I'd rather be the pauper of Scranton than the King of Wilkes-Barre
I have been really enjoying Bob Dylan’s newest Bootleg Series, Volume 8 called Tell Tale Signs. The four songs that were produced in the Time Out Mind sessions strike me as being the best and reaffirm it has one of my favorite albums.
Disc #3 only available with the deluxe set is really only for completists, but does add some dimension to “Mississippi” (#3rd version), and “Most of the Time.”
Here is the free mp3 (Amazon) that got me hooked:
I come from Scranton, Pennsylvania and that’s as hardscrabble a place as you’re gonna find. I’ll show you around some time and you’ll see. It’s a hellhole. An absolute jerkwater of a town. You couldn’t stand to spend a weekend there. It is just an awful, awful sad place filled with sad desperate people with no ambition. Nobody, and I mean nobody, but me has ever come out of that place. It’s a genetic cesspool. So don’t be telling me that I’m part of the Washington elite because I come from the absolute worst place on Earth: Scranton, Pennsylvania.
– Jason Sudeikis, as Joe Biden on SNL October 4th
“It’s time that normal Joe Sixpack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency.” – Alaska Governess Sarah Palin
Joe Sixpack is an alcoholic and need not be specifically or heartily represented by the executive branch. Who’s next Mary Crackhead, Phil Powdernose, and Mike Adulterer? Who will represent them?
What kind of campaign strategy targets convincing voters that they should vote for some who is ‘not as bad as you think’? Maybe you can pass it off as extreme self-deprecation.
Also, isn’t it it amazing how anti-elitism drives popular votes? Why is that intelligent and successful people are targeted as being disconnected and/or ineffectual? Why do people feel intimidated by successful people? Why don’t voters want someone better themselves to lead our country?
photos by CTK
What if Silda Wall Spitzer paid for Eliot Spitzer’s whores because she was frigid? Perhaps this was an acceptable arrangement in consideration of her unresponsive loins. If that were the case – he wouldn’t need to resign, right?
Maybe the fact that the prostitute was making $5,000/hr should be considered complimentary to Mrs. Spitzer. Maybe she’s worth $4,999/hr to him.
Spread the Love!
…but [John Stosselian] GIVE ME A BREAK![/John Stosselian]
Farm Bill:
$288 BILLION
There was a pretty decent summary of how the farm bill affects everybody on LATimes.com.
The usual Republican schtick from the You Tube Debates.
And here is a Robert Reich commentary I heard on Marketplace:
Meanwhile, the average American tariff on agricultural imports is 18 percent — much higher than the 5 percent average tariff on other imports. So not only do the world’s poor suffer, but Americans get hit with a double-whammy. We’re subsidizing U.S. agribusinesses with our tax dollars, while paying much more for our food than we’d pay if we didn’t also protect agribusinesses.
And a nice blog article frome EdibleSacramento.
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Dennis Kucinich – 81 match Denis Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, is a far-left liberal democrat. He has the most extreme proposals for nearly every issue including creating a single-payer system of universal health care; an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq and replacing them with an international security force; and guaranteeing quality education with free pre-kindergarten and college. He even wants to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. Needless to say, Kucinich is a no-hope contender. |
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Bill Richardson – 77 match You’re looking for a moderate Democrat like Bill Richardson. Experienced in state, national, and international politics, Richardson has been a Congressman, an ambassador to the United Nations Security Council, and is now the governor of New Mexico. He is pro-choice, strongly favors rights for the LGBT population, advocates for affirmative action in government contracts, and even championed the idea that Congress should revoke the original authority it gave to go to war with Iraq. Richardson also supports the death penalty and gun ownership rights. |
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Hillary Clinton – 74 match Hillary Clinton is a liberal democrat who is unpopular among conservatives for advocating universal health care, abortion rights, and civil unions. She is resented in the anti-war crowd for having authorized a military strike in Iraq and not apologizing since. People see her as power-hungry and willing to do anything to get to the top, even stay with her unfaithful husband. However, Clinton has 8 years of experience in the White House, 25 years in national politics and is currently serving her second term as a popular New York senator. She knows how to make and deliver policy which puts her ahead of the inexperienced presidential hopefuls. |
U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay dodged reporters and photographers awaiting his arrest in Fort Bend County today to surrender to Harris County sheriff’s deputies on conspiracy and money laundering charges.
The Sugar Land Republican was fingerprinted, photographed, taken before a judge, posted $10,000 bail and left shortly before 1 p.m.
10 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes by Tom DeLay
1) “I AM the federal government.” –Tom DeLay, to the owner of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, after being told to put out his cigar because of federal government regulations banning smoking in the building, May 14, 2003
2) “So many minority youths had volunteered…that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself.” –Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988 GOP convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight in the Vietnam War
3) “Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?” –Tom Delay, to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9, 2005
4) “We’re no longer a superpower. We’re a super-duper power.” –Tom DeLay, explaining why America must topple Saddam Hussein in 2002 interview with Fox News
5) “Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes.” –Tom DeLay, March 12, 2003
6) “Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills.” –Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School massacre, 1999 (Source)
7) “A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure. To provide stability. Not that a woman can’t provide stability, I’m not saying that… It does take a father, though.” -Tom DeLay, in a radio interview, Feb. 10, 2004
8) “I don’t believe there is a separation of church and state. I think the Constitution is very clear. The only separation is that there will not be a government church.” –Tom DeLay
9) “Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour [the minimum wage in 1996] are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist.” –Tom DeLay, during a debate in Congress on increasing the minimum wage, April 23, 1996
10) “I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job is the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I am in the Constitution.” –Tom DeLay, in a CNN interview, Dec. 19, 1995
