Making Choices

You know California didn't actually decide to become just a houser of prisoners. What happened was whole series of ballot measures went before the people of California and they voted for short term feel good stuff. Cap taxes? Of course, who doesn't want low taxes? Lock up convicts forever for three offenses? Sure, it works in baseball, why not the penal system? Not once was there a ballot measure saying "lets house a bunch of prisoners in exchange for massive increases in tuition costs"

I wonder what the vote on that would have been

Time for Everyone to Hate France Again

Handball!

Loser

Doug Hoffman, the conservative in the special election drama of upstate New York, is un-conceding the loss, two week after election day. Now the vote margin did tighten from the election night count, but Hoffman is still going to lose. Remember, its not like concession are legally binding. The vote count is what it is. Whining about imaginary ACORN plots will not change that.

Great Achievements in Old.

Congratulations to Senator Robert Byrd, who has just set the record for longest-serving member of Congress in American history. He has served in Congress for 56 years and 320 days. He first joined congress in 1953.

Robert Byrd has been in Congress longer than the current President has been alive.

Scene From a Different World

Via the Monkey who knows Kung Fu, the coolest thing I've read all month:

Scenes From An Alternate Universe Where The Beatles Accepted Lorne Michaels’ Generous Offer

Wow. Just Wow.

An Illustrated Point

This guy:



is not this guy:



Ezra Klein explains.

Who Killed Craig?

It was Rahm Emanuel, with the anonymous leak, in the Oval Office.

The story of the intrigue behind the resignation of Greg Craig.

He didn't jump. He was pushed!

Good lord! Who knew that Washington D.C. was a place of such intrigue and backstabbing? That city isn't just dangerous for Craigs, it's dangerous for everybody.

Greatness

100 greatest quotes from The Wire.

Traffic Drive!

So I've been blogging more recently, what with the extra free time and all. I figure more people should be reading all this hard work. So this week I'll be doing my best to spread the word about Craigorian Chant and all its wonders. Mustering what slender social media resources I have, and using some very questionable traffic generation sites. For you regular readers who keep coming back, feel free to help the cause. Tell your friends. In fact, here's what I ask of you, the reader:

1. Visit. Once a day is all I ask. I promise there will always be something new every day.
2. Leave a comment. Comments make me happy. Even if it's to call bull. Especially then.
3. Click the ads. I know there's nothing there you want to buy. Don't do it for the stuff. Do it for me.
4. Tell people about it. Work it naturally into the conversation. Cite me as an authority on a subject "As I was reading on Craigorian Chant at lunch today, clearly the implication is..."

Today's Moment of Zen

Remember soccer as kid? Bunch-ball! Remember when you could screw up this bad and it be cute?



Via Deadspin.

Always with the Palin

Brace yourselves for a whole week of Palin. The book she "wrote" is coming out Tuesday, so this is the week of the media storm. Cover of Newsweek (which rips her), Oprah today and so on. She's going to be everywhere.

Palin really does show how far you can go in this Country on looks and attitude alone. She's served part of a term as Governor of Alaska, been the Vice-Presidential candidate on a losing national ticket and...that's it. She doesn't have the slightest knowledge about public policy. Her public pronouncements are so ill-informed as to be actually dangerous to health and safety. Yet she is the most prominent Republican in the nation right now.

For me, Palin represents the answer to Voltair's classic prayer: "Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." Despite the media blitz, she remains very unpopular. Should she pull off the world's greatest punking and actually get the Republican nomination in 2012 the GOP would be burned down to the bedrock. They really might go the way of the Wigs. David Brooks knows the deadly danger Palin represents for Republicans. He claims that "Republican primary voters are not going to elect a talk show host." But deep down, he knows that the party of Reagan the actor could easily go with Palin the celebrity. And that would spell the end of the conservative project in America.

Mad World

In honor of the fact that

"the two big new attacks on the President are that he (a) bows at formal meetings with Japanese people and (b) wants to see terrorists tried for their crimes."

here's Mad World:

Wake Up!

You Got Things to Do!

Spoils of War

Remember when we went to war with the moon last month? Turns out we found water with that little bombardment stunt. Lots of water.

A Sad Day for Craigs Everywhere

Terrible news today in the world of Craigs. The magnificently named Greg B. Craig is stepping down as White House counsel. Some guy with the clearly inferior name of Robert Bauer will now be the President's top lawyer. Craig had a rocky tenure, having to deal with the ungodly legal mess of torture and the Guantanamo prison left behind by the previous Administration.

George Stephanopoulos once said "Presidents use up advisers like bullets."

Truly the worldwide community of Craigs is lessened by this turn of events.

Well Not All Fun

Today's fun fact. There is an Islamic militant group in the Philippines called Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF.

Via TPM.

Why the Apology?

What so interesting about this episode isn't that The Daily Show nailed Sean Hannity. That's what they do. What's interesting is that Hannity backed down and appologized, even if it was a half-ass effort. Hannity is just a dick in everything he says, isn't he?

I figure, FoxNew's mission is to be an inflitrator in the fourth estate. It has to look like a real news organization, otherwise it can't function. So if its cautgh doing something so blatant, like using protest fotage from the another day, that completely destroys that thin illution of a real new org, it has to walk it back. Only enough to keep its cover intact.

Bye Lou

Dobbs leaves CNN. A powerful voice for beating up on illegals is gone. Good thing we have many damn others.

This Could Work

Hire these guys, get their recommendation, do the exact opposite.

Call it anti-stratigery. This could revolutionise the statigery field.

The Only Reply You Need

Hanging out on the Internet as I do, you come across this sentiment a lot. Variations include both parties are equally bad! and Everything Sucks! The people making these claims always think that they are very brave for doing so. But this is the coward's way out. Yes, the system sucks. I've got a political system reform list as long as my...arm (Abolishing the Senate is at the top). Yes, corporate money plays too big a role. Yes, Obama is going to disappoint you.

So what?

If these problems were easy, they would have been solved already. You think a single thing ever got changed by people saying "it all sucks" Suck it up and get in the game already.