Outfoxing Murdoch

So Rupert Murdoch is hip to what a phenomena Obama is, so much so that he recently predicted a landslide victory in November for the Illinois Senator. Huffington Post linked to a very enjoyable post over at 23/6 where they mock up some Fox Noise treatment for Rupert's remarks. Check it out here.

Here's my favorite of their mockups:



Cheers

Assassination Talk

I'm late to the game in writing anything about this, and hopefully it's a bizarre group of episodes that will be past and forgotten before long. Still, it seems impossible to ignore the numerous instances lately where the idea of assassination has been discussed in relationship to the Democratic primaries. It's unlikely anyone has missed Hillary's now repeated mentions of Robert Kennedy (the various instances where she has dropped this tidbit are chronicled well in the video of Keith Olbermann's Special comment available on Huffington Post), but I for one missed for a few days the fact that a Fox News commentator joked and chuckled about the idea of Obama being "knocked off" (she did later offer an apology). Yesterday when I uncovered this ugly piece of cable news, I'll admit I was so enraged... outraged... saddened that I couldn't even figure out what to say about it.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a young person and have a relatively brief experience in being politically informed and engaged. I was not alive during the bleak stretch of American history where numerous leaders who stood ready to speak out on behalf of the poor and the downtrodden (Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy) were cut down in cold blood, preventing them from living out a full life and continuing to advocate for deeper equality and justice. As someone who works in the arena of fighting poverty I take personally the ethical charge to help those less fortunate.

I truly believe that focusing on issues that help people build stronger futures for themselves, their families, their children (education, increasing access to affordable healthcare, help to our elderly) are the types of issues that are build a stronger nation. Here, in a year where a candidate of relatively unique ethnic background also speaks so clearly to these types of issues and to aspiration for a better future I think we should all speak out in outrage against those who would raise the prospect of assassination interfering as it has in the past. The notion is bleak at best, nauseating really, and while I agree that preparing to prevent such an outcome is wise, tossing the prospect around lightly is grotesque.

It is naive to ignore what has happened in the past when applicable to our current situation, but I would raise the challenge that the past gives us two possibilities:

1. We can treat the past as a script, believing that those who have tried and failed simply show how efforts for progress are inevitably doomed. Cynically we can accept that efforts for good are going to be derailed by corruption, violence, or other means and we can prepare ourselves by deciding in advance that there is no chance for progress.
2. Or... We can learn from what we have seen. We can take up the challenge of being a creative people who engage our own problems head-on with the innovation and energy needed to build something different. Without denying that bad things can happen and certainly will at times, knowing the world is not simple, and being unafraid of the fact that there will be bumps in the road. We can set out towards a bright future taking the unity and strength we've seen growing this spring all across America as a sign of what might be if we are daring enough to believe.

For whatever reason the Clinton camp has decided that the last best way they can argue for their continued existence in the race is to raise all the prospects of what might go wrong if they leave (or are not chosen... even though it becomes clearer every day that the nation's Democrats already chose quite clearly). All the assassination talk is, to me, the most bleak development in this slowly unraveling string of rhetoric, and it deserves all of our resounding rejection. Fear is not the way to our brighter future.

Hillz The Early Years

Today is the day for me to mimic Wonkette, apparently. Caught this enjoyable video over there... it includes a bizarro cameo by once big star Jerry O'Connell.



I really enjoy the voice-over they use when the text "Young Hillary Clinton" comes on screen.

McCain Secures Oatmeal Nation (Wilford Brimley Throws Down the Gauntlet)

Wow, we've been light on posts here for the past week. I was home in Philadelphia for Memorial Day, saw some fam and friends... wonderful. Before that came a busy week of work. Still, the world keeps turning, and here on my birthday, the world has offered up a sign that time keeps moving on. No, it's not the length of Wilford Brimley's mustache... impressive as always. It's this:

While the Democrats refuse to end their silly bickering, John McCain has secured the most important endorsement in all of politics: the Quaker Oats Guy Himself, Wilford F-ing Brimley. I don't know where the mainstream media is on this one, but as usual Wonkette keeps us up to speed on the latest breaking news 10,000 times better than CNN with all their "magical maps" and Wolf Blitzing.

I'd guess any day now Obama and Clinton will hold a joint press conference to reveal that in light of Brimley's endorsement the Democrats are packing it in and heading to Howard Dean's secret underground bunker to plan ahead for 2012.

Running Around (the joy of it!)

Does anyone else have those times where you realize it's nice to use your body, to push it and to feel that tightness in your chest just after? Perhaps my vagary here will be mistaken for a description of some other thing from what I intend, so let me be clear:

Tonight I was back out on the softball field (a two-nights-a-week habit for me this summer) and between playing outfield for the first time in a game this season, and legging out some hits I really chugged around the field tonight. A teammate was nice enough to suggest I ought to be called, "rabbit" in the future. Still, speed aside, what really made me take notice were the moments where I really felt the fact that I had just been sprinting. Tightness in my chest, muscles truly awake and alert, cool night air rushing in my nose... fine examples of feeling alive may very well be out there, but for today I'll say that one takes the cake.

A few hours later there is very reasonable soreness, and the certainty that I'll be sleeping well tonight.

Summer, I'm so glad you're coming back to us. Stick around for awhile, wadda ya say?

Heading West to (Oregon and) Kentucky

Today is yet another chance for the Democrats to run head-long into one another, give some speeches and call it a day. Still, with the rally of 75,000 in Portland this weekend and the continued flood of Super Delegates to Obama, the air of inevitability seems to have shifted to a comfortable sense of acceptance. The Democrats have a nominee, and they have one last candidate who isn't ready to call it quits. That's fine. The Onion's got a great little piece on a possible new tactic for Hillary.



Continuing some of the way-back machine action from the past few posts, above is a clip from an interview between Daniel Day-Lewis and Bryant Gumbel circa 1992. The Last of the Mohicans had just come out, and the clip shows one of my favorite bits of dialog, when Day-Lewis's character talks about how he'll get to Kentucky.

ok... I can't have Bryant Gumbel in a post without some reference to, "white people love Wayne Brady because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcom X." It had to be done.

Bill O'Boogie

I think there are few people who regularly haunt the internets who haven't yet seen the vintage clip of Bill O'Reilly freaking out on the set of Inside Edition back when he had hair (or this goofy response to the situation). Earlier in the week I heard a pretty brilliant remix of the sound clip from the video... then I stopped by Purple State this weekend and they had posted the following amazing video version of said remix!

BRILLIANT!!!



Because if you're not outside this beautiful weekend, at least you should have something hilarious to keep you company. And with that, I'm going to go get some fresh air!

Posting on a blog

I have now posted! I have neat things to tell you! But I must go to a flea market, so neat things will wait. A tid-bit:

100 miles on a liter of water! Fact? Fiction? Dream-turned-reality?

Stay tuned for more!

Remember When?

For whatever reason I'm having a way back evening. I just found out that Weezer is releasing a new album this summer... that had me thinking back to high school days listening to Buddy Holly, Surf Wax America and other fine tunes off their first album. Then for whatever reason I ended up going back and watching Jon Stewart on Crossfire from 2004, and WOW, I've got to say, that clip really doesn't get old.




Take your pick, honestly... I'm not sure what piece I love more. Is it when Jon Stewart mocksTucker Carlson's bow ties? When he tells him he's as much of a dick on his show as he is on any show? I thought this was one of the most brave, inspiring and remarkable moments in television back when it happened, and it still is damn cool today.

Anyway, heading into the weekend, if you're fishing around for other interesting stuff to read or check out, I found this:

• A post from Chris Cillizza over at the Washington Post discussing the 10 senate races that might end up with Democrats winning new seats this fall. With all the talk about the presidential election this year, these past few weeks have had people talking about the House and Senate. This piece gives some food for thought on that front.
• Jason Werth of the Phillies homered in his first three at-bats of tonight's game against the Blue Jays. Nice week for the Phils this week.
• And here I thought refusing nuns in their 90's the right to vote because they didn't have a photo ID was bad... in Amsterdam the Dutch are considering making it, "an offence to use the services of a sex operator without a licence or a non-registered independent prostitute"
  

Terry McAuliffe, One Craaaaaaaaaaazy Dude

This has been up at Talking Points Memo for a few days, and I just finally got around to watching it today. I'm going to admit, I never quite realized what a nut Terry McAuliffe is, but this little treasury of video clips certainly is a fun little intro if you, like me, haven't fully appreciated his zany antics. Once you watch it, let me know if you agree that America can likely completely eliminate our dependence on foreign oil if we figure out how to harness the energy stored in Terry McAuliffe. Patent pending on that brilliant idea, so don't go trying to steal it.

Here's the video:




If nothing else, be sure to catch the voice crack at 1:52!

"I don't know how ironic it would be,but..."

I heard about this a couple of days ago, but haven't gotten a chance to post until now. Seems that in Oregon, Obama was asked whether it would be ironic if he won the nomination by winning the state. Amazingly, he actually pointed out, in a nice way, that it would not be ironic. It's refreshing to see a candidate who actually uses words to mean things. Rather a nice contrast with McCain, who tends to use words loosely, even when they refer to terrorist organizations...

Biden for VP

Busy week here... wish I was posting more. Meanwhile, interesting stuff keeps happening in the world. For example, today George Bush celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Israeli state by giving a blatantly partisan speech overseas comparing Obama to Nazi sympathizers. Nice move Georgie. Best response so far?

"This is bullsh**t. This is malarkey. This is outrageous. Outrageous for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, sit in the Knesset…and make this kind of ridiculous statement" - Joe Biden

h/t Americablog.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for entertainment, Purple State does it again this week with a week of Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard and otherwise) themed Daily Diversions. My favorite so far is here.

While you're there, Purple State also has some great coverage the fallout from the NARAL and Edwards endorsements, and a post with clips of former undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith appearing on Daily Show, both things I found incredibly interesting and worth a little of your time.