We thought it time to share again friends’ interesting doings around the blogosphere. Usually, we don’t point our merry band over to mammoth 100,000 hit sites (unless it is for amusement or ridicule, two of our favorite pastimes). What’s the point? Instead, you may not have seen these:
Over at Positive Liberty they remind us about their radio show on Sundays (that’s tomorrow, people). The blog is elegantly written, thought provoking and almost always shows substantive immersion. Sometimes beyond the Jack Balkin gang. We know. Substance in the blogosphere? Get out. (They probably would *NOT* put on something silly like ‘Spilled Bong Water’ – so your Sunday should be safe). Herewith the details:
“It’s a Positive Liberty salute! For those that do not know, I have a Sunday afternoon radio show. “The Downsize DC Conference Call” is only an hour long, starting at 4:06 PM Eastern (3:06 PM Central, 2:06 PM Mountain, and 1:06 PM Pacific).
Jason Kuznicki and Jon Rowe are my guests this Sunday. You’ve read their brilliance, now you’ll get to hear it! The show is on a couple of stations, but the best way to catch it, really is online at GCNLive.com. If you want to call with a question, the number is 1-800-259-9231. The email address will be given out at the start of the show.”
(Now you know, too).
Alex reminds everyone at Yorkshire Ranter to make sure to get the latest beta version of the new “Stupid Filter”. It is all part of the new cult of “GTD” — you’ve probably seen the acronym everywhere: “getting things done”. We’re all buried with data, passwords, colleagues asking questions. So it’s the perfect solution.
Warning: If you have Windows Vista it may just fry your PC. Because. (Don’t get upset, however, just gaze upon this gem from “Steve Job’s Diary” (via jhn brssndn).
Long time readers know Dennis from Untethered for his prose and wit – there and here. He offers readers his own unique version of Ivan and Alyosha’s dialogue. (We won’t spoil the Rodney moment).
We like reading the punchy and cut the waffle General Welfare blog. As you can see here, however, we differ on the subject of Senator Obama. Perhaps GW is more confident about Obama (or less cynical?). Either way, GW wears its convictions and passions openly and without apology.
And finally, what The Heretik says. We mean, really.
Comment says
“The first is the purely technical (but sophisticated) methodoly of meme creation, circulation and defense. The second is the creation and dissemination of an underlying and animating philosophy or ideology.”
Doktor Strauss – You can define this in your philosophy class as “Sid’s Dilemma” or maybe “The Blumenthal Donut.”
Blumenthal is aware of the Movement’s meme advantage – so he is on top of the first part for Hillary. But he is stuck with an antiquated party apparat – full of Bidenized losers and weak tea Gephardts and those who just want to be loved.
So there is a hole – call it a Donut hole in the middle of problem awareness and ability to deal with the problem
This needs some work. Granted.
Comment says
Yes – Indeed we were thinking of Deaver and RWR – Reagan could have been speaking Chinese – Totally irrelevant. In fact, even some people who were in the Reagan camp were surprised by how his polls would go up after a technically bad tv interview.
They were so used to defending Reagan against their Hitchens-type friends that they forget that most people don’t care about that.
Rudy and 9-11 video is like that. The closest the Dems have been able to get a similar unfair advantage was Clinton’s impeachment – This was when Bill Bennett (Bennett = Tweety+40IQ points+sincerity) amd Weyrich et al began to turn against the American people because they feared their supposedly immoral lives led them to sympathize with the devil Clinton.
In fact, people just assumed, quite correctly, that the Republicans were a bunch of colossal hypocrites hungry for vengence and power.
Dr.LeoStrauss says
There are two layers to your questions, at least ( as you know well). The first is the purely technical (but sophisticated) methodoly of meme creation, circulation and defense. The second is the creation and dissemination of an underlying and animating philosophy or ideology. Joking aside, the Catholic Church may be the best institutional example of the first. It’s meme-related accomplishments are stunning from a purely technical point of view. As for the second category, there are several candidates across history for any of to choose.
Unfortunately, the American Left and the Democratic Party fail on both grounds because they are institutional corpses. They just don’t know it fully. (We’ve discussed that at length as you know here and at STSOZ 1). That’s one reason the Stiftung remains such a fan of the netroots. If the Democratic Party is ever to be revitalized philosophically or ideologically — or if necessary torn down and replaced — the netroots may well be the agents of positive change. Until then, however, an amalgamation of interest groups will by necessity fail at the second task and it greatly hampers the first.
You’re right about the anti-Rudy stuff. What’s pathetic is that they have no excuse for such stupidty — Deaver taught everyone this in 1981-85. He used to laugh at CBS, NBC and ABC when they had real power attacking Reagan because *THEY USED THE VISUALS* created by the WH and the criticism text/voice over had zero impact. On the purely technical level, the Left and Democrats still are poor at this despite the outrageous fees sucked off by astoundingly ineffective consultants hunkered down in the Imperial City. In general, all of them fail because without an anchoring ideology or philosophy they don’t understand (and never will understand) how to advance a meme, why a meme should be advanced, or why a pawn meme can be sacrificed for the larger strategy.
Comment says
Can’t anyone play this (meme) game??? – Just tuned into Abrams because he had Buchanan on with Rachel Maddow and an anti Rudy fireman.
The fireman was a semi-effective anti Rudy person – He spoked with passion and listed all of the downsides to Rudy’s performance that day and subsequent days. He looked too much at his notes though.
But Rachel and Abrams were too easily impressed with his terrible anti Rudy ad.
Viewers are NOT going to listen to the details in an anti Rudy ad. They will only notice the visuals.
What visuals did they chose? Ones that put Rudy in a bad spot? No – they used the video of Rudy with dust on him from 9-11.
These folks learn nothing – Unless people stop what they’re doing and pay attention really closely they will mistake the anti Rudy ad for a pro Rudy ads.
Even the Rudy critics in the ad use unclear verbiage.
Comment says
Cato – yeah, that was the Reich. We referenced that slogan because we recall reading a bio of J. Fischer discussing his leftist youth days and that was a slogan at the time in Germany among the radical set. So we thought it was funny, in a disgusting way, to link it to Russert
cato90025 says
Comment–
Would the Reich in question be that dear fellow Wilhelm?
If so would one have to buy his machine? Like the shirt–how about a polo version on your store?
I suddenly wretched thinking of Russert and Reichian adventure.
Please don’t tell me it is a different Reich–too many Germans perhaps.
Comment says
Speaking of Rudy – he gave a pretty good speech in front of Federalist Society – But a good comically minded researcher could pick apart a number of things he said and recycle them in the media to his disfavor. Alas, the Dems have no one to exploit these oppportunities. There was one point where he seemed to imply – acccidentally – that drivers licensing was a federal responsibility. He caught himself and clarified that it was the immigration aspect he was alluding to – But had HRC or Obama said something similar (even though they are not to Rudy’s left on immigration) they would have been savaged in the media by self hating liberals looking for freudian slips. Or freak shows like Colleen Smile.
A Random Quote says
“You don have a civil right … to speak any language you want.”
-Tucker Carlson
11-19
Comment says
It’s just a guess – he probably never gave it too much thought. Just bile coming to the surface. It’ will be HRC v. Rudy. Let’s not kid ourselves – Obama and Romney have a shot – Romney more so, but HRC V Rudy is most likely. It’s the race the media wants too. Maybe Novak is looking forward and trying to mess with Obama as a VP. Who knows?
Tweety is discussing Rudy going to NASCAR – pointing out that he went to three NASCAR events – That’s actually not too many. More signs of liberal weakness and the need for Times Select – Ryan Lizza on Tweety using (while pretending to be ironic) the Dowdian word “Obambi”
If Obama went on a campaign hunting trip – Dowd would probably react to him as just another armed black man. But since she is the opposite …
Dr.LeoStrauss says
If Novak concludes as you suggest re the easier opponent, he is not alone.
Comment says
So the Noval column that Tweety is yapping about – Here’s a guess, Novak took it upon himself to be creative with an offhand meaningless comment (if it occured) in order to hurt HRC by implying she is a mud slinger. Novak wants to help Obama because he thinks he’s easier to beat.
Comment says
LOL – Matthews will always be jealous of him – it’s embedded in his ‘Life’s a campaign’ misery recipe.
Did you hear Matthews recently compared McCain to Martin Luther? An off compliment for someone who flocks his religion as much as he does. How is McCain like Martin Luther? We have to check some books to come up with a reason.
Dr.LeoStrauss says
Tim also resents The Left remembering that while he was imprisoned *and interrogated* waiting for Big Russ to Western Union down the bail fee by diverting his daily route the 10 extra blocks secretly, the Left thought:
“What Abbie [Hoffman] was saying was politically correct in many ways — the people at Woodstock really were a bunch of hypocrites claiming a cosmic revolution simply because they took over a field, broke down some fences, imbibed some bad acid, and then tried to run out without paying the band. All while John Sinclair rotted in jail from a trumped up drug bust.
My response [smacking Hoffman offstage in mid rant with a guitar by a blow to his head] was reflexive rather than considered. Later I realised his humiliation on that occasion was fatal to his political credibility . . .
I said to some guy, ‘Look this is the American dream, it’s not my dream. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in fucking mud, smoking fucking marijuana, if that’s the American dream, let us have our fucking money and piss off back to Shepard’s Bush where people are people.’ ”
P.T. (dismissing Woodstock entirely but missing the Russert Episode offstage).
Enduring such cruel Leftist criticism while he himself remained stoic under authoritarian boot cemented Russert’s self identification with McCain. Truly, both served. Both emerged stronger, wiser Men. The only museum either would need is the psychic reserve tapped by simply remembering . . . with the Thousand Yard Stare.
At a Russert holiday party in 1999, several MTP staffers noticed Tweety staring enviously at the framed arrest in Tim’s study.
Comment says
Scan back into time – Russert is on his way to Woodstock – Going Back To the Garden (quietly comforting himself after reading a monograph that Sr. Mary Lucille gave him explaining the ‘Garden’ was a metaphor). He’s up near the stage grooving to Richie Havens singing “Freedom” (quietly trying to forget about Diem’s demise and looming draft). He spots some warm eyes coming his way from some cryptically upscale attractive hippie women from Skidmore. Is this happening? He wonders. He joins them for some partee-ying in their tent. He emerges feeling guilty, exhilarited, and somewhat confused wearing a t-shirt they gave him that says ‘Read Reich and Act Accordingly’ in German. Later he joins the women at house party that’s nearby – The cops break in haul him in to the paddy wagon – He objects to the ‘Paddy’ slur – They whack him- He tells them he is one of them – He says he is from Buffalo – They ask where he served in Nam – He demurs – Then they push him around more and get more mad as he tries to tell them his authentic Buffalo plumbers’ crack is not an attempt at nudism or mooning. They don’t believe him. Then he just things thinks of Big Russ – What a country. It’s all HRC’s fault a reasons, later on.
Comment says
That MTP party – Capus quote: ” … at a time when journalists get criticized for asking tough questions …”
Yeah remember Doc – Recall how the grilled Powell on his UN speech, mocked him for using a Bidenized grad student paper as part of the ‘dossier.’? Then they hoisted on his petard by demanding a 2 percent reduction in the rate of increase of his speaking fees as punishment for starting a war.
Comment says
SNL doesn’t have the equipment to pull it off – maybe Monte Python in their heyday – But Neanderthal feminists, conducting consciousness raising, could be a good skit.
Dr.LeoStrauss says
The Warlord State of the Union (January 2003) – Gerson Alternate Draft:
“And British Intelligence reports that Saddam has attempted to buy yellow cake for the enrichment of uranium from Knee-jer. The American people are united in one voice confronting the evil-doers when we say:
‘Sugar magnolia, blossoms blooming, heads all empty and I dont care,
Saw my baby down by the river, knew she’d have to come up soon for air.’
Dictators [point down on lecturn] everywhere are on notice.”
:: applause::
Dr.LeoStrauss says
Following his ‘gut’ instincts from Big Russ, Tim may have also been conducting advanced sociological observation. The Boston Globe reported recently of a study indicating that Neandrathals died out not by human extinction or other external cause but by ‘feminism’.
His Buffalo sensibilities may have alerted him to sociological dangers of free love, Wavy Gravy and at some ethereal future species anticipatory level, Sarah Jessica Parker and That Show.
Or perhaps it was just the bad acid.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/11/10/stone_age_feminism/?page=1
Still partying:
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/west_wing_reportage/jim_vandehei_would_like_to_give_dana_perino_a_piece_of_his_mind_71257.asp#more
Comment says
Maybe Russert went under deep cover when he went to Woodstock. Maybe he is really just running his own deep cover operation. Buffalo Gladio.
Comment says
Earlier Michael Gerson was on Russert’s interview show – Ron Brownstein was on too, discussing polarization.
Anyway Russert gets this annnoying look on his face when he thinks he is about to say somethings original or funny and then spouts some bromide about telling students at Boston College that Republicans being too focused on the ten commandments and Dems on the sermon on the mount. Ho-hum – But we did think it was interesting that Gerson seemed to be favorably disposed to Obama. We count this against Obama – though it’s not really fair to blame him. Gerson’s speeches were way overrated and even his supposed unity speeches were actually just tactical manuevers. imo.