Thursday, August 30, 2007

Hsu's Laughing Now?

Just wanted to give a fair shake and mention that Hillary Clinton gave away the Hsu donations (and wished him well on his legal issues in the process). Meanwhile, my boy Dan Balz has followed by lead and written an interesting take on where things like this could lead come August '08.

Also, I'm in Concord, almost for good.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Draft Dodgers

My annual fantasy football draft takes place this Saturday. Our league, The Final Countdown, is in its fourth year of operation and consists of ten old friends, a group of mostly freshman year hallmates with some track teammates and high school friends tossed in for humor’s sake. Each week we start 1 QB, 1 kicker, 1 team defense, 2 running backs, 2 wide receivers, 1 tight end, and 1 RB/WR hybrid.

A few years ago it became a keeper league to place a better premium on drafting promising young players over decrepit has-beens, and to increase the sense of ownership and responsibility of the managers. My keepers for the past couple of years have been Donovan McNabb, Willis McGahee, Roy Williams and Antonio Gates. My team has finished disappointingly out of the playoffs each year after a series of dreadful late-season collapses. But hope springs eternal each September, and I know the stats of my Big Four better than I otherwise would.

Saturday is when the rest of the team is built around those keepers. We take turns selecting the best available player, creating a team stocked with a well-planned mix of skilled position players, careful not to take too many running backs for want of a third wide receiver. We have to be sure to select a backup QB, and every now and then someone gambles an early round selection on a kicker or a defense. We spend time scheming over who will have a late-season surge, who is injury prone despite big numbers last year, and considering the schedules of our QBs so we don’t need to dip into the waiver pool at a key point in the season and risk dropping one of our better players. The point being, our draft is a process by which we aim to create the best possible team. An army, if you will.

On the stump in New Hampshire, no candidate talks about a fantasy football draft, and you would be hard pressed to find one with enough time to manage a team. Lord knows it is all too tempting to spend a couple of hours each day pouring over splits and opponent histories, especially if you have an office job.

Nor do they talk about a draft for the US Army as it “surges” in the Middle East. Yet every candidate talks about Iraq. We are putting in more troops, so why not a draft? Standard recipe for a candidate’s answer goes something like this: “we have a terrific all-volunteer army, and our troops are doing a super and courageous job over there, and I just don’t think a draft is necessary.”

Maybe not, but in the last few years there has been more and more talk bubbling up from the aquifer of public discourse. The arguments tend to be based in the very valid issue of fairness, whether sexism or classism. But yesterday in Newsweek, Cpl. Mark Finelli, an Iraq veteran and former WTC investment banker, lays it out a little differently. His argument comes down to dollars and sense.

Seeing the superior vehicles and gear used by private contractors compared to the sometimes makeshift and often deadly equipment used by our own Army, Finelli argues that a draft would bring in more funding in order to quell the fears of the rich and powerful that their children might due a gruesome and, more importantly, avoidable death. As it is, too many of the soldiers are forgotten pawns in a political game being played thousands of miles away.

Furthermore, Finelli points out that an army consisting of a broader swath of society would include, as a result, a much broader swath of skills. A draft would bring in smarter soldiers, not just braver ones. Could that make a difference in how our soldiers are able to deal with IEDs and guerrilla tactics? According to Finelli, it would. After all, if you go into a fantasy football week starting four running backs and no QB, you will be wasting a valuable scoring slot by using too many from one position and not enough of another. You might still win if your running backs put up a few touchdowns apiece, but why not use the QB that is available to you back home in the boardrooms, on the bench?

Flash Report!

This just in: Larry Craig is not gay. He promises.

Hsu's Yer Daddy?

The story coming out of California about the Paw family and all levels of shadiness surrounding HillRaiser and Dem super bundler Norman Hsu is interesting, indeed. The latest, for those who haven't heard, is that the WSJ has reported that a family of seven living in a tiny house in San Francisco, whose head makes a $49,000 postal worker's salary, has given more than $200k to Hillary Rodham Clinton and various other New York Democrats in the past three years. Oh yeah, did I mention that this family happens to have ties with Hsu? Apparently he once listed his address as the one where the Paws are living now.

It gets fishier. Pressed for comment, Hsu's attorney immediately played the race card: "There is no factual support for this story and if Mr. Hsu's name was Smith or Jones, I don't believe it would be a story."

Whoa, don't get defensive or anything. Now the LA Times has reported that Hsu is a fugitive from the law, for the crime of grand theft in a business scheme involving latex gloves and a million dollars! Did I mention he's a HillRaiser, and she ain't giving the money back? It starts with the war, it moves to fundraising, imagine the hubris from an oval office setting! Say what you will about Mitt Romney sprinting away from Mr. Craig, at least he claims to support a level of proper dignity for our elected officials. I'm not trying to be too harsh on Clinton, I'm just saying that Norm Hsu maybe has some questionable judgment. We'll see where this goes, but it stinks of heavy ammo for general election attacks to me.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Political BrainBusters

Westen to Brooks: "Raise up off me, Bitch!"

In today's Huffington Post, Drew Westen confronts David Brooks over the review he had written in the Times Book Review, and how! I just wanted to toss this up because Westen's new book is a terrific one. I read it earlier this summer and found it very insightful, and it instantly shaped the way I view candidates on the stump. Recommended reading for any political junkie.

Drew Westen is a psychology professor at Emory University in Atlanta, and the author of The Political Brain. David Brooks is a mostly conservative op-ed contributor to the New York Times.

Lewd Dudes

Busted! Another Republican gay-boy. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just wonder where he stands on the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. A wide stance while shitting? Riiiight. More like a self-hate stance while voting.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Fighting Fire with Silver

GONE-zales may be all over the news, but my favorite political story of the day lies well below the radar. As a full caveat, Politico has been wrong before, but the story from Ben Smith's Dem blog is that the International Association of Fire Fighters are endorsing Chris Dodd. This is an interesting turn of events due to the fact that Dodd is currently sitting at best fifth in the ranks, and has been lacking momentum from day one. I give credit to the IAFF for sticking to their guns and going with a darkhorse candidate with whom they have a history instead of trying to pick a winner, and also for putting their hat in the ring at an early enough stage to make a difference. You dance with the girl you came to the prom with, you don't bust out the pimp game with the presumptive Queen once the music starts. Who's to say whether or not this will give Dodd any traction, or even a leg up on the Veep nod, but at least it's something.

A Coolidge for a New Generation

John Edwards continues his trend of wordy press releases for Bush cabinet resignations.

"Better late than never."

Love Song for the Dearly Departed, or, Dude Where's My Freedom?

The following content has nothing to do with politics. If you are strictly here for a NH Primary Fix, go read the Post and come back tomorrow.

10:00 PM on a Sunday and the chirping of the crickets covers the window's breeze like the blanket on my lap. Gin & Tonics go down smooth tonight. Smooth like a soul record; Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke. I'm leaving the Quabbin soon, we're talking two or three days soon, and the taste in my mouth is bitter beyond the lime and tonic. Smooth and bitter. I guess there needs to be a balance in all things.

I have recently come back from a voyage to the North. Kanc Country, where the mountain faces are rocky, the rivers are refreshing, and the tourists are growing by the hundreds each year. Soon enough it will be just another Vermont, minus the fair trade coffee shops. How unfortunate. Worse still is the increase in police activity. My biggest beef in New Hampshire, to be quite honest, is the police presence.

Considering that the state purports to have the motto, "Live Free or Die," I have been surprisingly hassled by cops from various New Hampshire small towns more than in any other state. Whether it was a warrantless field sobriety test in Litchfield in 2003 after watching John Kerry in Portsmouth because I was "hugging the white line" or witnessing an associate of mine questioned and having his license run simply for walking on the sidewalk trying to work his game with a ladyfriend. This must stop. Worse still, I was arrested a few days ago for merely swimming in a river. Yes, God's own semen stream, the Pemigewasset.

The local Swine rapped me with a knuckle-busting charge of Disorderly Conduct, and gave no reasoning for their charge. Presumptions aside I was forced to tell the young Farva-like deputy, whose fecklessness toward the law was on disgusting display, that I would save any questions I had for the judge.

To Be Continued...

In the Meantime, here is my soulful, pensive playlist for late August. Forgive the lack of artist diversity. And do put it on shuffle.

Nothing Can Change This Love - Sam Cooke
I'll Come Running Back to You - Sam Cooke
If Not for You (Bootleg Session w/ George Harrison) - Bob Dylan
That's How Strong My Love Is - Otis Redding
These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding
Which Way Does That Old Pony Run - Lyle Lovett
To Find a Friend - Tom Petty
The Letter - Natalie Merchant
If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle & Sebastian
Funny How Time Slips Away - Willie Nelson
Soul Love - David Bowie
Cry to Me - Solomon Burke
Cypress Avenue - Van Morrison
Opportunity to Cry (Crazy Demo Session) - Willie Nelson
One More Kiss Before I Go - Ryan Adams

and you can end any mix with ...
Electrolyte - R.E.M.
if you ever want to fly
Mulholland Drive.
I am alive.

Hollywood is under me.
I'm Martin Sheen
I'm Steve McQueen
I'm Jimmy Dean

If you want to fly.
Mulholland Drive.
Up in the sky.
Stand on a cliff and look down there.
Don't be scared, you are alive.
You are alive.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Kanc Country

My peeps,

Greetings from NH. Wifi has been scant up here so no posts until the weekend.

Best wishes,
BTB

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Vay-Cay

That's right, folks, in just a couple of hours we will be headed north on our annual pilgrimage to Harrington country (KP, not Joey) to meet up with a band of brothers from the olden days of WESXC gentry. I won't be back in in the Quabbin Qabin until Saturday at the earliest, so posting could be limited between now and then depending on the availability of wifi at the Cascade Coffee House. However I will keep checking your Edwards votes until early Thursday morning and will definitely come at you with a hearty One America-style post whichever day the Peace Czar and I get around to seeing him.

Until then we will be seeking glory up in the mountains, rivers, and saloons and sending the vibes your way. In the immortal words of WP Fuhrman, "now don't be bringin' that weak sauce!"

Best New Rap, Hip-Hop, or Folk Act

In an early morning blog post over at Politico, Jonathan Martin investigates what could be a turn from folksy to Fuck You in the Huckabee campaign. Martin reports that Huckabee is getting a little bit pluckier with some of the other candidates, notably Mitt Romney.

Highlights include the following:

Voters, Huckabee continued, “want somebody who has lived a life more like they have lived it...For many of us, you know, the word summer is not a verb,” he said. “It was that very hot season that we barely made it without air conditioning in the hot South and worked in summer jobs."

Put that in your Cognac snifter and sip it! Or in Romney's case, root beer mug. But, gee whiz, I bet it is a high end root beer mug!



P.S. the title of the post is in reference to this, and not necessarily to any candidate.

Monday, August 20, 2007

3Q: You Decide. We Report.

3Q Nation,

John Edwards will be back in the Granite State later this week barnstorming around to discuss three major issues, one on each day.
  • Thursday, August 23rd: Achieving Energy Independence and Halting Global Warming Through a New Energy Economy
  • Friday, August 24th: Making Health Care Affordable and Universal
  • Saturday, August 25th: Rewarding Work and Strengthening the Middle Class
The question is, which of these issues is most important to YOU? I will count the votes through Thursday morning and report on the issue the readers want the most. NOTE - please don't embarrass me by only 9 of you voting, like in last month's Dem Straw Poll. Just kidding. No, just kidding again. I'm serious.

There is a poll in the upper right hand corner of the page. Let me know, how do you want it?

VOTE OR DIE

See you on the Trail,
BTB

Sunday, August 19, 2007

A *Real* New Debate

Keene, NH -

Friday's Times had a piece where they asked a few of the media wizards what would be the best way to pit the candidates against one another to effectively use new media and technology. Given the boring-for-everyone-but-junkies-like-me method of 60-second sound bytes that currently holds court, I found all six of these proposals to be tantalizingly awesome. With the likes of Barack Obama now skipping everything that the DNC doesn't make him go to, and the success of the youtube debate, maybe it is high time we rocked the vote a little bit. Speaking of High Time, Tom Brokaw's idea of a debate fueled by the liberating effect of a double martini is HANDS DOWN the best.

Hardly a Huckster

Concord, NH -

As you can see in my previous live-blog post from the Huckabee appearance in Concord this morning, the majority of the discussion revolved around diet and nutrition. Better yet, that was pretty much all he spoke about. Quite unusual for a Presidential candidate to talk about making healthy lifestyle choices and cutting out fast food, but for Governor Huck it is merely part of a steady diet of common sense.

The whole issue of the event pertaining to a food show aside, Huckabee's commitment to the idea of a healthy lifestyle serve as a potent metaphor for his campaign and his ability to serve as President. No, really.

First off, the personal aspect of Huckabee's own weight loss and drastic change in diet and exercise habits are the baseline for a compelling personal story of salvation and self-improvement, not to mention one that millions of Americans can relate to. If Drew Westen has taught us anything, the ability of a candidate to tell a story is not just helpful to a modern would-be President, it is imperative.

Better yet, as health care continues to sit near the top of the issue list of Dems and GOPs alike, Huckabee can establish himself as the real deal of the right wing. Others pay lip service to a better health care system, Mike Huckabee lives it. Are you going to trust someone like Rudy Giuliani to take care of you by establishing a car insurance system or do you want the leadership of someone who has made health a top priority in his own life?

When voters hear stories about the shocking costs of preventative diseases in our country, and listen in horror to tales of out-of-control childhood obesity, will that shift their minds away from the fear-mongering of Mitt and Rudy? Especially when Huckabee touts his own hawkish foreign policy?

Speaking of which, I will call out any candidate who makes a major issue out of protecting the "sanctity of life" while claiming that, as President, he would "expand the army and increase the defense budget." I still don't get the ideology behind that one, whether you are Sam Brownback, George W Bush, or Tom Tancredo. If you are going to stand up for the life of the unborn, why leave Iraqi already-born outside in the hard, lifeless cold? And don't give me that bullshit about protecting American lives by killing the terrorist over there. A real "pro-lifer" is a pacifist.

On the bright side, Huckabee touts his pro-life credentials to include the notion that "every child deserves a quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water." That goes with his commitment to sound health. The more people hear about the dangers of obesity and trans fats, especially when it comes to their children, the more they will realize that it truly is one of the major challenges of this generation. No matter how Iraq turns out, or where we get on mitigating climate change, we will be crippled by our health care costs soon enough if we don't get healthier as a nation, and fast. Besides, it is a well-documented fact that fat people sweat more than fit people. Imagine the brutal combination of an obesity epidemic and major climate change. You think bottled water is a problem now? Give it fifteen years of weight gain and carbon concentration.

Yikes! Back to the plan. Huckabee's background highlights the connection to down home America. In his interview, he touched on the scourge of Southern food where all items are breaded and deep fried, and the only difference between dinner and dessert is that one is covered in gravy and the other in powdered sugar. This led to Governor Huckabee's 2 Rules of Nutrition
  1. "If it wasn't a food a hundred years ago, it isn't a food today. Stay away from fried foods, processed sugar, processed foods."
  2. "If the food comes to you through the car window, it isn't food."
Darn tootin'! I really didn't need to show that to prove any points. On the contrary it almost seems incongruous to the flow, but it is such an awesome set of rules that I dared not leave it out of the article. Not only does he hype cutting back on damaging and readily available junk food, but he advocates more exercise for our country, and he backs it up with miles and miles of proof. Believe it or not, this helps him with his conservative bona fides. Yes, its true. While leading by example, Huckabee can show that federal programs are less important than a little good, old-fashioned bootstraps behavior. In his interview he simultaneously showed support for fitness programs in schools while quipping, "Its not dry cleaning, you don't drop them off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon well fed and well exercised." Programs are good. Lifestyle choices are better. What could be more musical to a conservative's ears?

He reiterated that health care needs to change from intervention-based to prevention based. "There is enough money in our system to buy universal health care," he mentioned, but a socialized system is not the solution. He spent a couple minutes talking about how medical records should be portable and available, and that we need to get away from the post-WW2 model where health is tied to the employer, who retires at 65 and dies at 72. He didn't give any specifics about solutions, except to say that he intended to provide choices, but this early in the game it is always nice to hear that an employer-paid system needs to be scrapped. Given his polemic about the dangers of obesity peppered in all day, we were ready to hear anything.

At last, the host asks him about the Press 1 for English thing. He wants to know if he will support a national movement to make English the only official language of the USA. Huckabee never really answered it, and instead told all about assimilation camps in Israel. He acknowledged that national unity is held together by the Jewish religion, but hinted that the real secret lie in an adherence to the Hebrew language. Fluency is apparently required for citizenship, and newcomers stay in a camp environment for as long as it takes before you can move out into the country. In the best interest for those who want to succeed, Huckabee said, and went on to mention that English is the universal language of flight. Clearly he was getting at the idea that it was a good idea for everyone to speak English but stopped short of advocating for any Federal movement on the idea. Whether he was afraid to offend or staying true to his conservative ideals remains to be seen. Still, he seemed intelligent about the problem of fractured national identity, and willing to look into the idea.

After a final commercial break, he spouted some softies about New Hampshire, mentioning that the best part about the state was it's beautifully cool August weather. I couldn't agree more, unless he said the Pemigewasset River. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, he's probably never seen it. Huckabee showed his folksy humor throughout the conversation, answering that he hadn't been campaigning seven days a week, but rather eight. Better yet, he recognized that New Hampshire's motto wasn't just "Live free or Die," but for a visiting politician it was just as equally stated, "support the Red Sox or die." Take that, Hillary Clinton. By the way, did you notice that in Bill Richardson's recent Ask Bill videos he has a Sox hat in the background? Hott.

He also said that the Granite Staters were just plain nice, "kind of like Southern people with a different accent." Undoubtedly that comes from his own personal charm. Having been hard on the campaign trail for two months now, Huckabee easily wins the award for the most charming, personable, and that tricky subjective one - "real". When shaking hands after the interview he approached me and had the gall to introduce himself.

"Hi, I'm Mike Huckabee."

Not knowing what to say, I nervously and school girlishly replied "uh, I'm Bryan." He had me at hello. Subsequently I forgot to thank him for making fitness such a visible part of life to millions of people, and I just thanked him for being in New Hampshire. He followed that up with a prediction that he would be up here so much in the fall that he might need to get a resident hunting license. Watch out, ye moose!

Chat & Chew with Mike Huckabee

Given Huckabee's history and known focus on personal health and good eating habits, there are a disproportionate amount of obese people here. Maybe its because we're at a restaurant with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Then again, the fattest ones seem to be wearing pin-striped suits.

They are wondering whether or not this is the first ever interview with a Prez candidate on a good show. Huck says sure it is, and make someone prove it.

Huckabee Changed lifestyle, eating habits, and exercising. He cites the difficulty of growing up in the deep south where everything is deep fried, but if its an entree you put gravy on it, a dessert you put powdered sugar on it.

A diet has a beginning and an end. "What does it take for me to be healthy?" He did those things "and the weight took care of itself."

fair to say that you are on the road 7 days a week? "Yes that's fair, and sometimes eight."

2 rules of nutrition - "if it wasn't a food a hundred years ago, it isn't a food today. Stay away from fried foods, processed sugar, processed foods." Talks about reading boxes to see just how awful some of the stuff is we put in our body. If you can't read it, don't eat it.
"if it comes through the car window it isn't food."

"If it says partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, you're better off if you eat the box"

RE: PE and vending machines in schools: Its not dry cleaning, you don't drop them off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon well fed and well exercised.

Now they're raving about Sonic. Mmm, I remember going to the Sonic in downtown Denver with Pat McKiernan in '04.

not having fitness programs will be more expensive than having it.
THe most expensive nap in America - the one on the school desk. We need arts and music to keep kids engaged.

Find photo of 3rd grade, then go into a 3rd grade class today and look at the difference in the weight of kids, public or private. "I won't even have to say another word."

Tells story of the ferry boat in Baltimore that sunk in 2005 due to fatter people than CG standards allowed.

His favorite thing about New Hampshire is the weather. Yes!! Also, the most hospitable people. "Kind of like Southern people with a different accent."

Now the host asks him about the Press 1 for English thing. Huckabee cites effectiveness of Assimilation camps in Israel. Held together by the Jewish religion. The secret - an adherence to the Hebrew language. Fluency is required, stay in a camp environment for as long as it takes before you can move out into the country. In the best interest for those who want to succeed. Goes on to mention that English is the universal language of flight.

Health care needs to change from intervention-based to prevention based. There is enough money in our system to buy universal health care. I believe the doctor should work for you, not insurance, not govt. Medical records should be portable and available, they belong to you.

We need to get away from the post-WW2 model where health is tied to the employer, retire at 65, die at 72.

Back from commercial. Huckabee says he is a Red Sox fan. Live free or Die, aka support Red Sox or die.

Astronauts were his heroes growing up. Neil Armstrong, but also Alan Shepard.

Radio Host tells him he is a real person, and thanks him for "keeping it real". Respect.

The Other Man from Hope

We're here at the Red Blazer Pub in Concord before noon. But don't be too concerned, there is a candidate here, too. We'll be live blogging the Mike Huckabee visit this morning as soon as the radio host stops ranting about the evils of "Press 1 for English". You can listen to the visit on WTPL's livestream here.

Friday, August 17, 2007

FDT: The UnCandidate

Fred Thompson is repeatedly called the Non-Candidate, having not yet officially filed. Here he is campaigning in Iowa nevertheless. But at 3Q we prefer to call him the UnCandidate.

Unwanted Competition

Reading the Globe's recap of Dennis' meeting with the editorial staff, I couldn't help but add credence to the notion that Dennis' slightly grumpy mood in Dover the other day was created by the addition of Rosemary Palmer to the Democratic primary in his congressional district. When you cross Kucinich, look out!

Politics, Its Fannnnn-tastic!

Welcome Sports Fans!

Due to the raging popularity of my earlier Road to the Nomination posts, we're coming back at you with, you guessed it, SPORTS ANALOGIES!!

It might be a little late in the game relative to the actual event, but who among us doesn't love to compare normal people to pro sports teams, no matter the season? Without further ado, read on to find out who your favorite candidate would be if he or she were a playoff team in the NBA!

A quick preface, I chose the Western Conference to be the breeding ground for the Dems because of their perceived advantage over the (L)Eastern Conference GOP. Furthermore, just because I picked certain candidates as the Spurs or Cavs or Mavs doesn't mean I necessarily expect them to make the big show or lose in the first round, but it sure could be. I was merely looking for the best fit in terms of style and ability. For further clarification, see the actual 2007 NBA playoffs results here.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Dallas Mavericks - Barack Obama
Both have lots of money, style, and skill. Still, questions about true championship viability remain in spite of all the regular season success. Neither is an established presence in their respective field, and that assessment by the media continues to haunt those who would otherwise jump on the bandwagon. Can't shake the knock that they are too "nice" and not nasty enough to win. Nevertheless, don't look past the gaudy statistics. A potential favorite to collect the trophy.
Phoenix Suns - John Edwards
Phoenix and Edwards both represent a youthful vigor, whose run-and-gun populism leads to high scores and a sharing not just the rock but also the burdens of society. Their styles of play depend on high energy, and as a result a fear of injury perpetually exists as does the possibility for punishing success. Furthermore, as Edwards becomes more fired up, the Suns mascot grows more and more fitting to describe the heat coming out of his campaign.
San Antonio Spurs - Hillary Rodham Clinton
The beasts. Clinton and the Spurs mostly represent four things: sound fundamentals, proven personnel/campaigning systems, the stench of dynasty, and an air of inevitability. Clearly, each of these two teams has a track record of success, but not without its detractors. The low-risk, high reward process employed by the two makes them easy to hate. Both have a reputation for getting all the calls from the referees/media and for whining when things don't go their way. Furthermore, there are those who say their styles are ruining politics/basketball for the fans, and that they were born on third base yet thought they hit a triple by drafting Duncan and marrying Bill. That said, verrry tough to beat and always a good money bet for the finals.
Utah Jazz - Bill Richardson
Despite a long resume of playoff success and public service, Richardson and the Jazz are little known outside of the Rocky Mountain Southwest. Gone are the days of Stockton-to-Malone when simple characteristics like sound fundamentals and wise policy judgments are the ticket to the finals, national media exposure is the key today and both have missed the boat. Nevertheless, a ticket to the conference finals this year and recent poll numbers in the retail politics hotbeds of New Hampshire and Iowa have the fans looking up. Watch out for high turnover numbers from Deron Williams and high foot-in-mouth gaffes from the candidate Richardson.
Houston Rockets - Chris Dodd
Much like the Houston Rockets in the NBA playoffs scheme of things, Dodd is solid but invisible candidates. The Rockets and Dodd are both solid on skills and issues, but they seem to disappear at times and haven't been able to translate their strength into playoff victories. Plus, Dodd gains much of his formative experience from an international turn in the peace corps and the Rockets gain much of their notoriety from foreign centers, Yao today and Olajuwon of old. It makes sense.
Denver Nuggets - Joe Biden
Both have what I like to call a High Baller Coefficient. The Nugs can roll with 'Melo, AI and Camby, and no one can light up a debate like Joe Biden. Because of this, on paper, both are potential juggernauts. Yet neither has translated that potential into votes or playoff wins. Either team can shoot the lights out with potent offensives, but also have a tendency to ball hog, go cold for periods of time and say stupid things off the court. Always well regarded, but still no proof in the pudding.
LA Lakers - Dennis Kucinich
The celebrity team of the NBA meets the celebrity candidate of the true Liberals. Both enjoy the support of Jack Nicholson. Kobe can score points in a hurry, just like Kucinich in the AFL-CIO and LOGO debates. Phil Jackson's triangle offense akin to Kooch's potent triangle offense of peace, health care and fair trade. Both have hot female fans.
Golden State Warriors - Mike Gravel
A real David vs. Goliath story. Either will fearlessly sling rocks and believe in a free-wheeling, caution to the wind Nellieball-style approach. Plus, it represents the first time Alaska has been visible on the Democratsic since well before the last time Golden State made the playoffs.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit Pistons - Mitt Romney
Romney and the Pistons are both solid all around. Smart, well-prepared and ambitious, but Mitt's constant turnaround on the issues might be analagous to a perceived lack of heart in the current Pistons that has been lurking every since they won a title a few years ago. Plus, Romney grew up in Michigan. Maybe he's a Pistons fan. Judging by his track record, he must have been at one point or another.
Cleveland Cavaliers - Rudolph Giuliani
Rudy and the Cavs share both a major strength and a major weakness. Both camps are fueled by incredible star power in LeBron James and the 9/11 spotlight, while both have very little else in terms of supporting cast. Who is James gonna pass it to in crunch time? Larry Hughes? Meanwhile, what does Giuliani talk about besides security? A new hard-line stance on immigration? That said, the Cavs rode that star power all the way to the finals. Could Giuliani do the same?
Toronto Raptors - Fred Thompson
Both won a weak division to get such a high seeding. For the Raptors it was the Atlantic, and for Fred Thompson it is that distinctly Republican division called "perceieved to be most Reaganesque". Either way, it is a paper tiger. Both fancy themselves outsiders, have little playoff experience and few actual weapons. But still, they are both division champs, and a #3 seed. Something must be said about that.
Miami Heat - John McCain
Miami and McCain, a perfect pairing of early favorites. Unfortunately age is a factor, and both sides ain't getting any younger. Serious injury to Dwayne Wade derailed the Heat this spring, and injuries to McCain's reputation by way of Iraq war support and perceived "amnesty" on immigration threaten to end his road to the finals before it really begins. Shaq and McCain, meanwhile, are both consistently witty and lovable.
Chicago Bulls - Mike Huckabee
Both seem to have all the pieces in place to be contenders, but aren't quite there. Huckabee is a reliable conservative, a former minister with a great personality and a recent strong showing in Ames. Can he make the most of his momentum, like the Bulls arguably failed to do by not dumping PJ Brown's expiring contract for KG? Furthermore, both reside in the shadow of being from a town whose favorite son is larger than life. For Chicago its MJ, and for Hope, AR its Bill Clinton. Also, Huck jokes about being able to walk into a coffee shop without being known and the Bulls collection of young talent is still pretty unrecognizable as far as NBA stars go.
New Jersey Nets - Sam Brownback
This doesn't really fit except that both are kind of bland and I don't like either of them. The Nets have a lot of superstars in Kidd, Carter and Jefferson, and maybe Brownback is a superstar of the anti-abortion crowd. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Washington Wizards - Ron Paul
Dr. No = Agent Zero, an intriguing superstar that nobody seems to understand. Very tantalizing and a lot of internet support, Ron Paul with his facebook and Gil Arenas with his blog. However, if a lot of anti-war and civil libertarian lefties realize that Paul is against most softie government programs, his candidacy might be in just as much trouble as the Wizards were when Gilbert went down. P.S. Arenas' new nickname is The Landlord. Maybe we can call Ron Paul The Superintendent.
Orlando Magic - Tom Tancredo
Tancredo is a one trick pony for immigration and the Magic are a one man team with Dwight Howard. However, they did just sign Ra Lewis, and Tancredo did just finish a surprisingly high 4th at Ames. Either way, both are irrelevant Eight seeds.

Seagal's FBI Beef

I know this has nothing to do with the campaign trail, but did you ever wonder why Steven Seagal's career dropped so precipitously in the last six years? Certainly, you did. So did I. I'm sure a little bit of weight gain and diversification into music and energy drinks played a role, but according to Seagal it was actually the FBI! The LA Times reports that Seagal has finally spoken out about a plot by the FBI to implicate him in an intimidation scheme and tie him to the mob. Lies! All lies!

Anyway, its kinda F*ed up. Think about it, Seagal starts making films about being a badass out for social and environmental justice, often where he battles GOVERNMENT and establishment corruption and next thing you know he is being squashed by the higher ups. If you were the government and Steven Seagal were coming after you, wouldn't you be scared? It's a no-brainer. You can take that to the bank...the blood bank. I believe you, Steven.

Giuliani Time

I skipped my scheduled Giuliani visit today, citing a busy weekend schedule and Max Piana's birthday. Until next time, Rudes! Meanwhile, Fred Kaplan over at Slate completely rips to shreds Rudy's latest Foreign Affairs article, giving credence to Joe Biden's oft-stated judgment that Rudy is in need of a lunch-eatin'.

Instead, I thought we could watch one of Rudy's many hilarious(?!) and/or questionable(!) videos from his days as hizzoner. There is more where that came from, at Giuliani Time.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Hoochie Koochie Man

Dover, NH -

Quaint downtown Dover was the site of 3Q's latest campaign stop, this time for the low-polling but high-rolling Congressman from Cleveland, Dennis Kucinich. I arrived at the newly-opened New Hampshire campaign HQ just before 2pm on a brilliantly sunny day greeted by one flustered staffer who distractedly answered that "he'd be here any minute" when I asked if this was the site of today's event. Instantly I noticed there were a couple of signs on the wall advertising a Meet and Greet with the Candidate from 2-3pm in the 2nd floor campaign office. Sure enough, moments after I had sidled over to the wall, the candidate walked up the stairs and into the door.

In some respects it was a blogger's dream. Kucinich was rolling with an entourage of three - his wife, Elizabeth, a journalist and a staffer with a video camera. In others it was a blogger's nightmare. He stayed for fifteen minutes, only took three or four questions and left without any fanfare or handshakes citing a commitment to "business pertaining to the campaign".

Just as expected, the candidate with the three-man entourage entered without fanfare. There was no introduction, there wasn't even a gathering up of the dozen and a half spectators to greet him in unison. Exacerbating the problem, Kucinich walked into the room and immediately started talking. Half the people weren't even sure he was there and by the time the crowd had arranged itself into a proper semi-circle, or at least as much of a semi-circle as the long skinny office would permit, Dennis was off and running with a time-crimped stump speech.

His message was clear, that he was a leader who could present his motto of "strength through peace" to America and change the way we see our problems. Instead of the current premise of inevitable war, Kucinich proposed that only he was confident enough to show the country a new direction. All the while, he would get the world "to love America, to believe in America again." We are entrenched in an era, he said, where "we must take a new direction." Clearly.

The only domestic issue he mentioned was health care. Health care, health care, health care. It is at the top of every Dem's stump list, and even some Republicans. Kucinich, as you know, is the only candidate embracing a not-for-profit universal health care system and when he mentions it to the Kooch-base, it seems for granted. Of course I'm advocating this! Duhhh (emphasis and commentary added by the blogger)! He touched on the massive costs of the current system, claimed that nearly half of all bankruptcy cases in America were due to excessive health care bills, and that the only solution was to get rid of the premiums and deductibles and the insurer's profit margins.

He closed by comparing himself to "Roosevelt in 1932", solving big problems and putting millions of people to work with high wage jobs. He called attention to his thrilling turns in the latest debates, for AFL-CIO and HRC, and cited the latest media characterization of him as the "darling of the Democratic base."

At that point he took a few questions, first allowing Elizabeth to answer a question about Uganda, where she had just been. They quarreled a little over whether Dennis or the audience member should repeat the question. Liz won the battle and answered her question eloquently with a smooth British accent. So eloquently that I wondered if the girl was a plant. It didn't make any sense to plant a question about Uganda, but in this topsy-turvy world of summer 2007, where young kids wearing "One" t-shirts are making laser noises that nearly distract Presidential candidates, anything is possible. Speaking of anything being possible, the rumours are true - Liz Kucinich does have a tongue ring. I repeat, does have a tongue ring. No matter what your political views are, that has to be respected.

There was another question about health care from the audience, and Dennis spent his entire answer discussing the government's role in bargaining with the drug companies for lower costs that would allow for subsidized free prescription drugs for all. Marijuana, too? Hmmm. He also cited prescription drug prices as another reason for us to get out of the WTO. Unfortunately my area of expertise lies in political bullshit and not in international economics so I still don't have a good grip on how that is, but any loyal readers who want to comment on it - proceed.

Again Kucinich firmly and (slightly) apologetically mentioned that he needed to leave early. He took one final question whose answer he spun into re-stating his mission, that he had the courage, patience and judgment to lead the country in a new direction. He mentioned the ease of communication in today's shrinking world, with cell phones, e-mail and fast jets, and how we need to start using the science to enhance peaceful human relationships. Most leaders think war is inevitable, he said, "but I reject that thinking." I respect that rejection, and in terms of peace and civil rights Kucinich really is a true leader.

Unfortunately, he isn't worth the sum of his parts on the campaign trail, at least at first sight. He slinked out of the office without so much as a handshake. He frequently paused in his words. His command of the issues was impressive, but at times he seemed confused, disinterested or just not very focused. Maybe that is why he cut the event short. Maybe something bad happened away from Dover. I surely can't know. But what is clear is that Kucinich will need to shift his leadership beyond mere issues of civil liberties and peace toward the leadership of actual people if he wants to work his way out of the fringe. We're talking simple things like making a grand entrance, shaking hands and asking for votes. Those can all be done even on a shoestring budget. In other words he has a lot of work to do to convince all those straight men out there that they are actually Koochie Men.

They Don't Really Hate Them. Right?

I've said it before. I'll say it again. Republicans Hate Immigrants. Yesterday John McCain let it be know that he had received death threats for his perceived "amnesty" on immigrants. Meanwhile my boy Newt is going over the top claiming America's "war" on illegal immigrants is more deadly than the one in Iraq. Ahh, Newt, you're going a little Almond Joy on us. Sometimes you feel like a Nut.

But seriously, what kind of psycho wants to kill lovable John McCain over an issue whose hard-line stance is completely unachievable? Seriously, we haven't heard the last from these fringe characters. Are you Fired up? They are fired up!












Tommy: I can't believe he called me a psycho.
Richard: Hey were you in there just now-you are a psycho... and comb your hair.

Say It Ain't So!

Say it ain't so, Geo! Jenna Bush is gettin' hitched. Looks like I'll have to focus my game solely on Barbara, now.












You've come a long way, baby.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Obama: He's Heating Up

Keene, NH -

I arrived at the Keene Rec Center early this afternoon after a long drive up from Cape Cod consisting mostly of New England's greatest road nemesis, I-495, with the quintessentially Northwestern New England glory that is coolly warm weather and partly cloudy skies, even in mid-August. A decent crowd was brewing up on the lawn outside, where a stage sat at the ready for some speechifyin', and humble placement of folding chairs held the promise of a ready-made overflow crowd. It was another New Hampshire political rally.

But then the rains came. Minutes after my arrival a slow sprinkle turned into a heavy downpour and, while it was fairly obvious that the tempest would last but few minutes, the powers that be made the decision to move the shin-dig inside. The crowds, maybe a third of which had umbrellas, rushed for the doors of the rec center only to wait in line to get inside under an open sky. I gladly took their place under the cover of a large tree canopy with the help of a kind photographer's umbrella and waited about ten minutes until the rain had stopped. Alas, by that point everything was moot and we headed, like lemmings, to the indoor venue where the candidate was slated to appear in a few minutes.

And so I traded the dripping of tree branches onto my head for my dripping hair onto my notepad. Inside was hot and smelled of wet hair, the result of 80+ degrees outside coupled with the sudden onslaught of some 350 people crowding into a small, cement-walled room. It was real humanity, you see, just a bunch of hot sweaty people jammed into a room with a makeshift stage and a ragged backdrop of blankets strung up to cover the ugly cement walls and support a New Hampshire for Obama sign. Jazz music played faintly in the background over a din of chatter that was so politely low that I couldn't even make out any legitimately eavesdropped conversations. Moments later the din became a roar as Barack Obama sneaked onto the stage from the left hand corner of the room.

That is when things really heated up. Just like in Laconia a month and a half ago Obama did the obligatory Granite cuddling, thanking the people for doing such a great job of test-driving the candidates and "kicking the tires" for the rest of the country. Not that we disagree. After his brief entry statements he went into a speech that touched on the issues that he wanted to tackle as President. Interestingly enough, he never mentioned that he actually wanted to do them. He just brought them up and it eventually became crystal clear that he was talking about his platform. This was precisely what I was looking for at the Laconia event last time but found lacking.

He touched on, in this order, health insurance, education, energy policy, economy, war and the restoration of America. Haven't we heard that before? Yeah, from every other Democratic candidate. As usual, it was peppered with witty campaignisms like how Bush "left the money behind for No Child Left Behind." He talked of our energy policy sending billions to oil companies and billions to politically unstable regimes. He even brought up Scooter Libby on the war front saying, "even Paris Hilton got some jail time." Let me tell you, that one brought the laffs.

Yet the first half of his speech could have been summed up in one word: Frustration. In a five minute span I did a quick mental scan of how many times he used the word "frustrated" and I came up with 13, and that was on the low end because I didn't think to do it until I had heard it five or six times already. It was the sort of thing that got the crowd thinking, 'yeah, you're right, I guess I am pretty frustrated. Frustrated with the rising cost of health insurance and the Iraq war and the unchecked power of the Presidential office.' Ah yes, he had them. He had us.

But issues, schmissues, the real draw of the Barack Obama campaign is hope. To paraphrase the great Ross Perot - you know it, I know it, the American people know it. At this point Obama delved into his assessment of our America. According to the Illinois Democrat, we are tired of "slash and burn negative campaigning." We are frustrated with being against something and we "want to be for something." Most importantly, we are our brother's keeper and we're "not on our own, we're in this thing together." Don't let the Washington press corps tell you any different. Enough with their mocking characterizations of naivety and "hope-mongering"! Instead, Barack wants to increase the hope, and he says, "as I travel the country I become more hopeful, not less hopeful...[because] Americans don't want that much. They're willing to work hard and make sacrifices for the future generations."

Obama launched more and more into America's desire to work hard for themselves and the future. We were a country who had lost our way and dammit we were determined to find it, and Barack was the one to lead us there. He continued on in this vein of what Americans wanted and hoped for, and with every sentence the crowd grew louder and his voice rose to match theirs. Passion filled the pipes, feeding the fury, and just like that the seed was planted.

After a brief pause Obama applied the diminuendo to the first half of his stump speech, gradually touching on the solutions to the six problems he had articulated earlier. In the same fashion, he didn't explicitly say that he had the solutions, he just began to talk about them. The rest was up to the crowd to recognize that we could save billions in health care through prevention, that the biggest problem in our schools is an achievement gap for youngsters to be fixed by early education, that a boost in CAFE standards to 45 mpg would take away our need for Middle Eastern oil. He even tossed a joke into the assessment that we need to bolster our infrastructure by saying that we need to "make sure cell phone service doesn't drop every time I drive out of Keene." Oh, and how!

Regarding America's standing in the world, Obama once again brought the passion. He re-hashed his recent tiff with HRC by continuing to cite the MSM's trouncing of his every move as naive, and subtly dismissing Clinton as just being wrong. "I'm not worried about losing a propaganda war with dictators," he said and then quoted JFK, "let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." It was a powerful stroke by Obama, summoning his own inner Rove by taking his weakness and making it into his strength. What is better, it worked. Obama wasn't afraid to give an outline for his negotiating ploy. He wants to go to the UN and say "America's back," and tell world leaders "we want your people to be successful" and that "we want to work with you" on issues like Darfur, AIDS, building schools in the Middle East that taught math and science instead of hate.

"That's who we are." By that point, his speech had turned into an old-fashioned tent revival.
His arm was flailing, the crowd was cheering, his voice was raising. I had goosebumps everywhere. I mean everywhere. And for what? The simple premise that we were frustrated and lost. According to Barack Obama we need to be found. O, Amazing Grace.

He closed with a story. It was the story of the Selma, AL to Montgomery, AL marches of 1965, better known as bloody Sunday. He told of his recent visit to Selma, where once upon a time state and local police brutalized a peaceful march of African-Americans hoping to exercise their rights to vote. As news reached beyond Selma, Obama mentioned, a generation of young people said "that's not what you told us about America," and they pilgrimaged by the tens of thousands to Alabama to march alongside their brothers. They marched for a brighter future, so that their children and grandchildren wouldn't have to see on television what they had just seen. He said that he was then just a 4 year-old who didn't even know what was going on, but now he is standing on their shoulders daring to have gone to law school, become a state Senator and, heck, even run for President. Right now, he closed, there is a 4 year-old wondering about his future, and we have to work for him and "if everybody here is nearly as fired up as I am" it could be done. Judging by the temperature of my own impartial skin, I think there is a good shot that they were.

Tentative 3Q Schedule

Because I know you lovvvve to keep tabs on me.

Thursday, August 16 - Dennis Kucinich, Dover, NH 2pm
Friday, August 17 - Rudy Giuliani, Merrimack, NH 9am
Saturday, August 18 - Londonderry Old Home Days 10am
Sunday, August 19 - Mike Huckabee, Concord, NH 11am
Sunday, August 19 - Ron Paul, Hollis, NH ?
Tuesday, August 21-Saturday, August 25 - Men's Retreat, Pemi River, New Hampshire, a lot of beer a lot of girls and a lot of cursin'. Plus swimming in the healing waters of the Pemi river and maybe even a visit from John Edwards. I guarantee this, if he dares come to Lincoln, Campton or North Woodstock I will invite him out for a run on the trails behind Sam's Tire Barn, a swim at the town beach and a Pemi Pale Ale afterward. That's the One America I'm talkin' about. This doesn't just go for Edwards, who will be doing a biodiesel bus tour that week. Nay, I will submit the same challenge to any candidate who has the sound judgment and vivacity to come to the North Country and potentially dip in the Pemi.

Honestly, I might not make it up to Giuliani. 9am? What a d-bag.
Same goes for Ron Paul whose event, in concert with the Hillsborough Country Republicans annual picnic, requires an $18 dollar donation to the party. F that. We'll see about some guerrilla tactics. Now as Ali G would say, bring on the "loose hippie bitches" and the GOP. But either way, "dis is da earliest I's ever been up!" Get EXCITED. Get PUMPED. Tell ya' friends. Get your Read on!

Bold initiatives. Bold leadership. Bold blogging. Welcome to Flava Qountry.

Ahoy,
BTB

P.S. as schedules become updated, my schedule changes. Looks like I won't have to wake up at 7 to see Giuli on Saturday, but I don't want to change it so that I can keep my Ali G joke in here. Booyakasha!

Edwards on Rove

Please take a moment to read John Edwards' statement on the resignation of Karl Rove, text can be found here.

Really, it should only take a second.

Fight the Power

In my upcoming (seriously, I'm almost done but I have other priorities, too) article on the Obama visit to Keene, it is clear that a major portion of the stump speech touches on the MSM's constant dismissal of Obama as naive and inexperienced. I think it is easy for someone like Obama to harp on that threat as a poor-me pity call for political gain, but the more I witness it the more legitimate it becomes. Especially since the youtube debate, nearly every time the Illinois Senator says something outside of the mold of political convention, it becomes a so-called gaffe due to his inexperience. This clip from a recent Nashua visit made it onto national news and earned a rebuke from the likes of Mitt Romney. Similarly, even harmless discussions with smalltown voters are getting blown up over the pages of the Washington Post and slammed by the Republicans.

I understand that the GOP criticism has much to do with the Fear of a Black Planet, or maybe just a Democratic Candidate, but nevertheless my Fear has more to do with the idea that a candidate's opposition can be so successful at framing their counterpart with the help of the MSM. An establishment media that jumps on the party line, ignores the articulate fringes and vilifies a bold, new approach? Now that is a real Public Enemy.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Tags

You may have noticed a slight change in the format of 3Q in the past few hours. At the bottom of each post is a little subject tag, usually a candidate's name, that identifies just what the hell we are talking about. While it may be a little unwieldy up front, it coincides with a bar on the right hand side of your screen (scroll down, you'll find it) that keeps tabs of all the subjects. So if you want to check out all the posts about Hillary Clinton or Newt Gingrich, for instance, all you would have to do is click on their names in the tag bar and every article I have tagged for them will show up. For further clarification I have them listed in order of frequency of appearance. This way we can see just how relevant everyone is, and watch how it changes over the course of the campaign. Brilliant!

More Bush Lite

But wait, there's more! This morning's edition of WP's The Trail recognizes HRC as the Roveian candidate of 2008.

Witness Clinton's own campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle saying that, compared to Bush '04, she "would run this race no differently."

Witness Bill Clinton telling Rove in 2004, "Hey, you did a marvelous job, it was just marvelous what you did."

Witness, furthermore, that 2 million+ pages of Hillary Clinton's files at the WJC Presidential library will be on lockdown until after 2008. How conveeeenient!

Witness 4 more years of skullduggery???!!!


(This article is Part 2 in a series, to be continued indefinitely)

Monday, August 13, 2007

Sincerely

Just skipped down to Armadillo's burritos here in my beloved Keene post-Obama rally. I'm grooving on some downtown wi-fi, grubbing on a burrito and glugging a happy hour Harpoon. O, the life! Meantime, I'll let you chew on this Nashua Telegraph op-ed about Bill Richardson. In it, Jennifer Horn enjoys the same up-close charm that a lot of us see, even gushing about Richardson as "Cool Hand Luke incarnate". Not bad coming from a Republican. And better yet, as she puts it, "I am beginning to believe sincerity is an underrated attribute in presidential candidates; it seems to have been replaced by raw ambition. I am pleased to say Richardson struck me as being particularly sincere." Amen.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

More Crooks

This time from the Romney camp (again), More Crooks!

This guy's only a bundler, and not an actual staffer. But hey, you swim in the "water of filth" that surrounds you. This begs the question - what is worse, swindling millions and impersonating an officer, or a little bit of innocent and educational cuss words porno? Well, we know which path leads to success at any rate. Priorities, priorities.Publish Post

Ames Straw Poll

Read all about it! Results are on pretty much any of my Quabbinlinks, and otherwise here.

1. Romney: 4516 (31.5)
2. Huckabee: 2587 (18.1)
3. Brownback: 2192 (15.3)
4. Tancredo: 1961 (13.7)
5. Paul: 1305 (9.1)
6. T. Thompson: 1039 (7.3)
7. F. Thompson: 203 (1.4)
8. Giuliani: 183 (1.3)
9. Hunter: 174 (1.2)
10. McCain: 101 (1)
11. Cox: 41 (.1)

14,302 ballots cast


Keeping in mind F. Thompson, Giuliani and McCain didn't participate (Quitters).

The results of the Ames Straw Poll tell me two main things:
1. Brownback doesn't hold a candle to Huckabee.
In spite of all the time and money he spent relative to Huckabee, Sam Brownback got con-served by the conservative base. Huckabee is so much funnier, smarter and more articulate. He doesn't have a chance.
2. Republicans hate immigrants.
Wow. Tom Tancredo nearly pulls off a second place showing entirely on the issue of immigration. Let me tell you folks, this issue is a barn-burner for a lot of people, and will have a sizable impact on the polls all next year by ginning up fervor in fence-mongers and other such unrealists.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Biden Uncut

Cotuit, MA -

Ho ho! No sooner do I say those comments about Senator Biden do I find out that he just contradicted me in a Newsweek interview! Witness:

Which Republican in the current field scares you the most?
I could tell you off the record but it sounds too presumptuous to answer something like that. Plus, I think we can beat them all.
What about Rudy Giuliani? Couldn’t he put more states in play than any other Republican?
No. Giuliani’s signature position on national security is the place he’s most vulnerable, based on how little he actually knows about foreign policy.
Would you feel unfulfilled in your career if, as some observers are predicting, you ended up not as president but as secretary of State under the next Democratic president?
I promise you, I don’t want to be secretary of State. If I did, this is certainly not the best way to go about it. I’m going to be taking sharper and sharper exceptions with my colleagues. And it won’t be easy to then turn around and ask to be secretary of State. The truth is, I will be upset only if I don’t say what I think during this campaign. I can die a happy man not hearing “Hail to the Chief.”


Yes! Break out the Cutcos! Bring on the sharp stuff!

Holy crap, its a Quabbin media feeding frenzy down here in shark country! Now if I could only get around to writing that McCain article!

Giddy at the library (and keepin' it pasty indoors),
BTB

Over-Rated!

Cotuit, MA -

Clap! Clap! Clap-clap-clap!

One of my favorite underdog cheers is now a political article! Check it out on the Political Wire!

  • Most overrated - Fred Thompson and John Edwards
  • Most underrated - Mike Huckabee and Bill Richardson

But then again, who cares what the insiders say? In the immortal words of Dee Dee Ramone,

"I'm an outsider/Outside of everything/Everything you know/Everything you know/It disturbs me so"












But then again again, I agree with them!

Bush Lite

Cotuit, MA -

Elizabeth Wilner at The Politico beat me to the punch yesterday with her article on Clinton's very Bush-y campaign. This exact point has been my second biggest beef with Hill since I started paying attention (after the dynasty matter, of course). The amount of bullying, manipulation and arrogance employed in such an operation creates a nauseous sense of wrath in a humble country boy like myself, most notably after the debacles of the past two presidential elections. As Wilner points out, there is a good chance that most Democrats are willing to take the gamble on a second-coming of a more liberal George W. Bush if it means victory in 2008. But for a cantankerous old farm hand like the Quabbin Blogger? I say no thanks.

Certainly the rest of the Democratic field's only hope is to jump on this relationship if they want to go all Ronald Reagan on Hillary and tear down this wall of bullshit. Obama has begun with the Bush Lite bit, but not hard enough. Edwards, whose mouth ticks and tocks back and forth between a smile and a foamy froth, seems the likeliest to do it given his continued ascent toward a moral boiling point. Richardson is perhaps too diplomatic (and not to mention bungling) but I have hope in his ability to say the things that real Dems are thinking and I am still waiting for him to take the gloves off if he wants to be taken seriously as a borderline top-tier candidate. Biden always has it in him to spout off some gems, but will he still be relevant if he gets around to it? Same for Dodd. The last two, of course, also seem to be favoring Clinton for future favors. We all know what Gravel would say. Kucinich, meanwhile, will likely be too concerned with riding his beautiful high horse. Did I mention that it is beautiful? It is. But its also a high horse.

Speaking of high horse (or hobby horse, rather) Clinton just received another high profile California mayoral backing. If you support pols who are so popular with women they are not married to that they end up in bed together, Clinton is your candidate. Oh, I shouldn't have done that. Instead, it is better spun in the terms that the kind of people who are supporting Clinton are more likely to be ambitious, win-at-all-costs, rules-be-damned politicians as opposed to those of us who seek inclusive, healing, honest and issue-oriented candidates. Oh, I shouldn't have said that. What a loser! But seriously, hasn't the laundry list of complaints in a failed Bush presidency been topped by secrecy, arrogance, stubbornness, and incompetence? With the exception of the last one, I dunno, I begin to see parallels. I'm just sayin', is all.

At any rate, it ultimately comes down to a baseball analogy. Do you like the Yankees, or don't you? Do you like George Steinbrenner, or don't you? I say go Sox! Go M's! Go Cubbies! Now this all reminds me of my favorite joke - what is your favorite baseball team, the Yankees, the Phillies, the Expos, the Mets, the Dodgers, or the Rockies?

Ahoy from the beach,
BTB

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Blogus Interruptus

Nation,

I was back on the campaign trail today but the 3Q output is hardly telling. I skipped out on a morning Dodd when a few things came up around the Quabbin Qabin (hint: it had to do with cheap beer and Guitar Dudes at McRoofie's in Amherst on Tuesday night). Alas, I did make it up to Merrimack for Johnny Mack, and to boot I threw in the Obama LOGO debate watch party at a gay bar in Manch Vegas. Woo hoo! Unfortunately, the place didn't have wireless (as advertised by the campaign) and they only rented out the room for the first half of the debate! Alas, I will get as much up as I can tomorrow morning. But now its about to be a nightmare on Elm Street.

BTB

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Hide Your Daughters!

If the press comes a-knockin', that is. But if it is a Republican lawmaker, hide your sons!

In today's HuffPo, RJ Eskow has a good article about where you should and should not go when discussing public candidates. Stemming from the Slate piece on Giuliani's daughter and all the blog-a-gaga about Jeri Thompson, Eskow determines that getting personal with persons who aren't the candidate is acceptable only when it is a matter of judgment or hypocrisy. I would have to agree. I found it pretty disturbing that a Slate journalist would attempt to contact Giuliani's daughter (who is a juvenile, by the way) to ask her about her facebook support groups. Here at 3Q, we avoid that entirely by not asking the candidates questions at all. And we certainly don't talk to underage girls. But like I mentioned earlier, it is more than okay to drag hypocrites through the dirt like my boy Dan Savage. Especially sexual hypocrites!

By the way, New Hampshire is big these days. President of France big. When you saw that picture (from the link) of Sark the Shark wearing those aviators and yelling at the journalist, weren't you thinking Dr. Leo Marvin all the way? Take a vacation from your problems.

Now one more Savage Love bit - his rant on George Bush and sexual abstinence from last week is terrrrific!


Dale's Pale Ale (on draft even!),
BTB

Energy

Here is an interesting take on energy policies. I know that most of these generalized charts usually suck, but this one seems to hit it pretty well. Enjoy.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Plans

Bill Richardson finally released his health care plan. It is pretty streamlined here on the website, so I will be interested to hear if there are more details. But in the meantime it has pretty bullet points to read.

Hillary Clinton also said some stuff about lending practices. Being a life-long renter, I had no idea what she was talking about. It is probably mushy, though.

Speaking of plans, I'll be in New Hampshire again on Thursday for a Dodd stop in the morning, and then expanding my new GOP blogging capability with a visit to John McCain's town hall meeting in Merrimack. Seeing as how I intend to start calling myself the Merrimack Daddy once I fully move into the Granite State, I think that will be an important step on the road to the blog house. That said, the event will cause me to miss the Manchester CIGNA 5k but I fully intend to hit up Strange Brew with some runners afterward. Hit me up if you're around.

Getting personal,
BTB

Friday, August 3, 2007

The White Hare

Just wanted to throw this up, the transcript of Dodd on O'Reilly. I mentioned this earlier today in the comments section of a previous post, but the more I read the more I felt it should be given a greater spotlight by 3Q Nation. Check out the video here.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Stinky Bedfellows

Orono, ME -

Two quick reads about Giuliani here and here. The first is about his relationship with bosom buddy and uber-political crook Roger Ailes, and the second one is about the promotion of a vulture fund buddy into the role of Senior Policy Advisor. This just in, new policy to include scamming poor countries and failing businesses. Rudy '08!

P.S. Real Candidates don't go to the Hamptons.

And yeah, no need to excoriate me for shamelessly ripping of today's Times, cuz damn it was a good one. Self-flagellation should be punishment enough.

Lastly, I will try to put up a few more fluff pieces over the remainder of the week, but internet time could be limited for the QuabbinBlogger. I am heading up into the Maine woods to refuel my spiritual mojo, and seek some truth for the late summer campaign push. Meantime, see you in the woods.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Mitt Romney: Blow Dried Blow Offs

Amherst, NH -

The sun was scorching when I got out of my car at 11:15am this morning. Perfect for a late summer morning in this picturesque village, birthplace of Horace Greeley and home to a quaint grassy square, a number of old war hero statues and a cute little general store called Moulton's Market where about fifty of us gathered to meet and greet Mitt Romney who, ideal for this sunny day, was sporting a nice bright tan.

As I stood inside the store waiting for the Governor to arrive I did my best to listen in to what people were saying about the Republican field. Some of them seemed to like Giuliani, but were willing to give Romney a chance. Some of them were fully decked out in Mitt gear, complete with baseball gloves (Mitts, if you will) to show their support. Others were just a little bit crazy, as is the norm for any political gathering and especially on the GOP side. One woman complained to whomever would listen to her for more than ten seconds, "why will no one in the media say that Obama's middle name is Hussein when they talk so much about Romney being a Mormon?" Good question, lady. I wonder if she knows that Mitt's real name is Willard, priming him to become arguably the second most famous Willard of all time. At the table next to her was a man with Jesus' head tattooed on his forearm. Let me tell ya, it was a darn good rendition.

While I was listening, the staff began to scuffle around so I glanced out the window to see if Romney was coming. Within moments I overheard that he was still a few minutes away, but I also saw that there was a man dressed in a human-sized dolphin suit standing next to his friend, looking remarkably like Ben Affleck on steroids, who was holding up a sign imploring Mitt to vow not to support any local Democrats. Sensing confrontation, I ran outside to await Mitt's arrival.

Regrettably, by the time the former Governor's SUV pulled up his muscle men had successfully strong-armed the would-be hecklers into the park across the street. They still shouted through their bullhorn, but embarrassment and fear ruled the day. Alas, there was no drama. Instead, Romney shook a number of hands outside the store including that of an elderly gentleman. This man, a former employee of Mitt's father, brought a picture of George Romney with him to show and tell Mitt that his father was the best boss he ever had. It was yet another nice moment in the world of politics, when a regular Joe gets to show his sincere appreciation for something related to the candidate that had happened in the past. Usually the candidate does a great job pretending to care, but I admit I was a little surprised at Mitt's performance with the gentleman. All he could muster was a series of lines like "that's great," and "oh wonderful" and "thanks for coming." He passionlessly helped the man, who brought a folding chair to wait and walked with a cane, put his photo back in his tote bag and moved into the store.

In front of the crowd, microphone now in hand, Mitt gave less of a stump speech and more of a mission statement before taking questions. He thanked everyone for stopping by, remarked upon the importance of this Presidential election due to:
A) the out-of-hand spending levels in Washington these days
B) the rise of global Islamic jihad
C) the need to support our troops.
On that last note, he busted out what seemed like his latest catch phrase, encouraging America to give a "surge of support" for the families and soldiers who are enduring a "surge of sacrifice." He managed to drop the "surge of support" line two or three more times before he left.
The Iraq war requiring a "Surge of Support?" More like it requires recognition as the Scourge of America. But hey, at least its not the Scourge of Carpathia.

At this point the questions began, and the first one had to do with supporting our troops through better mental and physical health care once they are home. This is where Mitt seems to relish his role as a non-Washington outsider. He showed nominal support for Bush's latest gambit, but mostly he stressed his hope that it be successful This way, he can disavow it when it fails. He spoke of the importance of funding the troops, but gave no promises or plans to actually get it done. Next thing you know he was changing the subject to a newspaper article about Iraq success, smiling and moving on to the next question, which was about global warming and fuel efficiency standards.

Much to my pleasant surprise, Romney talked about the failure of our policies to effectively increase gas mileage over the past twenty years, citing loopholes with trucks and SUVs, and claimed that he wanted a public-private investment into efficiency and renewables that would bring about a 50mpg fleet in the future. Of course, he didn't mention mandates or plans or time frames, but at least he spoke of it. But then the next thing you know he was talking about the ability of $3 gas prices to press America into action, and then blamed the increase on "Chavez, Ahmadinejad, Putin and others." Is that the same Chavez who gave free oil to your former state, Mr. Governor? Now, I know Chavez has bleeped up plenty, but are you into solutions are just passing the buck?

He also played the partisan blame game a bit. After he made a point against a national health care program where he stressed that he wouldn't want the people responsible for cleaning up Hurricane Katrina in charge of our national health care someone from the audience made the point that it was the Bush Administration who was in charge. Romney acknowledged the point, then backpedaled a bit before stating that he had been in Mississippi with Gov. Haley Barbour, and that the cleanup was going well. On the contrary, things weren't going so well in New Orleans. He incredulously wasn't sure why that was, and suggested that the fault might lie in the hands of the Mayor, the Governor, or possibly FEMA. I should mention that Ray Nagin and Kathleen Babineaux Blanco are both Democrats.

What really struck me throughout the entire show was that Mitt Romney never actually said anything. He talked fast, but he never actually said anything. He evoked a few principles, notably "taxes are bad," "spending is too high," "Democrats are doing a poor job," "I can solve problems," and "illegal immigration is bad," but there were no plans whatsoever. There weren't even any campaign promises, just a lot of misdirection. As soon as it became clear that a solid answer was needed to actually answer the question, he would smile and bring up a topic that was partly related and in his interest and move on. Then he would smile some more. The old Mitt and Switch. He did a masterful job of this to close the show, turning his second-to-last answer into an advertisement for the deli full of chicken and burritos behind him, saying that he had to give this fine business a chance to sell their delicious food. His last question was about the future of Social Security and Medicare. He acknowledged it, didn't answer it, smiled, and passed the microphone off to his staff. A few smiles, handshakes and autographs later, it was goodbye Romney.

Before he left I approached Mitt to shake his hand and I noticed that his tie, which appeared to be a nice plain light blue from afar, actually had the design of a bunch of little surfers cutting diagonally back and forth on the ocean. It was pretty cool, actually, but it struck me as a metaphor for his campaign approach. Judging by his pipeline-hollow answers, Romney seems to be riding a slippery wave toward the nomination. The New Hampshire primary season holds the potential for a long and gnarly break, but if the motion in the ocean ever picks up with some nasty crosscurrents and riptides, Mitt could be in for a nasty spill if he isn't constantly focusing on his balance. The bad news for the campaign is that Hampton Beach is hardly a hotspot for surfers. The good news is that if there is one candidate who is constantly focusing on his balance, his name is Mitt Romney. No matter what, after that surf, would someone please pass him the nearest hair dryer.