so wrong on so many levels
apparently, alec baldwin has "no use" for joe lieberman, and feels compelled to spread rumors about moving to connecticut so as to run for the US senate in 2012. (it must be true, because alec said it in playboy magazine). for his part, and from the sexiest media platform he could manage in retort, (CNN's "state of the union"), joe immediately riposted that alec should "make my day".
i fear for the future of this country.
i guess its just yet more of the halcyon days of bald political opportunisnm. it apparently long ago ceased to be an issue where one might be from, or on behalf of whom, exactly, one might have an interest to represent. swapping zip codes and political parties is just all part of the game. mitt romney, like all the top kennedys, moved to massachusetts, (though he's had to move to new hampshire), on his road to self-importance. the small time kennedys, and their potential alaskan imitators, make do with rhode island, though hillary pulled a bobby and opted for the empire state and it seems to be doing just fine for her. (i also hear bill is thoroughly enjoying his tour through the real housewives of westchester county). it's pretty old news that john mccain isn't actually from anywhere.
lest we all think its just one more part of the joke that al franken was born in new york, it's fair to remember that he, like joe lieberman in connecticut, actually has his roots there. (though i'm pretty sure al has always been a democrat and won't be speaking at the republican national convention anytime soon, unless it might be to answer to the president's special interrogation team during prime time, should barack's little inquisition brainstorm fly and be inherited by a republicrat (or was that demican?) successor.
connecticut actually seems a pretty fluid place for opportunists. geo dubya bush's story begins there, (though it stopped off for prep school in andover, massachusetts, where he became head cheerleader, which has got to be at least as well-qualifying for national office as being a beauty pageant runner up), before it went back on a bender through new haven with the rest of the skull and bones crowd. (at least between summers in kennebunkport). but what is deafening in its silent omission as part of this story is any mention of what anyone in connecticut might think of their commonwealth's senate representation being trumped by a circle jerk of trumpeting national political gadflies with personal axes to grind.
me, i just think its more important than ever for people to get out and vote to call a stop to all this BS.
i fear for the future of this country.
i guess its just yet more of the halcyon days of bald political opportunisnm. it apparently long ago ceased to be an issue where one might be from, or on behalf of whom, exactly, one might have an interest to represent. swapping zip codes and political parties is just all part of the game. mitt romney, like all the top kennedys, moved to massachusetts, (though he's had to move to new hampshire), on his road to self-importance. the small time kennedys, and their potential alaskan imitators, make do with rhode island, though hillary pulled a bobby and opted for the empire state and it seems to be doing just fine for her. (i also hear bill is thoroughly enjoying his tour through the real housewives of westchester county). it's pretty old news that john mccain isn't actually from anywhere.
lest we all think its just one more part of the joke that al franken was born in new york, it's fair to remember that he, like joe lieberman in connecticut, actually has his roots there. (though i'm pretty sure al has always been a democrat and won't be speaking at the republican national convention anytime soon, unless it might be to answer to the president's special interrogation team during prime time, should barack's little inquisition brainstorm fly and be inherited by a republicrat (or was that demican?) successor.
connecticut actually seems a pretty fluid place for opportunists. geo dubya bush's story begins there, (though it stopped off for prep school in andover, massachusetts, where he became head cheerleader, which has got to be at least as well-qualifying for national office as being a beauty pageant runner up), before it went back on a bender through new haven with the rest of the skull and bones crowd. (at least between summers in kennebunkport). but what is deafening in its silent omission as part of this story is any mention of what anyone in connecticut might think of their commonwealth's senate representation being trumped by a circle jerk of trumpeting national political gadflies with personal axes to grind.
me, i just think its more important than ever for people to get out and vote to call a stop to all this BS.
Labels: politics
posted by kad barma at 9:18 AM
8 Comments:
I will grant you that Sarah Palin is no Heather Unruh, but I think there is more to former Governor Palin than having been in a beauty pageant. I am not saying she is presidential timber in this comment, but I sure would have preferred her as the President of the Senate to Joe Biden. Just saying.
Regards — Cliff
Joe "my father was a coal miner, president FDR spoke on TV during the '29 crash, and vote for Obama because there'll be a big test during his presidency's first 100 days" Biden tops most any list of the people least preferred in any sort of position of influence, but, really, are we so far down our list that "they're our next door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska" can be rationalized away? I think the next part of that conversation with Charlie Gibson included her stupefyingly ill-considered logical progression of admitting Georgia to Nato and then sending the army to war there against Russia because "you're going to be expected to be called upon, and help".
Just because you find certain criticisms unfair, like the beauty pageant thing, doesn't mean there aren't a staggering number of relevant criticisms that are being conveniently ignored behind whines about people being "haters". Look up the history of Wasilla's "rape kit" policy, for one example:
Sarah Palin fired Ira Stambaugh in order to appoint Charlie Fallon chief of the Wasilla Police, which is usefully documented by the legal proceeding to clarify the legality of the act. (In its politically motivated firing of a public employee, extremely logically similar to our sitting City Council's move to sack Andy Sheehan, don't you think?). Previous to Fallon's tenure, no one had ever been charged for investigative rape kits, as was, since 2000, the law in Alaska, where the state legislature had passed a bill declaring it illegal for a victim or their insurance company to have to pay for one.
Regarding Palin's removal of the $15,000 budget line item which previously paid for the kits, and her hand-selected police chief, Alaskan forensic nurse Tara Henry is quoted as specifically identifying Charlie Fallon as being alone among small Alaskan city police chiefs to speak out in defense of the policy of having hospitals billing victim's insurance companies for the kits instead of having the city pay for them. (As was made the law of the land).
Let me know if you'd like to discuss the progression of the City of Wasilla's budget finances, and how Palin inherited a surplus, but left office with a five-figure debt for every man, woman and child in the city. Mighty similar to the second Bush presidency in that regard, which may be why so many Republicrat folks (or were they Demicans?) think it's how to run a federal treasury.
I don't think I am interested in crowning the former Governor Queen of the May, but it wasn't her who said you can see Big Diomede from Little Diomede (on a clear day), but Tina Fey. As for the issue of the Republic of Georgia, I thought Charlie Gibson was badgering her. The problem was, her position was congruent with that on Senator Obama's web page. Nobody thought Senator Obama was an idiot for holding that position (well at least no one in the MSM). On the other hand, she did a terrible job with Katie Couric. And, while she may have messed up with the police chief, she did do some things to clean up the Republician Party in Alaska.
Clemently — Cliff
Her interview with Charlie Gibson was on national TV, September 11th, 2008, and I am quoting directly and accurately, and, if you don't believe me, then maybe you should watch it again for the first time. The readers digest version is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxVFiUZglH4
Charlie Gibson: "What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?"
Sarah Palin: "They're our next door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska". (Tina Fey was only slightly off the verbatim statement by changing "land here in Alaska to "my front porch", and, the bigger question of why proximity should lend insight remains to this day unanswered).
Charlie Gibson: "Do you favor putting Georgia and Ukraine into NATO?"
Sarah Palin: "Ukraine definitely yes. Yes, and Georgia."
Charlie Gibson: "And under the NATO treaty, wouldn't we then have to go to war if Russia went into Georgia?"
Sarah Palin: "Perhaps so. I mean that is the agreement. When you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon, and help." (Apologies for the lack of proper syntax, but this is verbatim).
You really should try watching the woman instead of reacting to the parodies.
My point about Palin and Obama re George is not that you are a member of any party but that the Palin response was not out of the mainstream. Your point that the mainstream is wrong is fair enough. Frankly, much as I like plucky little Georgia standing up to the Russian Bear, it is a problem. On the other hand, the Ukraine may be another question.
My problem with your suggestion is that I am not sure how I can see the Charlie Gibson interview again for the first time. I missed the point Governor Palin made about the closeness of Russia and the US—because I took it to be so very normal. Living in Alaska when it was the Soviet Union next door, the comment made sense to me. The Soviet Union, and I assume Russia today, probed Alaska with aircraft and, I assume, submarines and perhaps small groups of special forces. The flip side of that is that there was an actual relationship between the two populations on the fringes.
Being thousands of miles from Russia here in Massachusetts we forget how close it is up in Alaska.
Regards — Cliff
Think of it as someone like me saying how much they understand people from Dracut because we're from Lowell. The question begged for an example of the Governor's foreign policy insight gained from living so close to Russia, and her response was that she lived so close to Russia. Think Hillary bragging about bearing sniper fire in Kosovo. It's all complete nonsense, yet party faithful only see it as nonsense when its the other side, and never theirs. You see Joe Biden for what he is. Fair enough. It just pains me to know that you can't see Sarah Palin for what she is on the other hand. Between the lefties and the righties, I'm guaranteed to have a VP no better than either, and that's terrifying to me. Why isn't it terrifying to everybody else? Why aren't party registrations dropping to zero, and independent candidates with a clue getting elected?
I'll tell you why--because everyone is still brainwashed by the fearmongering propogated by both major political parties to fear the "other" rather than think for themselves.
Up to seven comments. That, of and in itself is good. Now, if GP would just get off the couch and blog we might go to eight, a new record.
Sure, I would like a purse system with no parties, but I don't see it happening. Even in a local election it takes money—although we will see how it goes with with one of the candidates for City Council this year.
Mostly folks collect a lot of money—the average in 2007 was something like $40,000. And, getting folks to help you knock on doors and hold signs and do phone banking (with the low voter turnout, any uptick is a big deal). You now have a constituency behind you. To paraphrase Rahm Emanuel, a constituency is a terrible thing to waste, so you band together with other like-minded folks.
At the level of the Great and General Court it is even worse. Put aside your suspicion that Sicily is less corrupt. Those who want casinos to raise tax revenues band together and the casino operators make contributions to their campaign funds. You now have the casino party, opposed by the "clean living" party. And so it goes. You are going to have to believe in heaven or dictatorship to get away from partisans and parties, IMHO.
Heck, there are those of us who are MAC users, who refuse to be joined to the borg. Already you have two parties, which does count the Linux party.
Regards — Cliff
I was a devoted devotee of OS/2 back in the day. ;-)
Coming together for a purpose is one thing, but slavish devotion to morally, ethically and fiscally corrupt hacks, combined with mindless detraction of the "other" side for no productive purpose has us exactly where we are today.
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