Marginal Footnotes

mpd404 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:07:27 +0000

Photo of the Day

mpd404 — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:07:41 +0000

Recent Iraq War protest in Portland, Oregon

–mpd

Typical Politicians, According to Chuck Schumer

mpd404 — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:36:51 +0000

Chuck Schumer, a very smart man who engineered the Democratic takeover of the Senate in the immediate past elections, and who often has notable quotables, notes about Jim Webb, Senator-elect from Virginia:

“He’s not a typical politician. He really has deep convictions.”

Follow that to its logical conclusion.

–mpd

Linc Chafee Gaining in Rhode Island

mpd404 — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 16:26:03 +0000

The new MSNBC-McClatchy poll shows moderate incumbent Republican Lincoln Chafee surging in the final days of the campaign, a surprising turn around that could be enough to close the door to a Democratic takeover. Not to mention a late, characteristic surge by Mr. Burns of Montana.

–mpd

Technorati Tags: Lincoln, Chafee, Sheldon, Whitehouse, Rhode, Island, Senate, Election, Midterm, Moderate, Republicans, Democrats,

Neo[con] Self-Rehabilitation, Step I

mpd404 — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 16:12:09 +0000

“Our ideas were right, but our enablers screwed it up!” The meek attempt at apology from the guys who gave us Iraq.

–mpd

Technorati Tags: David, Rose, Neo, Culpa, Vanity, Fair, Neoconservatives, Richard, Perle, Ken, Adelman, David, Frum, Bush, Administration, Iraq, War, Dick, Cheney, Donald, Rumsfeld,

Dole(ing) out the Horse Feces

mpd404 — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 16:06:46 +0000

I’m watching Elizabeth Dole on Meet the Press right now and it’s as though the woman is on crack, high from the huge amout of sugar intake from drinking way too much of the Kool-Aid.

Also, nothing she says makes any sense. It’s almost hard not to feel bad for her.

–mpd

Technorati Tags: Elizabeth, Dole, Meet, the, Press, Republicans, Democrats, Emmanual, Schumer, Reynolds, Midterm, Elections, Senate, House,

Democrats and the Avoiding of Defeat

mpd404 — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 16:01:55 +0000

After the relatively harmless but momentarily frightening incident of John Kerry’s bad(ly interpreted) joke about the Bush administration, it’s particularly clear that the major challenge for Democrats going into the last 48 hours of this election cycle is to avoid derailing their own gravy train. Democrats are going to win the House; the Senate looks increasingly winnable. The trick is to simply allow the Republicans to destroy themselves, and it’s true that the GOP has been eating its own babies at least since but probably well before the Foley affair.

Thomas Ferraro has a quick piece in Reuters today demonstrating the new Rovian Democratic strategy for winning elections: Not Losing. His thesis is that Democrats historically fuck it up and have therefore remained in the Minority party on the Hill. I think that’s a wee bit of an oversimplification of electoral dynamics in America, particularly since 1994. But whatever. I think the important point now is that the ground has shifted. Support for conservative ideology is dead, in retreat or in hiding. That all Democrats have to do is to avoid saying something idiotic enough to turn people off is, finally, a positive remark about the American voter.

–mpd

Technorati Tags: Democrats, Republicans, Reuters, Midterm, Elections, Politics, House, Senate, GOP, Thomas, Ferraro, Reuters, Bush,

Reclaiming the Blog, Take Two

mpd404 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 23:34:21 +0000

I recognize that I’ve been completely negligent with respect to maintaining the blog, often for very poor reasons (laziness, lack of interest) since I’m not particularly swamped with other areas of my life. Work is fine, but not overwhelming; my social life leaves a tad to be desired; I’m finally settled back into Washington.

I’ll make a more robust effort at contributing meaningful and/or interesting comment on the site. As usual, feel free to contact me with suggestions or observations, and of course, comments always welcome.

–mpd

Weird GOP French Bashing

mpd404 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:11:10 +0000

Jim Talent said about his democratic opponent, former prosecutor Claire McCaskill, on Meet the Press today this:

She said to a group of her supporters in Paris. . .

I don’t know what this means but when asked directly whether if he had been told ahead of time that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq would he have voted to invade: he actually said yes. Yes! “Well, he wanted them [WMDs], Tim.” What a riot.

McCaskill I thought performed very well, as far as being a terrorist-sympathizing cut-and-runner goes.

–mpd

Pat Buchanan is a Dick

mpd404 — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:22:10 +0000

Although I hardly thought it possible, the esteemed Pat Buchanan, failed presidential candidate, veritable hate-spewing commentator and national clown, has sunk to new lows in bigoted idiocy.

Not only is Mark Foley a “flamer,” according to Buchanan, but Nancy Pelosi “has been marching with pedophiles” and consequently has no “credibility” on denouncing Foley’s sexual deviancy and the House Republican leadership’s knowing and willful lack of response to it. Also, Hastert didn’t know Foley well, despite the fact that Foley was a fairly influential, gregarious House Republican who’d been around for over a decade. Also, the Republican caucus had no idea that Foley was “this flamer”, as if his being gay is relevant. And by the way, everyone on the the Hill and off the Hill knew that Foley was gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Also, the media doesn’t care about kids because they sat on the story. What cracked-out planet does Buchanan live on, and why is he allowed on television?

Watch the horror show for yourself, courtesy of Wonkette:

–mpd

Technorati Tags: Mark, Foley, Joe, Scarborough, Pat, Buchanan, MSNBC, Page, Scandal, Washington, Midterm, Elections, Flamer