PINING FOR THE FJORDS!
One of the greatest comedy sketches of all time.
Showing posts with label Hillary Clinton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hillary Clinton. Show all posts
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Hillary's gotta go...
NOTE- Some of this might be a little premature, but fuck it; I'm going ball to the wall...
Obama, McCain sweep. Obama's won 8 in a row. Hill didn't pull in more than 36% in any race (as of my writing).
That's it folks. We've got the Fall lineup here. Anything more is just belaboring the point.
Here are some of my thoughts:
* Huckabee did a commendable job towards the end. He's a genuinely likeable guy. Even Matt Taibbi was initially disarmed by him (not an easy task). Had he just raised a little more money, he could have defeated all the Washington insider candidates, no mean feat. He could still wind up causing major headaches for McCain if he stays in, but he'll probably accept the Veep slot and be content.
* McCain is deader than a deer in the headlights of an 18-wheeler when he faces Obama in the general election. He lost every election amongst the conservative base.+ He was dragged across the finish line by the moderate/liberal Republicans and Independents, NONE of whom will support him against Obama. McCain's biggest asset (media hard on for McCain) is totally neutralized by Obama and his biggest weaknesses (Iraq and his age) are exposed. It's going to be an ass-whupping of Reaganesque levels. He's going to be lucky to carry his home state.
* Hillary. Poor girl. I've never really liked her, but now that she's facing the firing squad, I feel sorry for her. Here's my take on her: she wanted to be a real reformer (as evidenced by Hillarycare). She was beaten down in brutal fashion for 10 years. She wanted to change things from the inside. She finally thought, 'hey, let me make a few compromises, sneak into office, and then I can change things from the inside.' She started giving lobbyists handjobs and before she knew it, she was taking on all of K-Street. And now, in the ultimate tragedy for her, she has to watch a younger candidate who made a point of not compromising on their principles (Iraq vote) and not accepting K-Street money (for the presidential campaign) come out of nowhere and grab the nomination by acclamation. It was her turn, but everyone turned on her and now she sees what she could have been reflected in Obama. That's why I feel so sorry for her.
* Obama's biggest threat, once Hillary is finally dragged off stage in tears, won't be McCain. It'll be the total mess left by Bush. Who wants to inherit a bankrupt, fucked up, militarily weakened, resource depleted ex-hegemon facing the reality of a multi-polar world? According to the Cunning Realist, Bush may have laid the perfect trap for the next president. "How many people cursed Nixon and Burns in '79?" How many will curse Bush in 4 years? His best hope, honestly, is the mess blows up in Bush's face in a way that cannot be denied before Bush leaves office.
+ I work in a fairly conservative office, so I think I know why he's had so many problems with the base. It comes down to 2 factors: the McCain/Bush/Kennedy Immigration Bill and his actions reaching across the aisle during the 2000-2006 domination of the levers of power. Republicans have respect for winners and competitive spirit. Republicans could have fallen in line with Rudy, had he just won. From 2000-2006, Republicans were talking about building a "permanent majority" in both houses, the judiciary, and the executive branch. The Dems were on Terri Shivo levels of life support. Total domination of the government. McCain's problem was when the Dems were on the verge of being crushed once and for all, he hesitated crushing their windpipe and instead tried being civil and statesman-like. By some twisted logic, he didn't 'want to win.' I wouldn't be too surprised if one "narrative" that emerges in the years ahead blames McCain for the collapse of the Republican party...
Obama, McCain sweep. Obama's won 8 in a row. Hill didn't pull in more than 36% in any race (as of my writing).
That's it folks. We've got the Fall lineup here. Anything more is just belaboring the point.
Here are some of my thoughts:
* Huckabee did a commendable job towards the end. He's a genuinely likeable guy. Even Matt Taibbi was initially disarmed by him (not an easy task). Had he just raised a little more money, he could have defeated all the Washington insider candidates, no mean feat. He could still wind up causing major headaches for McCain if he stays in, but he'll probably accept the Veep slot and be content.
* McCain is deader than a deer in the headlights of an 18-wheeler when he faces Obama in the general election. He lost every election amongst the conservative base.+ He was dragged across the finish line by the moderate/liberal Republicans and Independents, NONE of whom will support him against Obama. McCain's biggest asset (media hard on for McCain) is totally neutralized by Obama and his biggest weaknesses (Iraq and his age) are exposed. It's going to be an ass-whupping of Reaganesque levels. He's going to be lucky to carry his home state.
* Hillary. Poor girl. I've never really liked her, but now that she's facing the firing squad, I feel sorry for her. Here's my take on her: she wanted to be a real reformer (as evidenced by Hillarycare). She was beaten down in brutal fashion for 10 years. She wanted to change things from the inside. She finally thought, 'hey, let me make a few compromises, sneak into office, and then I can change things from the inside.' She started giving lobbyists handjobs and before she knew it, she was taking on all of K-Street. And now, in the ultimate tragedy for her, she has to watch a younger candidate who made a point of not compromising on their principles (Iraq vote) and not accepting K-Street money (for the presidential campaign) come out of nowhere and grab the nomination by acclamation. It was her turn, but everyone turned on her and now she sees what she could have been reflected in Obama. That's why I feel so sorry for her.
* Obama's biggest threat, once Hillary is finally dragged off stage in tears, won't be McCain. It'll be the total mess left by Bush. Who wants to inherit a bankrupt, fucked up, militarily weakened, resource depleted ex-hegemon facing the reality of a multi-polar world? According to the Cunning Realist, Bush may have laid the perfect trap for the next president. "How many people cursed Nixon and Burns in '79?" How many will curse Bush in 4 years? His best hope, honestly, is the mess blows up in Bush's face in a way that cannot be denied before Bush leaves office.
+ I work in a fairly conservative office, so I think I know why he's had so many problems with the base. It comes down to 2 factors: the McCain/Bush/Kennedy Immigration Bill and his actions reaching across the aisle during the 2000-2006 domination of the levers of power. Republicans have respect for winners and competitive spirit. Republicans could have fallen in line with Rudy, had he just won. From 2000-2006, Republicans were talking about building a "permanent majority" in both houses, the judiciary, and the executive branch. The Dems were on Terri Shivo levels of life support. Total domination of the government. McCain's problem was when the Dems were on the verge of being crushed once and for all, he hesitated crushing their windpipe and instead tried being civil and statesman-like. By some twisted logic, he didn't 'want to win.' I wouldn't be too surprised if one "narrative" that emerges in the years ahead blames McCain for the collapse of the Republican party...
Monday, December 10, 2007
Hillary in free fall...
Hillary had a plan to win the presidency: Raise a shitload of cash (Check). [Women used to earn 68 cents for every dollar a man made... Now Giulliani is making 40 cents for every Hillary dollar...] Get an early lead (Check). Spread a "media narrative" about being the inevitable candidate and having things locked up (CHECK!). Keep Bill mostly stashed in the background to keep from overshadowing your campaign (Check). Stay ruthlessly on message (until recently, check). Stomp on your opponents windpipe until their body stops twitching (Oops.)
Ever watch a campaign implode? Witness the Kindergarted Offensive. Almost the worst handled offensive since Operation Blue {Stalingrad}.
Tack on stories about how she'll kill the campaigns of Blue Dog Democrats, like Mary Landrieau...
Hillary Clinton is doing everything wrong that she used to be doing right and as a result, we get to enjoy reading things like this:
..they have exposed Hillary as a New York Yankees-style villain who buys all the best players but seems to resent having to actually win it between the lines.
Matt Taibbi rips on Hillary. Read the entire article. It's well worth it.
Oh yeah, even though it isn't baseball season and this has nothing to do with baseball: FUCK THE YANKEES! Just had to shoehorn that in there.
Ever watch a campaign implode? Witness the Kindergarted Offensive. Almost the worst handled offensive since Operation Blue {Stalingrad}.
Tack on stories about how she'll kill the campaigns of Blue Dog Democrats, like Mary Landrieau...
Hillary Clinton is doing everything wrong that she used to be doing right and as a result, we get to enjoy reading things like this:
..they have exposed Hillary as a New York Yankees-style villain who buys all the best players but seems to resent having to actually win it between the lines.
Matt Taibbi rips on Hillary. Read the entire article. It's well worth it.
Oh yeah, even though it isn't baseball season and this has nothing to do with baseball: FUCK THE YANKEES! Just had to shoehorn that in there.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Democrats in '08
So, I've been mulling over the Democrats and '08. Since I've made a few comments about some Republicans, I need to give the Democrats some love.
First off, Mary Landrieu is coming up for reelection in '08. All in all, she's been the been an excellent representative for the Pelican state and deserves to be overwhelmingly reelected.
Second off, I've been thinking about the presidential candidates. Hillary I respect, but don't like. That respect is slowly eroding, though. More and more, I'm starting to think of her as "change in name only." Or, to put in in more vulgar terms, Bush with a vagina.
I remarked a while ago that Obama sort of reminds me of FDR. He also has a track record for being on the right side before it was politically expedient (case #1: Iraq) [The cynic in me says that's an Al Gore-like trait that will almost assuredly condemn him to defeat]. He is also a great orator, which scores some serious points with me.
I like Edwards when he ran in '04 and was reluctant to take a second look at him in '08, because I wanted to just start from scratch. I remembered thinking a long time ago, 'Oh my God, I'm going to have to vote for him?!?!? [Kerry].' Anyway, I changed my mind after watching this video:
NOTE-It's about 20 minutes long. Edwards starts getting into the meat around 6:30 into the video. Skip the beginning.
Discussion on Kos. Wow. Just wow. Big brass balls. He pours his heart out and practically breaks into tears as he lays it all out. Edwards got some mad props from another local blogger... UPDATE- Make that two.
Both Edwards and Obama have given some kick ass speeches coinciding with Hillary shooting herself in the foot. Yeah for the return of oration and the rise of real change! We'll see how this works out...
First off, Mary Landrieu is coming up for reelection in '08. All in all, she's been the been an excellent representative for the Pelican state and deserves to be overwhelmingly reelected.
Second off, I've been thinking about the presidential candidates. Hillary I respect, but don't like. That respect is slowly eroding, though. More and more, I'm starting to think of her as "change in name only." Or, to put in in more vulgar terms, Bush with a vagina.
I remarked a while ago that Obama sort of reminds me of FDR. He also has a track record for being on the right side before it was politically expedient (case #1: Iraq) [The cynic in me says that's an Al Gore-like trait that will almost assuredly condemn him to defeat]. He is also a great orator, which scores some serious points with me.
I like Edwards when he ran in '04 and was reluctant to take a second look at him in '08, because I wanted to just start from scratch. I remembered thinking a long time ago, 'Oh my God, I'm going to have to vote for him?!?!? [Kerry].' Anyway, I changed my mind after watching this video:
NOTE-It's about 20 minutes long. Edwards starts getting into the meat around 6:30 into the video. Skip the beginning.
Discussion on Kos. Wow. Just wow. Big brass balls. He pours his heart out and practically breaks into tears as he lays it all out. Edwards got some mad props from another local blogger... UPDATE- Make that two.
Both Edwards and Obama have given some kick ass speeches coinciding with Hillary shooting herself in the foot. Yeah for the return of oration and the rise of real change! We'll see how this works out...
Monday, October 8, 2007
Odds and Ends - 9 Oct 2007
Sorry about not posting for a while, but I've been a bit busy recently. Here are some internet finds:
Matt Taibbi pens the eulogy for McCain's campaign. Excellent, if a bit sad. I always had a soft spot for McCain. Oh yeah, and if you haven't read Taibbi's obit for Yeltsin, look through his archives and read it. It's the funniest obituary ever.
Louisiana: the #1 most corrupt state. We're #1! We're #1! In a few more years, we'll have an insurmountable lead, thanks to Jim Letten and all the Katrina money.
Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts. Corruption in higher education. This story has some juicy details! The female university president was Sugar Momma to a lot of college boys...
Buckets of money being poured into deepwater oil exploration. This is good news for Louisiana, because these will be the blocks whose royalties pay for coastal restoration in a little under 10 years.
War Without End, Amen. All about the geopolitical nightmare unfolding between Saudi Arabia and Iran. One scenario is a nuclear arms race between the Saudis and the Persians. And that's the GOOD scenario... Also, Spot On seems to be a decent rag (along the lines of Alter-NET.
Photovoltaics: from waste to viability. PV panels are slowly, but steadily becoming more than a marginal power source for out of the way areas. I'm impressed. This should be one area where technology comes through in the clutch.
China Evacuates 1 Million Ahead of Storm. Wonder what would happen if the Chinese Government let 1 million people drown in a tropical cyclone? The pitchforks and torches would get some use...
When it comes to energy efficiency, Britain is EVEN WORSE than the US.
Is it just me or does the elephant have a wide stance? - ZING!!! Also, that star makes the elephant look like he has X's for eyes...
Women used to earn 68 cents for every dollar a man earned. Well, now Giuliani is only making 40 cents for every Hillary dollar.
US experiencing engineer shortage. According to the article, the US oil industry will experience a net shrinkage of 1-4% per year of its talent base.
Very long, detailed article about Saudi Arabia's future as an oil producing nation. A bit technical at times, but I like technical.
I get a bunch of industry magazines at work and the last issue of Oil and Gas Engineer caught my eye. It's cover story is 'the search for the next trillion barrels of oil.' In order to meet growing demand, the oil industry will have to find another billion barrels of oil. For perspective, that's another 3 Saudi Arabia's and some change. If this article is to be believed, petroleum geologists believe we'll only find 25% of what we need. What does that mean? The price will go up and we'll have to make do with less. A 70's-style energy shortage within the next 5-10 years is highly probable, even if the Middle East stays relatively stable (and that's a big if).
And, last, but not least: Ron Paul: the Howard Dean of '08? Hopefully, this will be a "narrative" that allows the media to finally give Dr. Paul the coverage he's proven he deserves. As an aside, this country needs 2 functioning political parties. That's been the problem during the W years. Here's the way I see things shaking down: Ron Paul gathers a dedicated base, he surprises everyone in the primaries. Someone else wins the nomination (and then is slaughtered by Hillary), but Ron Paul gets into a leadership position and rejuvenates the Republican Party the way Howard Dean did for the Dems. Remember, Dean's 50 State strategy was CRUCIAL to the Dems taking over both houses of Congress in '06. Lots of people thought Dean was nuts and he was ridiculed for his strategy. One of the jokes was the Dems were sending people to Mississippi (or insert another staunch Red State here) to pick their nose for a year. Without Dean making a strong, but not too strong, appearance in '03/'04, you don't have the victories in '06.
Matt Taibbi pens the eulogy for McCain's campaign. Excellent, if a bit sad. I always had a soft spot for McCain. Oh yeah, and if you haven't read Taibbi's obit for Yeltsin, look through his archives and read it. It's the funniest obituary ever.
Louisiana: the #1 most corrupt state. We're #1! We're #1! In a few more years, we'll have an insurmountable lead, thanks to Jim Letten and all the Katrina money.
Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts. Corruption in higher education. This story has some juicy details! The female university president was Sugar Momma to a lot of college boys...
Buckets of money being poured into deepwater oil exploration. This is good news for Louisiana, because these will be the blocks whose royalties pay for coastal restoration in a little under 10 years.
War Without End, Amen. All about the geopolitical nightmare unfolding between Saudi Arabia and Iran. One scenario is a nuclear arms race between the Saudis and the Persians. And that's the GOOD scenario... Also, Spot On seems to be a decent rag (along the lines of Alter-NET.
Photovoltaics: from waste to viability. PV panels are slowly, but steadily becoming more than a marginal power source for out of the way areas. I'm impressed. This should be one area where technology comes through in the clutch.
China Evacuates 1 Million Ahead of Storm. Wonder what would happen if the Chinese Government let 1 million people drown in a tropical cyclone? The pitchforks and torches would get some use...
When it comes to energy efficiency, Britain is EVEN WORSE than the US.
Is it just me or does the elephant have a wide stance? - ZING!!! Also, that star makes the elephant look like he has X's for eyes...
Women used to earn 68 cents for every dollar a man earned. Well, now Giuliani is only making 40 cents for every Hillary dollar.
US experiencing engineer shortage. According to the article, the US oil industry will experience a net shrinkage of 1-4% per year of its talent base.
Very long, detailed article about Saudi Arabia's future as an oil producing nation. A bit technical at times, but I like technical.
I get a bunch of industry magazines at work and the last issue of Oil and Gas Engineer caught my eye. It's cover story is 'the search for the next trillion barrels of oil.' In order to meet growing demand, the oil industry will have to find another billion barrels of oil. For perspective, that's another 3 Saudi Arabia's and some change. If this article is to be believed, petroleum geologists believe we'll only find 25% of what we need. What does that mean? The price will go up and we'll have to make do with less. A 70's-style energy shortage within the next 5-10 years is highly probable, even if the Middle East stays relatively stable (and that's a big if).
And, last, but not least: Ron Paul: the Howard Dean of '08? Hopefully, this will be a "narrative" that allows the media to finally give Dr. Paul the coverage he's proven he deserves. As an aside, this country needs 2 functioning political parties. That's been the problem during the W years. Here's the way I see things shaking down: Ron Paul gathers a dedicated base, he surprises everyone in the primaries. Someone else wins the nomination (and then is slaughtered by Hillary), but Ron Paul gets into a leadership position and rejuvenates the Republican Party the way Howard Dean did for the Dems. Remember, Dean's 50 State strategy was CRUCIAL to the Dems taking over both houses of Congress in '06. Lots of people thought Dean was nuts and he was ridiculed for his strategy. One of the jokes was the Dems were sending people to Mississippi (or insert another staunch Red State here) to pick their nose for a year. Without Dean making a strong, but not too strong, appearance in '03/'04, you don't have the victories in '06.
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