Blah3 - Imma Write About What I Wanna Write About.

Sure, NOW you tell us.

Wednesday, October 05 2011 @ 04:46 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

Top McCain aide: 'Sure, she showed signs of being completely nuts, but she drove our poll numbers up.'

Said Wallace: "The idea of a mentally ill vice president who suffers in complete isolation was obviously sparked by the behaviors I witnessed by Sarah Palin. What if somebody who was ill-equipped for the office were to ascend to the presidency or vice presidency? What would they do? How long would it take for people to figure it out? I became consumed by this question."

"Palin vacillated between extraordinary highs on the campaign stage -- she ignited more enthusiasm than our side had seen at any other point -- to debilitating lows. She was often withdrawn, uncommunicative and incapable of performing even the most basic tasks required of her job as McCain's running mate... There certainly were discussions -- not for long because of the arc the campaign took -- but certainly there were discussions about whether, if they were to win, it would be appropriate for her to be sworn in."

There's your modern GOP in a nutshell - willing to subject the country to either a bugfuck-insane VP or a nasty Constitutional issue, all in the name of winning an election.

How the fuck does Nicolle Wallace - or John McCain, for that matter - sleep at night?

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Who has made me your enemy?

Tuesday, September 27 2011 @ 11:17 AM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

This post comes about as a result of an email, a Facebook post, and the reaction of a family member.

I got the email early yesterday afternoon - one of those 'FW;FW;FW:' jobs entitled 'The Grey-Haired Brigade.' The jist of the email was that Old People, back in the day, saved the American Way Of Life, saluted the flag and know the words to the Pledge of Allegiance, and those young ingrate Obama voters have gone and pissed it all away. I usually just delete crap like that, but for some reason I peeked at this one, and it set me off. The part that got me pissed went something like this (emphasis added for the parts that really ticked me):

We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us! We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.

It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress. You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.

And it only got worse from there - this part in particular:

Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation! We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom.

I felt my blood pressure going up as I read this, as I realized that the sender of the letter considered me - a part of her own family, no less - as part of a group who 'drank the cool-aid' and put a big house over knowing the words to the Pledge of Alliegance, or something (for the record, I do know those words, but that's apparently not enough to keep me out of that group who the Geezers are going to have to save, riding to the rescue on their (Medicare-financed) Hoverounds).

Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I have more than my share of grey hairs. The difference between myself and whoever wrote this email is that I don't see myself as a self-appointed savior of the American Way Of Life. I'm just an old dude who plays guitar and believes what I believe, and I've got no problem with 'live and let live,' either. I'm just an old liberal who is proud of being an old liberal.

Then a few minutes later, I get another email - this one from another family member, who felt the need to yell at my dirty kind like this:

I agree with you, yes we may be a slower and not able as well, but we can make it to the poles (sic) in 2012, so come on ll you who helped make this Country what it was before the BIG CHANGE lead us down the wrong road to socialism. Get with it gang.....DO YOU LOVE THIS COUNTRY.....

I looked at the email in disbelief, as it dawned on me that at least two of my own family members consider me - their little brother, for cryin' out loud - as part of that dirty crowd who voted for Socialism and forgetting the words to the Pledge of Alliegance. Or something.

Well, that tore it. I hit 'reply all' and sent back this to everyone in the address bar:

Do NOT send me this stuff any more.

I disagree profoundly with many of you about a lot of what�s in this email. I am a proud Democrat and will go to my grave a proud Democrat.

SCREW this �Socialism and evil� garbage. It is wrong, and you are wrong for referring to a duly elected government of the United States in such a manner.

I want no part of these emails. Take me off your forward lists, because these types of emails are so wrong it�s an embarrassment.

And save your Tea Party rhetoric. They are the problem, whether you see it or not.

So I went on Facebook and posted pretty much the same message there. That set off yet another wave of invective from the 'DO YOU LOVE AMERICA' family member. That little exchange culminated in this little gem being posted...

Your (sic) that one that is taking AMERICA AWAY FROM ME>>>>>>>>>

Now without going into too much detail, let's say I've helped this family member out financially a number of times and have never asked for anything in return - not even asking for repayment of the money. I just consider it the good liberal thing to do - take care of family members who need it. The godly, Christian thing to do, if you will.

And here I am, being scolded by this family member who I've never hesitated to extend a hand to if it was needed, and being told that I'm 'taking America away from her.

Good. Fucking. Grief.

So I responded, keeping it general, reminding this family member that this house has never shied from the good works of charity. And I asked a question that I do not expect an answer to, but I had to ask in hopes it will make my family think a little bit about what they're accusing me of. The question was this:

Who has made me your enemy?

I plan on using that question quite a bit in the future, because I have the feeling that my days of being accused of Stealing Freedom from Those Who Are More American Than Me are nowhere near over. Feel free to use it yourselves if you want. It's a good question, and maybe it'll make people think of what the fuck they're saying.

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Strange bedfellows.

Wednesday, September 14 2011 @ 01:27 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

I'm wondering how this story will sit with the Palin-bots...

The National Enquirer is reporting that former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, a former high school basketball standout herself, hooked up with former NBA star Glen Rice in 1987.

The dalliance occurred when he was in Anchorage, Alaska, for a basketball tournament with the Michigan Wolverines.

Publishing sources familiar with the contents of author Joe McGinniss� book �The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin� have revealed shocking secrets about Palin including the report of her short relationship with Rice.

At the time, Sarah Heath was just out of college and was a budding sports reporter for Anchorage television station KTUU.

In the book, Rice confirmed to McGinniss it was a one-night stand.

It'll be interesting to see how the First Dude will react as well.

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My back is strong, but it's a-hurtin'

Wednesday, September 14 2011 @ 11:01 AM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

Texas Monthly's Paul Burka noticed something about Rick Perry at the Big Debate the other night.

Perry was clearly off his game during the tea party debate. He looked uncomfortable, his face was strained, his combativeness was muted. He looked to me like a man with back pain. I wondered if he were wearing a brace. I�ve had back surgery, and it hurt to watch him.

[...]

He just wasn�t presidential. He was low-energy and the feistiness wasn�t there. That�s why I�m wondering whether the back operation didn�t go well, or whether he got irked because Bachmann got to his right on the HPV issue. Another explanation could be that Perry has been around so long and has been so successful in politics that our expectations are high, and they are hard to meet. He just didn�t seem presidential, and I think the reason was that he was hurting.

[...]

The big question mark for me is Perry�s health. Tonight was one of those rare moments when the camera didn�t love him. He has plenty of time to get back on his game, assuming that his physical condition holds up. But I am beginning to wonder whether he will have the stamina to hold up to the demands of a grueling campaign if his back is injured. For now, that�s just as big a threat as Romney is.

An interesting angle. As someone who was treated for a bad back a few years ago, I know that a constant, low-level pain can rob you of your ability to concentrate and your ability to engage in activities as simple as walking from one spot to another.

Will Perry be able to withstand the rigors of a long campaign? Good question.

(Note: Since I saw this story over at Balloon Juice, I figured I'd indulge in their custom of naming the post with song lyrics.)

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A highlight of my week...

Tuesday, September 13 2011 @ 03:29 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

For those who don't already know, a bit of background. I play a weekly gig in NYC with a band called Arlene's World Famous Live Rock Karaoke Band. We work from a list of over 200 songs, and audience members sign up and choose a song and we play it while they sing it. It's one of the most fun gigs I've ever had, and every gig has its share of surprises.

But nothing like what happened on Friday night.

Early last week, I got an email from the band leader instructing me to learn a song called 'I Started A Joke' by the Bee Gees. It was no big deal - I already knew the song, but I was left wondering why a rock band would be learning one of the Bee Gees' sappiest ballads. The bass player had the same thought - here's his comment to me in an email:

Great. Can't wait to play this one. The crowd on a Friday night always goes wild for sleepy ballads sung in a whiny falsetto.

So, Friday rolls around and I get to the club. It was obvious that something was up - there was a camera crew set up in the club and a lot of guys in suits coming in. I was wondering what was up until the moment we took the stage, and a tall dude jumped up out of the crowd...

Yup. Jim Carrey. Or as he introduced himself, 'Jim Carrey-oke.' He started with the aforementioned Bee Gees song, then did 'Creep' by Radiohead and 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' by Smashing Pumpkins.

Needless to say, the video has gone viral - among the news outlets reporting it were Billboard, NME, Huffington Post, ABC News, and TMZ, among others.

And here I thought I was just going to my normal ol' job on Friday. Proof positive that anything can happen when you're me.

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Some days, I see a ray of hope, Part 2.

Friday, August 19 2011 @ 04:26 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

People are pushing back against the Tea Party Republican's 'no taxes ever under any circumstances' policy.

SANDWICH, Ill. � On Wednesday morning, as his tinted black bus pulled into Randy Hultgren�s congressional district, President Obama told residents that Republicans like Hultgren must be willing to raise taxes to reduce the deficit.

A few hours and 90 miles away, Hultgren�s own constituents had picked up the message, repeatedly hectoring the freshman congressman at a town hall meeting to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

�We have clear information that . . . tax cuts, especially to the super rich, has not increased any more jobs,� one man told him. �I want to know under what conditions you would be willing to consider increasing taxes, especially on those who can afford it?�

�I just have one question for you tonight,� said another. �Did you sign Grover Norquist�s pledge to never raise taxes?� � referring to the promise that has been signed by most congressional Republicans, including Hultgren.

�Don�t you have the confidence in your own ability in Congress to make up your own mind? You need Grover Norquist to tell you?� the man continued.

Those questions are a thing of beauty. Thank you, Sandwich, Ill.

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Some days, I see a ray of hope.

Friday, August 19 2011 @ 03:41 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

Rick Perry is, in the eyes of his supporters and members of the 'horse-race' media, the Big Bad Texan who will eat Obama's lunch and return the White House to its rightful owners - elderly white bigots.

I've had my doubts about this, but I've been reminded every day about the inevitability of Rick Perry. Never lost an election! Disciplined campaigner! Top-notch staff! Luckiest politician alive!

Then I see things like this, and wonder how in the hell he even won one election, even in Texas:

For those of you who can't watch, there's one point in the video where Perry is asked why, if Texas is spending money on abstinence education, the state still has the third highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. There is a full 7 seconds that goes by where he sits with a dumbstruck look on his face, saying nothing besides 'I don't know.'

This guy is supposed to be the most gifted campaigner since, well, Barack Obama? Seriously?

It's beginning to look like a lot of people in this country share my skepticism. There's this, from a Perry campaign stop in New Hampshire.

As the presidential candidate from Texas walked into a local restaurant, Popovers on the Square, he was forced to shake hands with voters amid shouts of �Hands off Social Security and Medicare!� and �You�re a threat to America� from the anti-Perry forces who gathered just a few feet away from him. It was the first organized protest of this kind since Perry arrived in the Granite State.

Inside the caf�, Gail Mitchell and a companion grilled him: �You said Social Security was unconstitutional.�

�Social Security�s going to be there for those folks,� Perry answered his inquisitors, making reference to the elderly.

�But you said Social Security is unconstitutional,� Mitchell repeated.

�I don�t think I -- I�m sorry, you must have,� Perry said before stopping himself.

Instead of elaborating, Perry stuffed a generous piece of popover in his mouth.

�I�ve got a big mouthful,� Perry said and then ordering a glass of water.

Yep. Gifted campaigner.

How about this video where a kid asks Perry how old he things the earth is? Here's the transcript:

�How old do you think the Earth is?� the kid said. Given Perry�s larger worldview, it seems like a reasonable question. The Texas governor replied, �I don�t have any idea; I know it�s pretty old. So, it goes back a long, long way.�

At this point, the boy�s mother pushed him to ask Perry about evolution. The candidate explained:

�Your mom is asking about evolution. You know, that�s a theory that�s out there; it�s got some gaps in it. In Texas, we teach both creationism and evolution in our public schools � because I figure you�re smart enough to figure out which one is right.�

Steve Benen astutely pointed out that besides Perry's non-answer about the age of the planet, Perry also claimed that Texas teaches both evolution and creationism - and that's against the law.

This guy is a gifted politician? Are we talking about the same guy here?

My take is this - Perry may have won every election he's run in Texas, but New Hampshire ain't Texas. He could get away with non-answers or stuffing his mouth full of food to avoid answering an uncomfortable question in the Lone star State, but that ain't gonna fly in many of the other 49 states.

That people are actively challenging his views - and that he's not able to handle the challenges - indicates that he might not be as ready for the Bigs as we've been told. This makes me happy.

Oh - there is one more thing. This quote from ex-Reagan aide Bruce Bartlett:

�Rick Perry�s an idiot, and I don�t think anyone would disagree with that,� Bartlett said Friday on CNN�s �American Morning.�

Ya gotta love it. At this rate, Perry is headed for a very public meltdown. I hope for two things - 1) that when it happens there are video cameras rolling, and 2) that on the day it happens, Perry decides to leave his now-famous laser-sighted pistol in the tour bus. Dude's got a temper and people could get hurt.

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I thought we settled this Birther crap.

Wednesday, August 17 2011 @ 12:54 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

He read it on the internet, so it must be true!

An Air Force staff sergeant based in Germany says he's been AWOL since last week because he read on the Internet that President Barack Obama's long form birth certificate is a fraud.

Inspired by fellow birther, Army doctor Terrence Lakin, Staff Sgt. Daryn J. Moran has plastered the Internet with the news that he's deserting his post as an ophthalmology technician overseas.

"In identifying [Obama] as my enemy and proclaiming him to be the enemy of the entire country, I squarely place myself in the same situation as himself," Moran says in a video posted by a birther website.

"The reason I no longer obey the Commander-in-Chief is not because he's Black, but because he has no credible proof that he is an American," Moran wrote in the comment section of Glenn Beck's The Blaze. "It's simple. Arrest B. Obama or arrest me."

Did I miss the part where anyone asked this rube if it was about Obama being black? Didn't think so.

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Birthday, Death Day. What's the dif?

Tuesday, August 16 2011 @ 03:23 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

Every time I think I've seen Michele Bachmann hit the Ceiling of Stupid, she just goes crashing right through the ceiling and into uncharted heights. Over and over again.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann stepped all over Elvis Presley's blue suede shoes while stumping Tuesday, when she mistakenly wished "The King" a "Happy Birthday."

August 16 actually marks the 34th anniversary of Presley's death.

"Before we get started, let's all say 'Happy Birthday' to Elvis Presley today," Bachmann greeted event attendees at a "Join Team Bachmann" rally in Spartanburg, SC.

"We played you a little bit of Promise Land when we pulled up. You can't do better than Elvis Presley and we thought we would celebrate his birthday as we get started celebrating taking our country back to work."

But Presley's birthday is in January, so the tea party darling's well wishes are eight months too late.

Folks, you can't fake that level of idiocy. You just can't.

(Note to self - set up a 'Religio-Numbskulls Running For President' category. That sucker's gonna get a lot of use in the next 15 months.)

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Know Your Enemy: The Perry Trap

Monday, August 15 2011 @ 06:31 PM EDT

Contributed by: Stranger

The Austin Chronicle rolls out The Perry Trap.

Bookmark it. You'll need to arm yourself with facts once Goodhair's campaign starts taking off.

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