Rain!

So our lawn is what the pros call “dormant,” or rather, that’s what the lawn guy says when he leaves nastygrams on the door because what’s the purpose of having him come if we’re not going to water the lawn and at least attempt to make it look at least a sage color if not a full blown green? Can the grass be painted in some way? If only I knew how to take care of the grass. It must be so complicated, if we have to hire a professional to take care of it. Owen is so smart. But I've got another busy day ahead, so I can't worry about grass.

It’s been raining all day long.  So we can say that either God is crying tears of joy because of Palin’s speech or punishing us for Palin’s speech or we can avoid politics altogether (can we please?) and just say it’s nice to see the clouds after this gloriously well-weathered last few months. God and Jesus are smiling on Sarah, and crying.

Did you get a lot of rain today?  Off to the park! Or maybe shoe shopping. What do you think?

McCain’s New Stage And Other Stuff

I’m back at the Xcel Center for the convention.  I had a bit tougher time getting parking this time.  My blinders keep slipping down my head, so sometimes I catch a glimpse of the protesters. The protesters were boring.  Bongo drums and chanting and the like.  I expect that they will get more entertaining when it gets dark, but I’ll be in here.  I’ll try to remember to head over to the windows in case I can catch some video.  The windows are the only way you can see out of buildings, you know.

I went through the main security entrance and the long lines of metal detectors and such.  A collection of Republicans is very risky. You're not supposed to bring guns, I guess. It's a sad commentary on today's society that a bunch of gun-lovers can't bring their guns into an arena when they're listening to their favorite politicians. I tried taking pictures through the windows, but the reflections let you see my tummy! There is a newly constructed stage for John McCain’s speech. I did a bit more wandering today.  I tried to get up to the press level with my “special” press pass, but they wouldn’t let me.  Usually “special” means “better,” but in the case of the press pass, “special” means that we ride the little bus.  You know I love those "retard" jokes.

I have noticed one difference from yesterday… the stores are getting slammed.  There are a few little stores selling McCain and Republican gear (hats, shirts, buttons, etc.).  Yesterday, there were people in them, but just a few.  Today, they are crammed full with big crowds around them of people who couldn’t get in. 

Also, security is stepped up.  It was heavy yesterday, but it’s HEAVY today.  Must be the protesters. Or terrorists. We heard a rumor that bin Laden was determined to strike targets in Minneapolis, but all in all we ignored it.

One final though.  I forgot to set my starting lineup for my fantasy football teams.  I’m going to do that quick . That gets me so excited! Such distractions are the true pleasures of many of the men behind their computers on my cul-de-sac.

Palin Delivered Speech With Malfunctioning Teleprompter

Awesome.

Halfway through Sarah Palin’s speech tonight at the RNC, people following the speech noticed she was deviating from the prepared text. According to sources close to the McCain campaign, the teleprompter continued scrolling during applause breaks. As a result, half way through the speech, the speech had scrolled significantly from where Governor Palin was in the speech. The malfunction also occurred during Rudy Giuliani’s speech, explaining his significant deviations from his speech. Unfazed, Governor Palin continued, from memory, to deliver her speech without the teleprompter cued to the appropriate point in her speech.

That little lady has it all. Guns, moose, and the ability to remember key phrases. Even if the teleprompter wasn't really broken, this is one of those anecdotes that feels true, given the enthusiasm we all felt for Palin. She's just one of us. You betcha!

Unlike those protesters. Some of them were pulling a prank on us when we left our hotel. "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?" We said "Lipstick" and laughed, thinking they were fellow Republicans. Then they answered "The pit bull won't ask your librarian how to ban books." Then we stormed off, after flipping them "the bird." We laughed and laughed, then talked about drinking together later.

Notes on Day Three of the GOP Convention

I don’t have any more video for you.  I’ll get it up when I have time to slice and dice it.  Ouch! I better rephrase that. I’ll warn you, that my right arm gets tired after holding the camera for a couple of hours, so it gets shaky.  I'll switch to my left, which is accustomed to the workout. Here are a few thoughts, in no particular order, about the events at the GOP convention today.

- At least for the people in the room, Sarah Palin nailed it.  I don’t know how it played on TV or with non-Republicans, but the room was electric.  I heard some pundit on the radio on the way to my hotel say that the crowd was tepid when she came out, but energetic after she spoke.  That’s crap.  That crowd was wild (well, as wild as Republicans get) when she came out. I saw one guy loosen his collar. Another one was waving his hat in the air like he just didn't care.

- A BIG “thank you” to the Wisconsin GOP.  They gave me a guest pass for a seat.  There are seats available for the “special press,” as we bloggers are called, but they are on the side.  The guest pass had me with almost a straight-on view of the stage, and I was in the front row.  Very cool.  Thanks, guys.  Can I get one for tomorrow

- Bob Dole came into the convention and worked his way through the crowd.  It was cool to see him being mobbed by the crowd.  He was a crappy candidate, but he’s a great man and deserves such respect.

- Speaking of Dole, a few of the delegations stood up and cheered when he came by.  Unfortunately, one time it happened when Dr. Elena Rios was rattling off statistics about how minorities have higher instances of various ailments.  Probably not the best time to be cheering… that might give the wrong impression in perpetually sensitive area of the Republican stereotype. I saw one other Hispanic-looking woman around, too, so maybe we're not so bad. Apparently there are also 36 African-American delegates, too. Can I get a shout-out? That's how they do it.

- The speeches before the biggies were mostly very good.  It was interesting, if predictable, that there wasn’t a white guy in the bunch.  A lot of things are "Interesting" to me, I guess. It was all women and/or minorities.  This was obviously a concerted effort to go after those demographics - not that there’s anything wrong with that.

- Scott Walker stopped by my seat to chat for about 15 minutes.  I gave up my seat to him, and he let me sit on his lap while we talked. I don't think he did that with the other bloggers. He made a great point that I know he shared with media outlets, but it bears repeating.  He said that Obama chose Biden to compensate while McCain chose Palin to compliment.  Good point.

- Romney’s speech was well received.  At this point, it seemed like something was up with the mic.  It was too soft.  It was that way for the rest of the night. He was amazingly life-like in person.

- I didn’t tape Huckabee’s speech, because… I don’t like him.  I know Jesus loves him, but I don't. But he gave one heck of a speech.  It was funny, entertaining, and layed some real blows and smitings.  Unfortunately, he prefaced it with saying that he had wanted the speaking slot on Thursday night, to accept the nomination.  He said it jokingly, but I thought it was tacky.  That's all in the past. Part of understanding history is to admit that only the present matters. McCain is the man now, so we're all behind him.

- The speaking order got all screwed up.  I don’t know why.  Maybe they were waiting to fill the convention hall. I couldn't figure out where everyone was. Whole sections were still empty. I'm sure there is a perfectly good terrorist-related reason why they had to keep the stadium somewhat empty. Speaking of 9/11, Giuliani was supposed to speak before the Governor of Hawaii (she was supposed to introduce Palin), but he spoke after her.  There was also supposed to be a video about Palin, but that wasn’t shown.  The musical act was supposed to be earlier.  What kind of a show is this? Etc.  I don’t know why it got screwed up, but I’m glad they still got Palin’s speech into prime time. 

- Giuliani’s speech was great.  Spot on.  He's a great comedian. Community organizer, har har! But you could tell that he was dragging on a bit too long and the crowd was getting anxious for Palin to come out. 

- As expected, security was EVERYWHERE, but they were nice and helpful.  The protesters outside were disappointing.  Nothing original.  Same old stuff.  Sean Hackbarth had some fun ridiculing the Code Pink folks because they couldn’t sing or march in step.  This totally destroys their anti-war message. I found their style of dress a bit inappropriate, too. When women wear pink, they should be sweet and demonstrate a certain willingness to please a man. All of these women were wearing pink, but some displayed a gruff demeanor as if they had no obligation to submit to the many tie-wearing delegates walking into the stadium.

Ron Paul Folks Next To Me

Freaks. Don't they know anything about being Republicans? Toe the line, boys.

Palin Speech:  What Do You Think?

What are your thoughts? Me?  I thought it was great.  And when I saw Paul Ryan in the crowd, I instantly thought: Palin/Ryan ‘12. Just kidding.  Well, that really was my first thought, but it might not be the best ticket.  A hot one, though. It would be such a perfect pairing. Can't you imagine them together? I can. So photogenic. Owen's at the convention now. And Owen just called from Minneapolis.  He asked what I thought of the speech.  I said, “Honey, I might have to leave you for Sarah Palin.” He replied, “I might have to do the same.” We are open about our thoughts that way. With a guy like Owen and his past, you pretty much have to be. He knows he can't get Sarah or Ryan, so he'll come back to me and the kids.

Sarah Palin’s Speech

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored to be considered for the nomination for Vice President of the United States… wink... I accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend America. I accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election… against confident opponents... at a crucial hour for our country, if ya know what I mean, eh! By golly! And I accept the privilege of servin' with a smile with a man who has come through much harder missions... (wink) as in flying missions... and met far graver challenges... you betcha... and knows how tough fights are won - have I mentioned that he was a prisoner of war? - the next president of the United States, John S. McCain.

Read the rest

This Evening At The Convention

It turns out that while I have access and a seat for this evening’s events, there isn’t a table or outlets or anything.  It’s just the normal stadium seats.  I’m assuming that the place will be packed, so I doubt I’ll have anywhere to put the stuff.  I mean, it's got to be packed, right? I'm so psyched, imagining what it'll be like to be in the middle of so many Republicans. In any case, my battery won’t last for the whole thing.  As such, I may get some real time posts up, but more than likely I’ll have to wait until it’s over and I’m back at my hotel. 

Well, I’m Here

After much hassle, I’m at the Republican Convention (traffic issues).  I parked a few blocks away and walked in.  There were some protesters, but not too many.  At the airport, the RNC was handing out cute red-white-and-blue blinders, so I couldn't really see the protesters unless they were directly in front of me. I didn’t grab any video because I was preserving battery until I knew if I would have an opportunity to charge.  I do, so I’ll probably go out there in a while and get some video.  Maybe I'll have a coffee, too.

The convention organizers were friendly and helpful.  Because I came to the convention late, they had already pretty much finished all of the registration stuff, so I appreciate them going through extra effort to get me in. 

I’ve met up with Sean Hackbarth, who seems happy as a pig in slop.  That's completely different than lipstick on a pig, of course. Not that Republican bloggers are pigs, either.

The lineup tonight is great.  Here’re the highlights:

Theme: Reform and Prosperity

6:00 PM - Program starts.
8:15 PM - Mitt Romney
8:30 PM - Mike Huckabee
8:32 PM - Mike Huckabee mentions Jesus for the first time
Musical Performance: John Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Cowboy Troy, as country singers, make more Jesus references
9:00 PM - Rudy Giuliani - I hear his speech will be funny and unrehearsed!
9:20 PM - Gov. Linda Lingle (Hawaii)
9:30 PM - Gov. Sarah "Whalin'" Palin

I’m going to try to get some interviews with Wisconsin folks too. 

Doyle Uses State Aide To Write Convention Speech

Ahem.

Gov. Jim Doyle used a state aide to help write his speech before the Democratic National Convention in Denver, a move that may have violated the state’s ethics code. A lawyer for the board that oversees the ethics code said using a state aide to write a speech for a political convention could violate a law that bans using state resources for private gain. “It’s not state business,” said Jonathan Becker, counsel for the Government Accountability Board. “So if I was having my staff write a speech to read at a political convention, that would be bothersome to me.” He cautioned that such a speech might not violate the ethics code if it focused on state issues and policy matters rather than partisan attacks. Becker would not say whether the board is investigating the matter. Doyle aide Lee Sensenbrenner said he spent a couple of hours working on the speech. He said he and Doyle thought it was appropriate for Sensenbrenner, rather than a Doyle campaign worker, to do the work because Doyle was given a national stage to showcase Wisconsin.

Read the speech.  It was not showcasing Wisconsin.  It was showcasing Obama.  As you can see from the vague innuendo above, Doyle's clearly in the wrong here. Follow the logic: Democrat elected officials can't be using their resources to promote each other. At least they should have the common sense to go through the motions of decency. Entice the lobbyist, who will concoct a suitable educational or promotional tour of an area, then let the lobbyists write the speech. This is much more honest. At least the Republicans follow the rules of decency.

Fred Thompson’s Convention Speech

[Video removed because it kept auto-playing and annoying the crap out of me.  Google it, you’ll find it.]

Karl Rove’s Breakfast Speech at Republican Convention

Part 1. Part 2. [I eventually took these links down because he was saying the same spooky things he always says, and it was annoying the crap out of me. ]

Wisconsin Assembly Targeted By Out of State Gay Activists

Looks like the Wisconsin Assembly is being targeted by out of state gay activists.  James Wigderson has the details.  Can you imagine? Out-of-state people sending money here to influence elections? They're not from around here. We have already been well-informed about the issues by our friends at WMC and AFP. We must all support the ability for unnamed benefactors to say whatever they like. It's not our job to question the veracity of the message or their possible motives. You just can't think about that stuff, right? We don't need any other out-of-state voices around here. I may not have been born in Wisconsin, but I'm here now, so I think these people should just have the decency to leave.

We may be seeing that effort in Wisconsin in 2008. In the 80th Assembly District, Democrat Kris Wisnefske is taking on Republican incumbent Brett Davis. Wisnefske received a substantial portion of his $500 donations (maximum allowed) from out-of-state donors, most identified with gay activism. [...] Using those names and others, other assembly races were revealed as targeted races: 96, 94, 68, and 57. The 96th, 94th and 68th are all in Western Wisconsin. The 57th is in Appleton, an open seat. The 80th district is in south central Wisconsin. All five races are away from the Milwaukee media market, away from talk radio and most of the state’s conservative bloggers.

GOP Convention Live Streams

Back stage. Eagle cam. I had these links up for a while, but they were mostly showing just empty seats. So I took them down, because it made me sad.

Small Town Folks Not Qualified?

The Recess Supervisor weighs in on the Obama camp’s response to Palin.

One wonders if the Obama campaign should really be calling into question the experience of a candidate who, last I checked, has spent more time in public office than their own guy, who has spent all of his time in public office running for another office. [...] Apparently Team Obama thinks that people from towns of 9,000 aren’t qualified to do much of anything but sit back and let the city slickers from Chicago run their country. Typical elitism - we want your votes, just not your input.

Indeed. If Obama keeps up this line of attack, it could really backfire.  If we ever admitted that it doesn't make any sense that Palin could lead the control, it would contradict McCain's choice. We must adhere to what the Leader has done.

Ten Years

Eleven years ago today, I asked my Wendy to marry me.  Well, technically “I” didn’t ask her, but that’s a whole other story.  In any case, for reasons that I still don’t understand, she said “yes” and my life was forever changed for the better. She became my possession, which is why I call her "my Wendy." Sometimes I call her my Nummy Muffin Coo-Coo-Butter. She calls me Lopp-arsh. I do not know what this means. She once told me it is Irish for "brave heart".

Ten years ago today, I stood in a church in Wisconsin.  It was hot, but I wasn’t thinking about that.  My brother stood by my side as my Best Man.  The music kicked in, I turned to my left, and saw an angel floating up the aisle.  Clearly the heat was making me hallucinate, but I went with it. Then it struck me… “I’m going to marry that angel.” We said our vows, looked each other in the eyes, kissed, and were forever joined by God. God was right there, and he made us hold hands.

Since then we’ve moved several times, bought a home, brought children into that home, worked hard, loved deeply, and built a life together. The children look like me, so yes, we've known each other in a Biblical way. Several times, in fact.

Wendy is my best and only friend except Jed and the guys at the gun club.  She’s the person who I want to talk to when things happen to me – good or bad.  She’s the person with whom I want to spend my time.  I want to talk to her, listen to her, eat with her, play with her, go to football games with her, and everything else. 

Wendy is the mother of my children.  She cares for them, mends their injuries, helps them with their homework, soothes their fears, shares their victories, and guides them through life with a loving hand, slips them Diphenhydramine.  I can see her love reflected in their faces. They're scrubbed that shiny!

Wendy is my partner.  We take on the challenges of the world together.  We share ideas, discuss the future, debate alternatives, and make decisions about our lives.  We each have our responsibilities, and have to live up to them. We have our life together, and we have our secret lives apart.

Wendy is my wife.  I don’t like the word “wife.” It seems like such a short and gruff word for what it means.  But even if I don’t like the word “wife,” I love mine.  She’s a part of me.  We share a brain, a heart, a soul, a life, a past, a future, a bar of soap, a washing machine, a mortgage.  We are one being in two bodies.  Wendy is my one, my wife, my all.  And I love her more than should be possible for a mortal.  Yes, I am mortal. A discussion of my mortality shows I'm capable of discerning what's classic and important in life.

We have been blessed with 10 years of marriage, but I have been blessed with 11 years of Wendy.  For that, I am unworthy, but forever thankful. I'm a schlump. She's an angel. She's the top, she's the Mona Lisa. Jed's the top, she's the Tower of Pisa. Cuz if baby I'm the bottom, you're the top.

Thank you, Wendy, for all that you have been, all that you are, and all that you will be. 

I love you, Snookems-Wookums!

Can I please come back to the bedroom? I am tired of sleeping on the couch.

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Doyle Failing to Uphold Promise to Cut 10,000 Jobs From State Government

Another broken promise.

Madison - When he first ran for governor in 2002, Jim Doyle said his goal would be to shrink the size of the state work force to 1987 levels over the course of four budgets - amounting to about 10,000 jobs in eight years. But nearly three-quarters of the way through his first two terms, the number of state government jobs will have fallen by 2,730 jobs by the end of the budget that expires June 30, 2009.

Bear in mind that even of those 2,730 jobs, many of them just went to contractors, so there wasn’t much, if any, cost savings.  See, when a Dem governor uses contractors, it doesn't save money. Only when we use contractors in war under a Republican president do you get a cost savings. What we need to do is actually trim back the size and scope of government, except for the military. We need to trust their advice about how large they need to be, and where they are. I learned that in military science class.

Code Words

It’s becoming quite rampant for liberals to accuse people who oppose Obama of using “code words” to transmit a racist message.  Honestly, most of the time when I read posts accusing people of using “code words,” I had no idea that they WERE “code words,” and I’m fairly politically tuned.  After all, I'm blogging right now! So if the use of such alleged “code words” don’t resonate or make sense to me, how effective are they for the rest of average Americans like me?  I think that they aren’t seen as code words for other folks either.  This leads me to believe that the only people who see these “code words” are hyper-politicos who have no idea how the rest of the country thinks.  You think by "code words" they mean words that make us believe something in a less than direct way? I think the best code words are the ones you just respond to automatically, like a dog whistle. You never know it. They're just there.