Sorry I've been away! Read this by The New York Times > Arts > Frank Rich
I don't always agree with FR, but this has some good insights.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Fresh (Mad) Cow!
Get your prions here! America has just found its second case of Mad Cow Disease. But, Dear Consumer, do not be alarmed. Your government is taking care of you!
That's right, thanks to Republicans, we have:
-Less testing of meat for BSE (Mad Cow)
-Less testing for E. Coli
-Little or no label of meat origins
-Legislation in favor of giant meat processors that slaughter 400 000 lbs of semi-fresh cow per day
-Legislation to keep those slaughterhouses moving fast so that more and more workers can be maimed
-Legislation favor union-busting activities
That's right, even though farmers and ranchers are overwhelmingly in favor of telling you the origins of their fine products, ConAgra, IBP, etc., are getting their way. But, Dear Consumer, you voted for Bush! What he knows so well is that even people whose brain begins to turn into a sponge, who lose coordination and cannot walk, who go into convulsions and turn catatonic in the months preceeding their inevitable death, well, these people will vote Republican because, perhaps, having a spongy brain makes that more, not less, likely.
You think that last statement is underhanded, don't you? You are right. My apologies to anyone with Mad Cow Disease who voted Democrat. Please contact me, if you are still alive.
That's right, thanks to Republicans, we have:
-Less testing of meat for BSE (Mad Cow)
-Less testing for E. Coli
-Little or no label of meat origins
-Legislation in favor of giant meat processors that slaughter 400 000 lbs of semi-fresh cow per day
-Legislation to keep those slaughterhouses moving fast so that more and more workers can be maimed
-Legislation favor union-busting activities
That's right, even though farmers and ranchers are overwhelmingly in favor of telling you the origins of their fine products, ConAgra, IBP, etc., are getting their way. But, Dear Consumer, you voted for Bush! What he knows so well is that even people whose brain begins to turn into a sponge, who lose coordination and cannot walk, who go into convulsions and turn catatonic in the months preceeding their inevitable death, well, these people will vote Republican because, perhaps, having a spongy brain makes that more, not less, likely.
You think that last statement is underhanded, don't you? You are right. My apologies to anyone with Mad Cow Disease who voted Democrat. Please contact me, if you are still alive.
Moral Values
Working at an institution that has a strong religious tradition, even if it is no longer affiliated to any religious entity, has become important to me, especially since we are formerly Quaker. Say what you will about it, the Society of Friends is commited to a global view of moral values. Got an email from a former student today for this meeting in Pasadena. GO!
Go, even if you are not a member of Quaker church, or any church for that matter.
Here's the email I got:
American Friends Service Committee
980 N. Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena 91103
Map
In this past election, we saw "morality" redefined to be little more than opposition to abortion and gay marriage.
But, what about war's cost to civilians and society? What about taxes being cut for the wealthy while poor and working poor people were forced out of social programs that support basic needs? What about the pollution of our environment? What about spreading fear against GLBT and immigrants? What about the death penalty?These are moral values and we cannot allow morality to be defined to not include them.
Please join faith-based and other activists for a meeting to design a strategy for speaking the truth about our broader agenda and definition of morality through the media, our places of worship and other organizing.Sign up online to attend, or to receive information on future events.
AFSC office is wheelchair accessible.
For more information contact Steven Gibson at (626) 791-1978 ext. 130, sgibson@afsc.org, or Jochen Strack (626) 791-1978 ext. 138, jstrack@afsc.org.
Sponsors:
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
American Friends Service Committee
Go, even if you are not a member of Quaker church, or any church for that matter.
Here's the email I got:
American Friends Service Committee
980 N. Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena 91103
Map
In this past election, we saw "morality" redefined to be little more than opposition to abortion and gay marriage.
But, what about war's cost to civilians and society? What about taxes being cut for the wealthy while poor and working poor people were forced out of social programs that support basic needs? What about the pollution of our environment? What about spreading fear against GLBT and immigrants? What about the death penalty?These are moral values and we cannot allow morality to be defined to not include them.
Please join faith-based and other activists for a meeting to design a strategy for speaking the truth about our broader agenda and definition of morality through the media, our places of worship and other organizing.Sign up online to attend, or to receive information on future events.
AFSC office is wheelchair accessible.
For more information contact Steven Gibson at (626) 791-1978 ext. 130, sgibson@afsc.org, or Jochen Strack (626) 791-1978 ext. 138, jstrack@afsc.org.
Sponsors:
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
American Friends Service Committee
Today: Cyclopsis...
I only heard a story about the ravages of depleted uranium (DU) today. It noted the increase of children in Baghdad born with no ears, without eyes, and, yes, some are born with one eye in the middle of their forehead. Of course, government lawyers, like Gonzales, are poised to fight establishing any link between DU and the increased rates of deformities or leukemia at birth. This is exactly what they have done with Gulf War Syndrome, also thought to be related to DU. While the ultra hard DU warhead penetrates enemy tanks with ease and immediately kills those near the explosion, the particles released by the impact kill indescriminately.
Half life: 4.5 Billion years.
So, of course, the Sun will swell and die, and so will the human race before any of these particles loose their radioactive properties. I am assuming that will be the moment people in this administration will look up from Hell and admit they were wrong for the first time.
Here is a link These images are horrendous.
Of course, I could put images like these on street signs and I would be called an unpatriotic SOB by the very pro-lifers that supported Bush.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, W is clearing brush....clearing brush...clearing brush. It is beautiful to see the hypocrisy, the lies, the smirk, the demeanor. Save these babies, George.
Half life: 4.5 Billion years.
So, of course, the Sun will swell and die, and so will the human race before any of these particles loose their radioactive properties. I am assuming that will be the moment people in this administration will look up from Hell and admit they were wrong for the first time.
Here is a link These images are horrendous.
Of course, I could put images like these on street signs and I would be called an unpatriotic SOB by the very pro-lifers that supported Bush.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, W is clearing brush....clearing brush...clearing brush. It is beautiful to see the hypocrisy, the lies, the smirk, the demeanor. Save these babies, George.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Jacques Chirac
Those savvy French......Je ne suis pas sûr que ce soit dans la nature de nos amis américains, en ce moment, de rendre systématiquement des faveurs." C'est aussi ce que pensent aujourd'hui la majorité des Britanniques.
Translation: I am not sure that, presently, it is in the nature of our American friends to systematically return favors.
Translation of the translation: Cher Tony [Blair], I think you have been royally screwed and will get nothing for it. Of course, I could have told you that. In fact, I did. Not that I am rubbing it in, I have my own problems. Colin was a good chap, wasn't he. We'll miss him...
etc., etc.
Translation: I am not sure that, presently, it is in the nature of our American friends to systematically return favors.
Translation of the translation: Cher Tony [Blair], I think you have been royally screwed and will get nothing for it. Of course, I could have told you that. In fact, I did. Not that I am rubbing it in, I have my own problems. Colin was a good chap, wasn't he. We'll miss him...
etc., etc.
Why Dems are running scared
There is something too cerebral to all this talk about Dems "standing" their ground. Though I have to say that I strongly believe Dems should be more fervent in their critiques of the Right and more deeply rooted in their own political philosophy, I have to remind myself everyday that there are serious financial circumstances involved in political life.
This article in The Hill says it all, though it doesn't speak broadly to the issue, only hints at it in its title "Dems fear lobbying blacklist"
...Several Democratic aides said that a midsize Washington lobbying firm, the Alpine Group, declined last week to hire a Daschle staffer with whom the group had been in long-standing discussions about a possible job. They said the Daschle aide, who The Hill agreed not to name, believed he would get the job based on conversations with the firm about three months before the election.
According to one Senate aide familiar with the situation, the firm told the Daschle aide, “This is a cold town for Democrats. It’s especially cold for Daschle’s staff.” Asked whether DeLay or any of his associates had specifically conveyed a message to the firm, the Senate aide said, “The implication was that DeLay had put the word out that Daschle staff should not be hired.”
Now, I think Washington had a LOT of problems when a certain bonhomie reigned, when Senate rules of engagement actually reflected certain polite beliefs. But in some ways, those days also meant survival of those who disagreed with you and survival of their ideas. Those days are gone, and they are gone for the political underclass as well.
The Repubs are remaking the town in their own image. It is scary.
No wonder Democrats seem so timid. They are afraid for their livelihood.
This article in The Hill says it all, though it doesn't speak broadly to the issue, only hints at it in its title "Dems fear lobbying blacklist"
...Several Democratic aides said that a midsize Washington lobbying firm, the Alpine Group, declined last week to hire a Daschle staffer with whom the group had been in long-standing discussions about a possible job. They said the Daschle aide, who The Hill agreed not to name, believed he would get the job based on conversations with the firm about three months before the election.
According to one Senate aide familiar with the situation, the firm told the Daschle aide, “This is a cold town for Democrats. It’s especially cold for Daschle’s staff.” Asked whether DeLay or any of his associates had specifically conveyed a message to the firm, the Senate aide said, “The implication was that DeLay had put the word out that Daschle staff should not be hired.”
Now, I think Washington had a LOT of problems when a certain bonhomie reigned, when Senate rules of engagement actually reflected certain polite beliefs. But in some ways, those days also meant survival of those who disagreed with you and survival of their ideas. Those days are gone, and they are gone for the political underclass as well.
The Repubs are remaking the town in their own image. It is scary.
No wonder Democrats seem so timid. They are afraid for their livelihood.
How to Be an Opposition Party
Great comments by Matt Stoller in How to Be an Opposition Party.
Quote:
Currently, the pitiful candidate Kerry is busy setting himself up for 2008 by shitting on the base operatives striving to have every vote count. This is a mistake. When you are in opposition, every ally is important, and you do not sacrifice allies to stay in game, because you are not in the game. Kerry and many Senate Democrats do not understand this. They are not players anymore.
Kevin Brennan and Ian Welsh, two brilliant Canadians who have a deep interest in American politics, lay this out. In Learn How to Lose, Kevin shows that there is a right way to lose that scores you points in later elections, and a wrong way to lose that just fosters the perception of ineffectiveness. In The Bright Red Line, Ian talks about the battles that need to be fought and filibustered, the things upon which we cannot compromise or we lose the American polity for a generation.
In other words, being an effective opposition is about resisting structural changes that tilt the playing field away from you while allowing the governing party to enact policies you do not agree with, all the while proposing clear alternatives and publicizing them. Meanwhile, at the state and local level, governing well is essential to showcase how effective the Democratic alternative really is. At the federal level, though, we have no power, so we can be honest, like Al Sharpton in the primaries. Imagine that, a party of Sharptonian rhetoric.
Quote:
Currently, the pitiful candidate Kerry is busy setting himself up for 2008 by shitting on the base operatives striving to have every vote count. This is a mistake. When you are in opposition, every ally is important, and you do not sacrifice allies to stay in game, because you are not in the game. Kerry and many Senate Democrats do not understand this. They are not players anymore.
Kevin Brennan and Ian Welsh, two brilliant Canadians who have a deep interest in American politics, lay this out. In Learn How to Lose, Kevin shows that there is a right way to lose that scores you points in later elections, and a wrong way to lose that just fosters the perception of ineffectiveness. In The Bright Red Line, Ian talks about the battles that need to be fought and filibustered, the things upon which we cannot compromise or we lose the American polity for a generation.
In other words, being an effective opposition is about resisting structural changes that tilt the playing field away from you while allowing the governing party to enact policies you do not agree with, all the while proposing clear alternatives and publicizing them. Meanwhile, at the state and local level, governing well is essential to showcase how effective the Democratic alternative really is. At the federal level, though, we have no power, so we can be honest, like Al Sharpton in the primaries. Imagine that, a party of Sharptonian rhetoric.
Messaging The Mossad, clearing brush...
As America begins to straddle one-party rule and one-party ruled government institutions , Steve Clemons gives us a glimpse of the model: Isreal's Mossad. Sharon executed his purge. Now Bush is doing his.
As I said yesterday, the world is becoming our West Bank. Now we are becoming Israel, and more than just metaphorically. I am pro-Israel, but I am 100 percent anti-Sharon and anti- theocracy.
Clearing brush, clearing brush, clearing brush...
As I said yesterday, the world is becoming our West Bank. Now we are becoming Israel, and more than just metaphorically. I am pro-Israel, but I am 100 percent anti-Sharon and anti- theocracy.
Clearing brush, clearing brush, clearing brush...
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Fallujah in Pictures, Clearing Brush, Pharma-gov
As I'm going through the day's news, trying to forget them long enough to plan class, to grade some papers, to find some distance from everything that is going on, I inevitably fall on something like this: Fallujah in Pictures
Look at it. Think about it.
I don't know what's going to happen. I can't pretend to. But we are making enemies faster than we are making friends and, unless the Bushites get lucky and the Iraq election leads to a request for America to leave, we're in Iraq for a long time to come. Regardless, we have given the Muslim world ammunition for decades. Welcome to America's West Bank. I guess everybody knows that.
Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Holy George, is purging the ranks of the CIA. Like Homeland Security, he's setting it up to be a publicity apparatus, a research institution whose findings are guaranteed to be 100% in line with administration doctrine, or should I say dogma. This is ritual. This is like clearing brush. What are these darn weeds doing here? That's not the landscape I'm after. By golly, this here needs to be a golf course where I can drive the ball 250 yards without any water obstacles. That is my right. That is my priviledge. Serve me. Watch this drive.
Yes, clearing weeds.
It dawns on me that the administration is actually modeling itself not on the energy companies (though that is true to a certain extent as well), but on the drug companies. They do their own self-serving research, they spend luxuriously on advertisement and sell a lifestyle that finds its potency in a balance of fear (of death, of illness, of impotence) and often ambiguous results riddled with side-effects. Think Vioxx.
But hey, these manly men are tough right? They've got hard-ons that would make a mule blush. WEll, that's what they would like you to think. I think they are first-class sissies, policy hacks, and, unfortunately, politicians.
I'm depressed today.
Howard Dean for Chair.
Signing off.
Look at it. Think about it.
I don't know what's going to happen. I can't pretend to. But we are making enemies faster than we are making friends and, unless the Bushites get lucky and the Iraq election leads to a request for America to leave, we're in Iraq for a long time to come. Regardless, we have given the Muslim world ammunition for decades. Welcome to America's West Bank. I guess everybody knows that.
Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Holy George, is purging the ranks of the CIA. Like Homeland Security, he's setting it up to be a publicity apparatus, a research institution whose findings are guaranteed to be 100% in line with administration doctrine, or should I say dogma. This is ritual. This is like clearing brush. What are these darn weeds doing here? That's not the landscape I'm after. By golly, this here needs to be a golf course where I can drive the ball 250 yards without any water obstacles. That is my right. That is my priviledge. Serve me. Watch this drive.
Yes, clearing weeds.
It dawns on me that the administration is actually modeling itself not on the energy companies (though that is true to a certain extent as well), but on the drug companies. They do their own self-serving research, they spend luxuriously on advertisement and sell a lifestyle that finds its potency in a balance of fear (of death, of illness, of impotence) and often ambiguous results riddled with side-effects. Think Vioxx.
But hey, these manly men are tough right? They've got hard-ons that would make a mule blush. WEll, that's what they would like you to think. I think they are first-class sissies, policy hacks, and, unfortunately, politicians.
I'm depressed today.
Howard Dean for Chair.
Signing off.
Friday, November 12, 2004
King James Speak
I've been keeping up with Bob Jones's letter to the president, the one the Josh Marshall keeps coming back to.
My own take on this, besides the scary thought that Bush might actually think like this rather than just be playing the role of someone who thinks like this, is that the whole Red-Blue divide is increasingly an aesthetic and linguistic choice.
As I read Bob Jones's [Jones', if you prefer] letter, I can help but to keep coming back to the language:
Dear Prez:
The media tells us that you have received the largest number of popular votes of any president in America's history. Congratulations!
In your re-election, God has graciously granted America—though she doesn't deserve it—a reprieve from the agenda of paganism. You have been given a mandate. We the people expect your voice to be like the clear and certain sound of a trumpet. Because you seek the Lord daily, we who know the Lord will follow that kind of voice eagerly.
Don't equivocate. Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ. Honor the Lord, and He will honor you.
Had your opponent won, I would have still given thanks, because the Bible says I must (I Thessalonians 5:18). It would have been hard, but because the Lord lifts up whom He will and pulls down whom He will, I would have done it. It is easy to rejoice today, because Christ has allowed you to be His servant in this nation for another presidential term. Undoubtedly, you will have opportunity to appoint many conservative judges and exercise forceful leadership with the Congress in passing legislation that is defined by biblical norm regarding the family, sexuality, sanctity of life, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and limited government. You have four years—a brief time only—to leave an imprint for righteousness upon this nation that brings with it the blessings of Almighty God.
Christ said, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my father honour” (John 12:26).
The student body, faculty, and staff at Bob Jones University commit ourselves to pray for you—that you would do right and honor the Savior. Pull out all the stops and make a difference. If you have weaklings around you who do not share your biblical values, shed yourself of them. Conservative Americans would love to see one president who doesn't care whether he is liked, but cares infinitely that he does right.
Best wishes. Sincerely your friend,
Bob Jones III
President
This whole "king-james" speak reeks of the Old Testament to me.
What's funny, is that the evangelicals that I know, use this phraseology all the time in their normal speaking. Last year we had a family of missionaries staying in our house. I spare you the whole story: very nice people, 26 years old, 4 young boys, living in beat-up RV until they moved to Madgascar to setup a charity school to teach english AS IT IS SPOKEN IN THE KING JAMES VERSION of the bible. Yes, they actually consciously or unconsciously adopted the same rhetorical figures. On some level, it sounded absurd. It was absurd. On the other, it was chilling.
The problem is not that we're going back linguistically to the late Middle Ages/Early-Modern period--I don't beleive in linguistic progress, only linguistic change. The problem is that we're going back to the the same friggin' mentalities of that enlightened time. The linguistic codes mirror this and seem to be a trait of recognition among the "beleivers."
The world is getting stranger. Teaching King James's English is both a symptom of these groups' subjugation (mental, linguistic...) to thier cause and a trope for recognizing the knowing.
Amen.
Andy
My own take on this, besides the scary thought that Bush might actually think like this rather than just be playing the role of someone who thinks like this, is that the whole Red-Blue divide is increasingly an aesthetic and linguistic choice.
As I read Bob Jones's [Jones', if you prefer] letter, I can help but to keep coming back to the language:
Dear Prez:
The media tells us that you have received the largest number of popular votes of any president in America's history. Congratulations!
In your re-election, God has graciously granted America—though she doesn't deserve it—a reprieve from the agenda of paganism. You have been given a mandate. We the people expect your voice to be like the clear and certain sound of a trumpet. Because you seek the Lord daily, we who know the Lord will follow that kind of voice eagerly.
Don't equivocate. Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ. Honor the Lord, and He will honor you.
Had your opponent won, I would have still given thanks, because the Bible says I must (I Thessalonians 5:18). It would have been hard, but because the Lord lifts up whom He will and pulls down whom He will, I would have done it. It is easy to rejoice today, because Christ has allowed you to be His servant in this nation for another presidential term. Undoubtedly, you will have opportunity to appoint many conservative judges and exercise forceful leadership with the Congress in passing legislation that is defined by biblical norm regarding the family, sexuality, sanctity of life, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and limited government. You have four years—a brief time only—to leave an imprint for righteousness upon this nation that brings with it the blessings of Almighty God.
Christ said, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my father honour” (John 12:26).
The student body, faculty, and staff at Bob Jones University commit ourselves to pray for you—that you would do right and honor the Savior. Pull out all the stops and make a difference. If you have weaklings around you who do not share your biblical values, shed yourself of them. Conservative Americans would love to see one president who doesn't care whether he is liked, but cares infinitely that he does right.
Best wishes. Sincerely your friend,
Bob Jones III
President
This whole "king-james" speak reeks of the Old Testament to me.
What's funny, is that the evangelicals that I know, use this phraseology all the time in their normal speaking. Last year we had a family of missionaries staying in our house. I spare you the whole story: very nice people, 26 years old, 4 young boys, living in beat-up RV until they moved to Madgascar to setup a charity school to teach english AS IT IS SPOKEN IN THE KING JAMES VERSION of the bible. Yes, they actually consciously or unconsciously adopted the same rhetorical figures. On some level, it sounded absurd. It was absurd. On the other, it was chilling.
The problem is not that we're going back linguistically to the late Middle Ages/Early-Modern period--I don't beleive in linguistic progress, only linguistic change. The problem is that we're going back to the the same friggin' mentalities of that enlightened time. The linguistic codes mirror this and seem to be a trait of recognition among the "beleivers."
The world is getting stranger. Teaching King James's English is both a symptom of these groups' subjugation (mental, linguistic...) to thier cause and a trope for recognizing the knowing.
Amen.
Andy
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Ivory Coast...
La Côte d'Ivoire is going to hell in a handbasket. Not many resources, but a vital rail line into Burkina Faso's gold and magnesium. I don't think this will make the administration's radar, so the French will maintain a foothold.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Oh, Thank you, mighty Howler
The Daily Howler
It is time for some class "warfare" of the reality-based type.... From The Daily Howler.
CONTEMPTUOUS VALUES: Many readers—many readers—sent us the Tax Foundation tables which show which states are federal free-loaders. And yes, the “red states”—the states whose denizens love to preach that bracing self-reliance—routinely take in more federal money than they submit in taxes. Meanwhile, who subsidizes these free-loading states? Who else? “Contemptuous” “elitists” from northeastern blue states, whose troubling values red-staters love to ponder! In 2003, for example, blue-state New Jersey received only 57 cents in federal spending for every dollar submitted in taxes. But then, the top ten states whose pockets are picked include eight which are nominally blue:
1) New Jersey: 57 cents
2) New Hampshire: 64 cents
3) Connecticut: 65 cents
4) Minnesota: 70 cents
5) Nevada: 70 cents
6) Illinois: 73 cents
7) California: 78 cents
8) Massachusetts: 78 cents
9) New York: 80 cents
10) Colorado: 80 cents
Eight of the ten donor states are “blue,” including Massachusetts, New York, California and Illinois—home base to the contemptuous elitists whom red-states denizens love to scold. Throughout the campaign, George Bush mocked the troubling values of liberal Massachusetts voters—people who send big bags of money to support Bush’s red-state supporters.
Is this a silly, pointless critique? In some ways, yes, as one e-mailer claimed in a semi-spot-on analysis:
E-MAIL: Here is the source of those tax numbers. I have to say that, while I generally agree with you and am also a bit tired of the whining, your prejudices are showing here. Most of the "red states" (other than those in the Midwest) have extractive economies and many are in effect internal colonies. Their current poverty is historically constructed by these facts and the relative prosperity of the “blue states” has created and
is dependent on their continued poverty (the existing economic development of the blue states in effect inhibits the red states from developing). The relationship here is essentially the same as the relations between the first world and the third world. There is a general correlation here between relative prosperity (even within red and blue states) and voting patterns. I think what the red states have in common is economic deprivation and a sense (justified) of a lack of control over their future. Unfortunately, they have wrongly identified "liberals" as the cause of their problems—in part because, as Thomas Franks points out, we have stopped talking about economic and class issues while still pushing for minority and gender enfranchisement.
Keep up the good work, but try to have a little sympathy for the unlovely lot of those red staters (if not for their infernal and unseemly whining).
But the mailer misconstrues our incomparable fairness. It’s that infernal whining we have specifically criticized—and the bogus attempt to blame “elitist liberals” as the source of red-staters’ problems. We’re not economists, and the e-mailer surely knows more than we do about red-state status as internal colonies. But, as Michael Lind discusses in Made In Texas, Southern red states became “internal colonies” with “extractive economies” because of the choices and values of Southern elites—the same Southern elites who feed their boo-hooing red-state voters their phony grievances against “contemptuous eastern liberals.” Historically, Texas elites helped make Texas an “extractive economy,” and blubbering Texans need to be told that, even as they stick their hands deep into northeastern pockets.
It is time for some class "warfare" of the reality-based type.... From The Daily Howler.
CONTEMPTUOUS VALUES: Many readers—many readers—sent us the Tax Foundation tables which show which states are federal free-loaders. And yes, the “red states”—the states whose denizens love to preach that bracing self-reliance—routinely take in more federal money than they submit in taxes. Meanwhile, who subsidizes these free-loading states? Who else? “Contemptuous” “elitists” from northeastern blue states, whose troubling values red-staters love to ponder! In 2003, for example, blue-state New Jersey received only 57 cents in federal spending for every dollar submitted in taxes. But then, the top ten states whose pockets are picked include eight which are nominally blue:
1) New Jersey: 57 cents
2) New Hampshire: 64 cents
3) Connecticut: 65 cents
4) Minnesota: 70 cents
5) Nevada: 70 cents
6) Illinois: 73 cents
7) California: 78 cents
8) Massachusetts: 78 cents
9) New York: 80 cents
10) Colorado: 80 cents
Eight of the ten donor states are “blue,” including Massachusetts, New York, California and Illinois—home base to the contemptuous elitists whom red-states denizens love to scold. Throughout the campaign, George Bush mocked the troubling values of liberal Massachusetts voters—people who send big bags of money to support Bush’s red-state supporters.
Is this a silly, pointless critique? In some ways, yes, as one e-mailer claimed in a semi-spot-on analysis:
E-MAIL: Here is the source of those tax numbers. I have to say that, while I generally agree with you and am also a bit tired of the whining, your prejudices are showing here. Most of the "red states" (other than those in the Midwest) have extractive economies and many are in effect internal colonies. Their current poverty is historically constructed by these facts and the relative prosperity of the “blue states” has created and
is dependent on their continued poverty (the existing economic development of the blue states in effect inhibits the red states from developing). The relationship here is essentially the same as the relations between the first world and the third world. There is a general correlation here between relative prosperity (even within red and blue states) and voting patterns. I think what the red states have in common is economic deprivation and a sense (justified) of a lack of control over their future. Unfortunately, they have wrongly identified "liberals" as the cause of their problems—in part because, as Thomas Franks points out, we have stopped talking about economic and class issues while still pushing for minority and gender enfranchisement.
Keep up the good work, but try to have a little sympathy for the unlovely lot of those red staters (if not for their infernal and unseemly whining).
But the mailer misconstrues our incomparable fairness. It’s that infernal whining we have specifically criticized—and the bogus attempt to blame “elitist liberals” as the source of red-staters’ problems. We’re not economists, and the e-mailer surely knows more than we do about red-state status as internal colonies. But, as Michael Lind discusses in Made In Texas, Southern red states became “internal colonies” with “extractive economies” because of the choices and values of Southern elites—the same Southern elites who feed their boo-hooing red-state voters their phony grievances against “contemptuous eastern liberals.” Historically, Texas elites helped make Texas an “extractive economy,” and blubbering Texans need to be told that, even as they stick their hands deep into northeastern pockets.
Eschaton
Atrios puts up some interesting Ohio numbers....
Highland Heights: 1385
Mayfield Village: 1385
Seven Hills: 2147
Broadview Height: 2540
Berea: 3146
Olmstead Falls: 3146
North Royalton: 4009
Maple Heights: 4744
Brook Park: 5295
Oakwood Village: 5460
Euclid: 5724
South Euclid: 5724
Cleveland Heights: 6007
East Cleveland: 6007
Garfield Heights: 6170
Lakewood: 6226
Middlebury Heights:
Parma: 7284
Bedford: 8553
Bedford Heights: 8553
Warrensville Heights: 8553
Bay Village: 9948
Fairview Park: 9948
North Olmstead: 9948
Rocky River: 9948
Westlake: 9948
Cleveland: 49324
http://haloscan.com/tb/atrios/110003866197985353
Highland Heights: 1385
Mayfield Village: 1385
Seven Hills: 2147
Broadview Height: 2540
Berea: 3146
Olmstead Falls: 3146
North Royalton: 4009
Maple Heights: 4744
Brook Park: 5295
Oakwood Village: 5460
Euclid: 5724
South Euclid: 5724
Cleveland Heights: 6007
East Cleveland: 6007
Garfield Heights: 6170
Lakewood: 6226
Middlebury Heights:
Parma: 7284
Bedford: 8553
Bedford Heights: 8553
Warrensville Heights: 8553
Bay Village: 9948
Fairview Park: 9948
North Olmstead: 9948
Rocky River: 9948
Westlake: 9948
Cleveland: 49324
http://haloscan.com/tb/atrios/110003866197985353
Jeffersonians unite
If--and it's a big 'if'--we are going to really talk about injection religion even deeper into our PUBLIC lives, well, listen to
Gary Hart
"If we are to insert 'faith' into the public dialogue more directly and assertively, let's not be selective. Let's go all the way. Let's not just define 'faith' in terms of the law and judgment; let's define it also in terms of love, caring, forgiveness. Compassionate conservatives can believe social ills should be addressed by charity and the private sector; liberals can believe that the government has a role to play in correcting social injustice. But both can agree that human need, poverty, homelessness, illiteracy and sickness must be addressed. Liberals are not against religion. They are against hypocrisy, exclusion and judgmentalism. They resist the notion that one side or the other possesses 'the truth' to the exclusion of others. There is a great difference between Cotton Mather and John Wesley.
There is also the disturbing tendency to insert theocratic principles into the vision of America's role in the world. There is evil in the world. Nowhere in our Constitution or founding documents is there support for the proposition that the United States was given a special dispensation to eliminate it. Surely Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator. But there are quite a few of those still around and no one is advocating eliminating them. Neither Washington, Adams, Madison nor Jefferson saw America as the world's avenging angel. Any notion of going abroad seeking demons to destroy concerned them above all else. Mr. Bush's venture into crusaderism frightened not only Muslims, it also frightened a very large number of Americans with a sense of their own history."
Gary Hart
"If we are to insert 'faith' into the public dialogue more directly and assertively, let's not be selective. Let's go all the way. Let's not just define 'faith' in terms of the law and judgment; let's define it also in terms of love, caring, forgiveness. Compassionate conservatives can believe social ills should be addressed by charity and the private sector; liberals can believe that the government has a role to play in correcting social injustice. But both can agree that human need, poverty, homelessness, illiteracy and sickness must be addressed. Liberals are not against religion. They are against hypocrisy, exclusion and judgmentalism. They resist the notion that one side or the other possesses 'the truth' to the exclusion of others. There is a great difference between Cotton Mather and John Wesley.
There is also the disturbing tendency to insert theocratic principles into the vision of America's role in the world. There is evil in the world. Nowhere in our Constitution or founding documents is there support for the proposition that the United States was given a special dispensation to eliminate it. Surely Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator. But there are quite a few of those still around and no one is advocating eliminating them. Neither Washington, Adams, Madison nor Jefferson saw America as the world's avenging angel. Any notion of going abroad seeking demons to destroy concerned them above all else. Mr. Bush's venture into crusaderism frightened not only Muslims, it also frightened a very large number of Americans with a sense of their own history."
CIA, Inauguration
It was announced today that the security level for this year's inauguration is going to be the very highest possible. Read: we will do everything to exclude protesters from the scene. Of course, it is highly likely for the networks to oblige. What interest does GE have in curbing the president's enthusiasm?
None.
What are we going to do about this inauguration? Hopefully nothing since, in some ways, I don't think we should protest. It takes our eye off the ball--namely, the Senate and Congress, whose members will be attempting hijinks previously unseen in Washington now that they seem to beleive they have a "mandate."
None.
What are we going to do about this inauguration? Hopefully nothing since, in some ways, I don't think we should protest. It takes our eye off the ball--namely, the Senate and Congress, whose members will be attempting hijinks previously unseen in Washington now that they seem to beleive they have a "mandate."
Le Monde.fr : Mais o? sont pass?s les votes d?mocrates de Floride ?
Le Monde is asking about missing votes in FLA according to the GAO Heres the article...
Fallujah
1.
Well, we're attacking Fallujah, which is what we should have done a long time ago. Or, if the invasion had been done properly, perhaps we wouldn't have to be doing it at all... But, hey, it'll make for some exciting TV! Blood, explosions, RUmsfeld. It'll be great, I promise. Just watch your LOCAL news and see how much they talk about it.
Let's not be too coy. We're there and be have to do it now....
2.
I'm feeling a bit depressed today as I look across the Democratic board and see the same old actors doing the same old thing. We're not going to win unless there is a major shake up/shake down of the self-loving, pandering folks.
More later.
Well, we're attacking Fallujah, which is what we should have done a long time ago. Or, if the invasion had been done properly, perhaps we wouldn't have to be doing it at all... But, hey, it'll make for some exciting TV! Blood, explosions, RUmsfeld. It'll be great, I promise. Just watch your LOCAL news and see how much they talk about it.
Let's not be too coy. We're there and be have to do it now....
2.
I'm feeling a bit depressed today as I look across the Democratic board and see the same old actors doing the same old thing. We're not going to win unless there is a major shake up/shake down of the self-loving, pandering folks.
More later.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
As I thought on Wednesday without even
looking at the results. Things are not as bad as they may seem for Dems. Yes, the national party is, as it has been, in need of inspiration, new blood, etc. I firmly believe however that there is a liberal message and that it is getting out that the bottom of the ticket. The problem is the communication alleys between top and bottom. We have got to quit playing the Republican's game and create a coherent elevator message for the party. Unfortunately, I'm talking about branding it. We need persistent messages sent out, we need them starting yesterday. We must attack Frist and co.
MyDD (Chris Bowers) looks at all the stats and sums it up nicely:
"Democrats also made state legislature gains in Michigan and Ohio, and in both cases are now within only three seats of taking at least one of the two branches of the legislature. Vermont saw notable Democrats gains in the state legislature as well. Finally, Republicans wrested the Missouri and Indiana governorships from Demcorats, while Democrats wrested the Montana and New Hampshire governorships from Republicans.
Do I need to go on? The pattern is clear. We have been thoroughly routed out of the South, but are making significant gains in virtually every other part of the country. We are well on our way toward building a new post-Dixiecrat, and entirely post-New Deal majority coalition. If we cling to some foolish believe that our problems in the South can be fixed by nominating a conservative Southern governor who talks faith, we might as well fold up our tents right now. It has taken us twenty years to come close to building a national majority since the fracturing of the Democrat-Dixiecrat coalition in the early 1980's, but we are finally close. For a long time we were propped up by the false impression that the Southern wing of the Democratic Party was not completely dead, but after Tuesday it is time to put that false hope out to pasture. I'm not saying we should not keep trying in the south, as I believe we should keep trying everywhere. However, it is time to stop believing that just having a southerner on the ticket, or talking a little faith is somehow going to turn our fortunes around in the region. For that matter, we should not even believe that doing these things would even make us competitive in the region anytime soon. The Blue-Gary divide in the country is once again rearing its ugly head, and the Mike Easley's, Wesley Clark's, Mary Landrieu's and Phil Bredesen's of the party are not going prevent that from happening.
MyDD :: Due Diligence of Politics, Election Forecast & the World Today
This is essentially what I said the other day. This is about belief in the system, in progress. If the Republicans have gotten this far it is because they have a core base of believers integrated into a cynical political machine. The democrats have never been nor will they ever be as cynical or as manipulative as the Repubs. The Dems have realists. Now these folks must coordinate with the believers--who are very different from the glossy-eyed Republican ones.
There is a realignment going on and we must catch this wave with our own coherent ideology that is based neither on hate nor exclusion, but belief in a better, fairer America. Forget gay marriage--propose civil unions for everybody. Talk about debt-relief--this makes more sense to most folks than tax-relief. Talk about good, well-paying jobs. Talk about health care. Talk about family, food, property. Talk about MORALITY--There has b een an increase in abortions since the Bushite coup of 2000. What does that mean? What does that say about this administrations dedication to family? I say that we must learn to hear and speak of a moral truth that goes beyond us while not preaching or sounding haughty, which has been the case for so many righteous Dems in the past.
The Dems are well-positioned for this, but will the national party learn or will it be an eat-your-child-power-grabbing party? Folks, we need some vision.
Andy
MyDD (Chris Bowers) looks at all the stats and sums it up nicely:
"Democrats also made state legislature gains in Michigan and Ohio, and in both cases are now within only three seats of taking at least one of the two branches of the legislature. Vermont saw notable Democrats gains in the state legislature as well. Finally, Republicans wrested the Missouri and Indiana governorships from Demcorats, while Democrats wrested the Montana and New Hampshire governorships from Republicans.
Do I need to go on? The pattern is clear. We have been thoroughly routed out of the South, but are making significant gains in virtually every other part of the country. We are well on our way toward building a new post-Dixiecrat, and entirely post-New Deal majority coalition. If we cling to some foolish believe that our problems in the South can be fixed by nominating a conservative Southern governor who talks faith, we might as well fold up our tents right now. It has taken us twenty years to come close to building a national majority since the fracturing of the Democrat-Dixiecrat coalition in the early 1980's, but we are finally close. For a long time we were propped up by the false impression that the Southern wing of the Democratic Party was not completely dead, but after Tuesday it is time to put that false hope out to pasture. I'm not saying we should not keep trying in the south, as I believe we should keep trying everywhere. However, it is time to stop believing that just having a southerner on the ticket, or talking a little faith is somehow going to turn our fortunes around in the region. For that matter, we should not even believe that doing these things would even make us competitive in the region anytime soon. The Blue-Gary divide in the country is once again rearing its ugly head, and the Mike Easley's, Wesley Clark's, Mary Landrieu's and Phil Bredesen's of the party are not going prevent that from happening.
MyDD :: Due Diligence of Politics, Election Forecast & the World Today
This is essentially what I said the other day. This is about belief in the system, in progress. If the Republicans have gotten this far it is because they have a core base of believers integrated into a cynical political machine. The democrats have never been nor will they ever be as cynical or as manipulative as the Repubs. The Dems have realists. Now these folks must coordinate with the believers--who are very different from the glossy-eyed Republican ones.
There is a realignment going on and we must catch this wave with our own coherent ideology that is based neither on hate nor exclusion, but belief in a better, fairer America. Forget gay marriage--propose civil unions for everybody. Talk about debt-relief--this makes more sense to most folks than tax-relief. Talk about good, well-paying jobs. Talk about health care. Talk about family, food, property. Talk about MORALITY--There has b een an increase in abortions since the Bushite coup of 2000. What does that mean? What does that say about this administrations dedication to family? I say that we must learn to hear and speak of a moral truth that goes beyond us while not preaching or sounding haughty, which has been the case for so many righteous Dems in the past.
The Dems are well-positioned for this, but will the national party learn or will it be an eat-your-child-power-grabbing party? Folks, we need some vision.
Andy
Friday, November 05, 2004
Michael Moore gives me hope
You know, you can criticize him but you can't criticize his enthusiasm. He sent me a personal ;-) this morning:
1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.
2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since
Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults
(Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always
wrong and you should never listen to them.
4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the
country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don't approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)
5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the
Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the
Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do
their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.
6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of
our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West
Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water,
all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in
lava. And no more show tunes!
7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any
old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut.
May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.
8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will
no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If
you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly
golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.
9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married
in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't
have to buy now.
10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress,
including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to
have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates
can't.
11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!
12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.
13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3
chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state
legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the
2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53
chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47
chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber
(Montana House) is still undecided.
14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than
the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out --
and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work
that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th
grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the
next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the
ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his
point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.
15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very
dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two
scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the
Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear
that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that
history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for
too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and
arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such
major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from
office.
16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting
age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it
means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards
to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of
those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go
home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three
yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are
coming!!!
17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the
candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total
number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore.
Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for
a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time
since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has
always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is
that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact,
that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones
who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November
2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of
surprise in 2008.
Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My
Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a
wonderful country -- it doesn't even need a president!'"
But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.
2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since
Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults
(Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always
wrong and you should never listen to them.
4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the
country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don't approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)
5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the
Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the
Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do
their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.
6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of
our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West
Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water,
all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in
lava. And no more show tunes!
7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any
old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut.
May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.
8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will
no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If
you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly
golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.
9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married
in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't
have to buy now.
10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress,
including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to
have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates
can't.
11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!
12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.
13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3
chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state
legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the
2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53
chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47
chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber
(Montana House) is still undecided.
14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than
the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out --
and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work
that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th
grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the
next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the
ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his
point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.
15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very
dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two
scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the
Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear
that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that
history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for
too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and
arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such
major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from
office.
16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting
age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it
means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards
to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of
those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go
home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three
yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are
coming!!!
17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the
candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total
number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore.
Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for
a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time
since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has
always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is
that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact,
that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones
who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November
2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of
surprise in 2008.
Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My
Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a
wonderful country -- it doesn't even need a president!'"
But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Stupid Dems
Here's another Dem who is a Dem-basher and who does NOT know his ass from a whole in the ground.
Politics News Article | Reuters.com: "For Democrats, Sen. John Kerry's White House loss and setbacks in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives created a mood of despair, jolted the potential field of 2008 candidates and set off a spirited round of second guessing.
Debate raged about whether the party needed a major overhaul or a little fine-tuning, with some Democrats warning against overreaction and others saying the reality of two consecutive lost elections required a change.
'If Democrats are going to be a national party, we have to fundamentally change our message and philosophy,' said Democratic consultant Doug Schoen, the pollster for former President Bill Clinton.
'We have to move to the center on fiscal issues, cultural issues and defense issues, and develop specific programs to balance the budget and recognize the importance of family,' he said. 'And if we don't, we'll lose again.'
Republicans savored the success of a strong voter turnout operation that trumped more publicized Democratic efforts and the victory of a values-based, conservative message. "
The Left Coaster gets it exactly right. See me email below. I am from the most red of red states, Georgia. I know the south. The way back to popularity is not becoming "more centrist" since that indicates we are way off the the left, which is totally false. "More centrist" refers to political games, not ideology or beliefs. "More centrist" means adopting the codes and implicit (and false) logic of the Right. We must believe in ourselves. We must kick ass. We must be proud. See my letter below....
Politics News Article | Reuters.com: "For Democrats, Sen. John Kerry's White House loss and setbacks in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives created a mood of despair, jolted the potential field of 2008 candidates and set off a spirited round of second guessing.
Debate raged about whether the party needed a major overhaul or a little fine-tuning, with some Democrats warning against overreaction and others saying the reality of two consecutive lost elections required a change.
'If Democrats are going to be a national party, we have to fundamentally change our message and philosophy,' said Democratic consultant Doug Schoen, the pollster for former President Bill Clinton.
'We have to move to the center on fiscal issues, cultural issues and defense issues, and develop specific programs to balance the budget and recognize the importance of family,' he said. 'And if we don't, we'll lose again.'
Republicans savored the success of a strong voter turnout operation that trumped more publicized Democratic efforts and the victory of a values-based, conservative message. "
The Left Coaster gets it exactly right. See me email below. I am from the most red of red states, Georgia. I know the south. The way back to popularity is not becoming "more centrist" since that indicates we are way off the the left, which is totally false. "More centrist" refers to political games, not ideology or beliefs. "More centrist" means adopting the codes and implicit (and false) logic of the Right. We must believe in ourselves. We must kick ass. We must be proud. See my letter below....
How I feel--post election excitement
here's an email I sent to a friend.
Dear Paul, just a quick email response because I could go on for hours.
The election was a real disappointment on many levels. Surprisingly, blame is not being cast that widely or that vociferously. The mood I am getting from most people in the world of Liberals is one of determination. It is believed that Kerry ran a good race, that there is little back-biting to be done. Many feel Dean should head the Democratic party. Voter turnout was VERY high, and, contrary to what is reported, the youth vote made it out in large numbers. That the latter’s effect was limited is due to high turnout of typical Republican non-voters: very poor white Christians. The gay-marriage ballots in Ohio and Michigan brought them out in droves to the point of smothering high turnout in Cleveland, Columbus, and, almost, Detroit, etc. Such a ballot still was not enough to get a Bush win in Michigan and Oregon. Pennsylvania, which did not have such an amendment, went overwhelmingly Kerry.
Yes, there was unfairness. Were votes electronically manipulated, however? Hard to say because in Florida and Ohio, such things are impossible to know because there is no paper trail. More importantly, the unfairness made this an uphill battle no matter what. Republican-controlled districts limited or cut back polling places and voting machines in traditionally democratic areas of Ohio and Florida. This resulted in five-hour or even six-hour lines in some pro-democratic areas. It was amazing to see lines of people in ponchos, with umbrellas in the cold rain who insisted on staying until their votes were cast. That high turnout seemed so good during the day. The exit polls seemed so positive. On the morning news, Bush looked like he had just swallowed a quart of Maalox and chased it with whisky sour. I was hoping, naively, for a 280+ kerry victory... But then there was voter intimidation too, such as people following Native Americans home from the voter-registration tables in South Dakota and taking their license plate numbers. The list is very, very long and only in America does this not make it to the surface because of our lazy media. To sum it up, Kerry nearly won Ohio with only 6 months to prepare. The Republicans have had a strategy and the political offices to fertilize and cultivate a Bush victory for the last four years. MoveOn and ACT did brilliant jobs—they turned a 58%-42% landslide into a 51-49% near victory. I know people in Florida, in Erie who did the work. Philly was a democratic madhouse slamming the Republicans into nothingness.
There are many people I know who are madder than ever, but they are not mad at Kerry. If anyone did not deliver, it is Edwards, who couldn’t bring in a single southern state. So people are mad and are already getting ready to fight for the supreme court. I am putting an American flag on my house and car because I am sick of pseudo-patriots claiming that real Americans only live in the Midwest, that Californians and New Yorkers are somehow less in touch, that patriotism is a solely Republican value. I’m doing it in homage to a former idea of America and democracy that seems to have disappeared. I’m doing it to water down the symbol they want to appropriate. Andrew Sullivan, whom you may know of, said Bush “deserves a fresh start, a chance to prove himself again, and the constructive criticism of those of us who decided to back his opponent. He needs our prayers and our support for the enormous tasks still ahead of him." Well, frankly, no fucking way. This is not about a fresh start, the next four years will be about holding these people accountable. Today the LA Times has the first interviews with soldiers who watched as looted dragged away those high-grade explosives from the al Qaqaa munitions complex. Responsibility for this cannot be passed off and many are motivated to keep the media on the ball. The L.A. Times has become a truly great paper this year, while the New York Times has become lazy. Today, in the NYT, there was something to the effect that the Dems were out of touch. Well, sorry, 49% is not out of touch and I’m prouder than I ever have been to be liberal.
That is my mood. I think it is shared by a lot of folks, at least nearly sixty million of us anyway.
I apologize for any grandiloquence or shrillness. Greetings to the family.
Andy
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
What a surprise.
I'm overwhelmed. I can't beleive it. Halliburton? Special interests? Favors? never... It's not possible.
The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official has demanded an investigation into contracts given to Halliburton , citing "improper action" that favored Vice President Dick Cheney's old company.
The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official has demanded an investigation into contracts given to Halliburton , citing "improper action" that favored Vice President Dick Cheney's old company.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Friday, October 22, 2004
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
The Washington Note Archives
Middle Ages vs. Enlightenment....That's Steve Clemmons' argument when whe quotes Suskind's work in the NYT magazine.
"Just in the past few months," Bartlett said, "I think a light has gone off for people who've spent time up close to Bush: that this instinct he's always talking about is this sort of weird, Messianic idea of what he thinks God has told him to do." Bartlett, a 53-year-old columnist and self-described libertarian Republican who has lately been a champion for traditional Republicans concerned about Bush's governance, went on to say: "This is why George W. Bush is so clear-eyed about Al Qaeda and the Islamic fundamentalist enemy. He believes you have to kill them all. They can't be persuaded, that they're extremists, driven by a dark vision. He understands them, because he's just like them. . . ".
Perhaps, though I think that oversimplifies things. Perhaps it is New Ageism, as William Gibson suggests over in his blog. I'm not sure. I am increasingly aware that our media is, as Gibson says, "narrowing the creativity gap" (or something to that effect). Indeed, dogmatic rulers are both a product and a user of our paralyzed media. As the audience cheers John Stewart, Fucker Carlson and Paul Begs-a-lot retained their veneer of "decency" while they spewed the pornography of their respective parties. This nation is addicted to junk food, junk politics, junk journalism, myself included. At least I know it and do something about it. Are there any watchdogs? Are there any standards. Just capitalism--wait--no, not even that. We are no longer a primarily capitalist society except at the local and small-scale level--the major players of the economy are post-capitalist marriages of state and economic empires that say "screw you, workers" more often than not. It's amazing to me that we've let democracy slide this low. Hello, 19th century, here we come... Seriously, somewhere in this mess is democracy and economic system, and they are SEPARATE entities. Maybe it's because I study France, maybe it's because I've lived overseas and seen how successful other models can be. The American economic-poliltical system no longer works for democracy or many of its citizens budgets, health or happiness. When are we going to start questioning ourselves.
I dunno. Fogive me for some of this incoherency.
Andy
"Just in the past few months," Bartlett said, "I think a light has gone off for people who've spent time up close to Bush: that this instinct he's always talking about is this sort of weird, Messianic idea of what he thinks God has told him to do." Bartlett, a 53-year-old columnist and self-described libertarian Republican who has lately been a champion for traditional Republicans concerned about Bush's governance, went on to say: "This is why George W. Bush is so clear-eyed about Al Qaeda and the Islamic fundamentalist enemy. He believes you have to kill them all. They can't be persuaded, that they're extremists, driven by a dark vision. He understands them, because he's just like them. . . ".
Perhaps, though I think that oversimplifies things. Perhaps it is New Ageism, as William Gibson suggests over in his blog. I'm not sure. I am increasingly aware that our media is, as Gibson says, "narrowing the creativity gap" (or something to that effect). Indeed, dogmatic rulers are both a product and a user of our paralyzed media. As the audience cheers John Stewart, Fucker Carlson and Paul Begs-a-lot retained their veneer of "decency" while they spewed the pornography of their respective parties. This nation is addicted to junk food, junk politics, junk journalism, myself included. At least I know it and do something about it. Are there any watchdogs? Are there any standards. Just capitalism--wait--no, not even that. We are no longer a primarily capitalist society except at the local and small-scale level--the major players of the economy are post-capitalist marriages of state and economic empires that say "screw you, workers" more often than not. It's amazing to me that we've let democracy slide this low. Hello, 19th century, here we come... Seriously, somewhere in this mess is democracy and economic system, and they are SEPARATE entities. Maybe it's because I study France, maybe it's because I've lived overseas and seen how successful other models can be. The American economic-poliltical system no longer works for democracy or many of its citizens budgets, health or happiness. When are we going to start questioning ourselves.
I dunno. Fogive me for some of this incoherency.
Andy
The Left Coaster: The GOP Money Behind The Flu Vaccine Crisis
I hope that someday the media will learn to follow the money.
Frankly, it's quite obvious that this whole flu vaccine is related to two administration-related faultes:
1) HHS is relatively unconcerned with national issues. Tommy Thompson is a wingnut and a watercarrier with little policy interest.
2) Chiron is a rather a-political drug company with second rate standards--hence the cheap vaccine. The problem, as LeftCoaster points out, is that companies cannot afford NOT to contribute to the Bushites. Heresy will be punished...
Yours Truly,
Frankly, it's quite obvious that this whole flu vaccine is related to two administration-related faultes:
1) HHS is relatively unconcerned with national issues. Tommy Thompson is a wingnut and a watercarrier with little policy interest.
2) Chiron is a rather a-political drug company with second rate standards--hence the cheap vaccine. The problem, as LeftCoaster points out, is that companies cannot afford NOT to contribute to the Bushites. Heresy will be punished...
Yours Truly,
Monday, October 18, 2004
Faith-based food energy
It's all connected....
"Bush said: ''I'm going to push nuclear energy, drilling in Alaska and clean coal. Some nuclear-fusion technologies are interesting.'' He mentions energy from ''processing corn.''
It's all connected....
Let's subsidize big business...
Fuck.
Andy
"Bush said: ''I'm going to push nuclear energy, drilling in Alaska and clean coal. Some nuclear-fusion technologies are interesting.'' He mentions energy from ''processing corn.''
It's all connected....
Let's subsidize big business...
Fuck.
Andy
Our National Eating Disorder
The New York Times > Magazine > Our National Eating Disorder
MICHAEL POLLAN
"Carbophobia, the most recent in the centurylong series of food fads to wash over the American table, seems to have finally crested, though not before sweeping away entire bakeries and pasta companies in its path, panicking potato breeders into redesigning the spud, crumbling whole doughnut empires and, at least to my way of thinking, ruining an untold number of meals. America's food industry, more than happy to get behind any new diet as long as it doesn't actually involve eating less food, is still gung-ho on Low Carb, it's true, but in the last few weeks, I can report some modest success securing a crust of bread, and even the occasional noodle, at tables from which such staples were banned only a few months ago. "
Everybody knows that Atkin's dieters are eaters in search of an addiction that will make them "healthier."
Food, I beleive, is a concentration of culture, energy, resources and social meanings. It's importance, beyond simple nutrition, is, at most, only alluded to: "comfort food," "home-cooked," etc. America's food choices are based neither on cultural or gustatory richness, but on concentrations of energy--in the form of money. We choose what media and advertisers tell us to, starting at a very early age.
The system is screwy, biased and therefore we are screwed.
Andy
MICHAEL POLLAN
"Carbophobia, the most recent in the centurylong series of food fads to wash over the American table, seems to have finally crested, though not before sweeping away entire bakeries and pasta companies in its path, panicking potato breeders into redesigning the spud, crumbling whole doughnut empires and, at least to my way of thinking, ruining an untold number of meals. America's food industry, more than happy to get behind any new diet as long as it doesn't actually involve eating less food, is still gung-ho on Low Carb, it's true, but in the last few weeks, I can report some modest success securing a crust of bread, and even the occasional noodle, at tables from which such staples were banned only a few months ago. "
Everybody knows that Atkin's dieters are eaters in search of an addiction that will make them "healthier."
Food, I beleive, is a concentration of culture, energy, resources and social meanings. It's importance, beyond simple nutrition, is, at most, only alluded to: "comfort food," "home-cooked," etc. America's food choices are based neither on cultural or gustatory richness, but on concentrations of energy--in the form of money. We choose what media and advertisers tell us to, starting at a very early age.
The system is screwy, biased and therefore we are screwed.
Andy
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Bush Drunk? Maybe not! Stroke? Health?
Dear Fan(s):
Well, maybe my search over the last few days for revealing video was all in vain, however, in spirit, I'm feeling better. Bush went over to Kerry last night and ominously asked him where Kerry could be reached. Weird. Conspiracy theories are coming to the fore over at Daily Kos. I think it is either:
1. A health-related issue (stroke, nerves, etc.)
2. An october surprise (Osama, invasion, etc.)
3. A pre-win congratulations/I'm outta here remark.
4. I'm gonna tell Dick what you said and you're gonna be sorry...
Enjoy.
Well, maybe my search over the last few days for revealing video was all in vain, however, in spirit, I'm feeling better. Bush went over to Kerry last night and ominously asked him where Kerry could be reached. Weird. Conspiracy theories are coming to the fore over at Daily Kos. I think it is either:
1. A health-related issue (stroke, nerves, etc.)
2. An october surprise (Osama, invasion, etc.)
3. A pre-win congratulations/I'm outta here remark.
4. I'm gonna tell Dick what you said and you're gonna be sorry...
Enjoy.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Hot Saucing
Remeber "The Facts of Life"? Lisa Whelchel, is an adherent of the hairsuit and other bizzare forms of discipline.
What you talkin' 'bout?
I think this made into the No Child Left Behind act too...
Andy
What you talkin' 'bout?
I think this made into the No Child Left Behind act too...
Andy
The Gadflyer: Swatting Lies
Sean Aday, over at the Gadflyer makes some astute comments on what Kerry should say tonight.what Kerry should say tonight
I have to say that Bush will use the word liberal more times than we want to imagine. I have to believe, however, that this word has lost a great deal of its potency in the wake of Bush's record. Yes, the L-word will get the hard-core folk all fired up, but it will not do that for everyone. This attack is part of Bush's strategy to motivate their troops, not convince the swing folk, as many have already noticed. It shows, in fact, that they are either desperate or counting on high True-Believer turnout, or both.
That the Republicans now own this word is common knowledge, that it is effective is less and less true except for these hardcore believers. As I wrote yesterday about Derrida, words are subject to inflation to the point where the currency is worth very little...
I have to say that Bush will use the word liberal more times than we want to imagine. I have to believe, however, that this word has lost a great deal of its potency in the wake of Bush's record. Yes, the L-word will get the hard-core folk all fired up, but it will not do that for everyone. This attack is part of Bush's strategy to motivate their troops, not convince the swing folk, as many have already noticed. It shows, in fact, that they are either desperate or counting on high True-Believer turnout, or both.
That the Republicans now own this word is common knowledge, that it is effective is less and less true except for these hardcore believers. As I wrote yesterday about Derrida, words are subject to inflation to the point where the currency is worth very little...
Bush Drunk--continuing investigation...
Admittedly, this might be a little silly--except that Bush has made such a fuss about abstaining from alcohol.
Here's a link Christa sent me...
Send me info!!!
Thanks.
Here's a link Christa sent me...
Send me info!!!
Thanks.
Here we go again...
What the F? They are afraid, stupid...and dangerous
Mystery Surrounds Kerry's Navy Discharge - October 13, 2004 - The New York Sun: "An official Navy document on Senator Kerry's campaign Web site listed as Mr. Kerry's 'Honorable Discharge from the Reserves' opens a door on a well kept secret about his military service."
Mystery Surrounds Kerry's Navy Discharge - October 13, 2004 - The New York Sun: "An official Navy document on Senator Kerry's campaign Web site listed as Mr. Kerry's 'Honorable Discharge from the Reserves' opens a door on a well kept secret about his military service."
Segregation
As a native of Georgia, I have always loved Alabama because it made us look light years ahead. I guess that's how Alabamians feel about Mississippi...
Alabama to vote on segratation language...
Let's keep the 10 commandments too, and no taxes and no "folks of the colored persuasion," and no science in the classrooms, and no abortions...
WTF? I really have a problem with this
Alabama to vote on segratation language...
Let's keep the 10 commandments too, and no taxes and no "folks of the colored persuasion," and no science in the classrooms, and no abortions...
WTF? I really have a problem with this
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Derrida, usury, neo-cons
It dawned on me today, a few days after Derrida's death that maybe he can help explain why some of the Right's propaganda is working less effectively than it has: usury. Words, he says, are like money, they gain in interest, accumulate meanings. By so doing, a certain wealth of meanings is created, but, conversely, so is a certain dissolution of meaning. Economically, this is like inflation. Terms like "liberal," "left-wing" have begun to loose some of their potency precisely because of their power.
However, I do not want to explain away the danger that still lurks within the Rush Limbaughs, the Falwells and the Bushites. It is great, and their command of the media machine, either through direct ownership or astute manipulation of its hot buttons, remains practically unchallenged.
Kerry is winning not because they--the Repubs--are losing the media war or their edge in controlling it, but because power has corrupted their leaders to the point where their hypocrisy is too blatant. In other words, people still like their message, but they are ever more concerned with the messengers. In fact, Kerry, in many ways, is an able messenger for their side in the sense that he is running on a bellicose stance and significantly allied with corporate interest.
However, I do not want to explain away the danger that still lurks within the Rush Limbaughs, the Falwells and the Bushites. It is great, and their command of the media machine, either through direct ownership or astute manipulation of its hot buttons, remains practically unchallenged.
Kerry is winning not because they--the Repubs--are losing the media war or their edge in controlling it, but because power has corrupted their leaders to the point where their hypocrisy is too blatant. In other words, people still like their message, but they are ever more concerned with the messengers. In fact, Kerry, in many ways, is an able messenger for their side in the sense that he is running on a bellicose stance and significantly allied with corporate interest.
Fast for George W. Bush
Thanks to George, thousands of kids get to fast everyday--whether they want to or not. Funny how prayers get answered.
Fast for George W. Bush
Fast for George W. Bush
Facism Anyone...
It is interesting that today, managers of Sinclair Broadcasting are using the Holocaust to describe liberals. Ugh. I hate it. We are becoming a fascist country.
Keywords ? Fascism: "We do ourselves a disservice by turning the perpetrators of the Holocaust into inhuman monsters whose actions are beyond comprehension. Certainly the means by which the Bush administration secured its shaky legitimacy through the use of war and nationalism has something to do with what happened in 1933. How is saying so a trivialization? There might also be important differences between then and now - but these should be a matter of debate, not something that even discussing would be a sin against the past."
Keywords ? Fascism: "We do ourselves a disservice by turning the perpetrators of the Holocaust into inhuman monsters whose actions are beyond comprehension. Certainly the means by which the Bush administration secured its shaky legitimacy through the use of war and nationalism has something to do with what happened in 1933. How is saying so a trivialization? There might also be important differences between then and now - but these should be a matter of debate, not something that even discussing would be a sin against the past."
Seriously, Folks
Can anyone doubt that Homeland Security Dept is merely a political, pork-barrel agency right now? The New York Times says it all. Grants are going to rural states with low risk while the major ports remain unsafe. Unbelievable.
Andy/André
Andy/André
Monday, October 04, 2004
Thinking about the next debate...
As I ponder the last debate, and the next one, I feel, as I have always felt, that Bush is of two minds, not only two faces. Part of him is extremely cocky, confident, self-serving, and spoiled. The other part of him is the Yale man who must put extra swing in his swagger to fit in with the big boys. Little W wants soooo much to be a big boy. He wants to play with them. He wast to be a Texan, a Bidnessman, a Man, a Man's Man. Yet, in spite of it all, he is childish and often child-like (only without the playfulness and imagination). When Bush said "The enemy attacked us," he showed not only the conflation of highly divergent intelligence reports (Al Qaeda attacked us---not Saddam), he was confusing his personalities. How do we know this about his confused sense of self? All one had to do was look. Bush didn't know how to act, how to react, what role to play. For the first time in 4 years, Truth was more powerful than Fiction--even within the president's own body. And I mean that in every sense possible. Bush's own body language is an extension of his thought processess, ones which were obviously malfunctioning on Thursday night.
Pschologists say EVERYTHING eventually gets expressed either through words or through actions. For Bush, all the wincing and writhing was "wrong time, wrong place." It could not have come at a better time or a better place for America, however.
The question about this Friday's debate is not who will win the policy question, but will Kerry be able to shake the president to the core, to bring out those twitches. The answer to that is: unlikely. The president will be more exposed and thus more aware of his exposure to a public, and will thus ACT more of one body and one mind. Of course, it is still possible his physical discomfort/discomfiture will appear as well, I just beleive it to be unlikely, which is, in turn, unfortunate, because America will again be blind to this President's ways.
Read this: Bush's costly gaffe: "pseudo-confident"
Pschologists say EVERYTHING eventually gets expressed either through words or through actions. For Bush, all the wincing and writhing was "wrong time, wrong place." It could not have come at a better time or a better place for America, however.
The question about this Friday's debate is not who will win the policy question, but will Kerry be able to shake the president to the core, to bring out those twitches. The answer to that is: unlikely. The president will be more exposed and thus more aware of his exposure to a public, and will thus ACT more of one body and one mind. Of course, it is still possible his physical discomfort/discomfiture will appear as well, I just beleive it to be unlikely, which is, in turn, unfortunate, because America will again be blind to this President's ways.
Read this: Bush's costly gaffe: "pseudo-confident"
Once out of Baghdad, hope trumps the doubts
I love Repub propaganda...
Once out of Baghdad, hope trumps the doubts - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - October 04, 2004: "But amid the violence, a series of positive developments unfolds daily, including the United Nations' sponsoring of an interim government led by Iyad Allawi. The top commander in the region, Gen. John Abizaid, says Washington critics and the press have it wrong."
Right.
Once out of Baghdad, hope trumps the doubts - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - October 04, 2004: "But amid the violence, a series of positive developments unfolds daily, including the United Nations' sponsoring of an interim government led by Iyad Allawi. The top commander in the region, Gen. John Abizaid, says Washington critics and the press have it wrong."
Right.
Iraq: Politics or Policy?
Like it or not, this is the Truth.
Iraq: Politics or Policy?
I don't always agree with Friedman, but here he is stating the obvious truth that the Repub pols refuse to face.
Iraq: Politics or Policy?
I don't always agree with Friedman, but here he is stating the obvious truth that the Repub pols refuse to face.
Those French
Who would of thought? Those Frenchies are arresting terrorists not just talking about it. France Joins Spain to Catch Pair Suspected of Terrorism
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Saturday, October 02, 2004
Pseudo Confident
Bush's costly gaffe: "pseudo-confident"
Yes. I have always felt Bush is of two minds, not only two faces.
Yes. I have always felt Bush is of two minds, not only two faces.
Denial is DEEEP
Yes. American denial amounts to national cognitive dissonance. Read what William Saletan says...
Save the court!
Do you really want Chimpy appointing "justices." I didn't think so. Check out the dem's House Parties
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Disgraceful
Can I deconstruct Kristol a momentDisgraceful "WE REALLY DON'T KNOW what a President John Kerry would do about Iraq. His flip-flops about the war, his inconsistencies, the ambiguity of his current position (win or withdraw?)--all of these mean we can only guess about a Kerry presidency. He would probably be inclined to get out of Iraq as soon as possible; it might be the case, however, that as president he would nonetheless find himself staying and fighting. Who knows? "
1) We don't know what GB is going to do about Iraq.
2) GB has said there were WMD, but there were none. He was against the 9-11 commission, then he was for it. HE was against a Security Tzar, now he says he's for it.... FLIP-FLOP? No. Just flop...
3) GB got us into this stupid war, Kerry will keep us in it. William, you know that, you a-hole.
1) We don't know what GB is going to do about Iraq.
2) GB has said there were WMD, but there were none. He was against the 9-11 commission, then he was for it. HE was against a Security Tzar, now he says he's for it.... FLIP-FLOP? No. Just flop...
3) GB got us into this stupid war, Kerry will keep us in it. William, you know that, you a-hole.
VOTE VOTE VOTE
Democratic News
Dear Andrew Wallis,
Tonight, don't let George Bush's henchmen steal another victory. We need your online help immediately after the debate, so save this email, print it out, and have it ready with you as you watch the first Presidential debate tonight.
We all know what happened in 2000. Al Gore won the first debate on the issues, but Republicans stole the post-debate spin. We are not going to let that happen again, and you will play a big role.
Immediately after the debate, we need you to do three things: vote in online polls, write a letter to the editor, and call in to talk radio programs. Your 10 minutes of activism following the debate can make the difference.
Vote
National and local news organizations will be conducting online polls during and after the debate asking for readers' opinions. Look for online polls at these national news websites, and make sure to vote in every one of them:
ABC
CBS
CNN
FOX
MSNBC
USA TODAY
And be sure to check the websites of your local newspapers and TV stations for online polls. It is crucial that you do this in the minutes immediately following the debate.
Write
Immediately after the debate, go online and write a letter to the editor of your local paper. If you feel John Kerry commanded the debate and had a clear plan for fixing the mess in Iraq, put it in your letter. If you feel George Bush dodged tough questions on Iraq and didn't level with voters, put it in your letter.
With just a few clicks, you can write your letter at our online media center:
http://www.democrats.org/media/
Call
Do you listen to national or local call-in shows on the radio? How about on TV? Call them and let them know what you thought of John Kerry's plan to keep America secure and George Bush's continuing refusal to admit the truth about his record.
Here are some national shows to get you started. (All times are Eastern.)
Air America (all day): 646-274-2346
Alan Colmes (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): 212-301-5900
Ed Shultz (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.): 701-232-1525
Bev Smith (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 412-325-4197
Doug Stephen (5 a.m. 10 a.m.): 1-800-510-8255
Find shows in your area on our media website:
http://www.democrats.org/media/find.html
Your actions immediately after the debate tonight can help John Kerry win on November 2. Make your voice heard!
Don't forget to visit our 2004 Debate Center before, during, and after the debate for important information, including questions Bush must answer, a Bush/Kerry contrast on keeping America safe, and Bush Debate Bingo, a game you can play with friends during the debate.
http://www.democrats.org/debates/
And after the debate, check your email for a very special message.
Thank you,
Terry McAuliffe
Chairman
PS: Make sure to forward this email to at least 10 other people who will be watching the debate. Also, give printed out copies to your friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors and get them involved.
Dear Andrew Wallis,
Tonight, don't let George Bush's henchmen steal another victory. We need your online help immediately after the debate, so save this email, print it out, and have it ready with you as you watch the first Presidential debate tonight.
We all know what happened in 2000. Al Gore won the first debate on the issues, but Republicans stole the post-debate spin. We are not going to let that happen again, and you will play a big role.
Immediately after the debate, we need you to do three things: vote in online polls, write a letter to the editor, and call in to talk radio programs. Your 10 minutes of activism following the debate can make the difference.
Vote
National and local news organizations will be conducting online polls during and after the debate asking for readers' opinions. Look for online polls at these national news websites, and make sure to vote in every one of them:
ABC
CBS
CNN
FOX
MSNBC
USA TODAY
And be sure to check the websites of your local newspapers and TV stations for online polls. It is crucial that you do this in the minutes immediately following the debate.
Write
Immediately after the debate, go online and write a letter to the editor of your local paper. If you feel John Kerry commanded the debate and had a clear plan for fixing the mess in Iraq, put it in your letter. If you feel George Bush dodged tough questions on Iraq and didn't level with voters, put it in your letter.
With just a few clicks, you can write your letter at our online media center:
http://www.democrats.org/media/
Call
Do you listen to national or local call-in shows on the radio? How about on TV? Call them and let them know what you thought of John Kerry's plan to keep America secure and George Bush's continuing refusal to admit the truth about his record.
Here are some national shows to get you started. (All times are Eastern.)
Air America (all day): 646-274-2346
Alan Colmes (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): 212-301-5900
Ed Shultz (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.): 701-232-1525
Bev Smith (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 412-325-4197
Doug Stephen (5 a.m. 10 a.m.): 1-800-510-8255
Find shows in your area on our media website:
http://www.democrats.org/media/find.html
Your actions immediately after the debate tonight can help John Kerry win on November 2. Make your voice heard!
Don't forget to visit our 2004 Debate Center before, during, and after the debate for important information, including questions Bush must answer, a Bush/Kerry contrast on keeping America safe, and Bush Debate Bingo, a game you can play with friends during the debate.
http://www.democrats.org/debates/
And after the debate, check your email for a very special message.
Thank you,
Terry McAuliffe
Chairman
PS: Make sure to forward this email to at least 10 other people who will be watching the debate. Also, give printed out copies to your friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors and get them involved.
Mickey Kaus...
Ok, so Mickey Kaus is obsessed with cocooning pollsters. He goes on to quote M. Blumenthal's
Perhaps Gallup is correct and thier polls do NOT suffer from right-wing conspirators. HOWEVER, Dems must openly fight even the appearance of misconduct from agencies like Gallup that influence millions. MoveOn is not being childish--they are fighting. They are NOT playing the same old 'I'm above that argument' game that leaves a lot of good Dems crying the day after elections. MoveOn is correct to call pollsters--even on appearing partisan--because the public doesn't realize how partisan so many of them are.
Perhaps Gallup is correct and thier polls do NOT suffer from right-wing conspirators. HOWEVER, Dems must openly fight even the appearance of misconduct from agencies like Gallup that influence millions. MoveOn is not being childish--they are fighting. They are NOT playing the same old 'I'm above that argument' game that leaves a lot of good Dems crying the day after elections. MoveOn is correct to call pollsters--even on appearing partisan--because the public doesn't realize how partisan so many of them are.
The news--before it happens!
Saw this on Atrios. God, are the press really that lazy. Beleive it or not, this is already posted.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. Sept. 30, 2004 — After a deluge of campaign speeches and hostile television ads, President Bush and challenger John Kerry got their chance to face each other directly Thursday night before an audience of tens of millions of voters in a high-stakes debate about terrorism, the Iraq war and the bloody aftermath. .
CORAL GABLES, Fla. Sept. 30, 2004 — After a deluge of campaign speeches and hostile television ads, President Bush and challenger John Kerry got their chance to face each other directly Thursday night before an audience of tens of millions of voters in a high-stakes debate about terrorism, the Iraq war and the bloody aftermath. .
reverend moon
I just love how Amerikun those Repubs areSince....
...serving his tax-evasion sentence in the early 1980s, however, Moon appears to have bought himself protection by spreading hundreds of millions of dollars around conservative causes and through generous speaking fee payments to Republican leaders, including former President George H.W. Bush.
...serving his tax-evasion sentence in the early 1980s, however, Moon appears to have bought himself protection by spreading hundreds of millions of dollars around conservative causes and through generous speaking fee payments to Republican leaders, including former President George H.W. Bush.
With idiots like this...
Max Boot, Repub ahole states: Kerry's Shaky Take on the War
With yes-men and idiots still getting published in "fair and balanced" newspapers, I continue think that balance is not fairness...
- "British Prime Minister Tony Blair (a non-veteran with more political courage in his pinkie than Kerry has in his whole body) puts it well: 'I can understand why people still have a powerful disagreement about the original decision to go to war, but whatever that disagreement, surely now it is absolutely clear we have to stay and see it through. Because the consequence of not doing so is that global terrorism will get a tremendous boost.' Bush understands that. Does Kerry?"
With yes-men and idiots still getting published in "fair and balanced" newspapers, I continue think that balance is not fairness...
Beer
Yesterday I drank two Newcastle's with my friend, Seamus. Sometimes I wonder if people on the Atkin's diet are secretly unable to control thier drinking habits.
Anyway, that leads me to one of my recent pseudo-philosophical musings: Nevery trust anyone who drinks too much--or too little. Dontchathink?
Anyway, that leads me to one of my recent pseudo-philosophical musings: Nevery trust anyone who drinks too much--or too little. Dontchathink?
MoveOn Update
Just so everybody in the world will, or, at least, can know: I've gone over my $500 dollar goal for MoveOn. Yeah. Keep the contributions coming!
Here's a link to my contribution site..."
Here's a link to my contribution site..."
Is it the end
of Brands
Well, I kind of doubt it. But, as Le Monde says, brands are suffering from a kind of usury, or diminishing returns. This is something I'm arguing in my current class on "Food, Fast, Nation, World." Of course, does anybody care? Le Monde does. I guess that makes me a Francophile, but I knew that, since I'm a French teacher. More to the point, what is happening in Europe is also happening here, we just don't recognize it yet. Brands are taking on more and more weight, and, eventually, that weight slows them down, though it also increases inertia...
Anyway, the economy is changing my friends, what are we going to do?
Well, I kind of doubt it. But, as Le Monde says, brands are suffering from a kind of usury, or diminishing returns. This is something I'm arguing in my current class on "Food, Fast, Nation, World." Of course, does anybody care? Le Monde does. I guess that makes me a Francophile, but I knew that, since I'm a French teacher. More to the point, what is happening in Europe is also happening here, we just don't recognize it yet. Brands are taking on more and more weight, and, eventually, that weight slows them down, though it also increases inertia...
Anyway, the economy is changing my friends, what are we going to do?
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
For all 3 of my loyal readers...
Yes, you can help get the truth out. Stop the Bush campaign spin: America Coming Together (ACT) We are going to win...we are going to win...we are going to win...we are going to win...we are going to win...we are going to win...
I do this 3 times a day.
I do this 3 times a day.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Self-serving Saint I am.
that's right. I started this thing just to put up the ads to MoveOn so my friends could contribute to the GOTV campaign. Anyway. Good newsis in the NYT: A Big Increase of New Voters in Swing States. Can there be hope? Am I dreaming. Zogby, Ruy, somebody: Give me truth.
Just one simple question...
Contribute to truth at The World's Shortest Blog. That's right. Just one simple question.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Kerry-Edwards Media Console
Please watch Kerry's ads! Kerry-Edwards Media What a difference a brain makes.
Le Monde.fr : "Busherie"
Why don't we get this type of reporting here?
Today inLe Monde.fr : "Busherie"
Today inLe Monde.fr : "Busherie"
Derrière les chiffres, il y a des morts. Toutes sortes de morts. Des civils et des militaires, des "les armes à la main" et des "qui passaient par là", qui ne passeront plus nulle part.
L'Irak est devenu une énorme statistique de mortalité violente. OAS_AD('Middle'); Voici qu'on se met à tracer des courbes, à remplir des diagrammes, pour donner à cette horreur au quotidien une version plus distanciée mais ô combien parlante, criante même.
Un chef religieux le disait ce week-end à notre envoyé spécial à Bagdad Rémy Ourdan (Le Monde daté 19-20 septembre) : les Américains tuent quarante fois plus de civils que de combattants. Et ces civils ont des pères, des frères et des fils qui ne trouveront pas la paix aussi longtemps qu'ils n'auront pas vengé leurs morts.
Tout cela va donc continuer. Le temps et le sang s'écoulent de concert. Les prises d'otages se multiplient, après les journalistes français, après deux ressortissants américains et un Britannique, vient le tour de routiers turcs, enlevés et assassinés.
La machine à tuer s'emballe et personne ne semble en mesure de la stopper.
Aux Etats-Unis, la campagne électorale ne parle plus que de ces morts d'Irak. On voit des membres du mouvement Les Familles de militaires prennent la parole porter un tee-shirt sur lequel est écrit : "Président Bush, vous avez tué mon fils."
Sunday, August 08, 2004
GOD, PLEASE HELP!
National Preparedness MonthSeptember 2004
You've got to be kidding me!!! If this is not a political extension of the most political--and NOT policy--oriented White House in history, then what is?
P.S. I first saw this on Tom Tomorrow's site. Really, God, help us...I'm begging you here.
France defends troop deployment for Darfur refugees in Chad
Say what you will about France, but, there they are: France defends troop deployment for Darfur refugees in Chad
INTERVIEW: The Return of John Sayles; From "Secaucus" to the "Sunshine State"
I saw a similar INTERVIEW with John Sayles on Now with Bill Moyers. He analyzed the current media with such savvy that I couldn't stop nodding. We no longer have journalists, just publicity agents.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
30000 new jobs
30000 "new" jobs. are they sure? read this link: BLS, then read about this very imprecise adjustment know as the birth-death model. What makes it more interesting is that jobs have been revised downwards for two months running.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
What world do we live in?
Common sense might actually exist. USA Today did can, fire, throw out Ann Coulter, as the Drudge Report notes. Well, they should. Is there no cliché she doesn't latch onto? Is there no debate she avoids? Really, anyone who is as childish as she is doesn't deserve the moniker of "reporter". Don't believe me? Here's a quote from her website today:
"Here at the Spawn of Satan convention in Boston, conservatives are deploying a series of covert signals to identify one another, much like gay men do. My allies are the ones wearing crosses or American flags. The people sporting shirts emblazened with the "F-word" are my opponents. Also, as always, the pretty girls and cops are on my side, most of them barely able to conceal their eye-rolling."
The best part is when she starts in on her pretty girl schtick:
As for the pretty girls, I can only guess that it's because liberal boys never try to make a move on you without the UN Security Council's approval. Plus, it's no fun riding around in those dinky little hybrid cars. My pretty-girl allies stick out like a sore thumb amongst the corn-fed, no make-up, natural fiber, no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, hirsute, somewhat fragrant hippie chick pie wagons they call "women" at the Democratic National Convention.
I've slept with enough female democrats to know this isn't true. Really, now Ann. Can anyone even wonder why that bastion of liberalism, USA Today, fired her?
The media is conservative? Yes! Read about the convention coverage here.
Maybe I should rename this blog "Ann watch" except that would probably flatter her in some demented way that should would interpret as repressed "conservative envy" on my part. Anyway, what a nut job.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Convention
Saw pretty much all the convention yesterday. Of course, Teresa's "shove it" is being overblown. Can't the news actually debate the issues? I guess I'm naive, but it would be nice to hear about what health care coverage could do for Americans rather than how it will play to the "electorate." Also, am I the only one who hates Tucker Carlson?
Monday, July 26, 2004
Let's start
Ok, so I'm starting this the first day of the DNC. I'm happy with that. It's good and the world is right, because I'm a democrat and I just want to add to the noise, or be part of the network, you know, create a link to the links that I read.
ATG (Andre the Giant)
ATG (Andre the Giant)
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