Except that unlike the purpose of Johnson's draconian anti-Goldwater Ad, Harrogate posts this not to persuade viewers to do anything more than, perhaps, join him in saying:
Sigh.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Roe Roe Roe Your Boat
Again, it is important that Americans not allow Abortion Rights to be a sleeper issue in this election. This election is likely the Climax, so far as Roe v Wade is concerned. This is what the Palin pick was about. McCain sent his signal loud and clear that Abortion Rights would be kneecapped under his administration.
If this is what Americans are ready to do, then that is one thing. Harrogate will still be horrified at it, as he hates the idea of civil liberties being put to a vote in individual states. He thought that was what the Bill of Rights was for.
But then again, not everyone sees Abortion as a civil liberties or as a womens' rights issue. Some see it as a murder issue.
And so back to the point. If Americans are ready to see Roe overturned, and to see this issue thrown to the States. We are talking State-By-State Warfare here. Violence highly likely. But if the country is ready for it, then that is one thing.
But if the Plurality is not ready for it. If instead the Plurality is Pro-Choice, but not single-issue zealots in the ballot box. Then we have a real Breakdown in our System coming.
See Pat Buchanan's recent article. This sums it up. Ole Pat wants Roe overturned and all Abortion criminalized. Despite, or perhaps even because of this bias, his description of what this election means for Abortion Rights, is clear and true.
A final word on this. Oh the irony, Sarah Palin is attracting Independent Women voters in droves, according to every poll out there. And most of the Women polled in those Polls, say they are Pro-Choice but do not care, because they just admire Sarah Palin so damned much. And so. A charming woman, Palin. Pretty, and indeed "likeable enough," as the saying goes. In other words the Perfect Weapon against womens' rights.
Someone explain to Harrogate again how Sarah Palin is not the most Just Punishment Imaginable, for Liberal America and It's Fetish for Identity Politics.
God exists, has a twisted sense of humor, and sometimes pays attention to American politics. Sarah Palin and her impact on this election proves it.
If this is what Americans are ready to do, then that is one thing. Harrogate will still be horrified at it, as he hates the idea of civil liberties being put to a vote in individual states. He thought that was what the Bill of Rights was for.
But then again, not everyone sees Abortion as a civil liberties or as a womens' rights issue. Some see it as a murder issue.
And so back to the point. If Americans are ready to see Roe overturned, and to see this issue thrown to the States. We are talking State-By-State Warfare here. Violence highly likely. But if the country is ready for it, then that is one thing.
But if the Plurality is not ready for it. If instead the Plurality is Pro-Choice, but not single-issue zealots in the ballot box. Then we have a real Breakdown in our System coming.
See Pat Buchanan's recent article. This sums it up. Ole Pat wants Roe overturned and all Abortion criminalized. Despite, or perhaps even because of this bias, his description of what this election means for Abortion Rights, is clear and true.
A final word on this. Oh the irony, Sarah Palin is attracting Independent Women voters in droves, according to every poll out there. And most of the Women polled in those Polls, say they are Pro-Choice but do not care, because they just admire Sarah Palin so damned much. And so. A charming woman, Palin. Pretty, and indeed "likeable enough," as the saying goes. In other words the Perfect Weapon against womens' rights.
Someone explain to Harrogate again how Sarah Palin is not the most Just Punishment Imaginable, for Liberal America and It's Fetish for Identity Politics.
God exists, has a twisted sense of humor, and sometimes pays attention to American politics. Sarah Palin and her impact on this election proves it.
Dishonorable Mention
John McCain has a serious problem. Each day McCain presents the American public with a new lie. Here are the current flat-out lies presented to the American people that were exposed to day:
Claim: McCain states 23,000 people show up to his rallies. Reality:Bloomburg news says that number cannot be confirmed and, in reality, is much lower.
Claim: Sarah Palin has been to Iraq. Reality: according to The Boston Globe, she has not.
This is on top of the Censorship, the Earmarks, and The Bridge to Nowhere. Classy Campaign McCain.
Claim: McCain states 23,000 people show up to his rallies. Reality:Bloomburg news says that number cannot be confirmed and, in reality, is much lower.
Claim: Sarah Palin has been to Iraq. Reality: according to The Boston Globe, she has not.
This is on top of the Censorship, the Earmarks, and The Bridge to Nowhere. Classy Campaign McCain.
Thought You Should Know
There's a Notre Dame football player named Golden Tate. No, it's not actually Golden Taint, but the announcers sure like saying it as if it were.
Apparently . . .
there are multiple versions of the "Bush Doctrine," which means that Sarah Palin isn't such an idiot after all.
Wait, I'm sorry. In fact, it does mean she is an idiot, just as this article in the Washington Post signals that many of Bush's employees are also idiots. Ok, Bush may have more than one policy in place. But every single person watching Palin's interview with Charles Gibson (can I say as an aside that I found it incredibly patronizing that she kept calling him "Charlie?") knew what doctrine Gibson was referring too--yes, that would be the doctrine to unilaterally spread democracy to "undemocratic" countries.
Wait, I'm sorry. In fact, it does mean she is an idiot, just as this article in the Washington Post signals that many of Bush's employees are also idiots. Ok, Bush may have more than one policy in place. But every single person watching Palin's interview with Charles Gibson (can I say as an aside that I found it incredibly patronizing that she kept calling him "Charlie?") knew what doctrine Gibson was referring too--yes, that would be the doctrine to unilaterally spread democracy to "undemocratic" countries.
Why John McCain is unfit for Office
He selected someone as VP who openly believes in censorship. Worse, the censorship in question stems from her religious beliefs. The McCain campaign is now acknowledging the incident though it is attempting to define the action narrowly. According to McCain, she who shall not be named, never asked to ban the books just inquired about the possibility:
Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said Thursday that Palin asked the head librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, on three occasions how she would react to attempts at banning books. He said the questions, in the fall of 1996, were hypothetical and entirely appropriate. He said a patron had asked the library to remove a title the year before and the mayor wanted to understand how such disputes were handled.When public officials desire to ban books, they lack the judgment necessary to serve in office.
Records on the city's Web site, however, do not show any books were challenged in Wasilla in the 10 years before Palin took office.
Palin notified Emmons she would be fired in January 1997 because the mayor didn't feel she had the librarian's "full support." Emmons was reinstated the next day after public outcry, according to newspaper reports at the time.
Still, one longtime library staffer recalls that the run-in made everyone fear for their jobs.
"Mayor Palin gave us some terrible moments and some rather gut-wrenching moments, particularly when Mary Ellen said she was going to have to leave," said Cathy Petrie, who managed the children's collection at the time.
Recent outrage has been fueled by Wasilla housewife Anne Kilkenny, whose 2,400-word critique of Palin's legacy as mayor is widely posted on the Internet. Kilkenny described Palin's actions as "out-and-out censorship."
But the McCain campaign, in a statement, said the charge "is categorically false ... Governor Sarah Palin has never asked anyone to ban a book, period."
Emmons, a former Alaska Library Association president who now goes by Mary Ellen Baker, did not return calls seeking comment.
According to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper, Emmons did not mince words when Palin asked her "how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library" on Oct. 28, 1996, in a week when the mayor had asked department heads for letters of resignation.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thesis Statement: "What's Happening" Was a Great Television Show
Topic Sentence #1: The Opening Theme Was Sublime
Dueling Elections
As I struggle to stay abreast of the election happenings in the U.S., I'm also trying to figure out the Canadian system. Canada is also in the midst of an election, and unlike in the U.S., Canadian elections for Prime Minister are not preceded by a lengthy primary season. I admittedly know very little about Canadian politics and what I do know comes primarily from conversations with individuals I've met at CU Land, most of whom hold views very similar to my own.
Steven Harper, the current Prime Minister, is running for re-election, and he's been bombarding the airwaves with ads that don't say much about the issues. In fact, I don't think a single ad I've seen (and I've seen at least 5) mentions a single issue other than the economy. He seems to be taking his cues from his fellow conservatives in the U.S. and is running his campaign primarily on his identity. Here's an ad that, at least in my opinion, doesn't say much about his ability to improve Canada.
Steven Harper, the current Prime Minister, is running for re-election, and he's been bombarding the airwaves with ads that don't say much about the issues. In fact, I don't think a single ad I've seen (and I've seen at least 5) mentions a single issue other than the economy. He seems to be taking his cues from his fellow conservatives in the U.S. and is running his campaign primarily on his identity. Here's an ad that, at least in my opinion, doesn't say much about his ability to improve Canada.
Gasoline: A Musical Tribute
Here's a little something from Sheryl Crow to reiterate the recently returned Paperweight's earlier post.
So Yeah
An almost $2.00 increase in gas prices overnight--I could use some lubricant please! Damn storm and big oil!
The President and Rhetorical Agency
This quote from the Service Forum should be enough to disqualify McCain as president:
Translation- it is the fault of Senator Obama that I need to lie throughout the campaign because he ignored me. I cannot be expected to be accountable for me words if Senator Obama will ignore me and address the American people. I cannot discuss the most important issue of the day is no one will hear me.
“Second of all, I think the tone of this whole campaign would’ve been very different if Sen. Obama had accepted my request for us to appear at town hall meetings all over America.”
Translation- it is the fault of Senator Obama that I need to lie throughout the campaign because he ignored me. I cannot be expected to be accountable for me words if Senator Obama will ignore me and address the American people. I cannot discuss the most important issue of the day is no one will hear me.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Mimesis: A Copy of a Copy of a Copy
Throughout his dialogues, Plato hates the poets because of mimesis: the repetition of thoughts without critical analysis. Well, for a long time I thought Plato referred to the poets. Tonight, I now know Plato wrote about Sarah Palin's first interview.
The transcript to the interview is now available. If you enjoy war with a side a war and, for dessert, war, she will represent you well.
Maybe it is not too hard fighting a four front war. Even though it has not been done before, I think the U.S. can handle it if it is G-D's plan.
Lies, War, and G-d. That's what we'll get with McCain. And, "I was a POW."
Humor, and alcohol, is necessary at this point. I give you Monty Python, "Spam."
The transcript to the interview is now available. If you enjoy war with a side a war and, for dessert, war, she will represent you well.
Maybe it is not too hard fighting a four front war. Even though it has not been done before, I think the U.S. can handle it if it is G-D's plan.
Lies, War, and G-d. That's what we'll get with McCain. And, "I was a POW."
Humor, and alcohol, is necessary at this point. I give you Monty Python, "Spam."
This is what democracy looks like
Republicans in Michigan plan on challenging who can vote on election day, which really is no surprise to anyone who lives in the country. Of course, their method is far beyond unethical [really, there is no word to describe this move. It is just another literacy test or moral character qualification]:
I probably cannot express how much I despise this tactic right now. We are told this is the most important election and this is how the Republicans in Michigan treat voters.
Oh, I forgot, those who would most likely not be able to vote because of a foreclosure would not vote for Republicans.
Is it legal? Possibly though it is as unethical as lying to get the country in a war.
In a close race, denying these citizens their right to vote can swing the election. The article notes that Republicans will try this tactic in Ohio as well. Even if they just challenge voters, which slows down the process, it could prevent people from voting. Inner-cities are notorious for having outdated machines while suburbs have plush machines that are fast and work correctly.
This must be stopped. Republicans are morally and intellectually unfit to govern.
The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.
“We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed.
I probably cannot express how much I despise this tactic right now. We are told this is the most important election and this is how the Republicans in Michigan treat voters.
Oh, I forgot, those who would most likely not be able to vote because of a foreclosure would not vote for Republicans.
The Macomb GOP’s plans are another indication of how John McCain’s campaign stands to benefit from the burgeoning number of foreclosures in the state. McCain’s regional headquarters are housed in the office building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The firm’s founder, David A. Trott, has raised between $100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee.
The Macomb County party’s plans to challenge voters who have defaulted on their house payments is likely to disproportionately affect African-Americans who are overwhelmingly Democratic voters. More than 60 percent of all sub-prime loans — the most likely kind of loan to go into default — were made to African-Americans in Michigan, according to a report issued last year by the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
Is it legal? Possibly though it is as unethical as lying to get the country in a war.
One expert questioned the legality of the tactic.
“You can’t challenge people without a factual basis for doing so,” said J. Gerald Hebert, a former voting rights litigator for the U.S. Justice Department who now runs the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington D.C.-based public-interest law firm. “I don’t think a foreclosure notice is sufficient basis for a challenge, because people often remain in their homes after foreclosure begins and sometimes are able to negotiate and refinance.”
As for the practice of challenging the right to vote of foreclosed property owners, Hebert called it, “mean-spirited.”
In a close race, denying these citizens their right to vote can swing the election. The article notes that Republicans will try this tactic in Ohio as well. Even if they just challenge voters, which slows down the process, it could prevent people from voting. Inner-cities are notorious for having outdated machines while suburbs have plush machines that are fast and work correctly.
This must be stopped. Republicans are morally and intellectually unfit to govern.
Working Mothers I Admire, Book 1
Here's the theory:
The polarity of the current campaign has split everything in twain. As Harrogate reminded us earlier today, there are multiple "third parties," and their voters, who can still be satisfied by compassionate inclusion of their concerns into public debate. We have a bad habit of roughly halving all we're offered.
It isn't "us vs them."
There are more options than choosing between my proscribed path and the highway.
It never was Blur vs Oasis as the future of Britpop after all.
You don't have to be a T-guy or an A-guy; I know someone who likes feet in pies, for the love of Pete.
It's not paper or plastic. It could be both! For, like, I guess, big milk! Or several pre-wino-ed 40s. Or spend money to buy a reusable cloth bag not even big enough for milk! (God, who does that? Really?)
One bizarre side-effect--one that even seems to have infected this blog at times-- is the amazing pretense that two women ever have managed to:
A) own one (1) vagina
B) squeeze an infant out of said vagina.
C) be successful/important/notable
I would like to even hold up for consideration that the two women held up as paragons of A+B+C aren't even anywhere near ideal examples.
So,
Here's the proposal:
Let's do this call and response style and really use the commentary area. Who do you think of when you imagine both a successful mother AND a mother of import? Let's really tally here.
Suggested guidelines:
1-Ignore Palin and Clinton for now.
2-You (or your wives) are givens. No nepotism.
3- Same thing with your moms. You should have said it on her birthday; not here.
4- Eve, Mary, etc. Yeah, I get it. Move on.
I'll lead:
Benazir Bhutto
The polarity of the current campaign has split everything in twain. As Harrogate reminded us earlier today, there are multiple "third parties," and their voters, who can still be satisfied by compassionate inclusion of their concerns into public debate. We have a bad habit of roughly halving all we're offered.
It isn't "us vs them."
There are more options than choosing between my proscribed path and the highway.
It never was Blur vs Oasis as the future of Britpop after all.
You don't have to be a T-guy or an A-guy; I know someone who likes feet in pies, for the love of Pete.
It's not paper or plastic. It could be both! For, like, I guess, big milk! Or several pre-wino-ed 40s. Or spend money to buy a reusable cloth bag not even big enough for milk! (God, who does that? Really?)
One bizarre side-effect--one that even seems to have infected this blog at times-- is the amazing pretense that two women ever have managed to:
A) own one (1) vagina
B) squeeze an infant out of said vagina.
C) be successful/important/notable
I would like to even hold up for consideration that the two women held up as paragons of A+B+C aren't even anywhere near ideal examples.
So,
Here's the proposal:
Let's do this call and response style and really use the commentary area. Who do you think of when you imagine both a successful mother AND a mother of import? Let's really tally here.
Suggested guidelines:
1-Ignore Palin and Clinton for now.
2-You (or your wives) are givens. No nepotism.
3- Same thing with your moms. You should have said it on her birthday; not here.
4- Eve, Mary, etc. Yeah, I get it. Move on.
I'll lead:
Benazir Bhutto
The Roof is on Fire...
Earlier in the day, The Roof Almighty posted a Matt Damon interview where Damon addressed Sarah "I'm Close to Russia" Palin.
In an interview with a reporter form Maine, John McCain addresses Sarah "I'm qualified because I am a hockey mom" Palin. The interview is just painful. In comparison, Damon does a better job since he is more more believable.
Excluding the statements that are not baseless lies, the John McCain interview contains one fallacy after another: non-sequitur, red herring, emotive language, bandwagon, ad personam. Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah. I'm John McCain. Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah.
This entire election is absurd. We might as well speak in tongues. Oh wait.
Time's Joe Klein wants John McCain to apologize for his sleazy tactics like he did after supporting the Confederate Flag during his 2000 failed run. Right. That would take Honor.
In an interview with a reporter form Maine, John McCain addresses Sarah "I'm qualified because I am a hockey mom" Palin. The interview is just painful. In comparison, Damon does a better job since he is more more believable.
Excluding the statements that are not baseless lies, the John McCain interview contains one fallacy after another: non-sequitur, red herring, emotive language, bandwagon, ad personam. Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah. I'm John McCain. Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah, Blah. Blah, Blah.
This entire election is absurd. We might as well speak in tongues. Oh wait.
Time's Joe Klein wants John McCain to apologize for his sleazy tactics like he did after supporting the Confederate Flag during his 2000 failed run. Right. That would take Honor.
Sarah Palin: A working mother
MSNBC has a compelling article on its site about Pallin's status as a working mother. While I do applaud (yes, Harrogate, I do) her ability to balance her career with her family, I want to emphasize a point that Allison Linn makes in the article: "just because Palin is a working mother herself does not mean she will automatically support federal policies that could benefit other working moms or dads — especially since Republicans traditionally have opposed some of those policies." Sure, Sarah Palin is a working mother, but that doesn't mean she's an advocate for other working mothers.
An Open Letter to Barack Obama; or, The Specter of Nader Draws (Vampiric?) Strength from the Fact that Some People Like Ron Paul
Every vote counts. Solon noted yesterday that Nader is on the Pennsylvania ballot. Actually if you look at Nader's website you will see that Nader will likely be on every ballot except Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, and perhaps one or two others.
And so. Will Obama do what Gore did and act as though The Nader does not exist. Harrogate wants to take this opportunity to remind everyone for the zillionth time that, had Gore taken New Hampshire in 2000, Florida wouldn't have mattered.
Opinions will differ on how to deal with the people leaning Nader. Harrogate has a lot of respect for these people. They have legitimate complaints about the way our federal government operates, and the way it does not operate. 6-10% of the electorate is a lot. Writing them off is not only impolitic for a close election, but it is moreover rude.
Harrogate's opinion on how to deal with them? Show them respect by courting them. Court them aggressively. Verily, Barack Obama needs to run Ads in Swing States attacking Nader by telling his voters that he cares about Nader's issues. Does Obama mean it for example when he says we need to stop giving tax breaks to companies that exploit cheap overseas labor? Does he mean it when he says that the tax code as currently configured makes a sham of our market system. Does Barack Obama mean it when he champions civil liberties? If he means these things, he needs to say them to audiences with whom he has not yet registered. If he had time to go on Rick Warren's set, by God, he's got time to show these people the respect and attention that they and their concerns deserve. And you know what? Even in those areas that Barack Obama fundamentally disagrees with Naderites: say, on FISA for example. He could at least show them the respect of saying look, I disagree with you, and here's why. People don't take kindly to being treated as though they don't exist, as everyone who went to high school knows well.
On a practical level, moreover. Harrogate thinks it is self-evident that Obama can attempt to persuade those leaning Nader without alienating his center-right contingent. At this point in our History, the only people who are not sick to death of the corporate takeover are far right ecocons and the far right social cons who don't care about anything but abortion and boys kissing.
The moderate undecideds, however, will not begrudge Obama going after the Nader base. In Harrogate's opinion.
Meanwhile, go here to see Nader's latest strategy of assocation with Ron Paul. Hmmmmmm. That's a lot of votes untapped by either Party, suddenly. Rather than ceding them to Nader or Barr, why not at least make an effort at them? At any rate, it seems to make more sense than going after "PUMAS", who either don't exist or who are so self-involved and petty that rational persuasion isn't going to work on them anyway.
"PUMAS" if they exist are saying we're taking our ball and going home unless you make a spectacle of yourself by grovelling. This creates a defunct Rhetorical Situation. But Naderites are saying, we have principles and we are sick of those principles being ignored. That is to be respected. Lesser of two evils surely is not the best argument that Barack Obama can make.
And so. Will Obama do what Gore did and act as though The Nader does not exist. Harrogate wants to take this opportunity to remind everyone for the zillionth time that, had Gore taken New Hampshire in 2000, Florida wouldn't have mattered.
Opinions will differ on how to deal with the people leaning Nader. Harrogate has a lot of respect for these people. They have legitimate complaints about the way our federal government operates, and the way it does not operate. 6-10% of the electorate is a lot. Writing them off is not only impolitic for a close election, but it is moreover rude.
Harrogate's opinion on how to deal with them? Show them respect by courting them. Court them aggressively. Verily, Barack Obama needs to run Ads in Swing States attacking Nader by telling his voters that he cares about Nader's issues. Does Obama mean it for example when he says we need to stop giving tax breaks to companies that exploit cheap overseas labor? Does he mean it when he says that the tax code as currently configured makes a sham of our market system. Does Barack Obama mean it when he champions civil liberties? If he means these things, he needs to say them to audiences with whom he has not yet registered. If he had time to go on Rick Warren's set, by God, he's got time to show these people the respect and attention that they and their concerns deserve. And you know what? Even in those areas that Barack Obama fundamentally disagrees with Naderites: say, on FISA for example. He could at least show them the respect of saying look, I disagree with you, and here's why. People don't take kindly to being treated as though they don't exist, as everyone who went to high school knows well.
On a practical level, moreover. Harrogate thinks it is self-evident that Obama can attempt to persuade those leaning Nader without alienating his center-right contingent. At this point in our History, the only people who are not sick to death of the corporate takeover are far right ecocons and the far right social cons who don't care about anything but abortion and boys kissing.
The moderate undecideds, however, will not begrudge Obama going after the Nader base. In Harrogate's opinion.
Meanwhile, go here to see Nader's latest strategy of assocation with Ron Paul. Hmmmmmm. That's a lot of votes untapped by either Party, suddenly. Rather than ceding them to Nader or Barr, why not at least make an effort at them? At any rate, it seems to make more sense than going after "PUMAS", who either don't exist or who are so self-involved and petty that rational persuasion isn't going to work on them anyway.
"PUMAS" if they exist are saying we're taking our ball and going home unless you make a spectacle of yourself by grovelling. This creates a defunct Rhetorical Situation. But Naderites are saying, we have principles and we are sick of those principles being ignored. That is to be respected. Lesser of two evils surely is not the best argument that Barack Obama can make.
More evidence that this country is doomed
Lauren Conrad, star of MTV's "reality" show, The Hills, just signed a deal with HarperCollins to write three fictional young-adult books that will "definitely [be] influenced" by her life. I'm going to go throw up now.
Thursday Musical Tribute; or, Wild Man's newest favorite song
This is Wild Man's newest favorite song, so I thought I'd share it with all of you. He loves it so much, in fact, that he was singing it to himself yesterday while in the bathtub.
"Nuclear Toads?" Oh..."codes"...thank g-d!.
Thank you, sir. I like these apples very much.
Update: Its a slight note, but this crystallizes something for me that I wasn't quite seeing before:
The Palin vice-candidacy has been discussed as if it were the heir to Rod Lurie's trilogy of "accidental king" projects: Deterrence, The Contender, and Commander-in-Chief. And, as fits the subgenre, the innate "weaknesses" that define the characters make them powerful leaders of men. Deterrence plays off of the ethnicity of the newly advanced president, The Contender off of the obstinate ethical stubborness of...
But that isn't the story in front of us. That isn't the character trope we are faced with. This isn't even Dave's Dave, nice-guying the world into the future.
This isn't even--and forgive the potentially sexist reference-- The Princess Diaries; this is King Ralph saving Britain through crass mediocrity and pratfalls.
I can see Jack Lipnick selling it: "She's going to misrepresent herself to a victory over the Russians! She'll tell them we already won and they'll buy it! We're talking boffo box office! 'MOOSE CHICK'S NUKES HIT, FIX!'"
Am I actually watching the "fish-out-of-water" trope run for vice-president?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Fun with Putting Lipstick on a Pig
NPR's "All Things Considered" offered an amusing take on the whole pig/lipstick extravaganza. Definitely take a listen :)
Breaking News: Obama, CBS Call GOP Out on Their Cynical Games. And, Huckabee Blogs Some Sense
First, Obama, doing what he does best as the real battle for Virginia begins. Just awesome. "Spare me the phony outrage." Hell yes. Way to go Barack. Isn't that what we were all thinking? One thing is for sure, if he loses it won't be because he didn't give it all he had.
Meanwhile, on the "Maybe Huckabee Wasn't As Dangerous as McCain After All" front, we have this. (Heh. Sorry guys, Harrogate couldn't resist.)
And finally, the "Don't Tread on Me" category, as Katie Couric and CBS have called out McCain's shameless use them in his Ad.
Of course, McCain himself remains a pig, as illustrated by this, the last line of Smith's report:
Meanwhile, on the "Maybe Huckabee Wasn't As Dangerous as McCain After All" front, we have this. (Heh. Sorry guys, Harrogate couldn't resist.)
And finally, the "Don't Tread on Me" category, as Katie Couric and CBS have called out McCain's shameless use them in his Ad.
Of course, McCain himself remains a pig, as illustrated by this, the last line of Smith's report:
McCain still has the ad, "Lipstick," on his website.
The Culture Wars: Part Oh My Fucking G-d this is Absurd...
In the WSJ, Thomas "What's the Matter with Kansas" Frank discusses the hypocrisy in Palin's culture war argument. The reverse elitism drives me mad. Frank writes:
Frank presents his economy versus culture argument, again. Will people finally value the economy over the culture?
How soon is now?
But what really defines them in Mrs. Palin's telling is their enemies, the people who supposedly "look down" on them. The opposite of the heartland is the loathsome array of snobs and fakers, "reporters and commentators," lobbyists and others who make up "the Washington elite."
Frank presents his economy versus culture argument, again. Will people finally value the economy over the culture?
How soon is now?
Obama the Terrorist...
From Politico: Here is a new ad by the McCain team and my fucking G-d is it reckless. In addition to trying to define Palin as a hapless victim in society, it echoes the idea that Obama is a communist and terrorist who threatens the US.
Rhetorical Echoes:
The new ad by the McCain campaign echoes previous commercials from 1984 and 2004. The entailment is not only that Obama is unfit for office because he is attacking a defenseless woman (though isn't this a virtue for Republicans, to attack the weak?); the danger with this ad is that it suggests that Obama is a communist and a terrorist, who will invade the US.
Again. This campaign is absurd. A politician running for office will not take answers from the press. No one knows a damn thing about her except through her false statements in her speeches. A presidential campaign does not address any issues and will fuck the country through the culture war. And will not answer questions to the press. And then this ad?
Context of the Ad:
The ad from 1984 focuses on the U.S.A. versus the USSR, with Reagan as the only person to perceive the true threat of "the bear." In 2004, the Bush Administration echoed this commercial though it redefined the terrorists as wolves- a numerous, but unseen danger that travels in packs. In 2008, McCain relies upon the echo effect from the ads in 1984 and 2004. Yet, in 2008, the McCain campaign redefines the wolves to represent Obama and his invading army.
Watch for yourself and see the decline of the American Republic with your own eyes.
The ad from 1984:
The ad from 2004:
The ad from 2008:
Rhetorical Echoes:
The new ad by the McCain campaign echoes previous commercials from 1984 and 2004. The entailment is not only that Obama is unfit for office because he is attacking a defenseless woman (though isn't this a virtue for Republicans, to attack the weak?); the danger with this ad is that it suggests that Obama is a communist and a terrorist, who will invade the US.
Again. This campaign is absurd. A politician running for office will not take answers from the press. No one knows a damn thing about her except through her false statements in her speeches. A presidential campaign does not address any issues and will fuck the country through the culture war. And will not answer questions to the press. And then this ad?
Context of the Ad:
The ad from 1984 focuses on the U.S.A. versus the USSR, with Reagan as the only person to perceive the true threat of "the bear." In 2004, the Bush Administration echoed this commercial though it redefined the terrorists as wolves- a numerous, but unseen danger that travels in packs. In 2008, McCain relies upon the echo effect from the ads in 1984 and 2004. Yet, in 2008, the McCain campaign redefines the wolves to represent Obama and his invading army.
Watch for yourself and see the decline of the American Republic with your own eyes.
The ad from 1984:
The ad from 2004:
The ad from 2008:
Wow the Gloves Really Are Off
Only in this current near-hysterical political climate could we have a Rhetorical Situation where Jeralyn Merritt is linking to and celebrating posts by disaffected Republican, Andrew Sullivan.
But really. What better evidence could there be that as we enter the homestretch, McCain's cynicism and lack of honor has hit such heights that is has arguably performed Obama's "Unity" message through the backdoor, as it were. John S. McCain has, in other words, perhaps done a favor, having "United" a lot of very different Americans simply by scaring the bejeezus out of us. For his part, Harrogate is doing everything he can to hold out optimism, and trust that voters in a state like Colorado will see through McCain's banal play to the worst in all of us.
From Sullivan:
Harrogate's emphasis with that last paragraph. Because, Wow. Nailed it.
But really. What better evidence could there be that as we enter the homestretch, McCain's cynicism and lack of honor has hit such heights that is has arguably performed Obama's "Unity" message through the backdoor, as it were. John S. McCain has, in other words, perhaps done a favor, having "United" a lot of very different Americans simply by scaring the bejeezus out of us. For his part, Harrogate is doing everything he can to hold out optimism, and trust that voters in a state like Colorado will see through McCain's banal play to the worst in all of us.
From Sullivan:
And then, because he could see he was going to lose, ten days ago, he threw caution to the wind and with no vetting whatsoever, picked a woman who....was going to reignite the culture war as a last stand against Obama. That's all that is happening right now: a massive bump in the enthusiasm of the Christianist base. This is pure Rove.
Yes, McCain made a decision that revealed many appalling things about him. In the end, his final concern is not national security. No one who cares about national security would pick as vice-president someone who knows nothing about it as his replacement. No one who cares about this country's safety would gamble the security of the world on a total unknown because she polled well with the Christianist base. ....
McCain has demonstrated in the last two months that he does not have the character to be president of the United States. And that is why it is more important than ever to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president. The alternative is now unthinkable. And McCain - no one else - has proved it.
Harrogate's emphasis with that last paragraph. Because, Wow. Nailed it.
For Solon; or, Music to Go with Your Afternoon Coffee, While Contemplating the Culture Wars
Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end its only round and round.
Havent you heard its a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
Theres room for you inside.
Among the best rock lyrics ever written, IHO.
Why Some People Like Ron Paul, Part.... What Number Are We On, Anyway???
Ron Paul, seen here casting a spell to banish the IRS,has refused to endorse John McCain's candidacy, despite the latter's pleas.
An interesting read. Subplots abound.
Paul said the request came from Phil Gramm, the former McCain adviser whom the campaign jettisoned after he said the country was a "nation of whiners" about the economy.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Paul said Gramm called him this week and told him, "you need to endorse McCain." The Texas congressman refused.
Sarah Palin Action Figures
You can now buy your very Sarah Palin action figure. This was going to be a post about how the makers of this doll have rather sexistly rendered Palin as a Catholic school girl. Then I scrolled down the page and realized the action figures of Obama and McCain are also a bit offensive. I also reminded myself that they are, in fact, action figures, so they aren't meant to be realistic. That said, if McCain himself was a buff as his action figure I might be less worried about him dying in office and leaving the inexperienced Palin to run the country.
The Ground Game for November
At Slate, Richard Hasen presents the most important information you need to know: what legal and political challenges exist in this year's swing states. Obama may have a slight advantage because of voter registration and infrastructure. But legal challenges, such as challenges to voter fraud, and political challenges, such as Ralph Nader's presence the Pennsylvania ballot, may nullify that advantage.
Harrogate Coins the New Feminist Saying
"American women need McCain and Palin like a fish needs a bicycle."
Take that, Stephen Colbert
Take that, Stephen Colbert
Thanks to Academama . . .
. . .for bringing this to my attention. She posted this on her blog, but I think it is so powerful that it should be posted in as many places as possible.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
The World Wants Obama
According to this poll.
But beware of those newfangled European ideas that Obama wants to push on us right-thinkin' Americans (to paraphrase Huckabee's speech at the RNC). We like things just the way they are: shitty.
But beware of those newfangled European ideas that Obama wants to push on us right-thinkin' Americans (to paraphrase Huckabee's speech at the RNC). We like things just the way they are: shitty.
Obama and Humor
Harrogate doesn't often associate Obama with humor, although lately, the candidate seems to have actually lightened up in proportion to the upsetness and even early stages of panic, experienced by some of his supporters.
But no matter. This was, as they say, a good 'un: Metaphors 101
Heh.
But no matter. This was, as they say, a good 'un: Metaphors 101
Obama poked fun of McCain and Palin's new "change" mantra.
"You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd cheered. "It's still a pig."
"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."
"We've had enough of the same old thing."
Heh.
Supadiscomama is a trendsetter!
Those of us who know her have always known this to be true. But now Victoria Beckham has confirmed it. All the celebrity websites are all atwitter about her new haircut, which you can see at People.com. I am not so sure why this particular haircut is making news. Supadiscomama has been sporting a similar 'do for years. This confirms it: Supa should be gracing the pages of People, since Mrs. Beckham clearly stole her hairdo!
Announcer: "Man, they look like they're having a great time"
Of course they are. The dude's getting a handy, for crying out loud.
I don't even watch football like this at home.
I don't even watch football like this at home.
Who cares about the election...
When the Earth will be swallowed in its entirety by a man-made black hole.
Tomorrow, scientists will turn on the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator, to attempt to recreate the effects of the Big Bang by crashing protons into each other.
I guess that I feel better knowing that scientists, and not John McCain or the Republican Party, will end the world.
To Progress...
Tomorrow, scientists will turn on the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator, to attempt to recreate the effects of the Big Bang by crashing protons into each other.
I guess that I feel better knowing that scientists, and not John McCain or the Republican Party, will end the world.
To Progress...
Monday, September 08, 2008
Assy McGee Award®,
Today's Assy McGee Award® goes to Big Tent Democrat over at TalkLeft.
Not only has Jeralyn's site been coopted by commenters only interested in:
A)Defending Sarah Palin, Inventing Sexism Charges Out of Nothing;
B)Bitching about the Primary; And
C)Harpily Chipping Away at the Only Candidate Standing Between John McCain and the Presidency
But she continues to be undermined by her co-contributor, Big Tent Democrat, for whom Harrogate's last shred of respect finally dissipated today. Increasingly, BTD has become the Head Cheerleader for those who want to keep the Primary Angst alive, those who feel the "pull" of Palin's ovaries, and then of course any number of Republicans who by now have likely infested the site only to exacerbate matters on an already explosive site.
But the coup de gras, the final straw as far as reasonable people will be concerned, was this post, in which BTD cites the new ABC/WaPo poll that tells us McCain is up by one point.
Then he quotes this:
Then the most deserving recipient of this Award in its long and vaunted history actually wrote the following:
There are so many things wrong with him, and the gaggle that you will see chiming in. Jeralyn Merritt is in the process of seeing the blog she worked so hard to build in the name of civil liberties, turn into a Testament to the Absolute Ignorance of Every Person Who Still Has the Audacity To Say That The Personal Is Political. Every Person Who Would Defend Identity Politics, At This Point, Is Pretty Much Dead To Harrogate.
Seriously. Our entire country is on the verge of getting corncobbed. While everyone was jumping up and down celebrating the Historicity of the Primary. Oh My God a Black Man and a White Woman!!!! Yes, while everyone was tearing up over that, the Writing Was On the Wall at that very moment. Harrogate has seen the enemy and it is us.
And Big Tent Democrat is as good a representative of the Us Harrogate is talking about, as it gets.
To quote Eric Cartman, Harrogate is seriously.
Not only has Jeralyn's site been coopted by commenters only interested in:
A)Defending Sarah Palin, Inventing Sexism Charges Out of Nothing;
B)Bitching about the Primary; And
C)Harpily Chipping Away at the Only Candidate Standing Between John McCain and the Presidency
But she continues to be undermined by her co-contributor, Big Tent Democrat, for whom Harrogate's last shred of respect finally dissipated today. Increasingly, BTD has become the Head Cheerleader for those who want to keep the Primary Angst alive, those who feel the "pull" of Palin's ovaries, and then of course any number of Republicans who by now have likely infested the site only to exacerbate matters on an already explosive site.
But the coup de gras, the final straw as far as reasonable people will be concerned, was this post, in which BTD cites the new ABC/WaPo poll that tells us McCain is up by one point.
Then he quotes this:
White women have moved from 50-42 percent in Obama's favor before the conventions to 53-41 percent for McCain now, a 20-point shift in the margin that's one of the single biggest post-convention changes in voter preferences. The other, also to McCain's advantage, is in the battleground Midwest, where he's moved from a 19-point deficit to a 7-point edge.
Then the most deserving recipient of this Award in its long and vaunted history actually wrote the following:
In essence, Obama opened the door by not picking Hillary Clinton and McCain walked through it. McCain's Palin gamble clearly has worked. He is in the game. And he would not have been if he had not chosen Palin. And McCain would not have chosen Palin if Obama had picked Clinton.
There are so many things wrong with him, and the gaggle that you will see chiming in. Jeralyn Merritt is in the process of seeing the blog she worked so hard to build in the name of civil liberties, turn into a Testament to the Absolute Ignorance of Every Person Who Still Has the Audacity To Say That The Personal Is Political. Every Person Who Would Defend Identity Politics, At This Point, Is Pretty Much Dead To Harrogate.
Seriously. Our entire country is on the verge of getting corncobbed. While everyone was jumping up and down celebrating the Historicity of the Primary. Oh My God a Black Man and a White Woman!!!! Yes, while everyone was tearing up over that, the Writing Was On the Wall at that very moment. Harrogate has seen the enemy and it is us.
And Big Tent Democrat is as good a representative of the Us Harrogate is talking about, as it gets.
To quote Eric Cartman, Harrogate is seriously.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Biden May Not be a Hockey Mom, But at Least He's Not Afraid to Say What He Thinks
Transcript from Joe Biden's appearance on Meet the Press this morning. Look, Biden is in many, many ways no progressive. But especially when you contrast him with what the GOP has given us, you look at this interview, and you just love his candor as well as his commitment to the principles of pluralism.
On Sarah Palin:
On his coming debate with Palin:
On the three coming debates between Obama and McCain:
On McCain and Iraq:
More on McCain and Iraq, but this quote stands alone doesn't it?
On Abortion Rights. Look at the emphasis on pluralism. Does either GOP candidate even understand what he's saying here?
Here's one Harrogate suspects Biden will drag out in his debate with Palin, if abortion rights come up at all. One would like to see her respond to this:
On Sarah Palin:
why--look, she had a great speech. But what was--her silence on the issues was deafening. She didn't mention a word about healthcare, a word about the environment, a word about the middle class. They never parted her lips. I mean, so I don't know where she is on those things.
On his coming debate with Palin:
I know Mitt Romney and know his positions, and I know Tom Ridge and I really respect them. And--but you know, I, I've debated an awful lot of tough, smart women. A woman who's a judge here in our superior court was one of my toughest opponents ever for the Senate. And there's a lot of very tough, smart women in the United States Senate I debate every day. So in that sense it's not new. But what is new is I have no idea what her policies are. I assume they're the same as John's. I just don't know.
On the three coming debates between Obama and McCain:
I think those debates that are going to take place, the three critical debates between the two nominees, are going to be the most watched debates in the history of American politics, and I think people are going to get everything they need out of those debates,
On McCain and Iraq:
The truth of the matter is, what do we do now? What's John McCain going to do when he's president? He says he will not sign on to a timeline, number one. Number two, he has no, no idea, no suggestion how he's going to deal with the neighbors. He has no idea how he's going to deal with Iraq. He has no idea how he's going to deal with Syria. He has no idea how he's going to deal with Turkey. We have laid out a clear plan.
More on McCain and Iraq, but this quote stands alone doesn't it?
And I, I, I just--now, John may have an idea. I've never heard it. I've never heard it.
On Abortion Rights. Look at the emphasis on pluralism. Does either GOP candidate even understand what he's saying here?
For me, as a Roman Catholic, I'm prepared to accept the teachings of my church. But let me tell you. There are an awful lot of people of great confessional faiths--Protestants, Jews, Muslims and others--who have a different view. They believe in God as strongly as I do. They're intensely as religious as I am religious. They believe in their faith and they believe in human life, and they have differing views as to when life--I'm prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception. But that is my judgment. For me to impose that judgment on everyone else who is equally and maybe even more devout than I am seems to me is inappropriate in a pluralistic society.
Here's one Harrogate suspects Biden will drag out in his debate with Palin, if abortion rights come up at all. One would like to see her respond to this:
No, what I voted against curtailing the right, criminalizing abortion. I voted against telling everyone else in the country that they have to accept my religiously based view that it's a moment of conception
John Ridley's "Pocket Guide To Speaking Palin-guage"
Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
Since not all people see the apparent hypocrisy in McCain's selection of VP, John Ridley wrote a few guides to help those who see hypocrisy change their mental constructs about Mooseburgers. A Few examples:
There are more here.
Since not all people see the apparent hypocrisy in McCain's selection of VP, John Ridley wrote a few guides to help those who see hypocrisy change their mental constructs about Mooseburgers. A Few examples:
If you're a minority and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "token hire." If you're a conservative and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "game changer."
If you live in an Urban area and you get a girl pregnant you're a "baby daddy." If you're the same in Alaska you're a "teen father." (Actually, according to your own MySpace page you're an F'n redneck that don't want any kids, but that's too long a phrase for the evil liberal media to take out of context and flog morning noon and night).
Black teen pregnancies? A "crisis" in black America. White teen pregnancies? A "blessed event."
If you get 18 million people to vote for you in a national presidential primary, you're a "phoney." Get 100,000+ people to vote you governor of the 47th most populous state in the Union, you're "well loved."
DTD SAYS: If your pastor rails against inequality in the United States of America, you're an "extremist." If your pastor welcomes a sermon by a member of Jews for Jesus who preaches that the killing of Jews by terrorists is a lesson to Jews that they must convert to Christianity, you're a "fundamentalist."
There are more here.
You Might Be a Nutbag If......; Or, Tip of the Hat to Fox News Online
One of the big questions right now for the Presidential campaign is, will Sarah Palin remain out of the Media's reach until her debate with Biden, or will the McCain campaign let her elaborate on her views for the General Public.
Kudos and Tips of the Hat to media of all political persuasions which are in the process of trying to 'smoke Palin out,' as it were, by discussing her views and posting them online. Certainly Harrogate didn't expect this AP piece to show up on the front page of Fox's Website yesterday. But, there you have it. A blind groundhog really will find an acorn now and then.
The AP Headline reads: "Palin’s Church Promoting Conversion of Gays to Heterosexuals."
It is tongue-talking level scary. Harrogate seems to remember there was a wee bit of discourse surrounding the church that Barack Obama attended. Perhaps stuff like this deserves a bit of attention, Yes?
Harrogate's favorite part though is the way the AP ends it. This is also why Harrogate was pretty stunned that Fox ran it. For the final paragraph, O Readers, is is one sentence long:
McCain, utterly void of ideas, has decided to turn this election on the Culture Wars. But the Irony is, he and Palin hope to do it without Independents finding out until it is too late. Will it work? Not if Brave Media such as Fox News keep up such brilliant participation in the discourse.
Kudos and Tips of the Hat to media of all political persuasions which are in the process of trying to 'smoke Palin out,' as it were, by discussing her views and posting them online. Certainly Harrogate didn't expect this AP piece to show up on the front page of Fox's Website yesterday. But, there you have it. A blind groundhog really will find an acorn now and then.
The AP Headline reads: "Palin’s Church Promoting Conversion of Gays to Heterosexuals."
It is tongue-talking level scary. Harrogate seems to remember there was a wee bit of discourse surrounding the church that Barack Obama attended. Perhaps stuff like this deserves a bit of attention, Yes?
“You’ll be encouraged by the power of God’s love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality,” according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.
Palin’s conservative Christian views have energized that part of the GOP electorate, which was lukewarm to John McCain’s candidacy before he named her as his vice presidential choice. She is staunchly anti-abortion, opposing exceptions for rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples.
Harrogate's favorite part though is the way the AP ends it. This is also why Harrogate was pretty stunned that Fox ran it. For the final paragraph, O Readers, is is one sentence long:
“People are looking at Sarah Palin as someone who might feasibly be in the White House,” he said.
McCain, utterly void of ideas, has decided to turn this election on the Culture Wars. But the Irony is, he and Palin hope to do it without Independents finding out until it is too late. Will it work? Not if Brave Media such as Fox News keep up such brilliant participation in the discourse.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Motherhood as a Source of the Political
Over at Slate, there is a very good article that discusses the transformation of Motherhood under Evangelicalism, especially from the Murphy Brown era to the Sarah Palin days. While once it was inappropriate for a woman in power to become a single mother, right Dan Quayle, it is now authentic for a woman in power to have a pregnant daughter before the daughter is married. The reason for this change is that Motherhood is an important source of Evangelical politics:
The article reads as a form of synthesis of ideas: a traditional lifestyle in the realm of politics means that the "elites" do not need to lead by example because they advance the cause of political Evangelicalism. However, even as the "elites" in politics lead to greater visibility for the movement, the loss of authenticity with "Evangelicalism" creates room for "slippage" in the masses as they see that they do not need to follow the rules the elite expound. The article suggests that this contradiction between elites/masses helps to explain why the divorce rate is on the rise with Evangelicals.
If the later is true, splinter groups from the movement may weaken Evangelical power, opening up the door for another political reform in the Martin Luther sense. For better or for worse, the new-age Puritans may form competing factions. However, as long as abortion remains legal and in tact as is, there will always a political devil for Evangelicals to fight against.
Starting in the 1970s, leaders such as Dobson began rewriting the rules of the traditional Christian marriage to make it more palatable in an age of feminism. Domestic work was elevated to a special calling; Christian women were told their child-rearing decisions had national implications, as they were raising a generation of righteous soldiers. Mom took on a political tinge. Home-schooling mothers dragged their large broods to volunteer in campaigns. Like with many Christian moms of her generation, Palin's résumé starts with the PTA.
Conservative women became a powerful tool for the party, and everyone was willing to overlook the cost to their personal lives. If a conservative Christian mother chose to pursue a full-time career in, say, landscape gardening or the law, she was abandoning her family. But if she chose public service, she was furthering the godly cause. No one discussed the sticky domestic details: Did she have a (gasp!) nanny? Did her husband really rule the roost anymore? Who said prayers with the kids every night? As long as she was seen now and again with her children, she could get away with any amount of power.
The article reads as a form of synthesis of ideas: a traditional lifestyle in the realm of politics means that the "elites" do not need to lead by example because they advance the cause of political Evangelicalism. However, even as the "elites" in politics lead to greater visibility for the movement, the loss of authenticity with "Evangelicalism" creates room for "slippage" in the masses as they see that they do not need to follow the rules the elite expound. The article suggests that this contradiction between elites/masses helps to explain why the divorce rate is on the rise with Evangelicals.
If the later is true, splinter groups from the movement may weaken Evangelical power, opening up the door for another political reform in the Martin Luther sense. For better or for worse, the new-age Puritans may form competing factions. However, as long as abortion remains legal and in tact as is, there will always a political devil for Evangelicals to fight against.
Comic Relief II
From the NY Times, (Hat tip Andrew Sullivan):
“The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible,” Ms. Kincaid said. “Her principal ethical and moral beliefs stem from this.Oh wait. Faith-based reality is not that funny. And this is the modern day GOP.
Prayer, and belief in its power, is another constant theme, Ms. Kincaid said, in what she has witnessed in Ms. Palin. “Her beliefs are firm in the power of prayer — let’s put it that way,” she said....
In the address at the Assembly of God Church here, Ms. Palin’s ease in talking about the intersection of faith and public life was clear. Among other things, she encouraged the group of young church leaders to pray that “God’s will” be done in bringing about the construction of a big pipeline in the state, and suggested her work as governor would be
hampered “if the people of Alaska’s heart isn’t right with God.”
She also told the group that her eldest child, Track, would soon be deployed by the Army to Iraq, and that they should pray “that our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God, that’s what we have to make sure we are praying for, that there is a plan, and that plan is God’s plan.”
Comic Relief
Count this in the category of Stuff Harrogate Likes. It never fails to amuse him. Perhaps because on this day he, too, feels pretty, and witty, and gay.
This moment also classically exemplifies what is meant when academicians speak of The Rhetorical Situation. Perhaps Readers would like to Break it Down in the Comments....
"Move your Ass, dipshit!"
This moment also classically exemplifies what is meant when academicians speak of The Rhetorical Situation. Perhaps Readers would like to Break it Down in the Comments....
"Move your Ass, dipshit!"
Friday, September 05, 2008
New Blogroll Addition: Balloon Juice
Harrogate announces the newest addition to Our Reading List. A blog he's been visiting for a few weeks now, very good stuff, pithy, gets lots of comments, hopefully ye will all consider visiting.
This was Contributor John Cole's reaction to the convention and to the ticket. He dubs McCain and Palin's post-convention campaign, "The Suspension of Reality Tour." Could it be said any better, except maybe by Board Members here?
A snippet. He quotes this from McCain's speech last night:
Then he joins Solon's call for people to please, please, please notice the grotesquely cynical contradiction of it all:
The blogosphere is on fire right now. Get your work done. But smoke more blog.
This was Contributor John Cole's reaction to the convention and to the ticket. He dubs McCain and Palin's post-convention campaign, "The Suspension of Reality Tour." Could it be said any better, except maybe by Board Members here?
A snippet. He quotes this from McCain's speech last night:
The—the constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause. It’s a symptom. It’s what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not for you. Again and again—again and again, I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That’s how I will govern as president. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again.
Then he joins Solon's call for people to please, please, please notice the grotesquely cynical contradiction of it all:
Is he serious? Did he not watch his own convention? Did he miss the nasty, snide, and condescending presentations from Romney and Giuliani the night before? Did he pay no attention to Lyndsey Graham, just an hour earlier, claiming Obama’s entire campaign is based around a loss in Iraq? Did he miss the untested and unproven running mate of his, Sarah Palin, launch vicious and snide remarks about Obama? Has he not paid attention to the last 3 months of his own campaign? Does he forget repeatedly accusing Obama of choosing to lose awar to win an election?
The blogosphere is on fire right now. Get your work done. But smoke more blog.
Happy Birthday Google
Today, Google turned 10. This morning, while getting his car fixed, Harrogate watched some business show on cable news where pundits talked about how over that time Google stock and shares created multiple millionaires, and not a few billionaires either.
But setting aside the question of shares for a moment. It really is staggering when ye think about it, what a huge cultural force the Google search engine has become in such a short period of time. Doesn't it feel like it has always been with us, that we have always been able to run searches for song lyrics the second we need to know them? Or to find other things, on demand?
Thinking about Google's birthday today, Harrogate dwells a bit on human innovation, and how Harrogate himself often fails to admire the positive side of material ambition as well as the entrepreneurial spirit. Yay to information, even if you have to wade through streams of bilge sometimes, to get it.
But setting aside the question of shares for a moment. It really is staggering when ye think about it, what a huge cultural force the Google search engine has become in such a short period of time. Doesn't it feel like it has always been with us, that we have always been able to run searches for song lyrics the second we need to know them? Or to find other things, on demand?
Thinking about Google's birthday today, Harrogate dwells a bit on human innovation, and how Harrogate himself often fails to admire the positive side of material ambition as well as the entrepreneurial spirit. Yay to information, even if you have to wade through streams of bilge sometimes, to get it.
The Assy McGee Award®
Sorry Harrogate, this ups your post on Michelle "Internment for Everyone" Malkin.
In an online conversation between David Lat, a former federal prosecutor and Hillary supporter, and Marc Ambinder, a writer and blogger at Atlantic, Lat discusses his transition from Hillary to Palin because, "A Star is born;" "Behind those librarian glasses" she is "playing a role beautifully;" it is time to have a a female president or VP.
Who cares about issues because, with Palin, it is "like being in love -- reason flies out the window! You just have a visceral reaction to someone, and you're off to the races."
In an online conversation between David Lat, a former federal prosecutor and Hillary supporter, and Marc Ambinder, a writer and blogger at Atlantic, Lat discusses his transition from Hillary to Palin because, "A Star is born;" "Behind those librarian glasses" she is "playing a role beautifully;" it is time to have a a female president or VP.
Who cares about issues because, with Palin, it is "like being in love -- reason flies out the window! You just have a visceral reaction to someone, and you're off to the races."
For Southpaw, Especially: World of Warcraft Forum Bloggers Debate Palin Sex Scandal
As far as we have gathered from Andrew Sullivan's objective fact-hunting, "Todd Palin's former business partner, Scott Alan Richter, who is now divorced and was reportedly accused of an Affair with Sarah Palin," tried--and failed-- to get an emergency measure for his divorce papers to be sealed. See the Salon story here (hat tip to salon for the Palin image).
Well, if the effort to get the papers sealed has failed, then Harrogate guesses we'll know soon enough whether the Enquirer just nailed its second political hide to the wall in a month.
See the World of Warcraft bloggers doing journalistic work, here
Your GOP VP Nominee
Troopergate. It sounds like a bad 1990s or 2000s teen movie, like Starship Troopers or Super Bad.
But seriously. Say if you wanted to vet a candidate on the cheap. If you googled her name before you nominated her, you could find out this information. She certainly fits in with the modern day GOP- let's post the ten commandments everyone even if we do not know them, right Westmoreland?
But seriously. Say if you wanted to vet a candidate on the cheap. If you googled her name before you nominated her, you could find out this information. She certainly fits in with the modern day GOP- let's post the ten commandments everyone even if we do not know them, right Westmoreland?
The Importance of Not Letting Abortion Be a Sleeper Issue
Harrogate is going to write a lot about this issue in the coming weeks. He hopes Media with big audiences will do the same, but if they insist on continuing to shield Independents from thinking about the Abortion Issue, then little bloggers like us must do the work.
So here's something interesting. Yesterday Harrogate and Roof Almighty met a self-described "Right Wing Christian" who considers Abortion to be murder, and a very fruitful conversation about abortion followed. This person said something to Harrogate that very rarely makes it past the shouting or enforced silence, when the subject is broached.
In the most affluent society on the face of the Earth, he told Harrogate. It is offensive that so many women who get pregnant feel that they have no choice but to get an abortion. That it is offensive that in America 2008, world-class health care is not available to such women not only during pregnancy, but in the years before and in the years that follow; that financial assistance is not always and immediately accessible to those who need it.
If the country was really interested in lessening abortions, he argued, it would put its money where its mouth is.
He followed up this argument by insisting that the thing he hated most about his own Republican Party, on the issue of Abortion, was its implicit and explicit opposition to contraceptives (Witness Sarah Palin). One does not have to give up on Appealing to Abstinence as a Value, simply by acknowledging that Abstinence Education doesn't cast a wide enough net.
This man candily told Harrogate he doesn't yet know who he will vote for, but he is pretty pissed at the Palin selection, and he is tired of his demographic being used by the Wall Street Republicans (his words).
Everything he said was great, and how shameful that the points he raised almost never make it into the Big Media discourse. Because the Abortion Issue is controlling our politics to an extent that we are unwilling to admit. We all know that not every abortion comes down to economics or to a lack of sex education, but isn't it reasonable to say that many abortions are tethered to these problems, and isn't that something we can all agree is sad?
Well, say what you want about him, and Lord knows Harrogate has said his share (and will continue to do so), Obama knows it is sad. Obama made the same damned argument on his Thursday night acceptance speech before some 38 million viewers, even though McCain (did you know he was a POW) snuffed it all out with the Palin pick. And that is why when you look at the options presented to you, Harrogate argues that if you care about lessening abortion rates, Obama is the right choice for President.
So here's something interesting. Yesterday Harrogate and Roof Almighty met a self-described "Right Wing Christian" who considers Abortion to be murder, and a very fruitful conversation about abortion followed. This person said something to Harrogate that very rarely makes it past the shouting or enforced silence, when the subject is broached.
In the most affluent society on the face of the Earth, he told Harrogate. It is offensive that so many women who get pregnant feel that they have no choice but to get an abortion. That it is offensive that in America 2008, world-class health care is not available to such women not only during pregnancy, but in the years before and in the years that follow; that financial assistance is not always and immediately accessible to those who need it.
If the country was really interested in lessening abortions, he argued, it would put its money where its mouth is.
He followed up this argument by insisting that the thing he hated most about his own Republican Party, on the issue of Abortion, was its implicit and explicit opposition to contraceptives (Witness Sarah Palin). One does not have to give up on Appealing to Abstinence as a Value, simply by acknowledging that Abstinence Education doesn't cast a wide enough net.
This man candily told Harrogate he doesn't yet know who he will vote for, but he is pretty pissed at the Palin selection, and he is tired of his demographic being used by the Wall Street Republicans (his words).
Everything he said was great, and how shameful that the points he raised almost never make it into the Big Media discourse. Because the Abortion Issue is controlling our politics to an extent that we are unwilling to admit. We all know that not every abortion comes down to economics or to a lack of sex education, but isn't it reasonable to say that many abortions are tethered to these problems, and isn't that something we can all agree is sad?
Well, say what you want about him, and Lord knows Harrogate has said his share (and will continue to do so), Obama knows it is sad. Obama made the same damned argument on his Thursday night acceptance speech before some 38 million viewers, even though McCain (did you know he was a POW) snuffed it all out with the Palin pick. And that is why when you look at the options presented to you, Harrogate argues that if you care about lessening abortion rates, Obama is the right choice for President.
"let me explain to them what the job involves": Making War and Banning Books
John McCain closed out his speech last night with rousing, Henry V-style calls for America to "Stand up" and to "Fight," words he used over and over again. The convention-goers went nuts. After all the ballons were dropped, at the top of the ticket what we were left with was, Fight, Fight, Fight; Did you know John McCain was a POW? He wasn't scared to fight! Now its our turn to Fight! Always Fight!
Speaking of fighting, in presenting us with Sarah Palin, a red-meat throwing politico who makes George W. Bush seem intellectually curious, John McCain started a big ole fight against our republican institutions as well.
Wednesday night both Rudy (noun, verb, 9/11) Giuliani and Palin made much of her mayoral record as part of her "executive experience." And then Palin, playing the victim, offered to "explain to them what the job" of Mayor involves. But she said nothing about her time as Mayor, opting instead for trashy, snarling, sarcastic derogations of Obama.
But, Harrogate will help Palin out. Her on-record urge to ban books as Mayor will nicely complement McCain's urge to stoke nationalistic fervor and start wars. What a team the McCain Administration promises to be, if we are ignorant enough as a people, to let them in the door.
Palin the book banner link. It also shows how she made abortion a central issue in a small-town MAYORAL race.
This bitch is a nutjob, people. The GOP's kind of nutjob.
But anyway, here's the book-banning blurb. Too bad this isn't a huge story already:
A good time to summon up some of this feeling right here, the opening seconds of this clip from the third greatest sports movie ever made:
"Ray, I just halted the spread of neo-fascism in America."
Speaking of fighting, in presenting us with Sarah Palin, a red-meat throwing politico who makes George W. Bush seem intellectually curious, John McCain started a big ole fight against our republican institutions as well.
Wednesday night both Rudy (noun, verb, 9/11) Giuliani and Palin made much of her mayoral record as part of her "executive experience." And then Palin, playing the victim, offered to "explain to them what the job" of Mayor involves. But she said nothing about her time as Mayor, opting instead for trashy, snarling, sarcastic derogations of Obama.
But, Harrogate will help Palin out. Her on-record urge to ban books as Mayor will nicely complement McCain's urge to stoke nationalistic fervor and start wars. What a team the McCain Administration promises to be, if we are ignorant enough as a people, to let them in the door.
Palin the book banner link. It also shows how she made abortion a central issue in a small-town MAYORAL race.
This bitch is a nutjob, people. The GOP's kind of nutjob.
But anyway, here's the book-banning blurb. Too bad this isn't a huge story already:
as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them.
A good time to summon up some of this feeling right here, the opening seconds of this clip from the third greatest sports movie ever made:
"Ray, I just halted the spread of neo-fascism in America."
Gloria Steinem: "Wrong woman, wrong message"
In an LA Times editorial, Gloria Steinem succinctly explains why Sarah Palin is the wrong person for the job.
Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."
Personally, I don't get the whole "I'm gonna vote for someone else to protest the fact that my candidate got nominated" argument. Frankly, I don't even get the whole "I'm not gonna vote at all because there are no candidates I'm interested in" argument. Both seem like a cop-out on the part of the voter. Voting for McCain (and let's be real here; few people vote for a VP candidate--although Palin is being touted as a real reason to vote for McCain for some odd reason) to protest that Clinton didn't get the nomination is not stupid; it is asinine. And, as I think Harrogate would argue, is tantamount to agreeing to kill more people in the Middle East and God knows where else many Republicans would like to start wars in the name of protecting our freedoms.
What Steinem does so eloquently is remind us that we're not electing Palin. McCain is the one who needs to be held responsible for this poor choice, for treating the American public--and American women in particular--like we're stupid, and for putting our country at risk. As she points out, if he wanted to put a woman on the ticket, he had lots of other options--elected officials with real experience, who wouldn't make the rest of us cringe, and, despite their status as Republicans, actually work for the cause of gender equality. Instead he chose a woman who mirrors every single one of his policies.
If identity politics is all that matters to us, then I suggest we look past what the candidates look like and listen to how the present themselves and what they say. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden argue that women can't be equal outside the home until men do an equal amount of work inside it. That seems like a message most women would want to pay attention to.
Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."
Personally, I don't get the whole "I'm gonna vote for someone else to protest the fact that my candidate got nominated" argument. Frankly, I don't even get the whole "I'm not gonna vote at all because there are no candidates I'm interested in" argument. Both seem like a cop-out on the part of the voter. Voting for McCain (and let's be real here; few people vote for a VP candidate--although Palin is being touted as a real reason to vote for McCain for some odd reason) to protest that Clinton didn't get the nomination is not stupid; it is asinine. And, as I think Harrogate would argue, is tantamount to agreeing to kill more people in the Middle East and God knows where else many Republicans would like to start wars in the name of protecting our freedoms.
What Steinem does so eloquently is remind us that we're not electing Palin. McCain is the one who needs to be held responsible for this poor choice, for treating the American public--and American women in particular--like we're stupid, and for putting our country at risk. As she points out, if he wanted to put a woman on the ticket, he had lots of other options--elected officials with real experience, who wouldn't make the rest of us cringe, and, despite their status as Republicans, actually work for the cause of gender equality. Instead he chose a woman who mirrors every single one of his policies.
If identity politics is all that matters to us, then I suggest we look past what the candidates look like and listen to how the present themselves and what they say. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden argue that women can't be equal outside the home until men do an equal amount of work inside it. That seems like a message most women would want to pay attention to.
Contradiction of the Past Two Days
On Wednesday, Sarah Palin delivers a partisan address to rev up the base. Last night, McCain attacked partisanship, saying that occurred because of self-interest.
Do they think that the American people are so stupid that they cannot remember receiving conflicting messages within a 24 time frame? Do they think the American people are so stupid that they do not realize that Palin has always been partisan?
It is as if they wrote McCain's speech for the selection of Joe Lieberman as his VP and never bothered to change it. Damn facts!!!
I remember teaching debate one year and a student attempted to persuade the class to vote for a particular candidate. The problem of course is that the election occurred the day before her speech and her candidate lost, badly. Technically, it was a good speech. However, it possessed no relationship to reality.
The modern day GOP is that student.
Do they think that the American people are so stupid that they cannot remember receiving conflicting messages within a 24 time frame? Do they think the American people are so stupid that they do not realize that Palin has always been partisan?
It is as if they wrote McCain's speech for the selection of Joe Lieberman as his VP and never bothered to change it. Damn facts!!!
I remember teaching debate one year and a student attempted to persuade the class to vote for a particular candidate. The problem of course is that the election occurred the day before her speech and her candidate lost, badly. Technically, it was a good speech. However, it possessed no relationship to reality.
The modern day GOP is that student.
Michelle Malkin Explains: They Weren't Denigrating Community Organization, Just Obama
Thanks for clarifying things, Michelle. And while you're certainly worthy of consderation for today's Assy McGee Award®, we must be patient--'tis early, yet.
Blech.
Blech.
Because After All, John McCain Was a POW
Normally Harrogate only posts the one song by this band, the same song, every year. But tonight demands a second one by them, for 2008. It is so fitting it hurts.
"Captive Honour" indeed.
"Captive Honour" indeed.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
More TalkLeft Sycophanting, And More Solon Kindredness
Harrogate can't help it. He's just so damned happy to see Jeralyn and TChris swinging for the fences and in peak form. Their synopses are of course not as good as Solon's, but they're pretty awesome nonetheless.
Gems from TChris:
Jeralyn is still the Champ, though
Some samples from her Live Blog of the McCain Orgy:
And look at this sequence. This is the kind of stuff that explains why we smoke blog in the first place:
Clap clap. Keep swinging away. Everybody everywhere, keep swinging away.
Gems from TChris:
I respect Sen. Obama. We're both Americans. But only one of us was a POW.
I know it's tough to be unemployed. If we didn't have a government, you'd all still have jobs. Sarah Palin will help me do away with government.
Jeralyn is still the Champ, though
Some samples from her Live Blog of the McCain Orgy:
Update: The video. Did you know John McCain was a POW?
Update: No podium. He waves to the crowd. Sure looked like he raised his arm above his chest to me.
And look at this sequence. This is the kind of stuff that explains why we smoke blog in the first place:
Throws Obama a respect bone. What's going on. Did a protester just get in? "Please Don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static? Did they plan that or did he ad lib that?
He mentions Palin and she gets more applause than him. You can't even hear him over the applause. That shows you how desperate the evangelical radical right is to get their hands on the White House.
Update: 10:33 pm. This is one of the worst speeches ever. It's boring and not saying anything.
( Note to readers: Don't forget to leave song suggestions in the comments.)
Clap clap. Keep swinging away. Everybody everywhere, keep swinging away.
Random thoughts....
We believe in communities [but not community organizers... The people can't stand up for themselves....]
I can't even comment on this speech. I can't even take it seriously. His arguments are just not even believable. It's better than Romney's (What we need to get rid of is liberal toast and replace it with conservative English Muffins) but this speech is just not realistic.
Drill Baby Drill. Choice in Education but not for Women. Blah, Blah, Blah. I was a POW so elect me president. I don't know anything but I will act with determination and from the gut. That is what this country needs, right?
I can't even comment on this speech. I can't even take it seriously. His arguments are just not even believable. It's better than Romney's (What we need to get rid of is liberal toast and replace it with conservative English Muffins) but this speech is just not realistic.
Drill Baby Drill. Choice in Education but not for Women. Blah, Blah, Blah. I was a POW so elect me president. I don't know anything but I will act with determination and from the gut. That is what this country needs, right?
Why is Obama on Fox
Vanity Fair has a piece on Rupert Murdoch that discusses the truce between Obama and Fox. The portion on Obama is halfway through the article?
Bad move Jackasses...
Let the man speak, even if he won't say anything. It is too easy to redefine the situation.
As War Dog McCain Takes The Stage
Springsteen's Rendition of this Irish Antiwar Folk Song, "Mrs. McGrath," seems the appropriate response.
Or you could just quote Megadeth:
Or you could just quote Megadeth:
Kill one, you're a murderer;
Kill many, you're a conquerer;
Kill 'em all, you're a God.
Captive Honor aint no honor.
Preview of McCain's Speech....
There is a bear in the woods...Wait, wrong script.
Tonight will be one long non-sequitur:
The 2008 election is the most important in our lifetime because of the dangers in the world. I was a POW. Vote for me. Also, I believe in tax cuts, well now I do. And to social conservatives; see my VP. Reform, reform, reform.
Just don't ask me about the issues such as the economy, the nuances in the war on terror, abortion, and a host of other issues I know nothing about. Just focus on my character because character, not knowledge or judgment is the most important characteristic in this election. See character is part of characteristic.
George Who?
Tell me if I am wrong, the NFL began tonight. The game between the Giants and Washington Ethnic Slurs will be as intellectually stimulating. Oooooooh Commercials.
Tonight will be one long non-sequitur:
The 2008 election is the most important in our lifetime because of the dangers in the world. I was a POW. Vote for me. Also, I believe in tax cuts, well now I do. And to social conservatives; see my VP. Reform, reform, reform.
Just don't ask me about the issues such as the economy, the nuances in the war on terror, abortion, and a host of other issues I know nothing about. Just focus on my character because character, not knowledge or judgment is the most important characteristic in this election. See character is part of characteristic.
George Who?
Tell me if I am wrong, the NFL began tonight. The game between the Giants and Washington Ethnic Slurs will be as intellectually stimulating. Oooooooh Commercials.
Obama camp responds on "community organizing"
According to Politico, here is the Obama campaign's response. This is a very important contrast as it exemplifies who the elitists are:
Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed.This response shows the Conservative dislike of democracy.
Let's clarify something for them right now.
Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.
And it's no surprise that, after eight years of George Bush, millions of people have found that by coming together in their local communities they can change the course of history. That promise is what our campaign has been about from the beginning.
Throughout our history, ordinary people have made good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom up. Community organizing is the foundation of the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, labor rights, and the 40-hour workweek. And it's happening today in church basements and community centers and living rooms across America.
ZAPOW!!
The Enquirer's response to McCain's threat to sue over the reporting of Palin's alleged extramarital affair:
The National Enquirer's coverage of a vicious war within Sarah Palin's extended family includes several newsworthy revelations, including the resulting incredible charge of an affair plus details of family strife when the Governor's daughter revealed her pregnancy. Following our John Edwards' exclusives, our political reporting has obviously proven to be more detail-oriented than the McCain campaign's vetting process. Despite the McCain camp's attempts to control press coverage they find unfavorable, The Enquirer will continue to pursue news on both sides of the political spectrum.
The Republicans and Democracy
Today on Morning Joe, Nicole Wallace from the McCain Campaign asked: What is community organizing? Isn't it about getting people together to protest? Of course, the cast of Morning Joe never challenged those statements because they do not discuss democracy, only voting. But I digress...
Yet, Wllace's statements are important for the way in which they represent the Conservative view of democracy. We can explore these questions in many ways yet it seems that the questions Wallace raises involve the breakdown of "order" through "democracy." Isn't community organizing about "protesting," i.e. disrupting order? Isn't it about disrupting community? Isn't Obama just an outsider? All of these questions return us to the struggle for Civil Rights and the Culture Wars of the 1960s.
At the base of her complaints is a vision of democracy that Wallace, and conservatives detest. Any form of community involvement, except for religion, is not to be accepted. "Politics" concerns the virtue of great leaders, which is then transferred down to the people. "The people" themselves do not possess the virtue to act on their own or to engage in "democracy" as they will only cause trouble as they disrupt the proper forms of "authority."
The contrasting visions of democracy, between elite and participatory, is one of the reasons why I supported Obama in the first place. In the Democratic primary, Clinton presented herself as a technocrat in policy- elect me and I will solve your economic problems, etc. In the presidential race, we face the same contrast- elect John McCain because he possesses the virtue to lead, regardless of whether or not he possesses any knowledge on the topic. Even Clinton possessed the sense to demonstrate knowledge on the economy and we knew her to be authentic.
This contrasting visions of democracy is an important contrast. And the hostility of the conservatives toward "democracy" needs to be called out.
Yet, Wllace's statements are important for the way in which they represent the Conservative view of democracy. We can explore these questions in many ways yet it seems that the questions Wallace raises involve the breakdown of "order" through "democracy." Isn't community organizing about "protesting," i.e. disrupting order? Isn't it about disrupting community? Isn't Obama just an outsider? All of these questions return us to the struggle for Civil Rights and the Culture Wars of the 1960s.
At the base of her complaints is a vision of democracy that Wallace, and conservatives detest. Any form of community involvement, except for religion, is not to be accepted. "Politics" concerns the virtue of great leaders, which is then transferred down to the people. "The people" themselves do not possess the virtue to act on their own or to engage in "democracy" as they will only cause trouble as they disrupt the proper forms of "authority."
The contrasting visions of democracy, between elite and participatory, is one of the reasons why I supported Obama in the first place. In the Democratic primary, Clinton presented herself as a technocrat in policy- elect me and I will solve your economic problems, etc. In the presidential race, we face the same contrast- elect John McCain because he possesses the virtue to lead, regardless of whether or not he possesses any knowledge on the topic. Even Clinton possessed the sense to demonstrate knowledge on the economy and we knew her to be authentic.
This contrasting visions of democracy is an important contrast. And the hostility of the conservatives toward "democracy" needs to be called out.
What country do these people live in?
These are the people who are supposedly representative of the entire country. Am I the only one who sees anything incorrect about this image?
Oh, and I found the image in an article entitled "In a diverse U.S., a mostly white RNC."
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Jeralyn and Solon Are Kindred Spirits But Don't Know It
See her post-Palin speech thread. A hilarious video followed by very brief, very biting prose. First sentence: "Here's to Gov. Palin and her PTA experience."
A bit later:
A bit later:
For her cheap shot at Miranda rights, my gloves are coming off.
Culture Wars are alive and well....
I will be brief and pay as much attention to her speech as she supplied substantive comments. Oh, I have exceeded my limit.
She is incredibly condescending. All she has is one ad personam after another. And, if you are going to attack you opponent for elitism, it is counterproductive to attack your opponent's activities as a community organizer in the South Side of Chicago. When you do this, you appear like... an elitist.
"Character is the measure of the election..." What about the issues?
If you are going to spend ten minutes introducing your family, you cross the line on the public/ private distinction, especially when they exemplify your "virtue."
Your "proud" to be an American? Do you want to discuss families, maybe over drinks?
If you are going to deliver a speech of self-introduction, you should introduce yourself. Tell us what your real beliefs, or any beliefs are. Tell us your views on creationism, sex education, abortion, etc., even if your views are beyond extreme. Make sure those beliefs match your deeds. When you say you didn't support the Bridge to Nowhere and we saw photos that show you did, we don't believe you.
Only sixty days of identity politics left.
She is incredibly condescending. All she has is one ad personam after another. And, if you are going to attack you opponent for elitism, it is counterproductive to attack your opponent's activities as a community organizer in the South Side of Chicago. When you do this, you appear like... an elitist.
"Character is the measure of the election..." What about the issues?
If you are going to spend ten minutes introducing your family, you cross the line on the public/ private distinction, especially when they exemplify your "virtue."
Your "proud" to be an American? Do you want to discuss families, maybe over drinks?
If you are going to deliver a speech of self-introduction, you should introduce yourself. Tell us what your real beliefs, or any beliefs are. Tell us your views on creationism, sex education, abortion, etc., even if your views are beyond extreme. Make sure those beliefs match your deeds. When you say you didn't support the Bridge to Nowhere and we saw photos that show you did, we don't believe you.
Only sixty days of identity politics left.
A Quick Recap of the Republican Convention:
This is a sad convention. It is a mix of we hate democrats and USA! USA! I think Homer Simpson wrote each speech and the themes of the convention.
Here are the most important topics in case you decided to do something better with your time.
USA! USA! USA!
Islamic Terrorism is Bad.
G-D. G-D. G-D. G-D. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
Barack Obama is Bad.
Sarah Palin is a saint. (Look at this shiny trinket.) She is the future!
John McCain was a POW.
Drill here, drill now.
John McCain is going to personally defeat all terrorism on the face of the Earth. He will crush it against the Gates of Hell.
Taxes are bad. Prosperity is good.
Country first, (just ask all are CEOs who are speaking tonight).
Because of John McCain's virtuous character, the American people will become better just because John McCain will be president.
Unmentioned tonight:
George W. Bush. Abortion. Same-sex marriage. Any substantive issue.
Well, the speech of the century is about to begin.
Here are the most important topics in case you decided to do something better with your time.
USA! USA! USA!
Islamic Terrorism is Bad.
G-D. G-D. G-D. G-D. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
Barack Obama is Bad.
Sarah Palin is a saint. (Look at this shiny trinket.) She is the future!
John McCain was a POW.
Drill here, drill now.
John McCain is going to personally defeat all terrorism on the face of the Earth. He will crush it against the Gates of Hell.
Taxes are bad. Prosperity is good.
Country first, (just ask all are CEOs who are speaking tonight).
Because of John McCain's virtuous character, the American people will become better just because John McCain will be president.
Unmentioned tonight:
George W. Bush. Abortion. Same-sex marriage. Any substantive issue.
Well, the speech of the century is about to begin.
For Fun, Watch Mike Murphy & Peggy Noonan Attack Palin on a Microphone They Thought Was Off
GOP Mouthpiece malfunction, indeed.
In the Midst of the TalkLeft Pyrotechnics, A Heroic Comment Emerges
The heroic comment in question appeared in response to "miriam," who huffs in Response to the recent thread about the interview in which Cindy McCain disagrees with her husband and with Sarah Palin on Rape and Incest Victims having access to abortion (although, Cindy of course would lock it down in any other context). But where were we? Oh yeah. In response to that thread, "miriam" huffed:
(But now the Tide is Turning on TalkLeft. Jeralyn has been swinging for the fences against McCain all along, and this has only intensified of late. Awesomely, she has been no less pointed in her attacks on Palin. At one point yesterday she reminded a particularly angry commenter that hers is "not a feminist blog," but a blog concerned primarily with criminal justice issues. This was important for some to remember. The world is not a perpetual graduate theory course where everyone is obsessed with race and gender, however so much some would like it to be.
Meanwhile, comment wars continue to rage. Fascinating to check in on, Harrogate definitely recommends it [but don't act like you know him, if you run into him running his mouth, there]).
So that was the brilliant ruminations of "miriam." Good God, it was wondrous to see the following vociferous, eloquent refutation of "miriam," appear courtesy of "IndiDemGirl"
The more of this kind of Talk that makes it out there, the better.
Then the "Choice" Issue will have to be fought all over again. But this time all the younger women who have genuflected before Obama can fight the battle. God knows they deserve some consequences for dismissing and dissing Hillary Clinton and the concerns of those of us who fought the last battle.
(But now the Tide is Turning on TalkLeft. Jeralyn has been swinging for the fences against McCain all along, and this has only intensified of late. Awesomely, she has been no less pointed in her attacks on Palin. At one point yesterday she reminded a particularly angry commenter that hers is "not a feminist blog," but a blog concerned primarily with criminal justice issues. This was important for some to remember. The world is not a perpetual graduate theory course where everyone is obsessed with race and gender, however so much some would like it to be.
Meanwhile, comment wars continue to rage. Fascinating to check in on, Harrogate definitely recommends it [but don't act like you know him, if you run into him running his mouth, there]).
So that was the brilliant ruminations of "miriam." Good God, it was wondrous to see the following vociferous, eloquent refutation of "miriam," appear courtesy of "IndiDemGirl"
So women who didn't support your candidate deserve to lose power over their own bodies? What about Gitmo -- do people there deserve to be tortured because your candidate didn't win? Do the soldiers in Iraq deserve to stay there longer because your candidate didn't win? Does the entire world deserve the consequence of a McCain/Palin presidency because Hillary didn't win the nomination?
The more of this kind of Talk that makes it out there, the better.
Quote of the Day
Robert Gibbs, the communications pro for the Obama Campaign:
Palin/ McCain 08
"If executive experience is really important on the Republican side, maybe she should run for president and John McCain should run for vice president.”
Palin/ McCain 08
In Honor of the GOP Convention and the People At the Top of the Ticket, Part Deux
Three Themes that Sum Things Up Pretty Well.
Dollars:
War Dogs:
And, it Being Governor Palin's Historic Night, Fatal Amusement:
Dollars:
War Dogs:
And, it Being Governor Palin's Historic Night, Fatal Amusement:
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
In Honor of the GOP Convention, and the People At the Top of Their Ticket......
Harrogate humbly offers this joke, a popular one of late:
What's the difference between apathy and ignorance? "I don't know and I don't care."
What's the difference between apathy and ignorance? "I don't know and I don't care."
Assy McGee Award®: Many TalkLeft Commenters
In BTD's Open Thread tantrum, mentioned earlier by Solon, and in which BTD scolds Jeralyn and everyone else who has had the temerity to critique Governor Palin. In that thread, a commenter who goes by the moniker "rise hillary rise" offered the following piece of Rhetorical and Philosophical brilliance:
Hmmmmm.
Let this stand in as a representative of what is going on over there, for those not interested in surveying the cartoon rhetoric that has stormed its gates.
my thoughts exactly. what I want to know: "Is there ANY woman good enough for you people?"
Hmmmmm.
Let this stand in as a representative of what is going on over there, for those not interested in surveying the cartoon rhetoric that has stormed its gates.
Another brick falls out...
Will McCain challenge the patriotism of his VP because of the VP's views on Alaskan secession?
I understand that this is not as serious as whether Obama wears a flag-pin, but someone should ask McCain.
I understand that this is not as serious as whether Obama wears a flag-pin, but someone should ask McCain.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Police State 101: Amy Goodman at the RNC
From Talk Left: Police Arrested Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now, at the RNC. She was charged with "conspiracy to riot."
There is video of the footage.
This is what democracy looks like.
There is video of the footage.
This is what democracy looks like.
A few musings on Sarah Palin's baby mama drama...
- The baby mama/grandmama "scandal" rumors are just gross. If someone demanded that I produce evidence that I gave birth to my son, I would certainly tell that someone to go fuck him/herself.
- Bristol Palin's pregnancy does not make Sarah Palin a bad mother (as some comments on the Daily Kos--and probably elsewhere--suggest). Yes, abstinence-only sex education is bullshit, but plenty of women who know all about birth control still experience unplanned pregnancies.
- This revelation, I think, can easily be twisted to further Palin's pro-life agenda: "See--my daughter is keeping her baby and marrying the father. And our family loves and supports them no matter what. This is what everyone should do."
- All of this People.com worthy business is detracting from the real issues at hand (once again).
- The "liberal" blogs that pushed the rumor that Sarah Palin's infant son is actually her grandson have provided Fox News (and their friends) with more "evidence" that feminists are full of shit (we don't actually care about women--only a liberal point of view) and that Democrats are a bunch of hypocrites (how can we complain about the sexist treatment of Hillary Clinton, then attack Sarah Palin's motherhood?). And I have to say that the points made by Laura Ingraham and Bill O'Reilly tonight regarding these rumors were not completely off-base--and it's very painful for me to admit this!
- I can recognize that Palin's role as VP candidate for the Republican party is a noteworthy moment in women's history. However, the circumstances under which she was selected undermine any feminist goals because I fully believe that she is being used as a manipulative tool and that she was selected only because of her gender and social conservatism--not because she is the best person for the job.
- I feel bad for her daughter. I wonder if she even wants to marry that boy--and if she has a choice in the matter?
A Survey Question
Name a song that you
A)Think is a Really Bad Song, but;
B)Love anyway
Harrogate kicks things off with one of his very favorite songs that suck:
Next time you're teaching figurative language in a lit class, why not break out:
A)Think is a Really Bad Song, but;
B)Love anyway
Harrogate kicks things off with one of his very favorite songs that suck:
Next time you're teaching figurative language in a lit class, why not break out:
With you I'm not shy to show the way I feel
With you I might try my secrets to reveal
For you are a magnet and I am steel
There Was Always Plenty to Attack About Her Politics, Without 'Going There'; or, an Open Letter to Andrew Sullivan
Let it go, Andrew Sullivan.
Your outrage at McCain's selection of a hard right, red meat, social conservative is understandable. Many of us share that outrage. But you've got to get control of yourself on this thing before you lose any ability to persuade audiences beyond yourself and that multitude of other Reaganites who support gay rights.
Drop it. Even Kos is dropping it. Demean her politics. Not her motherhood.
Your outrage at McCain's selection of a hard right, red meat, social conservative is understandable. Many of us share that outrage. But you've got to get control of yourself on this thing before you lose any ability to persuade audiences beyond yourself and that multitude of other Reaganites who support gay rights.
Drop it. Even Kos is dropping it. Demean her politics. Not her motherhood.
What Role Will Hill Play From Here on Out?; or, In Politics, Politics is More Important Than the Personal
New York Times, on Hillary Clinton in Light of the Palin selection.A snippet we've been waiting for, though it's too watered-down, and we wish it was coming from the Senator herself:
Mrs. Clinton’s friends said she was galled that Ms. Palin might try to capitalize on a movement that Mrs. Clinton, of New York, built among women in the primaries [. . .] Guy Cecil, the former political director of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, said it was “insulting” for Republicans to compare Ms. Palin to Mrs. Clinton.
Meanwhile, from the "no shit" category, although again, we'd rather here it from Obama himself in front of cameras:
Mr. Obama’s advisers sharply disputed the argument that Clinton supporters might be drawn to Ms. Palin on the basis of sex, given that Ms. Palin opposes abortion rights and other commonly held positions for Democrats.
And then from the "depressing as it gets, if this is true" category:
But Clinton advisers presented a more nuanced view, saying that some of her supporters — they could not specify how many — could be open to the McCain-Palin ticket depending on how Ms. Palin performed and whether she appeared to be a forceful, sincere advocate for the concerns of working women, their families and for policies that would help them.
Here's the Real "Money Line" from the article:
“It is insulting to compare Hillary’s lifetime of service and her commitment to progressive causes with that of a novice, right-wing governor,” Mr. Cecil said.
Perhaps the Palin selection will give some people pause before they assert so assuredly from now on, that "the personal is political." The conviction behind this statement is often attributed to the more theory-leaning academics, but it has arguably infected the popular culture as well.
Certainly, the Republicans are banking on the likelihood that it has.
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