Sunday, August 24, 2008

Sunday Funnies & So Much More

Joe Biden has never been my favorite Democrat -- like many of us, he talks too much, plus he blew the Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito hearings -- but nonetheless I think he'll make a good candidate for vice-president and a good veep. He has more stature than any available person in either party, he relish campaigning in the national spotlight, he's intelligent, and his presence addresses the perception of a so-called (and greatly overrated) experience gap between Obama and McCain...

Last night, Premium T. and I saw the Monsters of the Accordion (including our friend Amy Denio) at Fremont Abbey. Calling the place an "abbey" is a more than a little bit of a stretch, although T. was correct in pointing out that the floor felt like stone. Amy dedicated her song "Ballintubber Abbey" to us; she wrote it while staying at Carrowholly last winter. You can hear it here. After, we had dinner at Brad's Swingside Cafe, where Brad's wife, the County Mayo-born artist Helen O'Toole, stopped by our table for a chat. Brad's is one of those places where you feel like you're eating at someone's home. A home, that is, with an extensive wine list and medallions of organic lamb and venison fricasee for dinner...

Don't miss Sunday Election Issues at As Time Goes By. It provides links to elder blogger perspectives on the election, including this fascinating view from Germany. For example: "...the press would like to say that people came to hear Obama speak because they think he is a rock star. It just is not so. They are curious about his so-called rock star status, but they travelled from far and wide to hear him speak about history, politics, and his vision for America. Is it so hard to believe that hundreds of thousands of people are interested in such matters?" Maybe not in Germany...

Here's my idea of an abbey...

John McCain shows off his knowledge of technology and film history here...

Don't miss Bottle Shock, a delightful indie film about the events leading up to a 1976 blind wine tasting in which upstart California wines beat out established French vineyards. It's nothing that sports movies haven't been doing for years, but the wine country milieu adds a little extra something for the palate...

Good ol' Dick Cheney: Anything to help a pal...

Leonard Pitts writes movingly of the film Katrina's Children. It won't be coming to a theatre near you, but you can get it here. "We forget that children are in the room...We push our agendas and assign our blame and impose our narratives and forget that they are right there, taking it in. Yet, if some of them were failed by schools, community and family, all were failed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the mayor, the governor, the emergency-management director, and the president. And don't think they don't know"...

Rick Warren didn't understand his own question, writes Paul Krugman, who then explains the difference between Bill Gates rich, super rich, rich, and the middle class. He also points out that the Obama tax plan retains the middle class provisions of the Bush tax cuts...

Anna Quindlen explains who is really playing the "race card," although she finds "Caucasian card" to be a more apt descriptor. "The McCain forces have accused the Democrats of injecting race into the campaign. That's silly. The man [Obama] is black. His candidacy is indivisible from that fact, given the history and pathology of this country. When Obama said he did not look like the guys on our currency and that his opponents were likely to portray him as the Other, he was stating the obvious."

6 comments:

mouse (aka kimy) said...

great post...you pack so much in!!

why am I NOT surprise mcnasty (my new name for mccain-mcsame) can't use a computer....

I love accordions...sounds like a mighty fine extravaganza...alas doesn't look like the tour is leaving the west coast....

brad's swingside cafe is going into my seattle notebook! been way too long since I've been out...although last night I dreamed we were moving to bellingham...talk about wishful dreaming!

K. said...

On the other hand, there's no Achill Isle pub out here!

Foxessa said...

He doesn't believe in abortion -- certainly not any federal funds for poor women who need them.

He adores the credit card companies.

One can go on and on.

And then there's that little thang about "first articulate and clean black man ...."

Interesting that my feminist women of color are rather divided about this, though not too much, really. Just about only one of them is in favor of Biden. But then she was far more positive about Obama than my other feminist friends of color ever were from the gitgo.

Anyway, off to see "Trouble the Water." Vaquero spent a lot of time last night with John Boutte, and some other NO musicians.

Love, C.

Sylvia K said...

You do indeed pack at a lot into your posts and I always enjoy them. I wish we could stop seeing "color" in this race, but of course that's impossible. All I'm concerned about is that McAsshole gets put in a retirement home before the end of the summer.

Frank Partisan said...

Having Biden as VP, is having someone similar to Bush 41 politically.

Foxessa: Who did the feminists think he'd take?

I find it funny that rightists think the Clintonites, will put up a floor fight. Hillary won't let them. She can't bolt to the GOP if she is unhappy.

Scrumpy said...

Isn't it great to live in a country where trollops know how to use computers and Presidents don't?

If anyone living in Paris reads this blog and needs a live-in maid who bakes damn good cookies, give me a ring.