Politics Daily

Rare Footage Captures John F. Kennedy on His Last Night Alive

Christopher Weber — 2011-02-22T16:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Video, White House

The night before he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy stopped at the Rice Hotel in Houston to meet with local Hispanic leaders and to deliver a short speech. The president's appearance around 9 p.m. on Nov. 21, 1963, was captured by a home movie camera, and now that footage has been made public for the first time.

Roy Botello shot the 8mm film and then kept it in a drawer for 47 years, according to ABC News. Last year he donated it to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, an institution in Dallas dedicated to the JFK assassination. The museum restored the footage and has made it available online.

The silent film captured Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy greeting dignitaries and speaking into a microphone on a podium. At one point the president is seen grinning as a mariachi band plays behind him.

"Everybody went nuts. It was so loud," Botello told Houston's KHOU-TV. "One time I was taking the video, somebody knocked me down."

Botello, now 88, shot the color home movie from his seat in the front row.

The next day Kennedy was shot to death in Dallas.

Watch the video:

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Ohio Gov. John Kasich Apologizes to Police Officer He Called 'Idiot'

Christopher Weber — 2011-02-17T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Gaffes, Viral Video, Governors, Video, Law

Ohio Gov. John Kasich apologized Thursday to the police officer he called an "idiot" during a speech last month.

The governor met briefly at his office with Officer Rob Barrett, extending an apology to him and to law enforcement as a whole for his comments, according to WCMH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Columbus.

Kasich "apologized for using the term and said it was a wrong choice of words and a bad example," said Jim Gilbert, head of Columbus police union, who was also in the meeting. "The governor looked at me and apologized and said that he holds law enforcement in high regard."

Elizabeth Edwards Leaves John Edwards Out of Will, Gives Everything to Kids

Politics Daily Staff — 2011-01-06T10:13:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Democrats, Scandal, Viral Video, Health Care, Campaigns, Medicine, Elizabeth Edwards

The late Elizabeth Edwards willed everything she owned to her three children, leaving her estranged, well-to-do husband, former Sen. John Edwards, without so much as a mention.

Edwards, who died of breast cancer on Dec. 7, named her oldest daughter, Catherine, 28, as executor, CNN reported. "All of my furniture, furnishings, households goods, jewelry, china, silverware and personal effects and any automobiles . . . to be divided among them," she wrote in a document dated Dec. 1. Besides Catherine, the will also names daughter Emma, 12, and son John, 10. A copy was published online by "Inside Edition."

Edwards, who was 61 at her death, was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 after John Edwards' unsuccessful campaign for president (he was then chosen as John Kerry's running mate). She chronicled her struggle with the disease and the
1996 death of her son Wade in the book "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers."

Elizabeth Edwards was to suffer another blow in 2008 when her husband -- after withdrawing from the Democratic presidential race -- acknowledged he had an affair and fathered a child with a campaign video producer named Rielle Hunter. The couple legally separated and Elizabeth Edwards sought a divorce. But her husband was reportedly at her bedside in North Carolina last month as death approached.

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Navy Capt. Owen Honors Relieved of Command for Lewd Videos

David Wood — 2011-01-04T14:47:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Video, Military

The Navy relieved Capt. Owen Honors of command of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise Tuesday for "profound lack of good judgment and professionalism'' amid a storm of protest over revelations of lewd shipboard videos.

The decision came after two days of anguished debate inside the Navy's carrier aviation community, where Honors, a former F-14 fighter pilot, was considered a fast-rising star. He was about to take the Enterprise on a six-month deployment to the Middle East. Wartime command of one of the Navy's 11 carriers is a rare achievement and often charts a path to even higher posts.

Instead, Honors' career is likely ended, Navy officials said, over the public airing of videos he made in 2006 and 2007 when he was executive officer, or second in command, of the Enterprise. The videos, which feature Honors, included mock masturbation, a mock anal exam with a stick, anti-gay slurs, foul language, and a parody of women sailors in the shower. The videos were shown weekly on the ship's closed-circuit television system to the 5,800 male and female sailors aboard the giant nuclear-powered carrier.

During long weeks at sea, it is not unusual for the crew to produce morale-boosting videos, often involving skits and spoofs as well as news and features. The videos produced by Honors went far beyond accepted standards, the Navy indicated.

"The responsibility of the commanding officer for his or her command is absolute,'' Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said in a statement. "While Capt. Honors' performance as commanding officer of USS Enterprise has been without incident, his profound lack of good judgment and professionalism while previously serving as executive officer on Enterprise calls into question his character and completely undermines his credibility to continue to serve effectively."

The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va., a major Navy town and the home port of the Enterprise, broke the videos story Saturday. It ignited wide criticism of the videos themselves, and of the judgment of a senior officer to participate in them and allow them to be shown. Among many other organizations, the gay rights group Service Members Legal Defense Fund called Monday for an investigation into the matter.

The Worst Clichés of Politics From 'Tax-and-Spend' to 'Maverick'

Walter Shapiro — 2010-12-28T21:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Culture, 2010 Elections, 2012 Elections

According to my rough calculations, our political tongue -- the language of campaigns, elections and, yes, governing -- is sustained by an army of maybe 10,000 professional babblers. They are the Quoted (White House officials, members of Congress and big-time candidates), the Quote Creators (speechwriters and press-release purveyors) and the Quote Users (reporters, columnists and TV correspondents).

And taken as a group -- with some notable exceptions -- they display all the originality of second-graders telling knock-knock jokes.

Think I am exaggerating?

Just remember all the times during the post-election session of Congress when senators and pundits alike went on cable TV to denounce "pork-barrel politics." The phrase was once a colorful description of wasteful federal spending, but no one in Washington has seen an actual pork barrel since the days when Zachary Taylor was president. Edward Everett Hale popularized the expression in an 1863 short story that had nothing to do with politics. But according to my personal copy of "A Dictionary of American Politics" by Everett Brown and Albert Strauss (the definitive 1892 edition), "pork" was defined as "a term used in politics to designate the spoils of legislation."

So exactly why are we still using a term that was already a cliché in 1892? That was so long ago that the White House had just been equipped with a new technology called electricity and new slang phrases like "hold your horses" were entering the language.

Even more shopworn is the expression -- just four simple words -- that automatically identifies the speaker as someone who has been hanging around Congress far too long as an incumbent, a reporter or a lobbyist. Sure, you can write hymns to bipartisanship and prattle on about compromise in politically divided Washington, but please stop pledging to "work across the aisle." Nobody else in America -- other than a Capitol Hill gasbag -- talks about "across the aisle" unless the topic is seating for a wedding.

Already, I am braced for the linguistic assault from 2011 trench warfare in Washington and the verbal pyrotechnics from the 2012 presidential campaign, even if Sarah Palin -- the Elocution Queen of Alaska -- does not run. That is why I have compiled a personal list of political words and phrases that have outlived their usefulness. In the quest for original political rhetoric, these cliché-ridden expressions should be sent to the glue factory, consigned to the dustbin of history, and shoved down the booby hatch.

Some items on my list are merely banal -- such as calling a political desperation ploy a "Hail Mary pass." Maybe in the future we can call a nothing-left-to-lose political gambit an "Aqua Buddha spot" after the brutal Democratic attack ad in Kentucky that failed to bring down Rand Paul.

Other expressions, though, are diabolical clumps of words that interfere with clear thought. Republicans like John Boehner revel in attacking Democrats for their "tax-and-spend agenda." This is a moth-eaten GOP phrase: George H.W. Bush denounced the "philosophy of tax-and-spend" when he declared for the Republican nomination for president against Ronald Reagan in 1979. But tax-and-spend is what every democratic government has done since the days of Pericles. The political fissure between the Democrats and Republicans has always been over the next step -- whom you tax and on what you spend.

Here is the rest of my Lexicon of the Hackneyed and the Humdrum. These are political catch-phrases that I never want to hear again:

Grow the economy: This ungainly formulation, implying that the economy is a fragile orchid needing the tender ministrations of a dedicated gardener, was rarely employed until Bill Clinton ran for president. The NEXIS database turns up fewer than 200 versions of this awkward expression used by anyone in the world during the 1980s. But then Clinton declared in October 1991, "We've got to grow this economy, not shrink it" as he entered the presidential primaries. (Note to self: Never again write that anyone "threw his hat into the ring" unless a boxing match has been interrupted by a flying fedora.)

Sadly, this Clinton-ism grew like kudzu. Defending his tax-cutting zeal during an impromptu Sept. 4, 2001 press conference, George W. Bush said, "What we ought to be thinking about is: How do we grow the economy of the United States?"

In truth, what presidents ought to be thinking about is: How do we shrink the use of this grating expression? Barack Obama, who has mostly grown the unemployment rate as president, claimed that his stimulus package would "grow the economy of tomorrow" in a Feb. 7, 2009, radio address. And defending his grand Capitol Hill compromise just two weeks ago, Obama assured business executives, "I am absolutely convinced that this tax-cut plan, while not perfect, will help grow our economy."

Some might argue that three sets of presidential speechwriters can't all be wrong. But I see a nation where presidents concerned about economic growth resurrect John Kennedy's more mellifluous promise to "get America moving again."

Maverick: John McCain's only lasting accomplishment since the 2008 election has been single-handedly to destroy this great 19^th century American word that honored Samuel Maverick's refusal to brand his cattle. William Safire in his indispensable "Safire's New Political Dictionary" defined a maverick as "one who is unorthodox in his political views and disdainful of party loyalty, who bears no man's brand."

During his 2000 presidential primary campaign, McCain appeared to be the personification of such a maverick as he challenged Republican orthodoxy on tax cuts, campaign reform and the divine right of George W. Bush to the GOP nomination. A Google search of book references shows much greater use of the word maverick when McCain was running for president than when "Maverick" starring James Garner was a hit 1950s TV Western. A NEXIS search unearthed 1,088 media references describing McCain as a maverick in 2000 alone.

The media mob (myself included) stuck with this sobriquet far too long as McCain morphed into an off-the-rack Republican senator. Even when McCain claimed in a Newsweek interview before this year's Arizona GOP primary, "I never considered myself a maverick," the magazine insisted on using as its subhead: "A maverick fights for his political life -- and his soul." McCain's amnesiac denial of his unbranded political history (a 2008 McCain campaign ad proclaimed him -- you can guess what's coming -- "the original maverick") makes a mockery of the political legacy of Samuel Maverick.

The next time a national political figure shimmers with party-be-damned independence, we should dust off that other evocative 19^th century political coinage -- mugwump. Derived from an Algonquin word, mugwumps were originally Republicans who bolted the GOP in 1884 to protest the nomination of James Blaine for the presidency. Mugwump will become a particularly useful term in 2012 if the Republican Party fractures over the presidential candidacy of Sarah Palin -- McCain's other enduring contribution.

Progressive: For the past two decades, the ideological divide in America has been between Republicans who call themselves "proud conservatives" and Democrats who stammer, "Well...um...er...I don't believe in labels." When pressed, most of these skittish Democrats invoke the fig-leaf term "progressive" to describe themselves rather than the more familiar and descriptive moniker of "liberal."

After a campaign year in which the Democrats lost 63 House seats and seven Senate seats, it is safe to call this the worst rebranding effort since Blackwater -- the scandal-scarred security contractor -- tried to transform itself into Xe Services. Nobody is fooled when liberals put on this bargain-basement camouflage. Winnie the Pooh was more authentic when he pretended to be a small black cloud (rather than a tubby bear hanging onto a balloon) so he could gull the bees into giving up their honey.

Actually, there is one influential American who has been convinced by this linguistic subterfuge -- Glenn Beck. The Fox News host has long been on a rampage against the Progressive Era, the moment when America purportedly went off the rails by enacting Constitutional amendments permitting (warning: those with weak hearts should proceed with care) a federal income tax and direct election of senators. As Beck bluntly put it during a pre-Christmas broadcast, "The enemy to our Constitution is the progressive movement."

Viral: The metaphorical version of this word has so trumped its literal meaning that these days a swine-flu epidemic would probably be described as having "gone Internet."

It is probably a futile battle, but could we, at least in politics, limit the number of gaffes, gotcha videos and TV spots that we describe as "viral." Sure, Christine O'Donnell qualified with her Salem Witch Trial defense: "I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you." Maybe even Carly Fiorina's bizarro "demon sheep" ads made the cut. But that is about it for Campaign 2010.

During the run-up to the 2012 primaries, please avoid claiming that anything involving this-bland-is-my-bland GOP presidential possibilities like Mitt Romney and John Thune is viral. Solid political figures like these have to work hard to even become epidemic. And -- at all costs -- never type this redundant sentence: "The buzz has gone viral."

Horse race Metaphors: Seven years ago in a column, I piously announced my intention to write about politics without resorting to hackneyed tropes like referring to one candidate as the "front-runner" and another as "trying to break out of the pack." No more "finish lines," "stretch runs," "marathons" and "sprints" for me. Instead, I was going to concoct fresh imagery (maybe based on other sports like tiddlywinks and jai alai) to add literary zest to Campaign 2004.

A few days later that resolve died from natural causes (or, as the autopsy report put it, "intense deadline pressures") in a hotel room in Des Moines on the eve of the Iowa caucuses. A few failed sentences ("John Kerry faced his moment of truth like a matador...") made me realize that the metaphoric union of horse racing and politics represents celestial harmony -- the perfect marriage of trope and truth.

Some political clichés like horse race metaphors survive for a reason. But so many others (personal bugaboos like Republicans deliberately dropping the "ic" in "Democratic" and liberals braying about "working families") endure because of unimaginative politicians and mediocre speechwriters.

Maynard Parker, a legendary editor at Newsweek during the 1980s, used to edit copy by inserting a phrase that he had installed on the save-get keys of his early computer: "Say Better Please." That should be the goal of all of us as we struggle to find language colorful and evocative enough to describe the political panorama of the New Year.

Follow Walter Shapiro on Twitter (lucky you).

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Bible Protects Against Global Warming? Energy Chair Hopeful Tells Us So

David Gibson — 2010-11-27T23:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Environment, Religion, Viral Video, Obama Administration, Disputations, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives, Tea Party, Climate Change

The House's new Republican leadership will begin doling out coveted committee chairs after the Thanksgiving break, and it's unclear whether Rep. John Shimkus is helping his chances to lead the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee by arguing that climate change is a myth because God told Noah he would never again destroy the Earth by flood.

Shimkus, an Illinois Republican, who won his seventh term this month, earned a dubious bit of YouTube notoriety in March 2009 when he told a subcommittee hearing on energy and the environment that we needn't worry about global warming because of Genesis 8:21-22. In that passage, Noah emerges from the ark, sacrifices some birds and beasts to God, and in turn earns God's pledge: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man."

Shimkus, a conservative Christian who attends a Lutheran church, then cited Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 24) and his prophecy about the Second Coming when Christ will gather his believers and leave the rest to perish. The congressman invited the two clerics in attendance to a "theological discourse" on those verses -- they have been debated and interpreted over the centuries -- but Shimkus said the meaning was clear to him:

"The earth will end only when God declares it's time to be over. Man will not destroy this earth. This earth will not be destroyed by a flood. ... I do believe God's word is infallible, unchanging, perfect."

He went on to discuss atmospheric carbon levels in the age of the dinosaurs -- a topic that would normally be biblically problematic for scriptural literalists -- and noted that millions of years ago the carbon levels were estimated to be as high as 4,000 parts per million (ppm) as opposed to 388 ppm today, and that was the time of the greatest number of flora and fauna on the planet. "There is a theological debate that this is a carbon-starved planet," he said.

Shimkus' statements were met with eye-rolls and much Internet commentary back then. But after Republicans swept into power in the House on Nov. 2, followed a week later by Shimkus' announcement that he would seek the chairmanship of Energy and Commerce -- a committee through which most bills travel before reaching the House floor -- Shimkus' past statements have suddenly become fresh news again.

Not that he's backing away from them, even as the campaign for Energy and Commerce chair becomes one of the most bitterly contested among Republicans.

"I do believe in the Bible as the final word of God," Shimkus told Politico after announcing his candidacy. "And I do believe that God said the Earth would not be destroyed by a flood."

Shimkus notes that he believes the climate is changing, and toward the warmer side. But he questions whether spending money to mitigate its effects is wise, especially given God's guarantee that floods would not destroy the earth before Jesus returns.

The three other Republicans battling Shimkus for the Energy and Commerce gavel are Joe Barton of Texas, Fred Upton of Michigan and Cliff Stearns of Florida. Barton and Upton are believed to be the top contenders. But the relatively moderate Upton is taking some heat from conservative groups, like the Family Research Council, for being a "part-time Republican" while Barton is still saddled with his viral line last year in which he called Obama administration efforts to make BP cover cleanup costs for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill a "shakedown."

All three candidates are certainly representative of the new global-warming skepticism dominating the latest version of the Republican Party. Of climate change, Ron Johnson, the new senator from Wisconsin, said it is "far more likely that it's just sunspot activity."

Moreover, Shimkus and the Bible-believing skeptics of climate change have powerful allies in the emergent Tea Party movement, which in turn has extensive support for the oil and coal industry.

Yet Shimkus may have long-term political viability issues with his Christian base. While evangelicals continue to be more skeptical about global warming and whether humans have anything to do with it, younger evangelicals are increasingly warming to the climate change cause, and in recent years many conservative Christian leaders have signed on to the theological imperative of "creation care," as it is known. And white mainline Protestants, like Shimkus, are even slightly more likely than Americans overall to say the earth is warming because of human activity.

The BP oil spill was also a moment of truth for many Christian conservatives, who saw the nation's dependence on oil and environmental disasters as intertwined, and an inevitable challenge to people of faith.

"Ecological Catastrophe and the Uneasy Evangelical Conscience," as Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in a powerful jeremiad comparing the oil spill to the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Then again, those eco-evangelicals don't seem to have many options in the Energy and Commerce contest, especially if it comes down to Joe Barton, who apologized to BP for its treatment by President Barack Obama, or John Shimkus, whose theology may not be as problematic for these green Christians as his politics.

"Really, the focus is not going to be climate," as Shimkus told Politico. "The climate debate has, at least for two years, has ended with this election. The real focus is on energy security."

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Rand Paul Volunteer Pleads Not Guilty to Assault in Campaign Rough Stuff

Tom Diemer — 2010-11-18T15:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Democrats, Republicans, Gaffes, Viral Video, Crime, 2010 Elections, Video

Tim Profitt, the Rand Paul campaign volunteer who was caught on video stepping on a liberal female activist outside of a debate venue, pleaded not guilty Thursday to misdemeanor assault.

Profitt, who was let go by the senator-elect's campaign after the incident on Oct 25, appeared at an arraignment in Fayette District Court. A criminal summons said he "intentionally placed his foot on the shoulder/head region of the victim." The woman, 23-year-old Lauren Valle, was taken to the ground by Paul's supporters after the Republican candidate passed by in a parking lot on his way to a debate with Democrat Jack Conway.

In the video, Profitt appears to be holding her down with his foot, which he pressed on the back of her shoulder and then part of her head. Valle, a MoveOn.org activist, had wanted to present Paul with a bogus award. Afterward, she said she was sore from the dust-up and intended to pursue legal action.

The Paul organization distanced the campaign from the actions of Profitt, who had served as Bourbon County coordinator. Paul went on to easily defeat Conway on Nov. 2.

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Why NPR Was Wrong to Fire Juan Williams

Matt Lewis — 2010-10-21T08:51:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Analysis, Matt Lewis and the News

NPR had the right to fire Juan Williams over his comments on "The O'Reilly Factor," but they shouldn't have done it.

Williams, of course, made the tactical mistake of admitting that -- right or wrong -- he sometimes has fears about Muslims on airplanes.

As Williams said to O'Reilly:

I think, look, political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don't address reality. I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.

In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder said that when it comes to race, the America is "essentially a nation of cowards."

He was right. Whether it's discussing race or religion, it seems being a coward is the safest and most prudent decision one can make. Clearly, having an honest discussion is fraught with danger. Williams, after all, was fired by NPR for admitting to an emotion that, let's be frank, many Americans share.

Why does this matter? Williams put it well: "political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don't address reality." Simply put, as long as people are afraid of being real, we are unlikely to solve our problems.

But even if one were to concede that Williams attitude and comments were inappropriate, is firing him the right response?

As others have suggested, NPR should have instead invited him on one of its programs to debate and discuss his fears. Something positive might have come from that, but just as Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar chose to storm of the set of "The View" during a recent appearance by O'Reilly, the politically correct guide to debate often involves cutting off discussion, not encouraging more of it.

It's also important to note that Williams' comments are being selectively edited. Watching the full clip in context demonstrates that his remarks were much more nuanced than they might first appear.

Watch the full clip. In fact, Williams actually spent much of his time advocating for tolerance:

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Young Conservatives Air 'Nerdy' Laundry on C-Span Panel

Matt Lewis — 2010-10-18T17:26:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Conservatives, Internet, Matt Lewis and the News

It has been described as "the most awkward C-Span panel" ever. (It probably was).

Let me set it up for you . . .

National Review's Jonah Goldberg is out with a new book, "Proud to be Right," which is a collection of essays from conservatives under the age of 30 (listen to my podcast with Rachel Motte, one of the young writers featured in the book).

During a C-Span 2 "Book TV" panel discussion about the book, libertarian-leaning Todd Seavey and Helen Rittelmeyer, two of the conservative essayists featured in the book, aired some "nerdy" laundry.

Watch this must-see "battle of the exes" video, then read my thoughts below:

As you can see, the trouble began when Seavey noted that Rittelmeyer had previously said that we should reject Obamacare, "in part, because it might meliorate and diminish suffering."

Seavey then noted that this would probably actually make people like Obamacare, because, after all, most normal people don't like suffering. ... To which Rittelmeyer responded, "It builds character."

It continued...

Seavey: "I think you'll find a lot of Helen's positions are guided by the desire to increase suffering."

Rittelmeyer: "I'm Catholic."

At this point, the audience laughs, and one gets the feeling this is a flirtatious sort of kidding -- that Seavey was just joking with her a bit, but would soon turn his comments toward something more relevant.

Had Seavey stopped at this point, he might have even been considered humorous, mildly charming, even.

But a few minutes into his remarks, Seavey revealed this:

I probably should confess that Helen and I dated for two years, so we've sparred about many things. It might come as a surprise to some of you that we dated for two years, not just because we have ideological differences, but because there are probably some people in this room who also dated Helen during those two years, given how tumultuous it got. It was sort of on again, off again.

It continued...

Rittelmeyer: "I'm in favor of combativeness."

Seavey: "And, at at times her gamesmanship would include even coldly saying that she was gonna play matchmaker and set up a couple and then seduce the man away to play with his mind and hurt the woman, which when you think about it is pretty creepy. Kinda disturbing.

Rittelmeyer: "Is all this going on CSPAN?"

At one point, even Goldberg laughs out loud. (For his part, Goldberg actually had some compelling points to make, including the notion that conservative students who attend liberal colleges are challenged more, and thus, become sharper thinkers and debaters).

But Goldberg's remarks were overshadowed by Seavey's bizarre comments, which (aside from the personal attacks) focused on attacking the nuances of her rather unorthodox conservative philosophy.

Mary Katharine Ham described this exchange as the "wonkiest, nerdiest Internet revenge ever."

Anyone who's ever seen an episode of The Big Bang Theory (the CBS sitcom about nerdy physicists) knows how odd these sort of nerdy fights can be (one imagines Seavey might have also attacked her interpretation of 'Return of the Jedi' if the time had allowed).

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One-Upping Rick Sanchez? Rays Pitcher Said to Get Nod Because He's . . . Jewish! (Or Not)

David Gibson — 2010-10-06T11:37:00+00:00

Filed under: Religion, Gaffes, Humor, Viral Video, Disputations

A week after CNN anchor Rick Sanchez got canned for saying that Jews run the media and that some, like Comedy Central's Jon Stewart, are bigots who don't face discrimination, a caller to a sports radio talk show has become a national sensation for suggesting that a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher will start Game 2 of the playoffs because he, too, is Jewish.

The woman, who identified herself as Linda (and as a Quaker who says she follows the Bible but doesn't really know the Bible), called into Steve Duemig's radio show on WDAE in Tampa and said the Rays decided to start James Shields in Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series because he "is a Jewish person" and the team's owners are Jewish.

Admittedly, the bar on media commentary should be higher for a leading television personality like Sanchez than for a caller to a talk radio show. Still, Shields is not in fact Jewish, which seems like a fairly important oversight.

Then again, why let facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory -- or an ethnic dig?

"Well, it's their faith, and they support each other," Linda told Duemig, who was uncharacteristically flabbergasted for much of the exchange. (Listen to the audio here.)

The Rays, underdog winners of the American League East in a close-fought duel with the New York Yankees, open the playoffs Wednesday afternoon in Tampa against the Texas Rangers. Manager Joe Madden selected Shields to start Thursday's game, which set off the kind of debate that sports junkies. especially stats-addled baseball fans, revel in. Shields, his detractors noted, is having a mediocre season, with a 13-15 record and an ugly 5.18 earned run average.

His defenders point out that the pitcher has done much better at home -- a 31-21 record with a 3.60 ERA in 78 starts -- which is where he'll pitch in Game 2. And he has struck out more batters and walked fewer than any other season in his career.

In any case, the Jewish question was never raised until Tuesday, and now it's all over the blogosphere.

The funny thing is, there are so many Jewish baseball greats, from Hank Greenberg to Sandy Koufax, and just plain fine players, like Shawn Green and Kevin Youkilis, that Shields may want to consider converting (as Rod Carew did).

On the other hand, the Rays' onetime star outfielder, Gabe Kapler, is proudly and publicly Jewish, but was placed on the disabled list this week and is out for the playoffs, a merciful end to what had been a dismal year for him. So much for Jewish conspiracies.

And Shields' response to all this?

"I think that story is funny," he said.

Well, Jews are known for their sense of humor . . .

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Woman Protesting John McCain Is Tackled by Security

Christopher Weber — 2010-09-27T12:44:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Debates, Viral Video, 2010 Elections, Video, Congress

A protester shouting and waving a sign got close to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Sunday night -- a little too close.

The woman, chanting loudly, stepped in front of McCain after his televised debate with Democrat Rodney Glassman and was promptly tackled to the ground by a member of the senator's security team.

The scuffle was caught on video by a television crew. Even while wrestling with the guard on the ground, the woman continued yelling to the camera.

She was among a group of peace activists demonstrating against McCain's stance on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Watch video of the incident, courtesy of NECN/KTVK:

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Democratic Official Compares Himself to Joe Biden After Dropping F-Bomb

Christopher Weber — 2010-09-22T16:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Gaffes, Viral Video, Health Care, Video, Tea Party

The head of Ohio's Democratic Party figures he's in some pretty good company after getting caught on camera dropping an f-bomb during a discussion of health care reform and the Tea Party.

At a campaign event for state Democrats earlier this week, Chris Redfern referred to opponents of the new health care law as "f--kers," Fox News reported.

Asked about his blue language afterward, Redfern compared himself to Joe Biden, who infamously described this year's signing of the health care law as a "big f---ing deal."

"Vice President Biden and I have a way with words," he told Fox News, adding that his utterance before the United Steelworkers "is what it is."

Redfern (pictured) said he was expressing frustration with "people in this state who look at health care as a privilege, not a right."

"If your kids are going to graduate from college, now he or she gets health care, your heath care, while he or she looks for a new job," Redfern said, in comments captured by WTOV-TV. "It's in the very base terms we win these arguments. Every time one of these f--kers says. . . excuse my language . . ."

Redfern said he thought the camera was off, but suggested his audience probably wasn't offended.

"Look, I was speaking to 40 grizzled steelworkers," Redfern told Fox News.

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Bloggers Note Obama's Creator-Free 'Declaration of Independence'

David Gibson — 2010-09-20T17:43:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Republicans, Religion, Gaffes, Viral Video, Disputations, Independents, 2010 Elections, Conservatives, Campaigns, Liberals, Tea Party, White House, Barack Obama

Liberals lately have been clucking over Tea Party darling Christine O'Donnell's confession from years ago that she had "dabbled into witchcraft" before returning with full force to conservative Christianity, and of late, to a star turn as the newest hope for a Republican takeover of the Senate.

Now conservatives are making hay, or trying to, out of Barack Obama's slip last week when he invoked the most famous line of the Declaration of Independence but left out the part about people being endowed "by their Creator" with inalienable rights.

The oversight -- or was it intentional, or a Freudian slip that reveals his true feelings? -- came during a talk to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute on Sept. 15, when the president recited the Declaration's second line, which in the original reads:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Instead, Obama said:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights: life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Oops.

"Only two plausible explanations spring to mind," wrote The Weekly Standard's Jeffrey Anderson, one of numerous conservative bloggers to weigh in as video of the talk went viral in recent days. "One is that President Obama isn't very familiar with the most famous passage in the document that founded this nation; that even when plainly reading from a teleprompter, he wasn't able to quote it correctly."

"The other," Anderson said, "is that President Obama doesn't subscribe to the Declaration's rather central claim that our rights come from our 'Creator'."

Anderson highlights Obama's long pause before citing the line as suspect, as if the president is "confused, disturbed, and/or in the process of making a decision" before he uses what Anderson calls "his alternate wording."

Not all conservatives were so quick to jump.

David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network noted that the citation from the Declaration was not in Obama's prepared text and that his pause was because he was recollecting the line, and that he clearly muffed it as he ad-libbed (which is abbreviated Latin for "ad libitum," not "adoring liberal").

Obama's critics also failed to note that in the line before his ad lib the president said that what has always bound Americans together was "faith and fidelity to the shared values that we all hold so dear," and that he closed his talk by saying, "God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

The White House pushed back, with a spokesman telling Brody that "The President is in full agreement with the Declaration of Independence. Any suggestion to the contrary is just silly."

Adds Brody:

"For this President's critics, they will look to anything to discredit his Christian faith. And indeed, President Obama has given them a nice tidy future YouTube clip that will probably spread like wildfire. But to say that he PURPOSELY left out the word 'Creator' is a stretch."

Given that growing numbers of Americans, largely Republicans and independents, believe Obama is a Muslim and not a Christian, or that he was not born in the United States, or is a socialist or all other sorts of things, it seems unlikely the efforts of Brody or the White House or others to stamp our the Creator-less Declaration story will succeed.

On the other hand, Brody also tried to dismiss stories about O'Donnell and witchcraft as much ado about nothing. Good luck with that.

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U.S. Muslims Try to Counter Suspicion and Attacks With Video Message

David Gibson — 2010-08-30T11:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Religion, Viral Video, Terror, National Security, Culture, Disputations, Hate Crimes, Tea Party, Middle East, Ground Zero Mosque

A video designer and his friends in northern Virginia on Monday launched an affecting public service announcement featuring a montage of American Muslims, including children and senior citizens, a doctor and a cop, a Phillies fan and faces of different races, all aimed at countering the wave of suspicion and Islam-bashing stemming from the mosque proposed near Ground Zero.

The new effort, called "My Faith My Voice," resulted from a brainstorming session by a group of young Muslim professionals in the DC area who were upset at the rising tide of Islamophobia in the country. The video was produced by David Hawa, a 37-year-old Muslim who was born in Washington and raised in Virginia "as just another kid who happened to speak two languages."

Hawa and his friends came up with the idea on Tuesday, Aug. 24, filmed some three dozen people out of 100 who showed up for a casting call on Friday, and now the video appears to be going viral, drawing more than 100,000 hits to the site by Tuesday. The video has been featured on leading networks and Hawa continues to get media requests.

The PSA comes as authorities in various states are investigating a number of possible bias and hate-crime incidents directed at Muslim targets. On Sunday, the FBI announced it was joining the investigation of a fire at the future site of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., that has been a catalyst for protests.

A brick was thrown through the window of a California mosque last week and a few days earlier signs were left at the mosque that read, "No temple for the god of terrorism at Ground Zero." Earlier this month, a plastic pig inscribed with messages such as "Remember 9-11" and "MO HAM MED the Pig" was stuffed into the mailbox of another Islamic center in California. (Like Jews, Muslims have a prohibition on eating pork.)

The public service video was initially posted Monday on YouTube and hopes to reverse the dynamic of bias.

"In recent weeks, a lot of people have been telling you what to think about Muslims," the nearly three dozen speakers say in the minute-long video. "They say you should fear me, suspect me, hate me. But the truth is, I don't want to impose my faith on you. I don't want to take over this country. And I don't support terrorism in any form."

And in a patriotic flourish worthy of Glenn Beck's rally on the Mall on Sunday, the Muslim speakers add:

"Islam teaches me to respect all people, improve society, stand up for justice for all. I am here and have been here for generations wanting the same thing you do: the chance to pursue life, liberty, peace and happiness."

It concludes: "I am an American. I am a Muslim. This is my faith. This is my voice."

Hawa says the video is explicitly not attached to any Islamic group or other advocacy organization because "then there would be an agenda."

Neither Hawa nor the speakers in the video take any position on the controversial Islamic center, Park51, proposed for Lower Manhattan near Ground Zero.

"We thought this would be a nice opportunity to give Muslims a soapbox," Hawa said. "It seems that in the Park51 controversy, a lot of people are speaking on our behalf, but Muslims themselves haven't been heard."

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EMILY's List Calls on Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann to Denounce 'Offensive' Video

Christopher Weber — 2010-08-18T17:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Scandal, Viral Video, 2010 Elections, Video

Republicans in Minnesota have yanked a YouTube video that pictured prominent women Democrats including Nancy Pelosi, Madeleine Albright and Janet Reno set to the song, "Who Let the Dogs Out?" But the controversy over the clip rages on.

The video, titled "Republican Women vs. Democrat (sic) Women," appeared on the GOP's site for state Senate District 56. It also showed photos of Republican women such as Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and various Fox News commentators while Tom Jones' "She's a Lady" played.

Minnesota Democrats have denounced the video while EMILY's List, a national political group dedicated to electing pro-choice progressive women, said it was "juvenile and offensive" and "demeaning to elected officials - regardless of party."

In a statement Wednesday, EMILY's List called on members of the state and national GOP to come out against the video:

"If Republicans in Minnesota, like Michele Bachmann and Tom Emmer, and national leaders like Sarah Palin - who has endorsed both of those candidates and predicted a 'rising tide' of women voters this cycle - think that this disgusting video is an acceptable way to treat women and women leaders in the state and across the country then their silence will speak volumes. However, if they believe as we do, that women voters and women in office deserve to be respected, then they should join EMILY's List in denouncing this video."

The site's Web master, Randy Brown, told The Minnesota Independent he published the video.

"[I]ts only intention was to bring a smile to a few peoples' faces, and possibly irritate a few others," Brown said. "Is it fair? Does that matter? It wasn't intended to be fair. It was intended to be funny."

Republican state House candidate Andrea Kieffer told the Independent she requested the video be removed, calling it "juvenile."

Watch it here:

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America's 10-Year-Old Susan Boyle: The Newest Child Star

Delia Lloyd — 2010-08-13T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Woman Up, Culture

Move over, Susan Boyle. You've got competition. She's 10 years old, she's beautiful and, boy, can she sing.

In Tuesday's episode of "America's Got Talent," Pennsylvania native Jackie Evancho knocked the audience off its feet with her rendition of the Puccini aria "O Mio Babbino Caro." The judges could not believe their ears: During an interview with Jackie after she was finished, one of the judges asked her to re-sing a note -- just to be sure they really were listening to a 10-year-old and not some offstage diva.

Watch for yourself:

Comparisons with Susan Boyle -- the 48-year-old Scottish church volunteer whose audition for "Britain's Got Talent" became one of the most viewed videos of all time on YouTube -- came fast and furious. Boyle, who's known affectionately as "SuBo" in the U.K., where I live, became a world-wide sensation overnight. Last year, her album "I Dreamed A Dream" became the highest-selling debut album ever. This fall, she's set to make an appearance on the hit American TV show "Glee."

The difference, of course, is that Jackie is a child. And however much in awe of her performance we may be, it's hard not to wonder what's in store for her both professionally and personally.

I wrote earlier in the week about the social consequences of the current trend toward early puberty in girls. While Jackie doesn't look like she's hit puberty yet, there's undeniably something freaky about that very grown-up voice trapped inside such a small body. Add to that the fact that she's beautiful, and it's not difficult to imagine her being treated from now on in a way that will strip her of any vestige of childhood.

Or maybe not. As I've written before elsewhere, the widespread fear that children are growing up too fast has been counter-balanced in recent years by a trend toward delayed adulthood. Indeed, a host of economic, social and cultural factors mean that young adults are meandering much more than they did a generation ago. They are delaying marriage, changing careers several times, and failing to achieve economic independence. Many are moving back in with Mom and Dad. Cap that with a recession and the dominant cultural zeitgeist at the moment seems to work against premature maturity.

Of course, Hollywood is often an exception to that rule. Lord knows that the road there is paved with the carcasses of young talent who burned out early under the pressure of doing too much too soon -- or who couldn't handle the adulation. (Lindsay Lohan being the poster child du jour.) That said, even among the now grown-up child stars of yore, there are plenty of examples -- Brooke Shields and Drew Barrymore come to mind -- who have proven exceptions to that rule. Despite rocky childhoods (Barrymore) or overbearing stage parents (Shields), these stars managed to lead relatively healthy adult lives.

There's also some evidence that today's child stars are being better managed to shield them from growing up too fast the way their predecessors did. A recent article in The Guardian pointed to the cast of the Harry Potter series to argue that today's young actors may be better prepared to handle the dual exigencies of fame and childhood. That's a taller order for girls than it is for boys, of course, given society's tendency to over-sexualize them from a young age.

All of which is to say that we can only hope that things turn out well for young Jackie as she embarks on the rest of her life. She certainly has the talent to do great things. Let's hope that she's able to realize them and still be a kid.

Follow Delia on Twitter.

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Basil Marceaux, Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidate, Becomes Internet Star

Christopher Weber — 2010-07-30T18:23:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Governors, 2010 Elections

If the name Basil Marceaux hasn't crossed your inbox, Twitter or Facebook, just wait.

Marceaux is a military veteran and one of the lesser-known Republican candidates for Tennessee governor. At least he was lesser-known until WSMV-TV in Nashville gave him equal time to lay out his platform on air.

That video has since gone viral, making Marceaux this week's Internet star.

Among the issues he's pushing is the eradication of all gun permits and registrations. "Everyone should carry guns," Marceaux declares. "If you kill someone though, you get murdered and you go to jail."

He wants to "plant grass or vegetation across the state on any vacant lot." Marceaux also promises to "remove all goldfinch flags in the state and fly the real flag with three stripes."

Meet Basil Marceaux:

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Shirley Sherrod Will Sue Blogger Andrew Breitbart Over Edited Video

Tom Diemer — 2010-07-29T12:52:00+00:00

Filed under: Barack Obama, Gaffes, Media, Viral Video, Race Issues, Obama Administration, Video, Shirley Sherrod

Burned by an edited video, former USDA employee Shirley Sherrod says she will sue the blogger who posted footage that showed her making racial remarks that were misinterpreted and cost her a federal job.

Sherrod, who was the Agriculture Department's head of rural development in Georgia, said in San Diego Thursday that she would "definitely" file a lawsuit against Andrew Breitbart, the Associated Press reported. Breitbart put up a part of her March speech to the NAACP on his BigGovernment.com website. In it, Sherrod said she had not used all of the resources at her command to help a struggling white farmer in Georgia -- but the incident occurred in 1986, before she worked for the federal government. And she went on to explain in portions of the video that were not posted that she realized her mistake and went on to assist and befriend the farmer.

She was fired by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack before the misunderstanding was cleared up. Vilsack subsequently apologized and offered her a new job at the agency, but Sherrod has not decided whether she will accept. In disclosing her intention to take legal action in a talk before the National Association of Black Journalists, Sherrod said she has not received an apology from Breitbart and no longer wants one.

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Tom Vilsack 'Jumped the Gun' on Firing Shirley Sherrod, Obama Says

Christopher Weber — 2010-07-22T20:53:00+00:00

Filed under: Viral Video, Obama Administration, Shirley Sherrod

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack rushed to judgment when he fired Shirley Sherrod over a misunderstanding about comments she made on race, President Obama told ABC News.

"He jumped the gun, partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on YouTube or a blog and everybody scrambles," the president told "Good Morning America."

Obama, who called Sherrod to apologize for the White House's overreaction, said he hopes members of his administration can learn from the headline-grabbing controversy of the past few days.

"I've told my team and I told my agencies that we have to make sure that we're focusing on doing the right thing instead of what looks to be politically necessary at that very moment. We have to take our time and, and think these issues through," the president told ABC.

"If there's a lesson to be drawn from this episode, it's that rather than us jumping to conclusions and pointing fingers at each other, we should all look inward and try to examine what's in our own hearts and, as a consequence, I think we will continue to make progress," he said.

Vilsack also personally apologized to Sherrod and offered her a better job at the Agriculture Department, but she said Thursday she hasn't decided whether to accept.

Watch the ABC interview:

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Obama Cameo in Rap Video? No Way, Says White House

Politics Daily Staff — 2010-06-10T09:19:00+00:00

Filed under: Barack Obama, Humor, Media, Viral Video, Obama Administration, Culture, Video, Surge Desk

A grainy video making the rounds on YouTube has some folks speculating that Barack Obama made a cameo appearance in a rap music classic 17 years ago in Atlanta.

In "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by rappers Tag Team, a smiling black man wearing a hat, sunglasses and gold rings briefly appears as an extra. He bears a vague resemblance to the 44th president of the United States, or so some observers think, including the website Gawker. Soon CNN and the Fox Nation picked up the latest Obama conspiracy theory, and the Washington Post reported the tidbit Thursday. By then, the truth squad PolitiFact was on the case, tracking down the rumor.

PolitiFact found Tag Team rapper Cecil Glenn, aka the Brain Supreme, who said he didn't think the guy in his video was Obama, then a 31-year-old community organizer working on the South Side of Chicago. "It doesn't add up. It's hard to say he was in Atlanta and said, 'Ooh, I want to be in the 'Whoomp!' " But Brain Supreme added, "You can't pay for this kind of publicity."

The White House finally felt compelled to weigh in, PolitiFact said. "It is not him," spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said.

As for "Whoomp!" it goes something like this: "Can you dig it? . . . We can dig it"

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