Cognitive Diss

"We Have Full Confidence"

2012-01-03T16:12:00.000-05:00

More frightening words are rarely spoken when it comes to a coach/manager who is in the hot seat:

Chelsea captain John Terry insists he is fully behind manager Andre Villas-Boas and has rejected reports of unrest behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

Villas-Boas arrived from Europa League winners Porto this summer with a reputation as one of the brightest young managers in the game but a turbulent start to his Chelsea reign has seen him already write off his chances of winning the Premier League title.

And the rumors are beginning to fly.

There have been reports that the senior players at Chelsea have become unhappy with the manager's tactics, and both Nicolas Anelka and Alex demanded transfers.

Rumours of acrimony between Terry and Villas-Boas were fuelled when Terry appeared reluctant to celebrate with Villas-Boas and the rest of the team following Ramires' opener at Molineux, where they beat Wolves 2-1 to move into fourth position.

If you go by body language, I'd have to say that Villas-Boas has lost the confidence of Chelsea's elder statesmen. But that's just the thing: These are Chelsea's elder statesmen. I'm not sure how many good years, if any, Terry, Lampard, Drogba, et alia, have left between them. And, anytime you begin to limit the appearances of your aging superstars, feathers are going to get ruffled.

My feeling, ultimately, is that AVB will survive. He knew coming into this situation that Chelsea need to go immediately into a rebuilding mode, something he no doubt communicated to Abramovich before he agreed to take the job. The writing was on the wall midway through the past season (though I am still a bit miffed at the canning of Ancelotti).

Nope, AVB will win this one, if there is indeed something to be won. Guus Hiddink would no doubt breathe some life into a squad that has floundered in recent weeks. He might even inspire them to take a run at the title, something that isn't entirely out of the question now that City and United each dropped three points over the long weekend. But is Hiddink the guy you want if you're going to completely reshape the squad into something that can compete with Barca? I don't think so.

Terry's days in a blue jersey could be coming to an unceremonious end this year. He's looked slow, and has been out of position on a number of occasions.

I don't think you're going to win this one, John.

Open Space Institute

2012-01-03T15:43:00.000-05:00

Doing an upcoming feature on these guys for a local magazine. Great organization:

The Open Space Institute (OSI) protects scenic, natural, and historic landscapes to ensure public enjoyment, conserve habitats, and sustain community character.

OSI achieves its goals through land acquisition, conservation easements, regional loan programs, fiscal sponsorship, creative partnerships, and analytical research.

OSI has protected more than 116,000 acres through our New York Land Program, by means of direct acquisition and conservation easements in the State of New York.

Once it's gone, it's gone for good, folks.

Hold the Bus

2012-01-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

Nothing will ever replace the Routemaster, but these look pretty slick:

Now, we just need them to come up with a new Checker Cab for NYC.

Hitting the Road

2011-12-23T14:39:00.000-05:00

Out of town for a bit, so the barely existent posting will become even less tangible in the next few days. To make up for it, here are some foul-mouthed Irishmen (and woman, the late, great Kirsty MacColl):

Happy Christmas, yer arse!

Let There Be Love!

2011-12-22T10:46:00.001-05:00

And there is also a video, it turns out:Much like Truman's desegregation of the military, the lifting of DADT will eventually change the entire country.

Years ago I had a T-shirt with the above headline written on it. The T-shirt was in support of a lesbian couple, Karen Thompson and Sharon Kowalski, the latter of whom was in an auto accident that left her with severe brain damage. Thompson, of course, was a dutiful partner and saw to the care of Sharon. Despite this, Karen's right-wing Christian parents attempted to deny Karen access to her partner. For the next eight years, Karen was unable to care for Sharon, as the case wound its way through the courts. In 1991, however, sanity prevailed and Karen won her case. Now, 28 years after the accident, the couple are still together, and Sharon is apparently talking (from an article in the July 2007 Windy City Times):

Eight years after the accident, she got to go home. Seven years after that, she can stand with a brace. Eight years after that and Sharon Kowalski, age 50, is starting to talk.

[. . .]

Under her father's care, Kowalski received virtually no visitors in the nursing home and, apparently, few check-ups. Without any direct care or contact, nobody noticed her toes gradually curled under her, for example. ( The problem was corrected through surgery. ) According to Thompson, the most surprising thing is that Kowalski never seemed to scar emotionally. Kowalski still has many physical scars, but she's standing in a walking brace, talking and cheating at cards. Today, 23 years after her accident, Kowalski seems to be doing the impossible. Thompson said that all she ever asked was for people to not 'put limits on a human being.'

Read the whole article. It's well worth the time.

It's also worth noting that Obama has been good on this issue. In April of 2010 he issued a directive barring hospitals from this kind of discrimination:

President Obama has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a rule that would prevent hospitals from denying visitation privileges to gay and lesbian partners.

The president's Thursday memo said, "There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. ... Yet every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides."

Despite this rule, things like this keep happening:

A Tennessee hospital that denied a lesbian patient her legal rights of visitation by her same-sex partner is the focus of outrage today, and being called upon explain. Rolling Hills Hospital in Franklin, Tennessee, “denied multiple requests by Val Burke to visit her partner, who is currently a patient in the hospital’s residential facility. Staff members excluded her from the room since she was not a legal spouse or family member,” according to a report today in Out & About

Still a long way to go, apparently. But the above video, and more images like it that are sure to follow, will eventually show the doubters that this was never an issue. Of course, this will have zero effect on the religious nutjobs, but there's no helping them anyway, is there?

UPDATE: ABL over at Balloon Juice draws an awseome analogy.

Riddley Walker

2011-12-21T15:27:00.000-05:00

Finally getting around to reading this:

Riddley Walker is set about two thousand years after a nuclear war has devastated world civilizations. The main action of the story begins when the young narrator, Riddley, stumbles upon efforts to recreate a weapon of the ancient world. The novel's characters live a harsh life in a small area which is presently the English county of Kent, and know nothing of the world outside of "Inland" (England). Their level of civilization is similar to England's prehistoric Iron Age, although they do not produce their own iron but salvage it from ancient machinery. Church and state have combined into one secretive institution, whose mythology, based on misinterpreted stories of the war and an old Catholic saint (Eustace), is enacted in puppet shows.

Author Russell Hoban passed just a few days ago, so I figured now would be good time.

Rick Perry's Beard Makes an Appearance

2011-12-21T14:39:00.001-05:00

Uh huh.

Piers Morgan Toxic? I Don't Think So

2011-12-21T10:41:00.000-05:00

The Guardian, which I admire a great deal (though I am unfamiliar with blogger Richard Adams), has a post today regarding Piers Morgan's bumbling, mendacious testimony before Parliament yesterday. Morgan apparently was reduced to heap of quivering flesh by counsel Robert Jay QC:

Repeatedly pressed by Jay and Leveson to explain his past statements and career – which may or may not have involved phone hacking – Morgan's memory became worryingly unreliable. By the end of Jay's questioning the imperious interviewer familiar to viewers of Piers Morgan Tonight was reduced to sullen, one-word answers delivered with curt annoyance.

Nice to see that there are tenacious officials, somewhere, who are still interested in the rule of law. Adams then goes on to postulate what this development may mean when it comes to Morgan's flagship show on CNN:

The difficult question for CNN is: what does it do with Piers Morgan now? As the excesses of Britain's tabloids came to light in the US media, CNN replied to enquiries that "Piers Morgan has been firm and specific in his denial, and we continue to be supportive of his programme."

So far, Morgan appears to be going nowhere. And I think it's unlikely that CNN gives a shit about Morgan's alleged misdeeds while editor of the defunct News of the World. In fact, if you asked 100 Americans about the "News Corp phone-hacking scandal," my guess is fewer than 20 would know what the hell you're talking about. This story simply isn't getting any coverage over here. To quote Mr. Sally Quinn, nobody gives a shit. But CNN does care about the bottom line:

In the most recent month, November, Morgan's ratings declined to their lowest point since he replaced King, lagging in third place far behind Fox News's Sean Hannity and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow in the daily 9pm slot. Come January, Piers Morgan Tonight will no longer enjoy its year-on-year comparison with the feeble ratings of King's last spell in the interviewer's chair. At that point CNN may decide that the baggage is not worth the fare. Especially as Leveson is now hinting at calling Heather Mills as a witness – and her memory may be much clearer than Morgan's.

If Morgan's rating were through the roof, this scandal would be considered a feature, not a bug. Morgan will be bounced, but only because he sucks at what he does and people don't like him, not because he's a toxic commodity. American television doesn't give a shit about "toxic," as long as the ratings are there.

Politifact, My Ass. Politihack, More Like

2011-12-20T17:02:00.000-05:00

I'd have to agree with Gawker's Jim Newell on this one. The latest is its idiotic assertion that the Dems saying that the Ryan plan would effectively destroy Medicare is a lie -- because, well, the stupid voucher system that will replace it is still called "Medicare." To wit, the Democrats are pants-on-fire liars. This is a game of sophistry, the type practiced by children on playgrounds. Newell makes a very good point:

What Politifact is, really, is just a blog written by some people at the St. Petersburg Times. But since it calls itself Politifact and assigns ratings that you can just glance over, it undeservedly becomes a irresistible cudgel to use against your political opponents. But since it calls itself Politifact and assigns ratings that you can just glance over, it undeservedly becomes a irresistible cudgel to use against your political opponents. Politifact! It's a portmanteau of "politics" and "facts," so it can't be wrong. And it just labeled your top party message "PANTS ON FIRE," the worst rating imaginable! Too many writers, editors and cable news producers love these easily digestible judgments that they can use, cheaply, when pretending to inform their audiences.

Politifact is more the former, and less the latter, when it comes its pronouncements. And given the state of American journalism, big media outlets relying on the observations of a couple of chowderheads from a small-market newspaper seems silly. And engaging with idiots only undermines your own argument. Steve Benen does the best job of drawing a reasonable analogy when it comes to Politifact's asinine claim:

I’ve been trying to think of the best analogy for this. How about this one: imagine someone owns a Ferrari. It’s expensive and drives beautifully, and the owner desperately wants to keep his car intact. Now imagine I took the car away, removed the metallic badge off the trunk that says “Ferrari,” I stuck it on a golf cart, and I handed the owner the keys. “Where’s my Ferrari?” the owner would ask. “It’s right here,” I’d respond. “This has four wheels, a steering wheel, and pedals, and it says ‘Ferrari’ right there on the back.” By PolitiFact’s reasoning, I haven’t actually replaced the car — and if you disagree, you’re a pants-on-fire liar.

Newell concludes with some simple advice:

Politifact is dangerous. Stop reading it.

Ya gotta love the simplicity.

Steve Martin Now Writing a Forbes Column?

2011-12-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

Better look out, Steve. Some jerk named Gene Marks is horning in on your action. And, once again, satire has not only lapped reality, it has already crossed the finish line, where it is now waiting patiently so it can beat reality to death with its first-place trophy:

If I was a poor black kid I would first and most importantly work to make sure I got the best grades possible. I would make it my #1 priority to be able to read sufficiently. I wouldn’t care if I was a student at the worst public middle school in the worst inner city. Even the worst have their best. And the very best students, even at the worst schools, have more opportunities. Getting good grades is the key to having more options. With good grades you can choose different, better paths. If you do poorly in school, particularly in a lousy school, you’re severely limiting the limited opportunities you have.

And I would use the technology available to me as a student. I know a few school teachers and they tell me that many inner city parents usually have or can afford cheap computers and internet service nowadays. That because (and sadly) it’s oftentimes a necessary thing to keep their kids safe at home then on the streets. And libraries and schools have computers available too. Computers can be purchased cheaply at outlets like TigerDirect and Dell’s Outlet. Professional organizations like accountants and architects often offer used computers from their members, sometimes at no cost at all.

If I was a poor black kid I’d use the free technology available to help me study. I’d become expert at Google Scholar. I’d visit study sites like SparkNotes and CliffsNotes to help me understand books. I’d watch relevant teachings on Academic Earth, TED and the Khan Academy. (I say relevant because some of these lectures may not be related to my work or too advanced for my age. But there are plenty of videos on these sites that are suitable to my studies and would help me stand out.) I would also, when possible, get my books for free at Project Gutenberg and learn how to do research at the CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia to help me with my studies.

Steve Martin said the same thing, only more eloquently, some years ago:

What a jerk.

Emma Sullivan Kicks Brownback's Ass

2011-11-27T23:16:00.001-05:00

Fortunately, Emma Sullivan has courage than her dickhead governor lacks:

A Kansas teenager who wrote a disparaging tweet about Gov. Sam Brownback is rejecting her high school principal's demand that she apologize. Emma Sullivan told The Associated Press on Sunday that she's not sorry and an apology letter wouldn't be sincere.

Stick to your guns, Emma. You're up against mental midgets.

KS Gov. Brownback Beats Up Teenage Girl

2011-11-26T09:11:00.001-05:00

What a colossal douche:

A Kansas teenager is in trouble after mocking Gov. Sam Brownback during a mock legislative assembly for high school students. Emma Sullivan, a senior at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, was in Topeka on Monday as part of Kansas Youth in Government, a program for students interested in politics and government.

During the session, in which Brownback addressed the group, Sullivan posted on her personal Twitter page:

“Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot”

If Brownback can't take the heat generated by a teenage girl's Twitter feed, then what the fuck is he doing in politics? Scumbag.

That's the name of this blog

2011-10-28T14:47:00.000-04:00

Pat Robertson shows us what cognitive dissonance is all about:

I'm surprised his head didn't explode.

I Believe in Homicide

2011-10-20T10:58:00.000-04:00

What Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax "plan" really means:

Shorter version:

That's the truth of it.

And Speaking of Lost Causes

2011-10-02T10:10:00.000-04:00

4-0 Chelsea against lowly Bolton after just 27 minutes. Sturridge and Lampard both on a hat trick. Drogba back in the starting 11, as well as David Luiz.

Stick a Fork in Rick Perry

2011-10-02T10:04:00.000-04:00

From today's WaPo:

In the early years of his political career, Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his family’s secluded West Texas hunting camp, a place known by the name painted in block letters across a large, flat rock standing upright at its gated entrance.

“Niggerhead,” it read.

Fucking yikes!

So, now the Teabaggers are swooning over the possibility that the latest flavor-of-the-month, Governor Sandwiches, will get into the race. But is it too late for him to put together organizations in Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida and South Carolina? Good question.

And then there's Herman Cain who is, well, totally fucking nuts.

In the end, the GOP establishment will flee to sanity, however; i.e., Romney's going to win the nomination. If he picks a serious running-mate, Romney could give Obama a real run for his money.

But Obama wins this thing easily, in the end.

p.s. If you haven't seen the above video, don't watch while drinking liquid. You'll be cleaning your monitor for the rest of the afternoon.

Gay Homophobes

2011-09-21T08:17:00.000-04:00

You know that phenomenon in which the most virulent anti-gay politicians and religious leaders almost always turn out to be closet cases? Well, we're not the only ones to have noticed.

Gay Homophobes is a site worth bookmarking, imho:

# days since the last prominent homophobe was caught in a gay sex scandal: 6.

Latest winner: Msgr. Ian Dempsey (RC), September 15, 2011, denied wrongdoing, victim under confessional gag order.

Now that DADT has gone the way of the dodo, let's hope the rest of the gay homophobes in the U.S. come to their senses -- or at least they learn to STFU with the gay-bashing.

And it really is shameful that we live in a world in which these folks feel like they need to keep hiding, outwardly projecting their own inner struggle. Well, I've got news for you, guys: it gets better.

This video of a U.S. soldier coming out to his dad is pretty amazing:

Dirty Birds

2011-09-20T12:49:00.000-04:00

Flocks of foul-mouthed parrots taking-over Australia. Fortunately, they have no opposable thumbs (via Gary Farber):

Across parts of Australia, reports have been pouring in of strange voices chattering high in the treetops -- mysterious, non-sensical conversations in English. But while this phenomenon is certainly quite odd, its explanation isn't paranormal. It turns out that escaped pet birds, namely parrots and cockatoos, have begun teaching their wild bird counterparts a bit of the language they picked up from their time in captivity -- and, according to witnesses, that includes more than a few expletives.

[. . .]

According to the report, 'Hello cockie' is one of the most commonly heard phrases feral birds are teaching in the wild, along with a host of expletives -- perhaps the last words those escapees heard after their frantic owners realized they were making a break for freedom.

I say it's time to get David Mamet working on a remake of The Birds. Imagine the possibilities.

Senator Stud-Muffin is in Deep Doo-Doo

2011-09-20T12:07:00.000-04:00

Now this is the kind of swing we like to see (via Chris Bowers):

Public Policy Polling (PDF). 9/16-18. Massachusetts voters. MoE ±3.5% (6/2-5 results):

Elizabeth Warren: 46 (32)
Scott Brown (R-inc): 44 (47)
Undecided: (21)

Elizabeth Warren has clearly had an extremely successful launch of her campaign. Her favorability rating in Massachusetts has risen from 21 percent favorable/17 percent unfavorable in June to 40 percent favorable/22 percent unfavorable now. Further, she is way, way ahead in the Democratic primary.

Scott Brown is going to have to openly 'refudiate' the teabaggers if he hopes to stay in office. But that ain't gonna happen.

I suppose he can always go back to beefcake portraiture.

Qwikster? You've Got to be Kidding

2011-09-19T08:50:00.000-04:00

This is the fix they've come up with?

My inbox this morning:

Dear Tod,

I messed up. I owe you an explanation.

It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our intent, and I offer my sincere apology. Let me explain what we are doing.

For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn't make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most companies that are great at something – like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores – do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us). So we moved quickly into streaming, but I should have personally given you a full explanation of why we are splitting the services and thereby increasing prices. It wouldn’t have changed the price increase, but it would have been the right thing to do.

So here is what we are doing and why.

Many members love our DVD service, as I do, because nearly every movie ever made is published on DVD. DVD is a great option for those who want the huge and comprehensive selection of movies.

I also love our streaming service because it is integrated into my TV, and I can watch anytime I want. The benefits of our streaming service are really quite different from the benefits of DVD by mail. We need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology and the market evolves, without maintaining compatibility with our DVD by mail service.

So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are really becoming two different businesses, with very different cost structures, that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently.

It’s hard to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but we think it is necessary: In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail service to “Qwikster”. We chose the name Qwikster because it refers to quick delivery. We will keep the name “Netflix” for streaming.

Qwikster will be the same website and DVD service that everyone is used to. It is just a new name, and DVD members will go to qwikster.com to access their DVD queues and choose movies. One improvement we will make at launch is to add a video games upgrade option, similar to our upgrade option for Blu-ray, for those who want to rent Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Members have been asking for video games for many years, but now that DVD by mail has its own team, we are finally getting it done. Other improvements will follow. A negative of the renaming and separation is that the Qwikster.com and Netflix.com websites will not be integrated.

There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!). If you subscribe to both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one for Qwikster and one for Netflix. The total will be the same as your current charges. We will let you know in a few weeks when the Qwikster.com website is up and ready.

For me the Netflix red envelope has always been a source of joy. The new envelope is still that lovely red, but now it will have a Qwikster logo. I know that logo will grow on me over time, but still, it is hard. I imagine it will be similar for many of you.

I want to acknowledge and thank you for sticking with us, and to apologize again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated them thoughtlessly.

Both the Qwikster and Netflix teams will work hard to regain your trust. We know it will not be overnight. Actions speak louder than words. But words help people to understand actions.

Respectfully yours,

-Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix

p.s. I have a slightly longer explanation along with a video posted on our blog, where you can also post comments.

My guess is that they've decided to intentionally destroy the company, but need to do it in such a way that everyone thinks they're incompetent idiots. Gotta think of the shareholders.

The First Big Test

2011-09-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

Chelsea have gotten off to a decent start in the EPL, dropping only two points thus far, which came against a Stoke side that are very tough at home. The Blues also looked sharp against Bayer Leverkusen in the UCL last week, with the much-maligned Torres getting credit for making the goals by Luiz and Mata. The latter, of course, has played extensively with Torres on the Spanish national squad, so this chemistry will be key. The big question is whether AVB wil start Torres up front, or go with Drogba or Anelka, the latter of whom wants out of Stamford Bridge. We'll know soon enough. My guess is, Torres will get the nod today.

As for who will ultimately prevail in the league this year, all I can say is that it's a very loooong season. Injuries, fatigue, etc., can wear-thin even the deepest lineup. Weakness in one key area can unravel a season's worth of hard work. The team left standing at the end usually arrives there due to a combination of talent, technique, hard work -- and sheer luck. Man U. certainly have the depth. But now Chelsea do as well. And Man City seem to be finally gelling under Mancini, something that has eluded them over the past couple of seasons (sitting Balotelli was a smart move, in my opinion; he's simply too much of a head case).

As for Arsenal, they are seriously in the weeds after losing a 4-3 thriller to Balckburn yesterday. They're very unlikely to make Europe next season, and might not even finish in the top half. Wenger needs to pry open the club's wallet during the January window or he's sunk.

In the meantime, COYB!

Lysistrata IRL

2011-09-17T12:57:00.000-04:00

I think this should become a global movement:

Women's 'sex strike' ends fighting in Mindanao villages - UNHCR

MANILA, Philippines - Women ended armed clashes in 2 Mindanao villages by not having sex with their husbands unless the men laid down their weapons, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The success of the "sex strike" allowed families to start rebuilding their communities, the UN's refugee agency said. Watch the UNHCR's report on YouTube.

Home-Brewer-in-Chief

2011-09-17T12:23:00.002-04:00

This is too cool not to link to:

President Obama quaffed beer with 23-year old Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer on Wednesday (above), a day ahead of presenting the former Marine Sergeant with the Medal of Honor on Thursday. Turns out the beers for the Oval Office patio chat were some of the special homebrew the White House chefs have been making since last January, a White House spokesman told Obama Foodorama. The President served Meyer, the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam war, White House Honey Blonde Ale.

And for any right-wing trolls who may be lurking, no, this did not cost the taxpayers any money:

The Obamas paid for the brewing equipment with their own funds, an aide told Obama Foodorama, spending about $200 for the set up. Above: A detail of the label for the brew; it was created by the White House, and reads "Brewed With White House Honey."

Hopefully they'll publish the recipe.

One minor quibble, however. Pretty much everyone brewed in the 19th century, so I would question the assertion that this is the first time ever the White House culinary staff have made beer.

(Hat-tip to mistermix at Balloon Juice)

Don't Frack with NY!

2011-09-16T11:45:00.001-04:00

Home Rule is a really important component of municipal law here in NY State. But will it be enough to stop these monsters?:

In what could be a precedent-setting case for municipalities statewide, a Denver-based natural-gas company will file the first lawsuit against a local drilling ban in New York, the company's attorney said Tuesday. Anschutz Exploration Corp. plans to file a lawsuit this week in state Supreme Court in Tompkins County to have the town of Dryden's ban struck down, according to Thomas West, an Albany-based attorney representing the company. With the state moving toward allowing high-volume hydraulic fracturing - a technique used with gas drilling - Dryden has been among more than 15 municipalities or counties across the state that have altered zoning regulations or passed legislation meant to ban the activity, either temporarily or permanently.

Let's see whether the courts agree, or whether huge piles of tainted money win the day. My money is on the, err, money.

(Link via the always-excellent TAP, which, if you live in NY State, you should really bookmark)

Anyone Want to Put Real Money on Whether He's Wrong?

2011-09-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

It's awfully hard to dislodge an incumbent President:

The past few days have seen a mounting narrative in the press that Democrats are worried about President Obama’s reelection prospects. The loss of former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D-NY) congressional seat in New York Tuesday, in a district that hadn’t gone Republican since 1923, only added fuel to the fire with pundits starting to speculate that Obama now has a problem holding on to his base.

[. . .]

“And I just have to remind people that — here’s one thing I know for certain,” he continued. “The odds of me being reelected are much higher than the odds of me being elected in the first place.”

I think the Dems have little to worry about -- unless Huntsman, through some bizarre set of circumstances, were to win the nomination. Then you'd have a real general-election fight. But Rick Perry will convert to Buddhism before something like that happens.