piltdownman's blog

The Hateful Hillary Lovers

June 9th, 2008, posted by piltdownman

I know nothing about psychology other than what I have learned on the Internet (“Are you ADHD? Click here!”), one college course and my friendship with a learned buddy who actually has a PhD in the subject.

So clearly I am in no position to judge exactly what is going on with this bizarre cohort of Hillary supporters who seem hell-bent on cutting off their noses to spite our nation, as if the lack of a Nader campaign has left them without something to screw up.

I’m talking about the “I won’t vote for Obama because he said nasty things about Hillary and he didn’t play fair” crowd. But while I can’t identify the specific pathology involved here, I feel fairly secure in saying that it’s totally nuts! And maybe it’s nothing more than “I’m taking my football and going home.”  read more »

Spinners Never Stop

May 9th, 2008, posted by piltdownman

One of the things that makes me laugh is when I see the media (and they all do it) interviewing some political consultant who presents themselves as “neutral” in a particular race. Nothing could be further from the truth.
They are never neutral. Period.

Why?

You have to understand how they work. First off, 99.9% of all consultants work for “one side or the other.” You don’t get to jump back and forth from the GOP to the Democrats. And in that lies the problem with them being anything but “All Partisan, All The Time!”  read more »

Rev. Wright and Wrong

April 28th, 2008, posted by piltdownman

As Reverend Jeremiah Wright continues to scuttle Barack Obama’s chances to be the first African-American President, one thing has gone mostly unsaid, and it has nothing to do with race. It is this; religion has no place in the political process.

Over the last decade, Democrats have (mostly) decried the Right’s tendency to build a constituency based on religious beliefs, and rightly so. Religious leaders of every stripe, whether they are fundamentalist Christians or mainline Protestants or Roman Catholics, all have an ax to grind. Every one of them has some take on the current political climate and on policy. They all have something at stake. Which is to say, they aren’t just neutral players. And that is why they are dynamite for politicians.  read more »

The Missing Mr. Edwards

April 23rd, 2008, posted by piltdownman

You hear it more and more these days; “I was an Edwards supporter, but now I’m not sure who I’m for…..”  read more »

The Democratic Self-Immolation

March 28th, 2008, posted by piltdownman

The blood-letting spectacle which the Democratic primary battle has become has to be making the GOP squeal with delight. Hey, no one needs to “swift boat” these two candidates; they’ll do it to themselves!

Every day, when the next news cycle resets, we are witness to yet another ludicrous story about some real or perceived “mistake” that one side or the other has made…and it feeds the maw of the 24 hour news networks. Most of it is just stupid, but that hardly matters. Over time (and that time is well past) the effect is to make both candidates appear to be weasels.  read more »

Tax Cut Total Scam

January 17th, 2008, posted by piltdownman

One of the main tenants of the neocon philosophy is that tax cuts are crucial to a vibrant economy. In fact, right now, as the economy tanks, Bush is calling for more tax cuts to help get things moving again.

Tell ya’ what. You can take your tax cuts and put ‘em where the sun don’t shine, ‘cause there is no way they’re going to make up for the money I’ve lost…and you’ve lost, in the continually withering stock market. Withering? Did I use such a subtle term? How about disastrous. Plummeting. Free fall.  read more »

The Hummer Presidency

January 13th, 2008, posted by piltdownman

Monstrous, stupid and warlike (it is, after all, an Army vehicle in drag) the Hummer may be the perfect metaphor for the Bush Presidency.

It appeals to the rich and powerful, it eagerly shoulders the little guys out of its way and it thrives on scarce fuel, which is drinks up like a sponge.

Yet it never feels embarrassed or shy or apologetic about its mendacity. It hurtles ahead as if nothing has changed on the road outside its tinted windows, where an unseen driver sits chomping on an expensive cigar, high above everyone else on the highway — except the truckers — who themselves represent the one group that is truly in control of our nation; massive 18-wheel, 20-ton businesses.  read more »

Obama vs. Experience

January 10th, 2008, posted by piltdownman

The anti-Obama forces are tapping into the “he doesn’t have enough experience” spin. On the surface, it seems reasonable. But only on the surface.

If you dig (or think) a little deeper, you’ll have to consider the following logic problem; Does “years served in Congress” actually mean anything? Did Tom DeLay’s “years in Congress” make him a better man? A man you’d more likely vote for President? How about Bob Ney? How about Larry Craig? The list of losers, the list of men and women who learned the wrong lessons, is almost endless.

No. “Years in Congress” means little in terms of smarts or leadership ability or knowledge about the world in general. The Congress isn’t some sort of academy, unless your field of study is fund-raising and pandering.  read more »

It's very hard to see clearly when you're peering into Blackwater....

October 2nd, 2007, posted by piltdownman

I don’t blame this company for what they’ve done. They hire and train killers and thugs. Hell, that’s probably on their “Vision Statement.”

No, what’s pathetic is that we’ve out-sourced our security to third-party mercenaries. And, unlike Verizon call centers in Bangalore, this isn’t about cost. It’s about accountability.

This Administration loves freelancing. Let the hot shots from Blackwater shoot and kill and maim… and let the blood trail end…when Rambo gets fired. Not indicted or court martialed. Fired. I mean, man, that’s some tough love there!  read more »

The Melissa Hart Disconnect

July 24th, 2007, posted by piltdownman
"One has to wonder what she is afraid of...and why she can't muster enough respect to call Mr. Altmire by his name."

We must tip our hats to KDKA-TV political reporter Jon Delano for his lengthy, uncut interview of former Congresswoman Melissa Hart, which is available here.

It is rare that we see a politician in such a protracted state of denial.

I won't ask you to watch the entire event, anymore than I'd ask you to sit through an entire viewing of "Ishtar," but watching it for even ten minutes is illustrative of why Ms. Hart is no longer the Representative from PA4.  read more »

Melissa Hart: "This Time I'll Go Negative"

July 15th, 2007, posted by piltdownman

By all accounts, Jason Altmire is doing very well as a freshman Congressman. He is a thoughtful Democrat, who seems to carefully consider the issues on their merits…rather than on how they will effect his re-election chances. He’s made a point of staying in touch with his constituents and listening to their concerns.

What more could you ask for?

Well, Melissa Hart seems to think that her brand of inside baseball politics will better serve the 4th District, so she is back in the mix.

To reconsider Melissa, one only needs to return to the night of her defeat….

I have rarely seen a candidate as “ungracious” as Melissa was on Election Night. By comparison, Rick Santorum’s concesson speech was a model of probity and charm.  read more »

The End of Major Thinking in the White House

May 1st, 2007, posted by piltdownman

At the anniversary of President Bush’s infamous flyboy speech, in which he intoned, “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.” it is a good time review…

First, and foremost; What leader in any nation would ever make such a proposterous statement? While I can (sort of) understand a young hotshot speech writer penning this sort of overblow hyperbole, I can not imagine that the President of the United States wouldn’t pause, for just one lucid moment, and say, “Hey, I’m not going to say this! This isn’t over. Everyone knows we’re going to be fighting in Iraq for years!”  read more »

Edwards and Blacksburg

April 16th, 2007, posted by piltdownman

Got an email tonight from the Edwards campaign.

From where I sit, he might as well have slipped on a helmet and gone off to drive a tank. His race for President, if it didn’t end on “60 Minutes,” is surely over now.

The email was related to the VT shootings…and I found it deeply troubling. It included a snippet from a prayer of some sort. Not being the praying type, I skimmed it.

What is troubling is that John Edwards felt the need to spam me on a night like this. To attempt, and that’s all it can be, to curry poltical favor out of a massive tragedy.

The funny thing is, I was an Edwards supporter from the get go. I liked the guy. Thought he was right-minded about a lot of issues.  read more »

Ugly Ann

March 5th, 2007, posted by piltdownman

Ann Coulter knows how to get attention in our ADHD world; just be outrageous. Say whatever comes into your mind. Use whatever epithet will get the biggest laugh. It’s a simple formula that works every time.

It certainly worked at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where she used what she called “a joke” to refer to John Edwards as a “faggot.” Yea, it worked well. She got big laughs. Got wild applause. She gave ‘em what they came for, that potty-mouth mindless drivel that has kept Ugly Ann in the spotlight for the past several years. You go girl.

And the problem, my friends, is not with Ann Coulter. The problem is with those you pay her to speak, who buy her books, who listen to her on the radio. The problem is that people actually eat this stuff up!  read more »

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