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Thursday, September 02, 2004

Andrew Sullivan says a lot Andrew Sullivan writes very well about the death of conservatism at the hand of Bush: But conservatism as we have known it is now over. People like me who became conservatives because of the appeal of smaller government and more domestic freedom are now marginalized in a big-government party, bent on using the power of the state to direct people's lives, give them meaning and protect them from all dangers. Just remember all that Bush promised last night: an astonishingly expensive bid to spend much more money to help people in ways that conservatives once abjured. He pledged to provide record levels of education funding, colleges and healthcare centers in poor towns, more Pell grants, seven million more affordable homes, expensive new HSAs, and a phenomenally expensive bid to reform the social security system. I look forward to someone adding it all up, but it's easily in the trillions. And Bush's astonishing achievement is to make the case for all this new spending, at a time of chronic debt (created in large part by his profligate party), while pegging his opponent as the "tax-and-spend" candidate. The chutzpah is amazing. At this point, however, it isn't just chutzpah. It's deception. To propose all this knowing full well that we cannot even begin to afford it is irresponsible in the deepest degree. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only difference between Republicans and Democrats now is that the Bush Republicans believe in Big Insolvent Government and the Kerry Democrats believe in Big Solvent Government. By any measure, that makes Kerry - especially as he has endorsed the critical pay-as-you-go rule on domestic spending - easily the choice for fiscal conservatives. It was also jaw-dropping to hear this president speak about tax reform. Bush? He has done more to lard up the tax code with special breaks and new loopholes than any recent president. On this issue - on which I couldn't agree more - I have to say I don't believe him. Tax reform goes against the grain of everything this president has done so far. Why would he change now? 10:48:31 PM  Permalink  comment []

If this graphic doesn't say it all ... ... it certainly says most of it. The NY Times looks at the language used by speakers at the Democratic and Republican conventions.... [Pacific Views] 8:59:17 PM  Permalink  comment []

Things you have to believe... Jumapili: Things you have to believe to be a Republican today: 1. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion. 2. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony. 3. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq. 4. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation. 5. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton. 6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay. 7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex. 8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money. 9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism. 10. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart. 11. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are creationism should be taught in schools. 12. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy. 13. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet. 14. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's drunk driving record is none of our business. 15. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery. 16. You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt. 17. What Bill Clinton did in his private life in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in his professional and political life in the '80s is irrelevant. 18. John Kerry, after enlisting to fight in Vietnam, earning multiple medals for heroism and leadership, returns home to lobby against the war after his experiences, is "unfit" to be Commander-in-Chief, butGeorge Bush getting into the Texas Air National Guard through his daddy's influence and then repeatedly fails to report for duty because he'd rather get drunk and high is "better able to defend America." 19. Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, Welfare, even public education are all dangerous socialism, but corporate welfare, bailing out companies (Chrysler, the airlines, etc.), farm subsidies, allowing off-shore incorporation to avoid taxes are all free market policies. 20. Government should not interfere with the business, commercial, environmental welfare of the nation, but should control and regulate citizen's personal affairs. [iBLOGthere4iM] 8:54:11 PM  Permalink  comment []

Let them have it? Niall Ferguson wrote a piece in the Wall Street Journal the other day, saying that it might be better for the Republicans to lose this election. I've been thinking the same thing lately about the Democrats. Mainly, it's because Iraq is such a cluster fuck, and I don't see any way of it getting any better. This administration went in with no plan, except to think that the Iraqis would be dancing in the streets to see us. And once the rest of the middle east saw that, they'd fall into line, begging the new empire to help them too. Either that, or the shock and awe would cow them into submission. Obviously, none of that has happened, nor will it. So if Kerry gets elected, he's going to have one tall pile of manure to clean up. It's going to be impossible. In four years, the Republicans will be crying about who lost Iraq (and the rest of the middle east). And Kerry will take the blame for screwing up something that is pretty much unfixable. So let George do it. Maybe after a couple more years of chaos in the middle east, growing resentment and hatred for us in that part of the world, those who did this will be totally discredited. The same is pretty much true of the economy. The deficit is going to grow, and this clueless, incompetent Republican administration is going to have to face the music. Again, the economy is so screwed up that it's nearly impossible to fix, so let the Republicans take the fall. Against that is the damage that four more years of this crowd will cost. War on environmental protections. War on civil liberties. War on the poor (or maybe it's the other way around, that we know these guys love the poor so much because that are working so hard to create more of them). And who knows how many more revisionist activist judges they'll appoint over the next four years? A Bush that directed all his actions towards getting re-elected has been bad enough, what will this guy be like without that motivation? So all in all, it'll be much worse for everyone if Bush gets re-elected, and it will be pretty much a disaster. But there's a small part of me that wants to see him take the rap for all the shit that's going to go down over the next couple years. 8:49:57 PM  Permalink  comment []

Mad as Zell I’ve got to give today’s MVP in debunking to Fred Kaplan at Slate. Here, one more time, is the truth of the matter: Kerry did not vote to kill these weapons, in part because none of these weapons ever came up for a vote, either on the Senate floor or in any of Kerry’s committees. This myth took hold last February in a press release put out by the RNC. Those who bothered to look up the fine-print footnotes discovered that they referred to votes on two defense appropriations bills, one in 1990, the other in 1995. Kerry voted against both bills, as did 15 other senators, including five Republicans. The RNC took those bills, cherry-picked some of the weapons systems contained therein, and inferred that Kerry voted against those weapons. By the same logic, they could have claimed that Kerry voted to disband the entire U.S. armed forces; but that would have raised suspicions and thus compelled more reporters to read the document more closely. What makes this dishonesty not merely a lie, but a damned lie, is that back when Kerry cast these votes, Dick Cheney—who was the secretary of defense for George W. Bush’s father—was truly slashing the military budget… I’m not accusing Cheney of being a girly man on defense. As he notes, the Cold War had just ended; deficits were spiraling; the nation could afford to cut back. But some pro-Kerry equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Zell Miller could make that charge with as much validity as they—and Cheney—make it against Kerry. The whole thing is great. P.S. In the comments to a thoughtful Obsidian Wings post, a few people have said that delegates were chanting “Hang ‘em” when Kerry or Edwards (or maybe just Edwards) were mentioned. Can anyone confirm or deny? Is there a reasonable story behind this? [Crooked Timber] 6:46:39 PM  Permalink  comment []

What's Happened to Sex in Movies? What's Happened to Sex in Movies? [del.icio.us/tag/sex] 6:16:29 PM  Permalink  comment []

SETI has not found ET: official Move along, nothing to see here [The Register] Never mind. 5:15:36 PM  Permalink  comment []

The Greatest Resource Ever Did you know there's a gigantic archive of Julia Child's Master Class series on the PBS website? If I had watched these videos of Nancy Silverton making bread before I attempted her recipe for sourdough, life would have been so much easier. As it happens, I plan to be spending many an hour sifting through all these videos... [The Amateur Gourmet] 5:14:01 PM  Permalink  comment []

Extraterrestrial radio signal from aliens? Not... Extraterrestrial radio signal from aliens? [Edward Mitchell: Common Sense Technology] Exciting, or potentially exciting. Given the short duration of the signal so far, though, it's probably not ET. But still, it gets your hopes up. 5:13:49 PM  Permalink  comment []

Chuck Taylors It's cool these days, but I've been wearing Converse All Stars -- the classic Chuck Taylor sneakers -- as long as I can remember. I bought a couple pairs a few years ago when Converse was having its problems, so I'd have some. Those shoes are worn out now, and last night I scored some new ones. Size 10, the same ones I've been wearing forever. So far, they look and feel the same; the big change is the label that says "Made in China." 5:13:17 PM  Permalink  comment []

Ivins: US Losses up from Last Year Molly Ivins... Ivins: US Losses up from Last Year Molly Ivins's column today is all the refutation necessary to Dick Cheney's strangely diffident speach Wednesday night. She writes: ' RECORD. We have already lost more American soldiers (488) in Iraq in 239 days of this year than we did in 287 days last year (482), when there was a war on and before our mission was accomplished. The grind of the numbers is so relentless. Price of oil — pressing $50 a barrel. Poverty rate — increased again, third year in a row. Number of Americans without insurance — increased again, third year. Part of the “vibrant economy” Bush touts daily now. And the news from Iraq just keeps getting worse and worse. Then, to liven things up, someone from Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith’s office is accused of passing classified information to the Israelis via the lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Be interesting to see whether Laurence A. Franklin, the alleged spy, gets as much publicity as Clinton’s former NSC adviser Sandy Berger did for allegedly taking notes on classified documents for his 9-11 Commission testimony. The Justice Department has announced no charges will be filed against Berger, and the matter is closed. ' [Informed Comment] 7:42:55 AM  Permalink  comment []

Flip flop in chief The Republicans constantly harp on how John Kerry is a supposed flip flopper. But the current president and his administration makes it a matter of policy to say one thing and do another. There's a good summary of the sorry record of lies and distortions at http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=42263. 7:39:07 AM  Permalink  comment []

Imperial President Opposing Bush becomes unpatriotic. [Slate Magazine] 7:31:29 AM  Permalink  comment []

© Copyright 2004 Steve Michel.