Does David Stern and the NBA Think We Are Idiots?

I don't have a dog in this fight.  I'm a Spurs fan.  If anything I should be pulling against OKC.  But, game 3 was tough to watch.  I'm into lists now I guess (see my post regarding the movie Prometheus for another recent list).  Here's what I took away from game 3 that makes me wonder if the NBA thinks their fans are stupid:

1. How does Kevin Durant have 5 fouls at the end of the game and 4 fouls in the 3rd quarter - he's not exactly known for his aggressive D is he?

2. Hardin and Collison end the game with 4 fouls each.

3. LaBron James had 1 foul in the game.

4. Joey Crawford was a referee.

5. The Heat shot 11 more free throws than OKC.

6. OKC shot 43% from the field, not too good right?

7. But the Heat shot a miserable 39% from the field.

8. Oh but the Heat shot 89% from the free throw line, 31-35.

9. That's right, 31 points from the charity stripe for the Heat, that should sound familiar to Dallas Mavericks fans from '06.

10. Only the Heat's big 3 were in double digits, and Bosh barely with 10 points but, guess what, they still won, I wonder how? See numbers 8 & 9 for the answer.

All that said, OKC only shot 22% from behind the three-point line and lost 91-85.  The Heat are up 2-1 in the series meaning OKC really needs to win the next game (no, it's not a "must-win" game, a "must-win" game only occurs when, if a team loses, their season is over, talk to the Boston Red Sox from 2004).  Essentially, if OKC gets even close to a fair shake from the refs and if they can shoot a half decent percentage from the field/three point land I still think OKC wins the series in 6.

I Saw Prometheus: I Liked It But...

(spoiler alert, kinda)
I'm already looking forward to the sequel (I hope they make one).  I liked Prometheus but, wasn't necessarily blown away by it - character development was a little lacking (but, wasn't that lacking in Alien too?).  However, it leaves open enough questions that I'm already looking forward to the sequel and expect that if it's made it'll be better than this movie precisely because it will diverge even more from the Alien mythology and develop a mythos all its own.

Questions I have after watching Prometheus:

1. Why does the tech look so much more advanced than the tech in Alien? (explanation could be that Prometheus is a scientific research vessel and the craft in Alien is a mining ship.)

2. Was the Engineer in the beginning a rebel who seeded a planet (Earth?) he wasn't supposed to?

3. Why did the Engineers make the decision to eliminate all us humans?

4. And aren't the "bio-weapons" (Aliens) a little bit of overkill to eliminate all us humans?

5. If we have the same DNA as the Engineers why are they 10 feet tall?

6. How does the Alien end up on the planet where Ripley runs into it?

7. Is there any way the captain of the Prometheus survived that collision? (I like the character and Idris Elba is a pretty darn good actor, while we're at it let's see if Charlize Theron couldn't have survived too.)

8. Do the Engineers know the Predator-race?  (do I hear a clamoring for a Predator vs. Alien vs. Engineer movie?)

9. Will Winona Ryder end up in Prometheus 4?

10. If a Prometheus sequel happens, will Ridley Scott make a Blade Runner sequel after that, please?

Maybe the USA Soccer Team Wasn't That Good

Signs that Team USA was maybe not so good:

1. Prior to the game against us Ghana had scored 2 goals all World Cup, both on penalty kicks; they scored two goals against us.
2. How many goals in the first 0-20 minutes are we going to give up? 
3. Other teams seem to have "scorers".  And by that I mean players that just seem to bury the ball in the back of the net when they have a good chance; how many great chances did the USA waste?  With at-em balls (right at the goalie) or just wild misses?
4. We tie England on a fluke shot on goal that hit their golie square on.  England then gets their lunch handed to them 4-1 by the Germans.  Maybe that tie against England wasn't that great after all.
5. In the elimination game against Ghana the coach made an early first half substitution, all but admitting that the USA coach started the wrong guy.  Plus, after a half time formation adjustment the USA played in the Ghana end all second half.  As opposed to the first half, where the Ghana team was playing in the USA defensive end even though Ghana was in a supposed defensive formation.

The Real Top Grossing Movies of All Time*

(*adjusted for inflation)

The asteric above and what it means are important, at least to me anyway. It's been getting on my nerves that Titanic is always declared the box office king year after year and now Avatar is number 2 on lists of the top grossing movies of all time. Lists that rank Titanic number 1 (and now Avatar has been declared to have over taken Titanic) neglect to adjust the box office receipts for ticket price inflation which of course makes a huge difference.

Comparing movies' receipts without adjusting for inflation is, for example, like equating a millionaire's buying power today with the buying power of a millionaire back in 1950. Sorry, it doesn't quite work that way. I'm not an economist or anything but, I'll go out on a limb and assert that a million dollars back in 1950 was worth just a little more than a million dollars today.

So, if you adjust ticket prices for inflation you get a ranking based of what each film made if each movies' tickets had been sold for an equal price. Or, in other words, you get a list reflective of the total number of actual tickets sold.

At least 2 different sites (click here or here) have a good list of the top grossing movies of all time adjusted for inflation. Guess where Titanic is. It's number 6 behind such movies as Gone With the Wind and Star Wars. Avatar is number 27.

Below is a good list of the top 10 movies adjusted for inflation:

Rank Title                                  Adjusted Gross                             Unadjusted Gross
1 Gone with the Wind                   $1,485,028,000                             $198,676,459 
2 Star Wars                                  $1,309,179,000                             $460,998,007 
3 The Sound of Music                   $1,046,753,000                            $158,671,368 
4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial          $1,042,629,400                            $435,110,554 
5 The Ten Commandments            $962,850,000                               $65,500,000 
6 Titanic                                        $943,342,300                                $600,788,188 
7 Jaws                                          $941,379,300                                $260,000,000 
8 Doctor Zhivago                          $912,395,600                                $111,721,910
9 The Exorcist                              $812,679,700                                 $232,671,011
10 Snow White and the...             $801,150,000                                 $184,925,486

Palin Still Receives A LOT of Media Coverage. Why?

Again, let me get this straight, she quit her job as chief executive of her state in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression right? So again, why do people care what she has to say or "write"("write" is in parentheses because, come on, she, like any politician, had a ghost writer)? I know she has a new book out but, who cares and why? If someone could answer that I'd appreciate it and then maybe my head would stop hurting.

And check out Palin's rules for media at her book signing appearances. Apparently Palin doesn't like those non-English speaking media types.

Fake chapter titles from Palin's book (updated):

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Universe, 6,000 Years Ago, When People Walked with Dinosaurs

Chapter 2: How NOT to Teach Abstinence to Your Teen

Chapter 3: The Differences and Similarities In Answering Questions in a Beauty Contest Versus a Presidential Campaign (Miss California, I Feel Your Pain)

Chapter 4: "How to Read ALL the Periodicals Released in Alaska

Chapter 5: A Guide to Shopping on the GOP Credit Card"

Chapter 7: I Hate Katie Couric and Tina Fey

Chapter 8: How to Tell the Difference Between a Phone Call From the Real President of France and a Prank Call From a Montreal DJ

Chapter 9: All My Terrible Interviews and Awful Decisions During the Campaign Were Actually the John McCain Campaign's Fault, Seriously, I Swear

Chapter 10: It was OK For Me to Exploit Levi Johnston During the Republican National Convention By Parading Him Onstage in Front of the Media with My Daughter Who Was Pregnant with His Child at the Time.

Chapter 11: I Don't Understand Where Levi Got the Idea to Try to Get Media Attention

Chapter 12: Why Quitting as Governor of Alaska Made Sense

Chapter 13: Palin/Beck 2012, Now That's a Maverick Ticket for Real America
Some past thoughts on Ms. Palin include but, are not limited to...

- Palin on Health Insurance Reform

- Palin's farewell speech (that I'm pretty sure she wrote all by her mavericky self)

- Shatner's spoken word version of Palin's farewell speech

- Cartoon about Palin's resignation speech (again, I'm pretty sure she also wrote this one all by her mavericky self)

- Letterman vs. Palin regarding the joke about her daughter

- Chapter titles in Palin's memoir (older and a little different than the above)

(Fyi, some/most of the above is from past posts and has been added to/updated with some new thoughts given recent events. What can I tell you, I've been busy.)

Yeah, Sure, You Should Trust What the Insurance Industry Says...

and while you're at it I have some lovely, wooded, spacious ocean front property you might be interested in buying from me in Arizona.

In case you didn't hear, the insurance industry issued a "report". That "report" "revealed" that insurance rates would actually go up if Congress passed and President Obama signed insurance reform legislation. I don't find it surprising that a report written by the insurance industry would describe the terrible consequences of passing health insurance reform. I'll be honest, I didn't read the report, I don't think I need to, and I'll explain why through other examples, I also don't read/listen to the following:
1) movie reviews by the studios that produced the movies. 
2) book reviews by the author of a the book.
3) Glenn Beck raving about how great the 9/12 project is/was and how great the Tea Party is since he helped found and promote both and has profited financially from both.
4) anything Dick Cheney has to say about foreign policy, national security, torture, terrorism or Gitmo (because he and the previous administration did such a swell job on all of those issues).
5) anything Liz Cheney has to say about what her father Dick Cheney has said about foreign policy, national security, torture, terrorism or Gitmo (because her father and the previous administration did such a swell job on all of those issues).

but I digress...

Some potential problems/questions I have with the insurance industry's report that rates would go up if there is, in fact, reform passed:
1) Which version of the bill are they talking about? Remember there are at least 5 Senate versions in various Senate committees as well as whatever comes out of the House.
2) What if the legislation prohibits insurance companies from raising rates? Are they just going to break the law and raise rates anyway?
3) What if there is indeed a public option? Would the insurance industry put themselves out of business and raise rates while there is a more inexpensive public option? Would that be a bad thing?
4) What if there is a "trigger" for a public option in a reform bill that is passed. Is the insurance industry promising that they will raise rates and bring about a public option? Given this scenario, I say, "raise rates!"
5) What if people realized that the insurance industry wrote a report critical of health insurance reform?

And surprise, surprise, at least one former insurance industry insider has already declared that this report is "bogus." Are you really surprised?

Maybe the insurance industry fat cats are getting seriously worried that a bill will actually make it to President Obama's desk and the release of this "report" is the first sign of desperation. What else can the big insurance companies do? They've already used their record profits to line the pockets of any politician that will take their money and utter nonsense like, "death panels." Maybe they're grasping at straws.

Who would just blindly believe what these insurance industry yahoos have to say about health insurance reform? Again, if you do believe their report I have some lovely ocean front property in Arizona you might like to purchase from me...

"Always Two There Are, a Master and an Apprentice"*

*Yoda - Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Both HSB and Andrew had good, but not quite correct, guesses about the Star Wars themed cartoon about Limbaugh and Beck. So they each get half a star and an honorable mention. By the way, keep the ideas coming, I may use them here in the near future.
An article on Politico.com titled Glenn Beck vs. Rush Limbaugh inspired the above cartoons. I couldn't decide which one to go with so I drew and posted both, although I think I like the Darth Maul one best, what do you think?
What made me think of the Star Wars theme cartoon idea regarding Limbaugh and Beck after I read the Politico.com article? Answer: Limbaugh and Beck are two peas in a pod, with Beck copying and learning from the master of fear mongering, Limbaugh. Beck's modus operandi is almost a step by step recreation of Limbaugh's early ventures after Bill Clinton was elected. For example:
1) TV and radio show? Check. (I remember when Rush had a TV show in the early 90's)
2) Write some books? Check.
3) Criticize a new Democratic president's every move? Check.
4) Pander to the least common denominator through lies and fear mongering? Check.
5) Laugh all the way to the bank? Check.
And that's the thing, both Limbaugh and Beck are experts at fear mongering. The Politico.com piece quotes a GOP strategist that says that Dems and Limbaugh should be afraid of Beck. I think not.

Quick thoughts on why Dems are not/should not fear Beck is that he, like Limbaugh, thankfully appeals only to the hardcore GOP base. And Limbaugh shouldn't be afraid because, let's face it, he's Limbaugh and is still in a league all his own when it comes to inspiring fear.

One last thing that the above cartoons made me think of given both Limbaugh and Beck's use of fear as their stock in trade:

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
-Yoda, Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Side Note: I've noticed on the comments sections of many articles folks expressing their worries and fears at the tone of some protesters.

Then, the response from some is that "liberals" don't believe in free speech when people are criticizing a Democratic president. That's not quite correct.

Let me point out the fact that those extreme, wingnut protesters can freely express themselves, albeit in vulgar and hateful ways, demonstrates that the freedom of speech is alive and well in the USA. Protesters can actually compare Obama to Hitler, for example. It's actually protected free speech. I get that. "Liberals" get that it's protected speech. But, folks can also express their thoughts about that type of hateful, extreme speech. You see, it's a two way street.

Some don't seem to understand that if they are going to express an extreme or false or hateful sentiment others also have the right to express their thoughts about those who would express extreme or false or hateful sentiments. It's called the marketplace of ideas. In fact, I really believe the more some people, like wingnuts, express themselves, the more they are revealed to be extremists, alarmists, delusional and hateful for hate's sake and therefore hurt their "cause" or "causes". By the way, some of those extremists seem to follow fear mongering talking heads like Limbaugh and Beck (there's the tie in to the above cartoons).

Here's another example, wingnuts can express their belief that Obama was born in Kenya. And I can express the view that those "birther" wingnuts are sad, delusional morons. The wingnuts have the right to express themselves freely and so do folks, like me, that want to criticize them. Ain't it great?

- ON VIDEO: Schwarzenegger With a Knife, as Governor, Addressing the Public, Seriously!

I didn't think I'd ever write this but, I guess Governor Rick Perry, his hair and secessionist talk in my home state of Texas, at least for now, is at least equally as crazy as Governor Schwarzenegger of California, with his freakin' knife, talking to the public about some crazy money making ideas on a twitter video that he put out:

Seriously, you freakin' cannot make this stuff up! I'm not sure I want any chief executive to start any address to anyone on any video to involve him or her wielding a knife. Of course CA did elect a former movie action star whose best work is...I don't know you tell me. Idiocracy here we come!

What does this portend politically? Here are my prophesies:

1) State of the Union? Sure. In between UFC matches!

2) Visiting dignitaries from foreign countries wanna talk to our President? They'll have to sit through the Wrath of Khan drinking game first!

3) Senate debates? Senate arm wrestling!

4) Presidential debates? No! PRESIDENTIAL DEATH MATCHES! THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(that's all the Idiocracy ideas I could come up with based on this video off the top of my head. If you have any other Idiocracy ideas based on the above clip email me at: contact@politicalthoughtsnow.com)

FOX News Is #1 In Cable News! (But What Does That Mean?)

Fox News has all the top 10 viewed cable news shows in the 2nd quarter of this year. But, if you look at the numbers this dominance is not all that dominating and probably doesn't worry too many Dems. Just take Fox News' most viewed show, believe it or not, the O'Reilly Factor. It draws about 3.2 million viewers per show. Here's why I don't think that's a significant number:

1) Those viewers probably don't change much, meaning, I would bet that mostly the same 3.2 million viewers tune in night in and night out. And I bet a lot of those viewers watch all the Fox News shows back to back to back. Just a guess.

2) I would guess that it's an older, conservative crowd watching Fox News. I know, I'm really going out on a limb there. That's just me, making wild, crazy assertions like that.

3) I think younger folks (and by that I mean under 45) get their news from a wide variety of sources and aren't married to just one news source. I would bet that many Fox News viewers only watch Fox News and go to Fox News online, if they're online at all. Why? Remember the media, according to many a conservative, is all liberal except for Fox News, which gives a "fair and balanced" news report.

4) The numbers have spiked recently for Fox News, probably because many ultra-conservatives are fearful that Obama's election signaled the beginning of the "end times" and they wanted to know where to go to be saved, so where else would they turn to but Fox News. Seriously though, I think the spike could possibly be explained by Obama's election in that it galvanized a passionate, albeit small, segment of the population that see his election as, at the very least, a very bad thing.

5) That's right I said small segment of the population. Even O'Reilly, their most viewed talking head, only gets about 3.2 million viewers. It's all about perspective. There are well over 300 million people in the USA today and that number is growing. O'Reilly draws about 1% of the population a night. 1%! And guess what? The USA's population is not growing because there are more and more old, conservative white people. What are the other 99% watching? What do they think about Obama? Or politics in general? Do they think about politics at all or only when there's a presidential election? The other 99% are probably watching CSI or American Idol. Or here's a crazy thought, they may not even be watching TV at all. I know weird but, there are people like that.

And hey, Jon Stewart gets about 2 million viewers a night, so that seems to fairly balance out Fox News' numbers a bit.

So Dick Cheney Is Writing His Memoir

(Fake) Chapter Titles of Dick Cheney's Memoir:

Chapter 1: How I Got My Nickname "Dick". It's Probably Pretty Close to How You Think I Got It

Chapter 2: How To Not Serve in the Military But Act Like You Did

Chapter 3: How the Constitution Really Works: The Vice President Is in Charge

Chapter 4: How To Defend Your Administration's Legacy

Chapter 5: How To Commit Treason & Get Away With It: See Valerie Plame

Chapter 6: Enhanced Interrogation Techniques That I Enjoy

Chapter 7: Who Am I Kidding, It's Torture, And I Love It And I Don't Care Who Knows

Chapter 8: How To Open and Run a Prison Outside the USA and Outside the Purview of USA Laws

Chapter 9: How To Make a Scary Face: Try to Look Like the Penguin From Batman

Chapter 10: How To Make a Decorated Military Veteran Look Bad: See What I Did to Colin Powell

Chapter 11: How To Make Your Old Company Millions: Ensure That It Doesn't Have to Bid Against Anyone Else For Government Contracts

Chapter 12: Al Qaeda & Iraq: There's a Link There, I Just Know It, Intelligence Be Damned

Chapter 13: Friends I've Shot In the Face (That You Know Of)

Chapter 14: How to Stay Alive: New Human Heart Each Full Moon

Chapter 15: How to Not Fade Away Gracefully

Letterman-Palin Questions & Answers

Or, alternate title, Thoughts For Food.

Question 1 :

Was Letterman's joke about Palin's daughter (getting knocked up by A-Rod or attracting Elliot Spitzer) in poor taste no matter which daughter it was about?

Answer : Yes

Question 2:

Should A-Rod be pissed about the joke?

Answer: Probably, but he's still recovering from far greater hits to his reputation.

Question 3:

Should Spitzer be pissed about the joke?

Answer: See the answer to question 2, plus, Spitzer's probably just happy people are still talking about him and maybe even thinks he's still relevant.

Question 4 :

Do I believe Letterman meant the joke to be about the elder (18 years old) Palin daughter and not the younger (14 year old) daughter?

Answer : Yes, maybe, probably, I don't know.

Question 5:

Would you be surprised if an underage daughter of Gov. Palin's was pregnant out of wedlock?

Answer: See Bristol Palin

Question 6 :

Has this has helped Letterman's ratings?

Answer : Yes

Question 7:

Does Letterman mind that this has helped his ratings?

Answer : Yes, in that he didn't mean the joke to be about the 14 year old. Maybe. Probably. Kinda.

Question 8:

Did Gov. Sarah Palin put her pregnant (at the time) daughter Bristol, with her boyfriend (what's his name again?), in the public spotlight and thus in the media's cross hairs by parading both of them on and off the stage at the Republican National Convention?

Answer : Yes

Question 9:

As Gov. Palin espouses, does abstinence only sex education work for America's youth?

Answer: See Bristol Palin.

Question 10:

Would President Obama have been elected President, or even won the Democratic nomination for President, if one of his young, underage daughters had been knocked up out of wed-lock?

Answer: See Bristol Palin and her mother, the non-Vice President and still Gov. of Alaska Sarah Palin.

RNC Chairman Steele & GOP Trying Old Tricks

The RNC's chairman, Mr. Steele, rolled out some of the same talking points that McCain tried to use in last year's campaign. He referred to the celebrity of Obama, as well as a talking about "real Americans". Here's some of the speech if you're interested:

Lastly, and this is confusing, the RNC also has pending for a vote a resolution calling on the Democratic Party to rename/rebrand itself the "Democrat Socialist Party". To reiterate, the RNC is taking time and money to consider and vote on a resolution essentially asking the Democrats to change the name of their party. Brilliant. And remember, this is more of the same from last election when they attempted to brand Obama as a socialist.

Some claim or are worried that the Republicans have become the "No" party. Some are worried that all they do is call the Dems names and don't offer any tenable solutions to issues and problems that the nation faces. What is the GOP against, in other words what do they say "no" to? Here's an incomplete list of what many in the GOP are against:

1) gay rights

2) abortion

3) government regulation

4) immigration reform

5) health insurance reform

6) stem cell research

7) environmental law reform

Fewer and fewer people identify with the GOP and what they stand for or against. Maybe the GOP should change their name to the "White Male Christian Republican Party". I'm joking of course. But see, my joke illustrates the GOP's problem because it's exactly that, a joke. I'm making a joke by demanding or suggesting that the GOP change it's name. The GOP's problem is that the RNC is actually taking time and money to seriously consider whether it should "demand" that the Democratic Party change its name. That the GOP would take time and money to consider what amounts to official name calling of the opposing party isn't funny or a joke, it's just sad.

So Sarah Palin Is Writing a Memoir

Gov. Palin (AK) has announced her plans to release her memoir in 2010. I'll let you pick the punchline.

a) It's going to be released in two versions, coloring book or pop-up book.

b) Chapter 2: "How NOT to Teach Abstinence to Your Teen ".

c) Chapter 1: "The Beginning of the Universe, 6,000 Years Ago".

d) Chapter 3: "The Differences and Similarities In Answering Questions in a Beauty Contest Versus a Presidential Campaign (Miss California, I Feel Your Pain)".

e) Chapter 4: "How to Read ALL the Periodicals Released in Alaska".

f) Chapter 6: "A Guide to Shopping on the GOP Credit Card".

g) Chapter 7: "I Hate Katie Couric and Tina Fey".

h) Chapter 9: "How to Tell the Difference Between a Phone Call From the Real President of France and a Prank Call From a Montreal DJ".

i) Palin: "Do you think Ann Coulter will write it for me if I promise to be her best friend?"

j) If there's no ghostwriter an anonymous source says, "If Palin writes it herself all the "chapters" in the memoir are likely going to be more like paragraphs, and by paragraphs I mean more like sentences, and by sentences I mean more like phrases or sentence fragments." The same source reports that without a ghostwriter Sarah Palin has confessed, "It's not going to be so much a memoir, maybe more like a 3-fold-pamphlet. Gosh darn, writing is hard."

Ron Paul Pro Secession, Anti U.S. Entering WWI, Anti Wording of Pledge of Allegiance

Below is a clip of Ron Paul defending the idea of secession and Gov. Perry:

Ron Paul defends secession as American and at least at one time grounded in constitutional principles. I'll disagree with Ron Paul when he says that secessionist talk isn't treasonous. There was a Civil War about it. When we revolted from England the only reason it wasn't considered treason was because we won. But, because the U.S. won the Revolutionary War it was historic and brilliant. Had we lost, it would have been treasonous, at least according to Britain. In other words, history is written by the victors and thankfully the U.S. won both the Revolutionary War and Civil War. Revolting because of lack of representation is one thing. States seceding in defense of the states' right to allow slavery is another. Threatening secession and defending secessionist talk because you disagree with tax policies, tax policies elected officials from each state voted on, is ridiculous. Of course these are just my thoughts on the subject.

Please note however that I may not be alone in my thinking, polling suggests that the vast majority of Texans are not in favor of seceding. The fact that we have polling on the issue is sad. Furthermore, over 60% of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing.

Of course let's put Ron Paul's comments into perspective. Ron Paul gripes about the Pledge of Allegiance's wording regarding the United States being "indivisible", and implies Woodrow Wilson should not have entered World War I.

So lets add Ron Paul to the list of Texas politicians that our great state has supported and given to the nation:

1. Tom Delay

2. Dick Armey

3. Dick Cheney

4. W.

5. Gov. Rick Perry

6. Betty Brown (more on her later)

7. Karl Rove

and now....

8. Ron Paul

Delay Defends Gov. Perry's Incorrect Assertion That Texas Can Leave the Union If It Chooses

First here's Gov. Perry's comments regarding Texas secession at a "Tea Bag" demonstration:

Next is a clip of Delay on Chris Matthews defending Gov. Perry's secessionist comments:

It is sad that this is even a topic of conversation (using the word "conversation" in the loosest way). I only offer the following observations:

1) The bailouts and record spending began under the previous Republican administration yet there was not this outcry and demand that people "tea bag" D.C. or understanding from Republicans regarding some fringe Texans advocating secession from the Union.

2) The hard core Texas secessionists are out there (even though, thankfully, they are a fringe movement) and they are dangerous. Leaders of the movement have been convicted of threatening to kill political leaders.

3) Many understand secessionist talk as code for racism.

4) Questions: Is actively advocating and working towards Texas secession treason? If so, does Perry and Delay's "understanding" of secessionists make them, at the very least, sympathetic towards traitors?

5) Lastly, I sarcastically applaud Gov. Perry and Delay for again making Texas look oh so good when in the national spotlight.

Again, this secessionist talk is so inane that it's troubling the amount of media attention it is receiving. However, these "red herrings" continue to be rolled out, whether promoted by Republicans or Democrats, and distract from the very real problems at hand.

Some recent "red herrings":

1) tea parties

2) tea bag D.C.

3) Obama bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia

4) Steele

5) Limbaugh hopes Obama fails and is leader of conservative movement

6) Levi Johnston calls Palin a liar regarding living with Palin's family before birth of child (really, who cares about this?)

7) Chuck Norris being taken seriously by anyone, including Glenn Beck

I'm sure there are more red herrings. Keep in mind, the above distract from serious issues facing the nation including, but not limited to, two wars, economy losing half a million jobs per month, recession and failing businesses. So, when folks talk about tea parties and secession I wonder why, especially given the gravity of the multiple dilemmas we face.

DICK Armey Is, Well, You Know, A...

Sexist. He's a sexist. What did you think I was going to write? At the very least he made an incredibly sexist remark. What did you think I was going to write?

In the clip below former Representative and Republican majority leader Dick Armey from Texas gives a great demonstration of techniques that some Republicans/conservatives employ when debating a Democrat/liberal on a talking head show:

Dick Armey in this one relatively short clip exhibits all the classic Republican/conservative talking head characteristics. Whether it's Rush, Ann Coulter, Hannity or apparently Dick Armey they all employ some classic, juvenile, disrespectful traits when they have a camera pointed on them and they have to listen to a Democrat/liberal speak. Namely, they will:

1) Smile weirdly or laugh while the other is speaking

2) They will interrupt (numerous times) or make exclamations like, "give me a break!" while the other is speaking.

3) They will generally talk louder or flat out yell down the other speaker.

4) They will refer to themselves in the third person.

5) They will get off issue or topic and attack the other speaker personally or about other issues unrelated to the topic being discussed.

In this case Dick Armey exhibits many of the above traits and ends it by making a sexist remark. Oh, and of course he's from Texas, way to make Texas look good on a national stage. We already gave the nation such notable Republican politicians such as Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and W. Anyway, Dick Armey did a good job of exhibiting the above described Republican/conservative talking-head-show-characteristics.

And the Republicans Wonder Why Minorities Don't Support Them

Or, alternate title, the RNC tries to offend everyone. (cover of the album above)

For a party that claims they're attempting to reach out to minorities they sure have a funny way of showing it. Chip Saltsman, Huckabee's former campaign manager and candidate for the RNC chairpersonship, sent the above "parody" (depends on what you think is funny) music album to RNC members. Here's the track list:

Track Listings
1. Blazing Liberal - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
2. The Justice Brothers - Paul Shanklin,
3. We Hate the USA - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
4. Al Gore's Norwegian Moose Research - Paul Shanklin,
5. Hillary Clinton Dialect System - Paul Shanklin,
6. I Can Talk Like a Cola Miner's Daughter - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
7. Message from Kim Jung II - Paul Shanklin,
8. California Spanking Psa - Paul Shanklin,
9. Stand - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
10. Your Momma's So Fat - Paul Shanklin,
11. Obama - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
12. Hillaryclinton.com - Paul Shanklin,
13. Down on the Farm with al Gore - Paul Shanklin,
14. Ball of Fire - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
15. Paul Shanklin Interview on C-Spam - Paul Shanklin,
16. David Ehrenstein's "Barack the Magic Negro" - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
17. Citizen McCain - Paul Shanklin,
18. John Edward's Poverty Tour - Paul Shanklin,
19. I Am Woman - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
20. Pelosi vs. Sheehan - Paul Shanklin,
21. Obama Apology - Paul Shanklin,
22. Wright Place, Wrong Pastor - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
23. Trent Lott - Paul Shanklin,
24. Osama Audio Translation - Paul Shanklin,
25. Mister Tan Marine Man - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
26. Bank of Amigo - Paul Shanklin,
27. The Party of Love - Paul Shanklin,
28. Love Client #9 - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
29. The Justice Brothers "Duke Lacrosse" - Paul Shanklin,
30. McCain and the Old Gray Lady - Paul Shanklin,
31. If You Don't Know Me by Now - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
32. Where Have All the Conservatives Gone? - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
33. The Justice Brothers "Broadcast Insurance" - Paul Shanklin,
34. U Can't Say That - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
35. Simplify Your Life - Paul Shanklin,
36. I Started a Joke - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
37. Your Momma's Still Fat - Paul Shanklin,
38. 3 A.M. - Paul Shanklin,
39. Ivory and Ebony - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul
40. Dr. Phil - Paul Shanklin,
41. The Star-Spanglish Banner - Paul Shanklin, Shanklin, Paul

It's the RNC members that will determine who the next chairperson of the RNC is. This album, and who sent it to who, has raised the ire of minority groups. Songs such as, "Barack the Magic Negro" and "The Star Spanglish Banner" haven't sat well with certain people. Surprise, surprise.

Two troubling things about what has transpired: 1) A candidate for the RNC chairpersonship would send it and 2) A candidate for the RNC chairpersonship thinks the RNC membership would like this album and help sway votes his way.

Again, for a party supposedly trying to build a more diverse party, they sure have a weird way of showing it. I wonder, how many minority RNC members thought this gift was funny? I also wonder, how many minority RNC members are there?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16876.html

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/rnc-candidate-distributes-controversial-obama-song-2008-12-26.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DUJIKE/ref=s9subs_c1_15_img1-rfc_g1_si1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0549XR9CB2STR1K1V6JX&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383351&pf_rd_i=507846

Nazi Movies Don't Play In The USA On Christmas

Or, alternate title, movies about Nazis are especially bad when the bad guy doesn't die

So, Tom Cruise's big blockbuster, "Valkyrie" is coming out. Tom Cruise's character unsuccessfully attempts to kill Hitler. Doesn't that sound like Christmas fun to you? Yeah, me neither. Here is, in my opinion, why it's going to fail miserably:

1) It's coming out on Christmas

2) It's about Nazis

3) They actually sent Tom Cruise out to promote the movie

4) It's about Nazis

5) The "hero" in the movie works for Nazis

6) It's mostly about Nazis

7) They've advertised like crazy (seriously, we get it, he tried to kill Hitler)

8) We all know that Tom Cruise's character failed to kill Hitler in 1944. Even had his character killed Hitler it would not have been in time to stop the vast majority of the atrocities committed by the third reich. (by the way, whoever the hell that guy was, played by Tom Cruise, do you know his name now? Yeah, maybe you would. But, guess what, he didn't succeed. That's why you don't and won't know his name.)

9) Most folks like to go to movies with friends, family and children. People go to movies on Christmas for fun and the last thing you'd go to see is a movie about a failed plot to kill Hitler, unless you're a weirdo.

10) Oh, by the way did I mention it's about Nazis and Nazi Germany

Those are the reasons I think the movie is not going to do well. Let me know if you choose to go see it on Christmas day. Happy Holidays.

Conservative Leader Blames "Moderates" For Loss

Or alternate title, would Reagan recognize this GOP?

Bizarrely, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and religious conservative Republican blamed the presidential and congressional losses on moderates.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/07/conservatives.election/index.html

Wow. This Republican is blaming moderates for not getting on board with social conservatives' agenda and wants to move the GOP farther right. Wow again.

Yes, some states passed amendments to ban same-sex marriage, or made English its official language or tried to ban affirmative action. Those types of issues are what Perkins is clinging to. Those issues work great for the GOP in state and local elections sometimes. And they help the GOP nationally when we're at peace and the economy is booming but not so much now or any time in the near future given our economic outlook and the fact that we're fighting two wars. The days of those "social" issues dominating the political landscape may be gone. The economy, taxes, foreign affairs, the issues that used to dominate elections, holds sway now.

For example, let's look at two of the religious conservative Republican's (I call them Pat Roberston Republicans, PRR's, as opposed to Barry Goldwater Republicans, BGR's) favorite red herrings in election years that they use to rally the base and scare the electorate generally, namely abortion and immigration. (see this blog post #22 for more on PRR's) Case in point, from 2000-2006 the GOP controlled the White House, and the Congress and arguably had a 5-4 majority in the Supreme Court but couldn't overturn Roe v. Wade. Furthermore, the GOP arguably doesn't try very hard to address the red herring issues they campaign about. How many test cases did the GOP get in front of the Supreme Court from 2000-2006 to try to overturn Roe v. Wade? They scare folks about immigration, but again from 2000-2006 didn't pass anything to punish employers that employ illegal immigrants, instead they talked about building a fence. A fence along the entire USA/Mexican border! And most of the Republicans, especially the PRR's, eat up these red herring campaign issues hook, line and sinker!

The fact of the matter is that McCain did pander to the GOP base, scaring them as best he could, at the expense of moderates, moderates that can be described as Reagan Democrats or Clinton Republicans. Moderates that don't see combating immigrants, abortion rights, gay rights, affirmative action, stem cell research ect., as the most important of the fights out there. I guess Perkins is frustrated that moderates weren't as easily scared as they were in 2004 by the bogeymen of a terrorist attack, the destruction of marriage, immigrants flooding across the boarder, ect, if a Democrat was elected. (Quick aside: does the state allowing same sex marriage mean that your individual church or faith has to allow it? No. Does it mean you have to attend every same sex wedding? No. Is the difference between a "civil union" and "marriage" semantics regarding a state providing a license for it? Yes.)

Perkins claims that he is attempting to go back to a Reagan-esque GOP. Really? Reagan advocated and passed the decriminalization of marijuana in California as governor. As president Reagan advocated and got passed the Earned Income Tax Credit for the poorest in our nation and amnesty to illegal immigrants in the USA who met certain criteria. I don't think Perkins really knows what Reagan stood for when it came to social issues. Reagan was arguably the most progressive on social issues of any president since LBJ, remember Clinton cut back on welfare when he "reformed" it. Reagan was actually consistent in advocating smaller government on economic issues as well as social issues. Reagan also balanced socially progressive stances by being a hawk.

So Perkins' solution to the GOP's poor performance in not only the presidential election but in congressional elections the last two cycles is to move farther to the right on social issues. Good luck with that. Dems, I'm sure, are quietly hoping the GOP follows Perkins' plan.

Sidenotes:

McCain versus Palin - McCain aides say that Palin, 1) didn't know what countries were parties to NAFTA, 2) didn't know Africa was a continent and not a country, 3) resisted coaching before the Couric interview.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-palin6-2008nov06,0,5597211.story

Palin wanted to address the crowd before McCain's concession speech, McCain aides said no.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/07/mccain.palin/index.html

A Terrible Campaign (for McCain)

Or, alternate title: Post Mortem

In 2000 I thought McCain was going to win the Republican nomination after New Hampshire. Then, McCain fell victim to Rove's, "dark arts," tactics (see this blog, post # 8) and lost the 2000 nomination to W. In 2008 he won the nomination and was leading in the polls immediately after his convention. But, after the economic crisis hit McCain and his camp never had an overall theme to his campaign or consistent talking points. Whereas, Senator Obama had his theme down, namely, "Change" and talking points such as "middle class tax cuts," "McCain equals Bush," "McCain is out of touch".

Why McCain lost can be summed up with the below talking points/attacks/missteps by McCain, Palin and Republicans generally, in no particular order. Keep in mind that all of these points/attacks/missteps were made after the Republican convention.

1)elite(s)

2) Ayers

3) Joe six-pack

4) Joe the Plumber

5) liberal

6) socialist

7) communist

8) inexperienced

9) we're for change

10) Bridge to Nowhere

11) Alaska Independence Party

12) reform

13) pork barrel spending

14) Barack Hussein Obama

15) country first

16) un-American

17) real America

18) Khalidi

19) national security

20) for the bailout

21) McCain got the first version of the bailout passed

22) the first version of the bailout is voted down

23) the bailout was a bad idea

24) maverick

25) fundamentals of the economy are strong

26) suspend the campaign

27) postpone the debate

28) economy in crisis

29) Obama will raise taxes

30) how many houses does McCain own

31) Palin/Couric interview

32) Gibson interview

33) Palin's clothes

34) the prank call

35) "that one"

36) air quotes regarding a mother's health

37) Reverend Wright

38) "my fellow prisoners"

40) at a rally McCain asks Joe the Plumber to stand up, Joe's not there

41) Palin is a "diva" (from a source in the McCain campaign)

42) Palin is a "whack job" (from a source in the McCain campaign)

43) Palin is going rouge

44) Palin 2012

45) Palin

46) Cheney endorsement the weekend before the election

That's alot. There are more but, that's all I could think of off the top of my head, please, let me know if you think of any others. A campaign cannot win with even a handful of the above much less all of them. Obama could essentially sit back and let McCain's campaign implode, each day was seemingly a different talking point/attack/misstep resulting in a disjointed, muddled and rudderless campaign.

Oh, and by the way, Obama ran an almost gaffe-less campaign after the Dem convention (with two big expceptions, Obama "spreading the wealth" and Biden's assurance of an "international crisis" to test Obama's mettle). And the economy (stupid) hurt McCain (especially the way he handled it) and helped Obama.

Sidenotes: Why didn't McCain learn from Hillary

How Hillary Clinton lost:

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1738331,00.html

And McCain didn't learn from Hillary

What if McCain had hit hard on Wright?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15191.html

McCain's pastors would have been talked about:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/22/mccain-rejects-hagee-endo_n_103143.html