Labor Day: Yes We Can! Enjoy Your Holiday With One Last Shot of a Unified Democratic Party Cruising Out of Denver

This works best with something like, say "Great DJ" - choose it from the playlist on the left!

Media: This Election is Tearing Fox News Apart!

Wallace having a friendly chit-chat re: journalistic integrity last year with some guy

Huffington Post has two clips today of Fox News ("We Distort, You Deride") correspondents fed up with anti-Obama bias. Now if only they'd tackle all the other rampant bias and distortion at Rupert Murdoch's White House endorsed sludge factory we can all go home!

First up is my ex-neighbor Chris Wallace. The man who Bill Clinton sucker punched (verbally) on air turns the heat up on his chirpy eye-brow impaired colleagues. Earlier there was a general melee as Brian Kilmeade's control chip malfunctioned leading to his deviation from the Fox party line. See both clips here.

TV Review: Welcome Back SNL -- Now Go Away!

Even in its best years (1976-1978 by some measures) and best individual shows Saturday Night Live has been patchy. This is a consequence of the pressures involved in turning around a new, topical sketch-comedy show every week. During the Dick Ebersol years in the mid-80s between Lorne Michael's leaving and his return, SNL started to use more filmed bits -- many of which were funnier than the live stuff. But that was then.

Unfortunately this is now, and now SNL is as unfunny as its ever been. The cast is willing and talented, but the writing well seems to be dry as a bone. At least here is proof that the writers really were on strike all those months.

Right now the big hubbub is over the now obligatory debate spoofs that SNL trots out every election year. The highwater mark for these were Darrell Hammond and Will Ferrel's brilliant Bush versus Gore series in 2000 which were so spot-on that Gore's people used them for debate prep. This year's set features Amy Poehler doing a passable Clinton and Fred Armisen in mocha-face doing an equally passable Obama. Poehler gets the glib, but she doesn't quite get the cadences right on Clinton, or the regal fierce repose with which she listens to her opponent. Armisen has the Obama look down, and some of his speech characteristics, but he too fails to locate something essential that would make this rise to the level of a great impression.

Of course there is also the debate over a white guy playing a black guy. To me the most resonant complaint is how seldom the equation is switched and you have a black performer playing someone who is white, especially someone in the public eye. That being said, I don't think there is any intentional harm beyond a somewhat hamfisted impersonation.

The sketches themselves (this Saturday's was essentially a better rewrite of last week's) really have only one point this time around -- the press is beating up on Hillary and fawning over Obama. There is some truth to this -- so much so that the real Hillary unwisely brought it up in the last debate. However there is much more to the dynamic between these two candidates that some halfway decent writing and performers who have really dug into the characters could make comedy hay from. Again the Bush/Gore series was funny because it got at both candidates strengths and weaknesses. SNL seems afraid to mock Obama -- much safer to go after the press. Clinton, despite being mocked as pushy and hard-to-take, seems to come off best but we never see the killer instinct that attracts and repels.

This week the real Hillary showed up to rebut the sketch and she was charming, funny, and very likable. Poehler as "Hillary" stopped in as well. But ultimately it served little purpose as entertainment and probably as campaign fodder as well.

The rest of the program, this week and last week, took a quick nosedive from the opener. The salvation last week was a great guest spot by host Tina Fey on Weekend Update that was an impassioned and funny pro-Hillary plea. There was also likable zealot Mike Huckabee, who was funny as usual. This week's Republican guest was unlikable zealot Rudy Giuliani, who was unfunny and pointless. Not unlike the show.

TV: Is Bitch The New Black? Tina Fey Throws it Down on SNL

Tina Fey: My kind of bitch

Cool chick who graduated Tina Fey returned to her Saturday Night Live alma mater this weekend and just had to take a turn at the anchor desk. She used her spot to make a hilarious and impassioned plea on Hillary Clinton's behalf. Her shootdowns of the anti-Hill arguments were pretty deft. For instance, on the criticism that she can't "control" Bill and would have some kind of co-Presidency:
“That would be terrible, having two intelligent, qualified people working together to solve problems,” going on to say that we need to make sure Starsky doesn't talk to Hutch. It all led up to what she felt really turned people off: They think Hillary is a bitch. "Yeah she is!" she said gleefully, "So am I...so is this one.." she said gesturing towards Amy Poehler. "...bitches get things done!" She then ended with the rousing cry "Bitch is the new black!"

Added to the (not interminable and yet one note) opening sketch which skewered the press' fascination for Obama and their disdain for La Clinton the show is sporting a refreshing against the grain Clinton bias.

The little dumb asses at NBC Universal in their infinite non-wisdom continue to embargo their material from sites like YouTube (despite the huge boost it has given SNL) so unfortunately I've embedded their inferior, NBC approved java-based player clip here:

Politics: Guest Star-Studded Debate Turns Into The Love Vote

"...love, exciting and new..."

Let the WGA strike the Oscar's this year. We already got all the cutaway shots we need at last night's debate between Democratic Presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. CNN must have shown Rob Reiner five times -- so sorry about Bucket List getting snubbed by the Academy, Meathead! There was a loving shot of Remington Steele...er James Bond, and my personal fave was very fetching America Ferrara wearing the very latest in Hillary buttons.

The debate you ask? The candidates mostly stayed away from the rough stuff and at times looked so lovey dovey that I wanted to suggest they get a room. When it came down to the nitty-gritty, Hill was still stronger on substance with a very assured and detailed explanation of her health plan versus Obama's. He may have been less surefooted when it came to the policy wonkery but he brought the charm and most importantly the vision.

They both got their hits in on the immigrants being allowed to get driver's licenses issue (a red herring as its a state matter anyhow). Obama referenced Hillary's shaky answer on this initially and she was good enough to remind him gently but forcefully of his own problems with this topic earlier in the year. He sheepishly nodded his head. It was like watching an old married couple.

This was the kind of healing exchange of ideas the party needed at this juncture. Obama eloquently reached out to Edwards supporters, as did Hillary, and everyone seemed to leave the event with a warm glow -- except perhaps for Wolf Blitzer who was roundly booed for trying to bait Obama into an attack. Here's a clip -- check out 4:54 forward for the line of the night, delivered by Clinton, oh and Annie Hall:

Politics: History is Made -- Edwards Drops Out -- Historic Party Nominee Inevitable

John Edwards is ending his quest for the Presidency, throwing a major monkey wrench into Clinton and Obama's Super Duper Tuesday strategies and ensuring that a major party nominee will for the first time in American history, be either a woman or a black man.

Though Edwards is endorsing no-one for the time being, the timing of this move serves as a boost to Obama. To wit:

1) Hillary's last minute "victory" celebration in Florida last night, a state that was stripped of delegates and in which all of the candidates pledged to refrain from campaigning was meant to capture media time and shift some of the mo' back her way after Obama's rout in South Carolina.
Edwards last hurrah is sucking up that oxygen.

2) The ABC (anyone but Clinton) vote now has only one serious conduit, and the states where Edwards might have been strongest in on Tuesday are states that Obama runs well in.

Mussolini-esque Snowbird Republican Rudy Giuliani also has decided to cut short his sojourn in Florida, having bet everything there and lost spectacularly. Oh Rudy, us New Yorkers could have told you: The more time someone spends with you, whether it be the voters, your ex-wives, or police and firefighters, the more they come to realize you are a major league a-hole.

Politics: Obama and Clinton Down to Delegate by Delegate Grappling

Obama gets the coveted endorsement of Springfield's Mayor Quimby..er uh, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy today.

The Clinton camp knew South Carolina was likely to go Obama's way. What they didn't count on was his huge margin of victory -- 53%. He drew almost as many white males to the table as Hillary while getting the bulk of the black vote.

February 5th now looms in importance and the Kennedy family endorsements that are coming Obama's way today should serve as a big red warning signal to camp Clinton:

1) The rough campaigning is taking its toll. Black voters are an important base group and if they are turned off in a tight election its bad news for a Democrat. Combine that with the Clinton's penchant for getting Republicans out to the polls and some party elders are taking a second look at the electability factor.

2) There is a sizable wing of the Democratic party that does not want the circus back in town. While the Clinton years were ones of prosperity, they were also ones of great political division that ultimately saw the return of Republican power in the house and an unprecedented impeachment trial. Let's not forget the very personal stake the Kennedy family has had as the first family of Democratic politics -- do they want to cede that status to the Clintons?

3) This is looking like a "change" election -- much like 1992. Hillary's message of experienced leadership is a hard sell in this environment. Sending Bill out on the trail only reinforces the "back to the future" -ness of her campaign.

4) Hillary is tamping down her own strengths by having Bill be so visible. In all likelihood she will be a better and more disciplined chief executive than he was. But his very presence as an advocate muddies the water. She ought to be able to draw distinctions between herself and Obama, Republicans, and her husband. She's been very effective when she has done so.

Politics: Colbert Unpacks South Carolina Slap Fest With The Help of The Scooby Gang

I support the striking writers and all but isn't Stephen Colbert funnier without them (unlike Bill Maher)? Check out this clip from last night's show -- one of his best yet. He really seems to feed off the improv with the guests as well but this bit of Bob Smigel like repurposing had me rolling. Those meddling kids...

Politics: Dems Bones -- What Does Edwards Want?

"Eeny-meenie mine-e moe..."

Last night's Presidential debate among the Democrats (minus a very peeved Dennis Kucinich) was the nastiest yet -- the gloves are off. Amidst all the wrestling holds, rope-a-dopes, and tag-team action, what was really going on?

Obama knows he is up in South Carolina, he'll probably win there. He is trying to defend his record which is under withering assault from both Hillary and Bill Clinton. He did a pretty good job defending himself to someone who is versed in politics but as we'll see in the clip, the more he has to explain the more it seems like there is something that needs to be explained. When he gets into a somewhat convoluted explanation of why he voted "present" so many times as an Illinois state legislator, it lowers him down from the perch of being a "different" kind of candidate and exposes him as a politician, not that there is anything wrong with that. The Clintons know this and are happy to lead him into this sort of defense of his record. Obama wants to use the momentum of a win in South Carolina to pick up some states on February 5th and hold Clinton's margins down in the states he can't win. Last night didn't hurt him but I don't know that seeing him on the attack and defending his own record so often helped him either.

Clinton knows South Carolina is gone at this point, though if she could get within 5 points or so of Obama she'll call it a victory. She's laying the landmines for February 5th. This was an Obama-friendly audience but her job was to spread doubt about Obama's record and his ability to defend it. Her sharpness cuts both ways -- though the crowd seemed to feel for Obama when he was getting hit by that Clinton uppercut ("slumlord", "not present", "Ronald Reagen") Democrats are eager to see that kind of verbal ju-jitsu employed on a Republican in the general election -- Hillary is counting on it. I think the performance helped in that she didn't come of as detached or icy -- far from it. She was fiery and ready to rumble -- the subtext being that this is what Dems should want in the fall.

Edwards has the most interesting role here. His own aides have suggest that he won't win a single primary at this point. Yet far from cruising, he had one of his best nights last night, pivoting away from his earlier habit of ganging up against Clinton to tag team with her against Obama. Why? May I suggest that Edwards is in this for delegates. He wants to hold down whoever the front runner is in the remaining primaries and collect enough delegates to be a king (-or queen) maker. Math is far from my forte but it may be possible for the top two candidates to come out of February's primaries close enough together in number of delegates for Edward's delegates to put the number two candidate over the top. This leads to the important question -- what does Edwards want? I think we can rule out the VP slot. He may want to see his anti-poverty agenda take center stage. Or there may be something else. Let me know if you think of ideas!

In the meantime here's a clip that illustrates the new dynamic. Hillary just gave Obama a good shot in the kidneys by pointing out a specific bill he voted "present" on -- and got boo-ed for her trouble. Obama's explaining, calmly and reasonably, the minutia of state legislative action which plays right into her game plan. Then Edwards jumps in and magnifies Hillary's message.

Politics: Surprise! Clinton Finds Her Voice, Obama Finds a Horse Race and We Find (Maybe) Naked Romney

All of the pundits -- from the major media all the way down to me wrote Hillary Clinton off in New Hampshire. Hah! Instead voters last night delivered a classic "Dewey Defeats Truman" moment after the obits had already been written on the Clinton candidacy.

Now it's a true race between two very worthy candidates -- Obama already bursting with positive energy and a rejuvenated Clinton displaying anew her steely resilience.

As for last night's speeches...Hillary had a strong start and finish -- she got some great -- maybe even future classic-- soundbite moments. I still found Obama's speech to be remarkable for a guy who came in runner-up -- on message and powerful if a bit lengthy.

Whichever of them becomes the nominee will have been strengthened and tempered by this true contest -- a plus for everyone.

As for the Republicans ...sickly-looking faux-maverick Bush convert McCain won over Lyle Waggoner look-alike Mitt Romney.


Lyle Waggoner or Mitt Romney? "Hey there sugar -- ever strap a dog to the roof of your station wagon?"


Here's Hillary's speech...that opening about finding her voice is the line of the night:



Here is Obama's concession speech -- notice the pivot now that the contests are moving to states with more black voters-- there is a bit more overt acknowledgement of race. That "Yes we can" is very powerful stuff -- worked on me anyhow.

Politics: Obama Brings Politics of Hope to Iowa

The Iowa Caucuses ended last night with not-so-surprising victories from the scrappy challengers of party orthodoxy for both Republicans and Democrats. Mike Huckabee's happy-face religious conservatism triumphed over a divided Republican field as Barack Obama's positivism trumped Hillary Clinton's call for experienced leadership and John Edward's populist-by-way of Matlock-isms.

What did impress was the margin of Obama's victory over his two fellow candidates -- nearly ten points --and a victory speech that was among the best political speeches I've heard in my lifetime. Below is the speech in full. It sags a bit when he gets to thanking the hard-working campaigners on his staff but the beginning and ending are pure gold. If he can keep up the politics of hope and renewal that he so eloquently and movingly laid out last night in New Hampshire the entire tenor of the race for President could change.

Below is his speech in full:

Politics: Thoughts on Last Night's Democratic debate

The Democrats at last night's debate in Hanover, N.H.

Last night's debate in New Hampshire, moderated by Tim Russert, showed the campaign for President shifting gears as time begins to run short for candidates who aren't Hilary Rodham Clinton. It also showed that Russert is like a nightmare combination of your most hated high school teacher crossbred with a pitbull. The conventional wisdom has been that Clinton wins these things by emerging relatively unscathed and there is some truth to that. Last night she took some scuffs but when she is focused she is still the best candidate on the stage at :
a) sounding Presidential

b) Ducking a direct question with aplomb

c) turning a hit into a plus for her.

Russert was harder on her than some of the candidates but she did survive loony Grandpa Mike Gravel's scorn ("I'm ashamed of you...") , John Edward's pursed lip simpering challenge on leaving "combat" troops in, Biden's grudging run-through of her unlikability, and Obama's barely-there criticism of her health care leadership.

She seemed to be in prime cruising mode until the last two questions. Russert brought up the Hsu fundraising ruckus which she ably parried but when he followed up with a direct question about making the funding of her husband's foundation public she seemed thrown and gave a transparently evasive answer. Yes it's Bill's foundation but doesn't she have an opinion on it? There was a more graceful way to not answer that one. The last question was a boneheaded "Yankees or Red Sox" question designed to test non-New England candidates mettle in Sox territory. She ably gave the tough answer "Yankees" but Russert had to tighten the noose and ask her a hypothetical one on a Cubs/ Yankees matchup. "Well I would probably have to alternate sides." a statement that neatly encapsulates the hesitation many Democrats have about supporting the former first lady.

Were that she had parried as well as when Russert played "Gotcha!" by reading her a pro-torture statement that she roundly rejected. The statement was by -- da DA DUMMMM! -- her husband, Russert revealed in a bit of hackneyed theatre that must have thrilled the trial lawyer in John Edwards. "Well he's not standing here right now." She said, to applause.

Edwards knows he has an uphill battle but he also knows that to keep his campaign alive he has to pull one of this non-victory second place victories a la' Clinton in New Hampshire in 1991. Last night suggested he may just do it. He put a lot of ground between himself and Clinton and was far more animated than the Illinois Senator. Still, Edwards has the demeanor of a lawyer winking at a female jury member at times. It can feel like too much, a bit shiny and contrived.

Clinton's numbers are unlikely to move much in New Hampshire out of this but I suspect that Edwards will start to challenge for second.

Veepstakes Underway!

Wes Clark theorizes on how wide a "wide stance" is...

Things are looking good for Hillary Clinton -- up in the polls, on 5 of the Sunday gabfests without a gaffe, her health care plan is being taken seriously. The only bad news is the Republicans seem to be as excited as she is to have her as the nominee. President Bush, once again wired into his Rovian brain, predicted a Hilary win this weekend. The good news is, this guy also predicted a Republican House and Senate in 2006 and a quick victory in Iraq.

So now Team Hillary can start the process of trotting out VP picks. Look carefully at her recent string of endorsements: Vilsack, Bayh, and Wes Clark. All three of these guys have to be considered front-runners, more so than Obama or any of her other primary opponents. My money is on Clark. I saw them in a surprise joint appearance last week and Clark really brings the right kind of balance to the ticket. He made a football quarterback analogy when asked about General Petraeus (the quarterback doesn't say it can't be done even when the score is 20-0) that may have made a bunch of liberal New Yorkers eyes glaze. For voters who aren't sure about Hillary however, here is a way of viewing the world that they can feel comfortable with. His military experience helps to shore up her perceived weakness in relating to the armed forces and is directly relevant to the war in Iraq. You heard it here first!