ROCKY HORROR PICTURE JOE: Where's he going to with that gun in his hand?

Well, Joe isn't exactly homicidal, as Hendrix saw it in his famous song, in a literal sense. However, symbolically, he is causing all sorts of conflict, angst, and political horror in the Democratic Party in his megalomaniacal quest to retain power. And he dares to market himself as the politician of unity. You've got to be kidding me? Can we all do our impressions of Linda Blair in The Exorcist now?

At this point, Lieberman's campaign is beginning to resemble the theater of the absurd, and I cannot believe he is getting away with this indignant behavior. So while Joe preaches about unity, and the mainstream media has its grieving process, which is pathetic, let's review how the unifier gets away with it:

1. During the lead-up to the primary, Oedipus Lieberman had temper tantrum after temper tantrum, declaring that he is, in fact, a "true democrat." OK, then why not abide by the results of the primary? Why, after the primary, buddy up with your republican friends like twins separated at birth? Why not show some dignity and endorse Lamont, like he would have done for you had you won the primary? Because Joe is a horror, a modern day Cyclops ready to eat his own.

2. After the primary, Oedipus Lieberman, knowing full well what his wrath would bring, has now left most Democrats in the--let's face it--awkward position of either getting behind Lamont, which they should, or supporting Lieberman. That's a UNITER for you. In fact, I hear the tune of "We are the world, we are the people" while Joe has us all hold hands. Can I get an Amen?

3. After the primary, Oedipus Lieberman has gone Code Red, employing that GOP trick of: if you don't agree with me, you are DEFINITELY DOING DOPE with Osama-has-not-been-found-by-Bush and planning the latest terroist attack. Can YOU believe this shit?

4. After the primary, Oedipus Lieberman has gone on to attack several politicians from Maxine Waters to..get this...Bernie Sanders from Vermont--a true independent, the very thing Joe is not. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, Joe, is the most horrific of them all."

5. After the primary, a Swift Boat Group, called Vets for Freedom, which has been bankrolled by people in the White House and the GOP, has made its"target Lamont" death wish known. The horror, the horror!

6. After the primary, tonight--in fact, Alan Schlesinger, the republican candidate, whom no republican except John McCain has endorsed, appeared on Hardball bascially to admit that he is rather preplexed WHY he is not getting any support. Poor Alan: he looked like a person who had to contend with brutal horror that everyone and their grandmother knows he has been cheated on and with whom

Folks, if there's any DOUBT THAT ROCKY HORROR JOE is heinous and horrid, and not A TRUE DEMOCRAT, there's your evidence. Share this with your friends, who, may be divided over whether or not to support the...uniter.

Read MORE:


http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20060815/cm_thenation/15112393_1

PLAYING WITH TIMING--A CODE RED STRATEGY: MSNBC reports that the Bush administration rushed disclosing the terroist plot to the public. I wonder why? Read below.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14320452/

Oedipus Lieberman & (Dis)unity

Something strange is happening here. Now that the voters in the CT primary have decisively expressed their wills; now that many of the heavy hitters in the Democratic party have given their endorsements to Ned Lamont; now that Oedipus Lieberman has been essentially fired from his job, and, in turn, has fired his campaign staff, which readers of this blog have noted; Joe wants to shift attention from his obvious psychotic torpor to a campaign based on "unity." Maybe it's me, but this has to be the biggest act of desperation since Dick Cheney said in 2005 that the insurgency in Iraq was in its last "throes."

So let's review: around July 4th this year, when Joe Lieberman announced that he would, in fact, seek an independent run should he lose to Lamont, was he thinking about unity then? Was Joe Lieberman thinking about unity when Ned Lamont, at practically the same time, said he would unequivocally support the three term Senator should he win the primary? When Joe Lieberman, in December 2005, criticized--this one always amazes me--fellow Democrats who criticized President Bush on his handling of the Iraq war, was he thinking of unity then? During Barbara Boxer's campaign against Condoleezza Rice's nomination for secretary of state in January 2005, when senator Lieberman joined the bandwagon of the republican motto--"elections have consequences," was he thinking about unity at this time? Perhaps Senator Lieberman thought of unity when he, granted, along with a few other senate Democrats, voted to censure President Clinton in 1998 because of his extra-marital affair. Maybe true democrat Joe thought of unity when he considered how Joe Courtney, Chris Murphy, and Diane Farrell might be impacted by his decisions in their bids to unseat repbulicans in their congressional races. Maybe Joe thought of unity when he pondered how his actions and words after the primary would have a seismic effect on the other Democratic candidates in CT. Or just maybe not. Unity? You've got to be kidding me.

Either Joe Lieberman has a basic reading comprehension problem with the word "unity," or, unfortunately, he just ashamedly assumes that we are as stupid as he would hope we would be.

Joe's clearly not about unity; he's clearly not about the Democratic party and their candidates; he's clearly not about CT and its constituents at large; and he's obviously all about himself--true, in this belief, despite his recent manifestations of a multiple personality disorder, he is, in fact, unified.

Read below

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-08-12-lieberman_x.htm?csp=34

Because I cannot get over myself and because I refuse to abide by election results, I'm running for U.S. senate nonetheless based on MY beliefs and MY conscience. You see, the voters in the Democratic primary don't know any better. They are silly, angry folks who believe in partisan politics and care less about the war in Iraq and the facts that Hussein did partner with Osama bin Laden and stockpiled weapons of mass destruction. They don't know what I know: On the senate floor, Bill Frist was accurate in diagnosising Terri Schiavo's condition based on a two year video; Dick Cheney's energy policy, which resulted in you paying more at the pump, more for home heating, and more for electricty, is better for America, especially for residents in CT; and Fox News is the most reliable source for news and information. In fact, I am nominating Sean Hannity and Mann Coulter to be considered for Emmy Awards, for best actors in a prime-time drama.

I know that many of my colleagues will back my challenger, Ned Lamont. However, don't give them any mind. Hillary, who is trying to channel her inner-Pat Benatar tough image, refuses to acknowledge that politics is still dominated by men. Billy still can't control himself; that's why I voted to censure him in '98--and I would do it again. Infidelity is much worse than war crimes. And the other Democrats are still more concerned with wearing birks and going to Dead concerts because that bastard Dean has taken over the party. And the hell with those bloggers: they are terroists led by Maxine Waters and Jesse Jackson, who campaigned for...Ned Lamont.

I know you, like me, may not like election results. That's why I am pushing ahead. You see, like W., I recognize that votes, well, don't matter. It's about me. It's about my conscience. It's about what I believe is right. Join me as we push forward to establish unity, a new party that welcomes all. But remember: it's about me :-)

THE RED SCARE: WHAT DID I TELL YOU? READ BELOW:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2301861

FOR EDUCATORS: August--The Eternal Sunday Night

As my friend Janis has said, "August is the eternal sunday night for educators." She's right: as I was in school today to stamp books as part of my department head duties, I realized that I am at about 7:30 in this drawn-out, metaphoric evening, feeling ambivalent about the return, looking forward to and dreading it all simultaneously.

At times, I find myself longing for the structure of the school day. At other times, I wonder what the hell I am doing in this profession. In moments of true appreciation for the craft of teaching, I can't wait to try out a new idea. In moments of reality, I hate the thought of the paper load and the oftentimes insanity that we have to deal on a daily basis.

So as I sit here at 7:30 in the educator's Sunday night, I wonder what the new school year will bring. What new responsibility will "they" put on us? What kinds of student success and problems will I have to deal with? What lunatic control-freak colleague will resort to his/her own version of on-the-job terror? Will I ever get a grip on the paper load, or am I just dreaming? For now, I think it's important to revel in what remains of summer because who knows what's coming to a classroom near you.

CODE RED: The politics of fear

Here we go: so as W. takes a day off his vacation--for the record, W. has had more vacation time than any other president--to go to Wisconson for a fundraiser, he manages to sneak in a speech about the foiled terroist attack in London. W.'s rhetoric and Oedipus Lieberman's sound very similar. In fact, they are operating from the same Karl Notes--as in the political version of Cliff Notes. No one disputes that terroists hate us; most of us realize that they hate us MORE because of this administration and their heinous policies. But there you have it: the GOP 2006 election strategy. And our--oh, I forgot, he left us--Joe has jumped aboard.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060810/ap_on_el_se/lieberman_28

CHECK OUT THIS PAGE FROM WONKETTE BLOG:

http://www.wonkette.com/politics/terror/lieberman-terrorists-ned-lamont-worse-than-nazis-193452.php

AND, OF COURSE, CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE FROM THE NATION

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20060811/cm_thenation/15111400_1

CREATIVE WRITING 101: A LIEBERMAN VICTORY!!!! UNITY AMONG DEMOCRATS AND CONNECITCUT VOTERS AT LARGE.
By S. P. McKenna, Associated Press

After a grueling couple of months out of his normal Washington D.C. habitat, meeting with Connecticut residents at house parties, family picnics, high school and college graduations, and parades, Senator Lieberman eked out a victory against challenger Ned Lamont in yesterday's primary. Realizing that the war in Iraq was a huge issue and realizing that the constituents were overwhelmingly against the war, the junior senator held a series of open invitation, town hall style meetings in each of the congressional districts in the past few weeks that allowed voters and Senator Lieberman to have civil discussions about the war. Attendance at these 10 events (2 per district) was enormous; however, these interactions allowed the senator to listen to and reconnect with his voters. Campaign managers said that this strategy was extremely helpful to their win because these meetings have encouraged the senator to be more critical about the war and failed Bush policies while simultaneously allowing the senator to be more attentive to consituent concerns.

Also helpful was Senator Lieberman's apppeal to the grassroots efforts of the Democratic Party, of which he has been critical in the past. Rather than demonize the bloggers and the more traditional activists, Lieberman embraced them by admitting that he knew very little about these new waves of political activism. In that vein, he has committed himself to be a frequent contributor, like other politicians and pundits, to some blogs. Because of Senator Lieberman's outreach, many bloggers were surprisingly none-too-late to get behind his campaign.

From these past few months of campaigning emerged a more humane, less detached Senator Lieberman. And this is what seemed to carry him to victory yesterday. Albeit he did not completely denounce the war, he recognized that it was a complete disaster at this point, and went so far, like Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton did last week, to call for Donald Rumsfeld's immediate resignation.

In a brillant stroke of party unity, challenger Ned Lamont, who said from the beginning that he would honor the will of the Connecticut democratic voters, urged his supporters not to recognize his loss as defeat, but to turn their energies and enthusiasm to Senator Lieberman's campaign and the campaign efforts of the Democrats who are challenging the Republican congressional incumbents: Chris Shays, Rob Simmons, and Nancy Johnson. According to Lamont, "Granted, we lost the first half of the game, but, together, with Senator Lieberman's renewed vows to Democrats and Connecitcut, we must focus on victory for all Democrats in November."

Hmm...

BEYOND LIEBERDOME: THE MORNING AFTER

There are some great insights and analyses at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

It is particularly stunning to me how Lieberman handled all of this. Unlike the good mayor of Stamford, Dan Malloy, who conceded with grace and dignity, Senator Lieberman put on a dismaying display of hubris, psychosis, and silliness last night during his concession--reality--/victory--Joe's reality--speech. Again, I thought of Oedipus Rex; sorry, I teach literature for a living. And what a heinous Oedipus Lieberman makes: unwilling to accept reality, unwilling to play by the rules, willing to consider himself above it all, and willing to be dangerous to democracy. I suppose if he loses in November he will discard the results and declare that Connecticut should not have 2 senators and only one?????@#?

On a more positive note, I was impressed (hold your breaths for a moment) with the commentary by Chris Matthews, the host of spitball and a show in his own name. Apparently, Matthews gets it: he said that while the Iraq war was the main issue, he had heard from reliable sources that Lieberman has been long out-of-touch with Connecticut, its voters, and its Democratic leaders. In fact, Matthews contended that many Connecticuters told him that they felt they had to go to Dodd to get things done.

Your thoughts/analyses? Have a great day.

"MEET JOE LIEBERMAN'S WORST NIGHTMARE": A great article from CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/01/politics/main1857038.shtml

"BUSH'S FAVORITE DEMOCRAT": From Rolling Stone

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/10963174/lieberman_bushs_favorite_democrat/4

WHAT THIS GENERATION THINKS: I have invited some of my students to post how they are more conscious than we think. Come back and visit; I think you all will be interested.

IMAGINE THAT: STANDING UP TO BUSH! HMM....Read this excellent post at the huffingpost.com by Rick Jacobs


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-jacobs/bush-is-in-the-dumps-so-_b_26350.html

IT'S CONNECTICUT--STUPID. NOT THE SOUL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Below is a blog I posted to Eric Alterman's latest entry at Huffingtonpost, in which he emphasizes that the Lieberman/Lamont race is about CT, not the DC establishment.

Thank you, Eric--it is just Connecticut. I cannot read/hear one more D.C. establishment Dem. (especially those goons from the DLC) or other D.C. establishment person call this race the left takeover, or blog takeover of the party. Far too many have been mesmerized by the liberal myths of David Brooks et al. Scores of people, from the disgruntled employees at EB to college-aged students to public school teachers to former friends and colleagues of Lieberman himself are supporting Lamont. And we aren't channeling Karl Marx to execute our "liberal inquisition." Truly inane--get real.The bottom line is: Senator Lieberman has been a negligent politician (stories abound about how he & his offices have virtually ignored constituent concerns); Senator Lieberman has pandered far too often--not just to Repbulicans--but to the far right and their culture warriors; and Senator Lieberman, time and time again, has displayed an ugly hubris (he doesn't like to be questioned or challenged--just ask Colin McEnroe) that clashes with the reality we people Connecticut have witnessed for years. I don't think a quickly organized CT bus drive-by is going to undo what has been done. Perhaps Senator Lieberman should have done this long before. It is just CT--maybe Senator Lieberman should recognize this.