'TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
John Quincy Adams
By Baron Dave Romm
I want to talk about the son of a one term president who lost the popular vote but gained the office under controversy, who followed a popular two-term president and who's phyrric victory ensured his loss in the next election and who's party disappeared soon after, who's inept administration paved the way for the person he beat to become a two term president. Yes, that's right. I'm talking about John Quincy Adams.
The Adams political dynasty was more notable for how badly their presidents screwed up than for how well it did. Of the first seven US presidents, all were two-termers except the Adams Family. John Adams was such a poor president that his Federalist Party never took another election. But his presidency is best forgotten, left in the middle of two great presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. His Alien and Sedition Acts and feud with Jefferson guaranteed that he would go quickly. There's no question John Adams was a patriot and he deserves to be honored as a Founding Father. His son, John Quincy, earned no such honor. He lost the popular vote in 1824, and it took political wrangling to keep the real winner, Andrew Jackson, out of office. The issue was decided in Congress, after much contentious discussion.
It should be noted that John Quincy, like his father before him, was not a bad man, just a bad president. He was simply in over his head. He was a good Secretary of State under Monroe, where he arranged for Spain to cede us Florida (...hmmm). As president he proposed expanding the Federal Government to connect the colonies with highways and canals, promoted the arts and wanted to build a national observatory. Later, as Representative, he fought for civil liberties and successfully worked to repeal the gag rule that prevented motions against slavery to be discussed in the House of Representatives.
Still, John Quincy Adams, like his father before him, fell prey to his own weaknesses and to the weaknesses of the people around him. His presidency was in most respects a failure. In 1828, Jackson charged him with corruption and public plunder, and Jackson charged to the first of two victories. Adam's political party, the National Republicans, never took the presidency again. The National Republicans eventually combined with the hatemongers of the day, the Anti-Masons, into the Whig Party, which was also short lived. Jackson, propelled by the incompetence and corruption of the National Republicans, ran as a Democrat-Republican which was simplified into Democrat. In part thanks to the incompetence of the National Republicans, the Democrats have been a force ever since.
There is danger in drawing too many parallels to our current situation, but the ironies are delicious to savor. The son of a poor president becomes president despite losing the popular vote. Indeed, Bush Lite got fewer votes than Gore in 2000 or Clinton in 1996. His administration is tainted by corruption, incompetence, negligence, lies and downright evil. The Republicans are so far to the right they are out of the mainstream. Heck, they are so conservative that conservatives are against them [Nixon Cabinet member for Kerry, Economist endorsement of Kerry, and Conservatives for Kerry]. The Iraqis want John Kerry for President, the Iranians want George Bush. Republicans have been exposed as criminal and even John Ashcroft's FBI can't stop criminal investigations of Haliburton.
I think all the polls are wrong, for a variety of reasons which are better explained in other places, but I'll mention two of them. First, pollsters don't call cell phones. A whole range of informed, technically aware, younger voters is simply not part of the equation. And this group is overwhelmingly for Kerry and the Democrats. Second, the battle is never over a few percentage points of undecided voters, the battle is over the 60-70% of the population that either doesn't care about politics or cares only enough to be shamed into voting at the last minute. This largest demographic is extremely pissed off at the un-American, unchristian, scumbag Republicans running the country into the ground.
Nickelodeon's poll of children has called every election since the kids tv network started in 1980. While I take any poll with a grain of salt, including this one, their poll favored John Kerry by a margin of 57%-43%.
If, of course, all the votes are counted and everyone who wants to vote is allowed to. Republicans don't believe in Democracy and Conservatives don't believe in America, and the vote rigging and voter intimidation has already begun. On Tuesday, vote. Help others to vote. Watch out for Republicans threatening minorities or elderly people. Keep your eyes open.
Shockwave is a program that is dedicated to making fun of the future. Let's hope we have a future to make fun of. And I'll remind you all that Shockwave's official endorsement is for the re-election of Al Gore. We need competent, sane, politicians to make fun of.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here, you can order Shockwave Radio Theater CDs, and you can hear the last two Shockwave broadcasts in Real Audio here (scroll down to Shockwave). Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air, and I'm continuing to collect extra-weird stuff.
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Reader Suggestion
'The Choice 2004' - TONIGHT!
PBS Frontline "The Choice 2004" airs on Mon. Nov. 1 - TONIGHT!
When I saw Frontline's "The Choice 2004" on
PBS a
few weeks ago I thought it was one of THE BEST pieces
on Kerry I'd ever seen. Why? becuase it detailed the
struggle Kerry faced to get in office AFTER Vietnam
and the good things he did in office once he got
there. And yes I SERIOUSLY think this could sway
people to vote for him as it ALSO shows how Dubya got
in office too:)
IN FACT I'm STILL surprised that Karl Rove & co.
haven't tried to stop this program or sue
Frontline &
PBS over it because this honestly doesn't make Bush
look all that good.
Well guess what? PBS is showing it AGAIN on Monday
Nov. 1st.
If you EVER needed a reason to program the Tivo, VCR
or DVD or gather with friends &/or family on a Monday
night or watch TV by yourself - THIS IS IT!!!!!!! This
is/was one of THE BEST episodes Frontline ever did and
one of THE BEST programs of 2004! For real - I don't
think anything comes close to it.
Chris
Reader Suggestion
Move On!
A card with information to protect your voting rights AND
Anti-Bush Commercials, too!
Reader Suggestion
John Cleese
Here is John Cleese's commentary on the U. S. election and George W. Bush:
Contributor Comment
Re: Signs
Hi Marty,
My Kerry/Edwards sign took another beating last night.
This time it was torn up. It's taped up and back out
front again. I figure as long as these wingers are
occupied trashing my sign, they're not home beating
their wives and kids. So it's a GOOD thing.
Tim
Thanks, Tim!
Recommended Reading
An Interview With Paul Krugman
An Excerpt:
"We're within inches of having most of the world, actually all of the
world, and quite a few Americans, believing that we're no longer a
functioning democracy." - Paul Krugman.
Reader Comment
Just a Thought
From here on out its going to be very hard for Bill O'Reilly to be taken
seriously. After all, how can you take him seriously when he can be shouted
down by someone going, "Buuuuzzzzzzzzzz".
Mr. Hawk
Kerry/Edwards
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Reader Suggestions
More Bumper Stickers
George W. Bush: Terrorism On The March
After Four Years Of George Bush, We Are Used To Terrorism
Whose Vote Will Yours Cancel Out? Bush's? Cheney's? Ken Lay's?
Election 2004: Vote Before The Rules Are Changed So That Only Rich People Can Vote
John Kerry: Will Become President When The Red Sox Win The World Series
George W. Bush: I Want Osama Bin Laden Dead Or Alive -- Alive Is OK, I Guess
Osama Bin Laden: Staying Alive
Osama Bin Laden: Thank You, George, For Going After Saddam Instead Of Me
U.S. Troops: Sure Wish We Had Adequate Armor
Remember To Take Photo ID When You Go To Vote
Election Day: Either Bush/Cheney Will Be Busted, Or Democracy Will Be Bushed
Afghanistan: The Warlords Are Back, And The Taliban Is Back
John Ashcroft: Not A Single Successful Terror Prosecution
Osama Bin Laden: Tanned, Well Rested, Fit As A Fiddle, And Ready To Go To Work
Bush/Cheney: Because We Have Failed To Make You Safe, You Should Re-Elect Us To Make You Safer
Bush/Cheney: Because We Haven't Caught Osama In Three Years, You Need
Us To Catch Osama In The Next Four Years
Bush/Cheney: Because We Didn't Bother To Secure Explosives In Iraq,
You Can Count On Us To Make Sure Those Explosives Aren't Used Against You
Thanks, Bruce!
Reader Comment
Re: Chimpy
George Bush makes the "Upper class Twit of the Year" look like a double Nobel Prize winner in peace and science.
Billy
"They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening."
- George Orwell: 1984 -
Thanks, Billy!
Reader Comment
Re: Ann Coulter
Thought you might want to check this out. It goes a long way in explaining
why you only see Ann Coulter out with married Republicans.
Purple Gene Reviews
'Riot on Sunset Strip'
Purple Genes' review of the movie "Riot on Sunset Strip" (1967) - Directed by Arthur Dreifuss:
It's really late...and I'm looking for a "Zoner" - a bad "B" movie that will put me to sleep....slowly! So....I'm searching through the Comcast late night movie listing and abbreviated credits and I find "Riot on Sunset Strip" - starring Aldo Ray and Mimsey Farmer (could she be the illigitimate daughter of Frances Farmer - the late great lobotomized hollywood actress who when arrested for drunk driving and asked her accupation replied "Cocksucker") - NO. Mimsey Farmer had her own history and the movie "Riot on Sunset Strip" is not even mentioned in her BIO.......I decided to Zone out on Mimsey and Aldo!!!!!!!
I've seen a number of really bad psychadelic sixties movies - "The Trip" (1967) starring Peter Fonda, Susan Strasberg, Bruce Dern and Dennis Hopper was directed by Roger Corman and Scripted by Jack Nicholson (Peter Bogdonovich has a cameo) and consists mostly of Fonda getting stoned on Acid and saying "Wow' and "Far Out". "Psych Out" (1968) starring Jack Nicholson as Stoney, Susan Strasberg as Deaf Girl, Bruce Dern and Dean Stockwell was directed by Richard Rush....This movie featured the bands "The Seeds" and the "Strawberry Alarm Clock" and was advertised as "The Ultimate Head Trip".......I think a purple tab of "Owsley" Acid would have been the "Ultimate Head Trip" back then......."Like....Far Out.....Really"....
"Riot on Sunset Strip" (billed as "The Most Shocking Film of Our Generation") actually kept me awake with it's "B"ness...good "B" movie...maybe a "B+". We have a plot!!!!! Walt (Aldo Ray) is a divorced dad and dedicated policeman estranged from his teenage daughter Andy (Mimsey Farmer). Walt is in charge of keeping Law and Order on the Sunset Strip and protecting the businesses from the invasion of the "Longhairs". Well Andy, because she has been neglected, gets in with the wrong crowd and gets "Strung Out" on Hallucinogens and gets gang-raped by some of her Hippie "Friends". Good Character acting by The Tweedys (Michael Evans and Anna Mizrahi) who try to re-unite father and daughter.....But, Andy is going down hill and things look bleak.......
Cut to the Riot.....Andy doesn't trust her dad because HE doesn't understand HER and HE is part of the establishment yada yada yada...But Walt is in charge of keeping order down on the strip....so....there's a big protest with generic signs "Peace not Police" - "Make love - not War" etc. and Walt is caught on tape by a television crew stopping an overzealous cop from bashing a Hippie with his nightstick.......well Andy sees her dads' act of "Compassion" on the news and they have a heart to heart and they make up and they all live happily ever after .....to the sounds of the "Standels" and the "Chocolate Watchband" .....and I doze off.....
Purple Gene gives "Riot on Sunset Strip" 7 tabs of "window pane" acid out of 10 for not being TOO schlocky and keeping me UP!
Purple Gene
Thanks, Purple Gene!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, breezy & cool.
The kid was full of snot, but well enough to trick-or-treat.
He decided he'd put a costume together with what was around the house. Over the years we've collected a lot of hats - besides the usual baseball caps, there are crowns, stetsons, a jesters hat, a captain's hat, a pirates tri-corner, a viking helmet, a train engineer's cap, a couple of pith helmets, a variety of military headgear, and a bee-keeper's bonnet.
He finally opted for a pirate, pulling it together with his fake hook-hand, eye patch & plastic scabard. Aye, matey.
When he got home, the first thing he did was take the bag o'goodies into the bathroom and weigh it - 4.6 pounds!
Stumps For Kerry
Chelsea Clinton
Following in the footsteps of her politically-prominent parents, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton hit the campaign trail for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry this weekend, delivering her first-ever political speech on the stump in Florida.
The only daughter of Senator Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, Chelsea shared the stage at various campaign events across the state Saturday with Caroline Kennedy, Karenna Gore Schiff, Vanessa Kerry and Cate Edwards -- all of whom, like Clinton, are daughters of leading Democratic figures.
Since completing studies at Stanford University in California and Oxford University in Britain, she has worked at the New York office of McKinsey and Company, the London-based consulting firm.
Chelsea Clinton
Campaign's First Loser
Big Media
By Ira Basen
The votes won't be counted until Tuesday night, and it may take weeks to find out who the final winner is, but one important loser has already been declared in the U.S. election campaign - the press. Or to be more specific, the mainstream press; the TV networks and large newspaper conglomerates whose dominance over the media landscape was virtually unchallenged until a few years ago. But now, Big Media, as it is sometimes called, sees its power and influence slipping away at a rate that has stunned both its critics and supporters.
Signs of trouble are not hard to find. A recent survey of registered voters undertaken by the Pew Research Center found that only a narrow majority of respondents (54 per cent) were prepared to give the press a favourable grade on its overall campaign coverage. And the discontent within Big Media itself is even more pervasive. The Committee of Concerned Journalists surveyed 500 of their members in mid-October, and reported that nearly 70 per cent graded their campaign coverage a C, D or F.
But Big Media's problems did not begin with this campaign, nor will they end with its conclusion. The American media have been in a prolonged and debilitating slump that goes back at least as far as the run-up to the war in Iraq in the winter of 2003, but can probably more accurately be traced back to the days following the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. It was then that the press, not wanting to be out of step with the nation's grief and anger, appears to have lost its ability to respond critically to the agenda of the Bush administration.
For the rest of this accurate observation from Canada - Big Media
Says US Must Act Over Climate
Queen Elizabeth
Britain's Queen Elizabeth has made a rare tiptoe into the world of politics by warning Prime Minister Tony Blair of her grave concerns over the policy of the United States towards global warming, a British newspaper said.
The Observer reported that the queen is understood to have asked Blair's office to lobby the US after observing the alarming impact of Britain's changing weather on her estates at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and Sandringham House in east England.
"There has been dialogue between Downing Street and Buckingham Palace on all issues relating to climate change including the US position and the latest science," said one of Britain's leading expert's on climate change, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity.
"From her own observations on the climate she has become worried like the rest of us," he was quoted as saying. "She has made it clear she wants to raise the importance of the issue."
Queen Elizabeth
Blames Tantrums on Creativity
Elton John
Pop star Elton John says he doesn't mean to throw tantrums -- it just comes with the territory of being creative.
John told Britain's Sunday Times magazine that his behavior had changed since beating drug and alcohol addictions 14 years ago, yet "the rage and the temper are still there ... but it's part of being creative."
John, 57, said he was working to rein in his temper.
Elton John
So Kerry Should Win
Redskins Lose
John Kerry supporters have a welcome omen for their candidate: The Green Bay Packers defeated the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
If history holds, the 28-14 result portends a victory for Kerry on Tuesday because the result of the Redskins' final home game before the presidential election has always accurately predicted the White House winner. If the Redskins win, the incumbent party wins. If they lose, the incumbent party is ousted.
The streak began in 1933, when the Boston Braves were renamed the Redskins. Since then, beginning with Franklin Roosevelt's re-election in 1936, the trend has held, including a 2000 Redskins loss to the Tennessee Titans that predicted George W. Bush's win over Al Gore.
Redskins Lose
Home May Become Museum
Rosemary Clooney
Late singer and actress Rosemary Clooney's old Kentucky home could soon be turned into a museum displaying memorabilia from her singing career under a plan proposed by her one-time neighbor, former Miss America Heather French Henry.
Henry and her husband, former Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, said they plan to buy the home within the next two weeks, renovate it for use as a public museum and also live in it part-time with their two children.
Clooney, a Maysville native and the aunt of actor George Clooney, had No. 1 hits in the 50s including "Come On-a My House" and enjoyed a resurgence of popularity late in life that resulted in four nominations for the Grammy award.
Rosemary Clooney
More Republican Family Values
Alan Fortney
An Arkansas Republican state legislative candidate suspended his campaign Friday after news surfaced of his arrest record for exposing himself to children.
Alan Fortney, 42, was arrested three times since 1981 on misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure. He was fined but never served time in jail, he told the Log Cabin Democrat newspaper of Conway, about 25 miles north of Little Rock.
In a statement, Fortney said he was suspending his campaign because he believes "it is in the best interest of my family and me personally to take my name out of consideration for this office."
Alan Fortney
Full Season Ordered
'Wife Swap'
ABC has given the green light to a full season of its reality series "Wife Swap," which has proved a solid performer in the competitive Wednesday 10 p.m. period against NBC's "Law & Order" and CBS' "CSI: NY."
ABC has ordered nine more scripts of its Tuesday 9:30 p.m. sitcom "Rodney," which has done respectable, if not impressive, business behind 9 p.m. anchor "According to Jim." It also asked for six more scripts of Friday newcomer "Complete Savages," which has so far been fairly weak behind "8 Simple Rules" in the 8 p.m. hour.
ABC's pickup of "Wife Swap" brings the total number of episodes ordered to 22, including two specials, "Husband Swap" and "Boss Swap," which are meant to serve as backdoor pilots for potential spinoff series.
'Wife Swap'
Prefer Kerry to Bush for World Safety
Britons
A large majority of Britons think a U.S. election victory for John Kerry is the best outcome for global security, according to a poll in a Sunday newspaper.
They also believe -- by a smaller margin -- a win for the Democrat challenger would damage Prime Minister Tony Blair's international standing given his alliance with incumbent resident Bush, according to the survey.
Fifty-six percent told Communicate Research pollster the world would be safer with Kerry, while 24 percent favored Bush.
Britons
German Museum Unveils Rebuilt Berlin Wall
House at Checkpoint Charlie Museum
Fifteen years after the destruction of the Berlin Wall, a museum in the German capital unveiled a rebuilt segment of the Cold War barrier Sunday, defying criticism that the structure uses a painful piece of German history to create a tourist trap.
The rebuilt concrete barrier stands at the former Checkpoint Charlie border crossing, next to a field of 1,065 crosses that represent those killed as they tried to escape the former East Germany between 1961 and 1989.
Last month, the House at Checkpoint Charlie Museum announced it would rebuild the concrete barrier using 120 slabs of the original wall collected from various sites by the museum's late founder, Rainer Hildebrandt.
After the wall fell, the original Checkpoint Charlie guardhouse was taken to a museum elsewhere in Berlin. A replica erected at the site in 2000 quickly became a popular spot for tourists to have their pictures taken.
House at Checkpoint Charlie Museum
Considers Legal Action
R. Kelly
Lawyers for singer R. Kelly were filing a criminal complaint against a member of rapper Jay-Z's entourage and considering other legal action after the platinum-selling stars' joint tour came to an abrupt end.
The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer was booted from remaining shows at Madison Square Garden by the promoter Saturday, a day after a member of Jay-Z's entourage allegedly blasted Kelly with pepper spray, said his publicist, Allan Mayer. The promoter announced that Jay-Z, with special guests, would do the shows alone.
Jay-Z and R. Kelly were in the midst of a 40-city "Best of Both Worlds" tour, which has been beset by canceled shows and reports that the feuding performers weren't even on speaking terms.
The tour, which had been scheduled to run through Nov. 28, has been canceled, said promoter Jeff Sharp of Atlanta Worldwide Touring. Jay-Z's publicist was unsure if the rapper would try and fill the remaining dates as a solo act.
R. Kelly
