Bridget Mary McCormack, the sister of The West Wing star Mary McCormack, is running for the Michigan Supreme Court. Many members of the cast reunited for a political ad on the candidate's behalf. Fun.
Previously, the cast did a spot promoting walking.
20 September 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Romney Cash + Congressional Polling
A very interesting piece in the NY Times yesterday regarding Romney's campaign cash and his spending habits. It seems that much of the cash that he's raised cannot be spent on his campaign and that the president is out-spending him on advertising in many swing states. It has been a constant refrain in the media how much more money Romney has that Obama, especially when factoring in third-party ads. However, at least in some key states, this may not being playing out that way. Very interesting.
What is more is that Romney being linked to down-ballot candidates is sinking GOP hopes for the Senate and a Democratic House, while still a long shot, is a possibility. Again, there is a lot of time left, but this is a hopeful trend.
20 September 2012
What is more is that Romney being linked to down-ballot candidates is sinking GOP hopes for the Senate and a Democratic House, while still a long shot, is a possibility. Again, there is a lot of time left, but this is a hopeful trend.
20 September 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Romney, Shrapnel, & the President
Romney had a bad day yesterday. A really bad day. Press reports abounded about infighting in his campaign, much of it targeting the candidate himself. Compounding that was video footage of Romney at a high-dollar, closed-door campaign fundraiser where he disdainfully wrote off about half of the American electorate. All of the press regarding the Romney campaign at least through the first debate will be told through the prism that these two stories revealed. This is in no way shape or form positive for Romeny's chance of being president and it will likely continue his inability to shoot ahead of the president.
That said, he's not doing too badly either. The reason for this isn't the economy, gas prices, the employment rate, or anything else that pundits normally call out in a presidential race. No, the reason is money and disenfranchisement.
Romney has out-raised and is outspending Obama campaign-for-campaign; the margin isn't huge, but it is significant. Much more importantly, however, is that outside spending is 3-to-1 in favor of Romney... 3-to-1. That Romney is even in shooting distance of Obama, and he most certainly is, is because of the triumph of money in politics. Whether Romney will actually win is still unknown, but that he even has the chance is absolute proof of the overwhelming power of big money in our elections.
What may ultimately give Romney the election, however, is the wholesale removal of registered voters in swing states, all by Republican officials targeting traditionally Democratic-leaning constituencies. These are a modern "poll tax" and their only purpose is to disenfranchise legitimate voters. We as a nation should feel nothing but burning shame.
If Romney wins, he will have both bought and stolen the election. God, I hope he doesn't for all of our sakes on so many levels.
18 September 2012
19 September 2012 Addition: First from Stephen Colbert:
And now Jon Stewart, part 1:
Part 2:
20 September 2012 Addition of another Jon Stewart moment:
21 September 2012 Addition from SNL. It's funny because it's true.
Paul Krugman also wrote a good op-ed in the NY Times. Titled Disdain for Workers, he lays out how Romney's words are not a "slip," but rather a concise description of the Republican party's feelings towards workers. From the op-ed:
That said, he's not doing too badly either. The reason for this isn't the economy, gas prices, the employment rate, or anything else that pundits normally call out in a presidential race. No, the reason is money and disenfranchisement.
Romney has out-raised and is outspending Obama campaign-for-campaign; the margin isn't huge, but it is significant. Much more importantly, however, is that outside spending is 3-to-1 in favor of Romney... 3-to-1. That Romney is even in shooting distance of Obama, and he most certainly is, is because of the triumph of money in politics. Whether Romney will actually win is still unknown, but that he even has the chance is absolute proof of the overwhelming power of big money in our elections.
What may ultimately give Romney the election, however, is the wholesale removal of registered voters in swing states, all by Republican officials targeting traditionally Democratic-leaning constituencies. These are a modern "poll tax" and their only purpose is to disenfranchise legitimate voters. We as a nation should feel nothing but burning shame.
If Romney wins, he will have both bought and stolen the election. God, I hope he doesn't for all of our sakes on so many levels.
18 September 2012
19 September 2012 Addition: First from Stephen Colbert:
And now Jon Stewart, part 1:
Part 2:
20 September 2012 Addition of another Jon Stewart moment:
21 September 2012 Addition from SNL. It's funny because it's true.
Paul Krugman also wrote a good op-ed in the NY Times. Titled Disdain for Workers, he lays out how Romney's words are not a "slip," but rather a concise description of the Republican party's feelings towards workers. From the op-ed:
For the fact is that the modern Republican Party just doesn’t have much respect for people who work for other people, no matter how faithfully and well they do their jobs. All the party’s affection is reserved for “job creators,” a k a employers and investors. Leading figures in the party find it hard even to pretend to have any regard for ordinary working families — who, it goes without saying, make up the vast majority of Americans.
Am I exaggerating? Consider the Twitter message sent out by Eric Cantor, the Republican House majority leader, on Labor Day — a holiday that specifically celebrates America’s workers. Here’s what it said, in its entirety: “Today, we celebrate those who have taken a risk, worked hard, built a business and earned their own success.” Yes, on a day set aside to honor workers, all Mr. Cantor could bring himself to do was praise their bosses.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Presidential Campaign Today
In my last post, I linked an article from New York Magazine detailing Romney's missteps in relation to the events unfolding in Islamic countries around the world. Today, I want to link another article from the same magazine, this on by John Heilemann. In this article, Heilemann details the political fallout in America from these events, noting the potential pitfalls for both presidential candidates going forward. The downside for Romney is much greater because of how he opened last week, but there is risk for the president as well. It is a good read.
Regarding the events abroad themselves, the best overview that I have seen was a round table discussion on Up with Chris Hayes last Saturday, September 15th. This program was hosted by Sam Seder, filling in for Chris Hayes. This program is certainly my favorite of the weekend political morning shows. If everyone in America could have seen the show on Saturday, we'd be much better informed and thus much better off as a nation. I'll try to find a podcast to link.
17 September 2012
Addition: Josh Marshall at TPM has another good analysis of where the Romney campaign finds itself today.
Addition 2: Politico had an interesting look inside the Romney campaign published yesterday.
Regarding the events abroad themselves, the best overview that I have seen was a round table discussion on Up with Chris Hayes last Saturday, September 15th. This program was hosted by Sam Seder, filling in for Chris Hayes. This program is certainly my favorite of the weekend political morning shows. If everyone in America could have seen the show on Saturday, we'd be much better informed and thus much better off as a nation. I'll try to find a podcast to link.
17 September 2012
Addition: Josh Marshall at TPM has another good analysis of where the Romney campaign finds itself today.
Addition 2: Politico had an interesting look inside the Romney campaign published yesterday.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Romney & the Embassy Attacks
There has been a great deal reported this week regarding the brutal attacks on American embassies and consulates. Some of it has been the usual blather -- including political blather -- but much of the media coverage has actually been quite good. By and large, I think that the president and the foreign service have acquitted themselves quite well to date. The general consensus, however, is the Mitt Romney has not. Again, a lot has been said, but I think that this piece in New York Magazine by Jonathan Chait sums up Romney's actions nicely.
Romney's actions, beyond being destructive to the actual, unfolding situation, are a political mystery. Even if everything he said had been correct, what is the upside for him? Sure, he might have looked slightly more presidential in an area where he is rightly seen as a novice. Be this as it may, conversation by him right or wrong shifts the focus of the presidential campaign off of the economy and squarely onto foreign affairs, a topic on which everyone agrees the president is nearly universally regarded by Americans as being tough and in-charge. So again I ask, what were they thinking?
Romney will not be a good president if elected. However, over the course of his career, he's proven to be a pretty good campaigner. That has not being demonstrated lately, however. His campaign is all over the map, splintering the media coverage on topic after topic and taking it off of the economy again and again. He's looking weak and desperate, a narrative that once seized upon by the media at large is hard to void.
Romney has had another bad week, something I do not lament. And while the Democrats seem to be bringing their A-game and -- amazingly -- are staying on message like never before, much of the damage done to the candidate has been selfinflicted and on-going.
Of course, the political arena in America is the least of this story. Four Americans serving their country were killed during an attack on their country. There is little doubt that their deaths were savage and I can only guess at their terror. And we have many more Americans in harms way. If we were smart -- and if we were moral -- we would unite with a common purpose. That is beyond us, however. I'm left wondering if we'll ever be able to act with unified purpose again.
14 September 2012
Romney's actions, beyond being destructive to the actual, unfolding situation, are a political mystery. Even if everything he said had been correct, what is the upside for him? Sure, he might have looked slightly more presidential in an area where he is rightly seen as a novice. Be this as it may, conversation by him right or wrong shifts the focus of the presidential campaign off of the economy and squarely onto foreign affairs, a topic on which everyone agrees the president is nearly universally regarded by Americans as being tough and in-charge. So again I ask, what were they thinking?
Romney will not be a good president if elected. However, over the course of his career, he's proven to be a pretty good campaigner. That has not being demonstrated lately, however. His campaign is all over the map, splintering the media coverage on topic after topic and taking it off of the economy again and again. He's looking weak and desperate, a narrative that once seized upon by the media at large is hard to void.
Romney has had another bad week, something I do not lament. And while the Democrats seem to be bringing their A-game and -- amazingly -- are staying on message like never before, much of the damage done to the candidate has been selfinflicted and on-going.
Of course, the political arena in America is the least of this story. Four Americans serving their country were killed during an attack on their country. There is little doubt that their deaths were savage and I can only guess at their terror. And we have many more Americans in harms way. If we were smart -- and if we were moral -- we would unite with a common purpose. That is beyond us, however. I'm left wondering if we'll ever be able to act with unified purpose again.
14 September 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Pro Sports & Gay Rights: The Tale of "A Lustfull Cockmonster"
This is the introduction to a letter posted on DeadSpin.com:
As indicated, this is an NFL player responding to a politician. However, I don't really believe that this is actually the case. Oh, sure, he may be addressing Burns directly, but I don't believe that this is his target audience. Rather, I'd say he is targeting the prototypical NFL fan. This type of letter -- both in terms of style and substance -- will almost certainly not influence a politician. Its form will likely not influence a middleaged house wife... or a similar house husband for that matter. However, its language is very much music to the ears of a young, male, and wanting-to-be-macho NFL fan. And many of these young men will see this letter as sports media and social media spread the word. This type of support may move the moral compass of these fans just a bit more in a positive direction. I hope so.
Well done Mr. Kluwe and bravo Mr. Ayanbadejo.
A word of warning, the letter does contain adult language. And it contains this sort of verbage that is both funny and spot-on:
11 September 2012
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has spoken out in favor of a Maryland ballot initiative that would legalize gay marriage. Yahoo has published a letter that Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. wrote last week to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, urging him to "inhibit such expressions from your employee." This is Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe's response to Burns.
As indicated, this is an NFL player responding to a politician. However, I don't really believe that this is actually the case. Oh, sure, he may be addressing Burns directly, but I don't believe that this is his target audience. Rather, I'd say he is targeting the prototypical NFL fan. This type of letter -- both in terms of style and substance -- will almost certainly not influence a politician. Its form will likely not influence a middleaged house wife... or a similar house husband for that matter. However, its language is very much music to the ears of a young, male, and wanting-to-be-macho NFL fan. And many of these young men will see this letter as sports media and social media spread the word. This type of support may move the moral compass of these fans just a bit more in a positive direction. I hope so.
Well done Mr. Kluwe and bravo Mr. Ayanbadejo.
A word of warning, the letter does contain adult language. And it contains this sort of verbage that is both funny and spot-on:
I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster.I can only assume that "Lustfull Cockmonster" will be someone's Twitter handle very soon. LOL
11 September 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Finnegan: Adorable Beyond Words
I make it a habit to rotate the photos that I use for my desktop background on my work computer. (At home, my desktop rotates automatically, a feature I love.) The photo that I'm featuring now is perhaps the cutest photograph ever.
How he can sleep like that is beyond me, but I'm certainly glad that he does!
7 September 2012
How he can sleep like that is beyond me, but I'm certainly glad that he does!
7 September 2012
Krugman: Cleaning Up the Economy
Paul Krugman has written an op-ed in the NY Times detailing why the next four years are likely to be better economically than the last four unless Republican-supported policies are put back into place. From the op-ed:
Krugman doesn't overly-laud the president. He simply doesn't buy anything that the Republicans are selling. Great line by Clinton, BTW. Glad that it was noted.
7 September 2012
Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention was a remarkable combination of pretty serious wonkishness — has there ever been a convention speech with that much policy detail? — and memorable zingers. Perhaps the best of those zingers was his sarcastic summary of the Republican case for denying President Obama re-election: “We left him a total mess. He hasn’t cleaned it up fast enough. So fire him and put us back in.”
Great line. But is the mess really getting cleaned up?
The answer, I would argue, is yes. The next four years are likely to be much better than the last four years — unless misguided policies create another mess.
Krugman doesn't overly-laud the president. He simply doesn't buy anything that the Republicans are selling. Great line by Clinton, BTW. Glad that it was noted.
7 September 2012
Democratic National Convention: Day 3
The DNC wrapped up last night with President Obama accepting the nomination. TPM highlighted three goals that the president set for a second term and outlined three themes for the convention as a whole.
Reelection in this economy will be a tall order for the president. Too-weak job growth, however understandable, will throw cold water on the better nature of many voters. And sadly, racism stoked by the Right in ways both subtle and not will have other voters succumb to their ignoble natures as well.
Still, Democrats have to feel pretty good coming out of the DNC. Every night killed with the base. Every night seems to have played well to the center. Every night was tightly messaged in such a way that both citizens and the media can both digest and convey it. The proof will be in the pudding, however, as polling tells us whether the president -- and perhaps Democrats as a whole -- will receive a significant bump and whether any such bump will be lasting. Governor Romney received a blip of only a single point, something almost unheard of after a national convention, although his favorability did creep up a bit. The Republican convention was seen in political circles on both the Right and the Left as a complete failure. There is little chance that the DNC will prove such, but there are still sixty days until the election and the president faces the twin headwinds of the economy and unlimited money on the Right.
Vice President Biden gave a good, solid speech again attempting to connect the president to voters in a personal way, following in the steps of Mrs. Obama two night prior. His focus was different from the First Lady, but his goal was the same.
Senator John Kerry gave the speech of his career, focusing on the myriad foreign policy triumphs of the administration and highlighting how weak the Republicans are on what used to be their cornerstone. This election may be about domestic issues, but any reasonable person who gives thought to American standing abroad can only count the president as a blessing. (And where was this Kerry in 2004? Would that he had spoken this way then!)
The word on the street is that former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm gave what may have been the speech of the evening. I wasn't able to see it live, but will post it here to watch later today.
Finally, two fun bits surrounding the speech of President Clinton. The first is how very much Clinton departed from his written text, something that mast have given his teleprompter jockey fits! (Thanks to my sister for pointing me to this wonderful illustration on The Atlantic Wire. Amazing!) The second revolves around a meeting between Sandra Fluke and the president just before he was about to take the stage. Cute. (What wasn't so cute -- at all -- was Ann Coulter's new comments about Fluke. Fluke's speech and Coulter's vitriol tell you all you need to know about this young woman and her attackers.)
I will also post a bit of humor, giving Jon Stewart the last word on the convention... or at least on Clinton's speech.
President Barack Obama
Vice President Joe Biden
John Kerry
Jennifer Granholm
Jon Stewart
7 September 2012
Addition: I will throw out two more additions to watch, folks who acquitted themselves well.
Scarlett Johansson
Gabrielle Giffords
And it was a stroke of genious to feature The Boss in relation to the president and the convention as a whole.
We take care of our own indeed!
Reelection in this economy will be a tall order for the president. Too-weak job growth, however understandable, will throw cold water on the better nature of many voters. And sadly, racism stoked by the Right in ways both subtle and not will have other voters succumb to their ignoble natures as well.
Still, Democrats have to feel pretty good coming out of the DNC. Every night killed with the base. Every night seems to have played well to the center. Every night was tightly messaged in such a way that both citizens and the media can both digest and convey it. The proof will be in the pudding, however, as polling tells us whether the president -- and perhaps Democrats as a whole -- will receive a significant bump and whether any such bump will be lasting. Governor Romney received a blip of only a single point, something almost unheard of after a national convention, although his favorability did creep up a bit. The Republican convention was seen in political circles on both the Right and the Left as a complete failure. There is little chance that the DNC will prove such, but there are still sixty days until the election and the president faces the twin headwinds of the economy and unlimited money on the Right.
Vice President Biden gave a good, solid speech again attempting to connect the president to voters in a personal way, following in the steps of Mrs. Obama two night prior. His focus was different from the First Lady, but his goal was the same.
Senator John Kerry gave the speech of his career, focusing on the myriad foreign policy triumphs of the administration and highlighting how weak the Republicans are on what used to be their cornerstone. This election may be about domestic issues, but any reasonable person who gives thought to American standing abroad can only count the president as a blessing. (And where was this Kerry in 2004? Would that he had spoken this way then!)
The word on the street is that former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm gave what may have been the speech of the evening. I wasn't able to see it live, but will post it here to watch later today.
Finally, two fun bits surrounding the speech of President Clinton. The first is how very much Clinton departed from his written text, something that mast have given his teleprompter jockey fits! (Thanks to my sister for pointing me to this wonderful illustration on The Atlantic Wire. Amazing!) The second revolves around a meeting between Sandra Fluke and the president just before he was about to take the stage. Cute. (What wasn't so cute -- at all -- was Ann Coulter's new comments about Fluke. Fluke's speech and Coulter's vitriol tell you all you need to know about this young woman and her attackers.)
I will also post a bit of humor, giving Jon Stewart the last word on the convention... or at least on Clinton's speech.
President Barack Obama
Vice President Joe Biden
John Kerry
Jennifer Granholm
Jon Stewart
7 September 2012
Addition: I will throw out two more additions to watch, folks who acquitted themselves well.
Scarlett Johansson
Gabrielle Giffords
And it was a stroke of genious to feature The Boss in relation to the president and the convention as a whole.
We take care of our own indeed!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Democratic National Convention: Day 2
Day 2 of the DNC didn't feature as many great speeches as did Day 1. Still, there were three worth posting here.
Sandra Fluke, the woman attacked as a "slut" by Rush Limaugh earlier this year, gave a good speech designed to appeal to anyone who isn't a total douchebag. Candidate for the US Senate Elizabeth Warren also gave a good speech. While a competent speaker, Warren is unlikely to give a barn-burner anytime soon. This speech was well-written for her style, however, although increasing the amplification of her soft voice would have done wonders in a convention hall.
The main event of the evening was the speech of former president Bill Clinton and he didn't disappoint. Whatever this man's faults, he can speak to a crowd like few -- if any -- others in American life. And this speech was a marvel, focusing on policy and yet still being a barn-burner. (Why do barns always take it on the chin?) TPM had good descriptions of the speech which can be found here and here.
While this night did not live up to Tuesday, it ended strong and all three of the speeches noted here appeared in prime time for the networks. Indeed, the Fluke speech was smartly pushed back to place it appropriately for the largest TV office. Again, staying focused around a coordinated theme, one pitched for the largest possible audience and easily recounted in the media, has been a most-welcome strong suit at this convention.
Bill Clinton
Elizabeth Warren
Sandra Fluke
Day three of the convention will feature Vice President Biden and President Obama. Let's hope that they, too, knock it out of the park!
6 September 2012
Sandra Fluke, the woman attacked as a "slut" by Rush Limaugh earlier this year, gave a good speech designed to appeal to anyone who isn't a total douchebag. Candidate for the US Senate Elizabeth Warren also gave a good speech. While a competent speaker, Warren is unlikely to give a barn-burner anytime soon. This speech was well-written for her style, however, although increasing the amplification of her soft voice would have done wonders in a convention hall.
The main event of the evening was the speech of former president Bill Clinton and he didn't disappoint. Whatever this man's faults, he can speak to a crowd like few -- if any -- others in American life. And this speech was a marvel, focusing on policy and yet still being a barn-burner. (Why do barns always take it on the chin?) TPM had good descriptions of the speech which can be found here and here.
While this night did not live up to Tuesday, it ended strong and all three of the speeches noted here appeared in prime time for the networks. Indeed, the Fluke speech was smartly pushed back to place it appropriately for the largest TV office. Again, staying focused around a coordinated theme, one pitched for the largest possible audience and easily recounted in the media, has been a most-welcome strong suit at this convention.
Bill Clinton
Elizabeth Warren
Sandra Fluke
Day three of the convention will feature Vice President Biden and President Obama. Let's hope that they, too, knock it out of the park!
6 September 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Democatic National Convention: Day 1
My wife and I watched the first evening of the Democratic National Convention and love it. I have to say, where has this messaging been for the past three years? Heck, why haven't the Democrats been this focused on message for the past forty years? It would be a very different America if they had been.
There were some great speeches and those that were not great were at least good. And everything was unified and wove a focused tale, one that could be picked up in the media again and again and again. It was exactly what Republicans have been good at for years. And strangly enough, when watching this year's Republican National Convention, was lacking. Whether the Democrats' better packaging can beat Republican money remains to be seen, but damn, it seems that they are giving it their all.
Michelle Obama
Julian Castro
Deval Patrick
Lily Ledbetter
Tammy Duckworth
Kal Penn
Stacy Lihn - Video + Speech
One final take-away from watching these speeches is the reality of diversity. The Republicans touted the diversity of their speakers this year at their convention and indeed, they had more people of color speaking than ever before. Be that as it may, however, when the cameras panned the RNC crowd -- its delegates, its core -- it was white on white on white. Looking at the crowd at the DNC it is easy to see that diversity -- and by extension inclusion -- is a reality for the Democratic party, not a talking point.
It was also heartening to hear gay-friendly utternances repeated again and again in so many speeches. Bravo!
.
There were some great speeches and those that were not great were at least good. And everything was unified and wove a focused tale, one that could be picked up in the media again and again and again. It was exactly what Republicans have been good at for years. And strangly enough, when watching this year's Republican National Convention, was lacking. Whether the Democrats' better packaging can beat Republican money remains to be seen, but damn, it seems that they are giving it their all.
Michelle Obama
Julian Castro
Deval Patrick
Lily Ledbetter
Tammy Duckworth
Kal Penn
Stacy Lihn - Video + Speech
One final take-away from watching these speeches is the reality of diversity. The Republicans touted the diversity of their speakers this year at their convention and indeed, they had more people of color speaking than ever before. Be that as it may, however, when the cameras panned the RNC crowd -- its delegates, its core -- it was white on white on white. Looking at the crowd at the DNC it is easy to see that diversity -- and by extension inclusion -- is a reality for the Democratic party, not a talking point.
It was also heartening to hear gay-friendly utternances repeated again and again in so many speeches. Bravo!
.
Obama and Jobs
For a great, honest look at job ceration in America under President Obama, take a look at this article at TPM.
5 September 2012
5 September 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)