on. Perhaps the questions over Gwen Ifill's motives were wildly unnecessary as she was competent though mostly periphery to the sheer pace. The questions she asked were fair and the candidates only really loosely followed them anyway. Sarah Palin was firmly self-assured as soon as she settled in, and both Palin and Biden hammered home a 100-mile-an-hour back-up of the arguments for their respective presidential candidates, exactly what they were supposed to do.

Joe Biden brought a similar performance to what we're used to seeing from him, the wild card of course was Palin. Her grasp of foreign policy facts was bullet-point perfect tonight, and her accessibility and - I'll say it - personality really shone through. Republicans were facing an uphill climb, stymied a bit by recent poll numbers and Palin's interview performances - Palin took that challenge, and especially in the first half of the debate, hit it home.

To see the rest of my thoughts, and what Liberty has to say, read more.

During the foreign policy section, Biden hotly attacked on Afghanistan, saying, "Facts matter Gwen . . . our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principals will not work in Afghanistan." But Palin came right back, directly refuting Biden's claims leaving him quieter and repeating himself. She couched her poison arrows with a huge dose of honey, appealing to the twin desires of her supporters - to love her and leave Biden crippled. Her performance read exactly like that. She turned a question about her weaknesses into a soaring endorsement for what's good about America, "Democracy, tolerance, and freedom." If the phrase weren't already assigned to another point in history, I'd say of Sarah Palin tonight, "Mission accomplished."

Liberty:
Sidestepping Sarah Palin, Joe Biden hit John McCain's maverick reputation extremely hard. On both economic and foreign policy issues, Biden gave some strong concrete examples of how McCain mirrors George W. Bush, and how the Obama ticket differs. While Sarah Palin avoided answering the "how" of many questions, Biden offered details. Viewers may have gotten lost in a (sometimes) unemotional argument, but I think Biden's details helped affirm the narrative that the Obama/Biden ticket is more prepared to face the serious challenges.

Sarah Palin, the maverick's running mate, came out strong on issues like Americans living within their means, paying less taxes, and working toward energy independence. She often got those points by avoiding tough questions and reverting back to her strengths.

I'm sure the fact that they made it through without any major gaffes (maybe a couple minor ones), comes as a relief to both VP candidates!

What did you think? Was there a winner? Was this a game changer?

The opinions expressed here are those of the authors, CitizenSugar and LibertySugar, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Sugar Inc.

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Everything You Need to Know About Joe Biden and Sarah Palin

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:54:41 -0700

OK, not everything, but I've taken the liberty of personally vetting the entire internet this morning and since the whole thing is full of BidenPalin-palooza, here are the tastiest morsels:

Joe Biden hypes his blue-collar-lunch-bucket cred, but does his actual life ride the same train? The Times delves into just how "everyman" he actually is, from his 6,800 square foot home to how much that train ticket actually costs per month.

You've heard the one about that "Bridge to Nowhere," right? Rolling Stone has a slideshow comparing Palin myth to Palin fact, including the story behind that eBay-ed plane plus 10 more.
I think I guffawed at this one: Politico has "10 Answers for Sarah Palin" to use tonight, including this one, “Sure, I said, ‘Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States,’ but at least I didn’t plagiarize it.” Kapow. Point Palin?

There's much more! To see the rest, read more.

Oh yeah. Everyone will be talking about this: here's the video of the Supreme Court question.
How is Joe Biden managing the gender issue? Apparently, it's a non-issue, with this quote, "Voters aren't tuning in for a vice presidential food fight." If they both had a pie at their podiums though. . . just an idea.
How are Alaskans feeling about Palin? Well. . . let's just say the word "cringe" was involved. Liberally.
And finally, some real advice for the candidates tonight from experts weighing in the Politico Arena, including one suggestion that Palin, "remember that she is under no obligation to answer whatever Ifill asks."

If these stories are any indication of what to expect, let the countdown begin! Meet me in St. Louis!

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Front Page: India Nuclear Deal Approved, Suicide Bombers Strike End of Ramadan, Vice Presidential Debate Tonight

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:56:41 -0700

India Nuclear Deal Approved:
In addition to passing the Bailout Bill last night which caused the European markets to rise, the US Senate voted 86-13 to approve a nuclear deal with India. The vote moves to end a 30-year ban on nuclear trade with India. The deal gives India access to civilian nuclear technology which critics say will expand its nuclear industry without having to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Suicide Bombers Strike End of Ramadan:
In Baghdad as Muslims marked the close of Ramadan, suicide bombers attacked two Shi'ite mosques during morning prayers, killing at least 20 people. The attacks were part of a second wave of violence this week culminating in the Id al-Fitr feast. No one has claimed responsibility but some in the crowd believe Sunni extremists were to blame.

Vice Presidential Debate Tonight:
Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden face off in their only debate tonight in St. Louis, MO. The event starts at 9 p.m. ET and will be moderated by PBS's Gwen Ifill. The debate has been much anticipated and we'll be gearing up for it today, as well as here tonight live-commenting during the debate.

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Gwen Ifill's Book Casts Debate Moderation Questions

CitizenSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:58:42 -0700

With the Lunch Bucket vs. Barracuda match up a hair over 24 hours away, the sassy, classy debate moderator Gwen Ifill has found her plate full of more than just prepping questions. Ifill, the PBS news maven and moderator of Washington Week, broke her ankle on Monday, though her doctor has given her the A-OK to travel and keep her debate duties. She called the accident, "Another crazy twist in a crazy week."

The week is about to get crazier if Matt Drudge and many others have anything to say about it. The top story on the DrudgeReport is of Ifill's upcoming book, set to be released on Inauguration Day called The Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama. The book focuses on "emerging young African American politicians," one of whom is Barack Obama. The book also includes interviews with Colin Powell, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and MA Gov. Deval Patrick, though given the climate the focus is on the big "O." Does that make for an uh-oh in a moderator?

To see what people are saying about it and my nickel (hey, two cents is not worth what it used to be) read more.

The book's Obama connection has been hyped as a "glaring conflict of interest," and Fox's Greta Van Susteren said the McCain campaign didn't know about the book and says having her moderate "simply is not fair - in law, this would create a mistrial."

Ifill moderated my favorite debate of all time, the one where Dick Cheney showed up to dinner with John Edwards, and one was the guest of honor and one was the main course. I'll let you assign roles as you see fit. I think the lady has cred to spare, and I'm frankly not concerned about the crossover of moderating a debate and writing a book examining the journey of African-Americans in the political process. Everyone from your mom to Wolf Blitzer's beard is calling this campaign, specifically Obama's journey, historic. Why wouldn't a journalist investigate something which she deems a trend worth exploring - especially one who's covered politics from the New York Times to the NewsHour?

And though some are up to their eyeballs in ire over the supposed lack of disclosure, it's not info that's so hard to find. Last time I checked, a listing on Amazon.com and the first paragraph of your work bio weren't really good places to hide things, just one of the reasons I'm not assigning indignation to this story. Look, these are touchy political times for us all, but naive or no, I have faith that at some point you have to trust that investigative curiosity and reportage are not equal to being a debate-throwing sycophant. And given the fact that most of the world will have a close eye on the fairness of the proceedings, I'm decidedly not worried. Are you?

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Remember Him? What's Biden Been Up To - Is He Ready?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:30:03 -0700

Remember when we were all waiting for the magical text message to come? Cozy memories, right? And then we all found out Obama's VP pick was Joe Biden and then the Palin train came to town, and well . . . have people just forgotten him all together? He's out there alright, and saying things that deserve at least as careful a look as Palin's time with Katie Couric. To wit:

On Sunday, Biden let loose a fiery tirade saying, "John McCain said he'd follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell. Well, let me tell you something: President Barack Obama will follow him to where he lives and then send him to hell." Zap?

But then there's this: In an interview also with CBS airing last week, Biden painted a lovely picture of how FDR had spoken to the country on television in 1929 to comfort them about the stock market crash. Even though Herbert Hoover was president in 1929 and no one had a TV until 10 years later. Did we hear much about that?
He forcefully declared the Democratic ticket against clean coal when Obama is for it, sparking a rash of ads.
And then this one from a debate last year, interesting when juxtaposed against the Hillary "sniper fire" from this year. "Let's start telling the truth . . . you better have helicopters ready to take those 3,000 civilians inside the Green Zone, where I have been seven times and shot at." He later downgraded that statement to "I was near where a shot landed."

Questionable statements aside, the elder statesman is busily prepping for his big debate with partner Gov. Jennifer Granholm. To see his strategy, read more.

According to Politico Biden's strategy looks a little something like this:

Biden needs to do whatever it takes not to appear condescending. This includes referring to his opponent as Gov. Palin, not Sarah.
It's not Biden's job to point out Palin mistakes. Let the press take care of that.
He needs to realize that Palin is not his true target and that he needs to keep the attention at the top of the ticket.

Despite all the hype for the Battle of the Sexes and whether Palin's already won by gaming expectations, what will be the measure of success? Will he succeed by keeping the focus on the candidates? Has he gotten a free pass from the media lately? Is it OK to let Joe be Joe?

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Sarah Palin: The Woman's Everywhere From People to the Post

CitizenSugar — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:30:11 -0700

Now that the McCain/Palin '08 stationery has been ordered and we've had a day to process the news the media has been working overtime to answer the question, "who is Sarah Palin." Here's what they've come up with:

People magazine whipped up an interview with both families, a stunning feat given that most of the Palin family didn't know until right before the announcement. Here's a taste:

Given her young age and relatively short resume, why is she any more ready to be president than Sen. Barack Obama?
JOHN: I don't think it's a short resume. She first ran for office back in 1992. I don't know what Senator Obama was doing then, but the first time she ran was 1992. That's 16 years. I think that's a pretty, pretty event-filled and record-filled resume.
SARAH: And I haven't had too many years other than that to fill up yet.
JOHN: There you go.

A woman on the ticket is what a lot of Hillary Clinton voters wanted to see. What's your message to women who might see a second shot at shattering the glass ceiling?
SARAH: Certainly in this election cycle, women aren't finished yet. And women can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.
JOHN: I think that Sarah appeals to a lot of voters – I think because of her independence, because of her reform agenda and her record of balancing both family and service. It is motivation to not just Clinton voters but to lots of voters.

This just made me snort in my coffee:

Mrs. McCain, do you even remember the last time he changed a diaper?
CINDY: No. And I'm not sure he does.
JOHN: Heh-heh. I remember. There's some experiences you never forget.

There's much more! To see how others are playing the "Meet Sarah Palin" game, read more.

In next week's The Weekly Standard Bill Kristol calls Palin a spectre haunting liberal elites:

There she is: a working woman who's a proud wife and mother; a traditionalist in important matters who's broken through all kinds of barriers; a reformer who's a Republican; a challenger of a corrupt good-old-boy establishment who's a conservative; a successful woman whose life is unapologetically grounded in religious belief; a lady who's a leader.

Gregg Erickson, reporter for the Anchorage Daily News did an online chat for the Washington Post where he answered the question:

What are Governor Palin's three greatest strengths? What are her three greatest weaknesses?
"She is smart, vivacious and energetic; she tends to oversimplify complex issues, has had difficulty delegating authority, and clearly has some difficulty distinguishing the line between her public responsibilities and private wishes. She is under legislative investigation regarding the last issue, the so-called "troopergate," in which she is said to have used improper influence to try to get her sister's ex-husband fired from the state troopers."

Politico has "Six Things the Palin Pick Says About McCain," the New York Times takes a hard look at the woman issue, while the New York Post calls the choice "a brilliant trap." Finally, Time magazine has a pretty even-handed look at the choice.

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Front Page: McCain Set to Announce Palin as VP, Iraq Signs $3 Billion Oil Deal, Mexico's Court Upholds Abortion

CitizenSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:05:56 -0700

McCain Set to Pick Palin as VP: According to sources close to the campaign, John McCain has picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. A formal announcement is expected shortly at a campaign rally in Ohio. A 44-year-old mom, Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, thought to be awaiting her formal introduction.

Mexico's Court Upholds Abortion:
Mexico's Supreme Court has voted to uphold legal abortion in Mexico City, keeping the city one of only a few places in Latin America that allow abortion without limitations in the first trimester. The Roman Catholic church blasted the 8-3 decision announcing that they will redouble their fight against it.

Iraq Signs $3 Billion Oil Deal:
Iraq has signed a $3 billion oil deal with China, its first oil deal with a foreign country since 2003. The contract is pending approval by the Iraqi cabinet, but if passed work could begin on the oil field in a few months. The 22-year contract is a new version of a 1997 contract with China began under Saddam Hussein.

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