Power Up

With the notable exceptions of people and soft drinks, everything seems to get smaller over time. It seems nuclear reactors are going that way too.

Using technology licensed from the U.S. government, an Arizona-based company is planning to bring a new generation of miniature nuclear reactors to market. The Hyperion Hydride Reactor is not much larger than a hot tub, is totally sealed and self-operating, has no moving parts and, beyond refueling, requires no maintenance of any sort. The reactor will output 27MW, enough to power a community of 20,000 homes, says Hyperion Energy, makers of the new reactor. The first models will roll off the assembly line in five years.

Sometime in the future Dick Cheney may be able to power the locks on his man-sized safe at his undisclosed location with his very own nuclear power source.

There's Going to Be a Few Changes...

Dan sent me this. I wish I hadn't heard people reacting this way in real life.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

80's Movie Quote of the Week

Over the last few days, I think lots of people have been thinking about what it means to be American. I think this quote from European Vacation spells it out pretty well:

Clark Griswold: There it is, kids, my motherland.
Rusty Griswold: Dad, Grandma's from Chicago.
Clark Griswold: Shut up, Russ.

Bizness

It seems luxury retailers took a huge hit last month. The story, unfortunately, fails to mention to what extent these retailers could have been propped up by Sarah Palin's continued access to RNC credit cards.

The Media

Look, I tend to be someone who thinks the media has a tougher job than most people acknowledge. They get pounded on the right for having liberal bias, and they get pounded on the left for getting played by the right. Almost everyone thinks the media is uniformly bad at its assigned task.

I don't share that opinion generally, but I may be swayable. The fact that reporters may have known that the United States had a chance of electing a leader with an appalling lack of basic knowledge about the world, and did not cover it, is inexcusable. Off the record comments or not, the press does us virtually no good if it does not hold our leaders to some base level of accountability.

What the...

In all my excitement, I hadn't noticed that Alaska is about to reelect a convicted felon. I don't really have a comment about that.

What a Night

I couldn't be much happier today. Pennsylvania was called before I made it to my watch party, and the whole thing was just a drama-free celebration. I wish my state would've cooperated, but that's nitpicking at this point. What a speech by Obama. What a speech by McCain. It was a good night for the future of America.

You Betcha!

A reader letter excerpted in a National Review post:

I've been making calls into Pennsylvania to do last-minute GOTV for the Good Guys. Of the 10 or so times I've reached live people, I have gotten three very pleasant-sounding ladies who informed me that they had already, or were about to, cast their vote for "Sarah." They were pleased to hear that a man from Texas had cast his ballot for the exact same candidate.

Does this mean they wrote in Palin for president, or are simply voting McCain/Palin in hopes that the old guy isn't around very long? Either way (or probably neither way), these are clearly people who I would prefer not to be stuck next to in a voting line.

I Don't See Your Name Here Anywhere

My polling place was one of several this morning that had a little trouble getting started:

“We did have issues in Ward 5 this morning,” said Melodie Powell, chairperson of the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners. “The poll logs got intermingled.”

She blamed a computer glitch for the problem. The election board became aware of the problem about 6:30 a.m. and it sent out blank polling logs and teams of workers to help correct the problem. Ward 5 includes the Valentine neighborhood and parts of Midtown and the Country Club Plaza areas.

The correct books were delivered to the polls by about 8 a.m.

So they got it fixed. No big deal right? Maybe not.

Voter Kristin Gernon said she couldn’t wait any longer and had to leave her polling place on 39th Street shortly after 7 a.m. Gernon was told by a polling official there that the problem affected about ten polling places. Gernon said she would return later to vote, but that many others couldn’t wait any longer and might not be able to return.

We have got to come up with a better voting system.

Just in Case You Need One More Reason

The chart above makes the case for Obama as well as the most eloquent written argument. Via Matt Yglesias.

Where We Are

No matter how you feel about the accuracy of polling, or the unexpected factors that might make a difference tomorrow, this chart is pretty solid proof that Obama is in the best position a Democrat has been in for awhile.

Amazing

100,000 in St. Louis.

75,000 in Kansas City.

Impressive. But nothing compared to what I saw on Saturday night. I traveled down to my hometown of Springfield, MO on Saturday night and joined 30,000 people at the Obama rally.

That 30,000 may be the most amazing thing I have seen through this campaign. If you know anything about southwest Missouri, you know it is not the home of many who would traditionally vote for Obama. Yet, people waited in line for hours to go and cheer our prospective president.

It's hard to express how good it made me feel. Maybe, just maybe, Obama might even win Missouri on his way to victory Tuesday.

There's Dumb...

And there's dangerously dumb. This quote from Sarah Palin is of the second variety.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

It's almost impossible to mess up an understanding of one of our bedrock national principles so badly. But she is a special lady.

Almost 80's Movie Line of the Week

I'm cheating a little because it's Halloween, and Young Frankenstein is one of the best comedies of all time. It surely influenced many 80's comedies right?

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: No. No. Be of good cheer. If science teaches us anything, it teaches us to accept our failures, as well as our successes, with quiet dignity and grace.
(turns to creature)
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Son of a bitch! Bastard! I'll get you for this! What did you do to me? What did you do to me.
Inga: Stop it! Stop that! Stop it! You'll kill him!
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: I don't want to live. I do not want to live.
Igor: Quiet dignity and grace.

A Reminder Not to Elect People Who Don't Believe in Government

I've heard several liberal bloggers talking about how McCain's candidacy has almost made them feel they would prefer another Bush term to a McCain one. I may have uttered those words myself actually. But the Bush team has proven they are not to be trifled with when it comes pissing me off.

The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January.

The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease or lift constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms.

Those and other regulations would help clear obstacles to some commercial ocean-fishing activities, ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining.

It is nice of the Bush administration to give us a reminder that electing people who want to "get government out of way" to run government may not be the best idea.

The Stars at Night are Big and...Well Something

I hope the McCain campaign isn't trying the Jeremiah Wright angle in Texas. A quarter of the electorate wouldn't believe Obama ever went to Wright's Protestant Church.

But the statewide survey of 550 registered voters has one very surprising finding: 23 percent of Texans are convinced that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is a Muslim.

Brought to you by the makers of George Bush's political career.

Believing

Someone on McCain's campaign should recruit Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard to help with morale. Pollard, whose team is 1-6, said earlier this week:

"I'm a believer. I absolutely believe we will win 9 straight."

I'll tell you what I believe. I believe that Bernard Pollard has a better chance of being the next Republican candidate for vice-president than the Chiefs do of winning the next 9 games. "Palin - Pollard 2012, Reality is for Chumps!"

Stimulating

You can't ever have enough infographics. This one I got via Kevin Drum. It lays out the economic benefits from different kinds of spending. Take a look at what does the most good, and then ask yourself why studies have proven that the economy does better under Democrats than Republicans.

He Knows Her Better Than I Do

From the Politico:

In convo with Playbook, a top McCain adviser one-ups the priceless “diva” description, calling her “a whack job.”

Biden!

Funny stuff. The best part is when he asks her if she's joking.

The Maize

I attended my first corn maze over the weekend. I don't know what your average corn maze is like, but the Liberty Corn Maze (pictured above) seemed huge to me. I would highly recommend the activity to those of you who, like me, always complain there is nothing new to do.

If I may offer you one tip, however, take a flashlight if you go after dark. If you don't, you may find yourself standing beneath the gator wondering how you ended up outside the maze on the opposite end of the entrance.

Hee Hee

From David Kurtz at Talking Points Memo:

Barack Obama is noted for his powerful intellect, but I don't think he gets nearly enough credit for the mental dexterity it takes to be simultaneously an Islamic theocrat, atheistic communist and national socialist while posing as a center left candidate. Those must be the compartmentalization skills they taught him at that Manchurian madrasah in Indonesia.

I Do Not Think That Word Means What You Think It Means

From Ruth Marcus' column in the Washington Post:

"To be brutally honest with you, if Obama goes in there the [blacks] are going to go crazy -- and I'm not a prejudiced person."

Callin' it Like it is

E.J. Dionne sums up nicely in the Washington Post:

The cause of Edmund Burke, Leo Strauss, Robert Nisbet and William F. Buckley Jr. is now in the hands of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity -- and Sarah Palin. Reason has been overwhelmed by propaganda, ideas by slogans, learned manifestoes by direct-mail hit pieces.

It can be hard to remember sometimes, but conservatism wasn't always shorthand for an ideology that tolerated no deviations and ridiculed thought. Someday the movement will have ideas again. When they do, we can perhaps have legitimate debate again in this country.

Dimmer Prospects

As a recently single gentleman, I saw this chart sometime ago and was enthused.



Kansas City looked like a great place to be a single man. But a new chart kind of lets the air out of the balloon.




Not only is Kansas City apparently a poor place to be a young single male, but there isn't a city in the United States that tilts in our favor. Sounds like I may need to start hanging out at Curves.

Via Matt Yglesias.

Flailing

John McCain is upset with Republicans who have been critical of Sarah Palin.

“She is a governor, the most popular governor in America,” McCain said. “I think she is the most qualified of any that has run recently for vice president.”

So she is more qualified than Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, John Edwards, and Joe Lieberman? This is getting ugly.

80's Movie Line of the Week

I'm not entirely sure I can still claim "of the week" since I realized I have missed two weeks. Anyway, the political season always brings with it a reminder that words matter. In Night Shift, Michael Keaton explains what the word "prostitution" means.

Bill: PROSTITUTION! But what does that mean really? Sometimes it helps to understand a word if you break it down, so let's do that now shall we? Pros... it doesn't mean anything, you can forget about that... Tit, I think we all know what that means, Tu, two tit and TION of course, from the Latin to shun... to say uh-uh no thank you anyway I don't want it, to push away... it doesn't even belong in this word really.

Questionable Math

CNN has reported that the McCain camp is giving up on Colorado. If you consider Obama to be safe in every place where Kerry won plus Iowa and New Mexico (which look pretty safe and Gore carried in 2000), then Colorado alone would give Obama enough electoral votes to win.

The McCain campaign says this means they must win Pennsylvania. The problem is that Obama is ahead by almost 13 points in an average of the last 10 polls taken there.

This is not to mention that McCain would also need to prevent Obama from winning Ohio, Florida, or some combination of Missouri, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Somebody either has some serious cockeyed optimism, or the calculator is broken.

Rules for the Bus

I went to the Obama rally Saturday. Instead of parking 6 miles away, I rode the bus. I picked it up at the MAX station at 43rd and Main, but the bus I got on was just a regular route bus. It was already jammed with people, most of whom were wearing some sort of Obama gear. There were also a few people on the bus, who just wanted to go wherever it was they were going without a bunch of first-timers getting in their way.

And it was very clear that many of the people on the bus hadn't been on one in a very long time if ever. For those people, I would like to make a few suggestions for any future bus trips.

1. You don't get on through the rear doors. You get on at the front. When you get on in the back you get in the way of everyone trying to get off. There is also nowhere to pay at the rear. Perhaps you did not know that there is generally a fare involved, but there is. If you wondered why everyone was looking at you like you had no head, that is why.

2. When the lady behind you says she is getting off at the next stop, that means get out of the way. It does not mean that you need to yell over the top of 40 people that someone is getting off at the next stop. There is a cord that the woman behind you definetely already pulled. It let the busdriver know what her intentions were.

3. It is not cool to fist bump every black guy that gets on the bus. It is the opposite of cool. You are not earning extra liberal points for that type of behavior. You might catch a pretty good beating however. Stop.

4. When an old lady tells you to make room because Rosa Parks is on the bus, she is jacking with you. Try not to think about what it all means, seriously, she is just messing around... and getting you to move your ass.

I am sure there is more to add here, but I don't want to fill your heads with too much. The rules are pretty simple. Try to follow them.

Welcome to the Ranks of the Anti-Americans, General!

Yesterday, Colin Powell endorsed Obama and made a pretty thorough case against McCain. The right has responded predictably.

At War With Themselves

Reliable conservative Kathleen Parker is standing up for Christopher Buckley against the onslaught from his fellow conservatives. In a Post column, she explains what has happened to conservatives of Buckley's type.

Radical conservatives are still having an interesting time of it, though these days they are being mutilated by fellow "conservatives." The well-fed Right now cultivates ignorance as a political strategy and humiliates itself when its brightest sons seek sanctuary in the solitude of personal honor.

I suppose the people she is talking about have about finished some viral campaign talking about what a baby-hating non-patriot Parker must be.

Maybe We Should Call for More Debates

It seems that people are all but sure now that Obama will win this election. I am feeling pretty confident myself, but I wonder if the end of the debates doesn't present McCain with his best (if still very small) opportunity.

The debates have been a boon for Obama. He has simultaneously been able to talk about the issues he is strong on (and voters care about), and capitalize on the opportunity to stand in front of a large number of Americans and look presidential. The McCain campaign's attack ads have been unsuccessful, and I think at least part of the reason is that the Obama voters hear described in the ads so clearly does not resemble the Obama they see at the debates. Obama seems more credible as a result, and McCain seems less credible.

With the debates over, the McCain camp will have the chance to make more wild charges, and Obama will not have the same kind of platform to respond. That could allow the attacks to be a bit more effective.

The other benefit to McCain with the end of the debates is that he no longer has to talk about policy if he chooses not to. Last night, I heard some of the most bewildering things I have heard in a political forum. Three points stood out:

1. McCain again mocked Obama's interest in "safe" nuclear power.
2. McCain appeared to dismiss women's health concerns as a concoction of the left.
3. McCain seemed to say that we should have college grads and soldiers as teachers, and that those groups shouldn't have to go through any testing to be eligible.

Those are absolutely three of the dumbest statements ever made during a presidential debate. Did McCain mean something more complex and just didn't spit it out? Maybe, but he didn't spit it out. So anyone watching the debates now must assume that John McCain supports unsafe nuclear power, indifference towards the health concerns of women, and unqualified teachers in the classroom.

I'm thinking his campaign staff are very glad the debates are over.

Chiefs Getting Offensive

The Kansas City Chiefs' offensive struggles on the field apparently have not affected their ability to be offensive off it. Larry Johnson was recently charged with simple assault for an incident at a KC nightclub.

Citing police and court documents, the Kansas City Star reported that a 26-year-old woman accused Johnson, 28, of pushing her on the side of the head at a nightclub on Feb. 24, 2008.

I am a little curious as to what pushing someone on the side of the head really means. It doesn't sound like something that would be effective if you were really interested in assaulting someone. But leave it to a Chief to even screw up simple assault.

Zing.

You can say a lot of things about Christopher Hitchens. That he minces words is not one of those things:

The most insulting thing that a politician can do is to compel you to ask yourself: "What does he take me for?" Precisely this question is provoked by the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin. I wrote not long ago that it was not right to condescend to her just because of her provincial roots or her piety, let alone her slight flirtatiousness, but really her conduct since then has been a national disgrace. It turns out that none of her early claims to political courage was founded in fact, and it further turns out that some of the untested rumors about her—her vindictiveness in local quarrels, her bizarre religious and political affiliations—were very well-founded, indeed. Moreover, given the nasty and lowly task of stirring up the whack-job fringe of the party's right wing and of recycling patent falsehoods about Obama's position on Afghanistan, she has drawn upon the only talent that she apparently possesses.

The rest of Hitchens' article at Slate is similar. For a guy who has spent the last few years concentrating all his ferocity towards those who didn't want to be in Iraq, an unwillingness to back McCain must truly mean the wheels are off.

What a Weekend!

Kansas City professional sports teams suffered no losses this weekend.

Sourcing the Nonsense

Why would those nuts at McCain/Palin rallies think Obama is a Muslim terrorist or a socialist? The Daily Show provided a theory:

How Not to Build a Permanent Majority

It wasn't that long ago that people like Hugh Hewitt were writing books about a permanent republican majority. This election, while far from over, looks like it could produce a Democratic president and increased control of both houses of Congress. David Brooks attempts to explain why in his column in the Times today:

And so, politically, the G.O.P. is squeezed at both ends. The party is losing the working class by sins of omission — because it has not developed policies to address economic anxiety. It has lost the educated class by sins of commission — by telling members of that class to go away.

The whole article talks about the rampant anti-intellectualism and anticoastalism that has been an undercurrent of GOP thinking for awhile, and has absolutely busted out at recent McCain/Palin rallies. If you want to be a party that builds a coalition broad enough to stretch over a long period, it probably is best not spend all your time proposing that half the country are in some amoral, terrorist loving, baby killing cabal. That's free advice.

Maybe He Didn't Understand the Question

David Broder is pissing me off. Here is what he had to say about the presidential candidates' answers at the second debate.

John McCain and Barack Obama have been asked twice -- once in the Mississippi debate and again on Tuesday night -- what their priorities would be. McCain flat-out refused to choose, arguing that the United States can do it all. Obama mentioned energy, health care and education but did not acknowledge that he might have to choose among them.

The question didn't ask what they would leave out, it asked what their priorities are. McCain did not answer the question. Obama did. But Broder, in typical Broder fashion, blames them both.

Now the larger point of his story is well-taken. It is true that both candidates are reluctant to say what they might give up with a bad economy. But if Broder is really surprised by that he probably hasn't learned anything in his century of writing columns. Or maybe he is just mailing it in at this point.

The bigger issue is that Broder is almost never willing to say one side has behaved worse than the other, even when it is clearly warranted. This is the type of media coverage that allows John McCain to get away with egregious attacks and outright lies. Yes, the media needs to be fair. But they need to be accurate too.

Quitting?

For those of you who aren't baseball fans, Manny Ramirez was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 1st. Manny is one of those athletes, like Allen Iverson, who people love to criticise. The fact that these guys are honest overshadows the fact that they always perform, are especially clutch and never provide a legit reason to think they don't want to win in the worst way.

Tim McCarver recently said that Manny was despicable because he quit on his team before the trade. His proof was that since the trade Manny hit .397 and had an OBP of .489. That's pretty good. But the month before Manny got traded he was batting .347 and his OBP was .473. If that is what quitting on your team looks like, I would love to see a couple of Royals put it in the tank next year.

Reagavelt!

Or Roosegan? One of those guys is John McCain's hero.

I Have Little to Add Here

Glenn Greenwald has a really good post about McCain's increasingly nasty speeches. The link is here, but I wanted to just paste the first part as is.

In the last two months of this election -- as the Bush administration winds down as the most unpopular in modern American history and the Right is on the verge of a desperately-needed collective death -- we see a perfect microcosm of what our country has been over the last eight years. The financial crisis is spreading, accelerating, and morphing across the globe in unpredictable ways. The economic anxiety levels are as high as one can recall, teetering on panic, and even the Wall St. Journal Editorial Page is acknowledging that America's days of economic dominance are over. The national debt is over a staggering $10 trillion and has doubled in the last 8 years alone. And the symbols of our nation have become gulags, the waterboard, an endless stream of bombs and occupations, and people imprisoned forever with no charges of any kind.

And as these flames engulf America's foundations, what is the Right doing -- the movement that brought us all of this through their virtually absolute control of our Government for the last eight years? They're spending all their time chattering with each other about an aging 1960s radical and giddily cheering the increasingly repellent Sarah Palin as she skips around the country in front of rambunctiously booing right-wing crowds accusing Barack Obama of palling around with The Terrorists and pointing out that he doesn't see America the way all the Normal, Good Americans do. For the last eight years, the opponents of the Right have been America-hating Terrorists and they still are.

And just now, John McCain -- speaking in New Mexico -- delivered one of the ugliest, nastiest, most invective-filled personality attacks a major candidate has ever delivered, blatantly designed to stoke raw racial resentments and depict Obama as a Manchurian candidate funded by secret Arab Terrorist sources -- a truly unstable and hate-mongering rant filled with lines like these, delivered with an angry scowl to screaming, howling, booing throngs, while Cindy McCain stood behind him shaking her head in disgust at each fact she heard about the Black Terrorist daring to challenge her husband...

The post continues on, actually quoting McCain's speech and then showing the effects of a lot of this rhetoric on Republican crowds. Apparently, the effect on some is to suggest assasination. Nice.

Breaking Point

What line do you think needs to be crossed before Obama is allowed a little leeway if he punches one of his opponents in the eye? I would think these comments by Sarah Palin might come pretty close to that line:

"Well, I was reading my copy of today's New York Times and I was really interested to read about Barack's friends from Chicago," Palin told the crowd. "Turns out, one of his earliest supporters is a man who, according to The New York Times was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.' These are the same guys who think patriotism is paying higher taxes. This is not a man who sees America as you and I do -- as the greatest force for good in the world. This is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country. This, ladies and gentlemen, has nothing to do with the kind of change anyone can believe in -- not my kids and not your kids."

It's insulting to Obama, of course, but it also insults everyone listening because Palin is both expecting us to believe she suddenly deems the NYT a reputable news source and fundamentally mischaracterizing the story in question.

For the record, I think Obama will take the high road and leave fisticuffs off the campaign trail. It is hard to imagine him not being tempted though.

80's Movie Line of the Week

What with that great jobs report this week and all, how about a movie about the plight of the American worker, Gung Ho?

Hunt Stevenson: Afterwards we have a few beers and piss for distance.
Kazihiro: For us it's accuracy.

Wishin' It Don't Make It True

I'm not sure how anyone could have watched last night's debate and not decided Sarah Palin is a disaster. Being able to smile and form sentences are not the hurdles that bona fide national leaders are expected to clear. It was plainly evident that Joe Biden knew mountains more than Palin about virtually everything they talked about. Her down home shtick was plastered on like eye shadow on a tranny.

The American public seemed to have agreed with that assessment. All of the instant polls taken after the debate declared Biden the winner by double digit margins. But one group seems to have been watching a different debate. I am referring, of course, to conservative pundits.

Almost to a person, the knuckleheads at NRO have decided Palin won the debate and that America will be in love with her. They also think the press is showing its bias by not talking about how great she did. Life is good on Planet Conservatron.


One more thing: Gwen Ifill disappointed me last night. When a candidate announces moments into a debate that she will not be accountable to questions asked by the moderator, it really has to be the moderator's job to make some attempt at forcing that candidate to comply with the rules agreed to before the debate started. Credit goes to the Republicans for painting Ifill into a corner where she may not have felt like she could do anything about it. I, however, think she still could have and should have.

Trust Issues

With our attention focused on the future, it can be easy to forget about how much the Bush administration did to run government into the ground. We got a small reminder this week, even if nobody paid attention to it.

The report says "it appears" that Missouri U.S. attorney Todd Graves "was told to resign because of a political dispute among Missouri politicians, not because of an objective assessment of his performance." Specifically the dispute was between Republican Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond and Graves's brother, a Republican congressman.

Arkansas U.S. attorney Bud Cummins "was not removed for any performance reasons," the report says. "Rather, the evidence shows that the main reason for Cummins's removal was to provide a position for former White House official Tim Griffin."

The most egregious case, according to the report, was that of New Mexico U.S. attorney David Iglesias. The evidence showed that Iglesias was removed because of complaints from Republican Sen. Pete Domenici and other GOP officials and party activists who believed he was not being aggressive enough in pursuing certain voter fraud and public corruption cases -- by happenstance, cases against Democrats.

Gonzales and his deputies at Justice never looked into Iglesias's handling of those cases and, in fact, never even asked him about them. They just fired him.

Pretty easy to understand why the president doesn't have a lot of credibility when he tells the American public that the financial bailout is in their best interest. That's too bad.

Bad Sign

If anyone ever begins a story about you with a sentence like this, you can asume things aren't going well.

Sarah Palin's performance in her CBS News interviews has been so poor that one can't avoid speculating about the depth of her ignorance.

A Reminder

We watch the numbers for Obama and McCain go up and down and focus on the totals. But there are a million stories within those totals. What is your favorite among those exhibited below?

Diversion

I've been pretty down, what with the collapse of our economy and all. I needed something to cheer me up, and a friend was there to help out. We should all have friends who send us stuff like this.

The Never Talk About This Stuff on the EIB

Conservative columnist David Brooks is not amused by the actions of the Congressional conservatives:

House Republicans led the way and will get most of the blame. It has been interesting to watch them on their single-minded mission to destroy the Republican Party. Not long ago, they led an anti-immigration crusade that drove away Hispanic support. Then, too, they listened to the loudest and angriest voices in their party, oblivious to the complicated anxieties that lurk in most American minds.

Now they have once again confused talk radio with reality. If this economy slides, they will go down in history as the Smoot-Hawleys of the 21st century. With this vote, they’ve taken responsibility for this economy, and they will be held accountable. The short-term blows will fall on John McCain, the long-term stress on the existence of the G.O.P. as we know it.

I’ve spoken with several House Republicans over the past few days and most admirably believe in free-market principles. What’s sad is that they still think it’s 1984. They still think the biggest threat comes from socialism and Walter Mondale liberalism. They seem not to have noticed how global capital flows have transformed our political economy.

I provided the italics because from my infinitely biased point of view, this really is the crux of the issue. Conservatives have left reality, and they have been aided and abetted by the conservative media monster they helped create.

Oh Boy

This is the picture that CNN is using above a story about the markets plunging as "no" votes mount for the bailout. It looks like things are about to get worse.

80's Movie Line of the Week

Porky's understood racists pretty well.

Tim: Anybody wanna go fly a kite with me tonight? I hear it's great weather for flying KITES! I wonder if there's any KITES around here we can fly!
Brian Schwartz: Hey listen, Cavanaugh. It's not kite, it's KIKE! K-I-K-E, "kike." You know, you're too stupid to even be a good bigot!

Too Much

John McCain has suspended his campaign because it is vitally important that he personally be in Washington to save America from its economic troubles. He will apparently do that without reading the 3 page document that everyone else is using as a starting point.

Dominos

Is it possible that everything that has been going on with McCain the last couple of days is simply a ploy to keep Palin out of the spotlight as much as possible. Lindsey Graham floated the idea yesterday that the vice-presidential debate might need to be moved, and McCain ditched Letterman for Katie Couric, which conveniently moved Couric's Palin interview down in the newscast.

I'm not saying they are playing everything around a protection of Palin, but I am saying maybe they are. Could you blame them when this keeps happening:

Make a Mental Note

Daniel Gross has a story on Slate regarding how we will pay for the $700 billion bailout. But I think the most important piece of his story is this:

Think about everything Wall Street has been given since the late 1990s: cuts in the capital-gains tax, dividend tax, and estate tax; cuts in marginal income tax rates; free-trade agreements; low interest rates; light regulation. The promise was that doing the bidding of the financial-services industry would deliver solid growth and boost incomes for everyone. It didn't. This business cycle, in which job growth was generally anemic, ended with median incomes about where they were at the end of the last business cycle. The S&P 500 is basically where it was 10 years ago. Sure, we got cheap mortgages, all the credit we could eat, and some higher corporate income-tax payments for a few years. But now Wall Street wants it all back in the form of bailouts.

This point is crucial because the line we have been expected to buy over the last several years is that handing over our country to the wealthy is necessary for the rest of us to make any progress.

The three decades in between the mid-forties and mid-seventies had already proved this was untrue. In that time, equality grew, living standards were increased, and the economy grew. In the thirty years since, the economy has grown at the expense of equality and with less regard to improved living standards for all Americans.

The last 10 years, however, are the crystallization of why we can't sacrifice attempts at equality for the sake of total growth. The growth hasn't helped most Americans at all, and it may turn out not to have been real for those it did. Moving forward, let's not allow ourselves to be convinced that we can't strive for both.

I Miss the West Wing

I don't usually read Maureen Dowd. I just don't like the amateur psychoanalysis that is the focus of most of her columns. Fortunately for me, friend of the blog ESL passed along this week's column, which she outsourced to West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. He writes an exchange between Barack Obama and West Wing president Jed Bartlett. The whole thing is pretty funny, but this exchange was killer:

OBAMA I’m not. They pivoted off the argument that I was inexperienced to the criticism that I’m — wait for it — the Messiah, who, by the way, was a community organizer. When I speak I try to lead with inspiration and aptitude. How is that a liability?

BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.

I went to the Truman Presidential Library this weekend for the first time. There is, of course, a pretty significant portion of the museum dedicated to the atomic bomb. One of the features of this section is a guestbook where visitors can write about whether they believe dropping the bomb was the right or wrong decision.

For every person that wrote a critique or defense of Truman's actions based on some thoughtful argument, there were probably three who wrote things like, "Nuke 'em til they glow," or something about how President Bush was weak for not following Truman's lead.

There were literally pages and pages of these comments. I could have stood there and read the book all day, but I don't think my faith in humanity is sturdy enough right now to endure it. Aaron Sorkin's exchange above kind of captured how I was feeling on Saturday.

The Bottom?

Perhaps today is the day. I hope today is the day. I hope today marks the nadir of Kansas City professional sports. There is no way to be sure, but when the Royals never threaten in their final home game of the season (in route to a 3-0 loss) and the Chiefs lose to another suspect NFL team 38-14 to start 0-3, you have to think maybe there is no where from here but up.

One thing that doesn't encourage me is being at Kauffman Stadium today. It is possible that the construction is causing some problems, but the Royals ran the concession operation today like they were running a roadside food stand out of a trailer. Every concession stand I made it to today was out of something, and the people in front of me were complaining about the same experience. Maybe I just don't know the facts, but it sure seemed like the Royals were sacrificing the fan experience (of the fans loyal enough to come see this bunch lose their 86th game of the year) to keep from having much inventory left at the end of the season. That does not give one much hope for the future of the franchise.

On the plus side, I finished my first fantasy baseball season ever by winning my league championship today. This proves the fantasy rule that whoever knows the least about what they are doing has an automatic advantage. If only that rule extended to real sports management.

Government by People Who Hate Government (Part 2,746)

Economic experts are spreading the blame around for the financial crisis, but they agree on one place to lay blame:

These experts, from both political parties, say Mr. Bush’s early personnel choices and overarching antipathy toward regulation created a climate, that, if it did not set off the turmoil, almost certainly aggravated it.

This is why Barack Obama talks about the "failed philosophy" of conservative government. It's why we need people who believe in the work of government to be in charge once again.

80's Movie Line of the Week

The Princess Bride reviews the downside of experience.

Buttercup: We'll never survive.
Westley: Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has.

Well, We've Never Had Trouble Before Right?

From the Washington Post on voter registration increases:

Federal officials estimate that 2 million poll workers will be needed to handle the turnout, twice 2004's number and a goal states are scrambling to meet.

It wouldn't be an election without some finger pointing and a lawsuit or two, right?

Bad Timing

We taxpayers just bought another company, AIG, and now the stock market is headed even further into the toilet. Sometimes you just can't catch a break.

Different Planets

Die hard conservatives live on one planet, and the rest of us live on another. From Rich Lowry's column on the NRO:

Since 2000, John McCain had thrived on his irrepressible chattiness with the press, talking about anything reporters wanted for as long as they would listen. The press loved the access and avoided “gotcha” coverage, letting McCain explain any seeming gaffes. The arrangement worked beautifully for both sides — until McCain became the Republican presidential nominee.

Suddenly, he wasn’t afforded the same old courtesy from reporters, and he had to go about the grim business of driving a daily message. With the end of the running bull sessions, a trial separation began with the press that became a divorce that became a feud.

Whatever affection they still have for McCain is now expressed in self-interested yearning: Where is the McCain of old, the one who could be reliably counted on to lose?

On planet Conservatron, it was the press who didn't afford the same courtesy to McCain, the candidate was forced to promote suspect daily messages, and the whole thing is because McCain refuses to run a losing campaign by telling the truth.

Who are the Ad Wizards...

If you want proof that Kansas City's pro sports franchises don't take the people of the city seriously, simply look at the effort they put into marketing. This morning, unless I was still dreaming, I awoke to a Royals commercial that featured the voice of some woman talking about how much fun it is at a game.

The woman throws out some of the usual family fun stuff, but as she goes it becomes clear she is talking to a friend named Sarah. I had no idea, where this was headed until she mentions that Sarah needs to get past this "hockey mom" business (or something pretty close to that - like I said I was still staggering towards my alarm clock). Then the voice says something like "you too, McCain."

Now, I'm not sure whether this commercial was showing some tacit support for McCain, making fun of the Republican nominees, or most likely just trying to tie the Royals to something people care about. But I can't think of a much worse idea. You, at the very least, have the possibility that McCain fans will think it is mockery, and Obama fans will think it is supportive. Then everyone is angry about an ad that is dumb even if everyone takes it the right way.

This is not long after the Chiefs started running an ad featured the venerated spokesduo of Kevin Costner and Michael Garozzo. Why on earth the Chiefs would ever think a testimonial from either of those guys would make me think about how badly I too needed to come to a game is really a mystery. Even more of a mystery is that they felt like pairing the two in back-to-back spots would not be even more incongruous.

The point is that the two teams must not be trying at all. The belief seems to be that if they throw anything at all up on the radio (or TV), people will respond. After all, these are the only teams they've got. If only that wasn't so.

I Just Can't Do It

I want to write about the horror show that was the Chiefs game yesterday, but I can't. There really isn't anything to say, except that long suffering Kansas City sports fans are now getting the worst they've ever got. It's sad, frustrating, angering, and amazing all at the same time. I'm ready for some blackouts.

Credit Where it is Due

While I don't think there is any real chance that Fox will be abandoning its conservative cheerleading on a consistent basis, you have to give them (or just anchor Megyn Kelly) credit for finally calling out McCain's repugnant advisor Tucker Bounds on the campaign's regular habit of lying.



His response by the way is awesome because it involves both more lies and an insinuation that Obama is the one who is flat lying. Pretty amazing.

Via Steve Benen.

80's Movie Line of the Week

Today I read this:

Three decades ago, there were more federal wage and hour inspectors than there are today, though the labor force was 40 percent smaller.

Made me think of Randolph and Mortimer in Trading Places.

Louis Winthorpe III: Randolph. Mortimer.
Mortimer Duke: Winthorpe, my boy, what have you got for us?
Louis Winthorpe III: Well, it's that time of the month again. Payroll checks for our employees, which require your signatures. And no forgetting to sign the big ones!
Mortimer Duke: We seem to be paying some of our employees an awful lot of money.
Louis Winthorpe III: [laughs] Can't get around the old minimum wage, Mortimer.

That might have been true in the 80's, but these are heady times for the Duke's of the world.

This Aggression Cannot Stand, Man

I'm tired of hearing about pigs, lipstick, and unchallenged lies. So instead, how about I share this great reading of The Big Lebowski as a commentary on Neoconservatism?

The police have recovered the car, and the Dude has found, wedged between the seats, a page of homework belonging to one Larry Sellers. Walter figures out Larry's address and arrives at his house, the Dude in tow, the homework in a plastic bag. He then makes a brief presentation...

When Larry says nothing, Walter proceeds to Plan B: destroying the new Corvette parked outside—purchased, he assumes, using the money left in the car—with a crowbar. Actually, though, the Corvette belongs to a neighbor. Neocons everywhere can sympathize.

Is this eerie foreshadowing of the second Iraq war coincidental? Not entirely. The Coen brothers created a character with traits that run deep in American culture: unflinching righteousness and a tendency to violence. (He was largely based on John Milius, who wrote and directed Red Dawn, the Cold War-paranoia film that later gave its name to the military operation that captured Saddam.) This character confronts a situation that combines both injustice and the opportunity for material gain. He responds more or less as one would imagine. The Dude's pacifist leanings are no match for Walter's assertiveness: While the Dude's disposition may be admirable, he has little effect on the tide of world events. (Refugees from the 1960s can also sympathize.)

The author is probably giving the Coen's a bit more credit that they deserve, but basically the comparison works. And it's a lot more fun to watch this fictional debacle than the real life Walters who have been running our country.

No Reason to Lie About it

Just because lies have become a central part of the McCain campaign strategy doesn't mean they will lie about everything. For instance, the fact that they are regularly lying.

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said the campaign is entering a stage in which skirmishes over the facts are less important than the dominant themes that are forming voters' opinions of the candidates.

"The more the New York Times and The Washington Post go after Sarah Palin, the better off she is, because there's a bigger truth out there and the bigger truths are she's new, she's popular in Alaska and she is an insurgent," Feehery said. "As long as those are out there, these little facts don't really matter."

And, as I mentioned in the previous post, it seems to be working just fine. Actually, the public is a willing participant.

For now, there appears to be little political reason to back down. A Washington Post-ABC News poll taken Sept. 5 to Sept. 7 found that 51 percent of voters think Obama would raise their taxes, even though his plan would actually cut taxes for the overwhelming majority of Americans. Obama has proposed eliminating income taxes on seniors making less than $50,000 a year, but 41 percent of those seniors say their income taxes would go up in an Obama administration.

You can be mad at the McCain campaign all you want, but as long as the public buys it there really isn't much to stop them. You get the government you deserve I guess.

And Then It Happened

No way the American public is duped into changing their minds because he adds a woman who shoots moose, I thought.

No way American women in particular don't see through the pandering and walk away insulted, I thought.

No way the American public ignores the facts that she played the lobbyist game while claiming she didn't, I thought.

No way the American public lets him get away with not talking about economic policies that address the average worker, I thought.

No way the American public sees a convention devoted to a war story and personal attacks and changes their minds, I thought.

No way, no way, no way. And then they did.

Latest average of national polls on Pollster.com: McCain 46.4, Obama 46.3

American public, I am disappointed in you.

Watch and Behold

The brazen dishonesty is staggering.

80's Movie Line of the Week

From Spies Like Us:

Keyes: By your actions, sir, you are risking the future of the human race!
General Sline: To guarantee the American way of life? I'm willing to take that risk.

Not Enough Time Today

But there are a few things I have to mention briefly:

I thought McCain's speech was actually not too bad if viewed out of the context of the rest of the convention. He isn't a great speaker, but he seriously toned down the war against liberals raging basically up to that point at the convention.

If you watched it in context of the rest of the convention, however, it seemed weird. So you want to reach across the aisle, by leading a group of people who have proven for three days that they are hell bent on the destruction of those across the aisle? How does that sell?

***

Maybe John McCain really is uncomfortable running his campaign the way he has been. It seemed to me that every time he told an obvious untruth or really went after Obama his face sort of contorted in a half smile, half wince. So his character may not be enough that he is unwilling to do those things, but it is at least enough that he knows its wrong.

***

In no way related to the previous topics, the Oklahoma City team has named itself the Thunder. I mentioned previously, what a lame choice this would be. Now I must say what a lame choice it is. I still plan on going to OKC to watch some games, but I am not thrilled by the prospect of having to hear Garth Brooks sing "Thunder Rolls" during the game. On the plus side, they'll probably also use AC/DC's "Thunderstruck." It will be like you're at the RNC.

The Great Truth Divide

Both sides spin stories to make their position look most favorable and their opponent's look least favorable. Fine. But, Republicans seem to have decided that just lying is a far more effective tool.

The AP released a story giving some fact-checking examples from the GOP Convention last night. They did a similar story for the Democratic Convention. The difference between the examples is pretty stark. For illustration purposes, I picked the most favorable and least favorable examples for both.

Most Favorable:

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

and:

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID of NEVADA: "Sen. McCain and the Republicans have centered their answer to our vital energy needs on one solution: offshore drilling. Sen. McCain calls for it in every speech ... White House analysts, congressional analysts, and the oil industry all agree that offshore drilling won't add one drop to our energy pool for at least 10 years... Will it do any harm? The answer is, we just don't know, and neither does he."

THE FACTS: Reid is correct when he says opening areas of the U.S. coast, now off limits, will produce no new oil for years; energy experts predict seven to 10 years. McCain has acknowledged the time frame, but argues it could have a psychological effect on oil markets if the U.S. commits to more production. Many experts believe such an effect would be temporary and likely do little to lower prices.

The Republican one is most favorable because it is just misleading instead of just patently false. The Democratic one is favorable because it happens to be completely true.

Least favorable:

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

and:

FORMER SECRETARY of STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: "Sen. McCain says that American troops should remain in Iraq perhaps as long as they have been stationed in Korea and Japan, as if there were no difference in history, religion or culture between our friends in Asia and those in the Middle East."

THE FACTS: Democrats have made much of McCain's "100 years" comment at a town-hall meeting earlier this year in New Hampshire. It was in response to a questioner who had challenged him about President Bush's view that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for 50 years.

"Maybe a hundred," McCain said. "We've been in South Korea. We've been in Japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That'd be fine with me as long as Americans, as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. Then it's fine with me. I hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al-Qaida is training, recruiting and equipping and motivating people every single day."

McCain also has said he envisions victory in Iraq and the return of most U.S. troops by January 2013 — the end of his first term if elected. He also says withdrawal should be based on security conditions in Iraq, not hard deadlines.

The Republican one is tough because it is actually tied with just about every other fact check listed as egregious lies. Not only will Obama not raise taxes on every American, but he will actually benefit most Americans more than McCain's plan. The Democratic one is misleading because it substitutes "fine with me" for "should."

There is a definite truth gap between the two parties.

Drill Baby Drill

Man these RNC people are something else. There were so many ridiculous things about tonight it is hard to know where to start. The "Drill baby drill" chant was probably the highlight.

Nice to hear Rudy get a 9/11 plug in. I think he taught McCain how to pull off working POW experience into every conversation.

Creepy to hear about McCain and Palin laying pipeline in January.

Two Different Worlds

If you watched the Democratic convention last week, you saw a lot about the U.S. economy and the struggles of the middle and lower class. In fact, you might have thought that was the most important issue in this election. You would be right if you asked voters who continue to put the economy on the top of their list of important issues.

But if you listened to the Republican convention last night, you would have thought that all those troubles must have evaporated over the last week. Joe Lieberman made a perhaps accidental case that he might truly still be a Democrat by being the only speaker I saw during the evening mention the problems faced by working families.

The rest of the Republican world seems to be ready to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that if the rich are doing well, then everyone must be doing well. I hope they do because it will make for a much easier election.

GW is Still Classy

From his speech at the RNC last night:

“If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain’s resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure the angry Left never will.”

Game Changer

Hey were you aware that John McCain was a P.O.W.?

Incongruity 2

John McCain's friend Tommy Espinoza just referenced McCain's work helping the poor and got crickets. He did, however, get cheers when he mentioned Jesus.

Complaint

The Republican Convention website sucks. I couldn't find the name of the young singer I referenced in the previous post because they don't have anyone but the major speakers listed. What's the deal?

Incongruity

Only at the Republican National Convention could a young Christian singer singing a song she introduced as "Blessed," be followed by AC/DC's Thunderstruck.

Predictably, dancing to either was a disaster.

Palin

Oh my.

That is about the only family friendly way to respond to John McCain’s VP selection. I realize I am a bit late to the party here, so I probably don’t have much to say that hasn’t been already said by those who can say it better. Nevertheless, I can’t let it pass without comment.

First, I hope all Democrats have the good sense Obama had in regards to the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s daughter. Obama’s official comment was:

"Let me be as clear as possible," said Obama, "I think people's families are off-limits and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor, or her potential performance as a vice president."

Good for Obama, and I hope others fall in line. It is patently ridiculous, however, for conservatives to complain that questions are being asked about birth control in this situation when they weren't in the case of John Edwards and whoever else. Well, John Edwards isn't an advocate of abstinence only education and Sarah Palin is.

Enough about that. There are two far more important issues to look at here.

The first is that Palin was once a member of a party whose founder said,

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

That is the founder of the Alaskan Independence Party, whose name befits its platform quite well. If you think that would be a big deal if it were in the past of a Democrat you would be correct. After all, Obama's preacher took criticism for inflammatory comments but not membership in a secessionist party. And it was Obama's minister, not his VP pick.

So this seems like a big deal. Also of note are the facts that Palin raked in an impressive amount of pork for her city before deciding to denounce such practices, has been hiring more lawyers in anticipation of action over the "Troopergate" inquiry, and her executive record has some bruises.

But easily the most disturbing aspect of this whole episode is what it says about John McCain. Apparently, McCain didn't really want Palin but decided his preferred choices risked running afoul of social conservatives. So McCain picked Palin having met her exactly twice before and vetting her with the following stellar research:

According to this Republican, who would discuss internal campaign strategizing only on condition of anonymity, the McCain team used little more than a Google Internet search as part of a rushed effort to review Palin's potential pitfalls. Just over a week ago, Palin was not on McCain's short list of potential running mates, the Republican said.

Pretty thorough sure, but just to be safe they are looking into her a little further now that they have already named her the VP candidate.

Aides to Mr. McCain said they had a team on the ground in Alaska now to look more thoroughly into Ms. Palin’s background.

You might say that John McCain is flying by the seat of his pants on this one. I hope, however, you wouldn't be that generous. You should probably say that John McCain is displaying just how little interest he has in effectively running the country. Don't take my word for it though. Former Bush speechwriter, and NRO contributor, David Frum says it best:

But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?

And that would have been a great place to leave things, but a friend of mine sent me a link to a blogger friend of his who wrote this great take that I feel obliged to pass on:

Sarah Palin does not meet the experience test and she was not vetted by election, she was appointed. I'm sure she is a great person. People testify to her plain-spokenness and her maverick style. She's a member of the NRA for gosh sakes. I'm sure she's a hoot. A spitfire. A veritable ring-tailed tooter. She's a pistol, for sure. Unfortunately, we're not auditioning for Annie Get Your Gun. This is the real deal. And it's important, damn it.

Scoreboard

The chart above should be tatooed to the palm of every Democratic talking head. When a Republican inevitably starts to make wild claims about how Democrats don't understand the economy, they can speak not word but simply raise the palm.

In fact, this chart should be the focus of every Democratic booster on the planet over the next month or so. I am aware that the American people may be hard to break through to, but if everyone brought it up at every chance, people would notice. Republicans have turned "staying on message" into an effective political tool. Let's see Democrats do it as well.

80's Movie Line of the Week

Ever feel like Dark Helmet in Spaceballs?

Dark Helmet: Careful you idiot! I said across her nose, not up it!
Laser Gunner: Sorry sir! I'm doing my best!
Dark Helmet: Who made that man a gunner?
Major Asshole: I did sir. He's my cousin.
Dark Helmet: Who is he?
Colonel Sandurz: He's an asshole sir.
Dark Helmet: I know that! What's his name?
Colonel Sandurz: That is his name sir. Asshole, Major Asshole!
Dark Helmet: And his cousin?
Colonel Sandurz: He's an asshole too sir. Gunner's mate First Class Philip Asshole!
Dark Helmet: How many assholes do we have on this ship, anyway?
Entire Bridge Crew: Yo!
Dark Helmet: I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes!
Dark Helmet: Keep firing, assholes!

Great Idea

A while back I was lauding the Fox Soccer Channel show, Premier League Fan Zone, where the announcer spots are filled by a fan form each of the two teams playing. It's usually hilarious and sometimes more insightful than listening to the regular announcers. Blogger Ryan at The Bellows suggests a similar tactic in a different application:

I don’t want to diminish the work of my journalist buddies, many of whom have written some really good, really insightful stuff on the speech. But I think that we’d get much more informative coverage by randomly selecting ten viewers and asking them to write what they thought of it.

An excellent idea! It could work one of two ways. Either you could actually select 10 random viewers and try to get a truer sense of the regular Joe reaction, or you could select 5 partisan Democrats and 5 partisan Republicans and play the whole thing more for entertainment value. In either case, it's probably better than what we get now.

Via Matt Yglesias.

Busted!

Who says celebrities aren't like us? David Beckham may be one of the most famous people in the world, but he's also just a dude.

Got it here.

Can't Help Myself

Even though I knew it was going to piss me off, I finished watching Obama's speech and went straight to NRO's The Corner blog to see what the nation's leading conservative voices had to say. Well if I wanted to read something that would make me angry, I succeeded. But I also read a lot that made me scratch my head. Top of that list was this post from the reliably thick-headed Victor Hanson:

It was quite strange to see his enormous televised image shining through a Greek temple, as if he were Zeus speaking through the naos, giving us divine guidance on everything from turning off the television to ensuring we all go to college to promising an end to global warming and disease — with fire and lightning from Olympus in the background.

Really? Did that really look like a Greek temple to anyone else? Is he really taking on Obama for suggesting that parents should take care of their kids instead of the government? How does that not fit with Hanson's worldview? Does he have a problem with people going to college? Was he drinking when he wrote that post?

The Bite Me Express

Perhaps McCain's campaign could rename the Senator's bus after this exchange with Time Magazine:

There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?Read it in my books.

I've read your books.
No, I'm not going to define it.

But honor in politics?
I defined it in five books. Read my books.

[Your] campaign today is more disciplined, more traditional, more aggressive. From your point of view, why the change?
I will do as much as we possibly can do to provide as much access to the press as possible.

But beyond the press, sir, just in terms of ...
I think we're running a fine campaign, and this is where we are.

Do you miss the old way of doing it?
I don't know what you're talking about.

Really? Come on, Senator.
I'll provide as much access as possible ...

In 2000, after the primaries, you went back to South Carolina to talk about what you felt was a mistake you had made on the Confederate flag. Is there anything so far about this campaign that you wish you could take back or you might revisit when it's over?
[Does not answer.]

Do I know you? [Says with a laugh.]
[Long pause.] I'm very happy with the way our campaign has been conducted, and I am very pleased and humbled to have the nomination of the Republican Party.

For the rest follow the link. The "Do I know you?" line is my favorite. Did they wake him up from a nap or what?

Stuff like this is why you have to wonder if all the worrying about what is happening in the polls is a bit premature. Of course, for Democrats, no time is the wrong time for worrying.

Convention

Bill Clinton is still the best.

Biden performed well.

Even John Kerry sounded good.

Can Barack top them tonight?

I think he will, but I am curious to see what kind of speech he gives. Will it be broad and inspirational (I think it should be), or will it be a "workman-like" policy filled speech as some of his people have been saying.

There will be criticism either way. If he goes inspirational, critics will charge we still don't know what Obama really stands for. If he goes policy, critics will say he missed an opportunity to rally the nation and wasn't being himself. I'd take the first criticism.

How Did This Ever Become a Question?

Republicans have decided to return to the use of Democratic Party in their 2008 platform, dumping the frequently used "Democrat Party," in effect since 1996. Says plaform committee chairman and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour:

"We probably should use what the actual name is, at least in writing."

Yeah, probably.

Via Steve Benen.

What a Compliment!

Did Michelle Obama do well in last night's speech? While there are certainly critics, the answer seem to be yes on the whole. Of course, some people are impressed in different ways than others. At the NRO blog, the righties have cooked up an interesting brew of real praise, feigned praise, non-praise, and, of course, faint praise. In fact, this statement from Lisa Schiffren belongs in the faint praise hall of fame.

To her credit, Michelle Obama did exactly what needed to be done tonight. She is serious enough about winning that she was willing to leave out the substance. Whatever vanity she has about her political/intellectual seriousness is less than her ambition. That is truly impressive.

To her credit, Schiffren's ability to ascribe the worst possible motives to the actions of her adversaries is trumped only by her impressive willingness to post such drivel without a hint of irony.

It's for Your Own Good

Apparently, many of you delegates have refused to heed my advice. Fine you are on your own. I'm talking to you crazy hat lady, and you American flag tie guy.

Convention Delegate Advice

No matter how much the music may make you want to, don't dance. You will be on TV, and you will embarrass yourself.

Go Outside

If you are reading this from KC around the time it is posted, please go outside. Weather really doesn't get any better than it is right now. I shouldn't even be typing this right now.

"Boss"ome

Despite what many of his commenters think, Dan over at Gone Mild is a hell of a guy. Yesterday, he proved again by allowing me to tag along with his family to see Bruce Springsteen. I was not a Springsteen fan, and I still won't be downloading Born to Run, but I sure was impressed.

The show at the Sprint Center was probably the best concert I have ever seen where I didn't know 90% of the songs being played. The E-Street Band rocked, and Springsteen went all out like it was the first time he had ever been on stage. Understated would not be a word to describe the Boss, and occasionally he borders on corniness.

You absolutely cannot question his enthusiasm, however. And the energy around the show is infectious. I've never seen so many 50-year-olds dancing like teens in my life. It was quite a show.

Dan has posted his thoughts about the concert, and the setlist. Tim Finn of the Star reviews the show here.

80's Movie Line of the Week

When you are criticised, it is important to keep it in perspective. Spinal Tap helps us remember that.

Marty DiBergi: "This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry."
Nigel Tufnel: That's just nitpicking, isn't it?

Sissies

There is a great story at the New York Times site about Obama's economic views. Miracle of miracles, it is actually a piece that discusses the candidates actual policy ideas. It's long, but definitely worth the read.

Unfortunately, it also proves that the Obama team is a bunch of sissies, because if we have learned anything over the last few years, it is that facts are for wieners.

As anyone who has spent time with Obama knows, he likes experts, and his choice of advisers stems in part from his interest in empirical research. (James Heckman, a Nobel laureate who critiqued the campaign’s education plan at Goolsbee’s request, said, “I’ve never worked with a campaign that was more interested in what the research shows.”)

Might as well get him fitted for a pair of capris.

My Fear

Watching all the polls and looking at predicted electoral maps, I get the uneasy feeling that election night will end this year the same way it has the past two cycles. Ohio and Florida may well again be the deciding states, and the headlines may be about shenanigans both real and imagined in those battleground states. I hope that is just me being a little too paranoid.

Not Done Yet

The Bush gang seems intent upon being the kids who give the principal the finger on the way out of school the last day. The finger is this:

A senior aide to Vice President Cheney is the leading contender to become a top official at the Energy Department, according to several current and former administration officials, a promotion that would put one of the administration's most ardent opponents of environmental regulation in charge of forming department policies on climate change.

F. Chase Hutto III has played a prominent behind-the-scenes role in shaping the administration's environmental policies for several years, the officials said, helping to rewrite rules affecting the air that Americans breathe and the waters that oil tankers traverse. In every instance, according to both his allies and opponents, he has challenged proposals that would place additional regulations on industry.

At least they're still putting in an effort right. No senioritis in this bunch.

Via TPM.