Bikini Politics

Sarah- Our Sego?

The New York Post, always an outpost of classy journalism, has published a video of Sarah Palin, in her bathing suit competition from her beauty pageant days.

I couldn't help but be reminded of a similarly-attired female politician: Segolene Royal. 

Like Governor Palin, Sego was often criticized for being various species of unintelligent and indignities were visited upon her husband.

She was pictured in a Bikini, but in the spirit of fairness, her opponent was also pictured in swimwear.

Which makes me wonder whether our press, in the spirit of fairness, will seek to picture Mr. Biden in heel and a swimsuit.

Breaking News: Harvard Law dislikes Grades, Military

Things just keep getting leftier and leftier.

Members of Harvard Law School's gay student organization have decided to protest military recruitment on campus by reserving interview slots for themselves and then using the interview to "come out" to their interviewer.  That's right.  Taking interview slots from their classmates who want to serve their country in order protest in a wholly ineffective way.  A few better ways to protest might be: writing letters to legislators to urge policy change, doing it the old fashioned way with signs, marches and posters, or pretty much doing anything else that might indicate that the purpose of the protest is to change minds and persuade rather than to privately snark at our fighting men and women.

Further, in order to decrease the ability of their graduates to market themselves to employers, Harvard has scotched the "grading" thing.  I'm waiting for the decreased marketing ability of this new system reflected in a reduced tuition price.  I may be waiting for some time....

After the whole Summers flap I thought I had seen a remarkably long spate of mostly reasonable behavior.  Clearly this had to come to an end... Welcome Back, Leftibus Maximus!  I'd wondered where you'd gone. 

Decisions, Decisions

Senator Obama seems to prefer to go on TV than to go back to Washington DC and do his job.  He is, after all, a member of the Senate. 

Perhaps someone told him that he might not want to vote "present" on this one?

I'm proud of the two candidates for issuing a joint statement, but I'm prouder of Senator McCain for getting to work with both hands instead of wringing them dramatically on television.

And speaking of the economy...

... wanna help the economy? Get a job.  Make money.  Pay your debts on time.  Save, and spend responsibly.  Invest, and plan for your future and your children's future.

Or, you could go take a low-paying job, depend on government subsidies, and apparently not worry about paying off your student loans. This is the advice of Senator Obama, and it's silly advice, as Tom Keane rightly notes in the Boston Globe.

As he succincly puts it-- "t's trendy to demonize the profit seeking. So be it. I understand how political fashions come and go. Just don't be too effective at it, though. It's those private sector workers, remember, who ultimately are the ones paying the public sector's bills."

Welfare for Wall Street?

Is there NOTHING Democrats won't subsidize? Now they want to subsidize wall street?  I thought they hated Capitalists...

Everybody go read Newt Gingrich's common-sense suggestions and have them tattooed on your Congressional representative.

This is not the time to ram through congress a tremendous expansion of the government's imposition on financial markets.  Me and my neighbors work hard and pay our debts, this is not time to sell us 700Bn of bad debt.  When I make a bad investment, I lose money.  That's how free markets work, and how they should work.  It is time to cut corporate tax rates, and it's time to either repeal or dramatically overhaul Sarbanes-Oxley-- Tell congress to take these strangleholds off American business instead of capping CEO pay in a meaningless and punitive measure.

PS. Sounds like a few gentlemen are shocked, SHOCKED that there's short-selling going on on Wall Street!

Bikini Steps Up

Hey readers!  From now until the election, I've decided to do one thing each day to support conservative candidates and causes.  I'm blogging about this promise at www.massfootsoldiers.com under the username (surprise!) bikinipolitics.

Happy blogging, and see you here and at massfootsoldiers!

People who need People ...

When you break a key campaign promise and abandon public financing, you end up being people who need people like Barbara Streisand to headline fundraisers for you.

At $28,500 per person to enter, I almost wonder-- how many donors could answer the question of how many dinner tables they have?

Cozying up to wealthy Hollywood, Obama doesn't look like he plans to change much about the way campaigns are financed this time around.

The Election of the Pants On Fire

Midlevel Obama Operative: "Palin is a dirty d---d liar! Why do u like this lying [expletive]?"

High-dollar value Dem donor: "They lie! They lie all the time!  The Republicans are lying about Obama!  Palin lies all the time!Reporters are uncovering it but it just won't stick!"

Every HuffPo Contributor: Palin lied about [point].  Lied, like a rug.  Lied because [sinister motive].

Senator Obama: Republicans are indulging in "lies and Swift Boat politics"

The left seems remarkably on-message these days.  The message is, sing with me!:

Liar, Liar pants on fire,

Election's hanging from a wire!

Which leads to Matt Dowd's observation in Adam Nagourney's article: "in this increasingly partisan atmosphere — one in which the dueling campaigns are accusing each other of lying, and where Mr. McCain has made an orchestrated attempt to discredit news organizations — voters are no longer as apt to accept what they hear as truth.

“They distrust — more and more — the marketplace of the campaign,” Mr. Dowd said."

Nagourney concludes that we've reached a point where voters will believe "what they see with their own eyes," and in his article he links this to the debates.

Though the debates will be crucial in this election, I think the really interesting factor is that with an increased ability to select "what they see with their own eyes," voters all come to this debate with hugely varied frameworks.  The debate presents each candidate, live, unvarnished and uncommentated-upon.  However, it is unclear whether this direct communication can really cut through the hullaballoo.  It will be interesting to see the viewership of the debates, both geographically and by party. I wonder if voters in the more hotly contested states will have higher levels of viewership, or whether those voters are so saturated with this cacophony of communication that they have reached a level where they do not feel like seeking additional information in the form of debate viewership.....

GO BARRACUDA!

Tonight's convention lineup loaded the bases and Governor Palin knocked it out of the park.  On the offensive without being offensive, she successfully negotiated that treacherous line between tough and feminine, and delivered a critical contrast while sounding eminently fair and reasonable.

Though some on the left will never be convinced she has addressed her "qualifications," I don't know that this speech was the venue in which to persuade those whose deeply complex epistemology produces the conclusion that Senator Obama is vastly experienced.  Obama operatives continue to argue that the Palin pick is "pandering," that Senator McCain is engaging in "hackery" and that the speech was "flat" and "sarcastic." 

Anyone watching on television knows the speech was not flat-- governor Palin connected with her audience.  I can only conclude, therefore, that Obama supporters are acting, as usual, as though discussing their candidate in anything but fawning terms is hackerific blasphemy. It also puts them in the awkward position of arguing on the qualifications angle which they have already said is "off the table"... unless they want it back on?  I guess?

However, in talking to a few Hilary supporters I found them surprised at their own positive responses to the speech. 

David Brooks missed the mark the other day when he analyzed the VP pick-- the vice president is not the one in charge of the operational function of the White House, that job falls to the Chief of Staff. 

Tonight Palin made it clear that she can fill the role of Vice President-- a role that complement's the President's vision .  And perhaps, in a few years, another role?

Polite Conversation

Congratulations to cub Politico Reporter A. Burns, who has moved the story from sex to death.