Ben Quayle: Worst Congressional candidate in recent history

August 12, 2010

Dan Quayle’s son, Ben, has raised obnoxiousness and rudeness to new heights (that’s “rudity” or “rudiferousness” to Palinistas).

Quayle the Lesser is running for Congress in Arizona, the state where his family owned a huge interest in the state’s main newspaper, and the state where his father, Dan, said he learned all about California while spending time with family in Arizona growing up.  (Logic?  You wanted logic?)

And he’s put out this ad.

I’ll wager the ad gets more play on the internet than on television.

Sounds like Quayle is really, really desperate. Do the polls show him down that much? It’s a 10-way race for the Republican nomination, with the primary election on August 24.

Quayle has other embarrassments already in the campaign, including a campaign flyer that showed him playing with two little girls, when he was married just this past April (the girls turned out to be his nieces), and a connection to an off-color website regarding Scottsdale.

Years ago Esquire magazine named Sen. Bill Scott, R-Virginia, the “stupidest” senator on Capitol Hill.  Scott called a press conference to deny it.  The first question he was asked:  “If  you’re not the stupidest senator, who is?”

Even though his campaign website is a clear ripoff of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign site, Ben Quayle may have answered the question, “Who is the worst candidate for Congress this year?”

More (update):


GM profits, Tea Party turns to gin

August 12, 2010

According to the Associated Press, General Motors turned a profit of $1.33 billion last quarter.  “Billion,” with a b.

Tea Partiers and Republicans have made a run on liquor stores to stock up on gin for the afternoon.  News is turning against them.

First, they argued that the Obama administration was crazy to try to save GM.  Couldn’t be done, won’t work.  Cutting 3 million workers loose in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Texas would help depress the market for migrant fruit pickers in those states, the Republicans argued implicitly — and that would help reduce immigration troubles, which bug Republicans chiefly because it’s a sign of good economic times for working people.

Second, they argued that Obama had effectively nationalized GM and Chrysler.  Nationalized companies rarely turn profits (except for tin-pot dictators).  The simple reporting of a profit by the company reiterates the point that the GM rescue was not “socialism,” and was no nationalizing of the company.  Obama starts to look like a hero, Tea Party dreams start to look like wet tea leaves.

Third, it means Tea Party self-enrollees may actually have to buy American.  They had hoped to kill off the U.S. auto industry, so no one would complain when they drove Mercedes, Lexus, and the Kia they bought for their nephew.   Now, with Cadillacs, Chryslers and Lincolns still being made, they have no excuse.

Fourth, it means there are three million voters in the American midwest who owe their jobs to Obama.  While at least of million of those people may be convinced to buy the Tea Party Home Lobotomy Kit and vote against Democrats in the fall, the odds of even half of that group being suckered in are slight.

Fifth, and most important, GM’s showing a profit pulls the cloak from the platform of the Tea Partiers, and all that’s left is a naked guy with skinny legs and a sore need for a tanning bed and exercise.   The Tea Party works on being against stuff.  If they had to actually come up with a workable program for anything, they’d quickly be exposed.

So, that gut at the end of the bar finishing the fifth of gin and mumbling a lot?  He’s a Tea Partier, praying for Chrysler to crash.  Tell the bartender he is picking up your tab.

Tip of the old scrub brush to Jim Stanley.


Last one in the water . . .!

August 12, 2010

Beach sign in Australia - photo by Laura Hale

Sign on an Australian beach. Photo by Laura Hale

Tip of the old scrub brush to Laura Hale.


History in photos – great art, good student project?

August 12, 2010

Earlier I found an idea I’ve not been able to incorporate into my classes, but which I still like:  Take historic photos of your town, go to the same place today and see what it looks like.

Comparing historic images with places today

Students could do this: Comparing historic images with places today

A Russian photographer takes the exercise further, and creates sometimes-stunning art.

Sergey Larenkov has photos from Europe in World War II.  He blends parts of those images with photos of the same places today, in cities across Europe. He has images from Berlin, Leningrad, and other cities (crawl over his LiveJournal site — there’s good stuff).

Sergey Larenkov, World War II historic photo overlay on modern shot - Leningrad?

Sergey Larenkov, World War II historic photo overlay on modern shot - is this Leningrad? Whose soldiers, what year?

Sergey Larenkov work, the Siege of Leningrad, and Leningrad today (reverting to the name St. Petersburg)

Sergey Larenkov work, the Siege of Leningrad, and Leningrad today (reverting to the name St. Petersburg)

Ghostly, no?

The photos show the destruction of war, and how far Europe has come since then.  It’s an astounding view of history.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, these photo mashups are worth ten thousand words or more.

Tip of the old scrub brush to Alices’ blog at My Modern Met.

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