Prairie's Reading: Fake Sincerity

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North Dakota's in inevitability mode...or so the Hoeven Senate campaign wants everyone to believe. Today they're announcing the support of 30 of the state's mayors, including the mayors of Fargo and West Fargo. The appearance of nonpartisanship belies those mayors' Republican ties, but inevitability marches on...and it's not even March yet.

So the article Why do people vote against their own interests? from BBC News caught my interest. [h/t commenter nomolos in attaturk's thread at fdl]

Two key takeaways from fellow frustrated Democrats cited in the article:

Republicans have mastered the art of appealing to emotions and persuading people to vote in ways that make their own situation worse.

And, if you can fake sincerity, you've got it made.

Do I expect the voters to read and learn from this article, or Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas? No.

But it would sure be nice if Democratic candidates and consultants would.
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crossposted at firedoglake's The Seminal

New Senator Kennedy

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Okay, I'm callin' it early.

The state of Connecticut will once again elect a Democratic Senator in 2012:

Ted Kennedy, Jr.
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And the name Joe will have been relegated to least popular birth name and the mopbucket of history.

Put Grassley Out to Pasture

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As a daughter of the heartland, a pioneer homesteaders' grandchild of Dakota Territory, I'm hereby issuing a call to my fellow midwesterners down there Io-way.

Time has come to send the double-talking Senator back to his farm. His knuckling under to the extremist fear-mongers in his party, his spreading the lie about end-of-life care like so much manure in the barnyard tells me it's long past time to send Farmer Grassley back to the farm.

Democrats in Iowa, please run a strong candidate and campaign against Farmer Grassley. Republicans, if you have any sense of decency, tell Farmer Grassley he's become rootbound in the mire of sleazy partisan politics.

Heck, right now, even this guy...ooops, make that This Guy is looking better than the overripe senior Grassley.

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crossposted at firedoglake's The Seminal

Pullin' a Palin

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Amid all the media self-absorption about Sarah Palin's parting-from-the-governor's-office shots at them, there really is one key point that's not getting a lot of conversation:

What if every politician decided to Pull a Palin and quit when it got inconvenient for them to stay in office?

Would their explanations be as incoherent?

And would we talk about their children as if they hadn't shoved 'em "out there" as blatantly as Octomom North?

And will the other politicians step up to the plate and point out what a XGILF ditz she is?
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crossposted at firedoglake/The Seminal

Prairie Recommends: Can't Do Blue Dogs

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Harold Meyerson in the Washington Post takes a pointed look at the Blue Dogs and the Congress and dubs us a Can't Do nation.
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Ganging up on Nancy

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Well, the torture boys are in full throated fingerpointing outrage at Nancy Pelosi, with loads of help from the starry-eyed media. Ooooh, food fight....

Nice try at diversion, guys. Who knows, maybe it'll poison the well...or the jury pool, as it were.

Even squeaky-voiced Newt has gotten into the act.

Ooooh, oooh, she knew, she was told, boogah-boogah...

Okay, let's say we assume she was. Let's say we assume she's covering her posterior. Let's assume, being the astute politician she is, she saw the only way she could change things was to take over the Congress, work to take over the White House. Hmmmm. Mission accomplished.

Now the Nancy bashers, on the other hand, for all their red-raced ranting, cannot cover up one clear, simple fact.

Torture was the policy of the Bush-Chee-knee White House. Torture was micromanaged from within the Bush-Chee-knee White House.

History will sort out the rest. And if Pelosi or any other Democrat should have acted differently, we'll ultimately find out.

But right now, do not insult our intelligence [or in the case of too many in the media, show your ignorance or culpability to cover-up] with partisan screeding spin a la Mr. Newtveau Catholique who already has such an excellent track record with women.

Pivoting to gang up on Nancy 'cause you can't lay a glove on Obama and you don't want people [i.e., the easily led media] talking about the fact that your boyo Rove was scheduled to be questioned in the U.S. attorney firings Friday really shows the desperate and pathetic state of the ReThug party these days.

Chee-knee, Rush, Newt, Rove.

The Four Horses A sses of the Apocalypse decade.
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

It's Chinatown, Jake

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Last night, snowed under up on the northern prairies, needing a little ol' timey feelgood, we watched Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on TCM.

This morning I'm perusing my deadtree edition of the hometown paper, while it lasts, and a coupla thoughts occur. First, yesterday the front page featured a headline right out of the RNC Propaganda Playbook, courtesy the AP Washington bureau (yeh, I know, surprise, suuuurrrrrppprrrizzzzeee): "Is class warfare in plan?"

They don't even make a pretense of keepin' it on op-ed anymore.

And today, another teeny-tiny wee little article: Gregg aided base he invested in.

Yeh. Judd Gregg. Patron saint of santimonious flip-floppery. But, but, but, he broke no laws, he violated no Senate rules.....

That's the problem, now isn't it. And the sanctimony and hypocrisy play on.

Or as Gordonskene said over at C&L: Who ever said Politics was ethical? It's politics, fer chrissake!
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

The Elites Are Different than You and I

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Last week the Rev. Peter J. Gomes noted to Imus that his appearances on the show are a source of astonishment to his friends. I suspect there's a...lurker or two hereabouts that thinks the same about my viewing the show.

But I find the Imus Show is frequently instructive, in a way that transcends Hardball or any of the Sunday morning shows or the other programming of the sputtering media.

Like this morning, when Senator Joe Lieberman graced the show with his bon mots. We learned during the cozy schmoozefest that Imus and his wife dined night before last with the Assistant Secretary of the Senate, Sheila Dwyer, who grew up across the street from Deidre.

We learned that Lieberman still pauses to see what Imus is going to proffer before jumping on the bandwagon—kinda like back in the day when he never believed a black guy could win the White House, so he jumped ship for McCain in true opportunistic Lieberman fashion.

We learned that Lieberman is still a good ol' warmonger and Repubican at heart.

We learned that Lieberman thinks ol' Harry's a good guy. 'nuff said.

And we learned "let me be the first to offer" young Wyatt Imus an internship...'cause it's still not what you know in Lieberman/Old Washington's world, it's who you know.

Just as long as he doesn't have that Mark Foley thing going.

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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

"Yes, Change Is Here"

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Lotsa cheap talk about change, and yes, we are already seeing some dramatic examples coming out of the White House since Inauguration Day.

But how will we really know that change has permeated the entire culture?

Here's how I'll know. When I can tune in to an entire week's news cycles and not react to some bit of news with any of the following:

Republicans obstructed, made up...
Democrats caved...
[fill in yer fave newsreader/"journalist"], adopting the Republicans' talking points....

When I go a whole week without once thinking any of those core memes, then I'll know change has happened, change is ongoing, change is real.

What about you? When will you know change is the real deal?

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Foundation of Bush Straw

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The weakest economy in decades. The House of Bush was built on straw and ephemera.

And churlish gestures like confiscating Blair House so the incoming President and his family were left in the Hay.

George, oh, George, just go away. Lock your gates behind you. Draw up the moats in Dallas.

Take the video of the family building themselves an aircraft carrier for Daddy.

Take your baby sister along with you. And Ma and Pa. And brother Jeb.

And just. go. away.
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"Stunningly Superficial"

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When Zbigniew Brezinski delivered that scathing riposte to some Morning blather from Joe this a.m., he transcended the usual fodder of cable news talking before engaging brain, he delivered the punchline of the entire Bush era of selfishness, greed, blame-gaming, politicizing, warmongering, war profiteering, rightwing pandering, Rushian propaganda whoring, media enabling.... .

"Stunningly superficial."

21 days to go.
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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

Prairie's Short Take

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Who is more delusional?

Rod Blagojevich?

Or George Bush?
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Blair Which Project?

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It started small enough. The Obamas asked about moving into Blair House earlier than the usual five days before Inauguration, so that they could have as easy a transition as possible for their young daughters' schooling.

But no, said the White House, no can do.

Seems that Blair House is all booked up before the fifteenth of January.

By whom?

No foreign dignitaries, according to the State Department.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Could it be that Team BushCo decided to turn Blair House into its official fundraising headquarters after seeing the uproar over the Clintons and the Lincoln Bedroom?

Will we ever know?

'cause the way the corporate media are shedding "journalists" these days, you have to wonder if there's anyone left to do actual ol' gumshoe reporting. If they were actually so inclined to tear themselves away from the desperate effort to somehow tie Barack Obama to Blagojevich's corruption.

Of course, the media stenos have given Team BushCo a pass for the last eight years. Why would they start doing actual reporting now?

I must remember to ask Dancin' Dave about that one....

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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

What Did He Know and When Did He

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The local Minneapolis Fox News station reports that Norm Coleman had a fancy-dancy home remo cost overrun coincident with when Kaseminy allegedly funneled money to Coleman's wife.

The media have had loads of fun the last few days playing gotcha games about Obama's possible links to Blago and the Senate seat. 'cause they don't want their pretty little heads muddled up by facts like Fitzgerald reported, absolving Obama and his team.

If I've heard "what did he know and when did he know it" once I've heard it enough to be ready for drinking game rehab... and then there's "ticktock"—Norah O'Donnell's new favorite word. The press lemmings are readin' their RNC scripts again....

Meanwhile, details that local Fox recounts about Coleman and his little home remodel start to sound downright Ted Stevens.

So where is the national press? Their giant barnacle-encrusted oil tanker selves apparently can't steer in any direction but what the Republi/corpse want them to cover.

And right now that's the Obama Senate seat controversy—but not to worry. Norah assures us the vast majority of Democrats "appear" to be supporting Obama. (Funny how that "emPHAsis" thing comes across, isn't it?)

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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

Workin' for the Man

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Given the latest unemployment numbers...it probably comes as no surprise that a small number of dead-enders from the Bush Administration are still intent on hanging on to their jobs, despite the overwhelming public clamor for change from all things Bush, McCain voters and Obama voters alike.

Down in Florida, NASA obstructiveness is stirring the pot of a smooth Obama transition.

Meanwhile back up here in North Dakota, the public relations campaign for Drew Wrigley continues with today's op-ed laying out the case for retaining Wrigley. "More and more" favor it, opines rightwing talk radio host Scott Hennen. Okay. The Forum's editorial board. A coupla letter writers. Now the hometown Hannity. I guess that constitutes more and more. More and more conservative pot of ink owners and right wing talkers, that is.

"Some say," though, that relying on the guy who chortled with Cheney about waterboarding doesn't exactly burnish your argument.

"More and more" say that we're seeing the same meta-strategy from outliers and dead-enders like NASA's Mike Griffin and ND US Atty Drew Wrigley that we've seen all along from Team BushCo: public relations strategy instead of substance.

Guess they didn't get the memo.

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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

Dorgan's Energies

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Okay, I admit to a wee bit o'bias. But when I read in our hometown newspaper that Senator Byron Dorgan's name has been taken off the shortlist of those under consideration for Secretary of Energy, my first reaction was:

Whew!

Keep North Dakota's junior senator right where he is in the Senate seems to be the mutual, wise take of both the Obama team and Dorgan's constituents.

We love him dearly. And he clearly loves North Dakota. His re-election campaign in red state North Dakota in 2010 should be a virtual lock, based on the long-standing high regard Dorgan has earned through his career of public service in ND.

Even if the guy running against him should be the current Governor John, um, Jo..., what's his name now? Current governor Hoeven's main claim to fame hereabouts seems to be his virtual nonentity-ness. The best cred he's got is a Scandinavian surname in this wee state.

Nevertheless his name is being bandied about as an opponent for Dorgan in 2010. Although I see an emerging other potential contender in current US Atty Drew Wrigley, now in the process of almost weekly staged campaign-style press events designed to pump up his name recognition. Right outa the Rovian playbook of Team BushCo. All of a sudden, since the election, he's popping up everywhere.

So there's much to play out in the next two years. But there's one other thing that could play out. Call it my Christmas wish from Santa.

Obama—and we in North Dakota—value the strong integrity and leadership of Senator Dorgan. So I'm thinking maybe Dorgan should be considered for another post...by his colleagues in the Senate.

Majority Leader Dorgan. Has a nice ring to it, doncha think?

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crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette

Backstabber Joe's First Test...

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Will it be Disingenuous Joe? Self-Righteous Joe? Self-Pitying Joe? Or soon-to-revert-to-old-tactics Joe? "Democrat" Joe? Or, a Joe-to-be-named-later?

Lie-berman's set to be interviewed by Katie Couric. One hopes he gets the full Sarah Palin treatment.

Joe's first test of the Obama Era begins now.

And meanwhile, the House shows the Senate how it's done....

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(crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette)

Survivor: Democratic Caucus

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Tuesday, Joe Lie-berman will make his presentation before the Democratic Caucus on why he should retain his chairmanship of the Dept. of Homeland Security. There's a Survivor quality to all this. Who are the alliances? Who will vote the opposite of what's expected? What will the final vote be?

There have been public statements on both sides airing in the media, and enormous conversation in the blogosphere. But the ultimate decision will be made behind closed doors. It's not just that we won't hear the presentation. (Yeah, I'm bettin' it'll be one of those non-apology apologies, too.) It's that we won't hear each Senator's comments. But there'll likely be much posturing and venting and "unacceptables" and "Joe's a good friend of mine..." back and forth.

But what it really comes down to is, if the cronies trump the accountability, then how can the American people ever trust you again, Senators? Because it's gone beyond whether the Democratic Caucus can trust one that they profess is really, scratch the surface campaign sins, one of their own...

While the caucus will decide, it's not for the caucus or for the ego of Joe Lie-berman or for the netroots or for the good of the Senate or for Cokie and the punditocracy or whatever that this decision will be made.

It's for the integrity of representative democracy...and whether one Senator can set himself above all the other Senators, above the voters, above his own word...whether he can play God. And in the doing, flout ethics, flout responsibility to his oath of office, flout honor and trustworthiness. Whether he can obstruct and subvert the oversight responsibilities of the chair and then blithely expect to sit in it again.

The voters have spoken on that. And now, the Democratic Caucus must speak.

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The Magic 60

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In the smackdown that is the current contention over Lieberman's hold on the chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee, the latest wrinkle I've run across is Evan Bayh's proffer that this must not drag out because poor widdle Pal Joey might get bitter.

Well, he's already gotten hypocritical, self-serving, nasty and bald-faced lying. Oh yeah, and there is that whole Katrina thing. So bitter?

Spare me the incestuous coziness of the Incumbent Class.

The backstage maneuverings by Dodd [and thanks, Iowa, you did us a favor], Bayh and others to grease the skids of the return of Lie-berman may achieve their end of the restoration—but not the rehabilitation—of the whiny Independent Joe.

But I'm still holding out for Lieberman--caucus of one. When Joe turns out to be the backstabbing, self-serving scorpion once again, don't tell me "who could have anticipated..." I got enough of that Condi-esque crap from the Senate Democratic voters for the Iraq War Resolution. And the $700 Billion bait-n-switch bailout.

Delude yourselves, Senators. 'tain't foolin' me.

And as for that magic number 60, has anybody thought of lookin' at who on the Republican side is vulnerable in 2010? Or 2012? Why can't we reach 60 the old-fashioned way? Flip a senator....

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(crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette)

Hometown Hate...Meet the Gilby Effect

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Elementary schoolkids chanting "assassinate Obama" on a bus in ultra-conservative Madison County, Idaho.

It's not the only pocket of ignorance and racism exposed in the aftermath of the election of Barack Obama....

There's also that football bimbo down at the U of Texas. And a certain northern governor whose fifteen minutes of fame ran out days ago. And a swath of voters in the Ozarks-Appalachian region....

And scatterings wherever ignorance and fearmongering from pulpit or email and extremist hate building from the likes of the NRA and Hannity and Limbaugh and Lieberman terrorized the sheep.

So I thought today might be a good day to tell you that things do change.

Growing up in North Dakota, one of the ground zeroes for ultra-right and John Bircher politics was a tiny town called Gilby.

And in 2008, when all the votes were counted, John McCain had 137.

And Barack Obama, 138.

Call it the Gilby Effect, or voting your conscience even if you won't admit it, or backlash against Gov. Gypsy-Grifter that even the Republicans couldn't accept, or whatever.

North Dakota was still a red state this year overall. But the Red River Valley of the North was decidedly blue--and that included a tiny speck on the map named Gilby.

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(Crossposted at firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette)