Niche blogging at its best.
Month: January 2008
Clinton: A View From Europe
And not a pretty one:
Her campaign managers probably think they are creating a perception of her as a bold, decisive and humane woman with the extraordinary intelligence required to cope with America’s and the world’s problems. To non-Americans she appears to be a mean street fighter who might be a vindictive and war-mongering President if her pride is crossed. She looks like the caricature ugly American who will stoop to anything to win. If she does this now, she might do so in foreign policy as well.
How Does John Edwards Become President?
A good question and a long answer.
The Democrats’ Reagan
Rod Dreher jumps on the wagon:
If I were a Republican, I’d be very, very afraid. Oh wait, I am a Republican. Dang.
Paging Perot
He thought Obama was a Muslim until further information. Emails are wonderful, aren’t they?
Her Fans
Don’t say she hasn’t got any.
“Grit and Grace”
Ted’s endorsement:
"With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion. With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."
On that latter point, no other candidate has defended gay people as "brothers and sisters" without prompting in front of a non-gay crowd in the height of an election campaign. The Clintons don’t do that. In fact, they have often done the opposite, using the fear of gay people as a way to triangulate for their own purposes. That matters to me. It should matter to gays and straights who care about equality under the law. On policy, there is no difference between Clinton and Obama. In terms of character, there is all the difference in the world.
Tightening In Colorado
In a critical Western test, Obama moves into a tiny lead.
Clinton and Cruise
Pretty fab:
Poseur Alert
"The sensual act of chewing, the voluptuous warmth of rebelling saliva, the artificial and secretly aseptic fragrance which spreads from the mouth as a promise and missed kiss. The synthetic fleshliness of the pink color, the obsessive square shape of the product unwrapped and ready to be shred to pieces by the power of the tongue, all compete in crashing on the senses. Applying all this to the power and energy of the Sculpture and its history causes a short circuit having the capacity of turning the ludic into stately and vice versa. The strict minimalism of parallelepiped is subverted by the uniform coating with many bars of chewing-gum completely cover it, rendering chewable to desire, soft and provoking to forbidden touch, what was abstract and distant," – a critical appreciation from Pastaficiocerere of an Italian sculptor who uses chewed chewing gum as a material.
A Dish Awards glossary, including "Poseur Alerts", can be read here.
