National
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024
The wind at the Democratic Party’s back might get a little stronger as the election approaches. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled he will cut interest rates in response to falling inflation stats and soft job-creation numbers. If elections are still about the economy – highly doubtful when society is menaced by the Coalition of […]
Song of the Day 8/22: Alicia Keys, “Girl on Fire”
I don’t know what song they’ll play when Kamala Harris takes the stage to deliver her acceptance speech tonight – the smart money would be on Beyonce – but they could do worse than this empowerment ballad. Alicia Keys made it the title track of her 2012 LP, and it’s one of the tunes the […]
Song of the Day 8/21: Jason Isbell, “Something More Than Free”
The Democratic National Convention on Monday night featured Jason Isbell performing the title song from his 2015 LP. That album was his commercial breakthrough – it went to No. 1 on Billboard’s rock, folk and country charts.
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024
Big night at the Democratic National Convention, as both Michelle and Barack Obama showed off their skills. The contrast between the Obamas’ soaring oratory and Trump’s professional wrestling taunts and bluster could not be sharper. Look, clowns have their place – the circus. So if you let them run the country, they turn it into […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024
The first day of the Democratic National Convention went off smoothly – the biggest glitch was James Taylor getting bumped from the schedule because cheering went on so long. The best news: the Gaza protest fell far short of organizers’ plans. “The turnout appeared to be well below the tens of thousands that organizers had […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Aug. 19, 2024
The Harris/Walz ticket is riding high right now, and the chattering classes seem to think the Democratic National Convention, which starts today, is going to keep the positive vibes flowing. I’m too old to think a Democratic convention in Chicago is likely to go without a hitch. Indeed, the media should be counted on to […]
The Sanest (Ex-) President Ever!
In his own words: This is the most Radical Left duo in American history. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again. Crazy Kamabla is, indeed, CRAZY. I HEAR THERE IS A BIG MOVEMENT TO “BRING BACK CROOKED JOE.” Oh, and: What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the […]
Song of the Day 8/7: Warren Zevon, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz might present as an old man, but he’s only 60, and a whole lot cooler than he looks. He proved it when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its class of 2023. Walz sent out a tweet: “As Governor of Minnesota I cannot believe Warren Zevon was not inducted […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024
Reaction to Kamala Harris’ selection of Tim Walz as her running mate has been widely praised. Most pundits have cited his mien, best summed up by Harold Meyerson of the American Prospect as “Hubert Humphrey without Vietnam.” Walz’s happy warrior style reminded me of Humphrey, too, but I’d say “with a sharper tongue.” Ol’ Hubert […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024
Kamala Harris will name her choice for vice president today. Because American politics is essentially sports for the athletically disinclined, the bookies have Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pulling slightly ahead of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as the betting favorite, and that’s considered a news story. A couple of bad days for the stock markets was […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Everyone knows the story of the emperor’s new clothes, but I think they miss the point of it. As Hans Christian Andersen told it, two con-men told the king their cloth was invisible to stupid people, so everyone pretended they saw it to avoid appearing stupid. It took a child to blurt out that he […]
Song of the Day 7/30: Flavor Flav, “Unga Bunga Bunga”
OK, who saw this one coming? A major financial backer and official hype man for the U.S. women’s water polo team is none other than Flavor Flav, who came to fame as Chuck D’s sidekick in Public Enemy before he went mainstream on reality TV. If you have to ask why, you don’t understand modern […]
DL Open Thread Monday, July 29, 2024
I was assured several days ago that Republicans would welcome a race against Kamala Harris because they had lots of ways to attack her. So far the attacks have been off-the-bottom-shelf specials noting that, hmm, let’s see…Apparently she’s a woman and she’s Black, so she slept her way to the top when she wasn’t being […]
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