Category: Funny Stuff

All politics are local…

~ Jim Eltringham ~ Leave a comment

…but this may be a little too local, even for Arkansas:

Riding down Highway 165 through the Arkansas Delta, I knew I was about to experience one of the timeless traditions of Arkansas politics.

For more than 60 years — there is some dispute whether it is 64 or 67 — people have descended on the little town of Gillett to participate in the Gillett Coon Supper, where the main course is the exotic meat of locally hunted raccoon but the real dish is the political undercurrent that is impossible to miss.  Within this humble event lies perhaps one of the most important lessons in Arkansas politics.

Sunday Funnies: Words to Live By

~ Jim Eltringham ~ Leave a comment

My former employer, Morton Blackwell, was very active in the 1964 campaign of Barry Goldwater.  That campaign had a theme – “In your heart, you know he’s right” – that doesn’t really work in politics.  One of the key lessons Morton would teach neophyte political operatives was that being philosophically correct did not always translate into electoral success.  After Goldwater’s drubbing in 1964, those who had been in his corner broke into two camps, as Morton described it.  Some became cynical, and vowed to leave politics, the other side vowed to fight for their ideas rather than with them.

One of the elements that made this second camp successful – and allowed them to regroup and elect Ronald Reagan in 1980 – was a lack of cynicism and a positive attitude.

And that’s why this speech, even if it is only about a silly little TV show, is worth repeating:

There are always places – in the world and the media landscape – for new and innovative ideas.  Those places aren’t always easy to find, but are usually worth the search.

But they’re so progressive…

~ Jim Eltringham ~ Leave a comment

As Massachusetts becomes the hub of the American political universe, Politico notes that, win or lose, Martha Coakley’s struggles raise some questions:

Before the votes are even counted, her fellow Democrats have compiled a list of reasons why Martha Coakley has struggled: anemic retail politics, a blind-eye to shifting momentum and an inexplicable appearance on a sports talk radio show that led her to misidentify a Red Sox star.

There is truth to them all. But they also gloss over an obstacle that has received far less attention – a glass ceiling that remains almost impenetrable even in the Blue state of Massachusetts.

Sexism?  In that haven of progressive politics?  In the home of John F. Kennedy, and one of the homes of Robert F. Kennedy?  In a state with so many institutions of higher learning?

Massachusetts is my adopted home state, and I loved it for the six years I lived there.   Surely, these allegations are wholly inconsistent with a rich history of tolerance in the era of Democratic dominance in Massachusetts.

Why, just consider Boston’s reputation for appreciating its athletic representatives.

Write all the white papers you want

~ Jim Eltringham ~ Leave a comment

When environmental debates are waged, the option of nuclear energy is rarely mentioned as a potential solution despite compelling benefits.  Professor Bill Irwin at King’s College in good old Wilkes-Barre, Pa. blames television’s most famous nuclear family:

The editor of the book The Simpsons and Philosophy says television and movies about nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island have also added to negative publicity surrounding nuclear power.

With such shows as The Simpsons poking fun at the nuclear industry and movies that focus on disasters, Irwin says it’s somewhat disappointing there are so many negative stereotypes in the media about nuclear power.

The pro-nuclear energy side has their advocates, of course.  The Nuclear Energy Institute is a quality group, and they make a strong case:

Nuclear energy is America’s largest source of clean-air, carbon-free electricity, producing no greenhouse gases or air pollutants. The industry’s commitment to the environment extends to protecting wildlife and their habitats.

Unfortunately, the American public is more familiar with Blinky the Fish – who makes a more direct point in a joke than NEI could in a ten-page paper:

Isolation brings people together

~ Jim Eltringham ~ Leave a comment

This past weekend dropped a foot and a half of snow (or more) on the Washington, D.C. are.  And since six inches is enough to grind Your Nation’s Capital to a halt, the Blizzard of ’09 was dubbed the DC Snowpocalypse.

The weather event was a fitting way to end a year that has seen an increased level of attention paid to online social networks.  Those of us glued to the local NBC news coverage found elfin weekend meteorologist Chuck Bell giddily inviting users to get involved by emailing him pictures and name suggestions (his favorite was “Shopper Stopper”).  A Snowpocalypse page quickly popped up on Facebook, and those on Twitter used the hashtags #snOMG and #DCsnowpocalypse to discuss the onslaught.

Sunday Funnies: Actually, for ‘Skins fans, it’s not so funny

~ Jim Eltringham ~ Leave a comment

Not much has gone right in Washington DC over the last year, and that includes the hometown football team – which is looking more and more like it’s being run by the same people who run the Metro.

Last weekend, the Redskins managed to lose by missing a 23-yard field goal and allowing a 53-yard touchdown pass.

How sure was Washington’s victory?  Why, you could bet a 60-inch TV on it…

Like this guy did:

He should have sung “Tomorrow”

~ Jim Eltringham ~ Leave a comment

President Obama is calling for a new stimulus package, this one specifically targeted to create jobs.  Though the President is no doubt a gifted orator, one can’t help but feel like the speech to the Brookings Institution was a little familiar… But where have we heard it before?

Of course, this speech comes on the same day that news broke that $6 million of the last stimulus went to PR work coordinated by firms run by Democratic operative Mark Penn.

Maybe the President should have looked at this speech instead: