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05 Feb 2010 16:05

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Politics: Jon Stewart deblusters the blustery language blogs use

  • Well, he took the wind out of our sails. Jon Stewart’s brilliant approach to the way that the blogosphere makes things seem crazier than they actually are is pretty brilliant. Moreso, even, than his multi-part steel-cage match between him and Bill O’Reilly earlier this week. (Both of them are so good at what they do that they pretty much cancel each other out.) We hope MSNBC host Rachel Maddow doesn’t eviscerate us for this post.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

05 Feb 2010 12:39

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Politics: Tom Tancredo’s speech not the best way to start a Tea Party

  • People who could not even spell the word ‘vote,’ or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. His name is Barack Hussein Obama.
  • Former U.S. Rep. from Colorado Tom Tancredo • At the beginning of the Tea Party convention in Nashville last night. Can we list the ways this statement is offensive? 1.) It’s borderline racist in not one, but two ways (three if you think the part about not being able to spell the word “vote” is a slight on a certain race), 2.) It points out Obama’s middle name in a way to discount him, and 3.) It suggests that people who voted for Obama are idiots. It’s not like he doesn’t have a history of incendiary comments, either; this is the guy who called Miami a “third-world country.” Is this the guy you want opening up your Tea Party convention? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Feb 2010 12:09

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Politics, U.S.: Richard Shelby turns the Senate into his personal gridlock

  • 70 Obama nominees blocked over an Air Force tanker deal source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Feb 2010 10:34

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Politics: “Demon Sheep” still a heavy source of debate among wonks

  • It just oozes that special brand of ludicrous hilarity that the Internet loves. The thing’s going viral, but not necessarily in a way that will help Carly Fiorina’s campaign.
  • WeeklyStandard.com conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham • Regarding Carly Fiorina’s “Demon Sheep” ad, which has continued its viral rush to insane popularity (and many parodies). The clip, built largely from stock photos and spare footage (hence the heavy use of the Ken Burns effect), cost $15,000 to make, which is about $14,500 more than we expected. The Fiorina campaign is very much in the “any publicity is good publicity” mode (as they should), while the target of the ad, State Rep. Tom “Demon Sheep” Campbell, is using it in favor of his political campaign (as he should). If this works, Carly Fiorina is a genius. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Feb 2010 20:43

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Politics: Is Demon Sheep Carly Fiorina’s political suicide? Maybe not

  • Insane concept. Insane execution. But somehow, we’re convinced at the end of the day it worked. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, running for the California Senate, has an unintentionally awesome hit on her hands in the form of “Demon Sheep,” which is a much more interesting tagline than “Fiscal Conservative In Name Only” (or FCINO), the one they came up with. Here’s why we think, somehow, it works:
  • A new approach The dadaist attempt at smear campaigning, probably inspired by Adult Swim, has never been tried before. It’s been hinted at (see Kinky Friedman’s ads for Texas governor), but it hasn’t been taken quite to this degree. And we think they knew how absurd this ad was when they put it out. Don’t think they didn’t. That’s why it’s viral.
  • A clear message The techniques used in this ad are extremely blunt. The repeated imagery of the sheep, the printed money, the pigs, the sheep, the pigs, the Ken Burns effect, the signs, it rams the images into your head. Even the haters can admit that Fiorina got her point across in this insane ad in a way where you must watch.
  • A memorable mascot Ultimately, though, the reason why this ad works is because of Demon Sheep. Why? See Leahy’s Law (related to Murphy’s Law): “If a thing is done wrong often enough, it becomes right.” There’s no reason why Demon Sheep should work. But it’s brow-beaten to the point where you can’t turn away. She can make this work. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 23:25

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Politics: Murray Hill Incorporated: Finally, a candidate we can believe in

  • Yeah, this is pretty cheeky. But Murray Hill, Inc. is really running for Congress in the Maryland 8th District. They even have the kind of press release that should be studied by people who write press releases. “We want to get in on the ground floor of the democracy market before the whole store is bought by China,” they write. We hope they win so the Supreme Court is forced to reconsider its decision about giving corporations the same rights as people. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 21:57

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Politics: Why are we holding back Rahm Emanuel’s hilarious profanity?

  • Issues of derogatory comments that make fun of one group or pit one against the other don’t do anything to further our political discourse, And for that Rahm apologized and we’re looking to move forward.
  • White House spokesman Bill Burton • Regarding the fact that Obama adviser Rahm Emanuel called some liberal activists “#(&(@&# retarded” in a closed-door meeting. Sarah Palin jumped on it for some reason, and now Emanuel is being forced to apologize. Can we just say that it’s retarded that Emanuel is getting trashed on for using the word “retarded”? Sure, there are stereotypes at play here, but come on. Rahm walks into a meeting room in the White House and says something worse than “retarded” without even trying. This man should be praised for his uncompromising, innovative use of profanity, not chided for it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Feb 2010 10:59

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Politics: Henry Kissinger still alive, still pushing for strong Iraq policy

  • Yet while Iraq is being exorcised from our debate, its reality is bound to obtrude on our consciousness. The U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq will not alter the geostrategic importance of the country even as it alters that context.
  • Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger • Regarding the need to continue focusing on Iraq policy even while we’re withdrawing. He notes that Obama barely touched on it in his State of the Union address. Due to its strategic significance and its everlasting ties to terrorism, Kissinger claims “It cannot be in the American interest to leave the region as a vacuum.” He’s like the dude claiming we should spend the day after the party doing a deep clean of the apartment, despite the fact that it’s someone else’s job. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 10:20

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Politics: New Yorker writer trashes Twitter even though he’s never used it

  • The truth is, I feel like yelling Stop quite a bit these days. Every time I hear about Twitter I want to yell Stop. The notion of sending and getting brief updates to and from dozens or thousands of people every few minutes is an image from information hell.
  • New Yorker staff writer George Packer • Complaining about the popularity of Twitter. He won’t use it because he’s scared of becoming addicted. He calls it “crack for media addicts.” He seems to not understand the appeal of the service at all. He’s a journalist – with sources who understand the need to be constantly connected – and he himself doesn’t even own a BlackBerry. Mr. Packer, stop complaining and catch up. If you want to be a journalist in this new environment, you have to catch up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 09:49

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Politics: Left-leaning Daily Kos’ new poll makes the right look craaaaazy

  • 39% of Republicans think that Obama should be impeached for some reason
  • 36% think that Obama wasn’t born in the U.S. (thanks for that misinformation, Orly Taitz)
  • 53% think that Sarah Palin is somehow more qualified to be president than Obama source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
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