We don't usually talk about lines on Mondays here at Blogistan Polytechnic Institute. Mondays are when the resident faculty make their ways (plural, for each) from the wine cellar library where they spend the weekend drinking thinking on our motto of Magis vinum, magis verum ("More wine, more truth") to the hot tub faculty lounge for their weekly game where underwear goes flying planning conference. Lines, the shortest distance between two points, are not involved in that process. At least it's exercise.
As is baseball, for another few days. Baseball metaphors are to American politics as a screwball is to Glenn Beck: a natural descriptor. Because both the World Series and the 2009 off-year elections seem primed to wrap at about the same time, the resident faculty were mangling metaphors like C.C. Sabathia talking to DeDe Scozzafava about e.e. cummings. Yes, that was F.F.Foul, but that's where the GOP seem to be headed.
More below the fold....
First, as always, we thank last week's guest lecturers. Last Tuesday, Professor of Neuroholdemology Caractacus discussed teacher education based on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's speech at the Columbia Teachers' College. And last Wednesday, Professor of Ecoinsaninsuroscamology winterbanyan explored homelessness in America through the question Who Are The Least of These? If you missed either, please give them a read.
This Tuesday, Ol' Crackpot's series on Things We Learned This Week continues with a discussion of discussions. We would say more, but discussing a discussion of discussions on Meta Monday might cause a tear in the spacetime continuum. And this Wednesday Professor of Mediamaternity theKgirls returns to the lectern to explore National Adoption Month. As always, Chef will be on hand with bagels and beverages, and the Professor of Astrology Janitor will be off-hand with banter and bloviation.
Note: KVoimakas will return to the lectern and earn his coveted (though not yet defined) faculty tenure and key to the wine cellar library on November 11th, but we have no lecturers scheduled for Wednesdays after that. If you would like to host Morning Feature on Wednesday, November 18th, or any following Wednesday, please volunteer in a comment below.
Which leaves only the resident faculty unaccounted for, like designated hitters in games played at National League parks. Nothing else comes as close to politics as the Phillies came to a win last night. And that was as effective a simile as the Republican strategy of drafting a team with only right fielders. As fielding alignments go, insisting that every one of your players have at least one foot on the right foul line does have a certain logic to it. While it leaves the GOP ill-disposed to handle any ball not hit directly at them, it's easier for casual fans to identify who's who. And they're always ready for the national anthem.
The problem is what happens when the GOP leaders decide the foul line isn't far enough to the right. The optimistic view says they would be acknowledged for the fringe they've become, leaving the political field to Democrats. The pessimistic view wonders if the mainstream political media, convinced no rightward view can ever be called too extreme, may simply realign the cameras to cover only foul territory. When a candidate whose views are close to those of most Americans is described as "on the left fringe" - as DeDe Scozzofava was by her opponent and his supporters - will we soon be told that anyone not standing in the parking lot behind the home dugout is "left wing?"
Maybe the GOP are committing a suicide squeeze, or maybe they're trying to manipulate the Overton Window the way Jorge Posada manipulates the strike zone.
Or maybe the resident faculty just needed a seventh inning stretch.
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Happy Monday!