Sources tell me that Charlie Rose has agreed to moderate the upcoming Republican New Hampshire debate on the condition that the decorum of both candidates and audience can be upgraded to New England standards. While New England Republicans are fine with such language as "laying the wood to Obama" and "taking a baseball bat" to a woman legislator in New Jersey they flinch at things like booing the troops and clapping at executions, as unfortunately occurred in the Simi Valley and Orlando debates. In sympathy with the goal of higher level discourse, the Manchester Union Leader is said to be withholding a story that Romney muttered a phrase that sounded like "Frigging Canucks" when he was detained at the Canadian border for strapping a large dog to the top of his family car.

In order to raise the debate bar and minimize knee-jerk reactions, Charlie Rose has published his list of questions ahead of time. But to make sure the candidates actually prepare for the debate, questions will be assigned only at the last minute to candidates of Matthew Dowd's choosing. The questions have been geared to an audience of conservative, taciturn and frugal New Englanders and vacationing hedge fund managers.

The Economist's September 24 print edition has a cover story called "Hunting the Rich": http://www.economist.com/node/21530104

Awhile back I made a cultural comment about victim envy--how everyone, no matter how relatively well off, seems in our day to want to portray themselves as a victim for political advocacy purposes.

As some of you know, I love science, and I care about the environment. Sometimes, these two interests are in conflict, as in the case of space hotels. Alas, my romantic side wants the space hotels to win, and any time my environmental, logical side speaks up about how much fuel will be required for such ventures, my romantic side punches him in the face and steals his lunch money.

If there were any way to create sympathy for Rick Perry on pure humanitarian grounds, his appearance on CNBC this morning achieved it.

Perry, who was in a remote location(for good reason) and stood in soft focus in front of the American flag was incoherent, uninformed, unprepared and rambling. If Perry actually does have a near average native intelligence, his handlers have so bound him up that he looks like a confused post brain-surgery patient.

Thus far 2011 has not been a good year for progressives. The daily sight of the White House seeking elusive accommodations with Tea Party-inspired Congressional Republicans has not been an edifying one. Prior to and during the debt ceiling crisis, all the drive, all the issue framing, all the assertiveness in the pursuit of solutions, seemed to come from just one side of the aisle. In the process the stature of the White House (and that of its occupant) visibly wilted. A President full of confidence prior to the mid-term elections seemed to have entirely lost his footing.

So it was a huge relief to see Barack Obama feisty in defense of his Jobs Bill when addressing a joint session of Congress on September 8. It was an even greater relief to see him throwing down the gauntlet to John Boehner when introducing his deficit package later; and there was more reassurance last weekend when the President campaigned vigorously in California in the manner of the old Obama. It was good to see him openly condemning those who booed a gay soldier from the floor of the Florida debate as “not reflective of who we are.” It was good to see him insisting that the Republican vision of government would “fundamentally cripple America in meeting the challenges of the 21^st century;” and it was good to see him treating the 2012 election as “a contest of values.” The California Obama was more like the Obama for whom many of us campaigned so enthusiastically in 2008: so maybe, at long last and not a day too soon, the President is beginning to get back his progressive groove. Let us hope so.

According to Matthew Dowd we have a "hot" electorate and the "temperature" of candidates is important. Especially in the Tea Party dominated Republican party, "Passion" is the watchword. "Cool" Presidential contenders just don't cut it. Republicans think the time is right. They see a chance to throw Obama out of the Lincoln bedroom but on the other hand they don't want to end up getting it on with the Manchurian candidate.

So far I think each of the Republican presidential contenders have given the Republican base voters good reason to let the moment pass, change their front door locks, and sign up for another dating service. 

Take Herb Cain, as Palin called him, "the flavor of the week". His staying power is at issue. But frankly any guy who thinks he's going to get laid after giving his date pizza for dinner is a loser whether or not he owns the pizza company. Stop him at the door.

Rod Serling

I am catching, for the 30^th time (at least) Seven_Days_in_May

Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster were once again paired with Fredric-the-Fricking March in the background.

And of course this is really Twilight Zone since Rod Serling (the real voice of my generation!) wrote the screen play.

Kirk of course put the film together seeking to play the bad guy but, as usual, took a lesser (if not more important) role as the savior of democracy because Burt always got his way. hahahahaha

My generation came of age during Second-Wave Feminism.  By the time we reached 18, the country was already entering its 'post-feminist' phase.

In these final years before the discovery of the AIDS virus, we were the direct heirs of the most recent Sexual Revolution.  We enjoyed easy access to birth control and the knowledge that, if we did get pregnant, abortions were legal and affordable.  Our spiritual forebears were slightly older women who still looked and acted like hippies, who went bra-less, who hitchhiked and camped alone, who didn't give a rat's ass about makeup (unless it was body paint), who lived in communal homes, and slept with anyone they wanted to.

Despite Perry's poor debate performances and his current whipping boy status among Republican pundits as well as Fox News, I am not one who thinks this guy is out of the running for winning the Republican Primary. 

Perry's handlers made the choice to start Perry the Pitcher in a Playoff series his first week out of the minors and he has lost his first three games. It's of course 20/20 hindsight but his handlers should not have made him the immediate target of the other "contenders" but should have had him play nice with the others for a while and stick to attacking Obama until he got used to the national stage. Maybe they suspected such attacks on Perry's vulnerabilities and concluded that the Alpha Male ploy was the best shot. He certainly throws his chest out and bends his knees appropriately. 

The Two American Hikers are free  at last.

Thousands more kept, looking for…..freedom.

Originally posted at www.Kavehadel.com/blog

Artwork 2011©KavehAdel.com