The Political Whore

In advance of the reviews of tonight’s acceptance speech, here are the reviews of Barack Obama’s 2004 convention speech:

•  An ABC News reporter is arrested trying to take pictures of the fat-cats in Denver.
• Just another sign of how effed-up this state is.
• Oh, and we’re broke, to boot.
• Developers oust two Sarasota Manatee County commissioners.
• He’s getting grumpy again.
• Another journalism innovation: news to the highest bidder.
• Gainesville and Ocala dailies merge operations.
• 15,000 scribes in Denver; half aren’t doing much.

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“Ladies and Gentlemen, we take pride in presenting a thoughtful address by Mr. Ronald Reagan:”

• Notice how at the 2-minute mark of the address Reagan alludes to evolution as a given?
• Fox aired just 2 minutes of Warner’s keynote speech; about 1 minute more than its viewers wanted.
•  Did the evil Don Young just barely hold onto his US Senate seat from Alaska?
• Chuck Todd tells it like it is re: Charlie Crist.
• Only one real reporter in the bunch.
• F U, AP.
• Turns out that an Orlando deputy was screwing the mother with the missing baby.
• It’s the one-year anniversary of Gonzo hitting the bricks.
• Any chance Clinton starts his speech tonight with the words, “Fuck all y’all”?

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Breaking new ground for campaign tomfuckery, Team McCain impresses with its genuine concern for the plight of Democrat Hillary Clinton:

• The big Obama assassination plot unravels.
• Nobody gives a shit about the election today in Orlando.
• Nobody gives a shit about the election today in Sarasota.
• Vote today or else.
• Crazy liberal writer Cockburn: Barr’s my man!
• The cables are blowing the convention coverage.
• Pouring Gasolina on the campaign fire.
• Fla. Chamber: McCain 42 percent, Obama 39 percent in FLA
• Who better to pimp Michael Moore’s new, opportunistic election guide book than … Michael Moore!

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Any chance that one of the 24-hour cable news weasels will get sucker-punched in the gut at this year’s Democratic National Convention?:

•  Our next storm?
• Sinfonian blogs from Denver.
• A sneak peek at Pelosi’s Denver speech; for the strong of stomach only.
• The swift-boating of Obama begins … literally.
• Special Interests fete Florida Dems in Denver.
• Florida Dem delegation gets lousy hotel rooms in Denver … waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
• Embedded in the Polk County GOP e-mail loop.
• Inside the GOP War Room in Denver.
• Johnnie Byrd’s blog is quoting Jay-Z (if misspelling his name).
• An interview with Hooters co-founder and GOP fundraiser Ed Droste.
• Channelside’s tenants hate each other … waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

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The text message went out at 3:26 a.m. “Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3 p.m. Eastern on www.barackobama.com. Spread the word.”

We’ll have much more on the Democratic ticket on Monday.

As for that text message, the Obama campaign blew a prime opportunity. By sending the message at 3:26 a.m., they gauranteed that the recipients would almost all be asleep. Had they sent it on Friday, say right before lunch on the east coast, they would have caused a ruckus throughout offices across the country. My guess is that was the original plan, but the campaign didn’t want to knock John “I don’t know how many houses I own” McCain from the headlines.

(more…)

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Dubya reportedly has no plans to watch W., but after seeing this trailer for the new Oliver Stone film, you gotta wonder if anybody will have plans to watch this flick:

• Obama drops veep hints to Time; the conclusion? He will pick somebody.
• Missing White House e-mails still … missing.
• Click-through Journalism.
• Nader wants into the debates; no, that is not an 8-year-old headline.
• Orlando GOP evangelical rethinks accepting DNC invocation invitation.
• Pumpkins show was great; Pumpkins show was annoying.
• South Florida candidate drops out: “”I can’t do the backstabbing shit they do.”
• Florida goes (more) whacko: record number of perfect scores for legislators on Christian Coalition report card.
• Partying with Rachel Burgin.
• Worth the click just for the shot of the latex-clad nun.

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 Remember the good old days, when the presidential campaign used to be nothing but shits and giggles? Way back in Nov. 2007?

• From the Difference Between Democrats and Republicans Dep’t.: Targeted Congressman Feeney, a Republican, secretly supports the weaker Democrat in the primary. Sneaky.
•  The surest sign yet of the coming of the apocalypse: Uber-annoyer Billy Mays is getting his own reality show.
• Semi-reliable robo-poll puts McCain barely ahead in FLA.
• 13 days in August.
• From the Difference Between Democrats and Republicans Dep’t., Part 2: Jennings and Buchanan both face FEC complaints, but Jennings’ comes from someone formerly in her own party.
• Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite loses her husband to cancer.
• From the Difference Between Democrats and Republicans Dep’t., Part 3: The Democrat running in the seat suddenly being vacated by Trey Traviesa isn’t actually a Democrat.
• It’s official (again): e-voting sucked.

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A fitting video of the arrival of Fay, a storm we in the CL Weathercenter 4000 find highly suspect. Stay dry, folks.

• A weakened Fay lands at Cape Romano as a minimal hurricane (at worst).
• The NOAA storm track predicts a hard left turn near the FL/GA border.
• Large swath of Florida under tornado a tornado warning (but not the Bay area).
• Hillsborough and Pinellas counties call off evacuations.

And in non-storm news:

• The choice is made.
  
• Tampa Bay’s water supply sure is leaky.
• College presidents rethink the drinking age.
• The Rays win again.

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Today’s feature presentation: Baracky II. (Which somehow uses Rocky III as its inspiration, skipping Rocky II entirely.)

• The latest on Fay.
• Down goes Pakistan’s Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
• Who’s it gonna be for V.P.?
• The candidates give their opinion on how much income makes you “rich”? Obama: $250,000. McCain: $5 million.
• Obama rakes in $51 million in July.
• Did McCain rip off one of his prison camp anecdotes?
• R.I.P. Jerry Wexler.
• The Bucs beat down the Patties.

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Let’s check in with our friends at Fox News. The first 2:30 of this clip are maddening, but then Alan Colmes (yeah, Colmes, really) flips the script on his conservative cohorts, leading to much stammering, yelling and Sean Hannity’s contention that McCain’s time as a POW gives him a free pass on marital infidelity.

• Only the French could negotiate a cease fire that allows one side to continue attacking.
• Who will the U.S. be backing, Russia or Georgia? The Russians would like to know.
• More Fox News: Bill Kristol says Colin Powell is going to endorse Barack Obama and speak at the convention. Powell immediately denies everything. It’s a real shame you can’t believe anything broadcast on Fox News, as this one is juicy.
• Bring on the books about the presidential candidates — and by “candidates” we mean Obama.
• Folks, please be careful when shaking hands with Cindy McCain. She’s fragile.
• The”Colbert Bump” gets the research paper treatment.
• Tarantino’s latest has critics up in arms, and he hasn’t even started shooting yet.