Reason and Radical

What Makes Us Human?

2011-07-15T16:24:00.002-04:00

What makes humans so different from other animals on Earth? I was wondering the other day if it is because we do not accept our limitations. Most if not all other animals are well adapted to what they do best, but they don't enhance their own capabilities. This goes beyond tool making, which we know some other animals do. Humans observe other animals capabilities that we don't have, and figure out how to get that ability. We can't fly but we can invent planes, etc. We can't run as fast as some animals, but we can invent motorized vehicles so we can go faster than any land animal. We can't stay underwater like sea mammals or fish, but we come up with scuba gear and submarines. Our evolutionary advantage is clearly our big brains, which allow us to think up this stuff. Other "smart" animals -- elephants, dolphins, etc. -- don't self-adapt in this way. So -- is that what really distinguishes us from other animals? Humans as inventors? And to think I used to think it was humor that made us human!

Down the Rabbit Hole

2011-07-04T08:57:00.000-04:00

...over the past ten years...Republicans got the tax cuts...the financial deregulation...the wars...the unfunded spending increases they wanted. And the results were completely, unrelentingly disastrous. A decade of sluggish growth and near-zero wage increases. A massive housing bubble. Trillions of dollars in war spending and thousands of American lives lost. A financial collapse. A soaring long-term deficit. Sky-high unemployment. All on their watch and all due to policies they eagerly supported. And worse: ever since the predictable results of their recklessness came crashing down, they've rabidly and nearly unanimously opposed every single attempt to dig ourselves out of the hole they created for us. -- Kevin Drum

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/07/what-if-you-held-class-war-and-no-one-showed

Faux News Propoganda

2011-07-03T14:07:00.001-04:00

Tell the old folks: http://www.truth-out.org/14-propaganda-techniques-fox-news-uses-brainwash-americans/1309612678

Palin's Pakistani Word Salad

2011-03-21T19:39:00.000-04:00

“We can’t go back to that hyphenated days of, no we need to and can work together in working with Pakistan, and we have our issues there, too, and in a sense we do, but we need to work with Pakistan, but that’s one of those issues that we need to work on, as we strengthen our allies, there…”

1954

2010-05-30T07:36:00.004-04:00

People born the year I was:

Howard Stern
Anthony Minghella
Oprah Winfrey (Orpah!)
Matt Groenig
John Travolta
Patty Hearst
Ron Howard
Catherine O'Hara
Jackie Chan
Jerry Seinfeld
Amy Heckerling
Hugo Chavez
Mark Fidrych
James Cameron
Al Roker
Elvis Costello
Stevie Ray Vaughn
David Lee Roth
Scott Bakula
Ang Lee
Chris Noth
Joel Coen
Chris Evert
Annie Lennox
Denzel Washington

1954

2010-05-30T07:26:00.004-04:00

Things that happened the year I was born:

Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio
The first mass vaccination of children against polio began.
Roger Bannister ran the first 4 minute mile.
The Boeing 707 was released.
The Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education.
The first issue of Sports Illustrated was published.
Joseph Welch lashes out at Sen. Joe McCarthy: "Have you, at long last, no decency?." (Later that year, the Senate voted to condemn McCarthy.)
The Viet Minh took control of North Vietnam.
Godzilla premiered in Tokyo.
The first Burger King opened.
The TV dinner was introduced.
The novel The Lord of the Flies was published.

Fixing the Economy

2009-11-13T11:20:00.002-05:00

I have long believed that the economic policies of conservatives which have been supported by way too many Democrats would destroy America. Democracy only works when people have not only political freedom but economic freedom. However, the policies of the past 30 years have created a haves and have-nots society.

By dramatically lowering the tax rate on the highest earners, two things happened. One is that enormous amounts of wealth went up to the top one percent of earners. Who paid the price for this? The middle class, which has not seen real wages increase in those 30 years. We essentially have a flat tax now, instead of a progressive one.

A second consequence of lowering the tax rate on the highest earners, I believe, is the huge fluctuations that our economy has gone through -- the repeated booms and busts. When top earners have so much money, they can afford to lose a lot in market booms and busts. We in the middle class can't.

Other factors have also played into this. Globalization meant cheap products from emerging markets and cheap credit kept middle class buying power up which allowed the middle class to think they were doing OK when they were actually losing ground. Anti-union movements had huge negative impacts on the middle class. Empowering Wall Street way beyond their due and -- and this is huge -- deregulation of the financial industry really screwed things up.

Without the wealthy paying their fair share, without the middle class seeing its income and savings ability growing, we are doomed. We will not be able to support our aging population, repair infrastructure, expand education and compete on a global scale.

This is not the America I expected to live in as I grew old. I call again for revolution -- we need major changes in how we think about taxes, government benefits (health care, Social Security, aid to cities/towns, infrastructure, education, etc); unions; and corporate regulation. That is the change we can believe in.

Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-09T16:42:00.001-04:00

I am so thrilled with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama!

But for all the critics...

First, remember that the Nobel Peace Prize is NOT awarded for accomplishment (really, read the definition). It is awarded to encourage actions that work toward peace.

Obama has demonstrated this with his change in America's approach to the rest of the world (diplomat, instead of bully). He has also spoken often and throughout the world of bringing people together of all races, religions, creeds, etc. to work for common goals. And he has not only spoken about but acted to reduce nuclear proliferation. These are all things the Nobel committee wanted to encourage him to continue and encourage Americans and the world to support him in continuing.

Finally, all Americans who voted for Obama should accept this award because it shows we had enough sense to get us off the destructive path of the last 8 years.

Failure to Immunize is Child Abuse

2009-10-02T19:46:00.004-04:00

Here's why:

The most important aspect of immunity is avoiding disease. When your body encounters a virus or a vaccine, it creates antibodies that help fight the disease, and the ability to call on those antibodies provides protection after the disease is gone. Vaccines result in the production of the same antibodies that an infection does without the substantial risks that come with disease.

"I can't imagine anything more tragic than a parent exposing their child to a disease and to subsequently have their child develop a life-threatening infection," says William Schaffner, M.D., chairman of preventative medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn., and president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. "Exposing oneself to a 'wild' infectious agent exposes you to a risk of potentially serious consequences. It may be a small chance but believe me, it's real. You don't know that your child, or you, won't be one of the people to develop a grave infection."

Nothing irks me more than unscientific BS about immunizations.

Also, I think many of these people have not thought through the impact not immunizing has. Kids without immunization cannot attend public school (and most private schools) or go to public colleges (and most private colleges). And, no, I don't think home schooling is a viable option (don't even get me started on the negative aspects of home schooling).

Bad decision all around.

Great Idea

2009-03-05T17:07:00.002-05:00

Not mine, but Tristero's -- Obama should tell Rush instead of debating him (pointless anyway), he would be glad to challenge him to a game of hoops! Now that would be hilarious!

Just Kind of Interesting

2009-03-05T12:44:00.003-05:00

The Oscar winning best picture "Slumdog Millionaire" (which I saw and found kinda "eh" -- well-crafted but very formulaic) has taken in about $117 million since its U.S. release in November 2008.

"Paul Blart: Mall Cop" has taken in $129 million since its release in January 2009.

If you ever wonder why so much crap gets produced in Hollywood, there's part of your answer.

Loony Republicans

2009-02-25T11:31:00.002-05:00

The Republicans always whine about government being the problem. But they happily used the government to transfer obscene amounts of public wealth to a small sliver of the population and completely trash our economy.

The Republicans have controlled our government for a long, long time. The problem isn't government, it's Republican government - and everyone knows it.

Atheist? Can't Hold Public Office in NC

2009-02-19T17:55:00.003-05:00

I had no idea, but apparently in North Carolina, you cannot hold public office if you are an atheist:

North Carolina State Constitution, Article VI, Section 8:

Sec. 8. Disqualifications for office. The following persons shall be disqualified for office:
First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God

This is also true in Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Wow.

Yeah, Its Just What You Thought

2009-02-10T09:24:00.001-05:00

How about just a minute or two of perspective?
Amount to bailout AIG - at least $85 billion
Amount to bailout Citibank - at least $45 billion
Amount to bailout Bank of America - at least $45 billion, with guarantees on $118 billion in loans
Amount the Bush administration overpaid for bailed-out bank assets - $78 billion

Proposed cuts to President Obama's economic stimulus bill by 20 "centrist" senators:
$1.1 billion to Head Start
$24.8 billion to states for budget shortfalls in education programs
$15 billion to states for additional education funding
$2 billion to Child Care Development Block Grants
$150 million to funding for programs in the Violence Against Women Act

Oh, and, hell, let's just throw this in:
Amount of just two years of George W. Bush's tax cuts: roughly $500 billion (adjusting for interest). Two-thirds of that came from tax cuts on the top 20% of wage earners.

(Note: this leaves out the cost of operations in Iraq because, well, does it need to be said?)

Reality

2009-02-06T09:52:00.000-05:00

Atrios:

For over a year the one point that I and others have been trying make is that the polite fiction that masters of the universe of Wall Street and their defenders in the media and Congress have been trying maintain, that this is liquidity crisis not an insolvency crisis, is utter horseshit. They made bad leveraged bets and lost immense amounts of money, and now they, and their buddies Geithner and Summers, want taxpayers to bail them out so they can go on living their opulent life styles while some of my neighbors wonder if their next food stamp card is going to show up.

Bipartisianship -- NOT!

2009-02-05T16:37:00.000-05:00

"I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane."

John Cole

True dat...

Priorities

2009-02-05T10:11:00.004-05:00

This MSNBC.com headline is racist:

"Holder seen as a chance to right racial wrongs"

It assumes that a black attorney general's priority would be black issues. This is crap. Truly annoying.

Good Times, Good Times

2009-01-07T16:08:00.003-05:00

Actually not, but here's one of my favorite moments of the past incredibly painful 8 years:

Man wraps entire house in plastic and duct tape

Unfortunately the video doesn't work anymore.

Obama's First Big Eff-Up

2008-12-18T12:07:00.003-05:00

Sorry, but asking a leading member of the American Taliban to deliver the invocation at the inauguration is a bad move. (Why do we need an invocation at a public event anyway? But that's another can of worms.)

Rick Warren doesn't believe in evolution, equates gay marriage with child rape, and is adamantly against stem cell research He said that Christians who support environmental causes are Marxists. He has declared that those who do not believe in God should not be allowed to hold public office.

In other words, Rick Warren is a fucking idiot and a liar.

And evangelicals will never, ever vote for Democrats because of the abortion thing. So its not a smart political move, no matter what the MSM may say.

Obama had a chance to set a non-sectarian, progressive tone at the inauguration. I'm extremely disappointed that he has chosen to kowtow to the fundamentalists.

Dumb move. I'm pissed.

Median Wages

2008-12-17T08:38:00.000-05:00

What Kevin said:

One way or another, there's really no way for the economy to grow strongly and consistently unless middle-class consumers spend more, and they can't spend more unless they make more. This was masked for a few years by the dotcom bubble, followed by the housing bubble, all propped on top of a continuing increase in consumer debt. None of those things are sustainable, though. The only sustainable source of consistent growth is rising median wages. The rich just don't spend enough all by themselves.

The flip side of this, of course, is that rich people are going to have to accept the fact that they don't get all the money anymore. Their incomes will still grow, but no faster than anyone else's.

How do we make this happen, though? I'm not sure. Stronger unions are a part of it. Maybe a higher minimum wage. Stronger immigration controls. More progressive taxation. National healthcare. Education reforms. Maybe it's just a gigantic cultural adjustment. Add your own favorite policy prescription here.

This isn't just a matter of social justice. It's a matter of facing reality. If we want a strong economy, we can only get it over the long term if we figure out a way for the benefits of economic growth to flow to everyone, not just the rich. This is, by far, Barack Obama's biggest economic challenge. Until median wages start rising steadily and consistently, we haven't gotten ourselves back on track.

Shoes

2008-12-16T15:43:00.001-05:00

Donate a pair of shoes to the local charity of your choice.

Send Bush a postcard, stating, "A pair of shoes has been donated to the needy in your name. This is a farewell kiss from the American people, you dog."

I'm Tired

2008-12-14T19:54:00.002-05:00

I'm so tired of the madness that has gone on for the last 8 years that I cannot generate the outrage any more. Even though I continue to be outraged.

The reason that we're in the mess we're in now is 40 years (since Nixon and Reagan) of crazy conservative economics (Clinton did what he could, but Clinton is not a true progressive). But the media will never tell the masses this.

We need an economy that rewards businesses for attracting and keeping workers, not one that rewards businesses who slash workers in order to deliver ever-increasing profits to the investors who don't really work for a living, they just move money around amongst themselves. A giant Ponzi scheme that's bound to fail -- oh wait, it did.

And I'm so tired of it, I can hardly generate the outrage any more.

The stupid Republican senators who would put the country in jeopardy in order to make a stupid ideological point by refusing to support an industry the loss of which would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and sure economic collapse. This is the culmination of the truly nuts Newt Gingrich school of non-government. But do you hear the media calling them what they are -- unpatriotic and deeply, deeply offensive? Nope, not a word.

And it makes me tired.

The ridiculous media focused on one dumbass governor and trying to paint Obama with that brush, instead of focusing on the very real and enormous problems we have and how Obama is working to address them.

But I can hardly generate the outrage any more.

My late father used to say "that makes my ass tired." I never understood the phrase, but I use it now because what has gone on for the last 8 years (really for most of the last 40 years since the Republican Party became the party of idiots who put ideology ahead of country and who simply have no interest in governing and whose raison d'etre is siphoning as much money as possible to the uber-wealthy) truly makes me tired.

It won't be over any time soon, given the idiots we have for a media in this country, but I still have hope Obama will inspire and move things forward. I have to have hope -- because I just can't continue being so tired I can't even muster the outrage any more.

If I Had a Million Dollars...

2008-12-03T12:56:00.002-05:00

Or a billion or even a trillion. Oh wait, we did -- until Bush's Great Iraq Adventure and the bailout of Emperor Henry's buddies. Atrios:

It's a rather obvious point which has already been made dozens of times, but when you look at all of the money our government has blown in the last several years, from Our Glorious Iraqi Adventure to bailing out every financial institution, and you start to think of how that money could have been used more productively, it gets a wee bit frustrating.

Who is Sponsoring Terrorism?

2008-12-03T12:52:00.002-05:00

I was talking with someone today who launched into a tirade against state-sponsored terrorism, specifically Pakistan. He claimed that the Indian attacks were carried out by people left over from when Pakistan's equivalent of the CIA funded terrorist groups. I pointed out that the Taliban were "left over" from when the U.S. funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to them to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Talk about your state sponsored terrorism. Ahem.

Our Craptastic Media

2008-12-02T17:51:00.002-05:00

From Kevin Drum and I couldn't agree more:

Joe Klein:

"Watching the Obama rollout of his national security team from overseas — I'm in Europe, on my way to Afghanistan — I was struck by the inanity of most of the questions from my colleagues."

No kidding. Did any of you guys see it? Obama only took four or five questions, and nearly all of them were just plain dumb. (And yes, there is such a thing as a dumb question.) As usual, when TV cameras are on, reporters were drawn like moths to flame toward a certain Russertesque style of "tough" questioning that's completely content free and, in reality, childishly easy to sidestep for any competent politician. Klein again:

"What's the point of raising the nasty things Obama and Clinton said about each other during the primaries? Did the reporter expect Obama to say, 'Well, I still believe her resume is overblown, that's why I appointed her...oh, and by the way, she still thinks it's dumb to talk to the Iranians without preconditions.'"

Needless to say, Obama swatted this question away without raising a sweat. The result, as usual, was a missed opportunity to at least try to get some substantive news out of the announcement. What a bunch of nitwits.

Living in a Fantasy World

2008-11-26T10:09:00.003-05:00

Read a couple of interesting takes today on why conservative radio (and the same could apply to conservative blogs and Faux News) actually hurt the conservative movement. The theory is that these entities have created an alternative reality -- one that is so much a fantasy world that the people who live in them can no longer understand what is really happening in the real world. Nor can they defend their own philosophy.

People who believe that Obama is a Muslim who faked his Hawaiian birth certificate and whose autobiography was ghost-written by a '60s-era radical and whose wife gave a speech in which she blamed "whitey" for everything are not able to put together coherent arguments for their side.

This is the Sarah Palin crowd -- no one but these nuts (and the media, which is obsessed with her when the vast majority of the public is NOT) could take a clown like Palin seriously.

Quite awhile back, liberal bloggers started calling themselves "proud members of the reality-based community" -- and it appears that is very, very true.

Ugly American

2008-11-26T10:06:00.002-05:00

Ugh. This morning, on BBC News, an American stuck in the Bangkok airport was shown bitching out a young Thai woman because he was inconvenienced by the political action taking place there. She was patiently trying to explain that this was about her country and its future and all he could do was loudly bitch that tomorrow was a major holiday in the U.S. and she was messing up his life for this "cockamamie" protest. It was embarrassingly ugly. I can understand that the American was upset but to be so dismissive of Thailand's political turmoil because he was inconvenienced -- ridiculous.

GOPers are just sad

2008-11-25T10:56:00.003-05:00

Warms my heart to see what a mess the Republicans are these days. A couple of things exemplify this.

The Sarah Palin turkey thing is hilarious. I'm not like many Americans who don't want to know how that meat gets on their table -- I already knew that they put the birds head down in a funnel and chop off their heads. But the insensitivity of Palin to this image is what I find hilarious.

The video of conservative pod people thanking Sarah Palin for her commonsense conservatism -- OMFG.

The conservative women in minks calendar -- oy. Could anything say "we love the 1950s when white men were in charge and no one else existed (in our minds)" than heavily made-up, lacquered hair women in mink coats?

No links -- find these on your own if you must.

Obama on 60 Minutes

2008-11-17T17:20:00.003-05:00

The Obamas were very good in their interview with Steve Kroft on "60 Minutes" last night. Worth watching.

Kroft: What have you been concentrating on this week?

Mr. Obama: Couple of things. Number one, I think it's important to get a national security team in place because transition periods are potentially times of vulnerability to a terrorist attack. We wanna make sure that there is as seamless a transition on national security as possible. Obviously the economy. Talking to top economic advisors about how we're gonna create jobs, how we get the economy back on track and what do we do in terms of some long-term issues like energy and healthcare. And how do we sequence those things in a way that we can actually get things through Congress?

Periwinkle is the New Red?

2008-11-17T13:56:00.001-05:00

So it appears that red ties are out as symbols of power and periwinkle is in.

I'll never forget seeing Second City perform a skit about what ties really symbolize -- just think of what they are pointing to.

Favorite Election Moments -- McCain

2008-11-13T09:09:00.004-05:00

I think my favorite election moment was when McCain "suspended" his campaign in an obvious political stunt (and it got even worse when he got to Washington and said and did nothing! Boy, did he look like an asshole). I think I knew at that point that his campaign was a mess and that he was going to lose badly.

I also loved the "we are all Georgians" statement that was completely absurd and again, indicated that he had no idea what he was doing.

In fact, I never understood why McCain was running for president, other than that it was his turn (in his mind). This was the same reason Bob Dole ran for president and we all know how that turned out.

Other great moments in the election, McCain version:
• "My fellow prisoners"
• "I couldn't agree with them more. I couldn't disagree with you more."
• the tarmac meeting with Palin's family, including the white trash Levi (wonder how that whole marriage thing is working out)
• the failure to make eye contact with Obama at the first debate
• the "that one" comment at whichever debate it was
• the response to the Crazy McCain Lady© that Obama was not an Arab, but a decent family man
• Obama breaking into a huge smile at some idiocy McCain was spewing at one of the debates -- made McCain look like the doddering old man he was

I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now.

I had originally thought McCain would pull about 37% of the popular vote. I still think that was about right. What changed was the incredibly negative and vicious campaign they ran to appeal to angry, working class white men (and a few women) gave them the other 7% to bring it to 44%.

McCain should be ashamed -- he ran one of the worst campaigns in history, not just because it didn't work, but because it was based not on ideas but on ignorance and hatred.

He could redeem himself by using his time in the Senate to do something the country really needs (how about getting rid of the Electoral College?). But I doubt he's smart enough or cares enough to do that.

Its not my fault

2008-11-12T17:15:00.004-05:00

So, today I got on the campus shuttle to go to a meeting and it was completely packed (as usual). I was the last person to get on and had to lean up against the little barrier behind the driver to balance myself. Despite my best efforts, I kept bumping into the person sitting in the first seat behind the driver. As the bus cleared out and I was able to turn around, I realized that the person I was practically smushing was Tyler Hansbrough.

But (in the words of Han Solo) it is completely not my fault that he is doubtful for the season opener.

Perception

2008-11-11T13:53:00.002-05:00

Back when the Republicans supposedly had such a vast majority that the Democrats would never rule again, the total number of House seats held by Republicans was 232. Today, with a couple of seats still undecided, the Democrats hold 256 seats.

The Villagers Speak

2008-11-11T05:45:00.002-05:00

Its been amazing watching The Villagers (the Washington press corps) claiming that America is a center right country and Obama must govern from the center right. Uh, no.

First, in poll after poll, the vast majority of Americans agree with liberal values as long as they are not labeled liberal (the Repugnicants have done a great job of making the word liberal poison -- they are good at peddling hate, aren't they?).

Second, if Americans wanted to be governed from the center right, why the fuck did they not elect the center right candidate?!!! They elected the left candidate, so clearly they expect governance from the left.

I also keep hearing these morons say that Obama can't push too much change. Hilarious! This is why he was overwhelmingly elected -- he has a mandate for HUGE change.

We need a better media in this country. Sheesh!!!

Stimulus

2008-11-11T05:40:00.002-05:00

I keep hearing pundits say that Obama can't do all of his mandates at once. This is BS. In fact, we need to do all of these things at once to stimulate the economy and save the middle class.

We need that middle class tax cut and we need for the uber-wealthy to pay more taxes.

We need big government projects (think Apollo) to get the economy and people working again -- I suggest infrastructure repair/building and self-reliance energy programs (R&D especially).

We also need the health care problem resolved which would ease a huge burden on big companies and make them more competitive in the world markets.

And we need the stinking money pit wars ended.

Stop the Silly Salute

2008-11-11T05:38:00.002-05:00

OK, this is a minor one for President (elect) Obama, but when you are president, could you please stop the silly salute when you exit the helicopter at the White House? Ronald Reagan started this nonsense but then, he thought he was in a movie. Unfortunately, every president since has kept this up. It is NOT tradition and it should stop. Its really, really stupid.

Shut the Eff Up

2008-11-07T11:15:00.002-05:00

So I'm watching NBC Nightly News last night and they do a report on the Rahm Emanuel appointment. And the reporter says something about "some aren't happy" and interviews John Boehner! Who the fuck cares what John Boehner thinks about this?!!! He's a loser and so is his entire party. Of course, he's not going to by happy about this -- its not news to ask Boehner about this. Its just typical media suck up to the Repugnicants. BTW, they did not ask any Democrats how they felt about it. Again, who the fuck cares what John Boehner thinks about this?!!! Shut the fuck up. And get a better news media, America.

Also, fuck Joe Lieberman. He can't go away fast enough for me.

Inspirational Music

2008-11-05T17:28:00.001-05:00

In case you wondered what the music was that played after Obama's speech last night, it was from the soundtracks to "Remember the Titans" and "The Patriot" (the Mel Gibson movie). My movie fanatic daughter recognized both pieces.

I Got It

2008-11-05T17:21:00.003-05:00

So chill

Blue Shift

2008-11-05T17:01:00.002-05:00

This is a really cool representation of the country's shift to blue (Democratic):

NY Times Election Recap Graphic

Pinch Me

2008-11-05T00:06:00.001-05:00

Its really true. Barack Obama will be our next president.

For the Worriers...

2008-11-04T09:14:00.000-05:00

(which includes me)

Remember, Kerry states+Virginia+(NM or IA) does it.

Last polls:

Virginia
Obama +7

New Mexico
Obama +7

Iowa
Obama +14

We don't need Ohio, Florida, Indiana or Missouri to win with this scenario.

My Prediction

2008-11-03T12:08:00.001-05:00

Electoral College:

Obama 373
McCain 165

Popular vote:

Obama 56
McCain 44

"What Will We Tell the Children?"

2008-11-03T12:02:00.002-05:00

Back when the Repugnicants were wringing their hands over Clinton's dalliance, a frequent phrase they said to the media was "what will we tell the children?"

Yesterday, my daughter, after watching days of bobbleheads on TV in so-called news coverage leading up to the election said "Every Republican I see on TV does nothing but lie."

So what will we tell the children about the despicable Republicans? Well, we don't have to tell them anything -- they know. But we can say, " Yes, my dear, its true -- Republicans (at least the ones on TV) are lying sacks of crap." (With props to Stephanie Miller for that last insult.)

Yes, It IS the Most Important Election in My Life

2008-11-01T18:44:00.002-04:00

I have voted in presidential elections since 1972. That makes this year my 10th presidential election. And yes, this is the most important election in my life. We are on the cusp -- we can either fulfill our promise as a nation or we can degenerate into an oligarchy and no longer be the beacon of democracy for the world.

I lingered as long as I could on my vote for Obama, carefully and repeatedly filling in the oval. Now, we wait -- 72 more hours.

More McCain Crapola

2008-10-30T09:21:00.003-04:00

I guess I'm immune to the code words, because it took me until yesterday to realize what McCain/Palin actually mean when they say Obama is a socialist. They are speaking to white working class people (mostly men) who will interpret that as "Obama will give my money to teh blacks." Duh.

John Judis:

I mention the Bradley effect because I think, too, that McCain and Sarah Palin's attack against Obama for advocating "spreading the wealth" and for "socialism" and for pronouncing the civil rights revolution a "tragedy" because it didn't deal with the distribution of wealth is aimed ultimately at white working class undecided voters who would construe "spreading the wealth" as giving their money to blacks. It's the latest version of Reagan's "welfare queen" argument from 1980. It if it works, it won't be because most white Americans actually oppose a progressive income tax, but because they fear that Obama will inordinately favor blacks over them. I don't doubt that this argument will have some effect, but I suspect it's too late and that worries about McCain and Republican handling of the economy will overshadow these concerns.

Hopefully, its too little, too late, to too small an audience.

Oh Noes!

2008-10-29T10:10:00.001-04:00

Its all my fault.

Class Warfare

2008-10-17T14:55:00.003-04:00

I laughed when Grampy McNasty started in on class warfare (code for "Obama is a socialist") because we've had class warfare for the last 30 years -- against the middle class!

As Kevin Drum puts it:

For three decades we've artificially kept middle class wage increases far below the growth rate of the economy, and this trend has been even more pronounced over the past eight years. This has created an enormous pool of extra money that's been — yes — strip mined and redirected to the rich, and fixing this is Barack Obama's biggest and longest-term challenge. If we restore the normal growth of middle class wages, it provides a sustainable consumer base for the entire economy; it reduces the demand for endless credit card debt; it brings down income inequality naturally; and it goes a long way toward keeping the financial sector under control and reining in Wall Street salaries without putting in place a bunch of artificial (and probably fruitless) regulations.

And Joe Klein is right (at least in this instance) when he writes:

We have had 30 years of class warfare, in which the wealthy strip-mined the middle class.

It is time for some fundamental re-structuring of the American economy.

Saint Ronnie Undone

2008-10-17T14:45:00.001-04:00

I think we are on the verge of a huge split in the Republican party with Sarah Palin representing the pitchfork waving, faith based nuts and the George Wills of the world representing the upper crust, coastal, "intellectual" conservatives.

Saint Ronnie's unholy alliance of social and fiscal conservatives is falling apart.

It is nearly impossible to maintain over the long term pairing a populist movement (which almost always degenerates into the dumbed down madness we see at McCain-Palin rallies) with an educated elite who truly don't care about the social and economic concerns of the masses. The only thing they have in common is a belief that government is somehow bad -- which fades to complete obscurity when people need help as badly as they do now, given the economic crisis.

So Sad

2008-10-17T14:38:00.004-04:00

Levi Stubbs died this morning. I'm heartbroken. I love Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops. I once had the good fortune of meeting Levi Stubbs and will cherish the memory. I read somewhere that his plaintive sound was created by having him sing in a higher range than was natural for his voice. However it was done, Stubbs and the Four Tops were a great, great Motown group. I'm verklempft.

Grampy McNasty

2008-10-16T08:58:00.002-04:00

Jeez, McCain was awful. He didn't make a cogent point in the entire debate, but he sure was angry. His smirking and eye rolling was a major turn off.

His big line about not being George Bush was lame, lame, lame (not to mention majorly untrue). And I was actually laughing at his tirade against ACORN (that it is tearing at the fabric of democracy!). Apparently a focus group that some newspaper had watching the debate was also laughing at McCain throughout the debate.

Obama let him get away with a lot but as usual, I thought Obama handled it just right -- challenging the most stupid accusations, but not taking the bait on an easy target like Caribou Barbie.

The public reaction was clearly for Obama (something like 58% to 22%). Other than the pitchfork wavers, the public does not like angry McCain's red-meat attacks. He truly is like the old guy in a bathrobe coming out to get the paper and yelling at the kids to get off the lawn. His contempt for Obama (whose calm, reassuring demeanor is increasingly presidential) is disgusting.

The pundits tried to make it seem as if Grampy McNasty won but they have ulterior motives: first, they have a need to support their narrative that McCain is actually a good guy maverick (computer says no) and they have a need to support the illusion that the election is still in play in order to maintain viewership (computer says probably not).

19 days to go -- Nov. 5 can't come soon enough for me (yes, I mean the day after our long national nightmare will hopefully be over).

On the Verge of...

2008-10-15T17:23:00.002-04:00

I hesitate to speculate, but should Obama win the presidency and the Democrats get control of Congress with a solid, solid majority -- and should Obama and the Democrats actually accomplish things like universal health care, jobs creation, energy independence, education funding reform, etc. that people want (and may not believe possible) -- could we be on the verge of what happened when FDR accomplished so much and we had 40 years of Democratic congressional dominance? In the words of Mars Blackmon, please baby please baby please baby please.

Your Liberal Media in Action

2008-10-14T11:24:00.003-04:00

So Monday, Obama laid out his economic plan. The media, however, pretty much ignored it. (Its mostly about job creation, FYI.) The McCain camp had indicated Sunday that they were also going to unveil an economic plan on Monday, but did not. The media pretty much ignored that screw up. The McCain plan is supposed to come out today, and this is being hyped in the media like there's no tomorrow. It is nearly impossible for any Democrat to ever reach the public through this biased media. Unbelievable.

Kootchie, Kootchie

2008-10-12T16:45:00.002-04:00

The great Gary Shandling on Joe Biden's prep for his debate with Sarah Palin:

I think he watched tapes of how Johnny Carson used to deal with Charo.

Historical Turning Point

2008-10-07T15:42:00.001-04:00

Consider:

The question Chalmers Johnson poses in his latest piece is: Have the Bush years, most recently in the form of a global financial Katrina, created the conditions for a rare turning-point election in U.S. politics, as with Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Democratic Party in 1932 -- or will deep-seated racism and entrenched regional/party loyalties prove too much, even for this catastrophic moment?

With his usual acumen, Johnson, whose latest book, Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic, warned of the possibility of a profligate, militarized U.S. going bankrupt, then explores the nature of a turning-point election in recent American history. He speculates about the conditions under which "the 2008 election might set in motion a political reconfiguration -- and even a political renaissance -- in the United States, restoring a modicum of democracy to the country's political system, while ending our march toward imperialism, perpetual warfare, and bankruptcy that began with the Cold War."

This isn't your father's Democratic presidential campaign

2008-10-06T16:25:00.001-04:00

To quote Markos:

The Obama campaign was ready with the Keating Five stuff, waiting for the moment the McCain campaign started flinging Ayers and Wright around.

Stupid is as Stupid Does

2008-10-04T09:08:00.002-04:00

Why do Republicans celebrate idiocy? Most of their ideas and their candidates make no sense. Of course the media doesn't call them on it either (this may be because most of the media also celebrates idiocy). They should be embarrassed (and the intellectual conservatives are) about idiots like Sarah Palin, but instead they swoon. Bizarre. More on this from Joe Conason.

A Triumph for C+ Students Everywhere!

2008-10-03T10:33:00.003-04:00

So Bible Spice made it through the debate without falling apart. But she didn't make any sense at all and even outright lied. She sounded a lot like an unprepared student trying to fluff her way through something. Biden was great -- he kept his attacks on McCain and not her. And the polls show it for Biden overwhelmingly.

The New Republican

2008-10-01T10:52:00.001-04:00

Something I just posted on Hullabaloo:

The issue is not that she doesn't know anything about politics, although that is definitely true. The issue -- and the reason why she is the perfect representative of the new Republican -- is that she knows nothing about governing. Nor does she care.

The prototype of the new Republican is a person who just simply doesn't care about the particulars of governing. Don't like a law? Ignore it (Monica Goodling), subvert it (John Woo, Alberto Gonzales) or rewrite it without legislative review (George Bush's use of signing statements).

The Constitution? Just a piece of paper to these yahoos. (And the biggest problem with this approach is when these morons get on the Supreme Court -- oy.)

Newt Gingrich shuts down government because President Clinton made him sit at the back of th plane. No interest in how the three branches of government share power and work together. And certainly no interest in the best interests of the American people. Their only interest is in seizing power and doing whatever the hell they want.

Its reflective of a mentality that is uninformed, petty and lizard-brained. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is your modern-day Republican -- of which Sarah Palin is princess royale.

In a word, frightening

2008-10-01T10:03:00.001-04:00

I've always thought John McCain was a nut, even when the press adored him. This is why:

"I didn't want this guy anywhere near a trigger."
Yesterday, John McCain came to my town and was interviewed by the Des Moines Register.

Let's just say the interview was not a great display of the McCain temperament being under control. From insisting he was not lying about a bill in which Obama supported education to minors in staying away from pedophiles as "sex education" to saying he has "always had 100% truth" in his public life. It's why the quote above purportedly from Republican Pete Domenici has relevance.

This short segment, first put up by a Kos diarist, is shocking. But the whole interview is like this and you can see it in its entirety at the Des Moines Register's site.

You might, in particular, check out the one on the failure on the "Economic Bill Failure" where about 36 seconds in he drops this Bushian line:

"If I were dictator, which I always aspire to be."

Ah yes, the Panamanian Strongman, John McCain.

Low Ranking Monkey

2008-09-27T07:55:00.002-04:00

So what was up with McCain refusing to make eye contact with Obama at the debate last night? He looked mighty contemptuous, like he thought it was beneath him to be on the same stage as the young whippersnapper. Not exactly presidential. Sheesh, Captain Queeg is sure full of anger, isn't he?

One poster to Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo says McCain's behavior is reminiscent of low ranking monkeys:

I think people really are missing the point about McCain's failure to look at Obama. McCain was afraid of Obama. It was really clear--look at how much McCain blinked in the first half hour. I study monkey behavior--low ranking monkeys don't look at high ranking monkeys. In a physical, instinctive sense, Obama owned McCain tonight and I think the instant polling reflects that.

My fervent hope all along has been that McCain would lose his legendary temper in one of these debates. There's still time...

McCain Blinks

2008-09-26T13:45:00.000-04:00

Stunt over.

No Bailout Needed?

2008-09-26T10:53:00.001-04:00

So says James Galbraith:

Now that all five big investment banks -- Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley -- have disappeared or morphed into regular banks, a question arises.

Is this bailout still necessary?

The point of the bailout is to buy assets that are illiquid but not worthless. But regular banks hold assets like that all the time. They're called "loans."

With banks, runs occur only when depositors panic, because they fear the loan book is bad. Deposit insurance takes care of that. So why not eliminate the pointless $100,000 cap on federal deposit insurance and go take inventory? If a bank is solvent, money market funds would flow in, eliminating the need to insure those separately. If it isn't, the FDIC has the bridge bank facility to take care of that.

Next, put half a trillion dollars into the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. fund -- a cosmetic gesture -- and as much money into that agency and the FBI as is needed for examiners, auditors and investigators. Keep $200 billion or more in reserve, so the Treasury can recapitalize banks by buying preferred shares if necessary -- as Warren Buffett did this week with Goldman Sachs. Review the situation in three months, when Congress comes back. Hedge funds should be left on their own. You can't save everyone, and those investors aren't poor.

New Slogan

2008-09-25T13:20:00.001-04:00

No more drama. I’m votin’ for Obama.

SLOW DOWN!

2008-09-25T11:21:00.001-04:00

Hey Congress! There is no reason to rush through any kind of bailout. Do not burden the next president with this albatross. Slow down and think this through. The last time we got the bum rush by this den of thieves we wound up with the vile Patriot Act and the disastrous Iraq War. So stop, figure it out and then act.

Run Away, Run Away!

2008-09-24T17:35:00.001-04:00

John McCain and Monty Python have something in common.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg

To Sum It All Up

2008-09-24T16:09:00.002-04:00

McCain is a fucking dickhead.

He's grandstanding with his suspend the campaign and debate crap. How will this help the financial situation?

Which, by the way, is not a crisis no matter how many times McCain and Bush and King Henry say it. As I recall, the last time they rushed something through Congress, we wound up with the Iraq War and the Patriot Act.

Good thing is, the majority of Americans blame Republicans for this mess and Obama has gained 9 points in the polls as a result.

No Blank Checks

2008-09-22T12:12:00.001-04:00

Take 15 minutes and read this -- best explanation of how we got in the mess we're in.

I've already written my congressman, senators and Reid and Pelosi to tell them not to give Hank Paulson a blank check (for $700 billion or more) without oversight and without protecting consumers.

And you know that if Democrats win in November and try to get health care or some other protection, the Republicans will scream that its socialism (but I guess socialism is OK for big businesses that make really bad decisions) and they will suddenly develop fiscal responsibility and wring their hands and say "but there just isn't any money for that."

Morons.

"They Battle Republicans"

2008-09-20T06:54:00.003-04:00

Living in a potential battleground state, I see lots of ads for both McCain and Obama. One of McCain's is just bizarre -- its called "Original Mavericks" and the point, which is repeated incessantly, is that both McCain and Palin battled Republicans!

Now, the media is totally enamoured of the idea that Bob Casey was prevented from speaking at the 1992 Democratic Convention because he opposed the party's pro-choice platform (this is actually not true -- he was prevented from speaking because he would not endorse the ticket, but the media continually perpetuates the myth that is was because he was pro-life).

Here we have the party's actual candidates who seem opposed to the party itself! You'd think that the media might find that interesting. Sadly, no. Why is that? Oh, right, there are different rules for how the media covers the candidates. Democrats, always disunified and troubled. Republicans, always united and focused. I forgot.

Morons.

McCain Knows Nothing

2008-09-18T15:07:00.002-04:00

What Atrios said:

The dirty little secret about John McCain is that he really knows nothing about anything. He's as incurious and ignorant as George Bush, with less excuse. So, yes, it makes sense that his people would rather suggest and end of relations with our NATO ally than reveal the truth about their woefully inadequate candidate.

This is in reference to the McCain blunder yesterday in which McCain was interviewed on the Florida affiliate of Spanish radio network Union Radio. And in the interview McCain appeared not to know who the Prime Minister of Spain was and assumed he was some anti-American leftist leader from South America.

Moron.

Perspective

2008-09-17T12:07:00.003-04:00

White Privilege, White Entitlement and the 2008 Election

By Tim Wise
(Tim Wise is the author of White Like Me)

For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin ’ redneck," like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the"under God" part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution,which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah=2 0Palin has referred to it, a "light" burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

McCain, the Economy and Social Security

2008-09-17T12:07:00.002-04:00

Keep in mind that if Bush had gotten his way on Social Security -- and McCain has exactly the same policies -- the money being burned on Wall Street right now would be Social Security money. More here.

I also love how McCain is ranting about how CEOs make too much money and get big payouts when they leave a failing company. As if Washington can do anything about that!

McCain apparently has a secret plan to help the economy -- he must keep it safe in the same place where he keeps his secret plan to capture Bin Laden.

Moron.

Get Angry, Fight Hard

2008-09-12T15:27:00.002-04:00

Obama needs to take off his seeming-presidential hat and put on his old community organizer hat. He needs to stop being so lawyerly and professorial and become more grassroots.

And he needs to get angry and fight hard.

I told a colleague today that Obama's grassroots organization should make sure there are lots of people at every McCain and Palin rally yelling "liars, liars, liars" throughout the entire speech. He clearly balked and said meekly "isn't that kinda rude?'

RUDE?!! Rude my ass. This is our country we're fighting for. This is our future. If McCain wins, we all have to move to Canada or Costa Rica or wherever. So who gives a shit about rude? Do whatever it takes -- we have to win. Or America ceases to be.

Sarah, Culture War Princess

2008-09-03T13:55:00.004-04:00

I heard Stephanie Miller call Sarah Palin "Caribou Barbie" which is quite funny. I prefer Princess of the Culture Wars. She's so clearly a sop to the fundamentalist right. I read that when she was mayor, she tried to get the library in her little town to ban books. So -- not a warrior, just a princess, in the culture wars.

Not to even mention that she is a complete and total liar. She secured $27 million in pork for her town of 9,000 -- oh, but she is opposed to earmarks. Yeah, right.

What a joke she is -- however, I hope she hangs on because every minute she's there negatively impacts McCain. Isn't it interesting how she's the news, not McCain, but on the Democratic side, Obama is the news.

And, as others have, I can't help but wonder what the reaction would be if the Obamas had a pregnant teen daughter with a young black roughneck boyfriend. I anxiously await the GOP nuts screaming in support of Levi Redneck up on the stage tonight with his baby mama.

The Religious Right Gets On Board the McCain Train

2008-08-31T11:43:00.002-04:00

It took me 24 hours to figure this out, but now I get it. The point of Sarah Palin is to get the religious right to support the doddering old fool that they haven't really liked. I do wonder if the Republicans are pretty sure they're going to lose, but didn't want to get killed which they would've without the evangelicals. So they put Palin on the ticket to get the evangelicals off their butts and out to vote. Maybe they think that will help them actually win. (I doubt it.) But they can't seriously think that Hillary voters will vote for the Neanderthal Palin (with apologies to Neanderthals everywhere).

A Helluva Speech

2008-08-29T13:05:00.002-04:00

If you did not watch Barack last night, I urge you to do so. It was a fabulous speech. He laid out specific plans and opened the door to many viewpoints on hot issues. He also did not soar, as I'm sure he could have -- he was passionate but he kept it professional and presidential. A great speech that I think even overwhelmed the commentators.

Idiotic comment of the night (and I don't watch Fox, so there may have been much worse) was that old racist, anti-Semite Pat Buchanan saying the speech was not a liberal speech. What?!! Obama laid out everything liberals stand for and it was not a liberal speech! Moron.

Laughable

2008-08-29T13:00:00.002-04:00

Grampy McInsane's VP choice is purely laughable. And Joe Biden must be having the biggest laugh of all. He will destroy her in a debate.

This is worse than Dan Quayle, which was about as pandering as you can get. Sarah Palin has six years experience as mayor of Wasilla (pop. 6,715) and 19 months as governor of Alaska, the fourth smallest state in the union. One heartbeat away from the presidency (of a 72 year old man)? You have got to be kidding.

I'm sure they did this in some distorted thinking that Hillary voters will vote for any woman. Ridiculous!

And they just threw the experience argument right out the door, when they pick a VP with far, far less experience than Obama.

An amazingly cynical and terrible, terrible choice.

Media Madness

2008-08-27T06:59:00.001-04:00

I never watch the conventions. Its a media circus and a waste of time. But it is the most obvious example of the media madness that we endure in this country. The media concocts a narrative and then reports to that narrative. So the narrative last night was that Clinton supporters would not support Obama and that Hillary had to save the day. Completely ridiculous but the media faithfully reported to that narrative that they had created. My local paper this morning had an interview with one, count 'em, one delegate who said she was having a hard time switching her support. What did the other 152 delegates think? We have no idea, because it didn't fit the media's narrative. Ridiculous!!!

Biden it is

2008-08-23T08:53:00.002-04:00

I can live with Joe Biden. Always liked him. Not a millionaire, unlike most others in the Senate. Raised kids as a single dad when wife and infant daughter died in a car crash (remarried 5 years later). Oldest son is a JAG set to be deployed to Iraq in October. Smart and feisty. And got off the best line of the primaries in reference to Guiliani: "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun, and a verb and 9/11."

Doddering Old Fool

2008-08-20T11:49:00.001-04:00

Some local hack of a columnist called McCain a "man of the people." Here's my response:

Who are you calling a man of the people? Surely not McCain! That doddering old fool has 8 houses and wears $500 shoes. He cheated on his first wife (who was disfigured and disabled in a horrible car accident while he was in 'Nam) with the rodeo queen and beer heiress who has made his political career possible.

McCain has never held a non-government job. He's never filled out a job application or tried to figure out whether to buy groceries or gas.

He's voted with W more than 95% of the time. His much-vaunted foreign policy experience seems to be based a world from 30 years ago. His current ideas are even more radical than W's. He's out of touch, borderline senile and would be a complete disaster as a president.

And his ads are juvenile and offensive. Eff McCain.

VP Prediction

2008-08-20T11:48:00.002-04:00

As I posted on my Facebook yesterday, I predict Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be Obama's VP pick.

Unfit for Publication

2008-08-16T08:54:00.003-04:00

You should watch this -- Media Matters' Paul Waldman takes down that moron Jerome Corsi.

Corsi is a former Swift Boater (he co-wrote the book i 2004). He claims in this piece of trash that Obama is a drug-using Muslim. That any media outlet gives him one second of airtime is unbelievable.

Corsi is a fabulist. He's nothing but a liar. He's also a white supremacist, anti-Semitic and a complete right-wing radical. Here's more. Corsi has said he supports the Constitution Party's candidate for president. The Constitution Party are nothing but anti-tax, white supremacist nuts.

Just as the Republicans called on Obama to repudiate and reject Farrakhan (with whom Obama had absolutely no relationship), I call on McCain to repudiate and reject Corsi and his book. Oh, but when the media asked McCain about the book, his response was "gotta keep your sense of humor."

Grampy McInsane.

Shadow President

2008-08-16T08:50:00.002-04:00

I really can't believe what McCain is getting away with. Why the media isn't all over him for acting like the presumptive president is beyond me. He "sends" Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham to Georgia?! Outrageous.

Its also clear that the candidate is losing it. I heard a radio news report yesterday (probably NPR) that McCain has said so many crazy things to the media that his campaign is now limiting the media's access to him and limiting his town hall meetings. Of course, a few weeks ago, the McCain campaign spokesman said that the candidate doesn't speak for the campaign.

Grampy McInsane.

Olympics

2008-08-16T08:43:00.002-04:00

We've been watching a lot of the Olympics. Loved the opening ceremony --quite memorable. I especially enjoyed that idiot Matt Lauer telling us that it was intimidating that the Chinese have so many people.

NBC's coverage is frustrating because they don't show much of the sports that aren't well known in America. I miss living in cities that border Canada at Olympics time because the CBC presented a different perspective than American television.

Another weird thing about NBC -- the play-by-play coverage that is being done from New York. Baseball and soccer seem to be covered this way. And I never want to see beach volleyball again.

I've been thinking that in many ways, my world view was formed in part by the Olympics of the 1960s which I watched faithfully on ABC. I think that's when I became attracted to what has always seemed to me the more logical approach of the Europeans.

And hey I'm watching now and Canada has just won its first medal of these games -- a gold in women's wrestling!

Unhinged

2008-08-12T18:00:00.002-04:00

McCain's response to the conflict between Russia and Georgia has been downright scary. Also full of complete hot air but still scary.

Josh Marshall writes on TPM:

The people that are pulling McCain's strings are the people who want to push us into a new Cold War with the Russians -- and ironically and a bit improbably with the Chinese too...The key is that McCain, both in terms of policy and temperament, wants to court that result. It's sort of funny when he's just an unhinged senator. But think for a moment where we'd be if this man were president right now, as he may well be in six months. This man takes the counsel of the people who got us into the Iraq War. On foreign policy, he is in league with the people who were so extreme they've now largely been kicked out of the Bush administration. People like John Bolton and others like him...This man is simply too dangerous and unstable to be president. People need to wake up and get a look of the preview he's giving us of a McCain presidency.

Just Askin'

2008-08-11T17:32:00.001-04:00

If there were a group of questionable donations all with the name Abdullah
that were funneled through a guy in Jordan
who is a Jordanian national
who is under investigation for war profiteering
and it were Barack Obama
instead of John McCain
would this be a bigger deal?

-- Marc Ambinder

A Tale of Two Monicas

2008-07-31T14:14:00.000-04:00

Monica's Mess, Part The First: A stain on a blue dress, evidence of a private encounter that affected the country not at all, had it not been for a distorted political witch hunt conducted by two-faced Republicans.

Monica's Mess, Part the Second: A blot on the entire nation, fomented by a third-rate graduate of a joke of a law school, whose actions wrecked havoc on one of the critical components of American democracy -- that of an independent Justice Department.

Which one do you think the MSM has covered more extensively?

(With apologies to Charles Pierce of Altercation for borrowing his fine formatting.)

McCain has your excuse right here

2008-07-30T17:14:00.002-04:00

The entire point of McCain's recent ads is to give the independents who have typically voted Republican in the recent past an EXCUSE not to vote for Obama.

They know as well as anyone else that McCain is Bush's third term. They know he has no new ideas. They know they will continue to pay the price.

But its real hard for them to vote for a black guy and/or a Democrat. So McCain's campaign gives them all kinds of excuses. He's presumptuous (an uppity nigger). He's wussy (gay). He's a celebrity (gay). He's elite (gay). He's dangerous to white women (a nigger). His wife is too angry (a nigger). It goes on and on.

Yes, its a racist dogwhistle but the idea is to appeal to people who would never consider themselves racist but just need an excuse to vote against their own self-interests.

Season Two 'Mad Men'

2008-07-28T20:03:00.001-04:00

Thank goodness "Mad Men" is back -- the best show on TV. Loved the season 2 premiere last night and looking forward to the rest of the season.

Don't Bring Me Down

2008-07-28T10:35:00.002-04:00

Less than 100 days until the election.

Ten days or so ago, I read this post by Digby about the speech Jimmy Carter gave in 1979 -- during the first major oil crisis -- trying to tell the country what we needed to do to save our country. But no, the American people had to elect a moron who made them feel good, rather than re-elect a president who had vision about our future. So now, 29 years later, we are in a major mess, in large part due to ignoring the energy crisis for all those years, but also due to Republican tactics that have just about destroyed the middle class and America's standing in the world. Thanks, assholes!

Virus

2008-07-26T12:43:00.004-04:00

Viruses are the most bizarre things. Its amazing what such a small thing can do to you. I had a stomach virus Thursday (at least that is what I assume happened to me). I started out just feeling queasy. Then muscle aches. Then, a fever set in with chills. Then vomiting. Then violent shaking. Then sweating profusely. Then it was over. This took less than 24 hours. Friday, I still felt a little queasy, but mainly I felt just wiped out from the day before.

When I was in the throes of this, all I could think of was the dysentery segment from "On the Road." (That's a bacteria, isn't it? Also small things that can mess you up.) Ugh. Not at all pleasant, but thankfully over.

I am sure I got this from the bus. I have forgotten to post that I am now taking the bus to/from work. I've done it for 3 weeks now and its been fairly easy and pleasant. But I am quite sure that I got sick from being on the bus, probably from someone who works at the hospital.

Presumptuous

2008-07-26T12:20:00.001-04:00

The latest right wing meme for Obama after his trip to Europe is "presumptuous." Why don't they just call him an uppity nigger and get it over with?

McCain is a Dumbass

2008-07-23T13:50:00.002-04:00

I can't even get worked up anymore about McCain. He's such a dumbass. The latest is that he claimed that the Anbar awakening took place as a result of the escalation (known as the surge). This is, of course, not true. The Anbar awakening was before the escalation and they have nothing to do with each other.

He just keeps making mistakes on foreign policy, his supposed strength. Oh, and hey McCain, please define victory in Iraq (which he refuses to do and its one of the reasons the NY Times rejected his submission -- that and the fact that the piece contained no policy, only repeated attacks on Obama). I suspect victory by McCain's definition is staying there forever.

I recently saw some footage of McCain from a few years ago -- he has really changed. He looks much, much more elderly and fragile now then he did even 3 years ago.

No Sense of History; No Sense at All

2008-07-23T13:45:00.004-04:00

This morning on the local NPR station, I heard something like this (which I assume was a line sent by NPR for local anchors to read in the local breaks during 'Morning Edition' promoting an upcoming segment):

"Senator Obama's visit to Germany has all the religious fervor usually reserved for a visit by the pope."

OK.

First, there isn't anything remotely religious about this.

Second, Germany has very few Catholics (remember Martin Luther?) and would not exactly get all worked up about a visit from the pope.

That reminds me of living in Buffalo, a very, very Catholic community, where there was a priest named Father Goldberg. Yes, he was German. Of course, most Americans perceive Goldberg as a Jewish name, as I did, so I found a Catholic priest named Goldberg to be incongruous.

My Thrill for the Week, Month, Year...

2008-07-22T05:46:00.002-04:00

I was at the mall last night (the kid's IPod is acting up) and saw Tyler Hansborough and Bobby Fraser. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I didn't stop them, though. I saw Wayne Ellington at that same mall about 2 months ago. Maybe I should hang out there more often...

Airport Kabuki

2008-07-18T14:57:00.001-04:00

This is exactly what I've always thought.

Travelling by airplane in the US is nothing more than mass training of Americans to the requirements of the coming police state. The whole point is to make you learn to acquiesce without question, en masse, to completely absurd directives by dull functionaries wearing uniforms.

Its silly, costly and doesn't make air travel any safer.

McCain is a Disgrace

2008-07-14T11:14:00.003-04:00

I completely forgot to mention McCain's ignorant remark that Social Security is a "disgrace." It's only the most successful government program in the history of the nation, paying monthly benefits, on time, every time, for the past 68 years.

Social Security is a program that has done exactly what it was designed to do. Social Security is NOT a pension plan and was never meant to be. It's an old age, widows and disabled assistance program. It's insurance.

If the MSM had done what it should have, if seniors knew just how stupidly evil and how unqualified McCain actually is, McCain could kiss off Florida and Arizona right now.

John McCain's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

2008-07-12T14:21:00.003-04:00

If any Democratic candidate had had the week McCain had, the media would be in a frenzy. But, oh no, they were hooked on the Jesse Jackson silliness, so once again McCain gets away with it.

What happened?

Top McCain economic advisor Phil Gramm suggested that economic woes are basically a figment of our collective national imagination.
During a town hall meeting Monday in Denver, a Vietnam veteran, well-armed with facts (oh those pesky things) pointed out McCain's poor record on veterans' benefits.
McCain squirmed and hemmed and hawed when a reporter asked him about his supporter Carly Fiorina's comments that many insurance companies pay for Viagra but not birth control -- and pressed him on the fact that he has voted against insurance companies being required to pay for birth control.
McCain responded to a question about the increase in U.S. sales of cigaretttes to Iran by joking: "Maybe that's a way of killing" Iranians.
McCain told a Pittsburgh television station that he recited the names of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line while under interrogation in north vietnam. One problem with that remarkable anecdote? Every other time McCain has told that story... He's named the Green Bay Packers instead.

This segment on "Countdown" (with Rachel Maddow hosting) sums up McCain's very bad week.

Stop Her Please

2008-07-12T14:18:00.002-04:00

Today at Walmart (yeah, I sometimes shop there) I saw Rachael Ray branded dog food called "Nutrish." I can't stand that woman and her stupid words, let alone her stupid programs on Food Network and her stupid "recipes" (more blue cheese and bacon, anyone?). Ugh -- can someone please make her go away from popular culture?

The More Important Fourth

2008-07-09T13:17:00.003-04:00

Just so we don't forget as Congress guts it in the FISA bill, here's the Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Got that? Ya gotta have a warrant. No kings. A country ruled by law.