The two “stories” we’re supposed to care about in the political world this week are Jesse Jackson’s overheard whispering, and Phil Gramm’s accidental statement of what he truly believes. Will this summer ever ever end? Lemme tell you how a person who does not watch TV experienced the Jesse Jackson kerfuffel. I’ve heard bleeped versions of Jackson’s Fox News whisperings on several radio programs and podcasts. In at least one case, the audio had been enhanced. You know what? I never once understood what he said. I caught “black people” and a beep that covered Jackson’s allusion to Mr. Obama’s…
Category: Politics and Public Affairs
No Twittering in Congress: Censorship or Good Government?
Posted in New Media and Tech, and Politics and Public Affairs
When I learned that Texas Congressman John Culberson is a Twitter user, I began following him right away. I suspect that the Congressman and I, a conservative Republican from my own state, would agree on very little. But his Twitter persona, is open and “human”. The posts are neither boring advertisements for his own accomplishments, or spin-filled obfuscations. And he respond to a lot of other Twitterers. That’s more than I can say for the bots that represent other Twitterfied polticians. So what if we don’t agree on policy. He knows how to Twitter effectively, and he gives me a…
The YouTube clip featuring MSNBC shouter Chris Matthews taking down hapless conservative talk show host Kevin James has been everywhere, most notably promoted by MSNBC itself. As an Obama supporter, and hater of content-free punditry, you’d think I’d get a kick out of that, wouldn’t you? Actually, no. The clip represents everything I dislike about political “analysis” done by talking head pundits of whatever stripe. In the clip, Matthews, trying out for the role of teacher-pundit, asks the clearly over-excited, over-matched James to explain exactly what Neville Chamberlain did in 1938 to appease Adolf Hitler. James can’t answer, but continues…
Bittergate
Posted in Politics and Public Affairs
I had an epiphany about all the hoo ha over Senator Obama’s remarks last week about rural voters in Pennsylvania. Yeah, yeah, I’m supporting Obama, so take my comments for whatever you think they’re worth. Obama’s clinical, detached explanation of voters’ motivations, which seem to have agitated the pundit class way more than they have the actual electorate, pretty much mirror the dismissive style of the very “journalists” who find this story so compelling. How many times have you heard voters lumped into categories like “angry white males” or “soccer moms”, and their feelings distilled down to simple, marginalizing language.…
Frank and I have been making fun of Idaho senator Larry Craig for a couple of days. We’ve been greeting one other with “I am not gay.” to which the response is “I have never been gay.” This is inexplicably hilarious to us, and we hope our gay friends won’t disown us. Like most folks who know and actually like gay people, we see Craig as fully hypocrisy-compliant figure. His arrest and embarrassment, and possible loss of his office, should he run again next year, would be a just outcome. But when Republican officeholders yesterday (including John McCain) started urging…