England for Obama

(Note: I don’t think Katty Kay really talks like that. I think she just watched a lot of Merchant Ivory films and fooled BBC America into thinking that she’s British.)

Sarah Palin is the political equivalent of Tourette Syndrome. You don’t want to talk about her. You really don’t want to talk about her. And yet she keeps popping up, bursting out of your mouth (or more precisely: blog post) like some sort of unwanted yet uncontrollable expletive. Try as I might, I can’t stop writing about her. Because she keeps, y’know, doin’ stuff.

Mind you, I do think it’s legitimate to raise this new Sarah Palin attack. Because it’s an attack on me. Oh, and you. For reading me.

That’s right: Sarah Palin has attacked blogging. As surely as night follows day (except in Alaska, where night follows night), Palin is now criticising not just the “filter” of the mainstream media but the filter of the blogosphere, too.

According to Sarah, bloggers sit in their parents’ basements (or presumably just the one basement, if their parents aren’t divorced), “wearing their pyjamas and blogging some kind of gossip or lie”:

Well, I’ve got news for you, Sarah: I don’t live with my parents any more. And they never owned a basement in the first place. I will, however, admit to the “pyjamas” part. I regard it as one of the perks of the job (who wouldn’t work in their pyjamas if they could?) - and guess what, Sarah? Sometimes I blog in my pyjamas from my bed. Put that in your moose chilli and smoke it!

Ahem.

But on that point about blogs versus the “real” media: as Rachel Maddow jokingly notes, who’s to say that those who write in their pyjamas are to be taken less seriously than those who write in suits? (And what if you sit at home writing your blog in a suit?) Unsurprisingly for a blogger, I think that while the blogosphere is clearly not exactly equivalent to the mainstream media (any Tom, Dick or Harry can set up a blog. Not any Tom, Dick or Harry can get a job on the New York Times), it should absolutely be considered alongside such media as an important news source.

Indeed, if this year’s election proved anything, it’s how valuable blogging has become in the provision of news and information for an electorate which has previously been forced to rely on the corporate-owned, politically motivated likes of Fox News. The internet and its resulting independent news websites and blogs have shown that the public no longer has to depend on the old media - and the government - for information. Bush and co. only giving you their version of the Iraq war? Don’t worry - you can watch Al Jazeera online. Sarah Palin denying something? No matter - someone, somewhere will have posted the footage proving she said it. Busy British person who hasn’t got the time to sift through all the current news stories about the American election? No problem - England For Obama has done the work for you.

Like I say: if Sarah Palin attacks you, you must be doing something right. And if politicians are begging for mercy, you must be doing something really right. Here’s to Arianna Huffington, Markos Moulitsas, Jed Lewison, AKMuckraker, Andrew Sullivan, Bob Cesca, the blogosphere and all who sail in her. Huzzah!

And now I’m off to get dressed.

Hat-tip to Rick for forwarding these to me:

Ooh. Looks like Barack Obama is taking that whole “team of rivals” thing seriously.

Here’s the story.

And here.

And here:

*Update* It’s been confirmed that Obama has, indeed, offered Clinton the job - and she’s thinking about it. According to an aide, when she was First Lady, Hillary learned to be an effective “backdoor diplomat”. Who knew that Bubba was into such things?

Steps In The Right Direction, No.12: This.

*Update* I just read this by Glenn Greenwald (via Andrew Sullivan):

“It’s just a fact that there are all sorts of people close to Obama who have enabled those Bush policies and who are mobilizing now and attempting to ensure that nothing meaningful occurs in these areas. It simply is noteworthy of comment and cause for concern — though far from conclusive about what Obama will do — that Obama’s transition chief for intelligence policy, John Brennan, was an ardent supporter of torture and one of the most emphatic advocates of FISA expansions and telecom immunity. It would be foolish in the extreme to ignore that and to just adopt the attitude that we should all wait quietly with our hands politely folded for the new President to unveil his decisions before deciding that we should speak up or do anything.”

As Greenwald points out in his article, rather worryingly - although not altogether unsurprisingly - Obama is surrounding himself with an awful lot of Democrats who let George Bush get away with murder (and torture and wiretapping and…) over the past eight years. This is probably pragmatic, sensible and to be expected - some of these Steps In The Right Direction may turn out to be baby steps, after all. But it’s also all the more reason why we lefties need to hold him accountable.

Jon Stewart interviewed Bill O’Reilly on last night’s Daily Show - and tried to calm his Baracknophobia:

Interview part one -

Interview part two -

…and Americans are feeling good. Despite the economy being in what we Brits would call the ‘loo’. Rachel Maddow looks at The Obama Optimism Effect (as well as press coverage of Barack’s every move; and the latest on Joe Lieberman):

In fact, it seems that everyone is feeling that little bit happier now that A Nice Man is leader of the free world. As America In The World reports, Brits’ opinions of the United States have improved since Obama was elected - to the extent that we now apparently like America more than France and Germany. Imagine!

Actually, you don’t have to imagine. Here were the results of the survey:

But she can plough through doors:

(Note: I promise not to give this woman any more oxygen of publicity. Sarah: it’s over. I’m sorry. It’s not me. It’s you.)

No, that’s not a pre-emptive call to Democratic arms in 2012 - but how long Keith Olbermann has just renewed his contract for.

That’s right, folks: your and my favourite liberal shouty man is staying at MSNBC. Here was the press release:

NEW YORK - Nov. 10, 2008 - MSNBC has voted for four more years of Keith Olbermann and the top-rated “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” it was announced today by Phil Griffin, President, MSNBC. The new four-year agreement calls for Olbermann to continue as host of “Countdown;” additionally, Olbermann will play a prominent role in MSNBC’s coverage of all major news events. He will also continue to co-host NBC’s “Football Night in America” studio show.

Olbermann’s new contract is rumoured to be worth $30 million. Being a lily-livered, bleeding heart, liberal egghead communist*, I hope he plans to spread some of that wealth around.

*copyright: Jed Bartlet

Who knew?!

“WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.

‘It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he’s the one who proposed this national security force,’ Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. ‘I’m just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism.’”

Rep. Paul Broun then threw his toys out of the pram.

Actually, read the above quote carefully. What’s genius about it isn’t Broun’s claim that Barack Obama might be about to launch a Marxist dictatorship, but that Broun “may have a problem” with that.

One dreads to think what he’d have a serious problem with. Anarchy?