Jane, You Ignorant Slut
I really do have work that I have to do today, but let's face it, this is what gets my blood pumping.

First, with bad news seemingly pouring out of Iraq everyday, I think Dean may have a chance to compete on foreign policy. It will depend on his advisors and if he is able to go toe to toe with Bush on foreign policy in the fall debates. I think Dean's willingness to discuss Saudia Arabia, as Marc alluded to, is also a good first step toward making the foreign policy issue less of a give away for Bush.

(Sidebar Question: Will Bush debate anybody this year? It's not his strong suit, and he knows it. Although he performed well in 2000, he did so with very little expectation. Now, he's going to be expected to be informed, nuanced and articulate. Bush will have to prove that his four years in the White House have forged in him the gravitas that he's banking on to make him untouchable in terms of foreign policy.)

Marc, your original post today suggested that Dean was backing away from an unpopular position (in the party, at least) when he attempted to apologize and clarify his confederate flag comment. That, however, does not seem to me to be the case. Dean's campaign seems bent, wisely I think, on shifting focus away from cultural values and on to the economy. I think Dean wants poor people to vote for him because he offers a progressive economic agenda (including health care reform, job creation and education reform), despite many voters misgivings about the Democratic party's fairly liberal stance on social issues. The inherent flaw with his wording, however, was the choice of a symbol so divisive that it thrust cultural values into the forefront of the discussion, exactly where Dean didn't want them to be. I think his comment was a political gaffe, but I don't think it does any damage to his overall policy initiatives or strategy.

True, Dean is quite a bit different from the majority of southern voters, but I don't think he needs to bend his social views to their liking. Like Clinton did in 1992, Dean must prevent his social values from becoming an obstacle in the minds of those poor, white southern voters who might vote for him otherwise. Clinton did not, nor did he pretend to, share a lot of cultural values with most southern, white voters. What he did do is downplay his differences and exaggerate his similarities. And this must be the Dean strategy. Dean has a good start due to his glowing NRA record and refusal to rescind his comment that rural states do not need the same gun-control laws as urban states do, a comment many Democrats found obliquely racist.

Clinton did not win the South on cultural issues. What he did do, and what Dean must do, is refuse to lose the South on cultural issues.

Tony

Au Contraire, Mon Frere
T-Bone sez:

Democrats cannot and should not intend to compete for the south by appealing to cultural values

Obviously, Bill Clinton's primary issue in '92 was the economy, but he knew that he had to send signals to Southern whites that he wasn't just a dope-smoking Harvard hippie - he was also the first white-trash president since Andy Jackson.

First, you have the Ricky Rector case, where Clinton presided over the execution of a retard. For those of you who don't remember, Rector tried unsuccessfully to kill himself, and was left with an IQ around 65. Before being led to his execution, he left the pie from his last meal "for later". Second, there was the Sister Souljah affair, where Clinton bashed a black female rapper who had made anti-white comments, humiliating Jesse Jackson in the process. Even Bush the Elder knew this. When running in 1988, he professed a love for pork rinds. Not bad for a Yalie.

I'm not saying Dean should come out against affirmative action, but a few token gestures might be enough to offset his pot-smoking, draft-dodging, Yale-educated, Aspen-skiing, know-it-all Yankee, son-of-a-stockbroker image. The lunatic fringe of the Democratic party isn't going anywhere. Those feminist types didn't take long to ditch their principles and defend Clinton, and neither did the blacks abandon our "first black president".

I think there is an opening on the foriegn policy front. Maybe Dean could criticize Bush on his dealings with Saudi Arabia. Stand a bunch of Muslim bigwigs behind him and call them terrorists. He's got to do something, because he's looking at carrying 6 or 7 states at this point.

Marc

Dean's Southern Strategy
I had only intended to blog once today, but I feel I should respnd to today's Marc post.

First, while Dean did apologize for his remarks, or more specifically his poor choice of imagery, he did not express regret for the original sentiment behind the quote. As I blogged about yesterday, I don't think Dean was intending to warm his way into the hearts of southern voters by appealing to their cultural values, as Marc intimated in his post. If he attempted this he would alienate not only the traditional base of the Democratic party, but also large segments of his grass-roots organization. His attempt, it appeared to me, was to show to southern voters who have traditionally voted Democratic, but have been casting their ballots for Republicans in the recent past, that they should once again make their decisions based on financial, rather than cultural issues. If it's true that these voters no longer share economic priorities with the Democratic party, then Dean's strategy is moot and the South will probably be lost to the Dems forever. However, what Dean earnestly believes, and what he's been trying to say for the last few days, is that poor, white, southerners still share economic priorities with the Democratic party. Dean is hopeful that it's enough to sway their votes, but that remains to be seen. In fact, Dean may be placing false hope on a sour economy that seems to be turning itself around before our eyes, but if the economy fails to sustain growth, then Dean will still have a dog in the fight over southern votes.

I think Dean's Tallahassee comments, although painfully devoid of subtlety, were right on. The South has always been conservative, but if the Democrats are to have any chance in the south, they will need to convince voters to think with their wallets, as Bill Clinton did in 1992. Democrats cannot and should not intend to compete for the south by appealing to cultural values, and think I Dean is acutely aware of this. He knows that it is a fight that will tear at the very fabric of not only his campaign, but the party itself. The Democratic Party's success in the past has always been tied to uniting divergent segments of the population (including rural and urban poor blacks and whites, organized labor, liberals etc.) through economic issues, regardless of their varied stances on cultural values. What it will probably all come down to, as it so often does, is the economy. If the economy is weak and joblessness is still a problem, then voters will be more likely to vote Democratic regardless of their cultural views. If it stays strong, then the focus of the campaign is going to be on foreign policy and cultural values. If this happens, the Democrats will have an awfully tough time cobbling together enough states to forge an electoral victory.

Tony

You're In, Chief
T-Bone, your question made it, although it wasn't really answered:

Baltimore, Md.: You have received considerable rebukes over the past few days regarding your comments about southern voters. Putting aside your poor choice of imagery, it seems to me that you were right. I agree that the Democratic Party must make serious efforts to bring back into the fold disaffected poor, souther, white voters who have traditionaly shared the economic priorities of the Democratic Party. My question is: how do you intend to do this?

Howard Dean: I believe that although I should not have used the symbol of the Confederate flag that the thrust of our strategy is the right thrust. We have to get people to focus on what we have in common in the South and elsewhere in this country. We have to stop the Republicans from dividing us on issues like race and abortion and guns and start focusing on the need for jobs, healthcare and education. that is the way to bring southern white voters back to the Democrats.

Marc

Deany-boppers
A small post today. There may be more coming this afternoon, but I have (gasp) actual work that I have to do today. A Reminder:Dean's going to be online for a chat at washingtonpost.com. I wrote a question in yesterday regarding his recent comments concerning his "Southern Strategy." If he answers it, I'll let you know.

Only one link today. A Washington Post piece on Dean and his flirting with the idea of eschewing federal matching funds and thus lifting federaly-mandated campaign spending caps. I think there are only gains to be had if he forgoes the federal matching funds. Remember, if Dean does manage to get the nomination (a fight that's proving as bloody and expensive as any in recent memory) he'll have to face a virtually unscathed, popular president with a truckload of available cash and untapped reserves that we can't even fathom. Plus, he's got Karl Rove, Diabolical Genius at his disposal. While there are potential gains to be made in accepting the caps and forcing Campaign Fiance Reform on the table, the pitfalls in such a strategy are numerous. For one, I don't think Campaign Finance Reform is going to play a major role in the upcoming campaign, no matter what one candidate does. Second, any political hay Dean manages to make out of accepting spending caps will be significantly outweighed by the inferior financial position he'll place himself in as compared to Bush. Dean's going to need money, money and more money if he ever hopes to compete in November. And it will prove vital that he's unencumbered in his spending.

Peace & Love,
Tony

They Don't Really Need Those Votes, Anyway
Well, it looks like Dean has been dragged back into the fold. He almost apologized for his Confederate flag comment, saying

Many people in the African-American community have supported what I said in the past few days because they understand what this is about. But some have not, and to those I deeply regret the pain that I may have caused.

In other southern news, while in Florida this week, Dean unloaded this turd:

Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean told a Tallahassee audience today that southerners have to quit basing their votes on "race, guns, God and gays."

He forgot to tell people with jobs to quit basing their votes on "income, Social Security, Medicare, and capital gains taxes". It would also help the Dems if Americans who don't like being murdered stopped basing their votes on "Pentagon, World Trade Center, Bali, USS Cole, Kenyan/Tanzanian embassies, World Trade Center the first time..."

You can't bitch about how stupid the electorate is and then hope to win their vote, especially if you are a New York Yalie talking to Southerners.

The fact is, the South is socially conservative - you can either appeal to that (as Dean started to try to do), or preserve your ideological purity and lose like Al Gore. It is a shame for you poor mislead Democrats out there that your party has decided it can do without half the country. As one Florida columnist summed it up:

Gephardt, Dean, Lieberman and Kerry probably needn't waste too much time trying to court the Southern pickup crowd. Most I've seen - with American or Confederate flags on them - also have another sticker on their bumpers. It's red, white and blue and says: Bush.

Marc

Leon Awards, Lifetime Achievement Division
Emmitt Smith, the proverbial diamond in the trash, has said he wouldn't mind sharing playing time with Marcel Shipp. The only thing Emmitt should be sharing is the bench - he is averaging 3.0 yards a carry, compared to Shipp's 4.4.

In Redskins news, slow-footed malcontent Bruce Smith met the Ol' Ballcoach to bellyache about his missed start. Let's look at the numbers, shall we?
Tackles - 8
Sacks - 2
Bruce Smith is lucky he has a job. As to the meeting, it sounded like Spurrier engaged in some serious Russ-speak: he sort of told Smith he would start (cool beans!), then later said it would be up to the defensive coaches (I'll have to talk to Kim). Hail to the Bengals!

Marc

These Jobs Are Going, Boys, And They Ain't Coming Back
The Whigs Democrats continue their strategic withdrawal from the South in order to concentrate on increasingly important Snow Belt states, inner cities, and campus towns.

The Republicans picked up the governors' seats in Kentucky and Mississippi yesterday. Louisiana will probably follow suit next week and elect Bobby Jindal, who would be the nation's first governor of Indian descent.

Marc

He Makes The Most Sense Out Of All Of Them
Andrew Sullivan tears Andy Rooney a new one in TNR.

Marc

Reefer Madness
For the record: (from last night's vote-rocking)
"No thanks, I want to be President someday":
Clark, Kucinich, Sharpton, Lieberman
"My hair is green and I'm a tree!":
Dean, Kerry, Edwards
"I'd rather you asked about my underwear":
Moseley Braun
Getting spliffed in Dubuque:
Gephardt

Marc

I Paid For This Microphone!
About that piece of shit Reagan movie: I read an interesting theory about it from Howard Veit.

He says the script was leaked to the media by disgruntled Hollywood union types in retaliation for the movie being shot in Canada (movies shot in Canada are done with non-union labor). Interesting.

Marc

Who Speaks for the Young?
Idiots, it seems to me. Last night's Democratic Presidential debate was, among other things, a demonstration of why young people are not taken seriously in the political sphere. The debate was a "Rock the Vote" forum sponsored by that organization and CNN. It was hosted by the prematurely gray and yet eternaly youthful Anderson Cooper. The candidates, all of whom showed except Dick Gephardt, were peppered by a barage of questions from the studio audience, which was comprised of 20 and 30-somethings. The questions included such though-provoking fodder as: "Have you ever smoked pot?", "Which of your fellow Democratic oppenents would you like to party with?", and "Would you have pulled Pedro Martinez out of Game 7?" (asked of Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.) They were also asked "PC or Mac?" Cross of Gold it ain't.

Now, those that know me know that I'm not devoid of fun. I'm not against having a good time, relaxing and not taking things too seriously. However, politics is serious. At the heart of it, politics is the mechanism that distributes our shared, yet finite resources. It is, to borrow a phrase from Laswell, the process that decides who gets what, where, when and how. Politics is serious. And yet, year after year, young voters have failed to rise to the challenge. We have failed to act as an intelligent and informed cog in the great machine of democracy. (Too much?). Many years ago, before cable television and Hot Pockets, when young people wanted to participate in the process they came to it with reverence and respect and acted accordingly. They put on suits and ties, shaved their hippie beards and paid attention. At last night's debate we saw the opposite. Several candidates wore open collars. Clark and Kucinich wore black turtlenecks and blazers. Look, this ain't Dobie Gillis and you're not Maynard Grebs. You're presidential candidates. And for the sake of everyone involved, you should act like it. And young voters need to act more like voters and less like young people.

It gets worse. The failure of young people to show up intellectually last night was overshadowed by the failure of the Democratic contenders to hold a debate of any real consequence. In addition to spending time on the friviolities of youth, the Democrats spent their time attacking Dean. Dean's comment that he wants to be the candidate of "guys in the South with confederate flags on their trucks," had many candidates, desperate for black votes frothing at the mouth. What Dean said is not racist or even biggotted in the least. Dean wants to attract poor, white uneducated Southern voters to once again vote Democratic.

While you would be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks the Democrats can re-capture the whole of the South, there is no question that the Democrats need the South to win. Both Carter and Clinton (the only Democrats to capture the White House in the last twenty-three years) managed Souther votes. Al Gore's failure in 2000 can be traced to his inability to capture several Southern and Southern-like states that have in the past voted Democratic. (This includes states like West Virginia, and Gore's home state of Tennessee and Clinton's home state of Arkansas.)

While none of the candidates wanted to admit it, they all knew Dean was right. Dean wasn't suggesting that Democrats pander to racist interests, but rather that Democrats seek to bring back into the fold poor white Southerners, particularly men, who have traditionally shared the economic priorities of the Democratic Party. If the Democratic candidate, be it Dean or somebody else, fails to capture the "pickup vote" they will have no hope of winning in November.

After that, I don't have the energy to rail against the Skins today. Note Boswell's article about how Snyder may never get it and this piece about the Redskins' coaching staff being among the league's youngest.

Finally, in college news, the Big East picked up some heavy basketball teams to add to their depleated league, including Louisville, Cincinnati and Marquette. Conference-USA, in the meantime, has picked up Rice, SMU and Tulsa from the WAC and Marshall and Central Florida from the MAC. This doesn't appear to be the end of the shifting, so keep your eyes peeled.

Peace & Love,
Tony

You gotta fight, for your right...to blog
CBS is having second thoughts about their Reagan biopic. It looks like pressure from the RNC is making the network consider showing the already completed four hour minseries starring James Brolin (Babs' hubby) as Reagan and Judy Davis (who apparently turned in a dreadfully over-acted performance)as Nancy on Showtime or not at all. The Republicans want a disclaimer to scroll on the bottom of the screen every ten minutes stating that the show is fictional representation of the Reagans. I think CBS should show the damn thing, and if the Republicans insist on a disclaimer it should read: WARNING: The show you are about to watch is a network made-for-TV miniseries. Like all programs on this genre it is terrible, and should only be watched if you are a lonley, sexually-frustrated dried up old hag.

Now for what you all came to see. What else could I possibly blog about today? Skins, baby, Skins. The team you love to hate. Everyone witnessed the shame that was the Dallas game. It goes without saying that this team is beyond terrible. They're miserable. They're lock-yourself-in-your-closet-and-cry-yourself-to-sleep bad. And they've been that way since Daniel Snyder took over. In fact, as Kornheisner notes in today's Washington Post, you can trace the Skins downward spiral to the day Norv Turner was fired with a 7-6 record. And yet now, it's somehow worse. Now there is an apparently very talented and undoubtedly tough quarterback who may never live up to his NFL potential because of the Balboa-esque beatings he continues to suffer each and every week. He left Sunday's game twice because of injuries, but like Rocky, he kept getting back up off the mat, eager for more punishment. However, for the Redskisn, unlike the Stallion, there will be NO happy ending. The Redskins will never be competitive while Daniel Snyder calls the shots. As long as this over-indulged billionaire is at the helm the team will continue to be run the way a fourteen year-old kid might run it. Big names, flashy pass plays and no victories. There is no chemistry, no discipline and no accountability on that team. And for me, there is no hope.

Kornheiser has some interesting things to say about this whole sad situation. Note that he mentions Lamar Hunt and Art Rooney as examples of owners who sign the paychecks and shut-up. Snyder should take note. That ownership philosophy has led to nothing except a pretty consistent record of competitivness and class.

Finally, check out this scientific examination of the Orndoff Principle from ESPN.com.

Peace & Love,
Tony

Corporal Hook
Guys, is it better to cut of your hand or your whole arm? Anyway. This is a egregious waste of space as far as a blog post goes, but I am tired of seeing all of your misanthropic politcal and sportical ranting on here. So I need my say.

What the fuck is up with Indian Summer...haven't we done enough to those poor bastards...now we are blaming them for this Autumnal mindfuck (thanks, Tbor)...I'm serious...it's got the rats all up in a lather (or maybe that one that jumped out of the garbage can and scared me was rabid)...either way, I want the 40 degree pissing ice rain. Then, I'll be happy.

By the way...before you bitch to me about it...yes, I did call off work today. My hand is more swollen and I slept like shit be/c of the pain. This is not good. This is what'll happen to me...I'll get that fucking job and have to pay the great Screw for it with my hand. Fair, no?

Anyhoo.

I think that the ol' ballcoach is a drug addict...only someone with a seroius drug problem can be that inept.

Draper

You Can Keep Cashing Those Checks, Though
Ballcoach sez:"I'm not going to get on my players any more this season. We are what we are."

Wilbon savages the Ballcoach in a piece that details all the ways Spurrier is simply being outcoached:

Everybody in the NFL knows what to do against the Fun 'n' Gun. Parcells and his defensive coaches even threw false fronts at Ramsey, hoping he'd audible, then jumped into something else as the snap clock ran down. They're accustomed to seeing that flanker screen to Laveranues Coles. Veteran defenders say there's no "hot read" for Ramsey to go to when he needs to, which is like a pilot having no ejector seat.

I think I've figured out the Skins' problem: they've become inside the Beltway - they play like government employees.

Marc