Someone I Know Was On The Colbert Report

This is semi-old news in the world of my acquaintances, but I just thought I'd post Jon Golbe's November 3rd, 2008 appearance on The Colbert Report. This will probably be the last time (for a while) I'll get to use the "Election 08" tag on this blog:

CNN's holograms not really holograms

[Via CBC]

The CNN anchors were not really speaking to three-dimensional projected images, but rather empty space, [Hans Jürgen Kreuzer, a professor of theoretical physics at Dalhousie University and an expert on holography] said. The images were simply added to what viewers saw on their screens at home, in much the same way computer-generated special effects are added to movies.

Kreuzer said the images were tomograms, which are images that are captured from all sides, reconstructed by computers, then displayed on screen.

Holograms, on the other hand, are projected into space.

CNN officials could not be reached for comment.

The People Have Spoken, As You Well Know

Weirdly Accurate And Topical

I've Got A Game Changer For Obama/Biden

A Saturday photo-op where Joe Biden shows the American people that he also can field dress a moose.

(Amirite, ppl?! Huh!? Amirite!?)

This Was My Major Impression Of The 3rd Debate

Stop placating your base, McCain, and lunge for the youth vote! Less Joe, more Zeke!

I Swear These People Are About To Make Me Ignorant Up In Here.

What they heck is wrong with you West Plains, Missouri? [Via the Springfield, Missouri News-Leader]

Diagramming Sarah Palin's Sentences

I recognize this Slate article is both mean and unfair. (Anyone who has ever transcribed a verbal interview with anyone recognizes how totally syntactically fuzzy conversational speech is.) However, I love diagramming sentences—and, honestly, these are some choice (tortured) specimens. [Thanks, Alex!]

Branded!

Can you technically even be a "maverick" and espouse something other than a classically liberal, progressive ideology?

That's the question posed by John Swartz in this NYT's column that delves not just into the etymology of the term—which began with a 17th Century member of the Maverick family, who "got into trouble with the law over his agitation for the rights of indentured servants"—but also the current low opinion the Maverick family has of McCain and Palin using their family name today.

Uh Oh! Secret Muslim!

[Via WSJ]

The Republican Party cited a large amount of money coming to the Democratic presidential candidate from overseas, and a small amount of money that he has returned from foreigners, in explaining their complaint.

The party's lawyers also pointed to news reports of foreigners giving money to Sen. Obama, although the Obama campaign says it has either rejected or returned the money.

"We see this as a wide-scale problem for the Obama campaign," said Sean Cairncross, chief counsel for the Republican National Committee. "This is more money than has ever flowed into a presidential campaign."

Ignoring for a second that this audit may have some degree of validity, I think that given the McCain campaign's recent level of restraint we're in for some particularly ugly attack ads.

"Seckrit Musalim Terrorizer!"

Would Biblical Prophecies Influence Palin's Foreign Policy Positions? [Holy Crap]

I am genuinely afraid.

Post-Debate Blues

Are the debates really just gonna be CliffsNotes for the kids who haven't been following the campaign?

Is This Obama Vs. Palin Banner Ad For Real?

Who the eff made this? Is this just dumb? Or some kind of push poll for totally apathetic, disinterested people?

Marcy Kaptur! Why Aren't You Obama's VP!

She's took some serious names last week on the financial bailout absurdity. [Thanks, Chris!]

Hope, Good Vibrations

[Via Find the Source Yourself]

The Tina Fey As Sarah Palin Cold Open

So perfect. Other bits from the episode weren't too shabby either.

The New Yorker McCain Cover: Funny Because It's True

... and frankly that's the problem, because their Obama cover is funny because it's false.

The Truculent Hilarity of 4CHAN Conservatives

The above animated GIF reminded me recently of this actual RNC ad that was running after Barry O.'s speech in Berlin:



I'm slightly weirded out by the crass, low-budget sophistication in both cases; how they appeal on the visceral, gut-level of an internet meme without discussing anything directly — in the first instance Obama-as-Zoolander-scale-pretty-boy-doofus (with iced lattes! Talking Point Bonus!) and in the second instance Obama-as-cocky-pretty-boy-doofus-Leonardo-Decaprio (with internationalist "King of the World" delusions! Another TPB!).

The second also seems to focus on painting Obama's supporters as Far Left, Eurotrash morans — in a way that is intentionally unfair, hilarious and basically what the Daily Show and Sascha Baron Cohen have been doing for over a decade now. This leaves me with the sinking feeling that after several botched attempts, we are coming closer to a world with a successful conservative Daily Show.

A la Greg Sargent's recent analysis — there is also the possibility that this ad was meant to work in some amazing way I never could have imagined.

Daily Show Billboard Greeting RNC Near The Twin Cities Airport

Joe Biden Adds Seniority and Sass

I almost donated today — because the tricky email announcement to supporters naming Barry O.'s VP leads to an inspiring fundraising prompt. (I gave them plenty of information on how to contact and bother me later, though. So, once I do my monthly budget, I'll probably drop some coin.) Here's Biden at the Philadelphia Debate last year talking about putting a brick through the other guy’s windshield; talking about taking it out and chopping it up.



As would be expected, here's McCain's people pointing out that way back in 2005, Biden would have been happy to run with McCain. You remember: the version of John McCain that could have plausibly been construed as a maverick; the one who ran against George W. Bush.