This is the first episode of our new podcast, BAMMF! Cast. In this episode, we talk about the recent Batman casting news, the upcoming Spiderman movie, and the Golden Globes. I invite you all to give a listen, give us any feedback you have, and pass it on if you like it. This will be a weekly podcast, which you can subscribe to at bammfcast.podbean.com.
Will he order the State Department to cancel any contracts they have with Blackwater? Even further, would he support legislation restricting their use, as well for other contractors?
I'm hoping yes, but I suspect this will fall under governing from the center and he'll cave on it like he did for FISA.
I'll start off by saying that I was quite pleased with the majority of the results on election day, and overall I think the country is better off for it. However, I issue a word of caution and a history lesson.
There are all kinds of pet issues that can be resolved with this Congress that are frankly unimportant and decisive. Issues like D.C. statehood, sweeping gun control, censorship laws to protect children, etc. We should abandon them all in favor of pushing through the most salient problems with America. Health Care, Energy, Economics, Education. Go big on these issues. Streamline and digitize the bureaucracy. Because if you don't, recall the election in 2004.
For four years prior to the election, the Republicans passed a sweeping agenda that included things like wiretapping US citizens without a warrant, a hard line immigration stance, and deregulation of emissions and finance. They ignored the big issues in lieu of pushing social wedges and adhering to their ideology. Pet Republican issues were being pushed through at an alarming rate. And in 2004, they won again.
After that election, Karl Rove had declared that the Republicans had created a "permanent majority" that would last a generation. We know now that isn't the case, but why it isn't is important. Two things led to the Republican collapse. Hubris and an unwavering, non-negotiable agenda.
There are two paths you can go down in the next two years. You can go the way of the Republicans, forcing a divisive agenda that doesn't address the huge problems we face, benefiting your special interest golf buddies. Or, you can do the smart thing. You can find consensus on these issues, compromise with the minority, and truly change things.
The Democratic brand the last few years has emphasized, at least nominally, the idea that we are a United States of America and that partisanship is a negative force in our politics. It's time for you to prove it.
First on the VP question. This is what she agrees with:
"perhaps the best that can be said is that the vice president belongs neither to the executive nor to the legislative branch, but is attached by the constitution to the latter"
Yes, that's exactly what we need more of. More secret energy meetings with corporate executives. More hardball micromanaging of the legislative branch. More cronyism. More politicization of what are supposed to be nonpartisan organs of our government. More secrecy and classification. More manipulation of our domestic and foreign policy to suit a right-wing agenda. Yep, exactly.
Second, on the Roe v Wade discussion. She claims that she is a federalist, by which I assume she means New Federalist. How in the hell can you claim to be a New Federalist and not know any other decision of the Supreme Court that you disagree with? My God. Wickard, Kelo, Raich, the list goes on and on.
This is the person you want in the vice presidency? This is the person you want being ready to replace should the president become like nearly 20% of his predecessors - dead? That is insanity. How would she be able to decide judicial appointments?
These two things alone, without any additional baggage are more than enough for any rational human being to find reason not to support this woman on any ticket.
Sure, she says all the right things now about it, but given her background it doesn't make much sense.
For disclosure, I don't really have any problem with earmarks per se. They have been abused and used to curry favor, but the concept behind them is not something that I'm totally against. Nor do I think that they're all that big of a deal considering that even during the worst years of pork the total didn't even come close to approaching any of the other money sinks in the federal budget. For example, CAGW says that in 2006 there was 29 billion in "pork". To give some context of how small that is compared to the rest of the budget, the Pentagon released a report in 2002 saying that it was unable to track 2.3 trillion dollars over ten years. It would take a hundred years for pork to reach that level of waste. That's why I'm honestly not concerned with pork and earmarks. There are other more pressing financial concerns than projects that may or may not serve someone's constituents.
To me, worrying about pork is like a heroin addict switching to generic foodstuffs in order to save money.
I need my drive to be usable for both Mac and PC. I formatted it on my PC, but now when I plug it into the Mac, the whole thing is read only. What's the deal? I don't have any boot information on the drive or anything.
Found it. Apparently OS X can only write to FAT32. How lame.
A long while ago on this blog I sang the praises of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" as being an unintentional work of surrealist genius. Well, I don't know if you have heard Weird Al's take on the series, which is just as hilarious. It may not have a midgets, gay love triangles, and cherry allergies, but it's funny in its own right.
