Watching Recount, the HBO movie about the 2000 vote, I couldn't help but have the following thought...
An awful lot of people worked their asses off to make sure that George W. Bush prevailed in Florida. I'm sure most of them thought he won fairly and that Democrats were trying to steal the election, and that getting Bush certified as the victor was a matter of principle and fairness. I'm sure also that most of them thought that this was a matter of saving the world (or at least, America) from Al Gore and his agenda...because they'd be very unhappy with what would happen under a Gore administration.
George W. Bush is now extraordinarily unpopular. I don't mean just among Democrats. Independents think he's been a disaster and an awful lot of people who voted for him — twice, in some cases — now think he's the worst president of all time. I suspect his popularity rating is even lower than surveys say; that even some people who tell the pollsters they like him actually just like what they once believed he stood for...and cringe at what he's done to those causes and objectives. Three of my acquaintances who could not have been more pro-Bush in the last two elections are now angry with Dems for not impeaching the guy. Well, okay, we all back candidates who eventually disappoint us. That happens.
But the actions of the folks who worked for him in Florida during the recount period were extraordinary. Everything about that count was so damned sloppy. If they tallied the same pile of ballots three times, they got three different totals. Machines didn't work. People who were entitled to vote were refused. Ballots went wholly uncounted the first time, let alone received the ordered recounts. Somewhere amidst all those who helped deliver the state (and therefore, the Oval Office) to Bush, there had to be at least a few people who felt, as I do, that it was shameful that there were so many anomalies and questions about something as essential to the principles of this nation as an election. There had to be at least some who felt that the vote was impossible to calculate with any honesty, and it was all they could do to manipulate the recount so that Bush prevailed.
And somewhere in that few, there has to be at least one guy who was gung-ho for George W. Bush in 2000 and now, like those friends I mentioned, believes Bush has harmed this nation on almost every front: The war, the economy, the environment, you name it. Maybe this person has lost a loved one in battle. Maybe he's lost his home in the wild orgy of foreclosures. Maybe he's just horrified at the death toll in Iraq or watched the inept response to Katrina in New Orleans. Whatever the reason, he thinks Bush has done enormous damage...
I wonder how that person would feel today watching Recount. I wonder.
Hey, wanna watch a pretty good Laurel and Hardy movie on your computer? Here's a link to watch the 1940 film, A Chump at Oxford. The only thing better than Laurel and Hardy is free Laurel and Hardy. This runs about 63 minutes.
Hillary Clinton has a piece in the Daily News today entitled, "Why I Continue To Run." I don't really buy the innocent explanation of that comment that seemed to be hinting, "I'm staying in the race in case Obama gets assassinated" but I don't think she's out of her mind to think that she stands a better chance of beating John McCain than the Senator from Illinois does. There are some polls that suggest otherwise but there are plenty that support that claim.
The point I think she misses is that there does not seem to be any likely scenario in which she could wrest the nomination from Obama without fracturing the Democratic party and creating enormous ill will...and not just among African-Americans. Polls that show her winning states Obama might not win do not take that into account. They just presume she wins the nomination fair and square and with no charges of having stolen that nomination from its rightful recipient. I can't imagine how that could occur at this stage of the game.
I should also add that even if she would be a stronger candidate than Obama, I think he'll still do well...and there's a lot that can happen between now and November (including the selection of running mates, as well as the debates) that could raise or lower the "electability" of either. The fact that she might be the slightly stronger candidate now is not that significant.
This whole matter is very uncomfortable for me because I was always a tremendous fan of Hillary Clinton and would like to be again. I thought — and still think — that she's one of the smartest and most unjustly-attacked public figures of our time. But as a candidate for the presidency lately, she hasn't seemed all that wise, and I don't think it's just a matter of Obama winning the nomination. I think she's done an awful lot to lose it.
In the sixties, if you were a fan of Marvel Comics, you were probably a member of their official fan club, which they called The Merry Marvel Marching Society. It didn't do much...didn't even march anywhere. But it did have a jazzy theme song, which was recorded for the end titles of the first animated series of Marvel heroes. Here, someone named Matthew Hawes has taken the song and illustrated it with footage from that TV show and other cartoon appearances of Marvel characters...
Those of you who are interested in the subject of low-cost generic drugs should take a look at this page over on the Snopes site. It'll send you to a number of other sources for info, including this page over on the Costco site. I should have remembered to mention that Costco is a great source of cheap prescriptions...and you don't even have to be a member to take advantage of their service.
May 26, 2008
