Ames: where GOP campaigns go to die

How ironic is it that the Iowa Republican straw poll results are delayed by malfunctioning voting machines?

Behind the frivolity of (yesterday)'s Republican straw poll -- the banners, big tents, barbecue and rollicking music -- is a stark truth: This could be the last day as viable candidates for several of these men. For those who do poorly, this informal vote of a relative handful of hard-core Republican activists is likely to herald bad press, an end to fundraising and the death of their campaigns.

Farewell, Thompson-not-Hollywood:

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson has admitted as much, telling his supporters that he will drop out of the race if he does not win here. At his modest tent, diehard fans said they felt the pressure.

"We came two and a half hours to come here on a blisteringly hot, sweaty day," said Craig Damerval, 44, an Iowa correctional officer from Winfield, in southeast Iowa. He said he knows about Thompson's pledge, but added that "I hope he's in the top three, anyway."

Alas, poor Duncan. We hardly knew ye:

By (today), the gimmicks may no longer be enough: The guy standing on stilts for California Rep. Duncan Hunter, because "he rises to the occasion." Or the red, white, blue and yellow hot air balloon for John Cox, who offered supporters a chance to win a trip to Rancho Vanencia villas in Southern California.

Who in the hell is John Cox?

There were a couple of winners here in the cornfields, and Romney was hardly one. Mike Huckabee's second-place finish not only kills off several of his rivals in single-digit territory but gives him a shred of credibility going forward. He defeated John Birch Brownback, who apparently had the only air-conditioned tent at the party (somehow I find it hard to believe that Mitt Romney forgot to buy a tent with A/C) ...

Even Brownback's decision to have the only air-conditioned tent today may not help him much if too few people cast ballots for him here.

For Romney, the risk is not of dropping out, but of embarrassment. Like the rest of his slick, polished campaign, his presence here practically exudes his wealth: a huge, professional stage for musicians, a tent outfitted with flat-screen televisions, and hundreds of volunteers.

As midday neared, Romney communications director Matt Rhoades nervously described the straw poll as "a war of attrition" and worried about how to make sure his supporters actually wait in line to cast their ballots.

Yes, not very many of them did cast their ballots, all right. Forty thousand attended, 14,000 voted. I'm guessing 50,000 plates of barbecue were consumed. What a bunch of free-loaders.

Did I forget to mention Dr. No and his sixth-place finish was the euthanizing agent for Gov. Thompson and the others who will quit shortly?

Did I also neglect to point out that Barack Obama polls better among Iowa Republicans than several of these poor sweating conservatives?

Sunday Funnies (starring Nate the Neoconservative)

The Twenty-Six Percent Dissolution

I've been waiting to receive this e-mail from a few bitter-enders among my relatives and friends, though candidly I expected it sooner, when the President (sic) was still polling in the thirties:

I’m one of the twenty-six percent of Americans who still believe in our great President Bush, and everything he’s done for our country!

I believe my tax dollars should not be wasted on welfare, health care, and other socialist programs. That’s why I support an administration that uses my tax money to increase Halliburton's profits, or just allows it to go missing in Iraq!

I believe that the Republican Party is the party of moral values. That’s why I voted for the party of Duke Cunningham and Mark Foley!

I believe that trickle-down economics will eventually trickle down to me, and I will become a billionaire. That’s why I support tax cuts for the wealthy!

I believe in Jesus Christ and all of his teachings. That’s why I condone torture!

I believe in war and protecting the homeland. That’s why I declined to enlist, so I could stay here and encourage other people to join up!

I believe drug addicts and sex perverts should be in prison. That’s why I listen to wholesome Americans like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly!

I believe in the sanctity of life, and protecting the unborn. That’s why I cheer when I hear about an abortion clinic full of people being blown up!

I believe in smaller, non-intrusive government. That’s why I support the president’s wire-tapping program!

I believe in the party of fiscal responsibility. That’s why I support the Republicans like Ted Stevens who continue to run up the national debt with loads of pork barrel projects!

I believe that if we don’t fight ‘em over there, we’re going to have to fight ‘em over here. That’s why I stay stateside, so I’ll be armed and ready in case they show up!

I believe that homosexuality is a sin and a threat to American society. That’s why I support the 100% gay-free Republican Party!

I believe in the concept that we are all God’s children. That’s why we have to kill Muslims, because God never meant for them to be part of the family!

I believe that it is my responsibility to stay well-informed. That’s why I have FOX News on my TV, 24/7!

I believe the President has enhanced the state of education in our country. That’s how I lurnt to speek and spel so gud!

I believe the Commander-in-Chief chooses reliable military advisors to assist him with his war strategy. That’s why I respect every new one he appoints, no matter how often he appoints new ones!

I believe a well-rested president is an effective president. That’s why I’m happy we have a president who is on vacation thirty-six weeks out of every year!

I believe we should Support the Troops. That’s why I have yellow ribbon bumperstickers on both of my SUVs!

I believe in freedom of choice. That's why I'm going to vote for whoever Pat Robertson tells me to vote for!

I believe that all Americans should enjoy good health. That's why I believe sick, uninsured Americans -- and especially those nasty illegal aliens -- should just die and leave the rest of us to enjoy our good health!

I believe that solid family values are the backbone of our country. That's why I, my third wife, and my current mistress are all campaigning for Guiliani!

I believe in spreading democracy around the world. That’s why I’m glad we let Iraqis vote while we were bombing the hell out of their country!

I believe in America and everything it stands for. That’s why I display my made-in-China flag proudly on my front porch every single day!


P.S. I believe that the fact that we twenty-six percenters became twenty-four percenters in the time it took to write this is just further proof that the surge is working!

Alexandra Pelosi's "Friends of God" here 8/23

Famed documentarist Alex Pelosi (yep, she's related) has a new film chronicling her visits with the fundamentalists shaping America, and she and it are making a debut in H-Town:

With her unique brand of road-tripping reportage, Alexandra Pelosi embarks on a fast-paced cross-country journey, offering snapshots of a cross-section of evangelical America. Pelosi presents her up-close and personal encounters with some influential members of the evangelical community, from Joel Osteen, the most-watched TV minister in America, to Ted Haggard, who recently stepped down as president of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals following allegations that he had sex with a male prostitute and bought illegal drugs.

RSVP at the link above.

The Nutcracker comes to H-Town

Senator Hillary Clinton

is coming to Houston

hosted by

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

National/Regional Co-Chair, Hillary Clinton for President Campaign

On Saturday morning, August 11, 2007 at 10:00 a.m.

join with friends, neighbors and Hillary Clinton for President supporters

at

"Hill-Country!"

(note change of location)

IBEW Local 716 Hall

1475 North Loop West

(I-610 North at Ella Blvd exit)

Houston, TX 77008

713-869-8900

RSVP required for each admittance

www.HillaryClinton.com/Houston

(if you previously rsvp'd, please disregard)

They had to change locations because of the number of RSVPs (over 600). This was the original invite, a rather poor Photoshop:



My caption?

"A little lower, Sheila."

*scritch scritch*

"Lower..."

*scritch scritch*

"That's it. Ahhhh..."

*scritch scritch scritch*

A final word about cheating

Baseball has so mirrored American society at large for the past century that I'm sure a few thousand dissertations have been written about it. I could make a case that Babe Ruth's record is tainted because he didn't play against African-American players. Discrimination, in my humble O, is just another word for cheating: excluding competition by declaration of an arbitrary authority.

Yes, no matter what he says, Barry Bonds cheated. Nobody's head just suddenly grows several hat sizes when they're in their thirties (unless they have some virulent strain of brain cancer). Bonds never hit more than 46 home runs in a season when he was in his twenties.

Bonds also cheated in an era when virtually everybody cheated. McGuire, Canseco, et cetera of course but the lesser players too. Notice how Pudge Rodriguez has shriveled up and become a weak hitter? He literally went from Pudge to Slim in one season. I watched Jeff Bagwell deflate like a poodle balloon, and not just from ceasing his workouts due to the arthritic shoulder. Ken Caminiti became an MVP as a result of the juice, and it also contributed to his demise.

The lords of baseball looked the other way while this was in its heyday. And then suddenly the mostly Caucasian, Christian, Republican fan base started to be turned off by the moral impurity of the Steroids Era. So the Republican owners and executives and managers and coaches and players -- again, for the most part -- were quickly forced to get righteous.

(Prezdential sidebar: I think it's no coincidence that some of the worst cheaters -- Sosa, Palmeiro -- played for the Texas Rangers during the time Bush, the pillar of substance abuse recovery-through-prayer, was part owner.)

Bonds has also cheated in a sport that has condoned -- or at least tolerated -- cheating all of its life. Baseball invented the phrase 'fair play' but the game is played by subjective, interpretive boundaries: Fair or foul? Strike or ball? Safe or out? Depends on the umpire's POV. And yours. No replay camera will ever be used to make that call. "It's right on the line." "That pitch looked outside to me." "Yeah, he's calling a wide zone today." "He beat the throw to first." "No WAY he was out on that bang-bang play."

And baseball has also and always functioned under an unwritten credo: "If you're not cheating, you're not trying." From spitballs with real tobacco juice and Ty Cobbs' sharpened spikes (Cobb likewise being one of the most virulent racists in the history of the game) to corked bats and nail files and sandpaper. Through the generations.

And what are batting gloves and tar paper and body armor on elbows and insteps all about? Aren't they kind of a legalized cheat? So who cares if somebody shot up the horse pills? It's their body. Oh wait a minute: what are the kids going to think?

Baseball was about cheating even before it became all about the money. Then the cheating was kind of, you know, "understandable" when millions of dollars suddenly hit the table. And purity becomes a commodity when not only millions of dollars but the sport as a going concern is threatened. It's Hard Work being Kenesaw Mountain Landis when the owners cancel the World Series -- due to "labor strife" -- and the fan base erodes by 20% for several seasons.

No excuses for Barry, but no admissions of guilt needed from him either. A-Rod is breaking that record anyway in about seven years or so.

756(*?)

Barry Bonds set the all-time record for home runs when he hit the 756th of his career off the Washington Nationals' Mike Bacsik in the fifth inning last night.




The new home run king, with his godfather Willie Mays behind him.

Bonds worked a 3-2 count before fouling off the sixth pitch of the at-bat. Barry smacked the seventh pitch a few rows deep in the seats in right center field.

Hank Aaron was not at the game but did give an inspiring message in a pre-taped speech that was broadcast on the Jumbotron after the blast:

"It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination.

"Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement.

"My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams."

Bonds then thanked his father in an emotional speech to the crowd. The game paused for the celebration a total of ten minutes.

It was a nice event to witness in a vacuum, but the controversy surrounding the star will greatly cloud the memory in the minds of many baseball fans.

W the Wiretapper (assist to the cowardly Blue Dogs)

This is as reckless as it was unnecessary. Democrats had presented a compromise plan that would have permitted surveillance to proceed, but with court review and an audit by the Justice Department's inspector general, to be provided to Congress, about how many Americans had been surveilled. Democrats could have stuck to their guns and insisted on their version. Instead, nervous about being blamed for any terrorist attack and eager to get out of town, they accepted the unacceptable. Most Democrats opposed the measure, but enough (16 in the Senate, 41 in the House) went with Republicans to allow it to pass, and the leadership enabled that result.

Four of those 41 included Texas Democrats Nick Lampson, Chet Edwards, Henry Cuellar, and Ciro Rodriguez, Blue Dogs all.

Bad dog. No bone for you. Get in your crate. (And you oughta get a whippin' ...)

Git along, little bloggies

Git along.

It's Monday and that means it's time again for the Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Blog Round-Up, where we review the best in Texas blogging from our various member blogs. This week's installment is brought to you once more by Vince at Capitol Annex.

TxSharon at BlueDaze brings us an interesting story about drilling companies in Wise County getting caught lying. Sometimes the truth just slips out, as it did when an oil field worker told her about water usage in Barnett Shale drilling: Depleting and polluting our water in Wise County, Texas.

Texas Toad at North Texas Liberal asks "Will There Be Mercy For Kenneth Foster?"

John C. at Bay Area Houston Blog tells us about the latest corporation and industry to exploit the Federal Arbitration Act -- cable giant Comcast, in Another Consumer Scam: Comcast Arbitration.

If you want pictures of Rick Noriega at YearlyKos, Charles at Off The Kuff has them here.

McBlogger at McBlogger looks at the mortgage industry brouhaha and decides the sky isn't falling after all.

Easter Lemming does another of his Liberal News Digests from progressive media. There really is a liberal news media, if you know where to look.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts regarding Williamson County Attorney Jana Duty filing a brief with AG Greg Abbott regarding whether the county judge and commissioners can use outside counsel without the CA's consent: County Attorney Asks AG Abbott For Opinion On Hiring Of Outside Legal Counsel.

Hal at Half Empty points out that if you want quality education, don't come to school bond issue meetings with box cutters.

Vince at Capitol Annex takes a look at the legal briefs filed before the Attorney General in the opinion request on the power of the Speaker of the Texas House.

M. Eddie Rodriguez points to a press release from Mikal Watts, a Democrat exploring a Senate race against John Cornyn, that notes that Cornyn's votes this week against expanding SCHIP puts him on the far-right fringe of his party, at Stop Cornyn.

And...Several Texas bloggers were also represented at Yearly Kos in Chicago, and did some great liveblogging. Here's one from Burnt Orange Report.

Muse from Musings was liveblogging all over the place, including at her blog where she brings us the ePluribus interview with Rick Noriega; Markos of DailyKos' special endorsement of Rick Noriega; a session on female bloggers; and liveblogging of the the presidential forum ...

... and at Capitol Annex where she blogged more on the girl bloggers and the MSN-blog panel (also here, here, and here);

... and on the Local Blogging Round-Table at Bay Area Houston.

And, don’t forget about these other Texas Progressive Alliance Members: Three Wise Men, In The Pink Texas, Marc’s Miscellany, Common Sense, The Agonist, People’s Republic of Seabrook, B and B, Brains and Eggs, Texas Kaos, Feet To The Fire, and Who’s Playin’.

Sunday Funnies

(Light posting ahead. Click the toons for a larger view.)

The Minnesota bridge collapse is terrible

.. but there's something more terrible still than dozens of automobiles under water and concrete and rebar, still holding their drivers and passengers.



And that is, that it's going to happen again. And again. And soon.

The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy -- while the country is at war -- has forced the underfunding of the maintenance of America's infrastructure. Just as the Army Corps of Engineers couldn't spend the money in New Orleans to fix the problems with the levees that they knew existed long before Katrina ever came ashore, the DOT likely knew there were problems with that bridge, but the money wasn't there to fix it. Now how do I know this?

Well, because The Onion has a rather prescient --and now cruel -- parody of it, from two years ago.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (yes, he's a Republican) recently vetoed a nickel-a-gallon increase in the gasoline tax in his state. The funds were earmarked for road maintenance. It wouldn't have saved the 35W bridge or all those people who were killed or injured yesterday, but I bet he's feeling a little sick to his stomach anyway, and not just for the Minnesotans whose lives were lost.

Truthfully this isn't all Pawlenty's or even Dubya's fault, though the worst is yet to come. This mantra of more and more tax cuts goes all the way back to Reagan, and thus the neglect reaches back to the '80's. PBS recently detailed America's crumbling infrastructure, but "nobody could have predicted" anything like this, could they? Rational thought says you don't sacrifice a city, you don't sit by while people suffer, you don't worry about bridges collapsing in the USA -- all in the name of tax breaks. Doesn't it?

Forget about a terrorist attack; how bad do you think it will it be the next time an underground steam pipe first installed in 1924 explodes, or a bridge collapses, or a hurricane or an earthquake hits?

How slow, will we learn, is the FEMA response this time?

How many more people are going to have to die for this tax-cuts-at-all-cost mindset to change?

TIME lists the reasons Bush won't can Gonzo

And I hate to admit how right they are (again my bold emphasis):

1. Gonzales is all that stands between the White House and special prosecutors. As dicey as things are for Bush right now, his advisers know that they could get much worse. In private, Democrats say that if Gonzales did step down, his replacement would be required to agree to an independent investigation of Gonzales' tenure in order to be confirmed by the Senate...

2 ... Over the past six months, more than half a dozen top political appointees have left the department amid scandal. The unprecedented coziness that once existed between the Justice Department and the White House now remains solely in the person of Gonzales.

3. If Gonzales goes, the White House fears that other losses will follow. Top Bush advisers argue that Democrats are after scalps and would not stop at Gonzales. Congressional judiciary committees have already subpoenaed Harriet Miers and Karl Rove in the firings of U.S. Attorneys last year. Republicans are loath to hand Democrats some high-profile casualties to use in the 2008 campaign. Stonewalling, they believe, is their best way to avoid another election focused on corruption issues.

4. Nobody at the White House wants the legal bills and headaches that come with being a target of investigations. In backing Gonzales, Bush is influenced by advisers whose future depends on the survival of their political bodyguard. Gonzales remains the last line of defense protecting Bush, Rove and other top White House officials from the personal consequences of litigation. A high-profile probe would hobble the White House politically, and could mean sky-high legal bills and turmoil for Bush's closest aides.

Alberto Gonzales as human shield for all the other criminals in the Bush administration. Wonder how he likes being that?

But that's not the real question I care about. Nor do I give a damn for the political hay to be made by the Democrats in the Senate and the House and the ones who are running for president in 2008.

The real mystery to me here is: how high a price could a person command for that depth of fealty? How many plum consulting positions, how many corporate board appointments, how much for a tell-all memoir that wasn't, really?

How many millions of dollars is loyalty like that worth?