exjournalist's Blog

exjournalist Commented on Anger and Rage by exjournalist

2009-10-26T07:24:48Z

Wow. Nice surprise after being away from the computer for the day. Thanks for all the rec's and comments. I hope this is a discussion that will continue in others' posts.

exjournalist Commented on Anger and Rage by exjournalist

2009-10-25T14:45:22Z

Yes, Franken gives me hope, especially when he cracked a joke during the Sotomayor hearings. I was worried that he lost his sense of humor.

And BTW, I do like Rage Against the Machine, but in the context of this discussion, they could be called, "Rage against the Rage."

One other thing. As I heard somewhere, "What are you going to do, 'understand' your enemies to death?"

That sort of sums it up.

exjournalist Commented on The Rasmussen "Presidential Approval Index": Is This Newer Measurement Worth Anything? by Eric Kleefeld

2009-07-30T08:10:13Z

Rassmussen is the Spinal Tap of pollsters.

"No, these go to eleven!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_to_eleven

However, his self-parody is a lot less funny.

exjournalist Commented on Drudge tweeted out of existence? by exjournalist

2009-06-29T22:03:00Z

But that's the thing. The real impact of Drudge was not from the traffic on his site, but the fact that it was used as a clearing house by journalists who should have known better. Not the first-hand traffic but the BS stories that were picked up by the big guys. However, if it's true that his page hits were flat during the recent big stories (MJ, Sanford) then that's a trend already.

exjournalist recommended I don't want a Pickle. by miguelitoh2o

2009-06-28T05:15:49Z

exjournalist Commented on I don't want a Pickle. by miguelitoh2o

2009-06-29T04:10:56Z

Beautiful. Spent a few years in scenic NM, and when my ship comes in I'm going back.
When I was in Taos, Arlo Guthrie made his annual trip there, and some local guys apparently had a tradition of riding their motorcycles to the show and incessantly shouting "Pickle!" until Arlo said, "We'll get to it."
Bueno.

exjournalist Commented on John Yoo Warns Against "Results-Oriented" Sotomayor by Eric Kleefeld

2009-05-26T23:46:37Z

Looks like I was a little late on that one, PMPY.

exjournalist Commented on John Yoo Warns Against "Results-Oriented" Sotomayor by Eric Kleefeld

2009-05-26T23:41:53Z

Eff Yoo.

exjournalist Commented on TIME Using Republican Catchphrase, Again by exjournalist

2009-04-04T12:29:07Z

Well, I was talking specifically about the phrase "New World Order."

Clearly, much of the world thought, under Bush, that the US wanted to "control the world," and justifiably so, after the cooked evidence to justify the preemptive destruction of Iraq.

Now, though, it's the wingers who think Obama wants to sell us out to the rest of the world and become just a PART of the NWO, as they call it, instead of, you know, taking over the world ourselves. (Something they were apparently OK with.)

exjournalist Commented on Eight Dem Senators Defend the Right to Filibuster Climate Change by Elana Schor

2009-03-14T10:49:25Z

A quick math lesson:
In a group of 100, what constitutes a majority?
WRONG!
The 60-vote bar is accepted (by almost everyone now) as the way the senate was intended to run by the Framers of the Constitution.
But who cares about the framers of the constitution when the conservatives are the framers of the debate?
JQPublic: "Oh yeah, that's right, don'tcha need 60 votes for anything to pass in that there Senate?"

exjournalist Commented on Aerosmith to House GOP: Don't Use Our Song by Elana Schor

2009-02-18T03:57:23Z

I remember in the mid-90s NJ Republicans used "Born in the USA" for a rally and Bruce Springsteen wrote a letter to the Asbury Park Press saying, "I have never supported the Republican Party," etc. They ran a picture of the letter on the front page.

And as for Hannity, I shot a quick email to Bruce Hornsby's management, (just out of curiosity) to see what the rules were regarding him using the instrumental part of "That's Just The Way It Is" almost every day. (Hey, a guy's gotta get the traffic report.)
He should keep it on for the lyrics, an unambiguous anti-Republican statement if ever there was one. "They passed a law in '64 to give those who ain't got a little more, but it only goes so far."
Meanwhile Hannity spends his entire career trying to roll back that law. Unreal.

Tone-Deaf, you might say.

I got a nice reply saying that they didn't want to give him the publicity. And besides, I think everything's fair game on radio, as long as the station pays its dues to the artist-royalty organizations, ASCAP, BMI, etc.

exjournalist Commented on social security and medicare aren't entitlements by jason everett miller

2009-01-10T11:23:14Z

Yer jealous aren't ye, Jimmy Legs?

exjournalist Commented on social security and medicare aren't entitlements by jason everett miller

2009-01-09T23:15:16Z

We need to get JEM's main point that this is not about Social Security per se, but about terminology.

And David's post yesterday reinforces that point.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/01/obama_introduces_panetta.php

"War on Terror" is just another meaningless catchphrase that needs a quick discarding.

Oh yeah, Jason, I spent my first few years of life in a house with a sepia-toned photo of Teddy in the foyer. The homeowners were old enough to remember him and I'm only in my early 40's. This is not ancient history.

exjournalist Commented on social security and medicare aren't entitlements by jason everett miller

2009-01-09T01:44:14Z

Good post Jason, and hopefully Much Ado About Nothing...but still a necessary discussion.
I remember hearing that the number one cause of death for elderly Americans before Social Security was implemented was hypothermia.
We are at the tail end of another Gilded Age but entrenched Corporate power presents a colossal challenge to reform, which makes framing that much more important.
Unfortunately, the corporations do most of the framing, and it will take a concerted effort to pry the frame away from them. High-profile statements are a good place to start.
So many catchphrases and false assumptions need to be torpedoed: "benefits and living wages are 'income redistribution,'" "government bad-private good," "play the class warfare card," "deregulation fuels innovation," "tax cuts create jobs."
In fact, the more I think about it, it seems the entire frame needs to be replaced and there is not enough time to do it incrementally.

exjournalist Commented on Signing Off -- Farewell, TPMers by Greg Sargent

2009-01-02T19:13:37Z

Nice to see there's still some vestige of a meritocracy in this land. Best of luck and we'll see you there.

exjournalist Commented on Caroline Kennedy: "I Was Dismayed By My Voting Record" by Eric Kleefeld

2008-12-28T11:55:57Z

Yes. Yes I do.