Category Archives: Politics & Government

Best Headline of the Day

Posted on by

“You’d be miserable too if you’d married that guy you banged twice in high school.”

The honor goes to Laurie at 23/6 (Some of the News, Most of the Time). It tops a little poll: What advice would you give Levi and Bristol? Options include:

  • You can see Russia from the Palin home. Run to it.
  • What’s the problem? Ignoring each other is how me and the missus have lasted this long.
  • Cancel the wedding and give the baby up for adoption to a childless pro-lifer, like Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh.

You can see the results if you take the poll at 23/6. I just love silly shit like this.

Knocked-up-girlfriend-hell

Posted on by

Donald Craig Mitchell, blogging (Off the Bus) from Wasilla, Alasaka, attended a Palin rally and spotted Bristol Palin and Levi in the bleachers behind mom. Not talking, not touching. After the event, Levi boogied.

“But if Levi was my kid, the deal I would have cut would, at an absolute minimum, have been: $500,000 for from now to the November election. If McCain-Palin win, a $ 1 million signing bonus to take the trip down the aisle. Then, for the duration of the McCain-Palin administration, $100,000 a month for every month Mr. and Mrs. Johnston live under the same roof, and $50,000 a month for every month that they remain married but do not.”

Any guy who ever got a call from his girlfriend to tell him she was “late” (archaic, dated reference) can empathize with poor old Levi (what is the Secret Service equivalent of a shotgun wedding?).

And I feel just as bad for Bristol. It’s bad enough to have everyone in home room know about your “condition,” but the entire country?

 

“The whole world is watching”

Posted on by
Reply

“…the thing we should all be worrying about is that this election the whole world can see what assholes we are and how much we lie, and do you think they’re ever going to believe anything we say after the election?”

“Being an American in 2008 is a lot like working at Microsoft in 1994 or so. Netscape is coming soon and after that Google, and while we’ll still be here, the cursor will be somewhere else, and our stock options will be worthless and we’ll be fighting with each other while the rest of the world builds around us.” — Dave Winer

Tie me up and blog me

Posted on by
Reply

I think I could count on one hand the number of times I heard or read the word “snarky” before email (and blogging) came along. I subscribe to he notion snarkiness requires a certain level of wit and charm. Otherwise, it’s just bitchy or whiny.

My first snark crush (I’m still not over her) was the Wonkette. The nome de blog of Ana Marie Cox. Ms. Cox was an early blogger who now snarks (last time, I promise) on Time’s Swampland. I trot along after her on Twitter and found a link to a delightful exchange with Megan at Jezebel.com.

“Since the world is ending around us, it’s important to take note of what parts of our civilization fell and in what order. And, really, there’s no one better at documenting mayhem than the original Wonkette (the rest of us are just pale imitations), Ana Marie Cox.”

And then there’s this exchange regarding McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds:

ANA MARIE: “They really need to stop sending the twelve-year-old intern out to the morning shows. Or cable shows, I mean. I think I was thinking “morning show” because he’s getting his ass kicked, in all cases, by heavily rougued faux-next-girls! GIRLS!

MEGAN: Actually, the man just needs to, like, fucking prepare before he goes. Your candidate is out lying like he’s Dick Cheney or something, you gotta put your big boy panties on just like Ari Fleischer did and take it. I think the real problem is that Tucker Bounds likes getting spanked by hot women.

I’ve heard the “big boy panties” reference before but it was “big girl panties.” Someone in the Bush administration?

Dave Winer’s list of qualifications for President

Posted on by

“I think in their hearts Americans know that electing a President who was like the rest of us was a mistake. We need someone who is an over-achiever, not just curious, but a sponge for ideas, information, perspectives. Someone who can’t stop reading and asking other people what they think.”

Dave offers an interesting list of things one should know and have done if they want to lead the country. I’m not qualified and I know it.

Terry Heaton: Media Elitism

Posted on by

Terry Heaton takes a thoughtful look at the charge the media has a liberal bias. I’ve pulled two paragraphs from his thoughtful essay:

“I believe the press is inherently biased towards a liberal perspective, because educated people, among other things, are generally more exposed to the value of tolerance than those who are not. Chesterton wrote that “Tolerance is the virtue of people who don’t believe anything,” and that is a core component of conservative thinking. It’s not that conservatives aren’t tolerant; it’s just that it isn’t elevated to the status of core value as it is with liberals.”

“One issue I do see is that because conservatives are predisposed to law-abiding and put faith in hierarchy, they are more open to direction from the top. In that sense, the qualities and character of the person at the top are critical.”

“Conservatives ride the wind of the esoteric when it comes to certain issues, but liberals have their feet firmly planted on the ground and in the middle of those issues. In this sense, the two never talk with each other, because they’re not even in the same space.”

Which reminds me why I decided to stop discussing politics. A vow I quickly broke but now renew. It’s like getting off crack.

“Vote Vagina!”

Posted on by
Reply

Today I heard –for the first time– the phrase: “The Vagina Factor.” I’m sure there are more thoughtful explanations but this is the one that googled up for me:

“Its essentially saying that women really don’t follow nor care about
the issues as much as they’re just dying to vote VAGINA!!!!!!”

I mentioned this to Barb –who is very intelligent and very pro-choice (much loved by NARAL)– who replied: “I understand that.”

So we now have “Yellow Dog Democrats” and “Vagina Republicans?”

PS: I founds some images to go with this post but opted not to use them.

Twittering politics

Posted on by

Good piece at washingtonpost.com on how folks are using Twitter to cover politics. A couple of nuggets from Slate’s John Dickerson:

“If I have a thought that occurs to me, I’ll fire it off,” Dickerson says. “Sometimes it ends up being the lead of a piece, or the notion a piece gets framed around.” At the same time, he says, “there’s an element of narcissism and class clownery. A wisecrack comes into your head and you want to share it.”

Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar:

“posting my real-time thoughts, impressions and wisecracks without having to worry about fleshing them out for a proper blog post. Working within that 140-character limit — and still managing to get out your observation, your comment, your setup and punch line or what have you — is great training for a writer.”

After a slow start, I’ve come to rely on –and enjoy– Twitter almost as much as blogging. You can follow my Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/smaysdotcom. You’ll need to set up an account but it’s free and takes about 2 min.