Showing posts with label Obama Administration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama Administration. Show all posts

Saturday, January 09, 2021

The Best and the Brightest

"There had been something of a gentleman's agreement among those who might be called The Good Journalists of Washington that the Kennedy Administration was one of excellence, that it was for good things, and against bad things, and that when it did lesser things it was only in self-defense."  - David Halberstam The Best and the Brightest

"One of the things which surprised me was how thin most of the newspaper and magazine reporting of the period was, the degree to which journalists accepted the norms of the government and, particularly in the glamorous Kennedy era, the reputation of these new stars at face value. Credit was given more readily for educational prowess and for academic achievement than for accomplishment in government." - David Halberstam The Best and the Brightest

The above are taken from David Halberstam's  introduction to the 1992 re-publishing of the book. The two paragraphs also easily could have been describing how the media covered the Obama Administration 48-years later. There's also no doubt in my mind if the media had their way it would also be the blueprint for how the Biden Administration would be covered. There's two glaring issues with that though - there's nobody that's going to describe the Biden Administration as "glamorous." Also the number of people who will buy what the media is peddling is much, much less than it was in 1960 or 2008.  

The role of the media is not to inform the public. It never was.

Monday, July 15, 2019

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

As a reminder - just 10-years ago there was real concern that the unemployment rate under Obama was going to reach 10%. How soon we forget... "God is an intelligible sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere." - The Book of Twenty-Four Philosophers...  Cool - "Carmen" on the ukulele. Very talented artist... Learned this weekend that Bad Company is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. How is this possible? It's like learning that Carlton Fisk is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame...  Thinking of writing a series of books called The Adventures of Olive Picasso. It would be about an anorexic world famous artist and her yacht enthusiast boyfriend with massive forearms and their (mis)adventures... Ernest Hemingway on alcohol and ending the "mechanical oppression"... Baphomet's Hangover would be a good name for a band or fantasy football team... 

Monday, January 14, 2019

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The great undoing continues. History will not be kind to Obama's foreign policy choices.

- The Zombie Tit Menace. As an aside Zombie Tits would be a great name for a post-menopausal Spice Girls cover band.

- Lefsetz on Springsteen on Broadway. I tried watching but couldn't make it to the end. I used to be a super fan but no more. This show was like a more upbeat Nebraska and I really did not like the album Nebraska.

- I will never think of Nietzsche the same (you fucking pussy).

- The compelling case for greater economic freedom

- I really like Dan Crenshaw

- I just love the words "vacation cheese". I think it should also be slang for spending money you've saved for when you go away.

Monday, September 10, 2018

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

People are falling for this Trump Troll Tweet by saying its happened a bunch of times the last 100-years (some even including every quarter its happened). Trump then gets to point out that if it's so common - how come it never happened when Obama was in charge? And please nobody is buying that we are simply living in a continuation of the Obama Economy... It think this is an important message about the courage to do the right thing... OK I'll say it! Aaron Rogers was able to come back last night because of "pliability". All the best QB's are doing it... Speaking of Aaron Rogers - I think the one thing I learned from the first NFL Sunday is that Rogers is OK with people thinking his agent is a douchebag... Rest in peace comic actor Bill Daily who is best remembered as Bob Newhart's neighbor Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show and as Major Healey on I Dream of Jeannie... After the tie with the Browns it might be a good time to remind people that Pittsburgh led the NFL with the number of broken tackles allowed last season. This isn't Dick LeBeau's Steeler defense anymore... This message on courage stands alone but also goes hand-in-glove with the message I linked to above...

Saturday, August 04, 2018

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Not saying Putin isn't a bad guy (he is) but I can't help remembering that he tried to warn the US Intel agencies about the Boston bombers and was completely ignored... 62 of the world's most beautiful libraries... Serious question - can anyone name one single Foreign Policy success during the Obama Administration? I mean the guy did win a Nobel Prize Peace Prize. When the history books are written what will they say that was for?... Potential DNA damage from CRISPR has been seriously underestimated according to new study. Think this is a time to take the pledge of "first do no harm" to heart... From now on I'm going to introduce myself as a "minor celebrity" - Chris Lynch Minor Celebrity. Who is to argue? I may even have cards printed up... Scientists have found quadrillions worth of diamonds in the ground (small print: But we'll never ever get to them)... Still the big unanswered question from the 2016 election - did John Podesta ever find those discount Viagra pills he was looking for when he fell for the Russian phishing scams?...

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just a reminder that prior to the first Gulf War - CNN paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein in exchange for access no other network was granted. CNN also agreed not to criticize the Iraqi dictator or his iron rule. Just keep that in mind when watching them speak about ethics... The Wages of Sin Minus Taxes would be a good name for a band... Heh heh - Cobra Chicken would also be a good name for a band... Pete Rose may not have had a single season when he was THE best player on his team. Back in Cincinnati he had Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and a couple of monster George Foster seasons to contend with and with the Phillies he had Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton as teammates... Umm that's not chocolate... Long, interesting read on how lightning strikes can effect the human body. "When thunder roars, go indoors"! Seriously the risk of getting struck by lightning is not something you want to chance... I'm convinced that Ben Rhodes is completely unaware that as far as the history books are concerned he's the Obama Administration fall guy when it comes to foreign policy...

Friday, May 25, 2018

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

When is Consumer Reports going to do an all tazers issue? I want to buy only the best... You do have to wonder how history could have been different if Hillary's top aide hadn't married a sexual predator. Really think we as a country dodged a bullet... I've said this for a long time but I think all candidates for Congress should first have to take and pass the citizenship test immigrants take as part of the Naturalization process.  And the results of the test should be public. That would both weed out candidates who don't know our history or how our system works (looking at you Maxine Waters) but also provide an easy metric for people on the fence to make a choice (pick the candidate with the higher score)... Speaking of Hillary...  Many Democrats would like for Hillary Clinton to just go away so they can concentrate on the 2018 elections but with people like James Clapper saying the Russians stole the election she sticks around and hampers progress like a drug resistant cough or STD... Firmly believe that history will not be kind to the Obama Administration as the truth keeps coming out... GO CELTICS! No matter what happens this season has been a huge success but I know the team will not be satisfied with just taking Cleveland to 7 games. Win tonight! GO CELTICS!...

Friday, February 23, 2018

Watergate and FISA-gate

Victor Davis Hanson does a fine job explaining why FISA-gate is basically Watergate turned upside down.

It is amusing to me that one of the lasting achievements of the Obama Administration may end up being to make Nixon look better in the eyes of history.

Thanks Obama?