A few thoughts while I watch the Prez-Elect introduce his new National Security team…

It’s funny (and somewhat encouraging) to me to see how quickly Obama has stuck the knife in the collective back of the Left in his headlong dive towards the middle. Iraq War? Hey, looks like the surge worked and we won – oh, and we’re keeping Defense Secretary Gates. (Interesting, isn’t it? that Democrats two Administrations running have chosen Republicans to run the Defense Department… Even Democrats know you can’t trust Democrats to run the military.)

Hispanics in the cabinet? Probably, but not that pesky Bill Richardson as Secretary of State – we’ll put Hillary in for that one. (That has to be the most stunning stab in the back of the lot – Richardson is the most qualified Democrat to be SecState; he backs Obama over Hillary; Obama thanks him by… overlooking him for Hillary? Wow…)

Overturning don’t ask, don’t tell? Too soon to talk about that… Freedom of Choice Act? Well, we’re not sure there’s a consensus… Undo the Bush tax cuts? Y’know, a recession might not be the best time to do that…

The exhilaration at electing Obama is already wearing off for the left – making this perhaps the first administration whose honeymoon is ending before the inauguration.

***

Of course, that’s if there is an inauguration. This pesky birth certificate thing is getting more steam than it should – and now we hear the Supreme Court might hear it this week? A few days before the Electoral College meets? Granted, very little news reporting is going on with this story, so much of what’s going around is by email, (or WorldNetDaily) and of questionable repute. Still – this is a story that just won’t die – even after the reprinted copy of the birth certificate was released by the campaign. (And was immediately attacked as a fake by critics.)

Dan has already posted the link to the Kenyan ambassador’s unbelievable blunder in telling a reporter that Obama’s Kenyan birthplace is already a national attraction, and that Obama’s paternal grandmother insists he was born in Kenya. (Notable – Obama’s maternal grandmother insisted he was born in Hawaii.)

Personally, I still can’t get past the Honolulu Advertiser announcing the birth the next day (August 4, 1961). Many questions still arise (why is the hospital still unknown, why seal the records, where’s the original), and Obama should put this behind him by coming clean about this whole thing. In my own estimation though, the preponderance of the evidence suggests Obama was born in Hawaii, to an American citizen mother, when he says he was, and is therefore Constitutionally allowed to be President.

***

…which may be more than we can say for Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, as it turns out. Pete Williams (NBC analyst, and former State Department spokesman) notes Article One, Section Six from the US Constitution:

No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

Since the salary for cabinet secretaries has been increased while Clinton was a Senator, she would be constitutionally barred from serving. Question: do Senators decide not to confirm her over this, or does this one wind up in Court? I’m guessing the latter – the politically expedient thing to do is confirm her “in a spirit of bipartisanship” (blah blah, etc), and let’s face it – the Senate isn’t known for doing things that are anything other than politically expedient. Still – it will be interesting to see this one wind up before the Supremes.

As I was researching a completely separate subject this morning, this headline from an online-exclusive story on Newsweek.com struck me…

Can Obama Save The Media?
How the president-elect has reinvigorated newspaper and magazine sales.

You’ve got to be kidding me? Obama’s job will be to run the country, not save the media. This is a little bump in the ever-declining world of print media.

For so many people, history is something that they want to hold on to… to be a part of.

Of course, newspaper and magazine sales are on the rise following the election Obama. They were on the rise the days following 9/11. They were on the rise following the death of Princess Diana… especially in England. They are always on the rise following some historical event.

But this quote from the Newsweek article speaks volumes…

In the market for news, where the Net and 24/7 cable networks have increasingly become the first and last stop for many readers, consumers’ Obama obsession is an adrenalin shot to print media’s sense of self-worth and self-image. The Obama story is “something the print industry has been dying to come along,” says Janice Min, Editor In Chief of US Weekly. “You can’t save and treasure a PDF file off of your computer. That’s the transcendence of print that everyone in print has talked about, a certain tangible quality that can’t be translated online for certain big momentous events.”

Did you catch it? “The Obama story is ’something the print industry has been dying to come along.’” The election of McCain would have never lead to sold out newsstands.

The article said…

It’s at least a temporary reversal of fortune that the print industry plans to bank on up to and beyond the inauguration.

Media sales have needed a boost… especially in these recessionary times. How better to do that than to wide the wave of “Change”?

After the election, the mundaneness of news will drop back into its lull, and the honeymoon of print sales will end.

[UPDATE]
Maybe not… in stopping at the gas station this morning… the racks of The State were empty.

 
Speaks for itself. Great stuff by Mary Katherine Ham.

Vote today! and Vote McCain/Palin!

In case you haven’t paid that much attention… the Obama campaign is likely the most marketing-driven political brand in history. The advertising gurus behind the “Obama” product have definitely earned their dollar on this one… and it’s left the Republicans looking rather 20th-Century-old-fashioned and out of touch with the brand-driven culture of America. Everything from his “O” logo (and all its targeted variations)… to his website… to his text messages… all lay the groundwork for 21st Century campaigning.

Unfortunately, that is too bad on two fronts.

• One… we are looking at style over substance.
• And two… we, as the American culture, are so easily swayed.

Take this new ad that came in an email over the weekend.

Give the campaign credit for fund-raising ideas… the copy on the ad reads…

Make a Donation to Receive Your Shirt — You Could Get a Front Row Seat to History

You could be with Barack when the results come in on Election Night.

Some of the best seats are reserved for 5 people who give for the first time before midnight on Sunday, November 2nd.

You and a guest will be flown to Chicago, put up in a hotel, and brought backstage for the biggest night of the campaign.

Make a donation of any amount and you and a guest could join Barack on Election Night.

Donate $30 or more, and you’ll also receive a limited edition Change the World T-shirt.

We will ship your T-shirt as soon as possible, but unfortunately it will not arrive before Election Day.

Here’s where the brand’s “rubber meets the road.” This is a classic marketing ploy that you can see on any late-night infomercial… “Order in the next 20 minutes and we’ll send you a second one for free.” They’ve taken the groundbreaking fundraising tactics of Howard Dean and put them on steroids. They’ve even gone so far in Florida that you can pick up free tickets to a Jimmy Buffett election night concert if you stop by an Obama volunteer stand near your polling place after you vote (vote buying beware)! The thing is… these marketing ploys are working. People are donating. And what do you bet the Buffett concert is sold out?

But it’s not necessarily the outright marketing ploys that are so scary in this election. It’s the subtleties that are ever-so-slightly swaying the way we see the Obama brand.

The first line from a recent text message I received from his campaign reads

“Rally w/Barack this Monday! University of North Carolina, Charlotte…”

The brand gurus want you to identify one-on-one with Barry. They want you to see him as your friend… like one of the guys… as if you’d received a text message from one of your friends that read, “Lunch w/ Andy Monday @ 12?”

Just take a look at the very subtle nuances of the banner from the “Front Row to History” ad…

The pass reads “Your Pass”.

Obama is standing at an open curtain… a stage before him… with thousands of cheering fans going wild… the spotlight on his face.

His not-visible hand placed in just the right way to seemingly cover his heart and appear so humbled by the approval of the crowd.

Folks… having worked in marketing and advertising, let me point out one key thing… the campaign staged Obama to get this shot… to give you the feeling that you are right there with him… backstage at the “greatest moment of his life”… and it could all yours for just $30.

They are making a brand out of this man with the slogans of “Hope” and “Change” as the mantra that so many have bought in to. As I said, credit goes to the marketing gurus, because they have definitely run a 21st Century campaign and have sold their brand to the American public. With all the punditry out there, hopefully a majority of Americans (especially in the key swing states) will be able to see through the marketing ploys and gimmicks to the truth.

UPDATE: WE’VE BEEN HOAXED!

KDKA is reporting that Ms. Todd made the whole thing up.  One does wonder what would drive her to do it – since hoaxes rarely work (with the notable exception of global warming…)

The other examples I cite below remain intact, however…

 JDG

*****

GOP Volunteer Ashley Todd

Look at it closely.

This could be you.

This is the face of Ashley Todd, a McCain/Palin volunteer (not even a paid staffer) who was viciously attacked and mugged in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

Pittsburgh police say the 6-foot-4-inch thug punched, kicked and then literally lashed out at the woman after glancing at her McCain for president bumper sticker.

A photo of Todd shows a crimson scar of the letter “B” etched backwards on her right cheek. She also has a black eye and her face is puffy.

Let me see if I can get this straight.

Joe the Plumber asks a question in his own driveway and gets attacked by the New York Times.

Ashley Todd gets attacked for having a McCain sticker on her car.

York County’s McCain campaign HQ attacked.

Central Florida man gets his house shot up after putting up McCain yard signs.

The McCain/Palin “Straight Talk Express” Bus shot up in New Mexico.

Clearwater, Florida man’s Lexus vandalized over McCain/Palin sticker.

…and we’re supposed to ignore this candidate’s ties to an unrepentant domestic terrorist?

Linda Ketner raised the ante last quarter in her race against US District Rep. Henry Brown. Through September, Ketner has pulled in more cash than Brown ($850,000 vs. $760,000) and donated another $700,000 of her own money to her campaign.

Reports also say Brown has nearly $1 million more than Ketner on hand for the last two weeks of the race.

Reality is this race doesn’t necessarily boil down to money, though. It lands squarely on a major difference in their ideologies.

Just last week CitizenLink published a video story on Ketner’s ultra-liberal personal and professional ties, and brought to light just how important every vote is this November.

Take a look at it, and share your thoughts.

For more on the Brown-Ketner race for US House District 1, check out:

• Project Vote Smart
• Palmetto Scoop’s “Ketner Still Really Really Liberal”

For Hot State Legislative Races, check out

• Palmetto Family Political Action Committee.

Sarah Palin, with son Trig (and the Secret Service), at Walmart

Every parent knows the feeling.

The baby is a little fussy, you check and there’s the culprit. You reach into the diaper bag, only to realize that you unknowing used the last one the other day at the park… with the last “fussy” escapade.

Seems it’s no different on the Straight Talk Express either. Last Sunday in Ohio, Sarah Palin did what any parent would do in the situation… she stopped by the store and picked up a pack of good ole Parents’ Choice size 2 diapers.

Now, this says two major things about Palin and the way she operates as a politician.

First, unlike any other person in this race, she realizes that politics is not life. It is part of her passion and the line of work she’s chosen… that and, of course, being a mom… but she realizes that life must go on. And sometimes that includes changing the dirty diaper!

Second, and equally important from a fiscal conservative standpoint, is the fact that she bought Parents’ Choice diapers. For some of you that doesn’t mean a thing… so here’s why that little fact is so important. As a dad with children, I know there are plenty of brands of diapers on the market today, but money-conscious Sarah Palin, despite her status and financial capability, is still out there saving a  dollar or two… buying the Walmart brand.

Too bad so few are picking up on the fact that she’s definitely living what she’s preaching. Here you have the number two person on the GOP ticket not pawning the responsibility of her family’s needs off on someone else… and she’s saving a few bucks at the same time.

That, my friends, is some Straight Talk.

Wednesday night is the last debate. McCain, while winning the first two debates on substance, has been too nice. He let Obama off the hook in the last debate by not wrapping Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright around his neck. Obama has been skillful in ducking and weaving, often lying about his record. 

The debate format encourages such stuff: One candidate makes a charge, the other candidate refutes it, and the viewers don’t have any evidence to confirm which one’s telling the truth. Most don’t have the time or skill to follow up with their own research.

It can be different Wednesday.

Here’s a letter McCain wrote to the Senate leadership May 5, 2006. Nineteen other senators, including Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint, signed it. The letter lays out in stark terms their concerns about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. No action was taken, and McCain’s warnings have come true.

At the Wednesday debate, he should pull the letter out of his coat pocket and read the first paragraph. He then says: “I knew Freddie and Fannie were in trouble. I knew their failure could bring down the nation’s financial systems. I proposed specific reform to prevent it. The reform did not happen. Senator Obama, your name was not on this letter. You did not sign it. You never, not once, expressed concern and you never offered reform. If my recommendations had been passed, we could have prevented the collapse that has crippled retirement accounts, savings and the future of working people. I specifically blame you and your Democrat colleagues for this outrage and the American people should, too.”

The McCain campaign should have an ad with video of the confrontation ready to air the next day.

That’s the best shot McCain has at breaking the race wide open.

John McCain was prophetic. He anticipated the failure of Freddie and Fannie. He offered a solution. The Democrats, Obama included, ignored him. Here’s the letter to prove it.

I just don’t understand why the McCain campaign has been so slow to let the nation know. He should have gone on the attack the day the market melted down. The campaign should have cut a spot since the media are covering it up. I don’t know why they didn’t do it.