Beginning to see some light

(10 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

For most of us on the left, the last two weeks have been pretty infuriating – at least they have for me. The nomination of Palin, followed by the lies and distortions, and then the reality that this campaign might actually be successful has been more than disturbing.  

But today, I’m beginning to see the possibility of a light at the end of the tunnel we’ve been in lately.

Here are some of the stories that are sparking that optimism.

Josh Marshall at TPM is Feeling Fine.

The Obama campaign has now clearly taken the leap into openly attacking John McCain for the series of lies and fraudulent statements he and his campaign have now told over the previous two weeks. The evidence is beyond question and even mainstream news organizations which place balance over accuracy in reportage have confirmed his deceptions. Presumably they will soon move to the obvious and more consequential corollary. If voters can’t trust John McCain to tell the truth about even the most basic facts of the campaign, how can they trust him when he says he’s going to bring change?

As a demonstration of the MSM beginning to change their tune, we have an article that is all over the blogs today from the NYT titled Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes. Here’s the opening salvo.

Ms. Palin walks the national stage as a small-town foe of “good old boy” politics and a champion of ethics reform. The charismatic 44-year-old governor draws enthusiastic audiences and high approval ratings. And as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, she points to her management experience while deriding her Democratic rivals, Senators Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden Jr., as speechmakers who never have run anything.

But an examination of her swift rise and record as mayor of Wasilla and then governor finds that her visceral style and penchant for attacking critics – she sometimes calls local opponents “haters” – contrasts with her carefully crafted public image.

Throughout her political career, she has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance, according to a review of public records and interviews with 60 Republican and Democratic legislators and local officials.

And check out this story from ABC.

It might not make it into the MSM, but my spirits were lifted by the anti-Palin rally in Alaska. You can read at Mudflats about how the largest political rally in the history of Alaska was organized by a few women over coffee. Here’s an inspiring video of some of the women who attended.

Earlier today I had CNN on the TV and in less than an hour, this ad aired at least twice. Its a production of Brave New PAC.

In a diary at dkos, lepermessiah makes the point that Obama has played McCain.

Obama knew that things would get ugly. He established a respectful tone toward McCain (which drove us crazy!) knowing all the while that McCain’s campaign would show none of that deference toward him. He was allowing facts on the ground to emerge that have now set things up for the knockout punch(es) that we’ll all see in the coming weeks…

Right now we have a GOP ticket whose image, increasingly amplified by the MSM (wonder of wonders!), is that of impulsiveness, elitism, and irresponsibility. Republicans are increasingly being seen by the swing voters as the party responsible for the mess the economy is in. Because of Palin, McCain’s claims to be a “reformer”, ridiculous on its face as they were, are now moot (the lobbyists, the earmarks!). The MSM is calling them out on it.

More importantly, McCain can no longer hide behind his carefully crafted image of being an “honorable man.” The lies and distortions offered by his Rove-led campaign, which he refuses to even acknowledge, are so glaring and offensive that even the MSM, hat tip to “The View” as well, have choked on them and the candidate’s willful mendacity in that regard.

So, am I seeing some light, or is it just an illusion?