Tag Archive '2008'

John Elway for Senate

Lee on Dec 17 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics

With Obama tapping Ken Salazar for the Interior Department, rumor has it conservative John Elway may step forward to run for his Senate seat in Colorado. This rumor –similar to one for Mike Ditka in Illinois– has come and gone before. This time however, the tectonically altered political environment makes it more credible. Party political defeats don’t tend to alienate good new candidates, but draw them in, as the rapid transformation of the Democratic Party between 2004, 2006 and 2008 demonstrates.

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Rootless

Lee on Dec 09 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web

Sure, it’s still only December 2008, but Wayne Allyn Root, the millionaire Republican Libertarian, is already running for president in 2012. I was seriously amused by some of the slanderous assessments posted by former Root employees Libertarian Peacenik found.

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Playmates during crisis

Lance on Oct 20 2008 | Filed under: Economics, Lance's Page, social science

Does the object of our desire tend to change during tough times?

Yes, according to this paper on men’s preferences when it comes to Playboy’s models:

Consistent with Environmental Security Hypothesis predictions, when social and economic conditions were difficult, older, heavier, taller Playboy Playmates of the Year with larger waists, smaller eyes, larger waist-to-hip ratios, smaller bust-to-waist ratios, and smaller body mass index values were selected. These results suggest that environmental security may influence perceptions and preferences for women with certain body and facial features.

For those wishing to do their own analysis you can download the data here. Tyler Cowen notes that the hypothesis is not fully supported by 2008’s selection.

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Obama and the Fate of Criticism

Lee on Sep 11 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Lee's Page

Tattered Hope, Barack Obama posters
“Tattered Hope” by Nathan Rupert

Jason at postpolitical and I often get into testy email arguments about Barack Obama’s alleged “arrogance.” He is quite Greek in the sense that he thinks hubris is the fatal flaw at the heart of all political downfalls. I don’t entirely agree with that, nor with his contention that Obama represents an emblematic example of arrogant leadership. At least no more so than any other politician.

On this matter Jason is of course much more in line with majority opinion on the right than myself. Many conservative bloggers have argued for Obama’s arrogance for so long, it once was merely a kind of premonition.

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The Rise of the Governess

Lee on Aug 29 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Lee's Page

Way back in February 2007, when I was still writing for postpolitical, an obscure little blog popped up pitching Sarah Palin for the Vice Presidency. At the time few were that familiar with Sarah’s record or wise enough to predict its national electoral implications. Yet despite the novelty of the idea, I thought then and since that it was an inspired choice. I’ve since journeyed further toward that prescient blog’s recommendation and concluded it was the only choice. Thus it’s fun to finally see Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President reveling justifiably in the moment.

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Bobby Begins

Lee on Aug 05 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web, Notes on the war

Rumors have it that Bobby Jindal will deliver the keynote address at the RNCC. Shlok Vaidya thinks the GOP intends to position Jindal for 2012, the way the Democrats managed Obama in 2004. Interesting and possible, although such things are rarely that well-planned. The Democratic view in 2004 wasn’t to position Obama for a White House run, but to lend a rather tired and morose candidate named John Kerry some youthful optimism and vigor. Come to think of it, not so different for the Republicans in 2008 after all, is it?

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Reflections on Fred

Lee on Jan 23 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008

Fred Thompson

This was a post better suited for yesterday and Fred’s withdrawal, but I suppose I let myself get distracted without posting it. It should go without saying that while I was unsurprised by the event, it was nevertheless disappointing. But not so much because we are now bereft of any reasonable alternative in the Republican field, but because it seems to confirm that registered Republicans by a large margin, are using unwelcome criteria to evaluate candidates. In fairness, that impression has been with me throughout Fred’s campaign, since I’d found myself to be fond of Thompson because of the reasons he failed to appeal to almost everyone else.

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A Medallion for Monsters

Lee on Jan 20 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web

You have to love the poll Common Sense & Wonder is running in its sidebar. The question is who will receive the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. C&W has some damningly convincing candidates for the Norwegian Nobel Committee too: Hugo Chavez, Cindy Sheehan, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Noam Chomsky, Kim Jong-Il, Robert Mugabe and Fidel Castro. Given the great skill at financial mismanagement exhibited by some of these finalists, it’s entirely possible that by December 10, 2008 the cash prize of $1.5 million USD could greatly exceed the GDP of the winner’s country’s GDP.

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