The Return of Chenyism

Liz Cheney, daughter of Dick and very much his heir, has moved to Wyoming, surrounded by rumors of a possible Senate run.

Unlike the Darth Vader story, the children of Darth Cheney will not redeem him. Liz Cheney has been a vigorous defender of the worst parts of her Father's regime (which she served in), including torture, Iraq and so on. Liz does not offer a new, improved version of the ideology that ruined the beginning of the 21st Century.

The path Liz is on is a return to power, not a return to the light.

The War for Better Beer Continues

Budweiser is getting sued for watering down their beer.

How could they tell?

Oscar Review

Man there was a lot of singing in that one.

Seth MacFarlane was terrible. Awful delivery of lazy dumb jokes. Actresses have boobs! Jews run Hollywood! We can't understand what Salma Hayek says, but we don't care cause she's so good looking? Plus he's so shifty and insincere in his delivery, like he doesn't believe what he's saying or someone else is making him do this.

I honestly believe that Ann Hathaway should have won for Catwoman in Dark Knight Rises and not for Le Mis.

Good on Argo, both for best picture and for best adapted screenplay, for truly the screenplay was the best part of the movie. Thanking Canda was a nice touch.

Daniel Day Lewis winning for being Lincoln was the most predictable of wins. I shall maintain that Jessica Chastain was robbed until I actually see Silver Linings Playbook.

Can Drones Be Beat?

It seems to me that drones have been portrayed in the media as completely unstoppable death-robots akin to the Terminator, only better. XYCD sums things up pretty well:

After recent operations in Mali, a list of Al-Qaeda's tips to countering drones was found and published in the Telegraph. Most of the list is some variation on "Run and Hide" but there also seems to be some ideas for techniques to try and jam the signals that control the drone and even a suggestion that snipers could take out a drone, a la the newest, Bourne movie.

All told, the best tactic for drone dodging seems to be "don't be Al-Qaeda."

Lucky for me, figuring out how to beat drones is more of an intellectual exercise or though-experiment for my in-the-works action movie script than a real life-or-death dilemma.

ReRage

So thanks to MSNBC, Rachel Maddow and David Corn and their well-done documentary "Hubris: Selling the Iraq War," I got to relive and the greatest hits of the run-up to the Iraq war: Curveball, Yellowcake, greeted at liberators and all the rest. I'm reconnecting with my Bush rage.

Its been buried deep, under layers of Obama Joy and Obama Frustration, but its always been there. Lying us into a war! A war! We fought a war we didn't need to!

All those wasted lives! And for what! Grrrr

BUSH WAS A TERRIBLE PRESIDENT.

THE RAGE IS BACK.

Chemical Worker's Song

What need around here are more songs on topic. Today: Working conditions.

Block

Senate Republicans blocked the vote on Chuck Hagel to be Defense Secretary. This marks the first time a minority of Senators has ever used the Filibuster to prevent the conformation of a Cabinet nominee. The Filibuster has gotten worse and worse over time. It used to be only used to block major pieces of legislation, like Civil Rights. Then it was used to block every single piece of legislation ever. And then it was used to prevent judges and mid-level staffing of government. And now its being use to prevent the staffing of high government offices.

The Filibuster, rules that allow the minority to block the will of the majority in the Senate, has rendered the United States Government incapable of action. It is a fundamental breakdown of the governing structure of the Country.

Completely Cynical SOTU Analysis

A long list of good public policy ideas, many of them very good and needed, presented in a dramatic and emotionally appealing way. Almost all of whom need to be passed by both Houses of the United States Congress, an institution broken beyond any hope when it comes to acting on issues of public policy. A Senate that is controlled by the filibuster rule and has at least 40 Republicans is not going to raise the minimum wage or help anyone go to pre-school. And if by some miracle of lobbying and Presidential arm-twisting and citizen involvement, the Senate does pass something, the House is firmly in the hands of the GOP and the House GOP is firmly in the hands of the Ted Nugent wing of the party. So that's that.

Also Rubio did look silly with the water. The same logic applies to his list of policy ideas, none of which are going anywhere while Obama is President and the Dems control the Senate. So we might as well spend time taking about the water.

Big Beer vs Small Beer

One Possible Future

Via LG&M, may I direct your attention to a fascinating article on the state of competition between the super-mega-conglomerate beer makers and the army of craft breweries.

The vast majority of the American beer market is in the hands of just two players: Anheuser-Busch who has about 47% of the market and MillerCoors which has 30%. The Justice department has sued to prevent Anheuser-Busch from buying up Mexico's Modelo, the marker of Corona and other brands, which who give them another 6% of the market. Over 50% of the market in the hands of A-B would be a total disaster. My God, Bud Light Lime. Total crap product sold to the public with boobs and sappy horse commercials. Plus, the bigger they get the more they can set prices, which means we all pay more for the bad beer.

But small craft breweries, employing a novel tactic called "brewing good beer" are growing rapidly. They should make up 10% of the market in a couple of years. So big beer is doing all they can to crush small beer, represented in the story by Boston Beer Company, the biggest of the small. Big beer is creating brands that look like micro-brews, like Shock Top and Blue Moon, but ain't. They are using their distribution muscle to push small breweries off the shelves of your local connivance store. They are just going to buy out the little guys.

The fight for beer worth drinking is on! We shall fight them in the corporate boardrooms! We will fight them in the courtrooms! We shall fight them in the brewpubs! I shall will do my part (sip). Will you?

The Pope is Resigning

So long, and thanks for all the lawsuits.

Pope Benedict XVI has announced that he is stepping down as Pope, a really amazing turn of events considering that a Pope hasn't stepped down in 600 years. It kind of makes me dizzy contemplating an institution that has that much of a history you can reference.

First off, good for Benedict to make this choice and hopefully set a president. Elderly, sick leaders, obvious puppets of their young aids, do no one any good, in the Church, Boardroom, Presidential Palace or Senate. The rest of Benedict's record is pretty bad. He has renewed the Church's commitments on social justice issues, but has doubled down on the social issues - no to birth control, female priests, and so on. Benedict was neck-deep in the child abuse scandal, a issue which in a better world than this would have completely destroyed the Church's moral authority for at least a generation.

The Conclave to elect a new Pope with kick off next month. A better world is possible. There are cardinals, including leading candidates that are reformers and will change the Church for the better. (Current candidates and odds are here) Of course, its not in the hands of the people, just the select few. Oh and God, I guess. For the political science of Pope selection, see here.

Voter Guide 2012

Back by popular demand (Popular is three or more people, right?) I am reactivating Craigorian Chant and putting together one of our famous voter guides.

So here it is, how Craig believes you should vote. This is a complete guide to every issue found on Craig's ballot. If you have some local candidate or ballot measure that you need help with, seek out a political blogger in your area.

President of the United States. Seriously, if you ain't rich, and I don't mean "better off" I mean staggering, gobspackingly Scrooge McDuck rich, don't vote for Mitt Romney. You will be worse off for it. And don't get me started on social issues, we will be here all day. I could go on and on, but I've the rest of this ballot to deal with. The Chant recommends Barack Obama.

United States Senator. Someone really needs to challenge Dianne Feinstein from the left in the Primaries. She was something in her day, but is really sort of a spent force now. That said, Emken is just a standard issue Republican and not a very bright one at that. The Chant recommends Dianne Feinstein.

Congress, California 4th District. True story, the one personal encounter I had with congressman Tom McClintock I came away very impressed. I still oppose him and everything he stands for, but still. Impressive on a personal level. Jack Uppal has pluck, fighting the good fight in a district stacked against him. The Chant recommends Jack Uppal.

State Assembly 5th District. Here's where we get strategic. Because of California's new jungle primary, we ended up with two Republicans running in the general election. Hard choice? I'm going with Bigelow, as he seems less of an ass than Oller and a little to his left. Plus I like his hat. The Chant recommends Frank Bigelow.

Sutter Creek City Council. Three people running for three seats. Democracy! It doesn't matter what the Chant Recommends.

Proposition 30. This is the tax measure that Governor Brown introduced. Look if we want to be California, and have good school and State parks and all the rest, we need to pay for it. Otherwise we might as well be Texas, a low-tax wasteland. The Chant recommends Yes.

Proposition 31. Budget reforms, including a two-year budget and less money going from the locals to the State. We only have to do the budget dance every other year? Sign me up. The Chant Recommends Yes

Proposition 32. This measure is almost cartoonishly deceptive. It restricts union political action while leaving Corporate power untouched, while claiming to be some kind of good-government measure. This is why the Proposition system in California is broken. The Chant Recommends No.

Proposition 33. Every few years, the auto insurance industry tries to change the laws governing their industry. Do you really think Insurance Companies are spending big money on this because its good for us? The Chant Recommends No.

Proposition 34. Repeal the Death Penalty. Sure. It takes forever to for California to kill anyone anyway, its very expensive, and "closure" is the worst concept in the history of mankind. The Chant Recommends Yes.

Proposition 35. Penalties for Human Trafficking. Does it really matter what I say? Who's gonna want to be soft on human trafficking?

Proposition 36. Three strikes reform. Can't put someone away forever if the third strike is not a serious crime. Makes a brutal law less brutal. The Chant Recommends Yes.

Proposition 37. Requires labeling of genetically engineered food. Meh. I'm tired of people trying to scare me over "FrankenFood" Find me a real study that show any real danger from genetically engineered food and I'll play. The Chant Recommends No.

Proposition 38. The other tax measure. Look, there are other things in State government than schools. Locking in large parts of the State Budget by Proposition is one reason the budget is such a mess each year. Plus I'm getting really sick of the Munger Children. Charles Munger Jr is a conservative and spends his inherited money on conservative crap like prop 32. The liberal Molly Munger is spending millions on a tax initiative (38) that confuses things and may put in jeopardy the tax initiative that has a real chance of passing (30). I'm really getting tired of California as the political playground of the rich and bored. The Chant Recommends No.

Proposition 39. Taxes on Interstate Businesses. Companies have to pay taxes on their sales in California, money goes to clean energy projects. Yeah. The Chant Recommends Yes.

Proposition 40. Redistricting. Trying to undo the maps created by the Citizen's Committee. A Yes vote keeps the maps The Chant Recommends Yes.

County Measure Q. Raises County Transit Occupancy Tax. It will cost more to visit me. Tough. We need the money. The Chant Recommends Yes.

County Measure U. Renewal of Abandoned vehicle program. Is there anything sadder than an abandoned car? The Chant Recommends Yes.

City Measure T. Makes the City Clerk an appointive, not elected position. This is a job for a professional. Plus, not one wants to run for the job anyway. The Chant Recommends Yes.

Newt's Campaign Quits

Not Newt's campaign manager or his campaign spokesman. His whole campaign staff just quit en mass. I invested a lot in the Gingrich campaign. I expected it to be there, keeping me entertained for the rest of the year and well into 2012. But the way Newt is going - moving from foul-up to mess-up to outright disaster - he's not going to last the month.

Liberals In Hollywood!

I say a big so what.

Even if you manage to prove that Liberals make movies and tv shows, what comes next? Unlike, say, the news pages and every TV news show except those on FoxNews there's no rule that people making TV comedies need to be apolitical. In fact, the only institution in America that's under any obligation to show both sides is news. And that's on its way out. See Fox.

People who build houses can have any kind of politics they want. People who cook for a living can have any kind of politics they want. People who make movies can have any kind of politics they want.

What efforts to prove that liberals run Hollywood or academia or whatever, is about shaming liberals, trying to make liberals ideas and liberal people something to be ashamed of.

Please.

Hearing What You Want

Michele Bachmann wants to run for President. She ask God about it. And God says go for it.

All the Air Belongs to Her

Even in this age of 24 hour news cycles there is only so much attention to go around. Only one story can lead the news. If there are 20 people running for President, only a few of them can get covered by...all the places that cover such things.

Whatever else she is, Sarah Palin is an absolute master at getting all the media attention she wants.  I mean, just look at her. She dressed up in leather today and rode with Rolling Thunder. There's nothing she will not do. Why would we want to watch Tim Pawlenty get Iran and Iraq mixed up when you can watch Palin. She's riding motorcyles! She's in leather!

Lawrence O'donnell made a very good case that Palin won't run and I'm with him on this, but as long as she acts like she is going to run, all the attention will be on her.

She sucks up all the air.

Easing Back in With A Music Video Edition

 Been neglecting the blog. Other projects. You know how it is. Time to ease back in.

Politics: Total War

Here is what we are facing in America today. A political party that is playing for keeps. The GOP and the right are using the power that they acquired in the last election the systematical target and destroy the supporters and institutions of the Democratic party and the left. They are targeting labor unions. They are targeting Planned Parenthood. They are targeting NPR. They show no shame in this. If you truly believe that you are the only true America and that half the country is bunch of communist sympathisers who hate mother and apple pie then you have trouble destroying civil institutions that are coded "lefty." College kids don't vote the right way? Just keep the college kids from voting.

Of course, this won't stand. You can't outlaw, defund, smear and generally use the power of government to undo everything half the country is in favor of. That half will strike back.  We will organize, raise money and run hard in the next election. And now that we know what the stakes are, we will play the same game.

Who You Got?

Less than 10 months away from the Iowa Caucuses!


The Republican field is starting to take shape. Most notably, its seems that Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee don't seem to be making the moves you expect if they were putting together a real run at the brass ring. Now, it could be that Palin is just going to do things her own way, and hope that her celebrity and massive media presence will exempt her from having to trugd throw the snows of New Hampshire. So the fact that two poll leaders may not run scramble things a bit.


So who's going to win this thing? Chait makes the case for Tim Pawlenty, but I'm uncovinced, mainly for the simple fact that Pawlenty is as boring as dirt. Look at the presidential canidates of recent times. Say what you will about Obama, Clinton x 2, McCain, Bush x 2, Palin and the rest, but people rise to national prominence for a reason. The say intesting things, have done interesting thing, have interesting backgrounds and posses interesting skills. Pawlenty just doesn't.


But everyone else in the field has trouble. 


Romney passed a health care reform that looked a lot like Obama's, and by the way has no soul.


Newt, lets face it, isn't going anywhere.


Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is as close to Boss Hog as you will ever find in real life.


Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is even more dull than Pawlenty.


Now, somebody has to win this thing. I just can't you the story of how any of these guys do it.

Slow Down

There's a principal of foreign policy I'd like to try out. Let's call it the McCain Violence Advocacy Principal. The MVAP states that in any given foriegn policy situation or crisis, John McCain will advocate the maximum theoretical amount of violence. There will be no one to John McCain's right on the use of the military. So if he can advocate all-out war and 100-year occupation, in Iraq, that's what he does. If that sounds too crazy, he'll advocate a lesser state of violence, like "bombing" Iran. (It doesn't stop with one air strike, but let's not get into that). Note how no one in American politics advocates an invasion and occupation of Iran? "Airstrikes" is as far as anyone goes, and that's where John McCain goes.  Now if bombing is too crazy, the MVAP will seek out lesser measures, like "being strong" and "not backing down."

Which brings us to Libya. What's the most aggressive policy possible? A No Fly Zone. Now some may think that a No Fly Zone is something other than war, a mere defensive measure that will keep Libyans safe. SecDefense spelled this out a No Fly Zone is a war. It means bombing the crap out of Libyan air defenses before putting large number of planes overhead. Its expensive and puts a strain on our military. You know that last Country we did a No Fly Zone over? Iraq. One of the reason given for invasion was to end the costly enforcement of the No Fly Zone. A No Fly Zone is a way to back into a full war in Libiyia.

Stay away from the MVAP.

So...Close..

Newt is getting closer and closer to running. Fox News just kicked him off thier air, because aparently you can't run for President and still get a pay-check from Fox News. Its Fox New's one ethical rule.

Here's John Dickerson trying to game out Newt's chances while taking into account that the man in totally unlikeable. Seems like a thin case.