The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Richard Day's picture

    TUTTI FRUTTI & YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE

     

     

     

    Not even the promise of crooner Pat Boone singing oldies from a spinning stage could save what was intended to be the premier birther event of the year later this month in Arizona.

    cmaukonen's picture

    Green Life Eco Fest - March 22, 2011

    A little Dmitri Orlov on why our upsidedown economic system is doomed to fail and how to prepare for it. An hour long but well worth watching.

    Obama echoes Eric Holder: no judicial process in Constitution

    Here's our #1 lawyer in the country last March: 

    "Due process and judicial process are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security," Holder said then. "The Constitution guarantees due process, it does not guarantee judicial process."

    The August Employment figures change nothing

    Breathe.

    The only conclusion with respect to the election that we can draw from this report, is that there  are 95,000 fewer people who might be furious with Obama because they can't find a job for which they ,understandably,may blame him, .

    If it had been a gain of , say,  150,000 sure that would have been better: there'd have been an additional 55,000 fewer people who might have ceased being furious.But 95,000 was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick as my old granny used to say.

    Cousin Eddie gives up search for work.

    Like every other News host and pundit in the country John King of CNN commented this morning on the terrible job numbers reported by the Bureau of Labor on Friday.. "The drop in the unemployment rate is not good because hundreds of thousands of people gave up the search for work." This explanation of the drop in the labor participation rate has been repeated ad nauseam---for example, "too discouraged to look for work", or "quit because they couldn't find work".

    coatesd's picture

    A Tale of Two Conventions

    Charles Dickens came to mind again this week – his opening to A Tale of Two Cities – his intriguing contrast between “the best of times….the worst of times…the age of wisdom…the age of foolishness.” His cities were London and Paris. Ours were Tampa and Charlotte, but the contrasts remain the same. As we vote in November we need to decide. Tampa? Charlotte? Which offers us “the season of Light,” which ‘the season of Darkness?”

    cmaukonen's picture

    Whither The United States

    Both the Democratic and Republican national conventions have attempted this year to show total unity to the viewing public. More so than in the past with the Democrats going to great length in casting as diverse a lineup as they could, with out importing some alien beings from Alpha Century.

    MrSmith1's picture

    Big New Democratic Ideas ... An Open Thread

    Recently, in Destor23's "Obama is Magic" blog, Genghis wrote:

    "I don't hear Democrats whispering about the great big bills they would pass if only the voters would give them a new majority. If they had 'em, they would be talking about 'em. Occam's razor says that the reason Obama and the Democrats aren't promoting big ideas is because they haven't got any."

     

    Is it true? Are Dems Devoid of Dreams?  Say it ain't so, Lefty!

     

    DNC CONVENTION FINAL NIGHT - OPEN THREAD

    Share your thoughts and chat, because this, despite the previous two great nights, is really the big one! 

     

    cmaukonen's picture

    Politics is Politics and Parties is Parties.

    I would guess that most here watched at least a bit of the two political circuses that have been put on for our amusement. Of the two I think the democratic circus was much better produced with tighter production values, a more creative script and better jokes. The also did a better job of casting, though in some cases seemed a bit cast against type.

    Obama's speech impediments tonight.

    Clinton's speech last night was so pitch perfect and masterful that, in my opinion, it is going to be difficult for Obama to follow him---even given the separation of twenty four hours. I thought that Clinton's speech was going to be more hellfire and brimstone than it was. The speech did have a bible belt flavor to it and could have been delivered from a pulpit with an "Amen" at the end. In fact Clinton did give Ryan a public spanking and if Ryan didn't smile just a little bit, it only proves he has no more conscience than a tennis shoe.

    Obama's predicament and impediments seem obvious. How does he attempt to add anything to what Clinton has already said better, if not in concept, in technique? For months Obama has been addressing the "Class Warfare" charge with, "...it's not about "class", it's about "math". I never liked that line. First off, I had to ask myself, "did he say "math" or "mat", or whatever. Maybe my hearing is bad, but like watching Masterpiece Theater, I hate it when I have to work to catch the actual dialog. Clinton's beautiful lead-up to the word "arithmetic", shows how easy it can be if you have the right word to begin with---not to mention that the folk language meter of this country is iambic--a rith' me tic'.

    tmccarthy0's picture

    Lyin Ryan or Feats of Atlast Shrugging

    Paul Ryan, well he just can't stop lying can he, first we find out that his entire speech at the RNC was riddled with outright lies. I think my favorite lie is that the GM plant that closed in 2008 is Obama's fault! I love the guy's logic, his reason, he is John Galt, he is a genius.

    Elusive Trope's picture

    DNC Convention - Open Thread - Watch and Post

    "A good first day of speeches and videos, right?"

    Will day 2 match yesterday?

    Time will tell.

    With Bill wrapping it up, whatever it is said will get little coverage in the day after. But if the right zinger (or blunder) could break through.

     

    "Move That Chair!" Take the slogan before Eastwood gets it.

    I have a whole long explanation about why "Move That Chair" should become the slogan that replaces "Yes We Can!" and "Four More Years," but I thought I should put the commercial first because it makes me laugh.

    **

    [Intro: "Fistful of Dollars" theme plays.]

    Fade up on deserted street in Western Town. A tumbleweed blows around the corner, followed by Eastwood/Romney character.

     [Three note whistle theme from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” plays.]

    Clinton, make them like it.

    "We will win this election  and make those Republicans like it. Don't you forget that.

    We will do that because they are wrong and we are right, and I will prove it to you in just a few minutes.

    This convention.....reaffirms the beliefs of the Democratic party. There have been differences of opinion and that is the democratic way. Those differences have been settled....and it is time for us to get together and beat the common enemy, and that is up to you.

    ....the people know that the Democratic Party is the people's party, and the Republican Party is the party of special interests and it always has been and always will be.

    cmaukonen's picture

    The Demons in our Contentious Culture and Our radical judgement of each other.

    I watched Bill Moyers segment with Jonathan Haidt - a social psychologist - on the extreme positions that so many have these days both in our culture and it's manifestations in politics.

    You can watch the show here. And read the transcript here.

    Richard Day's picture

    FIDEL CASTRO TO KEYNOTE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION!

     

    Sometimes I think the Democrat's worst enemy is himself or herself or itself.

    I just heard that Fidel Castro is going to give the 'Keynote Speech' at our Convention

    DNC CONVENTION - OPEN THREAD - WATCH AND POST

     

    Let's review and discuss, compare to RNC if you must....... 

    Life on the National Health

    Here's a message I received today  from a friend in England.

    On the National Health,of course.

    jollyroger's picture

    What's that smell? Do you smell that smell? It's the smell of a Repugnant victory-and it smells like fecal incontinence

    So much attention has been drawn by the proposed substitution of "vouchercare" for Medicare that many voters have overlooked a companion disaster bearing down on them.

    Richard Day's picture

    BABIES

    Smiling infant on back with legs raised in the air

    Unconventional Convention - Open Thread

    red white and blue balloonsWhat do you want to see and hear at the DNC convention? What do you believe needs to be done this week that will ‘move’ voters to be proactive in their support for the Obama/Biden ballot (and hopefully welcome a few more into the fold)?

    Now read on

    Meanwhile in the Senate Max Baucus had started an interminable process of attempting to obtain actual Republican input. This could have seemed to us here as a pure charade but the 6 Senators in Baucus's debating society had 30 ,2 hour meetings and the language in the emerging bill reflected input from the 3 Republican members and that convinced Lieberman and Ben Nelson to support that emerging bill.

    There's nothing like the $1047 drug bill I paid today to

    remind me why I can't afford to have Obama lose.

    Perhaps six months ago there was a typically bad tempered exchange here not directly about Obamacare but about the reviewer in the Nation who discussed Paul Starr's Remedy and Reaction

    with the sub heading

    The peculiar American Struggle over health care reform.

    I threatened at the time that I would read it and give you the benefit  of my reaction and in response to a complete ,and understandable, absence of encouragement here it is

    jollyroger's picture

    Pashtuns-Never too old to die fighting

    A moment of truly spine tingling synchronicity:(cue the Twilight Zone theme music...): Just as Clint Eastwood was proving that 82 is too old to vamp, back in Afghanistan, a member of the people once described as Clint Eastwood in a turban was proving that 70 is not too old to die fighting.

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