Saturday, February 28, 2009

CPAC

I have been reading and watching some of the news coming out of this year's wingnut conference known as CPAC with much enjoyment. TPM has a nice slideshow that gives you just a taste of the craziness. These bumperstickers show just what I have said time and time again, Republicans promote and prey on stupid. I'm not even sure what the 'Every Disaster is a Change' one means. This one has me a bit baffled as well. There is a National Organization for Marriage? Something like that might actually be pretty cool. I would love to see a group offer couples access to free family counseling. However, NOM seems to be all about fighting the evil gays that want to get married. I find it to be some great entertainment that most conservatives seem to think the threat to marriage isn't the high divorce rates, but rather other people wanting to get married.

What really gets me is some of the crazy shit that is said.
“This is probably too strong,” said Doug Haney, the city attorney in Carmel, Ind. and a Republican precinct committeeman, “but Hitler also gave great speeches.”

And it wasn't just nobody precinct committeemen saying crazy shit, but national figures as well.
“The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics may be dead,” said Huckabee, “but a Union of American Socialist Republics is being born.” Democrats, according to Huckabee, were packing 40 years of pet projects like “health care rationing” into spending bills. “Lenin and Stalin would love this stuff.”

It really amazes me that Republicans can actually get away with saying shit like that. The Democrats certainly have their share of crazies, but more often than not they get pushed to the fringe of the party, not embraced by its base Kucinich, Dennis.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

John Cole Does It Better

I mentioned the Republican party preying on the stupidity of the public a couple of posts down when it came to volcano monitoring. John Cole does a better job of pointing out how stupid Jindal's attack was than I did.
It seems to me that the latter, making sure volcanoes do not blow up on your citizenry, would be something that even Ron Paul would think is a government job.

Random Thought

Perhaps it is just me getting old, grumpy and out of touch, but I find the whole Twitter revolution taking the nation by storm to be pretty god damned stupid.

Jindal

I'm always impressed at how the Republican party preys on stupidity. There are a number of examples, climate change is a farce, tax cuts can fix everything, blah blah blah. Last night in a speech that even conservatives thought was pretty awful, Jindal attacked stimulus money going to volcano monitoring.

Now if you weren't familiar with the program or with it's history you might join Jindal's outrage over this program. I'll let Nate Silver clear things up.
The USGS and PHIVOLCS estimate that their forecasts saved at least 5,000 lives
and perhaps as many as 20,000.

And
In addition to the many lives saved, property worth hundreds of millions of
dollars was protected from damage or destruction in the eruption. When aircraft
and other equipment at the U.S. bases were flown to safe areas or covered,
losses of at least $200 to 275 million were averted. Philippine and other
commercial airlines prevented at least another $50 to 100 million in damage to
aircraft by taking similar actions.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Overnight Music

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance


I'm posting this more for the video than the song, although I dig the song as well. The video though, makes me wish that there was a channel on the teevee that played music with an emphasis on their videos. A good name for such a channel would be Music Television or something like that.

The Wrestler

I hated this movie. Other than giving Mickey Rourke a pass back into Hollywood I just could find any purpose to the film. I get that it was a story about the life of a broken down man, but other than that what? Maybe my feelings come from too many film classes in college, but I doubt very seriously that that was all that the writer and director of The Wrestler wanted to do.

I thought Rourke did a good job, but I thought the role was really rather limiting. There wasn't much depth to the character and when you rely, as The Wrestler did, on an actor to move the film forward I just feel that you have to have something more than 'hey look at the broken down old man.'

I thought Marisa Tomei's role was probably even weaker. Did the awards ceremony last night the presenter (can't remember who) talked about how strong of a character she was, showed there was no shame in being a stripper, blah blah blah. That sounded like an interesting role to watch, but it certainly wasn't a part of The Wrestler. An actor can only do so much and the writer of The Wrestler didn't give her much to do. Frankly, I thought Tomei was little more than a prop in the film.

If the film was just supposed to be about a broken down old man, it succeeded. Similar movies have been made before. Leaving Las Vegas is a perfect example. The difference between the two was that there was depth to the Cage's character. We got to see why he was broken and we got to see why his life might be better if he pulled out of his tailspin. With The Wrestler it was simply, hey look this guy has a shitty life and cue the credits.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Who cares about voter registration rights?

Apparently not conservatives.
KELLY: He said they [the department] has a special responsibility in addressing racial ills. That -- that strikes fear down the spines of many conservatives in this country, because they don't want the Justice Department taking us back to the day when they get heavily involved in things like affirmative action, and things like voter registration rights. [...]
If any conservative wonders why the GOP has such trouble connecting with and winning the votes of minorities they only need to look at dumb ass comments like the above. I remember when John McCain was supposed to do super awesome with the Latino vote because he supported the immigration bill that came through the pipes before the primary took off. Of course in order to win the primary McCain had to say on multiple occasions that he would no longer support such a bill. The media seemed to forget all about that, but I doubt the Latino population did. God and Guns isn't going to win minority votes for the GOP, they are actually going to have to do some work for them. Oh and it probably will have to be something more than just tax cuts.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Overnight Music

Fanfarlo - We Live By The Lake

Zombie Games

I know it is an older game for the Xbox 360, but I just got mine for Christmas so I'm pretty far behind on what is new and what is old. However, Dead Rising > Left 4 Dead. Left 4 Dead has the sleeker and smoother gameplay and visuals, and it should be the older game, but I'm a zombie realist. I like my zombie's slow, stupid and to be bad climbers. You should be able to defeat a horde of zombies with a baseball bat or a piece of iron, like you can in Dead Rising. I like Left 4 Dead and play it a good deal both on my own and online, but as a realist Dead Rising is the much better zombie game.

Not that anybody cares.

Also, and not related to anything to do with zombies, Fallout 3 is awesome.

Not Getting It

I keep hearing from the media how the Republicans are back. They, the Republicans, even released some stupid video about being 'Back in The Saddle' or something like that which has since been taken down from Youtube because Republicans apparently don't believe in copyright laws. The explanation that people give for the Republicans being back is that they all voted no on the stimulus bill. They showed unity.

I find it odd considering the importance the media places on bi-partisanship that the same people are applauding the Republicans for doing nothing more than obstructing.

Friday, February 13, 2009

A Love Song For Bobby Long and Overnight Music

I first saw A Love Song For Bobby Long years ago. I caught it again late list night after not being able to sleep because of this gawd awful cold. I had forgotten how much I liked it and how good the soundtrack is. A must see and listen for anybody with good taste.


Grayson Capps - Love Song For Bobby Long

Banking Bailouts and Plans

I try not to post too much on the whole credit and banking debacle that we are currently working through. I'm probably like a lot a people in that most of it is simply over my head. I usually take my cues from Paul Krugman.

For those interested in such things, Matthew Richardson and Nouriel Roubini have an article in the Washinton Post that is a good read.

One thing that I find interesting is that there seems almost a reluctance by many to figure out how many of the big banks are insolvent. I think part of the thinking is that if you start showing how a number of the big boys are actually insolvent you create more panic which results in more money being pulled out of the market and even tighter lending from the insolvent big boys. This may be, and probably is true, but should the first step in solving the problem be figuring out how many of the big banks are insolvent. Isn't one of the first steps in solving a problem, figuring out how big the problem actually is? Until we find out the true depth of the problem any solution is mainly guesswork, right?

Shorter Axelrod

Piss off.
You know, the last thing that I think we’re looking for at this juncture is advice on fiscal integrity or ethics from Karl Rove. , anyone who’s read the newspapers for the last eight years would laugh at that.


and

I mentioned Andy Card saying that we were somehow denigrating the Presidency because people were wearing short sleeves in the Oval Office. We’re wearing short sleeves because we have to roll up our sleeves and clean up the mess that we inherited.


The two comments above have been getting most of the play from bloggers, but I thought the more interesting parts were found earlier in the interview.

MS. ROMANO: But you would agree that a one-day drop in the market and a one-day story can drive the news, drive the White House?

MR. AXELROD: Well, it can drive a White House.It may not drive ours

You know, one thing that we’ve learned over the last couple of years is that this town can get in a frenzy very quickly about stories of the moment, but that the real story is written over time. And so we try and keep our heads about us and pursue what we think is the appropriate strategy, and that’s what we are going to do here.

This really is similar to their approach during the campaign. The McCain camp attacked each day trying to win the daily news cycle. It was one stunt after another (suspension of the campaign being one) in order to get the talking heads on their side for the day. The Obama campaign, for the most part, kept their heads down and just chugged ahead realizing that people outside of Washington and the network news voted as well.

When the Obama team sensed the Stimulus package was losing some of it's luster, they didn't just make a flurry of appearances on Hardball and other shows, but went to the public. They traveled to Indiana and to Florida. It is an interesting strategy and one that paid off in the election and through the stimulus fight.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Odd

I shall be blowing my nose anyway.

Blowing your nose to alleviate stuffiness may be second nature, but some people argue it does no good, reversing the flow of mucus into the sinuses and slowing the drainage.

Counterintuitive, perhaps, but research shows it to be true.

If Democrats Were Smart

They would run countless adds about Republicans voting against tax cuts come 2010.

Finally Good To Have This Settled

Bush knows how to read.
Andy Card, the former chief of staff to President George W. Bush, said Thursday that the public was plagued by misconceptions about the former president, particularly in regards to his intelligence and openness to information.

“First off, President Bush does know how to read. He is very well-read,” Card said. “And he received information from a lot of people, not just Dick Cheney.”

Hey Andy, nobody thought he couldn't read. It was the processing of information that scared the hell out of us.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Overnight Music

Ben Kweller - Lizzy


Still swamped with work and fighting whatever cold/flu/disease is being spread. I'll get back to a regular sometime soon.

I Am Smarter Than US Rep. Austria

"When (President Franklin) Roosevelt did this, he put our country into a Great Depression," Austria said. "He tried to borrow and spend, he tried to use the Keynesian approach, and our country ended up in a Great Depression. That's just history.

The Depression started in '29. Roosevelt took office in '33.

Stop The Stupid

Apparently we should be feeling sorry for the financial gurus that had to take government money because their banks would collapse otherwise and thus might be limited to making 500k a year.

Boo-fucking-Hoo.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Overnight Music

You can stop complaining now Lefty.

Abbie Gardner and Anthony da Costa - Everything Is Free (Gillian Welch cover)

A-Rod is a cheater

Quotes have already leaked, but it looks like he will admit to Peter Gammons tonight that he took steroids from 2001-03. I'm not sure why there is as much gnashing of teeth over this as there is. Is this really all that surprising to anybody?

To be honest, I don't really blame A-Rod all that much. I don't buy his excuse that he felt a pressure to perform after signing his big contract, although I am sure he did. I just don't buy that as his reason. The real reason is because baseball, at that time, wasn't punishing anybody for testing positive. In other words, baseball gave players a green light to cheat.

Suppose the NFL decided that while being offsides was still against the rules, they were no longer going to penalize teams for being offsides. Any team that didn't place their linebackers in the opposing team's backfield pre-snap would be idiots. Or better yet, suppose it was illegal to tape defensive signals and the New England Patriots went on to win a couple of Super Bowls while doing so....

I Am Smarter Than Michael Steele

Michael Steele has a very odd definition of what a job is. Steele is still on his kick about how the government has never created a single job. Tomorrow I start taunting the mailman with shouts of 'Get a job you lazy bum'.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Reporting For Ratings

Something that I think often gets lost in the shuffle of media criticism is that the purpose of the media has evolved. Due in large part to the rise of the 24 hour news channel, the media has gone from the information business to the entertainment business. Getting the best reporting is secondary to getting the best ratings. Joe Scarborough is probably the best example of this. Take a look at some of his predictions from 2006.

On Obama
Barack Hussein Obama is more Johnny Bravo than John Kennedy. The vest fits and the fans scream while DC’s star-maker machinery shifts into overdrive. Like Peter Brady’s Bravo, Obama’s shot at the top will be short lived. But since BHO is young enough, dynamic enough and (just) black enough to whip official Washington into a frenzy, expect this stupid story to stick around for a while.


On Hillary Clinton
Time and again throughout the next few years, Bill Clinton will make the difference on fundraising, networking and strategy. And 2007 will show that any politico who dares to cross Team Clinton risks being crushed into dust.


On Al Gore
Gore will feel growing pressure to save the party from Hillary Clinton. If his biggest contributors from 2000 line up, he will run. But let’s just hope he curbs his appetite by 2008, for the sake of his image and our arms.


Now, I will give Joe a bit of a pass considering that it was 2006 but even leading up to the early primaries Joe was saying pretty much the same stuff about the Obama/Clinton face-off. And he was dead wrong in 2006 and he was dead wrong in 2008....and he is rewarded with a three hour show on MSNBC. Joe isn't a lone in being consistently wrong, but rewarded for being so. How many talking heads called the primary over after Iowa and before New Hampshire? Think any of them are out of work? Remember all the trouble Obama was going to have winning Ohio and Pennsylvania because Clinton won them and he didn't? Remember how they were huge wins for Clinton, nevermind she only gained somewhere around 9 delegates over Obama and would need about 40 more wins from states the size of Ohio and Texas to catch up.

Solid, factual information has taken a backseat to ratings. Hell, in many cases it isn't even in the car, but hitchiking somewhere along the information highway. This is the biggest problem within the media, the shows and pundits that are most watched aren't staffed by the best reporters, but by those who bring in the most viewers, listeners and readers.

Take a look at the current stimulus debate. We are facing a crisis of historical porportions that could get much much worse. We aren't discussing that on the teevees though. You don't see many economists talking about what the lack of credit in the economy means and why it is important for us not to rely on a bubble based economy (think housing and technology). Instead, the reporting is 95 percent about how to get bipartisan support for the stimulus package. It is almost as if the lack of bipartisanship in politics is what caused our economic troubles and only bipartisanship can save us. Republicans Vs. Democrats is second only to CNN's consistent 'Where the White Woman At' stories in the ratings games. Talking about the actually workings of the economy, is something most of us would avoid like the plague.

An uninformed public is a bad one and when the media is made up of ratings grabbers instead of news gatherers we are worse off. The sad thing is that there really isn't much you can do about it, at least not that I can see.

*so I don't get an email from friends, Clinton's pick-ups from Ohio and Texas are just rough guess. I seem to remember it was either 9 or 7. Both those numbers could be wrong and probably are.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Stop The Stupid

Why is it that the Republican party is taken seriously when Joe The Plumber is making trips there to advise staffers. I'm only being half snarky. I would really like an answer to that. I would love to know which congressmen sent their staffers to have lunch with Joe so he could give them pearls of wisdom. Of course this is the same party that gets advice from a strung out overweight radio host so it shouldn't be too surprising that they would seek out advice from Joe.

To me this is the clear difference between the two parties. One seeks the advice of professionals and the other seeks out radio hosts and fake plumbers. And the media treat both sets of ideas as equal. Yeah bipartisanship where bad ideas have to be included to make everybody feel all warm and fuzzy.

Bipartisanship on the stimulus bill isn't going to happen. What is going to happen is that we are going to get a bill watered down in an attempt to garner GOP support. The bill will certainly get watered down, and already has been, but the GOP support isn't going to be there.

And why is the Obama administration playing so soft with this thing. Why haven't the activated their massive mailing list from the campaign. Why aren' t they trotting out Democrat after Democrat hammering the constant lies and bullshit spread by the GOP and repeated by the chattering nitwits (talking about you Morning Joe) on my teevee. I have seen Republican representatives saying that infrastructure spending doesn't create jobs and the host not say a word back. Here is a hint talking heads...there is no such thing as the infrastructure fairy....those dudes in the orange vests at construction sites aren't working for free. I thought we saw a whole lot of stupid during the campaign, but jesus.

I really think that the Obama administration has totally misplayed this. There needs to be some sort of punishment for the childish acts from the GOP. The way the administration has played their cards there simply isn't. Were I in the brain trust at Obama HQ, Obama would be on the air tomorrow. The American public and the media need to be reminded that this is kind of a big deal. I have seen estimates that the economy is expected to lose somewhere over 1 trillion dollars a year over the next two years. This isn't some mini-recession that we can work out of if only a couple more people buy new teevees or if people do a dinner and a date more often. California is thinking about paying people with fucking IOUs! Obama, or at least somebody, needs to remind the American public and the media that we tried tax cuts as on singular economic policy and look where it got us.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

For My Few Readers

As some might have noticed, my posting as slacked a bit of late. For my few dedicated readers, I am sorry to say that this will probably continue for a bit.

1. The whole stimulus fight is driving me insane. I can't take any more talk about how Obama needs to bring in Republicans. Before he met with the House Republicans, their leadership was urging members to vote no. Now, before the Senate has even started debate on the bill Republican Senators are threatening filibuster. The media loves it because they get to talk about how important bipartisanship is and ignore how important crafting a decent bill. The final straw for me was newly elected RNC Steele claiming that 'not in the history of mankind has the government ever created a job.' (or something scarey stupid like that). I guess roads, bridges, tunnels, etc. all build themselves and the material used for such things are made by people who don't collect a paycheck. Oh and never mind NASA or any other government agency.

2. I'm really busy. I'm doing some NFL draft work this week and more importantly got asked for some work for an anthology that is being put together (no promises on publication though, just asked to take a look).

So for the reasons above, posting is going to probably be uber-light. I'm sure I will stop in from time to time, but you guys are on your own for awhile.