I've Got The Scars To Prove It

John McCain often says, "I've stood against my party and I've got the scars to prove it!" What does he mean by this?

Near as I can tell, he's been affected very little by standing up to his party. Standing against other Republicans has raised his public profile and image in general. It also hasn't hurt him enough with Republicans because he's still their Presidential nominee!

It seems to me there's actually a clause missing in the middle of this statement where he means to say, "I've stood against my party, fought in a war, and I've got the scars to prove it."

World Series

Two notes about the World Series -
1) It must be hard for the Mets fans to see Scott Kazmir facing off against the Phillies.
2) How does Barack Obama get caught saying he'll root for the Rays and the Phillies? Seriously? Yet another minimal issue and yet the candidate still messes it up.
3) Oh by the way, the Daily Show points out, McCain called out Obama on the pandering, but then Palin pandered to Phillies fans, Rays fans and Red Sox fans. See below.

Tested? How has John McCain Been Tested?

John McCain says, "America will not have a president who needs to be tested. I’ve been tested my friends.”

How exactly has McCain been tested? He's never had to make any decisions that affect the lives of millions of people? Obama hasn't either but he's not claiming to have greater experience in this arena than his opponent, just better judgment.

Todd Palin and Alaskan Independence

If Barack Obama's meetings with Bill Ayers are concerning to voters, shouldn't Todd Palin's association with the Alaskan Independence Party also be in question? After all, isn't it Sarah Palin who is challenging that certain people in the country are not "pro-America?" What would be less pro-America than voting on leaving the Union?

Loving the Rays

Here's hoping the Rays go all the way and complete an amazing underdog / Cinderella story.

Bad Jets Loss

The Jets loss today to the Raiders was a bad one. The game was a typical "trap" game where the Jets had been winning well, and were facing off against a limping Raiders team. The entire game was sloppy with the Raiders committing too many penalties and the Jets making three huge turnovers. In the end, the Jets had gotten so many breaks just to keep the game even at 13-13 and force overtime, it was hard to imagine that they could win in overtime unless they improved their play. The Chiefs come in next week and the Jets need to win that game.

Smoking

In my apartment it smells like someone is smoking in the bathroom. It's very uncomfortable.

Roy Williams x2

I love that the Cowboys now have WR Roy Williams and SS Roy Williams. What will they put on the back of the jerseys? Roy Williams? This is something I accomplished in a Madden 2005 franchise just for the novelty. I just find it hilarious!

W (the movie)

Oliver Stone has a new movie coming out about George W Bush called "W." But I'm wondering who the audience is for this movie. Those in the 20% or so who currently still approve of the President's job will not want to see this film that will undoubtedly put the President in negative light. Do the rest of us, who are frustrated with the way the President has done things really want to re-live the last 7+ years worth of criticism? It seems unlikely to me. Maybe Stone was just hoping to put in his input for the upcoming election by timing the movie so close to the Election Day, but it seems to me that it's just a bit too soon to be making this film.

Town Hall Debate

The most disappointing thing to me about the "town hall debate" that occurred last Tuesday is the fact that it seemed no different than any of the other debates that have happened up to now. All we get are the same questions (this time, just posed by "regular people") and the same answers (that don't necessarily answer the posed question). The candidates just echo and parrot their usual schtick with no original material.

Certainly questions on the economy are important at this time, but it seemed like the same old thing - apparently both candidates will have the right tax cuts for me, while the other will not.

I was also shocked when John McCain said it would be easy to "fix" Social Security. The entitlements have been a supposed problem for years that nobody's been able to fix. If it was so easy, then why hasn't he fixed it in his 26 yrs in the Senate?

VP Debate

So far, about 50 minutes into the 90 minute debate, I want to rip off my ears. The debate is completely incoherent. Sarah Palin is just making vague comments and reiterating typical McCain talking points, and not providing any new information. Meanwhile, Joe Biden is overexplaining everything and also becoming ridiculous. I hope the next 40 minutes are better but I'm not very hopeful.

Bye bye, 401K

Thank you Congress, for getting nothing done yet again and giving my 401K a nice kick in the balls.

Song title?

What is the name of the song being used in FOX's NLCS promos? I can't find it anywhere and I find it catchy.

TV Update

Catching up with some of the tv premieres. Luke Perry's on SVU as a guest star! Ha that was unexpected. And wait... is that Sara Gilbert from Roseanne in the same episode?

ER is still on tv?

Also, I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time. What did I think of the last half of season 5? Really heavy.

Jets vs Pats 2008

If the Jets win, I predict the following statements from NFL analysts:
1) The Jets are now the team to beat in the East
2) What a difference Brett Favre is to the team (and how Chad Pennington could not have made some throw in the game)
3) It just shows how valuable Tom Brady is

If the Pats win, I predict the following statements from NFL analysts:
1) Football is a team game
2) The road to the AFC East goes through New England
3) Defense wins championships
4) Brett Favre is still learning the system
5) That's why Bill Belichick is a hall of fame coach

I think this is going to be a close, defensively oriented game. For the Jets to win they will need their offensive line to get a good running game going against the Patriots, who are vulnerable in that area. On the flip side, they will need to stifle New England's run game with their own revamped defense. Biggest non-injury fear - Brett Favre is perplexed by the Belichick defensive schemes.

On Being Liberal

Bob Herbert had a great column in the NY Times the other day about being proud to be liberal. Frankly, hearing the word "liberal" used in a negative fashion makes me think of some old guy in a rocking chair who is complaining and it infuriates me. Obviously liberals can't be credited with everything good that's ever happened, but a lot of major important changes are the result of liberals!

Double Standards

No additional comment from me necessary.

90210

I taped the premiere of 90210 and less than 5 minutes into it, the father character says "Family first" and Jessica Walter as a grandmother comes out holding a drink. Will there be any more similarities to Arrested Development?

Sarah Palin is a Female Version of Clarence Thomas

McCain is going to try and lure women with Sarah Palin, but Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin are as similar as Clarence Thomas and Thurgood Marshall. I think the biggest impact that this will have is that conservative women will be more energized. Those women who are extreme liberal won't compromise their social causes for her and she may ultimately be too conservative for the moderate wing. It does give McCain some much needed buzz, especially after Obama's speech. I wonder if the Republican convention will be as watched as the Democrats'.

I Am So Frustrated By John McCain's Apparent Success

Since the DNC is starting today, I thought I would vent about John McCain.

He's doing well in the polls but for the life of me, I can't seem to figure out why. But let me vent about a few things.

1) Military experience - I've been thinking about John McCain's military experience. In what way does it make him suitable to be the President? Of course, he was a POW, and that's horrible. But his highest rank in the Navy was Captain. He could run a ship, but he never made it to Rear Admiral or Admiral (the highest ranks). Point is, the most distinguishing feature of his military career is that he was captured by the enemy!

2) As Paul Krugman points out in today's NY Times, all the "bad things" about John Kerry, also apply to John McCain! "Sugar daddy wife?" Check. Military service record available for distortion? Check.

3) Hillary Clinton supporters who are backing John McCain have to determine why exactly they are voting for Hillary Clinton, and why exactly they have decided to follow McCain instead of Obama. They clearly are not voting based on political platform, as Obama and Clinton are much more similar than Clinton and McCain. So if you're voting for another reason, what is it? Disrespect? Anger? Sadness? Are these reasons to vote for a candidate? Doesn't anger lead to hate, and hate lead to suffering?

4) I wonder if calling Barack Obama "arrogant" is code for calling him "uppity." What has he done to be arrogant? Went to Harvard and Columbia? The same things that make him "elitist" or "arrogant" are things that nearly every parent would wish their child would accomplish. Not to mention the last 3 Presidents went to Yale and the one before that was a movie star! By the way, apparently being a "huge celebrity" is not good if you're Obama, but fine if your name rhymes with Reagan.

5) Experience - a completely imagined qualification for President. Maybe the only relevant experience would be that of being some sort of executive or head of an organization. As Bill Clinton said recently, "You could argue nobody has the experience to be President." It's probably true. Some can handle the job better than others but how can we predict this? Our current President was a CEO and a governor and basically horrible. He has the most "experience" anybody could want and has been a failure. So why is experience important?

6) Finally, I guess the credit has to go to the Republican machine, which continues to perpetuate the myth that the media is "liberal" (see all of talk radio, Fox News and corporate ownership as counter-examples), and that somehow John McCain, whose economic policies will clearly benefit the rich, is better for lower income voters. It's making me really angry. Like "Hulk Smash" angry. Thanks for letting me vent.