Frankly …

Clearly this woman has no clue who Barney Frank is. If she had any clue, she would have known not to bring her dining room table to the Barngonquin Roundtable that is the Frankster.

@Jamie Sommers: Thanks for this. Now he’s shown the way perhaps others will follow suit. I can dream can’t I?

@Benedick: If everyone could just get “on message” like this, we might accomplish something.
Mr Cyn spent his morning calling 22 Senators to ask what the House health care reform proposals contained and what was the senator’s position on these. Oddly enough, he says Inhofe’s staff was the most helpful, and explained the main proposal being floated as a “public/private hybrid that is like the coverage Congress has.” Of course, they went on to explain that Inhofe opposed this for reasons rather vague, but the point is, WHY hasn’t any Democrat, from the White House on down, not come forward to explain healthcare reform in a sound bite like that? Not putting forth a proposal that could be reduced to an easily chanted slogan was a huge, huge mistake.

Brilliant!
I wonder if any one else noticed the man Larry King was interviewing…ah, yes Bill Frist. He’s been flying under the radar, but he is out there.

Barney Frank may screw us over from time to time, like many Democrats, but he never says anything less than what is on his mind when he is on TV or being recorded, and the entire fucking caucus could use a shot of his spine.

i’ve cut way back on falling in love with gay jewish lawyers….
but i’ll never stop loving barney!

There’s only one Barney Frank… unfortunately.

This has made my fucking day.

@Serolf Divad: On the upside, we may have an honest to goodness floor fight in Congress, with progressive dems actually showing some spine.

Not that I’m getting my hopes up, of course…

@baked: But darling, why? I can’t see a downside.

@baked: Well, he’d be my first, so I will fall in love with him for you.

I’ve already watched this five times this morning. It is so nice to see a Dem with a spine. Can’t wait to see the response from the mental midgets at Fox News. Please, let Glen Beck pick a fight with Barney Frank.

@SanFranLefty: I hope Obama sees this.

@Mistress Cynica: Dems are institutionally incabable of soundbiting anything. Having worked on party platforms, I can tell you that “Demspeak” is intentionally vague, inclusive to as many constituencies as possible on an issue and inoffensive to the middle in hopes of not scaring them off. Constructing a statement is (or was, in my day) done by committee, assumes the hardcore libs/progressives are (a) on board or (b) too small a group to matter, and has to high five as many big fish as possible. Any attempts to soundbite or bumpersticker get larded up with qualifiers, tangents, and special interest language.

Now retired from the game and just tending to my fields and family as Cincinnatus did, I have to wonder what the inside game is. One thing I also found out is that the public and reporters have no clue as regards what is going on in a campaign (again, I left in 2002 so I don’t know if that’s a valid statement anymore). I do know that my activist friends from back then are ready to spit, again showing that progs don’t matter unless the party needs their votes in a close race, then it’s all lovey dovey.

@redmanlaw: Sounds like some institutional homepages I’ve designed. Less is More, I tell them, and then everyone on the committee insists that their pet link gets included.

Which is why I bill hourly.

@redmanlaw: “Yes, We Can” was a pretty effective soundbite and bumpersticker slogan. But maybe it is also intentionally vague as to who ‘we’ are, what ‘can’ means and what the metrics are for affirming ‘yes’.

Law.Stinque.Com TJ:
The hearing on the gay rights’ groups’ motion to intervene in the Olson/Boies Prop 8 challenge to start in 30 minutes at N.D. Cal. courtroom of Chief Judge Walker. Also the case management conference which will give everyone an idea of the schedule and therefore the speed of the on-ramp to the 9th Circuit and SCOTUS.

@nojo: I had to beat down a guy to keep his fave social program in Mrs RML’s hometown from getting a shout out in a fucking state party platform to give it an edge over a competing program. I also remember these two big women who hit my draft like it was the opening bell at the all you can eat buffet so they could add praise for either state government workers or the teachers’ union. The platform committee almost fucked up my endorsement of responsible fire arms ownership (ahead of the curve in 2000) with some “guns are evil” shit, but I reminded them about our rural Dems who hunt, etc. The platform was then 10 pages long. It’s now been cut to two.

@redmanlaw: @nojo: Committees. The #1 thing I don’t miss about academia.

@redmanlaw: Wow. I’m assuming it’s your use of “responsible fire arms ownership” that’s causing ad bot to show me the what I’m seeing now: An ad with a ski-masked evildoer-type pointing a gun at me and the words “Do You Feel Lucky?” in big red letters. After the inital shock of its appearence, all I can think is how tempting it must have been for the copywriter to tack on “,Punk?”

@SanFranLefty: Keep is informed. Liveblogging is encouraged.

@flippin eck: Mine is “Are You A Hot Mama?”

@Dodgerblue: I have the same ad as you.
Alas, can’t liveblog from the scene, just checking the court website (I’d be shocked if the local fishwrap sent a reporter – more likely that the LAT or NYT have reporters there).

@Promnight:
prommie….what happened to the hamster??????

@baked: Sad to say, the hamster did not make it. Details in the clubhouse.

@flippin eck: I’ve never heard of Target Focus Training. Interestingly, an outfit called Gunsight has a logo that looks like the WW2 German army eagle. Most of those gun schools are really out there on the far right fringe, which is why I need to start the RML Institute for Liberal Firepower. In the meantime, I just go out to the informal range bulldozed out of a patch of socialist federal public lands (BLM) at the edge of town and practice, practice, practice.

Never even shot a snake in self-defense (even the one that tried to eat the trout I left on a river bank one day while fishing), although it was either him or me as far as a lot of empty beer cans go. Two liter bottles of cheap awful soda make awesome 100 yard rifle targets, btw, especially in red or orange.

http://www.gunsite.com/news.html

@redmanlaw: I support sensible environmental protection regulations which will preserve and protect the natural beauty and precious heritage of our diverse ecosystems without unduly restricting the rights of property owners, while at the same time allowing us to balance the public’s need for sustainable economic growth and employment and safe, affordable low income housing and the need for open space and wildlife preservation for the benefit of sportsmen and outdoor recreationalists.

@Promnight: Superb doublespeak.

@Promnight: Were you on the platform committee with me? Oh, wait- congressional campaign experience.

@Dodgerblue: Prop. 8 update – gay rights groups can’t intervene (oooh, some pissed off ghey attorneys!) and trial in January. Naturally, I had to go to NYT and not the SF Fishwrap for the story.

Remember platform fights at conventions? Damn, where’d I leave my teeth?

@SanFranLefty: Oh, Schadenfreude. The same groups who said, loudly and repeatedly, that this was the worst party ever, now can’t get in? Whadja expect?

@Dodgerblue: City of San Francisco allowed to intervene, however, just pouring salt in the wounds of the ghey groups. Check out the fascinating article about Ted Olson in today’s NYT and how he got involved in the case, because of Rob Reiner, of all people. Dude has a fantastic track record in front of the Supremes, and as he says, it’s all about counting up to 5 and so maybe he thinks he knows how he’ll get Justice Kennedy to the correct side. It’s a hell of a fucking gamble, and even though Kennedy did the right thing on Lawrence, it makes me way too nervous. I’d want to wait until one of the four cretins of the court or Kennedy is replaced by Barry’s next appointee.

@SanFranLefty: Maybe your new neighbor will get to stand up in court and talk about marrying same-sex couples.

I saw the NYT piece. Think how pissed off the “mainstream” gay groups will be if this guy wins!

@Dodgerblue: Well, apropos of our discussion upstream about how progressives and liberals have to do everything by committee, the gay groups would still be discussing whether to get the gluten-free organic pretzels or the vegan hummus as the snack to serve at the meeting to discuss litigation strategy.

I love progressives and I’m one and FSM knows I work, have worked and volunteered at a shitload of progressive organizations, but sometimes they just need the ruthless dictatorship of a person saying “We will do X, then we will do Y” instead of worrying about ensuring a collaborative empowered collective to take action. Just get the fucking job done.

@SanFranLefty: A political/media friend of mine and I were talking the other day about a Dean strategy meeting we had at my house one night. I made a big (vegetarian) spaghetti dinner and we drank about eight bottles of wine charting the course to victory against the Spineless Weenie and the Old General.

I think this case is a ploy to wreak havoc on the administration. Why else would these people be doing it now? I don’t believe for one minute that they mean what they say. I also think the gay groups were right to stay out of it and should have nothing to do with it now.

My dining room table is considerably more intelligent than that woman.

Today in the news, Rush Limbaugh has taken one my favorite anus jokes, the one that always cracks me up, and twisted it into something filthy against Barney Frank. I hate that Bastard.

@texrednface: Do tell. But hasn’t Rush been grabbing his ankles for months?

@SanFranLefty: You are channeling Lenin now.

@SanFranLefty: ometimes they just need the ruthless dictatorship of a person saying “We will do X, then we will do Y”
And this is why I was known as a great big bitch when I ran committees–I didn’t even pretend to consider asinine suggestions, I just looked at them and said “I think not.” None of my meetings ever ran over an hour, and our stuff got done. Many of those whiny committee types really like it when someone takes charge and just tells them what to do. And as long as that person is me, I got no problem with it either.

@Mistress Cynica:

Mr. OA was the director of Seattle’s gay pride parade back in ’03 (or ’04–my memory’s fuzzy), and he ruled with an iron fist. Problem was, if every single person’s suggestion wasn’t seriously considered and implemented, then they got turbo resentful and passive aggressive (ex. suddenly “forgetting” to do things they were supposed to handle, leaving him to deal with it). Seattle’s city gummit works the same way. Personally, I’m fine with someone else calling the shots if they have better ideas.

@Dodgerblue: You say that like it’s a bad thing.

@Original Andrew: Which is exactly why the No on 8 campaign failed. Volunteering on that campaign was infuriating. I’m happy to take orders and be a worker bee if the person in charge is making smart decisions and doesn’t change her mind five times. When that happens, I am like Cynica – I need to be in charge.

@SanFranLefty: Well, here’s something many of us seem to agree on. I like to work collaboratively unless a bunch of dumb ideas are floating around. Then I want to be King.

@SanFranLefty, Mistress Cynica: It’s called “leadership” and lib/lefties can’t deal with it because it hierarchical or something.

@Dodgerblue: My history is one of hanging back and working quietly until called to lead, do the job, then move on.

Added to the Hamster Pellet Fund tonight buying books for Son of RML and Mrs RML from Ama-stinque that we didn’t find locally.

@redmanlaw: Shit, that reminds me I need to buy The Prince. Kickback linque is here.
Everyone else reading it? Especially Jamie Sommers?

@Dodgerblue: life would be so much better if Stinquers were in charge.

@redmanlaw: If you start up your Guns for Libs school, let me know. Sounds like a very interesting thing…