The rudderless but loyal opposition

Check out David Brooks ripping future Hose Contributor, Bobby Jendel to shreds...



Do you think Brooks was making a Lebowski reference with this talk of being a "Nihilist"?

I smell a drinking game.

One of my friends on facebook called Jendel a coconut...that's a bit over the top I think. Especially when we can point out that he took the name Bobby because he was a fan of the Brady Bunch growing up...

In other news, Olbermann's streak of d-bagery continues with that "oh god" business. Way to be a professional Keith!

Ask xTian: The Speech

All day people have been coming up to me asking me the same question "xTian, President Obama's speech was not very great. I mean there was no '...but fear itself' line in there at all. What gives?"

A few immediate reactions
It is my position that history will tell us if there was a great line of any sort. It is unclear if anyone knows what they are watching when it happens. Apparently, one of the few notable exceptions was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Of course it had the benefit of following some cornball who banged on for one hour reliving the battle and reading his "honey-do" list. By the way, I might be alone here but I've been thinking to myself that there are a lot of similarities between Lincoln and Obama. I do not understand why the media has not picked up on this more and discussed it.

There were more allusions than I knew what to do with, it was like a foreclosure sale on history (beat). What did Washington at Valley Forge have to do with anything? I guess it was cold out today...

The speech was demonstrably muted. We all know he can get a crowd to its feet. My theory is that he simply chose not to. People are using the word "sober".I think that's a good word to use especially in light of all the excess of the last 8 years. Everybody needs to sober up and go help your fellow man or something. While you're at it stop hoping some dude is going to walk in and lift your spirits every other week. He's busy trying to save the country you self involved goons.

The whole idea of "our better history" was neat. It also gave him a chance to rail on our recent history. Ronald Reagan tried to "starve the beast" and mostly succeeded. He was so successful that the next time the Democrats came in, there was no more talk of a "Great Society". All the sudden we started balancing budgets and talking about how "The Era of Big Government is over". WTF? Way to roll over Bill! Of course, if these months of bail outs and crises have shown us anything, it's that this was all hogwash. Thankfully, Barack took back the baton and reasserted the potential to do good with government. As dessert to that main course,he made sure to remind everyone that the US has a leadership role and slapped our GWB for his unilateralism and occasionally reckless foreign policy. Jimmy Carter was there to, but the President did not poke at him at all. Poor Jimmy, always getting ignored...

If there is a lesson in all this its this. Don't walk up to me in a Starbucks and ask me about stuff like this. Your coffee will get cold while you politely stand there listening to me bang on endlessly.

BTW- I am looking for a picture of George H W Bush and his wife Barbara. First off, 41 was sporting a nifty hat. He and his wife wore matching purple scarves. They looked great on TV.

Open Letter to David Plouffe

Sir,

It would be better if you sat down before we discussed this. Some of this may shock you.

The Election is over. As the dictated by law, we had elections on November 4th, and yes, Barack Obama is President. You won. Why do you insist on emailing me from the "Obama for America" distribution list?

I read the newspaper, I know that the National Security Team is now in place. I don't need you to update me on the transition, a transition you have no obvious role in. It would be one thing I suppose if you wrote asking for a donation for the run off Senatorial election in Georgia. But you didn't and now that's going to go the way its going to go.

Go be like David Axelrod, who's moved on, most likely working on his Tobey Zeigler impression somewhere. It's time to let go, its time to leave the bunker and move on with your life. It's be two years. Take a vacation. More importantly leave me alone.
I'm sure they have a nice gig lined up for you in White House Communications set to start when you get back.

As an aside, I do miss getting emails from Barack and Michelle. Those were fun. Lots of characters from the election were fun. I think Reggie Love should start a blog, so we can continue to follow his Turtle like escapades as Barack's body man. "Got another email from Scarlett Jo, she just can't take a hint" or "Dunked on the President Elect Today, made a poster of him. The secret service tackled me mid air". I am all for a reality show following Reggie around. Our country is in such bad shape we need this, Today!

Your brother in peace,

xtian

Whoa

Best. Acceptance. Speech. Ever. Did anyone else forget what it felt like to be inspired (or at least impressed (or at the very least, not embarrassed)) with a government leader? If President Elect Barack Obama wants me to serve with him as Secretary of Energy, I will accept.

Good question

Xtian brings up a good question on McCain's legacy. There is no doubt that many, many of us respected McCain much more 12 months ago than we did yesterday. For the past six months, it has been difficult to recognize the man I had hoped would challenge W in the 2004 primary, or the guy who was within a breath of become John Kerry's running mate.

But I think history will forgive McCain the candidate, and remember McCain the senator. He's been the only powerful Republican in the past decade to stand up against the crazies in his party. I think that's what history will remember.

Unless that manic Palin becomes president at some point. Then he will be remembered as the guy who opened Pandora's box.

Concession

John McCain is up making a concession speech. It's a classy speech, a bit broad on the symbol of a black man as president rather than the impact of Obama as a man but it still reminds us all of the guy we all knew he was somewhere deep down.

His supporters need to shut the f*ck up, but that's neither here nor there.

I am suddenly hung up on what his political epithet will be.

Will it be an homage to the guy of who stood alone in the face of a typhoon that was the Bush machine in 2000 and suffered greatly for it?

Or, somewhat sadly, will it be one that focuses on a guy who gave up a little too much of his soul, making deals with devils and still coming up short?

56 senate seats and we are preposterously close to the idea of Senator Al Franken.

Called before prime time (Pacific)

All the CNN comentators, Reps and Dems, are crying. Very touching.

Three cheers for Florida irrelevance. Three cheers for Obama.

That's it

MSNBC just called all the western states for Obama then cut to Grant Park, Harlem and Spellman College.

Big Party all around.

Hope! Realized! (F*ck you, even I got a bit misty)

Jesse Jackson is in tears somewhere.

Bill Bennett for some reason just had the most poignant reaction of them all. Invoking the name of Lincoln, nice job Bill...

Chavez wants to meet with the "Black Man"

Not sure what to do with myself I punched in "Chavez" "Obama" into the google. Here is what came back

I hope Chavez learns to call President Obama something other than "the black man".

fivethrityeight.com perspective

At 10:06pm fivethirtyeight.com put this up...interesting

Orange County Florida

The Bump's tactic of intimidating voters in Orange County all morning has worked. Chuck Todd just told us that Orange County, Fl is 60% for Obama!

wooo

Route

207 electoral votes, and they have not called CA, WA, or OR yet. If he takes FL, he'll be over 300.

Quiet Lull

Everyone is too scared to make a call of any note in a swing state. MSNBC cut to Grant Park to talk to a little black girl who is super excited about Barack...

Texas just went to Sen. McCain but Catjjy and I just did some math and are feeling pretty good about things

CNN calls OHIO!

I think for McCain to win now he needs to win California. My vote matters!

And the winner is....

Soledad O'Brien by a landslide. She represents our beautiful omni-racial future. Cambell Brown is yesterday's news.

Harold Ford Jr. for Secretary of Keeping It Real.

Breaking news!

CNN goes Lord of the Flies. William Bennet scarfs a foot-long meatball grinder, then wipes his mouth with David Gergin. Things are getting wild!

Ohio

Fox just projected Ohio for Barack. They have 200 for Barack.

Over on CNN, I think David Gergen just asleep, face down in his soup, mid sentence.

Back on Fox, they have started interviewing McCain ground troops. Looking for a scapegoat they are asking if this mess is all Gov Palin's fault. Nice job guys!

Harold Ford Jr!

MSNBC just found Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. Where's he been hiding?

Is a brother vying for a cabinet post?

Mike Murphy, MSNBC token Republican, is just about rolling over for Barack.

MSNBC can't stop calling States

While refusing to call Virgina (based on what looks like two counties up for debate) and NC, they just threw Arkansas to McCain.

Morris Day and I just debated who was hotter Soledad O'Brien or Campbell Brown.

Catjjy just called so I could hear Cha say "Obama". we need to record that and get that up on the Hose ASAP.

Chuck Todd just threw a wet blanket on everything thinking that Virgina is not looking good for Barack...don't ruin my buzz with your sober rational analysis.

Dead Man Broadcasting

Brit Hume looks horrible. Is he ok?

Fox is doing a somber piece on the lack of voter fraud/suppression concerns. Kind of burying the lead there, aren't we guys?

This piece is coming from Ohio. This morning on Imus, Paul Begala said that he heard there would be 80% turn out in Ohio. That's just nuts!

Bill Kristol just admitted this will be the most liberal government since LBJ.

Hume just asked "Is this actually a center left country?"

I don't understand why this feels like a funeral. They get to rag on the Dems endlessly for the next two years!