Piltdown Man

2008-09-19T19:16:00.002-04:00

It's the economy? No, it's the politicians, stupid!

The near disastrous meltdown of the world's financial markets isn't just "one of those things

that happens." It was and is the inevitable end result of the Reagan-inspired decision to "deregulate,

deregulate, deregulate, baby!" Of course, using the world "inspired" and Reagan in the same

sentence can create some cognitive dissonance, but so be it.

Reagan was a populous boob who wanted to feather his nest, be liked and make sure that the

elite, moneyed-class of America got what they assumed (and have always assumed) was their due.

It boiled down to "the rich get richer."

Lots of subsequent pols took the baton and ran with it. They built entire campaigns and careers on

the idea that government is, by and large, bad and stupid. That the government is the root of all evil

and should be constrained at every turn. Now, just pause for a moment and look out across the great

caverns of lower Manhattan, the bastion of the American financial system...and ask yourself this; if

the "private sector" is so darned good at things...why are we facing (and it ain't over yet...) the

potential collapse of the worlds economic system? This isn't some fantasy financial game you play on

your computer, kids, this is the real thing! And what's really real about it is just how culpable the

neocon GOP political philosophy and all its adherents are.

They are the problem. Not the greedy pigs on Wall Street. There has always been greed and always

will be. It is a basic human condition, exhibited across the centuries. But what is supposed to make

us different in the year 2008 is our ability to diminish the effects of such things. Yet we can't and we

didn't, because the Republicans want unfettered markets which will "self-correct," except, like now,

when they won't.

They don't want government interference, except now, when their portfolios are nosing diving into the

deep end of the pool like Joseph Cotton with a bullet in his back.

Come November, I think, instead of McCain, it will be Barack Obama who will be ready for his close up.

2008-09-18T20:38:00.002-04:00

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there, We're as happy as can be....

So kids, Obama's solid support, and not the ludicrous "Palin Bounce" seems to be ruling the day.

New poll numbers show Obama's strength in several key states and show that Palin was, probably,

nothing more than a media-inspired poll quirk.

Or was it Wall Street...and the nation's flagging retirement funds which got the attention of the

seemingly fickle American public? Were they finally able to put 2 and 2 together and add up what has

been happening to them? Maybe. The wild swings on the trading floors of lower Manhattan are difficult

to parse for anyone who doesn't spend their days with a Bloomberg ticker within arms length...but when

your 401k tanks and your house loses half it's value...well, that may be a wake-up call.

Democrats across the board are breathing a bit easier, but this is far from over.

Obama, I have noticed, has taken the advice of many Progressives and has sharpened his tone a bit.

He is more willing to go for the jugular...and that is a good thing. The beauty for him is this; he can

say things that are more pointed and acidic...but his verbal tone remains one of reason and temperance.

McCain, on the other hand, sounds like a whiny warmonger when he gets his hackles up....just like the

man who hopes to emulate, George W. Bush.

2007-12-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

Tidbits...

Larry Craig is still in the Senate.

David Vitter is still in the Senate.

Just didn't want you to forget just how corrupt and dishonorable that august body is....

Charles Barkley may be right when he said "I'm no role model," but I don't want my kids emulating anyone in government, either.

I predict that CIA TapeGate will unravel quickly, and will give Bush another chance (ala Irv Libby) to pardon someone in his employ, who, it seems, did the Prez a favor by destroying evidence of high-level malfeasance.

Isn't it amazing just how often torture is being discussed and parsed? What's wrong with that picture? Mukasey fiddled and fussed and obfuscated and the Senate gave him a pass. Makes me proud.

In Pittsburgh, new taxes are welcoming revelers at holiday time. Seeing few other options, and without a solid, dependable source of funding for mass transit, Allegheny County instituted a 10% tax on poured drinks and an additional tax on rental cars...just to help keep the buses running. Onorato, who is clearly on the Governor Track, probably didn't want to do this, as it will be used against him ("Tax and spend") when the time comes for TV ads. Someone has to explain to me why we can't find a way to pay for the Port Authority, but we can build three new sports arenas over the course of ten years. I can't wait for gas to go to $5.00 a gallon....that'll change a lot of minds.

2007-10-29T23:52:00.000-04:00

Blackwater Black Marks

The fact that Blackwater mercenaries may have lost control and fired indiscriminently at citizens in Iraq is not surprising. They are, after all, hired killers. It's what they were trained to do. It's what, no doubt, a lot of them look forward to doing. After all, training is one thing, but unleashing a hail of automatic gunfire on live targets is quite another.

But, for a moment, put all that aside. For the real shame lies elsewhere.

The shame and the sin is with a U.S. government which feels compelled to hire mercenaries to protect its own. Can someone explain this to me? Can someone tell me why we can't use our own trained military personnel to protect State Department officials?

What's that you say? It's because they would be culpable and would be responsible under the rule of law that governs both citizens and the military...even under the Bush administration? Well, right you are. Sorry I asked.

Sorry things have gotten to this point.

Sorry.

2007-10-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

Larry Craig Stiffens His Resolve

OK. Cheap shot.

But by going back on his word and failing to resign from that once-august body known as the U.S. Senate,

Larry Craig deserves our derision.

Craig is guilty. He admitted it. There is no wiggle room. OK. Sorry. Another cheap shot.

Now he seeks absolution from a Senate ethics committee. Wow, Larry. That would really clear things up.

It'll have the legal weight and bearing of those commercials in which a bunch of guys debate "Man Rules."

Of course, if you're a Democrat, you gotta love this. One more in an ongoing parade of bizzare, dysfunctional

Republicans in public-meltdown mode.

The sad part in all this is that the U.S. electorate is now so ennured to these sorts of scandals that

they hardly carry any weight. "Ho hum" may be the meta-reaction. So while the United States has been

systematically stripped of its international moral authority through the actions of the Bush administration

abroad, we have, concurrently, lost the moral authority which the House and Senate once held.

Like I said. It's sad.

2007-10-03T21:04:00.001-04:00

Didn't any of you ever see Elmer Gantry?

Al Franken, the comedian-cum-candidate said it best; Rush Limbaugh is a big, fat idiot.

This flabby man-mountain has made a mountain of money appealing to the baser instincts of our nation's citizenry. And now, when he trashes "phony soldiers" who might dare think a thought that hasn't been predigested and spewn forth from the rapidly reeling right wing, his corporate enablers come to his rescue.

Clear Channel (a antithetical name if there ever was one) CEO Mark Mays stands up and tells us what a fine and noble citizen Rush is. Yea, no kidding, Markie old boy. Fat ass Rush is your major (and I almost hate to use the obvious metaphor, 'cause it's too easy...) cash cow...and you don't want nothin' to bring him down! So go Rush! Love me some soldiers!

And I'm serious. Didn't anyone ever see Elmer Gantry? Don't you understand how you're being played for fools? Rush is the worst of us. He is the anti-American. He is a modern-day McCarthy. He is a greedy, drug-addled idealogue with about as much heart and soul as, say, George Bush.

Now back to NASCAR.

2007-10-02T19:31:00.000-04:00

It's very hard to see clearly when you're peering into Blackwater....

I don't blame this company for what they've done. They hire and train killers and thugs. Hell, that's probably on their "Vision Statement."

No, what's pathetic is that we've out-sourced our security to third-party mercenaries. And, unlike Verizon call centers in Bangalore, this isn't about cost. It's about accountability.

This Administration loves freelancing. Let the hot shots from Blackwater shoot and kill and main... and let the blood trail end...when Rambo gets fired. Not indicted or court martialed. Fired. I mean, man, that's some tough love there!

The Bushistas and the GOP in general love this sort of hands-off, "We didn't know" crap. If we have the "best trained military in the world," can someone tell me why the hell we need to pay people 5-6 times as much to guard our diplomats?

The GOP have buckets of blood on thier hands, and yes, there is a special place in hell for them.

2007-10-01T12:13:00.001-04:00

A Long Time Gone

It's been a long time since I've said "Hi." It's not that I haven't had something to say, it's just that elements of the real world have interceded and left me without the time necessary to post anything I thought was cogent enough.

Now, not much has changed. I'm still very busy, but I figured; "Who needs cogent?"

So here are a few tidbits, just to get us started again...

Preident Bush has decided it's okay to give billions PER MONTH to the Iraqi's, but not to our children. How can the Democrats lose on this issue? If they need advice in framing it, refer back to the first sentence in this paragraph. That's it in a nutshell. Of course, what Bush is really attempting to do is to give the GOP some minor bit of street cred when it comes to their long-lost position as "financially fiscal." Personally, I can't wait to see the Republicans run on this veto next fall....

There are inklings that former Senator Rick Santorum might run for the Governor's mansion in PA. If he does, at least we'll know where he actually lives! And does he really think that living in Leesburg,VA for several more years...while still maintaining the Penn Hills fiction, will be forgotten? In case you're wondering, there is a website domain registed for "santorum2010." Of course, he could be running for President....

I like John Edwards, but his campaign is relying far too much on Elizabeth to be a proxy for her husband. I get emails almost daily that bear her signature. Honestly, I'm sure she's a nice lady, but she's not running for President. I think this hurts John and makes him look like a wimp. Politics is a bare-knuckled sport and American's don't like it when husbands let their wives do their fighting for them....

2007-04-16T22:42:00.000-04:00

Edwards and Blacksburg

Got an email tonight from the Edwards campaign.

From where I sit, he might as well have slipped on a helmet and gone off to drive a tank. His race for President, if it didn't end on "60 Minutes," is surely over now.

The email was related to the VT shootings...and I found it deeply troubling. It included a snippet from a prayer of some sort. Not being the praying type, I skimmed it.

What is troubling is that John Edwards felt the need to spam me on a night like this. To attempt, and that's all it can be, to curry poltical favor out of a massive tragedy.

The funny thing is, I was an Edwards supporter from the get go. I liked the guy. Thought he was right-minded about a lot of issues.

But this is simply stupid. Prayer is a deeply personal thing. If John wanted to pray tonight, then bully. I wish you luck. I hope it works. But don't send me some smarmy missive. Keep it in your family. Or between you and your God. To fracture Dash Hammett, "It isn't the stuff emails are made of...."

There is wisdom in knowing when to shut the hell up...and Edwards, clearly doesn't have it.

2007-03-28T19:52:00.000-04:00

Edwards, Cancer and Politics

The John and Elizabeth Edwards Show on "60 Minutes" was, to my mind, a bit odd.

It was half confessional, half evangelical. And not in a religious, right-wing sense. Both husband and wife seemed determined to turn this human tragedy into some sort of odd political "opportunity." The way gigantic problems are term "challenges" in this politically-correct world.

And I like Edwards. I like what he stands for and they positions he's taken, mostly.

Is he a bit too glib? Maybe. But I'm an old fart, so that might figure in. Funny thing is; I started out not trusting anyone over 30...and now it's the other way around.

Will Ms. Edward's disease be the death of his campaign? Yes, I think so. Hard core supporters will hang tough, but others will shift to Obama or Clintor or....Gore.

Truth is. I think Gore is the new front runner. You heard it here first.

2007-03-23T22:20:00.000-04:00

Micro Manage

It's the latest hot GOP talking point. John McCain is particularly fond of it. Problem is - it's both wrong and wrong.

If the Dems were attempting to micro-manage the war in Iraq, they'd be making decisions about what zones to patrol and what number of troops should be deployed tonight in Fallujah. That's what micro managing means.

No, what the Dems are doing is attempting to macro-manage a war that has clearly been mis-managed on every level from day one.

While the President may indeed be the "Commander in Cheif," the House and the Senate are truly the Representatives of the people of the United States. Clearly and unequivocally, they have every right to question the President and to reign in his power...particularly when he has proven, time and again, that he is a fool.

Any questions?

2007-03-04T07:26:00.000-05:00

Ugly Ann

Ann Coulter knows how to get attention in our ADHD world; just be outrageous. Say whatever comes into your mind. Use whatever epithet will get the biggest laugh. It's a simple formula that works every time.

It certainly worked at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where she used what she called "a joke" to refer to John Edwards as a "faggot." Yea, it worked well. She got big laughs. Got wild applause. She gave 'em what they came for, that potty-mouth mindless drivel that has kept Ugly Ann in the spotlight for the past several years. Bravo Ann.

And the problem, my friends, is not with Ann Coulter. The problem is with those you pay her to speak, who buy her books, who listen to her on the radio. The problem is that people actually eat this stuff up!

Don't be fooled by Coulter's remarks. This wasn't some ill-thought-out "macaca moment," this was a win-win from the perspective of her supporters. It allows Ugly Ann to be a Greek chorus for them, publicaly spewing the kind of hate-filled rhetoric they normally only use when they are amongst themselves or in hushed tones on the golf course.

The second part of the win-win equation is that Coulter and her enablers have smeared John Edwards. It may or may not get any traction, but it certainly will not be forgotten. THAT is the big story here. The GOP knows that Edwards is a strong candidate running a smart campaign and this was the first volley in what will most certainly be a full court press against him by the regular cast of conservative character assassins.

2007-01-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

Rick Santorum is like Donald Trump; no matter how much we might beg and plead, he just won't go away.

Just days after the swearing-in of the new, improved Congress, while frosh legislators bumble around the Longworth building looking for suitable potties and Coke machines, Santorum has already moved on! Yup, Rick is a doer. No standing around and bemoaning his lost position in the halls of power. And none of that wimpy "I want to spend more time with Karen and the kids" stuff, either! What's Rick up to? Just this.

According to published reports, The Rickster is signing on as a "fellow" at a think tank! The mind reels! The comedic possibilities are endless and rather too easy.

I mean, all you have to do to get a laugh is to repeat after me...

Rick Santorum at a think tank?

...and watch the fun begin! Only Mr. Microphone could make it better.

Yup. That's the deal. But the fun is only beginning. Rick will be the latest loser on the block at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center. As a fellow, Rick will "...establish and direct an anti-terror program called "America's Enemies."

Santorum said that "without a clear definition and precise understanding of our enemies, we cannot fight effectively and our own citizens become divided."

So now it all becomes clear. When Rick started in on the Islamic Facists rhetoric during his '06 campaign, he wasn't trying to connect with voters, he was already doing the bidding of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Got it.

All kidding aside, the idea of Santorum directing a group focusing on "America's Enemies" is frightening. Rick is not a stupid man, but he is a single-minded iconoclast. Just the sort to help us figure out who the "bad guys" are and what we should do about it. Sort of like the guy in the WH right now...

2007-01-08T22:28:00.000-05:00

Something Rotten in Denmar....er...Manhattan

In the classic sports movie "Hoosiers," the coach, played by Gene Hackman says, "It's way past big speech time" as his unlikely small town athletes prepare for their final game.

And so it goes with the Bush administration. We're all past big speech time. Nothing more GWB can say will sway the way the American public perceives him. He is yesterday's news. A Presidential fish wrapper, on the verge of rotting.

But (and you can call me paranoid if you like...'cause everyone else is :-) the odiferous attack on New York City today has the stink of Bush/Cheney/Rove written all over it. One day prior to a "major policy speech," in which everyone expects POTUS to call for an escalation of the Iraq War, we get a smelly little reminder of just how vulnerable NY is.

It was a slick move. No one gets hurt, but the message is clear: "IF WANTED TO USE VX GAS AGAINST YOU, WE COULD!"

Am I giving this cadre more credit than they are due? Perhaps. If they were such Machiavellian geniuses, perhaps the GOP would still be in charge on Capitol Hill -- and we know they're not.

But I can't help thinking that the timing is just a little too...Rovian....for me.

2006-12-27T19:20:00.000-05:00

Iraq and Roll

I just heard over the Christmas holiday that a relative of my wife is being dragged off to Iraq. By all accounts, this young man is not happy. He was one of those tweeners who could have either, a) ended up in jail or b) entered the military to "get his act together." I'm not sure his act is any better, but he did join the Army and served two tours in Afghanistan, a long ways away from the combat zones. And, he's not in jail.

Now, however, this gung-ho 20-something isn't calling his own shots any more. All the misty talk about education and postings in Hawaii are long gone. Now, he's heading to hell and he has no choice.

As we wait with hope for a New Year, it's depressing to imagine just what POTUS is thinking, but I tend to believe it will involve the lives of many other young men and women just like my wife's relative, who will be put in harms way to protect nothing more than a failed political strategy.

For those of us old enough to remember Viet Nam, there is a good deal of head-shaking going on. We've seen this before, and it ended badly. If I close my eyes, I can see Huey's hovering over the Green Zone....as it quickly turns red.

2006-12-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

The Family Retainers

A recent article in the New York Times noted that Speaker Pelosi and others were working hard to help retain freshman Democratic legislators, even though they haven't yet been officially sworn in! This is a wonderful move, and though Rahm Emmanuel is no longer head of the D-triple-C, it has his politically smart impramateur on it. In particular, the Dems will focus on lawmakers who may have squeaked in with narrow victory margins, including Space (replacing disgraced Bob Ney) and Tim Mahoney (took Foley's old FLA seat)

This is a simple and obvious move, but it is something many Democrats came late to. As the Times article noted, the Members have been alerted that "you are already running for Congress, again" and that they'll need to raise upwards of a million dollars just to hold their seats in two years.

Now, I'll be the first to question the two-year terms of House Members, particularly in a day an age when politicking is done mainly via expensive televison advertising, but the fact remains; it's the way the system is today and the new members have to play the game by the current rules of engagement. And that means they'll have to start making those dreaded fundraising calls ASAP.

One other aspect of this "retainment" program is to get these frosh Members some plum committee assignments, so their names can be tied to high-profile lesgislation, and (perhaps more importantly) they can bring home some pork right away. It will give them some real strong bullet points for the TV spots they'll begin running a year from now. Again. Excellent idea. It ignores the conventional wisdom about giving top committee posts to those who have survived and played the game well...but it clearly shows that the Democrats are playing as a team; ignoring individual stats so that they can get to the Super Bowl of American politics; The Presidency in '08.

2006-12-18T21:32:00.000-05:00

The Iraq Shake and Bake

The Iraq Study Group was just the beginning. At nearly every office, commission and think tank in DC, someone is "rethinking" the situation in Iraq. Georgie Boy promises fresh ideas and a big announcement after Christmas. In perhaps the only smart decision of his abyssmal reign, President Grinch decided not to spoil our collective holidays by giving one more inane speech to the 'murican public. At least not yet. Yes, there is a Santa. And at least his mission will be accomplished.

However, under the surface, the depression remains. Bush is determined to go down swinging; and he'll take us all down with him if it comes to that. With the Right Wing think tanks working overtime to justify sending more troops into harms ways, look for Bush to warm up your January with a Rush To Reinforce. More troops will march off to Iraq, or will be forced to endure another rotation and that, the neocons conclude, will stop the insurgency which is tearing Iraq apart.

Not gonna work. If there was ever a case in which "more is less," this is it. The only solution in Iraq is for the Sunnis and the Shia to get their acts together and set aside decades of religious one-upsmanship. Do I think that will happen? Do you?

2006-11-30T17:58:00.000-05:00

Study This!

The Iraq Study Group, which sounds all the world like a "break out" group from the last "Middle East and You" Conference, is a total and complete sham. Like most blue-ribbon panels, its intent is not to clarify issues and solve problems, but to quiet the rabble and give political cover to the Administration. I just hope most American's can see through the window dressing and into the smoky back room.

The concept is this; The ISG is bipartisan. They will agree that some sort of phased withdrawl from the quagmire is necessary. This will happen, in some manner, before the 2008 election cycle kicks into high gear.

So...GOP candidates and their lame ass, er, duck President, will be able to say; "We wanted to stay the course, but the will of the people and of the ISG had to be heeded. We didn't cut and run, we only agreed to the terms set out in this (did we mention?) BIPARTISAN group." At least that's their hope. When the Senate and House candidates start running TV ads 18 months from now, the ISG will (they hope) let them avoid another wave. Will it work? Nope. Don't think so. This war will hang around their necks like a 20-ton albatross, as well it should. No amount of stage-managing will help them.

Their goose is cooked. So is the albatross

2006-11-15T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Truth Hurts

I was recently taken to task by a reader who noted that, as the lefty-child-hating-scum that I am, I couldn't possible understand why Rick Santorum wanted his kids on the dias the night of his recent defeat. This was just one in a series of affronts to my honor, but it is the one I will address here.

How to begin?

How 'bout this. In my world (left-leaning, CBC dipshit that I am) I believe it's wrong to subject children to pain and humiliation if it isn't necessary. Isn't that just part of the Judeo-Christian ethic? Wouldn't most people agree with that? There are times, of course, when a little pain or a little loss is important for kids. Like when the pet rabbit dies or you can't buy them the Super Elmo. It builds character. It presages what they'll face later in life. But that wasn't what happened on Election Night 2006. Santorum, in fact and deed, forced his children to face public humiliation. From where I sit, and I think most of you who subscribe to a nominal sense of Christian ethics would agree, Rick should have taken his lumps alone, or at best, with his wife at his side. Not with his brood crying in the background.

If Santorum's Election Night display is your idea of normal, then yes, I'm not part of the mainstream. And you know what? I'm proud of if!

2006-11-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Incredible Lightness of Winning

The much-heralded "Gingrich Revolution" is over. The neocon onslaught is DOA. It's morning over America II...and it feels really good!

For those of us who have been inpatient with the US electorate, here's a tip of the hat. It may have taken them a lot longer than we hoped for, but they did finally, "get it." Even some of the dimmest bulbs figured out, "Hey, these guys are usin' me!"

And while the political pundits talked on about Bush, the War, terrorism and the housing market, I think the most enlightening poll result was the one which showed that a wide majority of American's are simply fed up with "how things are going." They are sick and tired of feeling, well, sick and tired!

And they have had it with the devisive "War on Moderation" which has been the hallmark of the Bush Years. They want to feel positive again. Starting today, they can.

Now, to a couple of my least favorite pols. First, Rick Santorum. The long, dark, depressing and bizarre tenure of Rick is over. Having spent millions and millions on some of the least-effective TV adversiting in years, Santorum never moved a number. His support started at around 40% and he ended up with about that, when all was said and done. It seems he could have run hemmeroid ads and had just as much success.

Rick's final hurrah came at a hotel in Pittsburgh last night, where he did the usual gracious concession speech. However, I did find if mildly upsetting that he dragged his entire family up on the stage, so that they could suffer his humliation with him. Son Johnny and youngest daughter Sarah Marie were crying rivers. It might be the final time Rick gets to use the kids as props...and I guess he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass.

Also in Western PA, there was Missy Hart, a Bush acolyte, who wasn't nearly so sanguine about her loss. After first claiming that "We have no votes" from Beaver County (long after the Altmire campaign and the media did) she finally admitted defeat. But, in a show of classlessness, she couldn't resist a final swipe at Altmire, saying "People told me to cut his legs off, but I didn't want to run a campaign like that. Of course, he's new and he did do that. I just hope he learns not to in the future." (all paraphrased)

Hart was visibly stunned and pissed, but she knew (or should have) that this was a very real possibility. And Altmire's "negative ads" were mild...and mostly recounted Missy's connections to Bush, et al.

She should have left the stage like a pro, but perhaps, in that final moment, she revealed herself for what she really is; an oafish, manipulative, arrogant pol. Ex-pol, I mean.

2006-10-30T16:49:00.000-05:00

Fear and Self Loathing; The Santorum Campaign Spins Out of Control

When all is said and done next week, the much-lauded campaign skills of Rick Santorum and the marketing skills of his personal media maven, John Brabender may have to be seriously rethought, for this has been a campaign that has done little right. In many ways, it resembles the season the Pittsburgh Steelers are having, full of fumbles, missteps, penalties and just flat out bad play. Like the Steelers, and despite a rather large "red zone" in the middle of the Commenwealth, it appears Rick will come up just a little short.

I raised this issue some months ago. At that point I imagined the campaign would muster its forces and start finding a way to dismantle Bob Casey piece by piece. But it just didn't happen. Their TV ads were typically wacky and expansively produced. But voters didn't seem to notice. In fact, it may have been that supposed "creativity" which turned them off. Each ad seemed to raise questions rather than quell them; Was the polka ad shot on green screen? Did Rick bump into that woman? Was the ad with his kids shot at the Penn Hills faux home? Did Rick really agree to have his kids lie for him?

More recently questions arose about the desperate use of terrorists and mushrooms clouds, as well as a "Wrestling" ad in which Rick tried to show his bipartisan, liberal-loving bona fides by talking about his work across-the-aisle with Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton. To my ears, that ad was a replay of Santorum's Toomey vs. Spector gaffe, when he turned his back on his religious right-wing base to help keep Arlen in office.

Oh, and there was the negative ad which featured a dead guy. That reminded me a lot of the failed campaign which BrabenderCox cooked up for Mike Fisher, when he ran for Governor. In that campaign, Brabender used a fake Philly cab driver in one ad...and was later hoisted on his own air freshener when Oxman, et al pulled out the real deal and slapped back.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that Rick is no ones idea of the ideal candidate. He's clearly not a pliable pol who you can plop in front of the prompter and say, "Read this!" Rick has attitude and it's unlikely that Brabender could have changed his mind about much. But, with that said, it should be understood how close to guys are; Brabender is the godfather of one of Rick's children...and last year he moved his main office to Leesburg, VA - the same town that Santorum lives in. They are inexorably tied together, and Brabender has no excuse for not understanding the hand he was dealt.

Santorum needed, but did not get, a campaign that was new and fresh. TV commercials that were pointed and smart, not flabby reruns from other campaigns. He needed something new on TV, so that viewers would see him in a new light. He needed a fresh take. He didn't get it. This is why companies often change advertising agencies; after a while, the one you have is just too inbred to give you the kick in the butt you need to succeed.

After next Tuesday, it's likely that both the client and the agency will be looking for work.

2006-10-24T19:40:00.000-04:00

Stay the Course.

The Winston Smith in me is always on alert when the government starts to parse its "truth" too carefully. So it goes with the startling revelation by Prez Mouthpiece Tony Snow that "stay the course" really means, "change and be adaptive!" It is a wholly laughable bit of twisted PR-speak, which would have been skewered and ripped to shreds by the media in that earlier era which I shall now call BC; Before Couric.

Perhaps only this President could attempt to cover his gross negligence with such a brazen bastardization of the language. George wanted this war and he wanted the glory and fame he thought would flow from it. The fame is a lock. The glory will be much more elusive.

Santorum Wrestles With His Demons

Santorum, desperate to prove "he's a fighter," is out with a new TV spot revolving around a wrestling match. It is much like the earlier "Polka" ad, except a lot more violent. But put the setting aside and listen to Rick the Uniter tell us how he has or is working with Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton! Wow! Can you say those names without the snippy, snarky recrimination you're so well known for, Rick?

The effort here is to appeal to women and liberals or to libertarians or to undecideds. Show them how, despite the Liberal Media's mischaracterization of poor SnipeTorum, he really is someone who reaches across the aisle in a constant effort to be bipartisan. Yea.

And of course, as we all know, liberal women are always attracked to thuggish wrestlers, so this a fine choice of scenarios for this commercial...

2006-10-20T11:17:00.000-04:00

Hartless, We Hope

Melissa Hart is fighting to hold her own against up-and-comer Jason Altmire. This likable and smart challenger is making Melissa's life miserable right now. A recent visit by Al Franken helped raise much-needed campaign cash and now John Kerry will come to Pittsburgh to do the same. The Almire juggernaut is hoping they can "stay up" on TV as much as Melissa is.

And that's a funny thing. Call me crazy, but was that first commercial of her's the weakest, wimpiest, most dour bit of flotsam you've seen this year? I mean, after years in Congress, she recycles her "brownfield" claims (and used the same footage) as one of her major achievements? Yep Missy, Western PA is just a hotbed of business growth and opportunity....

But what's even funnier is her touting of the "I-376" corridor as a major victory for the area. While no one will argue that the mish-mash of road names and numbers leading into downtown Pittsburgh (are we on 22/30 or 60 or what?) was needed, this is one of the most minor accomplishments I've ever heard anyone claim...let alone use in a TV spot.

Perhaps she didn't want to tout her ongoing, unbending support for the disaster that is the Iraq War? Or the continued loss of jobs and population in the area? Or the fact that health care costs are rising unabated...and she, and all her cronies just sat on their hands?

Nope. But she was darn proud of those new interstate signs....

2006-10-15T14:23:00.000-04:00

If Santorm Loses, He Wins

I raised this issue some months ago, when Rick seemed to be doing everything possible to scutttle his chances for re-election.

The issue? Does Rick really want to lose? The answer? Highly possible.

Like fellow Pennsylvanian Tom Ridge, Rick has a very lucrative career awaiting him the moment he hits the bricks. Having feathered his nest on K Street, Santorum will have the ultimate soft (and profitable) landing.

Think about it in the most practical of terms; Rick and Karen, as much as they might want to, will probably not be able to home school their huge brood through college. Someone is going to have to pay for them to attend "the colleges of their choice," whether that's Bob Jones University or Berkeley or Bard. (isn't that a fun thought?)

So, while you're thinking "just how nutty can Rick get," think about how his continued and vehement support for every single radical right wing religious agenda point might help him when he is no longer just a powerful visitor on K Street, but he he "officially" moves his office there.

2006-10-13T13:02:00.000-04:00

Sound and Fury, Signifying Rage

Rick Santorum raged against Bob Casey last night. He practically called him out. If you watched the debate, you had to be a little uneasy, as the two men were physically close to each other...and at times it seemed way too close.

So yes, Rick was pumped up, in the same way that someone with "anger management issues" gets pumped. He sputtered, he raised his voice, he put a lot of pressure on his seals and gaskets. He wanted to be heard and he wanted to be the loudest voice in the room. Not hard when Bob Casey is your debate opponent, as he is a mild-mannered, quiet sort, who is never going to dazzle you with his bloviating like RhetoRick. The bottom line? The public is tired of the whiny brat and is ready for the strong silent type. If last night's debate was a metaphorical boxing match, then Casey was "The Quiet Man."

I do take issue, however, with Casey's responses here and there. I thought he had the opportunity to put Santorum down for the count...and instead swung wide, without landing the knockout blow. For instance...

When questioned about his work ethic, Casey might have said, "Rick, how much of that time you spend in Washington was on Capitol Hill...and how much was on K Street where you were the lead dealer in the biggest insider lobbyist game in town?"

And when Santorum started to go on about his monumental "puppy mill" legislation, could Bob have simply said; "Ya know, Rick. That's all you've got to show for 12 years in the US Senate?"

I know Casey ain't a great debater, but his people need to sharpen his responses a bit. None of the stuff that Santorum brought up was a surprise...and Casey needed to be better prepared. I mean, after all, is there any easier target in the world than Rick?

2006-10-05T16:34:00.000-04:00

Hastert Has To Go

Hastest actually is gone. His malingering is merely an election year effort to avoid a total and complete GOP Congressional meltdown. At least that's what the wags say.

But if you parse both options; Leave while pleading nolo contendre...or stay on, get redder in the face and dominate every news cycle from now 'til Novemeber one has to wonder. If I were the king of the forest, I'd tell Denny to beat it. It would quiet the scandal, at least a few dB.

Remember that Hastert was an absolute nobody when he got this job. He was a blank slate which the Leadership installed so they could control him...and guarantee an easy installation. WIth that in mind, I just can't imagine, other than sheer conservative "we're never, ever wrong" mindset, why the big bag of adipose won't move on.

Of course, I'm still wondering why Rick Santorum didn't squelch his cyberschool issue 12 months ago. It could very well be the number one reason why he'll lose this year.

But back to Denny and "Fruit of the Loom" Foley.

Perhaps the real problem is that there are so many "overly friendly" and "creepy" guys in DC that it really would be hard to figure out which ones are truly depraved and which ones are merely "odd."

My favorite quote in all this (so far) came from a guy who has to be considered a creep, Newt "Hey Honey, I'm leaving you...sorry about the cancer" Gingrich, who said, and I paraphrase here, "The Democrats have had a lot worse sex scandals."

Bravo Newt! And "my dog's better than yours" too! With that sort of prepubescent mindset at work, you should definitely get back into Congress. There is a seat in Florida you could slide into very nicely.

2006-10-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture of me with...no wait...

Photo ops are a time-tested free-media bonus in DC. The top party suckups are often invited to tuck in close to the Prez when he's signing something or saying something. The "something: usually isn't that important. What's important is that picture which hits the national wire. If you're lucky and can lean in far enough, you won't be cropped by some nasty photo editor.

So it is with Rick Santorum, who's made a career of appearing on the dias to get his picture took. This is easy for Rick, since he spends so little time actually working on legislation.

But photos such as these have their downsides too, such as the one which appeared on Page 1, above the fold, of the New York Times the other day; showing Rick, the Prez and Representative "Fruit of the Loom" Foley, all grinning.

Now, far be it from me to say that there is any guilt by association, but it shows just how closely allied all the GOP neo-freaks are in DC.

2006-09-26T11:40:00.000-04:00

Greens Gone. Santorum Camp Turns a Lovely Shade of Autumn Red

The PA Green Party, which takes its name from the color of money which the GOP larded on it this year, will not have a candidate on the fall Senate ballot. A court has ruled that Carl Romanelli didn't have enough valid signatures to give him that much-vaunted spot. Another court could potentially give him a reprieve, but for now, the Casey campaign can cheer and the Santorum campaign can flush with anger. Their sleazy gambit did not pay off.

In the meantime, a new Q-University poll shows Casey holding onto essentially the same lead he's had for months. After spending millions on media, including some of the most specious and blatantly false ads ever to run in PA, Santorum has hardly moved any numbers. From here out, it is likely that Casey will be able to match Santorum dollar-for-dollar.

But....I still await the "swiftboating." My hunch is that Santorum and his media hacks still have something in their back pocket. It may be totally untrue, it may be an outright lie, but Rick must figure, "That's what Confession is for. I'll fib now...and ask for forgiveness later...."

2006-09-07T18:46:00.000-04:00

My Children, My Shills

Maybe Rick Santorum had all those children because he knew he'd eventually need them to be players in his TV commercials.

I refer specifically to the Junior Senator's latest bit of video venality, a TV spot which stars (I think) every one of Rick's numerous sprogs. In it, each child spouts some blather about why Daddy moved to Virginia and why having the taxpayers of Penn Hills pay for their narrow-minded home schooling was a GOOD THING!

This has the ham hand of John Brabender all over it, from its lame pretense to the vacuous script. And it shows, I believe, just how completely desperate the Santorum campaign is.

I suppose you can say "no harm, no foul" if you use kids as props or to say "cute things" in political ads. It's been done forever. But when you push them in front of the camera in an effort to refute (lie about, would be a more accurate description) real and important issues, you've crossed the line in my book.

Of course, crossng the line has never much bothered Santorum. He'll cross whatever line he has to in an effort to maintain his position in the DC power structure. USE Terri Shaivo for political gain? No problem. Cross the line. USE a specious claim about WMDs for political gain? No problem. Cross the line with abandon! The list is even longer than the "50 Things You Should Know About Rick."

This ad amounts to a subtle form of child abuse. No one got whipped or beaten or bloodied, (nor were they once again exposed to a deceased fetus) but the children have been manipulated by their parents in a way that I find, and I think many others would fine, offensive. The kids, all of whom are below the legal age of consent, had lies and prevarications put in their mouths. They were, essenntially, forced to be unwitting tools in an ongoing campaign of deceit and disinformation.

A real Christian would not stage manage his children. He would, in fact, protect them. Hide them. Cloister them. Think about it for a moment; here's the Senator and Wife who made a faux stink about people walking up the driveway of their faux home. The Wife who called the Capitol Police. The Senator who feigned shock. Yet they are both willing participants in the misuse and abuse of their children for political gain.

If that's part of the Catholic catechism, it's a part I never learned.

2006-08-29T08:52:00.000-04:00

Political Potpourri; Though is doesn't smell as nice

It's clear now why Katherine Harris, she of the "Here George, take this election" fame in Florida has been shunned by the GOP in her run for Senate. She made the unpardonable sin of broadcasting the Red State Mantra directly, without any of the gauzy frou-frou which usually hides its actual menaing. I refer to her blatant statement that, if you vote for anyone who isn't a Christian, you are voting for sin and degradation. Yea, she said that. I guess somewhere along the line she missed the whole "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" lesson. Though in my book, which I admit hasn't sold as nearly as well as the Bible, there is a line which reads, "It takes one to know one."

President Bush, revisiting the site of another of his hand made disasters this week, is warning Gulf Coast residents that they shouldn't expect continued handouts of money and aid, "After all," he said, "We got a lotta rebuildin' that needs to be done in Iraq...and they were in line first."

In Pennsylvania, there's been a turn in the Senate race; Rick Santorum has stopped talking directly to the public and (finally!) is letting his media hack do all his communicating. After all, TV commercials are, as John Braindender promised, where we'll learn what the real Rick is all about. Of course, TV commercials are also where Miss Cleo promised to tell your forture for just $19.99 and where Big Pharma promised that all their miracles drugs are "safe and effective," until people start dying from them. Yup, the truth comes to you in 30 second snippets. Maybe this is why the Santorum clan stayed at home for school! They were watching TV all day long and learning from the ads! That $100,000 debt Rick ownes Penn Hills was just for a the Really Super Bonus Plus Big Honking Platinum™ cable package! Finally, it all makes sense to me!

Later this week, we'll take a look at the growing library of anti-Rick ads on YouTube. Maybe we'll learn something!

2006-08-22T20:35:00.000-04:00

The Casey | Santorum Debate Gambit

The Santorum campaign was hastily thumbing through "Campaigns For Dummies" recently and happened upon the "When all else fails, demand debates!" section. They actually challenged the Casey camp to 10 debates! Ten! As if this is a heavyweight title bout. Tell you what. No one would be left standing after the 4th round. And the spectators would be streaming for the exits hoping the bars were still open!

The entire debate gambit is nothing more than an attempt to get Casey on the record and to generate headlines. I'm not talking about "headlines" in the general sense. I'm referring to actual, printed-in-ink-and-splashed-on-the-front-pages type headlines. Headines above the fold in the Inky or the Morning Call or the P-G. Santorum and his media mokes want something, anything, which they can then excerpt and make a campaign commercial out of.

Let's say the P-G were to say, "Santorum Strong In First Debate." In ten minutes, BrabenderCox would be hacking together an ad that shares that headline with every voter in every media market in PA....even if it referred to Rick's body odor.

You get the point. Headlines make good commericals, because they appear to be unbiased and they carry a certain gravitas. Print may be dead, but we all know it's still the closest thing we have to real journalism! So those headlines are a prized trophy. Forget what was actually said in the debate. Forget the issues. Gimme a ripping good headline! Let's show 'em we've got the big mo going for us!

Well, here's my hope that the headline editors of this state's fine broadsheets and tabloids ("He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids") don't give either candidate an edge when it comes to headlines. I'm hopeful we'll see forty point type that says, "Casey and Santorum Debate," or perhaps even, "Santorum and Casey Debate." If so, I'll feel ducky. I will not, however, lower myself to actually wearing a duck costume.

However, I know this as well. Even if the headline doesn't make it into an ad, the body copy, carefully parsed and littered with ellipses, will.

2006-08-13T13:57:00.000-04:00

The PA Green Party Withers and Turns Brown

It became clear recently that the Green Party candidates in Pennsylvania only managed to collect the 67,000 signatures necessary (they got more than that, but's the minimum needed) to get on the fall ballot because they got help from...their competition. Published reports now show that Senator Rick Santorum, his staffers and many other top GOP lobbyists and corporate interests were at the forefront of helping with the massive job of getting the signatures.

Why? Because Santorum and his money-buds want to split the ticket, in an effort to upset Bob Casey, who has been running far out ahead of the incumbent for months. It was an act of desperation, though, from a purely political viewpoint, a smart move.

Or was it? The Green Party candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor have withdrawn, claiming they can't afford to fight a lawsuit brought by Democrats who are challenging the petitions, which apparently include untold number of fake names.

Carl Romanelli has not yet done the same, but that time is nigh. Romanelli and his cohorts have severely and perhaps unalterably disgraced the Green Party in Pennsylvania. They have been snookered into making a deal with the Devil, and were drawn, by money or ego or desire for power, into the nest of vipers that is the GOP circle of hell, composed of Senator Santorum, influential lobbyists and big money corporate interests. In one foul swoop, they managed to get Romanelli on the ballot AND destroy any credibility he may have had. By accepting the "help" of his enemies, Romanelli became one of them.

It is a perverse and sad event for a third party to fall prey so easiliy to this sort of manipulation and coercion.

But does it help Santorum? Doubtful. Even if Romanelli remains on the ballot, he can at best be called spoiled goods. His fellow Greens, who must be steaming with anger and disappointment, will undoubtedly either stay home or vote for Casey in protest of this unbelieveable act of betrayal.

2006-08-10T16:47:00.000-04:00

My Running Mate is Terror Make no mistake about it; that sound you heard this morning came from the collective lungs of all the GOP candidates running in every Congressional district around the nation. It came from the Senate and Gubernatorial candidates, too. I have not doubt that more than a few pumped their fists, ala Tiger Woods, when they realized that a major terrorist plot had been uncovered. Cruel, you say? Maybe. But you know it's the truth. The only issue these people think they can win on (and it's been a winner in the past) is security. The Administration knows better than anyone that fear is the greatest motivator of all -- and they will make sure that we live as an anxiety-ridden society, as long as it serves their needs. Get out of Iraq? Are you kidding me? Iraq is money in the bank. It keeps the terror cells stoked and brings more crazies to the party. While we underfund education in the US, we have spent billions building the world's best terror recruitment and training center. It's called Iraq. Like most Liberals, I find myself adding the seemingly necessary "terror caveat" whenever I have this discussion; "Of COURSE I'm for fighting terrorist! Of COURSE we need to be vigilant." This should go unsaid, but the Republicans won't let that happen. These "lovers of freedom" question OUR patriotism at every turn. The truth is that GWB is dancing in the Oval Office today. Like another of Osama's last-minute missives, this terror plot will give many citizens pause to vote for Democrats. I wonder if a few of them remember who was in charge during WWII?

2006-07-27T09:36:00.000-04:00

Condi and Bolton; This is Your Government!

When I was a kid, we used to see the occassional movie at school which attempted to indoctrinate us about HOW YOUR GOVERNMENT WORKS. They were boring and pompous, but at least we got out class for twenty minutes or so, including the time it took to roll the old 16mm projector into class and rewind the film after it was shown.

Those old films never prepared us for today's reality.

The reality of a Secretary of State who believes that continued killing and violence is a good thing and will be a successful strategy for creating a "new Middle East," whatever the hell that is! Since the first time I heard Condi quoted on this, I have been wracking my brain; How can the stated policy of the United States be so vile? We all understand that a long-term solution is necessary, but letting Israel carpet-bomb Lebanon back into the Dark Ages can't possible be part of it. How 'bout this. Let's just stop the bombing now, stop the killing of innocent Lebanese, THEN sit down and get to work solving this problem? No one expects a cease fire to solve the problem, but any rational human being also knows that the problem will not be solved by extending the war. No matter how Israel tries, Hezbollah will not be defeated. In fact, as with other terrorist groups, this will probably strengthen their resolve and be a great for their recruiting efforts.

Clearly Israel (and the US) were waiting for the provocation and wanted to clear out Hezbollah...so when the soliders were kidnapped, they/we lept at the chance to start bombing.

No where during HOW YOUR GOVERNMENT WORKS, did I see anything about the US condoning warfare and killing. But then, a lot has changed since the 60's.

-30 -

Ambassador Bolton goes before Congress this week. As a smart-ass myself, I recognize that character flaw in this man as well. Like me, he can't pass up on a wiseacre comment. This is not a good thing for anyone with the honorific of Ambassador in front of their name....because, and you can quote me on this, eventually his wicked tongue will get our nation in trouble. Some time, in the not too distant future, he'll forget to curb himself and we'll all pay for it.

2006-07-20T18:57:00.000-04:00

Santorum Gets Dirty, Early

If you follow politics, you know about push polls. In a world where sleaziness is the norm, they are the scum way down under the bucket in the dank place where even the normal scum are afraid to go. The most infamous and well-publicized push poll was used to insinuate that Senator John McCain had fathered an illegitimite child.

For the uninitiated, they work like this. I call your house and ask questions like, "Would you feel better or worse about Bob Casey is you knew he was a serial murderer and child molester?" The idea is to plant negatives where none should exist.

And apparently this is exactly what holier-than-thou Rick Santorum has stooped to. For a full retelling of a "close encounter of the push poll kind" I suggest you go here and let 2politicjunkies regale you.

If true, and I have absolutely no reason to question 2pj's veracity, then this is a foul and despicable move by a wholly desperate man, who will, it seems, stop at nothing to maintain his tenuous hold on power in DC.

Maybe, as this vulgar campaign proceeds, we should follow Rick to confession...and see just how long it's now taking him to purge his soul these days.

2006-06-27T22:09:00.000-04:00

Forget the Flag, Burn Congress!

The more I hear about a anti-flag burning amendment, the hotter I get!

I'm sure things are worse elsewhere, but perhaps only in the grand old United States of America can grown men and women waste valuable time and money debating the merits of a wholly worthless bit of legislation that is utterly and completely uneccessary.

Heard about anyone buring the flag in Tulsa recently? Or Des Moine? Or Rapid City? Hell no. Flag burning went out with bra burning (which I fully supported...) and, even if it were being torched to inflame the ire of Red Staters, it still wouldn't matter. But...whoa. You won't drag me into the specious debate that underlies this issue; because it is a non-issue. As I noted in an earlier piece, this is ONLY being done so that GOP candidates can return home and lambast the "Ted-Kennedy-limousine-liberals who believe that burning Old Glory is just fine." At least, that's how it'll sound in their TV and radio commercials.

No, I'm hot under the collar folks and you should be, too. Don't be fooled by this insane crock of faux patriotism, but do get out the extinguisher quell the hellfire coming from all the legislators who voted for this.

2006-06-15T20:21:00.000-04:00

Scalia Unleashes the Hounds

Ya' gotta give it to Antonin. He's consistent. If there's a wrong way to think, he'll think it. So it is with today's specious ruling from The Supremes. (Note to the Right Wing; isn't this what is what you call being an "activist judge?")

Scalia, Mama Mia took it upon himself to lead the way in setting the scene for the decimation of the exclustionary rule, which, in basic terms, means that information/evidence obtained in an illegal search can not be used to prosecute with. Well, that wasn't the exact outcome of today's decision, but it leans and leads us in that direction.

What happened today was this; Scalia and the rest of the nutball majority on the SCOTUS decided that IT'S OKAY IF COPS, ARMED WITH SEARCH WARRANTS, DON'T ANNOUNCE THEMSELVES AND JUST BEAT DOWN YOUR DOOR. AND, IF THEY DO, ALL EVIDENCE THEY GATHER WILL, MOST LIKELY, BE ADMISSABLE IN COURT.

Understand, the standard prior to this was; cops had to wait a "reasonable amount of time" before smashing in your door. To Scalia, this unimaginable delay (upwards of 20 to 30 seconds!) simply wasn't necessary. Let the cops rampage in and damn the torpedo! Does this guy not read his history? As an Italian-American, doesn't he remember the Brown Shirts? Apparently not.

This is a frightening ruling. One of the most absurd parts of Scalia's statement was that if people felt abused by the stormtroopers they could "sue in civil court." Ever tried that? Lawsuits are for the rich and powerful. Without incredibly deep pockets, you are, essentially, screwed.

This man and his compadres are a menace. They represent the worst of what this nation has to offer. Calling them Supreme does the term a mighty injustice.

2006-06-07T19:40:00.000-04:00

Congress Votes For Politics

Even though there are serious concerns around the world right now (need I list them?) Congress has taken it upon itself to ponder the really pressing issues of the day; gay marriage and flag burning. Why, you ask? The answer is simple; so they can make commercials which, they hope, will keep them in DC for a few more years.

I want to explain how this works, and, just for kicks, let's take hopeless PA Congressman Tim Murphy, who (at last count) holds the record for staff turnover during his last couple of terms as our examplar. Let it be noted that "Turnover Tim" gets his moniker (and this is coming from his former staffers) because of his egomaniacal personality and general pain-in-the-ass-ness.

So, let's say Tim votes for an amendment banning flag burning. The vote goes nowhere, the bill doesn't pass and the issue (momentarily) recedes into the background - except for those hacking together campaign commercials. They know this is great fodder, and it will lead to (drum roll, please!) something like this...

"Tim Murphy believes strongly in the core values you believe, which is why he voted this year to make flag burning illegal. His opponent, as hard as it is to believe, voted against the bill! I guess this limosine liberal, who sides with Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy on every issue, just thinks that setting fire to the stars and stripes isn't a problem at all."

Ya' see how easy that is? Tim didn't really have to do anything, other than show up and vote for a bill that was never going to pass. Ditto gay marriage. Ditto tax bills. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto, you Ditto Heads!

Congress should actually be sued by someone over the absolute waste of our time and money to even bring such bills to the floor for debate. Has ANYONE burned a flag in the last 40 years? And, to put it bluntly, WHO GIVES A DAMN! Okay, I feel better now that I got that off my chest!

So look out, the season of TV Commercial Legislation is in full swing now and will only end when Congress recesses - having settled nothing. But, at least, Congress will then be in recess.....

2006-06-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

Santorum's Children's Crusade (apologies to Kurt Vonnegut)

Well, Rick and his media mokes have certainly shown their true colors. Along with "go negative early," they have also adopted an approach that amounts to this; "All kids, all the time!"

Thus it is that Rick is pressing for important legislation that will further the reach of Operation Safe Childhood.

To see how this landmark legislation will change the face of the nation, one only need reference the article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by writer Paula Reed Ward, which notes;

"If passed: The act would increase penalties for crimes such as child pornography and child sex trafficking. It would create campaigns to bring more awareness to child online safety. It would require warning labels on commercial Web sites that contain sexually explicit material."

Great. Warning labels! As we know, those have stopped people from smoking and have led people to give up drinking! And "campaigns to bring more awareness?" Like this is something people don't already care about? And higher fines will do what higher fines always do; nothing.

No. This is nothing but politicaly flummery and manipulation at its worst, preying on parents' worst fears. Clearly no one in the world can argue with it, which is precisely why the Boy Senator is jumping on the bandwagon. Please note; Santorum didn't create or sponsor the original legislation, he just looked around and went, "Hmmm, what kinda child safety issue can I co-opt during an election year?" Rick's PA partner in crime (and fellow Brabender Cox client) Melissa Hart went down this same road several years ago, with predictable results; zilch. But, it makes for great copy and it allows the politicians to opine with great gravitas about "our children."

Here's my take. We live in what must be the most child-obsessed society that has ever existed. Parent's believe their spawn can do no wrong and will give them anything and do anything for them. Clearly this is showing up in polls, and political campaigns live and die based on polling. Hence, we have CHILDREN shoehorned into every issue.

Oh, one more thing. This is a total win for Ricky when it comes to the press. Mindless news directors are running the story, without so much as a caveat about it being an election year. And Bob Casey is smart enough to play "hands off" with it. However, bloggers like myself are under no such stricture.

Read my lips: "It's politics, Jake."

2006-05-30T17:05:00.000-04:00

Kidsploitation: Santorum's Son Wants Your Shekels!

Lost in the midst of Santorum Housegate was a recent article which pointed out just how much Rick is using his children to shill for him. It made me think; no wonder he and the wife were so upset about the faux prowling, without Elizabeth and Jonathan and the rest, who would front for the campaign?

I refer specifically to a piece that ran in the Patriot-News on Sunday, May 14th. In it, writer Brett Lieberman pointed out the following;

"An e-mail with the subject line "Surprise My Dad"-- purportedly from Jonathan and sent to thousands of supporters -- included a picture of the Santorum family and asked for $48 contributions for the senator's birthday."

Tell you what folks, in my book this is outrageous. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't think that Senator Santorum should be relying on his youngsters to help raise money for him in such a direct and clearly manipulative fashion. Let's face it, as much as Jonathan loves his dad and wants him to win, this is way over the line. And "Surprise My Dad?" Doesn't it go without saying that this had to be approved by the righteous Senator before it ever saw the light of day? Where's the surprise? To me the only surprise is that Rick's base didn't revolt against this specious bit of flotsam. Is raising money now a "family value?"

Mind you, I'm not surprised. Families have been "used" in campaign commercials right from the start. There is no going back. We'll see all manner of kids romping with their candidate parents this year, but to have your children come right out and ask for donations is just plain...well....creepy.

And as to whether this sort of campaign tactic rises to the level of kidsploitation, long-time Santorum friend and advisor John Brabender said this,

"There is a right place and time. Voters are smart enough to understand when it is appropriate and when it is exploitation," Brabender said. "Children should never be part of a negative attack."

Which means, I guess, that anything and everything is fair game when it comes to the kids, short of an all-out "swift boating." That Brabender and Santorum don't view this exploitation of Johnny and Elizabeth as wrong tells you something very important, and troubling, about the candidate and his enablers.

[You can read the entire Patriot-News article I quoted by going here.

2006-05-28T20:09:00.000-04:00

A friend sent this along. We think it captures the current state of Santorum-ness perfectly... You have our blessing to share it...liberally.

2006-05-23T20:48:00.000-04:00

The Santorum House Scam: Prestidigitation At Its Best

The thing with magic tricks is this; you are desperate to know how they are accomplished and you'd beg a magician to tell you the secret. But, should he or she break his code of honor and reveal the "trick," it is ultimately unfulfilling and somewhat sad. No Santa Claus. No Easter Bunny. If you fear that sort of dissapointment, read no further...

Okay. Here were go. These are things I do not know, but suspect. I repeat, I do not know any of this for a fact. It is merely conjecture. Got that NSA?

The entire "People are invading the privacy of Rick and putting his children in danger" was orchestrated not by a couple of well-meaning, angry taxpayers in Penn Hills, but by the Santorum campaign itself. Crazy? Not at all. Campaigns consultants are called spin doctors for a very good reason; they know how to take a fact or an idea or a thought and then twist it to serve their own purposes. So it is with the miniscule Cape Cod in Penn Hills. The Santorum campaign KNEW this issue wasn't going to go away...so, in meetings and discussions, they tried to figure a way to spin it in their favor. They waited patiently for the Vecchios to speak up again, which they did, right on schedule.

When they did (and I continue to applaud them for their forthright, patriotic moves, particularly under what must be incredible pressure) the Santorum campaign machine kicked into gear. Karen made her famous CALL TO THE CAPITOL POLICE. This was done to make the story as high-profile as possible and to remind us that RICK IS A UNITED STATES SENATOR. I mean, if your house in the Outer Banks was being vandalized wouldn't you call the LAPD? But I digress...

Now Santorum's media hack, John Brabender, who, like a nasty 7-year old insists on called Bob Casey, "Bobby," claims that the Santorum's HAD recently been in the house! Bingo. I bet they have. I bet they have it on tape. I bet they have credit card receipts to prove it! Pictures of Rick holding a copy of that day's P-G showing the date!

Get it folks? It was a parlor trick. The trick accomplished one important thing for Santorum (at least in their minds) It let them pull the first negative commercial out of their hats, while hiding being the unassailable guise that "our children" were endangered.

It also accomplished this; it let this nothing issue predominate the news cycle for a couple of days, at the same time that a new report shows that RICK SANTORUM TOOK MORE CASH FROM LOBBYISTS THAN ANY OTHER SITTING SENATOR.

If I were Rick and Karen, I'd be much more concerned about late night knocks on the door from those lobbyists wanting their quid pro quo!

2006-05-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

The PA Pay Raise Rout; Or Was It More Than That?

Legislators in Pennsylvania took it on the chin this past week, when more than a few incumbents found themselves back in that place we all live in; the private sector.

Conventional wisdom says most of their losses were due to a "middle of the night" salary increase these chumps voted themselves several months back; a manuveur that led to a massive public backlash and a "kick out the bums" anti-incumbency movement. Maybe so. It surely had a lot to do with it.

But I reckon more is happening here. I would suggest that the anti-incumbency bonfire was fueled as much by voter frustration with national politics as much as it was statewide dissatisfaction. Voters, unhappy with the downward spiral that defines the Bush administration as well as most of Congress just wanted to DO SOMETHING about it and they did. Maybe removing a few low-level bumbling state legisature doesn't accomplish much in terms of foreign policy, but, like kicking the dog, IT FEELS GOOD. And, for a lot of people, fed up with the sour state of Bush and his enablers, it momentarily gave them something to celebrate.

Of course, the next test comes in November, when a load of House and Senate members may face the same fate....and this time it won't be a proxy vote, it'll be the real thing!

2006-05-17T19:25:00.001-04:00

When Santorum's Consultant Talks, People Bristle

At least I do. I bristle at the unending logorrhea that emanates from the mouth and mind of John Brainbender. Here's his latest on Ricky Boy, as quoted in today's Philly Inquirer;

"We do have to surprise people about Rick Santorum," said his media consultant, John Brabender. "And people have to learn the truth about Bob Casey."

Brilliant stuff there. The surprise he refers to will be encapsulated in TV, radio and print ads which will position Santorum as everything he isn't.

- He'll be positioned as a friend to the poor despite his unrelenting support of Bush's moronic tax cuts which are doing nothing to power the economy, but everything to make the rich richer.

- He'll be positioned as a thoughtful legislator who has "touched you and people you know." Hogwash. Santorum's legislative record is defined by its paucity and by its focus on fringe issues which serve mostly to please the Senator's radical religious supporters.

- He'll be positioned as a friend to small business and the regular folks of PA. BS. This guy masquerades (and he isn't alone in this!) as a regular guy, while, at the same time, acting as a high-end power broker on K Street, currying favor with the multi-national corporations who are, in many way, driving our national policies.

- And he'll be positioned as a loving family man. Can't argue there. He has a family. And, I suppose he loves them all. Goody, goody. That and a buck-83 will get you a latte at Starbucks -- just like all the rest of the non-profit people who socialize there.

But let's get back to Brainbender for a moment. His "you'll learn the truth about Bob Casey," is a decent bit of wordsmithing, at least in the world of political consulting where, anyone can tell you, the standards aren't too high. It's essentially the AA farm team system of real creative people.. What Brainbender is trying to conjure is a sense that there is something horrible and scary and secret about Casey that will disgust and revolt you ONCE YOUR LEARN THE TRUTH. This is, of course, just a load. Bob Casey is as scary as Regis Philbin. Brabender is also relying on the tried-and-true trick of, "distraction." If you haven't got much to say about your guy, change the subject and make voters vaguely wary of the "unknown."

This is what we're going to see over the next few months. It'll be glossy and gossamer. Rick and his kids will romp endlessly. The Boy Senator with the wimpy handshake will preen and joke...and, at times, act REALLY SERIOUS AND SMART. But, in the end, Rick's whacked out years in the Senate, are coming to an end.

Finally.

2006-05-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Getting On With Beating Santorum

Okay, all of you who were solidly behind Alan Sandals and Chuck Pennacchio can now rest easy. I'm sure you feel all warm and fuzzy for having "done the right thing." But it's over now, kids. Time for The Show. Time to leave the Ralph Nader-esque "statement" vote behind and get with the program. And that program is beating Rick Santorum so badly that he moves out of his country home in Leesburg and heads back to Penn Hills hovel to await The Rapture. Casey is our guy and there is NO OPTION.

In a recent Pittsburgh City Paper column, snarky writer John McIntire, who also hosts a talk show on KDKA radio, repeated his mantra that Casey is a wet noodle. Ya' know what? It doesn't matter and I don't care. Casey may not be the most fiery orator since Williams Jennings Bryan, but personally, I'm not looking for a firebrand. I'm looking for a legislator. Someone who has MY best interests at heart, particularly my secular interests in good government, fiscal disciple, intelligent foreign policy, human rights, and on and on. The last thing we need is a bloviator who speeks a good line but has no skills at actually doing the job we elect him to do. If you look closely at Santorum's legislative record over the years you will find a paucity of action. He'll stand on the dais when the photos are being taken, but he is not a legislator. He spends way too much time currying favor on K Street to be bothered with the wonkish business of crafting new laws.

So let's thank Chuck and Alan for adding to the debate. They are both fine guys, with good ideas. They are not, however, going to be on the ballot in November.

The game is afoot. Let's stomp Santorum!

2006-05-05T08:53:00.000-04:00

Chiding the Bribe: Santorum's laughable payoff scheme

Some years ago, during the height of a political campaign it dawned on me: why not just take the millions that had gone into the production and airing of TV and radio commercials and the just hand it over to the voters? Imagine that, instead of getting a direct mail piece from Senator Gluck replete with scathing indictments of his competitor, that you'd get one of those money envelopes that Aunt Betty used to give you for your birthday! Inside would be a crisp-from-the-bank C-note and a not-too-subtle request that you payback Gluck by pulling his lever on Election Day.

This was, of course, a silly idea, for it amounted to nothing more than an outright bribe.

So imagine my surprise when Rick Santorum and a couple of his buds in Congress came up with the same idea this year! For the party of supposed "fiscal discipline" the idea should have been DOA, but when you're "in a tough re-election campaign" (Santorum's excuse for all misdeeds) the concept floated around DC for a couple of weeks, before being, ultimately, laughed out of town.

The idea is just too preposterous for words. Among other things, it would do nothing at all to ease the long-term issues with energy and it would rachet up the deficit for no good reason. Also, it's just stupid.

But for Rick, who wakes up every morning and worries about his flagging poll numbers, who has been a hard and fast Bush acolyte from the start, a bribe must have seemed like a swell idea. A $100 government-issued inducement to "vote for me in November."

In the end, the Santorum payoff did not payoff -- except, perhaps, for Bob Casey, Jr..

2006-05-01T22:45:00.000-04:00

Immigrants: Get Used to being Used

So we had a big celebration. Immigration Day. May Day.

Lots of people got to tell us how coming into our nation illegally is "a good thing."

I don't get it. Call me an old-timer, but illegal is illegal. If you do some wrong, you pay the price -- you don't reap the rewards.

Do I "feel their pain?" Yup. NPR ran a series of feel-good pieces on immigrants (and let's face it, we're talking mostly about Mexican's here) who had their lives changed by charging across the desert into the US. and working hard to "make a life for themselves and their families." It was nice stuff. Very heartwarming and all that. Like I said, I do feel for them. I understand their plight...and, if I were in their position, I might do the same thing.

But that doesn't make it right or just. And whether entering the US is a felony or a misdemeanor doesn't make much of a difference. If you enter a sovereign nation illegally, you have every right to expect that they'll kick you ass out. The French would, the Swiss would. Even the Swedes would.

Of course, the missing element in this debate is the political. Clearly, the GOP has been an enabler of the dash across the border. Mexican immigrants, who would normally work for peanuts in their home state, are more than willing to worked for the even smaller pistachios they get in the US. And this pushes down the wages which native-born or naturalized Americans might be paid for the same work.

The bottom line is the bottom line; Mexican immigrants, simply because they are in the US illegally and fear deporation or retribution, will work for lower wages and will eschew the employee protections they would deserve and expect as full citizens of our nation. They are, for all intents and purposes, a slave labor underclass, which the bosses in the GOP have allowed to proliferate -- so that their companies could avoid paying union or (in most cases) even livable wages. And now they want to buy off their votes with amnesty. A neat trick.

This entire debate is about money, not about nationality or language or the color of one's skin.

As it almost always does in America, the botton line is...the bottom line.

2006-04-28T20:17:00.001-04:00

Nation Building. Bush Style!

George sure has done an excellent job in Iraq. As the recent report makes clear, his personal invasion of Iraq has done more to help The Base than perhaps anything else he could have done in the aftermath of 9/11. Thanks Dubya. Nice job. Oh, and thanks to the cabal of moronic neocons who convinced you this was a swell idea. You have indeed built a nation; the nation of al Qaeda! Terrorists are using Iraq as their base and are developing a thriving industry that is doing almost as well as Halliburton is in that "country."

The world hasn't been this unstable and "on the brink" since the height of the Cold War.

You want a legacy, dimwit? How's this?

"He ruined the U.S. and destablized the rest of the known world, which eventually led to a nuclear disaster."

2006-04-07T10:10:00.000-04:00

Not Leaker-In-Chief, but Liar-In-Chief.

I have started to write this post several times. But I just can't put all of it together. I can't find a hook to hang it on.

I thought about comparing George Bush to this woman I once worked with who was a wonderful and very successful liar. She'd smile in your face and stab you in the back. But that seemed silly. Her lies were, compared to Dubya's, inconsequential fibs.

I thought about the mentioning how schoolchildren once thought that "being President" was the most honorable profession they could hope to acheive. Again, it seemed too juvenile. Surely, as we grow, we realize this is tantamount to believing in the Easter Bunny.

So I have nothing to do on but my gut and my anger and my desperation.

George Bush has now (and the Irv Libby revelation only solidifies what some many already assumed) outranked Nixon in the pantheon of GOP Presidents (in my lifetime) whose names will live in infamy. (I thought an FDR reference would really tick them off...) Bush has proven that he is everything those of us on "the Left" knew he was; a lying, cheating, stealing creep of a human being who has, along with a cadre of close advisors, managed to lower the status of the United States of America several serious notches. I am intensely proud of this nation and its traditions. Proud of what we have so often represented to the world. A chance, a break, a hope for something better. A place where, while the streets may not be paved in gold, they are, at least, paved.

But George W. Bush has taken the good will of this nation and pissed on it, like a smart ass cowboy putting out the last remnants of a smoldering campfire. He has made a show of clearing brush while brush fires still burned around the world. And he has fanned those flames, with his incessant "good ole boy" bloviating - talk which doesn't matter much when spoken over a beer at the local Dew Drop Inn, but which turns nations against us, which makes enemies of our friends and moral enemies of those we might have been able to talk down off the nuclear ledge.

So here we sit. Bush lies with impunity and the world knows it. It makes them wonder, as every citizen of this nation should, whether anything this man says is true.

Not exactly a strong hand to deal from.

No exactly what those schoolkids had in mind for The President of the United States.

For that matter, not what I had in mind, either.

2006-03-29T15:30:00.000-05:00

Scalia Listen To Mia

Here's a word of advice for Justice Antonin Scalia. Shut up.

As a employee of mine (as a US citizen) I don't want you to make any public speaking engagements whatsoever. Ever. We pay you enough, don't we? Unlike the rest of us, you have a job for life. RIght?

I want you to stay at home, play hearts on the weekend, maybe do a little fishing and bascially strike a low profile.

Why? Because if you go out and continue to blather, you will continue to say things that will effect your ability to rule as a Justice...and that will mean you'll have to recuse yourself...and that will mean that the 300-million citizens of the United States are being given the back of your hand. And, speaking just for myself here, I don't like it.

If you want to talk about the Gitmo tribunals in private, while playing poker and noshing some salted peanuts, have at it. But don't you dare go out in public and open your trap.

And trust me, Mr. Scalia, I say this with upmost respect. I fully understand your position as Chief Blabbermouth of the Supreme Court.

2006-03-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

Santorum: It's All About the TV Ads

I don't have the exact wording in front of me, but Rick Santorum was recently quoted as saying something like this; "Wait 'til we put the TV spots up on the air. Then the voters will remember what I've done for them!"

Yea.

This is pathetic on a number of levels. If a two-term Senator hasn't done anything positive that the voters of PA can remember, then what the hell has he been doing? It's also pathetic because it shows just how much Santorum depends on the sleazy sleight of hand that all political commercials involve. He doesn't care so much about what's really happened, so long as his media hacks can craft a gauzy version of "The Real Rick."

I'm guessing, with his numbers still in the toilet, that Santorum will attempt to rejuvenate his old "fighter" moniker. I mean, what better to do when you're down in the polls but to rely on the underdog "Rocky" image? Much of his website and his direct email hints at this; (to paraphrase)

"The commie, stinkbag, limousine liberals are attacking po' me! They want, more than anything else to hurt me and my family. I am put-upon. I am cornered. But I'm fighting back!"

Yea. That something you learned working for the WWF?

So we will wait to find out what Rick has done for us when the first barrage of illuminating TV ads hit the air. I'm sure they will clarify what the junior Senator has been up to...down there in Virginia.

2006-03-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

The Other Flood That Has Ruined America

Mardi Gras put NOLA in the news again...and most of what I heard was depressing and trite. It seemed every story ended with the reporter putting their own spin on "the people of New Orleans" and their "spirit." Thanks, but no thanks.

NPR, however, ran an interesting piece on Mac Rebennack, the musician known as "Dr. John." Mr. Rebennack, who grewn up in the lower Ninth Ward, was able to see beyond the physical devastation in that area. He, unlike many people, saw to the core of the issue, to the societal ties that once existed and are now cut, perhaps forever. Rebennack noted that the music which New Orleans is famous for was a direct result of those ties -- that the neighborhoods and the connections they engendered, helped brew the blues and jazz.

So what is the "other flood" I'm referring to? Not the Johnstown Flood, though is certainly shares much (institutional arrogance, lack of government oversite) with the Katrina disaster. No, what I'm talking about is the flood of suburbanization which has washed away a huge swath of America...forever disconnecting people from each other. Dr. John has correctly disagnosed a problem which we all face; America, without the solid small towns and vibrant cities, faces a future in which in which people only "exist" in their little pods...but never really form a lasting bond. No wonder American's move so often; they may not know it, but I think they're desperately seeking something that life in the cul-de-sac isn't delivering...

2006-02-24T12:10:00.000-05:00

The Bush Disaster Disaster

Exactly how large a disaster does this administration need before it actually gets its act together? In the aftermath of Katrina, we now have various reports reiterating the insanity, stupidity and incompetence which swamped the response to the hurricane and its aftermath. Ditto, 9/11. Ditto, Iraq.

My question is this; will we even be around to have commissions and inquiries after a nuke blows away half of some state or city? Boy, that'll be helpful as hell!

The GOP, whose adherents pride themselves on being self-reliant and anything but "new age," seem to fall back on the hippie-dippie PC protocol "let's not play the blame game" after each meltdown. But you know what? I want some freakin' blame laid. I want to know who was at fault. I want to know who screwed up, and why. And I want heads to roll! Why? Because the people in charge need to be afraid for their jobs and their careers. They need to understand that "re-evaluating their response" after-the-fact won't be enough next time.

Is working in fear a good motivator? Maybe. Maybe not. But here's the thing; if these people do their jobs and do them well, they won't have to be in fear.

2006-02-14T14:17:00.000-05:00

Is Dick Cheney Fucking Crazy?

For the more kind-hearted or squeamish, I apologize for the title, but it seems to be the clearest way in the English language to put the current situation in perspective.

There are various scenarios which may have played out this past weekend, and all of them are very bad. Cheney's efforts to delay the flow of information to the American public is, no matter the reason, an impeachable offense. Was he drunk and afraid of a blood test? Was he just stupid and careless? Who cares!

If the Bubba's and Bertha's and corporate slime of this nation hadn't already "gotten it," what more proof do they need that the Executive Branch of the the United States of America has been hijacked by a team of scheming liars; men who will do anything to protect their own sorry asses, even when another human being is bleeding-out in a Texas meadow.

There is absolutely no question that Cheney should step down, or proceedings against should begin immediately. Will it happen? I'm not sure. Bush has already spoiled the chances of many GOP candidates next year, and now Cheney is adding to their miseries. Poll numbers for the Admin could be in the negatives by next week. But Cheney is not the sort to fall on his sword. He's a vindictive cuss who, I imagine, will only leave the White House kicking and screaming, in what would doubtless be a mirror image of Nixon's last days.

One other note. Can someone explain to me why we even allow the VP or the President to consort with people who have loaded weapons in their hands? We spend millions each year protecting these dipshits from crazies with guns...then we let them wander around in fields with hunters toting loaded shotguns. While I'm sure the Secret Service feels pretty confident about the GOP faithful who get to go on these trips, isn't this "accident" a sign that just being around weapons can be dangerous business? Shouldn't we make it a law that, while holding office, they can't hunt? Hell, if Cheney still wants to get his kicks, he can always go to Nova Scotia and beat seals to death.

Finally, As Ms. Piltdown mentioned to me; "Hunting for these guys isn't something they care about, it's just golf with guns." Excellent point.

2006-02-12T22:03:00.001-05:00

Cheney Shoots and Scores

Saavy hunter and wiley sportsman that he is, Dick Cheney unleashed a load of buckshot into a rich Austin political appointee this weekend. The man, a Mr. Harry Whittington, is apparently doing okay. We think. No word on whether the quail escaped unscathed. My guess is that he and his quail buddies are laughing their asses off.

Think about it, because it isn't often that you get to contemplate this; the VP of These United States shot a man this weekend...and the White House didn't report anything about it for 24 hours. Why? That's the time it took for the spinmeisters to invent a credible story and make sure all those involved had it down pat.

"Mr. Whittington approached from behind and didn't announce himself...as he is supposed to do." That's the basic BS. No matter that any decent, experienced hunter does one thing before they pull the trigger; they verify that what they're shooting at really is a bird or a deer or a rabbit. From the wire photos I've seen, Mr. Whittington does not look much like a quail. In fact, he's quite a bit larger and more obvious than a quail. Add to that something I was taught when I was a young hunter; never turn and shoot behind yourself...because you don't know what's back there.

Here's my favorite part, though. All the rich hunting types are desperately trying to make this sound like, "Oh well, I've been sprayed myself a few times. It's really nothing." This is nonsense. Mr. Whittington could easily be dead or permanently disabled or blind today. The truth is, we don't know just how bad his condition is, because I'm sure it's beging closed guarded and spun by the White House. While I don't have any moral problem with hunting, I do distain the rich and famous who do it only for "sport."

The hunters of Ohio and Pennsylvania and New York and New England, who go out in search of whitetail deer and snowshoe hares and other game have nothing in common with these patrician pigs who would just as soon turn and shoot their political benefactors as they would a terrified rabbit.

2006-02-05T22:31:00.000-05:00

Cartoons Are Just That.

Denmark is a lovely country...and the Dane's were a historically adventurous people. But, in today's world, it is mostly inconsequential on the world stage. However, after the publication of some cartoons in a Danish newspaper, the eyes of the Muslim world turned on the tiny, icy enclave...as if it had declared war on The Prophet.

What is at play here? Why the hub bub, bub? It is clearly nothing more than hate-mongering among certain factions in the Muslim community. Trashing the leader/prophet of a major religion is generally bad form, but it isn't something to shoot, kill or main over, because that's what most religions themselves consider bad form. No major religion purports to support violence as a solution.

Yet here we have some Muslim's declaring virtual war on a democratic nation that supports freedom of the press. It's enough to make you want to re-read the holy Qur'an, to see if humor, satire and stupidity are truly punishable by death.

The bottom line for many Westerner's is this; if you are a Muslim, and you can't slough this off and look at the real problems facing you, what chance do you have for the future?

2006-01-26T20:34:00.000-05:00

Filibuster....or Bust!

John Kerry, who figures he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, has chosen to be the point person when it comes to a possible filibuster of the Alito nomination. It's probably too late for John, but we are glad he's managed to get some balls. We only wish the rest of the lackluster Democratic Party would do the same.

If Alito ascends to the highest court, we might as well kiss goodbye to over 40 years of forward social and economic movement and get ready to live by Cotton Mather's dictums, 'cause we're headin' back to the dark ages. The Democrat's in Congress know this...but seem unwilling to do anything about it. Why? Becuase, it seems, they are not unlike their GOP brethen in one regard; they'll do anything they can to get re-elected, even if it means betraying the core values they are supposed to stand for, and for which we elected them.

For a long time I've given the Dems the benefit of the doubt, but those days are over. Time to stand up guys and gals and show the nation what you're made of. Otherwise, we'll all start looking elsewhere come election day....

2006-01-21T17:43:00.000-05:00

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III has spent a lot of time on the campaign trail, uh, I mean the coal mine disaster circuit, recently. Think about it; why do government officials such as Manchin (and a couple of years back) PA Lt. Governor Schweiker feel the need to camp out at coal mine disaster sites? They don't do this for any other disaster. Have a flood? The Gov flies over the area, proclaims it a disaster, asks for Federal aid, does a standup with the local media, then heads home.

But with a coal mine disaster, they stay in town. They pray with the miner's families. They hug. They show concern. In other words, they troll for votes.

And most of all, they wait for their closeup -- at the moment of truth. Of course, Manchin had a chance to experience both during the botched Sago Mine communications "problem," so he should be pretty well set to go, no matter how the latest crisis resolves itself.

One other note; why is it that coal mining disasters demand this level of media coverage? As I'm writing, two of the miners may or may not be dead. The others are out and fine. This means that we face the possibility that two men died in a mine fire. It's unfortunate and sad and certainly tragic to the families of men and their community, but I don't no why the other 300-million people in the US should be glued to their TVs to watch the latest update. To me, it's just a video fetish.

2006-01-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

Santorum and the Special K Street Project

When Jack Abramoff walked out of court looking like the snarky dark side of “Spy vs. Spy,” the collective careers of many DC insiders, including other powerful lobbyists and influencial legislators, began an inexorable march toward shame and oblivion. In the coming months there will clearly be a perfect storm of scandal along the grids and vectors of L’Enfant’s grand federal city. It’s happened before of course, but perhaps never at quite this level with this much money involved…and with this many people potentially tainted.

Rick Santorum, whose involvement in the so-called “K Street Project” is well known, may have a great deal of explaining to do. He was deeply involved in the efforts to man-handle lobbying firms, so that they only hired “approved” GOP operatives, people who would do the bidding of the Senate leadership and the White House.

It remains to be seen how much the public understands this issue or what was going on behind the scenes along that shady lane in DC, but the Abramoff scandal is just getting its legs. By the end of Q1, I’d guess that even Joe the Barber will know about K Street — and what it means.

I’d also guess that, while some Senators and Congressmen were swearing a blue streak at Jack’s defection, Santorum was saying his prayers — and asking for a light sentence.

2006-01-03T22:12:00.000-05:00

Abramoff...and the end of the GOP Headlock

The problem with Abramoff, from a media standpoint anyway, is that his name doesn't translate easily into _____Gate. If it did, the scandal would be much easier to pigeonhole.

As it stands today, the number of men inside the Beltway who feel their scrotum tugging close to their loins has increased exponentially. There are a load of GOP "wise guys" who are now facing total ruin. Ney is just the beginning. Hastert's mea culpa comes too late. The next few months won't change America, but they may tip the balance of power in DC. While Democrats were on the Abramoff payroll too, it was, for the most part, a GOP party.

It is time for the Democrats to come up with there own "Contract With America" and sing it loud and clear. The GOP is going down hard...and your average American, who desperately wants to believe in SOMETHING, is just dying to hear from the Dems!

Maybe the system does work.....?

Oh, by the way, is it just me, or did Abramoff, in his black trenchcoat and fedora, look like an overgrown version of "Spy vs. Spy?"

2005-12-23T17:13:00.000-05:00

"Melissa and Tim's Excellent Iraq Adventure"

Congresswoman Melissa Hart of Western Pennsylvania, apparently hoping to follow in the boots of her nearby battle-weary buddy Tim Murphy, is off to Iraq for the Christmas holiday.

She'll be, according to her spokeswoman, "speaking to soldiers about whether they have all the necessary equipment such as adequate protective armor for their mission," as well as assessing how the training of Iraqi troops is going. Of course, Ms. Hart probably wouldn't know the receiver from the firing pin of a rifle, but her keen insights into troop training will certainly be worth the trip!

Tell you want this is. This is CYA.

Hart may actually face a real, legit opponent for her seat next year, and she's probably getting antsy. Since she first took office, she's been a total GOP sycophant and, under George Bush, she's risen (on the strength of her ability to takes orders) to a position of some power. It is Ms. Hart who has been a big part of stalling the work of the Congressional Ethics Committee. That's a resume point that only King George (and Tom DeLay) can really appreciate!

But back to Iraq. What Melissa is doing is just what Murphy did, and what thousands of pols have done before in times of war; they are using it for political gain. I can almost guarantee you that none of the soliders in Iraq give a hoot whether some clueless Congresswoman shows up in fatigues and asks "meaningful" questions. They know the score. Don't ask. Don't tell.

But the comment about armor is an interesting one. Of all the issues she could have mentioned, this was clearly near the top of the Hart campaign's list of talking points. Why? Because they've done research and found out that the lack of armor for our soliders pisses off a lot of people; people on both sides of the idealogical breach. Hench, Hart will cross her arms in stern consternation and will, in the coming election year, make a faux stand against the Administrations "delays" in getting armor to the troops. I can bet you that, upon her return, the Hart campaign will issue a press release which "calls for more aggresive action to supply the needed armor to our troops." Hell, it's probably already written.

Melissa may not be as lucky as Dr. Tim was, when his vehicle went off the road and he hit his hard head hard against some steel plating, but nothing stops her from hoping for a Christmas miracle....

2005-12-18T19:12:00.000-05:00

Bush's America; The Wheels Have Come Off

George Bush has the same problem that any liar does; eventually it all catches up with you and Dad knocks on your bedroom door, demanding an explanation.

Our benighted President wants us to believe that his authorization of secret spying is okay, because the "terrorists" are breathing down our necks and will stop at nothing to kill fine, peace-loving Americans. The problem is, if you follow his twisted logic, the "war on terror" will never be over, and, by extension, the spying on citizens without a court order will never end, either. Essentially this means that George W. Bush has, in one very foul swoop, forever changed the laws of this great land. It's law by fiat, which equals a dictatorship...not a democracy. Maybe that's the idea he has for Iraq.

Other than the clear legal issues concerning the NSA's domestic spying is the fact that, it could be easily handled differently; but that never occurs to the Bush clan. If, for instance, a tip led law enforcement officials to think they needed and "instant wiretip," (something I can imagine) I'd be glad to let them go ahead, as long as they'd come back to the court later to obtain the needed warrant. If the court decided the evidence did not support a warrant, then they could say that any evidence unearthed was "fruit of the poisonous tree" and would not be admissable in court. Simple.

But, like I said, the Bushies see the world differently. Very differently.

2005-12-15T17:27:00.000-05:00

Scratch My Back with a 300-Million Dollar Arena!

Apparently, if you hang around long enough, and whine loud enough, someone will eventually build you a new arena, stadium, baseball park or convention center. And that someone is usually the state or local government, which means that someone is really you and me.

So it goes in western Pennsylvania that the forces are beginning to gain momentum and someone, whether it's Country Executive, Dan Onorato, Mayor-elect, Bob O'Connor or the sitting Governer, Ed Rendell -- someone is going to get credit for "saving the Penguins." Maybe it's because of that movie. I don't know. And the truth is, all these pols want to be the savior. Maybe it's because of Christmas. I don't know.

There are many interesting twists and turns to this venture. I'll just note a few;

The City of Pittsburgh is a bankrupt shell. There is absolutely no way any money should be handed over to a sports team until (or, if ever) the City gets its act together. Schools are being closed, downtown is slipping further into the void and O'Connor wants to build an arena?

This is the "stadiums" issue all over again. The citizenry doesn't want a new arena, particularly. They'd probably rather be able to shop downtown, but they don't, not when the day rate for parking is hovering around $20. At that price, who's going to go to the same store that's in their nearby mall? Who's going to go in for lunch...or dinner?

The slow moving slots bail-out is bogged down in Byzantine back door deals and bizarre givebacks...so the Pens will be long gone before the first token has dropped, skating away to Kansas City or elsewhere. Can someone tell me why we needed these "brokers" to sell machines? Was it just so Jim Roddey could do something in his retirement?

Did anyone notice that the Pens didn't play last year? Not many. I'm a fan, but I could not only live without a hometown team, I could get through my life without the NHL altogether.

Rendell, feeling the heat as his re-election looms, would love to solidify some votes in WPA.

Finally, if someone wants to dump $300-million on the City of Pittsburgh, don't ya' think we could find better ways to spend it....?

Pilt

2005-12-06T13:28:00.000-05:00

Santorum Lets Others Do His Dirty Work

The current dustup in the Santorum/Casey campaign is just a sneak peek of things to come, but it is illustrative of how Santorum's public persona as the angelic "person of faith" doesn't jibe with the reality of inside-the-beltway politics.

At issue are TV commercials which are running throughout PA under the auspices of a group called Americans for Job Security. AJS is constituted as a 501(c) not-for-profit organization, which allows it to hide its contributors, unlike a 527, which would have to reveal who's paying the bills. While it would be clear to a 5th grader that AJS's communications are indeed "intended to effect the outcome of elections" (thus making it, as a 501(c), in violation of IRS regs) the group has, so far, been able to skirt the law on this count.

What this amounts to is that Santorum is taking money and running ads paid for by...who knows? He and his staff can demure all they want, and claim this is out of their control, but the the bottom line is Rick is being supported by a shadowy group that refuses to come clean about who funds it...and what sort of quid pro quo is involved. Rest assured, however, that Rick knows where the money is flowing from!

A side issue in all this is the use of the same stock footage in the AJS commercial and a web-only ad running on Santorum's site. The question this raises is whether AJS had communication with Santorum's media frim, Brabender Cox, in violation of campaign laws. I would suggest that the Casey team get their counsel on the phone with the FEC and Getty Images or Corbis (or whomever was involved) and find out who ordered what when, and what the terms of the licensing was.

The bottom line in all of this is that Santorum, even in these early days of this campaign, is relying on others to do his wet work for him and is hiding behind a Chinese puzzle box of campaign law loopholes. Not the sort of thing the people in the "T" should expect from such an upstanding citizen, is it?

2005-11-28T07:51:00.000-05:00

Tim Murphy Gets Bonus PR on Wasteful Iraq Trip

Western PA GOP Congressman Tim Murphy got banged up the other day, when the vehicle he was in turned over on the way out to the Bagdad airport. By most accounts, Murphy suffered no serious injuries, though an MRI was done to check for head and neck injuries.

The Congressman was in Iraq and Afganistan to pump hands with the troops over Thanksgiving. Now, while this sounds altruistic, I'd argue that it's anything but. This is way different than sending some hot babe entertainer over with a wise-cracking comedian in the manner of Bob Hope and Elke Sommer. This is a politician hoping to be able to pick up a few points next year by showing just how "concerned" and "informed" he is about the "situation."

What we really ended up with was a grandstanding pol who put himself and the soldiers guarding him in harms way, for nothing other than political motives, including, I'd guess, a video and still photographs. (look for them soon on his website!) Then, we had to utilize a Blackhawk helicopter to drag his sorry ass out of the danger zone, wasting more precious resources and putting other soldiers at risk.

Next year, after the fall elections, I am hopeful that the voters of PA will decide that Congressman Murphy should spend Thanksgiving at home, not in the Middle East.

2005-11-27T17:55:00.000-05:00

Black Friday: An Overbaked Corporate Concept

Perhaps it's fitting after all that Americans created a new holiday which celebrates both their insatiable need to consume as well as the corporations which drive, and profit by, that desire. Black Friday, which entered the mass media lexicon only a few years ago, is as closely watched as the third race in the Triple Crown, yet it's a pathetic stumbling spectacle.

The question that any average citizen should be asking is this; why should I care? The answer? You shouldn't. Yet the media, desperate to rehash every story they did the year before, (did you know that Pointsettias can be poisonous to cats!)hauls out Black Friday specifically because it has that "horse race" metaphor going for it. As we all know, they treat coverage of political issues the same way. Forget the issues; let's concentrate on the polling numbers! Who's going up, who's going down!

Of course, there is the side of this issue which relates to corporate profits. "If Company Q doesn't get some big sales on the Friday after Thanksgiving, they may not make their numbers for the year." is how it goes. Again, should you care? From where I sit, no. First of all, there is nothing you can do to help or hinder Company X's gross sales, unless you go there and buy 2500 plasma screen televisions. Even that will only be a blip on the screen. This simply isn't your problem or mine. Hell, even if you work at the highest levels of Company X, you probably couldn't make a difference, since most company management don't listen to the best and brightest on their staff -- they listen to Wall Street.

Ah, Wall Street. It didn't hold back the marauders when it was first erected and it certainly hasn't stopped the modern version from picking the pockets of most Americans. If there is any reason for the Average Joe to care about Black Friday, it's because he is, no doubt, invested in Wall Street via his 401k plan -- and thus must care about how well Company X does. In fact, he may feel compelled to rush off to Company X to buy a 84" plasma TV just to help his investment, even though he'd rather shop at his friend's store down the strett.

Yes kids, it's a vicious cycle....and I don't know about you, but I don't think it deserves its own holiday!

2005-11-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

Big Fish, Small Ethics; The Santorum Legacy

That flip-flopping you hear in the shallows of DC is the sound of right wing Senators and Congressman struggling desperately for a little air, as they find their good fortune being drained away to reveal the muddy, ugly reality of the Iraq War, corruption at the highest levels and an economy that isn’t nearly as robust as they’d wish. What they fear most, of course, is that they’ll never get back into the deep dark depths, that they’ll continue to sputter on the shoreline next year and that voters will have had enough of the stench come Election Day 2006.

Among this group, Rick Satorum is the biggest fish, a barracuda who wants people to believe he’s an angelfish, a pure political animal who wants people to think he’s a preacher. In the months ahead, Santorum, led by his spinmeisters and pollsters, will attempt to look like something he is not; reasonable. Indeed, the campaign to beat Bob Casey Jr., has already begun. But, in many ways, it’s more a campaign to make people forget who Santorum really is. In fact, Santorum’s media hack, John Brabender, was recently quoted as saying that (paraphrasing here) “people have already forgotten about Terri Schaivo.” This is, of course, wishful thinking. No one will forget Santorum’s sleazy political intrusion anymore than they’ll forget Bill Frist’s “disagnosis by VHS.”

But the signs of a “new, improved” Santorum are all around. He recently made a point of avoiding GWB when the President paid a visit to the soft coal section of PA. His campaign blamed the lack of co-dependency on a “scheduling conflict,” but you can be sure that, four years ago, Santorum would have cancelled an audience with the Pope to share the stage with Bush.

And this week, Ricky Flippy took another step toward abandonment of his cherished hard-line ideaological opinions. Frank Rick, columnist for the New York Times, summed it up today,

“No sooner did he stiff Mr. Bush in Pennsylvania than he did so again in Washington, voting with a 79-to-19 majority on a Senate resolution begging for an Iraq exit strategy. He was joined by all but one (Jon Kyl) of the 13 other Republican senators running for re-election next year. They desperately want to be able to tell their constituents that they were against the war after they were for it.” {emphasis ours}

Isn’t that special.

What is most disturbing to me, and I think it should be to the voters of Pennsylvania, is just how blithely Senator Santorum, whose raison d’etre is moral and ethical certaintude, shifts his positions to catch the prevailing winds, in much the same way that Captain Renault did in “Casablanca.” Minus, of course, the sense of humor.

So keep your nose to the wind over the coming weeks and months. It won’t be hard to sniff out the hypocrisy coming from the big flopping fish.

2005-11-14T22:22:00.001-05:00

Santorum Flip Flops Like a Nervous Trout!

Rick Santorum will do anything to stay in power. After all, for close to 20 years, he’s been sucking at the hind teat of the government, making his living on the backs of working men and women from across Pennsylvania — and he doesn’t want to lose his bully pulpit. He doesn’t want to go back onto private practice, where, though the money is better, the press coverage is far less pervasive.

So, while facing polls that show him stumbling badly, Rick has decided to play the game, “Race To The Middle!” This is where you say a few things and vote on a few bills so that you can use those bits and pieces in campaign advertising.

The most blatant of these so far was his speech recently at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, where the junior Senator was handing out pork. At that event, Santorum said he doesn’t believe that intelligent design belongs in the science classroom. This is a complete flip-flop from what he said in a Washington Times (the Sun Young Moon rag) editorial several years ago, where he was anything but ambiguous.

“…intelligent design is a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in the classroom.”

I guess the questions is Rick, what do you really believe in? It's my opinion, of course, that you believe in money, power and staying in office, no matter what the cost. Hell, you can't even be "true to your school!" As soon as the pressure is on, you listen to what your consultant says and you dash around PA pretending to be a normal human...and sending your base into a tizzy.

However, perhaps, in the case of the ID debate, something more devious is at work.

Remember that Santorum’s wife Karen home schools their children. Perhaps Rick just means that most good Christian parents should abandon the public school system altogether and teach ID at home! Let the schools do what they want…’cause our children, the children who will venture forth thoroughly indoctrinated, will have gotten their dose of ID at home and will therefore be innoculated angainst that nasty liberal "scientific method."

In any event, this flip-flop is one of many that will become issues in the year ahead, as Santorum desperately attempts to connect with the soccer moms and the more moderate voters he’ll need to win. Keep your eyes open, because “Radical Rick” will be trying hard to become “Middle of the Road Rick,” long enough to score another six years in DC…you know, down there where he really lives, breeds and pockets the money.

2005-11-05T17:07:00.000-05:00

The Shock And Awe Shucks Comedy Tour!

For Immediate Release
From Piltdown Man

In an apparent attempt at raising his ratings, particularly when compared with those of Jon Stewart, the President of the United States today began a nationwide comedy tour titled "Shock and Awe Shucks."

Hailed as an innovative way for the President to rebuild his flagging popularity, Bush will take his show on the road to over 40 cities. The Prez, as he likes to be called when on stage, started his set in New York City to thunderous applause.

"I told Dick and the rest of 'em, y'all oughta git r done at Miss Ellie's Ethic's School.....'cause we got a lot of ethics in this country right now! They're coming in over the boarders faster than goose poop down a chute!"

"I mean, this country was founded on ethics. The founders had ethics. Fact is, ole Tom Jefferson had himself two or three ethics he 'specially liked. Even had hisself a little ethic baby." We don't want to use all his best material, but GWBs take on his office is just to rare to spare! "Ya'll know why they call it the oval office don'tcha? "Cause I can't spell elliptical! Seriously though, it's that shape so that all you NASCAR fans will feel right at home!"

Tickets are on sale now! Call the White House and tell 'em you wanna "Laugh your ass off with The Prez!" Who knew the leader of the free world could be this funny?

2005-11-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

The Oil Sucking Zombie Congress

Somehow, in the back of our minds, we knew it would happen eventually...and so it has. The Senate voted 51-48 to begin the rape of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. They are nothing if not persistent pricks.

Ted Stevens, Alaska's "King of Pork," actually had the termidity to say that the oil they'll get is "crucial to the nation's attempt to achieve energy independence." I guess the fact that there is perhaps enough oil to power our SUVs for a year or so hasn't quite gotten through his permafrost skull. Yea, that'll show those Saudis a thing or two! Damn straight, Ted!

You see, here's the problem I have with the current state of the Union. Even though Bush is "under seige" and has lower ratings than reruns of "Cop Rock," he's still the guy in charge, and as long as he is, we can count on more right wing zingers like the carpet bombing of the caribou which is about to begin.

2005-11-02T18:20:00.000-05:00

Bush Gets the First Bird Flu Innoculation

It was a shot in the arm for the struggling, bumbling Bush administration when the President came out in favor of spending billions to save us from the coming pandemic. The spending spree (where the hell does all this money come from anyway?) is, in reality, nothing more than a personal innoculation of Mr. Bush, who, at this moment, needs much more than a prick in his deltoid to recover his footing. Whatever else Mr. Rove may be up to at this moment, he is clearly still the training wheels on Mr. Bush's bike of state.

We can imagine the conversation.

BUSH: "Listen, what the hell else can go wrong? I wanna know. 'Bout tornados? Earthquakes? Locusts?"
ROVE: "Bird flu."
BUSH: "What the hell is that?"
ROVE: "You don't have to know that. I'll take care of it."
BUSH: "Good. That's what I have you here for."
ROVE: "Just be ready to read a speech on TV tomorrow."
BUSH: "Damn you, turdbrain, ya mean I gotta read again?"
ROVE: "Don't worry. It'll be on the prompter...and we'll use really short, easy words...."

All Rove wants is deniability when the feathers fly and the nation begins to develop a killer case of the flu. I call it the "Ghostbuster's" defense. To quote Bill Murray's character, Peter Venkman, speaking to the Mayor of New York;

"If we're right, and we stop this thing, you, Lenny, will have saved the lives of millions of....eligible voters!"

2005-10-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

Right Wing Radicals Hijack Our Future

In Iraq, we worry that religious fundamentalists are going to drag down any chance that nation (supposedly) has to become a democracy. With their strict adherence to Sharia law and their singlemindedness, these people seem anathema to the concept of a modern, multicultural republic where the free flow of ideas is crucial.

At home, precisely the same thing is happening and it is just as much a threat to our Republic.

President Bush, with this nomination of Samuel Alito, has bowed to the most radical religious elements of our society, those that hide under under shroud of a simple carpenter to advance what amounts to a specious political agenda. They are the Mullahs of Mississippi and the Clerics of Kansas.

It is an extremely sad day for our nation, though I suppose we've had many opportunities to say that over the past five years. But today, the Emperor showed us just how little he cares for the fundamentals our nation was founded on and how much he loves the fundamentalists who got him elected.

2005-10-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

We Finally Learn What the "I" Means

Scooter to me is Phil Rizzuto, not this White House hack. I want that on the record right away. But despite an apparent desire to hide his ethnicity by changing his name from Irv to I "Scooter" (this will let me pass at the country club won't it?) we just figured out that the Capitol I really stands instead for Indictment! Glad we cleared that up.

Louis Libby is an integral part of the Bush White House war machine, he just happens to be one of the parts that got mangled in the machinery of America first. It's at moment's like this that we remember; The system does work...mostly. The prediction her is that Irv's indictment won't be the last. Depending on how Fitzpatrick finagles the next stage of this case, Irv could certainly cut his losses by ratting out his brethren. During the trial phase, we could hear some very interesting testimony. Should be fun. It will be the next season's highest rated reality show by far.

Fitzpatick's presentation of the "facts of the case," as well as the press conference which followed, was a breath of fresh air. Unlike the studied obfuscation that we normally hear emanating from inside the Beltway, we got facts, reason, logic and a real dose of humanity. Mr. Fitzpatrick stood on his feet for two hours and handled ever press query with intelligence and aplomb. He was never rattled. He never sneered. Compare that to any press adventure our dear President has held.

2005-10-27T13:57:00.000-04:00

Miers Retires Before She Starts

The strange tale of Harriet Miers is over for now. More will come out, eventually, as it always does. But right now, at this moment, we can bid her a fond farewell.

What was her nomination all about? My guess, and it is truly that, is that Rove and Cheney, both of whom are facing a serious legal imbrolgio, decided to let Little Boy Bush "have his way" for once....just to teach him a lesson. They both know their time is short in this administration, so why not? Karl and Dick won't be ruined of course, because no one ever is in U. S. politics. Besides, what does it matter? They're both wealthy, overstuffed white men who could move right back into the corporate comfy chair the day after they leave the White House.

The real fight begins now. To please The Wrong Reverend Dobson and his clones, Bush will have to find a legal scholar who has the Ten Commandments tatooed on his or her chest and who has studied the Bible with more fervor than they have the Constitution. We can expect a whack job fundie sort and expect it soon...as the "acceptable names" have been on the table ever since (and way before) Bush made his latest attempt to institutionalize croynism.

2005-10-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Bush Will Veto America's Honor

Senator John McCain spent years of privation in a Viet Cong POW camp. Geoge W. Bush spent years drinking and carousing with his fly boys in Texas, protecting us from the Mexican Menace. Who do you think knows more about how prisoners should be handled? Right.

But Bush is now poised to veto a bill (his first in five years, mind you) onto which John McCain wants to attach a rider. The wording would clearly and unequivicably explain to all our service men and women, and to the world at large, what the US will and will not do to its prisoners of war. But Bush won't have it.

If you want a single discouraging, depressing and dishonorable moment that defines the state of our union at this moment, perhaps this is it. I am tempted to rail on further, but it seems so pointless. If the President of the United States wants "wiggle room" when it comes to torture, then the wheels are truly off, and this ricketedy old horse cart of a nation is headed over the edge and down the swale into some very scary Class VI rapids....

2005-10-03T12:34:00.000-04:00

SCOTUS, POTUS, SCHMOTUS!

Harriet Miers has the one qualification that any Bush appointee must have; she is a "loyal" Bush acolyte. Never been a judge? No sweat. I mean, Brownie didn't know squat about emergency management and look at what a "heck of a job" he did!

What I find utterly amazing is that the Democrats, including Harry Reid, are all smiles about this, as if Bush had nominated Ted Kennedy to the post. What the hell is wrong with them? Here they have Bush in a corner, the White House totally rattled by innumerable disasters, yet they will lay down for this nominee? I don't get it? Neither do a lot of other Democrats I speak with. They know, as do I, that there is a simple formula at work here; if Bush nominates someone, we shouldn't want them. While Miers has no judicial record to look back on, isn't it clear for all to see that ANYONE Bush nominates will hold firm to his insane, hyper-conservative, evangelical view of the world?

However, here is the really scary part. The GOP wants people to accept that the new crop of Justices won't "legislate from the bench." Really? Of course not. To their credit, this has been a very successfully promulgated load of horse dung that the public, particularly the "Rush told me so" minions believe. What the GOP wants, and is now getting without so much as a half-hearted battle from the Dems, is a Supreme Court that will legislate only for THEIR positions. I don't blame them entirely, but I sure wish that some Democrat, somewhere, would stand up and shout, "We're sick of this lying BS, and we're not going to take it anymore!"

2005-09-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

"After a Long DeLay; The Hammer Gets Nailed!"

The indictment of Tom DeLay proves one thing; every now and then the hammer gets nailed!

For progessive thinking people the last five years have been depressing; a sort of extended case of post-traumatic stress disorder, which has led to fits of anger, random eye twitches and large scale ranting at the radio. But, in the nick of time, several hopeful signs have emerged.

1 - Rick Santorum writes an inane tome full of regressive ideas and his polling numbers continue to fall, even though people barely know his competition. Translation? "Give us anyone but this arrogant wacko!"

2 - The Bush administration's monumental ineptitude is laid bare by the twin disasters in Iraq and the Gulf states. People are finally catching on to the fact that the WMDs are the people in power!

3 - Tom DeLay, a brutal Texas power broker and manipulative, morally bankrupt embarrassment of a Congressman gets indicted for conspiracy. There is little doubt that he has done worse, but this is the best our system can manage for the time being.

Ya' know what? We'll take it.

2005-09-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

Intelligant Design and Bart the Interstallar Locust

I have an offer to all people who want to teach "creationism" or "intelligent design" (never did two terms deserve quotation marks more!) in schools. The deal is this;

I will agree that America's children can be taught ID, as long as you agree with me that the intelligence behind ID came from a large, interstellar locust by the name of Bart. In other words, Bart=God. My guess is, I won't get too many takers.

Why? Because the radical right wing crowds pressing this ridiculous agenda aren't suggesting that there is a supreme locust, they are insisting that only the Christian concept of a supreme-being, in the form of God (along with his supposed son, Jesus Christ) be accepted as the only form of ID. How intelligent is that? I mean, don't these people themselves disprove the concept? If the design was so darned smart, The Big G would never had designed cell structure that could mutate into a right wing nutball....

2005-09-22T17:10:00.000-04:00

Rick Santorum Visits the Confesssional

For those of you who weren't raised as Catholics, I'll explain a little. "Going to Confession" is one of the key elements of Catholic dogma. The idea is that, if you admit to your sins, and seek to be absolved of them, you'll be cool with God. We won't argue the merits of the concept here. The traditional confession was held, in of all places, the "confessional," usually a musty little closet in the corner of your church somewhere. Father Frisky Hands sat in one room, you in the other, separated by a wall, but allowed to communicate via a little shrouded (no, not THAT shroud!) window.

I thought, that since Rick Santorum is such a fervent Catholic, that we might imagine for a moment what his latest confession might have been like. With that in mind....we take you behind the heavy oak doors......

"Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been three days since my last confession."

"It is good to hear your voice again, my son...but did you really need to come back in so soon?"

"Yes, Father."

"What troubles you, Ricardo my boy?"

"I have been foolish, Father. I mistakenly blamed the city of Boston and its errant liberal attitudes for all the ills of the Catholic clergy."

"Yes, we read your web postings. They made us proud here in Philadelphia. So what can the trouble be?"

"Well, Father, if you read today's paper there was....."

"Excuse me, Ricardo, but I only read the Gospels and the latest financial solicitations from His Eminence, the Cardinal..."

"Well, speaking of the Cardinal...."

"Ricky. You are losing your faith. I can feel it. The power of The Church is behind you, my boy, but you musn't lose faith, nor your high place amongst the GOP leadership in Congress...."

"But these reports about the City of Brotherly Love are disheartening, Father. I am tempted to rethink my remarks about the Charles River Gomorrah....unless...

"Yes, Ricardo. You know there is another answer...let us pray for a moment, so you can cleanse your mind and think clearly....."

(mumble, mumble, mumble....)

"Has the answer come to you, my fleshy little friend?"

"Yes. The Spirit spoke to me. The answer is now so clear...."

"And that is..."

"Blame the boys and girls themselves, blame the movies, blame television, blame comic books, blame Soupy Sales, blame those Bazooka Joe jokes, blame Hugh Hefner, blame Barney Frank....well, you get the idea!"

"Ah, but do we really want to play the "blame game," Ricardo? "Didn't Scott McClelland eschew that approach?"

"Fuck Scott. This is my ass we're talking about here!"

"True, but I might not use that exact phrase these days. And, I'm afraid I'm going to have to add a couple more "Our Fathers" for the unfortunate use of the f-word...."

"Fine. That's what I have staffers for. See you next time, Father."

"I'm hoping it won't be so soon....?"

2005-09-15T16:16:00.000-04:00

Judge Roberts: Inscrutable and Scary

The televised visage of SCOTUS nominee Roberts is that of a man unperturbed. He doesn't lose his cool, he doesn't break a sweat. Of course, at the same time, he doesn't tell us anything. He projects the image of a man so enamored of the "rule the law," and his own judicial neutrality, that any question about his personal views or opinions are met with near indignation by the man, as if being human wasn't something he's ever thought about. And while I personally want a Justice who will weigh the issues carefully and not lean on his own preconceived notions, I do not believe Roberts is that man.

The nominee makes much of that fact that many of his former writings were developed for his clients, and are, therefore, not indicative of his own beliefs. If so, we have much more to fear. The problem is this; Roberts is essentially being "hired" by the Bush administration and its Right Wing backers and Roberts knows it. Everyone knows it. In the future, he'll do just what he's done in the past, which is to adjust his writings and opinions to please his employers. Despite anything he has said during the hearings, he will use this position of massive importance to further press the screwball Right Wing ideology.

Those of us in the "liberal blogosphere" know one thing for certain; if Bush and his buds want this guy so badly, then we don't, because under that Sphinx-like exterior there is a hungry rattlesnake curled up and waiting to strike.

2005-09-12T23:16:00.000-04:00

Mr. President, The Time Has Come

Like the aged wood in the shotgun shacks of New Orleans, I have been absorbing much and saying little over the past few days. But now, it is time to have a go at it.

When Dubya was running for President, much was made of him being a corporate sort, the kinda guy who "would run the Government like a lean-mean corporation." Ya know what? He is! Bush hired and promoted just like a corporate CEO, who puts his golfing buddies and yes-men on the payroll, aware that they'd always be beholden to him and never challenge his authority. The difference, of course, is clear; if you work for Blitso Corporation and you're a complete moron, nobody gets hurt. Maybe your stupidity effects the bottom line a bit and leads to some layoffs, but nobody (usually) dies. Not so when you're the head of a major federal organization like FEMA.

Mr. Brown's "decision" to step down is welcomed. Next, we must ask for the same from Mr. Bush, who hired him in the first place and who has stocked the Federal government with many similar know-nothing appointees.

The time has come, Mr. President, for a reckoning. The time has come for the citizens of this remarkable nation to be given back their diginity. The time has come, Mr. President, for you to leave and let a more qualified, a more truthful, a more ethical, a more intelligent, a more worthy man, or woman, take your place, and bring America back.

The time has come.

2005-09-03T21:14:00.000-04:00

Chertoff, Jerkoff

A large scale, category 4 or 5 hurricane, alone with a breach of the NOLA levees could never happen. That essentially, is the latest lie from the Bush administration's cadre of the clueless. How can they possible be serious? If you live below sea level, surrounded by water, the NUMBER ONE question you ask is; what if the dam breaks?

"That 'perfect storm' of a combination of catastrophes exceeded the foresight of the planners, and maybe anybody's foresight," Chertoff said.

Yes, sir, ladies and gents, this is the guy whose job it is to keep us safe from the "evildoers." But he is, like the rest of the Bushies, an evildoer of a different sort, a blithering, lying scoundrel who deserves our disdain. A nasty, cruel human being who should have the honor to step down, but won't. A painfully stupid prick who should spend the rest of his days in a flooded New Orleans shotgun shack living off of Twinkies. And that would be way too nice.

The American public got a wakeup call during Watergate. It took a long time, but they finally caught on. They realized that Tricky Dick wasn't being railroaded by his opponents and the hippie-dippy left wing, but that he really was a vicious, lying, manipulative, self-serving pig of a human being. Maybe that's happening again. Maybe...

2005-09-03T18:53:00.000-04:00

Crime Doesn't Stop With High Water

So there is looting in New Orleans? Crime in the streets? You're kidding, right?

With all the so-called news coverage of the Katrina disaster, I haven't heard one person mention that the Big Easy has, for many years, been one of the most violent, crime-ridden ciites in the United States, with a corrupt police department, to boot.

So how can it be any surprise that theives and thugs didn't go on vacation? Of course these people would take advantage of the misfortune of others; that's what loser's do, they live off the weak and the troubled.

All of this talk of looting must be looked at though that prism. One must ask the question, how much crime would there have been on an average day in New Orleans?

2005-09-02T18:26:00.000-04:00

The President Should Resign

I know, that's pretty strong language coming from an anonymous blogger, but I don't say it lightly or mean it humorously.

George Bush, long an embarrasment worldwide, has, over the past week, proven his complete inability to govern this great, proud nation. His carefully staged-managed, homespun persona won't protect him, now that the red states have seen what his polities and actions really mean. I have to think that many of those fine Christian people in the delta are reconsidering just how important a ten commandments plaque is in the courthouse and that maybe, just maybe, some government spending on critical infrastructure would have been a better idea.

But back to Bush. I just heard his little homily live from the NOLA airport. It was as pathetic a speech as I have every heard. He continually referred to the effected zone as "this part of the world," as if he were in Nepal, not New Orleans. He showed no real human concern, no depth of understanding for the citizens he presumably governs. It was, as he is, an embarrasment. Funny thing was, just as he was summing up, the speech came into focus, with a load of trite meandering about how "this great city" and "this great state" will rebuild. You know, boilerplate garbage. My guess is that he gave the rambling start off-the-cuff, then turned to a page that had been dashed off by Rove, et al. Did I mention the whole thing was an embarrasment.

So here's the deal. GWB should go back to DC, pack his golf clubs and bike, take the wife and kids, ascend the stairs of Marine One, turn to us with both hands displaying the V for victory sign, and leave Washington forever. If he isn't willing to do this on his own, we should help him on his way. The word is impeachment.

2005-09-02T09:57:00.000-04:00

"No one imagined the levees would break"

I am so angry about the Katrina disaster that I want to start a new blog every five minutes. Each time I turn on the TV or jump to another website I find things that enrage me. Right now, my mind is swimming with the quote from Clueless George that "no one imagined the levees would break."

First off, it's a complete and utter lie. But that doesn't stop this government. They realize the attention span of most voters is short. Better to lie now and look for political cover sometime later. And never admit fault.

But this isn't just a failure of George Bush, it must be laid at the feet of all the Republicans who believe we can cut budgets and not pay the price. Who believe they can confuse and befuddle people with talk of the ten commandments and prayer in school while they vote down money that would save lives. How about these commandments? Thou shalt not lie, deceive, dissemble. Thou shalt not kill. Because, as sure as the water flows in NOLA, these politicians are responsible, directly for the deaths of many people in this fine old city.

Addendum: As proof that "we never learn," one only has to turn to the infamous Johnstown Flood. That Pennsylvania city was the site of a massive disaster which was caused by the failure of the rich folks up in the mountains to take care of an earthen damn, despite clear evidence that it would likely fail. Sound familiar?

2005-09-01T20:09:00.000-04:00

When It's Needed Most, The Government Bails

Where is Kellog, Brown and Root when you need them? Aren't they experts at setting up field operations to feed, cloth and entertain large groups of people? Haven't they been enriched by the largesse of the US government over the last twenty years? But where are these patriotic capitalitsts? Too busy counting their Iraq profits? Too busy responding to that last no-bid RFP? You bet. They certainly aren't "on the ground" in the Gulf....unless you mean the Persian Gulf.

Halliburton and all its subs are too busy raking in the long, folding green to help the people of Louisiana and Mississippi. None of their substantial resources are being plied in the Delta, 'cause they're too busy sucking the nation dry in the deserts of the middle east.

The government, at every level, but particularly the Feds, have shown their true colors in this emergency. They have shown that they are, essentially, unable to respond at times of crisis. They have shown that average citizens are not important to them, and that when, push comes to shove, the President can manage, at best, a pathetic, weak-kneed speech. Clearly no one will be replaying them 30 years from now...like the do JFK and FDR....

So the government bails desperately, hoping that it can stand on the dias with a tin cup and offset its remarkable failure to protect its citizens. Hoping it can slosh enough water out of their sinking boat so that the 2006 mid-terms elections won't sink the neocon express.

This may be the wakeup call the southern states needed. This might remind them that, when it gets down to it, science and survival trumps everything else.

2005-08-31T10:57:00.000-04:00

The Lessons of Katrina

Notes:

→ You can tear me a new one if you like, but I'm going to say this anyway; if you live below sea level and you are right next to a big lake on one side and the ocean on the other, it could be said that you get what you deserve. Technology, by way of pumps and levees can't be trusted to save you from the inevitable. Katrina and her sad aftermath is an object lesson...so listen.

→ The wind and the water proved how temporal the Gulf States' reliance on casino revenue is. Like some pathetic blue-hair gambling away her SS check, the states now must turn and walk out to the bus with their pockets empty as well.

→ Bush must be a "person of faith," as his "save me from Cindy Sheehan" prayers were answered. He was able to rush back to DC under false "I need to lead the efforts" pretenses.

→ While municipal officials bemoan the breached levees, one has to ask; didn't you guys ever think this might happen? Wasn't there some sort of contingency plan in place? Didn't someone ever ask, "what if?" For a historical antecedent, look to Johnstown, PA, which depended on an earthen damn for its protection as well.

→ Finally, is it just me, or is there something interesting in the fact that the Quarter was (apparently) spared the worst of the damage, while the symbols of modern "culture," such as the Super Dome and the casinos, bore some of the worst of it? Almost makes one believe in god...

2005-08-30T14:32:00.000-04:00

The Media: It's All About Us!

I watched very little coverage of Hurrican Katrina. Just enough to have an idea about what was happening, and then, in the aftermath, what had happened. My total "time spent viewing" was probably no more than twenty minutes.

Yet, within that narrow window, I was at least three times witness to self-congratulatory, self-serving video pieces in which the cable outlets told us how wonderful and brave they were. This included one report in which a CNN reporter, Jeannie Meserve, was close to tears. Tears? There's no crying in TV journalism! None. The men who were challenged with reporting the death of John Kennedy fought their emotions throughout the ordeal, but they held it in check. Cronkite, clearly shaken by the event, did nothing more than remove his reading glasses and pause for a moment upon his announcement of the President's death.

But in today's participatory journalism, journalists LOVE being part of the story. It turns them into stars and those stars then become valuable commidities which the cable networks can use to boost their ratings. Ms. Meserve's inability to retain a semblance of professionallism is pathetic. Instead of being lauded (which I'm guessing will happen) she should be suspeneded and told to get her act together. But I guess that's the problem; for too many TV "journalists" today, it is all an act.

And you know what? I don't care how you got that "dramatic footage." I don't care that you had to move your satellite trucks out of NOLA and use FTP to transmit a compressed video stream. And I don't care how long you reporters were awake or where they slept or how battered by the storm they were. This wasn't about you. No news story should ever be.

2005-08-25T14:29:00.000-04:00

It's the End of the World As We Know It...Really

For some time now I've been reading all I can about the issue of "peak oil." I won't rehash it all for you here, except to say that the basic premise is that we are running out of oil, fast. For more details and a very insightful, clearly written and superbly annotated (hypertext wise) overview go here. But be forewarned, this is scary stuff.

If you believe (and I do) that oil will become increasingly scarce very soon, and that the government knows it better than anyone, it is easy to begin to put much of what the Bush administation is doing in perspective. Use the prism of peak oil to illuminate and view their actions and perhaps they aren't as crazy as they seem.

For instance, if, as the peak oil experts claim, we will face massisve economic disruptions and will become engaged in "resource wars" (for oil and water, among others) it is clear that a government, looking ahead, would do what it could to get a foothold in the area of the world where the most oil is. You know, like Iraq. With that in mind, the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq looks different. It looks like a smart move, a "good opening" in the ultimate global chess game. The rest of the Iraq nonsense, like the WMDs and the constitution and all that "freedom and democracy talk" is just window dressing.

How could we do this, you say? Because, the government surmises (and I think rightfully so) that, when push comes to shove, and oil skyrockets in cost, no one will care who we steal the oil from, we'll just want it!

Think about the Chavez comment from preacher Robertson. A trial balloon, no doubt. Let Pat say this and see how it plays in the media...but again, it's all about oil. Venuzuela is on the short list of potential targets, particularly because it's in our hemisphere.

How about the CAFE standards for automakers? While it might save a bit here and there, most peak oil experts claim it would do little, if anything (and it might actually speed up the process!) to help our oil dependency. So, if that is true, the government would be crazy to push the automakers to spend capital on improved technology. They figure it would hurt the automakers and employees in the short term -- and that's the only term left to us.

If you haven't read up on this issue yet, this may all seem alarmist or nutty. But I urge you to give it your attention and take it seriously. It's just possible that the scruffy guy carrying an "The End is Near" sign down Main Street may finally be right.

2005-08-18T17:07:00.000-04:00

Where All Honestly Ends

At this point in our nation's great history, research shows that about 50% of the American public doesn't trust their President.

That means, in round numbers, that something like 150-million people think the man that represents and (ostensibly) runs their nation, is a liar a scoundrel and a brigand. That means that, the man who wants prayer in school, the ten commandments in every courthouse and a prayer on everyone's lips, is an untrustworthy lout. It means he's the kind of guy you might lend bus fare too, but you wouldn't expect him to pay you back.

Great lesson for the kids, eh?

And my guess is that far more than 150-million don't trust him, they just don't want to admit that they've been hornswoggled.

I'm not trying to be cute, for this really is a serious isssue. The current administration and its enablers in Congress and the Judiciary are the first ones to reference "the founding fathers," while, at the same time, eschewing all those men stood for. While the men who helped craft the underpinnings of our nation weren't saints, they are, for the most part, remembered as intelligent people who were honest in their intentions -- to create a nation where liars and scoundrels could not flourish.

And yet, flourish they do, from the White House to the State House. We can only hope that, as the great grandson of a former President is taking it on the chin in Ohio, the cumuppence of George W. Bush is fast approaching, too.

2005-08-10T16:27:00.000-04:00

What Cindy Sheehan Means

Cindy Sheehan is not a college student, but she is doing what college students used to do, which is to camp out on the doorsteps of power and demand explanations. Of course, it would take a 48 year old woman to remember those distant times. Today, most students are clearly too busy contemplating their navels, as in, "should I pierce it or not."

Of course, one of the problems in the 60's was that students, even educated college kids, didn't carry much moral weight when they took control of college admin buildings. Their hearts and minds were usually in the right place, but they lacked the gravitas that age and experience bring, especially if that experience includes the death of your beloved child.

So Cindy waits along the highway, like one of the Jobes left behind. And that is essentially what she represents; a American who has been forgotten by her nation, who has been forced to take to the dusty road in hopes of some small recompense, a future, an answer.

The question, of course is, will she get it? No.

Bush will never stray "off the ranch" anymore than he will stray "off message," because they are one in the same thing. The Crawford ranch is not a place, it's a symbol. It speaks volumes. It embodies the "sleeves rolled-up, truck-driving, brush-clearing" image that this "Yale-educated, born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-his-mouth" has managed to sell to a very gullible public. Leaving the ranch, even for a ten-minute chat with Cindy, just isn't in the cards, or the game plan.

2005-08-04T11:43:00.000-04:00

The Petty Revenge of Rick Santorum

Make no doubt about it, the fact that the Republican National Committee has chosen to have a fundraiser at the John Heinz Regional History Center in Pittsburgh this week is nothing more or less than an arrogant, petty slap-in-the-face of Theresa Heinz, the late Senator's wife. Over the years, she has made no secret of her utter distaste for Rick and the last election cycle just upped the ante.

Theresa's husband was a much-loved politician. A moderate. A man of principal. A person who could see both sides of an issue. Essentially, everthing that Santorum is not. Also, he was rich, which I think is something Ricky has always been secretly jealous of.

So tomorrow night they'll be laughing it up at the Heinz Center. You know what this will be like; a noxious cocktail party full of self-satisfied rich arrogant Republican men (and perhaps their wives, who don't work outside the home) talking about politics and golf, not necessarily in that order. And the cheap, classless jokes about tweaking Theresa will be on everyone's lips. But that shouldn't surprise us. After all, it's the Christian way, right Rick?

2005-07-28T12:10:00.000-04:00

Boy Scouts Wimpworld Debacle

I never joined the Boy Scouts when I was a kid. I went to one meeting to see what it was all about and decided that "I wasn't a joiner." Besides, living as I did with the woods right outside my back door, I was pretty well versed in camping and tramping skills by this point.

In a way, I've always harbored this sense that the Scouts were for losers who couldn't learn how to do most of this stuff on their own, or who didn't have any friends. Call me cynical.

Now, I am truly beginning to wonder whether the Scouts haven't entered the 21st century with all the cluelessness of your average Game Boy-obsessed, spoiled suburban brat.

While the deaths of four of their leaders was tragic, it also points to a real lack of "being prepared." Mucking around near electrical lines is something even a Cub Scout knows is bad business.

And now comes the heat. Obviously unprepared little scouts are falling like flies because it's hot at their Jamboree. Excuse me, but isn't this precisely what they have supposedly been taught and trained to deal with? If they can't deal with the heat, what can they deal with? Sure it's darn hot, but you drink tons of water, stay in the shade, wear a hat and limit your activity. Then you drink more water. Hey look, I could be a Scout leader!

My guess is that too many of these scouts have merit badges in things like hard drive reformatting and iPod downloading, instead of stuff like latrine building and summer survival skills. Honestly, if this is the next generation of hard-nosed, outdoorsy kids, I'm very worried.

2005-07-27T11:47:00.000-04:00

The Jesus Innoculation

First, let me get this off my back; if one more person repeats the phrase, "person of faith," I am going to puke on their shoes. You see, I just don't care what your religious beliefs are. Doesn't matter to me. You can believe that "god" is embodied in the form of a massive interstellar locust, which only appears every seven years. I don't care. More power to you. Maybe you believe that the mother-ship locust left behind the cicada which have begun singing again this summer..and are now busily repeating a religious chant that, if we just tried, we would understand. Don't care. Have fun.

So this leads me to my thought today. Clearly the GOP decided, and this goes back years, that the future of their party (and the associated platform of corporate avarice) could be accomplished by embracing evangelical religious beliefs. We all know this. The question, of course, is why.

It seems simple enough. If you get in bed with Jesus (or any religion, for that matter) no one alive can question your logic, because religions are, by their very nature, anti-logic. They exist on faith alone. This is what I call the "Jesus innoculation." Take a hypo full of Christian fundamentalism and all attempts to discuss or question a political issue are stopped dead, like a virus encountering a particularly effective vaccine.

Religion is the great debate ender. It's tantamount to the eternal parental scold, "Because I said so!" And this is exactly why this has been so successful for the Republican's. They have managed to stifle, and in most cases, eliminate debate on many of the important social issues of the day. They have come down from the mount with the Ten Commandments (we used to call this a political platform) and made life simple for the simple. No longer to people have to think; all they have to do is "believe."

For many, many American's, this is very heady stuff. On one hand, it allows them to feel like they are part of a large and important "movement." On the other hand, they no longer have to support their political beliefs with something messy and difficult like facts and logic.

The bonus round in all of this is that it also means anyone who doesn't believe like you can be attacked as a heathen non-believer who, because of that, is morally suspect. Takes us back, unfortunately, to "people of faith." While I don't have it in me to excuse the dolts who have been duped by this long-term policy, I do, at times, feel sorry for them. I honestly believe that most are completely unaware of how they are being manipulated by a cadre of very wealthy forces, whose real religion is centered on a once-walled street on the island of Manhattan.

2005-07-25T13:31:00.001-04:00

"Missionary Zeal for the Commonweal"

In the softball New York Times Magazine article on Senator Rick Santorum which ran a month or so ago, one of his staffers related that they thought the Senator was something of a "missionary." I agree. The problem is, he was elected to be a politician from the State of Pennsylvania, not a moralizing preacher.

But he is a missionary, there is not doubt of that. He hews to their basic tenants, which can be summed up thusly;

"We are bringing the truth to you heathen savages, whether you like it or not. Whatever you know, or think you know, is wrong. Ours is the one true way. And, by the by, many of you will probably die in the near future, since we have brought with us, not just bibles and the gospel of guilt, but also, many voracious diseases for which you have no immunity. But that's okay, because it is God's will...and ours."

The junior Senator from PA has been anxious to get back in the good graces of his base since his endorsement of Arlen Specter sent them into fits of apoplexy and his new "Bible according to Rick" is nothing more than a very long, hardcover bit of political advertising. After all, it would have been hard to fit all this moronic drivel into a direct mail piece, since the postage would have been way too high. So the trick was to get people to buy his political screed, not just fish it out of their mailboxes. Also, the "earned media" he's getting is part of this parlor trick as well. The more people say he's nutty, the more his base drifts back and forgives him (I mean, they are capable of forgiveness, no?) for his sins.

Let's be clear about one thing. When it comes to politicians, NOTHING they say or do hasn't been vetted or tested or mulled over. Santorum didn't just go off and write this because he always wanted to be an author, or a preist, he (or a equally noxious ghost) wrote this book with a very specific political agenda in mind. Whether it's the first salvo in his nascent Presidential bid, or his last smirking screed as a Senator remains to be seen.

2005-07-16T22:50:00.000-04:00

Karl Rove is a star in a dark universe.

Most American's are vaguely aware of "political consultants," but few of them understand who these people are or how important they have become in the political process, since most of what they do is accomplished in the dank shadows...not in the bright lights of the dias.

Consultants get people elected. Consultants take stupid ideas and sell them to the public. And many consultants, like Rove, end up not just "spinning, " but creating. They adroitly cross over the line from ad guy to policy guy...and hardly anyone notices. This happens because politicians, egotists all, will kill to get elected and re-elected. If a consultant tells them, "Run this commercial and you'll win," they will do it 99% of the time.

Campaigns today resemble nothing so much as huge corporations, driven by the same sorts of marketing schemes and ad rollouts and press manipulation that your average Big Pharma would be proud of. The very last thing they represent are ideas or concepts or grass roots support. In fact, one of my favorite political bits of jargon is "astroturf marketing," a play on grassroots, where phony "hand made" signs and fake protesters show up to cavort for the cameras. And it works. In the :07 clip people see on TV, there is no way of knowing that those weren't your friends and neighbors.

But back on topic. It is not surprising that Karl Rove would eventually step over the line or be trapped with his own words. While he is, by all accounts, an intelligent and artful player in this game, he is also, as most consultants are, not without an ego of his own. And like most "men behind the men," he hates to lose. That sort of drive, coupled with the power of the WH, has obviously pushed him to say and do things that he shouldn't have. It's my guess that the Plame affair is only one of many "slips of the tongue." But in this case, he was up against people who weren't going to let him get away with it.

But let's be clear about this. Rove might be good at what he does, but there are dozens of his brethren lined up to take his place. Losing Karl may stain the Presidency of GWB, but it won't change anything about how Dubya does business.

2005-07-12T11:36:00.000-04:00

My Pollster Told Me To Say....

President Bush clings, as all modern politicians do, to polling numbers. They are the box scores of this particular game, and pols pour over them like rabid baseball fans parse a team's statistics. They are, in my opinion, the defining characteristic of today's politics. Where once research was done one-on-one, "How are they taking this down in the 7th Ward, Frank?" today an entire industry seeks to find out what people are thinking.

But it's not that simple, for the pollsters are an integral part of all political campaigns and the idea isn't simple to "find out" what's up, but to take that information and craft "the message" to match it. This takes me back to Bush.

Anything he says, any word or phrase he utters (or stutters) has been thoroughly tested and vetted before it leaves his mouth. And these days, he is clinging to the one simple thing that, apparently, still tests well; "We will defeat the terrorists." This line, with its heavy, scary baggage of 9/11 and now London, is a stupid, pointless statement; as any reasonable person knows there is no way to defeat these people. Ever.

And yet, it tests well. Presumably because people want to hear it. People want to believe it. People want Daddy to make it okay. People want to be safe.

So we will go on hearing this. Even if and when a terror attack again strikes our shores, this phrase will never be far from the President's snarling lips. He'll cling to it, not because it's true or accurate, but simply because -- it tests well.

Another phrase that must be high in the GOP gamebook is "liberal activist." Last election cycle it began to enter the lexicon when applied to judges of all sorts. "Liberal activist judges" became a rallying cry of every conservative politician. I'm guessing that "activist" is seen as code for "nasty people who want their own way," and is perceived as a holdover from the 60's. But now the term has been coopted by others; Kenneth Tomlinson, the conservative head of the CPB yesterday applied the term to broadcasters, calling Bill Moyers a "liberal activist."

If you weren't sure the guy was a political hack before this (hard to believe) you now have proof that his public speech has been fully vetted and run through the GOP thinkspeak gauntlet. He's drunk the cool aid. He's on board. He knows the polls.

What is missing from the other side of the aisle is any attempt to diffuse these idiotic statements. And it would be easy. Simple turn them on their heads. Tom Delay is a "right wing activist." Rick Santorum is an "anti-school activist." It's easy and fun; go make a few of your own! Or better yet, grab a weak-kneed Democrat by the collar and tell them it's time they spoke up. After all, isn't that what activists do?

2005-07-03T13:42:00.000-04:00

Santorum's Specter of Defeat

What if.

What if Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and therefore a front line player in the Supreme Court dustup which is approaching like a voracious tornado, somehow manages to step on the toes of those who are seeking a "true believer" on the bench? It could happen. Specter is an odd duck these days; a somewhat less than crazy Republican, who, it seems, does not tie his entire political past, present and future to Biblical prophesy. Arlen is also suffering from serious health issues, having been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease some months ago. A life-altering diagnosis such as that has a way of clarifying your thoughts.

What I find fascinating, however, is how all this could impact Specter's junior colleague, Sen. Rick Santorum. Rick is a far right-wing idealogue, who brooks no variation from the Fundie playbook. He defines himself and sets his political compass not by what is best for our nation or for the State of Pennsylvania, but by what he thinks is best for his family. In other words, he has a personal religious, dominionist philosophy which all residents of PA are supposed to adopt -- or go to Hell. Literally.

Santorum's problem is that he, in a very public way, endorsed Specter over super-conservative Pat Toomey in the last primary. It did not make Rick's base happy. As is so often the case with such intensely Christian and understanding people, they whined and screamed and threw tantrums. And they didn't forget.

So now, if Specter doesn't put his feet in the strirrups, swing both legs over the Bush nominee and straddle that person for all it's worth, Rick may be the one who pays the price. Arlen, good or bad, ill or well, is serving his last term. And if this doesn't go the way Santorum hopes it does, he may be also.

2005-06-28T21:17:00.000-04:00

It Ain't Summer 'Til the First Shark Bites!

Yup. Summer is here. Hot dogs, girls in skimpy clothes, convertible tops down...and sharks gnawing on... girls in skimpy clothes. And the cool part is, you don't even have to spend money to rent the "Jaws" DVD, 'cause you can get "all shark, all the time" on any handy national news network...or on your local news - even if you local news is in Helena, Montana, where shark attacks are, according to sheriff's deputies, "infrequent."

Yes sir. This is BIG NEWS people. And I'm sure we can look forward to at least a week of NATIONAL NEWS coverage of the couple who were noshed on by a cranky grizzly.

Oh, and the lady who owned the savage dog is getting her fifteen minutes.

But wait. News flash! Warhol was wrong! It ain't a 15 measly minutes. Even the most ridiculous little snake bite warrants at least 15 days of inbridled glee from the purveyors of news in our nation. The fifth estate, all anxious to take that term literally, move into their McMansions and live off their celebrity.

But the the really scary news is not about what lies lurking just below the surface of the ocean. The really scary news is out there for all to see. When Judith Miller (and all of us, by extension) got it upside the head from the Supreme Court, because she actually tried to do "real news," it became crystal clear that we have entered a new era, a journalistic ice age which will not just chill those who have our best interests at heart, but will freeze them solid.

2005-06-25T14:05:00.000-04:00

Take My House...Please!

Due process took one on the chin last week, when the Supreme Court tromped all over the Fifth Amendment, specifically this portion, "..nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

It's the due process part that they basically turned their backs on, handing property rights a severe blow. Proponents, including the New York Times, argue that the ruling demands a "comprehensive plan" as a part of any "taking," but that is a specious and shallow argument. Every development has a plan. Current zoning, planning and envirornment law make this a necessity. Therefore, ANY development, anywhere, is probably, within the scope of the Court's decisions, fair game for the use of eminent domain.

Those who argue in favor of the ruling have apparently never sat in on a local government meeting of any sort, where a cadre of (mostly) nitwits argue and blather on endlessly, then make decisions, usually with almost no knowledge of whatever the issue is. When a developer comes to them and promises "revitalization" and "more jobs," they don't even stop to think - they green light the projects and slip a few extra bucks in their back pockets. Local government is, from all my encounters over the years, a pathetic old boys club. The only thing that saves us from it being more damaging is the limited powers they have.

The Court's statement that "states could enact their own laws regarding uses," is a carrot thrown to a dog with no teeth. What do you think is more likely? a) States enact tough anti-eminent domain laws, potentially handcuffing their "redevelopment" efforts or, b) State legislators sit on their hands and let the Supreme Court ruling stand?