Just wanted to highlight Howard Fineman's take on 'Dem Candidates' from the Harkin Steak Fry. He does well to highlight John Edwards' polished message, Hillary Clinton's professionalism and Bill Richardson's "roguish twinkle" in his eye.
Although Dennis was ditched by the Iowa establishment, here is a nice history of his political career through Cleveland Magazine articles. Especially note the first piece, which tells of his friendship with a chain-biting Polish immigrant and Kucinich's 10 martinis in a half hour feat. Dennis the Menace, indeed!
Meanwhile, New Hampshire has now enacted a smoking ban inside bars. My sweater still smells a little bit like Marlboro Reds from Penuche's, which should take about two months to fully detox, but a positive trend nonetheless. My days of pretending to be a 1960s journalist, sitting at a corner table with a Hendrick's martini and an American Spirit as I frantically clanked out my tales of 3rd tier candidates, may be over but my lungs and clothes are thankful for it.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Honor Before Dishonor Before Death, Most of All
Plymouth, NH -
If you ask John McCain or Rudy Giuliani (or Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney or even Ed Koch for that matter) about Democrats and the Iraq War these days, chances are the response will include a call for the denunciation of MoveOn.org's recent "Betray Us" ad. Heaven forbid an activist group would say something critical about the current government’s widely pro-war stance, and try to frame the upcoming Senate hearings accordingly.
No, according to these Republicans it is an affront to the Republic floated up from the smelliest of slime on the bottom of a New York City barroom, or wherever else liberals hang out.
But if you look at the advertisement, you see that it offers up a prediction of the day’s events that is largely true. It cites the Pentagon's convoluted formula for tracking violence in Iraq and forecasts that Petraeus will suggest the removal of a few thousand troops, but only as part of a ten-year plan to stay in Iraq. Then on Tuesday, that same thing happened.
And yet the news cycle has spent most of it’s time covering the GOP reaction to the ad without discussing the merits of the case. Republicans, increasingly hateful toward the more and more powerful MoveOn.org, want their rivals to distance themselves from the group and kiss up to General Petraeus for his career’s worth of service.
MoveOn.org and Hillary Clinton are easy punching bags for the likes of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, today’s most outspoken fans of Petraeus and the surge. But I will be interested to see what punches they throw at Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) who, in his maverick mindset and retiring electoral freedom, has become more and more critical of the process.
This weekend on Bill Maher’s show Hagel called Bush's use of Petraeus to tout his Iraq policy a “dirty trick” and said that it was “dishonest and hypocritical.” He reiterated that this is not Petraeus' policy, because the army is "subservient" to the elected officials.
Let’s rehash that last bit. Chuck Hagel, a United States Senator and a veteran, acknowledge that Petraeus is doing a "sell job" for the elected President of our country, and hence distorting the information for political purposes. Déjà vu.
If the Republicans are true to their principles they will be calling for Hagel to renounce his statements. Something tells me those calls won't be heard with much fervor, if at all.
Too many of the few, the proud, and the hard-headed who are still behind Bush and his surge mentality are there either to save face or to uphold an antiquated notion of military honor. The same honor code that frowns upon insulting a two-time purple heart recipient. The same kind of honor that was absent from the minds of the people who got us into this war.
Death before dishonor is an awesome motto when you are living the samurai lifestyle, or out in the trenches bravely risking your life for your brothers and sisters in combat, but it is widely lacking as a credible foreign policy slogan. Especially when the dishonor in the eyes of the world has already been done, and is only getting worse.
Honor won’t win us this war. That’s because it isn’t a war to be won or lost. It is a war to be ended. Hagel himself mentioned that it in an op-ed for the Washington Post last November, "Militaries are built to fight and win wars, not bind together failing nations." This war was a mistake from the start, and it is a shame that our twice elected President got us into it, that our spineless legislature aided and abetted it, and furthermore that our duly elected 2006 anti-war legislature has thus far failed to stop it.
As Gary Hart said in the Huffington Post a few days ago:
“That the media still treat these operatives and spokespersons, and indeed the president himself, seriously is witness to their desire for ‘access’ and ‘sources’ rather than their commitment to the truth...Nothing is more difficult than to admit that we made a tragic mistake in selecting our leaders. But that is the first step toward redemption. Absolute rejection of those who lay claim to ownership of security is the next.”
And it is true. We as a nation must stick up for ourselves and not allow the few and the honor bound to take over our future, our standing, and our security in the world.
"Militaries are built to fight and win wars, not bind together failing nations."
The failed nation of Iraq, torn apart more and more every day by anti-American sentiment and civil war, can and should not be held together by our military.
To call that surrender just doesn’t make any sense. To call that defeat just doesn’t make any sense. To call that dishonor just doesn’t make any sense.
Yet Iraq, which less than a year ago seemed destined for the political recycle bin, has found another foothold. Our congress allowed Bush to instigate a surge. Then our Senate spent hours soliloquizing in the post-surge hearings instead of calling for real truth and action, and all along our media has generally given it all a pass, even up to the MoveOn nonsense.
On the other hand we have Frank Rich. In his Sunday column he calls out everyone for their ignorance of the real issue at hand, and calls on the Dems to condemn the MoveOn ad if only for taking away from what should have been the issue of the week - the monumentally flawed policy in Iraq.
"Will the Democrats Betray Us?" the title of the column asks, by not providing the leadership America needs on this. Because let's face it, if We the People had our teeth on Washington's ass a little more fiercely, none of this would be an issue. Instead we have iphones and shitty health care and the National Football League on our minds. Which, quite honestly, is all pretty interesting. Much more so than war.
Rich sees it this way:
I fear that is what is bound to happen in today’s media-soaked world. When there are so many channels to turn to, who wants to be stuck on the ones that show clips of a violent Iraq, and worse yet a President who fails time and again to be candid and honest with the American people. It is depressing me already.
Back to death, even by conservative DoD standards, the US death toll is sitting at 3781 and rising at an average of 2. 5 each day, and the injury count is nearly 28,000. Meanwhile the number of daily attacks on US and Iraqi civilians has been increasing at a disturbing rate ever since the war began, and is now almost 200 each day. The situation in Iraq is like a Hydra, and no amount of continued troop presence to slay the beast's many heads is going to bring us more honor. Just more human death.
Death sucks.
Fortunately for each of us here in America, we have the wealth and the technology to choose options other than death. When the war is getting me down I can head down to Penuche's for a few happy hour beers or up into Pemi country to gaze at the majestic White Mountains. The more chances I have to make those choices the more often I do it.
I understand that, which is why I respect the people who descended on Washington this past weekend. Opponents may call them the vocal minority, but polls show that they are more appropriately dubbed the active wing of the majority.
The problem is that we won't be led out of Iraq by the idealists among us. We will be led out by our elected officials. So unless they step up and give some straight talk back to the obstructionist Republicans, and unless the 65% of us who want out stop changing the channel, I fear there is no end in sight. And that, my friends, bestows mountains of dishonor upon us as Americans.
If you ask John McCain or Rudy Giuliani (or Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney or even Ed Koch for that matter) about Democrats and the Iraq War these days, chances are the response will include a call for the denunciation of MoveOn.org's recent "Betray Us" ad. Heaven forbid an activist group would say something critical about the current government’s widely pro-war stance, and try to frame the upcoming Senate hearings accordingly.
No, according to these Republicans it is an affront to the Republic floated up from the smelliest of slime on the bottom of a New York City barroom, or wherever else liberals hang out.
But if you look at the advertisement, you see that it offers up a prediction of the day’s events that is largely true. It cites the Pentagon's convoluted formula for tracking violence in Iraq and forecasts that Petraeus will suggest the removal of a few thousand troops, but only as part of a ten-year plan to stay in Iraq. Then on Tuesday, that same thing happened.
And yet the news cycle has spent most of it’s time covering the GOP reaction to the ad without discussing the merits of the case. Republicans, increasingly hateful toward the more and more powerful MoveOn.org, want their rivals to distance themselves from the group and kiss up to General Petraeus for his career’s worth of service.
MoveOn.org and Hillary Clinton are easy punching bags for the likes of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, today’s most outspoken fans of Petraeus and the surge. But I will be interested to see what punches they throw at Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) who, in his maverick mindset and retiring electoral freedom, has become more and more critical of the process.
This weekend on Bill Maher’s show Hagel called Bush's use of Petraeus to tout his Iraq policy a “dirty trick” and said that it was “dishonest and hypocritical.” He reiterated that this is not Petraeus' policy, because the army is "subservient" to the elected officials.
Let’s rehash that last bit. Chuck Hagel, a United States Senator and a veteran, acknowledge that Petraeus is doing a "sell job" for the elected President of our country, and hence distorting the information for political purposes. Déjà vu.
If the Republicans are true to their principles they will be calling for Hagel to renounce his statements. Something tells me those calls won't be heard with much fervor, if at all.
Too many of the few, the proud, and the hard-headed who are still behind Bush and his surge mentality are there either to save face or to uphold an antiquated notion of military honor. The same honor code that frowns upon insulting a two-time purple heart recipient. The same kind of honor that was absent from the minds of the people who got us into this war.
Death before dishonor is an awesome motto when you are living the samurai lifestyle, or out in the trenches bravely risking your life for your brothers and sisters in combat, but it is widely lacking as a credible foreign policy slogan. Especially when the dishonor in the eyes of the world has already been done, and is only getting worse.
Honor won’t win us this war. That’s because it isn’t a war to be won or lost. It is a war to be ended. Hagel himself mentioned that it in an op-ed for the Washington Post last November, "Militaries are built to fight and win wars, not bind together failing nations." This war was a mistake from the start, and it is a shame that our twice elected President got us into it, that our spineless legislature aided and abetted it, and furthermore that our duly elected 2006 anti-war legislature has thus far failed to stop it.
As Gary Hart said in the Huffington Post a few days ago:
“That the media still treat these operatives and spokespersons, and indeed the president himself, seriously is witness to their desire for ‘access’ and ‘sources’ rather than their commitment to the truth...Nothing is more difficult than to admit that we made a tragic mistake in selecting our leaders. But that is the first step toward redemption. Absolute rejection of those who lay claim to ownership of security is the next.”
And it is true. We as a nation must stick up for ourselves and not allow the few and the honor bound to take over our future, our standing, and our security in the world.
"Militaries are built to fight and win wars, not bind together failing nations."
The failed nation of Iraq, torn apart more and more every day by anti-American sentiment and civil war, can and should not be held together by our military.
To call that surrender just doesn’t make any sense. To call that defeat just doesn’t make any sense. To call that dishonor just doesn’t make any sense.
Yet Iraq, which less than a year ago seemed destined for the political recycle bin, has found another foothold. Our congress allowed Bush to instigate a surge. Then our Senate spent hours soliloquizing in the post-surge hearings instead of calling for real truth and action, and all along our media has generally given it all a pass, even up to the MoveOn nonsense.
On the other hand we have Frank Rich. In his Sunday column he calls out everyone for their ignorance of the real issue at hand, and calls on the Dems to condemn the MoveOn ad if only for taking away from what should have been the issue of the week - the monumentally flawed policy in Iraq.
"Will the Democrats Betray Us?" the title of the column asks, by not providing the leadership America needs on this. Because let's face it, if We the People had our teeth on Washington's ass a little more fiercely, none of this would be an issue. Instead we have iphones and shitty health care and the National Football League on our minds. Which, quite honestly, is all pretty interesting. Much more so than war.
Rich sees it this way:
"You can't blame the public for changing the channel. People realize that the president's real ‘plan for victory’ is to let his successor clean up the mess. They don't want to see American troops dying for that cause, but what can be done? Americans voted the G.O.P. out of power in Congress; a clear majority consistently tell pollsters they want out of Iraq. And still every day is Groundhog Day. Our America, unlike Vietnam-era America, is more often resigned than angry."
I fear that is what is bound to happen in today’s media-soaked world. When there are so many channels to turn to, who wants to be stuck on the ones that show clips of a violent Iraq, and worse yet a President who fails time and again to be candid and honest with the American people. It is depressing me already.
Back to death, even by conservative DoD standards, the US death toll is sitting at 3781 and rising at an average of 2. 5 each day, and the injury count is nearly 28,000. Meanwhile the number of daily attacks on US and Iraqi civilians has been increasing at a disturbing rate ever since the war began, and is now almost 200 each day. The situation in Iraq is like a Hydra, and no amount of continued troop presence to slay the beast's many heads is going to bring us more honor. Just more human death.
Death sucks.
Fortunately for each of us here in America, we have the wealth and the technology to choose options other than death. When the war is getting me down I can head down to Penuche's for a few happy hour beers or up into Pemi country to gaze at the majestic White Mountains. The more chances I have to make those choices the more often I do it.
I understand that, which is why I respect the people who descended on Washington this past weekend. Opponents may call them the vocal minority, but polls show that they are more appropriately dubbed the active wing of the majority.
The problem is that we won't be led out of Iraq by the idealists among us. We will be led out by our elected officials. So unless they step up and give some straight talk back to the obstructionist Republicans, and unless the 65% of us who want out stop changing the channel, I fear there is no end in sight. And that, my friends, bestows mountains of dishonor upon us as Americans.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Romney Goes Bold
It is easy to do when you have no official post other than candidate and ex-governor, but I appreciate the balls Romney is displaying today as he asks the UN to bar Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from addressing the UN under the Genocide Convention.
From the text of his letter:
If President Ahmadinejad sets foot in the United States, he should be handed an indictment under the Genocide Convention. This approach has been called for by experts as diverse as Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel, human rights advocate and former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and law professor Alan Dershowitz.
Take that!
As my boy Walter Sobchak might say, If you will it, it is no dream.
P.S. Mike Shanahan is a D-Bag.
From the text of his letter:
If President Ahmadinejad sets foot in the United States, he should be handed an indictment under the Genocide Convention. This approach has been called for by experts as diverse as Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel, human rights advocate and former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and law professor Alan Dershowitz.
Take that!
As my boy Walter Sobchak might say, If you will it, it is no dream.
P.S. Mike Shanahan is a D-Bag.
Bogged Down This Week
Quincy Bog, Rumney, NH -
It has been a rough week here on the blog trail. Most candidates have been avoiding the state like the plague, while the rest have been screwing me over. Giuliani and the New Hampshire Int'l Speedway stonewalled me on press credentials and nobody showed up to the Edwards Laconia tree canvass this morning.
Rudy, don't fear me. I'm only the truth.
Luckily there is never too bad of a week in the Granite State. When the going gets tough, your Country Blogger heads to the country. Witness a lesson:
It has been a rough week here on the blog trail. Most candidates have been avoiding the state like the plague, while the rest have been screwing me over. Giuliani and the New Hampshire Int'l Speedway stonewalled me on press credentials and nobody showed up to the Edwards Laconia tree canvass this morning.
Rudy, don't fear me. I'm only the truth.
Luckily there is never too bad of a week in the Granite State. When the going gets tough, your Country Blogger heads to the country. Witness a lesson:
Out in Quabbin Qountry, this is what we call A Stump Speech.
You know what I mean?
Ahh, the Whites. I was out on the trail, literally, working on a new Iraq War piece for much of the afternoon. I hope to get that up tonight, but editing and fact checking may delay it into the morning.
No matter what I'm sure it will be a beautiful morning.
See you on the trail,
BTB
You know what I mean?
Ahh, the Whites. I was out on the trail, literally, working on a new Iraq War piece for much of the afternoon. I hope to get that up tonight, but editing and fact checking may delay it into the morning.
No matter what I'm sure it will be a beautiful morning.
See you on the trail,
BTB
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Clark Endorses Clinton
Wes Clark is endorsing Hillary.
I don't normally pay much attention to endorsements, but this is a special case. I remember waking up with a monster hangover back on November 3, 2004 muttering over and over to myself over eggs and hash browns at the Denver Diner that Clark would have won the election. Then again, I was looking for anything to soothe my jangled nerves at the time.
Clark is an impressive backer for any campaign. But for Hillary he is particularly helpful because he can bring some of the anti-war and veteran vote to the primary that otherwise would have gone elsewhere. Clark has a sizable following in his own right, and brings hefty military credentials to the campaign.
The road to Denver just got even rougher for Edwards and Obama (and Richardson?). Now don't go all Arizona on us, guys.
I don't normally pay much attention to endorsements, but this is a special case. I remember waking up with a monster hangover back on November 3, 2004 muttering over and over to myself over eggs and hash browns at the Denver Diner that Clark would have won the election. Then again, I was looking for anything to soothe my jangled nerves at the time.
Clark is an impressive backer for any campaign. But for Hillary he is particularly helpful because he can bring some of the anti-war and veteran vote to the primary that otherwise would have gone elsewhere. Clark has a sizable following in his own right, and brings hefty military credentials to the campaign.
The road to Denver just got even rougher for Edwards and Obama (and Richardson?). Now don't go all Arizona on us, guys.
Friday, September 14, 2007
From Maverick to Goose
Concord, NH -
I had to get the hell out of the VFW Hall.
I’ve said that before, but never under these circumstances. Tonight it was just too damn hot. And besides, McCain wasn’t saying anything, anyway. Things had been much better up in Franklin where the day started for me, halfway into the No Surrender Tour.
But now I was sweating more than I had at any point since mid-August, wearing a suit and a tie and stuck in the back of the room with the kids and the drunks who couldn’t have cared less who was the special guest unless he was raising beer prices. I could feel a growing number of drips snaking their way down my legs as the temperature grew with every cigarette puff and every fidgety movement by the peanut gallery. It wasn’t pretty.
Humble servant of the truth that I am I stuck it out, with only slightly damp pant legs to show for it, and came away with little to no new insight on the candidate than I had an hour earlier. Suddenly I could sympathize with the Big Media schmucks who pay a thousand dollars a day to follow candidates around on the press bus and hear the same schlock four times daily.
We gentle country bloggers pay the price for that in our pocketbook, but not in our souls.
…
It was a warm early September day, with sunshine so beautiful that it caused a complete change in venue from the porch of the Grimm household to the shade of the bus for sun-fragile John McCain. If you have ever seen the pale hue of my stomach, you will know that I say this as a brother and not as an insult.
The house sat on the banks of the Merrimack River, with a large hayfield off to the right and a small thicket of woods beyond the field. The garage, clearly belonging to a long-time GOP supporter, was decorated with dozens of campaign signs from elections past, including a wall full of nothing but McCain 2000 gear. There was also a terrific spread of cheese and crackers. And beer.
The Senator arrived about fifteen minutes late, and walked out of the bus behind a long file of veterans who took their place alongside the bus, a veritable squadron of surrogates at the ready to show off their scrambled eggs for the crowd and vouch for John McCain if called upon to do so.
McCain’s wife Cindy was also on hand, as was his daughter and her Nicole Ritchie-like sidekick. The missus introduced her husband with a story of her brief reluctance to allow him to campaign yet again, ans how she was overruled by his strong sense of duty and unparalleled leadership skills. The daughter hung out in the back, gossiping with her friend and spying the Diet Coke bucket over in the garage. A remarkably beautiful family all around, but a lot of make-up going on there. I mean a lot.
John McCain’s first move upon taking the mic was to poke fun at the party host’s lovely home, apologizing for appearing at such a modest place. He then joked that the difference between him and Hillary Clinton is that she wants every American to own a home, but John McCain wants everyone to own a home like this.
As usual it wasn’t McCain’s only joke of the day. But also as usual, it was his only joke that wasn’t directly related to the military. Whether at a VFW hall in Concord or a town meeting in Merrimack, there are two things that strike me most about John McCain:
Number one, he is usually quite witty and honorable in his discourse. Number two, the axis of his entire life seems to revolve on the axis of the US Military. Every anecdote, every joke, every compliment he pays somehow relates to the military.
In Franklin he joked about how Marines are “generally ugly” and said how he once tried to get into the USMC but was denied entry because parents were married. Hey-o! He apologized for a few of his veteran colleagues having flown in the Air Force. Ooooh! Down in Concord he re-told a long joke that I had heard in Merrimack a month ago that had to do with a trained monkey flying a plane in the Pacific in WWII. I mean, I like monkeys and all, but if I were the comedy consultant I would tell John to stick to the Daily Show and calling high school kids little jerks.
Understandably, these jokes fall flat on my tin ear. I grew up in a Navy town for six years and was even the first person to make a three pointer in the year 1989 at the NAS Whidbey gym, where my mom worked as fitness coordinator, when my lucky heave banked into the net much to the chagrin of a dozen or so sober sailors at 12:01AM. Then again, if these guys were celebrating New Years at the base gym they deserved to get embarrassed by an eight year old. Point being, I am not a total greenhorn when it comes to military culture. I just think it isn't exactly the richest material at McCain's disposal.
The same can be said for his stump this time around. On the No Surrender Tour, McCain’s stump would be more appropriately compared to a cut-down tree for it’s intellectual strengths than for the age old venue where frontier political speeches began. In other words, it was short on nearly everything.
I understand he wasn’t hosting town hall meetings about the details of health care and economic policy here, but I can literally boil down his conversation to four bullet points:
Did I mention let the troops win? Furthermore, I love the allusion to the 1995 Mariners with the choose to lose thing, but give me a break.
This literally took less than ten minutes and was followed up by three or four of the surrogates coming out to attest to McCain’s impeccable judgment and leadership abilities. This included former CIA chief James Woolsey comparing John McCain to Winston Churchill.
No doubt about it, there are few things as impressive out here on the campaign trail as listening to former POW’s telling stories of McCain’s heroism in Hanoi. In fact, there is probably nothing as impressive on the merits. But it takes more than a tragic and brave military career to gain the nomination, and this No Surrender Tour struck me as a blown opportunity to use Iraq’s renewed momentum to catapult McCain back into the forefront. Why not use it to buttress some of his centrist policy arguments and maybe pull in some moderates? Why not accompany it with a long-term view of the region to try to pull some anti-war Republicans back off the fence?
Instead John McCain treated this tour like a dog and pony show, and he seemed annoyed to do so. Now, that either had to do with real anger and frustration over the way that America is regarding the war right now or else he would rather be out there talking straight to the people and he bowed to his ever-shrinking consultant pool. These are just some thoughts of mine, with no basis whatsoever. But if you ask me, this No Surrender Tour waved the white flag on attracting new voters.
McCain is better than any other top-tier Republican has the ability and honor to erect the Big Tent that the GOP has falsely spoken about for years. In Merrimack a month ago he respected the war protesters outside of the town hall. He spoke empathized with an anguished immigration hater. His war stance obviously leaves a lot to be desired by a LOT of people, but if there is one Republican who has a chance to capture some of the respectable middle, its John McCain.
Right now, as far as I can tell, his base relies entirely upon veterans and the upper middle class. If he talks like he did at the Town Halls, about sound energy policy and common sense immigration fixes, he might expand that base. But if he really is so obsessed with the honor and wishes of our military, as opposed to the honor and wishes of our nation as a whole, that he thinks his best bet is to go around touting the victory capability of our military, he might as well give up on winning the GOP nod.
I had to get the hell out of the VFW Hall.
I’ve said that before, but never under these circumstances. Tonight it was just too damn hot. And besides, McCain wasn’t saying anything, anyway. Things had been much better up in Franklin where the day started for me, halfway into the No Surrender Tour.
But now I was sweating more than I had at any point since mid-August, wearing a suit and a tie and stuck in the back of the room with the kids and the drunks who couldn’t have cared less who was the special guest unless he was raising beer prices. I could feel a growing number of drips snaking their way down my legs as the temperature grew with every cigarette puff and every fidgety movement by the peanut gallery. It wasn’t pretty.
Humble servant of the truth that I am I stuck it out, with only slightly damp pant legs to show for it, and came away with little to no new insight on the candidate than I had an hour earlier. Suddenly I could sympathize with the Big Media schmucks who pay a thousand dollars a day to follow candidates around on the press bus and hear the same schlock four times daily.
We gentle country bloggers pay the price for that in our pocketbook, but not in our souls.
…
It was a warm early September day, with sunshine so beautiful that it caused a complete change in venue from the porch of the Grimm household to the shade of the bus for sun-fragile John McCain. If you have ever seen the pale hue of my stomach, you will know that I say this as a brother and not as an insult.
The house sat on the banks of the Merrimack River, with a large hayfield off to the right and a small thicket of woods beyond the field. The garage, clearly belonging to a long-time GOP supporter, was decorated with dozens of campaign signs from elections past, including a wall full of nothing but McCain 2000 gear. There was also a terrific spread of cheese and crackers. And beer.
The Senator arrived about fifteen minutes late, and walked out of the bus behind a long file of veterans who took their place alongside the bus, a veritable squadron of surrogates at the ready to show off their scrambled eggs for the crowd and vouch for John McCain if called upon to do so.
McCain’s wife Cindy was also on hand, as was his daughter and her Nicole Ritchie-like sidekick. The missus introduced her husband with a story of her brief reluctance to allow him to campaign yet again, ans how she was overruled by his strong sense of duty and unparalleled leadership skills. The daughter hung out in the back, gossiping with her friend and spying the Diet Coke bucket over in the garage. A remarkably beautiful family all around, but a lot of make-up going on there. I mean a lot.
John McCain’s first move upon taking the mic was to poke fun at the party host’s lovely home, apologizing for appearing at such a modest place. He then joked that the difference between him and Hillary Clinton is that she wants every American to own a home, but John McCain wants everyone to own a home like this.
As usual it wasn’t McCain’s only joke of the day. But also as usual, it was his only joke that wasn’t directly related to the military. Whether at a VFW hall in Concord or a town meeting in Merrimack, there are two things that strike me most about John McCain:
Number one, he is usually quite witty and honorable in his discourse. Number two, the axis of his entire life seems to revolve on the axis of the US Military. Every anecdote, every joke, every compliment he pays somehow relates to the military.
In Franklin he joked about how Marines are “generally ugly” and said how he once tried to get into the USMC but was denied entry because parents were married. Hey-o! He apologized for a few of his veteran colleagues having flown in the Air Force. Ooooh! Down in Concord he re-told a long joke that I had heard in Merrimack a month ago that had to do with a trained monkey flying a plane in the Pacific in WWII. I mean, I like monkeys and all, but if I were the comedy consultant I would tell John to stick to the Daily Show and calling high school kids little jerks.
Understandably, these jokes fall flat on my tin ear. I grew up in a Navy town for six years and was even the first person to make a three pointer in the year 1989 at the NAS Whidbey gym, where my mom worked as fitness coordinator, when my lucky heave banked into the net much to the chagrin of a dozen or so sober sailors at 12:01AM. Then again, if these guys were celebrating New Years at the base gym they deserved to get embarrassed by an eight year old. Point being, I am not a total greenhorn when it comes to military culture. I just think it isn't exactly the richest material at McCain's disposal.
The same can be said for his stump this time around. On the No Surrender Tour, McCain’s stump would be more appropriately compared to a cut-down tree for it’s intellectual strengths than for the age old venue where frontier political speeches began. In other words, it was short on nearly everything.
I understand he wasn’t hosting town hall meetings about the details of health care and economic policy here, but I can literally boil down his conversation to four bullet points:
- We need to let the troops win.
- If we leave then we “choose to lose.” And we can’t “choose to lose.”
- The moveon.org ad was contemptible.
- The troops want to win. Let the troops win.
Did I mention let the troops win? Furthermore, I love the allusion to the 1995 Mariners with the choose to lose thing, but give me a break.
This literally took less than ten minutes and was followed up by three or four of the surrogates coming out to attest to McCain’s impeccable judgment and leadership abilities. This included former CIA chief James Woolsey comparing John McCain to Winston Churchill.
No doubt about it, there are few things as impressive out here on the campaign trail as listening to former POW’s telling stories of McCain’s heroism in Hanoi. In fact, there is probably nothing as impressive on the merits. But it takes more than a tragic and brave military career to gain the nomination, and this No Surrender Tour struck me as a blown opportunity to use Iraq’s renewed momentum to catapult McCain back into the forefront. Why not use it to buttress some of his centrist policy arguments and maybe pull in some moderates? Why not accompany it with a long-term view of the region to try to pull some anti-war Republicans back off the fence?
Instead John McCain treated this tour like a dog and pony show, and he seemed annoyed to do so. Now, that either had to do with real anger and frustration over the way that America is regarding the war right now or else he would rather be out there talking straight to the people and he bowed to his ever-shrinking consultant pool. These are just some thoughts of mine, with no basis whatsoever. But if you ask me, this No Surrender Tour waved the white flag on attracting new voters.
McCain is better than any other top-tier Republican has the ability and honor to erect the Big Tent that the GOP has falsely spoken about for years. In Merrimack a month ago he respected the war protesters outside of the town hall. He spoke empathized with an anguished immigration hater. His war stance obviously leaves a lot to be desired by a LOT of people, but if there is one Republican who has a chance to capture some of the respectable middle, its John McCain.
Right now, as far as I can tell, his base relies entirely upon veterans and the upper middle class. If he talks like he did at the Town Halls, about sound energy policy and common sense immigration fixes, he might expand that base. But if he really is so obsessed with the honor and wishes of our military, as opposed to the honor and wishes of our nation as a whole, that he thinks his best bet is to go around touting the victory capability of our military, he might as well give up on winning the GOP nod.
Let the 2nd Tier Battle Begin
My fellow 'Yokee Cosmo over at NH2008 tells us that Sen. Chris Dodd has wagered, against Bill Richardson, a gallon of New England Clam Chowder on his Boston Red Sox winning this weekend's three game series against the New York Yankees.
This is nothing but gotcha politics in hopes of drawing attention to Richardson's Yankeegate. But we are big fans of swagger here at 3Q. Back in the day Governor Richardson made a flub about liking the Yankees, and has been on his horse to prove his Boston allegiance ever since. As I have noted on this site, Bill even went as far as conveniently placing a Sox cap in the background of his Ask Bill spots on youtube.
Doubtful that Dodd will pick up any traction over this. Maybe next time, come playoffs (?), he will make the same bet with Hillary Clinton.
---------------------------
Read about Connecticut's mixed Yankee heritage here. Dodd's hometowns of East Haddam and Willimantic fall within Red Sox Nation according to the Times' map below, while Middletown and Guilford sit precariously close to the fence in Yankee Country.
This is nothing but gotcha politics in hopes of drawing attention to Richardson's Yankeegate. But we are big fans of swagger here at 3Q. Back in the day Governor Richardson made a flub about liking the Yankees, and has been on his horse to prove his Boston allegiance ever since. As I have noted on this site, Bill even went as far as conveniently placing a Sox cap in the background of his Ask Bill spots on youtube.
Doubtful that Dodd will pick up any traction over this. Maybe next time, come playoffs (?), he will make the same bet with Hillary Clinton.
---------------------------
Read about Connecticut's mixed Yankee heritage here. Dodd's hometowns of East Haddam and Willimantic fall within Red Sox Nation according to the Times' map below, while Middletown and Guilford sit precariously close to the fence in Yankee Country.
Newt Sez: Beware the Former First Family
Today Dan Balz's Take over at the Post was all about Newt Gingrich's views on the 2008 campaign. As usual, Newt is pretty spot on in his assessments of power and the pulse of America. Here he cites the immense challenge lined up for the Republicans to defeat Hillary Clinton next fall, presuming she is the nominee. I don't think he is baiting here, I think he really believes it. And I believe it, too. Anyone who questions Hillary's chances in the general election fails to realize the dominance of the Clinton machine. Newt's role these days is in solidifying his legacy both as an oracle for political sentiment and a policy guru. To question whether or not he would risk that in Democrat baiting is a mistake. It's just too bad he knows enough about the crooked role of money in the system to get in and rattle the cages himself from inside the ring.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Never Surrender: The Gallery
A few photos from John McCain's No Surrender* Tour. Corresponding words to come.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivers a line to the crowd.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivers a line to the crowd.
Sen. McCain is introduced by his wife, Cindy
John McCain Campaign Memorabilia, ca. 2000
The Merrimack River in Franklin, NH*Corey Hart was not involved.
McCain Setlist 9/13/07
Franklin, NH -
Here is McCain's setlist from the house party in Franklin, NH on Thursday, September 13, 2007.
Brand New Girlfriend - Steve Holy
Redneck Yacht Club - Craig Morgan
Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly - Aaron Tippin
I'll Take Love Over Money - Aaron Tippin
Breathe - Faith Hill
My Town - Montgomery Gentry
Right Now - Van Halen
Definitely the most country set on the campaign yet, and wayyy too heavy on the Tippin. I guess you could say that they were really tippin' the scales toward shitty with those choices.
Here is McCain's setlist from the house party in Franklin, NH on Thursday, September 13, 2007.
Brand New Girlfriend - Steve Holy
Redneck Yacht Club - Craig Morgan
Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly - Aaron Tippin
I'll Take Love Over Money - Aaron Tippin
Breathe - Faith Hill
My Town - Montgomery Gentry
Right Now - Van Halen
Definitely the most country set on the campaign yet, and wayyy too heavy on the Tippin. I guess you could say that they were really tippin' the scales toward shitty with those choices.
Basketball Jones
As I bide my time humbly waiting for the No Surrender tour, I am awestruck by the potentially HUGE basketball news coming out of the PNW right now.
First and foremost, yahoo.com is reporting that the man, the myth, the rookie Greg Oden will be out for the season after knee surgery. Not just any knee surgery, but MICROFRACTURE knee surgery. Yes, that kind. We can only hope the Next Chief can recover, and having his operation done in the Quabbin Blogger's birthplace of Vancouver, WA can't hurt.
Speaking of Washington, let's move the story 160 miles north where the city of Seattle has brought in the big guns in their fight against crooked owner Clay Bennet. Seattle is in the process of acquiring the legal services of former Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA).
Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis put it like this: "We're lawyering up."
Now, I am not a huge fan of Slade because he has been fighting Tribal sovereignty with gusto ever since his egregious battle against the Boldt decision, a court decree that backed up treaty fishing rights in Washington State back in the late 70s, but he is one of the nicest politicians I have ever met and an accomplished advocate. But if he can help Save Our Sonics, I'll give him a free pass for a while. And I'm willing to bet cash that Gorton's involvement will all but assure they don't end up on the Muckleshoot rez. Sorry, Auburn.
First and foremost, yahoo.com is reporting that the man, the myth, the rookie Greg Oden will be out for the season after knee surgery. Not just any knee surgery, but MICROFRACTURE knee surgery. Yes, that kind. We can only hope the Next Chief can recover, and having his operation done in the Quabbin Blogger's birthplace of Vancouver, WA can't hurt.
Speaking of Washington, let's move the story 160 miles north where the city of Seattle has brought in the big guns in their fight against crooked owner Clay Bennet. Seattle is in the process of acquiring the legal services of former Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA).
Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis put it like this: "We're lawyering up."
Now, I am not a huge fan of Slade because he has been fighting Tribal sovereignty with gusto ever since his egregious battle against the Boldt decision, a court decree that backed up treaty fishing rights in Washington State back in the late 70s, but he is one of the nicest politicians I have ever met and an accomplished advocate. But if he can help Save Our Sonics, I'll give him a free pass for a while. And I'm willing to bet cash that Gorton's involvement will all but assure they don't end up on the Muckleshoot rez. Sorry, Auburn.
Dollars for (un)Deployment
The Center for Responsive Politics issued a report today chronicling the giving patterns of active duty military personnel to the 2008 Presidential candidates.
McCain, Hunter and Giuliani cleaning up?
Hardly. Tough guys know better than to fall for empty tough talk. The leading recipients of military money are Barack Obama and Ron Paul, both original critics of the Iraq war. Obama has brought in roughly $27k, head and shoulders above Paul's $19k and McCain's $18k, and light years ahead of most other candidates.
Moral of the story? Get US out or Iraq. Death sucks.
McCain, Hunter and Giuliani cleaning up?
Hardly. Tough guys know better than to fall for empty tough talk. The leading recipients of military money are Barack Obama and Ron Paul, both original critics of the Iraq war. Obama has brought in roughly $27k, head and shoulders above Paul's $19k and McCain's $18k, and light years ahead of most other candidates.
Moral of the story? Get US out or Iraq. Death sucks.
I Want to See Your Bill Maher Grill
You want to see my whaaat?
HuffingtonPost.com has teamed up with Slate.com and Yahoo! to bring us an online candidate forum. And in it's constant journey to be the hippest news source HuffPo has decided to call it a Mashup, as if it were some sort of DJ battle or something.
Nevertheless, it is worth your time. The majority of the video covers each of the candidates talks with Charlie Rose about Health Care, Iraq and Education. But the real gold comes from Bill Maher. In a segment called the "Bill Maher Grill", Mr. Maher asks each candidate a Wild Card question. Hilarity ensues.
Although no one really answers his questions, it is interesting to watch how they react. Knowing they have been busted, Edwards and Clinton break out laughing. Biden and Dodd remain earnest as they try to promote substantive policies in spite of the gotcha questions. Gravel carries the day as he pledges to be America's friend by telling us we are fatter and dumber than we used to be.
Most of the *debate* is pure message mavenry, but at least there is a poll to show who has the most active web following!
The entire forum can be seen at http://debates.news.yahoo.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:
This is too good to let go. More from Maher on HP: "The Republicans should run on that. 'America: You're 230 But We'll Still Fuck You.' Especially if you're a dude."
I'm such a sucker for political sex jokes.
HuffingtonPost.com has teamed up with Slate.com and Yahoo! to bring us an online candidate forum. And in it's constant journey to be the hippest news source HuffPo has decided to call it a Mashup, as if it were some sort of DJ battle or something.
Nevertheless, it is worth your time. The majority of the video covers each of the candidates talks with Charlie Rose about Health Care, Iraq and Education. But the real gold comes from Bill Maher. In a segment called the "Bill Maher Grill", Mr. Maher asks each candidate a Wild Card question. Hilarity ensues.
Although no one really answers his questions, it is interesting to watch how they react. Knowing they have been busted, Edwards and Clinton break out laughing. Biden and Dodd remain earnest as they try to promote substantive policies in spite of the gotcha questions. Gravel carries the day as he pledges to be America's friend by telling us we are fatter and dumber than we used to be.
Most of the *debate* is pure message mavenry, but at least there is a poll to show who has the most active web following!
The entire forum can be seen at http://debates.news.yahoo.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:
This is too good to let go. More from Maher on HP: "The Republicans should run on that. 'America: You're 230 But We'll Still Fuck You.' Especially if you're a dude."
I'm such a sucker for political sex jokes.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
FDT: The Rookie
Nashua, NH -
It was a dreary Sunday afternoon in sleepy downtown Nashua when Fred Thompson came to town. It was also the opening weekend of the NFL season, and Thompson’s ever-increasing tardiness was beginning to annoy me for fear that I would miss too much of the 4PM Seahawks-Bucs game. I had driven up from Connecticut in the morning, still a little bit sore from the previous day’s Wesleyan alumni xc race, and stopped in at Martha’s Exchange for a cask-conditioned IPA (delicious) and a visual on the fourth quarter of the Pats-Jets game.
The WBCN Rock Radio Network comes in clutch, but nothing beats actually seeing the green of the field, the white of the hash marks, the orange of the first down chains, and the unparalleled look of panic and relief on the face of a running back when he is breaking down the field and looks back to see if he is about to be leveled, or about to score a touchdown. Dread or glory, accentuated by lactic acid.
I would like to say that the crowd of people here to see Fred Thompson had the same look on their face, dreading the likes of Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani while dreaming of pay dirt with Fred Thompson, but that would be pushing a metaphor that just won’t budge.
The crowd was much smaller than I anticipated, maybe eighty in total and at least twenty-five of which were press and staff. There was a lot of press on hand, and certainly proportionately more than any other campaign event to date. Granted it was a rainy Sunday, and a football Sunday, but it speaks to something when there are nearly as many media types as supporter types at a downtown rally.
On the bright side the rain, which had earlier been falling at a near torrential rate, had subsided by the time that candidate arrived. Furthermore, the pre-event music was quite good. It was a nice mix of country and rock, and Thompson arrived to George Strait’s Heartland which, although only my second favorite song with that title, remains a good one. Quick shout-out to high school street hockey-mates Kyle Elmer and Alex Crossett, who introduced me to Strait’s version back in 1997. Elmer wore a Whalers jersey to our weekly scrimmages, and Crossett the Bruins. Your Quabblogger wore the Blue and White of the Toronto Maple Leafs. They were good times, but I digress.
Fred Thompson began his speech by thanking Nashua’s mayor for introducing him and extending his friendship, despite not having endorsed him. He said it spoke well for Nashua, and immediately expressed his gratitude to the football gods that both New England and Tennessee had won that day and noted, “as far as I’m concerned, everything is good in America.”
Sports pandering is nothing new in Presidential politics. But the first things I noticed about Fred Thompson were in fact political novelties. For starters, his gracious acknowledgement of the mayor’s so-called friendship was a breath of fresh air, even if it was a little ham-fisted. Second, Thompson was wearing a microphone piece clipped to his blue polo shirt, something I haven’t seen in a long time.
The mic clip brought to mind our boy Bob Dole, who characteristically held a pen on the stump to help keep his hand in check. I suspect this is why a lot of candidates like to have a microphone in their mitts when they are away from a podium. Anyone who has spoken in front of a large audience without training knows the importance of controlled arm movement. With all of his acting experience, Thompson had no trouble using his hands and arms to his advantage. He kept them under control and often moved them to emphasize the minor points he was making in his speech.
He talked about his life story, a humble teenaged father who turned his life around and worked his way into an unbelievable position.
“I’m just like you,” he said, referring to his concern for the country. But I think he meant it in a more meaningful way.
Yet as he continued to tell his story, my attention was diverted. At first by the mayor’s wife who continually tried to add her comments to the speech, and later by a constant stream of traffic from Main Street just behind us. Despite the press risers and the abundance of tv cameras, it was all a little bush league. There was a Ron Paul supporter standing behind Thompson the entire time holding a massive sign, and the Thompson team was unable to block him out. Textbook rookie jitters.
From there he went on to talk about his principles of governing: Security, Unity, and Freedom. Economic freedom, individual freedom, personal freedom and political freedom. Not that he talked about any of these principles in depth.
The closest he came to a real discussion of issues was when he talked about the virtues of low tax rates under the aegis of it being in the best interest of our children.
But really the highlight of his speech was his wording. Witness some of the gems:
“People are ready to consider serious things seriously in a serious manner.” I guess he is...serious, in spite of his easy going manner.
He talked about “Brother Michael Moore” and said he “talked to [his] mama” about health care.
“Congress is more cantankerous” than ever before, what with the “boondoggles and the pork-barrelin’.”
Clearly, it was a vernacular not native to New England. And whenever he got too far into a discussion of policy, he would trail off by citing one or vague two issues and then saying, “and things of that nature.” Considering the amount of times he used that phrase to weasel out of saying anything substantive I would have to say that it is a huge nature he speaks of. Maybe the Amazon basin.
For all the flack that Fred is catching in the media, particularly the New Hampshire media there are a few bright spots. His gentle demeanor did evoke a Southern Fried Reagan, even if just the teeniest bit. His vague statements and complete lack of specifics brought visions of a harmless, bootstraps version of George W. Bush. These are the things that Republicans can fall in love with everywhere but New Hampshire. His conservatism is more of a kitchen table conservatism, less of a Kennebunkport conservatism.
Make no mistake, this was a flawed performance from the most accomplished actor in the race. I was practically yawning at the 25-minute mark, and I was hardly alone. As Thompson began to answer questions from the audience, often taking five or more minutes to respond without actually answering the question, handfuls of people were going home early. I would estimate at least fifteen people headed for the exits prematurely before all was said and done, particularly during one answer where Thompson took nine minutes to get his words out, and not just from talking slow.
A woman in the audience asked him how he proposed to fund American infrastructure while continuing to fight the Iraq war, leaning on his mantle of fiscal conservatism.
“What a great question!” he responded with a squint and a smile, calling the supplemental funding bills “deceptive” and “not right.”
Thompson then proceeded to spend, like I said, nine minutes discussing issues ranging from pre-war Iraq to big picture us vs. them freedom struggles. He brought up rape images with the Hussein family. He talked about Saddam’s WMD’s! Next thing you know he was issuing “no apologies about trying to preserve Western Civilization.” Did I mention that he never once brought up anything at all regarding funding? Well, he didn’t. And in the midst of all this the crowd was crumbling away like a Siasconset bluff.
He even had the gall to thank the woman for her question once again after his retort, as if he had actually addressed the question. Which he didn’t.
Like I said, it was a true rookie performance. Light on message, lighter on expertise.
Nevertheless I issue a caveat to those who write him off in these early stages of the campaign. That caveat can be found in the words of George Strait that were streaming out of the speakers when Fred Thompson ambled his way up to the stage:
……
When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar,
You're listening to the sound of the American heart.
And Opry music on a Saturday night
Brings a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.
Sing a song about the heartland,
The only place I feel at home.
Sing about the way a good man
Works until the daylight's gone.
Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night
Where they still know wrong from right.
Sing a song about the heartland.
Sing a song about my life.
There’s a place where mornings are an endless blue
And you feel mother nature walk along with you,
Where simple people living side by side
Still wave to their neighbor when they’re drivin’ by.
Sing a song about the heartland,
The only place I feel at home.
Sing about the way a good man
Works until the daylight's gone.
Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night
Where they still know wrong from right.
Sing a song about the heartland.
Sing a song about my life.
…..
Sometimes when you hear a candidate you feel at home, like you’re hearing about your life. It isn’t out of the question, folks.
Of course, I’m sure Mike Huckabee would object.
It was a dreary Sunday afternoon in sleepy downtown Nashua when Fred Thompson came to town. It was also the opening weekend of the NFL season, and Thompson’s ever-increasing tardiness was beginning to annoy me for fear that I would miss too much of the 4PM Seahawks-Bucs game. I had driven up from Connecticut in the morning, still a little bit sore from the previous day’s Wesleyan alumni xc race, and stopped in at Martha’s Exchange for a cask-conditioned IPA (delicious) and a visual on the fourth quarter of the Pats-Jets game.
The WBCN Rock Radio Network comes in clutch, but nothing beats actually seeing the green of the field, the white of the hash marks, the orange of the first down chains, and the unparalleled look of panic and relief on the face of a running back when he is breaking down the field and looks back to see if he is about to be leveled, or about to score a touchdown. Dread or glory, accentuated by lactic acid.
I would like to say that the crowd of people here to see Fred Thompson had the same look on their face, dreading the likes of Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani while dreaming of pay dirt with Fred Thompson, but that would be pushing a metaphor that just won’t budge.
The crowd was much smaller than I anticipated, maybe eighty in total and at least twenty-five of which were press and staff. There was a lot of press on hand, and certainly proportionately more than any other campaign event to date. Granted it was a rainy Sunday, and a football Sunday, but it speaks to something when there are nearly as many media types as supporter types at a downtown rally.
On the bright side the rain, which had earlier been falling at a near torrential rate, had subsided by the time that candidate arrived. Furthermore, the pre-event music was quite good. It was a nice mix of country and rock, and Thompson arrived to George Strait’s Heartland which, although only my second favorite song with that title, remains a good one. Quick shout-out to high school street hockey-mates Kyle Elmer and Alex Crossett, who introduced me to Strait’s version back in 1997. Elmer wore a Whalers jersey to our weekly scrimmages, and Crossett the Bruins. Your Quabblogger wore the Blue and White of the Toronto Maple Leafs. They were good times, but I digress.
Fred Thompson began his speech by thanking Nashua’s mayor for introducing him and extending his friendship, despite not having endorsed him. He said it spoke well for Nashua, and immediately expressed his gratitude to the football gods that both New England and Tennessee had won that day and noted, “as far as I’m concerned, everything is good in America.”
Sports pandering is nothing new in Presidential politics. But the first things I noticed about Fred Thompson were in fact political novelties. For starters, his gracious acknowledgement of the mayor’s so-called friendship was a breath of fresh air, even if it was a little ham-fisted. Second, Thompson was wearing a microphone piece clipped to his blue polo shirt, something I haven’t seen in a long time.
The mic clip brought to mind our boy Bob Dole, who characteristically held a pen on the stump to help keep his hand in check. I suspect this is why a lot of candidates like to have a microphone in their mitts when they are away from a podium. Anyone who has spoken in front of a large audience without training knows the importance of controlled arm movement. With all of his acting experience, Thompson had no trouble using his hands and arms to his advantage. He kept them under control and often moved them to emphasize the minor points he was making in his speech.
He talked about his life story, a humble teenaged father who turned his life around and worked his way into an unbelievable position.
“I’m just like you,” he said, referring to his concern for the country. But I think he meant it in a more meaningful way.
Yet as he continued to tell his story, my attention was diverted. At first by the mayor’s wife who continually tried to add her comments to the speech, and later by a constant stream of traffic from Main Street just behind us. Despite the press risers and the abundance of tv cameras, it was all a little bush league. There was a Ron Paul supporter standing behind Thompson the entire time holding a massive sign, and the Thompson team was unable to block him out. Textbook rookie jitters.
From there he went on to talk about his principles of governing: Security, Unity, and Freedom. Economic freedom, individual freedom, personal freedom and political freedom. Not that he talked about any of these principles in depth.
The closest he came to a real discussion of issues was when he talked about the virtues of low tax rates under the aegis of it being in the best interest of our children.
But really the highlight of his speech was his wording. Witness some of the gems:
“People are ready to consider serious things seriously in a serious manner.” I guess he is...serious, in spite of his easy going manner.
He talked about “Brother Michael Moore” and said he “talked to [his] mama” about health care.
“Congress is more cantankerous” than ever before, what with the “boondoggles and the pork-barrelin’.”
Clearly, it was a vernacular not native to New England. And whenever he got too far into a discussion of policy, he would trail off by citing one or vague two issues and then saying, “and things of that nature.” Considering the amount of times he used that phrase to weasel out of saying anything substantive I would have to say that it is a huge nature he speaks of. Maybe the Amazon basin.
For all the flack that Fred is catching in the media, particularly the New Hampshire media there are a few bright spots. His gentle demeanor did evoke a Southern Fried Reagan, even if just the teeniest bit. His vague statements and complete lack of specifics brought visions of a harmless, bootstraps version of George W. Bush. These are the things that Republicans can fall in love with everywhere but New Hampshire. His conservatism is more of a kitchen table conservatism, less of a Kennebunkport conservatism.
Make no mistake, this was a flawed performance from the most accomplished actor in the race. I was practically yawning at the 25-minute mark, and I was hardly alone. As Thompson began to answer questions from the audience, often taking five or more minutes to respond without actually answering the question, handfuls of people were going home early. I would estimate at least fifteen people headed for the exits prematurely before all was said and done, particularly during one answer where Thompson took nine minutes to get his words out, and not just from talking slow.
A woman in the audience asked him how he proposed to fund American infrastructure while continuing to fight the Iraq war, leaning on his mantle of fiscal conservatism.
“What a great question!” he responded with a squint and a smile, calling the supplemental funding bills “deceptive” and “not right.”
Thompson then proceeded to spend, like I said, nine minutes discussing issues ranging from pre-war Iraq to big picture us vs. them freedom struggles. He brought up rape images with the Hussein family. He talked about Saddam’s WMD’s! Next thing you know he was issuing “no apologies about trying to preserve Western Civilization.” Did I mention that he never once brought up anything at all regarding funding? Well, he didn’t. And in the midst of all this the crowd was crumbling away like a Siasconset bluff.
He even had the gall to thank the woman for her question once again after his retort, as if he had actually addressed the question. Which he didn’t.
Like I said, it was a true rookie performance. Light on message, lighter on expertise.
Nevertheless I issue a caveat to those who write him off in these early stages of the campaign. That caveat can be found in the words of George Strait that were streaming out of the speakers when Fred Thompson ambled his way up to the stage:
……
When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar,
You're listening to the sound of the American heart.
And Opry music on a Saturday night
Brings a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.
Sing a song about the heartland,
The only place I feel at home.
Sing about the way a good man
Works until the daylight's gone.
Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night
Where they still know wrong from right.
Sing a song about the heartland.
Sing a song about my life.
There’s a place where mornings are an endless blue
And you feel mother nature walk along with you,
Where simple people living side by side
Still wave to their neighbor when they’re drivin’ by.
Sing a song about the heartland,
The only place I feel at home.
Sing about the way a good man
Works until the daylight's gone.
Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night
Where they still know wrong from right.
Sing a song about the heartland.
Sing a song about my life.
…..
Sometimes when you hear a candidate you feel at home, like you’re hearing about your life. It isn’t out of the question, folks.
Of course, I’m sure Mike Huckabee would object.
Can You Hearings Me Now?
I didn't want to comment on the Petraeus/Crocker hearings today since I am no expert on the ground in Iraq, and since I didn't want to expose myself as a Charlatan by mining just a few sentences out of hours upon hours of speech just to try to prove a point and appear knowledgeable.
But after listening, off and on, to an hour or two worth of Senate questioning and testimony today, I can't help but air my beef about Senate committee hearings. These meetings are important, no doubt about it, but they also take place within the political arena. And the political arena is too often clouded by ambition and a floor full of soapboxes. I found it highly questionable that Norm Coleman wasted everyone's time sucking up to Petraeus by complaining about MoveOn.org. I also found John McCain, in advance of his No Surrender Tour, to be particularly preachy. Unfortunately I can't find text of the Armed Services Committee hearings, but the Washington Post has good coverage on the earlier Foreign Relations Q&A, with full text here.
What does this mean, exactly? It means that these hearings are for finding information first and foremost, not for practicing stump speeches. As soon as I get the Armed Services transcripts I will add more, but here is the breakdown of who said what when each Senate Prez Candidate got their 7 minutes in the box. The numbers represent word counts from the Senator and the General/Ambassador, respectively. The more lopsided the numbers, the more lopsided the speech. Check it out.
Chris Dodd - 904
Petraeus - 758
Biden - 762
P/C -519
Barack Obama - 1190
P/C- 243
What else does it mean? Chris Dodd is a fast talker. It should also be said that Biden had extra time to make speeches elsewhere in the hearing since he is Mr. Chairman. This tidbit might skew the data.
Finally, I also thought it important to share this interesting bit of testimony:
Just kidding, but I did chuckle to myself when I saw Vitter's name in print for the first time since Diapergate.
But after listening, off and on, to an hour or two worth of Senate questioning and testimony today, I can't help but air my beef about Senate committee hearings. These meetings are important, no doubt about it, but they also take place within the political arena. And the political arena is too often clouded by ambition and a floor full of soapboxes. I found it highly questionable that Norm Coleman wasted everyone's time sucking up to Petraeus by complaining about MoveOn.org. I also found John McCain, in advance of his No Surrender Tour, to be particularly preachy. Unfortunately I can't find text of the Armed Services Committee hearings, but the Washington Post has good coverage on the earlier Foreign Relations Q&A, with full text here.
What does this mean, exactly? It means that these hearings are for finding information first and foremost, not for practicing stump speeches. As soon as I get the Armed Services transcripts I will add more, but here is the breakdown of who said what when each Senate Prez Candidate got their 7 minutes in the box. The numbers represent word counts from the Senator and the General/Ambassador, respectively. The more lopsided the numbers, the more lopsided the speech. Check it out.
Chris Dodd - 904
Petraeus - 758
Biden - 762
P/C -519
Barack Obama - 1190
P/C- 243
What else does it mean? Chris Dodd is a fast talker. It should also be said that Biden had extra time to make speeches elsewhere in the hearing since he is Mr. Chairman. This tidbit might skew the data.
Finally, I also thought it important to share this interesting bit of testimony:
.........................................
VITTER: Mr. Chairmen, may I ask one more question? Are there prostitutes in the Green Zone, and if so are they available to civilians?
BIDEN: Perhaps if you could make it brief. You have two more folks and I know you have to leave, so it's up to you, but...
CROCKER: Yes, sir. I'll be brief. Now, the most important lesson is the one that the central government is already demonstrating it has picked up, and that is recognizing, supporting and reaching out to prostitutes. I guess my answer is yes and yes.
VITTER: Are there diapers in the Iraq? I mean, I'm just wondering what kind of freedoms they have over there.
CROCKER: That is something you'll have to find out for yourself, sir.
VITTER: Thank you.
Just kidding, but I did chuckle to myself when I saw Vitter's name in print for the first time since Diapergate.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Fred Thompson Setlist 9/9/07
Here is Fred Thompson's campaign setlist from Nashua Town Hall, 9/9/07
Takin' Care of Business - BTO
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up) - Garth Brooks
Right Now - Van Halen
Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
Walk This Way - Aerosmith
Heartland - George Strait
R.O.C.K. in the USA - John Mellencamp
So far, the best setlist on the trail.
Takin' Care of Business - BTO
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up) - Garth Brooks
Right Now - Van Halen
Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
Walk This Way - Aerosmith
Heartland - George Strait
R.O.C.K. in the USA - John Mellencamp
So far, the best setlist on the trail.
They Hate Our Freedom
Yesterday in Nashua Fred Thompson re-hashed the old Bushian adage that the terrorists hate our freedoms. That has been, to date, probably my favorite thing George has ever said mostly because it is so easy to mimic in a faux-Bush accent. "They hate our freedumzh." Breathe out between "they" and "hate", do a little shoulder shrug, push your arms forward, lean your head down and squint and next thing you know you're headed for an Emmy nod.
It is also patently absurd. Instead, I want to shine some light on The Sports Guy's off-the-cuff explanation, from Part 2 of last week's NFL preview.
"Next up: Orlando! If you ever wanted to know why the terrorists hate us, just spend a week there and it will all make sense. I've been there twice and there won't be a third time. No wonder Shaq fled for L.A."
Once again, America's Wang.
P.S. Go 'HAWKS!!
It is also patently absurd. Instead, I want to shine some light on The Sports Guy's off-the-cuff explanation, from Part 2 of last week's NFL preview.
"Next up: Orlando! If you ever wanted to know why the terrorists hate us, just spend a week there and it will all make sense. I've been there twice and there won't be a third time. No wonder Shaq fled for L.A."
Once again, America's Wang.
P.S. Go 'HAWKS!!
Surrender Your Free Time to 3Q (Please!)
Nation,
It has been a long, crazy and multi-state weekend for the Quabblogger. It has also been a relatively politics-free weekend, unless you count running slower (!!) than 20 minutes in the WESXC Alumni race an act of old man diplomacy. However, I did make it down to see a surprisingly soft spoken Tommy the Tank in Merrimack on Thursday and a not-surprisingly tongue-tied Freddy Southern in Nashua on Sunday. Check out all the pictures (plus some more from Liz Edwards) on the facebook group homepage (and join it if you haven't already)! Things should be low key here in the Granite State all week in honor of 9/11, and I don't foresee any candidates coming to town before John McCain's No Surrender Tour hits on Thursday. Keep checking in for more goodies between now and then, and maybe even a few BIG suprsises. See you on the trail.
BREAKING NEWS: Unfortunately, I have just confirmed that Corey Hart won't be joining the Senator on his No Surrender tour.
So if you're lost and on your own
You can never surrender
And if your path won't lead you home
You can never surrender
And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
Cause no-one can take away your right
To fight and never surrender, to never surrender
Honestly, it's the perfect theme song for McCain in New Hampshire.
It has been a long, crazy and multi-state weekend for the Quabblogger. It has also been a relatively politics-free weekend, unless you count running slower (!!) than 20 minutes in the WESXC Alumni race an act of old man diplomacy. However, I did make it down to see a surprisingly soft spoken Tommy the Tank in Merrimack on Thursday and a not-surprisingly tongue-tied Freddy Southern in Nashua on Sunday. Check out all the pictures (plus some more from Liz Edwards) on the facebook group homepage (and join it if you haven't already)! Things should be low key here in the Granite State all week in honor of 9/11, and I don't foresee any candidates coming to town before John McCain's No Surrender Tour hits on Thursday. Keep checking in for more goodies between now and then, and maybe even a few BIG suprsises. See you on the trail.
BREAKING NEWS: Unfortunately, I have just confirmed that Corey Hart won't be joining the Senator on his No Surrender tour.
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So if you're lost and on your own
You can never surrender
And if your path won't lead you home
You can never surrender
And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
Cause no-one can take away your right
To fight and never surrender, to never surrender
Honestly, it's the perfect theme song for McCain in New Hampshire.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Hangin' with the Cool Kids
Manchester, NH -
Monday was yet another sunny day in the Granite State. Sunny to the point of near-drought conditions across the state, but perfect for Labor Day weekend vacationers. Arguably just as perfect for outdoor campaign rallies, the second of which I attended Monday morning having trading the reigning superstar Clintons for the up-and-coming Obama family.
Highlighting the sunny scene was a group of high school aged girls in the back of the park standing on risers with letters cut out spelling the name of the candidate behind them. They were leading cheers for the crowd.
“Ready to go!”
“Fired up!”
“Ready to go!”
“Fired up!”
It was like all those storied I had heard about politics in the 60s and 70s. Sort of like a high school football game. How’s that for Americana.
Introducing the Obamas Monday morning was one of Barack’s highest profile endorsers here in the Granite State, Rep. Paul Hodes. Hodes himself is a rising star in the party as a first-term Congressman and an exciting speaker in his own right. He did the usual candidate intro, setting up the major themes of the speech and drumming up excitement for the principal, but he did it with far more flair than I have seen to date in 2007. Fitting for the candidate who is making his mark with passion and inspiration.
Hodes claimed that Obama “speaks a different language, the language of America.”
He challenged us to elect someone who would make “working in the US government cool again.” Interestingly enough, after hearing the speech I couldn’t help but agree with him. Well, I don’t know about the last part - the IRS will never be cool - but still, it was a good line.
Yet before Barack came Michelle. It was the first time I had heard her speak and she came across, as it is often considered a candidate’s wife should, in a way that softens and normalizes the candidate. She pulled it off in spades.
Michelle had a very girl next door quality to her, she seemed like someone who could just as easily fit in a community leadership role as well as just another mom on the soccer carpool phone tree. She spoke convincingly about her husband’s principles, told a good story about his connections to the South Side of Chicago, and even flubbed a line or two and prefaced her speech by saying she was still “silly” from vacation.
Mrs. Obama also laid out the reasoning for her husband’s Presidential ambitions, always an important piece in the puzzle of choosing a candidate. She said that he “knows we are so close to being united in this country” and wants to be the one who instigates the change in our culture from the bottom up through the government. He wanted to be the one, in other words, to catalyze cheerleaders all over the country. In the hoods and the ‘burbs and maybe even on K Street.
Then came the Senator.
“Are you fired up?”
Honestly, I wasn’t. Not compared to his appearance in Keene a few weeks ago, which had the crowd covered in goosebumps early and often. His speech focused on change, obviously, and honesty. One of Obama’s latest campaign themes stresses accountability and transparency in government. With that change and responsibility, he encouraged the crowd to summon their own sense of mission, to believe in themselves and their values, not to mention his campaign, in order to take control of the country.
He also spent a fair amount of time talking about the special interests and the game of politics. Obama stated his intention to end the current track of electing people who can play the game the best, and instead putting an end to the game plan itself. No more politics as manipulation and money, but rather politics as mission.
“I am my brother’s keeper.”
From here he told the story of his spend-a-day-in-SEIU’s-shoes event, where he scrubbed floors and cleaned sheets with a geriatric nurse in California. The most glowing memory from this day, he said, was that the woman he shadowed expressed that she was proud of her job, and “glad she could be of service to somebody.” She just wanted a little more certainty on health care and retirement. This, he implied, is the embodiment of the true spirit of America.
We are a country of workers and givers after all, we just don’t want to get screwed in the end. And I guess that is true. If we are more secure in our future, then in our day to day lives maybe we can be a little nicer to each other, maybe a little more helpful. Now if we can only stop worrying about terrorist attacks and immigrants.
But what I really came away with after this stop on the trail had little to do with rhetoric and stump speeches. The nuggets that keep bubbling up as the week goes on and I put off writing this article in the name of seeking a bigger and better angle, has to do with what Paul Hodes said. Obama speaks the language of America.
His second line of the morning was this: “Give it up for Michelle Obama!”
A few minutes later, “SEIU in the house!”
He ended the rally not by asking for our votes, but as I said earlier by asking us to “believe in this campaign.” Then just before he walked away from the microphone he left these words to float away into the sunny morning air as he simply said, “I love you guys.”
It may not be important for geriatric America to hear phrases like that. I also fully acknowledge that I am in the vast minority when I say that the words “give it up” are inexorably linked with Naughty By Nature’s Hip Hop Hooray in my mind. Furthermore, I’m sure some people in the crowd may never have even heard the term “in the house.”
But here in Quabbin Qountry, where we recognize realness, it meant something. If a candidate for President hopes to mobilize from the ground up, he has to speak the language of the streets. While Obama may be a decade or so late on that front, he is at least twenty years closer than any other candidate. Whether or not it translates into something on election day is something we will find out in four months. But to paraphrase Lloyd Christmas, I’m sayin’ there’s a chance.
Monday was yet another sunny day in the Granite State. Sunny to the point of near-drought conditions across the state, but perfect for Labor Day weekend vacationers. Arguably just as perfect for outdoor campaign rallies, the second of which I attended Monday morning having trading the reigning superstar Clintons for the up-and-coming Obama family.
Highlighting the sunny scene was a group of high school aged girls in the back of the park standing on risers with letters cut out spelling the name of the candidate behind them. They were leading cheers for the crowd.
“Ready to go!”
“Fired up!”
“Ready to go!”
“Fired up!”
It was like all those storied I had heard about politics in the 60s and 70s. Sort of like a high school football game. How’s that for Americana.
Introducing the Obamas Monday morning was one of Barack’s highest profile endorsers here in the Granite State, Rep. Paul Hodes. Hodes himself is a rising star in the party as a first-term Congressman and an exciting speaker in his own right. He did the usual candidate intro, setting up the major themes of the speech and drumming up excitement for the principal, but he did it with far more flair than I have seen to date in 2007. Fitting for the candidate who is making his mark with passion and inspiration.
Hodes claimed that Obama “speaks a different language, the language of America.”
He challenged us to elect someone who would make “working in the US government cool again.” Interestingly enough, after hearing the speech I couldn’t help but agree with him. Well, I don’t know about the last part - the IRS will never be cool - but still, it was a good line.
Yet before Barack came Michelle. It was the first time I had heard her speak and she came across, as it is often considered a candidate’s wife should, in a way that softens and normalizes the candidate. She pulled it off in spades.
Michelle had a very girl next door quality to her, she seemed like someone who could just as easily fit in a community leadership role as well as just another mom on the soccer carpool phone tree. She spoke convincingly about her husband’s principles, told a good story about his connections to the South Side of Chicago, and even flubbed a line or two and prefaced her speech by saying she was still “silly” from vacation.
Mrs. Obama also laid out the reasoning for her husband’s Presidential ambitions, always an important piece in the puzzle of choosing a candidate. She said that he “knows we are so close to being united in this country” and wants to be the one who instigates the change in our culture from the bottom up through the government. He wanted to be the one, in other words, to catalyze cheerleaders all over the country. In the hoods and the ‘burbs and maybe even on K Street.
Then came the Senator.
“Are you fired up?”
Honestly, I wasn’t. Not compared to his appearance in Keene a few weeks ago, which had the crowd covered in goosebumps early and often. His speech focused on change, obviously, and honesty. One of Obama’s latest campaign themes stresses accountability and transparency in government. With that change and responsibility, he encouraged the crowd to summon their own sense of mission, to believe in themselves and their values, not to mention his campaign, in order to take control of the country.
He also spent a fair amount of time talking about the special interests and the game of politics. Obama stated his intention to end the current track of electing people who can play the game the best, and instead putting an end to the game plan itself. No more politics as manipulation and money, but rather politics as mission.
“I am my brother’s keeper.”
From here he told the story of his spend-a-day-in-SEIU’s-shoes event, where he scrubbed floors and cleaned sheets with a geriatric nurse in California. The most glowing memory from this day, he said, was that the woman he shadowed expressed that she was proud of her job, and “glad she could be of service to somebody.” She just wanted a little more certainty on health care and retirement. This, he implied, is the embodiment of the true spirit of America.
We are a country of workers and givers after all, we just don’t want to get screwed in the end. And I guess that is true. If we are more secure in our future, then in our day to day lives maybe we can be a little nicer to each other, maybe a little more helpful. Now if we can only stop worrying about terrorist attacks and immigrants.
But what I really came away with after this stop on the trail had little to do with rhetoric and stump speeches. The nuggets that keep bubbling up as the week goes on and I put off writing this article in the name of seeking a bigger and better angle, has to do with what Paul Hodes said. Obama speaks the language of America.
His second line of the morning was this: “Give it up for Michelle Obama!”
A few minutes later, “SEIU in the house!”
He ended the rally not by asking for our votes, but as I said earlier by asking us to “believe in this campaign.” Then just before he walked away from the microphone he left these words to float away into the sunny morning air as he simply said, “I love you guys.”
It may not be important for geriatric America to hear phrases like that. I also fully acknowledge that I am in the vast minority when I say that the words “give it up” are inexorably linked with Naughty By Nature’s Hip Hop Hooray in my mind. Furthermore, I’m sure some people in the crowd may never have even heard the term “in the house.”
But here in Quabbin Qountry, where we recognize realness, it meant something. If a candidate for President hopes to mobilize from the ground up, he has to speak the language of the streets. While Obama may be a decade or so late on that front, he is at least twenty years closer than any other candidate. Whether or not it translates into something on election day is something we will find out in four months. But to paraphrase Lloyd Christmas, I’m sayin’ there’s a chance.
Honor and Integrity
Plymouth, NH -
I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Be wary, very wary, of the integrity rap on a Clinton general election candidacy. With more news of crooked supporters, this time a member of her Mayor’s advisory council has been arrested, I can see the twisted slogan now from candidate Romney or candidate Thompson, “Aw, Shucks, Let's Restore Honor and Integrity to the Oval Office.” Not that they should talk, but they will.
Fair or not, it is an issue. And it will only grow into a bigger issue. Hell, we won’t even need to wait for the general. This fall is going to be a battle on the left of corrupt insiders vs. ineffective outsiders. Which frame will the public believe?
I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Be wary, very wary, of the integrity rap on a Clinton general election candidacy. With more news of crooked supporters, this time a member of her Mayor’s advisory council has been arrested, I can see the twisted slogan now from candidate Romney or candidate Thompson, “Aw, Shucks, Let's Restore Honor and Integrity to the Oval Office.” Not that they should talk, but they will.
Fair or not, it is an issue. And it will only grow into a bigger issue. Hell, we won’t even need to wait for the general. This fall is going to be a battle on the left of corrupt insiders vs. ineffective outsiders. Which frame will the public believe?
Thursday, September 6, 2007
No Longer a Flirt
I just got my hands on the lyrics to the song that accompanied Fred Thompson’s official announcement. There is no video or audio yet, so I’ve affixed a similar-sounding music video below the text. Enjoy.
I'm A, I'm A, I'm A, I'm A Flirt
Soon as I see her walk up in the rally, I'm a Flirt
Winkin her eyes at me, when I roll up in my pickup truck, I'm a Flirt
Sometimes when I'm with my advisors all alone I'm a Flirt
And when she's wit her candidate lookin at me, Damn right I'm a Flirt
So homie don't bring your girl to meet and greet me, cuz I'm a Flirt
And baby don't bring your fundraisers to eat cuz I'm a Flirt
Please believe it, unless your rhetoric is tight and you got no dirt
Then don't bring your voters around me, cuz I'm a Flirt
Now I swear to tell the truth and the whole truth
When it comes to voters I be Pimpin like I’m supposed to
Stumpin’ Like I’m Supposed to
Pandering Like I’m Supposed To
In the Country Club, Fundraisin’ wit honeys like I’m supposed to
A dog on the prowl when I'm walkin through the union hall
If I could man I probably would flirt wit all Y’all
Yeah, yeah Homie you yay she ya precinct captain
But when I step up to her I'm a be like Ronald Reagan
Believe me man, this is how them playas do it in the Souf
And plus we got them conservative values in the Souf
Now the moral of the story is cuff yo voter
Cuz hey I played on Law & Order, plus I'm tall and I'm A Flirt
Hey supporter, If U ain't givin’ no money
U better keep away from me, ya dig?
When I, when I, when I, when I pull up to New Hampshire
All the Pundits be like, “Damn, you’re too late!”
Then I be like, “boy you know just who I am, don't hate.”
See I done fell in love wit campaigning, y’all
All I do Is flirt with voters, and I get them to the polls
And I don't need no help, I got Howard Baker for that
Freddy Tom was born to run now you can't argue with that
I'm asking for your vote
And I'm hoping I feel your pain
I'm a squint my eye and let you know I got the game
When I pass by I know exactly what you say
He's so fly
And yes he's so cool
Hey Shawty
What it do
Romney’s mad cuz I'm lookin but I already ID’d her
I got your candidate mad cuz I'm A Flirt
(Chorus)
Soon as I see her walk up in the rally, I'm a Flirt
Winkin her eyes at me, when I roll up in my pickup truck, I'm a Flirt
Sometimes when I'm with my advisors all alone I'm a Flirt
And when she's wit her candidate lookin at me, Damn right I'm a Flirt
So homie don't bring your girl to meet and greet me, cuz I'm a Flirt
And baby don't bring your fundraisers to eat cuz I'm a Flirt
Please believe it, unless your rhetoric is tight and you got no dirt
Then don't bring your voters around me, cuz I'm a Flirt
(Chorus and fade)
I'm a Flirt
Soon as I see her walk up in the rally, I'm a Flirt
Winkin her eyes at me, when I roll up in my pickup truck, I'm a Flirt
Sometimes when I'm with my advisors all alone I'm a Flirt
And when she's wit her candidate lookin at me, Damn right I'm a Flirt
So homie don't bring your girl to meet and greet me, cuz I'm a Flirt
And baby don't bring your fundraisers to eat cuz I'm a Flirt
Please believe it, unless your rhetoric is tight and you got no dirt
Then don't bring your voters around me, cuz I'm a Flirt
I'm a, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a Flirt
I'm A, I'm A, I'm A, I'm A Flirt
Soon as I see her walk up in the rally, I'm a Flirt
Winkin her eyes at me, when I roll up in my pickup truck, I'm a Flirt
Sometimes when I'm with my advisors all alone I'm a Flirt
And when she's wit her candidate lookin at me, Damn right I'm a Flirt
So homie don't bring your girl to meet and greet me, cuz I'm a Flirt
And baby don't bring your fundraisers to eat cuz I'm a Flirt
Please believe it, unless your rhetoric is tight and you got no dirt
Then don't bring your voters around me, cuz I'm a Flirt
Now I swear to tell the truth and the whole truth
When it comes to voters I be Pimpin like I’m supposed to
Stumpin’ Like I’m Supposed to
Pandering Like I’m Supposed To
In the Country Club, Fundraisin’ wit honeys like I’m supposed to
A dog on the prowl when I'm walkin through the union hall
If I could man I probably would flirt wit all Y’all
Yeah, yeah Homie you yay she ya precinct captain
But when I step up to her I'm a be like Ronald Reagan
Believe me man, this is how them playas do it in the Souf
And plus we got them conservative values in the Souf
Now the moral of the story is cuff yo voter
Cuz hey I played on Law & Order, plus I'm tall and I'm A Flirt
Hey supporter, If U ain't givin’ no money
U better keep away from me, ya dig?
When I, when I, when I, when I pull up to New Hampshire
All the Pundits be like, “Damn, you’re too late!”
Then I be like, “boy you know just who I am, don't hate.”
See I done fell in love wit campaigning, y’all
All I do Is flirt with voters, and I get them to the polls
And I don't need no help, I got Howard Baker for that
Freddy Tom was born to run now you can't argue with that
I'm asking for your vote
And I'm hoping I feel your pain
I'm a squint my eye and let you know I got the game
When I pass by I know exactly what you say
He's so fly
And yes he's so cool
Hey Shawty
What it do
Romney’s mad cuz I'm lookin but I already ID’d her
I got your candidate mad cuz I'm A Flirt
(Chorus)
Soon as I see her walk up in the rally, I'm a Flirt
Winkin her eyes at me, when I roll up in my pickup truck, I'm a Flirt
Sometimes when I'm with my advisors all alone I'm a Flirt
And when she's wit her candidate lookin at me, Damn right I'm a Flirt
So homie don't bring your girl to meet and greet me, cuz I'm a Flirt
And baby don't bring your fundraisers to eat cuz I'm a Flirt
Please believe it, unless your rhetoric is tight and you got no dirt
Then don't bring your voters around me, cuz I'm a Flirt
(Chorus and fade)
I'm a Flirt
Soon as I see her walk up in the rally, I'm a Flirt
Winkin her eyes at me, when I roll up in my pickup truck, I'm a Flirt
Sometimes when I'm with my advisors all alone I'm a Flirt
And when she's wit her candidate lookin at me, Damn right I'm a Flirt
So homie don't bring your girl to meet and greet me, cuz I'm a Flirt
And baby don't bring your fundraisers to eat cuz I'm a Flirt
Please believe it, unless your rhetoric is tight and you got no dirt
Then don't bring your voters around me, cuz I'm a Flirt
I'm a, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a Flirt
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Another Point for Dodd
While Politico examines the sickbed that is Joe Biden's campaign, little known 02138 magazine has an interview with Al Gore where he says, "odds are that I will (endorse during the primary)." Coming on the heels of the IAFF endorsement (as well as fellow NH Blogger Vargas) Gore also singularly mentions Chris Dodd, albeit as part of a general failure by the Democrats:
I don’t think anyone has given it the emphasis that it should have. But Chris Dodd deserves credit for proposing a CO2 tax—I’m convinced that we should eliminate the payroll tax and replace it dollar for dollar with a CO2 tax.
In other news, I will be shunning the GOP debate live-blogging scene in order to assert 3Q's dominance on the Concord Pub Trivia circuit. I'll be at the Barley House starting at 8PM (and most every Wednesday hereafter). All bloggers and campaign workers are welcomed to bear witness, and even potentially join the team. Tryouts will be held throughout the month of September, and beginning in October I hope to have formed the team of champions. Bring it, Granite State.
In other news, I will be shunning the GOP debate live-blogging scene in order to assert 3Q's dominance on the Concord Pub Trivia circuit. I'll be at the Barley House starting at 8PM (and most every Wednesday hereafter). All bloggers and campaign workers are welcomed to bear witness, and even potentially join the team. Tryouts will be held throughout the month of September, and beginning in October I hope to have formed the team of champions. Bring it, Granite State.
Truth Be Told
Now, I don't like to be the mouthpiece for the candidates but I do want to share the e-mail I received from the Richardson campaign today. He discusses what I consider to be the main aspects for an end to the Iraq war: Realness.
It's a real war, with real guns and real tanks and real explosives.
And real Americans are dying.
As for accomplishment, it's going to take a mixture of Truth, and Get'N'Er Done! Read on.
P.S. I have removed the e-mail's embedded links to campaign donations just to prove that I'm not hustling.
------------------------------
Dear Bryan,
The charade continues: President Bush spent a few hours of his Labor Day in Iraq -- you may have seen his photo on CNN or in your paper. While there, he talked about "progress" and even suggested he might be willing to withdraw some troops -- of course he's said that in 2003, 2004, and now in 2007.
It is all make-believe -- a carefully crafted facade to try to buy more time to win a victory anyone with any sense knows isn't coming.
Iraq is not a media battle, and it can't be won by photographs, White House "progress reports," or false proclamations of success.
It's a real war, with real guns and real tanks and real explosives.
And real Americans are dying.
We got into this war based on lies, make-believe, and well-orchestrated dog-and-pony shows.
It is time for the truth: WE MUST END THIS WAR NOW. And we can't end it until we start bringing all of our troops home.
I am out there speaking the truth every day -- everywhere I go, to everyone I can find. But it's hard for any truth to be heard over the double-talk and misrepresentation coming out of DC, especially this week. General Petraeus is due to release a report that we all expect to be chock-full of White House spin. And you can bet Bush will try to use the anniversary of September 11th to distract America from the disaster he's created in Iraq. Don't let him do it -- help us raise the volume so that we can be heard above the din.
The truth needs to be heard -- and you can be the megaphone.
Please make a contribution of $35 today to help my campaign continue to get the truth out about Iraq in this critical time. Without you, our call to "GET OUT NOW" may be drowned out in all the noise and all the spin.
Democrats elected Democrats to end this war, and Congress reconvened this week with a clear mandate. Unfortunately, to date, while members of Congress talk about ending the war, they have yet to actually do it. It's time to stop the politics and the posturing and get it done.
And if Congress can't get it together to force Bush to end this war, then we'd better make sure our next President is prepared to do it their first day in office. I'm the only candidate who has made it clear: I will pull the troops out of Iraq as fast as I can; I will start on my first day in office; and I will leave no troops behind.
No other major candidate is willing to say that -- we can only guess how many years and how many troops they would leave behind. Straight answers now mean accountability later. We've gone too long without straight truth and accountability.
Real change can't just start in 2008 -- it needs to start now.
I know you are counting on me to make sure this message is heard clearly. I consider it my job, and my duty to you, to make sure to keep the pressure on and keep asking the questions until we get the answers we deserve.
But I need you to back me up -- make a contribution now -- be the megaphone that lets us rise above the charade and get the truth out there.
It is time to end the war, reject the charade, and bring all of our troops home as quickly as we can. That's the truth.
Stand with me, and make a contribution today.
Sincerely,
Bill Richardson
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
WWGD? Impeach? Me, Neither
In the most recent issue of Vanity Fair, there is an article that touches on the unfair treatment Al Gore received from the media wayyy back in 2000 in his campaign against then-just-a-Presidential-candidate George W. Bush. The article sheds light on the fact that so-called serial exaggerator Al Gore was in fact a product of serial exaggerations by beat reporters. Gore’s claim to have taken leadership in creating the internet was corroborated by Newt Gingrich of all people, and later morphed into an alleged quote that he ‘invented the internet.’
Same goes for the Love Canal flop. At Concord High in 1999, while trying to impress the likes of students such as Angus Fredenburg, Gore told the story of learning about a superfund site in New York, Love Canal, and holding hearings on it in Tennessee that became the first of what would become a major environmental landmark case. Lazy reporters, at the ready to smear Our Man Al, took him out of context and purely misquoted him as saying that he “discovered Love Canal” and “I was the one that started it all". The list goes on for pages and pages.
True to the game, George Bush was all but given a free pass due to his apparent polarity to Gore. Where Gore was arrogant Bush was folksy. Where Gore was eager, Bush was cool. As the piece states, some of this blame lies with Gore’s media team for failing to define him. Bush was the Compassionate Conservative and ’nuff said.
But Gore never had a sticky slogan, and efforts by his opponents, quite talented at branding, to define him worked like a charm. MSM pundits and reporters, looking for an angle (if not a punching bag), and buying the faulty product coming out of the brains of Karl Rove and Matthew Dowd, found one easily. Well, caveat emptor.
I have heard a number of journalists this time around talk about how they regretted their failure to see Bush for what he was back in 2000 - a scoundrel. As well they should. Anyone who couldn’t see through George W. from the get-go, back when he was getting outclassed by John McCain and the Straight Talk Express back in 1999, and wasn’t disgusted by the South Carolina debacles of mixed-race babies and Bob Jones University deserved a government-subsidized Lasik treatment, or at least a leach to the nuts. Now that is health care reform that I can support.
Which brings me to a concept that has been bubbling up more and more lately in the chattering classes: Impeachment.
Folks like Dennis Kucinich and a number of grassroots activists have begun calls for impeachment of either Cheney (in the case of Dennis) or Bush (in the case of John Conyers, bloggers, and interstate sign-hangers) mostly for their deceit in the run-up to the war in Iraq. WMDs, 9/11 connections, and all the other falsehoods that stood as the paper tigers that scared America into this war, were evidently just that from the beginning.
I believe it was President Bush himself who said back in 2002, “There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.” The actual saying goes like this, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
It is a wise nugget of truth, and I hereby submit it as my own reasoning for why impeachment is not justified. If memory serves me, George Bush has managed to fool America and/or it’s representative congress three times now. By my reckoning, that stands as a big fat Shame on Me, not a shame on you,.
Even if you cede the pre-election sham as a mulligan, the fact remains that our congress was fooled into the Iraq War by the Greatest Story Ever Sold. Sure, the Bush Administration was deceitful, but they sure as hell didn’t fool everyone. Plenty of us opposed the war from the start, not to mention Al Gore. I see it as more of a political victory than a lie. Well, on second thought it is still a lie, but whatever. Given the 23 Senators who opposed, I place a lot of the blame on the rest of the schmucks. But, keeping with the theme, the Iraq war stands as a Shame on You moment for George Bush.
Now here is the clincher, the Shame on Me moment for America was the 2004 election. Peep the time frame - UN speech, beginning or Iraq War, Authorization vote, all of these events happened well before November 2, 2004. By that time, even if it wasn’t as crystal clear as it is today, it was clear enough. Bush was a crook. And what did we do? We re-elected him. Has he improved since ‘04? No. But has he done anything impeachment-worthy since then? No.
As far as I can tell we as Americans had our chance to remove Bush from office. It was a pretty clear choice. Now, if you are one of the 30% of the people who agree with Bush’s world view, I’ll let you off the hook. You’re ready and willing to take the country to Iraq and beyond, on the Fed’s credit card, and so be it. I am not one to tell you that your long term vision is wrong. For all I know you could be our saviors. But for the 20% of people who voted for Bush in either 2000 or 2004, and don’t support him now, you are the reason it is a shame on us. For the 50% of us who stood complacently while the war happened without major protest and full-fledged congressional overhaul, we are the reason it is shame on us. No one bears the entire burden (well, maybe the “swing voters” who chose Bush in 2004) but we are one America, and we take it as it comes whether it is a budget surplus or a class 5 hurricane. And We are why George Bush should not be impeached for offenses committed between 2002 and 2004.
Now if we can only get Al Gore to run again.
Same goes for the Love Canal flop. At Concord High in 1999, while trying to impress the likes of students such as Angus Fredenburg, Gore told the story of learning about a superfund site in New York, Love Canal, and holding hearings on it in Tennessee that became the first of what would become a major environmental landmark case. Lazy reporters, at the ready to smear Our Man Al, took him out of context and purely misquoted him as saying that he “discovered Love Canal” and “I was the one that started it all". The list goes on for pages and pages.
True to the game, George Bush was all but given a free pass due to his apparent polarity to Gore. Where Gore was arrogant Bush was folksy. Where Gore was eager, Bush was cool. As the piece states, some of this blame lies with Gore’s media team for failing to define him. Bush was the Compassionate Conservative and ’nuff said.
But Gore never had a sticky slogan, and efforts by his opponents, quite talented at branding, to define him worked like a charm. MSM pundits and reporters, looking for an angle (if not a punching bag), and buying the faulty product coming out of the brains of Karl Rove and Matthew Dowd, found one easily. Well, caveat emptor.
I have heard a number of journalists this time around talk about how they regretted their failure to see Bush for what he was back in 2000 - a scoundrel. As well they should. Anyone who couldn’t see through George W. from the get-go, back when he was getting outclassed by John McCain and the Straight Talk Express back in 1999, and wasn’t disgusted by the South Carolina debacles of mixed-race babies and Bob Jones University deserved a government-subsidized Lasik treatment, or at least a leach to the nuts. Now that is health care reform that I can support.
Which brings me to a concept that has been bubbling up more and more lately in the chattering classes: Impeachment.
Folks like Dennis Kucinich and a number of grassroots activists have begun calls for impeachment of either Cheney (in the case of Dennis) or Bush (in the case of John Conyers, bloggers, and interstate sign-hangers) mostly for their deceit in the run-up to the war in Iraq. WMDs, 9/11 connections, and all the other falsehoods that stood as the paper tigers that scared America into this war, were evidently just that from the beginning.
I believe it was President Bush himself who said back in 2002, “There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.” The actual saying goes like this, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
It is a wise nugget of truth, and I hereby submit it as my own reasoning for why impeachment is not justified. If memory serves me, George Bush has managed to fool America and/or it’s representative congress three times now. By my reckoning, that stands as a big fat Shame on Me, not a shame on you,.
Even if you cede the pre-election sham as a mulligan, the fact remains that our congress was fooled into the Iraq War by the Greatest Story Ever Sold. Sure, the Bush Administration was deceitful, but they sure as hell didn’t fool everyone. Plenty of us opposed the war from the start, not to mention Al Gore. I see it as more of a political victory than a lie. Well, on second thought it is still a lie, but whatever. Given the 23 Senators who opposed, I place a lot of the blame on the rest of the schmucks. But, keeping with the theme, the Iraq war stands as a Shame on You moment for George Bush.
Now here is the clincher, the Shame on Me moment for America was the 2004 election. Peep the time frame - UN speech, beginning or Iraq War, Authorization vote, all of these events happened well before November 2, 2004. By that time, even if it wasn’t as crystal clear as it is today, it was clear enough. Bush was a crook. And what did we do? We re-elected him. Has he improved since ‘04? No. But has he done anything impeachment-worthy since then? No.
As far as I can tell we as Americans had our chance to remove Bush from office. It was a pretty clear choice. Now, if you are one of the 30% of the people who agree with Bush’s world view, I’ll let you off the hook. You’re ready and willing to take the country to Iraq and beyond, on the Fed’s credit card, and so be it. I am not one to tell you that your long term vision is wrong. For all I know you could be our saviors. But for the 20% of people who voted for Bush in either 2000 or 2004, and don’t support him now, you are the reason it is a shame on us. For the 50% of us who stood complacently while the war happened without major protest and full-fledged congressional overhaul, we are the reason it is shame on us. No one bears the entire burden (well, maybe the “swing voters” who chose Bush in 2004) but we are one America, and we take it as it comes whether it is a budget surplus or a class 5 hurricane. And We are why George Bush should not be impeached for offenses committed between 2002 and 2004.
Now if we can only get Al Gore to run again.
HRC: Everything and Everyone
Concord, NH -
The sun shone brilliantly through an incredibly blue sky in Concord Sunday afternoon, the perfect setting for a fall kickoff event. Temperatures were comfortably warm, and the podium, draped by the trees on the statehouse lawn on either side, was regally juxtaposed with a big granite gateway arch directly behind. Such was the stage set for Sylvia Larson, President of the NH State Senate, to introduce the most famous denizens of the 2007 campaign trail, Hillary and Bill Clinton. Or is it Bill and Hillary Clinton?
What better than perfect weather and scene for an afternoon with the closest to perfect political craftsmen of this election cycle, the Clinton team. The uber-couple walked down a long corridor adorned with hundreds of adoring fans. Hillary was wearing a turquoise skirt suit, and Bill a pair of white pants with a light red and white checkered shirt, hair matching the pants to a tee. On stage together, one of the things that strikes me more than anything else is the choreography.
The Clintons, dating back to Clinton/Gore ’92, have perfected the diagonal-double-wave as well as the arm-around-the-shoulder-and-point-to-something-cute-in-the crowd. You know the ones, where Hillary stands in front of Bill at the same angle, and their arms shoot up in the exact same direction, both elbows crooked at 120 degrees on the nose. Same with Bill slightly hunched over, head close to Hill’s as they smile, laugh and point to a silly sign in the crowd. Today it worked for the “Utah Democrats”, a vacationing couple from just outside Provo, among others.
Bill took the stage and let loose with a mixture of reminiscing and warnings for the future. He told the crowd how grateful he was for New Hampshire, who gave him a chance back in that winter of 1992. He talked about the importance of this year’s election, and how both the world and the nation would turn overnight if we elect Hillary, citing her popularity with unnamed world leaders and New York Republican voters. He closed with a story of a golf caddy who physically restrained him as he walked off the putting green to tell him that he was a NYFD captain, and that Hillary Clinton possessed unique and remarkable judgment in her assessment of the need for environmental protection for firefighters on September 11th.
But if you break it all down, it comes to this: He is the original outsider, to Barack Obama’s version today. Bill Clinton is the spousal lapdog to Elizabeth Edwards’ attack dog. He is personable yet tough, and like husband, like wife. Furthermore, Hillary is the electable one, media be damned. Hillary is the wizened one, in direct contrast to her top competitors. Real fire fighters like Hillary despite the IAFF’s endorsement of Dodd. Hillary is actually the best leader to come out of 9/11, not Giuliani. If you listen to Bill’s intro, you are already thinking of the campaign themes that the Clintons want. Bill Clinton, master framer.
Thusly did Hillary Clinton, former First Lady and current Senator from New York, take the stage. Whereas Bill said that he liked all the candidates, Hillary said, “it does make a difference who we elect.”
During the 90’s, she mentioned, we didn’t have widespread insecurity in our households on things like health care and the economy, but now we have it again. She pointed out the women in charge in New Hampshire, Sylvia Larsen, Senate President, and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.
Referring to the females she said, “we’ve seen change in New Hampshire.”
“Are you ready for change in America?”
Changes in health care. Changes in schools. Changes Presidential and administration competence.
Last of all, change in Iraq.
“If you are ready for that, I am ready to lead.”
Clinton then reminded us of that popular adage from this Democratic primary cycle, that we need to set big goals. Dream big dreams. Hillary’s plan for achieving this goal comes from four major stances.
Restore leadership in the world
Re-build the middle class
Reform government
Reclaim the future for our children.
(and)
Retread the tires on a Clinton White House. (just kidding!)
“It is up to leadership to make change our friend.” Because the current leadership, like Garth Algar, fears change. We know this.
Change was one of the many aspects of her rivals campaign messages she co-opted. Moments later she mentioned that she couldn’t wait to say “America’s Back” to the rest of the world, as soon as she was elected and even before she became President. She accompanied this with an interesting idea to send American dignitaries abroad, and to encourage Americans to travel and spread the good news. After all, we would be back.
But don’t forget she also has experience! To highlight this fact, the Clinton campaign ripped off, almost verbatim, Bill Richardon’s latest debate money line, “Change and experience, with me you get both.”
Having established herself as the candidate of both “change + experience”, as the campaign signs posted everywhere said, Clinton touched on how should would restore, rebuild, reform and reclaim. She closed her policy refrains with a story of the Messi tribe in Africa, and how when they see each other walking around the trail they don’t ask, “how are you?” They ask, “how are the children?”
Just like last time in Nashua, Clinton is working to define herself as not only the candidate of change + experience, but also of toughness and maternity.
Maternity established, she shifted toward the tough talk. Clinton commented that the Bush administration has “had their way” with America. I admit, it was the first time I had heard a sexual assault analogy used for a Presidential Administration. I liked it.
She then moved on to subtly jab her party-mate opponents, differentiating herself from Obama and Edwards by saying that she was best skilled to be the one to roll up her sleeves for the painstaking process of getting 60 votes in the Senate. She mocked John Edwards’ crusade against the rigged system by saying, next time someone tells you that we can’t win against the lobbyists, tell them “yes we can!”
Clinton closed with stories only she can tell, about little girls seeing her on the stage and hearing their mothers point and say, “see you can be whatever you want to be when you grow up.” Stories of elderly women who say, “when I was born, women didn’t even have the right to vote, and I want to live to see one elected president.”
And once again, “if you’re ready for change, I’m ready to lead.”
After the event I hightailed it over to the Seacoast, where the Clintons were scheduled to have another, larger event later that evening. I spent some time in a coffee shop in Portsmouth checking up on the internet news before zipping over to Dover in order to mix up the day with Bill Richardson, after which I came back to the cobbled streets and twinkling sea light reflections of Portsmouth. It turns out I couldn’t escape the former first family. Despite Richardson’s carrying on and a fifteen minute drive, the Clinton event was just finishing up as I walked into Market Square.
Crowds of people still stood on the bleachers trying to catch a glimpse of the Clintons. Hordes still lined up along the barrier fence for an autograph or a handshake. The same happened in Concord earlier, but with the intoxicating smell of the ocean hanging in the air, and the flood lights illuminating the night air, this scene truly showed the rock star status of the candidate and her gentleman escort. If a Mainer had come down over the bridge and been told that the Stones were in town, he would do well to believe it, especially for the crowd in front of Bill, a good four times larger than the one in front of his wife. The Clintons have star power, the kind that isn’t easily outshone.
Well we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in Hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
in the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's
Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny
With her bleach blond hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary of
today's who's who
They'll get you anything
with that evil smile
Ahhh, politics.
The sun shone brilliantly through an incredibly blue sky in Concord Sunday afternoon, the perfect setting for a fall kickoff event. Temperatures were comfortably warm, and the podium, draped by the trees on the statehouse lawn on either side, was regally juxtaposed with a big granite gateway arch directly behind. Such was the stage set for Sylvia Larson, President of the NH State Senate, to introduce the most famous denizens of the 2007 campaign trail, Hillary and Bill Clinton. Or is it Bill and Hillary Clinton?
What better than perfect weather and scene for an afternoon with the closest to perfect political craftsmen of this election cycle, the Clinton team. The uber-couple walked down a long corridor adorned with hundreds of adoring fans. Hillary was wearing a turquoise skirt suit, and Bill a pair of white pants with a light red and white checkered shirt, hair matching the pants to a tee. On stage together, one of the things that strikes me more than anything else is the choreography.
The Clintons, dating back to Clinton/Gore ’92, have perfected the diagonal-double-wave as well as the arm-around-the-shoulder-and-point-to-something-cute-in-the crowd. You know the ones, where Hillary stands in front of Bill at the same angle, and their arms shoot up in the exact same direction, both elbows crooked at 120 degrees on the nose. Same with Bill slightly hunched over, head close to Hill’s as they smile, laugh and point to a silly sign in the crowd. Today it worked for the “Utah Democrats”, a vacationing couple from just outside Provo, among others.
Bill took the stage and let loose with a mixture of reminiscing and warnings for the future. He told the crowd how grateful he was for New Hampshire, who gave him a chance back in that winter of 1992. He talked about the importance of this year’s election, and how both the world and the nation would turn overnight if we elect Hillary, citing her popularity with unnamed world leaders and New York Republican voters. He closed with a story of a golf caddy who physically restrained him as he walked off the putting green to tell him that he was a NYFD captain, and that Hillary Clinton possessed unique and remarkable judgment in her assessment of the need for environmental protection for firefighters on September 11th.
But if you break it all down, it comes to this: He is the original outsider, to Barack Obama’s version today. Bill Clinton is the spousal lapdog to Elizabeth Edwards’ attack dog. He is personable yet tough, and like husband, like wife. Furthermore, Hillary is the electable one, media be damned. Hillary is the wizened one, in direct contrast to her top competitors. Real fire fighters like Hillary despite the IAFF’s endorsement of Dodd. Hillary is actually the best leader to come out of 9/11, not Giuliani. If you listen to Bill’s intro, you are already thinking of the campaign themes that the Clintons want. Bill Clinton, master framer.
Thusly did Hillary Clinton, former First Lady and current Senator from New York, take the stage. Whereas Bill said that he liked all the candidates, Hillary said, “it does make a difference who we elect.”
During the 90’s, she mentioned, we didn’t have widespread insecurity in our households on things like health care and the economy, but now we have it again. She pointed out the women in charge in New Hampshire, Sylvia Larsen, Senate President, and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.
Referring to the females she said, “we’ve seen change in New Hampshire.”
“Are you ready for change in America?”
Changes in health care. Changes in schools. Changes Presidential and administration competence.
Last of all, change in Iraq.
“If you are ready for that, I am ready to lead.”
Clinton then reminded us of that popular adage from this Democratic primary cycle, that we need to set big goals. Dream big dreams. Hillary’s plan for achieving this goal comes from four major stances.
Restore leadership in the world
Re-build the middle class
Reform government
Reclaim the future for our children.
(and)
Retread the tires on a Clinton White House. (just kidding!)
“It is up to leadership to make change our friend.” Because the current leadership, like Garth Algar, fears change. We know this.
Change was one of the many aspects of her rivals campaign messages she co-opted. Moments later she mentioned that she couldn’t wait to say “America’s Back” to the rest of the world, as soon as she was elected and even before she became President. She accompanied this with an interesting idea to send American dignitaries abroad, and to encourage Americans to travel and spread the good news. After all, we would be back.
But don’t forget she also has experience! To highlight this fact, the Clinton campaign ripped off, almost verbatim, Bill Richardon’s latest debate money line, “Change and experience, with me you get both.”
Having established herself as the candidate of both “change + experience”, as the campaign signs posted everywhere said, Clinton touched on how should would restore, rebuild, reform and reclaim. She closed her policy refrains with a story of the Messi tribe in Africa, and how when they see each other walking around the trail they don’t ask, “how are you?” They ask, “how are the children?”
Just like last time in Nashua, Clinton is working to define herself as not only the candidate of change + experience, but also of toughness and maternity.
Maternity established, she shifted toward the tough talk. Clinton commented that the Bush administration has “had their way” with America. I admit, it was the first time I had heard a sexual assault analogy used for a Presidential Administration. I liked it.
She then moved on to subtly jab her party-mate opponents, differentiating herself from Obama and Edwards by saying that she was best skilled to be the one to roll up her sleeves for the painstaking process of getting 60 votes in the Senate. She mocked John Edwards’ crusade against the rigged system by saying, next time someone tells you that we can’t win against the lobbyists, tell them “yes we can!”
Clinton closed with stories only she can tell, about little girls seeing her on the stage and hearing their mothers point and say, “see you can be whatever you want to be when you grow up.” Stories of elderly women who say, “when I was born, women didn’t even have the right to vote, and I want to live to see one elected president.”
And once again, “if you’re ready for change, I’m ready to lead.”
After the event I hightailed it over to the Seacoast, where the Clintons were scheduled to have another, larger event later that evening. I spent some time in a coffee shop in Portsmouth checking up on the internet news before zipping over to Dover in order to mix up the day with Bill Richardson, after which I came back to the cobbled streets and twinkling sea light reflections of Portsmouth. It turns out I couldn’t escape the former first family. Despite Richardson’s carrying on and a fifteen minute drive, the Clinton event was just finishing up as I walked into Market Square.
Crowds of people still stood on the bleachers trying to catch a glimpse of the Clintons. Hordes still lined up along the barrier fence for an autograph or a handshake. The same happened in Concord earlier, but with the intoxicating smell of the ocean hanging in the air, and the flood lights illuminating the night air, this scene truly showed the rock star status of the candidate and her gentleman escort. If a Mainer had come down over the bridge and been told that the Stones were in town, he would do well to believe it, especially for the crowd in front of Bill, a good four times larger than the one in front of his wife. The Clintons have star power, the kind that isn’t easily outshone.
Well we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in Hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
in the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's
Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny
With her bleach blond hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary of
today's who's who
They'll get you anything
with that evil smile
Ahhh, politics.
Spotlight on: Penuche's
Concord, NH -
I know that I have long since given up my commitment to signing off posts with the name of whatever exotic beer I was drinking in pursuit of my member mug* at the Moan and Dove in Amherst, but that can be entirely attributed to two factors, neither of which have to do with a lost appreciation of beer.
1) The pirated wifi I was getting at the bar was pulled out from under me sometime in the late spring.
2) Once I figured out that I wouldn’t be in Quabbin Qountry next year to enjoy the spoils of the 24-ounce mug, I made an economic decision to stop actively pursuing the mug list. I liken this to a candidate pulling out of the Iowa straw poll in order to better use funds elsewhere on the trail. Call me the Giuliani of the mug club if you want, I don’t care. Just don’t call last call.
Point being, one of the initial purposes of this blog, before it was unabashedly hijacked by the 2008 primary, was to present a stage for some of the better beers out there. Given the passing of Beer Hunter Michael Jackson over the weekend, I figured I ought to return to that hoppy pursuit on occasion. Plus another stated goal of 3Q is to present life in the Granite State during primary season for those of you who can’t be here for whatever reasons might exist, including but not limited to the following:
You have a job, you are a full-fledged economic libertarian, you think politics blow, you have an aversion to ice and blizzards, you want to be able to get a cup of coffee after 5PM, you enjoy going to bars that have more than four women in them at a time.
All of these are valid reasons not to be in New Hampshire. I, however, fit into neither of those categories. Well, all but the last two, but at any rate here I am.
Concord, baby, where the domes are gold and the women are cold.
So to fill the void I am beginning what will become a regular segment on 3Q where I profile a famous New Hampshire watering hole every couple of weeks. The series will be geographically and stylistically diverse, and will entail hours of research. All suggestions will be welcomed and considered, as will complimentary beers.
Tonight we begin the series with: Penuche’s Ale House, Concord.
Tucked back off of Main Street, as it seems like every good bar in New Hampshire is, through a door and down a flight of stairs sits Penuche’s Ale House in Bicentennial Square. It’s the kind of place where the bartenders, all in their late 20s, rip butts while they pour, take breaks to play photo hunt and Golden Tee, and hang out here even when they’re not on shift. In other words, it’s a family place.
Of course, if you get drunk enough, everyone’s family.
The nice thing about NH, having just come from Taxachussets, is that they allow Happy Hour unlike their southern neighbors. Every day at Penuche’s, Happy Hour is 4-6PM and all drafts are $2. We’re not talking some chump ass draft list, either. Tonight’s selections are as follows, from left to right:
Guinness Stout, Woodchuck Cider, Smithwick’s Ale, Bud Light, Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat, Magic Hat #9, Newcastle Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Bass Ale, Coors Blue Moon Belgian White, Harpoon IPA
And in the guest draft slot: Red Hook Longhammer IPA
This afternoon the bartender told me that the first twelve lines are pretty much always around, and the guest draft switches up every week or so. Last week it was Tuckerman’s Pale Ale. Normally beers are $3, but there is a nightly special for each day of the week.
Monday: Beat the clock. Starting at 9PM, all beers are $1, and prices go up a quarter every half hour.
Tuesday: Kick the Keg. $1.50 drafts of a selected keg until it’s gone.
Wednesday: Hump Day Madness. Pool tournaments and $1.50 aluminum Bud bottles**.
Thursday: $2 You call it. Everything is $2 from 9 to close.
Friday: Promo night. Last week it was $2 Longhammer.
Saturday: Live Music, Happy Hour 9-10PM $2 Drafts.
Sunday: Open Mic Night. Happy Hour 9-10PM $2 Drafts.
The atmosphere is classic ale house. The ceiling is full of air ducts and water pipes, all painted black and highlighted with beer bottle xmas lights. The far wall is plastered with photos from the New Years Eve photos from 2001-2003, presumably at which point they ran out of room, but the funny thing is that I recognize a lot of the people in them just from having been here three times. The only difference is the hair. Nobody (with the possible exception of Bill Simmons) has the same hairdo they had in 2001.
Better yet, the wall behind the bar is stuck with all kinds of bumper stickers ranging from witty to lame to rude. Highlights include:
Bush is a Tyrant!; Attention Republicans: Go Fuck Yourself; Pokey for President; Eat Shit & Die, Yankees!; Ani DiFranco Crew; and Sex is a Weapon.
Boy howdy, is it!
If you are ever bored on a dead Tuesday or whatever, you can always read the Guinness Book of World Records (they have three different copies), or play board games like Taboo, Scattergories and Pictionary. All are available at the left hand corner of the bar.
If you are feeling a little more active there is erotic photo hunt, one pool table, a foosball table, Golden Tee and two dart boards. They sell t-shirts for $10 and softball hats for $20.
Penuche’s is the kind of place where tie-dyed meets Harley-Davidson meets NASCAR; where sleeveless t-shirts meet facial hair meets dreadlocks. In other words, it’s a Man Bar, but an eclectic Man Bar. It is also a cheap bar, and yet sill a high quality bar. I mean, Dead Guy for a buck? How much cheaper can you get? The answer is none. None more cheap.
Penuche’s is located at 16 Bicentennial Square, Concord, NH.
*The Moan & Dove mug club involved drinking the entirety of their vast collection of beer bottles, some 165 of them ranging in price from 4 dollars up to 25, within a one year span. This feat entitles you to an engraved 24-ounce mug, out of which you may drink drafts at normal pint prices for life. I made it to about 110 in seven months, thanks in part to a strong late spring surge intended to set myself up for a late summer finish for full fall mug enjoyment, before I redirected.
**Granted, aluminum Bud bottles are fuckin’ weak, but anybody worth a shit drinks Budweiser out of a bottle. Penuche’s realizes this and doesn’t even offer it on draught.
I know that I have long since given up my commitment to signing off posts with the name of whatever exotic beer I was drinking in pursuit of my member mug* at the Moan and Dove in Amherst, but that can be entirely attributed to two factors, neither of which have to do with a lost appreciation of beer.
1) The pirated wifi I was getting at the bar was pulled out from under me sometime in the late spring.
2) Once I figured out that I wouldn’t be in Quabbin Qountry next year to enjoy the spoils of the 24-ounce mug, I made an economic decision to stop actively pursuing the mug list. I liken this to a candidate pulling out of the Iowa straw poll in order to better use funds elsewhere on the trail. Call me the Giuliani of the mug club if you want, I don’t care. Just don’t call last call.
Point being, one of the initial purposes of this blog, before it was unabashedly hijacked by the 2008 primary, was to present a stage for some of the better beers out there. Given the passing of Beer Hunter Michael Jackson over the weekend, I figured I ought to return to that hoppy pursuit on occasion. Plus another stated goal of 3Q is to present life in the Granite State during primary season for those of you who can’t be here for whatever reasons might exist, including but not limited to the following:
You have a job, you are a full-fledged economic libertarian, you think politics blow, you have an aversion to ice and blizzards, you want to be able to get a cup of coffee after 5PM, you enjoy going to bars that have more than four women in them at a time.
All of these are valid reasons not to be in New Hampshire. I, however, fit into neither of those categories. Well, all but the last two, but at any rate here I am.
Concord, baby, where the domes are gold and the women are cold.
So to fill the void I am beginning what will become a regular segment on 3Q where I profile a famous New Hampshire watering hole every couple of weeks. The series will be geographically and stylistically diverse, and will entail hours of research. All suggestions will be welcomed and considered, as will complimentary beers.
Tonight we begin the series with: Penuche’s Ale House, Concord.
Tucked back off of Main Street, as it seems like every good bar in New Hampshire is, through a door and down a flight of stairs sits Penuche’s Ale House in Bicentennial Square. It’s the kind of place where the bartenders, all in their late 20s, rip butts while they pour, take breaks to play photo hunt and Golden Tee, and hang out here even when they’re not on shift. In other words, it’s a family place.
Of course, if you get drunk enough, everyone’s family.
The nice thing about NH, having just come from Taxachussets, is that they allow Happy Hour unlike their southern neighbors. Every day at Penuche’s, Happy Hour is 4-6PM and all drafts are $2. We’re not talking some chump ass draft list, either. Tonight’s selections are as follows, from left to right:
Guinness Stout, Woodchuck Cider, Smithwick’s Ale, Bud Light, Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat, Magic Hat #9, Newcastle Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Bass Ale, Coors Blue Moon Belgian White, Harpoon IPA
And in the guest draft slot: Red Hook Longhammer IPA
This afternoon the bartender told me that the first twelve lines are pretty much always around, and the guest draft switches up every week or so. Last week it was Tuckerman’s Pale Ale. Normally beers are $3, but there is a nightly special for each day of the week.
Monday: Beat the clock. Starting at 9PM, all beers are $1, and prices go up a quarter every half hour.
Tuesday: Kick the Keg. $1.50 drafts of a selected keg until it’s gone.
Wednesday: Hump Day Madness. Pool tournaments and $1.50 aluminum Bud bottles**.
Thursday: $2 You call it. Everything is $2 from 9 to close.
Friday: Promo night. Last week it was $2 Longhammer.
Saturday: Live Music, Happy Hour 9-10PM $2 Drafts.
Sunday: Open Mic Night. Happy Hour 9-10PM $2 Drafts.
The atmosphere is classic ale house. The ceiling is full of air ducts and water pipes, all painted black and highlighted with beer bottle xmas lights. The far wall is plastered with photos from the New Years Eve photos from 2001-2003, presumably at which point they ran out of room, but the funny thing is that I recognize a lot of the people in them just from having been here three times. The only difference is the hair. Nobody (with the possible exception of Bill Simmons) has the same hairdo they had in 2001.
Better yet, the wall behind the bar is stuck with all kinds of bumper stickers ranging from witty to lame to rude. Highlights include:
Bush is a Tyrant!; Attention Republicans: Go Fuck Yourself; Pokey for President; Eat Shit & Die, Yankees!; Ani DiFranco Crew; and Sex is a Weapon.
Boy howdy, is it!
If you are ever bored on a dead Tuesday or whatever, you can always read the Guinness Book of World Records (they have three different copies), or play board games like Taboo, Scattergories and Pictionary. All are available at the left hand corner of the bar.
If you are feeling a little more active there is erotic photo hunt, one pool table, a foosball table, Golden Tee and two dart boards. They sell t-shirts for $10 and softball hats for $20.
Penuche’s is the kind of place where tie-dyed meets Harley-Davidson meets NASCAR; where sleeveless t-shirts meet facial hair meets dreadlocks. In other words, it’s a Man Bar, but an eclectic Man Bar. It is also a cheap bar, and yet sill a high quality bar. I mean, Dead Guy for a buck? How much cheaper can you get? The answer is none. None more cheap.
Penuche’s is located at 16 Bicentennial Square, Concord, NH.
*The Moan & Dove mug club involved drinking the entirety of their vast collection of beer bottles, some 165 of them ranging in price from 4 dollars up to 25, within a one year span. This feat entitles you to an engraved 24-ounce mug, out of which you may drink drafts at normal pint prices for life. I made it to about 110 in seven months, thanks in part to a strong late spring surge intended to set myself up for a late summer finish for full fall mug enjoyment, before I redirected.
**Granted, aluminum Bud bottles are fuckin’ weak, but anybody worth a shit drinks Budweiser out of a bottle. Penuche’s realizes this and doesn’t even offer it on draught.
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