February 10, 2008 - February 16, 2008

Charles Barkley: Conservative Christians are terrble!

Filed under: Celebrity Endorsements

The Round Mound of Rebound is shooting off his mouth again, calling Conservatives "fake Christians" on CNN:

He also claims he'll run for governor of Alabama in 2014. What kind of crazy state would elect as governor a TV personality/athlete best known for making indefensible statements?

I'd love to see Frank Caliendo ring in on this:

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at February 16, 2008 4:42 PM | Comments (0)

Nobody puts Hillary in a corner!

Reader Willy Dickinson writes in a Letter to the Editor:

I like Obama. I hope he seals the deal soon, so he can properly train his guns on the Repubs. Yet, when I get a vibe that Hillary’s being pushed aside, I’m viscerally appalled. I don’t like to see Hillary minimized. I don’t like to see her relegated to the corner for no other reason than being an in-your-face Democrat that stands for the right things. The whole thing smells like “Let’s send the women out for coffee so the boys can finally get to work.” I hate it. Hillary deserves to be president, and there’s no doubt that after a couple of Hillary terms, our nation would be in much better shape than when she started. Yah, I know. Obama needs to close the nomination, and the sooner the better, The boy’s got the magic touch, and it’s clear he can win, even win big. But that doesn’t make it fun to watch Hillary fade. Given a proper chance, she would have rocked.

By nominating Obama, are we effectively "sending the women out for coffee"? Is the Obama nomination sexism--or is it the electorate choosing the best person for the job, regardless of gender?

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at February 13, 2008 7:25 PM | Comments (6)

In Soviet of Washington, votes cast you

Filed under: Mike Huckabee

To recap, during Huckabee's strong run over the weekend, he and John McCain were running neck and neck in Washington. Then, Huckabee pulled ahead. From there:

* The votes began being counted veeeeeeery sloooooooowly.

* State GOP chair Luke Esser abruptly called the race for McCain, despite the fact that McCain was leading by just a few hundred votes with 87 percent of the precincts reporting. Huckabee's supporters were furious.

* Responding to criticism, state GOP chair Esser said the following day that they were "trying" to get as "close as we can to 100 percent" of the vote counted. A paragon of democratic principle, that one.

* Then, observers began saying that the race probably didn't even meet caucus standards, and was more like a straw poll -- one reason Huckabee's lawyers got involved.

* The spin coming out was that Esser never meant to call the race, just to give "his analysis" (despite the strongly worded press release that contradicts that notion).

* Finally, with almost 100 percent of the votes counted (and substantial irregularities reported), McCain appears -- shockingly -- to have won the race. Huckabee's not so sure, and still plans to contest the election.

Late update: Vladimir Putin is being called in as an independent election observer. "Seems fair to me," he is reported to have said before arriving in Washington state.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 12, 2008 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

Parody of Obama video featuring McCain

Filed under: John McCain

Remember the Barack Obama "Yes We Can" video that's drawn rave reviews and churned out pageviews? Unsurprisingly, there's a new parody of it out now. Surprisingly, it's well worth your time.

Mostly I smile at but quickly turn away from these one-off parodies. Once you get the joke, what's the point of watching the full 90-second video?

Occasionally, though, such a parody manages to approach or even surpass the original. This is one of those occasions. Splicing together clips of John McCain's utterances on the topic of Iraq, this movie manages to be entertaining and skewer its subject satirically all at once. Well worth every second invested.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 11, 2008 12:17 PM | Comments (1)

Ron Paul revolution scoffs at traffic safety

Filed under: Ron Paul

The Revolution will not use its rear-view mirrors.

Heard this one about the 18-year-old Ron Paul supporter whose fervor will cost him hundreds of dollars? An 18-year-old from Owatonna has had near-daily trouble with the law due to his oversized candidate sticker.

Cody Hauer has been cited four times in one week for displaying a 13-inch-by-40-inch "Ron Paul Revolution" decal in the rear window of his car. The problem is that such decals are illegal if they obstruct the driver's view.

These citations could amount to $550, and it's not like the Owatonna cops go looking for trouble. Police chief Shaun LaDue told the Associated Press that Hauer shows direspect for the officers every time he gets pulled over, and "talks himself into a citation each time."

Some would say this type of stubborn commitment to one's candidate is more than a bit stupid -- but I see it as justifiable contempt for these "laws" designed to enhance "public safety" based on being able to "see other cars." Humbug!

This type of civil disobedience is in the tradition of Ron Paul's hero, Martin Luther King. King fought to integrate the school system; Ron Paul wants to abolish the federal highway system, because, you know, who needs roads? Road users should pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

It's a modern civil rights struggle. Besides, if there were no federal highways, there would be fewer places for young men like Cody Hauer to get tickets.

Hauer says the cops are guilty of hassling him for "DWR -- driving while Republican." This is basically confirmed by the recent rash of police beatings involving Owatonna's Fred Thompson supporters. What's next, pastoral Minnesota? Turning the fire hoses on the many followers of Mike Huckabee with tinted windows? All for the so-called "crime" of putting a three-and-a-half-foot blockage in one's field of vision. The freedom to back over your neighbor's dog is in the Constitution somewhere, and if not, it should be.

Pity poor Cody Hauer. Maybe he should have used that $550 to buy ad time on the blimp instead.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 11, 2008 1:40 AM | Comments (18)

Recipe for Huckabee Fried Squirrel

Filed under: Fried Squirrel

Take one varmint. Put in the popcorn popper until golden brown. Dig in on fried squirrel goodness! It tastes like KFC, except somehow more ... southern.

The details:

Dress squirrel.

Wash thoroughly.

Cut in pieces for servings.

Cover with salt water.

Let stand overnight. Drain.

If squirrel is not tender, parboil 10 minutes. Drain.

Roll in flour.

Fry in vegetable oil until tender.

If the squirrel is young, parboiling is unnecessary.

Make a brown sauce.

Serve squirrel garnished with lemon slices and parsley.

-- From "How to Cook Wild Game"

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at February 10, 2008 6:49 PM | Comments (0)

Huck fights on, sends lawyers to Washington

Filed under: Mike Huckabee

Just when you thought it was over, Mike Huckabee not only scores a series of wins, but takes the gloves off in the closely-contested Washington caucuses.

Washington State GOP chair Luke Esser halted the ballot count with 87 percent reporting and McCain with a razor-thin lead. In a tersely worded statement, Huckabee decried this decision and shipped lawyers to the Pacific Northwest to contest matters.

Calling the count "dubious" and citing numerous "irregularities," Huckabee vowed to soldier on. This is curious, because many assumed that Huck had packed it in and was essentially running for the vice presidential nomination at this point. Mathematically, he's still in it, but the likelihood of the former Arkansas governor actually securing the nomination at this point are very slim. Seems like an odd decision on his part.

On the other hand, the Washington State GOP decision is worse than odd. It's disenfranchisement, pure and simple. The comments on Team Huckabee's official blog show that his supporters are incensed. Also, some are a little unhinged. (The "McCain falsified his war record" kooks are out, along with some other pretty gross anti-McCain comments). But in this case, they certainly have a right to be upset about a race that was inexplicably called too soon -- not by the media, but by the party itself.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at February 10, 2008 4:23 PM | Comments (2)

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