Read Bob Somerby’sresponse to brave insane Bill Clinton’s factually accurate push-back unhinged rantings on Fox last Sunday.
There’s a simple, unflattering explanation for the all that sober, moderate silence. Simply put, our sober moderates haven’t seemed to care very much; they never agreed with those wars against Clinton, but they also weren’t willing to stand up and fight them. Right to this day, they don’t even have enough heart to say that the press corps was waging those nasty wars, along with the bogey-man “right.†The DNC has been a sad, stale joke for years—completely unable to fight, think or reason—and our journalistic “leaders†have simply been AWOL. Simply put, we don’t know how to reason or fight. We’re dumb, stupid, weak, uncaring, unprepared. Throughout this period, the other side has just wanted it more. And we still pretend that we don’t know this.
Now we’re told that all has changed—that Clinton has shown us how to fight! This time we really mean it, we say. Thanks to Clinton’s outstanding example, we aren’t gonna take it any more. But of course, that’s a bunch of perfect crap, peddled by the same weak, overpaid “leaders†who have been willing, for the past fourteen years, to let those wars be waged on our leaders. That sat around while Clinton was trashed, then stared into space as Gore was savaged. (Even today, they won’t discuss that history—won’t explain how Bush got to the White House.) Now they tell us they’re ready to fight? Because Bill Clinton has finally shown them? Do you believe them when they say that? If so, we have a bridge to the 31st century we’d very much like you to look at.
Hotelling’s work on the CitizenSpeak project began when he realized that local groups needed a tool that could help them impact local decisions and decision-makers. He soon discovered that CitizenSpeak.org, a free online service founded in 2002 by Jo Lee and Pablo Calamera, shared the same vision. Hotelling, with over a decade of experience working with open source tools rebuilt CitizenSpeak and made the code available as an open source software.
And, here’s a picture I’ll use for the album cover of my first Edith Piaf tribute album…
Steps of Montmartre - Paris - March 2006 photo by Max
Though it has not been missed by others here in Vermont Blogsylvania, check out this great article on Steve “The Carpetbagger” Benen by Vermont’s BlogAimo, Cathy Resmer.
But, man, that guy is soooo full of himself. The success has really gone to his head. Really kind of sad. (Oh wait, I got that completely backwards…).
With recent polls showing the gap between him and Gov. James Douglas narrowing into the mid-teens, and with a fund-raising period that netted the Democrat $10K more than his rival, Parker was positively upbeat.
He said that momentum is certainly working his way — with the flap over the federal wilderness bill, with some real disagreements over health care and with the continuing discussion over whether Douglas’ property tax reduction plans are viable, Parker is confident that he can win this thing.
As I assumed (not hard to do, of course), Clinton’s performance is being lumped in with the “Al Gore’s nuts” school of faux journalism.
And, leave it to Jon Stewart, who became an even bigger hero to many after calling Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala on their part in “ruining America” in his infamousappearance on Crossfire — and perhaps helped push CNN to axe the show — to provide the perfect response…
(I know Atrios took the time to upload this to YouTube — I bet he’s got an assistant doing that sort of thing now, wouldn’t ya think? — and I probably should just link to him. But, hey, like he needs the traffic…)
But I can’t help featuring it here. Even if it’s just so I can go back and watch it for inspiration.
My belief is that every single Democratic spokesperson should do just as Clinton did here, every single time they go on T.V. and are confronted with the kind of “some say you eat dead babies” kind of questions that dominate the Big Media “news” shows.
Every single time, they should go all Jon Stewart on ‘em and just keep saying that these fake celebrity journalists are ruining America and call them hacks and liars to their faces.
Most seem to believe though, that if they do, they’ll be labled as just another Howard Dean. And that they won’t be invited on these shows anymore. And that the press will treat them more harshly as a result.
This may all be true. But not if everybody does it.
So, challenge Tim Russert. Challenge Chris Matthews. Challenge Chris Wallace. Challenge George Stephanopoulos.
Challenge all the dopey gotcha techniques. Every. Single. Time. You. Go. On. The. Air.
Trust me, these guys won’t kick you off their shows if you do. The only game is the ratings game. And they all like fireworks. Even when they’re pointed right at them.
And voters like straight talkers who are not afraid to stand up for themselves. Far more than the journalists they stand up to. Even McCain, who only plays one on T.V.
So, now, ladies and gentleman, the President of the United States.
I mentioned that it was great meeting and talking with him at the Blogger BBQ this summer because - although I have conversations with people in the comment sections of blogs - being able to discuss my political and media obsessions with someone who is similarly addicted is a rare treat.
Steve said that it was the same for him, though he had just gotten back from hanging out with some bloggers (like Duncan Black) in New York.
End of story…
Except that today, I clicked on MSNBC’s “Clicked” headline “You can’t do that with breasts” (I would have clicked it no matter what the headline was… Really) and was taken to an odd story about how the odd blogger, Ann Althouse, was oddly upset about the breasts of one of the women in a group picture taken at a meeting between prominent bloggers and Bill Clinton on September 12th.
For some reason, I wasn’t aware of this meeting until yesterday when I read of Micah Sifry’s different, but also somewhat odd, criticism of perhaps the same photo on MyDD. Sifry was upset that the bloggers looked so cheery in the company of the Great Triangulator.
So, I clicked the link to see what all the fuss was about, and wouldn’t you know it? There’s Steve Benen standing, half-hidden, right next to Bill Clinton, and dangerously close to the offensive breasts. Now, that is some kind of blogger hang out scene.
I guess there’s one more part to my conversation with the Carpetbagger.
I had jokingly asked Steve if he and Black (aka Atrios) had spent their time cursing the sometimes odd Brendan Nyhan — Nyhan had just gotten into a flame war with Atrios during his recent contentious guest blogging stint on Horse’s Mouth — and that I had thought about converting this blog to a progressive blogger gossip column.
So, Steve, consider this my first (and perhaps last) attempt.
Ah, the tangled Internet we weave.
SOMEWHAT TANGENTIAL UPDATE: I’ve just noticed (as a result of a google blog search that linked to this post) that Brendan Nyhan has written a piece on Ana Marie Cox’s Political Bite at Time.com about his ouster from Horse’s Mouth.
There were no comments on the post, but I left one of my own. Though, after two days with zero comments, I get the sense that the “vitriol” of most of the submissions means that mine will also not see the light of day. We’ll see.
Basically, I made the obvious suggestion that Nyhan’s somewhat forced critique of Atrios and other posts were designed to create controversy and attention.
As I approach the six month mark of What’s the Point?, I can’t help but navel gaze a bit.
Blogging is an insidious addiction. And, sometimes, one can’t help but feel unworthy of the jones.
And sometimes, the pressure of trying to find the time to write about the 100 things, both sad and silly, that could be written about each day, leads me to put up a golden arch Photoshop (actually Macromedia Fireworks) parody.
As I sit here typing, the DVD extra for “United 93″ on the film and the families, is running in the background. And the real families are meeting the actors who portray their losses on screen. It’s heartbreaking.
I’d love to write about the way the recently revealed NORAD tapes back up the chaos portrayed in that film.
I’d love to write about how DVD extras are often - at least to me - more interesting than the movie itself.
But, I’d also love to write about the movie, “The Corporation,” which I just saw. And the story of Smedley “War is a Racket” Butler, who probably prevented a coup against Roosevelt. Or the story about the local Fox News reporters who lost their jobs for trying to report the facts in a report on bovine growth hormone.
I’d love to write about my Site Meter stats that have showed I’ve gotten a hit from Iran from a google search on “Media Watchdog Theory.”
I’d love to write about Hugo Chavez’ speech to the U.N. And the juxtaposition of Bush’s “Axis of Evil” with Chavez’ calling Bush the “Devil.”
I’d love to write about Neo-Nazis being allowed in the military because of recruitment shortfalls.
I’d love to write about the absurdity of former Bush loyalists, like Colin Powell, belatedly begging for moral absolution in their outcry against torture.
I’d love to write about the odd programming choices of Air America, who have recently moved Rachel Maddow to the evening shift, which means I’ll never hear it. How they canceled “Morning Sedition” to put Maddow there. And how now the much less interesting “Young Turks” has assumed the morning drive time slot.
I’d love to write about Obama’s energy speech today.
On a local level, I’d love to write about the first Scudder Parker vs. Douglas debate.
And Rainville’s recent butch military ads, which just might put her over the top.
And my recent debate with Charity Tensel about perceptions of Democrats on national security.
And Odum’s discussion with Charity about the role of religion in public life.
And Odum’s discussing how his parental role informs his views on taking responsibilty in public life.
Or P.B.’s freaking me out with zombies.
I’d love to link all these things for you, my loyal reader(s?). But, I have to go to sleep. I have to go to work. I have to be involved with my family.
Begone ugly blog beast. Begone with your sneers at my inattention.
In a previous post, I noted that “McMansion Country is Tarrant Country.” I based this on the preponderance of Tarrant signs along the upper reaches of Spear St., overlooking Lake Champlain.
But, for some reason, the following bits of evidence didn’t come together for me until today.
1. Tarrant is this year’s Jack McCarpetbagger, er McMullin, the nominee of the Self-Funded-Millionaire-Sort of-Vermont-Resident Party.
2. Some folks in McMansionville seem to like Tarrant.
A hip conference on the role of new media in arts and culture?
Nope.
OK, here’s a hint…
There was a flower girl wearing a Darth Vader mask.
Yup! You guessed it…
Bill Simmon’s wedding at the U/U Meeting House at the top of Church St!
One great highlight among many was Steve Benen’s reading of Massachusettes Chief Justice Margaret Marshall’s ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health which legalized same-sex marriage. Yes, it was funny to have someone read a legal decision at your wedding, but it was surprisingly moving, too.
Check out Candleblog for a description of Bill’s dark Shivaree family tradition.
