And it begins. She's running, and she and her minions are decending on my lovely home state. I can't fully explain why I loathe her so. Perhaps it's that persistent "cat that ate the canary" expression on her face. It could be the shrill, grating tone of her voice. More than likely it's her position on issues such as health care, national defense, taxes, embryonic stem cell research and abortion to name just a few.
I wish Americans' memories were as long as our butts are wide. Did 1992-2000 really happen, including the proposal to turn over health care to the government, or did the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy make it all up? She's not the right person for the job. Period.
From the Washington Post Blog "The Fix"
Posted at 06:19 PM ET, 01/25/2007
Clinton in Iowa: Setting Expectations
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) makes her first trip to Iowa in more than three years this weekend, traveling to that most influential of states when it comes to presidential politics.
A schedule sent out by her campaign earlier today shows a total of five events during the visit -- two "house-party style" events, a town hall meeting, a meeting of the Iowa Democratic Party Central Committee and a press availability.
So what should we expect out of this visit? Not all that much.
Clinton's people are purposely -- and smartly -- limiting the media throng so that she can have some semblance of a normal conversation with Iowa voters. Only her town hall meeting and the press availability are open to all members of the media; the house parties and the Iowa Democratic Party gathering will be covered pool-style -- one national and one local reporter will be allowed into the room and they will be tasked with filing a report about what Clinton said.
One of Clinton's primary tasks in Iowa and elsewhere is to reintroduce herself to voters who may know of her but don't really know her. She can't do that while being trailed by 200 (or more) reporters. Clinton won't ever lack for press coverage, so restricting the size of the press pack strikes The Fix as smart.
The other goal for Clinton during her Iowa visit is to begin building momentum in the state. Multiple polls have shown Clinton running behind former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), who placed second in the Iowa caucuses in 2004. But Clinton's advisers have insisted that her poll standing has much more to do with the fact that she has not been a regular visitor to the state while Edwards has made it his home away from home.
After a few visits, Clinton needs to see some jump in her poll numbers; she doesn't need to leapfrog Edwards, but she does need to show movement. She's already made one very sound move in the state -- signing up JoDee Winterhof as her Iowa state director; Winterhof formerly served as chief of staff to Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
A Few Days Off
A former colleague and friend of mine died over the weekend. I went to the hospital Sunday morning with a friend to visit and found the room empty. A nurses aid came around the corner and upon seeing us standing there looking lost told us she died a few hours earlier.
I'm taking a break from bentpinky.com for a few more days. Between this and the busy season at work, I'm not inspired to mull, observe or even rant...and I love ranting. If I were to rant today, I'd go to town on The Honorable Barbara Boxer and her condemnation of Secretary of State Rice for being a single woman with no children. Bitch.
I'll be back.
I'm taking a break from bentpinky.com for a few more days. Between this and the busy season at work, I'm not inspired to mull, observe or even rant...and I love ranting. If I were to rant today, I'd go to town on The Honorable Barbara Boxer and her condemnation of Secretary of State Rice for being a single woman with no children. Bitch.
I'll be back.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
A Good Mull
My brother sent this to me. It's a good mull.
Denver Post: This text is from a county emergency manager out in the central part of Colorado after today's snowstorm.
WEATHER BULLETIN: Up here, in the Northern Plains, we just recovered from a Historic event--- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.
FYI:
George Bush did not come.
FEMA did nothing.
No one howled for the government.
No one blamed the government.
No one even uttered an expletive on TV.
Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.
Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.
Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.
CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5 snowstorm.
Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.
No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.
No one looted. Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something.
Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.
No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.
No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.
Nope, we just melted the snow for water. Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.
The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.
Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families. Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.
We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.
We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die."
We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for 'sittin at home' checks.
Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.
"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate." It does seem that way, at least to me. I hope this gets passed on. Maybe SOME people will get the message. The world does Not owe you a living.
Denver Post: This text is from a county emergency manager out in the central part of Colorado after today's snowstorm.
WEATHER BULLETIN: Up here, in the Northern Plains, we just recovered from a Historic event--- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.
FYI:
George Bush did not come.
FEMA did nothing.
No one howled for the government.
No one blamed the government.
No one even uttered an expletive on TV.
Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.
Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.
Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.
CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5 snowstorm.
Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.
No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.
No one looted. Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something.
Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.
No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.
No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.
Nope, we just melted the snow for water. Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.
The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.
Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families. Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.
We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.
We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die."
We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for 'sittin at home' checks.
Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.
"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate." It does seem that way, at least to me. I hope this gets passed on. Maybe SOME people will get the message. The world does Not owe you a living.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
I Love It!
Iowa is ranked No. 5 in the Intermat college wrestling rankings that were released 1/03/07. What would Zabel say? I love it, I love it, I love it!
Team rankings includes first-place votes, record, vote totals and previous ranking.
1. Missouri (12) 4-0 480 1
2. Minnesota 7-1 463 2
3. Hofstra 7-0 457 3
4. Oklahoma State 4-1 438 4
5. Iowa 5-0 430 5
6. Iowa State 4-1 422 7
7. Oklahoma 3-2 398 6
8. Northwestern 8-0 395 9
9. Central Michigan 5-1 383 10
10. Penn State 4-2 377 9
11. Michigan 1-1 356 11
12. Edinboro 8-1 345 12
13. Cornell 0-1 341 13
14. Penn 2-2 314 15
15. Illinois 2-0 309 16
16. Indiana 8-0 297 17
17. Nebraska 6-0 278 18
18. UT-Chattanooga 5-0 272 18
19. Wisconsin 1-2 271 20
20. Ohio State 10-0 255 19
21. Cal Poly 2-2 225 21
22. Michigan State 0-3 212 22
23. Lehigh 4-4 175 23
24. West Virginia 4-2 106 24
25. Pittsburgh 1-0 105 25
Others receiving votes: Northern Iowa, Navy, Oregon State, America, UC-Davis, Harvard.
Mullings & Observations at Bentpinky.blogspot.com will return to its regualar programming of opinions and rants in the near future. After a tough football season, some reveling in the success of other Hawkeye athletic programs was needed. Thank you for your patience.
Team rankings includes first-place votes, record, vote totals and previous ranking.
1. Missouri (12) 4-0 480 1
2. Minnesota 7-1 463 2
3. Hofstra 7-0 457 3
4. Oklahoma State 4-1 438 4
5. Iowa 5-0 430 5
6. Iowa State 4-1 422 7
7. Oklahoma 3-2 398 6
8. Northwestern 8-0 395 9
9. Central Michigan 5-1 383 10
10. Penn State 4-2 377 9
11. Michigan 1-1 356 11
12. Edinboro 8-1 345 12
13. Cornell 0-1 341 13
14. Penn 2-2 314 15
15. Illinois 2-0 309 16
16. Indiana 8-0 297 17
17. Nebraska 6-0 278 18
18. UT-Chattanooga 5-0 272 18
19. Wisconsin 1-2 271 20
20. Ohio State 10-0 255 19
21. Cal Poly 2-2 225 21
22. Michigan State 0-3 212 22
23. Lehigh 4-4 175 23
24. West Virginia 4-2 106 24
25. Pittsburgh 1-0 105 25
Others receiving votes: Northern Iowa, Navy, Oregon State, America, UC-Davis, Harvard.
Mullings & Observations at Bentpinky.blogspot.com will return to its regualar programming of opinions and rants in the near future. After a tough football season, some reveling in the success of other Hawkeye athletic programs was needed. Thank you for your patience.
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