After the Arizona shooting, Rush Limbaugh blamed the media for trying to turn people against conservatives. Image: CC Gage Skidmore/Flickr

A moment of silence on the White House lawn was a gesture by President Obama for the victims of Jared Lee Loughner. The moment of silence was observed in places ranging from the U.S. Supreme court to the Detroit Auto Show. A moment of silence was not observed by right wing media personalities, who used the tragedy to draw attention to themselves.

Moment of silence falls on many places

A national moment of silence at 11 a.m. EST Monday was led by President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on the south lawn of the White House. The Supreme Court adjusted its schedule to observe the moment of silence and honor U.S. District Judge John McCarthy Roll, who was killed along with five others in Tucson, Ariz., Saturday. Rep Gabrielle Giffords was critically wounded in the attack and 13 others were wounded. Other locations around the nation observing the moment of silence included the Detroit Auto Show, where the cacophony of the event fell silent for a minute before resuming at a more subdued level.

Shooting linked to toxic political environment

At a press conference after the shooting, Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik said it was time for the country “to do a little soul-searching.” Dupnik blamed the increasingly toxic political environment in the U.S. for the shooting. A graphic on Sara Palin’s website showing Democratic congressional districts, which included Gifford’s, marked on a map with gunsight crosshairs got a lot of media attention. Pseudo-violent political rhetoric from such lawmakers as Rep. Michelle Bachman, R-Minn., and failed Nevada senatorial candidate Sharon Angle were used as examples in stories about the nature of political discourse in the U.S.

Moment of silence falls on deaf ears

Right wing media personalities such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh used the suggestion that the Arizona shooting may be a consequence to Republican rhetoric by blaming liberals and the mainstream media. Rush Limbaugh accused Democrats of playing politics with the shooting and the media of turning people against conservatives. Glenn Beck called Sarah Palin a victim of the tragedy and warned her to protect her family. He also used the occasion to tell his viewers to denounce progressives and those who wish to “tear down our system.”

Sources

Wall Street Journal

New York Times

CNN

Salon

Voters have "refudiated" Sarah Palin's endorsee Joe Miller in favor of Lisa Murkowski. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Ballots from the Alaska Senate election are nearly counted, and Lisa Murkowski is the clear winner. A lawsuit filed by Joe Miller contests some of the ballots, but the lawsuit will likely amount to nothing. Murkowski already has a clear lead and will take the Alaska Senate seat.

Lisa Murkowksi’s write-in victory a rare occurrence

There are a few ballots still to be counted, but Lisa Murkowski has emerged the clear winner of the Alaska Senate election, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Joe Miller campaign has not conceded the election and, despite a promise to do so if the Alaska vote count swung Murkowski’s way, may keep contesting it. Miller has already filed a federal lawsuit disputing about 8,000 ballots, and especially interpretations of those ballots. However, the lawsuit might be a moot point, as Murkowski has a lead of nearly 10,000 votes. Even if all the votes that Miller contests are thrown out, any lead whatsoever by Murkowski seals his fate as the also-ran.

Tea Party ‘refudiated’ in Palin’s home state

As of this morning, Murkowski had a lead of at least 2,000 votes, not counting the 8,000 contested ones. An official count has to be declared before Miller can request a recount. Unless Murkowski is completely disqualified, Alaska voters have “refudiated” a Sarah Palin-backed candidate in her home state. The defeat of Joe Miller, heavily backed by the Tea Party Express and by Sarah Palin, is a high-profile slap in the face to the Tea Party and also to Palin, who feuded with Lisa Murkowski and her father, who was ousted by Palin in the Republican primary before the Alaska gubernatorial race in 2006. Palin left the post halfway through her term.

Rare win

Murkowksi is the first write-in candidate to win a Senate election in 56 years. The last candidate to do so was Strom Thurmond in 1954. However, the lawsuit and any requested recount may postpone her taking her seat for some time.

Sources

Los Angeles Times

Lisa Murkowski has taken the lead in the Alaska vote count. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

The drama of the Alaska vote count has intensified as Lisa Murkowski has pulled ahead of Joe Miller. Miller is contesting some of the write-in votes in a lawsuit. Murkowski also took some serious shots at former governor Sarah Palin.

Murkowski gaining lead in Alaska vote count

Lisa Murkowski has pulled ahead of Joe Miller in the hotly contested Alaska vote count for the Alaska Senate election. Murkowski launched a write-in campaign after Joe Miller won an upset victory over Murkowski in the Alaska Republican primary, much to the delight of former governor Sarah Palin. Miller is a Tea Party Republican and was heavily backed by Palin, but an endorsement from Palin may end up meaning little for Miller. Currently, Murkowski  92,164 to Miller’s 90,458, according to the Anchorage Daily News. There are still more than 8,000 ballots that remain to be counted, but so far 97 percent of write-in ballots have gone to Murkowski. Joe Miller has challenged 7,601 of the write-in votes, but the court has yet to recognize the challenge. Murkowksi’s campaign maintains the law allows for interpreting voter intent.

Murkowski blasts Sarah Palin

Palin and Murkowski have a bitter history, as Palin has taken numerous swipes at Murkowski in the press. Lisa Murkowski recently fired back, saying in an interview with Katie Couric that Palin “lacks intellectual curiosity” and doesn’t have “leadership skills” a president needs, according to CBS. While praising her skills at rallying public support, she also brought up that while Palin was serving her half-term as governor, she did not seem terribly engaged in the office and left as soon as she could.

Final vote count ahead

The final Alaska vote count is not far off, as the last ballots are being gathered and reviewed. While the lawsuit by Miller is still pending, the suit does not appear to be progressing quickly and may end up being tossed. Should Murkowski win, she will be the first write-in candidate elected to office in more than 50 years.

Sources

Anchorage Daily News

CBS

Joe Miller has filed a lawsuit to keep election officials from having any interpretative leeway in counting votes in the Alaska Senate race. Image: zieak/Flickr.com/CC-BY

Joe Miller has filed a lawsuit against the Lisa Murkowksi campaign. Miller is suing to keep the state from trying to interpret what the voter may have intended to write in the write-in candidate field. Prior to Miller filing suit, Alaskan officials have said they will make reasonable interpretations where appropriate. Joe Miller’s lawsuit is to keep officials from having any interpretative leeway whatsoever.

Lawsuit filed before final Alaska Senate race vote count

Joe Miller has filed for an injunction in Federal court ahead of the final vote count in the Alaska Senate race. The race has come down between Miller and incumbent Lisa Murkowski, who has been running as a write-in candidate. Miller’s suit concerns Alaskan election law, according to USA Today. The current law in Alaska is that an oval, indicating the choice of a write-in candidate, has to be filled in, and the name has to be written. The last name of the candidate, or the name of the candidate as it appears on the ballot have to be written. Names of official write-in candidates must be displayed in the booth. He is trying to cut any attempts to discern voter intent off at the pass.

Invoking infamous court case

Miller’s suit cites the infamous court case Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court case which decided the 2000 election. Joe Miller, the Tea Party darling with the Sarah Palin endorsement, is alleging that the law in Alaska mandates names of candidates be spelled correctly. However, according to the Washington Post, Alaskan officials insist some room for interpretation exists, in that misspellings are acceptable if there is a clear intention of which candidate the voter was casting a ballot for.

Final countdown

The final vote count in the Alaska Senate race is one of the closest watched races in the 2010 election results. Murkowksi, if she does garner the most votes, will have upset the Tea Party in Sarah Palin’s home state. She also will be the first candidate since Strom Thurmond in 1954 to win on a write-in campaign.

Sources

Washington Post

USA Today

Incumbent governor of Connecticut Jodi Rell, pictured here, will officially be replaced by Dan Malloy, as Tom Foley has conceded. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

The Connecticut governor race has finally concluded. Republican Tom Foley has conceded the race to Democrat Dannel Malloy, also called Dan Malloy, after a tense final count. A recount seems likely. Malloy, should any recounting or investigation not conclude that Foley was the winner, will be the first Democrat to win a gubernatorial contest in Connecticut for 24 years.

Foley concedes in Connecticut governor race

After election night 2010, the Connecticut governor race looked to be incredibly close. It became apparent that there were some voting irregularities, including an entire bag of ballots that had not only gone uncounted, but had been left unattended, among others. Still, by Monday, Nov. 8, a lead of about 6,000 votes in favor of Dannel Malloy had emerged, and Republican candidate Tom Foley felt that the best course was to concede, which he has done, according to the New York Times. Foley and his legal team examined the results, and though irregularities were certainly present, Foley does not believe that any “credible evidence of fraudulent voting” had occurred. He also did not intend to plunge Connecticut into a protracted legal battle over the governorship. Malloy is replacing M. Jodi Rell, the Republican incumbent who declined to run again.

Other races to be decided

Technically, most elections are still being tallied. However, there are a few that are still in contention, as some 2010 election results are close. Recently, Republican Bill Brady conceded the Illinois governor election to Democrat Pat Quinn, according to CBS. Quinn was Lieutenant Governor under Rod Blagojevich, but became Governor after Blagojevich was thrown out of office. Perhaps the most-watched is the Alaska Senate election, where Lisa Murkowski is holding a lead thanks to write-in ballots over the Tea Party darling and Sarah Palin-endorsed Joe Miller.

Electrifying elections

The 2010 midterm elections have been chock full of high drama. Republicans gained heavily in the House and a little bit in the Senate. However, some of the Tea Party heavies were soundly whipped at the polls, and if Miller is defeated, it will be a black eye to Palin and other Tea Party impresarios.

Sources

CBS

New York Times

Lisa Murkowski could pull off a huge upset on the write in ticket. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

One of the closest watched elections this year is for Alaska Senate, and it looks like Lisa Murkowski could upset Joe Miller. Murkowski lost the Alaska Republican Primary, but vowed not to go down without a fight. Miller has the Tea Party and Sarah Palin endorsements but is nearly level with Murkowski in polls. Palin has slammed Murkowski for not getting out of the way. Should Murkowski win, it will be the first write-in victory in 56 years.

Murkowski could stage historic upset

The Alaska Election 2010 for the open Senate seat has come down to three main candidates. Joe Miller won the Republican primary over Lisa Murkowski, making him the official Republican candidate for the seat. Miller, a political newcomer, has the coveted Sarah Palin endorsement. He is also a Tea Party darling and stands a fairly decent chance at winning. Scott McAdams is the Democratic candidate, and so far has not received nearly the same attention. However, Lisa Murkowski has had a resurgence in polls and has refused to simply walk away. She is running as a write in candidate. However, according to the New York Times, that will present further challenges in the Alaska Election vote counting.

Chance for historic upset

After the Alaska Republican primary, there were some concerns over ethics violations during Miller’s tenure as an attorney for the state. Murkowski, who has been blasted by Sarah Palin in the press, is starting to build momentum, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Should Murkowski win the seat by write in, it will be a very rare victory. The last time a write-in candidate won a Senate election, the candidate was Strom Thurmond. The year was 1954, according to the Washington Post.

Tea Party validation to come

Some Tea Party candidates have emerged as real contenders, though some have also been favorite targets of the press for a multitude of reasons. The real impact of the Tea Party movement will ultimately be decided at the polls.

Sources

Washington Post

New York Times

Karl Rove said gravitas is a quality people look for in a presidential candidate that Sarah Palin does not possess. Image: CC scripting news/Flickr

Gravitas, according to Wikipedia, is a Latin word referring to a person having substance, or depth of personality. Karl Rove, even though he managed to get George W. Bush elected, has said that Sarah Palin doesn’t have the gravitas to be taken seriously as a Republican presidential candidate. Her lack of gravitas showed this week when Tea Party candidates who rode her endorsement to primary victories refused to answer questions about Palin’s presidential qualifications.

Sarah Palin’s gravitas deficit

Millions of Americans, and perhaps even Sarah Palin, now know what “gravitas” means, thanks to Karl Rove, a man not known for introducing such dignified words into political discourse. Rove told the Telegraph he doubted that the American people thought Palin had the gravitas for “the most demanding job in the world.” Rove offered Palin’s reality show on the Discovery Channel as an example of how the former vice presidential candidate’s image is out of sync with a presence voters would expect to occupy the Oval Office.

Karl Rove throws his gravitas around

Rove wields a certain amount of gravitas himself within the Republican establishment. He got George W. Bush elected twice and has advised several GOP governors and congressmen to electoral victories. Rove knows how to win elections, which may explain his candid assessment of Palin and her Tea Party protege, Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell. Last month Rove told Fox News that he wasn’t impressed by O’Donnell’s political skills. He was also concerned about O’Donnell saying “a lot of nutty things” and misleading voters about her “checkered background.”

Palin’s gravitas trickles down

Tea Party candidates who benefited most from Sarah Palin’s blessing may agree with Rove’s assessment of the Mama Grizzly’s gravitas. Thursday, O’Donnell lifted her self-imposed ban on talking with the media and spoke to Jim Acosta from CNN. Acosta asked her whether Palin was qualified to be commander in chief. She dodged the question, asking “Is she running for president?” The New York Daily News reports that Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller refused to publicly endorse Palin, which prompted an angry e-mail from her husband Todd, who wrote “Sarah put her a– on the line for Joe and he can’t answer a simple question.”

Sources

Christian Science Monitor

The Telegraph

New York Daily News

Christine O'Donnell and others have won primaries, but real Tea Party success has yet to be seen. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

As the November 2010 elections draw closer, a lot of people are fixated on the candidates that align themselves with the Tea Party movement. Candidates allied with or expressed members of the Tea Party bloc are gaining steam. Christine O’Donnell recently won the Delaware Republican Primary for the pending Delaware Senate Election, defeating longtime representative and former Governor Michael Castle. Leadership within the Republican party is questioning whether any Tea Party candidates will do more harm than good.

Tea Party not an actual party

The Tea Party is not a political party. It’s a voting bloc mostly among Republicans, similar to the Democratic Freedom Caucus (libertarian Democrats) or Log Cabin Republicans (Republicans amenable to gay rights). Were tea party organizations to become a third party, it would be the death of it. The most successful third party of all time was the Progressive Party of 1912, also called the Bull Moose Party. The candidate was Theodore Roosevelt. Since then, third parties have performed dismally in presidential and congressional elections. The most successful third party candidate after Roosevelt was segregationist George Wallace, according to Wikipedia, who picked up the electoral votes from 5 states in 1968.

Delaware Primary

The Delaware Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate race came down to Michael Castle and Christine O’Donnell. Castle was Governor of Delaware for two terms, and a Representative from Delaware since 1993. O’Donnell is the Tea Party favorite but has never been elected to any office. She won the primary, according to the New York Times, 57 percent to 43 percent. Prior to the primary, O’Donnell was endorsed by Sarah Palin. The Palin endorsement is a badge of prestige in Tea Party circles, though Palin did not fulfill an entire term as Governor of Alaska. Her tenure was also marred by ethical and legal investigations.

Talk is cheap

So far, Tea Party candidates have not achieved success beyond primaries. The real effect of these rallies and the movement will not be known until the November elections have concluded. Some members of the Republican party have expressed concern that Tea Party candidates lack sufficient experience and will alienate more voters than they can reach.

Sources

New York Times

Wikipedia on Third Parties

John McCain heavily defeated J.D. Hayworth, the Tea Party favorite, in the Arizona primary. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Sometimes old dogs do learn new tricks. The trick for John McCain was how to make sure that he didn’t lose the Arizona Republican Primary to a Tea Party endorsed candidate, J.D. Hayworth. John McCain isn’t the only incumbent facing a similar candidate, but McCain still knows how to campaign. Hayworth was trounced in the primary, and will have to lick his wounds for another six years. The Florida Senate race and Alaska Senate race are also being closely watched, as many wonder just how effective the Tea Party rallies and activism will be in the end.

McCain serves crow to Tea Party

Senator John McCain, the defeated Republican candidate from the last presidential election, had a fight on his hands. Former congressman J.D. Hayworth, a Republican and Tea Party darling, was gunning for his Senate seat, along with many other anti-incumbent candidates. While the hostility toward the Washington establishment may help others, it did Hayworth no good. McCain received about 60 percent of the vote and Hayworth only 30 percent. Granted, John McCain did spend about $20 million on campaigning, and he changed his previous tune on immigration, according to CNN. He is expected to easily defeat the Democratic candidate.

Three choices for Sunshine State Senate

The Florida election results 2010 should prove interesting. Governor Charlie Crist is running as an independent. The Republican candidate, and also a Tea Party heavy, is Marco Rubio, a member of the Florida legislature. The Democratic primary just concluded, and Representative Kendrick Meek upset billionaire Jeff Greene. Greene self-financed his campaign but failed to capture the primary.

Alaska up for grabs

The home state of Sarah Palin also has a closely watched election for the U.S. Senate. Longtime incumbent Lisa Murkowski faces a challenge in the Republican primary from Jeff Miller, a Tea Party affiliated candidate who also has an endorsement from Sarah Palin. That race is virtually neck and neck, with Miller leading by a paper thin margin. Tea Party candidates are thus far somewhat successful in primaries, but the true success will be determined in November.

Further Reading

CNN

Once upon a time, it was entirely fashionable to bash Sarah Palin. Oh, look at that lady from Alaska. She shoots wolves, winks a lot and can’t tell Katie Couric what she reads. She routes state money to build a “Bridge to Nowhere,” but she’s down-homey. Etc, etc, ad nauseous. So far, we know that no payday loans were harmed in the making of a Sarah Palin joke. She may not be a polished politician, but there are people who like what she claims to stand for. As to whether that’s actually what she stands for, we won’t know unless she unseats Barack Obama in 2012. There are certainly questions as to whether Obama stands for what he claimed to stand for during the campaign, but such is the razzle-dazzle of American politics.

Watch me pull a recessionary rabbit out of this hat!

Now those desperate to keep the “stupid” mask on Sarah Palin are pointing out the Palin cheat sheet to help keep her abreast of GOP priorities. AlterNet shares this rather dull nugget, via the Huffington Post. Words like “energy,” “tax” and “life American spirits” were supposedly written on the back of her hand, as was “budget cuts” with the first word crossed out. This was apparently for a Q&A session at the Tea Party Convention in Nashville.

Remember the Obama teleprompter?

Let’s be honest here. President Obama has taken his lumps for using a teleprompter at many (if not all) speaking events. Sarah Palin may not be the orator he is, but how much does it truly matter whether a politician is cribbing during a speaking engagement? What matters are policy decisions, something for which the American public dropped the ball in 1960. Kennedy vs. Nixon was decided not by policy, but by who was prettiest.

On burying the jump shot

Obama vs. Palin will be different in that it will deal with two pretty people. We’ll see if the president will have completely burned his bridges by 2012, and whether Palin will grow enough respect to reach outside her already established base. Payday loans will still be around in 2012, and so will people critical of both Obama and Palin. Since they can both play basketball, I say we decide it that way. One-on-one for the presidency… it’s what America demands, because we aren’t superficial!

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/billypalooza/ / CC BY-SA 2.0)

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(Photo Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Did you see the Sarah Palin Runner’s World interview? It may give us some idea of what she’s running for, but is the real question that we should be asking “What’s she running from?”

Where’s Sarah Palin headed these days?

That’s a question that has the Republican party stumped. Is she going to run for president in 2012? Are the financial scandals in Alaska too hot for her to handle? Is she leaving politics behind to care for her family? Who knows. Some would argue that even Sarah Palin doesn’t know the answers to these questions.

What are her issues?

Yet legal bills are definitely an issue for the Palin family these days, so how they’re doing financially could be an issue. Do the Palins need unsecured loans or some other form of pay day loans? Do they even need money at all to deal with their current issues?

Whatever the case, Palin’s running

Pam Platt writes in the Louisville Courier-Journal that Sarah Palin was featured in two  “splashy magazine pieces,” one in Vanity Fair and the other in Runner’s World. Both stories predated Palin’s shocking public announcement, and both were damaging.

In Vanity Fair, Palin is portrayed as a “diva-licious, self-serving loose cannon,” says Platt. Sarah Palin in Runner’s World didn’t receive the same amount of attention, but her commentary is telling of her state of mind.

The runner cries

“You don’t complain when something’s hurting because no one wants to hear it. You get bummed and burned out sometimes in running and in politics, but if you’re in for the long haul and you’re in it because you know that it is a good thing, then you get out there and you do it anyway.”

That sounds like a devoted runner who takes care of things, doesn’t it? If that’s so, who is the “victim” Sarah Palin we heard at the press conference? After the David Letterman media gaffe? She cries victimization, which is quite different than the image of a long-distance runner who faces the flames. Did John McCain do his research before he chose her for the ticket?

Love of the outdoors

Palin actually told Runner’s World, “Alaska would be hard to give up because it is such a part of who I am. So much of my life revolves around the great outdoors that that would be kind of tough.”

Is that why you’re quitting, Sarah? Because being a governor or president takes you away from the outdoors for too long? Perhaps Ahmadinejad would agree to meet you at the duck blind? Wouldn’t that just be peachy?

Oh wait, she changes her mind. Is she a flip-flopper?

“On the other hand, I think of being in D.C. and in a position to promote physical fitness and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise and being an example for others, and I know that could do some good for our country.”

OK, so she wants to be health czar?

Palin should know about czars, because they’re from Russia. And she can see Russia from… you know the rest. What I found most disturbing about Palin’s televised press conference is that it was as scatter-shot as her views in these two magazine articles. This woman is the governor of one of our 50 United States? This woman has delusions of presidential grandeur. Being a “maverick” has lost all of its currency thanks to you, Mrs. Palin. Why couldn’t you tell Katie Couric what magazines you read? In all honestly, where is the “Department of Law” located in the White House and who works there? Madlock?

Sweat is her sanity?

It’s healthy to sweat, so I think I’m on to something with the health czar idea. “Sweat is my sanity,” she told Runner’s World. Yet she sounded almost the opposite in her press conference. As Platt puts it, “Palin has a hot mess… As birds quacked in the background, she gulped for air and clutched at several competing metaphors to describe her own fabulousness as she tried again to burnish her rep as a maverick who sticks even as she showed herself to be a lame duck who wouldn’t.”

She could have been a heartbeat away

Remember that. Palin supporters see her as a breath of fresh air, but the more she speaks, the more breathless she appears when it comes to dealing with the intense scrutiny that is part and parcel of being a high-ranking politician. If she knows that she can’t handle that anymore and wants to do what’s best for her family, she should strap on her running shoes and try to be what Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be for the presidency, long ago: a health adviser. Palin should run away from the political spotlight and settle into a lower-stress job. She needs to sweat to remain sane. And try unsecured loans and pay day loans if she needs them.

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Lil' George and his posse

Human beings admire those with dignity and grace. No matter how far the public taste strays into an ocean of trash, social graces are a braided rope thrown from the shores of home.

Do as George did

In saying this, I don’t mean that we should all go to finishing school to prepare for our high society coming-out parties before Lindsay Lohan pulls us beneath the waves like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. No, I’m talking about how we conduct ourselves. If we want to be treated with respect, it wouldn’t hurt to do as George Washington did. He studied “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” He transcribed these 110 rules to live by when he was a boy.

And you’re… how old? Get with the program and live better. Use payday loans and unsecured loans responsibly, too. It’s all part of being dignified.

He was the Father of Our Country

David Brooks writes in the New York Times op-ed piece “In Search of Dignity” that Washington’s rules of civility were difficult to follow, but he worked hard to cultivate them throughout his life. Historian Gordon Wood recognizes the efforts of America’s first president when he writes that “Washington became a great man and was acclaimed as a classical hero because of the way he conducted himself during times of temptation. It was his moral character that set him off from other men.”

About human beings

This code Washington strove to follow was based on the same underlying idea that informs the United States Constitution: that human beings are flawed and must work to govern their passions. The belief is that artificial systems of government must be in place to help regulate unchecked desires or chaos will reign. Do not give in to personal interests over those of the greater good, do not carry on in public and treat rashness with healthy skepticism. Rely on yourself first. Be polite to others. It’s all part of the code.

America lacks manners

So what’s the point that Brooks is trying to make here, aside from the fact that too many people like to play with Lindsay in the muck? The “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation” and any dignity code they spawned are all but gone. Brooks blames shameless self-promotion; flinging our feelings around like Jackson Pollock’s paint; confessing everything to everyone (no matter how inane); and “radical egalitarianism,” with its negative view of high manners.

Violators of the code

We see violators of the code every day. Arrests, scandals, embarrassing drunks in bars and co-workers who must tell you about their random and sundry rashes. But the ones that stumble into the media spotlight make for an interesting study. Mark Sanford offers no apology to his wife or South Carolina constituency during his press conference. He rambles on and hopes the gloss of a book – a book – will blind others to his titanic failing and complete lack of personal dignity. Michael Jackson lives in perpetual childhood and pain unto death, then the world feeds on the carcass. Then Sarah Palin comes forward to resign from the Alaska governorship. She expects us to be inspired by her authority and trust, but she actively works to stir attention in the tabloids. Learn how to behave with dignity and you will be treated with dignity. Homespun charm isn’t enough.

Governing your passions

Do you fly through your life in pursuit of one passion after the next, without any real steering mechanism? Try some of the “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation” on for size. The roots of dignity and ethics are there, but you have to plant them in order to make them work in your own life. How you do that is up to you. One financial piece of advice I’d offer is that instead of running up a credit card bill you pay off over time (hence paying a lot more money than you needed in the first place), try payday loans and unsecured loans instead. One-time fee of $15 to $30 per $100 loaned is typical and inexpensive.

Then there is Barack

Brooks likes to point out that not all celebrities lack dignity. Whatever disagreements you may have over some of his policies, President Obama “exemplifies reticence, dispassion and the other traits associated with dignity,” writes Brooks. Will Barack Obama bring dignity back to a country that badly needs it?

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I don’t suppose this is surprising, ultimately. Most people figured that the Republicans would want that Sarah Palin moxie on the presidential ticket again (if nothing else), and her move today to resign from the governorship of Alaska may just be the sign that she’s going through with it.

Now, does the fact that Sarah Palin resigns mean that she’ll be in the running for president, or is something else going on here? Has she chosen family over politics, have scandals caught up to her, or what? If she needs money, are there not secured loans and instant payday loans?

Love will build a bridge to nowhere

Philip Rucker and Eli Saslow report for the Washington Post that Palin will resign effective July 26 and return to private life. This is in the middle of her term first term as Alaska’s governor. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will succeed Palin.

“We know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities,” said Palin during a news conference in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. “I know when it’s time to pass the ball for victory.”

The kids told her it was time.

Palin, 45, has made a decision that has allegedly shocked Republican strategists. Her term as governor of Alaska would have ended in 2010, so why didn’t she serve the rest of her term? Sure, she asked her kids if she should do it and they said yes, but is that surprising? They want a mother, not a political figure that plays their mother on occasion.

John McCain confidant John Weaver had this to say: “We’ve seen a lot of nutty behavior from governors and Republican leaders in the last three months, but this one is at the top of that.”

Let’s explain the bizarre photo you see here, Palinites

That’s no normal photo of Sarah Palin holding her son Trig there. Clearly, there’s some Photoshop in play. But it requires some setup…

During her news conference today, Palin uttered these exact words about her little boy, who happens to have Down Syndrome:

“I know he needs me, but I need him even more.”

The non-cynic in me wants to believe that what she meant is that he helps ground her. Perhaps so, but considering how popular an opinion it has been lately that Sarah Palin is using her children to stay in the news – remember the David Letterman stuff? – it strikes me as opportunistic for her to say this. What, he’s the one child who hasn’t been in the spotlight lately, so she figures he’s fair game?

From the perspective of a parent, which I am, her statement rings false. Children need their parents, and it is a parent’s job to be in that position. There should be no co-dependency involved, lest the child be emotionally scarred. Admittedly, life for Trig Palin will be different than an average child (even his sisters), considering his Down Syndrome, but please… Sarah Palin… for the love of Pete, get out of politics. Be an activist if you want to help people. But put your family first. If you run for the presidency, you will inflict wounds that will not heal, considering the road you’ve taken so far.

Whose is  the face superimposed on Trig?

OK, here’s something else that’s ugly, but it isn’t Sarah Palin’s fault (mostly). According to an article in the Canada Free Press, the Gateway Pundit posted the doctored picture. The Free Press author took umbrage at the fact that pro-choice Democrats, angry at Palin’s pro-life stance (“Pro-life” is a misnomer, folks, but I’ll let you argue about that until I weigh in another day), have foisted such a photo, depicting the face of pro-life radio talk show host Eddie Burke on baby Trig’s body. What’s truly disgusting is a comment made by “Tom W.” about the photo on the Gateway Pundit blog:

He (Eddie Burke) once called pro-choice women “baby killing maggots,” so his face was put on Trig’s body because – as a leftist told me – it’s the face of one person who should’ve been aborted put on the body of another person who should’ve been aborted.

OK, I see that I can’t avoid the abortion argument entirely here. First, it’s completely out of bounds to involve Trig in a political discussion. If Palin responds to it the way she did to David Letterman, she’ll only be feeding the fire. Perhaps I can see now why she’s resigning… I wouldn’t wish this kind of treatment on my own children. I would lay down my life for them, and if Sarah Palin feels the same, she’ll stay away from this brand of garbage.

Abortion, abortion, abortion

In a nutshell, here’s my stance. Nobody should have the right to enforce whether Eddie Burke, Trig Palin or anyone else should be aborted. I do believe in choice; I do not believe that religion is a moral authority. I also believe that Tom W. is a sorry excuse for a human being, because there’s no humanity in his statement.

Here’s my disclaimer: these opinions are my own, and not those of any company or other entity.

So to sum up, Sarah Palin resigns because her kids say so. That’s all we know at this writing for sure. Trig Palin and the rest of the Palin children should have a chance at a happy life, and anyone who equates religious doctrine with the laws of the United States of America should never be president here. They should be allowed to take out secured loans and instant payday loans, however.

Now, I understand there’s an opening in Honduras…

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