Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Craig,

I have to disagree. In Most recent years probably. But out here in the little Midwest, people are sick to death of the present. Whether Republican or Democrat, they are ready to pull the lever.

The differance this election cycle? They all know after 8 years of the biggest mistake in the History of this country, Their candidates don't look so bad.

Bill is really very good at this.....he was a roll of the dice too and we got a pretty good run.

Bill Clinton is NOT running for president and those of us who think they are getting the whole enchilada by voting for Hillary Clinton are counting on all that pillow talk we just parsed.

People voted fo freshness and change with Jimmy Carter as well. And the Republicans -- with a little help from Tip O'Neill and Robert Byrd -- made sure he accomplished little, setting up the Reagan takeover.

IF we get a shot at the White House, and I don't think it's a given, we'll fight a serious machine, don't kid yourself. They'll try to destroy the presidency.

By the way, I heard an interesting story on NPR -- a woman supporting Edwards said her daughter supported Obama until she attended an event and he was surrounded by handlers. (The woman said the same thing had happened at a Hillary event) Then the daughter went to an Edwards event where he mingled, etc....The daughter is now an avid Edwards supporter. I think he's running a helluva good campaign.

Although sometimes I feel like this has become a cheerleader election.

But what I really want is some info from Iowa voters. I also heard something on NPR that concerns me. A young guy (Dem) wouldn't say who he supported because he said the anger over who supported Dean VS Kerry at the very public caucuses was still an issue. My question for you Iowans is this: how much does the public aspect of the caucuses affect people's actions?

I would like for Senator Obama to define the term "old folks"...(crossing my arms..tapping my toe...hmmpfft).

LOL!!

"Never complain, never explain. " attributed to Disraeli, Lord Halifax, and 2 Henry Fords.

Jamie.....thanks muchos for the "Rhapsody" . Very nize....

Lushis........surely he's speaking of people over seventy, right? right?

Happy New Year , everyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBs8GMyzkyg

Ah, but who will actually show up to caucus? Based on yesterday's NYT, it sounds like Edwards might have the edge going for the tried & true caucusers. (Yes, caucusers. Caucusites are the places where the caucusers caucus.)

Romney still looks like the prez from cental casting, so Thompson didn't need to bother showing up. (Did he really show up?) Sorry, Huck, but Iowa isn't a Baptist strong-hold.

Happy New Year Y'all!

Today's all too appropriate Savage Chickens

http://www.savagechickens.com/blog/2007/01/happy-new-year.html

For those who need to brush up on the lyrics for Auld L'ang Syne, they are on the annual Hogmanay post on my site: http://jdurward.blogspot.com

Linda and Sturge.....yeah, the "old folks" comments burn me. I've thought about writing Obama's campaign a letter reminding him that he's gonna need a few of us fossels in the general if he's the candidate.

jamie - Don't you ever sleep? No flaming balls of anything, Hogmanay or no. Just the new & improved Times Square globe.

sheila - Welcome back.

That's where Obama is making a mistake. He's trying to motivate young people who have never participated in the process. That doesn't even work so well in the general ('cause you can't vote online or text your vote yet), so does he really think he's gonna motivate a large number of them to show up & caucus for him? That's why Edwards approach is smarter. As for Hil'ry, I think Bill is the one who can mobilize her people, because they're really his people...and that's the only way Edwards is gonna lose folks who WILL show up.

"My question for you Iowans is this: how much does the public aspect of the caucuses affect people's actions?"

This is a very good question. I'd be interested too.

Blue

Went to sleep at nine my time and woke up at 4 as usual. Didn't even get up in the middle of the night for an after midnight harrangue. :-)

Is the "attack" factual?

Ye who cries foul to loud and protest to much also paints a sign of weakness. Does the truth hurt?

dnd -- I've heard several stories from Iowa where people said they were intimidated about whose side to take became an issue because of who else was at the caucus. That one on NPR wasn't the only one. (You and I would take great delight in standing alone in a corner....ha) But one person relayed a story about someone's boss being there....I'd like to know if these are just stray incidents or if it really does become a problem.

Good Morning All,

I want to wish you all a belated Merry and Christmas and a Happy New Year. The last month for me has been trying, but clearly not as trying as the plungers.

While I agree that Huckabee has been forced into a defensive role, I think he has done very well for himself with his appearances on the Today show this morning and Meet the Press yesterday. The more I watch the former AR governor, the more I am convinced that there is something in the water in Hope, because he is the person on the Republican side that rivals WJC in front of a live audience.

Craig, how much longer do you think the MSM's retro crush for McCain will last?

The latest in outsourcing....

Outsourcing Pregnancy to India

The small clinic at Kaival Hospital matches infertile couples with local women, cares for the women during pregnancy and delivery, and counsels them afterward. Anand's surrogate mothers, pioneers in the growing field of outsourced pregnancies, have given birth to roughly 40 babies.

More than 50 women in this city are now pregnant with the children of couples from the United States, Taiwan, Britain and beyond. The women earn more than many would make in 15 years.

Happy last day of this year

and I still say on the gooper side...it's Liddy Liddy Liddy
http://www.4president.org/brochures/elizabethdole2000brochure.htm

Got my first robo-call survey last night.
"press 4 if you favor Barack Obama, press 5 if you favor Hillary Clinton, press 6 if you favor another candidate or are undecided."

My first thought was there are 16 people running and if your choice isn't Obama or Clinton you're lumped into the "other" category. What's up with that?

I figured it might be either a push poll or some other kind of poll with leading questions, so I pressed "6." The machine hung up...

all my robocalls are fielded and shredded by my fax machine.....blessed are the unpolled.......

Chuck Todd just said he thinks there is a chance ..small...that the eventual gooper nominee is not in the field yet.

The big news in yesterdays Broncos/Vikings game yesterday was not the Broncos overtime win. The Barrel Man is retiring after 30 years:

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/category/nfl/2007/03/20/broncos-barrel-man-to-call-it-quits-after-30-seasons/

Latest Iowa Dem Poll

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/ia/iowa_democratic_caucus-208.html

Rep Poll

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/ia/iowa_republican_caucus-207.html

to talk about Edwards they would have to stop Clinton bashing and Mr and Mrs Scarborough find that just too amusing

yeah the story will be Clinton engineered the Edwards win to kill obama and Edwards doesn't have the resources to go forward so even though she comes in second --she is the winner

and David Shuster is predicting President Hucksterbee
(nothing like enlightened self interest) I put that in the same place as the Biden surge

hey bear, retro crush on McCain will get a major boost if he snags the 3d place ticket in Iowa, then it'll be a full swoon in NH

not exactly back on my feet, but long restful weekend got me on the mend. happy new year's all!

ping pong, thanks for the email. dont think i'll be getting out the door this week

"it amazes me that despite Edwards climbing in the polls all they talked about on the Dem side was Obama and Clinton."

I don't get it at all. The three-way home stretch is a good story.

RE: Schuster: he's talked about being in Arkansas during Huckster's terms and seems to be enamored of the man....

Happy New Year all. Computer at home needs a new on/off switch, so I'll be incommunicado unless I stop back here to the office, which is closing around noon today.

kgc,

Please don't be dissing any Biden surge. Now that the Browns are eliminated, Joe is all I have to root for, besides my alma mater, between now and baseball season.

Jamie,

It's time for Senator Biden to do his best Silky Sullivan imitation.

Have a great New Year everyone. Tal;k to when I'm back to work, or when the PC at home is operable.

Oops, I knew I had a typo in there, but forgot to fix it before hitting submit. I can only resolve to do better next year.

I have to admit to being totally dismayed by MoJoe this morning. It was as if they were all on a different planet than the one I was using. Being partisan is understandable. Being delusional is something else.

Craig..... glad to hear you're feeling better....

as to Huckabee vs Romney...... that's "little money" vs "big money".....

Spike..... thanks for your inside trader info.....

many of you know I'm a bibliophile..... which is someone who not only reads a lot, but collects a lot of books as well..... frequently when I go to a bookstore to buy a specific book, I will also pick up another one that looks interesting..... sometimes these casual secondary ones go on the book piles and I forget about them until I stumble back across them while weeding out the piles....

I decided to weed some stuff out yesterday and couldn't believe what I stumbled on........ Lakoff's "Don't Think Like an Elephant".... I don't remember when I bought it..... but I did..... it now sits on the top of a pile and I will be definitely getting to it shortly......

Here is a good excerpt from the Lakoff book

http://www.chelseagreen.com/images/DTE_Sampler.pdf

The daily Rasmussens may intrigue most here at Crawfordslist, but...well, I quit checking them every day.
Of course the big two news items are
1) Huckabee's slide back to the playground lawn, and the fierce Thompson/ McCain battle for third place.
Maybe some good can come, after all, for Thompson...anything that can beat down Crazy McCain is good for the country.
Here's why we haven't been deluged with Rasmussens the past few days. This is a quote from them:

"Rasmussen Reports has not conducted polling in Iowa between Christmas and New Years. We have doubts about the ability to obtain reliable results during that time frame."

Bloomberg is this cycle's Fred Thompson

The likelihood of Amurica electing a single, divorced short Jewish guy (even one with unlimited money to spend) who has only been mayor of nyc is very very sim.

very slim

I have been going to the caucses since I moved back here nearly 10 years ago and I can only speak from my own experience but I have never seen or heard from anyone with first hand knowledge about intimidation or hard feelings about who supports whom. These are your neighbors you are meeting with after all. You don't even have to select a candidate. You can go undecided and then join a candidate's group if you like what their representatives say or stay undecided if the undecided (uncommitted) group meets the 15% viability threshold.

My first caucus I had no idea what to do. The group of longtime caucus goers (representing different candidates) made me feel welcome, showed me the ropes, and even suggested I should be a delegate to the county convention to really get to know the party better. I have friends with similar stories.

Every time there is a caucus these stories of intimidation and coersion surface. I have to think there probably are very isolated cases and often just made up by people never attending the caucuses because they perceive this intimidation must occur.

There are the stories about the unions dictating who their people support and that is kind of the nature unions, so probably happens, but the people would be so scattered it wouldn't affect the outcome. I figure it is the price you pay when you belong to a union.

Anyone who has a difficulty at the Democratic caucuses is encouraged to contact the state party. They want everything to be clean and above board. If something does happen and they aren't told, there is nothing they can do.

I can't speak for the Republicans. They do a straw poll but I don't know what goes on at their caucus, nor do I care.

Good morning, and happy last day of 2007! Here's hoping 2008 will be a MUCH better year!

Missed Morning Joe...but then I now miss it every morning. No Imus today? Or did my new DirecTV simply malfunction?

And speaking of malfunctioning...EdVB...are you saying your home computer's on/off switch is now functioning as an off/off switch???

No political predictions or prognostications from me...just the hope that EDWARDS will take Iowa in three days. I remain unconvinced of Hillary's trustworthiness or Obama's readiness.

HW,

Off/Off is a good description of the current situation. One of our IT guys at work expects he can handle the repair.

Leaving work now to go to a college basketball game. Again, Happy New Year all.

Thanks for the answer about caucusing, Zoey. Once I heard some of those stories it worried me some. I would prefer to just go and vote....but then, I'm lazy....

Renee -- I bought a copy of Lakoff's "Don't Think Like an Elephant" when it first came out and after reading it, ordered ten copies from the book company for friends and family. As I said before, I thought the best was the first half....but it certainly gives one pause. And when I talk about propaganda methods....this is just what I mean....

This is one of the best articles I've read about campaign coverage. (Hillary haters, please hold your knees to keep them from jerking, because it is about far more than one woman's candicacy. Read it as if you were in a classroom and had to pay attention to substance....)

http://mediamatters.org/columns/200712180009?f=h_column

Jamie....I had to tune out MoJoe this morning after Mika kept repeating how "daddy" worried that Bill Clinton would have too much influence in a Hillary White House...as I recall, Mr. Brzezinski was not always a boon to Jimmy Carter.

Well, just to pee on Eric Boehlert's campfire (Hillary lovers, please hold your knees to keep them from jerking, because it is about far more than one woman's candicacy. Read it as if you were in a classroom and had to pay attention to substance....)

http://opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/

Patsi,

It really was off on a strange tangent this am. It was just the bad case of Tweetyitis that they all seem to have caught, it was the way they were speaking about all of the candidates ... total gibberish to fill minutes with no sane substance whatsoever.

Did they start serving the champagne too early?

Patsi,

I got a kick out of your comment about Zbignew because I have vivid memories of my father swearing at the TV screen any time he was on. He would always call him a crazy, retarded idiot in Creole. His tenure as NSC head actually led my Dad to vote for Reagan in 1980. I can still remember my father coming home and giving my mom a hug and a kiss. He simply said that he hoped things would get better by voting for Reagan.

Craig, do you think there is a candidate on either side who would elicit that type of hope in this race?

dnd anything written by a Reagan groupie is questionable at best.

yo soy Horsedooty!

dnd
peggy noonan? one of raygun crypt keepers

Patsi, et.al,
Don't take my last post seriously. My point was Eric Boehlert is about as much of a "journalist" as Peggy Noonan is. His criticism of the media is limited to when they don't match his political ideology.

Patsi,
That is such a good article and so very true. I have been so frustrated with the national press that I can barely find anything to watch. Our local news has been so much more issues oriented and very fair to all the candidates. They sometimes wander off into the inane and vapid but quickly return to substance. I have spoken of the local show called "The Insiders." It is an example of a fair and balanced discussion of the issues by a moderator, 1 Republican leader, and 1 Democratic leader. Unfortunately, it is only on for a half hour on Sundays. I could watch it every day.

Not to come to Peggy Noonan's defense, but if you read Lakoff, you'll see that she figured all this out long before he did.

please Frank Luntz figured out and got the gop to pay him for him. Lakoff gets an intro from Dean and nothing else.

this is not new information.

dnd
that the both sides are equal argument and that is false

the sides are not always equal but that has been the problem with the media coverage. instead of doing their job they are just megaphones for "each side" and
leave the vetting to the consumer.

the problem is the influence of paid media and the obvious corporate interests

after all you can frame and answe all you want but if no one asks the question --who cares?

KGC,
You are absolutely right. If you ever watch Luntz interviewing his focus groups on tv, it's pretty easy to see how he crafts language for leading questions.

Hi folks, New Poster here:

To harborwoman:
I didn't think that Imus was supposed to be back on until Thursday. When last I watched, he was advertising our Craig as a guest for Thursday, Jan 3rd, so I assumed that would be the first day back. (Craig, are you still up for this?) I believe the Imus family are still my neighbors early this week in New Mexico. (neighboring counties, actually)

Welcome, Tabi!

The DirecTV on-screen guide lists Imus as ON for tomorrow morning on RFD-TV...but that could be a trick. I can't imagine Imus being on New Year's Day, but time will tell....

During the 2004 Democratic Convention, Frank Luntz ran focus groups in Southern Ohio for msgop --they never identified him as a gooper --

During the focus groups it was very clear the rightwing whack jobs of Southern Ohio would vote for Kerry based on his military record and service.
Luntz announced that night the goopers would destroy Kerry using his military service against him. They had to it was the only way they could win.

"Report: Obama Takes "Dig" At Edwards' Trial Lawyer Past
By Greg Sargent - December 31, 2007, 2:19PM
Is Barack Obama broadening his criticism of John Edwards to suggest that his lucrative trial lawyer past indicates less of a commitment to public service than Obama has?" talking points memo

I think America needs a good lawyer

O.o

Outsourcing Pregnancy to India

The small clinic at Kaival Hospital matches infertile couples with local women, cares for the women during pregnancy and delivery, and counsels them afterward. Anand's surrogate mothers, pioneers in the growing field of outsourced pregnancies, have given birth to roughly 40 babies.

More than 50 women in this city are now pregnant with the children of couples from the United States, Taiwan, Britain and beyond. The women earn more than many would make in 15 years.

Holy God...so many issues here...colonization + exploitation of the poor + exploitation of women's bodies = colonization AND exploitation of poor women's bodies...Save me, Andrea Dworkin and Bell Hooks...*eyes roll back into head, brain melts*

Report from IA: Bill Clinton is stumping in SW IA for Hillary today. Saw him out at the Adair County Fairgrounds in Greenfield IA. First candidate/surrogate that I know of to be around since I got to town on the 23rd.

Thought he did a pretty decent job of converting Hillary's experience during his White House days as a positive for her. Told a very moving story about a NY firefighter working as a caddy who he ran into while playing golf. Many of the antidotes of course involved him, but overall, he seemed to stay on message fairly well for Bill Clinton.

Crowd was a bit hard to read - being stoic Iowans, they held their emotions pretty well in check. Clinton staff types got a few more of the pledge cards signed.

IAgirlinDC --- THANKS for the BC Iowa report. Another Trail Watcher joins the posse! -- Craig

Tabi, i thought I-man booked me for Jan. 2, at least that's what i put on my calendar. whatever, i just answer the phone when they call, i usually do get the dates mixed up

and welcome aboard Tabi, IAgirlnDC

Oh those wacky Ron Paul supporters. I just heard on MSNBC that 3 of them were arrested for blocking the entrance to the Huckster's campaign office.

A couple of days ago I decided I am caucusing for Hillary. Today in the mail I got a nice package complete with a sign to hold up on caucus night, a bumper sticker, a name tag, 2 Hillary pins (one of them is very nice), and complete directions on how and where to caucus.

Other mail today included an AFSCME flyer for Hillary and a couple of pieces from groups wanting me to present their issues as platform planks at the caucus.

Oh, Craig you are SUCH a shill for Hill.

First, the whole "it cuts both ways" wishful thinking. I just LOVE it (says the native Hoosier) when Folks Out East try to speak authoritatively about how Midwesterners view such things as one smart, reasonable-sounding elected official showing up to talk about another smart, reasonable-sounding elected official, when both happen to be black.

Specifically in terms of the effects in Iowa of Duval stumping for Barack I would direct you to how Jesse Jackson did there. Iowa has LONG been a progressive state and not overly concerned about such things. Not that you'd know it from the Times or the Post, though.

Then there's the whole "Ooh! Ooh! Bill said stuff so Barack had to respond!" coupled with the old chestnut about explaining.

Actually, Craig, it remines me of the one that goes, "if my opponent will stop lying about me I'll stop telling the truth about them!

dnd... sweetie.... you're luvable too..... ;0}

Rick and I are stepping out now......

everyone have a safe and happy New Year's Eve and New Years......

see y'all in 2008.....

As I approach the prime of my life

I find I have the time of my life
Learning to enjoy at my leisure
All the simple pleasures...

And so I happily concede

This is all I ask
This is all I need...

A TV fulla politicians beatin' down on each other's heads!

Mr. Luxury Yacht,

I am trying to figure out your post. Please explain the "I would direct you to how Jesse Jackson did there." statement.

How did Jessie Jackson do? (not very well if I remember correctly)

And what things are the people of Iowa not concerned about?

Are you refering to Obama being African American?

Does the Nevada Caucus system work the same way, generally, as the IA system does?

We just VOTE here in Ohio!

If any of you Crawdads take a drink and get behind the wheel tonight I will personally come to your house and kick your a$$ !!

You have been warned!

Take a cab...use a DD...in Toledo, a wrecker will tow ya if you drink and have your car in the parking lot of a booze joint.

Whatever...just a friendly warning from me, who still has a drivers license, and want you to keep yours!

oh, yeah...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We are off now to a joint that can burn a good steak and overcook a baked tater with the best of them !

Dexter,
I believe the Nevada Caucus will work the same way the Ia caucus does, at least on the Dem side It is being run by a couple of friends of mine from the Iowa Democratic Party.

Thanks. I'll tell my daughter. She moved to Las Vegas in June....a WONDERFUL time of year there...it was 117 degrees F her first day there!
We just took her kids to the airport to jet back to there.

At 9:00 p.m. CST, the DSM Register will post the final pre-caucus Iowa poll results. You can sign up for a cell phone text alert.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Imus, Bill Richardson, New Mexico weather, etc.:

I looked at RFD-TV's website which reveals Tuesday's Imus show to be a 4-hour rerun. Wed. will be the real return. So I will set my VCR for Wed. (the show starts at 4AM here!). I still think I saw CC for Thursday, but that may have been RFD's mistake. Of course, I'd rather see Craig on Friday, the day AFTER.

Gov. Richardson: I am not excited about him. I think that he is just not yet polished enough to be prez. I was disappointed when I learned that he only moved to NM when he saw an political opportunity. Yes, his resume is nice. But I would have thought his strengths were his story (humble background, hard work taking him far) and personality (still speaks "regular guy", humor) but several other candidates (e.g. Obama and Edwards) also have those strengths, and with more pizzazz. I see only one large political sign on my main road, and it is for Clinton (does not actually have "Hillary" on it).

My weather page tells me to prepare for 4 degrees tonight! Can any of you beat that? So I will stay in, safe and warm, while listening to my neighbors shoot off their guns. Then I will count the cats.

Best to all!

I forgot to mention my preference for Joe Biden. My caucus is Feb. 5, so I hope he's still in! I tend to judge candidates by how they do on Imus, and Joe is one of the best!

Note to Fancy Boat: Your post reminds me of this Rumsfeld gem (considered one of the decade's best):

"Now what is the message there? The message is that there are known "knowns." There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know. So when we do the best we can and we pull all this information together, and we then say well that's basically what we see as the situation, that is really only the known knowns and the known unknowns."

We now hear Obama has sisters with his entourage. I had never read that Obama had sisters, only a half-brother who had converted to Islam.
Do any of you know where his mother and sisters are from or anything about them?
We all remember Hillary's brothers Rodham of the pardongate scandal and the 500Gs.
It is appalling that in this country we would nominate an out of work preacher with no known talents to lead and a rookie Senator with no relevant executive experience with a fifty fifty chance to become president.

That race would hopefully bring in Michael Bloomberg as the Independent.

Tabi,
1. Welcome.
2. Denver is suppose to hit -2 tonight.
3. Richardson lacks the pizzazz (though not the pizza), but the guy gets results, particularly on the diplomatic stage. And he's not the first pol to move to a state for political opportunity.
4. I like Biden too.
5. I agree. I want to hear Craig on Imus on the 4th.

dnd: I didn't take your Noonan post seriously....I don't know how anyone could ever take her seriously....she's a shill and always has been. And Boehlert's article, if you actually read the whole thing, talks about much press stupidity, including the unjustified digs at Edwards. If you don't think this shit matters when it comes to what people believe, remember the trashing Gore got compared to the pass that "Good Ol' Cowboy" Bush got. There was a good reason Jim Jones was able to round up so many Kool Aid drinkers....drum, drum, drum, drum....

Dex: Don't worry about me getting busted on New Year's.....my wild days are long gone....oh, how low the mighty have fallen....

Patsi,
I read the whole Boehlert article. I stand by my statement that he's got as big as an agenda as Noonan. I think Noonan is probably a better writer, though she is much, much more duplicitous.

I want to leave you with something on this last day of 2007 that will make you (and many of us) happy:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/28/vermont.banning.bush.ap/index.html

dnd, Don't most pundits have an agenda? At least Boehlert could back up what he said . What he wrote about is something I noticed at the time the news cycle was all about John's haircut.. In this time when we have serious issues in this country, why would we care about the price of John's haircut? Hey, if he could get us out of Iraq, for example, I don't care what, of his own money, he spends on a haircut.

" I think Noonan is probably a better writer, though she is much, much more duplicitous."

No shit. Hillary can't be president because we might get attacked again, and we can't trust a woman under fire. Underneath Noonan's talk about divisiveness -- that's what she's saying. Jeez, even "I" gave Bush some support as our "leader" after 9/11...didn't seem like the time to continue hating him. Then, of course, he started that "crusades" talk and I knew he was going to screw up tragically.

PS: I hear the roads are terrible in Colo now...I well remember my kids and me skidding down the mountain from Vail on a sheet of ice....luckily I slid safely into Tiny Town where I holed up a few days....

Patsi,
I-70 has been closed since last night from Vail to Floyd Hill (about 50 miles east). 70 mph winds blowing snow made for zero visibility, icy roads and avalanche danger. I-70 opened a few hours ago, but you need chains to get through the Eisenhower tunnel.

Same situation a few days ago on I-70 east of Denver to Kansas (except for avalanche danger ;-))

zoey,
"Don't most pundits have an agenda? "

Sadly, you're probably right. Boehlert, to me, seems to take advantage of the easy points, e.g., Edwards haircut, to reinforce the not so easy. Trust me, I'm not making excuses for the lame reporting, and I think the title of his book "Lapdogs" says it all. But I don't see him taking a completely objective perspective, since the media has been know to give a pass to the darlings on the left too. That's my only beef.

Have fun caucusing for Hillary. Looking forward to hearing your report.

Patsi...
This one is for you. I had to repost since it don't take my html code on links anymore.

http://america-weeps.blogspot.com/2007/01/knowns-and-unknowns.html

God Bless.

Hey everybody, my best wishes for a happy, healthy new year. And if I may quote our friend anon-p, God Bless.

See ya next year.

Yes, may you all have a very Happy New Year.

God Bless.

Thanks for the link, anon....here's one for you. The other day I mentioned one of my favorite bloggers (who died this year) -- Steve Gilliard. Here's one of my favorite of Steve's "Kick butt and take names" posts....

http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2003/12/im-fighting-liberal-you-know-ive.html

Have a Happy 2008!

Patsi...
I have Steve's site linked on my sidebar. He was a very good writer and pulled no punches. I hope his site is still up as I haven't checked the link since he died.

You have a great New Year as well.

God Bless.

I Californiamarty,

Theres a fair sized West Coast contingent. About five regulars and we can only guess at the low flying lurkers who have been known to hit the ground for brief stopovers.

Everyone have a good time tonight and stay safe.

Interesting tidbit of history today. Sara Jane Moore was released from prison. Prizes for first person to identify her before clicking link (honor system)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aUDPKJkk59G8&refer=home

Jamie -- I confess, I didn't know....the name sounded vaguely familiar....but had to click the link. Hope Squeeky is still behind bars....

One good thing about Thompson running for president....Jeremy Sisto will be joining Law and Order.

Should have clarified.... Sisto will be a cop, not a DA.

She must have been one of those lost souls that ended up in Charlie Manson's group of acid fueled murderers.

Just finishing up listening to Bill Clinton talk to a group in Iowa about Hillary. Without saying a thing about the merits of his support for the candidate ... the sheer joy of listening to someone speak for more than an hour without notes, with specifics on the details complete with anecdotes, humor, and empathy was amazing.

Isn't there anyway we can send George home for early retirement?

Bowman,

The Manson lady was Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Sarah Jane was an individual actor with the same goal of bumping off Ford.

Jamie,
At least I didn't cheat. I could have done the google thing.

I used to read a lot of true crime books. Helter Skelter had to be one of the most riviting of that genre.

Bookmark this site to get the caucus results on Thursday:

Iowa Democratic Party Releases Caucus Details and Public Website

http://www.iowademocrats.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/1124895

Bowman,

For some reason I'm on to a Broadway soundtrack mania this evening. Your answer had me looking up the lyrics for Sondheim's "Assassins".

Immediately reverted to "The Boy From Oz" with Hugh Jackman and When Harry Met Sally for a pure champagne fun evening.

bowmanc: I know what you mean...it's no fun anymore playing guessing games. Everybody beats us to the punch with Google-ization!
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The old steak house was packed ...a two hour wait...and a blizzard starting, and 25 miles from home...so we went to a Mongolian Grille. I had baked salmon, prime rib ( a tad overdone...but it's hard to get it rare enough for me)...a large salad, potatoes, carrots, and apple pie. Able to drive 50 mph coming home , roads OK so far. Is Dick Clark going to do the Ball?

AH! Come get a taste! (Don't worry...I'm having ginger ale...)

http://www.averagejoewine.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/korbel_spkling.jpg

I drank this stuff many New Year's Eves.

Non-political post here , sorry. Very sad story from the news.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS06/71231007

This bottle is open in Tacoma

http://www.ultraluxury.ru/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/moet_chandon.jpg

Corey, Good reminder

If you party away from home, get a driver!!!!

We want you all back here in fighting shape on January 1.

moet...good stuff...the reason I always drank Korbel was because that was what the Chicago White Sox had in the clubhouse after clinching the 1983 half-pennant.
Since I only drank champagne when my team won something or it was New Year's...I never bought any other.

Got hooked on Moet while being a social secretary to a Beverly Hills matron. It was her "cheap stuff" for major charitable fund raising activities to serve the hundreds of hoi palloi traipsing through which put it right in my "WOW" price range. :-)

Since I am one like Dexter I have had my diet coke for the evening and should go to bed but probably won't. The wife is working until 1AM at Six Flags tonight so I am just watching poker on TV and listening to dogs snore. Happy New Year everyone, even you Matt Thomas.

yo soy Horsedooty!

Jeez I'm sorry I'm not Australian. Simply because it is part of a soundtrack, I'm listening to one of the best "anthems" ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFY4KrUaw_0&feature=related

Good choice, Moet...I remember it , had it at parties, just never bought any.
No sense bringing up what happened to me about 24 years ago on New Year's Eve when I drank 7 Wild Turkey shots, chased them with beer, and ate a whole plate of creamed herring...nope, no sense bringing that up at all...
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COREY! I hadn't had the Toledo news on ... first I heard about that awful scene. Of course, that's less than an hour from home...I'm on that road frequently...for some reason that makes it feel even more awful...literally , just over the way from me....

Just before I go to the TV for the coverage of The New Year, I leave you, my friends , with a salute to my favorite Founding Father. I close out my blogging for 2007 with a tip of the hat to...

George Mason IV (December 11, 1725 – October 7, 1792) was a United States patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention. Along with James Madison, he is called the "Father of the Bill of Rights".[1][2][3][4] For all of these reasons he is considered to be one of the best loved "Founding Fathers" of the United States. [ from Wikipedia}

Gee if we are toasting founders .... a tip of the glass to my umpteenth grand something or other: Thomas McKean

http://www.adherents.com/people/pm/Thomas_McKean.html

Happy New Year, everyone!

Just getting ready to watch "Groundhog Day" with Sam, say Happy New Year!" at the appropriate moment, then probably head for bed so we'll be all bright-eyed, etc. tomorrow....

Glad to see so many of you keeping it safe and sane. For those who're out and about, hope you're having a blast!

NEW THREAD

Happy New Year!

First, Happy New Year to y'all on the Right Coast!

Second, here's the latest Intrade data:

http://www.central.edu/publicdocs/12%2D31%2D07FuturesMarketGraphs.pdf

IOWA RACE SO TIGHT THE FAT LADY IS SCREAMING!

On both the Democratic and Republican sides, the markets continue to tighten.

On the Democratic side, the data suggests Obama should begin to rebound, Clinton should remain steady, and the question remains whether or not Edwards can sustain his current momentum.

The Republican race in Iowa is an example of contrasts. The data suggests Hukabee is poised for a big rebound, and Romney poised for a downturn. The bell has rung to begin the fifteenth and final round.

With only two days remaining, the races here are the closest in modern Iowa caucus history.

Imus was right about Craig Crawford -- total whack job.

Happy New Year C-Listers!!!

Huckabee's bizarre stunt yesterday was one of the cheapest and most phony things i have ever seen. He has truly earned the "Hucksterbee" Moniker.

CC- Keep the leg on ice.

-Hipster