Michelle Obama: Lightening Rod for the Right?

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Well, it's sorta like what Kevin Phillips (the guy who wrote The Emerging Republican Majority in like 1970 or something, successfully predicting 40 years of GOP ascendancy) is saying about the economic meltdown, and what he's calling "optimism creep."  It's one thing for everyone to buy into absurd bullshit when things are choogling along OK, but quite another when people start to lose money.  Basically the lies have become so pervasive that they've become Soviet-scale - investors are starting to distrust official statements and statistics and are speeding the downfall of the American empire.

Erika, I'm no optimist, really - even Republican operatives are declaring movement conservatism dead.  I'm just hoping that it's not replaced with full-blown authoritarianism or a crippling economic and environmental meltdown.  I'm happy to see the American empire go - I hope we just fade peacefully, and don't flame out like 20th-century Europe.

[Bryan]

Apparently the woman who made the "terrorist fist bump" comment has been fired from her show on Fox News.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

My wife and I have started to say "terrorist fist jab" and bumping fists during happy or triumphant moments.  I think this has real meme potential.

[cutout]

More proud GOP moments:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-btl_13pol.ART.State.Edition1.4601c51.html?silly

Robert Hurt went to Washington and didn't like what he saw – nudity in the nation's capital.
"Nude women, sculptured women," he told the state Republican platform committee, which sat in rapt attention.

Of all the evils in Washington that the Texas GOP took aim at this week, removing art with naked people from public view was high on the list for Mr. Hurt, a delegate from Kerrville.

"You don't have nude art on your front porch," he explained. "You possibly don't have nude art in your living rooms. So why is it important to have that in the common places of Washington, D.C.?"

 The GOP platform will be presented today to the full convention. Like all platforms, it's a statement of principle and a political document to rally the troops.

In this, a presidential year, it advocates prayer in school, getting out of the United Nations, teaching intelligent design with evolution in science classes, repealing of the minimum wage, declaring illegal immigrants criminals and outlawing abortion with no exceptions.

"Hallelujah!" said a delegate who had urged strong anti-abortion language.

[jbissell]

On a mostly unrelated note, Tim Russert died today.

[erika]

I'm sad. He was very good at what he did and he didn't make me nauseous like most other newscasters these days... plus he was so young.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

I'm sad. He was very good at what he did and he didn't make me nauseous like most other newscasters these days... plus he was so young.

i dont watch the news (dont judge!), but hearing about a guy that young, he just came from his son's graduation, and his dad is in his late eighties- could you imagine burying your kid (adult kid) at that age?

anyway, i admit, i was very sad as well.

[Andy]

I am the only one who constantly watched Fox News?  They're like an oasis in the Sahara that is the liberal media. 

I will admit that they SOMETIMES lean a little right, but I find them way closer to the middle than any other news organization out there.  They are where I turn if I actually want some news and not just liberal opinions.

[cutout]

Who's your favorite among the talented journalists Fox News employs? I find it hard to pick just one.

[Andy]

it has to be Hannity.  O'Reilly can be a little abrassive.

[Regular Joe]

In the early days of Fox News, every morning I would obsessively watch 'Fox and Friends' after being up all night. In my insomnia warped mind it became sickly fascinating to watch those talking bobbleheads doing cheerful fluff news stories and crazy in-studio games.

Due to this experience, I have to claim Brian Kilmeade as my favorite Fox personality ever. His head's full of sand!

[iAmBaronVonTito]

I am the only one who constantly watched Fox News?  They're like an oasis in the Sahara that is the liberal media. 

I will admit that they SOMETIMES lean a little right, but I find them way closer to the middle than any other news organization out there.  They are where I turn if I actually want some news and not just liberal opinions.

You sound like my mother!

[Andy]

she sounds like a smart lady.

[erika]

I prefer to read the BBC news. I mean, I read CNN too but I think they're a load of crap most of the time. (My favorite headline of this week was "Incest Dungeon Girl Wakes from Coma")

[yesno]

I wish I read the news less, except for stuff that is relevant to work or inherently interesting.  I'd rather read more books and watch more movies.  I'm down to just skimming the NY Times RSS feeds and checking Drudge, for general purpose stuff.  Podcasts have replaced NPR.  I think I'd be better off not even reading the general news sections of the Times, and just subscribing to The Week (a magazine that is a very, very concise summary of the week's news/important columns).

It is kind of useless to be "informed" about insignificant events and/or things you can have no effect on.  The worst is just hearing constant updates and speculation about ongoing political scandals.  Who cares?  It's not like I have trouble deciding who to vote for.* Now that the Daily Show is on Hulu, maybe I'll just watch that.

Every so often I read a book or something by someone who advises ignoring the pseudo-information that is the news, or who points out the diminishing returns to be had from paying too much attention to the news.  Black Swan, recently.  4 Hour Workweek.  There's a great quote about the uselessness of news from HL Mencken or Mark Twain or someone that I can't remember.


* LaRouche