Neat, but — Ravel’s Bolero???
I can think of, oh, a hundred songs off the top of my head that would be more appropriate.
My top pick (which you should play with the sound of the other clip turned down), after the jump.
The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08
Dedicated to Advancing the Idea That the Other Side May Have a Point
Archive for the 'Campaign History' Category
NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: THE TRUE “FIRST TURKEY PARDONER”
November 27th, 2008, 3:41 pm by Dan Lehr
Above: me, with turkey, 1972
So if it wasn’t Truman, Eisenhower or Kennedy, who was the 1st president to actually technically officially issue a “presidential pardon” for a turkey?
You may be surprised at the answer, after the jump.
TABLE TALK: TURKEY TRIVIA
November 27th, 2008, 7:52 am by Dan Lehr
Above: a picture of President Harry S Truman, who as we all know was the 1st president to pardon a turkey for Thanksgiving — right?
.
~~~~Wrong!~~~~
.
Find out the truth about this photo after the jump.
TABLE TALK: TURKEY TRIVIA (2)
November 27th, 2008, 7:51 am by Dan Lehr
Okay, so we’ve established that Truman in fact was not the 1st president to pardon a turkey.
That must mean that the tradition started with his successor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, right?
.
~~~~WRONG!~~~~
Get the facts after the jump.
TABLE TALK: TURKEY TRIVIA (3)
November 27th, 2008, 7:50 am by Dan Lehr
OK, so it wasn’t Truman, & it wasn’t Eisenhower. This photo of JFK (taken 3 days before he was killed) is veritable proof that it was he who began this time-honored White House tradition by issuing an official ‘presidential pardon.’
Right?
~~~AGAIN - NO!~~~
WHAT’S IN A DECADE?
November 24th, 2008, 4:24 pm by Dan Lehr
.
I had a birthday last week; that’s me, 2 days old.
I was trying to think of a way to tie it in to a political post, & it’s taken me until today to come up with an idea.
Barack Obama, like myself, was born in the 1960s. (at the other end of the decade, but I still can claim the rights).
I had long thought that those born in the 1960s would still see another decade or more before claiming power.
It got me to thinking about which presidents are products of which decades of the 1900s.
See which 20th Century decade gets the bragging rights for producing the most White House occupants, after the jump.
OBAMA IS THE NEXT…GEORGE H.W. BUSH
November 24th, 2008, 10:49 am by Dan Lehr
“Bill Clinton might win a popularity contest if it came to vote of the peoples of the world, but among the world’s leaders, George Bush is more respected.
The first President Bush has largely kept his mouth shut about the performance of his son. His former colleagues, like Brent Scowcroft, have taken to speaking for him, in expressing his displeasure with some of the policies of the George Bush II.
But with Barack Obama now our President, he will have to rely on many different voices to help guide him through the most difficult global economy in seven decades. Obama shouldn’t hesitate to call on George Bush. He is a true patriot and a great resources for the new President.”
A NEW WINDOW INTO LIFE
November 24th, 2008, 8:03 am by Dan Lehr
Above: Theodore Roosevelt, 1900.
Life Magazine has digitized quite a few of its photos going back to the 1860s, & with the help of Google has posted many of these fascinating images (including the one above) online. Worth your time perusing.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
November 24th, 2008, 7:24 am by Dan Lehr
- My Backyard, 10:21am, November 7th, 2007
“..great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. For decades, we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children’s future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals.
You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation?
We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow.”
Who said that?
CBS BROADCAST, 12:30pm EST, NOVEMBER 22nd, 1963
November 22nd, 2008, 12:04 pm by Dan Lehr
Above: Watch the episode of the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns” that aired during the JFK assassination.
The 1st bulletin doesn’t appear until the end of the clip above; watch more after the jump.
& pray that this never happens again.
UPDATE: My father points out that on this same day, my great-great grandfather, Paul Bliss Cousley, Editor and Publisher of the Alton Telegraph, died (earlier in the day).
OBAMA IS THE NEXT…BILL CLINTON
November 20th, 2008, 1:37 pm by Dan Lehr
With all of the cabinet (& lower level posts) assigned to members of the Clinton administration, this comparison looks more & more apt every day.
I will say that Obama benefits hugely by not being a ‘baby boomer’ (he’s technically one - born in 1961 - but not of that generation).
He also is less of a “50% +1″ type, like not just #42 but also #43.
& in terms of self-absorption (always present in a president), though you could make a case this is a problem with Obama, I’d say it’s far, far, farther down on the scale when compared with Bill.
If you can think of any other similarities/differences, I’d love to hear from you.
On to the similarities:
TEAM OF RIVALS? NOPE.
November 19th, 2008, 8:37 am by Dan Lehr
For all the talk of how a “team of rivals” would be a good thing, Matthew Pinsker of the Los Angeles Times isn’t convinced:
“Consider this inconvenient truth: Out of the four leading vote-getters for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination whom Lincoln placed on his original team, three left during his first term — one in disgrace, one in defiance and one in disgust.”
Reminder: Doris Kearnes Goodwin, who wrote the book about this topic that Obama’s been reading, is coming to Chattanooga one week before the inauguration.
FURTHER READING: James Oakes is also skeptical.
THE BLACK HAT & THE DEMISE OF TEXAS
November 18th, 2008, 4:02 pm by Dan Lehr
Found this entry from Patrick Murfin about the layered symbolism behind the black cowboy hat, & Barack Obama’s continuance of this narrative:
As a Black man running for President he has already smashed stereo types and expectations. As an already iconic Good Guy himself and the oracle of Hope and empowerment (Yes We Can!) he can don a black hat and casually demolish another.
The entire post has some great stuff on the history of presidents & cowboy hats. Good reading.
I stumbled upon the post while looking for this photo, which I had never seen before:
PRIOR PRESIDENTIAL PITFALLS
November 17th, 2008, 5:12 pm by Dan Lehr
MSNBC runs through the early mistakes in the Clinton, Carter, & Kennedy administrations as lessons for Obama to learn. For Kennedy, it was the Bay of Pigs; for Carter, it was bringing in too many of his own people; for Clinton, it was pretty much everything.
HINDERED WATERFOWL
November 17th, 2008, 2:25 pm by Dan Lehr
The phrase “lame duck” is of contested origin. In the literal sense, it refers to a duck which is unable to keep up with its flock, making it a target for predators.
Some say it originated during the last days of the administration of U.S. President Read the rest of this entry »
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