Last Chance Cafe

Cynthia McKinney is the candidate for America's Green Party.

"These 5,000 souls also need some justice too."

I Report: You Decide.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:33 PM | Permalink

Gwen Ifill, an African-American journalist, is going to be moderating the Vice Presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The commission is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) corporation that has sponsored all the presidential debates in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004."

"This is something that a lot of people have been thinking about that no one had thought to write about."

The Breakthrough: Politics And Race In The Age Of Obama

The above is the title of a new book coming out in January written by the aforementioned Gwen Ifill, the quote is from the linked video of her talking about her book. The subject is that of a new generation of black political leaders in the United States. And Obama, in case you didn't get that from the title.

What "a lot of people have been thinking about" and not writing about? Well, OK, but does singing count? (Please see previous creepy entry.) Autobiographies?

I'm not going to automatically apply base motives to Ms. Ifill's apparent belief that she can objectively moderate the upcoming debate, but in order to do that I have to believe that she is just plain stupid. It's either that or she thinks that you and I are just plain stupid.

I'm beginning to think that it's door number two, and that she's right.

Roll me over lay me down and do it again.

Posted by petefredbob at 11:04 AM | Permalink

And I've seen some pretty creepy shit.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:49 PM | Permalink

Ninety-five Democrats and 133 Republicans voted no.

I was disappointed last week when I read that Brazilian President Lula was 'not exactly' cheerleading for the bailout.

"They want to help the banks and not help the poor." Lula said late on Saturday in Sao Paulo during a campaign rally ahead of Oct. 5 municipal elections. "Why give $700 billion to the banks and no money to the poor guys who lost their houses."

"Why" indeed? I love Brazil but 'poor' is a relative term here. 'House' is another relative term. 'Dwelling' may be more appropriate for most Brazilians. The United States has been a shelter for foreign capital as well as foreign human capital for a long time. Maybe it's time to let China lead. They might even beat us back to the moon.

For a taste of what that might be like one could do worse than read Peter Hitchens' latest from Africa, where China has large and growing presence.

Update: Dow closed down -777 to 10, 365 or about 7%. The Brazilian BVSP out of Sao Paolo closed down -4,754.84 to 46,028 or about 9.36%.

Pelosi gave an angry partisan speech right before the vote in which she showed she didn't give a damn about Republican votes (like she's been bitching about for the past week) and couldn't hold her party together. Some leadership.

I'll quote some more from Lula:

Brazil was in a better position to withstand the crisis than it was years ago, the former union leader said.

"I don't want to say we're at ease but ... today we depend less on the United States for our exports," Lula said.

When I was in Brazil a couple of years ago the real traded roughly two for a dollar and was on its way up to a high of around 1.55 for a buck this past August. Today it's back down to around two for a buck. Shopping is good in Sao Paolo for Americans right about now. Maybe that trip to Rio?

Hope everybody's happy.

Posted by petefredbob at 02:18 PM | Permalink

The first time I paid anything like real attention to the day-to-day crap the government was doing was when I noticed that Frank Zappa was upset with the PMRC. The Parents Music Resource Center was Tipper Gore's pet project that ultimately succeeded in forcing the entertainment industry to put those little warning labels on popular music packages. You remember Tipper Gore don't you? She's Al Gore's wife, the chubby fellow who's currently selling snake oil of the global warming variety.

In a nutshell, for those of you that did not pay attention or who weren't around, here is the raison d'être for the PMRC from the wiki:

The PMRC claimed that popular music, and especially hard rock, punk rock and heavy metal music, was partially responsible for the perceived contemporary increase in violence, rape, teenage pregnancy, and teen suicide.

Most amusingly John Denver testified in front of congress mentioning that classic teenage drug ballad "Rocky Mountain High."

I think of Tipper and her crew of "Washington Wives" (no wonder she was so jealous of Hillary) whenever I hear one of my many liberal friends talk about how conservatives are natural censors—in so many spittle-flecked words, of course. This is usually followed by how the liberal candidate of the moment will save us from this scourge. The record tends to show a different story.

In our current tussle for the top spot our liberal savior is engaged in another jack-booted endeavor largely flying below the radar.

Obama campaign cracks down on misleading TV ads
September 23rd, 2008
The Barack Obama campaign is asking Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad during the presidential campaign.

Here is a link explaining a bit of what is going on in case the TV station web site moves the video (The link is to the partisan National Review Online, but nobody else seems to be on top of this at the moment).

While this may send another thrill up Chris Matthews' leg, it sends a shiver down my spine. Who needs the FEC when the local sheriff is just down the road? The Obama Truth Squad indeed. Insert appropriate vulgarity [Here].

Update:

Gov. Blunt Statement on Obama Campaign’s Abusive Use of Missouri Law Enforcement

What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment.

More from Missouri's Governor at the link.

Posted by petefredbob at 12:55 PM | Permalink

Gawker just published the contents of Sarah Palins' Yahoo email account including her contact's addresses. I'm looking at it right now. According to Gawker:

I guess we'll have to blow up the internet now?

Very funny.

Sometimes you need to know what side somebody's on and what they really think.

Gawker is not on my side, your side or on privacy's side. They are not Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Green. Again, they are not on your side. Their actions have spoken no matter what other cute crap spills from their lip-sticked mouths.

They have just thrown in with the spammers. I hope somebody goes to jail.

Most personally disappointing to me is that Ken Layne seems to be ok with it. He writes:

Oh hey, like every other Republican official in America, Sarah Palin tried to hide her dirty work (and stupid family pictures) by using free Yahoo email accounts.

Ken? I finally get it. I'm a little slow, but I finally realize that Republicans are Hitler and Democrats pure as the driven snow. With bunnies. Because of this anything that anyone does is ok as long as it's used against a GOP candidate. I hope you sober up soon.

Way to go assholes.

Posted by petefredbob at 07:30 PM | Permalink

Somebody that I've always considered a phony, Dr. Phil, took on the role of defending Sarah Palin on Dave Letterman's show the other day. Well played Doc. You are a gentleman. I don't know what's happened to Dave.

Perhaps not so surprising, Oprah, Dr. Phil's benefactor, has refused to interview Palin on her own show. This, after showcasing Obama to much hoopla. A show for and about women is shutting out perhaps the one woman in America that women want to know more about.

I'm not her audience, but it sounds like she doesn't think much of who is. If Ellen DeGeneres had any balls she'd step up.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:05 PM | Permalink

Good stuff.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:59 AM | Permalink

Caught a bit of Fred's speech and Lieberman's shtick. Newt Gingrich is big time pro Sarah. Republican pooh-bas are still lukewarm except for Bill Kristol who was an early Sarah advocate. Through all of it, the base, the Republicans on the floor, especially the women on the floor, are going cross-eyed while waiting to hear from Sarah. Unless she burns a cross on the stage and offers her teenage daughter's unborn child up for a pagan sacrifice they're going to have to repair the roof on the joint.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:42 PM | Permalink

When McCain announced that he would reveal his VP pick on the day after Obama's acceptance speech everybody yawned. Yawned because it was such a boring old play to try and steal Obama's thunder. How did McOldMan think he could upstage the O with such a cheap trick, especially as he was going to pick a rich newscaster with many houses? Psyche!!!

So far his actual pick seems to have accomplished all the right things: Thunder? What thunder? The O campaign should sue Zeus for shoddy workmanship on the temple. Better, it has created consternation amongst the Republican cognoscente. I haven't seen this many furrowed brows since Edward married Wallace.

The loyal opposition's response has been mouth foaming conspiracy theories about faked pregnancies coupled with serious criticism of her bangs and a fake smear website from an Obamabot. Sweet.

All this plus the most important thing: unmitigated joy from the rank and file. To say that McCain's support from the base has been soft is an understatement, which, added to the Bradley effect has had people weirdly confused (including McCain's people I would think) about the neck and neck polling for the past few weeks. I certainly hadn't planned on voting this cycle, and the race belongs to those who show up.

So, I'm interested again, and will be watching how McCain uses this unique "Mrs. Smith goes to Washington" pick. It won't take long to see if he muzzles her- or, starts picking up on her themes. If he listens to his wife it will be the latter.

With that hope in mind- and before reality comes again to crush my post Fred Thompson soul- I offer the following public service of introducing the next Vice President of the United States to those who are looking for more detailed information.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Sarah Palin.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:55 AM | Permalink

ROFLMAO

Posted by petefredbob at 08:15 PM | Permalink

Via Instapundit via Just One Minute [MT for some reason won't publish the url for Just One Minute]

Global Labor and Politics: "Who sent Obama?"

In Chicago politics a key question has always been, who "sent" you? The classic phrase is "We don't want nobody that nobody sent" - from an anecdote of Abner Mikva's, the former White House Counsel (Pres. Clinton) and now retired federal judge. (And someone I campaigned for while in high school when he ran, unsuccessfully, for Congress in the early 70s.) As a young student, Mikva wanted to help out his local Democratic Party machine on the south side of Chicago. In 1948, he walked into the local committeeman's office to volunteer for Adlai Stevenson and Paul Douglas and was immediately asked: "Who sent you?" Mikva replied, "nobody sent me." And the retort came back from the cigar chomping pol: "Well, we don't want nobody that nobody sent."

So it is reasonable to ask, who "sent" Barack Obama? In other words, how can his meteoric rise to political prominence be explained?

Now that's entertainment.

See, I'm from Jersey and started paying my union dues to the Teamsters just a couple of years after Jimmy Sr. disappeared into the Meadowlands- and I know guys that talk like that. Sometimes I still talk like that. I laughed till I cried when I first saw Goodfellas.

Of course, one must be interested in this type of thing in the first place.

Posted by petefredbob at 08:04 PM | Permalink

Like most people (a verifiable fact, I insist) I go to Fox News for the celebrity scandals and Michael Jackson/ Tom Cruise bashing. But for my latest John Edwards baby daddy obsession I've had to go with Mickey Kaus who, though he's had the goods, lacks the nasty snark factor. Today I've discovered "Deceiver" dot com which is providing my yuks. For all your My Silky Pony/ Breck Boy needs.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:46 PM | Permalink

I may have to start a new category called 'power balls' or something. Yesterday I clicked through a Glenn Reynolds post on the Obama "1 Million Hybrid Chickens In Every Pot Plan" and thought it was a joke article from the Onion. In a nutshell the article explains Obama's new energy plan to bankrupt us well into the twenty-first century by announcing a pork program open to the first campaign contributors to get in line. That fluctuating one percent lead must be making some inside people very nervous.

Ok, ok, so what it is is that Obama is promising free money to people who make believe they are helping him get one million hybrid electric cars on the road by 2015, a seriously low ball number that has got to have lobbyists salivating. It wouldn't be politics without the cheese so the old "entire White House fleet" would be magically transformed upon an Obama win as well.

What I missed was that Reynolds's post turned into one of his rare 'long' pieces as a reader asked "Great. Just great. Where the heck is he going to get all the electricity from?" Tragically I'm just recovering from the muscle sprain I suffered twisting to pat myself on the back for addressing this theme way back in nineteen… I mean on July 22nd.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:50 AM | Permalink

Back a few months ago I did a thought experiment about voting for Hillary Clinton (not a big fan of the Maverick here). I had convinced myself that I could- in theory- vote for her because I believed that she wouldn't drop the ball on 'the war.' I factored in the sideshow that would be Bill and figured the entertainment value would be worth it. And then I actually started to listen to her. It wasn't long before I wanted to stab myself in the eyes with a fork.

It occurred to me today that I've never given the same consideration to Obama though he agrees to beef up in Afghanistan and even go after Pakistan. Could it be because he doesn't "look like the other Americans" that have historically thrown their hat in the Presidential ring? Nah. It's even more vain. Obama would be the first President to be younger than me. And that would really suck.

Posted by petefredbob at 06:35 PM | Permalink

As I was writing about Nancy Pelosi's gavel-clutching "I'm trying to save the planet," and repeat, comment yesterday we had a little earthquake. I'm about 14 miles from the epicenter. Not sure what that meant in the cosmic arena but I held off posting until today to see if I was going to be struck by lightning or something.

Equally creepy was reading about a roomful of journalists giving Obama a standing ovation. Good. Fucking. Christ.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:40 AM | Permalink

Q: A lot of folks object to "Hollywood celebrities" participating in political discourse. Aside from pure disagreement over certain issues, why do you think there's such a backlash when you or other well-known performers speak your mind?

A: On a very basic level, many people think celebrities have too much already so we shouldn’t be entitled to our political opinions. Also, the other side objects to the fact that we might be listened to.

From an interesting Q & A with Barbra Streisand on Politico.

I don't know, do you think Barbra has too much? A socialist may think that way, but a common capitalist with dreams of a better life, the so-called "other side?" And the assumption that 'celebrities' occupy a side? Interesting, or just common and telling?

Another bit from the progressive celebrity front: Rosie O'Donnell may have a variety show in the works. As opposed to Streisand, who doesn't work but occasionally appears to receive her props, Rosie still needs to bring home the bacon.

I want to like Rosie, it seems her heart is in the right place, but if she stays true to form she'll only see her next success as another chance to shoot herself in the foot.

Note to Babs and Rosie: Your careers are based on making your fans happy. We don't care if you cheerlead for your favorite politician/ cause, but when you denigrate the "other side" remember that you are likely denigrating a significant portion of your fan base. That's why we don't like it and wish you would shut up and sing, act, whatever. Is this really so hard to understand?

Posted by petefredbob at 01:42 PM | Permalink

Here is the link

From the little bit in the preview here it seems like O. Stone is shooting to piss everybody off, left, right and center. Granted there's not much here to work with, but it is chuckle inducing. I am curious though, can anyone give me a rational explanation why this film is being made now, by these people? I mean besides the BDS. Anyone? Bueller?

Posted by petefredbob at 12:26 PM | Permalink

"I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city."

This from a speech the big 'O' gave in Berlin standing by the Victory Column "looking out toward the Brandenberg Gate."

Mmmmm…. I wonder what that might mean? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that he's referring to his 'color;' of course that could just be me. But he did go on to talk about his Kenyan father, the goat herder, immigrating (however temporarily) to America for a better life.

I could make quite an essay about Obama's tin ear on this one speech just considering the German problem assimilating its Turkish immigrants. There's a veritable buffet of offense to be taken.

Now, if a German wanted to see a full-blooded African-American, he could just wander over to one of the American military bases operating on German soil since World War Two (which might have been a good thing for Obama to do). Of course Obamo knows that, but what he meant was "I'm an 'important' American of color, just look at my parade."

But in June of 1938, another American spoke in Berlin, as well as across the rest of Germany. The Brown Bomber, Joe Louis, was perhaps our first international spokesman of color, and according the 'infallible' Wikipedia "was seen both by Whites and Blacks across his country as a symbol of hope." He wasn't seen, as television wasn't around and he happened to be in Yankee Stadium at the time, but as he beat the crap out of the 'Black Uhlan of the Rhine' a certain former leader made sure every German heard him on the radio.

A lot of history has passed since then including the pacification of Germany, which Obama might have wanted to keep in mind as well as he told the Germans "The Afghan people need…..your troops."

Update: He's not like all the others!! Really!!