I am not even sure if I am sold on the ticket....
However, because of the humor... It is no longer the United States of America but Barak-America!!!
It's like SnoopLahoma, only different. (thanks Megs).
And, yes, if you read or listen to the speech, it is the Clinton message without Clintons, or, as Andrew Sullivan states, some aspects of "Clintonism without the Clintons." There is a very strong economic message without the Gas-Holiday Gimmicks.
And he can kick McBush around pretty well. I'm looking forward to a Biden & Romney debate.
Update: And someone's supporters are outraged. Oh Well. But a formal vetting process was not necessary since she was the main candidate throughout the primary. She was vetted, over and over. Besides, the basic lack of trust killed the deal. And the lack of trust goes way back to when Obama announced and the Senator from New York lashed out at him on the Senate floor and before Iowa. It's the entitlement...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Why Biden
It is about having the right attitude. Remember this line:
"Rudy Giuliani... I mean, think about it! Rudy Giuliani. There's only three things he mentions in a sentence -- a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There's nothing else!"
Friday, August 22, 2008
Gig 'Em Edwards, Whoop!!
No not that Edwards. And not that Gig 'Em or that Whoop.
According to Politico, Chet Edwards made the VP final short-list. It may not be a bad choice.
He's a sleeper, as well as Jack Reed. Though signs point to Biden. Or worse.
I'm just saying...
According to Politico, Chet Edwards made the VP final short-list. It may not be a bad choice.
He's a sleeper, as well as Jack Reed. Though signs point to Biden. Or worse.
I'm just saying...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The solution for bad guns is
more guns, apparently.
Concealed weapons in classrooms. This alters the way in which grade appeals are conducted.
I do not think I could allow this in my class. The power dynamic between student and professor could not exist in a way that would promote educational goals. Besides, I would not trust my students even if they were properly trained.
Concealed weapons in classrooms. This alters the way in which grade appeals are conducted.
I do not think I could allow this in my class. The power dynamic between student and professor could not exist in a way that would promote educational goals. Besides, I would not trust my students even if they were properly trained.
One of the Best Articles Yet, On Russia/Georgia
It is a bizarre moment indeed, that Harrogate finds something so quite near the truth of the matter in a Townhall columnist. But then, as Rusher himself says at one point, one supposes that when it comes to foreign policy, liberal spokespeople are all so scared to death that they will be perceived as "soft" on something, that they dare not speak reason on matters of foreign policy. Because it is taken for granted that they are so darned tough, Rightists, it follows, can in some ways better afford a moment of lucid argumentation on foreign policy.
The whole thing is a useful read for the 99% of us who are just beginning to learn of the dynamic between Georgia/Russia. But this blurb, in particular, seems like the only advice Harrogate has seen that is worth taking right now, both in terms of the Rhetoric our Politicos use, relatedly, and in terms of whatever strategies they are considering:
Cold War Nostalgists. That's nice. And doesn't it just sum up McCain to a freakin' tee? But what Rusher will not dare ask, is, what kind of a fundamentally indecent person must one be, if that is the sort of thing he is nostalgic about?
The whole thing is a useful read for the 99% of us who are just beginning to learn of the dynamic between Georgia/Russia. But this blurb, in particular, seems like the only advice Harrogate has seen that is worth taking right now, both in terms of the Rhetoric our Politicos use, relatedly, and in terms of whatever strategies they are considering:
Nostalgists for the Cold War may try to seize on this development to inflame Russia's relations with the West and revive the whole East-West struggle. But I think Russia is now quite likely to let matters quiet down again, having given a useful reminder to Georgia -- and all the other small neighbors on Russia's vast periphery -- that good behavior will be appreciated.
In reaching this conclusion, I recognize that there is an inescapable element of risk. But if Russia has indeed embarked on a new policy of aggression, there will be plenty of time to recognize that fact and respond accordingly. Meanwhile, I recommend staying cool.
Cold War Nostalgists. That's nice. And doesn't it just sum up McCain to a freakin' tee? But what Rusher will not dare ask, is, what kind of a fundamentally indecent person must one be, if that is the sort of thing he is nostalgic about?
Monday, August 18, 2008
"F*@k DC Comics"
So says Robert Downey, Jr. to conclude his comments about the "highbrow" Batman film. Apparently, RDJ felt that the film was too smart and that one needed a college education in order to understand what was happening in the movie. Is he just jealous that outperformed The Dark Knight outperformed Iron Man? Here's a snippet of the interview:
[Meanwhile, in Tropic Thunder, RDJ's character supposedly (I haven't seen the film) mocks method acting, Hollywood egos, and racial/ethnic stereotypes: "...you have an Australian, you have an African-American, you have him disguised as a Vietnamese, and in the beginning of the movie, you see him as an Irishman - a very gay Irishman..." The trailers are pretty damn funny--I look forward to seeing the movie when it's available on DVD.]
"My whole thing is that that I saw 'The Dark Knight'. I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so f--king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? F-ck DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."So, as someone in the film industry who fancies himself a serious actor, RDJ doesn't want to see really smart, complex movies. And the obvious response to something that one doesn't understand is, "Fuck [whatever it is]." Awesome.
[Meanwhile, in Tropic Thunder, RDJ's character supposedly (I haven't seen the film) mocks method acting, Hollywood egos, and racial/ethnic stereotypes: "...you have an Australian, you have an African-American, you have him disguised as a Vietnamese, and in the beginning of the movie, you see him as an Irishman - a very gay Irishman..." The trailers are pretty damn funny--I look forward to seeing the movie when it's available on DVD.]
Guess That VP
Since the time is almost upon us, anyone want to state who they think will be the next VP? Time has a list of those already scheduled to speak up until the potential VP will speak. Assuming that this list is correct and assuming that the VP will not speak twice, (I think only one person could possibly speak twice, more on that in a sec.), Mark Halperin has an updated short list.
This means that the real short-list includes: Tim Kaine, Chris Dodd, Wesley Clark, Michael Bloomburg, Jack Reed, Chet Edwards, John Kerry, and Sam Nunn. I would argue that Dodd (mortgage crisis), Kerry (2004), Clark (will be somewhere else), Bloomburg (um...no), and Sam Nunn (cabinent is better as he is too conservative) will not be the pick.
From this list that leaves, Chet Edwards (surprise!!!- he's a good debater, represents a military district, good experience, and is Washington outsider who may not hold his seat for long) and Tim Kaine (who I really do not know much about other than he is a semi-popular Gov. in a Red State that plays harmonica).
Oh, and for some reason, one of the most prominent Democrats, Al Gore, who opposed the war, has been outside of Washington for eight years, and who could do more for Global Warming inside the White House, is not scheduled to speak at the convention. Just saying, that seems odd.
Finally, if there is one person who would speak twice that would be (sigh) Senator Clinton. On Tuesday, she would address her campaign, release her supporters to Obama, and would address gender issues. On Wednesday, without the Obama campaign revealing who the pick would be beforehand, she would walk out on to the stage. Of course, Bill Clinton will be relocated to Antarctica to study penguins for the next 8 - 20 years.
Oh, and McCain will announce his VP pick in Ohio on Friday, August 29th, the day after the Democratic Convention ends to prevent a bounce. Good luck with that.
Sebelius (speaking)
Clinton (speaking)
Warner (keynote speaker)
Bayh (speaking)
Biden (speaking)
Richardson (speaking)
Strickland (speaking, took himself out)
Webb (took himself out)
Rendell (speaking*, took himself out, thanks ivb for the link)
John Edwards (took himself out)
Podesta (hosting a brunch)
Napolitano (speaking* and hosting a women governor’s event)
MacCaskill (speaking)
This means that the real short-list includes: Tim Kaine, Chris Dodd, Wesley Clark, Michael Bloomburg, Jack Reed, Chet Edwards, John Kerry, and Sam Nunn. I would argue that Dodd (mortgage crisis), Kerry (2004), Clark (will be somewhere else), Bloomburg (um...no), and Sam Nunn (cabinent is better as he is too conservative) will not be the pick.
From this list that leaves, Chet Edwards (surprise!!!- he's a good debater, represents a military district, good experience, and is Washington outsider who may not hold his seat for long) and Tim Kaine (who I really do not know much about other than he is a semi-popular Gov. in a Red State that plays harmonica).
Oh, and for some reason, one of the most prominent Democrats, Al Gore, who opposed the war, has been outside of Washington for eight years, and who could do more for Global Warming inside the White House, is not scheduled to speak at the convention. Just saying, that seems odd.
Finally, if there is one person who would speak twice that would be (sigh) Senator Clinton. On Tuesday, she would address her campaign, release her supporters to Obama, and would address gender issues. On Wednesday, without the Obama campaign revealing who the pick would be beforehand, she would walk out on to the stage. Of course, Bill Clinton will be relocated to Antarctica to study penguins for the next 8 - 20 years.
Oh, and McCain will announce his VP pick in Ohio on Friday, August 29th, the day after the Democratic Convention ends to prevent a bounce. Good luck with that.
The Roseanne Throws in On An Old Exchange Between Supadiscomama and Megs: Calls Angelina Jolie "Evil," Brad Pitt "Vacuous"
Some time ago Supadiscomama and Megs hashed out 'resentments' and 'loves' for Angelina Jolie. It was a complex discussion that spanned, if Harrogate remembers correctly, at least three different posts, one of which is provided here, free of charge.
But although that discussion has been over for several moons now, it left blogospheric tremors, the effects of which remain palpably with us to this day. And this past Friday, no less an Icon than The Roseanne, who clearly follows The Rhetorical Situation very closely, took up the issue of Brangelina with gusto.
But although that discussion has been over for several moons now, it left blogospheric tremors, the effects of which remain palpably with us to this day. And this past Friday, no less an Icon than The Roseanne, who clearly follows The Rhetorical Situation very closely, took up the issue of Brangelina with gusto.
jon voight your evil spawn angelina jolie and her vacuous hubby brad pitt make about forty million dollars a year in violent psychopathic movies and give away three of it to starving children trying to look as if they give a crap about humanity as they spit out more dunces that will consume more than their fair share and wreck the earth even more. (just sayin'). Also miss jolie says she likes mccain too and hasn't decided who to endorse....huh? Aren't you supposed to be somewhat enlightened, or do you not know that the african daughter you hold in every picture had parents who suffered and died because of the republican party's worldwide economic assault on africa over the last few decades since reagan? whaaaa...??????!!!!
Tip of the Hat for Armando
Armando (AKA Big Tent Democrat) over at TalkLeft has what will likely stand out as the Political Blog Post of the Day.
Now first of all, Harrogate is by no means a Clark cheerleader, but it is fair to say that he has been a voice of reason in the mainstream public discourse. Which aint exactly something we've got such a surplus of that we can afford to sideline such voices in the name of some perceived political expediency.
But while that is the primary concern of BTD, it is by far the lesser concern for Harrogate. From a Rhetorical perspective, Harrogate isn't even sure what kind of Logical Fallacy this is, that Nicolle Wallace is pushing here. Christ on a crumb heap, it might be all of them.
The only comparable statement that Harrogate can think of is when Bush underling Karen Hughes said, in 2002, that after 9/11 more Americans were "valuing life," which meant, naturally, that a majority was now clamoring for Roe to be overturned. Hughes was not hammered for the statement, nor did she ever retract, or even qualify it. Remember, Readers, how Bush surrogates always referred to him as "Commander in Chief" to quell criticism of his domestic policies, ranging from Tax Policy to Education to Abortion to Faith Based Initiatives to Social Security? How dare they pick at the "Commander in Chief" during a time of war? Etc.
With McCain what we're going to get is, he got tortured and he's our "Commander in Chief" during a time of war. So, do the patriotic thing and stop making his Judiciary Appointments so difficult.
The Big Question is, Why O Why are people allowed to make public statements like Nicolle Wallace's, and then retain credibility? Indeed, one might ask, why don't they get hit with rotten tomatos everywhere they go?
After the Obama campaign tossed General Wes Clark under the bus for stating the obvious, that getting shot down in an airplane is not command experience, they better get used to this
[McCain spokeperson] Nicolle Wallace: ""The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous."
Sure it's stupid, but stupid works when you don't push back
Now first of all, Harrogate is by no means a Clark cheerleader, but it is fair to say that he has been a voice of reason in the mainstream public discourse. Which aint exactly something we've got such a surplus of that we can afford to sideline such voices in the name of some perceived political expediency.
But while that is the primary concern of BTD, it is by far the lesser concern for Harrogate. From a Rhetorical perspective, Harrogate isn't even sure what kind of Logical Fallacy this is, that Nicolle Wallace is pushing here. Christ on a crumb heap, it might be all of them.
The only comparable statement that Harrogate can think of is when Bush underling Karen Hughes said, in 2002, that after 9/11 more Americans were "valuing life," which meant, naturally, that a majority was now clamoring for Roe to be overturned. Hughes was not hammered for the statement, nor did she ever retract, or even qualify it. Remember, Readers, how Bush surrogates always referred to him as "Commander in Chief" to quell criticism of his domestic policies, ranging from Tax Policy to Education to Abortion to Faith Based Initiatives to Social Security? How dare they pick at the "Commander in Chief" during a time of war? Etc.
With McCain what we're going to get is, he got tortured and he's our "Commander in Chief" during a time of war. So, do the patriotic thing and stop making his Judiciary Appointments so difficult.
The Big Question is, Why O Why are people allowed to make public statements like Nicolle Wallace's, and then retain credibility? Indeed, one might ask, why don't they get hit with rotten tomatos everywhere they go?
Obama and the Swiftboat Bankroller
Hmmmm. Wonder what John Kerry in his private heart, thinks about this. But then, Swiftboat Financier Pickens is after all a billionaire, one who's been buying up lots of national air time & just generally throwing money all over the place to put his stamp on the "Energy Debate."
This time around, there might be something in it for the Democrat.
Blech.
This time around, there might be something in it for the Democrat.
Blech.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Obama and Abortion Rights: After Saddleback
Last night, immediately after getting his turn at Rick Warren's event at Saddleback Church, Barack Obama granted a one on one interview with David Brody, of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.
If you have not seen the interview, which was apparently very, very brief, go here. The CBN site also provides a transcript below the video. When he gets the question about the Right to Life Committee, Obama answers it clearly and calmly, but you can tell he's had it with these people and starting to get a little pissed.
If you have not seen the interview, which was apparently very, very brief, go here. The CBN site also provides a transcript below the video. When he gets the question about the Right to Life Committee, Obama answers it clearly and calmly, but you can tell he's had it with these people and starting to get a little pissed.
For Supadiscomama, from her BFF Gwen
Gwen got in touch with me this morning, and she asked me to post this for her BFF Supadiscomama. Oh, and she'd like to arrange a playdate between Kingston and Supa-T.
Shopping Carts, Deposits, and Brilliance in Canada
As C and I get accustomed to our new home in CU Land, we're constantly noticing things that are different here than in the states. Most of these differences are not necessarily positive in our minds. For example, we cannot buy any sort of alcohol in the grocery store. Further, we can't buy beer and wine at the same store, which means we have to make two additional stops should we want both. The likelihood of us wanting to buy both, however, isn't very great considering beer is twice what it costs in the States. Wine, thankfully, is more reasonable, as is liquor. In fact, rather than buy beer last week, C actually purchased a liter of vodka last week because it was $10 cheaper than a 12-pack of any beer he was interested in.
We have found one custom that we think is absolutely brilliant and think it should be adopted in the States immediately. Let me give you a bit of background first.
Last week, in our attempts to find a nice and affordable grocery store (apparently the two are mutually exclusive in CU Land), we visited a discount store. The store was fittingly named "No Frills," and it had none. We were a bit appalled when we realized we'd have to pay for shopping bags; luckily I had just purchased a bunch of reuseable shopping bags, so this wasn't an issue. We were, however, equally appalled when we realized we had to pay 25 cents to use a shopping cart. After much digging for a Canadian quarter (we are, after all, still getting used to the currency), I went to get a shopping cart, muttering to myself that the savings at this store better be significant if I had to pay for a shopping cart. As I put the quarter into the slot and pulled the cart away from the others, I realized that I wasn't paying to use a cart; I was leaving the quarter as a deposit, which I would get back when I returned the cart to the proper location and reattached it to other carts. I think this is absolutely BRILLIANT! As I looked around the parking lot, I noticed there were absolutely no stray shopping carts anywhere. I hate it when people are too lazy to return shopping carts to the store or to the storage areas in the parking lots. This method ensures that people return their shopping carts, saving the company money as employees don't have to spends lots of time rounding up stray carts or haggling with customers whose cars have sustained damage from stray carts. In a week of learning odd customs, we found one that we love!
We have found one custom that we think is absolutely brilliant and think it should be adopted in the States immediately. Let me give you a bit of background first.
Last week, in our attempts to find a nice and affordable grocery store (apparently the two are mutually exclusive in CU Land), we visited a discount store. The store was fittingly named "No Frills," and it had none. We were a bit appalled when we realized we'd have to pay for shopping bags; luckily I had just purchased a bunch of reuseable shopping bags, so this wasn't an issue. We were, however, equally appalled when we realized we had to pay 25 cents to use a shopping cart. After much digging for a Canadian quarter (we are, after all, still getting used to the currency), I went to get a shopping cart, muttering to myself that the savings at this store better be significant if I had to pay for a shopping cart. As I put the quarter into the slot and pulled the cart away from the others, I realized that I wasn't paying to use a cart; I was leaving the quarter as a deposit, which I would get back when I returned the cart to the proper location and reattached it to other carts. I think this is absolutely BRILLIANT! As I looked around the parking lot, I noticed there were absolutely no stray shopping carts anywhere. I hate it when people are too lazy to return shopping carts to the store or to the storage areas in the parking lots. This method ensures that people return their shopping carts, saving the company money as employees don't have to spends lots of time rounding up stray carts or haggling with customers whose cars have sustained damage from stray carts. In a week of learning odd customs, we found one that we love!
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