***
Last night's Vice Presidential debate was fun. A nice break from the unfolding financial cataclysm that will soon transform us to a Mad Max economy. My big takeaways:
- Joe Biden's teeth are very white. So are Barack Obama's. If they're elected, the White House photographer will have to adjust his/her flash. Otherwise every photo will just be a big blur.
- Sarah Palin has a gorgeous neck. Everyone thinks I'm off on this. But I really do think the contours and swoop of her neck are lovely. And no sagging underneath the chin. Democrats should stop denying this.
- It seemed like Biden was really taken with Palin. No, she hasn't turned out to be the 1930s heroine (Rosalind Russell is His Girl Friday, Katharine Hepburn in Philadelphia Story) that conservatives and pundits of all stripes hoped: the brains-and-beauty double-whammy who knocks heads with, and eventually falls for, her equal. Instead she's turned out to be much more of a 1950s leading lady: think Sandra Dee in Gidget. More plucky than feisty. Or maybe like Judy Holliday, a classic idiot savant -- with extra-hidden savvy.
Here's the moment I wanted to see: After one of Palin's irresistably inane moms-and-mavericks monologues sputters to a close, Biden flashes a grin, then walks right up to Palin's podium. The audience holds its breath. Gwen Ifill rises from her chair. A security guard steps in behind Palin. But Palin turns away from the guard and right toward Biden, tossing her hair, one arm on her hip, doing her best to project confidence. But her trembling lips give her away.
Biden: You need to be kissed ... and often ... by someone who knows how!
Biden grabs Palin and the two engulf each other in a kiss. Palin is ravished, unraveled by Biden, lifted off the ground. Is the room spinning? The audience cheers. Ifill shakes her head and throws up her notes. She knew this would happen, and she's not about to stand in the way of bipartisan romance. Biden sets Palin back down. Palin points at his mouth, then turns to camera.
Palin: What's the difference between any ol' Democrat and Joe Biden?
The audience (in unison): Lipstick!!
- Finally, because race is such a huge part of this campaign, it must be said: Sarah Palin is distinctively -- and increasingly -- orange. I mean, creamsicle-colored. Setting aside the issue of why she's so orange (is this in deference to Halloween? if so, is she too seasonal a candidate?), here is my question:
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Thank goodness my Biden has better taste in women. He likes them "drop dead gorgeous" AND brilliant.
He would get bored with Palin Mantis really quickly.
This post is lovely, babe. (Perfect for a Friday!)
You know that I especially enjoy the "Philadelphia Story" references.
Smooches.
giftedgirl at 10:41AM on Oct 3rd 2008
2. Yes, the teeth! I noticed that too, Mo.
One thing I'll give Palin, she's probably the best dressed Republican out there.
Have you made mention anywhere of all the ill-fitting suits Bush and McCain have been wearing? On the one hand, they should be monied enough to hire a good tailor. On the other, perhaps they shop at Men's Warehouse on purpose to project that "everyman" vibe they think is so important.
Ugh.
mo-NEEK-a at 10:57AM on Oct 3rd 2008
3. I totally noticed her odd tan last night too Mo...
I'm still trying to figure out the source of the orange color:
Is it a fake tan like out of a can?
Is it due to the severe climate change in Alaska?
Is it from her debate camp experience in Arizona?
Maybe she's born with it or maybe it's Maybelline?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aMVwsEhebs
FINN at 12:44PM on Oct 3rd 2008
4. Oh my god, Mo! I actually laughed out loud. Brilliant. Apparently you have a future with Harlequin if the political thing doesn't work out...But you know, so much of this campaign seems like a movie. McCain and those American jobs signs reminds me of that part in "Dave" where he says the government will find a job for everyone...
Who needs a campaign advisor, just hire a screenwriter!
gabrielle at 1:39PM on Oct 3rd 2008
5. Mo, it's not just Sarah Palin with the orange glow. There seems to be a lot of that thing on TV nowadays. I saw the DNC's last big loser on TV the other night: John Kerry. He looked like a Creamsickle with a bad haircut.
Biden's complexion seemed normal but his teeth may have another reason for being so white. He uses bleach full strength when he puts them in the glass on his nightstand. He is almost 66 after all. Shouldn't he be retiring soon? Oh, wait... once elected Veep he basically will be. He can go hide out in that undisclosed location in the Carribean.
I like Joe, though. I think he's probably a real stand-up guy - at least as much as you can be after so many years in Washington. I almost hate to pick on him. Almost.
torquemada at 7:57PM on Oct 3rd 2008
6. "You had me at.... bipartisanship."
madbard at 8:20PM on Oct 3rd 2008
7.
Did anyone notice how nicely she filled out her skirt?
Wow, and her old man's name is Todd as well....ooopps, did I give my name away?
Different Todd.... I think?
mac at 11:01PM on Oct 3rd 2008
8. Orange is a mix of red & yellow... maybe red state & yellow journalism??.... I mean she was a journalism major at Wassilla U. wasn't she?
Since we're on looks.... where does everybody get this Sarah beautiful stuff?... I guess it's just a matter of taste.... but beautiful? Come on.. Really?
What would be great is for people to design Palin Pumpkins and send in the pics or drawings.... somehow in my mind I see a long pumkin shape with large horse teeth...
MichMan at 1:35PM on Oct 4th 2008
9. She's freaky and she's loony
A redneck from the boonies
Can't tell a Shiite from a Sunni
Pimped Palin Pumpkin Pie
Her voice is horrifying
She smiles and winks while lying
Smart voters aren't buying
Pimped Palin Pumpkin Pie
Duh, duh, duh, snap, snap.
giftedgirl at 9:31PM on Oct 4th 2008
10. QUOTE; FROM ARTICLE BY ROSA BROOKS FROM LA TIMES - SHE IS A PROF. AT GEORGETOWN.
Over the years, Palin has actively courted the Alaska Independence Party, or AIP, an organization that supports Alaskan secession from the U.S. To be clear, we're not necessarily talking about friendly secession either: As the AIP's founder, Joe Vogler, told an interviewer in 1991: "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. ... And I won't be buried under their damn flag." The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. could learn from this man.
Share Vogler's sentiment? You can purchase a "Joe was right!" T-shirt on the AIP's website for $25. The AIP's website also provides helpful links to other secessionist groups, including the Southern Independence Party of Tennessee (which boasts of going after "these Politically Correct Liberal Communist[s]"), Ulster nationalists and Chechen separatists.
The McCain campaign denies that Palin ever joined the AIP. But while it is in dispute whether she attended its 1994 convention, she did visit the 2000 one and addressed AIP conventions in 2006 and 2008. Her husband, Todd, was a registered AIP member from 1995 to 2002, and the AIP leadership certainly considers her one of their own.Video footage shows AIP Vice Chairman Dexter Clark describing Palin at the 2007 North American Secessionist Convention as an "AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town -- that was a nonpartisan job. But you get along to go along. She eventually joined the Republican Party, where she had all kinds of problems with their ethics, and well, I won't go into that." (No need to. The Alaska Legislature's ethics investigators are on the case.) Apparently with Palin in mind, Clark then went on to urge AIP members to "infiltrate" the major parties.
So what does Palin currently think of the AIP? Hard to know -- she's been keeping mum -- but this year she told AIP members: "I'm delighted to welcome you to the 2008 Alaska Independence Party Convention. ... Keep up the good work!"
Does it make you uneasy to have a possible secessionist sympathizer aiming for the White House? Do you worry that Palin shares AIP founder Vogler's burning "hatred for the American government"?
Alex Vallas at 8:07PM on Oct 6th 2008