Telling on himself

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FireDogLake has a small post about an unwisely candid remark by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:

When you do something together, the result is that it’s not usable in the election. I think there’s an understanding that if there’s a grand bargain, none of it will be usable in next year’s election.

That's what all these Gang-of-whatevers in the Senate are really about. A small group of members from both parties collude in closed meetings to strike a "grand bargain" on a major issue. These bargains reflect implement the goals of powerful elite interests at the expense of ordinary Americans. On their behalf, elite political commentators lecture us all about how we must swallow our medicine, like big girls and boys. Even when a grand bargain is highly unpopular, voters who want to punish the responsible party have no practical recourse. Politicians know this, and that's why these "gangs" emerge from the mud as predictably as locusts. And most politicians know not to actually admit to this. But not poor Mitch McConnell.

Trashy little friend of the business world

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As seen on Atrios, Scott Simon's "friend from the business world, Joe Nocera," clearly demonstrates the odious nature of celebrity journalists with some intervention by a blogger named Matt Browner Hamlin. Nocera believes it is right and proper that there should be two different kinds of contracts for each of the nation's two principal social castes (i.e., Masters Of The Universe and All The Rest Of Us Slobs) --- one type that is sacrosanct versus another type that is merely a short-term serving suggestion to trick the rubes.

What a trashy little whore a man must be to write such things for open consideration by the general public. When celebrity journalists and pundits are not held accountable by their publishers for spreading lies or demonstrably ridiculous opinions, they need no credibility in order to earn a giant payday. It makes a guy wonder why the New York Times keeps people like that on salary.

I'll bet Joe Nocera is the type of person who thinks he's too important to wash his hands before returning to work. Absent gloves or hand sanitizer, never shake hands with a trashy little whore of a man. And if he touches you anyway, consider chopping off his hands. Thus Sprach StuporMundi.

That's some opinionifying

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I'm happy to beat a properly selected dead horse if it might help to tenderize the carcass for other critters to pick apart and digest. But I'm even happier when high-visibility media critics take center stage with their hobnailed boots.

Todd Gitlin at TPMCafe laughs at two puffinating "Timesmen" who, offended by President Obama's lack of deference toward their employer at the press conference last night, characterize him as some sort of "professor" boring the nation with his thoughtful answers to the media's ignorant questions.

Then this evening I discover that Jamison Foser of Media Matters scooped Gitlin by a whole 12 minutes. Apparently another "Timesman" also published some comments he intended to be withering about "Professor Barack Obama" (emphasis by the commentator) this morning. But it was a different guy, and a different Times: Andrew Malcolm of The Los Angeles Times. Now, Andrew Malcolm isn't just any full-of-shit corporate pundit --- his previous job was serving as Laura Bush's press secretary.

Corporate newspapers are like 21st century investment banks: hollow assets. We know what's keeping the banks alive, but it's a mystery to me what is keeping the newspapers alive.

A Brooks & Shields joint

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Driving south on Prospect last night I had the misfortune of punching the radio through a transcription of the PBS NewsHour, and some insane punditry by Mark Shields and David Brooks. You just have to listen to it to appreciate the, what --- I don't know: stupidity, mendacity, mental illness? Depends on who was talking at a given moment. Examples:

1. Listen to how Shields immediately goes off the deep end in renouncing debate moderator questions about flag lapel pins while at the same time implying that people who agree with his opinion may be internet-based left-wing conspiracy nuts.

2. Marvel at how smarmy Brooks sounds right out of the gate, lecturing Shields (but really lecturing all of us rubes in the audience) about how important it is for moderators to ask presidential candidates questions to discover whether they are really like "us," possibly not aware of the fact that most of "us" wear lapel pins of any kind, and even fewer wear lapels.

3. Wrap your puny human mind around this bit of analysis by Shields: Pennsylvania have lost 237,00 manufacturing jobs since the beginning of the Bush administration; change has not been good for Pennsylvanians, and change is not a welcome message for these people because change has hurt them. Therefore, Pennsylvania is a "good fit" for Hillary Clinton. [I solemnly swear that my paraphrase of his clanging is accurate.]

4. Mystify yourself wondering why Brooks thinks it's appropriate to slip in an endorsement of retired Senator and unretired DLC A-hole Sam Nunn for VP. What?! That's some nice "being in touch," there, fella.

The insight of the evening, which both of these soiled specimens seemed to think they were uttering for the first time in American history: these (Democratic) people will just say whatever it takes to get elected without any regard for what they would actually have to do once in the Oval Office! Next week: Soylent Green is PEOPLE!

Epiphany

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Small-town crackers are so stupid that they need elitist pundits to convince them that Barack Obama condescended to them.