Talk/Talk: The Red/Blue Line

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, The Red/Blue Line. Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, August 31, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

Newman: I don't wish to be glib here but my guess is that a substantial number of people who the Republicans are counting on getting support from - women, the conservative base, blue collar workers and so on - might well take the position that she'd be a great candidate, if only she were from the United States.

Salit: That should take some heat off the charge that Obama is a foreigner!

Newman: I would speculate a lot of Americans are saying Alaska? She's the governor of Alaska? And, before that, she was the mayor of a town called what? I don't want to insult anybody, including people from small towns. But, Cindy McCain argued that Palin's foreign policy experience derives from the fact that Alaska is very close to Russia.

Salit: Yes, that was an unfortunate talking point that some idiot gave her. It makes Palin sound like a character from that movie "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming."

Newman: Who knows? Palin could turn out to be the most popular person in the whole election season.

Salit: It wouldn't be the first time motherhood trumped everything else!

Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.

[NOTE: Thanks for the inspiration for my next play -- motherhood, national politics, Russians, Alaskans, possibly Oregon independents? Displaced Long Islanders, Failed Revolutionaries, World Travelers -- ahhh, the drama, the humanity! Does it get any better than this??? I'm typing as fast as I can! -- Motherhood never HAD it this good!!! -- STAY TUNED!!! In the meantime, eat your breakfast and change the world! -NH]