Monthly Archives: August 2004

Rudy and John

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Like most Democrats, I love John McCain, and have spent a lot of time over the last four years wishing he was president (not so much Al Gore though). He gave a very good speech last night, with lots of great stuff about the War on Terror, and the gratuitous shot at Fat Fat Fatty was merely gravy. My favorite part:

“Our enemies have made clear the danger they pose to our security and to the very essence of our culture – liberty.
Only the most deluded of us could doubt the necessity of this war. Like all wars, this one will have its ups and downs.
But we must fight.
We must.
The sacrifices borne in our defense are not shared equally by all Americans.
But all Americans must share a resolve to see this war through to a just end.”

As for Rudy? I love the guy, and meeting him the other night was a thrill, but Ive gotta say the speech was a disappointment. It had its flourishes, but it was way too long, and all over the map in terms of both theme and tone. Christopher Caldwell had the best take, in the Weekly Standard:

A magnificent 18-minute kernel of post–September 11 reminiscences, humor, anti-Kerry invective, and skillful courtship of the Jewish vote (by linking decades of terrorism against Israel to contemporary terrorism against America) was bloated into a 45-minute shaggy-dog story by Giuliani’s own extemporizing. Some editor failed to stand up to him.

One other thing: the story Rudy told about, on 9/11, telling Bernard Kerik thank God George Bush is president”? It just rang false for some reason, as I have trouble believing Rudy would take his time out from being a hero to say something like that. I myself was thinking about a lot of things that day, and presidential politics certainly wasnt one of them- in fact, the implications of what Bush would do probably didnt even enter my head in the first seven or eight hours after it all went down.
As I type this, activists are preparing to rush Madison Square Garden in what will probably be the week’s most out-of-control event. Good thing we know The Terminator will be in the building.

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As of 4:00 this afternoon, the 2004 Republican platform- which was completed last Thursday and ratified yesterday- had not yet been posted to the RNCs website, which still has the 2000 version. It was, however, posted- in its 92-page entirety (PDF link)– on the New York Times website this morning. So I dont want to hear any of this liberal bias shit ever again, got it?
Another funny RNC.org factoid: On its front page, Bushs name appears two times; Kerrys name appears 20 times.
Not that Im giving the NYT a pass today- they ran two very questionable op-eds: One by radio personality Katherine Lanpher, who was apparently considerably less emotionally mature about her Minnesota-to-Manhattan move in her 40s than I was when I did the same thing at 22; and another by Rigoberta Menchu, the former Nobel Peace Prize winner who I THOUGHT had been exposed as a total fraud years ago.

Staff-Ass Gate, Postscript

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Blogger/ho Jessica Cutler just refuses to go away; now shes appearing in Playboy. I always knew she was a moral and intellectual cretin, but until now I never realized until now just how uncute she was- she looks like an anorexic version of Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Oh- and shes a Republican. That sort of pokes a hole in that Jessica as feminist heroine idea from that ridiculous Washington Post piece the other week.
A few of you have asked me why Ms. Cutler never seems to show up for Manhattan blog parties. First of all, its not really her crowd; seems she prefers the jetset/cokeslut scene. And besides, since she only blogged for a couple of weeks and was never particularly good at it, we dont really consider her a part of the blog community.

Silver is Gold

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“We are again engaged in a war that will define the future of humankind. Responding to attacks on our soil, America has led a coalition of countries against extremists who want to destroy our way of life and our values.
This is a war we did not seek.
This is a war waged against us.
This is a war to which we had to respond.
History shows that we are not imperialists . . . but we are fighters for freedom and democracy.”

Us Silvers think alike: Ron, like me, is a liberal, who wholeheartedly supports the war on Islamist terror not in spite of his liberalism, but rather because of it. Still though, if hed busted out His father is the district attorney! mid-speech, it wouldve been the political moment of the year.
(For more, check out the webs most comprehensive Ron Silver fansite.)

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I was at work for most of the day, so anything major that happened on the streets I likely missed. But heres what I did see:
People were chanting something incomprehensible on Seventh Ave. at around 6:30, I went up to a guy on the corner asking what the chant was, and he had no idea. Others, channeling Ludacris, chanted Move Bush, Get Out The Way, Get Out The Way Bush, Get Out The Way. Call it a sample, I guess.
MSNBCs Hardball, as I may have mentioned, is broadcasting live from Herald Square, about two and a half blocks from my office, so I was able to watch it in person for about a half hour after work. Chris Matthews was there with panelists Christine Todd Whitman, Laura Ingraham, Howard Fineman, and Pat Buchanan, and I was also on hand for a Matthews interview with Elizabeth Dole. (I may have even been visible on TV; let me know if you saw me). Then, a few blocks away, I passed David Gergen on the street.
A few Hardball notes: Most of the crowd for the show was staunchly anti-Bush and booed every mention of his name. Ingraham is much, much better-looking in person than on TV; Whitman, alas, is not. And considering that Buchanan is the guy who almost single-handedly made me hate Republicans when I was 14, it was strange to see him in the flesh for the first time, during a Republican convention no less. Pat was on Da Ali G Show a few weeks ago; makes me wonder if the Throw the Jew Down the Well thing was his idea.
Meanwhile, this blogs patron saint, Ron Silver,spoke tonight at the convention, even though hes a social liberal, has been a Democrat for most of his life, and once played Alan Dershowitz in a movie. On the subject, Scott Galupo had this to say in the Washington Times:

The Republican entertainment lineup is even thinner in actors. The prize catch so far is Ron Silver, who may not even be the most popular middle-aged Jewish character actor named Ron. (He’s neck and neck with Ron Leibman.)

Galupos analysis, while astute, omits any consideration of Ron Rifkin, Ron Perlman, Ron Eldard, or Ron Jeremy.
Speaking of which, if Skin, the show on which Silver played a pornographer, had lasted more than two episodes, theres no way in hell hed be allowed anywhere near the Republican convention.

Malkin Award Nominee

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This blogs newest award, named after everyones favorite lunatic Republican spokesmodel, is for partisan political hacks who go on talk shows and spread unsubstantiated, slanderous rumors about their foes. Todays nominee is House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who said the following on yesterdays installment of Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace:

HASTERT: You know, I don’t know where George Soros gets his money. I don’t know where – if it comes overseas or from drug groups or where it comes from. And I …
WALLACE: Excuse me?
HASTERT: Well, that’s what he’s been for a number years – George Soros has been for legalizing drugs in this country. So, I mean, he’s got a lot of ancillary interests out there.
WALLACE: You think he may be getting money from the drug cartel?
HASTERT: I’m saying I don’t know where groups – could be people who support this type of thing. I’m saying we don’t know. The fact is we don’t know where this money comes from.

If Hastert had a blog, Im guessing this morning hed be posting that I never said Soros gets his money from drug cartels- and that caveman Chris Wallace knows it!
(Via Dan Kennedy)