 |
 |
|
|
| home | email gus | email sarah | email valerie | photos | flickr photos |
|
5.27.2009
Repeat Offender
I was away from my desk for much of yesterday, so even though my boss excitedly told me that Obama would be announcing his nominee for the Supreme Court yesterday morning, I still didn't see it until later that afternoon. Judge Sotomayor's name is vaguely familiar to me (I think perhaps I've read one of her decisions somewhere, but I can't say where), but beyond that and what the NBC Evening News last night and Morning Edition on NPR this morning had to say about her, that's the extent of my knowledge of the nominee.
And then I sat down for lunch here and thought I'd at least skim through the news while I ate my soup. This was the first story on the MSNBC ticker on MSN:
There is obviously more in the link; I've only highlighted the first couple of paragraphs. But it's the headline and the insinuation in those early paragraphs that have my back up. To suggest, as reporters Shailagh Murray and Michael D. Shear do, that Republicans face a choice of either opposing Sotomayor and "alienat[ing] both Latino and women voters" or conceding Sotomayor's confirmation and staying in those voters' good graces, is, I feel, both a naive and bipolar view of politics in general and this nomination in particular. It's also more than a little offensive -- and I say that as a Democrat. It assumes that identity politics -- your race, gender, creed, what have you -- is far more important than, say, a judge's positions or temperament. It assumes that any nominee who is the member of a minority should or may enjoy some special protection in that nomination process as a result. It assumes that voters themselves are stupid, and are unable to distinguish between a legitimate question regarding a nominee's record or ideas and their basic identity -- and thereby willing to punish anyone who dares question their nominee. It is, in short, an offensive and undemocratic notion. And it's in the Washington Post, stated almost as if it were the Conventional Wisdom of the political class -- which is odd, since nowhere in the entire piece does it quote anyone who suggests that the GOP will feel the wrath of women or Hispanic voters if they oppose the nomination. The closest they get is Chuck Schumer, warning the GOP to oppose Sotomayor "at their peril" but never really saying why that's so. So that's my complaint for the day. It seems like it's the same things we talk about year after year: can we, for once, have a discussion about politics and law without someone polarizing the positions into two camps and then treating it like it was Wrestlemania XIV? 10.31.2008
We Are Night Zombies!!
Oh, good -- I was afraid Ralph Nader wouldn't be able to top his 2004 "debate" with Bush and Kerry action figures. I was clearly WRONG:
Words fail. Labels: election, idiots, politics 10.15.2008
Unflappable
9.04.2008
Two Face
Shamelessly stolen from Andrew Sullivan as I was watching the McCain speech, because it made me laugh out loud:
We haven't discussed the election much this year here because... well, I don't know exactly why. For some reason, the more entertaining parts have been this kind of thing on the periphery and not the central issues -- I suspect some of that was primary-related burnout. But it's time to change that. 8.06.2008
A Show of Support
Apparently, Barack Obama's so popular these days that even the Straight Talk Express is sporting an Obama bumper sticker.
(via Ben Smith) Labels: comedy, obama, politics 6.04.2008
There Is a Term For This
Today's "headline" from HillaryIs44.org:
NOTE that this isn't the campaign's official site by any stretch of the imagination -- it's some very... enthusiastic "grassroots" supporters. But file this one away under the "27% of the population is completely and unutterably insane" category John Rogers mentioned a couple of years ago (and again, more relevantly, last night). UPDATE 6/5: Never mind. Our long national annoyingly never-ending primary etc. etc. etc. Labels: 2008, clinton, democrats, politics 5.06.2008
A Modest Business Proposal
CONFIDENTIAL/URGENT POLITICAL PROPOSALThat? That's HILARIOUS (if you've ever gotten the email, you'll know why, but here's a better explanation.) More here. (via Swampland) Labels: 2008, comedy, politics 4.07.2008
Oh Frak
2.14.2008
dc Endorses?
Well, all I know is, Barack Obama warmed up my car for me.
(just keep clicking, you'll get it.) Labels: 2008, democrats, politics 2.01.2008
Changes!
Be patient with it at first -- it takes about a minute to ramp up, but it's totally worth it. (via Elliot Van Buskirk at WIRED's Listening Post) Labels: mashup, music, politics 1.28.2008
The Invisible Primary
I've cracked on Buckeye State Blog in the past, but they seem like they've stepped up their game in the last few months -- definitely leaning, but at least informatively leaning. And this roundup of Ohio Democratic "superdelegates" and their anticipated votes is some crackerjack work, frankly. Kudos.
1.25.2008
You're Welcome, America
1.10.2008
Kiss of DOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
 And in this photo, we see Senator Obama being embraced by Senator Kerry, thereby sealing the former's fate in the general election. Thanks, John! Keep up the good work! Labels: obama, politics, wtf john? 9.11.2007
I'monnabePREZ-O-DENT
Marginal Revolution's Alex Tabarrok proposes a far more appropriate method of selecting America's next political leader: So You Think You Can Be President?:
[more] I'm particularly fond of this one, as you might gather. Dahlberg in 2012! Labels: blogs, comedy, politics 8.07.2007
Back and Forth
So, Columbus Mayor Coleman (who is up for re-election this fall against Republican Bill Todd) made a big move last week to evict the current managers of the City Center mall downtown and take back control of the near-empty eyesore. So now everyone's talking about what to do with City Center. Todd apparently used the move to try and score some political points against Coleman, but he may not have thought the whole thing through. From BSB:
Bill Todd today (HT: RAB): Bill Todd Slams Mayor Coleman over Plan to Take Over City Center
...Here's what Bill Todd was saying about the City Center back in May (HT: RAB): Bill Todd: "Tear down this Mall!" (w/video goodness!) and as covered by the Columbus Dispatch: Oops. [read more] Labels: business, columbus, politics 8.01.2007
Bush's LOLCATS
BEST.
LOLCAT. EVAR.  (Click the kitty for to make with laughing now.) (static shot shamelessly ganked from Swampland, where I found this in the first place...) Labels: funny, lolcats, politics That's Not Him
http://comics.com/wash/opus/archive/opus-20070708.html
I miss BLOOM COUNTY so, so much. Labels: comics, funny, politics 6.20.2007
No, Please Stop
Uh... what?
(Context for those who haven't seen the last episode of THE SOPRANOS.) So, no. Seriously. What? Labels: clinton, politics, sopranos, video, wtf 6.07.2007
The Wisdom (?) of Crowds
Shorter Joe Klein: contrary to what Al Gore may think, teh Internets probably are not going to lead to the dawn of a new Age of Reason anytime soon.
Extra Special Joe Klein Double Post -- see Joe unload the proverbial rhetorical smackdown on Swampland guestblogger (and former House Majority Leader) Dick Armey. Reading their exchanges this week has been entertaining, but so far fairly lopsided; credit to Armey for his willingness to dish this stuff on TIME's blog, but less so for his own adoption of the kind of hyperbolic discourse Klein rails on in the first link above (I'm thinking, preliminarily, of Armey's post entitled "Am I the only one worried about Social Security?") Still, a good read, and a sign that maybe not all political discussion is doomed to degenerate into invective. UPDATE 6/8: Never mind, looks like Armey decided to go all crazy on his last day ("Unfortunately, [Social Security reform] is dominated by Republicans who don’t dare and Democrats that don’t care", and a random swipe at Teresa Heinz Kerry while extolling the virtues of a flat tax system. WTF, Armey? I was kind of digging on the real policy debate until that point.) Labels: blogs, joe klein, politics, time 5.10.2007
Interview
Looks like Bill Richardson's been taking lessons from last year's Ned Lamont campaign when thinking about advertising:
Via Matthew Yglesias. WASHINGTON MONTHLY's Kevin Drum isn't as keen on them, however (and yeah, he's got the NYT/"new media" thing exactly right, doesn't he?) Labels: advertising, funny, politics 5.08.2007
Seven Years, Three Months, and One Foot In Mouth
It's too early to be doing these kinds of posts, but:
Ha! and Double Ha! (PS. Completely ignore the commenters over at Swampland -- I have never seen such a horrible, disagreeable bunch of mouth-frothing internet trolls ANYWHERE, and especially not on a major news site like that. It's horrifying.) Labels: gaffes, marriage, mitt romney, politics 4.13.2007
Things That Do Not Help Anyone, Part 2074
Buckeye State Blog.
Which I was reading there for a while via RSS, but after crap like this? Uh, no thanks. While we may see eye to eye on some fundamental issues, BSB, and you may genuinely dislike the guy on the other side of the fence, your continued and pathetic use of juvenile, personal insults is my whole problem with the state of political discourse in this country (see, e.g., my problem with MoveOn.org, which never properly learned this lesson, either.) You are embarrassing. On behalf of the citizens of Ohio: please stop. Labels: idiots, ohio, politics 3.23.2007
1984
The stupid flap over the stupider ads in what is shaping up to be the stupidest campaign of all time, ever, The End and No One Lived Happily Ever After.
Labels: advertising, idiots, politics, youtube 3.15.2007
Flips That Aren't Flops
Former SPINSANITY contributor Brendan Nyhan points out a very good essay from Jon Chait [registration required; use bugmenot] regarding the arbitrariness of defining politicians by "flip-flops", and makes a few good points on the subject on his own.
Labels: character, journalism, politics
|
|
  
|
||
