Continue reading "Karl Malden" »

Oh sweetie (said in a condescending tone) what are you doing? Rep. Carolyn Maloney(D-NY) you hired Joe Trippi to be your advisor in your race against US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand?? The Joe Trippi, that hasn't won a race since he was in the sixth grade. I admire the issues you fight so hard for...but Joe Trippi. Really? Really? Wow - good luck with that!

Continue reading "NBA free agency begins with Atlanta Hawks as big players" »

Each day, in some form or another it comes up: newspapers are dying. The internet (more specifically, blogs) is killing them. There have been lively discussions about it here, and there, and everywhere.

Thanks to David Sirota, today I was lead to this piece, Product v. process journalism: The myth of perfection v. beta culture and much of it really resonated with me.

Continue reading "Journalism: product v process" »

Juliana has already covered the breaking news of Al Franken's long-delayed, hard fought victory in the Minnesota Senate race, so there's not much I can add to that. What is humorous to consider is how Franken's presence in the Senate is going to drive so many people straight into a padded cell at Central State Hospital.

Continue reading "You can call me, Al" »

The Poythress campaign just sent a zinger of an email titled "FOR THE GOOD OF THE PARTY, ROY SHOULDN'T RUN AGAIN". Seriously? Really? C'mon Team Beige what's with this kind of messaging - nervous much? Yeah this so helps the Party.

In their email, I love how Team Beige disses Roy on being silent regarding the DPG affairs but never mentions what Gen. Poythress did so differently when the Party went to hell in a handbasket. I can't recall Poythress publicly telling Mark or Cathy not run in 2006 and I sure missed the emails about Poythress taking leadership after we lost the Governor's mansion. Come to think of it, I don't believe I have ever seen Poythress at a State Committee meeting until he decided to run for Governor. Yup, now that's some grade A leadership in the Party.

I think Team Beige has multiple personalities when they write emails. They start off by saying that Poythress and Roy Barnes are friends:

Sometimes it takes a friend to speak the truth, even when that truth is hard to hear. Roy Barnes and I have been friends for many years, but I believe I have to say out-loud what is being uttered in hushed tones all across the state: Roy, you shouldn't run.

Continue reading "For the Good of the Party" »

Situation... you are a candidate running for Governor of Georgia, a state with massive problems, your name recognition is low, and you live in a small rural section of the state, and the most votes you've ever gotten is 8400 and change.

I get it, you desperately need to raise your name recognition, so instead of climbing the Corey tower, you decide to take a 1,000-mile walk around the state.

Ya, know to meet the people and check things out. All in all not a bad idea, except for a few slight problems with the execution.

Continue reading "The Walkabout" »

The conservative ideology of late relies much on the myths of dysfunctional government and the Democrats' role in same. In How Dysfunction Helps the GOP, Thomas Frank explains well how they hope these myths help with their plan. With 60 in the Senate now, they'll be working hard to turn these myths to reality.

Continue reading "How the myths help the GOP." »

Continue reading "Gene Wilder" »

Glenn Beck's guest tells us that "the only chance we have as a country right now is for Osama Bin Laden to deploy and detonate a major weapon in the United States."

Alrighty then.

Not since the days of Tommy Tutone's "Jenny (867-5309)" has a song wreaked such havoc. The BBC reports that since the UK release of Soulja Boy's "Kiss Me Thru The Phone", Gerry Matley and his wife Catriona Howard Smith of Oldham, UK, who unfortunately have the phone number mentioned in the chorus of the song, have been getting about 60 calls a day from fans hoping to talk to the star. Matley commented:

Some of them really want to believe that they have got through to their heart-throb.... Some of them are devastated when we have to tell them that he doesn't live in Oldham but over the other side of the Atlantic.

Soulja Boy isn't totally at fault, however. As Ms. Howard Smith noted, "If they called the number with the American dialling code in front of it they will get through to a recorded message from him."

[An aside: A friend has a 10-year-old who is a big fan of this song. His mother heard him singing it one afternoon, and thought he was saying "Kiss me through the thong." Much hilarity ensued.]

H/t Melanie

And we want you to follow us. Thanks to Catherine for setting this up.

And so it begins. As the Obama Administration envelops itself in its renewed focus in Afghanistan, Iraqis are celebrating the beginnings of a draw down that's been awaited for a long time. Coalition forces have begun to cease combat operations in urban centers throughout the country. In fact, coalition forces will no longer operate unilaterally in any capacity in all of Iraq.

Despite the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declaring today a national holiday, "National Sovereignty Day" in fact, those elements opposed to a free and stable Iraq have attempted to exploit vulnerabilities associated with today's festivities, ultimately killing scores of civilians in Kirkuk. Closer to home, at least five American Soldiers, four in Baghdad, were also killed today, highlighting the complexities of lowering the security posture in place where military checkpoints, combat outposts, and heavily armed presence patrols have been a normal part of life for the better part of the decade.

The drawdown has a long way to go, but today was a significant step forward in seeing Operation Iraqi Freedom through to its end. Despite the actions of a violent few, Iraq has better days ahead of her, and as reluctant as she may be, we're still watching her 6. As we work to get each and every Soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine back home safe and sound, let's just hope she's watching ours.

With a profile of ruby red bloody meat.

Sarah! is served up in all of her garish glory.

It Came from Wasilla

Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska's charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn't always jibe with reality.

You don't even need a knife to enjoy this dish, it cuts like "buttah"

Whatever her political future, the emergence of Sarah Palin raises questions that will not soon go away. What does it say about the nature of modern American politics that a public official who often seems proud of what she does not know is not only accepted but applauded? What does her prominence say about the importance of having (or lacking) a record of achievement in public life? Why did so many skilled veterans of the Republican Party--long regarded as the more adroit team in presidential politics--keep loyally working for her election even after they privately realized she was casual about the truth and totally unfit for the vice-presidency?

Yum!

Minnesota's Supreme Court ruled that Democrat Al Franken won the Minnesota Senate race.

The court's unanimous, unsigned opinion declared that Franken "received the highest number of votes legally cast" and is entitled "to receive the certificate of election as United States senator from the state of Minnesota."

For Norm Coleman this now completes what can most charitably be called the "Coleman Trifecta", of losing that is. What's a "Coleman Trifecta" you ask... first you lose to a dead guy ( Paul Wellstone), then to a Professional Wrestler ( Jesse Venture) then finally to an actor from Saturday Night Live.

The best part is that Coleman punked the NRSC to spend money they rilly rilly don't have.

<-- Could this be considered an appropriate campaign photo. DecaturMetro has the story of candidate James Radford, complete with discussion.

Today is a fund raising deadline for candidates who've already filed for 2010. Candidates with early financial support tend to dominate throughout the campaign, which is why it's better to contribute earlier than later. This isn't a rule, but more a rule of thumb. The names below are not (necessarily) endorsements, but a few solicitations I've received today that I'm just passing along. If you're inclined to make a contribution today, do it before midnight. And PLEASE feel free to add others in the comments:

Rob Teilhet for Attorney General
Mary Squires for Insurance Commissioner
Kevin Johnson for State Rep. HD-58 (Seat vacated by Robin Shipp, election on 10/03/09?)
Poythress for Governor
Gary Horlacher for SOS

Continue reading "Howard Dean coming to Manuel's!" »