Monday’s Mini-Report

November 13, 2006

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* Today was the groundbreaking of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the national mall, the first monument honoring an African American. As the AP noted, Bill Clinton, who received a standing ovation from the largely black crowd, noted that the memorial will stand between the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial — between the man who helped found the nation and the man who protected the nation’s ideals during the Civil War. “It belongs here,” Clinton said.

* Bush’s approval rating is down to just 31% in the new Newsweek poll, and down to 33% in the new Gallup poll. I’m not sure what the president did of late to warrant the drop in the polls, but I suppose the electorate just wants to kick him when he’s down.

* A man suspected of mailing more than a dozen threatening letters containing non-hazardous white powder is now in custody. In an interesting political twist, the guy, Chad Conrad Castagana, is an active Freeper. Letters went to, among others, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, and Keith Olbermann. (thanks to R.M. for the heads-up)

* Speaking of Olbermann, C.W. Nevius had a good column about Olbermann’s growing popularity today. Interesting tidbit: MSNBC added teamed Olbermann with Chris Matthews to anchor MSNBC’s midterm election coverage and ratings among the coveted 25-to-54 age demographic increased 111%.

* Quote of the Day: “In an ironic turnaround, Iraq brought regime change to the U.S.” — Amy Poehler, on Saturday Night Live

* Quote of the Day Runner-Up: “I’m worried about bloggers. [A post] starts as a rumor and within 24 hours it’s repeated as fact.” — former New York Times reporter Judith Miller to an audience at Kansas State University. Miller, of course, published months worth of bogus rumors about Iraq, fed to her by her friends in the Bush White House.

* Michael Steele’s defense for distributing deceptive campaign materials last week is almost as pathetic as the underhanded tactic itself. (Thanks to T.N. for the tip.)

* Tom Noe was found guilty today of stealing at least $2 million from a controversial Ohio investment, one of 29 counts on which a jury convicted Noe. (thanks to S.T. for the tip)

* It’s funny how different Time magazine’s covers are when Republicans win Congress.

* New York magazine has a good piece about VoteVets.org in the current issue.

* Grover Norquist’s stunning election analysis: “Bob Sherwood’s seat [in Pennsylvania] would have been overwhelmingly ours, if his mistress hadn’t whined about being throttled,” said Mr Norquist. Any lessons from the campaign? “Yes. The lesson should be, don’t throttle mistresses.”

* I’m starting to get the impression that Fox News doesn’t like us.

* It’s silly, but this bit from Craig Ferguson had me laughing out loud.

* Speaking of comedy, actor Will Ferrell, who does a great Bush impersonation, has been invited to do a couple of appearances with the president, but he has turned the Bush gang down. “In both cases, I especially did not want to do the inevitable photo op afterwards where we are all holding hands. That would have been a gesture of support.”

If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.

Grover Norquist’s stunning election analysis: “Bob Sherwood’s seat [in Pennsylvania] would have been overwhelmingly ours, if his mistress hadn’t whined about being throttled,” said Mr Norquist. Any lessons from the campaign? “Yes. The lesson should be, don’t throttle mistresses.”

I believe Grover, the Muppets activist, was misquoted. I think what he said was, “don’t throttle WHINEY mistresses.”

  • noted that the memorial will stand between the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial

    That’s cool because Jefferson and Lincoln are rally popular black names.

    Seriously, MLK is an excellent first choice for this monument. Wonder why it took so long? Oh, I guess it was held up by the Southern Agenda.

  • * Quote of the Day: “In an ironic turnaround, Iraq brought regime change to the U.S.” — Amy Poehler, on Saturday Night Live

    LOL. Although it might take us 4 more Friedmans to get a viable government in place since strongman, religious militia leader George Bush still wields power.

  • I’m not sure what the president did of late to warrant the drop in the polls, but I suppose the electorate just wants to kick him when he’s down.

    Rumsfeld’s departure can’t have helped. It will have been viewed as too little, too late by those of us who have long held the president in low esteem, and, from what I’ve seen in the convervative blogs, pissed off more than a few loyalists who viewed it as spineless pandering.

  • Miller, of course, published months worth of bogus rumors about Iraq, fed to her by her friends in the Bush White House.

    Yeah, not to mention all those facts the Bushies tried to turn into rumours.

  • Tom Noe was found guilty today of stealing at least $2 million from a controversial Ohio investment, one of 29 counts on which a jury convicted Noe. (thanks to S.T. for the tip)

    Since he’s going to prison, I guess we can say he “coined a term”.

  • * It’s funny how different Time magazine’s covers are when Republicans win Congress.

    Fair and balanced I guess. At least they didn’t show Pelosi in a Viking helmet and blond pigtails.

  • Speaking of comedy, actor Will Ferrell, who does a great Bush impersonation, has been invited to do a couple of appearances with the president, but he has turned the Bush gang down.

    Good for Will! Although it might have been okay if he wore the black thong from his Robert Goulet outfit. That was disturbing.

    Dennis Quaid did a pretty good Bush imitation in American Dreamz. Not worth watching the movie for though.

    Okay I am returning control back to your television set.

  • I’m not sure what the president did of late to warrant the drop in the polls, but I suppose the electorate just wants to kick him when he’s down.

    Remember how Rush Limbaugh felt after the election results? I imagine a lot of conservatives are now feeling that way after losing so badly, that Bush is not a “true” conservative, and I imagine his numbers will get quite a bit lower.

  • Not sure what he did lately? How about fronting the creepiest mid-term campaign in living memory? Americans like their presidents to be, well, presidential at this stage of their second term. He ran around the country like a nitwit, basically calling 65% of the American people dupes.

    And the Rumsfeld stunt burned a lot of dead-enders who are only waking up now.

    I think his base is 25%.

  • Grover Norquist may be angry and unapologetic about the election results, but the least he could do is remember his fellow Republicans’ names correctly. It’s DON Sherwood — not Bob.

  • Seriously, MLK is an excellent first choice for this monument. Wonder why it took so long? Oh, I guess it was held up by the Southern Agenda.

    Actually, it’s pretty quick by the standards of monuments in the Mall area. We just got the FDR memorial a few years ago, and the WWII memorial last year. Other than the Vietnam War memorial, the MLK memorial probably has the least time elapsed betwen the events it commemorates and the opening of the memorial.

  • Actually, it’s pretty quick by the standards of monuments in the Mall area.
    Comment by Redshift

    Thanks. I didn’t know that. Yeah, I that is a very exclusive area. MLK did great things but I see him as a symbol more than just a man.

  • I have a modest proposal for campaign reform. We let politicians say whatever they want during their campaign (which they are going to do anyway), but we fine them 1 cent per misrepresentation or falsehood (to be determined by a national non-partisan panel of reporters, political scientists, historians, and judges that adjudicates any complaints filed in relation to an election) times the number of people estimated to have heard it (determined from media buys and audience shares / readership numbers) times the number of times they were estimated to have encountered the fib (both in the original ad or speech and in any repeats on the news). Fines go to public funding of campaigns as follows: anyone fined is disqualified from collecting the next cycle, at which time the money goes to their highest polling opponent. No one is allowed to spend any money on campaigning until old fines are fully paid, or the fine doubles.

  • Regarding CC the Freeper, it appears the FR has removed his previous posts and is claiming he is just “a prankster” or a Democrat working to discredit Republicans. Sure. Good luck guys, you may be the first to find if the new Military Tribunal “law” allows the government to lock you up for associating with kooks via the internet.
    How does the old saw go? Lie down with rabid wing nuts, get up surrounded by FBI agents. Or is it Lie down with drooling bigots, get up when its time for another ride on the waterboard?
    Something like that.

  • Thanks for info on the votevets piece. Maybe it’s too much to ask, but I’d have liked there to be some recognition that unlike the swift boaters, votevets doesn’t make things up.

  • What’s a “Freeeper”?

    A “Freeper” is someone who hangs out at the farfarfar-right website, FreeRepublic.com, a place for all the fat failed brownshirt-wannabes who still live in mom’s basement to rage against everyone more successful than they are – which is basically everyone who doesn’t post there.

  • I’m not sure what the president did of late to warrant the drop in the polls…

    Oo! I know this one:
    1. Wasting air.
    2. Wasting space.
    3. Fighting the laws of entropy.

    Or he’s beginning to reap the wrath of the rabid Base.

    God don’t like losers Mr. Prezidint, so what we’re gonna do is, we’re gonna lock you in a room with a Methed-up Ted Haggard an’ not let you out ’til you can list all the books of th’ Old Testament in order.

  • Olbermann with Chris Matthews to anchor MSNBC’s midterm election coverage and ratings among the coveted 25-to-54 age demographic increased 111%.

    What a coincidence. I’m in that “coveted” age rage and I turned to MSNBC for their midterm election coverage because Olbermann was involved. Tweety-bird was a bit obnoxious but it was easy enough to ignore.

  • “I’m in that “coveted” age rage and I turned to MSNBC for their midterm election coverage because Olbermann was involved. Tweety-bird was a bit obnoxious but it was easy enough to ignore.” – Edo

    And Ben Ginsburg seemed to disappear from the panel after he suggested there were no voting irregularities in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. Apparantly his challenging reality did not sit well with Chris Matthews 😉

  • Will Farrell: “I’ve actually had people say to me, ‘Thanks a lot for Bush,’ as if I helped him win the election. Luckily, no one has said that in a while. But I can’t help the fact that people in America seem to not mind stupidity.”

    Maybe now they will. I hope!

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