Politics
pharyngula | October 6, 2008The infamous anti-gay legislator from Oklahoma, Sally Kern, was interviewed by the Oklahoma Daily. The story has some fine bon mots, like her definition of evolution:
Kern defined evolution to me as "the process of wanting to create something or have something be perfect. Get rid of that which is not healthy and strong."
That's a very common creationist misconception: they can't imagine a natural process that doesn't have wants, that is lacking that teleological impulse.
The writer sent me the outtakes from the interview. If you want more Kern uncut and uncensored, look below the fold.
She…
gregladen | October 5, 2008An article in the October 2nd Economist asks professoinal economists what they think about McCain vs. Obama.
AS THE financial crisis pushes the economy back to the top of voters' concerns, Barack Obama is starting to open up a clear lead over John McCain in the opinion polls. But among those who study economics for a living, Mr Obama's lead is much more commanding. A survey of academic economists by The Economist finds the majority--at times by overwhelming margins--believe Mr Obama has the superior economic plan, a firmer grasp of economics and will appoint better economic advisers.
Our…
razib | October 5, 2008Since I flog the book Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do incessantly, I thought I should point to the companion weblog. Why do I bring this book up so much? Well, I think the posts will tell you why. For example, look at this map which shows where the rich voted more than 50% Kerry. Or this post which illustrates the fact that religion polarizes the elite much more than the lower classes. Of course, Andrew Gelman is not a god, but the quantitative and relatively explicit methods he uses means that critiques, extensions or refutations are much…
illconsidered | October 5, 2008[UPDATE: turns out this one was actually too funny to be real...oh well, I can't tell reality from satire since McCain put Palin on his ticket, his soulmate and all that...apologies and how embarassing and all that.]
If too funny to be real, or too real to be funny is what you find yourself wondering about this whole Palin for VP thing, then you have got to read this. It is Todd Palin live blogging the debate (or as much as he could watch before being so bored he starts channel surfing!) and it includes gems like this:
9:30 - OK, got a little lost there. I think that energy independence is…
gregladen | October 5, 2008Candidate Al Franken, incumbant Senator Norm Coleman, and that other guy had their first (and only?) debate today, and from what I hear, Franken mopped the floor with Coleman (and that other guy).
I don't have any video of the debate, so here's an Al Franken ad instead:
laelaps | October 5, 2008Truth is indeed stranger than fiction;
If I didn't know any better, I would have said that was Tina Fey doing an impersonation. That's sadly not the case. As reported in the Huffington Post, the quote was actually "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women," (emphasis mine) and here's what Madeleine Albright had to say about Palin's misquote;
Though I am flattered that Governor Palin has chosen to cite me as a source of wisdom, what I said had nothing to do with politics. This is yet another example of McCain and Palin distorting the truth, and all the more…
clock | October 5, 2008Are you registered? Do you know where to vote? You can find information and register (if you are not) here (this is an Obama site, but it works for everyone):
Can I vote early in person?
One-Stop Early Voting in North Carolina starts on Thursday, October 16 and lasts until Saturday, November 1. Find your Early Vote location.
You can register and vote at the same time during One-Stop Early Voting. You cannot register to vote on election day, November 4.
Where do I go on November 4?
Soon you will be able to enter your address and find the polling location that's closest to you.
We can let you…
gregladen | October 5, 2008Here, in part, is Sarah Palin on SNL:
Palin banning books:
Ever notice how Sarah Palin an Dick Cheney have a LOT of similarities? Gun love, power hungry, and that crooked mouth thing?
clock | October 5, 2008...current politicians and events can be found here. Unfortunately, I cannot whet your appetite by posting one of the pictures here as:
All images copyright Zina Saunders - do not use without permission
clock | October 5, 2008....as Real Life is just as crazy. There is not that much difference between the Thursday's debate and the SNL sketch, is there?
gregladen | October 5, 2008In the Gallup Tracking Poll for the US election, Obama leads McCain for the ninth straight day, and for the seventeenth out of the last nineteenth pollings. We will have to see if the absurd new tactics being attempted by Palin and her running mate McCain will have an effect on this one way or another.
The current Real Clear Politics estimate has Obama/Biden with 49 percent of the electoral college votes, to Bush/McCain's 30%, with 21% in the 'tossup category." If we look only at the 'solid' electoral votes ... the ones that no one expects to change ... it is Obama with 42% and McCain…
gregladen | October 5, 2008Just in case one might think I was exaggerating in my comment that McCain/Palin are playing the "terrorist" card quite explicitly, have a look at the BBC headlines:
gregladen | October 5, 2008News as surfaced linking an influential Minnesota congresswoman to crime that is a least semi-organized.
This is not exclusive to Minnesota, but I am frequently annoyed at how the average Minnesotan is aghast that anything like this ever happens here. Bottom Line: A person now linked in a federal investigation to illegal activities paid a huge amount to the Michele Bachmann campaign and soon after Bachmann signed on to supporting a pardon for a previously convicted relative of the accused felon who was already in prison. To the average person who does not live in Minnesota the details are…
gregladen | October 5, 2008McCain/Palin have as of yesterday adopted a new strategy for winning the election. They are now openly and explicitly accusing Barack Obama of being a terrorist. I am not making this up. McCain/Palin are making reference to a fund raiser early in Obama's campaign organized by a former 1960s era radical and calling this "bad judgment" by McCain. Obviously, they have the causal arrow backwards. Obviously, if this was really important (terroristic associations ... links to an organization that tried to blow up the Pentagon, as Palin points out) why would it have come up only after McCain/…
gregladen | October 5, 2008Speaking in Tongues, A Campaign for Jesus, The Third Wave and so on and so forth.
Please remember that this is the woman who, when asked if Dick Cheney's power grab as vice president was OK, replied 'yes, and I'd like to do even more'....