Hey, Des -- that one I like...

Posted at July 22, 2008 4:01 PM in response to An Obama Joke, at Last!!!

As George Carlin said,
"Nail two things together" and
Some schmuck will buy it.

Posted at July 17, 2008 3:17 PM in response to Tearing Wings Off Dragonflies

...pretty sure the avatar is Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica...

Posted at July 17, 2008 2:40 PM in response to SCAMMD: How the Press Escapes Accountability

Yep, and if you aren't logged in when you click on 'reply', you'll have to go back up and click on that reply to get the little check box.

Posted at July 17, 2008 2:32 PM in response to Play To Win: Refocus On John McCain

Des, the word is "arugula". Even Michele Malkin knows that...

Posted at July 17, 2008 2:18 PM in response to Mars Needs Humor: RecyclingObama Jokes

There's nothing funny about Lieberman.

Ok, maybe a little...

Posted at July 16, 2008 3:36 PM in response to Mars Needs Humor: RecyclingObama Jokes

... so a skeleton walks into a bar and says "Give me a beer and a mop."

Or maybe it was Obama... see, he's so skinny, he's like a skeleton.

They don't let me tell jokes down at the parish suppers much anymore.

Posted at July 16, 2008 3:32 PM in response to Mars Needs Humor: RecyclingObama Jokes

Caveat: I am not Latino - I speak as a long-time (white) resident of New Mexico - but I have given some thought and study to this.

First of all, it's important to recognize that the "Latino constituency" is not homogeneous. There is a huge gap in the cultural experiences between, say, the New Mexican Hispanics here in Albuquerque and parts north, and the Puerto Rican community of NYC, or the Cuban community of Florida, or the Tejano culture of south Texas.

While the Democratic Party has dominated here in NM for a long time, that's as much a reflection of machine politics as anything else. You want to get things done, you work through the Democratic Party. Bush got strong support here even from Democratic voters because he was imagined as stronger on national defense.

NM Hispanics have a strong cultural experience of patriotism and loyalty to their nation. The legacy of WWII, with stories of courageous survivors of Bataan and combat valor in the European theater, is a source of great pride even as the members of that generation pass on.

When a presidential candidate is seen as strong on national defense, as McCain's campaign narrative is portraying him, NM Hispanic voters are going to respond to that as long as the narrative appears genuine.

What Obama must do to win over these voters is address truthfully the other issues they care about, such as economic problems, while communicating that their sons and daughters who volunteer to serve will be asked to do only that which is just, which is lawful, and that adds to our nation, not diminishing it.

I get the feeling that those New Mexicans who supported Republicans in the wake of 9/11 are starting to see that they were sold a bill of goods. I don't think you need to habla espanol in order to present a credible alternative that can win these voters; you just need to acknowledge their loyalty, and pledge that those who are so willing to fight will do so for a noble cause.

Posted at July 16, 2008 3:02 PM in response to Yo no puedo hablar español. (merci freetranslations.com)

As someone who only occasionally drinks Porters and Bocks from microbreweries, I really don't care who owns Anheuser-Busch or what happens to the company.

Will a cost-cutting InBev reduce the quality of its beer? How could anyone notice?

Will InBev reduce A-B's presence in NASCAR, thereby weakening the least entertaining form of motorsport in the US? Seems like a good thing to me...

Over the years I have noticed that in all the places I care about that are littered with garbage, remnants of A-B products can be prominently found. And in many of the people I care about, for whom alcohol consumption is a problem, A-B products can be found.

So, honestly, I think a country without A-B would be an improvement.

Posted at July 16, 2008 2:09 PM in response to THIS BUD'S NOT FOR YOU ANYMORE

I rec'd this, because I think you are correct that we should be hoisting John McCain on his own petard (or perhaps his absentee voting record in the Senate?).

But I don't get the part about the contribution to HRC's campaign. Are you paying her to go away? If she was some grassroots candidate who had to mortgage the house to run a campaign against some scumbag of a corrupt incumbent, OK - financial support would be important. But the Clintons are stinkin' rich by any measure, and the little loan she made to her own campaign isn't gonna force Chelsea to go to an in-state college. (Hasn't she already graduated anyway?)

Posted at July 16, 2008 1:57 PM in response to Play To Win: Refocus On John McCain