Above: that horribly mangled & awkward Oath of Office.
NBC and ABC say the flub was Roberts’, while the AP says it was Obama’s.
Chris Wallace wonders:
But calm down, though.
Language Log parses:
The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08
Dedicated to Advancing the Idea That the Other Side May Have a Point
Archive for the 'Dumb Controversies' Category
REALLY, REALLY SIMPLE RULE FOR (APPARENTLY) CLUELESS REPUBLICANS
December 29th, 2008, 11:51 am by Dan Lehr
This little clip was sent as a “Christmas present” by the chairman of the RNC, who defended it even though many in the GOP have (rightly) distanced themselves.
It seems like Barack Obama’s not fitting the traditional “liberal attackable mold,” standards of which were set so high by Bill Clinton, Al Gore & John Kerry. That has -apparently- left many in the GOP struggling to find a way to attack.
Well, I’m here to help.
Let me just offer this clear & easy to understand bit of advice for those who are looking for ways to be a naysayer:
THE WARREN PIECE
December 23rd, 2008, 9:27 am by Dan Lehr
I was out for much of last week & therefore missed much of the hoo-ha surrounding the president-elect’s choice of pastor Rick Warren to read the invocation at his inaugural.
For those (likely very few) of you who have not heard yet, Warren is a preacher whose stance against homosexuality runs contrary to the views of Barack Obama.
But that didn’t stop Obama from the invite:
..even though the move has angered folks on both the right & the left.
My 1st thought about this is that we’re likely seeing a microcosm of what we’ll see over the next four years. It’s, in its own way, a “Nixon-in-China” moment. It’s interesting to watch to see who gets uncomfortable.
My 2nd thought is that you’d never-in-a-million-years see a President-elect McCain extend such an invitation to someone perceived to be a foe of “his sides” “religion.”
It’s a shrewd move. & not just for Obama. (Read my post from earlier this year highlighting an excellent article on Warren’s role in a “new evangelical movement” here.)
E.J. Dionne thinks so too:
“Although I support same-sex marriage, I think that liberals should welcome Obama’s success in causing so much consternation on the right. On balance, inviting Warren opens more doors than it closes.
The always-curmudgeonly Richard Cohen, though, thinks the move is a wrong one:
“I can understand Obama’s desire to embrace constituencies that have rejected him. Evangelicals are in that category and Warren is an important evangelical leader with whom, Obama said, “we’re not going to agree on every single issue.” He went on to say, “We can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans.” Sounds nice.
But what we do not “hold in common” is the dehumanization of homosexuals. What we do not hold in common is the belief that gays are perverts who have chosen their sexual orientation on some sort of whim. What we do not hold in common is the exaltation of ignorance that has led and will lead to discrimination and violence.”
But I think Melissa Etheridge, who happens to be gay, married, & with children, puts my thoughts about the matter best:
MY TAKE ON “THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS”
December 16th, 2008, 5:15 pm by Dan Lehr
[Above: me before the tree, Christmas Day, 1977. photo by my father]
I’ve celebrated Christmas as long as I can remember.
But there’s a part of the season these days that always bums me out, & that is people who try to make a point of saying “Merry Christmas.”
BACK WHEN ZACH’S NOSE WASN’T CLEAN
December 10th, 2008, 11:59 am by Dan Lehr
To his credit, Zach Wamp did not follow others in his party in attacking Obama’s past cocaine use during the presidential campaign.
You’re about to learn the reason why.
DUMB CONTROVERSY OF THE DAY #2
December 9th, 2008, 8:47 am by Dan Lehr
“Because liberals have been even less successful in competing with conservatives on talk radio than Detroit has been in competing with its rivals, liberals are seeking intellectual protectionism in the form of regulations that suppress ideological rivals. If liberals advertise their illiberalism by reimposing the fairness doctrine, the Supreme Court might revisit its 1969 ruling that the fairness doctrine is constitutional. The court probably would dismay reactionary liberals by reversing that decision on the ground that the world has changed vastly, pertinently and for the better. [...]
If reactionary liberals, unsatisfied with dominating the mainstream media, academia and Hollywood, were competitive on talk radio, they would be uninterested in reviving the fairness doctrine. Having so sullied liberalism’s name that they have taken to calling themselves progressives, liberals are now ruining the reputation of reactionaries, which really is unfair.”
Steve Benen reiterates my thoughts on this non-issue from last week:
DUMB CONTROVERSY OF THE DAY #1
December 9th, 2008, 8:40 am by Dan Lehr
From ScotusBlog, which keeps track of recent actions on the nation’s highest court:
CLEARING THE AYERS
December 6th, 2008, 5:49 pm by Dan Lehr
“President-elect Obama and I sat on a board together; we lived in the same diverse and yet close-knit community; we sometimes passed in the bookstore. We didn’t pal around, and I had nothing to do with his positions. I knew him as well as thousands of others did, and like millions of others, I wish I knew him better.
Demonization, guilt by association, and the politics of fear did not triumph, not this time. Let’s hope they never will again. And let’s hope we might now assert that in our wildly diverse society, talking and listening to the widest range of people is not a sin, but a virtue.” - GOP whipping boy Bill Ayers, on his “relationship” with Barack Obama, in today’s New York Times
Personally, I think Bill Ayers would love to think he’s more important/relevant than he actually is, yet still hasn’t –not by a long shot– come to terms with the implications of his past activities.
But despite that, to say that the GOP inflated his importance in this past election would be an understatement.
What do you think?
A WASTE OF A WORRY
December 4th, 2008, 8:32 am by Dan Lehr
The leftward blog Crooks & Liars is using several examples of hateful, divisive speech overheard on talk radio to (apparently) make a case for why we need to see a return of the Fairness Doctrine.
(Read about the Fairness Doctrine’s history here.)
I have some recommendations & thoughts for both sides of this debate:
A REASON I RECOMMEND EXPANDING YOUR MEDIA DIET
November 10th, 2008, 12:05 pm by Dan Lehr
From the LA Times:
“The Obama recession is in full swing, ladies and gentlemen,” Limbaugh told his radio audience of 15 million to 20 million on Thursday. “Stocks are dying, which is a precursor of things to come. This is an Obama recession. Might turn into a depression.”
VOTE08 FLASHBACK: BIRTHRIGHT BLUSTER (September 18th)
October 20th, 2008, 10:43 am by Dan Lehr
In the past two weeks, this is hands-down the most frequently raised “rumor” about Barack Obama that I’ve gotten from callers - & today an e-mailer, who wants us “to look into this birth certificate” question.
It’s extremely easy to punch holes in the logic of this argument, & in addition to the Clinton reason (see below) I’d also like to ask you to ask yourself: if it’s true, why isn’t John McCain shouting it from the rooftops?
Tenika, a Vote08 commenter, writes:
Came across a web site that details a suit that has been filed by an attorney, with the defendant being Barack Obama, his aliases, and the Democratic national Committee among others. The suit claims Obama is not eligible to run for office. Here is the web site:
http://www.obamacrimes.com/
Wonder why the media isn’t all over this one?”
Because, Tenika, the claims that Obama is not a true natural-born citizen has been proven to be false.
Read more on the topic at Snopes.com here & here.
Snopes is a site that we at NewsChannel9 constantly check to verify an e-mail rumor. It has not let us down yet. & while I check the site for truth-telling about the presidential campaign, it’s also a valuable resource for finding the truth in non-political claims. We stake our reputation on it.
Here’s another point to ponder on this topic, though. I think all sides of the political spectrum can agree that Hillary Clinton was relentless in her campaign to beat Obama in the primaries.
If this issue had any merit whatsoever, do you have any doubt that she would have used it back when she had a chance to win?
EARLIER ON VOTE08: “A Man, A Plan, McCain, Panama” (March 19th) - a post that looks at the invalidity of similar claims against McCain - that he’s not a natural born citizen because he was born near the Panama Canal.
BIRTHRIGHT BLUSTER
September 14th, 2008, 4:09 pm by Dan Lehr
Tenika, a Vote08 commenter, writes:
Came across a web site that details a suit that has been filed by an attorney, with the defendant being Barack Obama, his aliases, and the Democratic national Committee among others. The suit claims Obama is not eligible to run for office. Here is the web site:
http://www.obamacrimes.com/
Wonder why the media isn’t all over this one?”
Because, Tenika, the claims that Obama is not a true natural-born citizen has been proven to be false.
Read more on the topic at Snopes.com here & here.
Snopes is a site that we at NewsChannel9 constantly check to verify an e-mail rumor. It has not let us down yet. & while I check the site for truth-telling about the presidential campaign, it’s also a valuable resource for finding the truth in non-political claims. We stake our reputation on it.
Here’s another point to ponder on this topic, though. I think all sides of the political spectrum can agree that Hillary Clinton was relentless in her campaign to beat Obama in the primaries.
If this issue had any merit whatsoever, do you have any doubt that she would have used it back when she had a chance to win?
EARLIER ON VOTE08: “A Man, A Plan, McCain, Panama” (March 19th) - a post that looks at the invalidity of similar claims against McCain - that he’s not a natural born citizen because he was born near the Panama Canal.
BILL O’REILLY ON ‘PIGGATE’
September 12th, 2008, 8:13 am by Dan Lehr
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.
Way to go, Bill!
He’s 100% right in the clip above.
- Broadcast Services
- TV Listings
- Public EEO Report
- WTVC DTV Report
- Science Theatre
- Online Services
- RSS Feeds
- Advertiser Index
- Yellow Pages
- Related Sites
- Total Visual Concepts
FLOGGING THE CULTURE WAR CORPSE
January 9th, 2009, 10:17 am by Dan Lehr(Illustration credit here)
One of the great things about Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish blog is he often makes a great point using a minimum of sentences, as he does here:
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Commentary • Dumb Controversies • Sarah Palin • The GOP | Post a Comment »