Your Daily Mindjob
This is my personal blog where I'll offer up some political straight talk as well as thoughts on technology and pop culture. That should give me plenty to talk about. The world can give you one heck of a mindjob. Think like me and get your daily dose.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

CNN's DNC Coverage SUCKS

They set the stage for what they want to hear while at the same time choosing not to show speakers who actually say those things. They paint a picture so that the viewer holds the same expectations and then if they don't see what they want, they can criticize everything while the viewer lulled into these expectations watches in agreement. If you want to see commentary and not the DNC, watch CNN's coverage. If you want to see people stuck on the idea that Hillary was not picked as Obama's VP, watch CNN. If you want to watch people to tell you to go to a web site to watch DNC speeches, watch CNN. If you want to know that the Pepsi Center is where the Denver Nuggets play, watch CNN. If you want to watch Republicans spout talking points, watch CNN.

MSNBC is not much better. FOX News? Ha! Did they even show any of it?

If you want to watch the DNC without interruption, watch it on C-SPAN.

If you want to watch the DNC with analysis, watch it on PBS. They show each speaker in their entirety and even tape certain speakers (Deval Patrick) to show you if they should deviate and interview someone else (Michelle Obama). If you want to see the fireworks, watch PBS. Some of the best speakers so far were tonight and PBS showed them. PBS had commentary AFTER each one and did not interrupt them in the middle. I'm sure CNN gets far more financial funding than PBS can even dream of, yet PBS is the one able to deliver the goods.

Steny Hoyer gave a magnificent and in your face performance. Did you miss that one? I was able to enjoy Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano take some good jabs at the Senator from Arizona. There is one Arizona tradition she'd like to see continue. Past representatives from Arizona who have campaigned for office failed. I got to see Kathleen Sebelius from Kansas make another joke aimed at McCain. Dorothy from Kansas once said there's no place like home, but McCain says there's no place like home, home, home, home, home, home, or home. Yep. Seven homes. I was able to listen to Governor Mark Warner give an outstanding keynote. Judy Woodruff from PBS even landed an interview with Michelle Obama tonight. Brian Schweitzer from Montana really gave an awesome performance too. Did you happen to catch Lilly Ledbetter from Alabama? The Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, gave one heck of a direct attack. You missed stories from real Americans and anecdotes about real American struggle and sacrifice. You missed plenty of jabs at Bush and just as many McCain tie-ins to Bush.

If you were watching CNN, you missed the good stuff. Things were said that needed to be out in the open. CNN didn't show it and probably turned around at the end to criticize the lack of such gusto. Pathetic. Who says the media is liberally biased? They have their heads up their asses.

Did you happen to notice Exxon/Mobil was the CNN sponsor?

I think they are killing off a lot of viewers this time. Things have been going downhill for a while now, but they are driving a nail through the coffin. I don't think they care which is troubling.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

If you didn't like the first BJ

If you didn't like the first BJ, you may not like the next BJ.

I am of course, in part referring to the Clinton blowjob fiasco Republicans can't seem to distract themselves from.

The new BJ on the other hand is something completely different, although Republicans may not like it either.

BJ?

Barack Obama and Joe Biden

Outed: Biden, Half Brother

The news was buzzing all evening about who Barack Obama would pick as his running mate. Certain names were crossed off the list and news crews appeared to be camping on front lawns of the rest waiting for any clues. While they were chomping at the bit to find out who was going to be the VP pick, one broadcast decided to bring up something else in the meantime to keep viewers interested. The timing was however, a tad suspicious.

As the eve of the Democratic National Convention approaches, anything showing Obama in the slightest unfavorable light seems to be fair game. CNN had a piece on Obama's Kenyan half brother. The piece seemed to tryand put Obama in an awkward position. It seems like now Obama is expected to take some sort of financial responsibility for a half brother living in a shanty in Kenya. Who cares if his half brother is proud of being Kenyan and is perfectly fine with living in Kenya, right? We're in America where Sally Struthers is supposed to make our hearts bleed for the classic picture of poor Africans walking through dirt streets and shanty towns. How dare Barack Obama not help the spawn of a father who left him and his mother. Looks like his half brother is happy where he is and communication between the two is really none of our damn business. It sounds as though the two have a good understanding, but CNN wants to play "Let's reunite long lost relatives" for ratings and the soap opera Americans who buy into that sort of crap.

If Obama's half brother in far off Kenya is considered newsworthy, then CNN should not have any problem traveling an even shorter distance to blow the history behind McCain's first marriage out of the water. While we're at it, start stirring the pot simmering McCain's feelings towards Asians and see if it boils over. I'm sure the timing of this news piece on Obama's half brother has everything to do with the swiftboating that will continue to taint our televisions in the months to come. Now it has been made to appear as though Obama doesn't want to help his own family. I'm glad I didn't fall for the fake sob story.

By now, you've also forgotten all about whether or not McCain is going to release his VP pick, right? Aren't you glad I gave you this reminder? Who said the media was being a softy when it came to covering Obama? Let's smack McCain around some, shall we?

Obama *was* going to release the name of his VP pick in the morning, but somehow somebody on the Democratic side couldn't keep their lips sealed. Joe Biden appears to be his running mate. I say great choice. I was supporting Biden for President anyway. He's got a great foreign policy stance regarding the Middle East. The man just understands what has been going on over there for decades. He's also a straight talker and will rip you to shreds the way someone deserves to be told off. Now let's just see how many times the media will cover the "articulate" flap between Obama and Biden a while back to try and prove there might be tension between the two guys even though the differences were reconciled shortly after the flap.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Paris Hilton Responds To McCain

Well, at least we got Paris to respond to the ad by McCain that uses the images of both Paris Hilton and Britney Spears to portray Barack Obama as a pop culture superstar that isn't ready to lead.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d

I don't usually watch anything that has Paris Hilton in it to begin with, but this one is hilarious. When I stopped by, it already had more than 3 million views and over 6000 diggs.

McCain is called "the oldest celebrity in the world" characterized by such visual aids as The Golden Girls, the Tales from the Crypt Crypt Keeper, Larry King, the KFC Colonel Sanders, and Yoda.

The folks at Funny or Die were right. McCain bit off more than he could chew when he decided to enter the realm of pop culture. It falls in line with my belief that Republicans get their asses handed to them when we take things into the private sector and out of the regulated world of political campaigns. Sorry, I couldn't resist using the words "bit off more than he could chew," a common phrase used by rednecks when you piss them off, but they can't do anything about it aside from fall back to their sewing circle.

"I'll see you at the debates bitches."

Knoxville Church Shooting: A Wake Up Call

Knoxville Shooting
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/28/church.shooting/index.html

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but it strikes a very personal nerve with me. Just punch in "Knoxville Church Shooting" into Google and you can read all about it including several heated discussions on the subject. Many are condemnations of such behavior, but a few are examples of mindsets which lead people down the same disturbed path. This should serve as a wake up call to conservatives in this country planting the seeds of hate.

Mr. Jim Adkisson holds the belief (by his own personal statements to authorities) that all liberals should be killed. He left a four page manifesto if you will in his vehicle and from most online articles, I discovered the letter was a full fledged written expression of hatred for the liberal movement as well as homosexuals. Somehow his disgust with the liberal movement was also linked to his inability to acquire a job.

Why some in Knoxville and around this country are surprised this happend baffles me. I am all too familiar with the gun toting redneck movement in this country. They hide behind the right to bear arms and say horrible things behind closed doors about liberals, gays, and African Americans. Get these people in good company and they'll spill their evil guts. Put them in the public eye and they suddenly become good Christians. For the record, I have spent some time among the more rural community just outside of Knoxville and I must tell you this region and its residents have a very backwards theme.

In his home, several right-wing forms of literature were found including works (unconfirmed) by Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, and Sean Hannity among others. While I'm sure these guys will come out and say they don't condone such violence, behind closed doors, I'm sure something completely different is said.

Every liberal in this country should be very concerned about something like this happening to them. Mr. Adkisson is not an isolated incident. There is a growing very violent anti-liberal sentiment among the backwoods boys of this nation. Thing is, they aren't as backwoods as you'd want. They are your neighbors, barbers, and even soldiers sworn to defend this country. Take note that according to Knoxnews.com, Adkisson had served in the Army's 101st Airborne. I live in a part of the US where I am really scared for my life on a regular enough basis that tells me this country is in real trouble. I shouldn't live with this kind of fear because of my political beliefs.

For the conservatives who are so opposed to welfare, humor me on this one. This guy was unemployed and on food stamps according to a CNN article. Not exactly the kind of moocher you like to portray is he? For someone so strongly conservative, I find it conflicting that he would use food stamps. It only reminds me to point out that people on welfare and food stamps are not lazy bums on the couch watching cable television wasting taxpayer dollars. This guy had an associates degree in mechanical engineering and had also worked as a truck driver.

Some are trying to argue that had everyone in church been packing heat, this wouldn't have happened. Three things to point out in response. Church is the last place any of us would want or need a gun. Second, this guy was able to enter the church and begin firing before anyone even noticed he had a gun. Third, he was subdued without the use of a firearm. We shouldn't be using this example as a reason for right-to-carry. We shouldn't have to live in a society where we even think we need a gun at any given moment to defend ourselves. That's not to say I'm completely against guns. I have to have a 22 rifle handy with some bird shot to kill unsavory poisonous snakes out here in the country. I understand the need for a firearm in that context. There is however, a healthy balance between a nut like Ted Nugent and taking away guns completely. Common ground anyone? Unlikely. The ones with the guns would rather shoot the opposition first it seems.

I would pray for those involved, but I am not an advocate of prayer.

Friday, August 1, 2008

McCain's New Obama Commercial

This damn commercial displays classic Republican behavior in this country. It's why I hate rednecks and it's why we ended up with Bush for eight years. I am definitely not going to hold back and I'm going to throw some hard punches on this one. I know how Republicans are going to play this out online, so there's no need to tippy toe around it.

You can look at the commercial in one of two ways or both of the following ways in context of each other.

The first is straight out of the Karl Rove playbook. Remember when Cheney said that if Kerry would be elected we would be attacked again? Evoke a sense of fear or uneasiness/doubt in the public and then apologize for it once the damage has been done. Make Obama out to be a 15 minutes of fame sensation and downplay his importance. See if somehow the McCain campaign doesn't come out and say something to put out the flames. I guarantee it'll resemble someone putting out a fire with their own urine. For some reason, I have images of McCain straining to get out even a dribble of urine with an old man's enlarged prostate.

The second way to look at the commercial is to realize it's just another way to mobilize their base. Every redneck asshole Republican on every political forum to the right of center is going to be full of idiots making jokes amongst each other to make their hurt feelings go away. It's a commercial that makes their base feel good about themselves. Play a little dirty and make yourself feel better even if it was uncalled for. The types of Republicans I just mentioned will be on forums using nicknames like Barack Obama Spears. They'll call Obama supporters Britney or Paris in a condescending tone to offset actually responding to a question asked by an Obama supporter on a message board. Shaved head jokes and paparazzi outburst gags will run rampant. I wouldn't be surprised of some Republican dolt used a green filter over Obama footage to make it look like a Paris Hilton sex tape. The possibilities are endless and redneck Republicans will just think they're being humorous. Kind of like laughing at fart jokes, you know? They feed off of these sorts of nicknames. Just look at how they talked about Kerry, Hillary, and Bill. You had Lurch, Hellary, and Slick Willie among others. The redneck Republican crowd eats this crap up like they do grits.

On top of all this, you'll have an outcry by Liberals saying exactly the same thing the Obama campaign came out with. It's politics as usual and they are right on the mark. It's dirty politics. The Republican party is willing to say or do anything as long as they can be assholes about it. I'll say it again. Redneck Republicans can relate to that sort of mentality and at the same time take pleasure in it. The RNC will go as far as using the likenesses of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton without permission. I hope some sort of legal response is taken on behalf of both of them. Let's completely disregard the legal way to set up commercial footage and run with it, right? Should be an open and shut lawsuit and quite possibly defamation.

(As I'm typing this, that damn commercial about Family Dinners with Bush is on again. Who believes that shit? The man became an alcoholic.)

If you're a Conservative and not a redneck, I'm not sure how all of this looks to you. I suspect you're taking a Bill O'Reilly or Rush Fatass Pain Killer Limbaugh stance on this. If not, I'm sure those two will be telling you what to think about it in the near future. If you are in fact an undecided white voter, do not condone campaign moves like this. Are you taking a ride on the Low Road Express? We're Americans and we are better than that. Are you that eager to be a snake in the grass? I don't think you would want to set that kind of an example for your kids.

I'll leave you with these celebrity comparisons for John McCain.

Wilford Brimley, an angry old cuss pissed off about his "diabetis"

From the movie "The Rock"
FBI Agent played by Philip Baker Hall
He is my age now, for Christ's sake. I have to get up three times a night to take a piss!

Grumpy Old Men (Walter Matthau & Jack Lemmon)

Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller)
Maybe McCain will make Festivus a government holiday

Talk about qualified to lead...David Letterman, keep telling those TV dinner jokes.