Politics
terrasig | September 6, 2008If you ever have been so bored as to scroll down the blogroll on the sidebar to the left, you'll see a category of links for "Other Stuff I Care About." The Southern Law Poverty Center (SPLCenter) is amongst that stuff and the renewal form sitting beside me here at the home office tells me I've been a member since 1999.
The SPLCenter is a fabulous organization in Montgomery, Alabama, that was founded in 1971 by the civil rights attorneys, Morris Dees and Joe Levin. Their original mission was to fight racist, Neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic hate groups through litigation that caused the…
clock | September 5, 2008We know that the GOP has been incapable of and uninterested in governing for about half a century now. We know they have run on personality, not issues since at least 1980, since they have no issues that are palatable to the public.
But they used to be fantastic at campaigning and parades and symbolism and organization, unmatched even by famous shows put up by Mao and Kim Il Sung when they celebrated arrival of important guests or national holidays. What happened?
How did they manage to get upstaged and outshined by Democrats? They could not hide their hall was half-empty. They could not…
clock | September 5, 2008Wikipedia:
Maverick steadfastly refused to brand his cattle. As a result, the word maverick entered the English lexicon, meaning both an unbranded range animal as well as a slang term for someone who exhibits a streak of stubborn independence.
gregladen | September 5, 2008You asked for it, here it is. It gets especially good at 2 minutes and beyond, but it is all good.
gregladen | September 5, 2008Final notes on the election
This is it. This is the last time I'm talking about the election. I'm quite worn out and the Republican National Convention was the last straw. I am still feeling nauseated from it. So other than a few comments below, this is the LAST political commentary you will see on this blog. Ever. Back to science only.
Unless something interesting or important happens, of course.
I do want to point out a few posts that I think are worth looking at for a perspective on current issues. The first is Pharyngula's version of a recent John Stewart bit explaining how…
illconsidered | September 5, 2008As if this and this weren't enough, below we have McCain himself applying the "Palin lives near Russia" litmus test for foreign policy experience.
Around minute 2:30:
GIBSON: Can you honestly say you feel confident having someone who hasn't traveled outside the United States until last year, dealing with an insurgent Russia, with an Iran with nuclear ambitions, with an unstable Pakistan, not to mention the war on terror?
MCCAIN: Sure. And one of the key elements of America's national security requirements are energy. She understands the energy issues better than anybody I know in Washington…
clock | September 5, 2008It worked so well for them:
The cash keeps flowing in to the Obama campaign in the wake of Sarah Palin's speech, suggesting that whatever effect she's had on the GOP base has been duplicated on the Democratic side.
Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor confirms that the campaign has now pulled in over $10 million since her speech -- a "one day record," Vietor says.
"I hope she gives a speech every day," Vietor joked.
Separately, the RNC reportedly raised $1 million after the speech.
You know Obama was not my man in the primaries. I really made my decision to vote for him instead of Clinton on the…
clock | September 5, 2008Compare this....
....to this:
Now go back to all of these Compare&Contrast videos. I have paired them, IMHO, in a reasonable way. But what I did is not watch them, but LISTEN to them instead. So, if you have time and inclination, do the same: start the video and minimize the page and listen instead of watching.
When watching, a lot of things are distractions and everyone looks better. But when I just listened, the Republicans sounded much weaker. McCain's voice is shaky and betrays his age. Palin sounded like one of those 'mean girls' in high school running for class president…
oracknows | September 4, 2008As usual, when Jon Stewart nails it:
My goodness! Two political posts in a row. I'd better watch myself, or I'll become one of those dime-a-dozen political bloggers that I complain about. Not that I count this, given that it's just a Daily Show video clip. Still, it's so spot-on that I couldn't resist. Don't worry. Tomorrow it's back to medicine, surgery, and science.
For the most part.
clock | September 4, 2008From the Science Communication Consortium:
"Ten Lessons from the Political Psychology"
A talk by John Jost
The Center for Science Writings
Stevens Institute of Technology
October 29, 4:00pm, Babbio Center Room 122
Jost is an authority on the "cognitive and motivational differences between liberals and conservatives," the "social and psychological consequences of supporting the status quo, especially the members of disadvantaged groups", and other topics relevant to the upcoming election.
I wish I could go to this....I have previously mentioned one of his interesting papers - The Secret…
clock | September 4, 2008...you cannot believe the people in the audience actually exist, well, yes, they do, they are real, and they are uber-extreme:
This is the audience for all those nasty speeches. That is a Minute of Hate, prolonged to four days.
clock | September 4, 2008Compare this:
....to this:
P.S. With all of these compare&contrast posts, I'd like you to also monitor your own emotional reactions to the speeches, as that is how most of the voters will watch them and thus make their decisions.
pharyngula | September 4, 2008Cindy McCain is not running for high office, fortunately…but this still seems to be the predominant attitude among the Republican leadership.
Couric: How do you feel about creationism? Do you think it should be taught in schools?
McCain: I think both sides should be taught in schools. I think the more children have a frame of reference and an opportunity to read and know and make better decisions and judgments when they are adults. So, I think you know I don't have any problem with education of any kind.
What about miseducation, Ms McCain? Do you have a problem with that? Apparently not…
jrosenhouse | September 4, 2008Anyone surprised by how the Republican Convention is going?
The McCain campaign to this point has been nearly one hundred percent negative, and the convention has continued that trend. There are several reasons for this. One is simply that they have nothing to run on, having made a hash of everything they have touched for the last eight years. But the main reason is that mindless venom is something that comes naturally to the leaders, strategists and pundits in the Republican Party.
It has become a cliche of modern political life that Republicans “play the game” so much better than…