National Politics Archives
Local WASP Curtis Sittenfeld to Publish "Thinly Veiled Novel" About Laura Bush
July 7, 2008 02:21 PM
How thinly veiled? This thinly veiled:
A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice learned the virtues of politeness early on from her stolid parents and small Wisconsin hometown. But a tragic accident when she was seventeen shattered her identity and made her understand the fragility of life and the tenuousness of luck. So more than a decade later, when she met boisterous, charismatic Charlie Blackwell, she hardly gave him a second look: She was serious and thoughtful, and he would rather crack a joke than offer a real insight; he was the wealthy son of a bastion family of the Republican party, and she was a school librarian and registered Democrat. Comfortable in her quiet and unassuming life, she felt inured to his charms. And then, much to her surprise, Alice fell for Charlie.
Radar has more scoop, and it's even worse than you might expect:
On the heels of two best-selling books, (Prep, The Man of My Dreams), young, Iowa-trained [ed. Cincinnati-bred, her sister was in my class at Seven Hills, her dad Paul, is a principal at Baird] author Curtis Sittenfeld is about to release her most controversial book yet—a thinly veiled novel based on Laura Bush's life that is sure to send the White House into a fury.
According to Radar, the book describes "Alice's" trip to get an abortion administered by her grandmother's lesbian lover. Since it's a "novel," you see, it doesn't have to be true.
Here's another repulsive tidbit: It also describes "Alice" having sex with the brother of the boy she killed. Now Laura Bush was in a teenage car accident that took the life of a friend of hers. But of course, there's no evidence she had a relationship with the dead friend's brother, much less did this:
[H]e pushed me back against the mattress, straddled me, and leaned forward to roll his face between my breasts, pressing them against his cheeks and licking my nipples, his stubble rubbing not unpleasantly against my skin, and the more he grabbed and thrashed, the more the grabbing and thrashing seemed to stir rather than satisfy his desire. He pulled off my pants and underwear at the same time—I was wearing blue jeans, and he had to unbutton and unzip them first—and then I was naked except for my socks, which were white with lace trim. He tugged me upward and flipped me over, and when he said, 'No, you have to be on your knees,' it was the first time either of us had spoken in several minutes.
As far as thinly veiled novels go, I'd say this is clearly in the despicable camp. It least Kitty Kelly used real names when she was making shit up, Curtis.
I expect the Seven Hills alumni mag will produce a fawning review. I saw that because my expectations of my alma mater are so pathetically low. Perhaps the book will be too awful, even for their standards. But I doubt it.
UPDATE: Yes, I realize that for some inexplicable, blogospheric reason, you can't comment on this post. I don't know why. Sorry.
McCain shakes up campaign to reassure base...
July 2, 2008 01:28 PM
...trouble is, he's still confused about what his base is. From Politico:
One source familiar with the inner workings of McCain's campaign said that the move came after a sluggish ramp-up to the general and number of unforced errors had left the candidate, senior staff and elected officials unhappy with the state of the campaign.
"This will help reassure the chattering class in D.C.," said the source.
Oh good. That'll get him elected. I'm waiting for the chattering class in D.C. to start going door-to-door or working phone banks for McCain any minute now. Especially here in Southern Ohio, where he sorely needs the help. Not many locals are signing up, I can assure you. Let's fly in those chattering D.C. people. Heck, they've been reassured. All it takes to win Ohio is reassured chattering D.C. people.
McCain 12 points behind; only 58% of the conservative base is supporting him
June 24, 2008 09:41 PM
That's per an L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll. Apparently he's relying on the old "they'll have nowhere else to go" myth. Because he sure isn't trying to appeal to the base himself. I was at a Young Republicans meeting last night, and the poor guy from the McCain campaign tried to make a pitch for help. He couldn't have been more ignored by the party regulars. They just aren't interested.
I felt sorry for the poor kid, even as I briefly thought about pointing out to him that his candidate shouldn't be turning to us for help until his candidate stops stabbing us in the back (the global warming tour being the latest example of this). But I didn't say anything. It's not his fault.
His boss may learn. But it may come too late. There is no way a Republican can win if he's only getting 58% of the conservative vote. We're the ones who do all the work to get the candidates elected. Have you ever seen a moderate work a phone bank? Go door to door? No. Not in their nature.
And he just can't write off that many votes. 10% yes. Maybe even 30%. But 58%? The math just doesn't work.
Will Smith appeals to original intent to get us to rally 'round Obama
June 23, 2008 04:59 PM
No seriously, he really did. Here he is being interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today show (which after this interview they should just go ahead and rename "Dumb and Dumber"):
LAUER: Do you think people can't get behind America led by John McCain?
SMITH: You know I just, there, there are, there are certain ideas that I believe Barack stands for that are fundamental that the forefathers of this country wrote down on paper that we're all supposed to pay attention to, we're not supposed to ignore it and do what we want to do 'cause we have different ideas. And I believe just at his core the, that those ideas just they, they just come of his pores. And I'm, I'm excited to support him.
Yep, that's it. Obama will put us back on the Founder's Path! He's just oozing James Madison. Out of his pores! Was that flop sweat? No, it was the Federalist No. 10.
Meanwhile, over at Politico we learn how wonderful Obama was. As editor of the Harvard Law Review. This headline made me snort at its ridiculousness:
Obama Kept Law Review Balanced
The sub-head:
Mostly liberal publication ran progressive pieces alongside ones from a Reagan official and a right-wing judge.
Another snort. What are we supposed to think, that his administration will be a conservative happy land because he published an article written by a Reagan official and right wing judge? Is the point that Obama was sooooo brave for printing articles by conservative scholars?
The pretentiousness (and the utter untruth) of this passage made me snort a third time:
In Obama's time, as it is today, the Harvard Law Review was one of the most important and distinguished legal publications in the world. Founded in 1887, it is the rare self-supporting legal publication compiled and edited completely by students, typically those attending their second or third year at the prestigious school.
The Harvard Law Review is not even a remotely important legal publication. No law review is. Lawyers rarely, if ever, read law review articles. And if you cite to one in a brief it is highly suspect. Judges frown on it. It's kind of like, "What else have you got? Any actual case law?" Why cite to some professor's personal or political agenda? That's what they all are.
Also, pretty much every law review I am aware of is "compiled and edited completely by students." That does not make them great, it just makes them possible. They're basically just vehicles academics use to advance their careers by "getting published," courtesy of indentured servants working for a future pay off (a highly profitable line for their resumes).
And yes, I have that line on my resume. What did we run articles on during my law review days? I don't know, and I don't care. You just suck it up and work on them. No one pays the slightest bit of attention to what they are actually about. In law school, you don't have time to care, and I'm sure Obama didn't.
But lets not let these facts get in the way of talking about how Obama was such a great law review editor. He let two conservatives get articles past his desk. Nobless oblige!
The Party Leadership We Deserve?
May 12, 2008 03:38 PM
Ready to get depressed? The House Republicans have a new slogan that is obviously a reaction to Obama's nebulous calls for "change." The slogan is, dum dum DUM: "Change You Deserve."
Actually that drumroll should be "dumb dumb DUMB." You know they paid a consultant a ton of money to come up with it, and it's not even that great.
And even worse, it turns out that "Change You Deserve" is already the registered advertising slogan of Effexor XR-- which treats "depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder in adults." It's common side effects are nausea, apathy, constipation, fatigue, vertigo, sexual dysfunction, sweating, memory loss, and "electric shock-like sensations also called 'brain zaps.'"
Maybe it's what we should all be on to get us through the McCain candidacy? I know I've already got the nausea and the apathy, and Bob Dole--our last truly horrible nominee--can help with the worst of the rest of the side effects. He'll hook you up, I hear. And they say we don't have a prescription drug plan.
Ohio, the Bleeding Heart of it All
May 5, 2008 05:00 PM
Wasn't that our state slogan at some point? It was something along those lines. Anyway, here's a story about the late Senator Metzenbaum that brought back fond memories of my grandmother. How can that be? Well, my grandmother absolutely despised Howard Metzenbaum. And this article from the Wall Street Journal would have made her fume all the more:
Former Ohio Senator Howard Metzenbaum, who died in March at age 90, was an ultraliberal as a politician but also a savvy and very rich businessman. Before going to Washington in 1976, he had made a fortune on parking lots.
As a three-term Democrat, he made his reputation in Washington by attacking big business and fighting anything that even hinted of deregulation. His attacks against Clarence Thomas in 1991 prompted a famous retort from the future Supreme Court Justice: "God is my judge, Mr. Metzenbaum, not you."
But we come today not to judge the late Senator, only to praise him for one last act of personal financial acumen. Though a lifelong Ohioan, the Senator moved to Florida in 2002, according to a declaration of domicile filed with the Broward County Clerk's office in 2003. In doing so, he avoided paying his home state's income tax (top rate: 6.55%).
More important as he neared the end of his life, the former Senator also saved his family from paying Ohio's death tax, which features one of the highest state rates (7%) and lowest asset thresholds – $338,333 – in the country. Florida famously has no income or estate tax, which is one reason other than the climate that it is home to so many northern-born retirees.
Howard Metzenbaum thus denied the state in which he lived most of his life a parting financial gift. But he has at least provided the rest of us with a teaching moment in tax policy. If a liberal lion like Metzenbaum is willing to relocate late in life to avoid his state's death tax, maybe living politicians in Ohio will better understand how their confiscatory tax laws are driving its citizens to warmer climes.
Thanks for nothing, Senator. The only thing that's nice about this is that Clarence Thomas was Senator Metzenbaum's Justice for the last seventeen years, and God is his Judge now. Everything else makes you want to throw up your hands in despair.
And speaking of despair: Did you know there are actually business owners in Cincinnati who "live" in Florida, have their families living in Ohio, and who actually go spend the night across the river in Northern Kentucky for X number of nights per year? You have to be out of the State for enough nights per year to keep the Ohio taxman at bay. I have clients do it all the time. Keep your receipts, we tell them. The government has to know where you sleep at night.
HT: WMD
The Obama v. Clinton Cage Match
April 29, 2008 10:52 AM
Why didn't someone think of this sooner? Thank you, New York Post.
I can't get the Hillary character to hit below the belt, though. It would be much more authentic if she could hit below the belt.
Wherein I say something positive about Barack Obama; He's not going to give out "Street Money" in Philadelphia
April 11, 2008 08:53 AM
What's "street money"? Per the L.A. Times, it is:
"[A] long-standing Philadelphia ritual in which candidates deliver cash to the city's Democratic operatives in return for getting out the vote.
Flush with payments from well-funded campaigns, the ward leaders and Democratic Party bosses typically spread out the cash in the days before the election, handing $10, $20 and $50 bills to the foot soldiers and loyalists who make up the party's workforce.
It is all legal -- but Obama's people are telling the local bosses he won't pay.
If that is legal, it is appalling. But for the Dems in Philly, it's just how things are done:
Obama's posture confounds neighborhood political leaders sympathetic to his cause. They caution that if the senator from Illinois withholds money that gubernatorial, mayoral and presidential candidates have willingly paid out for decades, there could be defections to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. And the Clinton campaign, in contrast, will oblige in forking over the money, these ward leaders predict.
Who's not surprised the Clintons don't have a problem with this? Anyone?
Another non-surprise? John Kerry didn't have a problem with it either. He paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in "street money" in Philadelphia in 2004.
The locals are hoping Obama will give in before next week's primary in PA. You know. For his own sake:
With a week and a half left before the election, political leaders hope that Obama will relent.
Garry Williams, a ward leader based in north-central Philadelphia, said that he had not heard directly that the Obama campaign was withholding money. But he said payment would be needed. Workers who are in the field for Obama on April 22 will put in days stretching from 12 to 16 hours, he said.
"It's our tradition," Williams said. "You don't come to someone's house and change the rules of someone's house. That's just respect."
No, it's just corrupt. If Obama can bring an end to it, kudos to him.
Is the Secretary of State taking on the "Limbaugh Effect"?
March 6, 2008 02:29 PM
And if so, to what ends?
From the Enquirer's Politics Extra:
Brunner's staff has begun to call counties to find out how many crossover voters there were and how many 10x forms were filled out by pollworkers if someone switches parties within two years.
"Once we start to gather the figures of what rate of crossover was, then we can start to dig into . . .what some of the motivations were."
Why is she digging into what some of the motivations were? How is that an appropriate area of concern?
And what about this?
She does plan to ask counties for statistics and details on voters who signed forms attesting that they switched political parties.
Gathering statistics doesn't concern me. Gathering "details on voters" does.
Is she going to also look at the McCain Effect from 2000? That was when Democrats in Ohio voted for McCain in the Republican primary to slow down George W. Bush.
I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander. And I think you're playing with fire when you start looking at voter's "motivations."
Hillary is still dead...
March 5, 2008 03:58 PM
...the indominitable Mrs. P. gives us the whys and hows:
On a much, much happier note, Hillary Rotten Clinton died. Though I told you she had died in January. Admit it now, most of you doubted me then, some of you even questioned my sanctity and others of you went so far to call me at home to question my sanity. And I know most of you are now saying "Mrs. P, she's not dead! She's alive! More than than, she's standing right behind you with a big butcher's knife!" No, she's not. She may technically be alive. Alive in the same technical sense Castro is, which is a Hell of a life, I might add, now that his power has been transferred. Hillary Clinton is as dead as Castro is, politically. For her to win the White House she needs her husband to call up his *friends* and get them to get the dead, as well as abandoned parking lots, stray cats, dogs and parakeets to cast their votes for her. So, this primary season has established beyond a reasonable doubt that the world's smartest woman and leading feminist, Hillary Clinton only rose as high as she did by marrying the sleaze she did. (Don't you just adore the First Amendment?) More than that, Hillary, to get the chance to run for president (and promptly fall flat on her face) had to sacrifice her feminist principals, relinquish her dignity as a woman, and take all of her husband's abuse publicly for more than 2 decades while saying she loved him. What makes her death (or transfer of power) all so much more delicious is that she is being beaten by a carbon-copy airhead candidate of her husband, complete with the Ivy League-educated angry wife. So we cheer the dead woman walking, Hillary Rotten Clinton, on as she will now, once again for the 2,345.725 time, go back on her principals and try to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates so that she can finally take the sack full of wet sand to the back of Obama's head at the Democratic National Convention. As the ladies at NOW are so fond of screeching "You go girl!"
I bolded the part I like the best. Perhaps when Mrs. Clinton is literally dead, we can get the schoolchildren to send in their nickels to build a memorial, upon which we can put Mrs. P's words?
An ordinary headstone's not going to do.
For the first time, I walked in to the polls not knowing who I was going to vote for.
March 4, 2008 09:07 AM
The temptation to cross party lines and vote for Hillary was very, very strong. Having her continue to battle it out with Obama is very good for the cause. But in the end, I couldn't do it. The woman in front of me did, though. And I know a lot of people who were considering it. When you switch parties, you have to complete a form that says you swear "to uphold the principles of the Democratic party." Well that wouldn't be too hard--since they have no principles.
How's that for an obvious joke?
Anyway... I placed my protest vote for Mitt Romney. Not that it will matter in the end. My protest vote in the 2000 primary didn't matter either.
I did get to vote in all the down ticket Republican races. For Congress, I voted for Jean Schmidt. Over at WMD, they've pretty much summarized my thoughts on that race, so I won't repeat it all here. The only other contested race was Pat DeWine v. Kathy King for Judge. I voted for Pat, since he's pro-life, and Kathy is not. For most of the other judicial races, I refrained from voting for the party's endorsed candidates. Most of the people they put up are total chuckleheads--though it was a nice reminder of how glad I am that I litigate almost entirely in federal courts these days.
And of course, I voted against the Cincinnati public school levy and the zoo levy. The only way I'd get behind either of those two organizations would be if they switched missions. Let the zoo put the CPS students behind bars, and let the schools educate the animals. We'd end up with a safer community and a more intelligent workforce.
I'm kidding of course. Well, slightly kidding.
The campaign (thus far) of the man we were told had the best chance to win
March 3, 2008 02:00 PM
The Politico has a look at how well it's going:
McCain was accused of having a romantic relationship with a lobbyist by The New York Times (he vehemently denied it). The DNC filed a complaint against McCain with the Federal Election Commission questioning whether he is violating the spending limits imposed on a campaign that takes public funds.
Mike Huckabee continued to nip at McCain’s heels, postponing a full pivot to the November race. And just last week McCain had to spend part of two days denouncing ostensible allies and apologizing to Barack Obama for the use of his middle name.
Oh — and Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton raised more than $130 million combined in the first two months of the year.
That $130 mil is an estimate, we don't have the February numbers yet for Obama. We know McCain raised $12 million in January, and it is estimated he raised about that much in February. So about $24 million. A pittance, considering how much the Democrats are raising. Especially Obama.
See what a difference it makes when the base is passionate about the candidate?
And, wouldn't it be ironic if the man who brought us modern day campaign finance reform were unable to finance his campaign? Some might even say that's poetic justice. Not me, of course. Just some people.
From the "still not getting it" department: Mike DeWine on LocalRadioGate '08
February 28, 2008 09:31 AM
DeWine says to the Enquirer:
"I can't believe in the end that voters are going to make a decision in November based on what John McCain said about Bill Cunningham in February," DeWine said.
How quaint. He thinks the latest uproar with the base is about McCain repudiating Willie. It's not. It's not that at all. It's that this is YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE of McCain throwing a conservative under the bus. And when you throw enough people under the bus, you will wake up one day and find that there is no one left to speak for you. Will that be in November? We'll see.
McCain Local Radiogate '08
February 27, 2008 03:55 PM
Just how many people did the McCain campaign manage to offend when they were in town? Here we have the producer of 55KRC's morning radio show, chiming in about the treatment he received from the McCain camp. Take it away, Joe Strecker:
As you know, it's Ohio's turn to be in the spotlight, for the last 2 weeks, I have been pitched and pitched AND PITCHED every person under the sun to stump for Sen. McCain. As agreed to by his PR, if I put guests on to stump for Sen. McCain, he would be made available to 55KRC when he came to town (2/26)...
Well here is the email reply I received from the McCain camp
"I don't think for tomorrow, things are pretty set by now. " Rebecca - McCain 2008
As you can tell by my response, I was a little upset.
"I am getting a little frustrated. 55KRC is / has a very Conservative base...Much more than a lot of people think. These are the voters Sen. McCain needs to win over. Since the election started, most of our callers initially were Thompson fans, then when he dropped out, Paul and Romney fans. If there are any listeners/voters to win over, it would be 55KRC's. I hope you reconsider. We could do just 5 minutes on his drive up from downtown to West Chester?"
Here was my reply.
"I'm sorry but the decision is not mine. I recomended you to the higher ups for the exact reason you mentioned. I will try to ask again when I can but right now I am stuck." - Rebecca McCain 2008
I find out at 10:30 yesterday that McCain was on with Mike McConnell, who McCain called "Bob". I called Rebecca, and when she said on the phone he wasn't available, I told her he is on right now with WLW. >>>Silence<<< then she told me "Can't you just use their audio??" You have to be kidding me..I let her know that we will let our listener's know what happened.
Now, I do understand this is a business and we constantly try to scoop the other guys, but for McCain's people to actually go back on their promise and to act the way they acted and treated the station with the listener's he needs to convince, is just reprehensible. This proves to me what kind of person he is. Why? You surround yourself with like minded people. If his 'people' don't care about you '55KRC listener' vicariously he doesn't care about you '55KRC' listener....
What's even funnier is that last night at 9PM, I received a pitch for another guest to stump for McCain. I don't think I'm going to book them..
I honestly don't know why he'd even consider it. And it's more than a little concerning that they're willling to put a candidate's supporters on the radio in exchange for the big "get"--i.e. an interview with the candidate himself. I suppose that's the way the media game is played, but it doesn't speak well of its participants. When you whore yourself out, Joe, don't be surpised when you get stabbed by jack the ripper.
And again, how stupid is the McCain camp for missing the interview? Joe is totally right that the Morning Show's audience is exactly the people McCain needs to be reaching out to. But there's just little or no effort.
It's almost a parody of a well-run campaign. "Can't you just use their audio?" Um no. Have they ever worked with the news media before?
William F. Buckley, Jr., 1925-2008
From The New York Times (!):
Mr. Buckley’s greatest achievement was making conservatism — not just electoral Republicanism, but conservatism as a system of ideas — respectable in liberal post-World War II America.
And it is so obvious these day, isn't it? There is a big distinction between electoral Republicanism and conservatism as a system of ideas. Sign me up with the later.
Also timely? The NYT's amusing reminder of National Review's lukewarm endorsement of Eisenhower in the 1956 presidential election:
"We prefer Ike."
It seems we are still fighting the same battles. But we would have already lost the war if it weren't for WFB.
John McCain Comes to Southern Ohio to Make Peace with Conservatives, and Promptly Throws Bill Cunningham Under the Campaign Bus
February 26, 2008 01:44 PM
The same Bill Cunningham who has worked tirelessly for Republican candidates and conservatives causes for years--usually using the same kind of rhetoric that he used today. From the Enquirer:
Cunningham came out on stage to whip up the crowd as he often does at Republican campaign events in Cincinnati. He repeatedly referred to Obama using his middle name -- Hussein -- and said that Obama was a product of the "Chicago-Daley mob."
Nothing untrue, and nothing unusual there. Willie had similarly direct comments for Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.
So what does the McCain camp do? His aides get all bent out of shape, and have McCain (who didn't even hear the remarks) trot out after his speech to "repudiate" Willie:
Only minutes after his campaign rally ended, McCain apologized for remarks by WLW talk show host Bill Cunningham that McCain said he thought were offensive to Obama.
"I take responsibility and I repudiate what he said," McCain told reporters after the rally.
Not the way to make Republican friends in Southern Ohio. Oh well. Who needs Republican friends in Southern Ohio?
McCain went on to explain the approach his campaign will take:
"I will not tolerate anything in this campaign that denigrates either Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton,'' McCain said.
And what does that remind me of? Another 700WLW personality, Marty Brennaman, who got in hot water last year for comparing one of the Reds' West Coast roadtrips to the Bataan Death March. Because that's what this campaign with John McCain is going to be.
One long Bataan Death March.
UPDATE: Clerk of Courts Greg Hartman is now on Willie's show blaming "the media," and saying this goes to show how Republicans won't get a fair shake this fall. But the media weren't the ones who apologized for, and repudiated, one of the region's most prominent conservative voices.
Sign of the Times: I have been invited to a CLE that focuses on "strategies to obtain or deny insurance coverage related to global warming claims."
February 19, 2008 02:39 PM
So now, apparently, companies are going to look to their insurer when they get sued for supposedly causing global warming:
Hillary Clinton's supporters are SOOOOO COOL.
February 17, 2008 08:14 PM
Romney gives McCain a lesson in class
February 15, 2008 09:09 AM
From Politico's coverage of yesterday's endorsement:
Despite the at-times ugly exchanges between the two during the past year, today's press conference, while not full of warmth, was not especially stilted.
The difference was especially stark compared to the last GOP nomination battle in 2000. As opposed to the week Romney took before endorsing, it took two months for McCain to get behind George W. Bush after that bitter contest. And when he did so in May of that year he initially declined to use the word "endorse." Only after being asked by a reporter why he wouldn't formally offer his blessing did McCain say "I endorse Gov. Bush" -- and then he said it over and over again as if to show his annoyance.
Romney today was gracious, lavishing praise in prepared remarks on the man who defeated him.
"This is a man who tied his political fortunes to the fortunes of his country in a time of war," Romney said. "Such courage is not always rewarded in politics, but it was this time – and that is a credit to both the man and to the party he will lead in the election of 2008."
I had forgotten it took McCain two months in 2000 to endorse Bush. Certainly takes the wind out of the sails of those who say we should all be running out to endorse McCain now, doesn't it?
They say everything's bigger in Texas
February 13, 2008 02:43 PM
I don't know why, I just love that photo.
HT to Tammy Bruce, who says "It's Miss Tijuana!"
"Luckily, I agree with my party more than Senator McCain agrees with his party."
February 12, 2008 10:23 AM
Thank you, Hillary Clinton, for identifying the problem with the McCain nomination.Arianna, what color is the sky in your world?
From the Huffington Post:
I hate to be the one to break up a love affair, especially with Valentine's Day just around the corner, but I can no longer stand idly by and watch the media and independent voters continue to throw themselves at the feet of John McCain.
The John McCain they fell in love with in 2000 -- the straight-shooting, let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may maverick - is no more. He's been replaced by a born-again Bushite willing to say or do anything to win the affection of his newfound object of desire, the radical right.
What the hell?
Fox News accurately, but accidentally, identifies John McCain's party and home state
February 8, 2008 10:10 AM
When people like Dick Finan say they may stay home in November instead of voting for McCain...
February 7, 2008 05:19 PM
...it says a lot:
Finan, one of the first Ohio Republican party leaders to endorse Romney, said he believes many Romney supporters around the state will have a hard time voting for McCain in the fall campaign – and, he said, he is one of them.
“I might just have to sit it out,’’ said Finan. “Some of them, obviously, will vote for McCain over whoever the Democrats put up. But some of them just won’t.”
Dick Finan is a conservative Republican, but he's not some unhinged radical. He used to be President of the Ohio Senate, for crying out loud. He's a total party player, but he's not willing to party with McCain. Incredible, really.
One good thing about McCain...
...now we don't have to hear Mike Dewine trying to get us all to vote for his former Senate colleague. Dewine was running McCain's campaign here in Ohio. And Mike Dewine basically embodies everything the base of the party doesn't like about McCain.
For the general, I'd strongly suggest to the McCain camp that they find a different "troop-rallier" as we head into the fall. Republicans here don't like Mike.
McCain seeks a truce with conservatives
Politico describes his two-pronged pitch:
Prong one: McCain is not really so bad, is quite conservative on spending and the Iraq war and is far better than the alternative come this fall. Prong two: The time has come to stop stewing and get on board.
Patronizing. And typically contemptuous. I'm not ready to make nice, and I sure hope others aren't either.
Because the depressing news can't start early enough, here we have the signage that helped John Derbyshire figure out where to vote...
February 5, 2008 04:33 PM
Welcome to John McCain's dream world.
From The Corner, at NRO Online.
McCain discussed switching parties in 2001
February 1, 2008 08:46 AM
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001, weeks before then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say they were involved in the discussions.
In interviews with The Hill this month, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and ex-Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) said there were nearly two months of talks with the maverick lawmaker following an approach by John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist.
Democrats had contacted Jeffords and then-Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) in the early months of 2001 about switching parties, but in McCain’s case, they said, it was McCain’s top strategist who came to them.
Why is this just now coming to light?
“The road to the White House goes through Florida, and the road to Florida goes through The Villages."
January 29, 2008 12:53 PM
So says an old fart quoted in this article, anyway. Mrs. NBS and I always laugh at the commercials for The Villages. It makes Florida--God's waiting room--look like a hellhole.
Sorry I can't find the commercial where they're all tap dancing. That one's a classic.
Hillary, Obama and Ted Kennedy at the State of the Union...
..and the photo that's an instant classic:
Evaluating the candidates' bumper stickers
January 27, 2008 08:16 AM
I've already said I can't imagine putting a Huckabee sticker on the back of my car. That's mostly because it's such a hill-jack name, backed up by a hill-jack personality. Graphic designers have a problem with the aesthetics, too:
Huckabee has the most inexplicable selection of typography and graphics, from the six floating stars to the white stripe seemingly stolen from the Coca-Cola logo. The overall effect is clutter. The main typeface, used to set the candidate's name, is very tightly spaced, or tightly tracked, as typographers like to say. Some letters, like kab, are actually touching each other. Then "Mike" is tucked in between the H and k as if "we almost forgot to tell you his first name." Setting FAITH. FAMILY. FREEDOM. in such a thin weak sans serif feels as if it was added as a committee compromise or an afterthought. The type is too light, too small, and does not have a real voice.
They're right. It definitely has an "I've never done this before" kind of look to it. Kind of like he stopped by a Minuteman Printing on the way home one afternoon and said, "Shirley, what can you come up with?"
At the opposite end of the extreme: John McCain. I have my problems with him on the issues, but his campaign graphics are fantastic. Mrs. NBS and I actually discussed this a few weeks ago, and when you have people actually discussing how much they like the bumper stickers for someone they're not going to vote for, it means the designers hit a home run. Here's what the experts say:
McCain uses type that is a perfect compromise between a sans and a serif, what type geeks call a "flared sans." Not quite sans and not quite serif, sort of in between, moderate, not too far in either direction. The strokes have contrast between the thick and thin, creating the feeling that the ends are going to have cute little serifs, but they just flare out a little, not forming actual serifs but wanting to. The military star centered and shadowed is a not-so-subtle touch. And McCain just says "President," as if to say he's already been elected. Everything about this logo says you can buy a car from this man. From the perfectly centered star to the perfectly spaced type, the entire design looks like a high-end real estate company. McCain has done something no other candidate has done, he uses all blue, no red - not even a dash.
And the blue he uses is almost a black. With the white star, it looks very, very crisp. Lean. Trim. Fit. Very "I'm more than Harrison Ford in Air Force One could ever even dream of being."
On the Democrat side, the graphic designers say the winner is Obama. I'm actually not wild about his design. Doesn't it look...too liberal? John Edwards got the (supposed) working class mantra right with his simplistic "my shift ends at 1:00 a.m. and I'm pissed" look. And Hillary's graphic? Exactly like bumper stickers always look. Boring. What's she running for, state rep.?
Yale Med Students Celebrate 35 Years of Roe v. Wade
January 23, 2008 09:22 AM
Evans and Rasha Khoury MED ’08, another member of Medical Students for Choice, who said she plans to become a gynecologist and expects to perform abortions, went on to describe one of the most common abortion procedures, manual vacuum aspiration, which “creates suction to evacuate pregnancy,” Evans said. The technique is a good option because the device involved is reusable and relatively cheap, she said.
“It’s not as scary as it seems. It’s just blood and mucus,” Khoury said, referring to the fetus remains in the device. She added, “You’ll be able to see arms and stuff, but still just miniscule.”
Evans and Khoury also explained the finer points of abortion-clinic etiquette, including some potentially sensitive terminology. Khoury said physicians performing abortions generally refer to the aborted fetus remains as “POC,” an acronym for “product of conception,” and refer to fetus’ hearts as “FH.”
The most complicated part of the procedure can be the emotional fallout some patients experience, she said.
“Often times, women are crying and cursing and saying they’re going to hell,” Khoury said. “It may be a quick and easy medical procedure, but it definitely is a very involved social-medical procedure.”
The presenters also urged the crowd to become involved in the abortion-rights movement by joining Reproductive Health Externships, a campaign in which volunteers are taught how to conduct abortions.
“It’s fun because you meet people from all over the country who do them,” Khoury said. “It’s pretty inspiring.”
So which is more disturbing, the quote about how you can see "arms and legs and stuff," or the guy who says "It's fun because you meet people from all over the country who do them. It's pretty inspiring"?
UPDATE: Hmmm. The article has been pulled from the website of the Yale Daily News. I can't imagine why.
The Governator Calls Mitt Romney
January 22, 2008 11:19 AM
Prank calls. Who doesn't love a good prank call?
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be pretty easy to get Mitt's cell phone number off of this tape?
Bill Clinton Has a Dream on MLK Day
Married people to get screwed under Democrats' ecomonic stimulus package
January 18, 2008 11:16 AM
The White House wants tax rebates of $800 per person, or $1,600 per couple. Democrats want rebates of $500 for individuals who make $85,000 or less, and (it sounds like) $1,000 for couples who make $110,000 or less.
$110,000 is not two times $85,000.
Details are still being worked out, of course.
What would you do with your check from da guvment? Would you... buy a Hillary Clinton nutcracker from my google ads? Just an idea, you know. A small little hint.
But anyway... The Democrats think families who make more than $110,000 won't spend it. I think they would, they would just spend it on higher ticket items, like durable goods, car downpayments, and domestic travel. All sectors that are worth stimulating.
Why should we only stimulate convenience stories and Wal-mart?
The Candidates' Homes, an NBS Tour
January 17, 2008 02:59 PM
Of course, Mother Jones put these photos up because they want you to think we're ruled by monied, hypocritical, gas guzzling aristocrats, no matter which party wins. I'm putting them up because real estate is porn for married people. So let's begin!
Here's Huckabee's house. Not surprisingly, the candidate that I like the least has the house I like the least. It's weighs in at 5,124 square feet, with a deck and a swimming pool. It's also boring, and has atrocious landscaping:
Here's Rudy's pad in New York. I really can't relate to it, but it's got a Walnut-paneled dining room and a cigar room. I don't smoke, but I like the sound of that. There's no rule that says you can't use your cigar room as a drinking room.
The McCains do the tall building thing too, but theirs is a $4.7 mill condo in Phoenix. They also have a ranch in Sedona, which was profiled in Home & Garden. I think I also saw it in Architectural Digest a few years ago. It was nice. Better than their condo, anyway:
Turning for a minute to the other side of the aisle, here's Hill and Bill's place in Westchester County. I have no problems with it, and it certainly comports with whatever their pollster told them to buy. I just wonder if they've ever seen it themselves?
Can't you just feel the love radiating off of the Clinton's house? You know it's just a place of intimate diners for two, and passionate, romantic interludes. When Hillary's in D.C.
The Obamas' place in Chicago is also nice. And, it has a 1,000 bottle wine cellar. Me like the sound of that! Party at the Obamas! They need to learn to bring the trash cans back up promptly though. How rude.
You've already heard me opine in the hideousness of the Edwards home in North Carolina. It is too big (21,000 square feet). And it has an indoor basketball court. They also have a beach house in North Carolina. Presumably it's more suitable to his "Two Americas" crap than this is:
Here's one that's big and tasteful. It's the Romney's ski retreat in Park City, Utah. Looks like a house the Bushes would own. Mitt has residences in several states, I believe. Mrs. Romney must do a lot of dusting. Of course, when you don't smoke or drink, what else is there to do?
NBS is ready to call the winner in the taste department, though. This is the Thompsons' house in McLean, Virginia. A seven bedroom, five bath stunner with a real Presidential air.
Gorgeous.
Mike Huckabee. Jesus. H. Christ.
January 16, 2008 11:04 PM
From a speech in Warren, Michigan on Monday night:
"[Some of my opponents] do not want to change the Constitution, but I believe it's a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards."
It's rare that I take an immediate visceral dislike to someone the way I have with Huckabee. And I have stepped back on occasion the past few weeks to ask myself if I am being unreasonable. And you know what? It's been quite satisfying to see that my initial reaction was totally justified. We do not need a Republican nominee who makes Constitutionalists look like fools and Christians look like idiots. As a person who is both, I just do not see why we would vote to let him scandalize our names. My God, what an embarrassment he is.
Why we can't nominate McCain, in cartoon form.
January 11, 2008 09:29 AM
Big girls don't cry...
January 7, 2008 06:23 PM
...when faced with adversity.
Do they, Hillary?
So who's actually in the lead where it matters (the delegate count)
The Green Papers is keeping track, and trying to make sense of the ridiculously complicated rules. After Iowa and Wyoming, we've got:
Romney: 17
Huckabee: 13
Fred: 8
McCain: 5
Paul: 4
Rudy: 1
You need 1,259 to get the nomination, so nobody is even close. For the Dems, Obama's got 16, Hillary's got 15 and Edwards has 14. That's just after Iowa. The Dems didn't do Wyoming yet. Bet you didn't know Hillary got more delegates from Iowa than Edwards, even though she finished with fewer votes. Further proof that the system makes no sense.
Shades of North Korea in New Eco-Friendly Proposals for Californians
From the American Thinker, there is word that proposed changes to California's building codes requires a PCT, which is a "programmable communicating thermostat." Here's how that works:
Every new home and every change to existing homes' central heating and air conditioning systems will required to be fitted with a PCT beginning next year following the issuance of the revision. Each PCT will be fitted with a "non-removable " FM receiver that will allow the power authorities to increase your air conditioning temperature setpoint or decrease your heater temperature setpoint to any value they chose. During "price events" those changes are limited to +/- four degrees F and you would be able to manually override the changes. During "emergency events" the new setpoints can be whatever the power authority desires and you would not be able to alter them.
Yes, you read that right. Governmental authorities in the state capital get to control the thermostat. It sounds to me like North Korea, where every home is equipped with a radio that plays government propaganda all day, every day. You can turn it down, but not off. It extolls the virtues of their Dear Leader, and passes on helpful "suggestions" such as "don't eat more than two meals a day," because more than two meals a day can be hazardous to your health. Maybe that's next for California? Why not have the PCT play tree-hugging propaganda? It's a radio. You can bet they can make it talk to you.
On the plus side to PCTs: The social savings. Think of all the arguments that are eliminated when you farm all the decision-making out to the government!
The comments are not working.
January 5, 2008 09:32 AM
I know. Thanks for your emails, I am trying to fix the problem. It's kind of a crazy weekend at Chez NBS, so it could be a little while.
In the meantime, what's not to love about this:
If the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s 100 Club dinner is any bell weather – Barack Obama will handily win here. When Obama, the dinner’s last speaker, took the stage the crowd surged forward chanting “O-bam-a” and “Fired Up, Ready to Go!” So many people pressed toward the stage that an announcer asked people to “please take their seats for safety concerns.”
By comparison Hillary was twice booed. The first time was when she said she has always and will continue to work for "change for you. The audience, particularly from Obama supporters (they were waving Obama signs) let out a noise that sounded like a thousand people collectively groaning. The second time came a few minutes later when Clinton said: "The there are two big questions for voters in New Hampshire. One is: who will be ready to lead from day one? The second," and here Clinton was forced to pause as boos from the crowd mixed with cheers from her own supporters. "Is who can we nominate who will go the distance against the Republicans?”
The dinner held in the Hampshire Dome in Milford is the largest political dinner in New Hampshire history, Republican or Democrat. More than 3,000 people attended.
I was worried it might be premature to post the "Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead" video. Don't want to jinx it, you know. And it still might be too early to officially declare her "most sincerely dead" in the words of the munchkin coroner. But things are not looking good for her, now are they? Sing it high, sing it low!
"And Iowa she says is the name of the star"
January 4, 2008 11:48 AM
More reaction to Hillary's third place finish.
Turn your speakers up high, and dance with the little people. Dance!
HT: The Llamas
Can you imagine putting a sticker that says "Huckabee" on the back of your car?
Me either.The Iowa Results
January 3, 2008 11:00 PM
Hillary in third? A dream come true. True, I'm not being astute, because she's the easiest to beat in the general election, and all good Republicans should root for her in the primaries. I'm not one of that crowd. I want her, and him, gone.
As for the Republicans? Bad, bad, news for conservatism tonight. There is now a real possibility that we will be dealing with three major Republican candidates--Huckabee, McCain and Rudy--and not have a conservative among them. That's a sad, sad day. And a recipe for disaster in November.
Maybe it's just time to tune out, drop out, and make as much money as possible with the real job, since Edwards and Huckabee want to redistribute such a huge proportion of it.
Iowa. So what's the dream scenario for tonight?
I'd just love the Republicans to poll as follows:
(1) Romney, (2) Huckabilly, (3) Ron Paul, (4) Fred Thompson, (5) McCain and (6) Rudy.
Why? Because Romney is the well-rounded conservative in the case (other than Thompson, who can't win). Huckabee at No. 2 because well, that's just where he's going to be if he doesn't get No. 1. I'd like Huckabee to poll lower (last, actually), but that's just not possible. I'd like Ron Paul at No. 3 because I will delight at the gnashing of teeth. Fred at 4 because that's the only way Paul gets the 3 slot, and because Fred needs to drop out. McCain at 5 because we want to burst the latest "we love John McCain" media bubble before New Hampshire gets out of control (if it is not already). And Rudy at 6, just because he's not trying in Iowa at all.
As for the Democrats, I'd love to see:
(1) Obama, (2) Edwards and (3) Hillary.
Why? Because OH MY GOD if Hillary Clinton finishes third it would be just about the happiest day I could possibly ever have. Obama in first because he's not John Edwards and because if Edwards finished first he may actually win the nomination and that would be a disaster because he could actually be elected President. And we do not want that.
Can you imagine what tomorrow morning will be like if Hillary Clinton and Ron Paul both finish third in their respective primaries?
So I'm ready for a glass of wine, a spot on the couch, and Henry (the black lab) in his wing-back chair. Hopefully Shepard Smith is still on vacation. His annoying face is the only thing standing in the way of a great evening.
At long last, the details on the Kucinich UFO sighting
January 2, 2008 02:22 PM
I've been interested in this ever since Shirley MacLaine chimed in last fall, and said that Dennis Kucinich had seen a UFO in the backyard of her house. He's refused to give us the details, but now we've got 'em, thanks to the intrepid reporters at The Wall Street Journal. They spoke to the others who were there, Paul Costanzo, "a Juilliard-trained trumpet player and jujitsu black belt, who worked as Ms. MacLaine's assistant, personal trainer and bodyguard," and Mr. Costanzo's then-girfriend.
Ms. MacLaine was up performing her one woman show in Canada at the time, and wasn't home. Dennis was living at her house, though, writing his memoirs after Clevelanders voted him out of office after one term as Mayor. So it was just the three of them. You know, hanging out at Shirley's place.
Anyway, back to the story:
The day was strange from the start. For hours, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Costanzo and his companion noticed a high-pitched sound. "There was a sense that something extraordinary was happening all day," says the girlfriend. She and Mr. Costanzo say that none of the three consumed alcohol or took drugs.
As they sat down to a dinner, Mr. Kucinich spotted a light in the distance, to the left of Mount Rainier. Mr. Costanzo thought it was a helicopter.
But Mr. Kucinich walked outside to the deck to look through the telescope that he had bought Ms. MacLaine as a house gift. After a few minutes, Mr. Kucinich summoned the other two: "Guys, come on out here and look at this."
Mr. Costanzo and his girlfriend joined Mr. Kucinich, where they took turns peering through the telescope. What they saw in the far distance, according to both witnesses, was a hovering light, which soon divided into two, and then three.
After a few minutes, the lights moved closer and it became apparent that they were actually three charcoal-gray, triangular craft, flying in a tight wedge. The girlfriend remembers each triangle having red and green lights running down the edges, with a laser-like red light at the tail. Mr. Costanzo recalls white lights, but no tail.
Mr. Costanzo says each triangle was roughly the size of a large van, while his former girlfriend compares it to a "larger Cessna, smaller than a jet certainly." Neither recalls seeing any markings, landing gear, engines, windows or cockpits.
The craft approached to within 200 yards, suspended over the field just beyond the swimming pool. Both witnesses say it emitted a quiet, throbbing sound -- nothing like an airplane engine.
"There was a feeling of wanting to communicate something, but I didn't know what," says Mr. Costanzo.
The craft held steady in midair, for perhaps a minute, then sped away, Mr. Costanzo says. "Nothing had landed," he says. "No strange beings had disembarked. No obvious messages were beamed down. When they were completely out of sight, we all looked at each other disbelieving what we had seen."
At Mr. Kucinich's suggestion, they jotted down their impressions and drew pictures to memorialize the event. Mr. Kucinich kept the notes, according to Ms. MacLaine, who said he promised her recently that he would try to find them.
"It was proof to me that we're obviously not alone," says the girlfriend.
The next day, the group spotted what they thought to be military helicopters buzzing around the valley where they had made the sighting. And the high-pitched sound remained.
Mr. Kucinich called Ms. MacLaine in Canada to tell her what had happened. "He said it was beautiful, serene, and it moved him," says Ms. MacLaine, who is supporting Mr. Kucinich's candidacy. "He was not afraid of it, let's put it that way. Seeing something that close and sophisticated and gentle."
Ms. MacLaine says she has seen UFOs from a distance in New Mexico and Peru, but never up close. She was envious. "I'm the one who reports them, but they never make close visitation. What am I doing wrong?"
What is she doing wrong, indeed?
Also, where are those notes? Dennis promised Shirley recently that he would try to find them. Why doesn't he get on that?
And what about this:
Ms. MacLaine says she called Mr. Kucinich before she included his UFO sighting in her book, "Sage-ing while Age-ing," a recounting of her spiritual and professional journeys. "I can handle it," she says he told her.
Talk about things you can say when you know your Presidential campaign is going nowhere. Here's how I imagine that conversation going down:
Drrrrrring. Drrrrrrrrring. [phone ringing].
Dennis: "Howdy ho!"
Shirley: "Hey Denny it's Shirls."
Dennis: "Haaaaay Shirls!!!!"
Shirley: "Your voice. Dennis. God, I miss you. When you need me in New Hampshire, I'm there for you."
Dennis: "I need to check with Elizabeth."
Shirley: "LOVE that girl. You know Den, I was thinking..."
Dennis: "Talk to me Shirls! Talk to me!"
Shirley: "...remember when you were staying with me twenty five years ago..."
Dennis: "OH YEAH. KEEP TALKING. OH YEAH!"
Shirley: "Well I was just down in Peru looking at cave art drawn here five million years by Our Friends and was thinking about that time you were at my house with Pauly and his girl, and you all had that special experience."
Dennis: "OH YEAH. KEEP TALKING. OH YEAH!"
Shirley: "Dennis! (giggles) I'm talking about the time you saw The Ship! I was wondering if I could put that in my new book, Sage-ing While Age-ing."
Dennis: "Oh what the hell. Why not."
Shirley: "Wonders, Den. Wonders. You're the best! Hugs and kisses to Elizabeth!"
Dennis: "OH YEAH. KEEP TALKING. OH YEAH!"
Housing Prices: Blaming Republicans, the rich, etc, on the way down...
December 28, 2007 09:08 AM
...just like on the way up. Mickey Kaus reminds us of the benefit to the housing "crisis":
Are you impressed with a drop in home values of 6.6% over a year? It doesn't seem like such a big correction, given the dramatic run-up in prices over the last decade or so. ... And don't declining prices make housing more... what's the word? ... affordable?** ... This evening NBC Nightly News billboarded a "housing CRISIS." (Link available here.) I thought a "housing crisis" was when people couldn't find housing, not when it got cheaper. (NBC's expert: "It's very, very difficult to find any silver lining." No it's not.) ...
He's absolutely right. Chez NBS has been on the market since October 1, and hasn't sold yet. But when it does sell, we'll be able to take advantage of a huge drop in prices on houses that are bigger, nicer, and in better neighborhoods than what we first thought we could afford. It has been quite enjoyable to see houses that were once outside of our price range fall within it.
And Mickey reminds us of who got all the blame when housing prices shot up so high in the first place:
During the runup in housing prices the air was filled with complaints from the left that the rich were bidding up the value of housing, which was becoming unaffordable for ordinary Americans whose wages were rising only slowly, etc.. Now that this process is unwinding, much of this affordability problem is presumably being corrected.
Right again. Mrs. NBS and I are constantly astounded when we watch those HGTV "Flip that House" type of shows, and they profile some complete dump in California that lists for $650,000 while still in an unrenovated crack-house-infested-with-feral-cats condition. How can anyone afford to live out there? Especially the working class? How can they possibly save up for a decent down payment?
Now that prices on the coasts are falling so dramatically, maybe people who are just starting out in life will be able to put more than 5% down, and thus won't lose all of their equity during a price slump? And I do feel sorry for the people who are losing their homes, don't get me wrong. But why didn't they know that if you can't put 20% down, you can't afford the house? That's been the rule of thumb for decades.
How'd that enormous flat screen get in my slum?
December 26, 2007 02:48 PM
Meet Sharon Jasper. She lives in Section 8 housing in New Orleans. She is not happy with her lot in life:
A HANO voucher covers her rent on a unit in an old Faubourg St. John home, but she said she faced several hundred dollars in deposit charges and now faces a steep utility bill.
"I'm tired of the slum landlords, and I'm tired of the slum houses," she said.
Pointing across the street to an encampment of homeless people at Duncan Plaza, Jasper said, "I might do better out here with one of these tents."
Get that? She might do better in a homeless encampment.
Now meet Sharon Jasper's tv:
Sharon says: "I might be poor but I don't like to live poor. I thank God for a place to live but it's pitiful what people give you."
Sharon, I give you 28% of my income every April 15. The only thing that's pitiful is that I don't have a 60 inch flat screen tv, and you're a welfare queen and you do. Where are my housing vouchers? Where's my flat screen tv? I don't like to live poor, either. It's pitiful what people give you. I'm still waiting for some stranger to come along and give me my flat screen tv. Where the hell is my new flat screen tv?
HT: Nixguy.
UPDATE: Oh my God, she's even worse than I thought.
Is it really a gift if you had to buy it for yourself? With your own tax dollars?
December 20, 2007 12:41 PM
It's enough to make your stomach churn. And Mom NBS, don't show this to Dad NBS. He'll blow a gasket.
Bonus question: What losing Democratic primary candidate once proudly declared "I don't want to be Santa Claus?" Triple Bonus points if you can explain why Hillary does.
Fred Thompson, Campaigner
December 19, 2007 06:27 PM
In a word, he's awful. From Politico, we hear of a trip to a firehouse in Iowa, where the Chief offered to let him try on his hat:
Thompson looked at it with a sour expression on his face.
“I’ve got a silly hat rule,” Thompson said.
In point of fact, the “silly” hat was the one Chief McKenzie wore to fires and I am guessing none of the firefighters in attendance considered it particularly silly, but Thompson was not going to put it on. He just stood there holding it and staring at it.
Part of being a good politician is knowing what is and is not a silly hat. A fire chief's hat is not a silly hat. And telling Iowans that you have a silly hat rule? Why do that? Where's the no silly hat constituency?
Thank God, though, for smart wives:
To save the moment, Jeri Thompson took the hat from her husband’s hands and put it on her head.
“You look cute,” Thompson said to her. She did.
Cute and smart. Why isn't she the one running again?
Jeri took off the hat and McKenzie led the Thompsons over to a fire truck.
The chief invited Thompson to climb up behind the wheel, but Thompson said, “Naw, this is fine.” And he stood there looking at the fire truck.
Jesus, Fred. Just get on the damn truck!
But back to Fred's no silly hat rule. You know who wears silly hats? Delegates to political conventions, that's who. Fortunately for Fred, I don't think he'll be seeing many of those delegates. And their silly, silly hats.
BIG UPDATE: Boo hiss to the Politico for their coverage of this. CBS was also at the firehouse with Fred, and their video does not comport with the Politico's coverage. At all. I'd mostly known Politico for their fairly even-handed reporting, though their Republican blogger has an irrational anti-Romney tone to his posts. Guess that spills over to their coverage of Team Fred, too.
Wait till Barbara Walters gets the Christmas Card from the Huckabee White House
December 18, 2007 09:33 AM
She's going to hate it. It's almost worth voting for him just for that reason alone.
White House Christmas, interesting on two fronts
December 17, 2007 09:06 AM
From Lisa Schiffren, writing in The Corner at National Review:
Each year instead of the usual Christmas card, my friend Diana Bannister sends out the official White House Christmas tree ornament. Despite our treelessness, we always look forward to getting them, and hanging them from a sconce. This year, the White House ornament features a sepia-toned scene of the wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom. That was the very first White House wedding, in 1886.
I am going out on a limb here and presuming that Laura Bush chose the scene on the 2007 ornament. I suspect that it foreshadows a White House wedding to come for the engaged Jenna.
Here's hoping it's before the general election, as it will generate lots of goodwill towards the Republican administration. And piss off all the right people in the process.
The Cleveland/Folsom match sounds like it was interesting:
While there have been several White House weddings for presidential daughters, Grover Cleveland's was the only wedding of a president himself. He was, at the time an "imposing" bachelor of 49, "just under 6 feet tall, and almost 300 lbs." Frances, a lovely young woman of 21, had been Cleveland's ward since the age of 12, when her father, who was Cleveland's law partner, died. In the accompanying booklet, the White House Historical Association tells us that "the public was captivated." (Not so clear what we would make of that today.)
Talk about a question that does not need to be answered. The public today would be mortified.
Huckabee endorsed by.... Ted Strickland
December 14, 2007 10:33 AM
Per the Enquirer, the Governor says:
...he’s the kind of combination of conservative views in some ways, but very, almost liberal views in other ways.
He’s a very socially compassionate man who obviously has concern for the poor and the working middle class, while at the same time, having rather conservative views when it comes to a matter like abortion or gay marriage. … I think of all the Republican candidates, Mr. Huckabee would be my personal choice.
It says a lot. Huckabee has "very, almost liberal views." And that's the opinion of the Ohio's leading Democrat.