Mitt Romney's comments will hurt Donald Trump's campaign...for about fifteen minutes. If the pollsters call before this gets posted we might see a decline in the "ratings." But the T-Man is taking the stage in Portland, Maine in just over an hour and those members of a packed house who are asking 'Mittt Who?' will probably be told EXACTLY who Mitt happens to be.
Romney's speech at the Hinkley Institute (irony anyone?) has a limited shelf life. We have a Trump rally followed by yet one more GOP debate tonight. Tomorrow, Mitt Romney will be seen in our rear view mirrors. Was that roadkill or a bag of garbage? Who cares?
Thursday, March 3, 2016
What Rhymes With Mitt?
I view Mitt Romney as a sympathetic figure. An incredibly decent man who was turned into a caricature by a corrupt news media who sacrificed their last shreds of integrity to whore out for the Democratic Party. With that stated, Romney lost an election he should have easily won and the only thing this guy can tell us now is how to lose.
Barack Obama was the worst and the weakest incumbent in US History. The 2010 midterms were a referendum on Obama and it was earth-shattering. The GOP started the 2012 election with a substantial lead and they blew it. We can blame the consultant class and all the usual punching bags but ultimately the blame goes to Mitt Romney.
Is Mitt Romney a Democrat in drag? Is he a high-placed Quisling? Why would we even suggest such character assassination? Maybe because Governor Romney was all too willing to work with a Democratic legislature at every turn. Maybe because he was brutal while opposing his GOP rivals but a doormat when he facing off against the Organizer-In-Chief. Some of us even entertain the idea that Romney took a dive.
So Mitt, are you going to tell us how to lose? We already have Jeb's wisdom at our disposal (and dispose we should.) If we want lo tap into the wisdom of the masters of failure we still have Bob Dole and John McCain to advise us. Some of us are sick of losing to losers. The GOP nominee will face either a woman who might need to amend her bail agreement to attend her party's convention or a senile sloganmeister who is still upset at how gruffly we treated the Rosenbergs. Mitt can yet snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Barack Obama was the worst and the weakest incumbent in US History. The 2010 midterms were a referendum on Obama and it was earth-shattering. The GOP started the 2012 election with a substantial lead and they blew it. We can blame the consultant class and all the usual punching bags but ultimately the blame goes to Mitt Romney.
Is Mitt Romney a Democrat in drag? Is he a high-placed Quisling? Why would we even suggest such character assassination? Maybe because Governor Romney was all too willing to work with a Democratic legislature at every turn. Maybe because he was brutal while opposing his GOP rivals but a doormat when he facing off against the Organizer-In-Chief. Some of us even entertain the idea that Romney took a dive.
So Mitt, are you going to tell us how to lose? We already have Jeb's wisdom at our disposal (and dispose we should.) If we want lo tap into the wisdom of the masters of failure we still have Bob Dole and John McCain to advise us. Some of us are sick of losing to losers. The GOP nominee will face either a woman who might need to amend her bail agreement to attend her party's convention or a senile sloganmeister who is still upset at how gruffly we treated the Rosenbergs. Mitt can yet snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Yes, There Is Voter Fraud In New Hampshire
I haven't jumped on the Trump bandwagon just yet but I bet the Donald would not tolerate voter fraud. He won over a lot of hearts and minds when he discussed topics GOP candidates were too cowardly to address, namely immigration and Islamic terrorism. Voter fraud is yet one more elephant in a room that seems pretty damned crowded with pachyderms.
From this blog's very inception in 2009, there was a concern about voter fraud. ACORN has come and gone but institutionalized cheating remains. It was a concern in 2010, a much larger concern in 2012 and still on the radar in 2014. In 2016, no Republican is touching this subject.
For seven years I have waited for someone to step forward to address an issue that could bring our republic to its knees (if it hasn't already.) Had the GOP addressed institutionalized cheating in 2009, 2010, 2011, or even 2012, they might have captured the White House. We get the occasional Rand Paul or Ted Cruz to bring attention to ignored topics but even the most outspoken members of Congress will not help us out here.
Voter fraud is real and it is rampant. It is possibly the greatest threat our republic has ever faced. It has been tolerated for much too long. May God bless James O'Keefe.
DON'T CALL THEM CHEATERS, CALL THEM CRIMINALS!
From this blog's very inception in 2009, there was a concern about voter fraud. ACORN has come and gone but institutionalized cheating remains. It was a concern in 2010, a much larger concern in 2012 and still on the radar in 2014. In 2016, no Republican is touching this subject.
For seven years I have waited for someone to step forward to address an issue that could bring our republic to its knees (if it hasn't already.) Had the GOP addressed institutionalized cheating in 2009, 2010, 2011, or even 2012, they might have captured the White House. We get the occasional Rand Paul or Ted Cruz to bring attention to ignored topics but even the most outspoken members of Congress will not help us out here.
Voter fraud is real and it is rampant. It is possibly the greatest threat our republic has ever faced. It has been tolerated for much too long. May God bless James O'Keefe.
DON'T CALL THEM CHEATERS, CALL THEM CRIMINALS!
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
On Obama Skipping Scalia's Funeral
The Obama-worshiping tools at Snopes.com are working overtime to defend the president skipping out on the justice's funeral.
A case could be made for sending the vice president in his stead but this is not the first time the president has been missing in action. The US snubbed Lady Thatcher and the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack. The president also "arrived late" to the G-20 moment of silence honoring the victims of the second Paris attack. If we wanted to pile on we could throw in the many victims of jihad stateside who were ignored by a politician who saw no opportunity to use them as public relations pawns. We saw this movie and all the many sequels.
One can understand, in an anthropological or academic or Madison Avenue sort of way, the appeal of Barack Obama circa 2008. Eight years later, I don't see how the most partisan jihad-loving, Mao-quoting, superficial Democrat in America could like Barack Obama. The figure that has emerged over time is not just a rotten person, he is a rotten personality as well.
Petty
Boorish
Childish
Self-centered
2017 cannot arrive soon enough.
A case could be made for sending the vice president in his stead but this is not the first time the president has been missing in action. The US snubbed Lady Thatcher and the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack. The president also "arrived late" to the G-20 moment of silence honoring the victims of the second Paris attack. If we wanted to pile on we could throw in the many victims of jihad stateside who were ignored by a politician who saw no opportunity to use them as public relations pawns. We saw this movie and all the many sequels.
One can understand, in an anthropological or academic or Madison Avenue sort of way, the appeal of Barack Obama circa 2008. Eight years later, I don't see how the most partisan jihad-loving, Mao-quoting, superficial Democrat in America could like Barack Obama. The figure that has emerged over time is not just a rotten person, he is a rotten personality as well.
Petty
Boorish
Childish
Self-centered
2017 cannot arrive soon enough.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Had Enough Schadenfreude? Bye Bye Jeb.
I don't have any animus for Jeb or his family but I don't have any philosophical, intellectual, emotional or other connection with the guy either. Despite the ongoing character assassinations, the Bushes are incredibly decent people. But who is Jeb and what does he stand for?
Whereas I have some sympathy for Jeb and his relatives I have zero compassion for the consultants and donors who burned $150 MILLION! for this fiasco of a campaign. Actually, I have contempt for Jeb's inner circle. A country desperately cries out for help and they give us a candidate who doesn't want to discuss issues and viciously attacks candidates who do. The petty attacks on Marco Rubio and his possibly imprudent boat purchase leveled by the proxies of a silver spoon baby would set the tone for Jeb's misguided campaign.
Politico had a revealing article on this belly flop but being a crypto-leftist data rag, they had to take a swipe at the Donald.
The entire premise of Bush’s candidacy now looks like a misread of an electorate that wasn’t amenable to establishment candidates—and a misunderstanding of a modern media environment ill-suited to a policy wonk who speaks in paragraphs, not punchy sound bites. He couldn’t sell experience to an electorate that wanted emotion.
I submit that Trump has succeeded not by talking in sound bites but by talking about matters no one else wanted to discuss. But I digress.
Whereas I have some sympathy for Jeb and his relatives I have zero compassion for the consultants and donors who burned $150 MILLION! for this fiasco of a campaign. Actually, I have contempt for Jeb's inner circle. A country desperately cries out for help and they give us a candidate who doesn't want to discuss issues and viciously attacks candidates who do. The petty attacks on Marco Rubio and his possibly imprudent boat purchase leveled by the proxies of a silver spoon baby would set the tone for Jeb's misguided campaign.
Politico had a revealing article on this belly flop but being a crypto-leftist data rag, they had to take a swipe at the Donald.
The entire premise of Bush’s candidacy now looks like a misread of an electorate that wasn’t amenable to establishment candidates—and a misunderstanding of a modern media environment ill-suited to a policy wonk who speaks in paragraphs, not punchy sound bites. He couldn’t sell experience to an electorate that wanted emotion.
In 2009 Rush Limbaugh had appeared at CPAC and spoke for about an hour without a note or teleprompter or any other assistance and brought the house down. Standing ovation after standing ovation until no one sat down. At about the same time Jeb Bush was buying pizzas for GOP focus groups so he could listen to what was on Republicans' minds. An off-air listener on Limbaugh's show mentioned Jeb and voiced frustration at just how out of touch Jeb happened to be. The listener mentioned Sarah Palin's stump speeches and Limbaugh's CPAC performance and Jeb finds the discontent so mysterious that he has to perform a market analysis in an effort to understand it.
Jeb spent a lot of time on the sidelines. I don't remember him giving so much as a shout out to the Tea Party. If he wasn't ready to run against Obama in 2012, he could have run against--and probably defeated--Bill Nelson in an effort to help his party win back the Senate. Not Jeb. I don't recall his denouncing Lois Lerner, Jonathan Gruber, the Obama Administration's myriad abuses of power, budget excesses or anything else. Nope. Just stay in that holding pattern till we can roll you out on the campaign trail.
"What is it about Americans and their obsession with lists?" (If not a verbatim quote, pretty close to it) the British import, Dr. O'Hara, asks aloud in an episode of "Nurse Jackie." I don't know but we do like them. The biggest NBA draft flops, the biggest box office failures, the worst automobiles in history. Someday, some waste of a time portal might offer a slide show of the grossest failing political campaigns in US History. For now, Jeb Bush 2016 is in a class by itself.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
OJ Obama
I did not follow the O.J. Simpson trial closely. While other people hung on every detail, I tried--unsuccessfully--to avoid the subject. It followed me everywhere.
The night before the verdict was announced I was playing backgammon in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The club members were a fun-loving bunch and if you wanted to find someone to take your betting action, you could probably do so. There were all sorts of offered propositions (props is the favored term) concerning the outcome. The case was overshadowing the backgammon tournament.
The next day I was at the Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, MA. I was at a crafts display when the news was announced. Instantly, the atmosphere turned from festive to funereal. My sentiment was somewhere between neutral and apathetic but I did not express my lack of enthusiasm all that convincingly. A total stranger patted me on the shoulder in an expression of condolence.
For all my indifference I do admit that the OJ saga is one of the strangest events in the history of Planet Earth. It's a good thing everyone knows the story because it would be hard to explain this to a Rip Van Winkle. There are so many wrinkles to this story. Kato. The Kardashians. F. Lee Bailey. Dershowitz. OJ. Mark Furman. Race. Celebrity. Race. Celebrity. Race. Race.
An entire generation of journalists made their bones covering the OJ case. The Kardashian industry might not be what it has become had it not been for OJ. Was "Uncle Juice" really Kim Kardashian's godfather? I think he was.
FX has released the miniseries, "American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson." If I was given to detail I might mention that Kato and A. C. Cowlings and Alan Dershowitz have all denounced the production. OK, so it was four detectives, not three who showed up at Kato's door? That's pretty damn accurate by Hollywood standards.
The series showcases some stellar acting. Travolta captures Robert Shapiro's constricted body movements. Nathan Lane is great as F. Lee Bailey. Not being a "Friends" fan, I never appreciated the talents of David Schwimmer. His Robert Kardashian steals the show.
The only actor who falls short is Cuba Gooding as OJ. OJ was charming and personable and handsome and Gooding is more than a little miscast in this role.
The first three episodes have been wonderful. Given the compelling story and high public interest, it is amazing that TV has not gone to this well more often. One reason this subject might not have been revisited for a while is because of the parallels between OJ and Obama. One cannot watch this series without being reminded of the life of Barack Obama.
Yes, there are significant differences between OJ and Obama. Obama, unlike OJ, never achieved anything before he was awarded the presidency on the basis of his charms and preferred looks. Then again, Obama didn't murder two people in cold blood either. So no, their lives are not perfectly parallel.
But there are also similarities. Oh yes. Both men created public personas that do not approximate their true selves. Both men are charming and superficial but I would give OJ the edge in the former and Obama the edge in the latter. And of course, the most significant parallel: Both men opportunistically used race and race alone to achieve the impossible.
Obama deserved the presidency to the same degree that OJ deserved acquittal. Race and race alone allowed OJ to get away with murder. Obama used the same playbook and went even further. In the words of Robert Shapiro, they played the race card and they dealt it off the bottom of the deck.
"American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson" is an excellent retelling of one of the worst miscarriages of justice of the 20th Century. Sadly, it also reminds us of the gravest injustice of this century. Catch this series!
The night before the verdict was announced I was playing backgammon in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The club members were a fun-loving bunch and if you wanted to find someone to take your betting action, you could probably do so. There were all sorts of offered propositions (props is the favored term) concerning the outcome. The case was overshadowing the backgammon tournament.
The next day I was at the Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, MA. I was at a crafts display when the news was announced. Instantly, the atmosphere turned from festive to funereal. My sentiment was somewhere between neutral and apathetic but I did not express my lack of enthusiasm all that convincingly. A total stranger patted me on the shoulder in an expression of condolence.
For all my indifference I do admit that the OJ saga is one of the strangest events in the history of Planet Earth. It's a good thing everyone knows the story because it would be hard to explain this to a Rip Van Winkle. There are so many wrinkles to this story. Kato. The Kardashians. F. Lee Bailey. Dershowitz. OJ. Mark Furman. Race. Celebrity. Race. Celebrity. Race. Race.
An entire generation of journalists made their bones covering the OJ case. The Kardashian industry might not be what it has become had it not been for OJ. Was "Uncle Juice" really Kim Kardashian's godfather? I think he was.
FX has released the miniseries, "American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson." If I was given to detail I might mention that Kato and A. C. Cowlings and Alan Dershowitz have all denounced the production. OK, so it was four detectives, not three who showed up at Kato's door? That's pretty damn accurate by Hollywood standards.
The series showcases some stellar acting. Travolta captures Robert Shapiro's constricted body movements. Nathan Lane is great as F. Lee Bailey. Not being a "Friends" fan, I never appreciated the talents of David Schwimmer. His Robert Kardashian steals the show.
The only actor who falls short is Cuba Gooding as OJ. OJ was charming and personable and handsome and Gooding is more than a little miscast in this role.
The first three episodes have been wonderful. Given the compelling story and high public interest, it is amazing that TV has not gone to this well more often. One reason this subject might not have been revisited for a while is because of the parallels between OJ and Obama. One cannot watch this series without being reminded of the life of Barack Obama.
Yes, there are significant differences between OJ and Obama. Obama, unlike OJ, never achieved anything before he was awarded the presidency on the basis of his charms and preferred looks. Then again, Obama didn't murder two people in cold blood either. So no, their lives are not perfectly parallel.
But there are also similarities. Oh yes. Both men created public personas that do not approximate their true selves. Both men are charming and superficial but I would give OJ the edge in the former and Obama the edge in the latter. And of course, the most significant parallel: Both men opportunistically used race and race alone to achieve the impossible.
Obama deserved the presidency to the same degree that OJ deserved acquittal. Race and race alone allowed OJ to get away with murder. Obama used the same playbook and went even further. In the words of Robert Shapiro, they played the race card and they dealt it off the bottom of the deck.
"American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J. Simpson" is an excellent retelling of one of the worst miscarriages of justice of the 20th Century. Sadly, it also reminds us of the gravest injustice of this century. Catch this series!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)