GREAT QUOTES IN POLITICAL HISTORY: 3N Edition

In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism.

Spiro Agnew, in a speech in San Diego, on 11 Sept 1970; Agnew, Nixon's VP, later resigned after being indicted for tax evasion.

LOLiticians: Obama Clinton

GREAT QUOTES IN POLITICAL HISTORY: Wrong! Edition

"This is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honour. I believe it is peace in our time."

— Neville Chamberlain, On returning to England from Munich in 1938

The Stupid Party, take 3

I tend to agree that both liberals and conservatives have ideological blinders, and that our view of the political landscape is completely skewed by partisanship.

That said, I think conservatives are far worse about it. My favorite example is this survey from 2004, showing the massive disparity between Kerry/Bush voters in what they knew about their own candidate's issue positions.

Long story short: Bush voters didn't know what the guy they were voting for actually stood for. Which, now that I think about it, would explain his current poll numbers.

GREAT QUOTES IN POLITICAL HISTORY: Dick Edition

"I had other priorities in the ’60s than military service."

– Dick Cheney to George Wilson of the Washington Post
on his five Vietnam draft deferments, April 5, 1989

Clarification

In response to Mackensen, I just need to clarify something: I didn't mean to say that all conservatives are stupid. I just meant to say that most stupid people are conservative.

The Stupid Party

I seem to recall a survey a while back that showed the more Fox News you watched, the less you actually knew about the world, but I don't have a link. Here's another series of studies showing that the more informed you are as a conservative, the less informed you are about objective reality.

I'd be interested in knowing how many conservatives still think there are WMDs in Iraq...

Drinking Liberally

Tonight is JBK's first time as a host. Be there.

GREAT QUOTES IN POLITICAL HISTORY: LBJ Edition 2

Ford's economics are the worst thing that's happened to this country since pantyhose ruined finger-fucking.

— Lyndon Baines Johnson

GREAT QUOTES IN POLITICAL HISTORY: Cross of Gold Edition

Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.

— William Jennings Bryan, Cross of Gold Speech, July 9, 1896; aka "How to steal a nomination at the convention".

I did not know that

From The Prospect's interview with Janet Napolitano:

DG: A lot of people don't remember, or never knew, that you represented Anita Hill when she appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Seventeen years later, what do you take away from the Clarence Thomas episode, which still remains a touchstone when people discuss issues of women in the workplace and women in politics?

JN: Well, I'd always been interested in public service before then, but it really did bring home how issues of women really didn't have an avenue to be heard at that time. And it was my first experience dealing with the media and appreciating how complicated that can be in terms of just the pressure of it, the constant…leaving a hearing room and having a lot of cameras and lights in your face; I had never experienced that before. I think that from Professor Hill's standpoint, that experience cost her a lot personally. But I think she should have a satisfaction in knowing but for that experience, the fact that women need to be treated fairly and are entitled to go to work without being harassed, when they're in the workplace trying to earn a living, would never have gained the prominence it did, and all the protections we now have.

Her term as Governor is up in 2010, the same year as a Senate seat currently held by a really fucking old Republican currently running for President comes up for election again. If she's not ensconced at Old Executive Office Building, that is.

FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right: Senate Polling Weekly Update, 7/7

FiveThirtyEight.com's snapshot, if the election were held right now, now matches my "worst case scenario" of 57 Dem Senators next year (counting Sanders).

I feel pretty good about my predictions from last Friday.

LOLPols: RUDY