"Lights Out" - Santogold
Sorry for my lack of production -- I was down all day in the former Confederate capital. I am afraid my writing production is slipping. I can't tell if it is a symptom of the end of cultural history, general ennui, or the fact that I haven't been drinking much lately. (Not due to any commitment to clean living -- I just find that when I have a couple of drinks and sit here with my laptop, I have a distressing tendency to fall asleep.) So just a couple of quick thoughts before returning to the culture discussion, which I continue to find interesting.
- Isn't this sort of thing a form of mental illness? Seriously, why does an immensely rich guy who has achieved all kinds of success need to engage in this kind of bullshit? There is something pathological about our masters of the universe class. (h/t to Atrios.)
- We had a discussion the other day about the blogger who had been hit with a $2.5 million judgment for libel. I had given a pretty cursory analysis about why I did not find the case alarming and, indeed, on the basis of the offending blog post had a feeling that the case was correctly decided. Paula points out this article in the NY Times today that confirms my reaction.
- I think that there is much to be said for this description of why many Republicans -- against all reasonable judgment -- cannot resist the temptation to back Newt -- or any other non-Romney candidate.
- On the other hand, Romney seems like a man who may be getting increasingly cranky at the thoughts of his ambitions being thwarted by the Pillsbury dough boy's egomaniacal right-wing older brother.
- Evidently conservatives are having deep doubts about the wisdom of a primary campaign dominated by debates.
- The other impact of the dominant role of the debates is to provide an abundance of free media to underfinanced candidates like Gingrich. This, in turn, has diminished the need for a traditional campaign organization. (Someone also pointed out to me recently that the process in Iowa for Republicans is much less complex than that used by the Democrats -- there is less need for the traditional "ground game" in this setting.) .
- Sullivan linked to this pretty good bit of advice about how to blog well. I try my best to follow rule # 1 at least.
What's going on with all of you?
