Cheers and Jeers: Tuesday
Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 05:52:40 AM PDT
From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
In our never-ending series, Yes, We're All Staring at YOU, C&J puts mythical front-pager Trapper John---so named because he spends six months of the year living off the land in the Smoky Mountains---in the hot seat (really just a pillow on a hot plate):
You grew up in Buffalo, so I have to ask: did living in a lake-effect snowfall area basically give you the winter off from school?
No. We're a hardy people in Buffalo, and it takes a lot of snow to shut the joint down. I've lived in DC for 7 years, and I never cease to be amused at the insignificant flurries that cause this city to go into full emergency closing mode. Even the threat of snow can lead to hysterical school and government shutdowns in DC---whereas in Buffalo, kids don't get off for much less than a foot on the ground. People don't believe it when I tell them that I've seen 7 foot snowfalls in Buffalo, and that the city was back up and running three days later. But it's true.
What attracted you to blogging and how long have you been doing it?
I guess I've been blogging since Markos recruited me as a CE in January 2004. Prior to that, I'd been active on political message boards like Orvetti.com and Political Wire, and subsequently on this "blog" called Daily Kos, but I didn't really write any long-form blog posts until I started on the front page here. I got into it, I suppose, because I love politics, and I love arguing about politics.
What do you think has been the most effective aspect of blogging in terms of advancing the progressive movement?
It's hard to pick just one, but I'd argue that the most valuable aspect would be the way that blogging empowers regular citizens. It puts the power of the world's largest printing press into the hands of anyone with an internet connection. That's remarkable. And it's allowed progressives who never would have been able to influence anyone outside of their sphere of friends and family to make thousands of new friends---and influence them. We've discovered that we have a lot to say. And unlike many of those on the other side of the political aisle, we like to actively discuss politics---not just passively listen to mandarin pundits and talkers. So while blogging theoretically empowers us all, progressives have taken to it like ducks to water.
What kind of music makes you feel invincible to the GOP horde?
Late '70's/early '80's punk---Circle Jerks, DK, the Damned, the Clash, and so on. There's plenty of other music that I like just as much---but when I need a shot in the arm, the old-school punks are my remedy.
You currently work for a labor union. What's your prediction for the future of the labor movement in this country?
I recently wrote:
[I]f American workers and their unions can grow when the most anti-worker administration in over 75 years is doing everything it can to thwart them, just wait till the political climate becomes more worker-friendly. After a quarter-century on the back foot, American unions have finally learned to survive, and maybe even thrive, in a harsh environment. Like Ginger Rogers, they're doing it backwards and in heels. Just imagine what can happen when working people get to take the lead.
I think that's about it. One way or another, working people are going to keep fighting for their unions, and we've figured out how to do it without any help from anyone. But with a little help from President Hilbama and a Democratic Congress---preferably one that busts the GOP filibuster on EFCA---organized labor will flourish. Yeah, it's an optimistic outlook---but I'm a Buffalonian, a Democrat, and I work in labor. I have to be optimistic.
What's the one book every Kossack must read?
Far be it from me to tell people what they have to read---but my favorite book on American politics is Richard Ben Cramer's What It Takes. If you read it, you'll gain a lot more respect for anyone who goes into politics and manages to hang on to her soul.
Finish this sentence: In the kitchen I make a mean...
Chicken tikka masala.
What do you do for fun when you're not blogging?
I'm a bit of a sports nut. Between following baseball (Go Nats!) in our summer and cricket in the Aussie summer, I'm particularly dedicated to the bat-and-ball sports. But I also love my Bills and Sabres, as well as Aston Villa. And what better place to watch sports than in a bar?
Which congressional/senatorial races are you watching most closely?
Senate: AK-Sen. The fact that we have a real chance to beat Ted Stevens---the titan whose name is on the biggest airport in the state---is amazing, yet it's a real possibility. It should be a lot of fun, especially if Begich runs.
House: NY-26. This is a suburban Buffalo district, but it's not the only reason that I love this race. The incumbent Republican is the odious Tom Reynolds, who looks and acts like Karl Rove's lesser little brother. He's a truly sickening example of the corruption wing of the Republican Party. And the Democrat, Jon Powers, is a great netroots candidate---an Iraq vet who, after his demob, started a non-profit aimed helping Iraqi kids whose lives have been thrown into upheaval by the war.
What has surprised you most since you started writing for the front page?
The growth of the site. When I started as a CE, this was a little hobby. Today, I'm acutely aware that half-a-million people are going to read what I write. Didn't see that coming.
No waffling here: dogs or cats?
I'll waffle if I want to. Dogs are clearly more fun, but they smell, and they're way too much work. Other people's dogs are terrific. Cats make sense for city folk like me, but I'm allergic. I don't have any pets right now, anyway. And if I got one, it'd be a hen. Useful creatures, hens. Fresh eggs.
What are your favorite blogs besides Daily Kos?
Political blogs? Emptywheel, Ezra Klein, and Digby are the first three standard political blogs that came to mind. But Political Wire, despite the lack of a standard comments section, is completely indispensable. Non-political? I read a lot of cricket blogs, a decent number of American sports blogs---especially the Nats and other DC-based blogs---and I'm a big fan of the Comics Curmudgeon.
What will it take for the Buffalo Bills to achieve your dream of seeing them win a Super Bowl?
Not moving to Toronto would be a good start.
I have one question left, but the latest issue of Highlights for Children just arrived. I have some hidden pictures to find, so please ask and answer the final question yourself...
His scotch?
Dewar's. (Not really---I'm not even a scotch drinker, really. I prefer Knob Creek if I'm drinking whiskey. But I loved those Dewar's Questionnaire ads growing up---I thought that if you made it into one of those, you'd really made it. So this is the next best thing. Thanks, C&J!)
Bottom's up. Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Race tracker wiki: NY-26
Cheers and Jeers for Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Note: Thanks to exciting new nanotechnology, the pixels on your screen are also flavor crystals. When you type ORANGE and lick your screen, for example, it tastes orangey! Type COCONUT and it tastes like coconut! Just make sure you don’t have the word "shit" on the screen at the same time.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til George Washington's birthday: 10
Days 'til the Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont primaries: 21
Total delay time last year for passenger flights: 170 years
(Source: Washington Post via The Week)
Pounds of seaweed harvested in Maine last year: 7.5 million
Estimated value of it: $260,000
(Source: Maine Sunday Telegram)
Minimum number of Republican members of Congress who are calling it quits this year: 29
The previous record for most GOP surrenders in a single year: 27 (1952)
(Source: McClatchy Newspapers)
Bob Geiger Surrogate Osama Clock: It's been 2,340 days since the president declared he would catch the al Qaeda leader "dead or alive." So, Mr. Bush..."Where's Osama?"
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Shhhh... Don't tell Rick Santorum about this!
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CHEERS to pollin', pollin', pollin' on the river. The 168-delegate "Potomac Primary"---named after President Potomac---is today. Voters in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. will rush to polling places at the same time and get stuck in the doorway like The Three Stooges. All the polls say Obama will win. Which explains why Hillary felt comfortable enough to give her victory speech at the crack of dawn. Congratulations!
CHEERS to the last (place) man standing. Kansas Republicans rode their Biblical dinosaurs to the polls Saturday and gave Mike Huckabee a resounding win over John "Bomb Iran" McCain. Comic relief was provided by Alan Keyes, who got more than twice the combined votes of Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani. Wow...by the time Montana and South Dakota roll around in June, he'll be firing on all one cylinder.
CHEERS to #16. Happy birthday, Abe Lincoln---199 years old today. What can you say about him that hasn't already been said? We sure could use you right about now, sir, so feel free to drop in anytime. The rest of you, pay your respects here. Tonight in his honor: Four score and twenty nachos.
JEERS to stating the obvious. Well slap my forehead and call me Raymond Babbitt. It says here that when the economy goes south more people tend to go to discount stores. Somebody write it down so we can honor the person who figured that out with a Nobel Prize in economics. Uh, by the way...you just spilled 329 toothpicks.
CHEERS to "The End." Quills are being sharpened across the country in anticipation of the imminent end of the writers strike. We're thrilled that the professional scripters will soon be back to their normal routine: chain smoking, pacing back and forth, fidgeting in their chair, grinding their teeth, clenching their toes, playing with the dog, pulling their hair, biting their nails, staring off into space, and writing and deleting the same sentence ten times in a row. Or as I like to call it: the first ten minutes of my workday.
JEERS to premature departures. Two deaths in the world of entertainment and politics. Roy Scheider, 75, was as dependable as an actor could get (his famous line, "Yer gonna need a bigger boat," from Jaws, was improvised). And 14-term Representative Tom Lantos, 80, was the only holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. A solid liberal, he wasn't above stepping in poo every now and then (voting to authorize force in Iraq, which he later soured on...and supporting No Child Left Behind, until he discovered millions of kids were left behind). But he knew how to deliver a verbal slap when human rights were involved, as he did against Yahoo for helping China root out and jail a journalist: "While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are Pygmies." The same line I use whenever I gas up the car.
CHEERS to unintentional punchlines. We publish this breaking story in its entirety:
An outage has disconnected BlackBerry smart phones across North America. AT&T Inc. says the disruption Monday is affecting all wireless carriers. AT&T first learned about the problem at about 3:30 p.m. ET. There's no word on the cause or when the problem might be fixed.
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion did not immediately return a phone call.
Try the veal, folks, it's great. And please tip your servers. Thank yew!
CHEERS to runnin' with the big dawgs. For the first time ever, a beagle has won the hound group at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. (As you can see, the judging is particularly thorough with this breed.) Tonight "Uno" will compete against six other dogs for the coveted Best in Show ribbon starting at 8 on the USA network. It's the one night of the year when Molly, C&J's chocolate lab, gets to control the remote. Sorry, Keith.
JEERS to Presidents' Day ads. They're all over TV and print hocking everything from cars to mattresses---bad actors in bad Abe and George costumes spouting lines like "We'll free your credit with no payments `til 2009!" and "We cannot tell a lie...we're dealin'!!" And advertisers wonder why they always find themselves at the bottom of the professional food chain.
THEERTH to stupid human tricks. Inspired by the movie A Christmas Story, two Indianans got their tongues stuck to a flagpole. Said one one of them, a fourth-grader: "I decided to try it because I thought all of the TV shows were lies, but turns out I was wrong." The other, Dan Quayle, had no comment.
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One Year Ago in C&J: February 12, 2007...
JEERS to Newsweek. For spreading anti-Pelosi propaganda in their Conventional Wisdom Watch:
Sure Hastert had military jet, but seeking bigger one (to go nonstop) makes her sound like a 757 liberal.
Once more: she didn’t request a bigger plane...the Sergeant at Arms did. So stick your big red 'down' arrow where the sun don’t shine, editors.
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And just one more...
CHEERS to getting your money's worth. One more question for Trapper John:
Of all your dead-end summer jobs, which was the dead-endiest?
The summer after my sophomore year of high school, I had a hard time finding a job. I guess I waited too long, and I couldn't get one of those sweet supermarket bagger/cart shagger gigs. I ended up as a stockboy at an absolutely atrocious establishment called "Everything's $1.00." Everything's $1.00 distinguished itself from other, less notably awful dollar stores with a humiliating gimmick: when an employee was asked by a customer how much a given item cost, the employee was required---under pain of termination!---to blow the whistle attached to his or her Everything's $1.00 apron and yell, "price check!" Every other employee in the store was then required---again, under pain of termination by the Michael Eisner-lookalike manager---to reply, "everything's a dollar!" Needless to say, when word of this debasing practice got out, we were besieged by hordes of kids who milked the "price checks" to the point where it seemed like there was one per minute. Many of these tormentors, of course, were my friends.
Moreover, my co-workers at the store were without a doubt, and to a person, some of the stupidest people I've ever met. I'll just give one example, as this is already a long answer. In the back of the store, we had a helium tank, which we used to fill the balloons that utterly failed in their mission to cheer the abattoir of the spirit in which we toiled. One day, I go back into the storeroom to grab a palette of sad plastic dolls or Ronald Reagan autobiographies (yes, Ronald Reagan's An American Life had been remaindered by the summer of '92, and was available for $1), and I find this slack-jawed redheaded kid sprawled face-down next to the helium tank. I shook him to wake him up from his drooling coma, and when he roused, he explained that he had passed out while trying to get high. Off helium. I explained that helium didn't really work like nitrous, and went away shaking my head. About an hour later in the shift, the Eisneresque manager discovered the kid passed out again. He was not fired, probably because he really enjoyed yelling "Price Check!!!" eight times an hour.
Also, it seemed like the only music that they played on the PA that whole summer was Celine Dion. I've worked plenty of jobs that were more physically demanding, unsafe, and possibly ever worse-paid---but Everything's $1.00 was a real shit sandwich.
As George Bush would say: "Uniquely American, isn’t it? That's fantastic."
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Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
"I know that, whatever else happens, whatever twists and turns this campaign may take, when you go into that polling place next November, the name Bill in Portland Maine won’t be on the ballot and that makes everybody pretty cheerful."
---Barack Obama
2/9/08
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