But all politics is theater

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The national press corpse (most of it, but obviously not Rachel) eats up theater. The only insight they need to report on it is their subjective impression of how good the production values are. Back in middle school, they already knew enough to write up their feelings about Moby-Dick, so they can surely tell us whether they thought Mitt Rmoney, the charity drive Ahab, performed well in a good show or not. No need to investigate or even question the moral values expressed by his cynical theater, they've got their superficial and banal impressions.

Sure, Rmoney caught a bad break that Hurricane Sandy gave President Barack Obama such an easy chance to look presidential. To be presidential. Never mind how badly past Republicans have muffed that easy chance. But we all know the Mitt is all about ... Mitt, and only his policies are Bushist. You think he's whining behind the scenes about his gosh darn bad luck? While New Jersey and New York recover bodies?

Hurricane Sandy happened. One candidate actually did something constructive. It helped, of course, that he was already President and had that big FEMA club in his hand. The challenger, already on record  as favoring the end of FEMA, tried to appear to help - and utterly failed.

Rmoney didn't keep the Potemkin Village of his theatrical presentation hidden. So the press Villagers will probably hit him hard. He unwittingly let the audience in on the seaminess of backstage.

I'm still waiting for the press to care that Rmoney and his kiss-up-piss-down friends are simply and irrefutably wrong, both morally and practically. They don't care what happens to those who suffer disasters, large or small - because they are safe in their gated worlds, looking down on all of us whose lives are so contingent that one natural disaster can leave us homeless.

If we were Galtian heroes, we'd have as many houses as we needed.

OK Corral

Even trained police officers couldn't bring down a single shooter in a populated setting without hitting nine bystanders:

The volley of gunfire felled Johnson in just a few seconds and left nine other people bleeding on the sidewalk.

Yet the NRA's so-called solution is armed amateurs meting out hot lead wherever they feel a threat. This idea is unbelievably stupid.

I shudder to imagine a citizen's intervention by the guy next to me at the handgun range last week, belching out bullets by the clip with his .45. He couldn't hit a zombie poster with a tight group at 10 feet.

(Note to those who can't read without assuming things I haven't said: I'm not saying this was a bad shoot.)

Update: Turns out Atrios was waaay ahead of me in shooting this particular fish in a barrel.

First degree Murdoch

When they say bare-knuckled, this is what they mean:

The real transgressions of the Murdoch empire are not its outré partisanship, its tabloid sleaze, its Washington lobbying, or even what liberals most love to hate, the bogus “fair and balanced” propaganda masquerading as journalism at Fox News. In fact, these misdemeanors are red herrings—distractions from the real News Corp. corruption that now threatens to bring down its management and radically reconfigure and reduce its international corporate footprint. The bigger story is this: An otherwise archetypal media colossus, with apolitical TV shows (American Idol), movies (Avatar), and cable channels (FX) like any other, is controlled by a family (and its tight coterie of made men and women, exemplified by the recently departed Rebekah Brooks) that countenances the intimidation and silencing of politicians, regulators, competitors, journalists, and even ordinary citizens to maximize its profits and power and to punish perceived corporate, political, and personal enemies. And, as we now know conclusively, some of this behavior has broken the law.

It's about money and power - and the ideology that places all power in money, with the sleazy propaganda it takes to achieve power with money in what once was an open society.

Taking on the grifters

Republicans despise Elizabeth Warren because she is vigorously opposed to their kleptocratic conspiracy to make the financial markets completely safe for unscrupulous manipulators to cream off huge dishonest and coerced profits:

An honest market will give companies that provide fair value to their customers a chance to flourish, free from competition with cheaters. And an honest market will give American families better information, better prices, and better products — and a chance to achieve real economic security.

Why Republicans bullshit

Need a dozen good laughs?  See this satire.

Translating teabonics

"I'm not politically correct" means I reserve the right to be an asshole anytime, anywhere.

Up is down

Conservatives backed Doug Hoffman in NY-23 because the hand-picked Republican wasn't extreme. They and Hoffman lost a seat that no Democrat had held in a hundred years. But it's a glorious victory for the revolution!

"(T)he GOP now must recognize it will either lose without conservatives or will win with conservatives," wrote RedState's Erick Erickson.

Only if by "win with conservatives," Erickson means, well, lose. Looks to those of us with dictionary-based vocabularies as though the GOP will lose with or without the wingnuts, which is some of the best news of yesterday.

There's even hope for tomorrow:

"For all intents and purposes, NY-23 is a trial run for Florida."

Sue if it's close

Prediction: Republicans will continue their record of trying to win in court what they can't win at the polls. NY-20 will go to Democrat Scott Murphy, but don't be surprised if Jim Tedisco's lawsuits prevent Murphy taking office this year.

Still, the current proceeding is fine. The process should be: Identify and count the legal votes. Declare the winner.

This hearing is about the first step, and it's legitimate for both sides to be there. Just wait for what comes next...

Update (4/24): I'm delighted to eat crow on this, although the gamy taste itself is a reminder to hold myself to the standard I push on others: Don't try to predict the news. Talk about what actually happens when it finally does happen.

Congratulations and good wishes to Jim Tedisco for not being Norm Coleman.

Joined at the ...

Eliot Spitzer was caught in a prostitution scandal a year ago. He has this to say about it:

It was an egregious violation of behavior that I fell into for many reasons, but none of them an excuse or justifiable.

I'm sure that David Vitter has said similar mea culpas over his past two years. It's hard to judge any public figure's sincerity base solely on words.

However, there is one difference that's pretty striking: David Vitter remains a member of the U.S. Senate after 634 days as a known consorter with whores - and I'm not even counting the first time he is alleged to have paid to play.

Hazmat

If I had a hold of that end, I'd want a moon suit.

Click image for full Jeff Danziger cartoon.

Foolish consistency

Both Republicans and Democrats approach dead heat elections consistently:

• Democrats always say, "Count the legal votes, and certify whoever has the most."
• Republicans always say, "Tie goes to the Republican."

Norm Coleman's lead on election night should be completely definitive:

Norm won on election day and everything has been corrupt since then. Mark Ritchie = hack. --johngalt18

Today!

But John Boehner is telling the press that he's confident the Republican will win. No, not just confident. Jim Tedisco "will win."

For my part: Count the votes. Recount the votes. When the count is right, declare the winner.

Dead to irony

If you don't get a mordant, mirthless laugh out of this tragic quote, you're dead to irony:

The founder of an Islamic television station in upstate New York aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has confessed to beheading his wife, authorities said.

Vitter watch, day 301

At least Vito Fossella (R-more than one place) never paid for sex.

"Your honor, I just couldn't resist a woman in uniform."

Michaelmania!

What could Michael Bloomberg do for Barack Obama?

Obama doesn't need Bloomberg's money. Bloomberg doesn't have a national following, and Obama will win New York on his own.

Obama doesn't have to mend fences with the Jewish community. It wouldn't hurt to shore up that key Democratic constituency, but it's not as if he's really at odds with it.

This could be a feint at McCain's love match Joe Lieberman, I guess.

But I really think it's just PR from Bloomberg planted in the New York media, for what reason I have no idea. Or maybe the media can make up their own absurd story lines without help these days.

"Damned city of hammers"

Richard Russo imagines a fictive Eliot Spitzer.

Rick admits he's outraged that Eliot has spent $80,000 on prostitutes, because it shouldn't cost that much to get a little action in America. It's like one of those $500 Pentagon hammers. Downright wasteful. And why order a hammer from New Jersey and pay the shipping? There are perfectly good hammers in Washington -- it's a damned city of hammers when you think about it. Where on earth did Eliot get the idea that New Jersey hammers were superior? All he wanted to do was nail something, right?

Tragedy or farce? Both!