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Death by a Thousand Cuts - My Feingold Endorsement
Alright, I call uncle, Obama won - he can do what he wants.
His VP selection committee - Jim Johnson, Eric Holder and Caroline (Change?) Kennedy - a 3-fer - brings up Fannie Mae, Marc Rich, the Weather Underground and the Kennedy's all in one go. I'm in pain.
Patti Solis-Doyle to be Obama's VP's Chief of Staff whenever he selects one - okay, I tried to explain it away, but yes, I get it - after misplacing $25 million intended to use after Iowa and getting fired from H's campaign, who's the one person least likely to be on Hillary's VP house warming committee. Ouch! Good thing she was planning on curling her hair and reading a good book that evening.
Then there's Stephanie Cutter, former comm director for Ted Kennedy and campaign spokesman for John "Swift Boated" Kerry - now to be Michelle's chief of staff. Why not Sandra Bullock in the excruciating "Speed 2: Cruise Control"?
Followed by Obama's appearing at AIPAC (tough-on-Iran statement) and statement on FISA (appearing weak on immunity). Yeah, I know, first priority in politics is to get elected, then we'll say we're sorry. Sure. Think we can get the burnt rubber marks washed out of the pavement?
Now for the rest of the month of the June and early July will be the continual speculation of who's still on Obama's shortlist after outright rejection (Warner, Strickland), scandal (Dodd), basic acceptance of reality (Nunn, Richardson), don't you even dare (Sebelius, Webb). Hearing Hagel today saying he'd accept the Democratic Veep slot if offered gives me the heebie-jeebies - who let this guy get his hopes up enough to release such a statement? Don't you know encouraging people with no chance in hell brings resentment later? And why is Colin Powell hanging around outside the door?
So here's my post-FISA sellout endorsement: Russ Feingold. The guy who tried to censure Bush for FISA violations four years ago and voted against the PATRIOT act. A guy who's continually pushed finance reform and ethics, even while pointedly making life difficult for himself. And young enough to be a successor in 2016. Okay, he's Jewish and twice divorced, might make that racist white vote a bit harder to manage, but he's from Wisconsin, not New York, and has promoted some distinctively Midwestern values and defended some pretty principled unpopular positions.
Okay, never mind, I shouldn't even be asking. Please, just choose already and put me out of my misery. All my bases are belong to you.
Comments (95)
I left out the reverse on public financing and probably other relevant events. Really, I'm in overload, too tired to even research. Have it.
June 22, 2008 6:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh shit, I forgot the reason that got me writing in the first place. "Vero possumus". Oh my Saints, he put Latin on his seal. How Adlai Stevenson of him. That's sure to endear him with hunters who think it's Spanish for "In Possums We Trust", and probably reaching out to Dan Quayle who thinks Latin is what they speak in Latin America. I don't know, I simply don't know. Maybe he did a Microtrends survey and discovered a Latin resurgence. Maybe his troops were reading my Satanic exorcism bloggings from the Latin Vulgate when I was possessed a few months ago - my 20 seconds of ecclesiastic fame? Maybe I should dust off my Gutenberg printing press in the hopes that America has gone oh so retro, "change you can imprint in movable hand-set Gothic block type" - think Hillary's writers might find a job coming up with catchy slogans like this for his campaign?
Then there was the united Jerusalem bit, and now I notice that the Solis-Doyle and Cutter appointments were to make up for Obama's campaign being a bit too male-heavy at the top (what happened to all those third-generation feminists?) Somehow having 2 of 3 appointees be controversial isn't the slickest way to heal that divide, but what do I know. He's the Boss now.
June 22, 2008 8:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
OMG, you made me laugh, Des.
Add another female spoil of war: Madeleine Albright.
June 22, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's certainly not making it easy for those with doubts about him to move in that direction. From the trivial, the silly "presidential seal," who in his campaign thought that was a good idea. To the sublime, his cave on FISA, and numerous issues in between. Its been nothing but blunders since Hillary conceded.
Usually I don't think much about the vp selection since it tends not to matter much unless the choice has some baggage that comes out after the selection. But I have a feeling this year will be different. So many are on the fence this year. Neither Obama or McCain has sold himself very well to swing voters. Who they pick as running mate could have a large effect on which way these swing voters move.
June 22, 2008 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't get me goin on' that seal.
Ark! Ark! Whap.
June 22, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do we get a Shuttle joke as well?
June 23, 2008 1:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why do you persist in posting under multiple identities?
June 22, 2008 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
We are conflicted. Got a problem with that?
June 22, 2008 6:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is that bridge really you? Never met a person who was a bridge. I wonder where it goes and what does it mean? Heck, I'm just a feller and this here person is a bridge. Must be some kind of mythic thing, a person that believes that a journey across a bridge is some kind of quest. Tell me, Mr. Bridge, am I reading too much into the form you allow mortals to see?
June 22, 2008 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thats the Vero Possumus bridge. In San Francisco, I believe.
It's nice. You can look down and see the seal's on the rocks.
June 22, 2008 10:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right where you dropped them, I presume?
June 23, 2008 2:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
That'd be an insane waste.
June 23, 2008 2:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Speaking of Latin in Latin America, Des. My mother used to always get asked where she was from? And she'd reply, "Nicaragua" and then very often, she get " And where in Puerto Rico is that?" Sorry for digressing.
Back to topic VP
So far no one is really screaming out. Best I can do is eliminate and then see who's left.
Nunn-- NO
Richardson- No
Webb- I dunno
Dodd- Not really
Edwards- Not really
Clark- Still under consideration
Sibelius- perhaps
Biden- I just like the guy. Mr. Foreign Policy.
Hagel-- Intriguing possibility?
Oh I've got it!
Tom Hanks- YES, YES, YES!
June 22, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
No way Hanks would be worse than Reagan... if nothing else, he's A-list.
June 22, 2008 5:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
So NO to Hanks. Well, how about Martin Sheen, he's held the office before? Oh I got it, how about my man, Morgan Freeman. No, that would just be too much of a good thing. The nation couldn't deal.
Feingold's looking really good.
What to you think, Genius of the Code?
June 22, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm no genius.
I still think it would be great if Obama picked a woman VP (as long as it's not Hillary). I admit I don't know who that should be.
Clark might work, he was the NATO chief for a while so he's probably more of an administrator than a warrior anyway (good thing for a VP).
Feingold is a brilliant man, but he may be more influential in the Senate.
Gore would definitely be the veep of experience (VP XP) but I don't think he's interested.
June 22, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clark might work. Brains hafta count. Plus, he's not afraid. So what if he can't campaign, or turn the handle ion the rhetoric machine? Wes might do.
June 22, 2008 10:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Feingold is the man. Why don't you like Edwards?
June 23, 2008 12:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Tom Hanks is out - Joe vs. The Volcano
June 23, 2008 2:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wisconsin has a real dichotomy in its two senators. One, Herb Kohl, achieved his senatorship the old fashioned way: he bought it. He's the megarich founder of Kohl's department stores and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. Kohl doesn't even show up in the newspapers here, he is so low key and under the radar. My sense is that he enjoys being a member of an exclusive club, the US Senate. All the rest of the Senate duties is just busy work.
Feingold came out of nowhere to win election. He traveled the state extensively, using a series of clever TV ads to introduce himself. His net worth is not much more than us average Workin' Joes.
I've had the opportunity to attend two of Feingold's county meetings. (He holds a open forum in every Wisconsin county each year.) He's well spoken, polite, humorous. He certainly is not afraid to take a stand. His actions, such has his lone vote against the "Patriot" Act make him appear to be some wild dissenter, but if you actually listen to his reasoning, he's very grounded and commonsensical.
I'd like to see Feingold replace Reid as Majority Leader. Feingold has worked cross-aisle and he's got much more spine than the milquetoast Reid. The VP slot would be good if Feingold had any prez ambitions in 2016. I'll tell you one thing: Feingold would be a great president.
June 22, 2008 7:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Joe McCast is with you on this one.
June 22, 2008 8:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, Joe Cast. I've got you know how on the brain.
June 22, 2008 8:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
He's baaaaaaaaaaack! How could I stay away from this thread?
June 24, 2008 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like Feingold, and would be happy to see him serve as VP. As candidate, however, I would worry he is more credibly the "most liberal in the Senate" than Obama, which might make a McCain win in the fall more likely. Obama is likely to make a "safer" choice.
The VP choice doesn't make that much difference, though, and I'd be surprised if picking Feingold proved the difference between the Democrats winning the White House or not. H.W. beat Dukakis despite picking Dan Quayle, and arguably the most famous VP debate putdown ever, which I see as evidence that the VP choice makes almost no difference in the outcome.
June 22, 2008 8:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed, Feingold♥ would certainly scrub those skidmarks in my eyes.☺
June 22, 2008 9:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, you have skidmarks in your eyes? That must hurt.
June 22, 2008 10:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
married the Bee Thing, but doesn't like beer.
June 22, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Scar tissue that I wiash you saw
Saracstic Mr. know-it-all.
I have been married for 22 years. I lived with him 5 years before I married him.
I haven't lived with him for the past two years. His name is Chris, he doesn't post here.
Just stay away from me.Thanks.
June 22, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
bee thing
I'm very happy to stay away. but it's you that calls me out, often.
So I'm gone if you stop all the "he's blue" etc.
agreed?
June 22, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think I've ever speculated about anyone you loved. That's a level of crap-speak you tend to wallow in.
I think people should know they're talking to a psude. Then again, you're so inept and obvious, I probably don't need to.
June 22, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
this is exactly the kind of thing you do...
what's the point?
it's a friggin blog with pictures
you don't want to get off it--that's clear
June 22, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's people like you who believe that and come to role play and play with peoples' heads who insure that a site like this, which attemtps to be a a place for grownups like Rush Holt or Thomas Frank to come to find a grownup audience, will fail like many others have.
The socializing that naturally occurs on a site like this does so in attempts to make things civil. You take that good intent and encourage developing it into sick role playing and personal relationship games. I don't care how sophisticated it is, it sucks and is still adolescent. Whether you're doing it because you're looking for new characters for a novel, trying to work out issues still bothering you from high school, or you always wanted to be a psychologist, it insures that internet forums will never be of interest to busy grownups.
Either use your role playing to create different points of view on the actual issues discussed or please take it to a video game, an AOL chat room or your group therapy session. This site was not created for you to find a group to play head games with. I've seen people use sockpuppeting well and to good effect, but you're not one of them, because of your intent.
Note to Josh Marshall et.al.: the decision to enable avatars and to allow those that were not actual photographic portraits of the posters was a big mistake. Too many take them as an invitation to role play and release the inner "child" or demon that they always wanted to be.
June 22, 2008 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I never wanted to be these daemons - they just took over. Actually Billy possessed me the first time, fatal engram on the way out, since then it's been a roller coaster ride. But place where grownups hang out? Think again. A dysfunctional amusement park. With no admission fee. Blue Dude, Worker Bee - 20 minutes outside the echo chamber, just to chill. Hard to manage this sexual harassment stuff, thought that was just in real life, harumph, harumph.
June 22, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
bee,
I agree with you. It's over the line. Like trying to hurt someone's feelings over their appearance.
Btw, you touched my heart--I'm in a similar situation. Married 22 years, lived together for 2 before marrying, have been living separately for the past 7. The love is strong but figuring out what to do with it ain't easy.
God bless.
June 22, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd suggest you not indulge the blue pseudonym by using his little pet term "crap speak". It strokes him. Having helped in running off the blue pseudonym once, I know his psychology. He's best ignored.
I don't quite agree with your suggestions that pseudonymousness (or, since most in here are pseudonymous, multonymousness) is depraved. I think lying is the bad thing. If someone comes in here as Thomas Jefferson, or some avatar that is a figure or caricature or artifact of some point, and writes within that caricature or point, and doesn't pretend to be some separate autonomous person to chat you up like some gameplayer in a chat room, I think that's part of what the anonymity of the net can positively facilitate. There's a performance element that I think can be ok, along the lines of what artappraiser said below, I think.
However, when people invent pseudonyms to promote their "real" identity, that's fucked up, or so they can be three people in a thread yelling at the same person.
So I agree with that part of what you're saying strongly, because to me, that's not performance or dialogue enhancing, it's just narcissistic and can be rude or hurtful.
June 22, 2008 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you Mr. Obama. My thoughts exactly.
June 22, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Careful... she's preparing to label everyone she doesn't like a troll.
"Communist sympathizer" was taken, I guess.
June 22, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
the thread goes down when she's stroking her favs, i'm gone
June 22, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
and i'll send you all the links when you started this thing, and kept going. I'm the one that wants you to stop posting who's who, who's not who, who's blue....OK? Deal? I've asked people to stop that kind of thing. You haven't.
June 22, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think having multiple "personas" is depraved and dishonest.
I think most people would tend to agree.
It just isn't decent. If you don't see the harm in fooling people that are otherwise posting in good faith, why should I see the harm in alerting them? Just like you apparently don't see the difference between dissing someone personally as opposed to politically. I hope you get some help someday. I can't help my visceral reaction to such blatant dishonesty.
But, as I said before, the point is moot. You are rather obvious. After all, I get it. Everyone else most likely does, as well. They're just far more polite then I am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do.
June 22, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
your deal is to run me off one way or another...that works.
if i see you on any thread, i won't post
June 22, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, there's no rule board here. People can be passive-aggressive, anal-retentive, multiple personality disorder, straight-and-narrow, dyslexic, distempered, disturbing and what not. Respect the insane asylum and it'll respect you. If I want you to know more about me, I write it. If not, I don't. As long as Blue Dude isn't following you to your pad, or causing undue paranoid on-line, leave him be. It's cyberspace, plenty of room for lot and lots of disorders. Explore them all, we don't need to be reality-hindered. I said before I never paid attention to whether Monica was Mr. Crankypants or whatever people do in their spare time. As long as they don't shit on my keyboard or curdle my cappuccino, I've got more important things to worry about, like where's my incontinence medicine.
June 22, 2008 6:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
You need to back off a little bit. Remember Bee defended you over my little song. You owe Bee some courtesy, not a multi-avatared gang up defense of your offending her. Just stay away without making a big show of it, have some class.
June 22, 2008 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Monica. He left. Didn't come back. What is exactly the beef?
June 22, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bee is wonderful, her beer is staggering.
I'm too socially oblivious to know what
the tension is here, but know when some plant started stalking me it became uncomfortable.
I defend both Bee & Blue's rights to exist however they want in as many forms as they want, just sometimes if it gets too up close & personal, it's time to chill. I told the same thing to Gasket when he kept throwing a rod around, lessee, who was it, Monica? No stalking, no prying, no teasing, no crying. My threads are dedicated to petty bickering with ad libs and non sequiturs. "Petty" is the operative word here, if you feel you're onto something really big, perhaps it's time to take a rest, have a Gatorade, rehydrate and replace your electrolytes.
June 23, 2008 2:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why so much attention to non sequiturs?
We sequiturs are marvelous people too. What about OUR rights? How much media time do WE get? Nada. It's all sexist this and racist that.
How would you like it if all we talked about was NON Des? eh?
Yer a buncha non sequitur-loving bastards. Or trolls. Or something. Yeah.
June 23, 2008 2:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just for that you're sequestered as a sequitur saboteur. I'll speak to you anon.
Non non non non, non non non non - I really hope that was enough - hey hey, goodbye.
June 23, 2008 3:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ach! Una dangling preposición au milieu des schoolyard.
June 22, 2008 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're funny. And you're probably not even drunk yet.
June 22, 2008 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
He he, he he, hey butthead, he said "dangling". Cool, heh heh.
June 22, 2008 6:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously though, I'll wait until next week to count the skidmarks on my face and on my broken heart. Not that I was naïve enough not to expect them; I just thought the bus would run over me due to some other issue I did not find so precious.
June 22, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yessss, me preciousss, what's we gots in our decanter, wethinks Gollum thirsty we is....
June 23, 2008 2:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hell. This VP business is kickin my ass. I'm flush out of ideas. You did a good job of crossing out the ones I don't think work either. Webb, the worst. Why Sebelius in the don't even go there category? I don't think she's a good pick either, but not as bad as Webb.
June 22, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
The "we couldn't force ourselves to choose *THAT* woman even though we have her out on the campaign trail for us, but we'll choose a gender substitute with no national following who couldn't even respond to the State of the Union" reason. Maybe "don't even go there" isn't exactly right, but close enough for government work.
June 22, 2008 10:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Gotcha. Then no woman?
June 22, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just not Sebelius or McCaskill. They suck.
June 22, 2008 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I kinda like McCaskill. But not for this year.
June 22, 2008 3:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, works for me.
June 22, 2008 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
This Webb guy can't catch a damn break. Maybe he's had an Oprah moment. Maybe he was researching a character for a novel.
What if he went on Oprah, with Michelle, and they worked that sexist thing out. He goes to Ellen next. I think you just don't like white guys from the corridors of power, drifter. Drifter....hmmm
you might be the ghost of Woody Guthrie, that commie. He didn't like them either.
June 22, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nothing to do with his book. Webb is quite quite conservative and has little experience. I know, for some reason people seem to get excited that there can be a military character to fill our long lost defense shoes. But it doesn't work.
June 22, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
who's your choice
June 22, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
you can't have Feingold
Obama won't pick him
next
June 22, 2008 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nah. Don't like anyone who's the media's obvious choice. Better to think outside the box.
June 22, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay: Dennis Kucinich.
June 22, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
sorry drifter, you ghost of woody G, that commie. I can't chat, as I've been banned by the insiderspicpeeps from the thread. BTW, and OMG, when you were drifting back then and hopping trains and eating with hobos, did you ever run into Pete Seeger?
June 22, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I own this thread, I do the banishing and inviting, not that everyone doesn't ignore me anyway, but I am Ruler for a Day.
If I were King of the Forrreessssttt.....
not a knave or a duke!!!
June 23, 2008 2:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Russ Feingold is too good for Obama.
June 22, 2008 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Amen!!
June 22, 2008 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
He might have blown his best year to run, but has a few years in him - he's only 55.
June 22, 2008 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Feingold seems like a good choice..unless by recommending him, and then offering reasons against him as a choice, you are luring us down the path that ends in HRC being the one and only choice?
Thanks for the possum laugh> MULTUM VAFER.
June 22, 2008 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did I say something negative about Feingold?
June 22, 2008 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would love Feingold as I would be happy with him, Des. I think Lieberman may have poisoned the idea of a Jewish VP, though.
When Lieberman was running with Gore, I was driving down the infamous Berlin Turnpike in Connecticut and I saw a horrid slur spray pained on the side of a semi that couldn't be missed. Something a about a Jew in the White House and Armageddon. In CONNECTICUT.
I was shocked. Really shocked..
Maybe he need Robert KKK Byrd to help with the redneck/low info/racist vote.
(yeah, this is sarcasm)
June 22, 2008 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
But how big was that overall? I'd even forgotten there was a Jew on the 2000 tick, doesn't seem like a huge deal. (I do remember the yuck factor when Lieberman and Gore held hands to pray or some awful display).
June 22, 2008 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I dunno. I'm just thinking that that horrid mentality might just be similar to that "white working class" demographic Hillary got into so much trouble mentioning.
Nevermind.
June 22, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
When you pointed out that Feingold is Jewish and twice-divorced, and pointed out that uberconservatives would object to that, was that not a criticism of his viability as a VP candidate?
June 22, 2008 12:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Simply truth in advertising. In terms of a general election, I don't think the divorce bit will hurt him, though who knows how effective the family values crowd will be. As for being Jewish, I'd say that would help the ticket in Florida and California, as well as improve the fundraising profile quite a bit, and I don't have a good assessment of how big the anti-semite vote is - I don't recall it being a significant factor in 2000, Bee seems to think it was more of one. How it would influence on Mideast security I don't know either.
June 22, 2008 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chances are the anti-Semite vote and the anti-Black vote are the same people.
June 22, 2008 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I thought a few years ago that the Jewish/divorced/actually progressive triple threat that is Feingold meant that he would never be able to attain VP or Presidential status.
But now, in 2008, I'm not so sure. I bet those three things are not as much of an issue as they were even a few years ago -- except for the prog bit - that's still scandalous! ;)
anyhoo, I'd flip out if Feingold were VP. He's got guts like no one else in the Senate.
June 22, 2008 6:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
that was supposed to be a reply to wwstaebler.
June 22, 2008 6:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
chimp
your diane fossey has arrived..have fun
June 22, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
My simian fantasies running overtime. I just might land myself in a heap o' trouble.
June 22, 2008 6:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I got a big laugh from this about Joe Lieberman being McCain's choice (If he would do that we could all relax and keep our donations for a summer vacation):
http://www.236.com/news/2008/06/19/i_wanna_be_number_two_joe_lieb_1_7243.php
Some gems:
Makes you wonder about Gore's judgement, doesn't it? Was it JUST for the Jewish vote? If so, they didn't deliver.
June 22, 2008 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I recall that Gore was looking to distance himself from Clinton, and the Lieberman choice symbolized that.
It's easy to second-guess now, but that probably wasn't the smartest strategic decision of Gore's life.
June 22, 2008 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
CVillle, you'll get a kick out of this. I googled " Lieberman is a jerk" and got 112,00 hits! I wonder what I'd get for Lieberman is a putz!
June 22, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not that many, yiddish slang. Try some donkey parts and you'll come up gold.
June 22, 2008 6:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd vote for Russ. In a heartbeat. He'd be a very good VP.
June 22, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Women In Love, great book, great movie. I love the smell of Victorian estrogen in the morning, it smells like vic...torianism (if that's a word).
June 22, 2008 6:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Victor/Victoria. Saw it recently. The last of my Julie Andrews phase. Saw her in the Princess Diaries. Remembered her from tv versions of SoM. Checked her out on NetFlix.
Tori-anism -- which one. Early American or current Canadian?
Women in Love,(got bored by the end of the book. Wrote a bad paper on it and moved on...), read the book, never saw the movie. Misnamed, if you ask me. A ritualistic work celebrating every emotion under the sun, and peopled by monstrous creations out of mythology and legends who are unable to alter their fates. It highlights mankind's tragically split nature. Lawrence, not one of my favorites.
Curious, why do you reference it?
June 22, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Somewhere between your blue gown and your passion for Russ. Sadly I lied as well - I only read Sons and Lovers along with The Virgin and the Gypsy, probably enough D.H. Lawrence to get the idea, and again saw enough other Ken Russell movies to figure the film version was brilliant.
Never trust an exploding avatar, they're inchoate and dispersive.
June 23, 2008 3:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think it must be awful to realize that you can nominate a candidate, but you can't elect a President. The people who nominated Obama can't elect him. And of all people, they're the most trapped and unable to do anything about it when he disregards them. Same people I guess who gave the Democrats a majority in Congress and then watched helplessly as the occupation dragged on and on. Maybe that explains the degeneration of the TPM reader comments.
June 22, 2008 10:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I absolutely LOVE this idea!
Russ Feingold would be a truly excellent choice for the VP slot. He's a brilliant, principled, gutsy man of integrity who is staunchly and unapologetically progressive. And yet, he is also very well respected by many Independents and some of the saner Republicans out there too, because he's always been something of a fiscal hawk who actually believes we should get the things we pay out tax dollars for.
And... if I'm going to be a perfectly honest woman here ... Well, I have to admit that I think Russ Feingold is Smokin' Hot looking on top of all of his other extremely admirable qualities! His smile makes me positively weak in the knees, and I bet that plenty of other women in America think so, too.
So, to recap: Obama and Feingold: brilliant, principled, genuine men of integrity, who are also frequently respected by those outside of the Democratic Party. The icing on that wonderful cake, is the additional fact they're also both very handsome and sexy, with great smiles, and all of this appeals to lots of women! And some men, too!
Just imagine how much OLDER Ol' Walnuts McSame will look standing beside these two men -- who are truly in their prime.
June 22, 2008 11:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
BillyG, degeneration of TPM comments??!?
Desi's emphasis is in his penultimate paragraph --Obama with Feingold and what the differences are regarding FISA.
Desi's penultimate paragraph show's the irony of not only Obama's position but also Obama's supporters. We get it. But that does not mean that he cannot win. He will most likely win. He'll win better if we unite.
Also, Feingold is not running for Prez and did not have to appeal to the center. That's a big difference worth keeping in mind as we compare the two.
The last comparative to keep in mind, Obama will likely fix this issue once he becomes Prez.
June 23, 2008 1:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ah yes, he changed, now comes the hope part... ;-)
June 23, 2008 2:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Feingold would be great. He can take a liberal view point and explain it in a way that appeals to centrists, libertarians, and independents.
Though many Republicans consider him "too liberal" many of those same Republicans respect him, his guts, and many of the bi-partisan things he's done.
He has been a leader in the Senate on foreign intelligence, campaign finance reform, the Constitution, and is a budget hawk. All the qualities we need in a VP this year.
I will re-iterate two points: ONE- he explains the issues (liberal, Constitutional, even the complicated ones like FISA) in a way that working class people understand- WI is filled with white, rural voters and he consistenly wins these constituencies (the caveat being the urban areas put him over the top for the wins- sound familiar?) TWO- he'd bring independents in droves.
Hell, Russ won the 2004 election against a tough Republican opponent. He won almost every category working whites, all education levels, independents, etc, etc. His problem areas- the rich and the very religious- that's it.
Finally, the most important metric for a VP is would he make a good replacement for Obama if the worst happened. To that point- he'd be great.
June 24, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also, would like to add that I could see Obama very easily playing centrist to Feingold's liberal. Saying he respects Feingold's leadership on the issues and his viewpoint, but that he's in charge and he sets the policy. Kind of a good cop/bad cop type of campaign that could be really effective.
June 24, 2008 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
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