Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul wins debate

According to an MSNBC poll taken shortly after the conclusion of the first Republican debate, Ron Paul was the winner.



I'd have to agree with that. He was the only candidate who was believable as a conservative. All the rest pander to their perceived "base." Paul let it all hang out.



ABC News: The Ron Paul Effect: Boomlet or Savvy Supporters?

Snoop Dogg and Don Imus: Two Peas in a Pod or Completely Different?

This story pretty much sums up how I feel about the Imus debacle. Essentially, he's a misanthrope who thrived in the radio medium but floundered on, and met his demise through, television. Here's that fount of knowledge and morals, Snoop Dogg, after having just pleaded no contest to weapons and drug charges:

It's a completely different scenario. [Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about hos that's in the 'hood that ain't doing shit, that's trying to get a nigga for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them muthafuckas say we in the same league as him.

So, Snoop, I understand your point -- the women you disparage are do-nothing whores trying to get to you for your money. The Rutgers girls aren't like that. I get that.

What I don't get is this: How can you call a white man a honkey, cracker, or some other derogatory slang word without feeling just a bit -- just a small bit -- hypocritical? It seems okay for black people to call white people names but the converse is not true. Many will say it's because racism is only a one-way street: Those in power (presumably white) are the only ones capable of racism. That is wrong-headed.

Others might claim it's because of the hardships and cruel conditions blacks have had to endure (the almost 200-year-ago-slavery issue). Both these ideas are old.

Let's call it what it is: A double standard. A "reverse" racism. The over-arching point might be this: We're all a little racist. We've all called a member of a race other than our own some derogatory term, whether it's on the playground, the sports arena, or the car. Some of us just have a hard time admitting it. Furthermore, I think you can be a racist against your own race. Blacks using the "N Word" amongst each other immediately comes to mind. It's either racism or a double standard. Pick your poison.

We're also all a little sexist.

Imus' gaffe was both racist and sexist. Let's not forget that he offended an entire race and sex. From what I've heard from others pontificating about Imus' past, he has always been an "equal opportunity" offender. He just did it on TV; that was his biggest mistake, from a PR point of view. If he had said this only on radio, which nobody other than devoted fans listen to, there would be no flap. For if radio could have brought him down, couldn't it most definitely bring down Dr Laura, Rush Limbaugh, and Michael Savage, to name just 3 out of hundreds of racists and misogynists on the radio today, talking about this very same stuff?

The Blog | David Bromwich: Imus is Gone, Snoop Dogg Remains: Are We Happy Now? | The Huffington Post

Election results for 2006 mid-term elections

CNN has a beautifully-done web on the election results for the 2006 mid-term elections. As you most likely know by now, the Democrats have taken control of the House (expected) and the Senate is still up for grabs.

Looks like George Allen and Jim Webb are in a dead heat and there may be a re-count. This is good. George "Macaca" Allen, the incumbent, should have never even come close to losing, not that Webb's a bad guy, but because incumbents in the Senate win, like, 99% of the time (not sure of that stat, but it's really HIGH).

The sweep by the Dems in the House was expected. This election seemed like a referendum not only on President Bush (if only we could have come to this conclusion 2 years ago!), but also on the war in Iraq, the economy, and the scandal-ridden Repugnican party.

Power is a terrible thing to let go to your head, the the Repos really let it get to them. They were, and still are, drunk with power. Like an alcoholic, the key to getting help starts with admitting you have a problem. Well, Republicans will never admit they're wrong, but the people spoke yesterday, and, as Andrew Sullivan has said, this was an "intervention."

I saw Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum's concession speech last night. In fact, it was the only one I saw. I grow exceedingly weary of all the hoopla and "news" coming out of the coverage (I mostly watched MSNBC but also watched Faux for its incompetence and petty partisanship, just to see what the "other side" is up to). I liked how Santorum kept his composure and talked about spending time with his family now that he doesn't have a cushy government job.

I got a real kick out of his family, though. His kids were blubbering idiots. I mean, come on, your daddy is most likely set for life (as are you) and he gets to spend more time with you.

Wait! Maybe that's the problem. Maybe his kids were crying because they realize that they're going to have to spend a whole LOT MORE TIME with daddy.

If I had a dad like him (I didn't), I'd be crying at that prospect, too.

I was especially humored by Santorum's saying that they guy who beat him (I don't even know his name; it was Casey) was "a good man." He thought he'd do well. I wonder if that's what he said about him prior to losing? I doubt it.

Anyway, next post -- Richard Pombo's dog died because Dick Cheney shot it.