Mitt meet John - John meet Mitt

Is anyone else getting the uneasy feeling that Mitt is the Republican Party's John Kerry?  The candidate that seems like they should be electable, after all they are not the incumbent.  The resume is good, they both look fine, but are both completely incapable of making a passionate case for their presidency.  For Mitt there is an undeniable sense of entitlement, a sense that a guy like him simply should be president, he has earned it.  He gains ground by having his minions assassinate his rivals, NOT by making a positive case for himself.  Mitt is the non-Obama candidate for Republicans much like like John was the non-Bush candidate for Democrats.  Folks, this is not a strategy for anything but a 2nd term walk for President Obama.  I think even Republicans cannot believe this is happening, and they are not known for their intellectual acumen.  It is kind of unbelievable with a platoon sized field of candidates, and hatred of Obama so hot, that the Grand Party could not do better the Mitt.  

A pundit early in the Obama's term mused that the Obama presidency might end up having historical similarities to Jimmy Carter.  I thought this a prescient comment at the time, maybe Obama will be lucky in that Romney is no Ronald Regan.
Hey Republican Party sing along with me; "4 more years, 4 more years, 4 more years, 4 more.........." 

Sir Paul McCartney Sings Standards

Just watched/listened to Sir Paul’s iTunes full length video concert from his new LP “Kisses on the Bottom.”  The title is from the Fats Waller song “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Right Myself a Letter,” FYI, the “kisses on the bottom” refers to the kisses on the bottom of the letter.  Backed by the Diane Krall quartet augmented by the great John Pizzarelli guitar and orchestral arrangements by Tommy LiPuma the concert is very charming, especially when Paul is singing to big Abe Laboriel Jr. (his drummer) who sings backup on several tunes.  But it was hard to get around the fact that with Diana Krall on his right and John Pizzarelli to his left that either one of them could do a much better job of singing those great songs then Sir Paul could.   

Prophylactic Newt

You would think with Newt’s very public extra-marital affairs he would be more supportive of birth control then he seems to be.

Notes to Herman Cain and Bill Maher + Mitt's Taxes Redux

Note to Herman Cain – after your pathetic and stupid campaign and the endorsement of “we the people” followed by backstop your endorsement of Newt Gingrich I have a suggestion.  Your new book should be titled “9-9-9, How I Joined the Media Circus and became a National Clown” and you can do your book tour with a big red ball on your nose.  You won’t have donors to help support that tour but it will be a hell of a lot more fun.

Note to Bill Maher – first I wonder if folks on the right, who I suspect loath you, notice that you are essentially the mirror image of Bill O’Reilly.  O’Reilly’s show preaches to the converted on the right, letting them bask in the warm knowledge that their world view is correct, your show serves the same purpose for liberals.  Conservatives are generally brought on to your show to act as punching bags to your leftist worldview, much the way left leaning thinkers are used on O’Reilly’s show.  Both shows are essentially the same, support the audiences preexisting view without bringing to the table a scrape of intellectual rigor – fun stuff, but does not support or enhance our national dialog (such as it is).

On a recent show Maher stated that he thought it was wrong that Mitt Romney got to take a tax deduction of almost $3 million dollars for charitable giving ($1.5 million to the Mormon Church).  In all the corruption of our current tax system it is hard to think of any tax deduction more in keeping with our heritage and deeply held beliefs then the charitable deduction.  It should be unquestioned and unabated because we can all find a charity that we can support no matter what our beliefs and proclivities.  I would propose to Bill Maher if he does not like the religious and conservative bent of Romney’s giving that he find secular and liberal charities to donate to.

Romney’s overall  blended tax rate of 17.38% would have gone to an overall rate of 18.9% if he had not done his charitable giving which saved him about $835K in taxes.  Hey (both) Bill’s, fuck you!