This bit of silliness, C-Span's 2009 Presidential Rankings, is making the rounds. Not only is the concept stupid, but they are wrong. FDR belongs at the top of the list. Everyone knows that.
C-Span and all the media reports that I've read have attached some mystical significance to the fact that they asked "Historians", as if someone who specializes in Ancient Rome or Medieval China has any clue who the Presidents were, or what they did. Even if these guys are specialists in American History, they all have their biases.
Two seemingly unanswerable questions keep popping up in the media reports: Why did Grant go up ten spaces, and why did Hayes fall seven? These questions are easily answered if you regard the historians as mere mortals.
Grants reputation has been almost single-handedly rescued by this 2006 blog post by Nathan Newman. It flew across the liberal blogosphere after he posted it. It certainly affected my thinking of Grant, and I've been selling Newman's insights as my own for two and a half years now. Those mystical "Historians" are plugged into this stuff as well, and their opinions are malleable enough to raise Grant's standing by quite a lot.
And Hayes? RutherFRAUD B. Hayes stole the 1876 election. After eight years of Bush, who stole the 2000 election, that facts looks a lot more salient.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Israel's Elections
So, it's a near tie, with Kadima barely winning a plurality, but Likud and the parties to its right winning more seats. Not to put too fine a point on it, but all of those guys are assholes. Kadima and Labor started the Gaza war in order to show the Israeli electorate that they were tough enough on the Palestinians that the public didn't need to vote for Likud. This apparently had the result of boosting the right-wing so much that an Israeli Nationalist (ultra right) fringe party, Beiteinu, actually came out ahead of Labor, bumping them back to fourth place.
Nice going, Ehud, you fuck.
Whatever Israeli coalition forms out of this mess will look something like this:
Nice going, Ehud, you fuck.
Whatever Israeli coalition forms out of this mess will look something like this:
Monday, February 09, 2009
Why Does Claire McCaskill Suck So Much? (4)
Amusingly for me, McCaskill merits ridicule in Kos's quick hits from today:
I'm so relieved that we have Sens. Claire McCaskill and Ben Nelson in our party protecting us from the tyranny of building and renovating schools. Oh, and life-saving medical care.And remember, McCain won Nebraska by 15 points. Nelson's excuse to being a douche bag is that his state is horribly Republican. What's Claire's?
Hey, this guy's pretty smart
Watching the Obama press conference is surreal. I can't recall hearing Bush make a single comment as insightful as any of Obama's answers.
Madelyn points out that you can see him thinking. You can literally (Joe Biden!) see him thinking.
Update: Pssst, Mr. President. They're over there.
Madelyn points out that you can see him thinking. You can literally (Joe Biden!) see him thinking.
Update: Pssst, Mr. President. They're over there.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Why Does Claire McCaskill Suck So Much? (3)
Show Me Progress (a local blog) and Matthew Yglesias are getting in on the act.
Man, lying in your twitter feed is some pretty sick shit, right?
Man, lying in your twitter feed is some pretty sick shit, right?
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
Why Does Claire McCaskill Suck So Much?
When I was working for the Obama Campaign, I was shocked to find that many of Missouri's Democrats (and these are hardcore activist types) actually like their Junior Senator.
People were not happy when I pointed out that she, in fact, sucks as a Senator. Her latest round of populist "let's cap executive pay" media blitz annoyed the shit out of me, since she has one of the most pro-corporate records of the Democrats in the Senate. I had hoped that the age of Obama would mean a change for McCaskill as well, considering how much she seems to like Obama personally.
Apparently not. I see plenty of Senators on that list from states that are a lot redder than Missouri, who have managed to get with the fucking program.
People were not happy when I pointed out that she, in fact, sucks as a Senator. Her latest round of populist "let's cap executive pay" media blitz annoyed the shit out of me, since she has one of the most pro-corporate records of the Democrats in the Senate. I had hoped that the age of Obama would mean a change for McCaskill as well, considering how much she seems to like Obama personally.
Apparently not. I see plenty of Senators on that list from states that are a lot redder than Missouri, who have managed to get with the fucking program.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
What don't you fucking understand?
This is a thing of fucking beauty. You should listen to it at full blast in the office.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
ZOMG BEST DAY EVER
I feel like I've been waiting my whole lifetime for this moment. It's here.
Waterworld: Extended Edition
It's like they can read my freaking mind:
Waterworld: Extended Edition
It's like they can read my freaking mind:
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Daschle
It seemed to me that their was a very good case for appointing Tom Daschle to HHS, despite his somewhat scummy history. That argument was a simple one: Daschle, better than anybody else, knows how to move things through the Senate. And since the Senate is the biggest stumbling block to achieving Universal Health Care right now, Daschle was perfect for the job.
But if the guy couldn't even move his own confirmation through the Senate, then all of the positive arguments for him absolutely collapse.
Good to see him go.
But if the guy couldn't even move his own confirmation through the Senate, then all of the positive arguments for him absolutely collapse.
Good to see him go.
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