“American Political Insanity Explained”

That’s the title of this succinct and brilliant overview of our current political “discourse.”   In my darker–more lucid?–moments, I’ve been doubtful of our ability to right this ship for a good long while.  But I was hopeful that Mr. Obama might be the one person on the planet with the potential to do so.  I’m still sold on his courage and vision, but we are in an extraordinary mess.   All the posts here on this blog have had value, I think, but few as much as this one.  I urge you to take the time to read it, and to follow the links.

Now THIS Is Funny

The Far Left Side cartoon is always amusing.  Today it is laugh out loud hilarious.

Author Dick Francis Dead at 89

Obituary here.

In 1985, a fellow investigator at a research center in Jackson Hole recommended a paperback she had just finished.  “Whip Hand,” she said, was set in the world of English horse racing.  When I demurred, claiming no interest in that world, she gently persisted, to my great pleasure.  By the mid 90′s I had read all of the Dick Francis crime novels to date, and looked forward to the yearly additions he made to his oeuvre.  I wasn’t alone, as by that time Francis had become one of the most popular and widely read authors in the world.

I’ve always felt that Francis’s most appealing quality was his ability to create extremely likable characters, both his protagonists and their associates.  One cares about the people in his novels, and their hopes and fears and the dangers they encounter matter to us.  In the last few years I have reread a few of the novels, and given the gratuitous violence so common in contemporary entertainment, the books seem pretty mild.  Still, that may have its own appeal.  If you haven’t read Francis, start with “Odds Against,” and then “Whip Hand.”  With any luck, you’ll be hooked.

Mr. Obama Is Actually Doing Pretty Well

In spite of the brain-lock negativity of media pundits and MSM reporters, not to mention the shameless and more or less non-stop dishonesty of Republicans and their mouthpieces at Faux News, Mr. Obama is reasonably well-regarded by the general public.  Matt Yglesias is making a collateral point here, but the graphic says much:  Obama is trusted by more folks than Republicans on five major current issues.  And when you remember that about 30% of the country actually approved of George Bush, and really are not capable of understanding current events, much less judging fairly, the resulting light shines even a little brighter.

An Important Obama Success

One of the many ways the ready-to-magnify-the-slightest-Obama-imperfection MSM fails American citizens is in its ignoring Obama’s dramatic lifting of America’s status in the eyes of the world.  From Political Wire:

A new Gallup survey finds that perceptions of American leadership worldwide improved significantly, from 34% in 2008 to 51% approval in 2009.  Significant improvements in sentiment toward U.S. leadership are evident in all four major global regions, with the largest year-over-year increase in approval measured in Europe.
And Steve Benen has more here: IMPROVED INTERNATIONAL STANDING

Too Easy to Make Fun Of

I hereby aver that, after this post, I will not inflict esteemed readers of this blog (you know who you are) with daily items related to Sarah Palin, as comically ridiculous as she may be.  However, Colbert was at his best last night in parsing the subtle “logic” of her recent comments about the word “retarded.”  (Video may not be considered suitable for work.)

Another Useful Perspective

I wish this image was clearer, but, as they say, “You get the picture.”  Mr. Sagan had it going on, no?

Useful Demographic Perspective

Ready to buy in to the current MSM meme that Dems are doomed in the November elections?  Steady there.  For one thing, it’s a long time to November.  For another, if most of the pundits agree on something, it’s bound to be, at best, an extremely shallow perspective, and furthermore, it’s almost certainly wrong.

Here to help soothe your unease over the astonishing ignorance revealed in the previous post is some straightforward demographic analysis of the electorate.  Many Republicans may be woefully and willfully uninformed, not to say hateful and mean-spirited, but there aren’t that many of them around these days.

What Republicans Believe

It didn’t didn’t get a lot of attention in the MSM–those dastardly libruls don’t want you to know the truth, or something–but this extensive poll by a widely respected and consistently accurate polling firm gives one good insight into how it is possible that Republicans can vote again and again for ability-challenged folks like Bush, and Palin, and Grassley.

BTW, the same firm shows that Mr. Obama’s approval rating, in spite of conservatives’ non-stop lying about essentially everything about him and his policies and the MSM’s refusal to call them on it, is currently at 56%.

Nothing More Beautiful: Stunning Images of the Northern Lights

Do not miss these photographs of the Aurora Borealis.  Of all the northern lights photos I have seen over the years, none as well incorporate the surrounding landscape into the image.  This is photography as high art, plain and simple.