first Right-Wing Ballot Initiative ad, this one for the Mannix-sponsored crime measure.
(h/t to NW Republican.. but what else is new?)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
M61 commercial
Friday, October 17, 2008
Life on Mars:S01E02
*Groan*
It's not going well. There's no way I cannot sound like a fanboy of the BBC version, so I'll just plunge in. You'll have to forgive me and I'll have to hope that I can conjure up some analysis that goes beyond "it's not as good as the British version," which can pretty much be said about life in general, no?
First, what's going well. I liked that Sam's flashbacks when in the vicinity of the robot echoed conversations and experiences he had had in 1973. They add a hallucinatory layer to the flashes that is nice. Maybe Sam is on a really bad acid trip after all.
I like how Imperioli is playing Ray. BBC Ray was all quiet, gruff, and clearly resentful of the new man in a bullish, dullard's way. The value he brought to the team, and to DCI Hunt, was purely loyalty combined with brute force. ABC Ray is smarter. He's not about brute force. He's about playing the angles. He's a smart-ass. Hopefully, this will develop and we will see qualities in ABC Ray that challenge Sam's place on the team. I think they took a stab with that last night, with Ray tricking Sam into betraying the 125th, but the set up had problems. I'm willing to give it time.
Unlike the AV Club, I didn't mind the hippie chick. As much. Sure she was silly and hopefully the show will give her a bit of a darker side, but she's necessary for the plot. Sam has to have some reason that to want to stay in 1973. Or at least not driving himself crazy trying to escape form 1973. In the BBC version, that's Annie. In the ABC version, they've decided to go the Jim and Pam route and have Annie already hooked up with another copper, so we'll have goo-goo eyes and "if only" looks for two seasons.
What didn't work. The fashion is not working. All of Sam's 1973 wear wouldn't look out-of-place today. Stripey shirt underneath medium length black leather jacket? Crazy! It certainly doesn't help that someone has decided that in dramatic scenes, the collar goes inside the jacket, rather than out. Small difference: BBC Sam wore a similar jacket, but also had a button or two undone and added a gold chain. Would a 2008 man who suddenly found himself in 1973 seek to fit in or feel comfortable? Let the debate rage.
For some godawful reason, ABC has decided to play the violence cartoonishly. The tension of the show is supposed to be found in the differences in policing between 1973 and 2008. Can our slightly dweebish 2008 copper hang with the lads in 1973? The police "brutality" in this episode centered on Lt. Hunt tweeking a bad guy's nose. Twice! The fight between Hunt and Sam was played for slapstick. I am at a loss here.
The whole point of the show, as far as the police aspects go, is that Sam is appalled by the methods used by the 1973 cops. They just want to crack some skulls and see what happens (or so it seems). Rights don't matter, warrants don't matter, justice means getting baddies off the streets. Sam is appalled, but he also comes off as a bit of a dweeb. It's always rights and warrants and patient interrogation and "we'll get 'em next time, boys." The 1973 squad is just as appalled by Sam as he is by them. The ABC version has none of this. So far, all we get are "WTF?" reaction shots from Sam when the 1973s do something (mildly) "bad." No back and forth.
Which leads to the other thing that makes the BBC version great: class tension. The boys of the BBC squad are all clearly working-class men. They were born in Manchester and became coppers. They are lads. They enjoy cracking skulls and pints in the pub. If the state wants to pay them for it, all the better. Sam may be working class by birth, but he's got a bit of education. He's a 21st century cop, up on scientific methods, psychology, and technology. He's a fancy pants. The boys resent him for it. But Hunt is smart enough to see that Sam's ideas have merit. He's smart enough to be able to take a peek over that horizon and catch a glimpse of the future. He's suspicious, but he sees enough that he's willing to follow Sam at times. And when Sam messes up, as ABC Sam did this week, Hunt lashes out for being made to look foolish, for being made to doubt himself, for letting the middle-class prick tell him what to do. When BBC Hunt slams Sam in the gut with a punch, he means it.
None of this tension exists, so far, on the ABC version. I know America is a classless society, but come on. Sam hasn't even gotten an schtick for being a pretty boy. So when ABC Sam's idea goes wrong, and Lt. Hunt sort of hits him and then they wrestle around in a comic manner, it's meaningless. And I want to hurl things at my tv.
Which brings us to the biggest flaw of the show. As Gabba predicted, Harvey Keitel is a major weak link on the show. He's way too old to be playing Gene Hunt. Or any cop in 1973. I can't get past it. He's at least 65 years-old. Coppers weren't that old back then. Not Lieutenants. Being a cop was a working-class job. A job you took after high school or the Army. Early twenties at the latest. You retire from being a cop with full pension after 30 years, unless you're climbing a ladder or exercising power. You are certainly not chasing down bad guys, going on stake outs, or tweeking noses in interrogations. Keitel's Hunt was born in the 1910s at the latest. He came on the force during the Depression. He was too old for WWII. He was a cop in New York in the '40s and '50s. He comes from a completely different generation than anyone else on the show, but you wouldn't know it. They are trying to throw him into a role suited for a 42 year-old. Imperioli would have been an interesting choice for Hunt. I love Harvey Keitel, but every time he's on the screen, I can't help but thinking how wrong, wrong, wrong he is for the role.
I'm still hoping this gets better. Still remembering that the first few episodes of The Office bit balls. Started downloading Series 2 of the BBC Life of Mars.
It's not going well. There's no way I cannot sound like a fanboy of the BBC version, so I'll just plunge in. You'll have to forgive me and I'll have to hope that I can conjure up some analysis that goes beyond "it's not as good as the British version," which can pretty much be said about life in general, no?
First, what's going well. I liked that Sam's flashbacks when in the vicinity of the robot echoed conversations and experiences he had had in 1973. They add a hallucinatory layer to the flashes that is nice. Maybe Sam is on a really bad acid trip after all.
I like how Imperioli is playing Ray. BBC Ray was all quiet, gruff, and clearly resentful of the new man in a bullish, dullard's way. The value he brought to the team, and to DCI Hunt, was purely loyalty combined with brute force. ABC Ray is smarter. He's not about brute force. He's about playing the angles. He's a smart-ass. Hopefully, this will develop and we will see qualities in ABC Ray that challenge Sam's place on the team. I think they took a stab with that last night, with Ray tricking Sam into betraying the 125th, but the set up had problems. I'm willing to give it time.
Unlike the AV Club, I didn't mind the hippie chick. As much. Sure she was silly and hopefully the show will give her a bit of a darker side, but she's necessary for the plot. Sam has to have some reason that to want to stay in 1973. Or at least not driving himself crazy trying to escape form 1973. In the BBC version, that's Annie. In the ABC version, they've decided to go the Jim and Pam route and have Annie already hooked up with another copper, so we'll have goo-goo eyes and "if only" looks for two seasons.
What didn't work. The fashion is not working. All of Sam's 1973 wear wouldn't look out-of-place today. Stripey shirt underneath medium length black leather jacket? Crazy! It certainly doesn't help that someone has decided that in dramatic scenes, the collar goes inside the jacket, rather than out. Small difference: BBC Sam wore a similar jacket, but also had a button or two undone and added a gold chain. Would a 2008 man who suddenly found himself in 1973 seek to fit in or feel comfortable? Let the debate rage.
For some godawful reason, ABC has decided to play the violence cartoonishly. The tension of the show is supposed to be found in the differences in policing between 1973 and 2008. Can our slightly dweebish 2008 copper hang with the lads in 1973? The police "brutality" in this episode centered on Lt. Hunt tweeking a bad guy's nose. Twice! The fight between Hunt and Sam was played for slapstick. I am at a loss here.
The whole point of the show, as far as the police aspects go, is that Sam is appalled by the methods used by the 1973 cops. They just want to crack some skulls and see what happens (or so it seems). Rights don't matter, warrants don't matter, justice means getting baddies off the streets. Sam is appalled, but he also comes off as a bit of a dweeb. It's always rights and warrants and patient interrogation and "we'll get 'em next time, boys." The 1973 squad is just as appalled by Sam as he is by them. The ABC version has none of this. So far, all we get are "WTF?" reaction shots from Sam when the 1973s do something (mildly) "bad." No back and forth.
Which leads to the other thing that makes the BBC version great: class tension. The boys of the BBC squad are all clearly working-class men. They were born in Manchester and became coppers. They are lads. They enjoy cracking skulls and pints in the pub. If the state wants to pay them for it, all the better. Sam may be working class by birth, but he's got a bit of education. He's a 21st century cop, up on scientific methods, psychology, and technology. He's a fancy pants. The boys resent him for it. But Hunt is smart enough to see that Sam's ideas have merit. He's smart enough to be able to take a peek over that horizon and catch a glimpse of the future. He's suspicious, but he sees enough that he's willing to follow Sam at times. And when Sam messes up, as ABC Sam did this week, Hunt lashes out for being made to look foolish, for being made to doubt himself, for letting the middle-class prick tell him what to do. When BBC Hunt slams Sam in the gut with a punch, he means it.
None of this tension exists, so far, on the ABC version. I know America is a classless society, but come on. Sam hasn't even gotten an schtick for being a pretty boy. So when ABC Sam's idea goes wrong, and Lt. Hunt sort of hits him and then they wrestle around in a comic manner, it's meaningless. And I want to hurl things at my tv.
Which brings us to the biggest flaw of the show. As Gabba predicted, Harvey Keitel is a major weak link on the show. He's way too old to be playing Gene Hunt. Or any cop in 1973. I can't get past it. He's at least 65 years-old. Coppers weren't that old back then. Not Lieutenants. Being a cop was a working-class job. A job you took after high school or the Army. Early twenties at the latest. You retire from being a cop with full pension after 30 years, unless you're climbing a ladder or exercising power. You are certainly not chasing down bad guys, going on stake outs, or tweeking noses in interrogations. Keitel's Hunt was born in the 1910s at the latest. He came on the force during the Depression. He was too old for WWII. He was a cop in New York in the '40s and '50s. He comes from a completely different generation than anyone else on the show, but you wouldn't know it. They are trying to throw him into a role suited for a 42 year-old. Imperioli would have been an interesting choice for Hunt. I love Harvey Keitel, but every time he's on the screen, I can't help but thinking how wrong, wrong, wrong he is for the role.
I'm still hoping this gets better. Still remembering that the first few episodes of The Office bit balls. Started downloading Series 2 of the BBC Life of Mars.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
It's Just Food, Nothing More
[UPDATE TO POST BELOW]: Has McCain denounced this, or is this an example of something that doesn't need to be repudiated?
The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women's group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles. [pic at the link]Clearly.
Diane Fedele, president of the group, said she had no racist intent. "I never connected," she told the newspaper. "It was just food to me. It didn't mean anything else."
Fedele said she had received the illustration in e-mails and decided to reprint it to poke fun at a remark by Obama that he doesn't look like other presidents."It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of his statement. I really don't want to go into it any further," Fedele told the newspaper. "I absolutely apologize to anyone who was offended. That clearly wasn't my attempt."
LOLGrads
I made this for CGE to celebrate them getting fair share. Thought I'd throw it up on the ol' blog.
New Poll - Best Movie of 1984
Jesus, we love Prince.
That poll was done, as Bruce couldn't get much love and we seem to disagree with the Grammy voters who declared Lionel Richie the champ that year.
Let's see if we can get some action on the best movie of 1984. I have a feeling we're not going to be marching lock-step with the Academy on this one, as they went for Amadeus.
I usually know the right answer before I put the poll up. This time, I have no idea who I am going to vote for.
Please pass the poll on to your friends. I'd hate to see a nine way split with two votes each.
That poll was done, as Bruce couldn't get much love and we seem to disagree with the Grammy voters who declared Lionel Richie the champ that year.
Let's see if we can get some action on the best movie of 1984. I have a feeling we're not going to be marching lock-step with the Academy on this one, as they went for Amadeus.
I usually know the right answer before I put the poll up. This time, I have no idea who I am going to vote for.
Please pass the poll on to your friends. I'd hate to see a nine way split with two votes each.
I've Repudiated Them In My Mind
Last night John McCain said:
Every time there's been an out-of-bounds remark made by a Republican, no matter where they are, I have repudiated them.One assumes then that he endorses everything that Rush, Hannity, Sacramento Republicans, Townhall, Red State, "anonymous e-mailers," Jerome Corsi, and, well, Sarah Palin have said. Because I follow the campaign pretty closely and I only rememebr hearing about McCain smacking down one supporter at a town hall.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Delusional conservative responses
From Red State:
Raise your hand if you think any employer in the United States would pass on a raise to cover health care costs after ditching the employee health plan. For all of their supposed free market savvy, conservatives sure don't understand how businesses really run.
Obama's use of "you'll lose employer-funded health care" scare tactics shows that he either doesn't understand himself, or knows that the rest of America doesn't understand, that health coverage, even when provided by employers, isn't funded by those employers. Rather, it is wages paid in the form of a benefit, rather than cash. Ending employer-backed health care could mean higher monetary wages in employees' pockets, and would absolutely mean more choice in what insurance coverage is purchased.
Raise your hand if you think any employer in the United States would pass on a raise to cover health care costs after ditching the employee health plan. For all of their supposed free market savvy, conservatives sure don't understand how businesses really run.
Meet a Candidate
Michael
Marsh
Marsh
Constitution
Occupation: Maintenance
Occupational Background: a variety of jobs
Educational Background: some college
Prior Governmental Experience: none
America is in danger and Oregon on the verge of collapse. Leaders of the Democrat and Republican parties with their Ivy League educations are either incredibly stupid or are deliberately destroying us. It is time to return to Constitutional Government and become once again a land of opportunity for Americans. We have entered, voluntarily, into a slave relationship, with our government masters.
Government licenses our activity from travel to marriage, they tax us to drain us of our sustenance, and then use our money to hire police and bureaucrats to come into our homes with warrants to kidnap our children, steal our property and deprive us of our liberty with no remedy-at-law.
In 2007 the legislature, including Ben Westlund, voted to put a toll on every road, bridge and bike path in Oregon with photo tracking devices. Once the Federal Real I.D. Act, which puts everyone into Biometric data base, is completed the Democrat/Republican leadership plan to merge the banks with the States and Federal treasury into one entity with all financial transactions being done by computer. Anyone who objects to any government policy will have their identification suspended and be unable to buy groceries and pay rent.
As State Treasurer, I will uphold and defend the Oregon Constitution.
(This information furnished by Michael Marsh.)
I Swear I Am Not Making This Up
I just got my Oregon Voters Guide Part II: Candidates today and I was perusing the candidate bios when I came across this from Cynthia McKinney's entry:
Bastards.
Cynthia McKinney served 12 years in the Unites States Congress as a courageous voice of peace and seeks make America more safe and better for all Americans.The only logical explanation is that the powers that be don't want us to think Cynthia makes any sense, so they sabotaged her entry.
Bastards.
Gamechangers?
As we count down the hours to tonight's live-blogging debate extravaganza, we might as well speculate as to what dramatic game-changing moment will occur that will shift the momentum back in McPalin's favor. My guess? McCain challenges Obama to a mano-à-mano brawl that ultimately backfires for a literal hit below the belt.
Orrin Hatch
"Countries that have gone to [majority sign-up for union recognition] have gone 85% union, and we can't have that. These guys are gonna hand over the country to the unions, and that will mean the end of the free market"
- Senator Orrin Hatch on MSNBC
- Senator Orrin Hatch on MSNBC
i can't help it
as a Gen X-er, maybe, i can't help but look forward to the (finally!) forthcoming war movie from Tarentino. Kill Bill was really not my kinda thing... but Jackie Brown and everything before it surely was.
am i being elitist by not acknowledging the fake b-horror movies he's made along the way?
am i being elitist by not acknowledging the fake b-horror movies he's made along the way?
Mmmmm, Savings
Obama has put up a tax cut calculator. Assuming no one who reads this blog earns more than $250K or owns a small business that results in income of more than $250K, then I can assure you that you can use the calculator to see what your tax savings would be under an Obama administration.
A Reminder of What's at Stake
From Orrin Hatch:
With only 21 days until Election Day, liberals have their eyes on a prize almost as valuable as capturing the White House -- a filibuster-proof Democrat Senate majority.
That's why MoveOn.org and their allies are pouring it on to seize total control of our government.
These liberals will rubber-stamp Obama's far-left agenda and we'll be reading headlines like these next year if Obama captures the White House:"Hillary Clinton Confirmed To Supreme Court"
"Obama Signs Record Tax Increase"
Right now, a handful of conservative Senators are all that stand in the way of Democrats and their tax-and-spend agenda. But, if liberals get their way, it will be impossible to stop them!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
My hopes
After John Edwards bowed out (and in retrospect, wasn't that a bullet dodged), I was leaning towards Obama over Hillary Clinton. It was his organization that sealed the deal for me. Like the post says, it's "an organization like nothing I've seen before." The Obama campaign has trained thousands upon thousands of people on how to run a political campaign. It has networked self-contained groups of skilled volunteers. It has created the sense of community and urgency that is required to move a campaign forward.
Those of us working to elect Obama share a lot of the same values, and on Nov. 5, a potent political machine is going to wake up, probably hungover, with nothing to do. People have been given the tools - I'm excited to see what we can build with them.
[updated]: Great minds, yadda yadda yadda.
Those of us working to elect Obama share a lot of the same values, and on Nov. 5, a potent political machine is going to wake up, probably hungover, with nothing to do. People have been given the tools - I'm excited to see what we can build with them.
[updated]: Great minds, yadda yadda yadda.
My fears
I've never seen a campaign like this before. I've seen presidential candidates viciously smeared and savagely attacked by partisans. But I haven't seen people yelling out "kill him," or "terrorist." I've never experienced the bestial morality of the modern presidential campaign taking aim at a person of color. I've never witnessed frightfully racialized gutter politics whipped up in the midst of a radical economic upheaval.
That only a small minority of John McCain's supporters vocally or visually express these sentiments is of little comfort to me. Others think it, and they think that those of us who are voting for Barack Obama are voting for a Muslim socialist communist terrorist Satan-worshipping traitor. In probable defeat, the McCain campaign is salting the earth, poisoning attempts to reach these people to solve common problems after the election. Whether intentional or not, I don't know. All I know is that there are going to be a not insignificant number of people who, already the victims of kleptocratic economic policies, are going to see their cultural and social values either be slowly marginalized (as with their views on same-sex marriage) or actively kicked to the curb (their racism) by a new majority. I don't know what this bodes, but I have an active and sometimes unpleasant imagination, and it does frighten me.
Classic
One of my favorite new sites is The Right Wing Professor. He's a Math professor in NY. I caught on to him because he is in an AFT union and blogs about how to get out of paying full dues and generally gripes about the union every now and again. When he's not doing that, he's regurgitating right-wing talking points and giving advice to the McCain campaign.
Today he popped up a post about how McCain should go after Obama as a tax and spender. As part of the post he wrote "History shows that raising taxes into the teeth of a recession brings about disastrous consequences." I asked him if he could provide two or three examples of this historical truth. Unfortunately, RWP is busy right now, but he'll totally get back to me with some examples when he gets the time. He did, however, have the time to dig up a link to an AP article wherein Obama says that if the economy continues to falter, then he might support renewing the tax cut for the wealthy.
RWP takes this as evidence that his general point is obvious even to the most liberal among us, rather than as evidence that Obama is a centrist with neoliberal tendencies.
Today he popped up a post about how McCain should go after Obama as a tax and spender. As part of the post he wrote "History shows that raising taxes into the teeth of a recession brings about disastrous consequences." I asked him if he could provide two or three examples of this historical truth. Unfortunately, RWP is busy right now, but he'll totally get back to me with some examples when he gets the time. He did, however, have the time to dig up a link to an AP article wherein Obama says that if the economy continues to falter, then he might support renewing the tax cut for the wealthy.
RWP takes this as evidence that his general point is obvious even to the most liberal among us, rather than as evidence that Obama is a centrist with neoliberal tendencies.
1984 All Over Again
While I was nostalgizing 1984 earlier, I dialed up this listing of all the movies that came out that year. What a year. Sure cinephiles would blanch at the list, but for people around my age, it's a veritable what's-what of movies.
Take these weekends for example:
Feb 17: Blame It on Rio, Footloose
March 2: Against All Odds, This Is Spinal Tap, Repo Man
June 8: Beat Street, Ghostbusters, Gremlins
June 22: The Pope of Greenwich Village, Top Secret!, The Karate Kid
June 29: Bachelor Party, Cannonball Run II, Conan the Destroyer
Check it out. Lots more great movies.
Take these weekends for example:
Feb 17: Blame It on Rio, Footloose
March 2: Against All Odds, This Is Spinal Tap, Repo Man
June 8: Beat Street, Ghostbusters, Gremlins
June 22: The Pope of Greenwich Village, Top Secret!, The Karate Kid
June 29: Bachelor Party, Cannonball Run II, Conan the Destroyer
Check it out. Lots more great movies.
New Poll - Best Album of 1984
Public Enemy once famously asked "Who gives a fuck about a goddamn Grammy?" Well, I'd venture to reckon that the nominees for 1984 Album of the Year did.
At the side you'll find a poll asking you to choose the best album of 1984 as nominated by Grammy voters and the purchasers of record albums that fine year.
I don't want to influence your votes, but it will be interesting to see if any Culture Clubbers are reading the OG these days.
Also, because we have so many choices, definitely feel free to vote early and often.
At the side you'll find a poll asking you to choose the best album of 1984 as nominated by Grammy voters and the purchasers of record albums that fine year.
I don't want to influence your votes, but it will be interesting to see if any Culture Clubbers are reading the OG these days.
Also, because we have so many choices, definitely feel free to vote early and often.
A Tough Nut to Crack
Looking to kill a few minutes this morning, I headed over to NW Republican, a blog that Lex keeps mentioning. I now know why he is obsessed with ACORN. That whole blog is pretty much dedicated to "exposing" ACORN and their links to Obama. We are the products of what we read, so it makes sense that Lex thought this would be an issue, but I didn't and don't see it getting any traction. Americans have no idea what ACORN is and nothing they find out about it now is going to change their minds about Obama. Same goes for Ayers and the Weather Underground. In order for these attacks to work, the McCainiacs would have to do a massive job of educating people. This job of "education" would have to not look like racism/classism. I don't think people care. Especially with the Ayers stuff. No one wants to take the time to learn about what this guy was doing in the '60s. No one cares what ACORN is doing. Even if they could make people care about Ayers/ACORN, they would then have to try to tie Obama into it. This is what they have been doing and failing a massive scale.
As Kerry learned four years ago, Americans don't seem terribly interested in who was doing what in the '60s and '70s. Served in Vietnam or not, it doesn't matter. Spent the '70s drinking and doing coke? Doesn't matter. Repeatedly opposed a holiday for MLK? Meh. Good friends with G. Gordon Liddy? Who cares? Worked as a community organizer for a group that has ties to other groups that have ties to '60s-era radicals? No one cares.
Despite Krauthammer's hilarious attempt to say otherwise, no politician is perfectly clean and voters right now don't seem terribly interested in the dirt. Our economy is in the tank. Our health care system is broken. We are currently still bogged down in a war in the Middle East (but could win within the next 100 years!). We need solutions for tomorrow. A great American statesperson recently reminded us that we cannot move forward if we are pointing backwards. Fortunately, that's the only play McCain-Palin have left and it is not going to work.
As Kerry learned four years ago, Americans don't seem terribly interested in who was doing what in the '60s and '70s. Served in Vietnam or not, it doesn't matter. Spent the '70s drinking and doing coke? Doesn't matter. Repeatedly opposed a holiday for MLK? Meh. Good friends with G. Gordon Liddy? Who cares? Worked as a community organizer for a group that has ties to other groups that have ties to '60s-era radicals? No one cares.
Despite Krauthammer's hilarious attempt to say otherwise, no politician is perfectly clean and voters right now don't seem terribly interested in the dirt. Our economy is in the tank. Our health care system is broken. We are currently still bogged down in a war in the Middle East (but could win within the next 100 years!). We need solutions for tomorrow. A great American statesperson recently reminded us that we cannot move forward if we are pointing backwards. Fortunately, that's the only play McCain-Palin have left and it is not going to work.
Monday, October 13, 2008
William the Bloody Stupid
Others are rightly mocking Bill Kristol for advising the McCain camp to "fire the campaign" in his column today. Many people in the comments of the article are pointing out to Bill that just last week he was encouraging the campaign to go on the attack, whereas he now decries the bitterness of the campaign.
Two other things caught my attention. One, he advises the campaign to stop running ads and use the money to buy half-hour "televised town halls and half-hour addresses in prime time." The second thing that bugged me was his suggestion that McCain invite Obama and Biden to join him and Palin for a few of these town halls "on the ground that more joint appearances might restore civility and substance to the contest."
This kind of drivel must drive serious (and I use this word purposefully) campaign managers crazy. For some unknown reason, Kristol has big influence among an important set of Republicans, so there's a danger that influential people will take him seriously. For reasons even more unknown, Kristol writes for the NYT, which is still considered an important paper. In other words, people might read the ideas that Kristol is spitting up and think that they have merit. They do not.
McCain is using public financing because he believes in the power of the government. He gets $84 million for the campaign. How much does Kristol think it might cost to buy a half-hour of prime time on a major television network? I estimate that your average network show earns around $2 million per half-hour. Does he think they'd show it for free? Does he think a network would jump at the chance to run a serious of free television commercials for John McCain? Does he think people want to watch a half-hour "town hall" with John and Sarah? Not after the first one, where people realized that all were going to get is softball questions from partisans.
Then, there's the idea that Obama and Biden would entertain the notion of elevating the campaign by appearing with John and Sarah. Apparently, Bill lives in a universe where candidates who are going to walk home to victories by large margins suddenly decide that their opponents need some help and it is their duty, for civility purposes, to help them out. Especially when it is their opponents who have lowered the civility quotient by comparing them to terrorists and smiling when people scream "kill him."
In the end, another fine column by the Right's leading thinker.
Two other things caught my attention. One, he advises the campaign to stop running ads and use the money to buy half-hour "televised town halls and half-hour addresses in prime time." The second thing that bugged me was his suggestion that McCain invite Obama and Biden to join him and Palin for a few of these town halls "on the ground that more joint appearances might restore civility and substance to the contest."
This kind of drivel must drive serious (and I use this word purposefully) campaign managers crazy. For some unknown reason, Kristol has big influence among an important set of Republicans, so there's a danger that influential people will take him seriously. For reasons even more unknown, Kristol writes for the NYT, which is still considered an important paper. In other words, people might read the ideas that Kristol is spitting up and think that they have merit. They do not.
McCain is using public financing because he believes in the power of the government. He gets $84 million for the campaign. How much does Kristol think it might cost to buy a half-hour of prime time on a major television network? I estimate that your average network show earns around $2 million per half-hour. Does he think they'd show it for free? Does he think a network would jump at the chance to run a serious of free television commercials for John McCain? Does he think people want to watch a half-hour "town hall" with John and Sarah? Not after the first one, where people realized that all were going to get is softball questions from partisans.
Then, there's the idea that Obama and Biden would entertain the notion of elevating the campaign by appearing with John and Sarah. Apparently, Bill lives in a universe where candidates who are going to walk home to victories by large margins suddenly decide that their opponents need some help and it is their duty, for civility purposes, to help them out. Especially when it is their opponents who have lowered the civility quotient by comparing them to terrorists and smiling when people scream "kill him."
In the end, another fine column by the Right's leading thinker.
Polling Results
Obama wins!
Okay first off, who were the two people that were predicting an Obama defeat? (One person changed their vote). I like the idea that we have secret doubters partolling the blog. You are welcome here.
Second off, I kind of feel like this is an episode of the McLaughlin Group and you've all given me your predictions. Here's where I say, "The correct answer is..."
Greater than 330 is the right answer. Current projections have Obama at 351. Everything is breaking Obama. In the 20th century, the winner of the election has averaged 402.6.
As much as I hate to say it, I think we're going to do this thing!
Okay first off, who were the two people that were predicting an Obama defeat? (One person changed their vote). I like the idea that we have secret doubters partolling the blog. You are welcome here.
Second off, I kind of feel like this is an episode of the McLaughlin Group and you've all given me your predictions. Here's where I say, "The correct answer is..."
Greater than 330 is the right answer. Current projections have Obama at 351. Everything is breaking Obama. In the 20th century, the winner of the election has averaged 402.6.
As much as I hate to say it, I think we're going to do this thing!
Awesomely Emerald
Writing with the big group means that I feel a little awkward about bashing on the local college paper, feeling like I should be playing at a higher level. Still, I can't let this editorial go, as it echoes one of my main beefs.
According to Meredith LaFrance, buying organic fruit and vegetables is not worth it because it costs more. Sure, it's better for the environment, but it costs more, so it's a hassle and not worth it.
I'm not entirely sure why this observation is worthy of being published, but Meredith had words and the Emerald had space, so here we are.
As always, I call on my GTF friends to flunk this person without mercy.
According to Meredith LaFrance, buying organic fruit and vegetables is not worth it because it costs more. Sure, it's better for the environment, but it costs more, so it's a hassle and not worth it.
I'm not entirely sure why this observation is worthy of being published, but Meredith had words and the Emerald had space, so here we are.
As always, I call on my GTF friends to flunk this person without mercy.
Carolina on my mind
While we're at it, let me toss in a "Me three!" in response to Dave and Wobs.
As most of you know, I recently returned to my home state of North Carolina after more than a decade away. I have a funny relationship with this place. I grew up ashamed to live here and to have been born a Southerner. I remained here as an undergraduate, partly due to a (deeply flawed) assumption/self-delusion that Chapel Hill, being "more liberal" than the surrounding areas, was progressive enough to be tolerable. But I found that experience frustrating and couldn't get out and escape to the left coast for graduate school fast enough. Being in the west was transformative on many levels, including a shift in the way I viewed my "home": Eugene quickly made me realize that Chapel Hill was wishy-washy liberal at best. My Southern shame intensified exponentially in response to assumptions made about me based on my origins and the slight hint of an accent that I still carried--that I was ignorant or a racist, that my education was sub-standard. At times it was a shame mixed with defensiveness, given that Oregon (and later, California and New York) didn't seem to be doing that much better with race relations. Why should those of us born in the South carry the stigma of a problem that seemed to permeate the entire country? But eventually I was able to gain some perspective and distance and see my birthplace for what it was--neither solely responsible for historic or ongoing racism nor innocent enough to merit a defensive from its natives. I was glad to be out and put NC on my mental list of "couldn't force me to live there" states.
But fate is a funny thing...and despite that vow, here I am again. Only, this is not the place I grew up or the place I left. The demographics of the state have shifted profoundly in the last decade. NC has experienced incredible growth, and the new population is considerably less white and more liberal. Changing demographics and the tanking economy (hitting this state is some particularly harsh ways) are just two factors that are changing the political landscape here.
So imagine my surprise to see that my home state is now a pleasing shade of Carolina blue. Obama's chances are looking better by the day and Elizabeth Dole will almost certainly be ousted by her Democratic challenger. It is, in a word, unbelievable.
As if I needed more proof that something profound is happening around me, I found this is my mailbox this morning. Dean Smith might as well be God around these parts (minus the plantation in Durham).
These are amazing times, my friends. I am glad we are all here in this space to witness it and sort it all out together.
As most of you know, I recently returned to my home state of North Carolina after more than a decade away. I have a funny relationship with this place. I grew up ashamed to live here and to have been born a Southerner. I remained here as an undergraduate, partly due to a (deeply flawed) assumption/self-delusion that Chapel Hill, being "more liberal" than the surrounding areas, was progressive enough to be tolerable. But I found that experience frustrating and couldn't get out and escape to the left coast for graduate school fast enough. Being in the west was transformative on many levels, including a shift in the way I viewed my "home": Eugene quickly made me realize that Chapel Hill was wishy-washy liberal at best. My Southern shame intensified exponentially in response to assumptions made about me based on my origins and the slight hint of an accent that I still carried--that I was ignorant or a racist, that my education was sub-standard. At times it was a shame mixed with defensiveness, given that Oregon (and later, California and New York) didn't seem to be doing that much better with race relations. Why should those of us born in the South carry the stigma of a problem that seemed to permeate the entire country? But eventually I was able to gain some perspective and distance and see my birthplace for what it was--neither solely responsible for historic or ongoing racism nor innocent enough to merit a defensive from its natives. I was glad to be out and put NC on my mental list of "couldn't force me to live there" states.
But fate is a funny thing...and despite that vow, here I am again. Only, this is not the place I grew up or the place I left. The demographics of the state have shifted profoundly in the last decade. NC has experienced incredible growth, and the new population is considerably less white and more liberal. Changing demographics and the tanking economy (hitting this state is some particularly harsh ways) are just two factors that are changing the political landscape here.
So imagine my surprise to see that my home state is now a pleasing shade of Carolina blue. Obama's chances are looking better by the day and Elizabeth Dole will almost certainly be ousted by her Democratic challenger. It is, in a word, unbelievable.
As if I needed more proof that something profound is happening around me, I found this is my mailbox this morning. Dean Smith might as well be God around these parts (minus the plantation in Durham).
These are amazing times, my friends. I am glad we are all here in this space to witness it and sort it all out together.
Oh Jonah, How Can You Be So Wrong Being So Right?
I agree whole-heartedly with Jonah Goldberg.
Only one candidate believes that government can be a force for good, protecting people from the worst excess of our capitalist system. The other candidate believes that government is always bad and the free market can solve all problems (the "how" is left unstated).
Only one candidate has a track record he is willing to stand by when he runs for office. The other candidate has come back into the fold when power is on the line.
Only one candidate is cool, calm, and collected. The other candidate is a cranky old man who looks in need of a good nap much of the time.
See, the choice shouldn't be too hard at all.
The real hints for how to choose a candidate, at least in a general election (as opposed to a primary), reside in the realm of judgment, philosophy, track record and temperament. And, using those criteria, the choice shouldn’t be hard at all.Only one candidate had the judgment to know that invading Iraq would be a terrible mistake. The other candidate predicted it would be over quickly and we'd be greeted as liberators with candy and flowers.
Only one candidate believes that government can be a force for good, protecting people from the worst excess of our capitalist system. The other candidate believes that government is always bad and the free market can solve all problems (the "how" is left unstated).
Only one candidate has a track record he is willing to stand by when he runs for office. The other candidate has come back into the fold when power is on the line.
Only one candidate is cool, calm, and collected. The other candidate is a cranky old man who looks in need of a good nap much of the time.
See, the choice shouldn't be too hard at all.
Terra incognito
To second dave's sense of wonder, "wow" describes a lot of things I'm seeing right now. Honestly, I'm lacking any sort of historical reference to which I can grab and gain some sort of insight into what might happen. A black man is the odds-on favorite to be president of the United States. An economic catastrophe makes it likely that we will see a fundamental reordering of the premises of the financial world (although like dave, I'm not ready to call it the "end of capitalism"). And most worrying to me, a segment of the population - as a consequence of the two previous points, a decades long diet of eliminationist rhetoric, and candidates for high office willing to light a match - seems on the verge of a very ugly explosion. What does this all mean? Hell if I know, but I have a sense of unease unlike anything before.
Wow
Krugman won the Nobel in economics. I thought these things only went to Joes that spouted off about the wonderousness of the market.
Reminds me that with this economic crisis, I've been beginning to feel like a whole of of shit is possible now. There was a big editorial in the RG yesterday about how leaders around the world are declaring the end of laissez-faire capitalism and the free market. I'm not quite there yet. The Dow rallies for a week and makes it back to 10K and a whole lot of people will be assuring us that this was temporary and we should all trust in the power of those markets.
And I also understand that it in no way serves Barack's interests to start talking about the end of capitalism, but couldn't we get one of those dog whistles I hear so much about?
Reminds me that with this economic crisis, I've been beginning to feel like a whole of of shit is possible now. There was a big editorial in the RG yesterday about how leaders around the world are declaring the end of laissez-faire capitalism and the free market. I'm not quite there yet. The Dow rallies for a week and makes it back to 10K and a whole lot of people will be assuring us that this was temporary and we should all trust in the power of those markets.
And I also understand that it in no way serves Barack's interests to start talking about the end of capitalism, but couldn't we get one of those dog whistles I hear so much about?
Prisonship Relief Crew: the closers, the night shift
i have returned to the home basin for a closing 1.5-2 hour spell of editorializing. tommorow AM will be a time of horrific feats of copy editing and god knows a tossed-off segue paragraph thrown in here and there.
but i think i'm rounding the top of the dune, at this point. i think the lunar shuttle has found its Wal Mart parking lot, to coin a very popular(, practically ubiquitous) phrase.
thanks to everybody who read along as i loaded brain matter into the slingshot and slung it forth. or - horror! - am i celebrating too soon?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
nobody here but me
actually, my new supervisors have come in and out today (Sun.) it's weird to: go somewhere seeking utter silence; get cocky about having it; and then be interrupted and placed into a series of hat-in-hand, earnest-young-lad-style send-ups. one is reminded of Catholic school.i went out for a plate of eggs a moment ago - something i feel like doing less and less since about 2000. that said, i went to a place that's about the closest thing Eugene has to the Wafflehouse. there's something about academic stress and spray-on butter substitutes that go together in my head like tax cuts and union-busting go together for all the Good-Time-Charlies sur le Right.
otherwise everything's fine here in the prospectus box. we're just sighing, and blogging, as a way of recognizing the passage of time.
and special thanks to minx (a.k.a. 'evil r + b guy," a.k.a. "the Rugged Child") for all of his verbal moral support.
also, looking fwd to an afternoon "express" summit conference w/robes (pic. above, circa 1998) before i unfurl my Research Program, flap it around, then hold it down with tent spikes.
Every day at work, activists and organizers in Oregon’s public-service unions confront two definitive symptoms of neoliberal political life: the privatization of once-public services and the dramatic reduction in overall union membership that have occurred since the 1970s. Theorists of neoliberalism cite privatization and union decline as two key developments within the U.S. political economy that have accompanied the era’s characteristic upward redistribution of wealth and the overall political and ideological “delegitimization of of Keynesian assumptions and policies underlying redistribution” (Baker 2007; Morgen 2008)...