Amazing.
Stephen Colbert was the key speaker at last nights White House Correspondents Dinner and he pulled no punches. Delivering bitingly hilarious barbs at the President, who was sitting two seats away, Colbert left the podium with a huge smile and a stunned silent crowd. The press largely seemed too nervous to laugh at many of Colbert’s jokes (and the subsequent news coverage of the event has ignored the embarrassing moment for the press and President due to right-wing bias) but I guarantee that you (if you’re a liberal with my sense of humor) will laugh your ass off.
This is a must watch both as a piece of comic genius and a moment where Bush’s sanitized good-will bubble was invaded by a lone comedian.
The mainstream media is trying to keep you from seeing or reading about this hilariously embarrassing moment for George Bush and the press, but through the power of the internet, you can still see it: The video is available courtesy of Crooks & Liars both in Windows Media Player (lower quality, smaller file) and Quicktime (huge file) formats but if you’re bit torrent savvy you’ll get the best video from this torrent.
UPDATE: City Pages weighs in (youtube video links available)
City Pages has a great article up about the event and Colbert’s performance. They also have readily accessible YouTube videos, which maybe the easiest way to watch this.
Technorati Tags: George Bush, Stephen Colbert
I don’t know why the Mark Kennedy blog, KvM, feels the need to regularly fling personal attacks at us, I have quite a bit of respect for both Gary Miller and Doug Williams (First Ringer I’ve never interacted with and Triple A doesn’t do much for me); just part of the game I guess, but I still don’t like playing it. The latest is because we were in the Strib’s blog house again and KvM’s upset:
Remarkable. O’Brien doesn’t bother to question how two effete college boys (with motives as pure as the driven snow) got wind of Brodkorb’s nefarious purposes from their perch at out-of-state schools.
Not all that bad really, but it’s still pretty condescending and a little nasty. Originally the post made the mistake of assuming both Zack and I attended Dartmouth and are “Ivy leaguers,” but at least that was corrected. To address the question Gary poses, it’s called e-mail. But I’m sure no one at KvM gets their info through e-mail or the internet, everything there is found through investigative journalism (ha, as if).
Turning to the use of the word “effete,” meaning “affected, overrefined and ineffectual,” not many words could be so inaccurate. I’m sure my parents would laugh at me being described as “overrefined” and I know Zack certainly isn’t the product of etiquette lessons! But more importantly, I’m pretty sure we’re not ineffectual, even from our “perch.” In fact, if we’re ineffectual, than KvM certainly is, considering we get more traffic than they do (even though they’ve been around longer and have more authors) but that probably has to do with their knack for sensationalism, hyperbole, and stories so distorted that they might as well be confined to Ann Coulter’s wet dreams.
At any rate, I look forward to returning to my home state so I can get even more involved in Minnesota politics, but excuse Zack’s and my desire to remain in touch and active from our “perch.”
The controversial movie that recreates the events of flight 93, the plane that was taken back from the terrorists by its passengers and crashed in Pennslyvania, is receiving extremely positive reviews. I’m not sure whether or not I’ll be seeing this movie (although I probably will) because I’m not sure what the value will be in reliving that painful day… but, the reviews being as positive as they are, maybe there is some value in there somewhere.
Deserved applause to Governor Pawlenty for brokering a mercury levels reduction deal with Xcel Energy and Minnesota Power. The plan would reduce mercury emission levels by 90% by 2014. The plan will be set in an existing bill authored by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Tom Hackbath (R-Cedar) which is not expected to face much opposition. Well done to all involved; mercury is something we can never have too little of, especially as studies continue to emerge that keep lowering the threshold at which mercury intake becomes unhealthy. Hey, everyone has to get something right once in a while!
Technorati Tags: Tim Pawlenty
The Minnesota House passed the Twins Stadium proposal yesterday (sans referendum) and I couldn’t be more thrilled. OK, that’s a lie, I would be more thrilled if Larry Pogemiller wasn’t intent on dismantling the Gophers Stadium plan, but that’s a whole different story. Anyway, Matt disagrees with me on this one, but I am 100% pro-stadium. Be it the Gophers, Twins or Vikings, I say build it.
More (a lot more) on this after the jump.
Continue reading ‘The Session of the Stadium’
MPR is reporting that former Senator Rod Grams is weighing a challenge against US Rep Jim Oberstar. Grams is ridiculous. From the article:
Former Sen. Rod Grams, who began his political career in the U.S. House, is weighing a challenge to 16-term Rep. Jim Oberstar in northeastern Minnesota’s 8th District.
Grams, a Republican, said Wednesday he hopes to decide in the next week or so whether to get back into the ring.
“If I feel like I can win, I’m going to jump into the race,” he said in a telephone interview.
Grams served a single term in the House and one in the Senate before losing a re-election bid in 2000 to Democrat Mark Dayton. He considered running for the seat Dayton is giving up, but he eventually gave way to GOP Rep. Mark Kennedy.
Well let me save you some trouble Rod, you are not going to win. Defeating Oberstar would be an impossible task in a GOP friendly year; in the face of the upcoming DFL tidal wave Grams will be embarrassed…again. To begin with, Grams doesn’t even live in the district. Then there is this little number:
“It’s basically reintroducing the Contract with America all over again but sticking to it. There’s been a lot of wandering off the path,” he said. “We need someone who is going to pound their fist on the table.”
That will be a popular position with David Strom, but a loser on the Iron Range. This is the problem with Rod Grams, he’s still living in 1994. Fundamentally, that is why Grams lost in 2000, he refused to recognize that Gingrichian politics had been discredited.
In sum, Jim Oberstar is a legend, Rod Grams is a joke.
Oh Steve Sviggum, I once worried about getting the State House back in 2006, but with you in charge we’re going to have an easy time. The Strib has a good editorial up about how Sviggy & Co. are choosing hard-handed partisan tactics over actual progress in legislation:
With a bare 68-66 margin of control and a restive mood in their ranks, Republicans in the Minnesota House can have either productivity or partisan control this session. They likely cannot have both.
Signs lately suggest that they are opting for control — to Minnesota’s detriment. The evidence:
• This week, floor action was delayed 24 hours on a proposed constitutional amendment dedicating a fractional share of the existing state sales tax to natural resources. The rumored reason: Republican leaders needed more time to round up votes to block DFL-backed amendments, including one to raise the sales tax.
While the state GOP is choosing to embroil the legislature in meaningless partisan battles the people of Minnesota are waiting for real solutions to real problems. This is just another display of the immature attitude many of the GOP state legislatures take towards their duties to their constituents.
Does anyone else think its funny how the MN right tried to make a big stink over an anointment on the DFL side of the Senate race that never even happened, but then when someone tries to crash the regular anointment ceremonies on their side they throw a big long hissy fit? Flash at Centrisity provides some nice, level headed commentary.
In light of the discussion on record gas prices, everyone seems to fancy themselves an armchair economist these days. But, as is the case with most things, people are oversimplifying their arguments. Clearly I’m no expert, but I decided to jump in the game and attempt to explain why some government intervention might be necessary.
You know what’s hilarious? This quote from Mark Kennedy’s latest press release on energy policy:
I am glad to see that the president finally sees how ridiculous it is to give tax breaks to oil companies when they are seeing record profits
Ah-hahaha. “Ridiculous,” huh? Well Mark you were singing a pretty different tune mere months ago when you handed that “ridiculous” $14.5 Billion (!) tax break to the oil companies yourself, in what you then called “common sense energy policy.” So, which is it Mark, “ridiculous” or “common sense!?”
And while we’re on this whole “ridiculous” thing, maybe we should look at the walk you’ve been walking… Starting with that “Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005” bill where you stuffed $14.5 Billion into the already bloated (we’re talking record profits here people) pockets of oil executives it seems as though you’ve been pretty friendly with the oil industry. Recently, Kennedy has been blocking a bill proposed by House Dems that would make gas-price gouging a federal crime. In fact, Kennedy voted against bills that would penalize gas gouging before: Once in October 2005 (HR 3893–an all purpose oil price reduction plan) and once in Sepetember of 2005 (HR 3402–a bill that sought to gas price gouging companies in the Katrina aftermath!). I guess he just thought those bills were “ridiculous.”
Why would you do these things Mark? Why would you sell short millions of Americans just to put even more dollars in the pockets of Oil execs while they’re already making billions? Is it the $62,500 in political contributions from the oil and gas industry? Is it the $14,000 of that money that’s from Exxon-Mobil alone? Or is it just the fact that your campaign manager, Pat Shortridge, was the senior lobbyist for Enron?
Any way you cut it Mark, you’ve got to get out of bed with the oil companies and come back home to Minnesota where your constituents are hurting.
Technorati Tags: Mark Kennedy, Oil
Brodkorb has responded once more to our questions and quite decisively I might add. We hear at MN Publius sincerelely appreciate his cordial tone and willingness to answer a few questions. While we consistently disagree with MDE, we can still respect his dedication.
I’m still not entirely sure of the extent of his connections beside the fact that he works for a consulting firm closely involved with the MN Republican Party, so he does this stuff for a living. But he answered our questions pretty forwardly and I commend him for that. Let it be noted that our source is adament that Brodkorb has conducted opposition research on Amy Klobuchar in the past three weeks. But lacking any more detail from or about the source, we have to respectfully defer to Brodkorb’s denial of the allegations.
Earlier today, we posted a series of questions to Michael Brodkorb regarding his connections to Republican political organizations. He posted his reply here. His answer, however, is not comprehensive. Take this section for example:
MN Publius has made a very serious charge against me and I feel the need to respond. I am not getting paid to do research on Amy Klobuchar. I am not paid by any campaign or political party to do oppostion research on Democrats. I am not paid to blog.
Note that he uses the phrase “getting paid”, which is of course in the present tense. Our source indicated that MDE was paid in the last three weeks to do opposition research on Amy Klobuchar, which could allow him to say that he is not currently “getting paid” while still having accepted compensation in the past. To clarify, we ask the following:
1. Have you been paid in the past two months to do opposition research on Amy Klobuchar?
2. If so, who hired you and when?
We also note that MDE did not answer the following question in his response:
How are you able to blog all day long during the work day?
Finally, we would like to note that we are not pursuing these questions in an effort to attack MDE, but rather ensure transparency in the blogosphere. If MDE is in fact accepting pay for partisan work, he should disclose that fact. We do not think that he would be obligated to cease blogging, but we do believe that his readers should be aware of his paid political employment.
A MN Publius reader has tipped us off that Michael Brodkorb of MDE has been paid in the last three weeks to do opposition research on Amy Klobuchar. The source could not name who is paying Brodkorb, but is absolutely certain that he has been contracted to do this work. Michael Brodkorb’s exact connection to the MN GOP Party has been continually questioned but Brodkorb has never given a definitive answer. In light of the recently revised FEC rules governing bloggers paid by political organizations, MN Publius challenged Brodkorb to delineate his exact connections to political organizations but he, again, skirted the issue. After discovering that he is still being paid to do opposition research by some, presumably political, entity, MN Publius would like Michael Brodkorb to answer the following questions once and for all:
- Do you currently work under contract on an independent basis for any Republican client?
- Are you currently an employee of any Republican employer?
- As an employee of Weber Johnson, do you currently work on any of their contracts with Republican clients?
- (noting that Weber Johnson counts the following as former clients: the Minnesota Republican Party, Republican former governor Arne Carlson, current Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, current Republican U.S. Senator Norm Coleman and current Republican U.S. Representative John Kline)
- How are you able to blog all day long during the work day?
Just so there are no hard feelings, Michael, if you’re looking for some good opposition on Klobuchar research you might want to start with Scott Johnson from Powerline.
Technorati Tags: MDE
Smartie at Powerliberal has a great post up about the GOPs in Congress and their addiction to oil money. I’d like to hear Mark Kennedy try to pull the “Democrats Offer No Solutions to High Gas Prices” line at a debate and see him explain why voting to provide big oil with $14.5 Billion in tax breaks was a good idea when they were posting record profits due to inflated gas prices(maybe it’s because of the $62,000 in PAC contributions he took from oil and gas lobbyists). I sure can’t think of a better way to use tax dollars than line the pockets of Oil company execs; after all, they aren’t getting enough of my money at the pump…
Also, Drinking Liberally should be good tomorrow night; if I weren’t 1500 miles away, I’d definitely be there.
Technorati Tags: Mark Kennedy, Oil
Rolling Stone has an amazing article in its latest issue. In the article one of America’s leading historians, Sean Wilentz, is questioning where George W. Bush will be ranked in the annals of history (as a side-note, for those of you who haven’t read Rolling Stone in eons, the non-music journalism is pretty much unparalleled; weird but true). And while, as a liberal, I’m not inclined towards using descriptors such as best or worst (because statements of absolute value are usually wrong or at least oversimplified) there’s a pretty strong argument that Bush may be the worst President in the history of The United States of America (surprised). While he has a little leg-work to do before he beats out Buchanan or Andrew Johnson, if he keeps going down the path he’s on (and when has Bush ever changed course) I think he’s got it. This isn’t just liberal ranting, I’m absolutely sincere about this, just examine his record. One quick fact from the article: “According to the Treasury Department, the forty-two presidents who held office between 1789 and 2000 borrowed a combined total of $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions. But between 2001 and 2005 alone, the Bush White House borrowed $1.05 trillion, more than all of the previous presidencies combined.”
It’s a long article, I know, but if you’re at all interested in politics this is a must read even if you’re disagreeing the whole way through. After reading the article, please post your thoughts in the comment line.
Technorati Tags: George Bush
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