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I don't know what to say here. You've been following this all along, and only now are starting to get it? It doesn't bother me that people don't understand this; there are lots of things I don't understand. What bothers me is that, despite the most extreme degree of ignorance possible, these same people see nothing wrong with throwing their opinions around on these subjects. Krugman's "Slap-in-the-face," the repeated statements that the debt was undervalued at current market prices -- they read this stuff, obviously didn't understand what it meant, and then went out and started typing anyway. And other people took them seriously. And all of them consider themselves smart, some kind of elite. I don't see how this is any different than wingnuts talking about subjects they don't bother to educate themselves on beyond listening to whatever Rush tells them. At least they did listen.

If the Republicans were smart

they'd make sure any bailout bill passed now was as good as it could possibly be. If Obama comes into office in January with an economy that is plainly falling apart, he will have a mandate like no president since FDR. They ought to be working their asses off right now to avoid that, but they are too beholden to know-nothingism, probably too demoralized, to think in any way beyond the immediate and the tactical. In the long run, good governance(like keeping the economy from going over a cliff) should be good politics, too, but the Republicans have no idea what good governance is during the best of times, which these aren't, and what was good tactical politics even two years ago, "White flag of surrender," for example, isn't good anymore. These guys are done for.

The more I think about Biden's performance,

the worse it seems. Palin with her smarmy shit about "looking back," and Biden's stupid "past is prologue" reply. Nobody who isn't already voting for the Democrats knows what that means. What's wrong with saying, "If I was running with John McCain, who votes with Bush 90% of the time, I wouldn't want to talk about the past, either." Palin was prepared to win, Biden was prepared not to offend, or do much of anything -- it was obvious no one on his prep team had come up with anything for this obvious move on Palin's part. That's an Obama thing, probably -- it's been the story of his campaign. With the economy where it is, Obama's weak, inoffensive campaigning has been enough, but it isn't good campaigning, and it wouldn't win in any year but this one. Palin, with her scripted, smarmy perkiness and "God bless 'ems" and shameless pandering to "small town values" deserved to be destroyed, and the know-nothing mentality she represents along with her. Instead, Biden went out and stumbled through poorly prepared talking points for 90 minutes. The Republicans are still ahead of the Democrats when it comes to campaigning, and that matters, and it will matter in the future.

Polls disagree with me. One of those times I like being wrong.

Debate prediction

Palin sticks to perky nothings, makes one or two gaffes, but they are expected by now and so forgiven, Biden demonstrates knowledge and competence and is declared "the winner" by the press, and then everyone forgets about it. For Palin to go out and shine at this stage of the game requires a lot more juice than she has, and I don't think the Republicans can feed her with enough clever zingers to win over even our excuse for a press corps. But I'm going to watch it, anyway, because although I find Palin's voice, accent, and person annoying, the opportunity to see her fall flat on her face, real time, shouldn't be passed up. Even if the odds are against it happening.

After the first question, take it all back. Ifill horrid, unable to follow up. Palin scripted, Biden no better. Hideous.

They are both unlikeable. Biden needs to wipe the shit eating grin off his face. Neither is answering the questions, and Ifill is too hapless to take control.

"White flag of surrender" Tin ear of Palin.

Biden sighs! OMG!

Biden talks too much. Palin says too little.

Palin is "winning" on style, but she doesn't look like someone ready to lead, or like she ever will be that person. This isn't the debate the Reps needed.

Palin finished well. Biden was weak throughout. People are going to re-assess Palin, if the media does. People are still going to forget this in a few days. Good for Palin, irrelevant for everything else, and in four years Palin's flavor will be out of style.

Placebo

Overheard at the supermarket: "So do you think we'll have a depression, or will they pass that bill?"

If people are imbuing the bailout with that kind of power, it has a better chance of succeeding than I thought. On the downside, if people think it's the bill or a depression, things are mildly worse than I thought.

How would the old cowboys try to get a stampeding herd back under control when the thundering hooves of the herd drowned out all other sound? I suppose they wouldn't have tried, they'd just wait the whole thing out and then round the herd back up when the stampede had played itself out, hoping that there were no cliffs nearby.

Hit them with your rhythm stick

This crisis has been out in the open for weeks now, and people still don't get it to judge by the comments in this post. You can't make someone learn what they refuse to learn, what they don't understand, or don't want to understand, is in their best interests to learn. They refuse to accept Krugman's word for it (usually, if Krugman or one of their other heroes told them the sun was shining at midnight they wouldn't go outside without sunglasses on), the evidence of the failures of 7 major financial institutions in two months -- nothing sinks in. They've got Bush Hatred Disorder, which gives them, we'll call it "intellectual armor". This plan was hatched under Bush's watch, therefore they are against it. Reasons come later. Maybe (who needs reasons, after all?).

Magic wand

He'll fix it all, see, partisanship, the economy, Iraq, problems in the Middle East, by just saying he wants it done. Policies aren't needed, hard realities don't exist, neither does "pain;" there's just the benevolent wishes of John McCain. All you have to do is vote for him. He's a genie and the genie's master, all in one curmudgeonly package.


I've disliked the man for years because I can't see or hear him without thinking of ten straight years of media worship and Maverick McStraighttalkism, but as this campaign goes on, the dislike is becoming visceral. And I have no doubt he would be a disaster in the White House. Cautious and respectful at first, but eventually his innate arrogance and lack of discipline would break out, and the shit he's gotten himself into his whole life would become the shit he gets the country into.