Rush--New Leader of the GOP

(Charlie's Angels, circa 1974)

See, I am, like, totally omigod excited at the prospect, even though I must admit to being just a bit frazzled by the obtuse allegiance with the Elephants. Given their long history with all that is experimental in music, art, and literature, I honestly pegged Geddy, Alex, and Neil for liberals---in fact, socialists.

So you can imagine my surprise when they decided to lean right. I will allow them this strange mis-calculation, however, due to their advanced age and decades of drug use. And anyway, seriously. Everyone over fifty is Republican, right? Still...it will be good to see the boys from Toronto in the spotlight again, especially as the new mouthpiece for the Republican Party. I am very much looking forward to Neil's eloquent speeches and rebuttals, seeing how our new prez is young, pragmatic, sharp, and thought of by most as...GASP...an intellectual who eats the likes of Bobby Jindal for lunch. With some kind of green leaf vegetable called arugula. Fight muscle with muscle, baby:

When our weary world was young
The struggle of the ancients first began.
The gods of Love and Reason
Sought alone to rule the fate of Man.

They battled through the ages,
But still neither force would yield.
The people were divided,
Every soul a battlefield.
(Rush, Cygnus X-1, Book ii; Lyrics by Neil Peart)

I mean, seriously? Our prez is toast.

Neil's retort to Obama's articulate and elevated rhetoric, and Alex's and Geddy's abilities to weave an improvisational ditty around those words as they are being delivered, are exactly what the struggling Republican Party needs in order to boost its dwindling image (26% of voters with positive impressions of the GOP). Who else but a bunch of old white guys from the North to shake up a party made of a bunch of old white guys from the South?

I say Hallelujah. Pass the dutchie on the left hand side and the hell with Jindal and Barbour, the lousy stiffs!

Exit...stage left.

One-hundred egos...

 Once again, a scumbag Senator is holding up not just one, but two of the President's nominees, this time in the field of science: John Holdren, who is in line to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco, Obama's nominee to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

We should rise up, tar and feather the dirtbag Republican Senator who--

Excuse me, what was that?

It's a Democrat who's holding up the nominations?

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has placed a "hold" that blocks votes on confirming Harvard University physicist John Holdren, who is in line to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco, Obama's nominee to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. According to sources who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, Menendez is using the holds as leverage to get Senate leaders' attention for a matter related to Cuba rather than questioning the nominees' credentials.

Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), said of Menendez's objections, "We will work to try to address any concerns that he may have."

This is a slightly personal matter to me, as I met Dr. Holdren when he presented an award to my dear old Dad in 2007.

Needless to say, despite the fact that this situation is being driven by an allegedly fellow Democrat, my assessment of the situation is no less harsh.

Mr. Menendez:

You barely won re-election, and maybe the reason it was so close because of narrow-ass bull@$# thinking like this. So shut up, drop the hold or get nothing from this President ever again in the future, because Obama's carrying New Jersey in 2012 with or without you.

Originally posted at Fort McHenry.

"A new regulatory framework" (VIDEO)

President Barack Obama. February 24th, 2009:

"So I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary. Because we cannot consign our nation to an open-ended recession. And to ensure that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again, I ask Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally reform our outdated regulatory system. It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation, and punishes short-cuts and abuse."

I imagine a good place to start would be the SEC, where...if this story from 60 Minutes is correct, the SEC Regulators are Lawyers with no experience in the fields they are regulating, and tend to come in after the bank's been robbed to assign blame and explain what happened.

I know for a lot of people (myself included) just seeing or reading the words high finance will make your eyes glaze over. But in case you haven't heard, the laughably poor standards of the Bush Administration paled in comparison to his SEC.

We need to do better.

If you ever need to remember why regulation of Financial Markets is vital and important, just watch this 14 minute piece from 60 Minutes.

Originally posted at Fort McHenry.