Truth Abuser

The euphemism of the month is "truth abuser". The second runner up is "not factually accurate". The game is, "How to call a liar a liar without saying 'liar'". Kerry calls Bill Clinton a "truth abuser". Kerry is calling Bill Clinton a liar. Barak says Bill Clinton's statements are "not factually accurate". Barak is calling Bill Clinton a liar. Politics is professional wrestling for people who can read newspapers. Nothing is at is seems by design. Or if it is then we call it something different to add another warm blanket between us and the cold truth. The truth is that most if not all politicians lie. However, not all do it with as much shamelessness or gusto as the Clinton's. Even some democrats now are admitting what the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy brought to light over 10 years ago...the Clinton's lie, it's what they do. No matter what you call it. If the Clinton's capture the White House again it will mean that America has become unrecognizable to the people who once believed in the simple decency of her citizens.

The Union's weird move in Denver

The AFL-CIO has issued a public challenge to both Colorado and the DNC, and if it doesn't get it's way, it says it will "strongly urge the Democratic Party to relocate the convention." As you can imagine this news sent Colorado democrats scurrying to make the union happy.

Real quick hullabaloo background here.

Anyway, the Denver Post's update outlines Colorado Democrat's rapid response to union Demands. Democratic Governor Bill Ritter, the man who vetoed the bill the AFL-CIO's all panty bundled about, is in full panic mode. Say's his spokesman, "The governor understands that the AFL-CIO and other labor organizations are upset. He welcomes the dialogue." While, CO House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) said he would rather spend the rest of the session "focusing on issues of common ground, like education and health care." The way they're bowing to union pressure is just embarrassing.

Which begs the question, "What exactly is the union doing?" I've been sitting on this post trying to figure out the union's goal. Having a public fit makes no sense. There's no way, zero, that the Dems can bow to the union after this public calling out, as doing do would kill them in 2008. Not only that, but the Dems best chance for victory lies in making inroads int he west. Bowing to union pressure and reneging on the decision to have the convention in Denver would set them back years, if not decades. Not only that, but the Dems are poised to retake the White House, why rock the boat now? As for the Dems, their only hope to avoid directly letting the union down is for CO to capitulate, which just isn't going to happen. This isn't Michigan, it's not like there's a huge union base in CO that will rally around the call. Not only that, but a Democratic Governor vetoed the bill. Plus, people in the west just don't like other people telling them what to do, know your audience. Maybe they wanted to create media around the veto of the bill, but one, CO's moved on and didn't really care the first time around. Two, by putting itself in the position of inevitable failure, the AFL-CIO, already struggling, looks weaker and comes off even worse. The union's best chance on all this was to work behind the scenes, maybe get some kind of concession about using union labor on the convention, or some kind of assurance that the bill will be re-introduced so that the union can put together another, better, campaign to get it passed. But now that this is public, everyone is forced to dig in their heels. The DNC and CO have the hand here, and they'll use it. The union is the weak link, and they'll be broken (good thing there's no union prohibition against mixed metaphors).

But this "public pressure" tactic reflects the union's longing for yesteryear, when they could dictate policy. In order to survive, the union's must accept that they just aren't the player they used to be, work the margins, get subtle, get better at "behind the scenes" negotiations, and make themselves powerful by aiding, not threatening Democratic initiatives. They did a great job getting rid of private ballots, and had the chance to build on that. Instead, they fell back into their hamfisted ways with CO and are getting publicly spanked.

Al Franken's Monster

I know, I know, easy on the Franken/Frankestein references too easy. Anyway, looks like comedian, radio host, liberal pundit Al Franken is going to run for Senate in Minnesota, ya. While we're not in the habit of announcing every candidate, he's interesting. Personally I enjoy his books, I think he's generally funny and he seems to have a decent grasp of the issues, even when I disagree with him. What will be interesting is to see him in action. It's always fun to watch an arm-chair quarterback jump into the big game. I have to admit, I'm expecting a lot from his campaign, but I think I'm going to be disappointed. Sitting back I think, "He's smart, witty, confident, and articulate," but I have a feeling that that part or Mr Franken won't show up, and that he'll be rather disappointing.

Some advice for his opponent, incumbent Senator Norm Coleman. One, just leave funny to Al. Take the "serious times demand a serious Senator, not a comedian" approach. Two, understand the Tucker Carlson Rule. Never, ever, get into a battle of barbs with a stand-up comedian. They're just too quick and have too much training dealing with hecklers. Take the hit and move on. Summarizing points one and two, there's cutting an witty for politicians and cutting and witty for professional comedians. Sen Coleman has got to understand this. If, in a debate, he goes for "hey I'm cutting and witty too" he may as well hand the keys to office to Mr Franken then and there. Make Mr Franken prove he's up to standard of your job, not that you're up to the standard of the the job Mr Franken is leaving.