Jan 19 2008
I thought it might be useful for folks if I took a moment to briefly highlight a few of the recent articles on ePluribus Media that may prove interesting and relevant to ongoing discussions.
So, make the jump for a quick check-in, and leave comments here (or there, or both) if you’d like to share your own thoughts.
Thank you. 🙂
Jan 19 2008
Ah, a little fantasy on a Saturday morning!
The last twelve or so years of our national discussion have been marred by what amounts to a belligerent drunk at a cocktail party. Not JUST George…and I am not making a crack about his drinking. But the whole Republican Party of the last twelve years. A belligerent drunk at a cocktail party that had 50 million friends who were backing him up….until he got TOO far out of hand, and they had to slowly peel away from supporting him….and now are as eager to see him leave as everybody else.
Well….except for 25 million of his less observant friends who are also still drunk on whatever they it is they put in that Kool-aid. But now the vast majority of people at the party are tired of his antics, his schtick and his general obnoxiousness and just wish he would leave.
So here is todays question….what would, what WILL our country be like when the belligerent drunk has left the party? What would our political world be like with a cowed and defeated and marginalized Republican Party?
Jan 19 2008
Consider the following:
A 46 year old man is running for President. He has some good solid experience, but being that he is only 46, that experience is derided as “not enough”, or that it “doesn’t count as much because of the background behind that experience”.
His policies and “successes” prior to his running for President are, by no stretch, “far left wing”, rather they turned out to be relatively middle of the road – liberal on some, not as much on others. And even though the success stories were based on policies that were not against some conservative ideals (i.e., job growth, economic policy), he was derided by the right wing nonetheless as being a lightweight or too liberal.
When running for President, he had used a message of “hope” and used his personal story of coming from a less-than-stellar childhood or background to overcome the obstacles placed before him and rise to political prominence.
Jan 19 2008
Why say “Dead Warrior Creek,” when racism fuels cultural hegemony so well?
The official name now is Dead Warrior Lake, ending for some a controversy over the lake’s name that has been going on for almost a decade.
– snip –
The first settlers in the area came up with the name after discovering a Cheyenne burial site. Cottonwoods that lined the creek made for a perfect burial site near the tribe’s winter camp.
Jan 19 2008
Day three of the New Hampshire Democratic Recount, called for and paid for the the Dennis Kucinich campaign, has some interesting anomalies. We have our first 100 vote change in a ward for a candidate. We also have the running totals for the candidates!
Jan 19 2008
This is an Open Thread: Nothing is sealed in plastic
Economists Debate Efficacy of Stimulus Measures
In trying to assemble a bipartisan package to jolt the slumping economy, the White House and Congress have turned to familiar tools that experts say have worked in the past. But there is also a lively debate among economists about which measures will best accomplish the goal.
The favorite template for addressing recession fears is a set of tax measures and spending initiatives passed in 2001 and 2002, including a personal income tax rebate in the summer of 2001 that amounted to $300 to $600 per household and a tax incentive the following year aimed at encouraging businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.President Bush highlighted both those basic approaches on Friday in setting out his principles for a deal with Congress to address the current downturn. Democrats are also likely to seek increased spending for programs like unemployment insurance or to funnel more money to states, an approach that Mr. Bush signaled he would oppose.
Jan 19 2008
A “professional avenger” who performed acts of retribution for cash was arrested along with a client for handing out pamphlets defaming a housewife in Aichi Prefecture.
I wonder if he’s Batman’s cousin?Weddings for pregnant brides, known as the Omedeta-kon Plan, have become increasingly popular in recent years in Japan. Please pass the shotgun.
Leave all Samurai swords at home. Thank you.Japan’s first female governor, Osaka’s scandal-hit Fusae Ohta, decided not to seek a third term. She first took over the job when Knock Yokoyama was forced out over a sexual-harassment scandal.
Jan 19 2008
I just sent out a Heads Up to Vet Pax, which is the coalition of Veterans For Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against The War Chapters in and around New York City.
I had been thinking about what could be done on this issue of o’really and his total lack of not only knowledge, about the Plight Of Veterans Who Are Homeless, but his total lack of Compassion, wasn’t that what his hero ran on, and Support towards Veterans in General.
lbear sent me an E which cleared the thought process.
Jan 19 2008
I have a bit of a fever (getting over the flu), so pardon me in advance if this essay becomes rambling and strange.
I rarely read about the candidates for President, whether it be on the blogs or in the traditional media.
I stated elsewhere, in some essay or comment, that if I had my way these elections would be unlike any we’ve ever had. They would be somber and there would be no cheering and funny hats and souvenirs. They would be sober and sad, because we are going through terrible times. There would be a gravity to the national discourse that wouldn’t allow any kind of show-biz breathlessness we’ve all seen too much of, nor the kind of cheerleader as supporter that has made many of us turn away from the dreaded “candidate diaries” at several progressive blogs.
I find it surreal that is not the case, even as I’m aware my view is only mine and there’s reasons why others wouldn’t feel that way.
Jan 19 2008
Lately there have been a lot of people pissed of at Bill Clinton for one reason or another. Some think they have good reason. Some think attacking Bill Clinton is good politics. I have a hard time believing that most people really believe what they are saying. Not deep down. At least I hope not.
But people have different experiences than I have had…and many are much younger than me…and hardly anyone else here lived in Arkansas when I did…and most of those probably didn’t meet Bill and/or Hillary as many times as I did…and I’m completely certain that none of the people who did those other things began gender reassignment during the Clinton campaign in 1992.
My vision of the era is tinted by the fact that I came out to the world, beginning my transition in September of 1992, precisely because I persuaded myself that Bill Clinton was going to win the election, that Bill and Hillary were going to be in the White House and I could do so with a lessened fear of being fired from my job, thrown out of my house and/or murdered.
Of course, I lived in Arkansas so I had a different viewpoint than a lot of folks…people who were not standing in the freezing rain at the Capitol Building in Little Rock singing along to “Yesterday’s Gone” and crying in joy about newfound freedom to be oneself. I made one of my first public appearances as the new me as one of the crowd on election night.
Bill Clinton was the Barack Obama/John Edwards of that instant in time. He was hope for a better future. He was…and is…a hero to many people.
Jan 19 2008
I’ve been away from the computer for a few days. House sitting for my aunt. I’m writing this on Thursday and will auto post for Friday. I’m going into NYC to meet ej… he’s there on business and i’ll be having dinner with him and his boss. should be interesting. Then we’ll head back to my aunt’s house for a few days.
Thanks to everybody for their kindness and caring yesterday. I’m glad you guys are here.