Forget the obvious politics here for a sec, but there’s something about Putin’s head here that just kinda makes me giggle, especially when you put with it either the theme from Jaws or “The Imperial March” from The Empire Strikes Back:
[Ganked from tailfeather at ButterCup Punch, who in turn ganked it from BoingBoing]
Because it’s not hard to drink beer and carry on a conversation, at least for most: Lookit.
Better yet, maybe the party should just get her rip-roaring shit-faced before she debates. Couldn’t be any worse than the crap she’s been putting out in the two interviews the party LET her do. Gad. What an embarrassment to the gender.
Lookit
And here’s my favorite part:
Lookit.
Guess it’s a good thing I work in a crap-paying industry, or I’d REALLY be pissed about the money I’m getting screwed out of.
So lately I’ve been trying to determine which presidential candidate was responsible for the whole “I want to be able to have a beer with the common man” shtick. Was it Shrub? Clinton? As far back as Reagan (for me, anyway; I was only 10 when he took over)? Further than that? Whoever it was, he deserves a swift punch in the throat. If I wanted my leader to be so accessible that he or she would join me at G-Town for a couple beers, I’d run as a write-in, ferchrissake. I mean, I don’t know about y’all, but there isn’t one person with whom I have drunk beer in the last 20 years that I would want running this country, so how did that even become a consideration?
(And yes, I DID read the Salon-Paglia opus on Palin. To that I say unequivocally: Any woman who posits that rape is a biological male imperative does not and WILL NOT represent me EVER.)
Aaaaaaand ... let’s stop talking about this.
Instead, let’s talk about why I’m wide awake: For the first time in I don’t know how long, Poppy and I took the Peapod for a bike ride this evening. I KNOW, but it’s not like the 80-some collective pounds we gots to lose prior to our 20th in October ain’t gonna melt off by themselves. (Heh) Yep, Pop has agreed to go. She’s much more zen about it than I am—I’ve been going back and forth between, “Yeah, whatever,” and “Wow, do you think maybe they’ll think I’m cool now? Do you? Do you?” much to Poppy’s delight since she’s been making fun of me about it ever since I turned in my check. I’m annoyed, though, that the ensemble I planned to wear has already been seen by another classmate, but how was I supposed to know a former classmate was going to show up at the Bang-Bang grand opening, which was super-fantastic as only Ann and Ben can make it? I suppose it didn’t help that, upon walking in and seeing her chatting with Ben, I had to go up and hug him, as if she gives a shit that he and I are tight. Probably could’ve gotten around it unseen. Crap.
As always, I compared this version to my original, and something seems off in the editing, but I can’t put my finger on what, exactly.
Anyway, Mr. Nader was lovely to talk to and extremely gracious to me and everyone who interrupted us. And, believe it or not, there was only one woman who heckled him (and walked away before he could get in a word—to which he replied, “See the political bigotry? They don’t even want to discuss it. It’s a uniquely American phenomenon.") The rest were either fans or starfuckers, but whatever the case, it was a good interview, and love him or hate him, you have to give give him props for being a true believer.
HAMMOND—Shoring up Independent Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader’s resolve is never daunting, but it might not always be as easy as reading the newspaper.
Nader, who with his vice presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez, stopped at the Cracker Barrel to talk exclusively with the Post-Tribune, pointed to the article before he even sat down. The two stopped in Indiana, then backpedaled to Lansing, Ill., as part of their weekend tour of the Midwest.
The article, which discussed leasing public assets, chills him to the core every time.
“This 75-to-99-year leasing turns colonialism on its head and is very bad for consumers; in this article, it says the tolls will rise to $25 by 2050,” he said. “It’s the corporate takeover of America. We’ve outsourced the military with Blackwater and Haliburton, and now the contract specialists who wrote those contracts are outsourcing their work to different countries.”
Working overtime
With seven states left to go in their quest to get on the ballot, Nader, 74, and Gonzalez are working overtime to get their platform to the masses. Supporters in Indiana will have to write-in their names as Nader-Gonzalez won’t be on the ballot.
Their platform includes items he says Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have taken “off the table,” such as a 6-month, comprehensive negotiated military and corporate withdrawal from Iraq; single-payer, Canadian style free-choice health insurance; a living-wage and repeal of the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act; and a no-nuke, solar-based energy policy supported by renewable and sustainable energy sources.
Solar energy is a change he’s touted for years, and many utility executives to whom he’s spoken prefer wind power as the next energy source, he said.
Furthermore, once big companies have the same environmental standards, it removes the argument of one corporation getting preferential treatment over another.
In order to bring jobs back to Northwest Indiana and the rest of the country, for that matter, the fastest way to do that would be creating public works efficiency much like the “New Deal” did so many years ago.
More community policing
And instead of throwing more money toward law enforcement, he would rely more on community policing and rehabilitation instead of incarceration when it comes to many drug infractions.
Getting states to back off on abatements for new businesses may be a tough battle, but the public should know abatements are really just “icing on the cake” for corporations; corporations choose a site based on labor and location, not abatement.
Nader said he argued with Gov. Mitch Daniels over the Indiana Toll Road leasing, to no avail. Daniels did, however, listen to Nader when he suggested that all contracts forged with the state of Indiana be put online for the public to see. Indiana’s the first state in the country to do that, he said.
Mostly, Nader and Gonzalez want to see the country stop the speculation using the country’s capital.
“Betting on bets upon bets,” he said, produces nothing when the capital can be redirected to where it needs to go, such as infrastructure.
As for the other two candidates, Nader declined to discuss them outside of their issues. Gonzalez did, however, speak to his own credentials as the vice presidential candidate.
“I was President of San Francisco’s City Council, which has twice the budget and population of Alaska and Delaware,” he said.
And now, without further adieu:
Story and thoughts TK ...
who *I* just interviewed. Steph’s going to send me a pic, so I’ll post it, good or bad.
In the meantime, I found this really funny:
Dick Morris is quite the dandy, idn’t he:
making the Republicans cancel their parties because of a little rain:
Almost makes me wish the comments were scripted. Almost.
Broad said: Like I said, my feelings are complicated on the matter, so ... I’m interested, however, in Her Highness’ thoughts on… ...[go].
Caterina said: ARGH!!! Not to deny you your goddess-given right of reflections and wishing what might-have-beens, but this guy was straight up… ...[go].
Wholovesya? said: By the by, guess who was most nasty about the charitable giving? The frigging church. My church and my mom’s… ...[go].
Wholovesya? said: By the by, I’m not the only one I know. I have friends who work at soup kitchens because they’re… ...[go].
Wholovesya? said: As you know, I was a voyeur to the beginning of this, and I was loving your comment! I have… ...[go].
