MY FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL

Here's a little post-Halloween treat for you.

It comes from the folks at Humanitainment;

A new world is comin' people... and it's gonna need a new kind of entertainment.

It's called Humanitainment... and here's how we make it:

We start with the goal of raising consciousness, then we sprinkle in some wit, creativity and a healthy dose of in-your-face attitude. Stir it all together... bake... and voila!

We're gonna blow the doors off the stigma that socially-relevant content can't be cool--

And yes... we're aware that stigmas don't have doors. We're idealistic, not crazy!

Check it out - It pretty funny, and very well done (That is, if you can stand to hear Stumblin' Bumblin' John McKKKain utter his tattered, worn-out, over-used, signature calling, yet, again).

MY FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL




(H/T to The Jed Report)

Alaskan Lie

With all that's going on the past few days, the whirlwind of the campaigns, McKKKain's in particular, the Wall Street Meltdown and Hank's Heist (following the Bush Doctrine, Hank Paulson went shopping during a crisis - He went out and bought banks today!), we can't help bringing our thoughts back around to Rich Lowry.

Poor Little Richie.

All those mean bullies picking on his Sarah Palin... His Ms. Winking Excitement ...His personal dream cloud of starbursts.

We (along with a bevy of others, including a devastating take by Keith Olbermann) wrote about how Little Richie got all straight and excited when Mommy Moose winked - at him - during the VP debate.

Little Richie was beside himself, barely able to keep his pounding heart inside his chest.

But it's been a rough sled since then.

The Wasilla Whiz Kid got whacked in that Troopergate Report a few days later (though, she stuck her Cheneyesque chin out and deemed herself cleared, earning her a tag of being "Orwellian" from the locals up there).

C'mon Rich, even you have to look beyond the starburst dust to see that is really quite a stretch.

Then, there was Christopher Hitchens, clubbing her like a baby seal;

And the only public events that have so far featured his absurd choice of running mate have shown her to be a deceiving and unscrupulous woman utterly unversed in any of the needful political discourses but easily trained to utter preposterous lies and to appeal to the basest element of her audience.

The most insulting thing that a politician can do is to compel you to ask yourself: "What does he take me for?" Precisely this question is provoked by the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin. I wrote not long ago that it was not right to condescend to her just because of her provincial roots or her piety, let alone her slight flirtatiousness, but really her conduct since then has been a national disgrace. It turns out that none of her early claims to political courage was founded in fact, and it further turns out that some of the untested rumors about her—her vindictiveness in local quarrels, her bizarre religious and political affiliations—were very well-founded, indeed. Moreover, given the nasty and lowly task of stirring up the whack-job fringe of the party's right wing and of recycling patent falsehoods about Obama's position on Afghanistan, she has drawn upon the only talent that she apparently possesses.

With McCain, the "experience" is subject to sharply diminishing returns, as is the rest of him, and with Palin the very word itself is a sick joke.

Ouch!

Those starburst are really starting to fade, aren't they Richie?

And, I'm sure you weren't too pleased (and having to deal with Christopher Buckley, on top of it), seeing John Cleese mock and disparage your Ya'Betch'ya Gal.

Then, the anvil dropped on your head today - Matthew Dowd.

From Steve Benen;

"Matthew Dowd was the chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign, so it came as something of a surprise to see him eviscerate John McCain today a panel at the TimeWarner summit."

"They didn't let John McCain pick the person he wanted to pick as VP," Dowd declared during the Time Warner Summit panel. "When Sarah Palin got picked instead of Joe Lieberman, which I fundamentally believed would have given John McCain the best opportunity in this race... as soon as he picked Palin, that whole ready versus not ready argument was not credible."

Saying that Palin was a "net negative" on the ticket, he went on: "[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that is something he will have to live with... He put somebody unqualified on that ballot and he put the country at risk, he knows that."

Oh man, go ahead cry, if you want ... We know, it's gotta hurt.

We know, with McKKKain sinking in the polls like the Titanic, you're probably too distraught to write another gushing post, to gather your thoughts, to express yourself properly, to come to grips with the wink-less life you have to face.

So, we're giving you some help.

You can sing this, over-and-over, to help cleanse your heart, and sweep all those starbursts out the door.

In fact, everybody .. C'mon, everybody pitch in and help Little Richie sing this tune ... It's classic and you all know, so let it rip ...

Alaskan Lie

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that wink used to make me smile.
And I knew if she had her chance
That she could make the GOP base dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But October made her shiver
With every paper that was delivered
Bad news on the doorstep;
She couldn’t make one more wink hep.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about her Ethics slide
But something touched me deep inside
The day the Winkin' died.

So bye-bye, Miss Alaskan Lie.
Buzzed my 'copter 'bove the tundra
But the wolves, they did hide
And that good ol' maverick was drinkin’ Kool Aid and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day the winkin' died.
"this’ll be the day the winkin' died."

Did you write the book of Ethics,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in Shock and Awe,
Can Rev. Murthee save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to wink real slow?

Well, I know that you wanted to fire him
`cause I saw you winkin' in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig that Rovian ruse.

I was a lonely Corner broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the Winkin' died.

I started singin’,
bye-bye, Miss Alaskan Lie.
Buzzed my 'copter 'bove the tundra
But the wolves, they did hide
And that good ol' maverick was drinkin’ Kool Aid and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day the winkin' died.
"this’ll be the day the winkin' died."

Now for ten weeks we’ve been on our own
And ice grows fat on a frozen stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When the McCain sang for the rabid mob,
And you jumped in cause it was your job
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the Maverick was looking down,
You stole his ugly racist crown.
The Legislature was adjourned;
The Ethics verdict was returned.
And while Obama rang up good marks,
The Right Wing Freak Show practiced in the park,
And they sang dirges in the dark
The day the Winkin' died.

We were singing,
bye-bye, Miss Alaskan Lie.
Buzzed my 'copter 'bove the tundra
But the wolves, they did hide
And that good ol' maverick was drinkin’ Kool Aid and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day the winkin' died.
"this’ll be the day the winkin' died."

Helter skelter in an economic swelter.
Investors flew off to an island tax shelter,
Eight hundred Points down and falling fast.
Mac's crowd was foul, even crass
As he tried to make forward pass,
Before racist crowds that had amassed

Now the half-time air smelled of flop and doom
While the cable anchors sang Mac's marshall tune.
We all got up to wink,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the issues tried to take the field;
The talking heads refused to yield.
And only nonsense was revealed
The day the winkin' died.

We started singing,
bye-bye, Miss Alaskan Lie.
Buzzed my 'copter 'bove the tundra
But the wolves, they did hide
And that good ol' maverick was drinkin’ Kool Aid and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day the winkin' died.
"this’ll be the day the winkin' died."

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A electorate lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: Sarah be nimble, Sarah be quick!
Sarah spin that Ethics trick
Cause lying is the devil’s only friend.

Oh, and as I watched her on the stage
Her fans were seized in fits of rage.
No spin doctor born in hell
could quell her awful smell
And as the rhetoric climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw Rove laughing with delight
The day the winkin' died

He was singing,
bye-bye, Miss Alaskan Lie.
Buzzed my 'copter 'bove the tundra
But the wolves, they did hide
And that good ol' maverick was drinkin’ Kool Aid and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day the winkin' died.
"this’ll be the day the winkin' died."

I met a girl from a state that is now blue
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and said it had just turned that way.
I went down to the McCain store
Where I’d heard the smears years before,
But is was still the only music they would play.

And in the streets the Mob did scream,
The critics cried, and the pollster creamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three pols I admire most:
Dubster, Dickie and Reagan's ghost
They caught the last hearse for the coast
The day the winkin' died.

And they were singing,
bye-bye, Miss Alaskan Lie.
Buzzed my 'copter 'bove the tundra
But the wolves, they did hide
And that good ol' maverick was drinkin’ Kool Aid and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day the winkin' died.
"this’ll be the day the winkin' died."

They were singing,
bye-bye, Miss Alaskan Lie.
Buzzed my 'copter 'bove the tundra
But the wolves, they did hide
And that good ol' maverick was drinkin’ Kool Aid and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day the winkin' died.
"this’ll be the day the winkin' died."

Buck up Rich, Buck Up!

A Pandering Politician, With Lipstick

Forget, for a minute, the wisdom of appearing at a sporting event, especially in Philadelphia.

Why is Sarah Palin towing around her pregnant daughter everywhere?

Is this some kind of "tough love" thing? ... The "you-went-out-and-got-knocked-up-but-don't-think-you're-going-to-get-out-of-being-a-prop-in-my-career-reaching-moves" thing?

Sorry, we digress ...

Mommy Moose was invited to drop the puck at a Philadelphia Flyers game this evening and, well, golly-gee, gosh-darn-it, did they boo and hiss Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain's Ethics Poster Girl?

Ya Betch'ya!

Hockey mom Sarah Palin boo'd at hockey game




From Ben Smith;

It's hard to blame Sarah Palin for her booing on the ice in Philadelphia this evening. It's almost a truism of politics that if you send a pol to a sporting event, he's going to get booed. Politicians, as a class, aren't all that popular, and it's what sports fans do. According to legend, Eagles fans once booed Santa Claus. Still, not a great moment.

“I am surprised that the candidate would go on the ice in Philly — Philly fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus and booed Beyonce because she was wearing a Michael Jordan dress," said Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals, a conference rival of the Flyers. "This is dangerous territory.”

A Misplaced Hockey Mom Moment

The biggest problem: when Palin came out onto the Wachovia Center ice Saturday night — greeted by resounding (almost deafening) boos from the Flyers crowd — the two hockey players who had no choice but to appear with her in that photo op were turned into props in a political campaign. If Rangers center Scott Gomez or Flyers center Mike Richards wanted to make some sort of political statement, that would be fine, but in this case, they were thrust into a situation not of their choosing. Snider put them there with his ill-advised mixing of politics and sports.

The level of discomfort has been palpable for the Rangers’ two Alaska natives, Gomez and Brandon Dubinsky, as they have been asked questions about Palin and the election in recent weeks. Dubinsky, a 22-year-old who has shied away from nothing since he broke in with the Rangers last year, looks petrified when the topic is brought up. I think both would rather play goalie in a shootout than weigh in on the presidential election.

Flyers fans give Palin mixed welcome

The Boo Birds

Philadelphia Flyers fans boo ‘hockey mom’ Palin

Don't Wink At Me, Sarah Palin

I had intended to post this over the weekend, so, I am coming in a bit late with it.

However, it doesn't diminish how, tears-in-the-eyes, fall-on-the-floor, hysterical it was.

For those that missed this, a certain Flying Monkey of the Right Wing Freak Show got excited by Sarah Palin during the debate last Thursday evening.

Check that ...

He got VERY EXCITED!



Rich Lowery, from the National Review, posted this last Friday;

Projecting through the Screen [Rich Lowry]

A very wise TV executive once told me that the key to TV is projecting through the screen. It's one of the keys to the success of, say, a Bill O'Reilly, who comes through the screen and grabs you by the throat. Palin too projects through the screen like crazy. I'm sure I'm not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, "Hey, I think she just winked at me." And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America. This is a quality that can't be learned; it's either something you have or you don't, and man, she's got it.

"so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing ..."

"sent little starbursts through the screen ..."

Ohhh, Jesus, get this boy a date.

Someone take him to a club, or sign'em up on Match.Com, or eHarmony, for surely, though, he does seem quite smitten with Mommy Moose, perhaps some other lovely lass will be "so sparkling" as to get his attention, or "send him little starbursts".

Needless to say, reaction around the World Wide Web was swift and, yes, mocking.

James Wolcott's "Winky Dinks";

Good thing Palin didn't blow a kiss at the camera or Lowry might have fucking fainted. I'm not a licensed psychotherapist but when you think the people on TV are addressing you personally and directly it's often a sign of incipient dementia.

And John Cole's "Paging John Derbyshire- Cleanup In the Gushing Fanboi Aisle"; knocked me off my chair;

By now you have all seen that Lowry quote (I have seen it at least five places), but as an amateur historian of sorts as a blogger, I felt it was necessary to add to the archives for posterity. I guarantee that Derbyshire poured four fingers of Maker’s Mark into his coffee when he read that baby this morning.

Steve Benen's "Return of the Swoon";

Good God, man, show some pride. You're a media professional, for crying out loud. You sat up when Palin winked at the camera? You saw "little starbursts"? And you published this?

The Wonkette's "Conservative Pundit Describes Boner He Got Watching Palin";

What Sarah Palin did was called “flirting.” And so far, at least one pundit on National Review’s The Corner blog has disclosed how much of a boner he got, in potentially the greatest Corner post of all time ...As our tipster pointed out, this sounds almost like a thrill running up Chris Matthews leg!

Too Much!

So, as we have often done, when those in the limelight need a lifeline, need a theme song for their self-created boondoggle.

We have a strong, sneaking suspicion, that Rich Lowery spent the weekend, with a bounce in his step, dancing in all those little starbursts bouncing around the room, singing this tune.

Don't Wink At Me, Sarah Palin

It won't be easy, you'll think it strange
When I try to explain how I feel
that I still need want your love after all that you haven't done

You won't believe me
All people will see is a Hockey Mom they once knew
Although she's dressed up to the nines
Is all that I see with you

I had to let it happen, I had to sit straight up
You couldn't stay all your life up in Alaska
Looking out of the window, seeing Russia across the bay

So you chose McCain
Running around, trying everything untrue
But nothing impressed me like your wink
I never expected it to

Chorus:

Don't wink at me, Sarah Palin
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days
My mad existence
I kept my starbursts
Don't keep your distance

And as for fortune, and as for fame
I never invited them in
Though it seemed that the wink was all I desired

They are illusions
They are not the solutions they promised to be
The answer was here all the time
I love you and hope you love me

Don't wink at me, Sarah Palin

(chorus)

Have I said too much?
There's nothing more I can think of to say to you.
But all you have to do is look at me and wink
And I will always be true

Lastly, click here to watch Keith Olbermann's take on it ... Both he, and the off-camera staff, could barely contain themselves


Bonus Little Starburst Riffs

Kos: There's something wrong with these people

Emptywheel: The Wink

Jeff Fecke: Rich Lowry’s Ejaculation


Bonus Bonus

Sinead O'Connor -- Don't Cry For Me Argentina