July 21, 2010
Today's Ignored Major Victory
I know this totally got lost in the race matter, but President Obama did sign a massive new piece of legislation regulation the financial industry. We will be living with financial regulation long after everyone has forgotten the name of Shirley Sherrod.
I Know Who Breitbart is
Toby: I just figured out who you were.
Kiefer: He's gonna say Satan.
Toby: No, you're the guy that runs into the 7-11 to get Satan a pack of cigarettes.
West Wing, 20 Hours in L.A.
Andrew Breitbart is a cancer. He lies, with words and with video tape. His lies get people fired. He is a hateful, evil man.
Kiefer: He's gonna say Satan.
Toby: No, you're the guy that runs into the 7-11 to get Satan a pack of cigarettes.
West Wing, 20 Hours in L.A.
Andrew Breitbart is a cancer. He lies, with words and with video tape. His lies get people fired. He is a hateful, evil man.
July 20, 2010
Will the Crazy Hurt the GOP?
There's a school of thought out there in the political realm that, given the nature of the economy and the fact that Democrats control everything, Republicans are to make huge gains in the fall. The out-party almost always makes gains in off years, and incumbents do badly when the economy does badly. These are pretty hard and fast rules of political science.
However, some are starting to notice the potential for mitigating factors, that may cushion the coming GOP blow. Namely, that the Tea party has driven the GOP to the hard, hard right. Jon Chait, notes that in at least 4 Senate races, tea party right has made things easier for Democrats with their nuttiness. The most famous example being Harry Reid, who looked to be in real trouble till the tea party handed him an opponent that is completely nuts.
Here's Kevin Drum noting that the D's are picking up ground with independent voters. Could they be turned off by the tea party? Stay tuned.
However, some are starting to notice the potential for mitigating factors, that may cushion the coming GOP blow. Namely, that the Tea party has driven the GOP to the hard, hard right. Jon Chait, notes that in at least 4 Senate races, tea party right has made things easier for Democrats with their nuttiness. The most famous example being Harry Reid, who looked to be in real trouble till the tea party handed him an opponent that is completely nuts.
Here's Kevin Drum noting that the D's are picking up ground with independent voters. Could they be turned off by the tea party? Stay tuned.
July 19, 2010
Vast and Growing
Today's must read is a special report from the Washington Post on the nation's vast and growing intelligence-industrial complex. Intelligence in this country is first and foremost an industry and there is a lot of money to be made. A lot of people make a living pumping out top secret reports. The question is, is mass-producing reports like Ford puts out cars really the way to keep America safe.
July 18, 2010
Question of the Day
Who would you rather sleep with?
The Old Spice Guy:
or the Most Interesting Man in the World?
The Old Spice Guy:
or the Most Interesting Man in the World?
July 16, 2010
Craig-on-Dead-Tree Alert
Check out today's Amador Ledger-Dispatch. The opinion section features an opinion column by yours truly.
July 15, 2010
Craigorian Chant Goes to a Tea Party
That’s right; your humble correspondent has attended a meeting of the Motherlode Tea Party. Here is what I found. Lots of flag being waved, both your standard American and the more confrontational “don’t tread on me” rattlesnake flag. The sound of Lee Greenwalds cheesy classic “Proud to be an American” was playing over the PA system as I walked in the door. Good turnout, maybe a couple hundred people. The crowd was pure white, which doesn’t tell you much in Amador County, every crowd in the Motherlode is pure white. More men than women, but not overwhelmingly so. About a quarter of the crowd raised their hands when veterans were asked to show themselves. The most striking feature of the crowed was its age. This is not a young and spritely group. If the Tea Party ever did get the heavy hand of government off the back of the American people most of their members would die of disease and starvation once Social Security and Medicare went away. The meeting opening consisted of the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem and God Bless America and an invocation. The speaker for the “Constitutional Minute” didn’t do his prep and stumbled though a reading of the first and second amendments. Then came the committee chairs, pitches to join in and help spread the word, give money, give time, buy a tea party tea shirt and wear it proudly. Frankly, I was disappointed in the complete lack of anger. Health care passed. Financial reform is about to pass. The GOP is projected to do well in November. These are conservatives who’ve taken their lumps and have hope for the future.
The keynote speaker was one Dr. Angelo Codevilla, professor and former Reagan Administration official. He gave a rather rambling speech, a sort of conservative intellectual history in which he objected to both sides of the Civil War, Woodrow Wilson, FDR and Obama. Think about your oldest, tiredest college professor and you’ll get a pretty good sense of his style. The crowd was very generous, eager to clap strong points and laugh at dumb elites, but they were not given much red meat. The only concrete suggestions the speaker made were 1. Vote Republican 2. Break up the School District and 3. EPA officials should be elected. Huh?
So in the end, the Tea Party is the Republican Party with a name change. You could have hung “Republican Central Committee” outside that door and nothing would change. Less people, cause the Republican brand is dirt, but the same kind of people, same rhetoric and same goal – get Democrats out of office and replacing them with Republicans. And you know what, that's fine. “I didn’t like how the last election turned out” works pretty good as a platform. It was my guiding principal for the years 2001 to 2006. But the Tea Party is no revolutionary movement. Its members are too old and too content with their lives, their policy goals too vague and contradictory. Conservative Republicans are now the Tea Party. It’s a rebranding, like Kentucky Fried Chicken becoming KFC to seem healthier or ValueJet Airlines renaming itself Airtran after a crash.
They are trying to say “Forget about conservative Republicans, who gave you war and economic disaster, we are the Tea Party, a fresh force in American politics and life.”
They are not.
The keynote speaker was one Dr. Angelo Codevilla, professor and former Reagan Administration official. He gave a rather rambling speech, a sort of conservative intellectual history in which he objected to both sides of the Civil War, Woodrow Wilson, FDR and Obama. Think about your oldest, tiredest college professor and you’ll get a pretty good sense of his style. The crowd was very generous, eager to clap strong points and laugh at dumb elites, but they were not given much red meat. The only concrete suggestions the speaker made were 1. Vote Republican 2. Break up the School District and 3. EPA officials should be elected. Huh?
So in the end, the Tea Party is the Republican Party with a name change. You could have hung “Republican Central Committee” outside that door and nothing would change. Less people, cause the Republican brand is dirt, but the same kind of people, same rhetoric and same goal – get Democrats out of office and replacing them with Republicans. And you know what, that's fine. “I didn’t like how the last election turned out” works pretty good as a platform. It was my guiding principal for the years 2001 to 2006. But the Tea Party is no revolutionary movement. Its members are too old and too content with their lives, their policy goals too vague and contradictory. Conservative Republicans are now the Tea Party. It’s a rebranding, like Kentucky Fried Chicken becoming KFC to seem healthier or ValueJet Airlines renaming itself Airtran after a crash.
They are trying to say “Forget about conservative Republicans, who gave you war and economic disaster, we are the Tea Party, a fresh force in American politics and life.”
They are not.
Can You Un-Defect? Is that allowed in this Game?
If intriguing international spy stuff keeps hitting the front pages like this, I may not need to start watching Covert Affairs to get my tradecraft fix. Of course Piper Perabo makes a strong counter-argument. I could stand to get hotness with my spying. But wait! Real life offers that too!
July 14, 2010
Lord What Fools These Mortals Be
In the spirit of high-minded professionalism, I've generally stayed away from the more-tabloidy side of the Sarah Palin saga in order to focus on calling her stupid thoughtful criticism of her policy positions. But the latest turn of Bristol and Levi saga is just fascinating. Despite the best efforts of Sarah Palin, an evil tabloid culture tracking their every move and their own teenage dumbness, these kids have gotten back together. And they didn't even tell her! They let her read about it in US Weekly!
Victory Mother F***ers!
God bless you, first Amendment. A federal appeals court struck down the FCC indecency rules yesterday. So once more the world is safe for Bono to utter "fleeting expletives" during award shows. I'm not sure if this ruling makes it safe for Janet Jackson's boob, but we can always hope.
July 13, 2010
Scary Killer Robot. A Real Scary Killer Robot!
The British Ministry of Defense has just unveiled a new combat drone aircraft and it is easily the scariest looking thing I've ever seen:
I mean just look at that thing. Its clearly about ten seconds away from becoming sentient and starting to hunt us all down!
I mean just look at that thing. Its clearly about ten seconds away from becoming sentient and starting to hunt us all down!
The Palin Stratigery
Marc Ambinder breaks down what Sarah Palin is up to, politically speaking. She not doing exactly what you are supposed you do to become President, but then, she's gotten this far hasn't she?
July 12, 2010
On the Unbelievable WW2
This is the most brilliant thing I've read today. Do you really expect us to believe all that? No one is that evil!
July 11, 2010
Tax Cheat
The national deficit is created by a simple equation. Money spent - taxes collected = deficit. Note how there are two sides to the equation, spending and taxes and how they have an equal impact on the deficit? I.E. if you increase spending by a billion dollars it has the exact same impact on the deficit that cutting taxes by a billion dollars does.
The GOP want to pretend that taxes don't affect the deficit, that spending is the only part of the equation. Here's Sen. Jon Kyl, the other Republican from Arizona, claiming that you should never have to offset the cost of a tax cut, as if that's some kind of accounting rule.
No.
A tax cut adds to the debt. Bush's tax cuts to the wealthy will cost $678 billion just as sure as spending $678 billion on tanks, or health care or free pie for everyone in America. Tax cuts raise the deficit.
The GOP want to pretend that taxes don't affect the deficit, that spending is the only part of the equation. Here's Sen. Jon Kyl, the other Republican from Arizona, claiming that you should never have to offset the cost of a tax cut, as if that's some kind of accounting rule.
No.
A tax cut adds to the debt. Bush's tax cuts to the wealthy will cost $678 billion just as sure as spending $678 billion on tanks, or health care or free pie for everyone in America. Tax cuts raise the deficit.
July 8, 2010
Tradec for Value or Numbers
Looks like the spies we caught are going to be made part of a swap for ones the Russians caught. My question is - do we trade for quality or just numbers? Is one James Bond worth three ordinary hack spies, or are they ranked by the secrets they stole. Of course, if you get caught that means that you are not the best.
July 6, 2010
July 4, 2010
July 1, 2010
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