Prez likes LOST fans more than America!

Obama announced the date of his long-awaited "jobs" speech...  and it's the same as the upcoming Republican debate.  When LOST fans freaked out that the SOTU might interrupt the final season premier, the WH worked around it.  Incredible.

Furthermore, it will not be a speech he gives to America.  He will be delivering a speech to Congress, and the event will be televised.  Says Obama:

"As I have traveled across our country this summer and spoken with our fellow Americans, I have heard a consistent message: Washington needs to put aside politics and start making decisions based on what is best for our country and not what is best for each of our parties in order to grow the economy and create jobs....  We must answer this call."

Mr. Obama, you said that wrong.  I'll fix it for you.

"As I have traveled to three Midwest towns (and vacationed at Martha's Vineyard) this summer and spoken with prearranged Midwestern audiences and 'corporate jet owners' in Massachusetts, I have heard myself giving a consistent message, in which I try to dodge responsibility for my failed presidency by blaming the bipartisan climate that my politicking created.  My butt in the presidential throne is the most important thing for this country, so I hope that my reminding Congress and the country that the two sides of the aisle hate each other will somehow shadow the fact that I have created this situation.  When I made the decision to put my non-jobs jobs speech (that is about jobs rather than giving a plan for jobs) atop the Republican debate, I wasn't thinking in a bipartisan manner.  Not one bit.  I was thinking about how Republicans are jerks who won't let me bankrupt the country into a fundamental transformation, so it's okay to schedule a speech that messes with them, 'cos it's only messsing with the Republicans.  I mean, I don't really WANT to mess up Rick Perry's debate debute (especially because Rick Perry will be soooo easy to beat, HAHAHA), nor do I want to mess up TV and stuff.  But the main people who get fucked here are Republicans.  And who cares about them?  I have to focus on BIPARTISAN stuff, like forcing more regulations on likely Republican voters.  And also, when is the second September Republican debate?  'Cos I think I'll have another not-jobs jobs speech to give around that time, too..."

NYC/ Irene Haiku

Irene floods subways

Millions of rats seek dry ground

Next, they'll want to vote

National Anthem... Too Violent?

An Indiana college has banned the Star Spangled Banner at all sporting events.  Not just the words, but the music as well.  Seriously.  I'm not making this up.

At first they felt the lyrics were too violent but allowed the music to be played.  Now they've gone whole hog and banned the entire thing.

Flagman: Walk like an Egyptian

While Egyptian protest outside the Israeli Embassy, one man scales the building and removes the Israeli flag.



ADDED: "Flagman" has a FB page now and is trending on Twitter.

ADDED: Did you know that Israel has gay pride parades?  Can you name any other countries in the Middle East that do that?

ADDED: footage from Aljazeera

Paul Ryan: where does this puzzle piece fit in?

Rumors have been flying around that Paul Ryan, encouraged by everyone from Boehner to Daniels to Rove, is considering throwing his hat into the presidential ring.  Some worry this is an "Anything But Perry" push.  Some worry this is a Machiavellian plot to unseat Ryan from Congress.  Some worry this will backfire and make Ryan unelectable in 2016.  Some see presidential qualities in Paul Ryan but, for now, prefer he works his magic in the House.  Paul Ryan rocks, but in 2012 he should remain where he can be the most effective and do the most good for our country...  but where is that?

That's what I want to consider: Where can Paul Ryan do the most/least good?  Where can he be the most effective?  And what is the risk/reward ratio for the different options that lay ahead of Paul Ryan?

Walker Wins?

Might Wisconsin be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?

The first round of recall elections was clearly won by the Republicans.  
     * Of the six elections last week, Republicans won four while Democrats won six.
     * Democrats did not win enough seats to flip the senate majority from red to blue.'

Today Wisconsin votes in recall elections for Sens. Wirch and Holperin.  Holperin, in the vast and northern District 12, is most vulnerable of the two.  His challenger, Kim Simac, has no government experience but has been running a strong grassroots campaign.

And now... PPP is saying that Wisconsinites do not favor recalling Gov. Walker.

Dam, Rachel Maddow

MSNBC is promoting Big Government, and Rachel Maddow jumped on board.  In her 30 second clip, Maddow boasts the glories of public works projects like the Hoover Dam.  This leads me to believe that Maddow chose to promote something about which she doesn't know a damn thing....  That, or her values are waaaay off base from what she otherwise promotes.

"You can't be the guy who builds this.  You can't be the town who builds this.  You can't even be the state who builds this.  You have to be the country who builds something like this.  This is a national project."

Yeah.  Well, ahem, tell that to Frank Crowe, the Hoover Dam chief engineer -- without whom the project would never have been completed.  Hell, without the water-cooling pipes in the concrete, the concrete would still not be fully hardened today.  Also, did you know that people died during the construction of the Hoover Dam?  And attempts to unionize the workers were stamped out?  Funny how Maddow just glosses over that part.  (OR, could it be that she wants new public works projects to literally mimic the Hoover Dam?)