Quite rightly, Wednesday night’s WBZ-TV Boston mayoral debate was canceled in light of Ted Kennedy’s death.
A spokeswoman for WBZ said the station is working on rescheduling it.
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Edward M. Kennedy, R.I.P.
I haven’t posted anything about the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, mainly because I don’t have anything especially profound to say about his passing. But I will say this: He was a great – and greatly flawed – man, and both Massachusetts and the U.S. Senate will never be the same without him.
Paterson’s Pathetic Play, Part 2
Via Tuesday’s New York Times:
David N. Dinkins, New York City’s first black mayor, offered some blunt advice on Monday to David A. Paterson, New York State’s first black governor: Don’t accuse your critics of racism.
That was in reaction to Paterson’s lame attempt to blame news media racism for legitimate criticism of his dreadful tenure as New York’s emergency backup governor.
Then again, Dinkins isn’t exactly unequivocal in his Times rebuke:
“I don’t think he means they’re picking on him because he is black,” Mr. Dinkins said. “I suspect he more means, were he not black — and maybe it’s pretty hard to make the distinction — those kind of comments would not have been made.”
Whatever the hell that means.
Regardless, note to David Paterson:
When David Dinkins takes you to the woodshed for playing the race card, your political career has officially bottomed out.
Ad o’ the Day
With all due respect to my Boston University colleagues, the BU College of Communication didn’t exactly cover itself in glory by participating recently in a commercial stunt with McDonald’s, as reported in Tuesday’s Boston Globe:
Call it a Mc-lesson.
This summer, some Boston University students thought they were attending a morning lecture by a renowned cultural anthropologist in an advertising class. But the 14 students unknowingly became stars in a new McDonald’s TV commercial for iced and hot coffees, which will begin airing nationwide on Sept. 1.
In other words, they were BUsed.
A guest lecturer showed up at an 8 a.m. “Fundamentals of Creative Development” class last month and really bored the students so they were really happy when, as the Globe reported, “a crush of chipper uniformed McDonald’s workers, some actors and some real employees, swarmed into the lecture hall” and distributed various McDonald’s caffeinated products – all of it captured on hidden cameras.
At least one media observer describes this form of advertising as a “reality commercial.’’
“It’s a very smart way to get the viewer to believe they are still watching programming,’’ said Geoff Klapisch, a media and advertising professor at BU.
Yes, and it’s a very smart way to cancel out the viewer’s right to know when he’s being advertised to. Not to mention the students’ right to know when they’re being, well, advertising.
Debate Prep
With the first 2009 Boston mayoral debate on tap for Wednesday night (7 p.m. on WBZ-TV), the hardworking staff was deep into its research for the Brawlston in Allston when it occurred to us: Hey! Why not share our debate prep with the splendid readers of Campaign Outsider!
So . . .
Start with the excellent piece, Menino’s Long Ride, in the summer edition of CommonWealth. It positions the mayoral race as sort of a father-son bakeoff:
The question facing every Boston voter is whether the city still needs a father figure or whether it’s time for a new generation to take over.
The piece has a number of enlightening sidebars, especially “Measuring Menino” (you need to go to the PDF for that).
Favorite quote from the piece: Menino’s assertion about the constipated state of development in Boston.
We have progress, but controlled progress.
Yeah, controlled by you-know-who. (See also last Sunday’s Boston Globe report on Menino’s real-estate roulette.)
Next stop: Jason Zengerle’s July 15, 2009 piece in The New Republic about turnout in Boston mayoral races, which you’re supposed to be able to access here, but the TNR site blows, so you can’t.
Anyway, the piece said if the same number of Boston voters who turned out for the 2008 presidential election also turn out for the 2009 Boston mayoral election (which will happen right after Dick Cheney waterboards himself), Menino just might lose.
In the meantime, check out the challengers’ Websites:
After that, let the wild rumpus begin.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Boston mayoral race, CommonWealth, Kevin McCrea, Michael Flaherty, Sam Yoon, Tom Menino
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Ad o’ the Day
In the interest of keeping the splendid readers of Campaign Outsider engaged, the hardworking staff has rebranded our Ad of the Day feature.
It’s now Ad o’ the Day.
Without further ad-o, here’s our quotidian offering (via Craigslist).
Headline:
“Help! Wife Found Out About Mistress”
Body copy:
My Wife Found Out About My Mistress–Now You Can Have Her
Things were going along just fine for the last few years. She and I had occasion to meet regularly, sometimes every evening in a week, if only for a few minutes at a time. We had one of those relationships where everything just seemed to click. It was like she was made for me.
But then my wife found out.
You could say she wasn’t very happy with how I was spending my time. You could also say the Grand Canyon is a good-sized hole in the ground. So now I’m left with the unpleasant task of having to find a new companion for my mistress. Normally I’d just walk away, no strings, no fuss. But I just can’t bring myself to do that to her. It’s a curious thing, but once you meet her I’m sure you’ll understand. Let me tell you a little bit about her.
She’s blonde, but not one of those blondes you see on the street every day. No bottled, bleached, fakey blonde here. Just beautiful, natural, rich blonde of the most enticing hues. In sunlight it’s almost mesmerizing.
I’ve never been anywhere with her that people didn’t comment on how beautiful she is–women as well as men. It’s just how she is–it’s like people can’t help but say something when they see her. I know how they feel. I’ve felt that way ever since I first saw her.
How did we meet? Well, that’s a story all in itself. Funny thing is, she comes from a family of beauties. Before I met her, I saw one of her sisters out with a friend of mine. Being the witty guy I imagine myself to be, I asked that ever-original question, “Does she have a sister?” My friend, enjoying a good laugh at my expense, asked what I would like if I could have anything I wanted. I told him, but it wasn’t until over a year later that I found out I had described her to a T. I was stunned the first time I saw her–even more stunned when he told me she was willing to go home with me.
Well, I couldn’t take her home, of course, and so started our clandestine relationship. We would never be seen in public by anyone who knew me. I much preferred to stay in with her anyway–who needs a smoky night club when you have companionship like her?
And what companionship! Words can hardly describe her. Slender, with curves in all the right places–if you know what I mean. Her favorite outfit is nothing but a little gold above the neck and around her waist. Seductive doesn’t even begin to describe the nature of that look!
Speaking of looks, here are a few pictures so you can have a look at her. If you’re interested in taking her home with you, please contact me. I won’t let her go with just anyone, but if the terms are right, I’m sure we can come to an agreement. Just do youself a favor: if you’re married, don’t let your wife find out. On the other hand, I’m told there are women who would love to have her in their house, too. I don’t know about any of that, but as long as it’s a good home, I’ll be happy for her.
Now that I have your attention, here are the details. This is a custom-ordered 2002 Paul Reed Smith McCarty Hollowbody II. I really did wait 13 months for delivery. Why am I selling? I’m shifting away from instruments (of course I have too many!) and into my recording studio gear. This guitar has never been played out. It’s in beautiful condition. Here are some features:
– Carved flame maple top and back. I didn’t order a 10 top, but I’ve never seen closer to perfect with better flame–front or back. The clear natural finish really shows the wood off, and with the gold hardware it has a very unique character.
– Mahogany sides and neck (wide fat)
– 22 frets; 25-inch scale length
– Rosewood fingerboard
– Abalone bird inlays (added option)
– Archtop Treble and Archtop Bass humbucker pickups with gold covers
– 3-way toggle, volume and tone knobs
– Stoptail
– Locking gold tuners with ebony knobs (added option)
– Gold hardware (added option)
– Leather archtop hard case
– All original tags and paper included
I’d like to find a home for this guitar that would put her in the hands of a player who can do her justice. That’s not me. I once had a conceit that my playing would rise to the quality of the guitar, but I’ve had to face the hard truth that I’m a techie and a voice guy, not a player. If you’re the player for her, let me know. Serious inquiries only. Cash, money order or PayPal only. $4100.00
As the Everly Brothers sang, So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad).
Martyr’s Vineyard
Good luck to Pres. Obama as he tries to have a carefree vacation on Martha’s Vineyard this week. Here’s White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton’s plaintive message to the press corps about Obama’s Excellent Adventure (via Chicago Sun-Times stalwart Lynn Sweet’s blog):
MR. BURTON: All right. I have specific instructions from the President for the press corps. He wants you to relax and have a good time. Take some walks on the beaches. Nobody is looking to make any news, so he’s hoping that you guys can enjoy Martha’s Vineyard while we’re there.
Yes, well, count Rush Limbaugh out of the coalition of the willing. Here’s Rushbo’s take: “President Obama Demands Privacy While on Marxist Vineyard Vacation.”
He calls Martha’s Vineyard “Marxist Vineyard.”
Get it?
It’s that level of incisive thinking that makes Limbaugh America’s trademark conservative voice.
God help us, every one.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Martyr's Vineyard, Marxist Vineyard, Obama Vacation, Rush Limbaugh
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Ad of the Day
With this post, the hardworking staff at Campaign Outsider debuts our new Ad of the Day feature.
Spotlight Dance:
The Sunday New York Times full-page Lord & Taylor ad for a $100 Calvin Klein blazer. The top half of the ad features a photo of a modestly dressed female executive standing at the head of a conference table where four male executives sit thinking things that can’t be accurately described in a family blog.
Headline: “The Right Jacket Seals The Deal On That Promotion You Deserve . . . Which So Beats that $100 Sitting in the Bank.”
Moral of the story: You tell me.
On Daschle, On Blitzin’!
The Sunday New York Times piece on Tom Daschle’s corporate takeover of Obamacare is a Petrie dish of Beltway self-interest and conflict of interest.
The backstory:
Daschle, former South Dakota senator and Senate Democratic leader turned lobbyist, would now be Barack Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services except the White House couldn’t reach that far into the health industry’s pocket to pull Daschle out.
Regardless, Daschle “still speaks frequently to the president” while continuing to make millions at D.C. lobbying firm Alston & Bird (which represents hospital, pharmaceutical, and other healthcare clients) by, well, staying in the health industry’s pocket.
But, according to the Times:
Friends and associates of Mr. Daschle say the interests of Alston & Bird’s clients have no influence on his views. They say he sees no conflict in advising private clients on the one hand and advising the White House on the other, because he offers the same assessment to everyone
Indeed, Daschle told the Times, “I do not tailor my views to any specific group or client.”
Translation: I tailor my views to all of them.
As for Daschle’s potential conflicts, the Times report said this:
Mr. Daschle is not registered as a lobbyist and recently told U.S. News and World Report that he preferred to describe himself as a “resource” to those in government and industry.
“I’d like to be a resource to my former colleagues, to the extent that I can, to the administration, to the stakeholders and to people interested in just kind of knowing how this is all going to play out,” he said. “I am most comfortable with the word resource.”
Me, I’m most comfortable with the word grifter.
Throughout its report, the Times acts not only as a Daschle enabler, but an unindicted co-conspirator. Witness this capitulation:
Some of the health overhaul bills would make deep cuts in Medicare payments for home health services, but Mr. Daschle has instead argued for an increase. And though he does not lobby, he took that message to Capitol Hill last month, giving a paid speech at a meeting for Congressional staff convened by a group of home health care equipment concerns.
Hey Times editors, why not just say “And though he is exclusively a resource . . .”
Adding to the Six Degrees of Tom Daschle effect, there’s this in the Times piece:
White House officials say they appreciate his help. “He is one of a number of people that provides outside advice to the White House, and the president greatly appreciates that advice and Tom’s friendship,” said Dan Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the White House who previously worked for Mr. Daschle.
Geez – at this point, why doesn’t the Times just let Daschle write the damn piece himself?
Kind “Word”
Many thanks to Boston Globe word maven Jan Freeman, who devoted this week’s edition of “The Word” to answering my recent plea for enlightenment on the was/were usage dilemma. Jan does an excellent job of unraveling it.
Ditto for her turn as guest columnist for the New York Times’ On Language column, where she gives a preview of her forthcoming book, “Ambrose Bierce’s ‘Write It Right’: The Celebrated Cynic’s Language Peeves Deciphered, Appraised and Annotated for 21st-Century Readers.”
Sounds like good clean grammatical fun.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Ambrose Bierce, Jan Freeman, New York Times, On Language, The Word
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