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Comedians show more spine than Dems on Lieberman

By Paul Schmelzer | 11.23.08 | 10:22 pm

The Democrats’ response to Sen. Joe Lieberman’s vigorous campaigning for John McCain, which included the former Democrat taking to CNN to endorse the GOP’s talking point that “Hamas endorsed Obama”: He got to keep his chairmanship and was…

Thanks, but no thanks: Election night in Sarah Palin’s capital city

By David Noon | 11.06.08 | 7:23 am

With the nation on the verge of electing Barack Obama to the presidency, I decided to spend the evening surveying the political mood in Juneau, the city to which Sarah Palin would soon be returning as a defeated vice presidential candidate.

Coleman, Kazeminy and the lawsuit: Five reasons to doubt that it’s all just ‘sleazy politics’

By Steve Perry | 10.31.08 | 3:07 pm

Norm Coleman stood before a gaggle of reporters and fans at what was supposed to be a routine campaign stop in Moorhead this morning and addressed the story that’s been chasing after him for the past few days. Allegations that Coleman pal Nasser Kazeminy had funneled money to Laurie Coleman for doing a non-existent job were “absolutely false,” Coleman said. But that was only the starting point of his remarks, which sought for the better part of five minutes to paint the whole affair as a fabrication wrought by “Al Franken and his political allies.”

Only the plaintiff, Paul McKim, can answer with certainty as to his timing and motives. But ultimately, the question of whether politics played a role in the timing of the lawsuit has no bearing on the merit of the claims in the lawsuit.

Let’s take a closer look at the legal complaint.

Video: Would a bin Laden tape — or a lawsuit against Franken — help the GOP next Tuesday?

By Paul Schmelzer | 10.30.08 | 3:04 pm

Yesterday CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked GOP strategist Ed Rollins if a Hail Mary pass from Osama bin Laden might save John McCain’s electoral prospects. He cited the 2004 election, when a new video by the al-Qaeda…

The 2012 express: Whither Sarah Palin after next Tuesday?

By David Noon | 10.29.08 | 11:56 am

Most of the chatter about Sarah Palin’s political future rests on the optimistic premise that Palin, as a presidential candidate, would at last be capable of energizing social conservatives while drawing independent voters in ways that she’s been unable to do as a vice presidential pick. This tableau further assumes that Palin, having taken four years to mature as a national candidate, would carry none of the baggage she’s accumulated — quite literally — over the past two months. Barring a massive swing in the nation’s political climate, Palin will likely be a worse candidate in 2012 than she is at the moment.

Bachmann campaign after Hardball: Missing in action

By Steve Perry | 10.29.08 | 11:00 am

It’s been almost two weeks since Michele Bachmann dropped the “anti-American” bomb that has become the most widely aired gaffe in any US congressional campaign this year, and her campaign’s handling of the matter looks a lot like one protracted act of political malpractice.

Palin on SNL: Post-Weekend Wingnut Roundup

By David Noon | 10.20.08 | 11:36 am

Sarah Palin’s appearance on Saturday Night Live preoccupied rightward-leaning political observers for a few hours before Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama changed the subject. But they were an amusing few hours, as conservatives — underscoring how badly things appear…

Absurd and artful takes on Biden v. Palin: From owl signs to Macarena meltdowns

By Paul Schmelzer | 10.03.08 | 2:37 pm

With half of my Twitter friends in the political sphere and the other half involved with art, watching my feed during last night’s debate yielded an entertaining mash-up of both. One, from Washington, D.C.–based art journalist Tyler Green, referenced a contemporary art darling (who happens to be Mr. Björk): “It occurs to me that Matthew Barney was on the vanguard of incoherence as a strategy. Palin’s just following in his footsteps.”

So in the spirit of absurdity and art, a less-than-political rundown of odd takes on proceedings.

The VP debate: From ‘Sarah Barracuda’ to ‘Sarah Macarena’

By David Noon | 10.03.08 | 9:10 am

Sarah Palin’s advocates are understandably delighted by her performance in last night’s debate, which did not actually produce the widely-expected fiasco. Palin completed a surprising number of her sentences, and she showed evidence of having successfully assimilated lengthy portions of her stump speech. She was clearly excited to discover that she could recite the occasional facts and figures, and she drew attention to these achievements several times. It’s likely, though, that Palin’s surprisingly non-cringe-inducing performance will have minimal — if any — effect on the shape of the race.

Palin and Privacy

By David Noon | 10.02.08 | 2:42 am

Sarah Palin thinks about the United States Constitution:

COURIC (to Palin): Do you think there’s an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution?
PALIN: I do. Yeah, I do.

Josh Marshall among others makes the obvious point,