Watch this space

After a relaxing sojourn in Delaware, I’m writing on deadline for Money. Adios for now.

Just wondering

Do you think swing voters will get turned off when they realize a racist huckster was allowed to trounce along merrily through the Democratic primaries?

Michael Kinsley lies

My NU account gives me Lexis access. From me to you, here’s an April 12 exchange from CNN’s “Newsnight.” Emphasis is mine.

AARON BROWN:Change of scenery and change of topic. We go next to Seattle, Washington, where we’re joined by Michael Kinsley, the editor of slate.com, columnist for “The Washington Post,” wearer of many hats.
It’s good to see you. You’ve written a couple of interesting pieces of late to talk about, it seems to me. Is the anti-war movement, the people who oppose the war, discredited by the events of the last three weeks?
MICHAEL KINSLEY, EDITOR, SLATE.COM: Well, I don’t think so, Aaron. There wasn’t really an anti-war movement, in the case of this war, but there were many Americans, I have to say including myself. who thought it was a bad idea.
The reason people opposed this war was not that we thought that the United States would be unable to defeat Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army. So the fact that we managed to defeat them doesn’t discredit any of the many arguments against the war.
Were there weapons of mass destruction there? We still don’t know. Will the — will a democratic capitalist society emerge when the chaos ends? We don’t know. Will democracy spread throughout the Middle East? We don’t know. These are all of the things that we were supposedly going to work for.
What will happen to all the young people throughout the Arab world and elsewhere who have been inflamed with anti-American passions? I hope none of these bad things happen and all of these good things do happen, but it’s certainly not established yet.

All dumb things come to an end

Even International A.N.S.W.E.R. estimates that their weekend march in Washington drew 30,000 people. That’s roughly 10 percent of the turnout they claimed a month ago.

The anti-war in Iraq movement is over. Good riddance.

Because it beats working

If you dig a little, major newspapers are sporting some fun coverage of the anti-Bush movement. Why not “anti-war”? See this Washington Post piece:

According to leaders of some of the largest national peace groups, the antiwar movement reshaping itself to become an anti-Bush movement.

See, this is the kind of story that puts a reporter in a quandry. Evelyn Nieves isn’t stupid. I’m sure that she scribbled down these quotes into her yellow pad knowing that they were idiotic. There has ALWAYS been an anti-Bush movement. It was visible in August 2000, when the stilts-and-communism crowd tried to tie up Philadelphia by protesting Bush. Back then they claimed that there was “no difference between Bush and Gore,” of course – one of the more amusing protest organs was the dapper “Billionaries for Bush or Gore” – but since their current voter registration drive counts opposing congressmen who have “supported or acquiesced to the Bush administration,” it looks like they’re keen to defeat Democrats.

In short, this “anti-war movement,” piloted by hardline communists and populated by walking, talking stoner stereotypes, is a p.r. goldmine for the Bush campaign. He must be doing something right if he’s got these people against him.

Ad nausea

Hey hey – it’s another front-page Daily Northwestern story about anti-war protesters! You know what that means?

Yup. It’s a weekday.

100 albums you should throw out

Via Pat Cooper, voila!

I agree with maybe 40% of this, but it’s useful for the description of Rancid as “the Black Crowes of punk.”

Tom Hayden

For some reason I’ve added Tom Hayden’s autobio, Reunion, to the fat stack of books I’m reading when home from work. It’s a piece of shit, of course, but it gave me mind to check out what Hayden’s doing now. And … he’s writing for The Nation! Way to change America, Mr. Jane Fonda!

The union has produced one of the best sentences I’ve ever read:

“Repeat after me: This is what democracy looks like!”

If you see why this is hilarious … well, then you have more sense than Tom Hayden.

Life after caring

I am making use of my time in Manhattan by doing laundry and listening to the sixth Steely Dan album. You should try it.

Keep your pants on

Gary Hart is speaking at my alma mater-to-be today, but don’t expect him to say anything new.

UPDATE: Here’s a transcript – it’s a canned speech.