Monthly Archives: October 2008

Friday McBush/McSame Bashing (Penultimate Edition)

Posted on October 31, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Vote Early.

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Friday

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

Sunday

Saturday

Friday

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Posted in Politics: McCain | Comments Off on Friday McBush/McSame Bashing (Penultimate Edition)

New Taddeo Ad — Still Mostly Positive

Posted on October 31, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Here's Annette Taddeo's latest (final?) ad, focusing on health care. It's still positive.

Personally, I would have preferred something a little more negative. Taddeo has run a positive, decent, uplifting campaign. That might have won it if outside groups like the DCCC had come through with the necessary negative ads exposing Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's views on the war (for it!), uninsured poor children's healthcare (against it if it involves paying for it!), social security (let's privatize 50% of it!), and her links to the Scientologists (I gather she's their favorite Congressperson).

But for some reason the DCCC failed to come through.

Can you be too decent to be elected? Yes you can.

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Posted in Politics: FL-18 | Comments Off on New Taddeo Ad — Still Mostly Positive

Happy Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Be afraid.

Or do something.

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Posted in Completely Different | Comments Off on Happy Halloween

The Right Wing Unhinged

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

People who begin with the premise that the Democrats must be wrong find inexplicable the electorate's apparent embrace of the Democratic message on healthcare, the economy, the war(s), social security, and energy security.

Comes now one “Dr. William D. Horton” (with an assist from Dr. Rush Limbaugh) to explain this seeming contradiction between what they take to be the natural order and the consensual reality we seem to inhabit.

Can you guess what they say explains Barack Obama's national appeal?

No, it's not the substance — that's ruled out by hypothesis. It's….wait for it…..hypnosis.

Yes, in this demented worldview, the US of A is being subjected to nearly diabolical mind control as the soothing slow voice of Barack Obama gently eases the viewing public to surrender its reason and its freedom via the application of neurolinguistic programming. It's so controlling, so clever, so soothing, that it's JUST LIKE HITLER. (As Dave Barry says, I am not making this up. The video being circulated by these guys culminates with footage of Hitler and jackboots.) The only way to survive is DON'T LISTEN TO HIM.

I know all this because I'm on some weird mailing list I didn't ask to be on in which something called “special guests” writes me all the time and offers me guests, one loonier than the next, for the talk show I don't happen to have. But today's email promoting Dr. Will B. Horton (wasn't he a character in Kudzu?) must surely take the cake.

Links to a nutty article and crazier video for those strong of stomach.

Less than a week to go. Expect even more stuff to crawl up out of the woodwork.

Posted in Politics: US: 2008 Elections | 8 Comments

My French Radio Debut

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

I made my (very brief) debut on French radio, in French, yesterday, via a tiny snippet from a long taped interview with a reporter from RTL, the big French radio network.

Although we talked a lot about the impact of the internet on the election, the excerpt they used, which appears near the end of the segment, is about the role of racism in the election, a subject on which I likely know no more than next guy. RTL.fr – “L'autre Amérique” (3) : les USA, pays raciste?

Judging from the interview requests I'm getting from foreign media, a lot of reporters based in Europe think that nice warm Miami — near the epicenter of the last two elections — is the perfect place from which to do their election-week coverage. And they seem to have persuaded their editors to authorize the trips…

Posted in The Media | Comments Off on My French Radio Debut

CQ Politics on South Florida Congressional Races

Posted on October 29, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

In a recognition that the race is tightening, CQ Politics, a leading observer of congressional electoral politics, has just changed its rating for FL-18, the race in which Annette Taddeo is challenging long-time incumbent Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

CQ Politics is a conservative and lagging indicator of of the degree to which incumbents are threatened. Here are how its ratings have changed for the South Florida Congressional races:

Florida 18:
One year ago: Safe Republican
Six months ago: Safe Republican
Today: Republican Favored

Florida 21:
One year ago: Safe Republican
Six months ago: Republican Favored
Today: Leans Republican

Florida 25:
One year ago: Safe Republican
Six months ago: Republican Favored
Today: Leans Republican

Personally I'd say the Democrats are out in front in FL-21, it's very close in FL-25 (but early voting is looking good! Go Joe!), and Annette Taddeo still has a little (but less and less) ground to make up in FL-25 FL-18.

But the bottom line is clear: no one is safe this year.

Full list of CQ Politics ratings changes in US Congressional races

Posted in Politics: FL-18 | 1 Comment