07/06/2010 archive

An Alternet story from yesterday contemplates the reason for women dominating the rank of the Tea Party movement. According to a Quinipiac poll the the TP is 55% women and Slate 6 of the 8 Tea Party Patriots are women and 15 of the 25 state coordinators are women. Like the men, they are predominantly white, Christian and “middle class”. It ain’t just angry white men.

July 5, 2010 Why have American women become so active in the right wing Tea Party movement? Could it be that they are drawn to the new conservative Christian feminism publicized by Sarah Palin? Without its grassroots female supporters, the Tea Party would have far less appeal to voters who are frightened by economic insecurity, threats to moral purity and the gradual disappearance of a national white Christian culture.

Most Americans are not quite sure what to make of the sprawling right-wing Tea Party, which gradually emerged in 2009 and became a household name after it held nationwide Tea Party rallies on April 15th 2010, to protest paying taxes. Throwing tea overboard, as you may remember, is an important symbolic image of the colonial anger at Britain’s policy of “taxation without representation.”

(T)here’s something else in David’s column, which I see a lot: the argument that because a lot of important people believe something, it must make sense:

… Are you sure your theorists are right and theirs are wrong?

Yes, I am. It’s called looking at the evidence. I’ve looked hard at the arguments the Pain Caucus is making, the evidence that supposedly supports their case – and there’s no there there.

And you just have to wonder how it’s possible to have lived through the last ten years and still imagine that because a lot of Serious People believe something, you should believe it too. Iraq? Housing bubble? Inflation?

…

The moral I’ve taken from recent years isn’t Be Humble – it’s Question Authority. And you should too.

NASCAR in the Ardennes!

Well, it appears the major effect of yesterday’s crash fest in the rain is to let Chavanel take a 3 minute lead in Yellow and he is a major contender who could easily use this to put on an early move.

Garmin loses Vande Velde, is the most injured team by far, since the Schlecks don’t seem as badly hurt as early indications.

Most people will be starting bruised and sore.

There’s evidently some controversy about a ‘riders strike’ that resulted in that 3 minute gap.  I don’t think it’s necessarily that big a deal.  Lance is 6th overall and is part of the pack with all the other contenders who settled for the same time.

This happens all the time at the Tour and is generally held to indicate good sportsmanship.

To hear statements like–

“They put on a dangerous stage and so when they put it on like that that’s the results they’ll get,” said Horner.

“They got all their drama on the descent and they lost it all at the finish and they got what they deserved.

There?s no place in the Tour de France for a stage like this.”

seems a little strident.

I’m more with Lance on this one- “These hills around here and the Ardennes are legendary, it’s part of cycling. Liege-Bastogne-Liege has been around for a hundred years and they do that on the snow.”

Cobblestone Carnage today.  Seven slippery rutted stages in the sun, not quite so much fun in the damp.

Browsing the op-ed pages of the print media  and an open thread to vent. Pour a cup of coffee or brew some tea and contemplate the day.

Paul Krugman came down on Republicans who think they will get elected by punishing the unemployed by blocking Unemployment benefits.

By the heartless, I mean Republicans who have made the cynical calculation that blocking anything President Obama tries to do – including, or perhaps especially, anything that might alleviate the nation’s economic pain – improves their chances in the midterm elections. Don’t pretend to be shocked: you know they’re out there, and make up a large share of the G.O.P. caucus.

By the clueless I mean people like Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate for senator from Nevada, who has repeatedly insisted that the unemployed are deliberately choosing to stay jobless, so that they can keep collecting benefits. A sample remark: “You can make more money on unemployment than you can going down and getting one of those jobs that is an honest job but it doesn’t pay as much. We’ve put in so much entitlement into our government that we really have spoiled our citizenry.”

There are two very big games coming up.  They are semi-finals.  That means that the winners meet to decide who takes home the World Cup.  The final final is on July 11, 2010.

The two games that are semi finals:

Tuesday, 2:30 pm EDT Uruguay v. Netherlands

Wednesday, 2:30 pm EDT Germany v. Spain

Join me below for El Prognostico.

Every night, but especially around holidays. it can be difficult to find programming that doesn’t make you want to gouge your eyes out.

No Keith or Rachel.  Letterman and Leno repeats.

Here are some things that look at least marginally interesting to me.

8 pm sharp!  Nick– Spongebob Squarepants World Premier: “The Clash of Triton”.

9:30 pm Toon– Total Drama World Tour : “Super Crazy Happy Fun Time Japan”.

• Spike– Band of Brothers Parts 8, 9, & 10.
• AMC– Mad Men.
• ESPN– Atlanta @ Phillie.
• FX– Alien vs. Predator.
• History– Pawn Stars and American Pickers.
• MTV– Napoleon Dynamite
• SciFi– Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
• TBS– Family Guy punctuated by Neighbors From Hell.
• Turner Classic– Moby Dick.

Later-

Jon and Stephen have original programming.  Jon’s guest is Denis Leary shilling a new season of Rescue Me and it’s likely to be as terrible as his interviews of Denis always are.  Stephen is hosting physicist Michio Kaku.  The 12:30 Futurama is from the new season.

• Food– Good Eats : “Yes We Have No Banana Pudding”.
• Turner Classic– To Kill a Mockingbird.
• SciFi– Pirates all over again.

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

39 Story Final.

1 Polish liberals hold the reins after presidential victory

by Jonathan Fowler, AFP

15 mins ago