Bachmann and Palin - McCarthy and Agnew Redux?

With the Republican Party pulling ads and El Tinklenberg coming on strong (including a spike in fundraising), it would seem as though there is severe fallout from Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann's recent appearance on Hardball. Although she never apologizes and probably hopes most people in her district missed her "anti-American" remarks, Bachmann nevertheless felt it necessary to release this video.

It will be a toss-up, however, as to whether Bachmann or VP nominee, Sarah Palin, will get this year's "Spiro Agnew Award." You remember Spiro, right? The hard-hitting, alliteration-loving and media-hating verbal hitman (and Vice President that resigned in disgrace) for Richard Nixon. Perhaps we compromise and give Bachmann the "Joe McCarthy Award" and Palin gets the one named after the former Maryland governor.

I apologize for lying to you. I promise I won't deceive you except in matters of this sort. - Spiro Agnew

Some comedic analysis on Palin and Bachmann by Bill Maher.

Some additional thoughts on patriotism and the presidency in today's Times.

Sarah Palin, in extolling the virtues of small towns, has mused about how they are "pro-America," presumably as distinct from the anti-American parts of the nation. Even more baldly, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota told MSNBC that she was "very concerned" that Barack Obama "may have anti-American views." Although Bachmann declined interviewer Chris Matthews' invitation to name other members of Congress who were anti-American, she ventured the opinion that the American people would welcome an expose on those members who fit the bill. She later tried to extricate herself from her own mudslinging, but her previous comments were neither forced nor misconstrued.

Setting aside the amusing spectacle of a member of Congress calling on the media to expose members of Congress (careful what you wish for, congresswoman), it is worth considering the implications of this alleged anti-Americanism. We begin with what we hope is obvious to all: There is a difference between disagreeing about how to improve this country and asserting that one side of the debate is pro-America and the other is anti-America. ...

The veer into who is pro- and who is anti-America, however, is another matter altogether. Does Obama's passing friendship with William Ayers, co-founder of the Weather Underground, constitute an act of bad judgment? Perhaps. Is it evidence of anti-Americanism? That's where a critique becomes a smear. Similarly, Bachmann glibly tossed around her malevolence, lighting upon House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid (D-Nev.), who, in her estimation, are liberal, leftist or anti-American -- or some combination thereof.

Source: Editorial. "Patriotism and the presidency," Los Angeles Times, 10/26/08. (emphasis added)

The John and Ken Effect

Love 'em or hate 'em, the John and Ken Show on KFI is a tour de force on talk radio in the afternoons. Albeit bombastic, steady offerings of barbed language and an in-your-face-style, they are anything but boring and never seem to violate the 1st Rule of Radio: Be Entertaining.

Today, the Los Angeles Times opines on the famous shock jocks in the context of the trial of Orange County's ex-sheriff Mike Carona. I suppose it is a badge of honor for them and I'll have to tune in Monday to see what they have to say about it.

At issue: a series of readings by the hosts, John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, from transcripts of Carona conversations that were secretly recorded by federal investigators. When Carona's legal team objected to the pretrial publicity, Kobylt and Chiampou rose to the challenge, dubbing this segment of the show "Taint the Carona Jury Pool" and advising fans called for jury duty to lie if asked about their radio listening habits. Daring stuff -- and stupid too -- but the purpose of a venue change is to ensure that the accused gets a fair trial, not to address media buzz.

Considering the size of the Burbank-based show's listenership (about 1 million a month), the widely dispersed audience in L.A. and Orange counties and the vagaries of listeners' habits, the probability that a substantial number of jury pool members have even tuned into "John & Ken's" Carona coverage seems vanishingly small.

Read the full editorial.