10.24.2007
This Week in Politics - Minneapolis Edition
The Good Guy himself was in town yesterday stumping for Hillary. Although I was unable to make it (press pass request failed), I sensed his presence from my office a couple buildings over. He was at the Graves 101, our ultra-fancy new hotel in downtown Minneapolis.
Pres. Clinton was able to lay the smackdown on one heckler, who wisely advised us that 9/11 was an inside job. Personally, I am impressed at the heckler's ability to escape the lethargic confines of his mother's basement and show up for the fundraiser. After all, being there is half the battle.
More info here
In other news, our Governor, Tim Pawlenty, is currently in India with a US trade contingent. Similar to The Mind's trade trip to China and Cuba, Mr. Pawlenty is selling the state of Minnesota to potential trade partners across the subcontinent.
Pawlenty has already made inroads, signing a sister-state deal with the Indian state of Haryana.
What is interesting to me is the reception of Pawlenty's trade missions compared to Ventura's. Jesse's trips were constantly derided as pointless and a waste of taxpayer money.
On the other hand, Pawlenty is "getting down to business" and "timely" in his visit to India.
This just goes to show how detested Ventura was in the press, and how the media is able to spin any story in the manner they see fit.
In RNC 2008 news, the GOP are now aghast at the thought of hundreds of homeless people hogging the cameras during the convention. As it turns out, the renowned Dorothy Day Center is just across the way from the Xcel Center in St. Paul. Although the GOP has sent a welcome wagon to the homeless shelter, and even had volunteers man the soup-line, the truth is that they want the shelter closed for the duration of the convention. GOP officials deny this claim, so we shall see what fate awaits the Dorothy Day come convention time.
10.19.2007
Calamity List
So many calamities, so little time!
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No worries here folks, there is no credit crunch, the worst is over!10.15.2007
Happy Blog Action Day?
Woohoo, Blog Action Day! I am so excited! About what, I am not sure yet, but it is definitely exciting!
Ladies, I commend your activism, and I too deplore the frenetic disbursement of free radicals around the globe. Just think your strategy through. The gratuitous plastic handle of the shopping cart doesn't help the cause. Or is that an example of how to sensibly utilize plastic?
10.11.2007
New RNC 2008 Logo
The GOP today unveiled the new RNC logo for the 2008 convention in Minneapolis:
Oooh, aaaah.
Notice the Democrat Red used for "2008"? Dastardly!
10.05.2007
This Week in Politics
Poor Fred Thompson. The media spotlight's been on him for months, breathlessly awaiting his Grand Announcement. Now, here we are post-announcement and he's getting about as much press as Brownback. The non-excitement seems palpable in Iowa, where Mr. Thompson has to coax applause from the crowd. Where did it go wrong? The GOP base has basically anointed him the next Reagan without hearing a word. Now that they are hearing Thompson, he's coming across more Bonzo than Reagan. He won't commit, cannot articulate his positions, and is not a big fan of the meet and greet. Mr. Thompson needs to get focused and start taking chances. He needs to be out there speaking his mind, grabbing headlines. It may be risky to actually talk about issues, but that's kind of what we expect from candidates for President of the United States.
But, as my Republican friends like to remind me, it's still early.
Yes, the GOP is a mess. 9/11 remains the front runner, despite the veiled threat by James Dobson to vote for a third party if he wins the nomination. Mitt Romney is raising alot of cash, but he's Mormon (not that there's anything wrong with that). As I have written before, do not count McCain out. Even though Dobson and his ilk despise the man, McCain has the broad appeal of 9/11, without all the personal baggage. I firmly believe McCain will be a strong candidate well into 2008.
Meanwhile, there is relative peace in the Democrat camp. Hillary continues to improve in national numbers, crushing Obama by a mind-boggling 33 points in the latest polls. I must admit I do like Hillary, but I like Obama even more. He's the one candidate on the Dems side that attacks issues and discusses them, whether it helps or hinders his candidacy. The bottom line is that he is confident in what he speaks of and is quite erudite. So what if he talks hypotheticals, that is what voters want to know. What would you do if___?
Plato would approve of Obama, as he is the philosopher-king of this election.
Back to Hillary for a moment. Peggy Noonan wrote today about the Bush/Clinton fatigue factor. While there is some truth to the dangers of handing the Presidential reigns over to family dynasties, I am having a hard time digging up a Noonan column on Bush's campaign in 2000. I find it convenient that this piece comes out over Hillary's efforts. When Jeb runs in 2012, I will be looking for Noonan's opinion then.
10.03.2007
Top 4 New TV Shows of 2007
Another new season, more of the same. Hey, have you checked out Chuck on NBC? No, not Ed -that was the other smarmy show from a couple years ago. Oh, what about Journeyman with Scott Bakula?
Not all is Lost, however. There are some new shows this season that are actually quite entertaining, and chock full of originality!
4. Cavemen
I think I tun
ed in to this for the schadenfreude of seeing a television show fail at such a degree that ABC would have to shut down out of pure shame. Was I in for a surprise. The show is not that bad...even (gasp) funny. The Ikea scenes (Norskbild I think they call it) were priceless - I do hope Nick Swardson stays on. He bumps the funniness up a few notches automatically. The breakout star of this show will be Maurice, played by the same actor from the Geico commercials. Although he is not one of the three main characters, Maurice steals every scene he is in. Look for this show to grow some legs as the season goes on.
s annoying, it is the innacurate portrayal of nerds on television. If you have to mock us, at least get it right. The Big Bang Theory makes that attempt at realism, and for the most part succeeds. I do like the character played by Johnny Galecki, who plays a good geek. Geeks really are the new jocks, and this show is bringing that fact to the forefront. 
wcomers, Bionic Woman has the best chance of sticking around. The premise was set up nicely, and the tone is alot darker than the original.
special effects are better than Bionic Woman. Plus, this show is on the CW - how can that be? The premise is that a twentysomething guy was sold to the devil long ago by his parents, and now must work for Satan himself as a bounty hunter. What more do you need to know? Already sounds awesome, right? Interesting premises come and go, but this show delivers the goods. If Dead Like Me and Shaun of the Dead were to mate, the offspring would look alot like this show. 
