Mom to McCain: If You were Counting on My Baby to Fight Your Wars, "You Can't Have Him"

Great wailing and gnashing of teeth has arisen, in response to the above MoveOn.org Ad, which engages the centerpiece of John McCain's politics.

Papa Bear O'Reilly, for example, had this to say about it.

In his own mind, O'Reilly really nails it here:

My question is this: Who on earth would take that message seriously? What kind of voter is that supposed to reach?

Good point indeed, Papa Bear. Harrogate has stressed his brain to the outermost limits, and he has yet to come up with a relevant or identifiable audience for such an ad. Nothing to see here. Keep 'moving on.'


UPDATE: Just found this little entry on the Ad by Townhall blogger Carol Platt Liebau.

Her condemnation is almost as indisputable as Papa Bear's:

no mother wants to think of her son (or daughter) going off to war. But has it occurred to Alex's mommy that -- if other mothers had adopted her "not my baby" attitude -- little Alex might be in much more jeopardy from terrorist attacks right here in the United States of America? Or for that matter, he might be speaking German . . . or even be an English subject?

Too pathetic for words.

Weeellllll. There's no arguing with that logic. The Ever-Mounting body counts are Noble, Necessary to American Safety.

The Ad is too pathetic for Words.

When the Culture Wars and the Free market Collide

Over at The Washington Post, Rob Stein discusses the development of Pro-Life Pharmacies, i.e. no condoms, birth control pills, or Plan B emergency contraceptives. This type of pharmacy protects the rights of workers, especially their "right of conscience" to refuse to engage in an activity to which they morally oppose.

In defense of these pharmacies, pharmacies may have the right to attempt to protect the rights of their workers, if you agree that this constitutes right, and to tailor their business to a particular audience. Further, this seems seems similar to pharmacies that refuse to sell cigarettes, alcohol, or pornography.

Of course, these locations seems to exceed their authority as pharmacists. It seems that the pharmacists at these locations act as "doctor" and "pharmacist," where they know what is best for their "patient." It would be a problem in other industries if individuals put their beliefs ahead of their profession. Just ask conservatives students about their "liberal" professors. Further, like the insurance industry, there may be another double-standard here whereby these pharmacies allow for Viagra but not for contraceptive for women, regardless as to whether or not it is for reproductive freedom.

Finally, there may be a concern over the way in which the stores treat individuals when they enter the pharmacies seeking specific products. It is probably not best for business to ask for contraceptives and told you are a baby-killer. It could be much worse is the person went in the store for Plan B.

The main concern would be if these pharmacies becomes successful, especially in rural areas where there are fewer or no alternatives. If there are no alternatives to these pharmacies, then these locations infringe on the medical rights of citizens. This is just a slippery slope argument right now though...

A New Special Interest Group

Children Against Universal Health Care. Factually, it may be the most accurate argument I've come across in quite some time.


Study: Most Children Strongly Opposed To Children�s Healthcare

All things Canadian

In about 7 weeks, C, Wild Man, and I will be moving to Canada, as C has accepted a tenure track position at a Canadian University. I know surprisingly little about Canadian politics or government, so I've been taking a few minutes every day to read up on such things. This morning I decided to look at the Prime Minister's web page. I know from a few things I've read and from the members of C's department I've spoken to that Stephen Harper is known in Ontario, the province we're moving to, as "Little Bush"--not exactly a compliment in my book. Imagine my surprise to discover that Mr. Harper looks a bit like G.W. himself! What are we getting ourselves into?

Oh well, at least Harper occasionally apologize for his blunders. . .

Yes We Have No Bananas...or Maybe We Shouldn't

My daughter loves bananas. She eats a lot of bananas: bananas in the morning; bananas in the afternoon; bananas in the evening. Sometimes she eats bananas before dinner to ease the pain while dinner is cooking; and, sometimes, she eats a banana after dinner if she dislikes what she received.

Usually, by 6am, she has already consumed her first banana of the day, even before Morning Joe is on the air. Every morning she walks into the kitchen, mutters an "Ummmmmm" or "Uhhhhhhhhh" or "Ughhhhhhhh" right in front of where the bananas hang. If she does not receive one in the first five seconds that she asks, it becomes a gentle scream... well, no scream is gentle at 5:45am. Even if she cannot see the bananas or if we move them to another location, she finds them and requires one for her dinning pleasure. Needless to say, we must stock bananas in our apartment. Always.

In case your wondering about the purpose of the post, an Op-Ed in The New York Times discusses the price increase we will face for our cheapest fruit, as well as discussing the role of bananas in our markets, in developing the infrastructures of Central American nations, in shaping and overthrowing governments, and in diminishing the rights of workers under those governments. The end of the article suggests that we may not have bananas as a regular fruit for very long....and, if that day comes, I do not know what I will do each morning...

And for your listening pleasure, The Velvet Underground:
"Sunday Morning"
"I'm Waiting for the Man"
"Venus in Furs"
"Run Run Run"
"Sweet Jane (Live)"

Conservative Identity Politics

While we have discussed identity politics in relation to the Democrats, here is another reminder of how Conservatives attempt to engage voters with identity politics and employ the Southern Strategy. (You can read another example from M. a few days back.) According to Politico, Texas Republicans have this on sale for its state convention. This button reflects the Republicans desire to brand Republicans as being white (and Christian).

This is nothing new, especially for Texas. In Lines in the Sand, Steve Bickerstaff argues that when the Texas State Republicans redistricted the state in 2003 - 2004, they attempted to brand the Democrats as being the party that represents minorities,

And for those Clinton supporters who feel that Senator McCain and the Republicans will be a better choice in the fall and this button is still not enough, I suggest you read Senator John McCain's 1998 joke about Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Janet Reno, or the comments by a prominent McCain fundraiser (and Aggie Alum.), Clayton Williams. While I do not think that any readers here are in this category, these comments need exposure.

John McCain and the Conservative Elite

In today's The Washington Post, George Will belittles John McCain's understanding of the US Constitution. In his column today, Will not only attacks McCain for the Senator's support of campaign finance, but for the Senator's stance on the Supreme Court's recent decision on the rights of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay to petition the federal courts for a hearing.

After the Court released its decision, McCain called the decision one of the worst ever. In response, George Will attacked McCain for his lack of foresight and understanding of the Constitution:

"Did McCain's extravagant condemnation of the court's habeas ruling result from his reading the 126 pages of opinions and dissents? More likely, some clever ignoramus convinced him that this decision could make the Supreme Court -- meaning, which candidate would select the best judicial nominees -- a campaign issue."

Will's larger purpose is to defend the writ of habeas corpus and, in doing so, defends the ability of the people, and the judiciary, to constrain the power of government. Also, Will provides a conservative position to reject Senator McCain for president. This significance is that if the conservative elite divides itself over the election of John McCain then the conservative electorate may also divide itself.

Protesting Same-Sex Marriage in California

From CNN: a group of protesters crash a same-sex marriage and reception in California. This speaks tells a lot of the protesters as it reveals how they desire to combine church and state in an illiberal way.

Update: According to an ABC affiliate in San Francisco, there seems to be another form of protest in California as three counties in California stopped performing weddings because of the California Supreme Court's decision to allow for same-sex marriages. I am not sure for long this will occur but "family values" groups are doing what they can to protect the family.

How cool is this?

Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84, both of whom are long time Lesbian activists, were married today by the mayor of San Francisco. Several other couples, including a couple who has been together for 26 years, were also married today.

Herethetics in the Campaign: Arranging the Vice-Presidency

Senator Obama announced that Patti Solis Doyle, the former Clinton campaign manager, will play a role in the Obama campaign, serving as the chief of staff to the vice presidential candidate. Senator Clinton fired Doyle from her campaign on February 10th after Super Tuesday (the February 5th Super Tuesday and not every Tuesday according to MSNBC).

This is not necessarily a new development as Ben Smith of Politico reported back in May that Patti Smith Doyle was mulling an offer, especially since she has known David Axlerod for over twenty years and is a native to Chicago.

However, it is very suggestive of how Senator Obama is trying to arrange the situation around the Vice Presidential pick. Knowing that there is tension between Patti Smith Doyle and Hillary Clinton, as they have not talked since Clinton fired her, this creates tension between Clinton and Doyle, reducing Clinton's ability to accept the position if offered. Even if Obama were to offer the position to Clinton, Doyle will stand above Clinton and will serve as an awkward liaison between the two Senators. Hence, heresthetics-- altering situational factors to achieve a desired result.

The Clinton campaign is not happy with this move and have called it a "slap in the face." (For a history of Senator Clinton and being "Slapped in the Face" read an article from The New Republic.) Yet, publicly, they approve of the move. This is a very interesting move to attempt to recapture ground to obtain the Vice Presidency. According to Politico, here is the response by the Clinton campaign:

“Patti will be an asset and good addition to the Obama campaign. After nearly two decades in political life, she brings with her the ability to tap an extensive network that will be a huge asset to Senator Obama. As Senator Clinton has said, we’re all going to do our part to help elect Senator Obama as the next President of the United States," said spokesman Mo Elleithee.

If nothing else, the Clinton campaign is playing the game here. it is a fun guve and take going on within the Democratic Party.

John McCain, Mr. Economy

To his credit, John McCain did admit that he was "not well versed" on economic issues. However, this seems to be a real bad, and I mean real bad, sign: According to The Hill, the potential first family of John and Cindy McCain reported over $100,000 in credit card debt.

The presidential candidate and his wife Cindy reported piling up debt on a charge card between $10,000 and $15,000. His wife’s solo charge card has between $100,000 and $250,000 in debt to American Express.

McCain's wife also has a second American Express charge card listed on the senator's financial disclosure that was carrying $100,000 to $250,000 in debt.

Another charge card with American Express, this one for a “dependent child,” is carrying debt in the range of $15,000 and $50,000.

Aristotle argued that managing a personal household is one of the most important tasks for a person. If you can't manage a household, then...

Of course, this just reflects the ability of current Republicans to manage the economy.

Rest in Peace Mr Russert

Tim Russert, moderator of Meet the Press, passed away this afternoon. He was 58.

This is a sad day for the Russert family, people in Buffalo, and for lovers of politics.

File this under: Who is in charge over there?

I logged on-line this morning to check out the weather in Boston, and I was greeted by this headline: "Fox refers to Michelle Obama as 'baby mama.'" The article questions whether this is just clueless on the part of Fox News, as it is an inaccurate use of the term, or racist (it doesn't question whether or not it is sexist, which I find a bit odd, as I would argue the term is both sexist and racist). I don't think stupidity can be an excuse for a major new network, but I'm sure that is what Fox News will plead.

Kiki is His Homegirl

This is for solon, who we've lost recently to the Liberty City crime brigade.

Cuddly Critters are Victims of Racism too?

I ran across this story on MSNBC.com and found it both humorous and disturbing. First of all, the campaign seems obviously tongue-in-cheek to me--perhaps I am insensitive. Second, I didn't realize that people were less likely to adopt black-coated animals. As the puppy parent to "Chocolate Thunder," who, while technically dark brown, looks black, I am particularly surprised. When we adopted Miss Chocolate, we were told that she hadn't been in any one foster home for longer than 8 weeks. I now know that this is because she is a high-maintenance little bitch (and I don't mean that in the "female dog" sense). As for her face: it's gorgeous. Her fur is always shiny, and she has giant dark brown eyes that make you forget (for a moment) that she just peed on your pillow.

Maybe racism has made her bitter. Maybe she was extra sweet and obliging young pup until she encountered the predjudices against dark-furred dogs. Maybe this is why she gets so mad when our lovely blonde lab mix and our light brown doxie are having fun tussling with each other. Maybe she barks to tell them that not all dogs have such cozy little lives. Maybe Miss Chocolate is an activist. Fight the power, girl!

Thank Goodness for J.Lo!

Jennifer Lopez met with Obama staffers recently "to discuss issues she is interested in, such as health care and education." Does anyone else find this story annoying?

A Tricky Situation

I was just heading to The Situation, and I accidentally forgot the "the" in the URL--and I stumbled upon a blog called "Rhetorical Situation." They do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...;)

The meaning of the end or the end of meaning...

Every Monday morning during the last season of The Sopranos, I remember frequently, and quite compulsively, clicking every five (read 2, maybe 1.5) minutes at The House Next Door just to see if the writer would post the recap from the previous night's episode. Since the end of one of the best shows on television, I have not read the blog at all though the writing and criticism was very good. I suppose you can find recaps for all of the episodes in the blog's archives. But, I digress...

After a year of debate, another Sopranos' blog attempts to provide the definitive-- and I mean definitive-- coherence to our final moments with the Sopranos family. Here is the overview of the piece:

Part I will also discuss (and debunk) the other theories about the end including the “Tony always looking over his shoulder” interpretation. Part II, will concentrate on what Tony’s death means and how his death was thematically constructed throughout the final season. Part III will focus on the use of symbolism in Holsten’s. Part IV will focus on “The Godfather” influence on the final season and Tony’s death. Part V will focus on how the final episode and final scene are linked to America’s war on terrorism. Part VI will concentrate on the “fun stuff” created by Chase and his creative team to foreshadow Tony’s death. Finally Part VII will discuss the possible inspiration of two films on the ending of “The Sopranos”.

You can read the essay in full here. Enjoy as it helps ease the pain in our post-Sopranos world.

The McCain watch: Vetoing Beer?

Senator McCain will not be winning the working class white vote with comments like these:



Rumor has it that Chicken Wings, Pizza, and Bowling are also on his list. If you listen closely, the people in Buffalo are arming for a revolution.... what else will people do on Friday (and Saturday and Sunday and Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday) nights in the Nickel City.

Sunday Song of the Day: "Missing the War"

A favorite song and a favorite performance of mine from Ben Folds Five. The clip is from Sessions at West 54th, which is available on DVD. I highly recommend it, especially if you like, as Ben Folds would say, "Punk Rock for Sissies."