by Benjamin J. Kirby
This take from Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone is just about the best take on Romney's disastrous NAACP speech I've seen.
Romney really showed us something in his luridly self-congratulating N.A.A.C.P. gambit, followed by the awesomely disgusting "free stuff" post-mortem speech he delivered the next night in front of friendlier audiences. The twin appearances revealed the candidate to be not merely unlikable, and not merely a fatuous, unoriginal hack of a politician, but also a genuinely repugnant human being, a grasping corporate hypocrite with so little feel for how to get along with people that he has to dream up elaborate schemes just to try to pander to the mob.
Uh, yes.
I'm a little surprised Taibbi didn't mention the truly despicable floating of Condi Rice's name for VP. As a natural optimist, I hate to play the cynicism card, but in this instance, I'm given little choice. The timing of having former Secretary Rice -- an African-American woman -- mentioned as VP was simply too convenient after Romney's disastrous speech to one of the largest, most important civil rights groups in the country. Of course, she was never, ever going to be named VP. She's pro-choice.
Romney and his people are going to have to do better than this. If they can.
# # # #
And, quick memo to Team Romney: if you're going to hit the other guy on an issue like who donates to his campaign, you'd better be ready to release your own list of donors.
# # # #
Memo number two to Team Romney: the retroactive retirement thing isn't helping. At all.
# # # #
Final memo to Team Romney: [sighs... takes off glasses and rubs eyes... sighs again...] Seriously, you guys? Teresa Heinza Kerry? Seriously?
Stop it. Please.
# # # #
Something is going on in North Korea:
With a terse four-paragraph statement, North Korea on Monday announced the dismissal of its top military leader, the latest in what analysts describe as a series of increasingly bold shake-ups to strengthen support for young leader Kim Jong Eun.
The North’s official media said that general Ri Yong Ho, who controlled a 1.2 million-member army, was “relieved of all his posts” because of illness.
But North Korea watchers in Seoul, Washington and Beijing quickly cast doubt on the state’s story, noting that Ri, 69, had made several high-profile public appearances earlier this month and looked healthy.
Stuff happening in North Korea always makes me a little more nervous than usual, because it's so secretive and nobody really knows much about it. We don't even know how old the new leader, Kim Jong Eun, really is ("...thought to be in his late 20s...").
The article goes on to speculate that perhaps Mr. Kim is building his own network of support.
But even if that's true, what does it mean?
Once again, I'm an optimist, so I hope that whatever is going on over there might mean even just a little freedom for what might be the most oppressed people on the planet.
# # # #
Thug Congressman Vern Buchanan can't catch a break.
Just when the Congressman managed to get cleared by his colleagues on the House Ethics Committee, he turns around and his opponent, Keith Fitzgerald, outraises him on the campaign trail.
Keep the momentum going for Keith.
-- More later --
Comments