Monday Open Thread

 

"Take Me to the River" - Talking Heads

Video is a little primitive, but I was always fond of this stripped down, almost rigid, rendering of the song.  I saw them on this tour at the Berklee School of Music in Boston -- I think within a couple of weeks of this being shot -- when they were still a slightly awkward foursome.  This was their encore number.  One had no sense of what kind of expansive frontman David Byrne would become.  They were quite riveting though.   

In honor of our hydrofracking post. 

- What's $177 billion between friends?  Another entry in the "why we can't have nice things sweepstakes?"  Jesus, this makes me sick.  Naturally, the only logical solution to this problem is to eliminate public employee pensions and funding for family planning. 

- Tim Pawlenty is really a hideous dumb ass.  Here's a quote of him speaking to some tea party confab (for those of you wise enough not to get off the boat): 

"I'm here today to say, 'Thank you.' Thank you for standing up to the ruling class. Thank you for standing up to the liberal power brokers, guardians of the status quo and the royal triangle of greed: big government, big unions and big bailed-out businesses."

Strangely, he didn't mention contractors selling mercenary services to the government.  Oh he also gave us this gem:  "We allowed the wrong kind of people to take over our government."  Hmm.  There goes the neighborhood and all that.

What other bad things are happening out there?  

Comments

[oddjob]

What other bad things are happening out there?

Coming soon to a court near Sir C.

[big bad wolf]

never before and never since have i thought that someone might have cut al green. still not sure that the heads did; it's probably a tie, but that's an achievement and a half. the heads' reimagining was not only brilliant, but it worked. i think tina's bass playing clinched it; it creates a sparking tension to byrne's distance and rigidity.

[low-tech cyclist]

Thank you for standing up to the ruling class.

I'm sure he must've meant to say 'for', not 'to'.

[Toast]

Hey, did MHB drop off the face of the Earth? I've been meaning to thank him for his baguette recipe, which we (very) successfully tested last weekend.

[Prup (aka Jim Benton)]

More Pawlenty (h/t Steve Benen):

The former Minnesota governor went further in the interview with ThinkProgress, declaring that the current shutdown showdown was a "line-in-the-sand moment," the likes of which "are what we need." Pawlenty called for a shutdown lasting a month or longer -- "a dramatic month," as he termed it -- in order to force Congress to make tough decisions.

There used to be a part of the 'social contract' that required both parties to nominate people who might be wrong or radical, but who were at least sane.

But, thanks to the Republicans, 'everybody knows there ain't no sanity clause.' (h/t Chico, the source of today's Marxism.)

[Corvus]

I'm sure he must've meant to say 'for', not 'to'.

Yeah, I had to read that line several times, because it didn't make sense. "Huh? He's actually admitting it now? Wait, that not what he's saying..."

[Sir Charles]

bbw,

The Heads' version, as I say, is so rigid in comparison to Green's silkier approach -- that it's kind of a revelation. The bass line is amazing.

When I saw them, they came out one at a time -- first Chris Frantz to lay down that cracking drum beat, then Tina with the bass line, and then Jerry Harrison picking up the melody on organ -- and only then did Byrne emerge to do the vocals. It was totally riveting.

l-t c, et al. ,

I was wondering what kind of drugs Pawlenty in on. They must be good.

[Corvus]

Judging by his haircut, I would go with cocaine.

[Paula B]

The wrong kind of people? You mean, the ones with degrees from Columbia and Harvard as opposed to those who (barely) graduated from Idaho State or were last in their class at the USNA?

[Sir Charles]

Corvus,

I'm voting for meth.

Paula,

I think he meant putting a black man in charge of our government. It's the "there goes the neighborhood" thing. I'd be sure of that if it was Haley Barbour speaking.

[oddjob]

WI union voters are having buyers' remorse.

[kathy a.]

buyer's remorse -- excellent.

[Sir Charles]

oddjob,

The interesting thing about the Republican strategy in these matters is that they have decided that they can afford to fight a war on multiple fronts at the same time. They are willing to really piss off union voters, hispanic voters, and gay voters, among others.

I think that by doing so they create a situation where instead of getting 30-40% of the Hispanic vote, they may get 15 or 20%, where they were getting 35 - 45% of the union vote they may get 20-25%, and where they might have gotten 25-30% of the gay vote, they may be getting 15-20%. I really think that this is going to bite them on their collective asses in the 2012 elections.

I also think younger women may be motivated to get out and vote due to the moves on reporductive rights.

[big bad wolf]

i tend to agree SC, but i suspect they hope to win by depressing turnout. i'd like to think that won't work, but it's difficult not to be worried that it might.

[kathy a.]

damned right they think women are disposable. i am not young, but am with those young women. and my gay friends, and friends of other colors and backgrounds.

their strategy is to wear and beat people down, but it is so clumsy, so brutal, so offensive that i think [and hope] that everyone they have put in the margins -- that's a lot of people, of virtually all stripes except the very rich -- will have had enough of that.

[kathy a.]

in the drug of choice competition -- i dunno, but a combo of prescription painkillers and triple-strength lattes might get him there. meth wrecks your teeth and skin, ya know.

[jeanne marie]

damned right they think women are disposable. i am not young, but am with those young women. and my gay friends, and friends of other colors and backgrounds.

me, too.

[Sir Charles]

Just to be clear, by and large women over 30 -- well, non-southern women -- get out and vote and vote Democratic. The under 30s do not always get out there and vote. I am hoping that the recent unpleasantness might have a galvanizing effect.

[oddjob]

Totally OT (but this is an open thread, right?)
Provided you're not vegetarian/vegan this may be of interest to you. It sounds like a very easy way to cook a delicious chicken dinner.

[oddjob]

i suspect they hope to win by depressing turnout.

Agreed, but that only works so long as you don't make the opposition generally truly angry. After that, all bets are off.

I think Gov. Walker probably has already pushed too far for that, and that Walker's pushing may well have a national impact.

(One can hope, anyway. ;) )

[kathy a.]

oddjob -- your link didn't link!

but you got a grin out of me with the walker comment.

[oddjob]

Apologies! I'll look into fixing that missed link later.

In any case, as to making the opposition truly angry - "Progressives Target GOP State Senators In WI With Recall Threat".

""We will not be bullied by Gov. [Scott] Walker's unfair attempt to attack workers and take away our rights," Ron Biendseil, one of DFA's Wisconsin members, said in a statement. "And if the Republicans go along with Walker, they will be looking for new jobs sooner than they think.""

:)

[oddjob]

...In a complaint filed on Monday with a state employment commission, the Wisconsin State Employees Union (WSEU) accused Walker of unfair labor practices for refusing to bargain.

"Instead of trying to find real solutions to the challenges facing the state, the governor is attempting to dictate terms. This not only in ineffective, it's against the law," AFSCME Council 24 Executive Director Marty Beil said in a statement.

The union asked the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission to require the state to bargain with the WSEU and to extend the current contract until the matter is resolved.

[big bad wolf]

oddjob, another arkansas earthquake