The Political Whore

OBAMA IN OREGON: Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of 65,000 on Sunday in Portland; another 15,000 couldn’t get in. How well will he pack the St. Pete Times Forum Wednesday?
(photo by Ryan Harvey)

So, among the items in the shrunken section formerly known as ‘Metro’ in the St. Pete Times was this tidbit: “Obamania, or Obamaybe Not?” — in which the writer raises the specter that “snubbed Floridians” might “stay home and sulk” rather than attend the Obama event in Tampa on Wednesday. Really? Biggest political celebrity in years, who attracted 2,000 without hardly trying last time he was in town, and now arrives with nomination in reach? Who are these “snubbed Floridians,” anyway? As far as I can tell, they’re a projection conjured up in the minds of “snubbed” St. Pete Times political reporters who haven’t been paid sufficient homage by the Obama people, and so have been harping endlessly on his failure to campaign here — whereas I suspect most voters (except for the Clinton-or-else crowd) see that both Democratic candidates have been hobbled by an impossible situation aggravated by the FL legislature and the DNC, and will gladly turn up to see either.

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A little dose of straight talk.

• McCain to hit up the RNC for campaign cash.
• The “very, very, very old” candidate also hit SNL for one of the worst guest appearances ever.
• Obama draws 75K in Oregon.
• Clinton finds a new scapegoat: the media.
• This just in from Germany: Too much smiling can kill you!
• Olbermann vs. O’Reilly — the feud escalates.
• Time digs Crystal Skull.
• Is Sir Charles headed for skid row?

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Have a good, non-violent weekend.

• Ahead of the curve: The California Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage.
• Lame Duck Watch: Bush rips Obama as an appeaser and begs the Saudis for cheaper oil.
• “Behind the Bush-Obama Smackdown.”
• “Bin Laden” releases yet another blowhard tape.
• America the masochistic.
• Indiana Jones invades France.
• Whoa Angelina, did you gain some weight?
• Nintendo’s latest sales strategy: Help the customer live longer.

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Dave is so friendly.

• How Barack first found his groove.
• Choosing sides in the battle of the ballpark.
• China’s got a whole lot of shakin’ going on.
• Ron Paul plots a Republican convention revolution.
• A new book pulls hip-hop culture out of the closet.
• On thin ice …
• The Dali look-a-like contest has a winner.
• Speed Racer hits the skids.

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What will you do with your government stimulus check?

• Barack’s “victory lap.”
• Hillary just keeps on campaigning.
• “Dear Barack, why are you being such a stickler for the rules?”
• Let the Lebanese civil war commence.
• Citigroup to trim about $400 billion worth of fat.
• WTF: The 3-year old St. Pete boy who has never fallen asleep.
• Your Lost recap. (I have to start watching the show alone so I can hear over all the people in the room bad-mouthing it as it plays.)
• Dude, that’s not what we meant by “head shop.”

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Barack bounces back …

• … Just in time for The Final Push.
• They shoot horses, don’t they?
• Today’s sign the sky is falling for the Republicans: Cazayoux defeats Jenkins in Louisiana.
• Hear a gun shot, see your neighbor lying on their porch, assume she’s sunbathing?
• We’re #2! We’re #2!
• Iron Man turns to solid gold at the box office.
• Could GTA IV whack the Wii?
• The Sox sweep the Rays.

(Photo of Obama at UNC by Runder.)

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Our new hero. Have a good weekend everyone.

• Happy days are here again!
• It’s great that the convicted D.C. madam chose suicide over prison, but did she have to do it in the Bay area?
• The polls continue to tighten.
• More surprising: Obama’s proposed $15 billion tax on oil company profits, or the fact that $15 billion is only 10% of what the bastards walked away with last year?
• Bush makes history.
• Hot or not? Barbara Walters got in on with a married U.S. Senator back in the ’70s.
• Puff, Puff, Give: Smoking weed will not give you lung cancer, and it might even protect you from it.
  
• Bombs away! It’s raining babies in India.

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Happy fifth anniversary.

• Obama takes a beating, still manages to pick up another Superdelegate.
• Hillary’s never had plastic surgery or heard of Red Bull, but she does have a thing for Honest Abe. Oh, and “testicular fortitude.”
• The experts agree: The McCain/Clinton gas tax holiday is a crap idea.
• The Bush Administration and the telecoms conspired to hide their illegal activities. Can’t we just give these nice Americans immunity already?
• Another Bay area teacher has been arrested after an inappropriate romantic relationship with a student. This time, however, the perp is male. Let’s execute him!
• Troxler gets robbed!
• First take: “Unlike the irreducible element that is its namesake, Iron Man the movie is an alloy, a combination of several different and disconnected components that don’t manage to unite to make a coherent whole.”
• A $199 iPhone? Don’t count your chickens just yet.

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Dude, you gotta read your deed restrictions.

• Obama cuts off the ravin’ Rev.
• Mrs. Irrelevant.
• U.S. preps military action against a “hostile” Iran. I’d suggest “Operation: National Suicide” as a title.
• U.S. economy staves off recession with .6% growth. I feel better, don’t you?
• Figuring out the rice shortage. (Hint: The problem isn’t just ethanol.)
• Al Franken finally pays his taxes.
• Paula Abdul’s got issues with her short-term memory.
• Lede of the week: “A teen accused of plotting to blow up his high school told police that he wanted to die, go to heaven and kill Jesus, federal authorities said Tuesday.”

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