tim merritt [dot] net

I got the quoted paragraph in an email today. My response is below.

QUOTE OF 2008

“From the time Barrack Obama [sic] was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That’s how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan. 143 days. I keep leftovers in my refrigerator longer than that.” – Columnist Cheri Jacobus

Nice! No, really, it’s nice – in that quick condescending reductionist ignore-the-facts Fox News “terrorist fist jab” sort of way.

With this cute little quip, Cheri Jacobus, Pundit, ignores Obama’s years of community organizing in Chicago and other experience, first citing how many days the Senate is in session, and conveniently blowing past the work done over four years in office when not actually in session – from committee hearings to constituent service, and more – and implies that Obama’s only worked 143 days his entire life. Obama will concede he’s a young man, but its not unreasonable to claim that he’s done more serious work and more intellectual heavy lifting than the man he would replace, so let’s not talk about that. Let’s look at who brought us this valuable insight: it’s what we can expect from someone who boasts of her own extensive work experience on her own company’s web site.

“She appears on national television programs such as “Crossfire”, “The O’Reilly Factor”, “Your World With Neil Cavuto”, “Larry King Live, “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” and “Talk Back Live” on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and CNBC, “The Montel Williams Show” and ABC’s “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher” and many more offering political analysis, commentary and debate. She also has lectured at The Leadership Institute, American University, Young American Broadcasters, American Bar Association Legislative Conference and other groups.”

There’s more than that, of course, including her helping a friend win the race for class president in 8th grade (I’m not kidding – look it up). What we have here, friends, is just a professional talking head. Heaven knows we need more of those, lest we suffer a moment of actual, ahem, news on cable news. Jacobus is an empty suit with a sneer, denigrating Obama with a cute turn of phrase. Again, nice. Good on you, Cheri! You’re making America better!

Friends, take note of her client list, here. Jacobus is little more than a right-wing sock puppet, a paid apologist – not for “freedom” or “conservative values” – but for high-paying corporate greedheads. There’s no evidence that she has never done a useful day of work in her life. To be fair, maybe some native modesty prevents her from admitting that between TV appearances she volunteers at animal shelters or a food bank or helps lead tours at the Smithsonian. It’s possible. And it’s possible she’s invented flubber, too. Whatever actual work she may have done, she certainly is proud of her service to the Republican cause in the late 1990s.

Remember the Republicans about 10 years ago? We must note that while she worked for a Congressional committee in the late 90s, the Republican congressional leader was Tom Delay, who along with others created the infamous K Street Project (look that one up too), the most corrupt lobbying environment in modern history. (Note that historically, the Democrats are no amateurs when comes to corruption, but come on – the 90’s Republicans were pros.) These guys are still coming to trial. Remember Jack Abramoff? At least he’s in jail now, where he’s likely to do little more harm. (He cried at his sentencing – thats good television!) A key thing to remember about those guys is this: saying they’re corrupt isn’t political rhetoric; they were Republican congressmen and lobbyists prosecuted and convicted under a Republican administration. Not just any Republicans, either, but the most partisan Republican administration with the most ideologically biased Justice Department in modern times (for that, look up former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and the whole fired U.S. attorney scandal). To be so corrupt your own highly biased team throws the book at you? To mention the time period (but not discuss the real work of the folks she was working with) front and center in her resume: that’s something to be proud of… for Cheri Jacobus.

Hmmmm… maybe she’s not the Quoter we want after all, so let’s entertain another possible Quote of 2008. Conservative author and ABC commentator George Will says in his latest book, that among the things the presidency of George W. Bush has brought us is

“a torrent of acrimony about the dubious inception and incompetent conduct of a war that became perhaps the worst foreign policy debacle in the nation’s history.”

That’s a good one. I found it here.

Or maybe check out the coverage of the testimony going on this week about all the innocent people tortured at Guantanamo and Bagram and other places. Did you know that numerous thorough non-partisan reports, including from within the government and even the military itself, have determined that, while there are legitimate terrorists in custody, several detainees were falsely imprisoned and tortured, and when they were discovered to be not “the worst of the worst” but innocent bystanders, or worse, victims of liars seeking bounties, they were still imprisoned so their shameful treatment could be kept secret? If you didn’t know that, would you blame the Liberal Media? The real question, though: How many more innocent people are still there? How many of them died in U.S. custody?

So, following from that, another suggestion for Quote of 2008: A CIA interrogation lawyer, discussing permissible “interrogation techniques” at Guantanamo in 2002, regarding how to do waterboarding:

“If the detainee dies, you’re doing it wrong.”

I’m guessing this would not be a time to play Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American.” Anyone? Bueller? Maybe we’ll cue that one up a little later, when the shame’s had some time to recede a bit.

Friends, if you’re still with me, I know I’ve ranted long here, but snappy statements from wholly-owned hacks like Cheri Jacobus really chap my behind when we’ve got genuine anti-American-values crap like this to live down. And note I am not knocking all Republicans, just the incredible combination of arrogantly misguided ideologues and greedmongering hypocrites who hijacked their party. It’s time for a change, and the tall thin man from Chicago might, just might, have something.

So, for Quote of 2008, what about an Obama speech, say the one he gave in Philadelphia three months ago about race in America.

It’s all over YouTube, if you don’t want to read it. I recommend it highly – whether you like Obama or McCain, it’s an honest take on what divides so many of us and it’s a vision of what might unite us. I’d argue it is worth more of your time than one minute of Cheri Jacobus cracking jokes about her leftovers.

With that, a good night to you all.

I’ve taken to reading Andrew Sullivan’s blog at The Atlantic Monthly over the last few months. I remember seeing him often back in the 1990s when I had time to watch C-SPAN a lot. His stance is an interesting one: a gay Catholic Tory living in America, commenting on American politics. He used to be firmly in the camp of GWB, but has come to see that Bush’s America is a wretched place. He’s largely reasonable on many issues, and willing to entertain other viewpoints. He likes Ron Paul, or more precisely the phenomenon of Ron Paul: a Republican candidate who’s willing to call the big dogs the wrong-headed empty suits they are. He’s positively enchanted with Barack Obama and makes eloquent appeals for him and he’s so anti-Hillary Clinton that you can almost see the spittle on his posts about her (or that guy she’s married to).

In another vein, today he posted a message from a reader, a fiction writer who has worked in the video game industry, about the challenges of bringing the mechanics of storytelling to video gaming. I don’t know that I follow all this reader puts forth, and there is further material linked, including Irreconcilable Differences: Game vs. Story, an analytical lament for the basic differences in the two:

The audience must on the one hand disbelieve in the preparedness of stories, and on the other believe in the unpreparedness of games.

It’s all provocative, and since Will is considering a career along the lines this writer describes, it’s worth a look.

Eric Alterman and others on the best pop and rock albums of 2007. Must revisit these lists!

Media Matters – Altercation: For Goodness’ Sakes: The Altercation Music Lists

I sent Stefan “a link to David Foster Wallace’s introduction to the 2007 edition of Best American Essays. I have enjoyed his magazine pieces, and own two of his books, so I sent the link unread with a promise to him to come back to it later. Stef sent back a grumpy rant about the piece, and without getting into the nature of his complaints, what impressed me most was the closeness of his reading and the concentration he must have brought to bear. It forced me to realize that I don’t as a matter of course bring more than minimal attention to what I read – I’ve been scanning, not reading, and my mental muscles are weak. They need to do some weight lifting, and so do I.

Yes, “Tim” is an anagram for TMI, “Too Much Information.” Email messages unread: 68. RSS items unread: 625. Current browser tabs among 5 windows: 11. Too. Much. Information.

So where to cut back? I don’t want to lose more sleep. I would have trouble giving up reading political coverage during this run-up to an election year, especially when the Republicans are fielding such a bizarre misguided flip-flopping fear-mongering group of candidates. And the Democrats, ah the Democrats… they’re so amazingly timid about really pounding on the most incompetent regime America’s seen in my lifetime, and on the Congressional Republicans that have enabled it. George W.Bush makes Nixon look like a smart progressive on most issues. Who’d have thought we’d pine for Nixon? Ever? And in a situation like this, how can I keep from following it?

But back to Too Much Information. There’s always something new just a click away, whether it’s one of those emails, or in a feed, or on a site I haven’t checked this last foru minutes, or something. And I have this blog, see, the one you’re reading? Having a domain, and a blog, implies a commitment, and I have not kept that commitment. I have a camera, too, that camera implies another commitment, to take and publish pictures. I have not kept this commitment either.

Will Richardson writes and lives the Read/Write web, and I do not. Too much reading and not enough writing/photographing/publishing. I’ve allowed the too-many opportunities for something new to become data smog and I have to filter more of it out. I guess that output would become more of the smog for someone else, but the exercise of doing it myself would be better for my mind and my health.

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(Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8 May 2007)!

A letter I sent to the local newspaper yesterday morning:

Consider these two stories on the front of the paper today: “Public defenders’ jobs cut” and “Sotheby’s enters Atlanta market.” A prestige name in auctions and real estate enters our burgeoning market for luxury homes – a very good thing – and yet the state can’t afford attorneys to protect the rights of indigents. Remember as well that the recent legislative session couldn’t find the money for PeachCare health insurance for poor children, either.

I love that this great city and this great state can support such economic growth. It makes me proud. At the same time, it’s shameful that we claim we cannot afford to provide essential legal and medical support for those who cannot afford it.

I’ll bet you can guess which party is in charge of both the legislature and the governor’s office in this great state.

Update: An hour after I sent the letter, an editor called and said they’d try, other news allowing, to print it on Wednesday, and asked if it was okay to change the end of the first paragraph to say “couldn’t find enough money for PeachCare,” since the legislature did appropriate some money for it. I said sure. I looked this morning, and they published it online, at least.

I have my hosting for this site and some others at Textdrive, which has an active, informative, and entertaining forum. I’ve learned a lot there about hosting web sites from the generous and talented people, customers and employees, that post there. It is a real community. I particularly enjoy the off-topic area known ast Textdrivel, where member Besonen started this thread with the post below.

You’ll be glad you watched this.

It’s a Flash video; you may hate Flash video. Take a chance on it. I know I’m glad I watched.

Pass it on.

Just a moment to wish all a Happy New Year for 2007. Many changes and new things are coming for me and my family, and I wish us and you the strength and wisdom to meet what comes with equanimity and even joy. Embrace it when you can, tolerate it when you need to, endure it when you must. Look out for each other, look out for grace when it finds you.

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall November 5, 2006 07:04 PM

Readers are posting to Josh’s site claiming that Republicans are making repeated and annoying calls to voters claiming to be Democrats, in an effort to make themselves look good. It seems it’s all they have to run on….

This is an idea that’s been buzzing in my head since I came across it: that the conservative movement has been, except for the religious zealotry, a move to transfer risk from large organizations (corporations, government) to individuals. Can’t recall where I first read about it, and though I believed it must have been an earlier post about Jacob Hacker on Crooked Timber, I couldn’t find it in time for this post.

Crooked Timber Reviews Jacob Hacker’s The Great Risk Shift

It’s an engaging idea, a “frame” for the issue that makes sense to me as a way to resist the often false choices that the government’s policy changes have forced on us, the citizens. Read the review at Crooked Timber, and the comments. I haven’t re-read it all yet with the attention it deserves. I hope to revisit this idea and flesh out some of my own responses.

The Greening of Downtown Atlanta – New York Times

News about a development project here.

Bloglanta: Why More Cities Really Means Another County

I discovered this site about Atlanta in Atlanta magazine (doh!) on the newsstand, and found this post about the city of Dunwoody proposal. Read the comments too; thoughtful.

Pro Blogger Jason Kottke compiled a list of his best links of 2005. Jason finds and links to things that constantly open my eyes and continue to show why the web is such a great place. I’ve been saving many of these as PDFs to read on the train to work.

The Dunwoody Crier – our weekly neighborhood paper, the kind supported by ads from realtors, local eateries, salons, chiropractors, and so on, is a right-leaning little rag. A week or so ago, they published a very cranky letter from Fred C. Dobbs, wherein he decried “black Americans of a certain sub-culture.” Here’s the response I just sent in:

To the editor:
In Fred Dobbs’ angry rant I see two complaints: first, he believes that some poor black Americans who live in risky neighborhoods with insufficient police enforcement and bad schools and limited access to medical care and under-funded public transportation systems which they need to get to low-paying service jobs with no health insurance benefits make bad choices to keep themselves poor and on public assistance, while blaming very nice hard-working self-sufficient white Americans like Fred C. Dobbs for their situation; and second, he believes that nasty pandering politicians from a wicked political party did a flip-flop that moved these poor black Americans to a “modernised version of the plantation” while taking some of Fred C. Dobbs’ hard-earned money and giving it to these undeserving poor black Americans in order to keep them poor and to get themselves – the Democrats, not the poor black Americans – re-elected. (Oh, and they took some unspecified rights of his, too. And he doesn’t like some of the self-appointed media-anointed “spokespersons” of these poor black people. Or some of their music either. Grrr.) Well, I’d feel angry and tired and defensive too, if the problem is as he describes it.

But that’s only part of the picture. There’s always abuse and waste in government, sure, but it’s there in companies and corporations too – and there’s much success in all those places, too. The programs that Fred C. Dobbs complains about, that we all pay for, help more people than he realizes. Civil rights protections, jobs, education, health care, transportation, public safety – for all the well-publicized waste and the corruption, immeasurable good still comes from it. Millions of lives are changed for the better. Look at the economic expansion of the 1990’s: some of that growth was spurred by government spending, and some of that made a difference to… poor black Americans! But that doesn’t bring eyeballs to the TV, or callers to talk radio – it isn’t outrageous, so it isn’t news. The small part of the picture Fed C. Dobbs describes that would make anyone angry *is* news. Anger sells. Since mostly all we can see is the bad part of the picture, we can get angry about it like Fred C. Dobbs does.

Since Fred C. Dobbs reads the Crier, he’s one of my neighbors. I’d welcome the chance to talk with him as a neighbor if he wants to get angry about a much larger example of how nasty wicked pandering flip-flopping politicians spend his tax dollars on undeserving people, people who don’t happen to be poor black Americans. There are many things he could feel angry about that just don’t make compelling TV or good talking points on talk radio. I’d suggest looking into the $9 billion that the Coalition Provisional Authority “lost” in Iraq as a starting point. I’m just saying.

AlterNet: Confessions of a Listener
“When the iPod steals the last of Clear Channel’s audience, the crazy, quirky and beautiful will return to radio—and Garrison Keillor will welcome them.” This is just juicy good.

Radical Georgia Moderate – Hidden provision in Voter ID bill
“So, bravo to the Republicans for once again out-thinking the Democrats.” How did they out-think them, and on what issue? They made it harder for folks to vote in runoff elections. Follow the link to the Radical Georgia Moderate for more details.

Jeffrey Rosen in The New York Times Magazine: The Unregulated Offensive

As Epstein sees it, all individuals have certain inherent rights and liberties, including ‘’economic’’ liberties, like the right to property and, more crucially, the right to part with it only voluntarily. These rights are violated any time an individual is deprived of his property without compensation—when it is stolen, for example, but also when it is subjected to governmental regulation that reduces its value or when a government fails to provide greater security in exchange for the property it seizes. In Epstein’s view, these libertarian freedoms are not only defensible as a matter of political philosophy but are also protected by the United States Constitution. Any government that violates them is, by his lights, repressive. One such government, in Epstein’s worldview, is our government. When Epstein gazes across America, he sees a nation in the chains of minimum-wage laws and zoning regulations. His theory calls for the country to be deregulated in a manner not seen since before Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Paul Ford of Ftrain shares some thoughts on health insurance benefits:

“What insurance promises is continuity in the face of fate. If you’re uninsured and you get hit by a car, you are basically screwed. While you heal up you’ll have a hard time making a living, and once you’re healed you’ll have an itemized hospital bill as long as a novel to pay down for the next several years. But if you’re covered, you’ll spend some time being tended by doctors and nurses, then you’ll return to the life you had before you were hurt, and things will be roughly as they were, and you can forget that anything bad ever happened. That’s the promise….”

And why, exactly, isn’t this available for everyone?

At J.D.’s, our group watched Matewan, about the 1920’s effort to organize the coal mines. I can only paraphrase Sayles’ comments in the production notes from the DVD, but the combination of capitalist greed at its most rapacious and a violent leftist populism makes for a powerful and disturbing story.

Capitalism brings wealth and benefits to many, but like all human-made institutions, it’s a flawed system that can do great damage when moved to excess. It needs to be restrained before it can do too much harm, and that’s where unions can level the field. They too, are flawed institutions, which must have restraints as well… that’s part of the complex system we’ve set up for ourselves. We have to work it out or fight it out, over and over, as these tensions flex over time.

Fight the good fight, as the old hymn goes.

A prominent Republican breaks ideological ranks in a New York Times essay:


“The historic principles of the Republican Party offer America its best hope for a prosperous and secure future. Our current fixation on a religious agenda has turned us in the wrong direction. It is time for Republicans to rediscover our roots.

John C. Danforth, a former United States senator from Missouri, resigned in January as United States ambassador to the United Nations. He is an Episcopal minister.”

Some claim Bush’s politics approach fascism; it’s not, says George Monbiot, it’s Puritanism.

Religion of the Rich
“The enrichment of the elite and impoverishment of the lower classes requires a justifying ideology if it is to be sustained. In the United States this ideology has to be a religious one. Bush’s government is forced back to the doctrines of Puritanism as an historical necessity. If we are to understand what it’s up to, we must look not to the 1930s, but to the 1630s.”

At one point, Monbiot writes that “Fascism recruited the elite, but it did not come from the elite. It relied on hysterical popular excitement: something which no one could accuse George Bush of provoking.” I find that dubious. The “Godly man” cult coupled with the apocalyptical end-times rhetoric among many Bush supporters seems to me to border on hysteria. N0netheless, Monbiot makes much sense, and has annotated the post with footnotes.