by Benjamin J. Kirby
First up on the Weird-o-Meter is the Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. thing.
By all accounts, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has disappeared. His fellow members of the Illinois delegation don’t seem to know where he is. The people who do, like his wife and his staff, aren’t saying.
The mystery has been growing ever since the Democrat’s office announced on June 25 that he was taking medical leave for “exhaustion.” The days that followed have been dotted by vague and sometimes anonymous statements to the media that hinted something more serious might be at play.
Well, first you have to hope he's okay. It doesn't sound like it, but here's hoping it's all just a big misunderstanding, and the man is doing fine.
That said, there is something to the idea that, if you live in public life, you sort of owe the public an explanation. My fear would be that it's something so complicated and so awful, his staff and family just haven't figured out how to explain it all.
Here's hoping it all works out for him.
# # # #
I'm kind of a fan of design and typeface and fonts. I'm not any good at it, but I enjoy it. I've always thought the Obama Campaign folks have had nice looking stuff. I liked the "O" from last year, I liked the blue, the font -- and I like what they're using this year, too.
Now, of course, we get to put up with BuzzFeed, which to date has impressed me only with vaguely naughty Kate Upton GIFs, and their amusing but ultimately irrelevant lists ("33 Embarrassing Congressional Edits To Members' Wikipedia Pages"! Great, there's ten minutes of my life I'm never getting back...).
You have to wonder if BuzzFeed staff writer Zeke Miller felt any shame in posting this, then: "The New Obama Typeface: Revolution Gothic... A reader points out that President Barack Obama's new typeface is Revolution Gothic, a style inspired by retro Cuban propaganda posters".
The reader then goes on to ask the question -- apparently in seriousness -- "Who vets the fonts?"
This gave the opporturnity for Ben LaBolt, the Obama Campaign's press secretary, to do what every press guy loves more than just about anything, which is make fun of a reporter (such as Zeke might be) and a source all at the same time:
“Your GOP operative should have had the courtesy to stay sober before noon, and BuzzFeed should go back to labeling cat slideshows.”
I believe we all owe Mr. LaBolt a debt of gratitude for this generous public service.
Truly, if this is the very best the GOP can do -- see the font! It's Communist! -- then there may be no turning back for them.
The font. The font.
# # # #
Hey, did you hear about the worst TB outbreak in 20 years here in Florida.
No. No, you didn't.
The CDC officer had a serious warning for Florida health officials in April: A tuberculosis outbreak in Jacksonville was one of the worst his group had investigated in 20 years. Linked to 13 deaths and 99 illnesses, including six children, it would require concerted action to stop.
That report had been penned on April 5, exactly nine days after Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill that shrank the Department of Health and required the closure of the A.G. Holley State Hospital in Lantana, where tough tuberculosis cases have been treated for more than 60 years.
If you live in Florida and you vote for Rick Scott again, something is wrong with you.
Hey, it may be tuberculosis.
# # # #
Please read this Balloon-Juice post from Betty Cracker.
There are few things I love more than getting those weird, frequently awful forwarded emails which you can debunk with a quick trip to Snopes, or even just Google. I haven't gotten as many recently, probably because I lack the decency of Ms. Cracker and send smug responses to the originators.
-- More later --
Comments