Archive for November, 2008
Take Names, Kick Ass or Move On
On her MSNBC eponymous show, Rachel Maddow has been singing a tune of late that bothers me. Don’t get me wrong. I am usually a big fan of Ms. Maddow but lately it seems that Barack Obama’s recent victory is just not enough for her. She wants blood. She wants folks to take names and kick ass.
Rachel Maddow
First example was a few nights ago when Rachel was disgusted by the fact that “convicted felon” Ted Stevens (that now appears to be his official name — Convicted-Felon-Ted-Stevens) received a standing ovation in the Senate upon his final speech to that chamber. Now fine, it IS against the rules of the Senate to give anyone a standing-o after they speak. But that was not the real source of Rachel’s dismay. She felt the Senate was honoring a disreputable individual. My loyal readers already know that I think the whole Stevens thing was much ado about nothing. Now that the 85 year old man who has, after all, devoted the better part of his life to service to his state and his country is about to limp into the sunset, what’s the matter with a little applause? I’m sorry folks but Ted Stevens was by no means the worst that the Republican party had to offer.
Then a couple of nights ago, and again tonight, Rachel got into an uproar about the likelihood of Bush “war crimes” going unprosecuted. Now I’ll be the first to admit that in moments of liberal rage over the past election cycle I’ve called for Bush and especially Cheney to get called on the carpet. Even in my earlier plea to leave poor Ted (the internet is a series of tubes) Stevens alone, I contrasted him with our current dastardly heads of state. Now that Obama has won, I’m finding myself of the thought that cooler heads should prevail.
We are in the worst financial crisis since The Great Depression. We are fighting two wars, neither of which directly involves probably our greatest threat, Pakistan. What purpose does it serve now to divert our nation’s attention to prosecuting Bush administration officials? If this were the best of times and not the worst then I might consider it but with all we have on our plate, it just seems like an exercise in vindictiveness. Maddow’s guest tonight, Jonathan Turley, George Washington University law professor, argued that to let the Bush administration’s crimes go unpunished would encourage future administrations to do the same. Prosecuting war crimes would send a clear message to the international community. I argue that the best message we can send about war crimes is to STOP THEM! Obama has pledged that there will be no torture, no extraordinary rendition on his watch. For the time being this is good enough for me.
Finally, tonight Rachel took what can only be described as a gratuitous kick in the groin to John McCain, Arizona Senator and recently defeated Presidential candidate. McCain gave a press conference today which few reporters attended and only MSNBC carried live. Ms. Maddow seemed to take great joy in how “pathetic” a display this was. I have never been an apologist for John McCain. He ran either by his own design or that of his handlers a despicable campaign. With VP candidate Sarah Palin as his kamikaze pilot, he stirred the ugliest instincts in his supporters. But I am a firm believer that success is the best revenge. Obama won. McCain LOST. Not only did McCain lose, but from the moment he began his concession speech to this very second he has been nothing if not gracious and conciliatory. He has exhibited the kind of class it would have been nice to see during the campaign. Today’s press conference was no exception. Not only did he admit that the Republican party needs to change, he also refused to throw Sarah Palin under the snow mobile. So, why can’t Rachel Maddow let it go? What more does she want from the man?
On January 20, 2009 we close one of the most troublesome chapters in American history. It is my sincere hope that from that day forward, Barack Obama takes names and kicks ass to ensure that this country gets back on the right course. As far as the past is concerned, let the history books pass judgement on the events of the Bush administration and the Republicans and the McCain campaign. We need to move on. There are just too many important things we need to do looking toward the future. We don’t have a minute to spare on the past.
Respectfully,
Rutherford
6 comments November 26, 2008
To Bail or Not to Bail
For the past few days I have been waffling on the subject of whether our government should bail out the big three auto makers. On the one hand, this is a capitalist country and the way capitalism works is if you can’t compete, you lose. Period.
On the other hand, our economy is in the tank and the failure of our auto industry would send ripples through all sorts of directly and tangentially related businesses. As they said about AIG a few weeks ago, the Big 3 may be too big to fail.
I’m waffling no more and you know what tipped the scales for me? The CEO’s of Chrysler, GM and Ford, testified before Congress this week in an attempt to get a bailout loan. Guess how these guys got from Detroit to Washington D.C.? Using their private jets. Not even just one private jet. Three private jets at an estimated cost of $20,000 each. The arrogance on display here is beyond measure. These guys don’t get it and Congress did not turn a blind eye to it either. Representative Gary Ackerman put it nicely:
“There’s a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands,” Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.) advised the pampered executives at a hearing yesterday. “It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high-hat and tuxedo. . . . I mean, couldn’t you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here?”
So you know what I say to these arrogant, in-the-pocket-of-the-oil-company fat cats? File chapter 11 like every other business that can’t compete. You’ve had your head up your hind quarters for decades, resisting every suggestion to modernize the fleet and make your cars both competitive and future oriented (i.e. more electricity, less gasoline).
Now there are those who ask whether this hard line attitude is worth the damage that could be done. I have heard only one credible objection to the auto makers going bankrupt and that is that no one will buy a car if they can’t be sure the maker will be around to warranty the car down the line. So, I suggest that the government play a limited role here. How about a government subsidized warranty program for the auto makers until they get back on their feet? This way the money is specifically targeted towards helping the auto makers maintain sales while they retool their organizations.
Bottom line: the CEO’s joyride to Washington is proof positive that they are unfit to lead this industry into the future. Their companies need to go bankrupt, re-organize with a new business plan and clean up shop. One of the on air pundits suggested putting Steve Jobs in charge of the retooling. It’s a damn good idea. As my wife says, give Steve Jobs a year and we’d have the i-Car. It would sell like hotcakes and would address the environmental and economic concerns that the auto industry has ignored for the past 30 years.
Respectfully,
Rutherford
4 comments November 20, 2008
What Does “Countdown” Have Against Andrew Johnson?
OK. I know this is not of any great significance but it gets under my skin all the same.
Back in May, Rachel Maddow was subbing for host Keith Olbermann on MSNBC’s “Countdown” when she was discussing precedents for presidential impeachment. Along the way she made a remark about the impeachment of “Andrew Jackson”. Ehhhhhh, no. The president in question was Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln’s successor. At least Rachel corrected herself after the commercial break.
Last night, when David Shuster was subbing for Keith Olbermann it was deja vu all over again. This time the trivia tidbit was that “Andrew Jackson” had pardoned the entire Confederacy in an act of reconciliation. Yikes! There was no Confederacy to pardon when Jackson was president (waaaay before the Civil War). Again, the president in question was Andrew Johnson.
Could it be that Keith Olbermann is more careful about what he is reading off the teleprompter so he catches these dumb mistakes before they leave his lips while his substitute hosts can’t seem to keep up? I don’t know what the problem is but I wish the “Countdown” research staff and the substitute hosts would get their act together, at least for the sake of the kids who might be watching and may want to learn something.
Needless to say I’ll be paying close attention to “Countdown” on Friday, November 21 when whoever is hosting the show that night makes the following faux pas:
Tomorrow marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Approximately two hours after the shooting, Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States.
Respectfully,
Rutherford
6 comments November 18, 2008
Just When You Thought He Had Gone Away
Upon John McCain’s defeat in his presidential bid, I thought it unlikely that Sarah Palin would disappear and sure enough, released from the shackles of the McCain handlers, Sarah is talking (and talking and talking) to anyone who will give her an ear.
However, there was one fellow who I thought would fade into the obscurity whence he came, and that is one Samuel Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber. To my great horror, I was wrong. The research division of the Rutherford Lawson Blog (my wife) unearthed this web site for me this morning. To my horror, Joe is back and back with a vengeance. If any of my loyal readers can prove this web site to be a fraud (i.e. not actually endorsed by Joe) please contact me so that I can sleep again at night.
A message from Joe …
Congratulations to Barack Obama. The American electorate has decided that he will be our next president. As I have stated, I will honor and support my president, but there will be no free ride. When President-Elect Obama takes office in January, his term of service to the American people begins. We wish our new president blessings of wisdom and good judgment, and we pray he hearkens to our voice if ever we feel our American Dream is being threatened. It will be a loud voice, so good luck trying to ignore it.
What I’d like to do is just be able to ignore Joe the Plumber but I don’t think he’ll let me.
Respectfully,
Rutherford
4 comments November 14, 2008
Friday Funnies
At the end of a pretty emotional week, I thought I might lighten things up a bit with some random thoughts culled from my head and the web.
An Employment Opportunity for Joe the Plumber
Even I’m too young to have known that the advertising icon for a popular household cleaner used to be played by a live human being as opposed to a cartoon character. Sadly, the fellow who played Mr. Clean, House Peters Jr. died about a month ago at age 92. But the silver lining to this sad story is that it opens up a job opportunity for someone whose fifteen minutes of fame might have been shortened by John McCain’s recent election loss. You tell me that Samuel (Joe) Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, isn’t a perfect fit for the Mr. Clean ad campaign!
Mr. Clean
Joe the Plumber
Although I thought of this on my own, I stumbled upon at least one netizen who agrees with me.
Advice to Obama: Don’t Forget What is Really Important
Some very sweet low key advice from The Color Purple author, Alice Walker to Barack Obama:
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
One Step Forward and Two Steps Back
Satirical e-zine The Onion reminds us that Barack’s ascension to the United States Presidency really has not advanced the cause of black folk at all:
Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job
November 5, 2008 | Issue 44•45
WASHINGTON—African-American man Barack Obama, 47, was given the least-desirable job in the entire country Tuesday when he was elected president of the United States of America. In his new high-stress, low-reward position, Obama will be charged with such tasks as completely overhauling the nation’s broken-down economy, repairing the crumbling infrastructure, and generally having to please more than 300 million Americans and cater to their every whim on a daily basis. As part of his duties, the black man will have to spend four to eight years cleaning up the messes other people left behind. The job comes with such intense scrutiny and so certain a guarantee of failure that only one other person even bothered applying for it. Said scholar and activist Mark L. Denton, “It just goes to show you that, in this country, a black man still can’t catch a break.”
via Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source
Sometimes a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
By illustrator Patrick Moberg.
via The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan (November 07, 2008) – Flava!
Respectfully,
Rutherford
Add comment November 8, 2008
Obama Video Address: November 29, 2008
For many Americans, it is hard to find something for which to be thankful this year. One of the roles that our leaders must play is to remind us of our past successes and our ability to overcome adversity. On a personal level, we can be thankful for the presence of our loved ones and the fond memories of those no longer with us. On a political level, we can be thankful for a country that every four years gives us the opportunity to re-invent ourselves, without a coup, without bloodshed. If any election in our lifetime represented this chance to re-invent, it was the election of 2008.
This Thanksgiving, Barack Obama reminds us that we will come out of these hard times together as one nation and that better days are ahead.
And now, the President-elect:
Respectfully,
Rutherford
WordPress.com Political Blogger Alliance
Add comment November 29, 2008