Well, what did they expect?

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

I mean, naturally Bush is now going to select an arch conservative for the bench. And I personally don’t believe for a second that he nominated Miers in order to make his subsequent pick more palatable. More palatable to whom? The conservative base? They were going to love him anyway. The liberal base? That wasn’t going to happen no matter what. Miers or no Miers, the Democrats were still going to object.

Not that it will make any difference.

You know what the main problem the Democrats have right now is? No sense of blood lust. If a Democratic president were hemorrhaging support and mired in as many failures as Bush currently is, the GOP would be massing like sharks around a wounded dolphin, and then they would be tearing in from all directions. The Democrats still sound and feel like exactly what they are: The party out of power. The GOP is already making noises about eliminating the judicial filibuster. The Democrats should be right in their face, shouting, “Do it! C’mon, do it, you sum’bìŧçhëš. Get rid of the filibuster, I double dog dare you. Because if you do, then sooner or later–probably sooner–the balance of power will be reversed, we’ll be in charge, and we’re going to make you eat whatever changes you make now to benefit yourselves, you hypocritical, smug, power-hungry jáçkáššëš.”

‘Cause if the situation were reversed, that’s what the GOP would be doing.

Because the GOP fights fire with fire, while the Democrats fight fire with popcorn, and they’d be well-advised to get with the program and make the most of the opportunities that the sanctimonious smugness of Bush and company are handing them before it all slips away again.

PAD

290 comments on “Well, what did they expect?”

  1. Pat Robertson should retire from his job of saying stupid things on TV and concentration on his investments in slavery.

    Tell me again why anyone should take that douchebag seriously?

    Oh, and Bill, the draft talk was an obvious campaign ploy. Nobody seriously believed it was going ever be adopted because it would be political suicide for anyone who voted in favor of it.

  2. Hi Bill, I never claimed to hold a crystal ball, but have no problem saying that I still believe the draft to be a very real possibility. I honestly hope it never occurs.

    Why do I believe that it is still a very real possibility, depiste what our president has told us? I have little to no trust in our current leadership. I actually found myself becoming very sad when I typed that.

    Fred

  3. Great, so I have Den telling me that all that talk about the draft was an obvious campaign ploy that nobody took seriously, followed by Fred saying he not only took it seriously but still does. Oh well.

    I’d be a bit disappointed to learn that all the folks in this forum who argued that the draft was imminent were just putting on a show. To what end? I can understand Kerry saying whatever he needed to get elected but it’s not like we here in PADland are exactly influencing world events. That being the case, we might as well be honest.

    (And for the record, I DON’T think everyone who was making that argument was doing so with the knowledge that they were just being flacks for the Democratic Party.)

    But if, as Den says, this was clearly nothing more than a campaign ploy, what does it say about the news media that it was reported as a very real story? That would be a pretty solid bit of evidence of media bias, wouldn’t it?

  4. Bill, If candidate X says, “there will be draft next year,” and then the media reports, “today, candidate X said there will be a draft next year.” That’s not media bias. That’s the media doing it’s job.

    As for the draft. I can’t speak for anyone else here. All I can say is that I never really believed it would come about. I may have joked about it, but that’s about it.

    Gee, Bill, you sound shocked at the idea that policians might make statements that are misleading.

  5. Bill:

    >Great, so I have Den telling me that all that talk about the draft was an obvious campaign ploy that nobody took seriously, followed by Fred saying he not only took it seriously but still does. Oh well.

    Bill, you asked for a response. It went unanswered and you asked again. I responded. Do I believe it will happen. I hope not. Do I believe it is a possibility should the government decide that it suddenly wants to end this and doesn’t have the volunteers to do it? Yep.

    Sorry that you were disappointed with the answer.

    Fred

  6. I’ve been thinking.

    This summer, when Pat Robertson prayed for “more openings” on the SCOTUS, God responded, much to Pat’s dismay, by smiting one of the conservatives on the bench.

    I live 30 miles from Dover. Now that Pat is calling for the wrath of God against the entire town, should I be worried about God’s accuracy?

    I just want to know if I should be worried when the fire starts coming down from the sky.

  7. It’s easy to make your goals if you keep lowering your standards.

    Except that one problem they’re facing is the constant raising of standards. Consider: During the Vietnam era, it was considered acceptable to send someone into the Army as an alternative to jail time. By the mid-’80s, when I joined the Air Force, they no longer took people with criminal records, but you could still get in with a GED. Today, you can’t even join the Marines without a high-school diploma!

    For that matter, when I signed up, it was taken as a matter of course that the recruiter was lying. You should believe only what you get in writing, and not all of that. Now, the recruiters are prohibited from making untrue statements to recruits. They can still lie by omission, but they can’t promise anything the recruit won’t definitely recieve. (For instance, now an Army recruiter can’t tell a recruit, or his/her parents, that the recruit will get a nice, safe Stateside assignment, because anybody in the Army could be sent to Iraq…)

  8. Now, the recruiters are prohibited from making untrue statements to recruits.

    Stories that have come out in recent months seem to run contrary to what you assume has been going on.

    That, and the fact that the military is taking just about anybody that isn’t in a wheelchair.

  9. Fred, I was not disappointed with your answer–I appreciate it. I was just pointing out to Den that it contradicted his statement that nobody would think that way.

    Den, when you make the statement “Nobody seriously believed it was going ever be adopted” you ARE speaking for other people. Personally, I believe that your analysis is correct that to vote for it would be political suicide and that most, if not all of the political posturing on the issue was just that, political posturing.

    If the media reports such posturing as though it is a real possibility…that’s not reporting, that’s typing. Maybe the state of journalism has fallen to such sorry states that we should not even expect such tiny details as fact checking or honest analysis. If so, too bad for us. Next time a Joe McCarthy or Huey Long shows up there won’t be any Edward R Murrows to take him on.

    Gee, Bill, you sound shocked at the idea that politicians might make statements that are misleading.

    Actually, not at all. And it probably tells you a lot about why Kerry lost if he had to resort to phony issues. Personally I think that Bush was weak enough on the real ones that it was foolish to start debates on phony issues (I’m sure a lot of people felt as you and I did, that the draft was NOT coming and that this was just a distraction from real issues). Why do that?

    When they ran a few recent surveys pitting Bush against various Democrats he lost each and every matchup…except one. Kerry was evidently the one guy who couldn’t win and the irony is that he was picked for the very reason that he was touted as the one guy would COULD. There’s a lesson there somewhere (And it was succinctly said by a series of posters that popped up in Iowa before the primary election– Kerry supporters put up posters that said DATED DEAN, MARRIED KERRY which were followed by new ones from the Deaniacs that said DATED DEAN, MARRIED KERRY, WOKE UP WITH BUSH)

    That, and the fact that the military is taking just about anybody that isn’t in a wheelchair.

    Totally not true. They may want to but they can’t. There’s a reason that the military has a much much higher percentage of high school graduates than the public at large. I’ve had some students, not the best toys in the Happy Meal, try to drop out and sign up only to find out they could not meet the requirements–there’s some kind of military aptitude test you have to score in the top 70% of. It looks like an IQ test to me, though it isn’t labeled as such.

  10. Totally not true.

    So then why were there reports of recruiters falsifying information on recruits to get them throught the process?

    Hasn’t the military raised the maximum age limit on new signups a couple of times as well?

  11. Oh, and as for Pat Robertson…it may be time for those who still care what this guy thinks and says to consider the possibility that age is beginning to affect a mind that, not to put too fine a point on it, didn’t exactly have a lot of spare neurons to sacrifice. He seems to have lost any ability whatsoever to realize how idiotic he sounds. A stroke, perhaps?

    At any rate, it’s time for some family members to gently take him off to the racetrack where God can send him tips on the trifecta.

    (Hopefully Dover is not prone to flooding or it will give the dope some encouragement. Now if fireballs DO come from the sky I’ll be a big enough man to reconsider.)

  12. Bill, only reconsider your stance if the houses of the individuals who voted to retain the school board members as spared. 🙂

  13. Good point, Fred. 🙂

    And it illustrates yet another reason why robertson’s a dolt; the idea of God as an underachiever. He hates gays so he comes up with a plan to get rid of them–AIDS, a disease that kills gays and lots of other people. Yopu’d think that God being God he could have just waved a metaphorical hand and poof! (to coin a phrase)–all gay people are gone or wake up with their insides on the outside or whatever gruesome fate Pat imagines they deserve. The theatre, hairdressing, and female gym coach industries would be brought to their knees but at least there would have been no collateral damage.

    But no, this is the Pat Robertson/Jack Chick God, the one who, when one person pìššëš Him off smites the entire Eastern Seaboard. If I’m ever caught in the crossfire during one of these tantrums I’ll be writing my Creator a pretty stern letter, let me tell you.

    One of the best parts about believeing in God is being able to rub one’s hands with glee over the prospect of Pat, Fred Phelps, etc one day meeting their maker. Oh to be a fly on the wall then, though I’m kind of hoping flies don’t actually get to heaven. In fact, that’s part of what makes it heaven; no flies.

  14. So then why were there reports of recruiters falsifying information on recruits to get them throught the process?

    The probably fact that some recruiters have broken the law does not translate into “the fact that the military is taking just about anybody that isn’t in a wheelchair”

    Hasn’t the military raised the maximum age limit on new signups a couple of times as well?

    I hope so. I wish they’d raise it higher.I know that people my age are mostly in no way shape or form as capable of the kind of physical prowess expected from most recruits but we are better able to do certain functions as well or better. When you look at some of the abuses of prisoners you are struck by the sheer lack of common sense displayed by the abusers. Frat boys should not be put in such positions of responsibility.

    I say, raise the age to anyone who can meet certain guidelines. Obviously, top benefits should go to those who can be put into any situation but even a creaking grimster like myself could do some good.

  15. Craig, there were such reports because it used to be common practice. However, when the scandal broke last year (with a recruiter who threatened young men with Federal prosecution if they refused to meet with him), the practice was curtailed. Earlier this year, every recruiting office in the country was closed for a day while all personnel there were re-apprised of their responsibilities in this regard…

    I think you’re proceeding from outdated information. The standards have indeed been tightened up in recent years, as many a young failure has discovered to his chagrin. 🙂

  16. Earlier this year, every recruiting office in the country was closed for a day while all personnel there were re-apprised of their responsibilities in this regard…

    It wasn’t that long ago at all, no, so my information isn’t that outdated, if it is outdated at all.

    This type of event is like Bush sending everybody off to ethics class – unless somebody is looking over their shoulder all the time, the practices they were using will not stop.

  17. Bill, when I said nobody was taking it seriously, I meant none of the political class were taking it seriously. That was a separate thought from people on this board.

    If the media reports such posturing as though it is a real possibility…that’s not reporting, that’s typing.

    Now it sounds like you’re trying to have it both ways. If they just report what a candidate says w/o commentary, that’s not reporting to you. But, if they take the statement, dissect it and try to assess it’s credibility, now they’re being “biased.” Which do you want, completely objective reporting of the facts, or “spin”?

    As for Kerry, he lost because he was a douchebag. I generally don’t buy into polls that were taken more than a year before the election because a lot can happen in a year’s time to change the public’s perception of the candidate (case in point, Bush winning a bare majority last November, but this November he wouldn’t get elected dog catcher in Cattown). But, in Kerry’s case he was such a Lurch that, like Gore, ended up losing a race he could’ve won just by displaying a little human warmth.

    Re: Pat Robertson. He was always a few fries short of a Happy Meal, but it seems like he’s completely lost it this year. Maybe collections are down at the 700 Club and this is his way of stirring the pot a bit.

    Bill, I completely agree with your assessment of Pat’s view of God. Pat once claimed credit for getting God to divert a hurricane away from his TV station. Of course, hundreds of people who were in its new path lost their homes. Presumably, they didn’t donate enough to the 700 Club.

    Remember how he blamed 9/11 on gays and Wiccans? Funny how three major hurricanes pummel the red states and no one seriously suggests that God is pìššëd at them for inflicting Bush on us.

    Oh, and Dover isn’t in a major flood plane, so fire from the sky is God’s best bet.

  18. Oh, and Dover isn’t in a major flood plane, so fire from the sky is God’s best bet.

    Naaaahhhh… Too Old Testament.

    Now, an avian flu outbreak…

    -Rex Hondo-

  19. Also, just to make sure, am I the only one who’s a big enough geek that when reading about God’s supposed poor aim, immediately thought, “God. You were going to kill me, God. You’re going to have to come down here. You’re going to HAVE to COME DOWN HERE.”?

    -Rex Hondo-

  20. Funny how three major hurricanes pummel the red states and no one seriously suggests that God is pìššëd at them for inflicting Bush on us.

    Actually, some have, showing that idiocy cuts across all politics. from James Wolcott:

    Hurricane Frances also has a heraldic quality. Camille Paglia observed on Salon in February, 2003 that the explosion of the Columbia shuttle on the eve of the war on Iraq was a “stunning omen,” one that would make a Roman general think twice. A catastrophe strewing death, fire, and human remains across Bush’s home state of Texas was inauspicious to our undertaking; and so it has proven to be. Frances is the second hurricane to afflict Florida, home of brother Jeb, in rapid succession.

    The gods are not pleased.

    (this was from the same column where he said “I root for hurricanes.” and “So there’s something disappointing when a hurricane doesn’t make landfall, or peters out into a puny Category One.”)

  21. But if, as Den says, this was clearly nothing more than a campaign ploy, what does it say about the news media that it was reported as a very real story? That would be a pretty solid bit of evidence of media bias, wouldn’t it?

    i’d say it’s evidence of bias towards the sensational.

  23. “Also, just to make sure, am I the only one who’s a big enough geek that when reading about God’s supposed poor aim, immediately thought, “God. You were going to kill me, God. You’re going to have to come down here. You’re going to HAVE to COME DOWN HERE.”?”

    Just to show you you’re not the only one who’s a big enough geek…

    “…but like poor marksman, you keep missing the target.”

    Shortly followed, of course, by “GOOOOOOODDDDDDD!” (echo)

    I love that movie. Remind me to pop in the DVD next time I’m watching over one of the baby’s naps.

    Wow, that would be funny.

  25. Or do those who claimed it was coming still believe that to be true?

    I still believe it’s a serious possibility, and I’m frankly a bit offended that you’d assume it’s all just political posturing. Considering how many flames I’ve brought on myself here for giving opinions which some consider TOO unvarnished, it would be pretty unbelievable of me to say things I don’t mean.

    I’d love to be wrong, for many reasons. Given how much saber-rattling has been happening lately with Our Glorious Leader facing off against Syria and/or Iran, though, I’m not breathing sighs of relief just yet.

    As for other recent news: Dover — good show, folks. Kansas — please go away, and write if you get work. Pat Robertson — please campaign for every Republican Senate and House candidate next year.

    And now I’m picturing God telling Job, “I’ve done far worse than kill you. I’ve hurt you. And I wish to go on … hurting you.” Who’da thunk that God spoke with Montalban’s accent?

    TWL

  26. Ooh, and speaking of fun election news…

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051114/ap_on_re_us/governor_s_race_forrester

    Not that I’m especially enchanted with Corzine (I voted for him, but with nose held), but (a) I think Forrester would’ve been a whole lot worse, and (b) I’m absolutely tickled pink that losing Republican candidates are now blaming Bush for it. Perhaps this could be the beginning of a sizable exodus, and both parties can become a bit healthier.

    We can but hope.

    TWL

  27. I still believe it’s a serious possibility, and I’m frankly a bit offended that you’d assume it’s all just political posturing.

    Ack! I didn’t assume it was political posturing! I asked the following– Was this all just a campaign ploy? has something changed that now makes it less likely? Or do those who claimed it was coming still believe that to be true?

    Den–not me– answered back Oh, and Bill, the draft talk was an obvious campaign ploy. Nobody seriously believed it was going ever be adopted because it would be political suicide for anyone who voted in favor of it.

    Den has since clarified this to indicate that he meant “none of the political class”, not people in general.

    I also disagreed with Den while under the impression that he meant everyone, including people on this board, as not believing the draft was a real possibility but caliming otherwise: I’d be a bit disappointed to learn that all the folks in this forum who argued that the draft was imminent were just putting on a show. To what end? I can understand Kerry saying whatever he needed to get elected but it’s not like we here in PADland are exactly influencing world events. That being the case, we might as well be honest.

    (And for the record, I DON’T think everyone who was making that argument was doing so with the knowledge that they were just being flacks for the Democratic Party.)

    So where exactly did I go wrong?

    (And none of this changes the fact that I never though the draft was in any way shape or form about to come back and that the likelihood has gotten ever smaller. Someone offered to bet people on this board that the draft wouldn’t happen–I don’t think anyone took them up on the offer and that was a wise financial decision. It isn’t going to happen. There is not the critical need, the desire or the votes and you would need all 3.)

  28. Ack! I didn’t assume it was political posturing! I asked the following– “Was this all just a campaign ploy? has something changed that now makes it less likely? Or do those who claimed it was coming still believe that to be true?”

    With all due respect, when the first question is “was this all just a campaign ploy?”, it frames the question to suggest that the answer is “yes”, or at least “no, but…”

    I’m aware of who said what, believe me. I’m not especially thrilled by Den’s choice of words any more than yours.

    I also disagreed with Den while under the impression that he meant everyone, including people on this board, as not believing the draft was a real possibility but caliming otherwise: I’d be a bit disappointed to learn that all the folks in this forum who argued that the draft was imminent were just putting on a show.

    And again, I knew that. “I’d be a bit disappointed” hardly suggests that you’re not buying or believing it. If it’s a disagreement, it’s such an incredibly mild one that it doesn’t really look like one.

    And none of this changes the fact that I never though the draft was in any way shape or form about to come back and that the likelihood has gotten ever smaller. Someone offered to bet people on this board that the draft wouldn’t happen–I don’t think anyone took them up on the offer and that was a wise financial decision.

    Um, Bill? That was me — except that I offered to bet that it WOULD happen, Jerome took me up on it, and you and David Bjorlin both agreed to serve as judges of the facts. I can steer you to the relevant thread if you’d like.

    But hey, a perfect recounting of the event other than that. 🙂

    TWL

  29. Oh right…well I was sort of close, right? Right? Oh well….

    So Jerome took up the bet? When does it end?

    As I recall (which obviously ain’t worth much), it was for a charity so we’re all winners (unless, as I say, my memory is bad and it was for the “Send Jerome to a Weekend Retreat to Bimini” in which case the winner it Jerome. Assuming the politicians in DC don’t lose their minds and institute the draft.)

    Part of my reason for having no fear of this development is just looking at the possible trigger points for a draft. Any invasion of South Korea or Taiwan will end up being too brief, whatever the outcome, to make a draft useful. I don’t see any invasion of Iran, when the desired effect would be better achieved with missile strikes (and if they make good on their threats to nuke Israel there will be no Iran to fight). The East Germans have been quiet lately. Only Chavez and Castro think we are going to invade South America. I just don’t have any likely scenarios.

    With all due respect, when the first question is “was this all just a campaign ploy?”, it frames the question to suggest that the answer is “yes”, or at least “no, but…”

    I meant all 3 to be given equal weight. If the first choice is always the one that frames the question this is a convention that I am not aware of. I’m not a professional pundit though I play one on the net.

    I’m not especially thrilled by Den’s choice of words any more than yours.

    Well I would hope not. I still have to wonder how my choice of question placement somehow counts for more than my explicit repudiation of the sentiment that people did not believe what they said.

    . “I’d be a bit disappointed” hardly suggests that you’re not buying or believing it. If it’s a disagreement, it’s such an incredibly mild one that it doesn’t really look like one.

    Does And for the record, I DON’T think everyone who was making that argument was doing so with the knowledge that they were just being flacks for the Democratic Party. look like one? Because that was the next paragraph. I was trying to gently point out to Den that I thought his answer (or, more accurately, how I interpreted his answer) was ridiculous and an insult to the people on this board who were on his side.

    And while “disappointed” may not imply that I’m not believing it, that’s how I meant it. Why do you think I would be disappointed if it turned out that secretly, people who were disagreeing with me were actually, in their heart of hearts, agreeing with me? Hëll, that’s my fondest wish! Who wouldn’t like to think that, when nobody is looking, everyone who is on the opposite side of the political fence from oneself looks in the mirror and says, their voices dripping with the self loathing of a craven coward “Ðámņ. He’s right. I can never respect myself while he lives! I’d give everything I own to be the man that he is! All that remains for me is to try and tear him down, because I’m jealous of him!”

    No, I’d be disappointed because I actually like having people who are willing to engage in honest political debate. My wife is totally apolitical and I grew up in a very political household so the web is a serious outlet. Without it I would be badgering my wife about the ramifications of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act and she’d divorce me within the week.

    And I’d also be disappointed because it would reflect badly on the intelligence of people I’ve come to respect for reasons i mentioned; what possible good would come out of it? What gain?

    Sorry if any of this wasn’t clear.

    Anyway…Eddie Guerrero’s dead. I’m too unhappy to really get into politics today.

  30. Not that I’m especially enchanted with Corzine (I voted for him, but with nose held)

    I thought of you when I saw this story:
    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEW_JERSEY_SLOGAN?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

    Apparently they are looking for a new slagan for New jersey and made the huge mistake of asking Joe Q Public for suggestions. So of course they are getting stuff like “New Jersey: You Got a Problem With That?”; “Most of Our Elected Officials Have Not Been Indicted.”; “New Jersey: It Always Smells Like This,”; “New Jersey: Come Glow With Us,”; etc.

    I don’t see why they can’t just use the state song, Springsteen’s Born To Run. “New Jersy:
    It’s a death trap! It’s a suicide rap!”

    I sent in my suggestion, “New Jersey: Gateway to New York” but I haven’t heard back yet…

  31. Pennsylvania did a similar thing last year for their new slogan. Someone submitted “Gateway to New Jersey.” Another one was, “Pennsylvania: We’re old, we’re cranky. Get used to it.”

    Oh, and if anyone was insulted because they misunderstood what I was saying, I apologize. When Bill posed his question, I thought he was talking about the political class and not people on this board, so I’m not the only person who needs to clarify what they were saying.

    I’d be upset about Eddie Guerrero’s death if wrestling wasn’t the stupidest thing on the planet. As it is, I’m still upset over the Eagles choking in the fourth quarter last night.

  32. The Eagles could lose every game for the rest of the season and I’d still love them for ditching T.O.

    I can’t defend my love of Pro Wrestling. It’s either something you like or don’t. NASCAR looks to me like guys in cars driving in circles but devotees love it with a pasion that I have to appreciate. Fandom is a funny thing.

    But Eddie’s death hurts. The guy had overcome so much and I’m a sucker for happy endings. Too bad this story didn’t have one. (I’ll bet that painkillers had a lot to do with it. It’s the nature of the business that 3/4 of the performers probably qualify as disabled and are able to function only with serious medication.)

  33. The Eagles’ loss last night is frustrating for two reasons. The first is that if they were to turn this season around, return to the Superbowl and win it all w/o T.O., it would have been a perfecting ending to the circus he created. Now it looks like this will be what they call in the biz, a “building season”. Especially with Donavan hurt again.

    The other reason is that they really needed to show they could win w/o T.O. After holding the lead for most of the game, to blow it in the final few minutes is even harder to take.

    Especially against the Cowgirls. God, if only they had lost to any other team.

  36. Well with an attitude like “We may lose and we may win but we will never be here again” what do you expect?

    Anyway…gotta love the Eagles just for Already Gone, one of the best break-up songs ever. When your girl up and drops you take heed of the wisdom of this song and you too will soon be singing “woo, hoo,hoo,woo,hoo,hoo” which will really cheese her off.

  37. So Jerome took up the bet? When does it end?

    That I’d have to go back and look up … but I believe that it was 6/30/2006. (And you recall correctly so far as the prize is concerned.)

    Part of my reason for having no fear of this development is just looking at the possible trigger points for a draft.

    You left Syria off the list, which I’d consider the most likely trigger point at this juncture.

    With all due respect, when the first question is “was this all just a campaign ploy?”, it frames the question to suggest that the answer is “yes”, or at least “no, but…”

    I meant all 3 to be given equal weight. If the first choice is always the one that frames the question this is a convention that I am not aware of. I’m not a professional pundit though I play one on the net.

    I don’t think this has to do with convention or punditry; it’s basic psychology more than anything else. If you wanted all three questions to be given equal weight, there were plenty of ways to phrase it that way.

    I still have to wonder how my choice of question placement somehow counts for more than my explicit repudiation of the sentiment that people did not believe what they said.

    Mostly because the repudiation isn’t nearly as explicit to this reader as it apparently was in your intent. For example, your

    And for the record, I DON’T think everyone who was making that argument was doing so with the knowledge that they were just being flacks for the Democratic Party.

    undercuts its argument with the word “knowledge”. It implies that anyone making the argument WAS being a flack for the party, and the only question is how aware they were of that fact. That’s not the same thing as saying “I think most people making that argument sincerely believed it.”

    That said, I’ll readily admit that it’s been a lousy few weeks and I’m probably being oversensitive. The quote above that I just picked apart was definitely well-intentioned, so I’ll happily back off.

    My wife is totally apolitical and I grew up in a very political household so the web is a serious outlet. Without it I would be badgering my wife about the ramifications of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act and she’d divorce me within the week.

    Well, that I can certainly understand. Fortunately, my wife is both more rabidly political AND better informed than I am, so all I have to do is put up with the subsequent inferiority complex. 🙂

    And in other news…

    Apparently they are looking for a new slagan for New jersey and made the huge mistake of asking Joe Q Public for suggestions. So of course they are getting stuff like “New Jersey: You Got a Problem With That?”; “Most of Our Elected Officials Have Not Been Indicted.”; “New Jersey: It Always Smells Like This,”; “New Jersey: Come Glow With Us,”; etc.

    The Star-Ledger recently ran an article on this with other suggestions. The one that was recently suggested quite seriously was “New Jersey: We’ll Win You Over.” Our acting governor said “um … that’s way too defensive, thanks” and killed it.

    The Ledger piece had a few hilarious suggestions (none of which were on the equally funny list you just submitted, oddly). The only one I can remember is “New Jersey: Three-quarters of our state is pretty nice.”

    I don’t see why they can’t just use the state song, Springsteen’s Born To Run. “New Jersy: It’s a death trap! It’s a suicide rap!”

    I see somebody else is a Robert Wuhl fan. 🙂

    (Major geek moment: the original preview for the B5 episode “Gropos” has Sheridan saying “It’s a deathtrap.” Lisa and I always look at one another and say “it’s a suicide rap” immediately afterwards. We’re getting professional help.)

    TWL

  38. Thank You! I knew there was a comedian who did a riff on that! (But Wuhl? Was he a standup once? I only remember him as an actor though I obviously must have heard the routine).

    And for the record, I like Jersey. It’s close to New York City without actually BEING New York City, which is a very good thing to be. Also, its politicians give the people of New Orleans something to feel better about.

    Also, I have a number of former inlaws out there that I am still quite fond of so I get out there now and again. Don’t be surprised if I call up some time and invite you out for a bite to eat.

  39. Yep, Wuhl was in stand-up before he went into acting. (Rather like Robin Williams, I suppose, or Kevin Pollak if you want people who are better at comedy and/or acting.)

    TWL

  40. 3/4 of New Jersey is nice? I didn’t know Cape May took up 3/4 of the state.

    As for the Democrats’ inconsistancy on Iraq, yeah, they bought into Bush’s cherry-picked intel. All I can say is, to quote somebody famous, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, we won’t be fooled again.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/international/middleeast/16iraq.html?ex=1132808400&en=c8e16f39701931eb&ei=5070

    Here’s a nice story. At least we managed to teach the new Iraqi government how to do one thing.

    Ðìçk must be proud.

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