Author Archive | Jim Lindgren

You would not believe how the Sarah Palin pick is playing out at the Hillary Clinton Forum (tip to a VC commenter). In order, these are all the posts on the first (and only) page I’ve looked at (page 8 of the Palin thread; this link may not point to exactly the same posts). I […]

Once the sappy warm-ups were over, Sarah Palin hit her stride. She is good when talking about what she did in Alaska. I can see why she has an 80% approval rating. The frequent interruptions for cheering, however, are annoying. She’s not as polished as Joe Biden, but she’s much more straightforward in her speech […]

NBC says it’s Sarah Palin for the GOP VP ticket. UPDATE: CNBC, which had a reporter and film crew with Palin in Alaska last week, reports that Palin calls her husband “the First Dude.” Also, CNBC calls him a “sloper,” which in Alaska apparently refers to someone who works on the North Slope. The brief […]

The text of Obama’s speech is here. I’ve read it. On balance, it looks excellent. UPDATE: I think that was the best delivered acceptance speech I’ve heard since at least Reagan. Reagan perhaps had a little more heart in his delivery; Obama’s style is cooler. But then, in prepared remarks Obama comes across as smarter […]

Unlike some European systems of the past two centuries, the American tradition is for individuals to form their own diverse communities and for each community to govern itself to the extent possible. Universal national service seems to reverse the direction of this relationship: its goal is to use the government to transform people to fit […]

I looked to see if I could find evidence to support Joe Biden’s claim today that he had “‘hundred of thousands’ of people at his announcement speech for his first U.S. Senate run” in 1972. Tip to Ben Smith. In 1972, Joe Biden was elected to the Senate with 116,006 votes (50.5%); his Republican opponent […]

Althouse points to a pro-McCain YouTube ad up on Hot Air that she calls “devastating.” It ends with a clip from Barack Obama’s 2004 campaign for the Senate: You know, I am a believer in knowing what you’re doing when you apply for a job. And I think that if I were to seriously consider […]

As some of you may remember, I previously explained why I didn’t put too much stock in the stories about Barack Obama’s ties to Bill Ayers, a position for which I received some positive comments at Huffington Post and elsewhere. I concluded: It seems to me that Obama’s serving on the board of the Woods […]

The most worrisome of Barack Obama’s proposals is his goal of bringing most charities under the federal umbrella in part by inducing all middle and high school children to do 50 hours of community service every year. The details are on his campaign website and in his speeches calling Americans to service. By requiring almost […]

Yesterday’s Gallup Tracking Poll showed McCain up by an insignificant 2% (46% to 44%). Today showed a 3-point swing in just one day, to Obama up an insignificant 1% (45% to 44%). Today’s release is an average of polls done on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. While it may be just random variation, a 3% jump […]

I was watching ABC, which showed the end of Hillary Clinton’s pre-speech film. In one clip of Bill Clinton, he was identified by a small title that simply said, “Hillary’s Husband.” UPDATE: Hillary Clinton just finished speaking. Her first 15 minutes or so were relatively poorly delivered, but she seemed energized by a joke about […]

It has been suggested that John McCain might announce his VP choice on Thursday. I see that Rich Lowry has been thinking the same thing that I’ve been thinking, though I’d use stronger language than he did. IMO, (1) it would be a classless act; and (2) unless it’s a strange choice for VP, it […]

Michelle Obama is giving a strong speech — personal, sincere, clearly presented. The theme seems to be “The World as it Should Be.” She is talking about the American Dream. She ends with “God Bless America.” UPDATE: Barack Obama showed up on satellite from Kansas City to praise his wife — in a very charming […]

Many pundits on the right are underestimating the ease with which Barack Obama has it within his power to get a 3-8% bump in support in the polls. Remember, Obama got enormous mileage in his 2004 convention speech from some modest statements about African-American personal responsibility. If Barack –- or for that matter, Michelle — […]

In Dick Posner’s attack on Heller, excerpted by Orin Kerr, Posner offers this “originalist” analysis: The Second Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights added to the original Constitution in 1791, states: “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, […]