Fresh Loaf

That John McCain. He’s a decider. He knew about that whole Troopergate thing before choosing Sarah Palin for his VP candidate. At least, he says he did.

And he knew about Palin’s daughter Bristol being pregnant.

He knew Palin considers the Iraq war “a task that is from God.” He also knew that Alaska’s two leading newspapers, Republican state Senate leader, Republican House leader and mother in-law would guffaw unkindly about Palin as a vice presidential candidate. And, of course, he knew that her first foray into public life was as a beauty contestant. (more…)

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We here at Creative Loafing Enterprises Inc. Ltd. like to stay above the dirt and the muck, opting instead to pursue truth with our swords of reason, research and…uhm…resolve? With that being said, I present thee:

(Photo Illustration courtesy of ICanHasWar.com)

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From Politico.com:

In an interview just a month ago, [Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin] dissed the job, saying it didn’t seem “productive.”

In fact, she said she doesn’t know what the vice president does.

…

Larry Kudlow of CNBC’s “Kudlow & Co.” asked her about the possibility of becoming McCain’s ticket mate.
Palin replied: “As for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.”

I guess John McCain explicitly stated what he wants his vice president to do.

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AJC conservo-columnist Jim Wooten writes of John McCain’s choice of VP: “Pinch me. Yes!”

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whom Wooten applauds for not having aborted her Downs syndrome baby born earlier this year, is sure to strike a chord in a certain demographic. Finally, a candidate Cobb County soccer MILFs can rally around.

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Pundits at the Democratic National Convention have been criticizing the Obama campaign all this week for failing to counter John McCain’s character attacks against Obama.

James Carville and Paul Begala, who were President Clinton’s top consultants, keep saying attack, attack, attack. Carville and Begala are jumping the gun. The real test of the tickets’ ability to counter McCain’s negative campaigning comes tonight, when Joe Biden gives his acceptance speech for the vice presidential nomination. (more…)

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 — It’s convention time: balloons, big speeches, inspiring video bios. Bernita is in Denver and blogging for Blog For Democracy. The first thing she does is piss off the Secret Service. Uh-oh.

— Amy Morton from Georgia Women Vote is also in Denver. She has steered clear of aggravating the Secret Service, and managed to have breakfast with Heath Shuler, the former college quarterback turned Congressman.

— Everyone knows John McCain was a prisoner of war, partly because he keeps reminding us. At Politits, the question is asked: Is McCain POWing it into the ground? Perhaps Saxby Chambliss should run against McCain since he could put McCain’s war record into perspective, just like he did with Max Cleland.

— A federal judge ruled in favor of Jim Powell last week, saying Secretary of State Karen Handel wrongfully tried to remove him from the ballot in the Public Service Commission race. But DriftGrift says Democrats shouldn’t gloat just yet.

— Over at Chicken Fat, Edwin has a bigger fish to fry: world peace.

— And finally, Mother Time pays a visit to the Wren’s Nest to claim the Ouija Board she left there decades ago.

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It’s refreshing to see a candidate not focus entirely on eating BBQ in Kansas and churning butter out in the sticks. Those voters and their concerns matter, but so do those who live in the nation’s economic engines: Urban areas, such as Atlanta.

And the Wall Street Journal reports Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is set to relaunch his urban platform today that he says would aid our beleaguered cities.

The article is so chockful of information that it deserves to be read more than reviewed, but here are some snippets:

The wide-ranging plan contains bedrock Democratic principles, pledging to increase funding for affordable housing, raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2011, triple the income-tax credit tied to that wage and fully fund the federal No Child Left Behind policy for schools.

Centerpieces include creation of a new White House Office of Urban Policy and the restoration of billions of dollars cut from community block grants, a key source of funding for cities.

In a nod to one of the mayors’ top priorities, Sen. Obama would open a national bank, seeded with $60 billion over 10 years, to finance road, bridge, airport and other public-works projects in metropolitan areas. The bank would be modeled on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., with an independent board of directors.

Sen. Obama says his administration would shift urban-policy making to so-called smart-growth strategies that synchronize transportation, commercial and housing needs for entire regions, rather than following the tradition of focusing first on fighting poverty and crime. He would fund $200 million in annual grants to develop “regional clusters,” such as the high-technology-focused area known as the Research Triangle in North Carolina.

(Thanks to Christa for the find)

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James from ArcOfTime popped my Obama bubble in a previous post’s comments and reminded me that there are indeed parties planned in the metro Atlanta area to watch John McCain speak at the Republican National Convention.

Click here to see all the McCain events within a 100-mile radius of CL’s Communist stronghold. (I tried 25 miles first, but that zone was blue as blue as can be. Y’all deserve options!)

And as a sidenote to James’ comment that there are only five Republican Fresh Loaf readers — please, my right-leaning friends, do not be afraid to speak up. Criticize us, malign our views, insult our intelligence(s). But remember: At the end of the day, we can do more together than we can apart. Vaya con Dios, pachyderms!

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Our friends at American News Project filmed a video in which they provide a rundown of yesterday’s John McCain fund-raiser in Atlanta — you know, the one former Christian Coalition president Ralph Reed tried to hype, then backed away from. (Reed didn’t attend the event.)

Follow the jump to view the video.

(more…)

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OBAMA’S SECRET: The Democratic presidential nominee has picked a running mate. But he’s not gonna tell you who it is.

NO-SHOW REED: After hyping John McCain in anticipation of last night’s Atlanta fund-raiser (and after the GOP candidate allegedly told him ‘no thanks’), baby-faced former Christian Coalition prez Ralph Reed decides not to grace the event with his presence.

COUNCIL HEARTS TADS: Late last night, Atlanta City Council green-lighted controversial Tax Allocation District funding for the $125 million Center for Civil & Human Rights museum and the multi-billion-dollar Beltline transit-and-trails project. More than $200 million was approved — which marks the first infusion of government funds for the Beltline.

NO PRESSURE: The Georgia Bulldogs are the top-ranked college football team this year. It’s the first time the UGA team has started a season with the top ranking. Last year, the Dogs finished No. 2.

DESPERATE DEPOT: Atlanta-based Home Depot Inc. expects profits to tumble 24 percent in this weakened housing market year. Still, the world’s largest home-improvement company reported unexpectedly high profits this quarter.

SICK VITAMINS: A Marietta man claims his daily vitamin caused his hair and fingernails to fall out. Apparently, he’s not the only one.

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— Georgia has its own Montauk Monster, and it’s called, simply, Bigfoot. Details will be unveiled Friday, so says Peach Pundit.

— Despite evidence to the contrary, Georgia Politics Unfiltered claims, “There is no sex in the courtrooms of Cobb County Superior Court (or the judge’s chambers for that matter).” Does lesbian sex count?

— Georgia Politics Unfiltered also updates a post from yesterday that hyped today’s political forecast from CQ Politics. CQ’s shocking revelation: In the presidential election, Georgia is “Republican Favored”!

— According to Lucid Idiocy, the food crisis is over. Gov. Sonny Perdue supports biofuels. And the Montauk Monster was spotted drinking margaritas at the Jekyll Island Club. (OK, I made that last one up.)

— Georgia On My Mind has posted photos of the ancient Etowah Indian Mounds. No apparent news there, seeing as how they were built nearly 1,100 years ago. They’re real purty, though.

— Media Matters‘ SpaceyG says she isn’t all that bummed about waking up with John McCain. Political Insider’s Jim Galloway says McCain isn’t all all thrilled about waking up with Ralph Reed. No word on who John Edwards is waking up with.

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The Living Beacon of Hope won’t be there himself, but his staffers will be walking around with video cameras to record questions you’d like answered at the annual Democratic convention in Denver at the end of the month.

Barack Obama will be accepting the Democratic presidential nomination at the convention in Denver on August 28th, and we’re throwing the doors open to the public by hosting America’s Town Hall.

Americans from around the country will be submitting questions that will be answered by elected leaders and national experts, live at the convention.

To be a part of this historic opportunity, come this Wednesday to Decatur City Square and submit a question of your own. Staff will be on hand to videotape your question which could be selected to be asked at the convention.

Here are the details:
America’s Town Hall Question Submission
Decatur City Square
599 N. McDonough Street Decatur, GA
Wednesday, August 13th
3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Hope to see you there! Obama for America

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The cogitators at the Brookings Institution, the D.C.-based think tank, have released an in-their-own-words summary of where Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain stand on energy and climate change policy. Included in the chart are their views on nuclear power, auto-emission standards and if they have a goal to cap greenhouse gas emissions, as well as links to public statements and environmental legislation they’ve supported. Bon appetit!

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(closes eyes, grips fists) Please let it not be Perdue. Please let it not be Perdue.

Oh! Hi there. (shuffles papers, sits up straight) Beltway columnist Robert Novak, the Corvette-drivin’, right-leaning pundit who prides himself on his “Prince of Darkness” moniker, says John McCain’s pick for his running mate will be announced sometime this week. Mitt Romney’s been speculated as the most likely candidate.

Barack Obama will pick — you guessed it — Bicycle Shorts Man. Good night!

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Gov. Sonny Perdue duped all of us, folks. While we stood together as Jaw-juhns and prayed for rain, the Man From Bonair was actually asking God to bless our nation with a Republican presidential candidate who’d consider him as a running mate.

InsiderAdvantage’s Matt Towery is reporting “strong national sources” are whispering about Perdue being one of the top four prospects for vice president. If he doesn’t snag the no. 2 spot, he’d at least be “a player” in McCain’s administration.

But why pick Perdue?

Oh, hey Matt. Come sit a spell:

Why? First, Perdue has strong approval ratings in his home state. Second, his home state is now in play and could, in a perfect storm, become the decision-maker of 2008. Third, former Sen. Sam Nunn, according to both Time and Newsweek, is an eye-blink away from being the Democratic nominee for VP. But Perdue’s name identification and popularity as a current Governor would easily eclipse that of Nunn.

So enter Sonny Perdue, former head of the Republican Governor’s Conference and a consensus style GOP leader.

Mere conjecture? Nope. Perdue, according to strong national sources, has risen to the top four in the veepstakes. Whether he’s the eventual choice or not, look for him to be a player in a McCain administration.

Attention to Sen. McCain, one of this blog’s loyal readers: Put Perdue in a position where he truly shines.

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First Congressman John Lewis, now rapper Young Jeezy.

In the August issue of Vibe magazine, Young Jeezy is quoted in the cover story as saying, “No disrespect to Barack, but I fuck with John McCain.”

Turns out, he meant to say the opposite. At least, that’s what he’s saying now in a classic what-had-happened-was moment. He’s even posted a YouTube video statement to clarify his position, saying “somewhere down the line my words got misconstrued.”

Read more in Crib Notes.

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Bob Barr’s Libertarian bid for the presidency could put Georgia in play for Barack Obama, the New York Times quoted U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson as saying over the weekend.

“If Barr got 8 percent, and you’ve got the higher African-American turnout from Barack Obama, then you’d have a significantly close race in the state,” the Georgia Republican told the Times in an article published Saturday.

That differs from the line of most local Republicans, who’ve generally pooh-poohed the potential Barr effect. But several polls have shown Obama surprsingly within 10 percent of John McCain in Georgia, and Barr with support as high as 8 percent — presumably drawn from libertarian-leaning conservatives who’d otherwise back McCain.

Barr, a former uber-conservative congressman from the north Atlanta ‘burbs (who gained true fame as a Creative Loafing columnist), was dissed by Bush, Rove and the Republican establishment during redistricting earlier this decade when he was lumped into an unfriendly district dominated by a more lockstep party mate. He doesn’t seem to bothered by the prospect of harming McCain’s chances:

“ ‘Well, gee, you might take votes from Senator McCain,’ ” Mr. Barr said this week, mimicking one of the complainers, as he sat sipping Coca-Cola in his plush corner office, 12 stories above Atlanta. “They all said, ‘Look, we understand why you’re doing this. We agree with why you’re doing it. But please don’t do it.’ ”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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(Sony Pictures Classics)

It feels like it’s been a decade since “The West Wing” went off the air, and I’m still waiting for a TV show that matches its blend of wonkish politics and lofty idealism whipped into a compelling and witty dramatic narrative. Maybe that’s because, in 2008, I’m pining for Jed Bartlet as my president, because Martin Sheen portrayed a greatest-hits/composite president that was one part John F. Kennedy, one (small) part Bill Clinton and bits of other Democrats who deserved a closer look but never made it to the White House.

Read the rest of this entry.

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WHO BENEFITS? Critics say plans to build condos, hotels and a retail center may cut off this public beach from Jekyll’s day visitors.

Woe is Jekyll Island, the pristine beach getaway that has fallen into disrepair. Visitors across the state have voiced concerns about plans by a developer – and the actions of the governor-appointed Jekyll Island Authority that oversees the barrier island – to revitalize the state park.

Linger Longer Communities, a development company owned by two GOP cash cows – and fundraisers for presidential hopeful John McCain and potential veep Gov. Sonny Perdue – wants to build a “town center,” hotels and posh condos near a prized public beach.

What’s even more worrisome: Bills proposed by state Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, to protect the island from development have been stonewalled by members of his own party in a legislative committee. Sen. Chapman agrees that the island is in need of revamping, but says the process needs to be responsible and the result affordable for all Georgians.

“If they manage to stop or kill good legislation, then they’ll have a free hand to do anything they want,” Chapman says.

Chapman went on the offensive yesterday and slammed the authority for underreporting its revenues and visitor numbers. The authority’s critics have repeatedly claimed that the data it uses to show a sharp decline in visitors is misleading, noting that the statistics intentionally omitted season pass holders.

For more information, visit the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island.

(Photo by Greg Lowery)

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The environment’s one of the most important issues our country and world face, but to this point has gone relatively uncovered. This is the best rundown on the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates’ positions I’ve seen yet. It’s filled with links to other articles and resources. Brookings did a great job on this.

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In an ideal world, John McCain’s marital life would be of no concern to the public. Then again, in an ideal world, he wouldn’t stick idiotic, hypocritical crap like this on the “issues” page of his campaign website:

Protecting Marriage

The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.

The fact that such language is part of his campaign platform makes his private life fair game for nitpickers. You can’t be a protector of marriage and a lobbyist-schtupper at the same time.

Add in the fact that McCain wrote letters to government regulators on behalf of his alleged paramour’s clients, plus his recent pander to the Republican Party’s pro-torture wing, and my longstanding respect for him as a person of integrity has all but vanished in recent days.

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With an 8-point margin Saturday over Republican front-runner John McCain in the Louisiana GOP primary, Mike Huckabee has completed his sweep of the nation’s squirrel-eating states.

On Super Tuesday, Huckabee won in such squirrel-gobbling centers as West Virginia, Tennessee and of course Arkansas, where he served as governor. On Saturday, he also picked up a win in Kansas and possibly one in Washington. Neither of those states is known to be big on bushy-tail cuisine.

Huck first brought up his squirrel-preppin’ talents and squirrel-eatin’ ways as he campaigned in an MSNBC interview for the South Carolina primary. But South Carolinians, it turns out, are primarily into ‘possum.

It’s not clear whether Huck’s rodentia recipes contributed to his Super Tuesday victory in Georgia, where squirrel had gone out of fashion but appears to be making a comeback.

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