Wed, 22 May 2013 19:51:56 -0600WeeblyWed, 12 Sep 2012 15:32:49 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/09/biden-and-ryan.htmlOn the vice presidential candidates, on Ryan and Biden, three points (and only the last two are important):


1) Who would do a better job of not boring your guests at a barbecue,
2) Who would take a bullet for his boss, the President of the United States and
3) Who would be the better president in case that bullet, tragically, found its intended target? ]]>Sun, 29 Jul 2012 21:09:26 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/07/the-a-answer.htmlAfter a church in Mississippi refused to allow two of its members, who happened to be black, to marry in its chapel, the pastor, Dr. Stan Weatherford, said he was taken by surprise by what he calls a small minority against the black marriage at the church and married the couple, instead, in a nearby church.

"This, Weatherford said, "had never been done before here, so it was setting a new precedent, and there are those who reacted to that because of that."

Better had he, in the form of letter, said the following:

Dear First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs Executive Board,

If this is your idea of Christ, I don't want him. Let me make this as clear as possible: Charles and Te' Andrea will be married in the church chapel, the main one, whenever they wish, I will officiate, and I expect all of you, my Christian brothers and sisters, to attend. Otherwise, you may start looking for a new pastor, for let this note also serve as my resignation letter.

Sincerely,
Dr. Stan Weatherford

]]>Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:59:21 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/07/qualifications.html Let's remember, while Governor Romney travels around Europe, looking for a country and people not to offend, his qualifications to be president are only impressive to those easily impressed.
1) He never ran a business-- he ran a business that ran other businesses ... and most of those businesses were either run into the ground or sent to China or Indonesia,
2) He refuses to acknowledge the one signature piece he had as governor of Massachusetts--healthcare reform--is actually working, and
3) As for his stint as the Olympics chief, he received millions of dollars from the federal government to stage the event. Moreover, does anyone know anyone who thought in the spring of 2002, "If only we could get the guy who ran those winter games in Salt Lake to run for president--that would be something. Imagine. If he could bring the same skills to education and lowering the deficit in this country that he brought to scheduling the Luge and Closing Ceremonies--wow! Well, it'll never happen--unless his wife asks him to do it. But what are the chances of that?"
I didn't think so.
]]>Tue, 12 Jun 2012 05:10:51 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/06/acceptance.htmlTampa--

Governor Romney accepting the GOP nomination for president, August, 2012

"If, as governor, I did something altruistic, I apologize; if, as governor, someone received medical care because of something I did that didn't enrich big Pharma, I guarantee it won't happen again; if, as governor, I helped some group or individual overcome economic hardship, I promise to try to get that money back; if, as governor, I said something kind about some community action or immigration group, I can assure you without even knowing what I said, I was misquoted and wouldn't say it again; if, as governor, women in my state somehow felt empowered, equal, and unlike chattel, it was surely not my intention; if, as governor, I spent even one moment not worrying about the job creators and those who raise the capital to provide opportunities for others less fortunate, I beg for your forgiveness. (As the governor holds for applause, the network camera feed spans the hall, highlighting those in straw hats and teabag earrings, wiping away tears). And if--if ladies and gentlemen of America-- you elect me as your president, I will never put myself in those positions again. I am yours, not theirs--the real Americans. Yours, not theirs; YOURS, NOT THEIRS. (The camera again spans the hall, as the convention floor erupts 'OURS, NOT THEIRS,' OURS, NOT THEIRS," OURS, NOT THEIRS!") Thank you and, as Lee Greenwood keeps singing at everyone of our conventions since Eisenhower, GOD BLESS THE USA!" ]]>Sat, 02 Jun 2012 21:50:57 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/06/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit5.htmlThere is no way of spinning this, John Edwards is a douchebag, a particular, peculiar mutation of one; still, his offense is one of degree, not kind. And considering how money is buying up the national conversation one feckless politician at a time, Edwards bilking an aging millionaire out of a couple hundred grand to pay for a Videographer who was working for him (and, okay, happened to be fucking--so picky!) is almost old school. It's not like douchebaggery has ever been a disqualifier in politics.

To put it another way: what's the difference between John Edwards and Newt Gingrich?
Answer: Sheldon Adelson. ]]>Mon, 28 May 2012 22:11:43 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/05/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit4.htmlIf you don't think the statement, 'I want my country back" is racist, then you might as well advocate for the return of Sambo's Restaurants. Obama won the presidency in 2008 by almost eight million votes, all of which were cast by Americans--nobody stole it. You want the country back? Your neighbor has it. ]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 12:41:45 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/05/sure-do-love-the-ladies.htmlMitt Romney said late last week, "This effort to describe Republicans as being anything other than extraordinarily pro-women, pro-opportunity for women of America, pro working moms, pro working women, that kind of effort is missing the mark."

Not equal, mind you, just pro.
]]>Sat, 12 May 2012 20:07:16 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/05/hey-hey-put-down-the-nutregena.htmlThe idea that nothing within the Defense Department in non-essential, and that every expenditure within that budget bolsters our national security is enough to make me want to shave with a trowel. The Commission on Wartime Contracting concluded that because of lax oversight of contractors, poor planning and corruption, close to $60-billion was pissed away during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars last decade (and this doesn't include the more than 400 military bases throughout the country, all of whom buy carpet and bottled water and military ball caps at some point), but the GOP, in the budget it just passed, refuses to even consider cutting how much Camp Pendleton spends on landscaping. However, show Congressman Ryan a woman in North Tulsa on SNAP, buying Coca Cola and Hellman's instead of generic brand sodas and mayonnaise and watch the spreadsheets unfurl. ]]>Sun, 06 May 2012 16:31:53 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/05/the-poets-responsibility.htmlWhen poet Andrei Codrescu went back to Romania after Ceaușescu fell, he talked about hearing church bells. And while walking around his hometown, listening to those bells, bells he hadn't heard since he was a little boy, Codrescu (and I'm paraphrasing here) said that the poets in his country were as responsible for Romania's re-admittance to the light and sanity as anyone or anything. The line was, I think, "We need the poets, for who else is going remember how to ring the bells?" Occupy (Your City) rang those bells in America, too, reminding, say, those making $65-thousand/per year, while they were 200 paychecks away from the money manipulators who had the economy (and, perhaps, the country) in a headlock, they were only two or three checks away from having their own tent in a city park. Which is a long way to saying, if Obama wins re-election, it will be as much because of the Occupy movement and how it changed the conversation as it is about Romney's millions and his unwillingness to allow Seamus to ride inside the car. ]]>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:25:26 GMThttp://barrysfriedman.com/1/post/2012/02/abortion-and-the-shell-game.htmlFor years, many liberals have tried to reconcile the notion of abortion and why, for instance, at 19 weeks the procedure was legal, but at 20 it wasn't. We may have supported it, but we weren't comfortable. Maybe Alan Simpson, who is usually crazier than a 6-year-old at Chuck E. Cheese, was right about how it's an issue on which men shouldn't even have a vote. But what we have discovered--and suspected all along--was that for those in the pro-life camp, the issue wasn't just about choice. It was part of a larger agenda, an agenda that included control. It was about contraception; it was about sex; it was about women with hyphenated last names; it encompassed everything from block grants, to tax cuts for the rich, to de-funding Medicare and Social Security, to a lemmings-like adherence to the 10th Amendment; mostly, it was about an America and a Democracy the GOP only wanted to share if you had the money, were Christian (or at least acceded to its domain over the country), and drank from the Kool-Aid.  

The GOP is a a CPAC convention away from issuing Hijabs to women and NBC's David Gregory is still giving Santorum the last word. Come November, the best outcome will not be that Obama wins, but that this virulent strain in American politics loses.
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