Click Me

 
Blog Mop-up Vol. 3: And Another Thing

What's the deal with Arnold's commercial? You'd think that one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood could afford a better make-up job.
posted by Monkey RobbL at 11:59 PM

 
Blog Mop-up, Vol. 2: Who Cares if Cruz Wins?

So much to blog. So much.

All right - I've had many thoughts about the California recall/election issue, the issue of compromise, Tom / Arnold (not to be confused with the jack-ass who used to be married to Rosanne), etc. I didn't know where to start, but fortunately Brad's running commentary of the HH show almost a month ago gave me loads of items to respond to.

The first issue is the obsession with a "Republican victory", which seems to be the centerpiece of any pro-Ahnold argument, even if it's not explicitly constructed that way. It goes something like this, "If we don't vote for Arnold, then Cruz will win! Oh no! Oh no!" So what if Cruz does win? How much worse will it be? A DEMOCRAT will be the governor of California. Like that's never happened before.

Brad said, "I think a stronger case could be made that a real conservative ought to be ashamed of himself knowing that his vote helped to elect Cruz," but I think it really is a "Republican vs. Democrat" issue here, not a "conservative vs. liberal issue." It is NOT in the interest of conservatism that any old yahoo that registers Republican wins an election. I ask you this: If everything about this campaign were the same - Arnold's positions, his associations, etc. - but he were running as a Democrat or an Independent, would you even CONSIDER voting for him? If the answer is "no", then why vote for him now? He's not a conservative, so this isn't about conservatives winning - it's about REPUBLICANS winning, and when you start voting for a party regardless of what the party stands for, you've stopped thinking.

Based on much of that I've read and heard, one answer to the "Why vote for him?" question has to do with re-electing W. in 2004 - helping to hand over California's 666 (or so) electoral votes. This is a horrible reason to select a governor. If the governor of California really has so little affect on the lives of Californians that people are more concerned with using the position to return King George XLIII to power, then it REALLY doesn't matter who wins.

To get more pragmatic, do you really want a raging centrist carrying the Republican coat of arms into the governor's mansion? If the state's going to continue its slide into oblivion, wouldn't it be better for the Republicans if it did so under Cruz's watch? Is there any part of Arnold's agenda that might stop that slide?
posted by Monkey RobbL at 10:41 PM

 
Blog Mop-up, Vol. 1: Decent food in Anaheim

Well, I finally found the Outback down here, so that I don't have to suffer through another over-dry rack of ribs like I did last time. If anyone knows of a place I can get a REAL meal in this neck of the woods, please send e-mail to the address in the upper left corner.

I just finished watching the Cubs eke out a down-to-the-wire victory over Atlanta in their first playoff game, and it was very nerve-wracking. They managed to finish the Braves off with the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the 9th inning, so I can now digest my food properly. In other cheery playoff news, the Minnesota Twins (go Northern Alliance!) beat the accursed New York Yankees 3-1. I'm not sure which would please me more - the Cubs going to the World Series, or the Yankees losing in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Maybe I won't have to choose. Wouldn't a midwest series between the Cubs and Twins be fantastic? No person of Scandinavian descent would get any work done for weeks.

I do wish the lineup for the National League playoffs had been different - I would have preferred to see the Cubs play the Braves in the NLCS, rather than the first round, but rules is rules.
posted by Monkey RobbL at 9:49 PM

 
Great booze post by The Elder.
posted by David at 11:51 PM

 
Scrappleface offers a valid explanation for why McClintock's strong debate performance didn't help him.
posted by David at 8:00 PM

 
I don't agree with Robb's take on the polling numbers. A few points:

1) Why would McClintock want to come in third? It's sad--while the poll shows he would also beat Cruz if it were one-on-one, it isn't. The impression left to most Californians will be that he lost of Arnold AND Cruz.
2) This poll doesn't "free" McClintock or his supporters at all. This is a snapshot with a small sample size (1007 voters) with a four percentage point margin of error. The truly negative hits on Arnold are still to come, so Cruz could still win.
3) Check question 22 on the poll. Most people in the poll think McClintock did the best in the debate. This disagrees with Hugh's take, but it also shows a lot of people favorable to McClintock in this poll saying they are going to vote for Arnold. "Freeing" those people to vote for McClintock would not be a good thing.
posted by David at 2:53 PM

 
Well, I took a peek over at Hugh Hewitt's analysis (Sept. 29, 7:15am entry) of the latest CA poll results, and I must disagree. If Cruz is running at only 25%, and Arnold and McClintock are splitting 58% between them, this is good news for McClintock supporters. First, even if McClintock only gets the 18% he's currently polling at, people can vote their consciences and not worry that a Democrat will win the election. Second, it frees up McClintock supporters who were voting for Arnold out of fear to go back to McClintock, because ONE of these guys is going to win the election. As long as Cruz is sitting at 25 points, then there is room for a "real conservative" on the ballot. And even if Arnold wins with only 30% of the vote, savvy Republican operatives can still spin the results favorably - Republican candidates received an OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of the votes. If you're looking for a mandate, you just combine Arnold's and Tom's numbers together - 58% of the voters want a Republican in office. In California. 58%.

I think it's actually worse, at this point, if McClintock steps aside. If Arnold takes the whole 58%, then all that can be said is 58% of the voters wanted Arnold to be Governor. Not a conservative (because he isn't), and not even a Republican (because the other Republicans who aren't running on celebrity didn't get any votes).

If McClintock gets more votes than Cruz Bustamante, he wins, even if he doesn't become Governor. Both Arnold and the legislature will have to accept that he was a contender, with genuine support.

posted by Monkey RobbL at 10:34 AM

 
James mentioned the deaths of Robert Palmer and George Plimpton, and how these things always come in threes. However, I would argue that this time we're looking for two more deaths. You see, with John Ritter and Johnny Cash dying on the same day a couple of weeks ago, I think we're looking for another pair to go on the same day. And, judging from the pattern, the younger will be in his mid-50's and die of an undiagnosed/unpredicted heart failure, and the elder will be in his 70's.

Within a couple of weeks, I think we're looking at more carnage, I'm sad to say.
posted by Monkey RobbL at 10:04 AM

 
Seen on a bumper sticker last Friday:

Ninja monkeys are meeting as we speak, plotting my demise.
posted by Monkey RobbL at 9:33 PM

 
Well, the mailbag produced another, less pleasant item late last week. Here's the text, with both the innocent and the guilty removed for different reasons:

Subject: Save [deleted]!

Hello...

You may or may not be aware that your fellow Bear Flag League member
[deleted] also happens to be a member of the [deleted]. [deleted]'s
seat on the council is in jeopardy, and she needs 12 blogs to help her if
she is to stay on... if you are interested in finding out how you can help
her, please read this post: [deleted]

Best regards,
[deleted]

When you follow the link, it tells of how 12 blogs need to create inbound links to the "council's" weblog in order to retain her "seat".

I don't know about you, but it smells like blackmail to me. My answer, and I hope the answer that the other BFL members give, is "We do not negotiate with terrorists."

posted by Monkey RobbL at 4:27 PM

 
Stop right there!

I don't want to hear any crap about Oingo Boingo!

Mentioning XTC (who also don't deserve to get lumped in the same list with A-ha and Stryper) reminded me of a great song by They Might Be Giants called "XTC vs. Adam Ant". Sample lyrics:

XTC versus Adam Ant
Content versus form
Fighting for their place in rock and roll
There is no right or wrong

Just when you think it's finished
With XTC on top
Antmusic, like a phoenix
Flies back up the charts

XTC versus Adam Ant
Only one will survive
Beatle-based pop versus new romantic
History will decide

XTC versus Adam Ant
I can't tell you why
Even the singer from Bow Wow Wow
Can't make up her mind

Current Song: "Ain't This The Life" from the album Farewell by Oingo Boingo

posted by Monkey RobbL at 9:27 PM

 
Speaking of flying pigs, this building is endangered, according to this story.
posted by David at 3:52 AM

 
McClintock seems to be left with four scenarios:

1) He doesn't drop out, Arnold win anyway, but doesn't return Tom's calls.
2) He doesn't drop out, and Cruz wins.
3) He drops out, and Cruz wins anyway.
4) He drops out, Arnold wins and does return his calls.

Yes, yes, I know there's a fifth scenario where Tom wins, and rides a victory lap astride a flying pig around a snow-covered Capitol. Let's leave that one to tell children late at night when they can't sleep.

Tom's political career is dead in the first three of these scenarios. He might believe that in case #2 he could overcome GOP resentment, and win a nomination again, but that's moot: in both scenarios #2 and #3, Republican candidates will not be winning big races in California for many years to come. There's a variation of scenario #1 that Tom might be thinking of: Arnold wins, but governs so poorly that he's a Jesse Ventura-like object of ridicule. Why anyone would wish this on California is beyond me, as is any logic where that helps Tom. He tried to beat the guy and couldn't, the GOP is in tatters, and so is Tom's career.

Option #4 is the best for Tom and everyone, if he can find the guts to do it. That means not only working to elect Arnold, but working to make him successful. I'd like McClintock in the U.S. Senate more than in Sacramento anyway...but if he doesn't take action very soon, he's going to be lucky to get a job as a commentator opposite Ariana on Public Radio.
posted by David at 3:37 AM

 
The debate tonight was interesting, with few surprises. Ariana is nutcase, but some have know that for a very long time (I owe an apology to a certain National Review writer I took to task many years ago for mocking her during a forum--he saw much more than I did at the time). The Green party is so sweet and naive you just want to invite them over for a sock hop and an (organic) taffy pull. Cruz is a bad, bad man who is way out of the mainstream. And by "mainstream," I mean the way that humans live on the planet in the 21st century. McClintock is living in a world that must be very beautiful, albeit unconnected to this one (see next post). And Arnold, oh, Arnold. We want to love you. I heard a guy on the radio today say that you'd be in big trouble if you attacked Ariana, but you did exactly that, and it may cost you. Fair? No. Welcome to the worst part of politics: the odd nature of the perceptions of the electorate. In your case, you're well on your way to a woman problem, and the fact that Ariana is closer to a howler monkey on his third peanut butter'n'cocaine sandwich than to a woman might not help you.

I want to like Arnold, I really do. A lot of his answers are squishy, and he's not standing up for some issues I really care about. But I honestly believe he will do what's right for the state, will whip the legislature into line with strong use of veto powers and the bully pulpit (remember, the cameras will stay to cover Arnold, when they wouldn't for anyone else--for good or ill). As I've mentioned before, I fully trust Arnold's take on economic issues.

I once argued, many years ago, that G.H.W. Bush's loss to Clinton wasn't too bad: GHWB wasn't a real conservative, Clinton wasn't too liberal, and the loss would teach the GOP a lesson. Well, the California GOP needs to stop learning lessons and needs to start applying some common sense. Yes, the risk is that you suffer a tragedy like the Democrats did with Clinton--his wishy-washy unprincipled politics took a lot of the heart out of the party. It also didn't do the country any good, which is what the GOP is supposed to put first.

I won't support Arnold for President, even if the Constitution is changed. But, to steal a line from David Frum, he's the right man for California.
posted by David at 3:35 AM

 
Reader Mail

A great e-mail from reader James Phillips of Folsom, CA (I hear that whistle blowin'), in response to Ben's haircut post:

Governor Davis does not get his hair cut. I don't know what it is, but it is not hair. A few years ago (quite a few), I rode in an elevator with then Lt. Gov. Davis and I stood right behind him. I was mesmerized by his hair. The artist who created it really did make it look like hair. The attention to detail was incredible. It was so life-like.

(If you've seen the movie Roxanne, imagine Rick Rossovich when he first sees Steve Martin and his nose in the fire house. That was me standing behind Davis.)

posted by David at 10:26 PM

 
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first "Monkey Brothers Booze Blogging Challenge":

Write about where to get and/or how to make a good martini. Favorite recipe, best chain restaurant/bar martini, best martini you've ever had, merits of shaken vs. stirred, is it a real martini if it's not made with gin, how many olives does a real man have in his martini, how much vermouth is the "right amount", etc...

This challenge is officially directed at the gin-bibbing members of Infinite Monkeys and Fraters Libertas, but of course we would welcome entries from other blogs, as well, or via e-mail and we'll post your comments here. If you have an e-mail suggestion or want to bring another blog's entry to our attention, please send e-mail to the address in the upper left corner.

Let the blogging begin!

Current Song: "D.R.I.N.K." from the album Draining The Glass - 1982-86 by The Jazz Butcher

Current Drink: Breve Latte at my favorite local coffee bar
posted by Monkey RobbL at 9:55 PM

 
The oral argument for the recall appeal before the Ninth Circuit appeals panel will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and other networks at 1 PM Pacific Daylight Time this Monday, September 22.

If you want to understand this TV show better, the various documents associated
with the case, including the parties' briefs, the opinion of the three-judge panel and the order of the district court, are all available on the Ninth Circuit website.

posted by David at 3:45 PM

 
I tried to Blog about this on September 11th, but had some Internet access difficulties in the airport. But now the transcript is available. To put it in context, Wolf Blitzer was interviewing person after person asking essentially "isn't the Bush administration terrible?" He got this surprising answer from former New York mayor Ed Koch:

I happen to think that President Bush and his team deserve enormous credit. They had a monumental but short war with minimal casualties, and I think they should be commended and not attacked by the Democratic candidate, and I'm a Democrat.

I'm not suggesting anybody is unpatriotic by having a different position, but it seems to me that you have an obligation not to weaken America by denigrating the president of the country.

I also loved that when he was asked about Joe Lieberman, he said, "I like Joe Lieberman. He came to see me when he was deciding whether or not to run. And I said, I love you, you are the conscious of the United States Senate, go back there because if you run for president you're going to lose. I'm voting for Bush. I told him that."
posted by David at 1:04 AM

 
It's a relief to hear that Judge Kozinski is on the (randomly selected) appeals panel.

Kozinski is sure to at least write a very funny opinion, which could be important. Remember this, this, and this.

A friend of mine who works for the Federal government said "I'll take heat for Waco, Ruby Ridge, and most any other clusterf--k you can think of, but we take no responsibilty for any Ninth Circuit judges."

I'll make an exception for Kozinski, though. (Full disclosure: he's a friend of a friend of mine, but I've never met the guy and probably never will.)

The LA Times has profiles of the judges. (Free registration required.)
posted by David at 12:44 AM

 
How I spent me "International Talk Like a Pirate Day"

Well, other than frequently uttering my favorite phrase from "Pirates of the Caribbean" (the ride, not the movie) - "Properly warned be thee, says I" - it looked like my ITLaPD was going to be a bust, er, a "wash". But Nickelodeon came through in a pinch - when I got home from work, my daughters were both watching the "all pirate episodes" edition of "SpongeBob SquarePants". When I walked into the room, my youngest looked up at me and said, "Arrrr, Papa!" A single tear of indescribable joy and pride ran down my face.

To give me lil' wenches some much deserved positive reinforcement, I read them all 62 pages of "Pirates Past Noon" and did me best pirate accent whenever Cap'N Bones was speakin'.

A fine day, indeed, lubbers.

Yet another opportunity to utter the phrase

"Properly warned be thee, says I", when my travel schedule lightens up you'll be subject to so much pent-up blogging from me you'll wish you'd walked the plank!

Current Song: "Jolly Roger" from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier by Adam & The Ants

Current Drink: Grog
posted by Monkey RobbL at 9:33 PM

 
9th Circuit Kangaroo Court

Uh, I'm not sure if we do things differently here in the Grand Canyon State, but why was it okay for Gray Davis to get ELECTED with outmoded ballot counting technology, but it's not okay for him to be RECALLED two years later using the exact same technology?
posted by Monkey RobbL at 2:55 PM

 
FYI - "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" is the WORST remake of Cyrano de Bergerac EVER. If you aren't up for the real thing, try this one, instead.

Michael Lehmann made one good movie. Arguably, one great movie. Then he made Hudson Hawk. Funny, if your expectations were low. And then, a seemingly endless cavalcade of crap. "Airheads", people! "My Giant", even. "MEET THE APPLEGATES"!!! And, tragically, "The Truth About Cats and Dogs". Why would ANY cable channel air this swill? Somebody lost a bet, I'm guessing.

Steer clear of all Michael Lehmann movies that do not feature either Christian Slater brandishing a firearm in the school cafeteria or, MAYBE, a secret agent named "Chlamydia".
posted by Monkey RobbL at 9:35 PM

 
Well, I'm married to a Swede. My in-laws are all Swedes. And we're not talking "my great uncle went to Stockholm once" Swedes, these are 100% Swedes. Two-"s"es-in-your-last-name-because-one-isn't-enough Swedes. Ya-sure-ya-betcha Swedes. I'd like to offer a correction to James's tirade. But I can't. He's right. Pure Viking blood runs through their veins, and they may seem soft-spoken and unemotional, but they'll kill you in your sleep if you make their coffee too weak.

I don't know why the Swedes keep killing their elected officials. Neither does the Jazz Butcher. Could we learn something from this cold-hearted Viking alternative to democratic elections? It's hard to say...

[I'm just kidding, of course - my in-laws are some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet. Everyone minds their own business - a trait I wish I could attribute to my mom's family some times...]
posted by Monkey RobbL at 9:00 PM

 
Gray Davis is out of step with California. That's not news, but is there a politician with more of a tin ear than he? Consider this line from the first "debate":

Now we won in November and they wanted to have a do-over, be like the Oakland Raiders saying to Tampa Bay, we know that you beat us the first time, but we want to play the Super Bowl again.

Remember, he's speaking in Walnut Creek, a short drive East of Oakland. Why would he pick that contest? Aren't many Bay Area voters thinking, "Why, yes, I wish the Raiders could have another shot! Well, the next best thing is dumping this ridiculous Tampa Bay fan of a governor."
posted by David at 1:40 AM

 
I know it's hard to believe right now, but if Davis does manage to squeak out a victory in the recall, a halo will descend around him. He'll be riding high, and so will the Democrats...and Republicans will be painted as evil would-be usurpers. The implications for California and for presidential politics (and possibly the national Republican party) will be seen for many years.

I mention this because a friend of mine who is a true conservative sent an e-mail expressing reservations about the idea of the recall. However well founded those might have been in the abstract a few years ago, the situation now is very specific, very real and very critical.
posted by David at 1:34 AM

 
The monkeys have been busy harassing the nice folks over at the Hugh Hewitt show (you may have heard us yesterday saying "hello"). No need to get a restraining order--we're all on our way home.

Fortunately, the boys over at Fraters Libertas have been covering the important issues. I'm going to stay out of the Latin debate, but since English is my mother tongue, I'll point out that the reference to "skeins of wine" is a bit...uh, tangled, since "skein" (from the Middle English skeyne) is a reel of thread. I think the esteemed Elder meant "skins," which is a great way to carry wine. If I were in ancient Rome, I'd probably have just lapped it out of the amphorae, but then I would have been one of the fraters appotus.

(Now Brad can explain why that's incorrect Latin when he gets back home later this week.)

posted by David at 11:28 PM

 
I'm back from Burning Man. It was a good time, but it's definitely the vacation for people who want to work hard. Weeks of planning and preparing, a long drive up to the Black Rock Desert (twelve hours from San Diego), a lot of building and set-up (I'll be posting pictures of the roller coaster soon) and then a long drive back. But it's a good time, and despite what Brad thinks, I don't want it to stay the same. What's the point in that? It's been fascinating watching it grow from less than 5,000 people to more than 30,000. As a libertarian, I've had to come to terms with the fact that as the group gets larger, there has to be more rules. I'll blog about this more in the weeks to come.

I will say this, though: it's funny to hear some of the people there talk about how they love to get away from commerce and capitalism. You can't pat yourself on the back too hard for living independently for a week when you did it by dropping $500 at the Reno Costco before you left...
posted by David at 10:27 PM

 
Latin Correction

Update from Brad: Hugh Hewitt asked him today on the air how to say "McClintock Must Go" in Latin. Brad says that it's unbelievably complicated, and whatever he said was wrong. The closest approximation is "McClintock exeundus est," which is roughly "McClintock should get out." He'll describe the Latin details when he can get to a computer again.
posted by David at 10:17 PM