Howard Rich (D-bag, N.Y.) lashes out

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Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

Nationally-renowned douchebag Howard Rich is a little upset because people don’t like the shit he’s been pulling and are reacting against it. One of his shell organizations, Americans for Limited Government, is now going to be fucking with people because the super-wealthy nutjob has his panties in a wad.

As a donor to one or more of these organizations and efforts, you have been able to engage in these activities without notice, operating in relative obscurity. I am writing to inform you that this will no longer be the case.

Your name has been put in our database. We are monitoring all reports of a wide variety of leftist organizations. As your name appears in subsequent reports, it is our intent to publicize your involvement in your local community. Should any of these organizations be found to be engaged in illegal or questionable activity, it is our intent to publicize your involvement with those activities. You should know that instances of coordinated voter fraud are surfacing all across America and investigations into possible criminal coordination are underway.

…

As someone who has been put through that abuse over the years, I can tell you from first-hand experience that it is not fun and not something to take lightly. I have supported groups and efforts that I believe will push back against the radical agenda of the Left. And, I have paid the price for it, in attacks, slurs and threats.

So, asshole, when is your front group, South Carolinians for Responsible Government, going to release the fact that you and your friends are bankrolling their entire operation? Obviously, you’re scared of retribution. Well, don’t worry. We’re ready to do battle with you down here in South Carolina, so come on down, bozo. We’re not scared.

Oh, and just because people dislike the shit about what you’re doing doesn’t make them liberal. Of course, a plutocrat like yourself would never understand that.

Group targets liberal donors [Politico]

Waiting is the hardest part

photobucket.com
Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

For those of us who aren’t regularly in a lather about the presidential race, we’re waiting…waiting…waiting for the new state campaign disclosure reports to come out on Oct. 10 Oct. 15. Or before, if the candidate is on top of what they’re doing.

Sure, there’s things to talk about when it comes to the bailout vote, and the issues between Gov. Mark Sanford and the General Assembly, but otherwise the summer news doldrums are in effect. Frankly, it would be fun to see Sanford get the legislature back in session – at least something would be happening.

Zzzzzz….

This is messed up

With Support of Sarah Palin, Tide Rolls over Georgia 41-30! [Musings from Maytown]

Relationships v. College Football

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Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

If you’re an SEC football fan, you’ve probably run into this at least once. There are issues with football and your significant other, and it causes problems. Of course, for Vierdsen’s last relationship, it just meant that he acted like a total fucking idiot. Such things happen.

But, let’s say it comes down to “it’s me or [insert team here].” Holly Anderson, of Snarkastic, EDSBS and Dr. Saturday, had that happen to her. She’s a Tennessee fan (boo!) living in Los Angeles, and God knows that West Coast people don’t have a clue of understanding football devotion in the South. So, the following happened to her:

We lasted one contentious month into college football season, and on Friday he told me if I left town to watch the Auburn game with my alumni crew instead of going to his buddy’s premiere, to not call him when I got back. I took my key off the ring, tossed it to him, and left without a backward look.

Now we all know I’m Not Sorry is my favorite phrase, but you have to believe me–my mythical temper is just not in play here. (For what it’s worth, I enjoy my anger issues. They’re what makes me fun at parties. Seriously, if your favorite memory of me doesn’t involve me being really, really, really mad about something, you just haven’t known me long enough. Stick around.) Tonight, Sean is sorry. Tonight, Sean wants me to know he didn’t mean that. And I don’t believe him.

That’s what college football taught me about relationships this weekend: If he’s the kind of guy to draw a line like that over me skipping out on a backyard movie night for a conference game…what does it say about him as a person that he’s that straight-up unwilling, not even to adapt to my upbringing and priorities; I’m not asking that, but to just accept that this is part of my life once a week for a scant third of the year? I don’t think this is the scoreboard talking, but tonight? It’s not even worth continuing on with our lowest-maintenance, path-of-least-commitment arrangement, which is really saying something. And the game hurt so much worse. That’s saying something else.

In the original movie adaptation of “Fever Pitch,” Colin Firth as Paul Ashworth talks about how, when it comes down to it, being a devoted fan isn’t so crazy. You have an instant family, people to care about, and there’s always next year. The team will always be there. People won’t.

That may seem juvenile. It certainly is. Your favorite team won’t cook you dinner or cuddle with you or make jokes with you when you’re watching stupid TV shows. But, it’s been there, every season, since you were a kid, and that’s worth something.

I got dumped over the Auburn game.* [Snarkastic]

Howard Rich friends don’t know what they’re talking about

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Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

It’s funny when imbeciles like Lee Bright and Joey Millwood have to answer actual questions. They’ve taken an enormous amount of money from Howard Rich, say they’re for school choice, but can’t seem to answer simple questions.

Bright:
Bright said he didn’t make any promises to Rich or his groups to get the money. He said he never spoke to Rich.

“We’re like-minded individuals who are for less government, and he knew my stance from the debates,” Bright said. “But I made no commitments, other than to make South Carolina a better place for my family and other families.”

He didn’t say how Rich knew his positions from his debates with Talley. Most were sparsely attended, and the audience consisted largely of supporters of the two campaigns.

Millwood:
When asked how low-income students would benefit from a tax credit plan, Millwood said, “I’ll have to get back to you.” He said there were “a lot of student grant organizations out there,” but when asked where they were he said he didn’t know and that he’d never looked into it.

Nice.

Who is Howard Rich? [The Herald-Journal]

UK tabloids loving the election

New pictures and video reveal Sarah Palin as Pamela Anderson double in 1984 Miss Alaska contest [News of the World]

Ha-ha!

Thoughts on No. 2

John Bazemore/The Associated Press
Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

In the latest AP poll, Alabama is ranked No. 2, with 21 first-place votes and only 34 votes out of first (which is close, natch). This, this feels strange. But, not unexpected, at least on the quality of how Alabama’s played.

John submits, for your consideration, Bama’s games against Arkansas and Colorado last year. In both, the Tide put up a big lead, which it tried to hold on to in the second half. If a team is good enough, it will come back on you. Hence, Georgia outscoring Bama 30-10 in the second half. Clemson and Arkansas are not good teams, so big comebacks didn’t happen.

There are problems with this team. The Tide’s pass defense basically laid down for Matthew Stafford in the second half. Bama has intensity issues, to say the least. Up 31-0, Bama looked like it just planned to coast through the rest of the game. That is not so good.

But, here we are, from No. 24 to No. 2 in five easy weeks. What is remarkable about this team, though, is in many places. Quarterback John Parker Wilson appears to have solved his confidence problems and isn’t making mistakes. He’s also hitting his receivers well, like freshman Julio Jones. Jones was hyped to the skies before he got to Tuscaloosa, and he’s proven the hype true. The defensive line, led by Terrance Cody, is simply nasty. The Bama run-D has shut down Clemson’s vaunted backfield and made Knowshon Moreno a non-factor. You’re not going to run against the Tide this year, so figure out something else.

On the other hand, Bama will run on you. Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram are taking advantage of the Tide’s veteran offensive line and making defenses pay. Even against Georgia, which had the best run defense in the conference, Bama still put up 129 yards rushing to compliment 205 yards passing. Georgia, on the other hand, with its Heisman-hyped back, only managed 50 yards on the ground.

Bama hasn’t trailed all year. Not for one second. In five games.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. Bama gets Kentucky this week, an off week, then giant-killers Ole Miss and an angry, though offensively-inept, Tennessee team in Knoxville. If Vierdsen’s right, Bama hasn’t beaten the Vols in Knoxville since 2002.

The pundits are already looking ahead to the Tide’s trip to Baton Rouge against LSU, a game which Pat Forde of ESPN said, “expect Alabama to be 9-0 when it heads to Baton Rouge in November for a game that now has Armageddon stamped all over it.”

Alabama at its highest point in 15 years [The Press-Register]

McCain talks horseshit

Hey, FCC! A nominee for president just said “horseshit” twice on live TV! C’mon! We need fines! It’s almost as bad as a bare breast! We can’t let this go on! Think of the children!

Dear John McCain: Old man, take a look at my life

Obama’s text snafu

waterfronthometours.com
Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

Text No. 1:
Watch Barack debate John McCain tonight at 9 pm Eastern on CNN. Also, remind friends to register to vote at VoteForChange.com. Please forward this message.

Text No. 2:
Watch Barack debate John McCain tonight at 9 pm Eastern on any of the major networks or cable. Fwd this msg & remind friends to register to vote at VoteForChange.com.

Somebody get to Obama’s text guy – that’s a big oops.

The Utne Reader has a blog

If you’ve never heard of the Utne Reader, you should. It is perhaps the best window into upper-middle class white liberals you could ever find, outside of a Whole Foods store. Of course, its articles are really well-written, too, so there’s that. And it turns out that it has a blog, which isn’t that bad, as long as you don’t pay attention to the ads for board games for crunchy kids.

Politics [Utne Reader]

Analyze this

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Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

In seeking out pundits to analyze what’s going on in politics, some news organizations seriously screw up. Like, say, MSNBC putting former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan on the payroll.

Back in 1996, Vierdsen saw Noonan peddling her punditry for the first time, and she said things that absolutely had no bearing in reality. She reinforced this belief today on “Morning Joe” when she disputed the idea that Sen. Barack Obama was leading Sen. John McCain, despite the fact that Obama has the lead in every major national poll. WTF?

Noonan is the worst sort of pundit. She’s a homer of the worst degree, not allowing facts to get in the way of what she wants to be true. ESPN wouldn’t hire someone that bad to talk about a college football team, so why does she have a job?

When Vierdsen was in high school, his dad would listen to Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy. Though Liddy is one crazy mofo, his political analysis had a bearing in reality, and he proved himself to be a smart guy, as opposed to Limbaugh, who seemed to pull whatever he wanted out of the ether.

There are plenty of good conservative pundits out there, like Mike Murphy, who was heavily involved in McCain’s 2000 campaign. Or that other crazy mofo from the Nixon administration, Pat Buchanan. These guys know what they’re talking about and have an intelligent take on the issues. It would have been nice to hear from them, rather than someone who makes her bones by talking like she lives in a fantasy world.

LOL Pols: Blown economy edition

Pundit Kitchen

While you were playing ‘Rock Band’ …

So, Vierdsen on guitar, his roommate on drums, were going intercontinental on “Rock Band.” Meanwhile, David Letterman pulled out the knives on Sen. John McCain and got stabby. Man, this is brutal:

Georgia’s going to a funeral

Around the one minute mark, you hear Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran saying, “They’re wearing black because they are going to a motherfucking funeral.” Ha!

Alabama Coach Says Georgia Bulldogs Are Going to a MF’ing Funeral Saturday Night [The Sporting News]

A look inside Katon’s all-white funhouse

It’s a fun thing to speculate why state GOP chairman Katon Dawson was a member of an all-white country club for over a decade, but is only now worried that there’s no members of a swarthier persuasion. Haven’t seen the most exclusive club in Columbia? Well, here’s a look from a wedding reception that was held there in June:

Hmm – looks like they don’t mind the people serving them to be black.

Hookers for Jesus

That is all.

Hookers for Jesus

On transparency: Sanford wins, Harrell loses

fitsnews.com
Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

One of the most infuriating parts of politics is when one guy takes the opposite position from another guy just because they hate each other. Such a thing happened today when Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell went after Gov. Mark Sanford on the new transparency proposal for roll call votes in the General Assembly.

“I have always supported more transparency and responsibility in government. More transparency is good for our state, and more roll call voting in the General Assembly would be a good idea, but we must be fighting for true transparency and not just pandering to voters and grabbing for headlines. In the House, we believe in working together to accomplish real transparency. That’s why the House has passed earmark reform, spending limits, government restructuring, tax cuts and many other important reforms to our state government.

“Demanding that we should spend taxpayer money to take a roll call vote on a resolution congratulating a state championship high school team is not true transparency, it’s pandering. Real reform in government is fixing the workers comp system, tort reform, and immigration reform, all of which became law because of actions by the General Assembly.”

Well, while roll call votes aren’t odd in the House, they also aren’t required. It’s important to make sure our lawmakers are accountable for their actions, and Harrell’s “thanks, but no thanks” answer just makes him look like he’s blocking needed reform.

As far as the Senate goes, it rarely has roll call votes, on a whole myriad of bills and amendments. Though Vierdsen doesn’t like Sanford or Rep. Nikki Haley, they’ve got something good here. John also noted earlier Sen. Shane Massey’s leadership on this issue in the Senate.

Though there’s plenty on enmity between Sanford’s sycophants and the rest of the General Assembly, it should be put aside for issues like this one.

GOP leadership continues war of words with Sanford [Brad Warthen's Blog]
Transparency Reforms Take Flight [FITSNews]

McCain doublecrosses Obama; leaving to manage Our Grand Socialist Experiment

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Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

Early this morning, the campaigns of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain were working together on a joint statement on Our Grand Socialist Experiment to make sure no wealthy banker is left behind. Then, surprisingly, McCain gave Obama the “big fuck you,” announced he was suspending his campaign to play wet-nurse to this legislative abomination and trying to get out of Friday’s debate.

Even more, it shows a real concern from Team McCain that they’re on the wrong side of the momentum in this race and don’t even want to get in the ring with the Democratic candidate, after whining about Obama not going along with the eleventy-kabillion town hall debates they wanted.

It’s also good politics – just because you’re down doesn’t mean you can’t put together an 85-yard drive to tie it up. The economy is perhaps McCain’s single worst issue, and his gaffes are becoming legendary. If he can make some tiny inroads there, it could make the difference to who is on the short side of a 52-48 finish.

There are also some drawbacks: he could look, as he does to Vierdsen, that he’s rolling the dice because he knows he’s losing, and voters don’t like losers. Also, the bailout deal isn’t a partisan thing, and a recent poll show that 55 percent of Americans are against it. It pisses off fiscal conservatives, who believe that in a free market, you can win big, but you can also lose big, and the taxpayers shouldn’t be saddled with bad business decisions. It makes few friends among liberals, too, because they don’t like seeing wealthy people bailed out while the government isn’t helping people who got home loans from those companies.

There’s also the debate thing, which, to put it abrasively, makes him look like a pussy. Obama, for his part, is not backing down and intends to be at Ole Miss for the debate. John thinks the best course for Obama is to be involved as much as possible with what goes down in DC, but not suspend his campaign and actually ratchet up the rhetoric. People are used to watching Democrats acting like beat dogs – if he runs hard and keeps it, yes, nasty, it will pay off for him.

Oh, and this is funny – Mike Huckabee, who the Club for Growth went after relentlessly, is knocking the bailout:

Frankly, I’m disappointed and disgusted with my own Republican party as I watch them attempt to strong-arm a bailout of some of America’s biggest corporations by asking the taxpayers to suck up the staggering results of the hubris, greed, and arrogance of those who sought to make a quick buck by throwing the dice. They lost, but want the rest of us to cover their bets so they won’t be effected in their lavish lifestyles as they figure out how to spend their tens of millions and in some cases, hundreds of millions in bonuses and compensation which was their reward for not only sinking their companies, but basically doing the same to the entire American economy.

It’s especially disconcerting to see the very people who pilloried me during the Presidential campaign for being a “populist” and not “understanding Wall Street” to now line up like thirsty dogs at the Washington, D. C. water dish, otherwise known as Congress, and plead for help. I thought these guys were the smartest people in America! I thought that taxpayers like you and I were similar to the people at the U. N. who have no translator speaking into their headset – that we just needed to trust those that I called the power bunch in the “Wall Street to Washington axis of power.”

The idea of a government bailout in which we’d entrust $700 billion to one man without Congressional oversight or accountability is absurd. My party or not, that is insanity and I believe unconstitutional.

The next few days should be a lot of fun.

McCain suspends campaign; debate pending [Politico]
A Children’s Treasury of Web Responses To McCain Pussying Out of Debate [Wonkette]