McCain Speaks to Our Sexist Angels

Seriously, McCain, wtf?? The pick of Sarah Pallin, an unknown governor from a state that is as populated and complex to run as a local Wal-Mart, is both stupid and unbelievable. He not only defied common sense when picking a VP (someone with a resume that fills the holes in yours), but also political strategy.

Many, if not every single person with a political memory that spans more than a year, is calling this for what it is: sexist. His strategy appears to be that of pandering and opportunism. Picking a woman for being a woman is like telling females to buy cigarettes because they are in a pink box...oh wait, that has already been done. Pallin will have a hard time courting her sisterhood with a record that includes staunch pro-life stances and a life story that is more Barbie than Barbara Bush.

Pallin has less than two years of gubernatorial experience in Alaska. She was a council member and mayor for some years also. No, not mayor or council member of Juneau, but that of Wasilla, population OVER 6,000. Sarah Pallin, Experience You Can Count On.

Oh, and she also won a beauty pageant back in the day. Anyway...

McCain should have a hard time making his case for picking Pallin. She might be on the ticket to serve as a sprinkle of youth and charm in a campaign that lacks both by the bucket-full. But besides that, what does she bring? If McCain and Pallin can't answer these questions, they are bound to be asked how their ticket differs in experience and charm from Obama/Biden.

Pretty much, McCain might have made his case against Obama's persona defunct. His youth, little experience, and "celebrity" are the same for Pallin. Simple arithmetic, they cancel each other out. In addition, age in the McCain campaign comes back to play, but in a negative way. McCain will turn 72 this year, so that means he may become the oldest president to ever take the oath, with Pallin as her VP. What happens in McCain dies in office? Pallin becomes the president, and all bets are off. Can McCain make the case that the possibility of a Pallin presidency is not the same as a Obama presidency?

McCain played his cards very poorly and with a rush he shouldn't have taken (he only met once with Pallin during the vetting process, and that was this week). His pick is nothing more than pandering for female votes and a shot in his foot. The Obama campaign should not allow him to just walk it off. Get 'em Biden, get 'em!

lhp

Bill and Joe, Cheerleaders Extraordinaire

I ended up with mixed feelings on Tuesday night. Hillary's night. It definitely did feel like Hillary's night, but for the wrong reasons.

After her speech, which was a very well written and delivered piece of triangulated rhetoric, I felt happy but empty. I figured out why: She wrote it for herself. She did address the anger amongst the Angry Women of Hillary, and she did address the need to defeat McCain, but it was no less a campaign speech than she had given in New Hampshire 6 months ago, or in Ohio only a few months after that. She was still campaigning, but now for 2012 or 2016.

She never explicitly endorsed Obama, but just pinned him as the lesser of two evils, according to her. "Pleeeease dont vote for a Republican! Oh yeah, and Obama is a decent alternative, too...but don't feel obliged to vote for him if you would rather vote for me--if so, wait til 2012, because I will be back!" The speech was well-done, but the first 15 minutes sounded like another stump speech and the last 15 were a half-hearted endorsement of the Democrat, not specifically of Obama.

Then came Bill. If you were to tell me that Bill would be the Clinton that I felt was more committed to Obama I would have scoffed and mentioned the fact that the Clintons and Obamas are like the Gores and Clintons, playing nice but only when people are looking.

Bill gave a rousing speech that even made me remember his years with fondness and admiration. He raised great points ("They said I was inexperienced and too young in 1992...sound familiar?"), wrote a beautiful political speech ("The world is more impressed by the power of our example than by the example...of our power") that made many more inroads to a unified party than Hillary's. Who knows, maybe Bill will be the US ambassador to the UN under President Obama. After his speech, I would love that idea.

And finally, to wrap up a feisty and fiery Wednesday, Sen. Joe Biden had his turn. His son Beau was a revelation. I am sure many Democratic leaders looked upon Beau as a bright political star with vast nurturable potential. So far, the Convention has revealed a very strong pack of young, ambitious, and charismatic pols that will soon enough graduate to the national (presidential) stage and frighten the GOP, such as former VA Gov. Mark Warner, Jesse Jackson Jr., Michelle Obama, and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

But back to Joe. He owned the lovable attack dog role. Presenting himself as a scrappy, hard-working Irish-Catholic, he blended likeability and fiery, direct talk that will help Obama tremendously. In fact, I believe Bill and Joe have made the case for Obama to undecided voters better than Obama himself has. Both Bill and Joe reminded the party of what a Democrat looked like, with a backbone and with a high emotional quotient. The important thing now is the man himself, and what he will do after an impressive set of cheerleaders.

Obama has a prime opportunity to help heal party wounds, cutout McCain and play up his potential and uniqueness for undecided voters to believe Obama is needed rather than preferable in this time in history.

Will he do it? Probably. But don't expect a bounce since McCain will surely steal the spotlight with a VP pick and his own Party party next week. What Obama can hope for is an undercurrent of momentum to help him crash McCain's time in the limelight. Obama has had trouble doing that so far.

lhp

DNC Day 1

A storyline for a typical viewer of the Democratic National Convention's first day might go like this:

"Alright, lets see what's on? American Idol? No, not today...damn.

Ok, lemme lookie...Hey, the democrats are celebrating something! Oh yeah, they have their convention going.

Honey! Come check out Ted Kennedy, he is still alive and kicking!...Hmm, who is Sen. Mcclaskill...McClaskil? Macasco??...

Booooring....Boooring...Some dudes talking...boooring.

I didn't know Obama was getting Republicans on his side...

Hey honey, its Obama's wife, that mean lady, Michelle...

I didn't know she grew up in Chicago...

Hey, she actually is a pretty good speaker, turn up the volume...

Yeah! We do need someone who doesn't just do what their party does...Shhh, Michelle is talking...

Woohoo!! Michele for president!!!...

Haha! Did you hear that, Barack said "You want a president that is persistent" since he kept asking Michelle out...

Aww, those kids are cute....

Michelle is pretty hot *slap* Ah! I mean in a White House kinda way, I still love you , honey"

Or something like that.

Ted Kennedy's message was pretty much: Look, I am dying here and I got more guts and fire that half of those politicians out there, so what is your excuse to not go all out for Barack?!

He riled the Democrats and showed them how it is done, with passion and confidence that voters will like you even if you have been demonized by the Republicans.

If Ted Kennedy was the fire, then Michelle Obama was the soul of the night. She reintroduced herself as a woman who has had a journey as American and authentic as Hillary's or anyone else. She made herself accessible and likeable as a woman, as a mother, and, most importantly that night, as the wife to a possible president. She also helped make Barack human again, by tying him to her experience.

Tonight might be one of the trickiest nights of the convention. Hillary will speak, and her supporters will roar. If anything goes awry, it is her head and her future at stake. To make tonight a greater success than last night (too many zzzzs in between Kennedy and Obama), the heat needs to be turned up on McCain, Bush, and the message needs to stay clear and direct.

As David Brooks pointed out:

So as I’m trying to measure the effectiveness of this convention, I’ll be jotting down a little minus mark every time I hear a theme that muddies that image. I’ll jot down a minus every time I hear the old class conflict, and the old culture war themes. I’ll jot down a minus when I see the old Bush obsession rearing its head, which is not part of his natural persona. I’ll write a demerit every time I hear the rich played off against the poor, undercutting Obama’s One America dream.

I’ll put a plus down every time a speaker says that McCain is a good man who happens to be out of step with the times. I’ll put a plus down every time a speaker says that a multipolar world demands a softer international touch. I’ll put a plus down when a speaker says the old free market policies worked fine in the 20th century, but no longer seem to be working today. These are arguments that reinforce Obama’s identity as a 21st-century man.

Obama is losing steam, but he can regain it by being unafraid to play up his uniqueness and passion. If they go soft, the Democrats will go home.

lhp

Nailed IT!

lhp

New McCain Ad Attacks Obama AND Clinton

Check this new political ad by Sen. McCain that came out just after Biden was named VP:

A few things:

• The ad is meant to aggravate the Obama/Clinton & Clinton supporters conflict
• The ad is meant to play on the theme that Obama can't take the heat, and is too raw and too much of a novice to be president
• The ad is supposed to tell Hillary supporters: Get mad! Vote for me to teach him a lesson!

What it DOES do:

• It forces Hillary to be a greater advocate of Obama.  She might have been lukewarm in her support for Obama before, but if she lets this slide and says nothing, she loses a lot.  Her supporters will still be behind her since they believe, deep in their hearts, that what this ad claim is true, but she will lose respect of the rest of the Democratic party and will put her political future in jeopardy--NY will not take kind of a back-stabber and implicit McCain supporter
• It may aggravate Hillary supporters, but against MCCAIN.  He is portraying them as angry, irrational animals that are vengeful and short-sighted.  They are not.  And if they feel uneasy about this ad, they will soon know why: McCain thinks they are dumb enough to take the bait.
• McCain is now playing a new style of ball he can't win.  If he is going to introduce character witnesses to the campaign, then he cannot win that battle of reputation.  Stories about McCain's readiness, temper, political opportunism, and character flaws abound...and that is just from his GOP colleagues!  If we wants to play ball, Obama has a lot of ammo for this sort of ball.

lhp

Say It Is So, Joe

My sentimental favorite, Sen. Joe Biden, got what he wanted...sorta.  Barack chose him as his running mate.

The long-time senator from Delaware, the beloved Catholic son of the working class, the man who has survived the death of his wife, two daughters, a brain aneurysm and a reputation as a moronic windbag, the man who became a senator at the (politically) early age of 29, the man who is now considered a foreign policy expert, a legislative workhorse, and an elder statesmen with a tongue that wont stop flapping, is getting what he wanted.  Well, sorta.

This is also the man that ran for president back in 1988, and was derailed by speech and law school paper plagiarism allegations.  His gauche exchanges with reporters also didn't help much either.  He also butted heads with those he must now brainstorm with.  But he is getting what he wanted...sorta.

Joe Biden is now given the chance to redeem himself of his political ghosts.  He is now able to hush his critics and demonstrate his political prowess and fulfill his ambitions, thanks to a Senator he once called 'naive'.  Obama might be... but in choosing Biden?

Joe Biden, I believe, is perfect for Obama.  The only other VP candidate that I saw that fit the bill was Wesley Clark, but he must have never been in contention.  Biden fills a lot of holes in Obama's campaign and resume.  He also brings a creative tension that is crucial for ambitious administrations.  More importantly, he adds what Obama does not seem to want to undertake.  

Biden will be a pitbull when it comes to defending Obama, and he will not flinch at defending him against a McCain campaign that has had a free ride in doing so thus far.  Biden will also court those factions Obama is getting tired of persuading: the Clinton club.  Biden has deep working class roots, and even deeper working class appeal.  While he may not be able to woo the Angry Women of Hillary, he will strike a chord with the blue-collar workers she convinced during her campaign.  Vote for vote, that is more important.

A stumbling block will be Biden's vote in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War.  This was the major reason there was an outcry by Obama supporters when Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh was being considered as a top contender for the VP slot.  But, unlike Bayh's conflicting position vis a vis Obama's on Iraq, Biden's sin will be forgiven. 

This man has been in the senate for decades, while Bayh is still an upstart.  His resume is more comparable to Kerry's than to Bayh's, and with that comes both understanding from the public and conflicting stances on almost anything.  The problem with Senators is that they will take both sides to every issue, eventually.  The important thing is how vocal where you with each, and what do publicly regret later on.  Biden has been vocal on the right things, and has publicly criticized the war AND his own vote for the last few years.  He is a senator, but he is a likeable one because he recognizes his humanity and flaws.

Obama could not pick a better VP to redraw comparisons with the Kennedy campaign of 1960.  Biden is Lyndon Johnson to Obama's JFK: a seasoned, loquacious, senator with great legislative reach and influence, to aid a young senator's hopeful, ambitious, and somewhat cocky entry to a White House ripe for change.  

This might end up looking a lot like 1960, actually.  The curmudgeonly McCain against the pretty-boy Obama.  Nixon v. Kennedy.  The debates await to prove or not my theory.

The next question is: will Biden be Lyndon B. Johnson, or will he just be Biden circa 1988, an undisciplined campaigner who couldn't take the heat on the national stage?  Maybe Obama could teach him a thing or two about that.

lhp

McCain: I am not sure how many houses I own

McCain's wealth comes back to the foray.

This will be the first test for Obama post-vacation: Do you or do you not have the killer instinct?

lhp

Boring So Far, Campaign Issues To Expect

Much of the hoopla piled onto the 2008 political season since the last election is not being ignited yet. The melodrama in both parties has been a partial story, with the Obama-Clinton bickering marriage, and the McCain-GOP awkward one-night stand. McCain's pros and cons have not really been used as campaign fodder, and neither has Obama's exoticism. So what's the deal? Patience, my dears, patience.

Do not expect this campaign to continue to small bore-a-thon for long. The conventions are pretty much pep rallies for each party that try to remind everybody: Hey! You are supposed to pick sides soon! Soon after they both wrapup, expect some of these "issues" to make headlines:

• McCain's age: So far, no one has pointed out (at least not seriously) that McCain dined with Attila the Hun. That might be because it can easily be turned around and hurt the attacker (remember Reagan v. Mondale in 1984). McCain's age is like Obama's race, it shouldn't matter, but it will, and voters will justify their reasons to themselves why it should.
• McCain's One Term Try: Today was the first day I read anyone actually posing this question to McCain: Will you pledge to run only once? He said, Nay. Good or bad, we will have to wait and see.
• Obama and the Weather Underground: Obama reportedly has visited some of the Weather Underground's key leaders in the past. The WU was a leftist, violent, anti-war activist group in the 1960's. This may never get attention, as his link to that group is tacit at best, but you may soon be hearing William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn in a Breaking News update.
• McCain is an angry old man: This is called assassination of character. It is also called calling a rooster by its name. McCain has long been rumored to be a hot-head of major proportions. Many of his colleagues have, at one time or another, claimed they think McCain is unfit for the presidency just judging his dangerous temperament. They may become louder as Election Day nears.
• Obama's race: Many are claiming this is the reason why this election is such a dead-heat, when it shouldn't be. The Bradley Effect might be covered more and more as the stale poll numbers plague the campaign.
• McCain is filthy rich: Thanks to Cindy McCain, who is valued at over $500 million, McCain is at a different level of rich than even the Clintons. This, along with how we met and hooked up with Cindy (coughADULTERYcough) might end up making headlines.
• Obama's assassination: No one says it, but everyone thinks it. Will the possibility that someone will attempt to kill president-elect Obama be raised? How will it affect everything?
• McCain's death: Same as the last one, but by natural causes (he's old, remember). Will these scenarios raise the importance of the VP?

lhp

Looking For Their No. 2: VIce President Hopefuls

A short run down of whose name might be paraded this week and next, as McCain and Obama finish their own American Idol competition for a running mate:

Obama's Top Picks:

• Evan Bayh: HAHA! Just kidding. This guy had his ship sunk by the Left's blogosphere
• Joe Biden: Even though he claimed today he is "not the guy", he might actually be the guy. The only thing holding him back: he talks. And often. And often not well.
• Hillary Clinton: She is probably the VP candidate with the longest list of pros AND cons attached to her. Do not be surprised if Obama caves to angry women everywhere and makes Hillary his attack dog (joke inserted here).
• Tim Kaine: The Virginian Governor is having a meteoric rise in the short-list. But was it too little, too late?
• Chuck Hagel: This Nebraskan Republican Senator may have kept himself quiet for awhile, but he has also kept himself quiet by not supporting his party's McCain. A dark horse candidate.

My pick: Kaine or Clinton, preferring (by a laaaarge margin) the former.

McCain's Top Picks:

• Joe Lieberman: The droopy dog of the Senate, Lieberman is pretty much McCain's no. 1 adoring fan. Might as well recompense him for all his troubles.
• Bobby Jindal: The governor of Louisiana, and conservative darling (sorry Mitt, you're out), is a quiet, but very influential member of the GOP's base. McCain needs him, for his support, his age, and his blooooood.
• Tom Ridge: The former ne'er do-well secretary of Homeland Security (the first one! put that on a resume!), and former Gov. of Pennsylvania, is a good fit...if it weren't for his devilish hunger for abortions and McCain's pious stance against them.
• Meg Whitman: The former CEO of eBay has had her name dropped various times by McCain, hinting at a possible (if truly a longshot) place in his slot. If it sounded dirty, it's because it is.

My pick: Jindal. I think he eventually has more to offer than all the other possible choices. His conservative credentials and his non-whiteness will compensate for McCain's clandestine (but truly there) right-wing posture and pasty-uber-whiteness.

Obama/Kaine and McCain/Jindal. How sweet it is.

lhp

Is Jon Stewart The Most Trusted Man in News?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Of course, who else?

In the 2007 Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart was tied for first place with Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, Dan Rather, and Anderson Cooper. As someone who is not an actual news anchor, like the latter four, Stewart is loved in part because of going against the mainstream idea of an anchor.

In a New York Times article, Mr. Stewart and his Daily Show are shown to be more than just class clowns. They do indeed make fun of the teacher's pet, and the jock, and even the hipster, but they do it with wit and biting satire. The Daily Show has quite a following, and contrary to what Bill O'Reilly claimed years ago, the show's audience is one of the most educated of all.

It is interesting to see how Mr. Stewart, 45, started his career as a comedic actor in bit parts, doing some standup here and there, but ended up as a 'news anchor' in a news show aimed to ridicule the Hollywood for ugly people=Washington. If anything else, Mr. Stewart has shown the TV-viewing audience that you don't just have to laugh on the joke shown onscreen--you can be in on it, too.

lhp

Clintons: We will, We will Crush You

What did you really expect from these two? Graciousness? Ha. No dice.

Hillary and Bill are not letting the limelight move away from the just yet. As the attention hogs they are, they want just one more chance to put themselves above the party, as something greater THAN the party.

It will be announced today by the Obama campaign that Hillary's name will be kept in the nomination ballot. This means her "catharsis" will be achieved. This comes soon after Bill and Hillary were announced to headline two days at the convention. Like an only child on their birthday, they screamed and jumped, and finally got what they wanted.

But not yet. They want more. Hillary wants another go at the presidency in 2012 and Bill stills wants the title of elder-statesman of the Democratic party. The only way to get both is to have a Republican president again. Barack must lose.

Are they doing this to make such a thing probable? Maybe, maybe not. If you are a romantic, then of course not! If you are a cynic, then you think they are probably buying www.barackisblackandamuslim.com. But what if they are?

As a heap of emails The Atlantic obtained from Hillary's campaign internal communication show, the fall was imminent. Discord, delayed reaction, and debt-inducing finances were the decay inside Hillary's formerly unsinkable boat. Contrary to what one of her campaign aides said, she would NOT have won Iowa if John Edwards had admitted his affair earlier and taken himself off of the ballot (most of Edward's supporters in Iowa had Obama as their second choice, not Hillary). So Hillary was running an unsuccessful campaign from the beginning, only to let it rot as the days went by.

Hillary added an "another thing" to her list of wishes for Obama: a line in the party's platform that the sexist media ran "demeaning portrayals of women ... dampen the dreams of our daughters", meaning she blames her sunken boat on the MSM. But as Maureen Dowd insightfully pointed out, the line shoud be reworded to:

A woman who wildly mismanages and bankrupts a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar campaign operation, and then blames sexism in society, will dampen the dreams of our daughters.

lhp

Evan Bayh, Too Much Risk, Too Litte Payoff?

The long days of summer are ending quickly. What was improbable in Spring, is a reality going into the fall. Not only has Mr. Obama become a giant-slayer by bringing down the mighty Clinton machine, but he is also barely leading McCain, a candidate that would lose a race against himself. Both of these scenarios were once considered more a fable than a fact, but here we are, in the last days of summer, with a dead-heat, and a contentious environment.

While there are many theories why Obama is only barely leading a McCain campaign that stumbles and mumbles and looks in lockstep with the unlikeable president (his arrogance, his inexperience...his race), the focus now is on the conventions. More immediately, the focus on the VPs at the conventions. McCain's list is still loosey-goosey, with Gov. of Louisiana Bobby Jindal, Mitt Romney, and former PA Gov. Tom Ridge at the head of the pack. But with Obama, only one is getting a fair amount of coverage as of late.

Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana is a political neighbor of Obama's Illinois. Both have hung out frequently lately, and both share characteristics that make them a dreamy tandem (youth, charisma, hollywood looks, and oratorical skills). What they don't share is what might make this duo a less competitive one.

Back in 2002, Sen. Bayh was on the wrong side of things, in respect to Obama's stance on the war. He publicly supported the war, albeit reluctantly, and followed through with his support until lately. His support for the Iraq War would not be so great if he had run in 2004, or even if he was John Kerry's running mate, who also voted in favor of the war. But in 2008, in a campaign that is more and more a referendum on the past 8 years, Sen. Bayh may be a huge liability for Obama, the candidate who said No to the war from the beginning and who is betting his chips of becoming the candidate of change.

There are probably a few reasons why Bayh looks so damn tasty as a VP choice. He is adored in Indiana, coming from a lineage of Indiana politicians (his father was a loved Senator and presidentia candidate in 1976), and filling his own resume with extensive executive experience as two-time Governor of Indiana and serving in his second term as Senator of the same state. His roots are deep; deep enough to make this Republican stalwart state a competitive one. His previous support for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign might assuage the angry Clinton supporters a bit.

Or maybe not.

As we learned in 2004, the electorate is not stupid. It knows what a VP means. And power is not associated with it, not immediately. A VP pick is not as influential as many believe. In 2004, casanova Edwards, the charming, sexy southerner did not help Kerry get ONE southern state...NOT ONE. Not even his home state of South Carolina was competitive. That is because people know the VP isn't important now, but way later, and way later is not important right now.

If Obama picks Bayh, he will have to weigh the risks. A careful campaign of emphasis and de-emphasis on the Indianan Senator's record will be needed. Emphasize the long resume; de-emphasize the war votes. Emphasize his midwesterness; de-emphasize his moderate-conservative votes. Obama will need to calibrate an Evan Bayh VP nomination as much as he calibrated his own.

lhp

Bush STILL Loves The Olympics

Umm...

lhp

Even Bush Loves The Olympics

As little as I think of the guy, I am sure he would make a hell of a wingman.

lhp

Obama Assassination Attempt Stopped

We may forget we are in the year 2008 when stuff like this makes news:

MIAMI - A man is being held in Florida by federal authorities on charges of threatening to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Seriously, if something like this DOES happen, we will go back to state of national confusion and anger not seen since 1968, not to mention erase any notion that we are no longer a country with tense race relations.

A search of Geisel's SUV and hotel room uncovered a loaded handgun, knives, dozens of rounds of ammunition, body armor and a machete. The SUV was wired with emergency lights.

lhp

3 Summer Movies Ready For Oscar

Summer is the designated season for movie fluff and puff. But every now and then, some movies are made seriously enough to be taken serious. They may not end up being Oscar contenders...but they just might. And in summer, no less, the season where big bucks are expected, otherwise your time will be up in one week.

So far, I would argue a few have made a big splash at the box office and at the balcony. The Dark Knight comes to mind, with its skillfully written screenplay and masterful portrayal of the Joker by the deceased Heath Ledger. A possible nod for its cinematography might also occur. The Visitor is in the same boat, with a strong script and even stronger performances. Richard Jenkins is a darkhorse for Best Actor. Wall-E is a piece of art...but unfortunately, it will only be considered a piece on computer-generated art, thereby limiting its acclaim.

There some more, but I suggest looking ahead. The tail-end of the summer tends to give us the movies riding the Summer Blockbuster coattail. They may not be your usual summer fare, and they may be completely made for Oscar season (late fall, winter), but they dabble enough in both to be uniquely intriguing. Here are a few to look out for:

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (aug. 15)

The new flick by Woody Allen, this may be his best since Match Point and as career-defining as Manhattan. If this movie keeps all of its promises, Allen may have found a new New York: Barcelona. He has already found a new muse in Scarlett Johansson. He used Scarlett very well in Match Point, letting her simmer in her sexuality, and from the looks of it, this will be more of the same...in metric doses!

The movie looks fresh, light, and sensual. These are things not usually assigned to Woody Allen pre-Johansson. If this movie delivers, look for a turn to increasingly less neurotic, more exotic work by Woody. And more work with Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

Hamlet 2 (aug. 22)

And now, the darling of Sundance. This movie was bought for an estimated $10million. That is mucho money for a movie that will be controversial, hilarious, and a cult classic. Expect this be played well into the fall.

Burn After Reading (sept. 12)

Made by the Coen bros. What more do you need to know? I have been waiting for this movie ever since I saw Brad Pitt get punched in the face. A great cast, a great plot, and so far, a great soundtrack. Trademarks of a great Coen brothers movie. Let's do it in the back.

lhp

Is The Dark Knight cursed?

This would make no sense if it didn't make so much sense. Consider this breaking News:

Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman was involved in a serious car accident Sunday night in north Mississippi.

So let's see, Heath Ledger died right after finishing the film. Many claim the role of the Joker consumed Ledger, an actor known for his intense immersion in characters, and eventually killed him.

Then Christian Bale was charged with assault and faces criminal repercussions there.

Now this. Morgan Freeman is in critical condition at the moment because of a car accident. My question is this:

Is The Dark Knight the new Poltergeist...the new Exorcist? Is it cursed and bound to lay its curse on all those involved?

lhp

2008=2000: No, You're the Best...No, You Are!

Unfortunately for the ardent right and left-wingers in this vast country of ours, this election is not offering that much entertainment.  The old battle lines are being redrawn...nay, they are being shuffled away.  A liberal and a conservative, in the terms we are used to now, are not in play in this election.  Instead, a Nixonian Republican and a Wilsonian Democrat are duking it out.  But something tells me this may slightly resemble Bush v. Gore of 2000, also.

For a few reasons I believe this election may turn muddy.  Not in the mud-slinging, negative campaigning kind of way (that is almost a certainty and already a reality), but in the sense that the difference between each candidate will be muddied in the center.  Not as much as Bush and Gore in 2000, where, at the time, the only difference between both candidates lied in characteristics (a poor vocabulary versus a stilted one) rather than policies.  Little did we know back then, eh?  

Take, for example, the recent news about offshore oil drilling.  McCain has wavered on the issue, while Obama held ground with his fellow Democrats and opposed the drilling.  As the New York Times reports, this has changed:

A day after Senator Barack Obama said he would consider supporting broad energy legislation that would permit some of the offshore oil drilling he had previously opposed, an aide to Senator John McCain said Sunday that he too might support such a compromise package.  

Both McCain and Obama have gravitated toward the compromising center.  A firm Yes or No is nowhere to be found.  Instead, the "It depends" that makes the center its home is the word of the day.  

It doesn't stop with the drilling.  Both candidates have made shifts in their positions on Iraq, and the environmental issue as a whole so far.  The possibility that more inward moves is likelier by the second, but I doubt this will be 2000 Redux for a few reasons.

• Obama needs to keep the "Medicine" image:  If he becomes too much like McCain, or lets him do the same, he will lose his uniqueness, which includes his "Change" candidate mantra.
• McCain cannot afford to lose the little gains he has made with the conservative base.  Unlike Obama who can go out and slap an undocumented immigrant in the face and still keep the left side of his support, McCain is still trying to woo the right-wingers.  Bob Barr, the independent who could potentially derail McCain's shot at the presidency, is a conservative darling.  Many are still wondering if he should be given their full support and make him a true contender, thereby splitting up the conservative vote and making Obama president by default.
• There is too much passion in this election.  Unlike 2000 where our biggest fear was when the free shipping at Amazon.com would cease to be offered, our list of issues is huge and draws unbelievable passion from all sides.  If the candidates decide to become two heads of the same creature, a missed opportunity at political momentum will be had.

If Obama and McCain become pure pragmatists on all the issues, then they need to articulate that move very well to all of America.  If they fail to do that, then whoever wins, by no matter what margin, will inherit an America with a creeping malaise and lose of hope in their leaders.

lhp