Monday, August 03, 2009
Great Minds Think Alike
by Ken Houghton
Have Sarah Palin and George Jones ever been seen in the same place? And, collaterally, if 90% of life (or thereabouts) really is Just Showing Up, what does this say about the GOP vetting process?? (h/t Wonkette; headline NSFChildren). Or, as a certain NRO columnist would say:
And I guess that applies to James Wolcott and I as well.
Have Sarah Palin and George Jones ever been seen in the same place? And, collaterally, if 90% of life (or thereabouts) really is Just Showing Up, what does this say about the GOP vetting process?? (h/t Wonkette; headline NSFChildren). Or, as a certain NRO columnist would say:
For the rest of us, Ol' Possum got it closer with this one:
Labels: Politics, pop music, Republicans
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Tell me again why ANYONE should EVER give ANY money or time to N.O.W.?
by Ken Houghton
I figured she was joking, that not even N.O.W. leadership was that stupid.
I was wrong.
Sybil Vane at Bitch Ph.D. mentioned this:
I was going to embed a video of the President of the L.A. chapter of N.O.W. introducing and personally endorsing Sarah Palin at a CA rally, having the audacity to end her introduction with the phrase "This is what a feminist looks like."
I figured she was joking, that not even N.O.W. leadership was that stupid.
I was wrong.
Labels: feminism, John McCain, Republicans, Utter Stupidity
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Waiting for Stephy
by Ken Houghton
The two responses were "Well, Obama said that the cut enacted in the Illinois legislature, of which about 60% went to consumer, did nothing to help the consumer" and "He wants to stop putting oil into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve."
I leave explaining the first to The Mendacity-Finding Duo of Greg Mankiw and Brad DeLong.
For the second, however, we now see (via Some Assembly Required), we find that stopping putting oil in the SPR is expected to do even less than the gas tax cut.
Waiting patiently for Stephanopoulos to ask Obama about that. (At least his response probably won't have all the economists in the blogsphere whining.)
During all the "gas tax holiday" contretemps last week, I kept asking if Obama had any plan, other than to sit there and let Johnny Mac run as a "populist."
The two responses were "Well, Obama said that the cut enacted in the Illinois legislature, of which about 60% went to consumer, did nothing to help the consumer" and "He wants to stop putting oil into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve."
I leave explaining the first to The Mendacity-Finding Duo of Greg Mankiw and Brad DeLong.
For the second, however, we now see (via Some Assembly Required), we find that stopping putting oil in the SPR is expected to do even less than the gas tax cut.
Waiting patiently for Stephanopoulos to ask Obama about that. (At least his response probably won't have all the economists in the blogsphere whining.)
Labels: 2008, Brad DeLong, ObamaNation, Oil, Republicans
Friday, February 22, 2008
Oops, He Did It Again?
by Ken Houghton
Maybe Ann Coulter's claim that she is preparing for impeachment proceedings isn't so farfetched as we initially thought.
Michael Isikoff notes that John McCain either is lying now, or did so under oath.
Maybe Ann Coulter's claim that she is preparing for impeachment proceedings isn't so farfetched as we initially thought.
Labels: 2008, Politics, Republicans
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Mr. McCain Passes the Audition
by Ken Houghton
while Mike Huckabee flashes back to Willy S.
Arthur Sulzberger Jr. begins and ends the search for its next Op-Ed columnist:
“I don’t know anything about it,” Mr. McCain said. “Since it was in The New York Times, I don’t take it at face value.”
while Mike Huckabee flashes back to Willy S.
“You know, I’ve campaigned now on the same stage and platform with John McCain for 14 months; I only know him to be a man of integrity,” Mr. Huckabee said, according to NBC. “Today he denied any of that was true, I take him at his word. I have no further comment other than that. I think for me to get into it is completely immaterial. Again, I only know him what I know him to be, and that’s a good and decent and honorable man.”
Labels: 2008, Politics, Republican Party, Republicans, Sex
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Marshall Jevons confirms part of my suspicion
by Ken Houghton
(For context, it was common belief among my cohorts in the Government Practice at PwC that government employment would decline by about 30% in the next 20 years. Since that was ca. 2001, we're more than 1/3 of the way there.)
Fortunately, Marshall Jevons presents the evidence graphically. What might have been expected to be a 7-10% decline is nowhere to be found.
So not only are they pouring sand in the gas tank, they are adding to the weight of the car. And heavier cars, as any physicist or Stata user can tell you, get lower performance.
If I weren't still buried in health data, with a side trip to MLB, one of the things I wanted to work out was whether the current "Small Government Republican" administration would have positive job growth without its additions of government jobs.
(For context, it was common belief among my cohorts in the Government Practice at PwC that government employment would decline by about 30% in the next 20 years. Since that was ca. 2001, we're more than 1/3 of the way there.)
Fortunately, Marshall Jevons presents the evidence graphically. What might have been expected to be a 7-10% decline is nowhere to be found.
So not only are they pouring sand in the gas tank, they are adding to the weight of the car. And heavier cars, as any physicist or Stata user can tell you, get lower performance.
Labels: full employment, governance, Republicans, Statistics
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Shoot Me Now, or Lance Nailed this One
by Ken Houghton
In other news, I was voter #286 in my precinct tonight, nearly an hour before the polls closed. I don't believe I've ever had that high a number before, so maybe there is something to the rumors of the Obama turnout.
Then again, for those whose memory is better than Katie Colonoscopy's: remind me again how many Republicans won a House or Senate election in 2006?
Katie Couric "informed" her audience around 9:00pm that ObamaNation had "closed the entire gap" here in the great state of New Jersey (it's a 10-point gap as I type, with the state called for Clinton before then), while the other insane septuagenarian won the entire "tri-state" (New York and its two rich suburbs) because of the support of Rudy G.
In other news, I was voter #286 in my precinct tonight, nearly an hour before the polls closed. I don't believe I've ever had that high a number before, so maybe there is something to the rumors of the Obama turnout.
Then again, for those whose memory is better than Katie Colonoscopy's: remind me again how many Republicans won a House or Senate election in 2006?
Labels: Journamalism, Politics, Republicans
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Does Anybody Remember White Powder
by Ken Houghton
When will rounding up of California's "compulsive Republican voters" begin?
Or is this going to be presented as another case of IOKIYAR?
For anyone who has forgotten:
The New York Post on the "powder puff" spooking "Keith."
One Good Move posts Keith's great response.
The Smoking Gun has the details on the "terrorist" who powdered Olbermann, Stewart, and Pelosi, to name three.
When will rounding up of California's "compulsive Republican voters" begin?
Or is this going to be presented as another case of IOKIYAR?
For anyone who has forgotten:
The New York Post on the "powder puff" spooking "Keith."
One Good Move posts Keith's great response.
Labels: Politics, Republicans, terrorism
Monday, December 03, 2007
Quote of the Day
by Ken Houghton
Mario @ 4:
Amidst some great competition, this one stands out as being (1) accurate and (2) topical in so many ways (and not just because the Pats won):
Mario @ 4:
Rudy wouldn't be elected dog catcher today in NYC if he was running vs Michael Vick.
Labels: NYC, Politics, Republicans, RudyG, sports
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
TNH Performs a Public Service
by Ken Houghton
Now, as a public service, Teresa Nielsen Hayden Explains It All to You. In one place, everything you need to know about "America's mayor."
Yesterday at Angry Bear, I apparently started and ended the comment thread for this post. The absurdity of the claim that Rudy G. had in any way done anything to defend NYC after the 1993 WTC bombing—that is, for his entire term as mayor—was beyond the pale.
Now, as a public service, Teresa Nielsen Hayden Explains It All to You. In one place, everything you need to know about "America's mayor."
Labels: NYC, Politics, Republicans, terrorism, theother11sep
Friday, May 11, 2007
Credit Where Due
by Tom Bozzo
Taking his chances with Crazy Base World, Mitt Romney says he does believe in evolution.
Labels: Evolution, Republicans
Friday, May 04, 2007
'Party of Ideas' Watch
by Tom Bozzo
Much as I might like to let this speak for itself, the nature of the medium puts us 'twixt Onan and Narcissus (*) — so here are a few words whether in order or not.
McCain's response seemed to follow a longer pause in the first viewing this morning than in the second this afternoon. Still, hard as it is to read minds, an interior monologue seems to play across McCain's face in the moment between the question and his response. I believe that must have gone something like:
As the National Catholic Reporter article (previous link) mentioned, that's not enough for the likes of Michael Behe (Catholic embarrassment to his department), who is linked via the Discovery [sic] Institute to the publication of a notorious ID-friendly NYT op-ed by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna (**). While Brownback could be an archconservative Catholic of the sort who believes that the Church let Galileo off easy back in 1633, is "building a bridge to the 16th century" much of a 21st century campaign slogan?
Similar thoughts from my intermittently-blogging friend and actual scientist Dr. Corndog, who offers additional discussions regarding evolution, our possible neo-pre-enlightenment future, and pie.
Cross-posted to Total Drek.
(*) If only I had come up with that.
(**) Though given the attitudes regarding evolution in Crazy Base World, having only three out of ten raise their hands might be a positive sign. On the other hand, audiences for a debate this early in the cycle are likely to lean towards elite opinion makers who might not be keen on overtly anti-science candidates.
(***) Where I'll be flying later this month to talk some sense into him, should he for some reason attend the Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics.
As an addition to this blog's ongoing coverage of the evolution "debate," let's consider for a moment John McCain's reaction to being asked whether he believes in evolution, and the subsequent responses of other Republican presidential contenders. Go see it here in the media format of your choice (as long as your choice is QuickTime or Windows Media) then c'mon back.
Much as I might like to let this speak for itself, the nature of the medium puts us 'twixt Onan and Narcissus (*) — so here are a few words whether in order or not.
McCain's response seemed to follow a longer pause in the first viewing this morning than in the second this afternoon. Still, hard as it is to read minds, an interior monologue seems to play across McCain's face in the moment between the question and his response. I believe that must have gone something like:
Oh, shit, I want to evade this. But if I do, there goes what's left of the Straight Talk Express into Crazy Base World and so I might as well take my medicine and say Yes.In case you hadn't gone and looked, the moderator asked for hands in disagreement with McCain, and got 'em from Brownback, Tancredo, and Huckabee. (**) Brownback's disbelief in evolution is notable as Brownback's credentials in the anti-abortion movement stem from his archconservative Catholicism. As such, Brownback's stance is not terribly principled, theologically, in light of the Catholic church's development, since the mid-20th century, of a fairly sensible view that (once you plow through lots of tedious Papalese) the behavior of the material world is what it is. Discoveries regarding the material world's dynamics don't have any theological consequences of note as drawing such would be effing the ineffable "purposeful divine providence" or something like that.
As the National Catholic Reporter article (previous link) mentioned, that's not enough for the likes of Michael Behe (Catholic embarrassment to his department), who is linked via the Discovery [sic] Institute to the publication of a notorious ID-friendly NYT op-ed by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna (**). While Brownback could be an archconservative Catholic of the sort who believes that the Church let Galileo off easy back in 1633, is "building a bridge to the 16th century" much of a 21st century campaign slogan?
Similar thoughts from my intermittently-blogging friend and actual scientist Dr. Corndog, who offers additional discussions regarding evolution, our possible neo-pre-enlightenment future, and pie.
Cross-posted to Total Drek.
(*) If only I had come up with that.
(**) Though given the attitudes regarding evolution in Crazy Base World, having only three out of ten raise their hands might be a positive sign. On the other hand, audiences for a debate this early in the cycle are likely to lean towards elite opinion makers who might not be keen on overtly anti-science candidates.
(***) Where I'll be flying later this month to talk some sense into him, should he for some reason attend the Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics.
Labels: Creationism, Religion, Republicans
