According to thepage.time.com, Pawlenty gets "super tough" on Obama and the Democrats...

I've been thinking about George Lakoff's ideas on framing the debate, as presented in "Don't Think of an Elephant" and I think about solar power and wind power more than I think about food.

I just heard that there was a big fight in Minneapolis over drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR. The rank and file and the "machers" of the Republican Party, the people I call "Republicanista," want to drill in ANWR. John McCain, their presumptive standard bearer, wants more offshore drilling. He wants to drill in Alaska, and in California, Florida, New Jersey, and everywhere else. McCain, however, is opposed to drilling in ANWR "at this time." (Be very careful when a politician says "At this time." This phrase, "At this time" when used during a political campaign, means "At this time during a political campaign.")

We are all quite aware of just how amazingly disciplined the Republicans seem to be when it comes to memes and talking points.  It's almost as though someone sat them down and explained to them at length why it is so important for them to constantly repeat the same negative characterizations over and over again if they want to successfully 'define' the Democrats as defective and undesirable.  It is my sincere hope that we Democrats will be able to do something similar during the next couple of months.  I am convinced that we will be able to win a big, BIG victory this November if we can find a way to persuade the vast majority of politically informed Democrats all across the country to repeatedly say the words, "They [the Republicans] are misrepresenting the truth..." as something of a mantra between now and election day.

Yesterday, I posed this riddle as a comment, and the response was quite positive.  It was suggested that it get greater exposure, and so I am making it a diary.  This was going to be a short diary, because there's a simple answer to this riddle.  However, I like to put some content in the diary like one is supoosed to do.  You will have to go below the fold for the answer while I go off on a tangent.

On Tuesday, Paul Begala posted an article on the Huffing Post (that's what I call it because that's often what I think they must be doing over there), in which he called for the Democrats to go seriously negative on McCain.  Now I don't have much of a problem with that, but he said something else that struck me as odd.  He claimed that after Hillary suspended her campaign he sent a check to the Obama campaign with the memo "FOR NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING ONLY" on it.

Hmmmm

I remember, way back at the end of January, when John Edwards had dropped out, wondering who to support. And I supported Barack Obama. The reasoning was more cynical than I would like, but I do want to win - it was because his relationship with the media was going to be better than anything Hillary could hope for. Not a very bold prediction there, but there you go.

However, I made some further predictions based on who was the most viable in each party. Let's revisit the one that matters now, shall we...

Tonight will be a watershed moment in U.S. history. Let the GOP try and spin this as "Obama the celebrity". Let the pundits go on and on about his white problem, about his Clinton problem, about the fact he's running against a POW/Maverick/Saint. Tonight is bigger than all of them. Tonight we'll see history, and I have no doubt Obama will give a speech that will top the many, many excellent speeches we've seen so far this week.

Now that the Clinton-Obama divisiveness line has been definitively laid to rest, the MSM's story du jour -- flogged incessantly, of course, by Republicans -- has shifted to Obama's presumptuousness in staging his acceptance speech tonight at, horrors, a football stadium.

Why, oh why, our oh-so-concerned journalists want to know, would he even risk turning off voters by appearing as a

vanity candidate with charisma and a heavy dose of arrogance, but little substance and not enough seasoning for the White House?

And, to top it all off, Obama has gone and outfitted a stage set on the football field that have become

the fodder for much merriment yesterday, as aerial photos of the stage set made them look like a papier-mache Acropolis.

Republicans, who have taken to ridiculing Obama as "The One," mocked the "Temple of Obama," and advised reporters on what styles of togas they might wear to the event.

More on the flip...

I've been a Democrat for my entire adult life.  Maybe you haven't.  Heck, maybe you're STILL not.  You sure don't need to pay party dues to want what's best for the country and your family.  Even among those of us who share party labels, we have far more powerful things in common.  That said, whether you're a Democrat or not, it's obvious to me that most of us here have been following the convention pretty closely... and speaking only for myself, I've been doing so with escalating enthusiasm as we've seen home run after home run from Michele Obama, Hillary Clinton, President Bill Clinton, and now Joe Biden.  Tonight I'm expecting no less from Vice President Al Gore and of course...batting cleanup...the Next President of the United States Barack Obama.  

So then what happens?

I gave $25 to Barack Obama's campaign today.  For me, at my level right now, just having had to  buy a car, glasses for my kid and deal with the rise in prices for almost everything on a single parent's salary,  I still gave.  And every time I have an extra $25 from conserving food, energy and foregoing non-essentials, I'm going to give it to him, too.

Why?

See below.

I generally do not like using bad events as campaign fodder, but I think passing on this opportunity would be a huge error by the Obama Campaign.

There's much tadoo about why Obama is surrounding himself in "Greek Temple" decor for the Democratic Nomination Acceptance Speech tonight, September 28 2008.

Nationwide there are 2.1 million American Indians of voting age. Native Americans make up only one percent of the total U.S. electorate.

Historically, American Indians have had very low rates of voter registration and turnout. On some American Indian reservations in the western United States as few as 10 percent of all eligible voters are registered.

But in several states the American Indian vote, if mobilized by the Obama campaign, could give a good boost to Obama's efforts to carry the state.

• The biggest target is New Mexico. There are 60,000 registered American Indian voters in the state of New Mexico, making up 9.5 percent of all voters. More than two thirds of those American Indians are registered as Democrats. Only 15 percent are registered Republicans.

As I sat with my grandchildren, my husband, my daughter and her husband, and watched history being made last night, it was almost impossible for me to keep myself from crying.  Why?  Because I began to think back over MY lifetime and remember when bathrooms were labeled "Black" and "white;" when water fountains were labeled "Black" and "white;" when hotels did not service "Black" people; when you couldn't use the bathroom at a gas station; when the back of the bus was where we sat; when our schools received books that white schools threw away; when hospitals were specified "white" or "colored;" when store clerks ignored us until there were no more white people in the store, then we got waited on; when our children were relegated to second-class citizenship just because they were Black; when my beloved grandfather was never "Mr.," he was either "boy" or "Uncle;" when my precious grandmother never heard herself referred to as "Mrs.;" and finally, when we couldn't sit at the lunch counter and order food nor could we try on clothes and shoes at the stores we frequented.  All of this, IN MY LIFETIME!

But this is not to lament the past or blame anyone for it.  This is to praise the future....come....

Judging by the reaction of hundreds of bloggers watching Hillary's speech in The Big Tent Tuesday night, the verdict was unanimous...she absolutely nailed it. From her opening:

I'm here tonight as a proud mother, as a proud Democrat, as a proud Senator from the state of New York, as a proud American, and as a proud supporter of Barack Obama.

...to her line that needs to be made into an ad immediately:

It makes a lot of sense that next week John McCain and George Bush will be together in the Twin Cities, because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart.

...Hillary was on fire. She skewered John McCain, gave her unequivocal support to Barack Obama and she threw down the gauntlet to her supporters, declaring that nothing less than "the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance."

From start to finish, it was a powerful speech that left no question where her loyalty lies, what she expects from her supporters, and of course, what she thinks a John McCain presidency would mean. There was so much in her speech that is worth highlighting, but for me, this was the most powerful moment of the entire speech.

My mother was born before women could vote. But in this election my daughter got to vote for her mother for President.

This is the story of America. Of women and men who defy the odds and never give up.

How do we give this country back to them?

By following the example of a brave New Yorker , a woman who risked her life to shepherd slaves along the Underground Railroad.

And on that path to freedom, Harriett Tubman had one piece of advice.

If you hear the dogs, keep going.

If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.

If they're shouting after you, keep going.

Don't ever stop. Keep going.

My mother was born before women could vote. But in this election my
daughter got to vote for her mother for President.

This is the story of America. Of women and men who defy the odds and
never give up.

How do we give this country back to them?

By following the example of a brave New Yorker , a woman who risked
her life to shepherd slaves along the Underground Railroad.

And on that path to freedom, Harriett Tubman had one piece of advice.

If you hear the dogs, keep going.

If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.

If they're shouting after you, keep going.

Don't ever stop. Keep going.

If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.

Kudos to Hillary on a job well done.

Where oh where did Democrats get the idea that Republicans might attempt to "scare" white voters about Barack Obama's race?

Well, ...history is one place

And here today to continue that history of race-baiting, WorldNetDaily's Craig Smith:

If Barack Obama is to become our 44th president, it will be heralded as a moment of historic significance unlike any other. However, I think many are missing the real reason why.

It's because Barack Obama will be our first hip-hop president.

Read on...

I was inspired at the beginning of the convention to donate until my wallet could take it no more for Barack Obama. I figured I could handle donating up to about $1,000 if I spread my payments out over the next couple of months.

While I had this idea, in a fit of insomnia on Sunday night, I also realized that I wished I could donate more than $1,000. That's when it hit me to match donations on my Barack Obama fundraising page, effectively doubling my donation and your donation.

In case you missed these powerful words from Two of our Countries Dedicated Veterans of the Current Occupation Theaters.

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan can be Proud of these two, your brother and sister Veterans, as can the Families of All who are Serving and have Served, for You All are the Only Ones Sacrificing as this Country refuses to understand that Sacrifice!

The 'Honorable Cause' is the protection of your brother's and sister's as they protect you, in any conflict theater this nation sends those that serve it, wrong or right!

This Country must Now make it Right for All of You, it has Shirked It's Full Responsibility for far too long, from Korea to the Present Day, that must End!!

It's become a banality, hasn't it?  We sit at home and watch our tv's while some talking head tells us that we're watching history being made.  Whether it's Michael Phelps or Barry Bonds or the guy who was on Jeopardy! seemingly forever - we routinely have "history" packaged to us as if it were just another "very special episode" of our favorite show. I get the feeling that a lot of people are viewing tonight through this lens - even folks here at Dkos.  

Throughout the nomination process I've noted the tenor of the discussion revolving around Barack Obama - especially as it pertains to race.  We've talked an awful lot about race in this time.  But we've generally discussed it in the negative:  "is this candidate dog whistling?"..."is that pundit using code words?".  That sort of thing.  Or the endless discussions of "can a black man win?"..."is he black enough?" yadda, yadda, yadda.