Post Debate Thoughts

So once again I am proven right in not having either cable T.V., nor even the other kind whatever that is now called.

One of the severe difficulties I run across is that when I point out to people that their critiques of Obama(or back in the day Clinton) are based on bullshit, is that I am now defending and supporting Obama (or Clinton).  Not so much, I just hate to see people telling me that my lickspittle of an apologist for any corporation president is a socialist or communist.  There as Shakespeare said is the rub.  I am not saying that you should vote for Obama.  I am saying that you are an asshole for claiming that Obama (or Clinton, either of them) is to the left of Grover Cleveland or William McKinley.

So apparently Obama didn't show up to play last night.  He opted instead to be the kindly accountant who is explaining to you that he doesn't want to see you eating dry dog food, but rather canned cat food.  For some reason this didn't go over well with the viewing public.  I do enjoy LGM  (linked to the most recent post, you can follow that to the others, I think) freaking out and spending about half a dozen posts explaining why this doesn't matter.  I'll give him this, Tbogg did apparently recognize this (which I haven't watched and refuse to, so I'll have to believe what people tell me, just like they told me how I should look at the 1960 debates, thank you).

I would like to point out that I have been saying for about four or perhaps more years that Obama never won a close and truly contested election.  First one he lost.  Second one the more popular candidate was forced out by the Chicago democratic machine.  Next contested one he won after the original republican was forced out because of a very interesting divorce complaint and the replacement was bat shit crazy.  Third one, the primaries against Clinton, Clinton managed to hire people (and pay them millions of dollars) who apparently didn't know that since 1970 the democratic party has assigned delegates pursuant to the percentage of the vote you receive.  So you don't receive all the delegate votes if you win 55% to 45%, but rather you receive 55% of the delegates.  Finally, the 2008 election Jesus Christ couldn't have won, had he run on a republican ticket.

So now he is running his first really contested election in at least 20 some years and he lost the last one.

In the mean time I keep looking at the world as I currently know it and seeing that both the republicans and democrats have been heading in exactly the same direction for at least the last thirty years as far as domestic policies are concerned.  The difference is that the republicans have been wanting to get to those Gilded Ages a lot faster then then democrats.  So I guess that I should vote democrat because there is better a chance that I'll be dead before we are completely fucked.

Gay Pride

So went to Columbus today to take the LW to a quilting convention. The sign up for the convention (at the Hyatt on North High) said you would want to be signed in and inside before noon. The reason; some sort of parade, they didn't know what[?!]. So after the LW signed in I took my book and went outside and walked up High Street to see what was going on. It didn't take me long to figure it out.
Gay Pride.

The parade was not as outrageous as in the past nor as in places like say New York or San Francisco, but still fun. It was followed up with about thirty or so any gay pride demonstrators, with signs that said: God Hates Homo Sex" and a sign that a silhouette of two guys fucking saying that god hated them. They brought their kids out of course. on the other hand there were at least three churches marching in the main parade and a lot of kids.

I was very happy that I happened to wear my new t-shirt:

Happy Fifth of May

Or Is It Just Tacky

I would guess that offering to sell a senate seat for money is a crime. But is trading a senate seat for a seat on a non-government board a crime? Maybe if it is clear that what you really want is more money, but what if you just want the position because you think that you would be the best person for that position. "I will appoint your person to the senate, but I want to be made the auto czar, because I'm the best person for the job." How about: "I will appoint your person to the senate, but I want to be made auto czar, because I want the power." Or: "because I think that I can help my friends who hate unions break the unions." When is it a crime? Is it always a crime?

Do people really think that elected officials don't make deals and are all those deals illegal? Is the governor of Illinois corrupt or just tacky?

Illinois

A couple of Illinois criminals with their mouthpiece.

Well did you see what the governor of Illinois has been up to (just one link among many)? Apparently. I've had a lot of cases where the prosecution has an iron clad case right up to the point that the evidence starts to be presented. Although, to be fair it does look like they may have the guy on tape. It do appear that he was asking for money for appointed Obama's replacement.

I thought that they way things were done was that the people in charge wheeled and dealed -- although probably not in actual cash. Or at least you didn't' mention that you expected a cash advantage from the deal.

If it is true perhaps they should just imprison who ever is nominated for governor of Illinois and skip the middle step of office holding.

I had another thought. In this kind of case the defendant be he senator from Alaska or congressman from Louisiana is usually not arrested and taken off to the slammer. Since this guy was set to appoint a key senator and probably a Democrat is it possible that the U.S. Attorney decided to get back into the good graces of the Republican party after the Scotter Libby affair? To make it impossible for a Democrat to be appointed right now? Just askin'?