Archive for June 16th, 2008
June 16th, 2008
 
Near the end of this LONG PIECE in New York magazine, author John Heilemann writes:
“It would be hard to overstate the private pessimism that Hillary and Bill Clinton feel about [Barack] Obama’s general-election prospects.”
If that’s true (and Heilemann offers no direct quotes to support it), one has to wonder how sincere Hillary was in her promise to work her heart out in Obama’s campaign.
One also has to wonder what this does to chances that Hillary will be offered the veep slot on Obama’s ticket.
And there’s plenty of cause to wonder if such presumed pessimism is warranted. Let’s not forget that the Clintons’ vaunted political savvy sometimes is nothing they have reason to brag about. Witness Hillary’s spectacular loss of the nomination to Obama — despite all the endorsements and money and seeming inevitability she enjoyed when the process began.
UPDATE: Another indication that Hillary won’t be Obama’s running mate arises with THIS STORY about Obama hiring Patti Solis Doyle, who was fired a few months back as Hillary’s campaign manager. Doyle will serve as chief of staff to Obama’s running mate, whoever that is.
June 16th, 2008
Perhaps the most famous presidential campaign commercial in history was the one for Lyndon Johnson in 1964 in which the not-so-subtle message was that Republican challenger Barry Goldwater might start a nuclear war.
The “Daisy Girl” ad, as it was known, aired only once — on NBC, during the movie “David and Bathsheba” on Sept. 7 of that year. But countless millions of Americans have seen it in documentaries and news reports over the past 44 years.
The creator of the spot, Tony Schwartz, DIED Sunday at the age of 84.
Here’s the famous ad:
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June 16th, 2008
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His argument on this point makes no sense whatever, but Jim Cramer, the “Mad Money” screamer on cable television, SAYS our current energy crisis is attributable to Jimmy Carter having worn a sweater when he addressed the nation about energy issues in 1977.
Cramer says Carter “created a legacy. The legacy was, if we conserve, we’re wimps. If we’re wimps, we can’t get elected. … The darn cardigan sweater has cost us more energy independence.”
That suggests that Carter scoffed at conservation. But he didn’t. He did exactly the opposite. It was the Republican conservatives who cast Carter as a wimp for daring to suggest that Americans should cut back on energy consumption.
Consider this: Carter had solar panels installed on the White House roof as at least a symbolic gesture of conservation — but Ronald Reagan had them removed when he became president.
In those days, the prevailing attitude among conservatives was that conservation was wimpy stuff preached by liberal Democrats. My, how they laughed at Carter.
They’re not laughing anymore, notwithstanding Jim Cramer’s idiotic mischaracterization of Carter’s message regarding energy.
Or have I failed to discern that Cramer clumsily misspoke and actually meant to mock those who dared cast Carter as a wimp? Could be, especially considering that Cramer began his remarks about Carter by suggesting that the former president had died.
June 16th, 2008
 
TV critic Hal Boedeker, an admitted admirer of Tim Russert, SAYS the coverage of his death has been a bit much and, in some cases, has falsely “elevated him to preeminent journalist of his time.”
