'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
Post-Caucus Thoughts
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
"Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded." -- Yogi Berra
I'm a football fan, and the game is made for tv: While the action is going on, you can project stats, paint digital lines on the field, and have talking heads say potentially interesting things. But in the past few years, my football fervor has waned, and not just because the Vikings haven't been doing well. No, I finally figured out, it's because the NFL and the networks treated the four meaningless pre-season games as if they were important. I was forced to pay attention than a month before anything meaningful happened on the field. There used to be a nice gap between the Superbowl, in January, and the draft, and another gap between the football season. I could get work done, and could go to parties on Sunday.
Now, the season ends in February and starts up again in July with nary a break for arrest reports. It's too much. Football isn't as fun anymore.
Politics is like football without helmets.
The early horserace is worth covering, but not worth 24-hour blanket coverage
John F. Kennedy, the winner in the election held in November of 1960, didn't even announce his candidacy until January 1960.
Times are different now, to be sure. We don't have "elections" so much as "polling". To be successful, one must be running for office all the time. This is fed by the voracious appetite of the 24-hour news outlets, who will gladly spend hours and hours saying very little about almost nothing. Upheaval in Kenya? Flag-draped coffins of US soldiers fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan? Analysis of the National Debt? Interviews with a wide spectrum of opinions?
No, all real news takes a back seat to flaying the bleeding welts raised by the conservative news media.
And you, the electorate, let them. The system isn't broken: The voters are broken.
The Permanent Candidacy
I'm a political junkie, and even I'm bored. Oh, for the smoke filled room just fostering their choice upon us. It's like arranged marriages: It may not be what you want right away, and maybe you could do better on your own, but at least professionals are handling the choice.
Sidney Blumenthal described The Permanent Campaign in his 1982 book, and successful politicians paid attention. Political advisors game the system. The public has a very short attention span, and very few people are passionate about more than one issue. This is a deadly combination: A one-issue candidate can control the debate, even if most people don't give a damn (or if the politician is outright lying) and the conservative news media covers them.
When Bill Clinton ran a permanent campaign, at least he knew the difference between campaigning and governing. They are related, but they are different, and involve different skills. Reagan and Bush Lite were successful in pretending that governing and campaigning were the same and involved the same skills. Poppy Bush realized they were different, and the right wingers leaped upon him for actually governing.
Today, politics feels like a Permanent Pre-Season Football Game. Much of what goes on isn't really either campaigning or governing, just posturing and raising money. People passionate about the issues -- the "base" -- need to be "energized" -- convinced to leave their homes to vote -- while the "independents" -- people who haven't bought into the nominal platform -- and "undecideds" -- people who haven't made up their minds -- get courted like movie stars at B-movie opening.
W doesn't have to live in the real world
It's quite clear that Republicans don't believe in Democracy and conservatives don't believe in America. It's all about power, and who steals from whom; who gets to kill whom. The GOP does better with figureheads, answerable to their corporate masters, than actual politicians. (Democrats are better, but not by much.)
George W. Bush may not be a Dan Quayle moron, but he's not very smart and doesn't realize what's going on around him. He still thinks he's the president of the frat boys, who can get away with anything and be blamed for nothing.
So the question is still relevant: Will the 2008 elections be held? I'd like to think that even the mendacious Republicans won't piss on the Constitution, but their record is pretty bad. Will there be another 9/11, a Kristalnacht, that will alter the "need for an election" just now? I hope not, and it's a sad commentary on the state of the union that the question is not a frivolous one.
So.. the 2008 Iowa Caucuses
Frankly, I wasn't watching the horserace, I was watching the turnout. And the record number of Democrats voting is a good sign. The Republicans paid for and got only half that number.
But let's not read too much into the results. Fewer than 400,000 people do not an election make. The winners in both parties were neighbors: Obama from the state next door, Huckabee from one state removed to the south. New Hampshire and beyond will be different stories.
And boring stories, at least for a while. The horserace isn't nearly as interesting, to me, as the overall trend: Top-tier Democrats battling it out and getting voters excited while middle- and lower-tier Republicans are causing major apathy in the few people who grudgingly stick to their party.
Waiting for meaningful games... er, elections
The race has begun, but it still feels like that middle, boring, period between the NFL draft and the NFL season opener. Even the announcers are bad. Soon, I hope, a political contest will be joined. Right now, their just raising money and getting face time on tv. I'll wait a little bit, especially now that the playoffs have started. Go Pats!
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
--////
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Rachel Dowd: "Kucinich: Vote for Yourself" (advocate.com)
Dennis Kucinich: "It's really simple. You want health care, and you vote for a candidate who's in favor of propagating a for-profit system? Then you can't afford health care. You want to end the war in Iraq, and you vote for someone who decides to keep the troops there until 2013 or longer? And the next year you say, "Gee, I wish we were out of Iraq." You know what? You voted for that candidate. You have to take responsibility for the consequences of your vote."
Nat Hentoff: Trail of Torture Tapes (villagevoice.com)
You don't have to be a law student to know that in 2005, when the CIA destroyed hundreds of hours of videotapes of "coercive interrogations" in its secret prisons-including waterboarding and other tortures-the obliteration of hard evidence was criminal obstruction of justice.
Garrison Keillor: "GPS: Go. Park. Smile."
Living Map has small answers to Big Questions.
Bring back the red-blooded bitch (guardian.co.uk)
Once women knew how to deliver a good, honest dig, says Julie Burchill, but now great bitching has been replaced by half-hearted hand-wringing and hypocrisy.
Bonnie Ruberg: The Best and Worst of Cybersex 2007 (villagevoice.com)
... when he started praising my body parts individually, things turned weird. "I really like your breasts," he said, "they look so light and fluffy." Light and fluffy? Those are adjectives I use to describe scrambled eggs, not breasts. "Thanks," I typed back. What else could I say? Ever since, breakfast hasn't been quite the same.
Kathy Belge: Can't Keep Melissa Etheridge Down (curvemag.com)
Melissa Etheridge's life has been an open book. We've watched her unfold, unravel and unload since she came out in 1993. We sat down between brunch and putting the twins down for a nap and talked about how the world looks through Melissa Etheridge's eye.
Kim Ficera: "Don't Quote Me: Striking for the Truth" (afterellen.com)
It's time for Hollywood's writers to write about us.
Steven Rea: To his latest director, Daniel Day-Lewis is 'the man' (The Philadelphia Inquirer; Posted on popmatters.com)
"Maybe it's presumptuous to say this, but from a director's point of view he's the Holy Grail of actors, isn't he? At least he always was to me. Like, `that's the man, that's the man.'
Tim Ryan: "Ridley Scott on Blade Runner: The Final Cut: The RT Interview" (rottentomatoes.com)
The director talks about the differences in the new version.
Nicole Hollander: Sylvia (Cartoon)
Hubert's Poetry Corner
VINTAGE PLEASURE IN ALBUQUERQUE
Salacious, primeval, curvaceous and oh soo decadent?
Link From Vic
Brohemian Rhapsody
If I went to college I would hope it would of been like this
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Gray and rainy day.
Returning (Without Writers) Tonight
Stewart & Colbert
Not a moment too soon to help make sense of things, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will be back on duty Monday, ready to mock everything in sight.
The returning "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert" face a challenge even greater than that of writer-deprived Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, late-night hosts with a shared task of injecting humor into what are basically interview shows.
Sidelined the past nine weeks, Stewart (in his role as fake-news anchorman) and Colbert (playing the blowhard pundit) have been conspicuous in their absence from the bubbling brew of cultural discourse. Meanwhile, because both series are so news-driven, their stretch of reruns has taken a cruel toll on viewership. "The Daily Show" (which, pre-strike, averaged 1.6 million viewers) and "Colbert" (1.3 million) have seen their audience shrink by as much as 50 percent.
Stewart & Colbert
Returning Without Writers
Bill Maher
HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher" will return with new episodes Friday without both writers and two of its most popular features, Maher's opening monologue and the closing segment "New Rules."
The round-table discussion with celebrity guests will stay as the producers of the live political talk show are tweaking the rest of the format because of the Hollywood writers strike, which is now in its third month with no end in sight.
The most recent season of "Real Time" was cut short by the walkout. The November 9 season finale was canceled and replaced by a rerun.
Bill Maher
Mutual Masturbation Society
Leno & Kimmel
For one night, Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel will solve the problem of booking guests during the writers' strike by appearing on each other's show.
The swap comes Thursday, with Kimmel traveling to Leno's studio in Burbank, Calif., and Leno returning the favor in Hollywood. Both shows are taped on the same day they air.
Joked Kimmel: "If Jay and I can come together and guest on each other's shows, then surely there is hope for peace in the Middle East."
Leno & Kimmel
Waiver For UA?
Writers Guild
A film company run by actor Tom Cruise was close to an agreement with the striking Writers Guild of America, while the Golden Globes awards show broadcast was uncertain, people close to the matter said on Sunday.
The deal between United Artists, owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and run by Cruise, would be a first for a movie company during the 2-month strike, but would be similar to a pact reached between the guild and Worldwide Pants Inc., the television production company owned by David Letterman.
Separately, sources said the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Golden Globes, was trying to persuade General Electric Co's NBC to back off televising the awards gala next Sunday.
Writers Guild
Iraq's 'The View'
'Naharkum Succar'
Outside is a dangerous and derelict city brought to its knees by war, but inside the Baghdad studios of Al-Sumaria the gentle world of daytime TV provides an oasis of calm for viewers across Iraq.
Three chatty female presenters guide their popular daily show through another morning of relationship advice, audience phone-ins, celebrity interviews and fashion tips.
Their light-hearted banter is matched by the softly lit studio set with its large yellow sofas, stylish decor and floral paintings.
The star interviewee, actor and comedian Hafidh al-Aibi, is asked for his thoughts about the show's theme of the day -- whether relationships are different in modern life from what they were in the past.
'Naharkum Succar'
Interviews 'Rebel Angel' Hugo Chavez
Naomi Campbell
British supermodel Naomi Campbell has interviewed Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, describing him as a "rebel angel" who is unafraid to speak his mind but poses no threat to democracy.
Campbell was granted an audience with the outspoken left-wing leader as part of her new brief as contributing editor for British men's lifestyle magazine GQ, interviewing leading figures from politics, sport and entertainment.
She wrote in the article, out Thursday but extracts of which were released in advance, that she was aware her choice of subject would be controversial, but insisted she did not go to Venezuela for political reasons.
Campbell said the Venezuelan leader -- who in November was told to "shut up" by Spain's King Juan Carlos I -- was forthright and "fearless, but not threatening or unreasonable".
Naomi Campbell
Pleads Guilty
Austin Nichols
Austin Nichols, who portrayed the title character in HBO's "John From Cincinnati," has pleaded guilty to impaired driving and paid a $1,000 fine.
The 27-year-old actor pleaded by mail on Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of driving while visibly impaired.
"John From Cincinnati" was canceled last year. Nichols also appeared in "Deadwood."
Austin Nichols
Defiant After HD DVD Setback
Toshiba
Toshiba Corp. executives had a tough moment Sunday, when they had to face reporters just two days after its HD DVD movie disc format was dealt a potentially fatal blow by the defection of Warner Bros. Entertainment to a rival technology.
"It's difficult for me to read the comments of the pundits that HD is dead," said Jodi Sally, vice president of marketing for digital audio and video at Toshiba America Consumer Products. She was speaking at a news conference ahead of the International Consumer Electronics Show, which starts here Monday.
Sally indicated that Toshiba would continue its fight with a Sony Corp.-led group to dominate the market for a replacement to the DVD.
Only two major U.S. studios now support HD DVD, while five support Sony's Blu-ray disc. Warner is the last studio to put out movies in both formats, but will stop publishing HD DVDs in May.
Toshiba
Not A Marvelous Night
Moondance Diner
The Moondance Diner made it safely through a 2,100-mile trek west from New York City, but it was no match for a Wyoming winter.
New owners Cheryl and Vince Pierce said they'll continue repairs and renovations, and hope to open it later this year in LaBarge, a town of about 500 at the base of the Rocky Mountains, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Saturday.
They bought the 74-year-old diner for $7,500 and trucked it to Wyoming last summer, saving it from the wrecking ball after a developer bought the diner's site for luxury condominiums. It had been located near the Holland Tunnel entrance in lower Manhattan, on the fringes of SoHo.
Before its move, the Moondance, originally called the Holland Tunnel Diner, had become a place where celebrity revelers sometimes showed up for breakfast. It was used as a location for scenes in "Spider-Man," "Friends" and "Sex and the City."
Moondance Diner
Restaurant Bans Children
Disney World
The home of Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Tinkerbell has banned kids from its fanciest restaurant.
Beginning this week, children under 10 are no longer welcome at Victoria & Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Victoria & Albert's is Walt Disney World's only restaurant with an AAA five-diamond rating.
Men are required to wear jackets, and women must wear dresses or pantsuits. The hushed atmosphere features live harp music, and the menu, which changes daily, offers seven-course dinners that can last as long as three hours. Prices start at $125 a person.
Disney World
Weekend Box Office
'National Treasure: Book of Secrets'
Nicolas Cage may be running out of storage room for his loot. Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," with Cage as a history buff on the trail of a lost city of gold, was the No. 1 box office draw for the third straight weekend with $20.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Three other hits crowded behind: Will Smith's sci-fi smash for Warner Bros., "I Am Legend," with $16.4 million; Fox Searchlight's teen-pregnancy comedy "Juno" with $16.2 million; and 20th Century Fox's family tale "Alvin and the Chipmunks" with $16 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," $20.2 million.
2. "I Am Legend," $16.4 million.
3. "Juno," $16.2 million.
4. "Alvin and the Chipmunks," $16 million.
5. "One Missed Call," $13.5 million.
6. "Charlie Wilson's War," $8.2 million.
7. "P.S. I Love You," $8 million.
8. "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," $6.3 million.
9. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," $5.4 million.
10. "Atonement," $5.1 million.
'National Treasure: Book of Secrets'
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