HYRTN: September 4th, 2008

New edition every Mon-Fri at around 9pm PST

Have You RED The News? for September 4th, 2008:

1. Obama: 'I've been called worse on the basketball court'

"ORK, Pennsylvania (CNN) – Barack Obama said Thursday that attacks on him at this week’s Republican National Convention were no big deal: “I’ve been called worse on the basketball court,” he told reporters at an afternoon press conference.

“What did you guys expect?” he asked, smiling, “This is what they do. They don't have an agenda to run on. They haven't offered a single concrete idea so far in two nights about how they would make the lives of middle class Americans better. They've spent the entire two nights attacking me or extolling John McCain's biography, which is fine. They can use their convention time any way they want.”

Watch: "I've been called worse," says Obama

Wednesday night on stage in St. Paul, both Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani belittled Obama’s work as a community organizer in Chicago in the 80s. Obama called the reaction “curious,” as if he were trying to jump from a post-college job to the presidency.

“The question I have for them is that why would that kind of work be ridiculous? Who are they fighting for?” he said. “I think maybe that's the problem - that's part of why they're out of touch and they don't get it because they haven’t spent much time working on behalf of those folks.”

Obama dismissed accusations from Republicans that comments and reports from Democrats and the media about Palin are sexist, saying that digging into her record can only be expected."

I insist that you guys check out the full video because Obama just comes off as so cool and refreshed after essentially two nights worth of being stepped on by Gopper shoes. Of course, it's no surprise that such a visionary and charismatic character like Obama could easily shrug off the pitiful Gopper attempts to tarnish his idyllic image. Still, I commend the man for approaching this situation like he has with any other - with dignity, calm, and intelligence.

It's pretty obvious by now that the Goppers know that they don't stand a chance at winning the election, so why are they even bothering with such libelous remarks in the first place? I'll tell you why: it's because they don't care about the ethics of politics (as if there were little to begin with... heh...) and they certainly don't care about this country. They can't possibly win so they want to drag everyone down with them. Shame on you, Senator McCan't Win the Presidency and Governor Failing to Connect to Voters.

You know, I'm glad Obama used a basketball metaphor because it highlights something a lot of people seem to be forgetting about McCain: he's freakin' old! I know the republicans thrive off people like him but there has to be a point where senility becomes an issues and McCain has definitely passed that point. I mean he couldn't even remember how many houses he owned! Anyone remember that little "uh oh" moment, or has FAUX NEWS already rewritten the transcripts for "Big Busher"? Obama is young, athletic, and would absolutely destroy John McCan't Raise His Arm All the Way in a game of one-on-one. What does that say about Obama's foreign policy? EVERYTHING. He's the kind of guy who can juke past injustice, pass the ball of responsibility to deserving team member nations, and call a time out when an important decision needs to be made about the world in which we all live. If the man can survive the trash talk of urban basketball court players, imagine the harsh words he'll be able to take from Russia.

Oh, and this whole "sexist" thing with Gov. Failin? Pure bull. I thought we had taken care of this back when Clinton was still running. There's no sexism in politics, Failin. Get over yourself. Nothing's going to excuse you for your lack of inexperience. And by the way, working as a community organizer is a hell of a lot more impressive than working as a grade school librarian (because of the way she looks... hehe!).

2. Senior Obama aide: Palin speech drew, repelled voters

"ST. PAUL (CNN) – Obama senior adviser Robert Gibbs told reporters Thursday he thought the tough tone of Republican convention speeches the night before — including Sarah Palin’s speech — “came at some cost,” and would take a political toll on John McCain's campaign.

“A lot of people came in not knowing who she was — and I think whenever a political candidate makes a speech that is heavy with contrast like last night’s was, that is going to move people to your side, and it’s going to move people away from you,” he said at a Christian Science Monitor lunch Thursday. “That’s not a zero sum game. It comes at some cost.

“I would guarantee that whatever you thought of her last night, if you didn’t have an opinion of her, some people thought more positively of her, but also some more negatively of her,” he added. “I have no doubt a lot of voters had critiques about that speech. Because I think voters are hearing and watching far different things than a group of delegates are.”

He said he thought the truncated convention schedule might have taken a toll on GOP messaging — and suggested that Republican speakers had gone over the line last night with veiled swipes at Michelle Obama. “I think there’s one camp that’s serious about leaving family out of this and one that’s less so, I’ll let you decide.”"

Leave it to an Obama advisor to offer the pure truth about the Gopper problem. I agree wholeheartedly - the main problem with Failin is that she came in as a nobody and started acting like she owned the place. You can't just waltz into the political arena as an unknown with no experience and little knowledge of the political system and then speak in a bombastic, authoritative tone while relentlessly bashing your much more qualified opponents. I thought there were safe-guards for that kind of ignorant behavior! Not in Gopperville, USA (read: practically the entire country... sigh...)

As for Failin's comments on Michelle Obama: shameless, to say the least. I know the woman has enough family issues as it is with her pregnant 17 year old daughter; you'd think she'd understand what it's like for someone to be interrogated because of their familial connections. I guess a rodent problem is only a problem when it's in your front yard. Typical Gopper mindset!

3. McCain-Palin embrace 'barracuda'

"ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) — Blasting through the Republican convention hall is the 1977 hit "Barracuda" by rock band Heart.

It's a shout-out to Sarah Palin. When she played basketball in high school, the soon-to-be Republican vice presidential nominee earned the nickname "Sarah barracuda" for her fierce competitiveness.

Some of her opponents revived the "Sarah barracuda" nickname after she became mayor of her hometown, Wasilla, in 1996, defeating a three-term incumbent."

Geez, leave it to the Goppers to try to appeal to the impressionable youth through the power of rock and roll. Too bad they picked a song that was popular in the freakin' seventies. Seems to me like everything the Goppers pick is 30 years too old, if you catch my drift...

As for Failin's "cute" nickname, I did some research on Wikipedia, you know, the free encyclopedia? Get this: when cooked fresh, barracuda disintegrate in hot soup. Sound familiar to anyone? Failin is fresh all right; she was governor for less than a year! Put her in the hot soup that is America's socio-economic climate and you've got one disintegrated V.P. Stick this one back in the oven, McCan't Do Anything Right.

4. 'U.S.A.' chant is code to drown out protesters

"ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – In response to early rumors that demonstrators might try to interrupt Republican presidential nominee John McCain's acceptance speech Thursday night, a number of delegations agreed to chant "U.S.A." in order to quell the sound of protesters.

"There's word of a possible demonstration coming. If it does, the chant is 'USA, USA'," a floor whip was overheard telling members in the New York delegation.

Similar whispers were heard from the Alaska delegation clear across to the Louisiana delegation on the other side of the hall only moments before McCain began speaking.

On at least three occasions during the early part of his speech, members of the audience began chanting "U.S.A." in response to protesters, who were then escorted out of the hall.

In one such case, McCain weighed in telling the crowd not to be distracted “by the static…Americans want us to stop yelling at each other.”"

This last one just makes me sick to my stomach. I guess the Goppers decided not listening to the truth wasn't going far enough; now they're actually drowning it out with chants the likes of which you'd most likely hear coming from primitive caveman communities. Oh, that's right, they don't believe in cavemen and yet they believe McCan't will steal the election. Did someone let the crazies out of the psych ward ahead of schedule again?

Tell me, if I were to barge into your home and start screaming "Monkey Cheese! Monkey Cheese! Monkey Cheese!", wouldn't you think I was just a tad bit off? Same principle applies here, except because they're shouting the name of the country they've been defiling for almost thirty years (around the time when Heart's "Barracuda" was still playing on the air waves), it's suddenly okay to act like a complete idiot. Oh, and never mind that the true voices of America have something to say - you Goppers just follow your masters' wishes and drown out the truth, just like "Big Busher."

Here's some real "static" for you, McCan't: your campaign's momentum.