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All Jolly, All The Time
Apparently, when radio stations switch to an "all Christmas music, all the time" format between November and New Year's, it pays off, according to poster Mike Grayeb at the New York Radio Message Board, who listens to New York's WPLJ-FM during the mornings:
Is this what it's come to? Who are these people who 1) Listen to all-Christmas music radio stations and 2) admit it when the Arbitron survey-takers call them up? The holiday music started even before Thanksgiving this year on several New York radio stations. Howard Stern has said that he is now out to destroy broadcast radio by switching to satellite. If he does, he'll do it with a lot of help from broadcast radio executives. By Ed Moltzen · 30 November 2004
Kofi Annan, Translated
U.N. Boss Kofi Annan gave an "off-the-cuff" press conference yesterday and spent a lot of time answering questions about why his son kept getting payments out of the corrupt, U.N.-administered Iraqi Oil-for-Food Program until earlier this year. Here is a Late Final translation of his remarks:
Translation: Don't bother me with this. Wait for our stone wall to be built, and then try to get some information.
Translation: The parents are always the last to know. Go bother someone else.
Translation: All my energy went into dinner parties with network executives and crossing my fingers that Kerry would get elected and that all this stuff would be swept under the rug. After all, nobody mentions Kurt Waldheim anymore, do they?
Translation: I'm not about to tell you which lawyers I advised him to see, which safe deposit boxes to place the cash or that I'm still looking for the third season of "Buffy" on DVD for Christmas. Nope. You're not getting that out of me.
Translation: What do I care? He hasn't hit me up for any cash in seven or eight years. He just should have been a little more quiet about it.
Translation: Are you kidding me? Norm Coleman? Who the hell is he? Give me a break. Everything is just fine. And besides, Vaclav Havel wouldn't take the job if you paid him. (Or his son.) By Ed Moltzen · 30 November 2004
Viagra Ads: Yes. VD Ads: No
Here's how it works: If you want to take out ads on CBS telling people which drugs they can take to get themselves all hot and bothered, that's a go. If you want to take out ads on CBS telling people which drugs they can take after they get hot and bothered for the wrong people, that's a big no. By Ed Moltzen · 30 November 2004
Stop A Minute And Think
We're all a bunch of chronic complainers - let's face it. Pyschodrama Nation continues to thrive. It's so bad, Wal-Mart can't even have a moderately busy Friday without a lot of people wringing their hands. So stop for a moment and read this, from the blog Dove's Eye View:
It's worth reading the whole thing. It's worth noting there's not a word of self-pity there - only a sense of self-confidence and optimism. Good. If there's no complaining in that well-written passage, we might want to re-evaluate our own gripes. By Ed Moltzen · 29 November 2004
Bad Flashback, Man
Has anyone else read arguments put forth in support of Buy Nothing Day, and gotten an eerie flashback to Jimmy Carter's "malaise speech?" Consider Carter:
Consider Andrew Sullivan:
Hand-ringing over American materialism was as annoying when Carter did it as it is when Sullivan does. If it's so bad, how can this be explained? By Ed Moltzen · 28 November 2004
Execution Calendar
When Frances Elaine Newton was 21, in 1987, she took out life insurance policies on herself, her seven-year old son Alton, and 21-month old daughter, Farrah. She already had a policy on her estranged husband, Adrian. On the night of April 7 that year, Adrian, Alton and Farrah were all shot to death with the same pistol - a gun owned by Newton's new boyfriend. Two weeks later, she filed claims to collect $100,000 on those insurance policies and the next day police charged her with three counts of capital murder. Her defense: She did take the gun with her to visit her estranged family, but only for protection. When she left their place, she said, they were all alive. A Texas jury didn't buy it. The convicted her and sentenced her to death. Now, 17 years later, Newton is scheduled for execution this week. She would be the third woman Texas has executed since 1982, but she's filed a petition seeking clemency. So far, no dice. Her lethal injection is scheduled for Wednesday. By Ed Moltzen · 28 November 2004
Taking One For The Team (Quietly)
Alex Berenson of The Times has been writing about controversies surrounding the growing use of Taser guns by law enforcement. In this piece, for example, he notes:
There was one test he didn't mention. The test he gave himself. According to a news release put out by Taser:
Maybe one of Taser's side effects is memory loss. Maybe Berenson couldn't read the notes he was taking in his notebook at the time. But, putting aside fairness for a moment: wouldn't this, in and of itself, be a great story? A first person account of a Taser exposure? In The Times, no less? By Ed Moltzen · 27 November 2004
Originals And Fakes
That is from Patent No. 295,990 dated April 1, 1884. Edison was only 37 years old at the time, well on his way to more than 1,200 patents by the time he died. The typewriter played a small role in one of the bigger stories this week - Dan Rather announcing his retirement in as dignified a manner as he could have hoped. (It's such a big story, Drudge hasn't changed it as his lead piece for three days.) If Rather had taken the time to figure out the difference between what Edison's invention produced and what Gates' software produced, who knows? Maybe President-elect Kerry would be announcing his selection of Richard Ben-Veniste as White House Counsel this week. And maybe Rather would be sticking around. So it goes. Establishment types may keep trying to portray Rather as something of an American original. He might be. Sometimes, though, it's worth looking back at history to compare the real originals to fakes. By Ed Moltzen · 25 November 2004
Stupid Language
Memo to children: You can be thirsty. You can be very thirsty. You can even be incredibly thirsty. But you can never, ever, be "stupid thirsty." Ever. Memo to parents: If your children say they are "stupid thirsty," and you don't grab them by the neck, look into their eyes, and correct them on the spot, don't complain in twenty five years when they are living in your basement and haven't yet dated. By Ed Moltzen · 24 November 2004
Who Will Put the "Ow" in Zarqawi?
Here's a report that bin Laden ally and terror mastermind Abu Zarqawi may be surrounded by Iraqi forces. (Hat tip: Roger Simon.) We've all been down this road before with reports that high-ranking terrorists were thisclose to capture, only to be disappointed. Still, the insurgency in Iraq has been hit and hit hard and it's only going to get worse for them. A few thoughts, though: For terrorists like Zarqawi, Khalid Sheik Mohammed and others, justice hasn't yet been completed. There are debts to be paid. People are not forgetting Danny Pearl and Lawrence Foley and Nicholas Berg. Nobody will ever forget 9/11. KSM will have his turn. Zarqawi will, too, once he is caught. (Although Iraqi troops might not want use the same restraint with Zarqawi that the U.S. would use, if they get to him first.) By Ed Moltzen · 23 November 2004
Make Every Vote Count ("Heh" Edition)
The interesting, lingering discussion about making "every vote count" is usually started by the Kerry folks, or Keith Olbermann, and usually focuses on Ohio or Florida. They never talk about making every vote count in New Hampshire, though. But Ralph Nader's people are. This via email from the Nader camp:
Irregulaties in New Hampshire? Disenfranchised voters?! Does anyone else smell an applause line in upcoming 2008 campaign speeches? By Ed Moltzen · 23 November 2004
Another Win Against The Bad Guys
British counter-terror officials have foiled an al Qaeda attempt at a Sept. 11-style attack in London, according to a British T.V. network:
What few details there are, are sketchy. But stories like this can't do much to encourage al Qaeda recruits. By Ed Moltzen · 22 November 2004
The Death of Smooth Jazz In New York
Via the New York Radio Message Board comes word of the latest jolt to the city's broadcast landscape: CD-101.9 is killing its smooth jazz format and going to something called "Chill Music." No more David Benoit, George Benson, Dave Koz, Fat Burger or Chuck Mangione. In with Moby and Bebel Gilberto. Moby? Although CD-101.9 was not exactly a ratings powerhouse, it has maintained a faithful listenership for a number of years. While rock stations in the city seem to flip formats every two or three years, WQCD has maintained the same focus for more than a decade. It's almost as if the broadcast monopolies are intentionally forcing listeners to satellite with haphazard format changes, lame programming, excessive commericals and whining over censorship. By Ed Moltzen · 21 November 2004
Stay Awake
If you commute to work, especially if you ride the train in New Jersey, you may want to stay awake. (Or at least make sure you don't snore.) By Ed Moltzen · 19 November 2004
Childhood in L.A. (For No Apparent Reason)
It's not been a very good week to be a kid on the streets of Los Angeles. Via the LAPD:
Keywords: "For no apparent reason..." Street crime in L.A., a decade post-Rodney King, isn't big box office so don't expect certain folks to put any time and attention into it. By Ed Moltzen · 19 November 2004
Viva Rasmussen
According to Rasmussen Reports:
Who's sorry now? By Ed Moltzen · 18 November 2004
Safe At Home (They Say)
Something called Control Risk Groups out of London has completed a study that has found we're safer now than at any point since 9/11:
The study foresees continued security problems in Iraq (where there's, well, a war against terrorists going on) and believes Iran's nuclear program will continue to be an issue. But as far as the U.S. homeland, it paints a reassuring picture. (As it probably should.) Does anyone still get agita in tall buildings, though? On airplanes? Driving through tunnels? The answer: Probably yes, and probably for a good long while, too, though less over time. By Ed Moltzen · 18 November 2004
No Conviction
Early on the morning of March 16, 1998, a wiseguy named Guy Zappulla walked into the Golden Gate Inn motel in Brooklyn with Jennifer Scarpati, his girlfriend, after a day of partying on a boat and binging on crack. The two camped out in Room 234 of that motel for more than a day, with Zappulla even calling one of his friends to pick up some spare jewelry, to sell for more crack. Other witnesses, and surveillance tapes, placed Zappulla and Scarpati in the room on the last day the woman was seen alive. The next day, cops showed up at the motel and found Scarpati's body. She had been choked to death and shoved under a mattress. The cops arrested Zappulla. He was no stranger to the system and had been arrested at least ten times before, including one charge of racketeering "with a predicate of solicitation to commit murder." Zappulla confessed. He was convicted. The judge gave him 25 years in prison. Now, though, it looks like Zappulla could be a free man. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals, in a ruling today, vacated his conviction. The reason? Cops didn't read Zappulla his Miranda warnings a second time before he confessed and was formally charged in the woman's death, and then the confession was wrongfully used as evidence at trial, the court said. Circuit Judge Reena Raggi dissented:
Zappulla has been, in the past, a federal witness against at least one organized crime figure in New York, according to this piece by Gangland reporter Jerry Capeci. By Ed Moltzen · 17 November 2004
Pennies From Cleveland
A 79-year old man went to his local grocery store in Cleveland, and cashed in a million or so pennies. "Eugene (Sukie's) first penny collection totaled $45, which he earned as a newspaper delivery boy and used to purchase a top-of-the-line Schwinn bicycle in 1939. "He then embarked on another collection of pennies totaling $400, which he was able to use in 1970 to offset some of his daughter's wedding costs. At that point, Sukie became newly-inspired to collect one million of something and thought pennies would be a reasonable and affordable hobby." Think big, folks. If he had collected dimes, it would have added up to $100,000 instead of $10,000. According to this data sheet, which was prepared for a Massachusetts school's "million penny challenge," a million pennies weigh three tons. So assume Eugene Sukie was not storing them in his attic. By Ed Moltzen · 17 November 2004
Leave The Sequel, Take the Cannolis
The book went on sale today, and is currently in 9th place at Amazon.com. Publisher's weekly likes it and, in its review, says, "Puzo himself must be raising a celestial glass and shouting a hearty 'Salut!' " Either that, or he's sending Winegardner celestial directions to his next book signing - via toll bridge. By Ed Moltzen · 16 November 2004
Sexual Harassment As Cottage Industry
Here's a firm which has created an entire business around "sexual harassment training." Ladies and gentlemen, your one-stop shopping for sexual harassment training is right here. Somehow, though, South Park's "Sexual Harassment Panda" seems a lot warmer and fuzzier. By Ed Moltzen · 16 November 2004
Results
Does someone want to break the news to Oliver Willis about who won the election? By Ed Moltzen · 15 November 2004
Taxi Cab
Henry has some interesting lessons from a New York City cab driver, and learned that the worst tippers tend to be European and Asian. It's unclear whether the lousy tippers are affiliated with the U.N. By Ed Moltzen · 15 November 2004
"People Are Idiots"
Barbara Kellerman, research director of the John F. Kennedy School of Government's Center for Public Leadership, has a new book out: Bad Leadership. The book, and author, are subjects in a short profile at Harvard News Service. The article discusses the book, which, it seems, has some very interesting examples of, well, bad leadership. By Ed Moltzen · 15 November 2004
It's Over, Johnny
More than 2,000 terrorists held the city of Fallujah under their grip for more than a year, using the place as a staging ground for kidnappings, beheadings, attacks on U.S. troops and the general torment of the Iraqi people. In less than a week, the United States Marine Corps routed bin Laden's finest - handing them their worst defeat since Kabul. In the words of Richard Crenna in First Blood: "It's over, Johnny." There will still be fighting, skirmishing and, unfortunately, bloodshed. But for the terrorists in Iraq, this is the beginning of the end. Elections and democracy will happen in January. And it looks like bad guys in other parts of the world are hearing the music and getting the message. MORE: Rodney Dill at James Joyner's site points to information which, he says, shows "the attack on Fallujah was justified." But some people just seem to want to side with the terrorists. Brogonzo points to Fallujah as "another quagmire that wasn't." In this letter home by a Marine to his family, before the liberation of Fallujah began, we read: "Once again, we are being asked by citizens who have fled the city to go in and take the city back. They are willing for us to literally rubble the place in order to kill the terrorists within." They did. And Belmont Club puts it all into strategic perspective. By Ed Moltzen · 14 November 2004
Did Ben Stein Call It?
Back in May, actor-economist-writer-game show host Ben Stein wrote about his travels throughout the country and what he found to be, generally, the American attitude:
"...we'll get through whatever the problems are now, things will be better tomorrow..." That, more than the constant complaining from "some pockets," seems to be the dominant mood now even more than in May. The pockets of complaining do seem loud at times. But the reservoirs of hope now appear much more vast. By Ed Moltzen · 14 November 2004
On the Rise
Rasmussen Reports measures President Bush's approval rating at 56 percent:
Without the non-stop, 'round-the-clock, ad hominem attacks that accompany bitter partisan campaigning, President Bush's approval ratings settle into the high 50s. (In January, before the heat of the Democratic primary season, it was at 57 percent.) Way down deep, it doesn't look like we're a 49-49, or even a 51-48 nation after all. By Ed Moltzen · 13 November 2004
Whose Side Is He On?
Michael Moore continues to stick up for his "Minutemen," as evidenced by the top photo and caption on his web site. By Ed Moltzen · 13 November 2004
Memories Are Made Of This
David Patrick Columbia reminisces about Dean Martin, and talks about a new book from Dino's daugther, Deana Martin, Memories Are Made Of This. The Columbia piece is a good read, and the book looks interesting as well. By Ed Moltzen · 13 November 2004
Coping Skills
Margaret Cho and some of her fans are having a difficult time with the Nov. 2 election results. You can tell by reading stuff like this:
After reading that, it makes stories like these much more believable. By Ed Moltzen · 12 November 2004
Arbitron Cancels Westchester
This is a routine business decision by a research organization, but somehow the idea of "cancelling Westchester" is chuckle-worthy: By Ed Moltzen · 12 November 2004
NY Times Correction Du Jour
Apparently, someone at The Times thinks there's not too much distance between denying athletic uniforms to terrorists and out-and-out torture, based how how this transpired:
After they hacked the quote, leaving the reader believing that Gonzalez advocated significant rollbacks of Geneva, they followed up immediately by writing, "Many civil rights groups on Wednesday were quick to attack Mr. Gonzales for what they saw as legal policies and opinions that opened the door to the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib." It's unclear whether this episode will have "legs," but it does seem fairly significant. By Ed Moltzen · 12 November 2004
As Long As Everyone's Giving Advice
Some ideas, for both major parties but especially the Democrats (who seem lost) about how to make things "different" in 2008: 1) Stop letting Iowa and New Hampshire decide the nominee for party members in the other 48 states. Do whatever it takes - stretch out the primary season, let California and New York hold their primaries much earlier in the process, whatever - to give more party members in more states a say in the nominating process. Why don't more Democrats vote in Tennessee, or Republicans in New York? Because their parties tell them they don't count during the nomination process, that's why; 2) Do what Jerry Brown did when he ran in '92: Refuse to accept any financial contributions from special interests. Period. What Brown did was voluntary - nobody forced him - and he even went so far as to refuse any contributions of more than $100. Brown didn't win the nomination, but he came in second out of a field of about 10 Democrats running that year. With the ability to solicit individual contributions over the Web (which Brown didn't have in '92), there's no excuse for relying on big money interests ever again; 3) Embrace people of faith. Yes - Democrats, too. The Democratic party was at its strongest in places like New York and Chicago and Mississippi when it appealed to people whose lives revolved around their parish or their church or their synagogue. The Irish-Catholic vote was always a solid for the Democrats in New York and Chicago. So was the Southern Baptist vote. Just because people believe what they read in the Bible and hear in church doesn't mean they can't be Democrats. Hostility toward people of faith sure didn't work for the Democrats in 2004. Maybe respect could work in 2008. 4) If a candidate doesn't win two-thirds of the convention delegates by the end of the primaries, hold an open convention. Yes, that's right. Open it up. FDR won four presidential nominations in open conventions. Truman won. So did JFK (Kennedy, not Kerry.) Is it any coincidence that the Democrats began turning into a minority party at about the same time Jimmy Carter bullied his way into a closed convention in 1980? The Republicans should think about doing this, too, in 2008. Open conventions are where coalitions form. And with all this Red State-Blue State hubbub, what each party needs to figure out is how to form a broader coalition for the next national election. This wouldn't negate the primaries, but would make it more urgent for a candidate to fight for every delegate in every state; 5) Disavow fringe activists and 527 groups that don't spend most of their time and resources on voter registration and getting out the vote. If necessary, pass party platforms that would freeze them out of appointed government positions or lobbying access. Don't wait for a new, stupid law to pass that won't work anyway. Show some leadership. By Ed Moltzen · 11 November 2004
Question Of The Day
Will Bill Maher get the Bill O'Reilly treatment from the rest of the media? By Ed Moltzen · 11 November 2004
Coalition Troops Find Sarin in Iraq
According to this NPR report, troops found a stash of weapons with a briefcase - inside the briefcase were four packets each containing 10 vials labled "Sarin." (Via The Corner.) By Ed Moltzen · 11 November 2004
Veterans Day
It's Veterans Day. The story of U.S. Army Technical Sgt Robert Gerstung, a Medal of Honor recipient, is one of many that could be considered today:
By Ed Moltzen · 11 November 2004
Tragic, He said
It didn't take too long for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to describe Yasser Arafat's death as "tragic." By Ed Moltzen · 11 November 2004
Don't Mess With Liberty
Only in New York could a couple of guys try to mug the Statue of Liberty. According to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office:
Moral of the story: You mess with Liberty, you pay the price. The accused are facing 7 years in prison. By Ed Moltzen · 10 November 2004
The Energizer Terrorist
Yep. Still going. By Ed Moltzen · 10 November 2004
Party Time At The Electoral College
Josh Marshall argues in favor of doing away with the Electoral College system of choosing a president:
Dean Esmay disagrees and notes:
If Democrats are so keen on making votes count in "blue" states, how about starting with their own house? How about not stacking the Democratic presidential primary season so early that the only votes that count in the nomination process are those in Iowa, New Hampshire and - once in a blue moon - a handful of Southern "Super Tuesday" states? If New Yorkers and Californians had more of a say in the selection process, maybe the Democrats wouldn't wind up with candidates like Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis and John Kerry. Maybe - just maybe - they would field a candidate with a strong enough message to win over the "red" states on Election Day. By Ed Moltzen · 10 November 2004
More Protests in Iran
Moderate and hardline factions continue fighting each other in Iran, and now even Iran's president can't ignore it. The volume is rising. By Ed Moltzen · 10 November 2004
NHL: No Hockey Lately
On a typical weekday afternoon, parents taking their kids to their typical weekly skating lessons ought to keep their eyes open. Not only might they run into 7-, 8- and 9-year olds learning figure 8's, they could run into 6-foot-2-inch bruisers from the National Hockey League. The NHL continues its lockout of players and its pre-emption of the regular season, leaving its players looking for ice time and workouts not in places such as Madison Square Garden in Manhattan but at The Rinx Auditorium in Hauppauge. Here is the New York Islanders' Alexei Yashin (click for larger), who scored 15 goals with 19 assists last year in league play. Today, he worked out with the Bobcats, the local junior team. He was joined in his workout by Vladimir Malakhov, the Philadelphia Flyer and former Islander and New York Ranger. Today marks day 54 of the lockout with 172 games missed. Meanwhile, in Hauppauge, the ice is the same, the body checks are the same, and the whoosh of the ice is the same. But it's not really the same. By Ed Moltzen · 9 November 2004
The New Comeback Kid
Five Minutes ago on Drudge: Arafat Said Dead. Those French doctors should disclose whatever it is they keep giving the guy to bring him back to life. By Ed Moltzen · 9 November 2004
Life-Trials Of the Rich and Famous
The upcoming Gary Condit-Dominick Dunne slander trial should make for interesting headlines, according to this story in the New York Post. Meanwhile, Chandra Levy's killer is still walking the streets. And Michael Jackson is still moon-walking them, but he might not for much longer. His trial on charges he abused a kid will start Jan. 31. Meanwhile, out on Long Island, the plot is thickening in this story. Ever get the feeling some people shouldn't be allowed anywhere near money, power or privilege? By Ed Moltzen · 9 November 2004
To Live, Drive And Die In L.A.
On some streets in L.A., no good deed goes unpunished: According to L.A. cops, a guy drove up to another car at an intersection during the evening hours, motioned to the other driver and his passenger that their headlights were off, and wound up getting shot and killed for his trouble. A 12-year old boy was in the guy's car when he got shot. By Ed Moltzen · 9 November 2004
Quote of the Day
By Ed Moltzen · 8 November 2004
Next Up: Oil-for-Bugs Programme
This, out of the U.N. today:
They get specific:
So, forget donating any fishing rods or hunting equipment. These folks need butterfly nets and flypaper, evidently. By Ed Moltzen · 8 November 2004
For GOP, A New York State Of Decline
Not all Democrats are despondent over what they saw at the polls last week. New York Dems seem to be feeling pretty darn good about themselves and - as much of a longshot as it is - now think they can take over the state Senate in a few years. (They haven't held the state Senate in Albany since 1965.) Why the optimism? Any number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that favorite daughter Hillary Clinton is now the party's top contender for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. But far-looking hopes aside, New York Democrats saw a demonstration of one of the most pitiful GOP state operations in the country last week, when Republican candidate Howard Mills barely showed up in his race against incumbent Sen. Chuck Schumer. (At least Alan Keyes got some publicity while he was being stomped in Illinois by Barack Obama. Mills, whose campaign started well before Keyes', was essentially nowhere to be seen as he lost to Schumer by almost fifty points.) Mills' campaign against Schumer was the most pathetic statewide race the Republicans have fielded since they ran Pierre Rinfret for governor in 1990. (Rinfret, on the campaign trail that year, referred to then-Senate candidate Carol Bellamy as "that idiot woman" and took to personally writing threatening notes to reporters.) It's one thing to be outspent by a strong incumbent, as Mills was by Schumer. It's another thing entirely to barely even show up. New York's Republican Party, really, is suffering from multiple-personality disorder. It boasts perhaps the second-most popular Republican in the country - Rudy Giuliani - but also the lower-key, weird-smiling George Pataki as governor. Michael Bloomberg, a liberal Republican, is New York City's mayor. But he's never wasted an opportunity to rip President Bush for the levels of federal homeland security dollars provided to the city. And, in the Schumer-Mills race this year, Bloomberg endorsed - you got it! - Schumer. Look, there's a reason the New York State Senate has been run by Republicans for decades. Outside of New York City - both upstate on Long Island - Republicans have been traditionally strong and voters traditionally more conservative. And Giuliani, though liberal on "social issues," destroyed the ridiculously inept David Dinkins to win the New York City mayoralty in 1993 on a strict, no-tolerance, law-and-order platform. (Subsequently, the city's murder rate dropped from 2,000 a year under Dinkins to one of the lowest rates for any big city in the country.) But the state party needs to figure out its identity. Mills forfeited much of the conservative vote in the state because he's pro-choice; the state Conservative Party then backed pro-lifer Marilyn O'Grady. They split what little anti-Schumer vote there was. Amid all the ineptitude, Schumer never had to answer to voters for his role in blocking President Bush's judicial nominations - including African American and Hispanic nominees. Pataki, as the titular head of the state GOP organization, allowed that to happen and has allowed Democrats to maintain hope of taking back the state Senate and, even, sending Sen. Clinton to the White House. Once all the scrutiny over Sen. Arlen Spector ends, conservatives may want to take a look-see at Pataki's operation in Albany. By Ed Moltzen · 8 November 2004
Movin' on Up
Nothing succeeds like success:
Of course, had he lost, it might be higher than 54 or 55 percent. But once the non-stop attacks quiet down (not stop, but quiet down), the approval rating goes up. Certainly, it will be of no consolation to the family of this guy. But, by and large, it seems like most people will only have so much "Hate Bush" currency in their wallets and most of it has been spent for the time being. MORE: Roger Simon points out that Bush isn't just big in fly-over country, but -- shhhhhhh, don't let the word get out -- Beverly Hills! If Democrats can't maintain strong approval ratings in the Hollywood Mogul demographic, they may have been more seriously wounded than first suspected. By Ed Moltzen · 8 November 2004
Why They Don't Get It
Tom Wolfe, who has a new novel coming out this week, reveals a dirty little secret about the liberal intelligentsia:
He voted for Bush, he said, suggesting that his fellow writers and literary types weren't amused. Did we mention he has a book coming out this week? By Ed Moltzen · 7 November 2004
Quote of the Day
"George W. Bush decided to respond to totalitarian terrorist attacks with a return to basic principles. He could have chosen appeasement. He could have opted for mere rhetoric. He decided not to do so. He decided to oppose brutality with steadfast conviction. Now a wide majority of his people has backed this policy. It has confirmed that there is hope in our way of life, a form of hope that derives its strength from its essential convictions, a hope that is manifested in the desire to defend freedom above all else." - Jose Maria Aznar, Spain's former prime minister. By Ed Moltzen · 7 November 2004
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