For Republicans, the stunning victory in both the presidential race and the Senate and Congressional races seemed almost incomprehensible Tuesday night. […]

“I am still in shock,” said Ralph Johnson. “A new president can make some changes, but with a new Senate and a revitalized House…” his voice trailed off in seeming awe of the prospect. […]

“There goes the national debt right there,” one observer commented when Magnuson, McCormack and Church were named losers by the television networks.

(November 5, 1980)

“We want to give you a chance to talk to our candidate and to restate our demand that Pigasus be given Secret Service protection and be brought to the White House for his foreign policy briefing.”
Jerry Rubin at the nomination of Pigasus for president of the USA

“They nominate a president and he eats the people. We nominate a president and the people eat him.”
Pigasus nominators’ slogan

The nomination of the boar hog Pigasus for President of the United States by the Yippies had been the most “transcendentally lucid” political act of the twentieth century.

Jon Stewart, Paul Begala, Tucker Carlson:
[…]
STEWART: Why do you argue, the two of you?

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: I hate to see it.

CARLSON: We enjoy it.

STEWART: Let me ask you a question.

CARLSON: Well, let me ask you a question first.

STEWART: All right.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Is John Kerry — is John Kerry really the best? I mean, John Kerry has…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: Is he the best? I thought Lincoln was good.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Is he the best the Democrats can do?

STEWART: Is he the best the Democrats can do?

CARLSON: Yes, this year of the whole field.

STEWART: I had always thought, in a democracy — and, again, I don’t know — I’ve only lived in this country — that there’s a process. They call them primaries.

CARLSON: Right.

STEWART: And they don’t always go with the best, but they go with whoever won. So is he the best? According to the process.

CARLSON: Right. But of the nine guys running, who do you think was best. Do you think he was the best, the most impressive?

STEWART: The most impressive?

CARLSON: Yes.

STEWART: I thought Al Sharpton was very impressive.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: I enjoyed his way of speaking.

I think, oftentimes, the person that knows they can’t win is allowed to speak the most freely, because, otherwise, shows with titles, such as CROSSFIRE.

BEGALA: CROSSFIRE.

STEWART: Or “HARDBALL” or “I’m Going to Kick Your Ass” or…

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: Will jump on it.

In many ways, it’s funny. And I made a special effort to come on the show today, because I have privately, amongst my friends and also in occasional newspapers and television shows, mentioned this show as being bad.

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: We have noticed.

STEWART: And I wanted to — I felt that that wasn’t fair and I should come here and tell you that I don’t — it’s not so much that it’s bad, as it’s hurting America.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: But in its defense…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: So I wanted to come here today and say…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: Here’s just what I wanted to tell you guys.

CARLSON: Yes.

STEWART: Stop.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America.

BEGALA: OK. Now

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: And come work for us, because we, as the people…

CARLSON: How do you pay?

STEWART: The people — not well.

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: Better than CNN, I’m sure.

STEWART: But you can sleep at night.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: See, the thing is, we need your help. Right now, you’re helping the politicians and the corporations. And we’re left out there to mow our lawns.

BEGALA: By beating up on them? You just said we’re too rough on them when they make mistakes.

STEWART: No, no, no, you’re not too rough on them. You’re part of their strategies. You are partisan, what do you call it, hacks.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Wait, Jon, let me tell you something valuable that I think we do that I’d like to see you…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: Something valuable?

CARLSON: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: I would like to hear it.

CARLSON: And I’ll tell you.

When politicians come on…

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: It’s nice to get them to try and answer the question. And in order to do that, we try and ask them pointed questions. I want to contrast our questions with some questions you asked John Kerry recently.

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: … up on the screen.

STEWART: If you want to compare your show to a comedy show, you’re more than welcome to.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: No, no, no, here’s the point.

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: If that’s your goal.

CARLSON: It’s not.

STEWART: I wouldn’t aim for us. I’d aim for “Seinfeld.” That’s a very good show.

CARLSON: Kerry won’t come on this show. He will come on your show.

STEWART: Right.

CARLSON: Let me suggest why he wants to come on your show.

STEWART: Well, we have civilized discourse.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Well, here’s an example of the civilized discourse.

Here are three of the questions you asked John Kerry.

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: You have a chance to interview the Democratic nominee. You asked him questions such as — quote — “How are you holding up? Is it hard not to take the attacks personally?”

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: “Have you ever flip-flopped?” et cetera, et cetera.

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: Didn’t you feel like — you got the chance to interview the guy. Why not ask him a real question, instead of just suck up to him?

STEWART: Yes. “How are you holding up?” is a real suck-up. And I actually giving him a hot stone massage as we were doing it.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: It sounded that way. It did.

STEWART: You know, it’s interesting to hear you talk about my responsibility.

CARLSON: I felt the sparks between you.

STEWART: I didn’t realize that — and maybe this explains quite a bit.

CARLSON: No, the opportunity to…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: … is that the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: So what I would suggest is, when you talk about you’re holding politicians’ feet to fire, I think that’s disingenuous. I think you’re…

CARLSON: “How are you holding up?” I mean, come on.

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: No, no, no. But my role isn’t, I don’t think…

CARLSON: But you can ask him a real question, don’t you think, instead of saying…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: I don’t think I have to. By the way, I also asked him, “Were you in Cambodia?” But I didn’t really care.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: Because I don’t care, because I think it’s stupid.

CARLSON: I can tell.

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: But my point is this. If your idea of confronting me is that I don’t ask hard-hitting enough news questions, we’re in bad shape, fellows. (LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: We’re here to love you, not confront you.

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: We’re here to be nice.

STEWART: No, no, no, but what I’m saying is this. I’m not. I’m here to confront you, because we need help from the media and they’re hurting us. And it’s — the idea is…

(APPLAUSE)

(CROSSTALK)

BEGALA: Let me get this straight. If the indictment is — if the indictment is — and I have seen you say this — that…

STEWART: Yes.

BEGALA: And that CROSSFIRE reduces everything, as I said in the intro, to left, right, black, white.

STEWART: Yes.

BEGALA: Well, it’s because, see, we’re a debate show.

STEWART: No, no, no, no, that would be great.

BEGALA: It’s like saying The Weather Channel reduces everything to a storm front.

STEWART: I would love to see a debate show.

BEGALA: We’re 30 minutes in a 24-hour day where we have each side on, as best we can get them, and have them fight it out.

STEWART: No, no, no, no, that would be great. To do a debate would be great. But that’s like saying pro wrestling is a show about athletic competition.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: Jon, Jon, Jon, I’m sorry. I think you’re a good comedian. I think your lectures are boring.

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: Let me ask you a question on the news.

STEWART: Now, this is theater. It’s obvious. How old are you?

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: Thirty-five.

STEWART: And you wear a bow tie.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

CARLSON: Yes, I do. I do.

STEWART: So this is…

CARLSON: I know. I know. I know. You’re a…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: So this is theater.

CARLSON: Now, let me just…

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: Now, come on.

STEWART: Now, listen, I’m not suggesting that you’re not a smart guy, because those are not easy to tie.

CARLSON: They’re difficult.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: But the thing is that this — you’re doing theater, when you should be doing debate, which would be great.

BEGALA: We do, do…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: It’s not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery. And I will tell you why I know it.

CARLSON: You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you’re accusing us of partisan hackery?

STEWART: Absolutely.

CARLSON: You’ve got to be kidding me. He comes on and you…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: You’re on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: What is wrong with you?

(APPLAUSE) CARLSON: Well, I’m just saying, there’s no reason for you — when you have this marvelous opportunity not to be the guy’s butt boy, to go ahead and be his butt boy. Come on. It’s embarrassing.

STEWART: I was absolutely his butt boy. I was so far — you would not believe what he ate two weeks ago.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: You know, the interesting thing I have is, you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.

CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.

STEWART: You need to go to one.

The thing that I want to say is, when you have people on for just knee-jerk, reactionary talk…

CARLSON: Wait. I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny.

STEWART: No. No. I’m not going to be your monkey.

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: Go ahead. Go ahead.

STEWART: I watch your show every day. And it kills me.

CARLSON: I can tell you love it.

STEWART: It’s so — oh, it’s so painful to watch.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: You know, because we need what you do. This is such a great opportunity you have here to actually get politicians off of their marketing and strategy.

CARLSON: Is this really Jon Stewart? What is this, anyway?

STEWART: Yes, it’s someone who watches your show and cannot take it anymore.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: I just can’t.

CARLSON: What’s it like to have dinner with you? It must be excruciating. Do you like lecture people like this or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them; they’re not doing the right thing, that they’re missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?

STEWART: If I think they are.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: I wouldn’t want to eat with you, man. That’s horrible.

STEWART: I know. And you won’t. But the thing I want to get to…

BEGALA: We did promise naked pictures of the Supreme Court justices.

CARLSON: Yes, we did. Let’s get to those.

(CROSSTALK)

BEGALA: They’re in this book, which is a very funny book.

STEWART: Why can’t we just talk — please, I beg of you guys, please.

CARLSON: I think you watch too much CROSSFIRE.

We’re going to take a quick break.

STEWART: No, no, no, please.

CARLSON: No, no, hold on. We’ve got commercials.

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: Please. Please stop.

CARLSON: Next, Jon Stewart in the “Rapid Fire.”

STEWART: Please stop.

CARLSON: Hopefully, he’ll be here, we hope, we think.

(APPLAUSE)

CARLSON: And then, did U.S. soldiers refuse an order in Iraq. Wolf Blitzer has the latest on this investigation right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CARLSON: Welcome back to CROSSFIRE.

We’re talking to Jon Stewart, who was just lecturing us on our moral inferiority.

Jon, you’re bumming us out. Tell us, what do you think about the Bill O’Reilly vibrator story?

STEWART: I’m sorry. I don’t.

CARLSON: Oh, OK.

STEWART: What do you think?

BEGALA: Let me change the subject.

STEWART: Where’s your moral outrage on this?

CARLSON: I don’t have any.

STEWART: I know.

BEGALA: Which candidate do you suppose would provide you better material?

STEWART: I’m sorry?

BEGALA: Which candidate do you suppose would provide you better material if he won?

STEWART: Mr. T. I think he’d be the funniest. I don’t…

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: Don’t you have a stake in it that way, as not just a citizen, but as a professional comic?

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: Right, which I hold to be much more important than as a citizen.

BEGALA: Well, there you go.

(LAUGHTER)

BEGALA: But who would you provide you better material, do you suppose?

STEWART: I don’t really know. That’s kind of not how we look at it. We look at, the absurdity of the system provides us the most material. And that is best served by sort of the theater of it all, you know, which, by the way, thank you both, because it’s been helpful.

(LAUGHTER)

CARLSON: But, if Kerry gets elected, is it going to — you have said you’re voting for him. You obviously support him. It’s clear. Will it be harder for you to mock his administration if he becomes president?

STEWART: No. Why would it be harder?

CARLSON: Because you support…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: The only way it would be harder is if his administration is less absurd than this one. So, in that case, if it’s less absurd, then, yes, I think it would be harder.

But, I mean, it would be hard to top this group, quite frankly.

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

STEWART: In terms of absurdity and their world matching up to the one that — you know, it was interesting. President Bush was saying, John Kerry’s rhetoric doesn’t match his record.

But I’ve heard President Bush describe his record. His record doesn’t match his record.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: So I don’t worry about it in that respect.

But let me ask you guys, again, a question, because we talked a little bit about, you’re actually doing honest debate and all that. But, after the debates, where do you guys head to right afterwards?

CARLSON: The men’s room.

STEWART: Right after that?

BEGALA: Home.

STEWART: Spin alley.

BEGALA: Home.

STEWART: No, spin alley.

BEGALA: What are you talking about? You mean at these debates?

STEWART: Yes. You go to spin alley, the place called spin alley. Now, don’t you think that, for people watching at home, that’s kind of a drag, that you’re literally walking to a place called deception lane?

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: Like, it’s spin alley. It’s — don’t you see, that’s the issue I’m trying to talk to you guys…

BEGALA: No, I actually believe — I have a lot of friends who work for President Bush. I went to college with some of them.

CARLSON: Neither of us was ever in the spin room, actually.

(BELL RINGING)

BEGALA: No, I did — I went to do the Larry King show.

They actually believe what they’re saying. They want to persuade you. That’s what they’re trying to do by spinning. But I don’t doubt for a minute these people who work for President Bush, who I disagree with on everything, they believe that stuff, Jon. This is not a lie or a deception at all. They believe in him, just like I believe in my guy.

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: I think they believe President Bush would do a better job.

And I believe the Kerry guys believe President Kerry would do a better job. But what I believe is, they’re not making honest arguments. So what they’re doing is, in their mind, the ends justify the means.

(CROSSTALK)

BEGALA: I don’t think so at all.

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: I do think you’re more fun on your show. Just my opinion.

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: OK, up next, Jon Stewart goes one on one with his fans…

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: You know what’s interesting, though? You’re as big a dick on your show as you are on any show.

In some ways, as we live apolitical and more cultural lives, you can chunk policy decisions by the wayside and assess political eras by way of what pop culture floats around.

Why did Carter have to go? Because nobody had a damned clue what Foreigner was talking about. (No. Feel free to tell me what that song means.) And the Reagan era would, at the very least, spawn some music reacting against the Reagan era… if we have a waterd down retro-50s feel, then go ahead and bring out Black Sabbath!

Unfortunately, this ties Clinton to Limp Bizkit. Unless we mark Limp Bizkit as a prelude to Bush (but we can’t… because Limp Bizkit is just an echo of, say, Korn.) Britney Spears, borne of 1999, was, on the other hand, a definite prelude to Bush. (Her demise may well prove to be a prelude to Bush’s demise.)

The VH1 “Behind the Music” episode on 1992 (this was more or less after they ran out of bands to do) has James Carville saying describing the pop cultural shifts in league with the demise of Reagan – Bush and the rise of Clinton… The vestiges of the Bush I era being “Hair Metal”, Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli, and the final popular faze of Michael Jackson. For whatever it’s worth, Clinton heralded in with the whinings of Kurt Cobain… analyze the ramnifications at your disposal.

Anyways… we’re not so much gunning to get rid of George W Bush era, as we are trying to get rid of the Toby Keith era.

American Girls and American Guys
We’ll always stand up and salute
We’ll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There’s a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head

My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard
Until the day that he died
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy
In the land of the free.

Now this nation that I love
Has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin’ in
From somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the 4th of July

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin’ her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it’s gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin’ her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you’ll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
`Cause we`ll put a boot in your ass
It`s the American way

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin’ her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it’s gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin’ her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

Yes. Let Freedom Reign … Down onto you, if you know what I mean.

The cliche. The cliche. The cliche. “Fasten your seatbelt… Bumpy ride.” and all of that.

After the results come flying in on November 2, it’s going to look as though the election really could not have gone any other way, as though nothing either candidate could do could have possibly competed against historical and political factors making up the landscape.

The last poll I heard: Bush 49%, Kerry 49%. The magic demarcor for this election, and for the incumbant — the number he needs to poll above in the last polls to probably win, looks to be 49%…

What we know is this.

George W Bush is running against Ted Kennedy. You saw that in the final debate when he made a Fruedian slip, and referred to John Kerry as Ted Kennedy. Flip-flopper has faded into the past. “Liberal” is in. I suspect that Bush Campaign may be confusing the map with the terrain here, and the Bush campaign themes may not be looking like 1988 and become instead 1992, with (ahem) My dog Millie knows more about foreign policy than these two bozos. and You know why I call him Ozone Man?” Bush said. “This guy is so far out in the environmental extreme, we’ll be up to our neck in owls and outta work for every American. He is way out, far out, man.

What’s the message? Elect an out of step Liberal, and the next thing you know the nation will be facing a historically huge budget deficit??

Every comparision with this election that my mind imagines right now comes back to the three Bush elections of 88, 92, and 2000. 1980 vaguely echoes, but we’d need, at the very least, Tom DeLay to lose to Richard Morrison to be able to make such a comparision with what looks at best like a middle – range large Kerry victory, not a landslide… 1992 in scope.

The two possible sleeper issues … gay marriage, on the ballot in various states, and The Draft. One would usher Bush into power, the other would usher Kerry into power.

As per that, the massive voting registration has been comleted, and not fully tabulated. Democrats have a coalition of Bush-detractors and the previously apathetic. Republicans have a massive pew-drive.

As per the massive voting suppression drive… I have no comment.

The Rove – designed trick: Sinclair Broadcasting and Stolen Honor and Carlton Sherwood. (It’s called a google bomb.) For the sake of the underemployed Ohio guy that’s supposedly going to decide the election, who don’t like traitors.

But then again… we may be in the Land of Diminishing Returns on that route. The big splash that was the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is done. The shock has been absorbed. After all, the president is insisting the he go to community college.

No idea what else Rove has.

Something is going to break shortly.

Oregonians: vote NOW! Put that ballot in the ballot box immediately. The parties will be able to keep tabs on the number of Dems, Republicans, and Independents who have cast their ballot, and will be able to plot the three week voting drive accordingly as they go along. High Democratic turnout early is a morale boost to bust out every last registered D-leaning voter they can find.

The Democratic Senator of Minnesota, Mike Dayton, has closed up his Senate office.

Time for the Conspiracy Theorists to put this in light with the Paul Wellstone death. As likely to be a Clinton Cabal Murder as it is a Bush Cabal Murder… Wellstone being, in the end, separate from the Democratic Party to a certain extent in principled voting habits, and the man who replaced him on the ballot, Walter Mondale, being a Council on Foreign Relations member who would’ve not created any waves and would’ve toed the New World Order line.

Or something like that.

The greater puzzle for the Conspiracy Theorists is: What does Dayton know that we don’t? and What is the message that this is sending?, perhaps trying to telegraph to the public at large.

Saw some Democratic Minnesota blogger say that this is making him a laughingstock, and cementing him as a one-term Senator.

And saw someone else say that the Senator is essentially calling their bluff on terror warnings.

“There’s no new threat or information pertaining to a threat that’s come in. We continue to advise (people) to take caution … but there’s no new information that we’ve put out,” said Sgt. Contricia Ford of the U.S. Capitol Police.

Brian Roehrkasse, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, added: “We have not made a recommendation for any members of Congress to close their offices, and we do not have any specific threat reporting indicating that Washington, D.C., and the Capitol is a target.”

But Dayton told reporters in Minneapolis that Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, recently briefed lawmakers on a “top-secret intelligence report on our national security.”

“I would not bring my two sons to Capitol Hill between now and the elections,” he said.

Dayton issued a statement earlier in the day, announcing that he was closing his Washington office until after the election.

“I do so out of extreme, but necessary, precaution to protect the lives and safety of my Senate staff and my Minnesota constituents, who might otherwise visit my office in the next few weeks. I feel compelled to do so, because I will not be here in Washington to share in what I consider to be an unacceptably greater risk to their safety.”

Recall right after 9/11, the House closed up shop due to a threat of Anthrax and the Senate kept on going. Or it was vice versa, I don’t remember. The NY Post, or some similar rag, ran the headline “COWARDS”.

The reality is it was a prudent decision, and the nation is not going to self-destruct because a chamber of Congress shuts down for a brief duration.

Or, right after 9/11… when Tom Daschle (or was it Dan Rather, or was it both?), Tom Brokaw, and the National Inquirer received Anthrax in the mail…

The name of National Inquirer’s umbrella company… “American Media”.

So, you attack the supposed leader of the supposed Liberal party, a face or two of the supposed Liberal Media, and the “American Media”?

Then again, it’s possible that you just hit the man who a quick google or whatever search shows as the leader of the high chamber of Congress, whoever and whatever his specific domestic politics are pretty moot, and you were attacking… in a broad sense… the “American Media”.

That story has fallen into the ether.

Anyways…

What did we Learn?

Bob Schieffer was the big loser of the debate.

And that is, will our children and grandchildren ever live in a world as safe and secure as the world in which we grew up?

I’m not sure how old Schieffer is. I believe Kerry would’ve been in Junior High during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I’m sure he did the whole “Duck and Cover” routine at his New England Prep school. Bush, a few years younger than Kerry, likely did the same in his New England Prep school.

We are talking about protecting ourselves from the unexpected, but the flu season is suddenly upon us. Flu kills thousands of people every year.

Suddenly we find ourselves with a severe shortage of flu vaccine. How did that happen?

While we’re at it, What are you gonna do about the pothole on State Street? Clinton often seemed as though he were campaigning and operating as Mayor of America. I thought the 90s were over.

Bush’s answer was a little odd. Canada is good for flu vaccines, but not for prescription drugs in the main? Kerry used the question to riff on Health Care.

SCHIEFFER: You were asked before the invasion, or after the invasion, of Iraq if you’d checked with your dad. And I believe, I don’t remember the quote exactly, but I believe you said you had checked with a higher authority.

I would like to ask you, what part does your faith play on your policy decisions?

NOTHING substantive can possibly come out of that question.

SCHIEFFER: We’ve come, gentlemen, to our last question. And it occurred to me as I came to this debate tonight that the three of us share something. All three of us are surrounded by very strong women. We’re all married to strong women. Each of us have two daughters that make us very proud.

I’d like to ask each of you, what is the most important thing you’ve learned from these strong women?

What is this… Oprah?

I’m tempted to put the “Kerry — Catholic” question in the same category, but I’ll give it a bye because I’m feeling generous in regards to what makes a legitimate question for the presidential wannabes.

Other than that:

BUSH: Gosh, I just don’t think I ever said I’m not worried about Osama bin Laden. It’s kind of one of those exaggerations.

Thank you, Bush. Now the programs where the blabbering classes congregate have an excuse to replay that clip over and over and over and over again.

And since that’s probably the line that’s going to be repeated and reverberated in the nation’s conciousness… Kerry wins.

If you want to know what the right-wing radio talk shows are going to plow over and reverberate: well, beyond Kerry the Liberal, and what a low blow it was to play the Lesbian daughter card.

Other bullshit moments exist. John Marshal’s opinion is pretty accurate in regards to In all due respect, I’m not so sure it’s credible to quote leading news organizations about — oh, never mind… “ooh, he just whipped CBS”… seems to be a lagging example of the “Bubble Effect.” Most notably, one laughs at loud here:

BUSH: Actually, I made my intentions — made my views clear. I did think we ought to extend the assault weapons ban, and was told the fact that the bill was never going to move, because Republicans and Democrats were against the assault weapon ban, people of both parties

Don’t try to analyze the words or explain them. Just mock them.

Go to the comments for “COBURN WARNS OF “RAMPANT LESBIANISM.”… The comments relate to Coburn’s concern over what’s a’happening to Southeast Oklahoma schools:

The Tom Coburn comment: “Our [campaign] rep down here in the southeast area, he lives in Colgate and travels out of Atoka. He was telling me lesbianism is so rampant in some of the schools in southeast Oklahoma that they’ll only let one girl go to the bathroom. Now think about it. Think about that issue. How is it that that’s happened to us?”

Liberal Media Watcher: I comment like that is not going to hurt Coburn. This is not California or New York, this is Oklahoma.
Coburn has regain alot of the support he lost over the last couple of weeks.
You notice carson isn’t jumping all of this b/c he knows it would be the kiss of death to be seen has stand up for the radical homosexual lobby.
Liberal Media Watcher

Proud Dem: That must be why this race is a toss up, instead of safe R. Humphries would have been able to win. Coburn is a stupid version of Alan Keyes. He can’t open his mouth without saying something stupid.

Corey: I think that Coburn and his former choice for President, Alan Keyes may be engaging in an inside joke, trying to outdo each other on the campaign trail.
Tomorrow, is the first Keyes-Obama debate. I bet Alan Keyes is going to come out with something real good in order to one up Coburn!

Ethan Quinn: I don’t think the fact that they are talking about homosexuals hurts as much as the fac that Coburn just made shit up. Lying usually doesn’t go down well in any state.

Corey: Democrats should probably feel they would be better off having someone like the anti-gay Coburn in office so they can vilify him and use him to raise money, than they would with the anti-gay Carson.
…………………

The odd thing about these comments — from across the political spectrum — is that they are all very prescient. Occasionally contradictory (does the bizarre comment hurt or help Coburn? And why does it hurt or help Coburn? What’s the trade-off for the nation’s Democrats in a vote for Daschle over Frist to organize the Senate with a vote against much of what they care for and for much of what they don’t?), but even in the contradictions we find the nuggets of truth.

Stare at the Senate races that are going to decide which party controls the chamber, and a vague sense of dread washes over me. Meet the Press has been airing debates between some of the Senate candidates: Oklahoma? The Democrat is running off of support for all of Bush’s major initiatives. The Republican looks like a goofy version of Alan Keyes (the only Congressional figure to endorse him for the nomination in 2000), is the great hope of the Club of Growth (whose major goals are to replace the tax code with either a national sales tax or a flat tax; to shrink the size of government to that size where you could drown it in your bathtub [and here we get into a Leninist argument that’s best described with Andrew Sullivan’s disgust at the political system: one party supports solvent big government, the other insolvent big government. The Insolvent Big Government is useful because it de-legitimizes gummint and forces drastic cuts in the future.], and to get something named after Ronald Reagan in every county in the USA.). To his credit, Coburn has some problems with the Patriot Act — an area of concern that Brad Carson, for the sake of proving he ain’t no liberal — can’t come near.

With the Colorado race, Tim Russert asked the question “Knowing what you know now — no WMDs — would Congress have authorized the use of force in Iraq?” The Democratic candidate answered with a slightly more hawkish straddle than Kerry. The Republican candidate provided us with the answer that common sense dictates is the correct answer to the question: “No.”

I don’t want to touch the plight of Tom Daschle.

In a week, everybody’s going to know how things are shaking up in Kentucky… which may end up being the Upset of the Election year. The national trend line this election cycle seems to be that the Republicans are losing their minds (to wit I refer to the Illinois Republican Party for picking Alan Keyes, and comments made by him, Tom Coburn, and Jim DeMint). In the case of Kentucky, that… sadly for him… appears to be the case… literally. (And, yes, that is a mean and insensitive joke.) (Since I already directed the readers to politics1 and I’m too lazy to dig up a different summary of Kentucky events, I’ll direct everyone to “WHAT’S THE STORY WITH SENATOR BUNNING?”

Anyway: I made some changes with the parlor game that is the listings of Senate races. The Republican longshot pick-up opportunites seem to have not gotten the momentum that they’d need. Kentucky has opened up somewhat for the Democrats. Pennsylvania, what with the Republican Senator that National Review called “The Senate’s Worst Republican” and a strong 3rd party challenge from the right-wing Constitution party — remains there. It’s… fairly interesting. The Democratic Party had a bad hand going in, and have managed to come out well. But I don’t know what the meaning of 51 people corralled together who slap themselves on the back due to nothing but a shared “D” after their name means in connection with a second Bush term or a first Kerry term.