Like I needed another reason not to like the Red Sox

So Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games for testing positive for steroids. Let’s be honest, he was probably cheating in ’04 and ’07. Whatever. David Ortiz and Jason Varitek were almost definitely on steroids too. I don’t care. The Phillies still won in 2008. See:



Haven’t posted that in a really long time. Still great. Anyway, it was pretty fun to read Bill Simmons today. I’m pretty sure he spent most of today fighting back tears. But really, this isn’t a big deal, and Manny will still almost certainly get into the Hall of Fame eventually. But if they let in all these steroid users, and they’re going to have to, I really want to see Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose in there. Also, what the fuck, how is Jose Canseco never wrong about anything?

Lots of other things have been happening, but since I’m stuck in the middle of exams I feel like I’m missing everything. Some stuff is just too omnipresent to avoid.

Bristol Palin seems to be just as narcissistically attention-seeking as her mother, and is pretty much dominating the internet with her abstinence campaign. Yeah, good luck with that. I’m sure if they get Shawn Kemp on board they’ll really change some lives. Is she really being held up as a role model?

Somebody on TV said that Joe the Plumber was leaving the Republican Party. I don’t know if I’m more surprised that the GOP is still around or that Joe is. I won’t miss either.

Jon Edwards is in the news a lot now too, I guess because his wife’s book is being released. And his lady friend wants a DNA test for the kid. Yeah, this is something else that I just don’t care about.

Um, Kiefer Sutherland headbutted someone? That’s actually pretty cool. Sometimes people just need to be headbutted.

People still seem to care about Miss California. I still think the woman that won was hotter.

Mormon’s baptized President Obama’s mother after she died. That’s weird, but not a big deal. I can’t imagine that’s something that God is really gonna be bothered by.

Some people are pissed off that Michelle Obama wore shoes that cost more than five hundred dollars. Fuck that, she’s a millionaire, she can afford them, good for her.

Brett Favre isn’t going to play for the Vikings. At least that’s what he’s saying this week. Next week, who knows?

The Marlins keep losing, making instant-history ESPN hosts look even more like assholes. It’s a shame they couldn’t play all 162 games against the Nationals. I know it would never be ok, but I kinda wish MLB had relegation. The Nats are not a major league team.

Gary Bettman is fixing the NHL playoffs. You can’t convince me otherwise.

Seriously, Shoeless Joe Jackson needs to be in Cooperstown. Honestly, I kinda think that Roy Hobbs should be too.

Probably the best baseball movie that no one has heard of is Bleacher Bums, starring the brother from Everybody Loves Raymond. It’s basically just a group of people sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley making bets about the game. It’s incredible.

Solipsism is a pretty fun-sounding word.

Every time I ride the subway I think that might be the day I start my successful gypsy career.

I’m sick of hearing about Arlen Specter. He was fun for like twelve minutes. That ended.

I’m almost done with my first year of law school, I think that gives me a pretty good shot at being named to the Supreme Court.

President George W. Bush has been raising a ton of money for his Presidential Library. This only confirms that he probably is a really cool guy, just a terrible President.

I’m pretty sick of PETA. People need to leave Mike Vick alone. There are Superbowls to be won with him and Tim Tebow on the same team, on the field at the same time, co-running a double wildcat offense. It just sucks that Bill Belichik is going to be the only coach daring enough to give it a shot.

I recently finished Joe Morgan’s autobiography. It was awesome. He’s a terrible broadcaster, but a pretty cool guy. Some great stories in there, my favorite being that on the 83 Phils Gary Matthews would usually be taken out of the game around the seventh inning for a defensive replacement, because by that point in that game he was usually too hammered to play. Gotta love Sarge.

So yeah, there’s been a lot of news that I’ve barely been paying attention to, but I don’t feel like I’m missing much. Thumbs tomorrow, I promise.

More Specter Stuff

So for the most part, I’m pretty unabashedly liberal, except for when it comes to lobbing crusie missiles are third world countries. So I figured it would be only fair to see what the other side thinks about Specter’s change of party affiliation. I figured the best place to really find out what people thinks was the comment thread that FOX News thoughtfully provided for their mongoloid viewers.

Mike Q. says: Leaving a party because your ideology no longer matches that of your current party, fine. I see no problem with that. Leaving your party because you’re afraid you will lose an election is hypocritical and disingenuous. Despite Specter’s political rhetoric to the contrary, that’s what this smacks of.

Maybe. But why should Specter remain loyal to the Republican Party when the party has stopped being loyal to him?

PEslashPM says: The Republican party: R.I.P. 1854 ~ November 2008

God willing.

MERVYN says: REPUBLICANS OF PENNSYLVANIA NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO KICK THIS BUM OUT HE HAS ALWAYS OPPOSED THE TRUE ELEMENTS OF CONSERVATISM HE NEEDS TO GO NOW TOGETHER WITH HIS NEW FOUND ALLIES THE DEMOCRATS.

You know who else opposed the true elements of conservatism? The Republican Party. Also, why do people insist on writing in all caps? Is there some sort of computer virus that only affects the shift key? Don’t these people realize that it makes it impossible to take anything they write seriously?

Johanna says: Specter was a decent man who always won his elections with many Dem votes. If the Republicans want to become a “pure” party, and invite the Club for Growth to “weed out” those who are not “pure,” he was right to leave. Republicans have to decide whether to be a national political party or a small club of like-minded ideologues.

I doubt she is a frequent foxnews.com visitor. I liked her statement.

Warrenjh says: There will be more exodus in the GOP if they do not turn down rhetoric and be a party that is inclusive and not exclusive, People like Sean and Rush with a very narrow minded agenda is killing our party.

Yup, couldn’t agree more with Warren. There’s definitely value in a real conservative or libertarian approach to governing. The GOP has chosen to ignore that, focusing instead on hate, polarization, arrogance, and exclusion.

Ramon says: Arlen Specter should stay with his party and continue working on the Republican agenda until he is due for re-election. Voters from the Republican party were the ones that elected him in that office to work on the Republica agenda. He should only change parties when he is due up for re-election so the voters are aware of his political agenda.

I chose this one, even though there were a lot of people saying essentially the same thing, because Ramon managed to be somewhat coherent. Two things: parties are not up for election, people are. Republicans didn’t vote for the Republican Party, they voted for Arlen Specter. People who don’t consider the candidates, and only vote along party lines, or even worse along one issue (abortion) are terrible for democracy. Put some thought into your vote. Also, a lot of Democrats voted for Specter as well, and have voted for him for years. Finally, as Specter said, 200,000 Pennsylvania Republicans have changed their voter registration over the last year; by switching he is representing his constituency.

Eric says: Specter has always baffled me and angered me with his voting record. I say on one hand good bye, farewell. But he has chosen one of the worse times to leave that could hurt a party he had chosen to be a part of, just for his own gain. Not a man of integrity who can change and allign himself with those that desire to have it only their way, and stamp out the speech and vote of a party which tries to still represent the majority of our Country which desire morality, honor, In God we Trust, Marraige being of a man and woman. His decision could help sway many decisions that would change the things this Country was founded on, and for self preservation.

I really struggled to understand what Eric was saying here; I guess that’s one of the drawbacks of homeschooling. If I’m interpreting this correctly, though, he’s saying that our country was founded on “morality, honor, in God we trust, [and] marriage being of a man and woman,” and that by changing parties he’s jeopardizing these things. Um, no. First of all, morality and honor are pretty subjective things, so you can’t really say that one party is more honorable or moral than the other. As for in God we trust, that was added to money in the fifties; it’s not a principle our country was founded on, it’s Cold War propaganda. Finally, the country wasn’t founded on the principle that marriage was between a man and a woman. There’s nothing anywhere that suggests that. And for the love of God, don’t point to the Bible.

Diane says: He’s a Red Coat, a worm, don’t let the door hit you on your way out Spector !

What the hell? Is it 1773 again? She really called him a redcoat.

Kent says: I agree with J S Cros. Sphincter should have to resign his seat, obviously he doesn’t care for his constituents who voted for him. Especially those that voted for him based on him being affiliated with the GOP.

I think I already addressed what this guy thinks. I’m pointing this out because he called Specter “Sphincter.” See, FOX got upset by all the teabagging jokes, but really I think they were upset that they didn’t think of them first. Really, immaturity crosses party lines.

Mark says: hey – do you hear a sucking sound? Must be the GOP.
John P says: Your wrong about the origins of that sucking sound. It’s coming from Barney Frank’s office.

See! Told ya.

DAN says: We`re not going anywhere ant. We will take this country back from you leftist trash by force if we have to. Keep up your leftist propaganda and watch what happens.

The south will rise again? People like DAN make that warning of right-wing extremists seem prescient.

Milt from CA says: And another thing…Arlen, YOU are as responsible for the monstrous increase in the deficit as is barack hussein osuma. You’ve been showing your liberal colors for years but voting in favor of Porkulus was your ultimate coming-out-of-the-closet-in-your-mind moment. Good riddance.

I agree, Specter is just as responsible as Obama for the deficit. Neither of them is nearly as responsible as Bush, though.

Jules says: Sylvie; you have got to be black.

What the hell? This was just there in the middle of the page, not as a reply to anything. I’m a little bit curious.

Bob Runninger says: Since he is a Progressive Republican at heart he is in good company with the other Progressives. We don’t need his whining in the Republican Party.

Yeah, fuck progress!

Ken Miller says: Good by and good ridence

Ken used four words, and managed to spell two of them incorrectly. I would bet a decent amount of money that he spelled his name wrong.

Independent Thinker says: I think it is great that Specter is switching, it shows that he is a man of conviction and does not want to remain in a right-wing extremist party.
Before the Republican Party became so radical and extremist, Specter probably felt quite at home in the the GOP, but now many moderate Republicans like him are becoming very uncomfortable and do not want to support the Taliban-like agenda of the GOP.

YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTED FOR says: You were dropped on your head as a baby, Right?

So the first guy gives a thoughtful response. The reply? Not so much.

Chris Gallimore says: Specter has been a useless piece of sh#t for years. Good riddance. With rinos like him, Snowe and Collins Bush couldn’t get his agenda through even when the republicans had a majority. Republicans will not be the majority again if they continue presenting themselves as democrat lite.

Well, then thank God for Snowe, Collins, and Specter. There’s been an awful lot of hatred on these forums directed at Snowe and Collins, and I don’t really get it. Why are Republicans trying to marginalize people? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Last one:

FLOYD says: When 2010 comes around we going to have clean house , and we well. I just hope spector when he stands before his maker has a good excusue for turning his back on moral princples and backing a groupd of cheats and murders.

I hope when FLOYD stands before his maker God throws a dictionary at his face. FLOYD is way too representative of the people posting here. I should have known what I was getting myself into when I went to foxnews.com. I can feel brain cells dying. I need to stop.

Arlen Specter is cooler than you

As you may have heard by now, Arlen Specter has decided to switch parties, leaving the GOP to run for reelection in 2010 as a Democrat. In the short term, this gives the Democrats 59 seats in the Senate, which will become 60 once Norm Coleman recognizes the inevitable and Al Franken is seated. In the long term, it sets up a potential Toomey-Specter rematch, this time in the general election.

Sen. Specter’s decision to switch parties will have a broad range of consequences. First, it eventually give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, allowing them to pass pretty much any bill they want. Or, more accurately, any bill that Specter wants passed. In the statement he released today, Specter emphasized that his loyalty was to the people in Pennsylvania he represents and to the country, not to any one party. He has shown a willingness to cross party lines in the past, most notably when he broke from the Republican caucus earlier this hear to support President Obama’s stimulus package. While Democrats are hopeful that this will enable them to steamroll any filibuster, this outlook may be too optimistic; despite changing his party affiliations, I don’t expect Specter to blindly follow Harry Reid’s lead.

Nevertheless, this is still pretty bad news for the Republican Party. After having gotten their asses kicked in elections across the board in 2008, the Republicans are in desperate need of reaching out to moderates, as Reagan was able to do in 1980. Bush was a historically bad President, and the Democrats were able to largely run against him and his record; Republicans can’t bank on Obama being as trailblazingly terrible, and will need to get support for their own policies and initiatives, not just an anti-Obama movement. To do this, they’re going to need to reach out and attract voters who leaned to the left in ’08, if not Democrats then at least independents. Specter’s defection is a blow to this; if one of the more moderate Republicans is leaving the party as it swings dangerously towards the right, how can they hope to attract other moderates? As Specter stated in his press release, over the past year 200,000 Pennsylvanians have switched registration from the GOP to the Democratic Party; Specter’s defection will not likely stem this tide, but rather could possibly even enhance it.

Republicans have, predictably, come out attacking Specter, choosing to cast his decision as a move based on self-preservation rather than a reaction to the failings of their party. Michael Steele, Lindsey Graham, and others seem to have taken it for granted that Specter would lose in the 2010 primary election to Pat Toomey, whom he is currently trailing in polls of likely GOP primary voters. Specter was able to hold off a challenge from Toomey in 2004, but as the Republican Party has swung to the right he has been isolated in the center, vulnerable to a primary challenge. By joining the Democrat caucus, he has a much easier road to reelection; while I don’t know for certain, it would not surprise me if his defection were conditional on having the full support of the Democratic Party not only in the 2010 general election, but against any primary challengers. And in a general election against Pat Toomey, Specter should have very little difficulty; in 2006 the conservative Democrat Bob Casey massacred the nauseatingly-conservative Rick Santorum, and I see no reason a Specter-Toomey showdown would be any less one sided. I’m going to vote for him.