October, 2008 archive
Criswell Predicts 0
Karen sent me this link concerning the rumors of a rift between adulators of McHack and Beyond the Palin in the Republican Party.
Here’s my take:
If they lose big, both of them are done for.
His slavish McMavericky adulation of the shrub will send him back to the Senate seat to await retirement or defeat at the end of his term.
Her only constituency is the nuttiest of the wingnuts, the nutcase Christians, and boob guys, and they are going to be completely discredited with the larger party.
Well, not the boob guys. Even they are realizing they’ve been thinking with the wrong he–oh, never mind.
And maybe, just maybe, the Republican Party will regain its sanity. If it doesn’t, the traditional conservatives will run to earth for a few years, or enter a homeless shelter, or go somewhere else.
If the traditional conservatives disappear, the Republican Party will end up consisting only of neoCons and Christian establishmentarians; that combination is going to have trouble outdrawing the Greens and the Libertarians and will make Nader look relevant.
Please bookmark this post and, if McHack and Beyond the Palin lose big, come back in three months and prove me wrong.
Addendum:
Ever since Miz Bedford made me write “antidisestablishmentarianism” 1,000 times because I was a smartass, and too smart for her to fail me, I’ve wanted to use that word or a part thereof in a sentence. It’s been 40 years, but I dood it.
Y’know, it’s awful difficult to hold five pencils in your hand at the same time.
Seen on the Street 0
Billboard in lower Delaware:
An eye for an eye makes the world go blind.
Maryland license plate (which I assume refers to 7-11’s worst nightmare):
GO2WAWA
Maryland license plate:
IAM4IU
(Indiana University? International Unit?)
Bumper sticker (I want one) on a Delaware vehicle:
Proud To Live in a Blue State
Lots of Obama yard signs, a smattering of McCain signs (more as I got into Virginia, but still Obama signs in the majority). Of course, the yard sign survey and five dollars will get you a cup of coffee in New York City.
Frustrated 0
So, after five hours, 200 miles, and the usual depressing–depressing because she’s so ill–visit with my mother, I get here, check in, and fire up the computer.
First, Linux tells me that the file system has been rebooted 27 times without a disk check and, dammit, it’s checking the disk whether I want it to of not, so go away for 15 minutes.
Then, I fire up the innertubes, get ready to listen to the news, and the MP3 server at the Best Public Radio Station in the Country ™ tells me that it’s full. Then the Real Audio server tells me the same thing, so I’m stuck with listening to the second best public radio station in the country.
And they’re not going to talk about the Phillies.
More Republican Lies 0
This is going beyond absurd to silly:
- The spot falsely claims Obama has a “plan” to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. In fact, Obama has said quite specifically, “I am not proposing that that’s what we do.”
- The ad implies such licenses would enable terrorist attacks. In fact, Atta wouldn’t have needed one to carry out his attacks.
- It claims that Obama’s health care plan will apply to illegal immigrants. But Obama has stated quite clearly that his plan “does not” cover illegal immigrants.
- The ad falsely claims that Obama’s plan “gives illegals Social Security benefits,” which is also flatly untrue.
They don’t have the balls to come out and say, “We agin’ him ’cause he black.”
To catch up on Fact Checks I’ve missed while I’ve been playing data recovery tech, including not only McCain lies, but also a few Obama spins, go here.
Was the Bradley Effect a Misreading of What Actually Happened? 0
Blair Levin, who worked on the 1982 Bradley campaign, says yes: that, although race might have been part of the “Bradley Effect,” it was, if not a neglible element, hardly the most significant element of the discrepancy between the polling and the polls.
“But he wasn’t losing because of race. He was losing because an unpopular gun control initiative and an aggressive Republican absentee ballot program generated hundreds of thousands of Republican votes no pollster anticipated, giving Mr. Deukmejian a narrow victory,” Levin wrote. “This is not to say that race wasn’t an issue; it was in 1982 and it has been since. But to those who keep citing the Bradley effect–not so fast. It’s more complicated than you think.”
Levin told NPR’s Martin that the Republican Party spent close to $1 million to get GOP voters to vote by absentee ballots. The year 1982 was particularly significant as well because it was the first year California residents were permitted to vote by absentee ballot–without a legitimate reason.
NPR’s Day-To-Day explored the issue in a story last week. Similar points were made about the surprisingly high Republican turnout from the Central Valley of California generated in great part by the gun control issue. Follow the link to see the synopsis and listen to the story.
In Delaware, It’s Known Simply as “the Hotel” 2
It’s the kind of place that most locals visit only two three times in a life time, say, for a 10 anniversary or some such celebration, when they are willing to drop $50-$75 a person for a meal.
After some calls, the team found a hotel that had enough rooms for all the players — the posh Hotel du Pont in downtown Wilmington, Del.
Some lucky folks dine there every day.
Or, at least, they did until Bushonomics.
Document the Atrocities 0
Oops, I forgot.
That’s Duncan’s line about the Sunday morning talk shows.
Oh, well.
Jon Swift documents the absurdities.
People Can Still Do the Right–er–Correct–Thing 0
Listen Closely at 17 Seconds 1
If you didn’t hear the McBushy/Beyond the Palin supporter yell, “He’s a nigger,” click “Replay.”
It’s there.
And it’s theirs.
It is their campaign. They have nothing else left.
By their supporters shall ye know them.
Via Brendan.
Where Does Duncan Gets These Ponies? 0
Like, for example, this one:
Addendum, after Tuesday’s DL:
I asked him tonight. He said, “Teh Google.”
Just When You Think They Can’t Get Any More Stupid . . . 0
. . . They prove you wrong.
Republican candidate caught stealing his opponent’s yard signs.
I heard about this on the radio this evening:
Thanks to Steve, here’s the video:
Rachel Maddow used to refer to the “Bush crime family.”
Her phrasing caused me discomfort. However much I contemn (yes, that’s the proper spelling) the shrub, I did respect his Daddy and thought he tried to do his best as President. I didn’t agree with him much, but I did–and do–believe that he tried to exercise his responsiblities with integrity.
Now, I have concluded Ms Maddow understates the case.
It’s the Republican crime family.
The Republican Party is united in its lack of respect for the law, for truth, and for the American Way.
Stray Thought: Adrift Division 1
I just heard the promo for tomorrow’s Fresh Air:
On the next Fresh Air: The making and remaking of presidential candidate John McCain. We talk with Robert Draper about his cover story for The New York Time Magazine, investigating why the McCain campaign hasn’t been able to settle on a central narrative.
(Jumping up and down, raising hand, and shouting, “Oooo! Oooo! Oooo! I know! I know!”)
In order to have a central narrative, one must believe in something over, above, and beyond just winning.
Beyond the Palin 1
From Josh Marshall:
The Final Debate 0
From Harry Shearer:
By the way, the first few minutes of his show on Sunday are well worth a listen, as he dissects Bushonomics. Actually, most all of his shows are worth listening to.
Tempus Fugits 0
Eight days to go.
One day to go until Drinking Liberally, Tangier Restaurant, 18th and Lombard, Philadelphia, Pa., 6 p.
When the Phillies Are Hitting, No Team Can Beat Them 2
Phillies 10, Rays 2.
Phillies up three games to one.
