Archive for October 3rd, 2008

It may be too early to stick a fork in John McCain, but given the latest whisperings, one may perhaps be forgiven for at least picking out the cutlery:

John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.

Not just Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida, but also apparently Maine:

Yesterday, Republican John McCain’s campaign announced that it had begun withdrawing from Michigan, but would start committing resources to Maine, where strategists say he has been buoyed by the addition of Sarah Palin to his ticket.

Maine is one of two states that splits its electoral votes by Congressional district (Nebraska being the other); McCain apparently hopes to win in Maine’s 2nd District, thereby peeling off an additional electoral vote.

Why? Well, it’s either a head-fake or an act of desperation, and given the current state of the electoral map, I’m guessing desperation; besides, McCain’s campaign has a history of Hail Mary passes and a history of not being nearly clever enough to pull off head-fakes.

The map does indeed look grim for the Reps at the moment; they’re defending states they normally have in the bag by this time (VA, NC, etc.), which means they can’t go on the offensive in states they were hoping to swing. However, while there may indeed be some delightful schadenfreude to be had, a month is a long, long time…

Science News has up clips of the first sound recordings made of presidential candidates. In 1908, William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft recorded their voices onto wax cylinders that were then be sold for a small price ($8 in modern money). When you listen to Taft’s clip- entitled “Rights and Progress of the Negro”- remember that for 1908 the subject was progressive and not as condescending as it sounds now. 

William Jennings Bryan’s clip is about bank failures. History repeats itself… itself… itself…

(h/t Slashdot)

This is our weekly GUEST COLUMN. If you’d like to submit a Mix Tape, email Brandy at brandy@mouemagazine.com with “Mix Tape” in the subject line.

This week’s list comes courtesy of Ben Raynor, photographer and keeper of the Broken Toy Shop. 

This list is compiled from what would appear to be my favourite ten songs of all time. That would be a complete load of shit.

So far, I have spent over a week thinking about this, but, compiling a short list is not easy. Basically, this is the list that I would trial a new hi fi system with.

There are different levels of processing, different vocal types, varied genres, but overall, they are all revealing songs.

Songs have come and gone from this list over time and it changes depending on my mood. I could write an essay on each song and what it means to me, from a technical standpoint down to the emotional level.

The List:

Dissolved Girl - Mezzanine - Massive Attack

Bury the Evidence (video) - Blow Back - Tricky
Stripsearch (video) - Album of the Year - Faith No More

Pushit (video) - Salival - Tool

Roquefort (video) - Themata - Karnivool

Part 1(audio) - Datura - Three Second Memory

Iris - All That Is Should Be - Plush

Brick - Whatever and Ever Amen -Ben Folds Five 

Passenger (video) - White Pony - Deftones ft. Maynard

Past Tense (but a Prayer Nonetheless) (video) - Longing Was a Safer Place to Hide -Love Outside Andromeda

There was a ton of songs that should of made this list, but missed out. If there was a Top 20 list, I would be happier.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in our liveblogging of the debate last night. It was our first run with Cover It Live so the road was a bit bumpy (the system seemed to be glitchy for everyone, as evidenced at Pandagon). We’ll try to get some of the problems ironed out before we cover the next event. 

I wanted to write a debate summation post for those who don’t want to read the chat transcript. I also missed some points due to multitasking that I caught on a second viewing. Starting from the end, the polls out thus far show that while Joe Biden won, Sarah Palin exceeded expectations. But the bar was set pretty low for her. Showing up and making complete sentences was the most anyone expected and she at least hit that goal marker. 

Talking to some family members after the debate ended, they confirmed suspicions I (and Matt) had in the chat: that Palin’s folksy manner was going to appeal to those who weren’t really interested in paying attention to what was actually being said. Biden was wonky- which pleased us- and he used a lot of specific figures and facts. Palin sounded like she was the talkative waitress at a rib restaurant. That “down home” vibe carried Bush through a lot of evil. 

The most glaring flaw in Palin’s debate performance was what we started calling the pancake tactic in the chat room based on a comment Acallidryas made. When Palin blatantly avoided answering the question asked of her for the first time of what would be many, Acallidryas said: 

I like this strategy of just ignoring the question.   “Gov. Palin, what is your view of No Child Left Behind.”   “Pancakes, Gwen.   It’s all about Pancakes.”

It became obvious through the course of the debate that Palin had a checklist of points she was supposed to hit and she was uncomfortable- or flat out unable- to change their order or improvise. She managed to say a lot of words without actually saying anything.

There were some gaffes. She got the name of the Army commander in Afghanistan wrong (it is McKiernan not McClellan) and was incorrect about what he said about the surge. She said that the economy is “a toxic mess on Main Street that’s affecting Wall Street“. While the latter is a grand Freudian slip and the former shows her lack of knowledge, I doubt either will get much traction in the media. They’ll be waved away as slips of the tongue, easily ignored from a woman who keeps insisting that geographic proximity to Russia is some sort of qualifier. 

One point that her own party might force her to qualify/apologize for is her stated support of civil rights for gay couples. It would be fantastic if that was what she actually believes, but that’s doubtful from someone who makes “tolerant” sound like a curse word. It seems like she was trying to toe a line and fell over it (note how terrified she looks when Biden makes it clear what she’s just agreed to):