Friday, January 09, 2004

Deconstructing Belief (and a few words on Franken) There is an interesting editorial, written by Steven Waldman, in the Washington Post regarding the tendency to deconstruct the faith statements of candidates.  It's good, and it follows our recent theme of politics and religion nicely. But now, the real point of what I want to say... Take note of the reference Waldman makes to Al Franken's criticism of Bush Commerce Secretary Don Evans' inability to remember important passages of the Bible. I'll say this now: I think Al Franken is funny.  But I also haven't read either of his political books, and I'll tell you why: I think the guy is just our (meaning, liberals) version of Andrew Sullivan.  I'm obviously sympathetic to his point of view, and he actually conducts research (or at least, has a staff to conduct research), unlike Sullivan.  But when I read excerpts from Franken, or listen to him speak, he seems almost like a parody to me.  Part of that is obviously by design: he's parodying the style and impact of FOX, Limbaugh and all the others, and trying to turn the style on them.  He's very good at it, and effective.  But Franken seems to me to cross a line of self-seriousness at times (I call this the Barkley Line, at least today), where he's just as guilty of being dogmatic and dismissive as the people he so effectively dispatches.  In other words, Franken is really just an inside joke, a nice little laugh in the corner with all his liberal buddies.  I like being in the corner with him, and I love the joke.  But Franken's message and means should never be confused with those of people like Eric Alterman, whose work has a weight and importance (and it's own razor-sharp humor) that transcends anything Franken has ever done.  Franken's not going to win any converts with his message, nor does he seem to want to.  Alterman, on the other hand, gives people access to well-researched ideas about how we ended up where we are today, and what it might mean tomorrow.  It has a point of view, certainly, but one that is tempered as much as possible with objectivity and fact and an eye toward history. Should you ever find yourself in a discussion with the conservatively-inclined, Alterman's ideas (and many others, most prominently for me Josh Marshall; Alterman's just the one I'm reading now) and data can help you actually have a discussion, can give you some basis to discuss the factual or perceived state of the media, or of Bush's record, and so forth.  You're still probably not going to win many converts, but you've got a little more going for you than "Rush Limbaugh is a fat-ass drug addict, so nyah!"  Franken can give you some of that objectiveness, but it can be hard to get past his hook, which is that he's out to twist their arms, or that given their same openings or a sympathetic media, he wouldn't hold back on lambasting and lampooning the conservatives in the same way they've done so to liberals.  It has a retributionary feel to it, which I think so many of us can identify with, but I wouldn't exactly call it the high or persuasive road. And yet, which one do most people know?  Which one is being asked publicly to run for Senate?  Again, I'm glad Al Franken exists, very much so.  But when he lives by the sword of base politics and emotional appeal, which leads him to call out the piety of Don Evans because he can't remember parts of the Bible, will he be willing to do the same for Howard Dean? 4:14:18 PM    Say what?[]

Oh, the Mystery Howard Kurtz, the Washington Post media critic, wonders why all the conservatives have suddenly backed Dean.  Of course, his fifth mused reason for this shift in faith was left off the final copy, which was: "They are all full of shit, just like me!" It's a wonderful example of how something that would seem to be as impartial as media criticism can easily morph into just another voice in the ideological debate.  He makes sure to print Sullivan's 200 words on the Evils of Dean before Andy's conclusion that a Dean candidacy would be "refreshing".  Gosh, Sullivan, wonder how you would have flayed the guy had he not been sympathetic to your own pet issue?  Actually, the Kristol quotes are fairly measured in terms of Dean's position, and thankfully do not veer into the all-knowing eye-gazing of other "media experts" like Peggy Noonan, who has this to say about Dean: "He is not a happy warrior but an angry one. In the past I have thought of him as an angry little teapot, but that is perhaps too merry an image. His eyes are cold marbles, in repose his face falls into lines of mere calculation.. Lines of mere calculation?  Priceless. I love it when media criticism just turns into a link page and greatest hits operation.  Calling people like Noonan and Jonah Goldberg "media" is a very thin line; they are, but only in the way that O'Doul's is called "beer".  But calling this kind of column "criticism" is just an insult.  It's just one man's stroll through his ideological brethren, and reprinting whatever they happen to be saying that particular day.  If that's what you're going to do, Howard, there are a lot of people doing it a hell of a lot better than you right now. 3:39:39 PM    Say what?[]

Have you heard?  Brett Favre's dad died. The Seer Digs Deep Hey Ya!  The Seer is back with his 75% success rate against the playoff spreads.  75% is indeed the target in this post-season endeavor, and so this pleases the staff of Pipeline, as so much of our talent budget was spent to lure the Seer out of his self-imposed exile. Panthers @ Rams, Rams by 7.5 The Panthers feature a nasty defense, with an especially quick and aggressive defensive front.  It's an interesting matchup, because the Rams' primary strength is the ability of Marc Bulger to deliver quick, accurate passes on timing routes.  Given that, it's not likely that the Rams will do much to move Bulger out of the pocket, and so this is very much a matchup of strength against strength.  That is, until you consider that the Rams' real strength is Marshall Faulk, assuming Mike Martz decides to use him.  If Faulk can get off enough to slow down the Carolina front, it will disrupt their pass rush enough that the rest of the defensive scheme will suffer. The Seer supposes the Rams are just where they want to be: on turf, and off the radar.  It's a big spread, but... The Seer Sees: Rams cover Titans @ Patriots, Patriots by 5.5 Sheesh.  This line scares the Seer, who says with Phil Hartman Frankenstein voice: "Line baaaad!"  How would Mary Shelley's Monster break this one down?  "Titans good.  Steve McNair good.  Patriots good.  Daylight too bright!  Bill Belichick good coach.  Jeff Fisher good coach, too.  Fire, bad!  Patriots at home.  Patriots have rest.  Elsa Lanchester hot!" The Seer Sees: Patriots cover Colts @ Chiefs, Chiefs by 3 Much consternation over this game among Chiefs fans the Seer speaks with, who are all waking with night sweats over visions of Peyton Manning throwing for 4 first-half TD's against the Chiefs' porous secondary.  The Seer hears this a lot: "Yeah, but the Chiefs could score 35, and that might be enough to win.  Right?"  This is usually said while on one knee, looking skyward.  This is going to be a shootout, but Vermeil's tears will be of joy for at least one more week. The Seer Sees: Chiefs cover Packers @ Eagles, Eagles by 5 Pipeline has learned that Irvin Favre, father of star Packer QB Brett Favre, has died.  It's hard to say how this will impact Brett; he could produce a big game, or he could be emotionally weighed down, but above all, he is a hero for having had the courage to have a father who died. The Seer hates to diss anything to do with #4, because the guy's just so much damned fun to watch.  But enough already with the hero bit and the Dead Dad storyline.  It's there, you have to talk about it, but teams don't ride through the playoffs on that stuff.  Too bad, because the farther this team goes, the louder this story is going to get.  The Seer can't say if it will last another week, but the Seer will say the Eagles aren't good enough to cover this, unless Donovan McNabb's dad happens to die over the weekend. Oh, and here's a question for Rush: If the Lib'rul Media wanted to build McNabb up, why aren't they also taking steps to tear white QB's down, like Favre?  Not seeing too much of that, are we?  Philly has the least talent I think I've seen in awhile for a #1 seed; if that's not a ringing endorsement of McNabb's value, I don't know what is. The Seer Sees: Packers beat the spread 11:50:43 AM    Say what?[]

Blazin' Look, if you're the Portland TrailBlazers, and the Knicks really are offering you Keith Van Horn and Michael Sweetney for Rasheed Wallace, how can you not make that deal?  Portland should count their blessings that anybody wants the guy at all.  If I were Portland, I'd take two used jock straps and a stack of new Gatorade cups for the guy. And, since he's on one of my fantasy teams, I might as well say that he's on my own personal trading block, too.  At this point, I'd take Bobby Phills for him. 11:01:08 AM    Say what?[]

Free Trade Butter If you ever find yourself a bit confused about what the "free trade" codewords and labels mean in an election (as I usually do), you might find this article by Michael Kinsley in Slate to be a good read. 10:57:49 AM    Say what?[]

Clark's Gender Gap Looks like the ladies don't think Wesley Clark is all that sexy after all.  He is showing signs of a large gender gap in his polling numbers.  This, despite Clark's recent ascendance in the polls in New Hampshire, and his neck-and-neck running with Howard Dean in national polls. The conventional wisdom is that women are turned off by Clark's military facade.  If anything, though, I would consider this to be a bit of good news for Clark, in that they have a whole core of voters that they can target and work on.  It also means that the Clark resurgence in the polls could be quite far from losing steam, if Clark can continue to close the gender gap.  I laughed initially when I read about Madonna's endorsement of Clark, but that was before I understood exactly how he was playing to female voters.  I don't think Madonna's exactly going to seal the female vote up for him, but there is no question that there are going to be many women who will at least take note of her endorsement and choose to look more closely. I think that benefits Clark, greatly.  Has he stumbled at times?  Sure.  But I continue to be impressed with just how bright the guy is, and how much he seems to understand the context of the race and his potential place in it.  Dean's anti-Washington platform might turn out to be Clark's greatest aid, since Dean can't use it on Clark.  If anything, Clark can use the same essential argument on Dean, saying that politicians don't just live in DC, they can be governors, too.  (Personally, I think the "outsider" arguments are pretty lame and have strategically little use, since people are only outsiders up to the point they can win an election, and it's not at all clear that people want an "outsider" now anyway.) Clark's turning this into a race, but it's going to be close.  He's not campaigning in Iowa, but whatever scant support he gets there will be closely analyzed from the "he didn't even campaign here, and he got X%..." perspective.  He'll need to roll in New Hampshire, and polls indicate that he could be in a position to do just that.  Much happens between now and then, but Howard Dean is far from a forgone conclusion to be the Dem nominee. When can we expect to see Clinton hitting the trail hard and heavy for his general? 9:59:13 AM    Say what?[]

And We'll Call The Mars Lander "The Diversion" I like space.  I think it's important to be there.  So why am I so skeptical about Bush's soon-arriving mission statement for NASA, to go to the moon or Mars? Does NASA need a goal?  You bet.  Is NASA going to require a major budgetary commitment in the next 10 years to help replace the aging shuttle fleet and concept?  Yes, if we intend to continue doing anything of note in space. But I'm certainly skeptical of the timing of this announcement.  And more than that, I'm troubled by the budgetary questions.  It's one thing to pour massive amounts of cash into the space program when your budgets are balanced and your economy is humming along, but given the way the Bush budgets have gone lately, it's not too much hyperbole to say that our country is literally taking away money from schools and health care and blasting it into space. On the bright side, maybe Bush will pull his flight suit-stunt again and actually go to Mars. 9:46:45 AM    Say what?[]

© Copyright 2004 DH. Last update: 2/2/2004; 11:29:58 AM.