Again, I am not much interested in blogging, so instead, a few more week-end quick hits:
1.) Sen. Obama was onMTP, and esentially declared that he is thinking about declaring being interested in a 2008 run. He is an attractive candidate- good looking, has a commanding voice with a thoughtful tone, and seems to be unrattled by questioning. Having said all that, I just get the feeling he is not the one nor is he quite ready.
2.) As I should have guessed, yesterday’s quick hits generated a great deal of discussion about the Instapundit. Many of you seem to think that I am stating Glenn didn’t think about his vote for Corker, which simply is not the case. I am sure he did think about it, and probably could give, if requested, a number of reasons why he voted the way he did. However, all I have to work with is what he has said, and to date, he has said pretty much nothing but positive things about Harold Ford, and then voted against him anyway. His stated reasons were, as I have noted, due in part to the ‘sexual McCarthyism’ of the left, the Democrats being worse, etc. One issue that does stand out is guns, I guess.
So he voted for Corker- that is fine, as a lot of other folks will vote for Corker in a few weeks. My issue isthat Glenn continues to present himself as a libertarian, when I think he isn’t. Lots of people support stem cell research, homosexual marriage, and a new policy on the drug war, and lots of people firmly believe the Democrats can not be trusted and reliably vote Republican. So many, in fact, that they even have a name for them- ‘moderate Republicans.’ A moderate Republican is not, however, a libertarian.
Time and time again, Glenn has (correctly, in my opinion), voiced his displeasure with this administration and the GOP controlled Congress, and he was (again, in my opinion) right to do so. But every time it counts, every time the chips are on the table, he does not hold this President or this Congress accountable. Voting for a Democratic governor does not, as Glenn wrote, “split my vote,” because the Democratic governor has no impact on the make-up of the House and Senate and will play no role in bringing some accountability to this administration. In essence, a vote for a Republican Senator or a Republican congressman this election is a vote to greenlight their activities over the past few years. It is a vote to keep the House and Senate leadership the same, it is a vote for fiscal irresponsibility, it is a vote for an anti-homosexual agenda and gay marriage amendments, it is a vote for flag-burning amendments, it is a signal that Congressional meddling in personal matters (Schiavo) is fine, it is a vote for continued feckless foreign policy with no oversight of the President, it is a vote for corruption, it is a vote against stem-cell research, it is a vote for the status quo in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is a vote for domestic surveillance and torture, it is a vote that says “NO PROBLEM” to the sleazy demonization of the opposition and the even sleazier campaign tactics of the GOP, and it is a vote for the continued injection of religion into politics.
No libertarian I know would vote that way.
3.) Speaking of the Instapundit, he has a link to this Jules Crittenden piece about the military crackdown on Milblogs. Check it out.
4.) Here is today’s Rorschach test- check the blogosphere to find out who is linking to this piece claiming the Republicans will hold the House and Senate, check out who is linking to this piece about Democrat’s possibly winning.
5.) The Republicans are worse- so says this Ohio newspaper (h/t Sullivan):
We’ve been following Ken Blackwell’s career for years. Our file on him is more than an inch thick. We’ve talked with him personally and come away impressed with his intelligence and commitment to change — both of which are much needed in this state.But while Blackwell may still get some of our individual votes, he’s lost our endorsement, for whatever it’s worth. His total nastiness at the Monday debate with his opponent, Democrat Ted Strickland, has proven that he’s really not the kind of man we need as our next governor. Personal attacks of dubious accuracy should have no place in a political campaign. As Strickland said, “Mr. Blackwell, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
***Strickland is not much of a candidate. In Congress he’s voted as a liberal most of the time, heavy on spending and taxation. He has few ideas, and some of the few he has presented have been analyzed as unworkable. He has no daring, no noticeable personality or charisma. But he’s a nice man who works well with others — and that’s the main reason why Blackwell is losing this race.
With Governor Strickland, we’ll likely have another Bob Taft or worse — but with Ken Blackwell we could easily have four years of gridlock, with little or nothing getting done. It’s a poor choice, and one that we’ll have to let local voters make without any recommendations from us.
Considering the only thing the Republicans have running on this year is that the “Democrats are worse,’ when you sit down and think about it, the fact that the REPUBLICANS are actually worse is pretty damn devastating. In fact, once your recognize that the Democrats are not worse, there is no reason to vote Republican whatsoever.
6.) In case people are forgetting, FOLEY FOLEY FOLEY FOLEY.
The GOP chooses to look the other way, time and time again, when something troubling gets in the way of their power. Say it over and over and over again. They are corrupt, and they don’t give a shit about anything but remaining in control. Period.
7.) Steelers. Falcons. ‘Nuff said.
GO STILLERS!
Gold Star for Robot Boy
I’m starting Hines Ward this week, so the turnaround Big Ben showed against KC better be for real.
Also, I picked up Davenport but I’m not sure why. But he’s not starting. I need further proof that Cowher will use him as the goal-line back.
ThymeZone
Shorter Barrons piece:
“Cash wins elections.”
Barrons is owned by the Dow Jones & Company, which also publishes the Wall Street Journal.
Message? “We’re rich, fuck you.”
Thanks, we’ve had five and half years of that now. We think we are ready for a change. We’re the people; fuck you.
Punchy
I just bet the over in the Steelers game, so despite risking the sure stomach sickness and the horrible feeling that I’m now rooting for a guy we call Worthlessberger, I now have to cheer for the damn Steelers. And whoever they’re playing….to just score. I’ll even go as far as hope Pitty wins, just for kicks.
Bears 84, Bye-week 3.
Pb
What I’ve said before about Obama is that if he runs just to run, then that’d probably be a good thing–because he is a great speaker–but I don’t know that he’s got enough experience to warrant being on the ticket. However, maybe he’ll convince me otherwise; who knows, maybe he’ll get the VP slot.
jcricket
Thanks for the post about Glenn. That people believe he is a Libertarian is mind-boggling. If that’s libertarianism, then it’s just a subset of Republicanism. To quote someone who said it better than me: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means”
Frankly, I’d bet that a significant number of self-professed Libertarians are actually Republicans who just care so much about tax cuts that nothing else matters. Let’s call these people Grovers, for example. They’ll vote to demonize gays, legalize torture, etc as long as “they get theirs”. Either that or they’re just plain ashamed to admit they’re Republicans (maybe they only secretly do hate TEH GAYs or don’t want to admit they peed their bed after 9/11). Let’s call these people Millerites.
And there are still others who think that calling oneself a libertarian conveys some air of “intellectual superiority”. That is, it sounds cooler than calling yourself a Republican. It’s like being a “Green” sounding better (in some circles) than saying, I’m a liberal democrat.
jcricket
Oh, and Polamalu should tie up that hair or quit bitching when people grab it.
ThymeZone
My prediction, subject to frequent and crass revision as needed to make me look good, is that if Obama runs, he’ll win the Dem primary scenario and be the nominee of the party. The only way he becomes VP nominee is if he doesn’t run in the primaries.
Experience? I don’t think that the last 50 years of history have exactly proven that “experience” is a good thing. Johnson had deep experience, he was a monster. Carter had experience, he was weak as president. Bush I had experience, and he blew his presidency.
I am not convinced that Obama is ready for the general election for president. That’s a marathon of shit that has to be run, and he seems a little green in terms of poise with hard questions. Maybe he has time to fix that, I don’t know. I am convinced at this point that the primary process is the main reason we’ve had thirty years of lousy presidents. Not the only reason .. we had almost two decades of lousy presidents before the primary system went into effect in 1972. But it seems to me that the primaries lock us into a cycle of shit, where big money and big bullshit are employed to manufacture nominations for big egos.
Pb
Generally the reason to have a third party in the first place is when your interests are not being served by either of the other two parties. Now, this might be true for any “Grovers” who are actually serious about drowning the government in the bathtub, and I guess it’s not surprising that, once they decide they aren’t Republicans, they latch onto another pre-existing party name.
Now, I never called myself a “Green”, but I did consider voting for Nader in 2000 for the same reasons–because I didn’t feel that either major party was really serving my interests, which at the time had more to do with eliminating [government / corporate / media] corruption and entanglement, and related copyright, computer, and personal privacy issues. However, times have changed, and so have my interests–not only have the Republicans shown precisely how corrupt they are, and how willing they are to spy on all of us, but they also lost any tepid support I might have had for them by 2002 / 2003, when they started beating the war drums for Iraq instead of continuing to pursue bin Laden. And after that, they lost me for good.
Pb
I won’t disagree there, but looking at our current President–who is totally unqualified for his job–makes me say that a lack of experience, on balance, is probably worse. Or perhaps I should say, a lack of qualifications. At least Obama appears to be more rational and emotionally mature.
Agreed, I know that I wouldn’t want to go through with that in any case.
On that front, I think he might rise to the occasion, but we’ll see. However, it doesn’t take much for someone to latch onto some dumb phrase and dishonestly distort the hell out of it.
Agreed on both points. I think a national primary would help things a bit.
Tsulagi
He’s no libertarian. When it matters, you can see Republican concern trolls like Instapundit are loyal bedwetters. “Yes, while proven there’s absolutely no reason to vote Pub on the national level, the Dems COULD be worse. Be afraid, be very very afraid.”
For backup he linked to Riehl’s World View? I didn’t know who that guy was until last week when he was throwing asterisks **** around like a drunken gay sailor while coming unglued.
So yes, parrot troopers, put on your rubber panties when you go to the booths. Be afraid, be very very afraid, you might get confused and pull the lever for a Dem. Stay the course on absolute failure. Take solace you stood up to the Dem boogeymen.
longz
I thought the Crittenden piece was a little off because it ignored the fact that this crackdown came right after Doonesbury began its own milblog, offering voices of the military that are less propagandistic than the ones Crittenden clearly loves.
Once diversity of views started coming in, the military crackdown followed.
Halffasthero
I read Barron’s article and I can say witohut hesitation that they are wrong. I didn’t need to look any further than their pick of Kennedy over Klobuchar. Right now she is blowing him out of the water in every poll with few undecided votes left. Kenndy’s ads are lame and irrelevent at best and will do nothing to turn around people’s opinion. Frankly, I was stunned to see them make that pick and, since this is part of their reasoning for the GOP to hold onto the Senate, the articile isn’t worth the bytes it took to write it. Short of a rigged election, Kennedy will not win Minnesota. You heard it here first.
craigie
John, you’re so sexy when you’re shrill.
Pooh
Uhm, WHAT?:
I mean, how stupid do you have to be to lie, bald-faced, when it’s so easily verifiable?
Anderson
Here, Cole, I’m rewarding your coolheaded political sense with a welcome reminder that you can loathe the Republicans and still loathe Cindy Sheehan.
ThymeZone
Covered on an earlier thread today, and ….
Let’s not pretend that these guys have any qualms about lying.
To paraphrase Nixon …. when the president says it, it’s true.
And as I said earlier, he’s drinking again. That should be obvious by now.
zzyzx
Insane game there in Atlanta.
Reid
“Steelers. Falcons. ‘Nuff said.”
Beaten by the leg of a 46 year old man (said the 48 year old man, running and ducking…)
Tsulagi
Or to quote Rove…never let the question interfere with the answer.
Otto Man
As someone who just traded for Hines Ward *and* Alge Crumpler this week in a fantasy league, I have to say “insane” doesn’t even come close.
Sam Hutcheson
That’s by far the best game Mike Vick has ever run in the pros.
Not sure Barack is ready for a presidential run.
Reynolds is a hack.
Andrew
Sorry that the Steelers lost a close one, but that’s what happens when you become a gay, America-hating Democrat-lover.
Chris Johnson
“1.) Sen. Obama was onMTP, and esentially declared that he is thinking about declaring being interested in a 2008 run. He is an attractive candidate- good looking, has a commanding voice with a thoughtful tone, and seems to be unrattled by questioning. Having said all that, I just get the feeling he is not the one nor is he quite ready.”
GOOD. We’re not electing ‘Neo’. GOOD if he is not The One. Can we have a simple public servant please? To answer to Congress and the citizenry, to preside over the monumental clean-up of the huge mess we now have?
Screw ‘the one’. Let’s elect a good faithful janitor, mkay?
ThymeZone
Try getting the faithful janitor through the primary process. Fuggediboudit.
The system is now inoculated against “good faithful” anythings.
ixeian
Sorry about the Steelers, but they played well, Vick and the Falcons were just slightly better. And as someone born many years ago in Denmark, all I can say is Go Morten Andersen ;)
Other than that, agreed about the Insta-publican. Not much true libertarianism there. And that Ohio Courier opinion oughtta hurt a bit among those still deluded enough to support Blackwell’s extreme kind of politics.
Chris Johnson
Then screw the primary process. Inoculated? You mean ‘poisoned’. Why is this not seen as a thing to fix?
Bird Dog
Obama is running for Vice President. He could be perfect for that.
jcricket
Talk about your redundancy. These words are all synonyms, dontcha know?
And yes, the Steelers are losing because John isn’t voting Republican. You see what happens when you don’t give in to fear? Your football teams lose, Al Queda bombs stadiums, and gay Republicans molest the yoots of America.
Yeah, the 46 year old can surely kick, but did anyone watch the Buc’s game? 62 yards! That’s nuts.
Sam Hutcheson
I thought Koenen’s 56 yarder was pretty good too.
Randy
I hope Obama runs. He’s one of the few Democrats I would consider voting for. It would be nice for people who don’t love Bush but don’t hate him either to have a choice between two reasonble candidates, instead of having to choose between a far-left liberal and an unsuccessful president as we did last time.
Saw Obama on MTP today. He is remarkably well-spoken. An Obama campaign would be a feast for the ears, regardless of anyone’s political views.
Anon
Far left liberal, huh? Yeah, that John Kerry’s pratically a founding member of the Weather Underground or something.
And that Obama’s very well-spoken considering he’s colored and all.
You’re hilarious, Randy.
Pooh
Wait, I thought it was John Kerry?
Randy
Anon writes:
Did I say that? No, I just said that he was well-spoken. Don’t project your own racial prejudices on me.
ThymeZone
Spoof alert.
Andrew
Randy is like the the little chestbursting alien except that he came out of David Broder.
ThymeZone
Tweaked.
Zifnab
Yeah. What’s up with your heightism? Damn guys.
But I think Randy was going for “Soft-spoken” more than “non-Ebonics speaking”. And Obama is nothing if not soft-spoken. He’s so soft-spoken he’ll buckle every time a tenured Republican decides to lay into him for opposing Iraqi Wars or Presidential Torture Policies or Bridges to Nowhere or Privatized Social Security. Basically, up till now Obama’s been a bit too much of a pussy for my tastes. I’m waiting for a Dean or a Fiengold or an Edwards. Even a Clinton. I’m not interested in a repeat of Kerry-style fumbling and bumbling to victory strategy of ’04.
Randy
I wouldn’t say Obama is soft-spoken. He has a mellow way of speaking but it’s not like he’s a “low talker.” He reminds me kind of how a jazz guy like Branford Marsalis or John Tesh talks. But he’s way more eloquent than that type of guy.
demimondian
I’m with Zif. If things go the way I think they may for the next couple of years, I’m in favor of the Dems running a bomb thrower. We’re due for a generational shift in the political landscape, and those are best triggered by a successful run from the nominal extremes.
Besides, I’m looking forward to reading this site during a campaign in which John and Tim disagree. If John really thinks that Patrick Leahy will be a terrible SFR committee chair, imagine how he’d behave if the Ice Lady ran, touting her single payer health care model? Or a Howard Dean, running with the full weight of the Democrat party behind him, touting his successes in bordelrine socialist Vermont?
Bwahahahaha!
Perry Como
Proof that liberals support terrorists.
Da Bombz Diggity
Cole,
I think that your comment about Obama’s possible run in 08 shows that maybe you’re not ready to see Obama run, not that Obama is not ready.
Obama is a change that the US needs right now. He is not a lap dog and he has shown that he is concerned with the values of all voters, whether rich or poor. We need equality and fairness to be brought back to the government. We need for America to be seen across the world as a UNITER, not a divider. What better way to show that we are tolerant of others than to not object over Obama as President of the US? We need for thoughtful citizens to not prejudge Obama over his race, but to see that Obama is the message that America desperately needs to send to the world. The Bush admninistration may have destroyed all posibility for reconciliation with the world, but an Obama administration would be a starkly different message to the whole international community. In addition, we don’t need any more candidates with AGENDAs. We need someone who will work with integrity to solve problems and issues in America proactively instead of reactively. The Bush administration came into office with a plan and only wanted to fulfill the plan with little regard for all other needs of the American population. America needs a large change or else we will soon fall.
Punchy
And Tynes felled the Chah-ghahs with a 53ish FG at the end of the 4thQ, too..
All in all, a great day for kickers.
cd6
What if Obama was in a debate on CNN or something and was like “I could outline my 6 step plan to improve America’s foriegn relations and ensure our national security through better diplomacy, or I could throw down some tomahawk jams. Which would you prefer?”
Zifnab
I am a bit confused as to how having an agenda makes you reactive. The Bush Administration hasn’t been the least bit reactive on tax cuts, judical appointments, or war. On events that fail to meet his agenda – hurricanes and deficits and losing the war – he’s been less reactive and more non-active.
However, every President needs an agenda of some sort. He needs goals and direction and focus to give his tenure meaning. Bush got elected in ’04 because he showed more focus than Kerry, even if it was focus on a losing cause. He almost got elected in ’00 for the same reasons.
But Obama doesn’t seem willing to take a stand on much of anything that I’ve seen. What major piece of legislation has Obama’s name on it in the two years he’s been in office? What ground-breaking speeches has he made in support of Redeployment, Raising the Minimum Wage, exstabilishing Universal Healthcare, legislating Pay-As-You-Go Spending, or ending needless pork? I’d like to see Barak with a real legislative history before I supported him for any high executive office.
demimondian
Perry, you know that I don’t favor terrorism. That kind of lowering of the debate level is unworthy of your political philosophy, based as it is in the great thinkers, Ayn Rand and Newt Gingrich. I want to see all of our political discourse raised to the level that they mastered, lifted up to the heights of insight captured in the _Contract with America_ and the other great documents of the past.
Randy
It’s stupid to say the other side favors terrorism. It’s stupid when Republicans say it about Pelosi, it’s stupid when Democrats say it about Bush.
ThymeZone
Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.
Yes, I just made that up.
rachel
Obama seems like a nice kid.
Barrasso
I don’t think race will be a problem for Obama because the racist voters who would never vote for him would also never vote for Hillary, they are all hardcore repubs.
Pb
What major piece of legislation could Obama have hoped to pass in the two years he’s been in office? Well, S.2590 did get passed, at least.
David
That Eagles game ripped my soul out through my nose. Jesus Christ, 62 yards?
David
That Eagles game ripped my soul out through my nose. Jesus Christ, 62 yards?
Baby Jane
If Obama reaches for the yams, America will not only gladly pass them to him, spoon them onto his plate and ask if he wants seconds, but they’ll come and crowd around the table just to hear his warm-toned and comforting voice speak, “Mmmm…those are some tasty yams.”
Wickedpinto
First, Obama, who I do like, the guy isn’t just a “because he is a great speaker” which is just a new euphemism for “an articulate negro” Sorry, I see subtleties. He has an awesome biography, yet, don’t forget, that he was trailing in the polls, to jim ryan (who has an equally awesome biography) was “surprised” by a flogging JUDGE who admitted that his ruling had nothing to do with the case, but the “public good” concerning nothing of his official actions allowed the judge to release the divorce agreement that was sealed by a judge of the same stature for exactly the reasons that the judge who released it said it shouldn’t be released! (THAT was a dirty friggen campaign, and it had nothing to do with Obama, who I like, but it had everything to do with DEMOCRATS)
If Ryan hadn’t been “surprised” it would have been an iffy election, and I admit, it MIGHT be the fact that I am a tall good looking white guy, who wants to be rich, but I was leaning towards ryan (if I lived only two miles west of where I live) But hey, thats illinois I guess.
That was the BEST senate race that season, but smears, slanders, and manipulation of other political action groups forced ryan out.
anyways, disgust at dirty deeds aside, obama has a great biography, but there has only every been one political neophyte with only a single session of senate behind him to every take the presidency, and thats kennedy.
I like obama, but he isn’t a big player, at least not yet, if obama unseats blagojavich next season? and then the season following runs for president? maybe. but not an adolescent senator with a great attitude, and a brilliant command of public opinion in his speach shouldn’t be thrown at the presidency yet, it would be a disservice to who I think is a good man. (obama)
As for Glenn, True, John, despite having nothing bad to say about Ford, Ford has supported enough very important things to sway glenn. It isn’t just about personality? it’s about the group policy of the congress. I think that Glenn likely mournes the loss of such a talented politician (a better candidate for president than obama) as Ford, but, the balance of power cannot be lead to impeachment, and the usurpation of executive power by the congress AGAIN (like in the post vietnam withdrawl, we WEREN’T in vietnam at the time of the denial of funding, we just ignored a potential ally so that they can become a slavish (is that okay for a white man to say about brown people) vassal of the USSR and China.)
read more than just the “i didn’t vote for ford” post.
I’m SO pissed at dem’s, not cuz I’m that far to the right, but, for some reason dem’s think they need to oppose the ‘pubs at every moment.
Look at no child left behind. Teddy was one of the PRIME AUTHORS! and now he says it’s bad? well, then why did you help WRITE IT!? It’s WAY too slash and burn on the left, and I HATE! that Harold Ford might be one of the victims of this polarization, I like that guy.
Wickedpinto
You know? I really don’t realize some of these comments are that wordy.
I’m sorry for being so pedantic.
The Asshole Formerly Known as GOP4Me
It feels like the ultimate nullification of reality every time the Eagles lose, yet the rest of these insensitive bastards behave as if nothing happened.
When I am President and leader of the free world, the White House flag will be set at half-mast every time the Eagles lose a game. That is my solemn pledge to the voting public, guaranteed to win me Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and (probably) Maryland no matter what other positions I take or party label I adopt.
If I really want to clinch PA, and get WV and OH besides, my running mate will be a Steelers fan who makes the same promise to his fellow Pittsburgh-lovers. If the Eagles play the Steelers, we can guarantee a grim day for America in the morning.
As an Eagles fan, I will campaign with every intention of losing Texas in the general election. That will be a stated aim of my campaign. I will pledge to have the CIA incapacitate at least one Cowboys star. (Sound harsh? Fuck you people, these are the Dallas Cowboys we’re talking about here. They’re the Satan of the NFL. I loathe them with every fiber of my being. They’re even worse than the Giants, a team I will at least pretend to tolerate for purposes of getting elected.)
Also, when I am President I pledge that taxpayer dollars will be spent to ensure better advertisements during the Super Bowl. Coors will be pushed out in favor of microbrews like Dogfish Head, Goose Island, Flying Dog, Magic Hat, and Fat Tire. America’s alcoholics lag behind alcoholics of other nations in terms of the quality of their preferred selection, and as POTUS I pledge to change all that. Only the finest brews for the citizens of the finest country on Earth, and only the finest ads for the fans of the finest sport in history! Furthermore, I pledge that our nation will open a microbrewery on the Moon by the end of the 21st century. If we fall behind in the space race, the beer race, and the alcohol-related-excursions-into-space race, our nation will have lost a portion of its soul.
Vote for GOP4Me, even if he runs as a Democrat, Socialist (Vermont), Libertarian (courting the coveted endorsement of Glenn Reynolds), or Mr. McWhiskers Fluffy Kitty-Cat Independent Party candidate! You have nothing to lose but your brain cells!
The Asshole Formerly Known as GOP4Me
Plagiarism in defense of liberty is no vice, either.
Bombadil
While they may crack down on milblogs, not all the voices are silenced — witness this from Kevin Tillman (Pat Tillman’s brother).
OCSteve
Hmmm – so Republican = racist? I’m far from a “hardcore repub”, but I’ll cop to being registered as a Republican. I will be voting for Michael Steele. I’m a middle aged white guy, living south of the Mason-Dixon line – and I’ll vote for the black candidate because I prefer his positions over that of his opponent’s.
I really think that race matters little in these contests. Do you think that the (mostly) Democratic black population of MD is going to vote for Steele based on the fact that he is black?
I wouldn’t vote for Hillary because she is, well, Hillary :)
James Baker
My staff worked all night on these:
1. Cut the Course.
2. Stay the Run
3. Run the Course.
Sure there are some problems with all of these. The most glaring being the need to retrofit the word “and” back in somewhere. But we’re on to something here, I can feel it. We’re the Idea Party.
Zifnab
Wow. I didn’t realize that made it through. Ok, so one notch in Obama’s column. Not enough to run for President on, but my opinion of him has improved at least.
And yes, the black population in the US is under-represented to the point that sometimes black voters will choose a black politician just because they want to see more colored faces on CSPAN. Even if Steele is a Bush-o-phile neo-con tool who won’t do a damn thing to improve the lifestyles and well-beings of MD Democrats.
As for the Hillary comment, this is why the Republicans are going to eat it in November. “Oh noes! Not Hillary/Pelosi/Kennedy/Dean in power!” comments may work great at poisoning the well in the age of bipartisanism, but don’t really fly in the age of Mark “Alcohol Made Me Molest Him” Foley.
ThymeZone
No, but if you get a chance to see the CC Goldwater film now showing on HBO, in which she does a rather personal bio of her grandfather and looks at the history of the modern conservative “movement” … quite a good examination of Barry’s opposition to the civil rights movement, and the bitter opposition he drew from blacks as a result.
Blacks’ resistance to conservatism and the GOP seems to have remained pretty steady ever since. Deserved or not, I’m just saying.
Personally, I’ve always thought that “states’ rights” and anti-federalism was a weakness of Barry’s conservatism. Americans really want 50 countries less than they want freedom from federalism, in the long run. Just my opinion.
ThymeZone
Her voice makes my ears hurt.
OCSteve
Can’t argue with that. I’d even say deservedly so.
So at least some historically Democratic black voters in MD will vote for a “Bush-o-phile neo-con tool” just to see one more black face on CSPAN? That is seriously an argument you want to make?
Randy
I like Steele. Did you guys see the puppy ad? That really made me laugh. If ever debates Cardin, he will wipe the floor with him. He is so much a better speaker, so much more articulate than Cardin. Why couldn’t the donks have found a better candidate for what is supposed to be a Republican state?
ChristieS
John, sorry about that game yesterday. However, I’ll admit it was a great deal more peaceful in my house yesterday after the game. The hubby floated in a sea of joy through the rest of the evening.
:D
Punchy
Fixed.
chopper
yes, steele is ‘well-spoken’.
Ezert
“I’m glad it happened,” Polamalu said. “It means I’ve got the ball in my hands.”
“No, it didn’t hurt,” Polamalu said in the aftermath. “It felt good.”
“No, but if I got the ball in my hands, they can tackle me all day like that,” Polamalu said. “We had a lot of fun out there.”
“It really doesn’t matter to me. He can tackle me by my hair or my ankles. It doesn’t matter. I understand the nature of the game. A lot of things like that can happen,” he said.
What part of that sounds like bitching?
Pb
I’d bet that at least some uninformed voters will, especially seeing as how Steele is running on his own platform of racism:
Darrell
No John, it’s a vote against taxpayer funded government research on certain types of stem cells, a position that I think most real libertarians and conservatives would agree with. There is still plenty of research on stem cells, private reseach and govt.
Punchy
Please dont come in here with your ignorance on full-blast. Stem cell research is not being practiced in any fruitfull way with gov’t money, b/c the cells that they’re allowed to use circa 2001 are WAY too old. Passage numbers, freeze-thaw cycles, down-expression of proteins with age, etc.
The only meaningful research with ESCs is being done via private money. Oh, and how faux offended the gov’t will pretend to be if one of these companies hits it big and then charges $50K per treatment. “Extortion” the WH will claim, knowing full well they would have easily advanced the science themselves committing just 1% of what we’ve spent in Iraq.
It’s no wonder European science agencies are aghast at what Bush has done to ESC research in this country. Damn near criminal.
Andrew
Quick, which crypto-racist said this?
Andrew
Shorter Darrell: It’s okay to kill those babies, ’cause the Decider said so.
Bob In Pacifica
The greatness of the Oakland Raiders!
Randy
The president does support federal funding of adult stem cell research in any case. That has shown just as much promise. Remember, it’s all early on with this research, so it could turn out that the whole thing is a dead end. I don’t see how it makes too much sense to destroy young lives in the hopes of something that never comes to fruition.
And Darrell is right: even in the case of fetal stem cells, the president is only against federal funding, not against all research.
Pb
Ok, so square that with his veto:
Sojourner
Bush reneged on the funding he promised, which made NCLB an unfunded mandate that hit poor schools particularly hard. That’s why Ted Kennedy is so upset.
RSA
True; those 100-cell babies may never live long enough to smell a flower or see a butterfly. Should the parents who have abandoned such young lives to fertility centers be prosecuted for manslaughter or negligent homicide, do you think? Tough choice.
tBone
You’re right. Much better to flush all of those unused embryos down the toilet than to use them for research. The Culture of Life. Smart. Strong. Savvy.
Andrew
Man, whoever is writing Randy must be on pain meds because the spoof sure is slow and droning.
I think we all expect a lot more, especially with an attempt to spoof the moderate center.
Pb
I thought it was a spoof of a caricature of a distortion of the moderate center–Randy is obviously a card-carrying member of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party.
tBone
Let’s not judge him too hastily. This is a critical period in the development of centrist spoof. Wait six months and then we’ll be able to determine whether it was a success or failure.
RSA
Culture of X-Files, maybe.
tBone
Flukemen are all part of God’s plan, moonbat.
Tim F.
This suggests that Darrell understands neither the science nor the law. I’m feeling briefly generous so I’ll explain for what feels like the sixteenth time.
Biomedical researchers usually work on more than one grant at once, plus separate fellowships for the postdocs, graduate students and some undergrads. On top of that practically nobody is capable of doing research without larger facilities that are shared throughout the department like -80 C freezers, mass spec, advanced microscopes, FACS and high-speed centrifuges. That means that the specific money trail behind any specific experiment or piece of equipment can be byzantine to the point of totally indecipherable. For the most part this is fine since grant agencies allow for a degree of uncertainty about where the money goes and universities mostly keep the stuff when you leave. Every rule has exceptions (says the biologist, not the physicist) but this is generally how things work.
As written the law mandates that federal money cannot contribute in any way to stem cell research. That means that people who want to do such research cannot use shared equipment and must be able to show a fed-free money trail for every piece of equipment involved. That means that universities who want to do that work must literally build entirely separate facilities to house it. Since facilities usually only get built for large, reliable federal grants, that sets up a basic catch-22 that more or less prevents any stem cell work from ever being done.
Thus your comment is ignorant of reality and, since you have seent his umpteen times already, willfully so. News at eleven.
Tim F.
“minus 80 C freezers, mass spec, advanced microscopes, FACS and highspeed centrifuges…”
DougJ
What’s the deal with wickedpinto?
The Other Steve
Interesting, because Barack Obama is more qualified, and has greater experience than George W Bush ever had, yet you thought he was qualified.
Just pointing that out.
The Asshole Formerly Known as GOP4Me
I deny all responsibility for any of the recent center-right spoofs around here.
These people are amateurs. I admire their enthusiasm, but they need to add a little bounce in their step. After all, they’re spoofing centrists, not pedants.
The Defeatocrats want to cut and run, ceding centrist spoof to the Andrew Sullivans of the middle. But the President knows that when it comes to spoofing, you have to stay the course until victory is within your grasp. Even if you don’t agree, at least it’s a plan- what plan have the moonbats offered?
(Seriously, I now think Bush is a spoof President. The fact that he’s lying about the phrase “stay the course” clinches it for me. November 8, he’ll probably pull his mask off and it’ll turn out that he’s really a DC-area party clown or a mutant lizard man from outer space or something, or maybe he’s just a Trotskyite who ran the country into a ditch to help foment the workers’ revolution. Anything’s possible with a spoofer!)
tBone
I’m putting my money on “flukeman.”
RSA
I think this suggests a new interpretation for “9/11 changed everything.”
Oh, and Flukeman/Tooms 2008!
The Asshole Formerly Known as GOP4Me
Is Laura Bush really Gillian Anderson? Because I have to admit, that would be really, really hot.
Maybe Bush is like that dude in the old 80s TV show who got the superman suit from the aliens but lost the instructions, so he has no idea what his powers are and has to sort of wing it as he goes.
I forget the name of the show, but the theme song was that one song that goes “Believe it or not, I’m walking on air, I never thought I could feel so free-e-ee, flying away on a wing and a prayer- who could it be? Believe it or not, it’s just me?” The same song Michael Moore played in Fahrenheit 9/11 when Bush had the “Mission Accomplished” moment.
So maybe Michael Moore knows something I don’t know. Like, for example, the name of that song, or of that TV show, which I last saw when I was about 5 years old.
Maybe Bush is like that guy, but also like one of the aliens from “V”, and he’s a lizard underneath his skin. Maybe 80s TV was trying to warn us about the direction of the Republican party, but none of us were prescient enough to heed these warnings.
One’s a mutant sewer monster, one’s a cat. Both like killing. Both help keep America safe- by killing!
tBone
Greatest American Hero.
I think Cheney is a more likely suspect. Who would be surprised to find out that he subsists on live rodents?
Concerned Dilettante Vacillator
I bet that’s what Bush’s pajamas say. (Do they make pajamas with feet for 56-year-old 6′ children? Just asking.)
That guy looks like a younger Jerry Falwell, tBone. It’s an uncanny resemblance, actually. In my squinty-eyed opinion, anyways.
Cheney could be anything. You could tell me Cheney was a vampire who got bitten by a werewolf and has to be caged up at night when the moon’s full lest his werewolf form cause him to be caught outside in the daylight and subsequently reduced to dust and ash, and I’d probably only look at you like you were 1/4 crazy.
Then again, Flukeman and the lizardman from V do make a pretty good ticket, don’t they? A real dynamic duo. (Still, wouldn’t it be awesome if you could vote for the Batman/Robin ticket? Who could vote against that? That’s what I’d try for, if I were a DNC chairman.)
Mary
Holy shit. I had thought the researchers were facing reduced overall funding (non-federal sources only) and/or limited cell lines, but it’s even worse than that. Real-world logistics are a bitch.