Well done, guv'nor

It seems Ricky Gervais is catching hell today for his humor last night.

One LA Times killjoy sniffed that he was "too nasty" and that the "host pulled no punches, but he should have knocked himself out." A sampling:

"It’s going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or, as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast."

Bada Boom. (Nice one)

On Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp: “It seems like everything this year was three-dimensional – except the stars in ‘The Tourist.’”

Ouch! (But so deliciously true)

"Nothing for 'Sex and the City 2.' I was sure the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster. Girls, we know how old you are. I saw one of you in an episode of ‘Bonanza.’"

Double ouch! (And doubly hilarious)

Based on the above snippets, I'd say Gervais' performance was, as the Brits say, brilliant. On the morning after, the news media is breathlessly asking: Did Ricky Gervais go too far at the Golden Globes? The short answer is: Who cares? The longer answer is: So what if he did?

I mean after all, exactly how does one do inappropriate comedy at a function everyone in Hollywood derides as the "Drunk Oscars?" This is much ado about nothing -- with "nothing" defined as rich, self-absorbed celebrities behaving like, well, rich, self-absorbed celebrities.

Toxic marriage

Wittily playing the relationship counselor, Ross Douthat practically gets on his knees to beg Sarah Palin and the press to quit each other -- and attempt a trial separation.

"The press and Palin have been at war with each other almost from the first, but their mutual antipathy looks increasingly like co-dependency: they can’t get along, but they can’t live without each other either."

"For their part, the media manage to be consistently unfair to the former Alaska governor — gossipy and hostile in their reportage, hysterical and condescending in their commentary — even as they follow her every move with a fascination bordering on obsession. (MSNBC, in particular, should just change its name to “Palin 24/7” and get it over with.)"

"Palin, meanwhile, officially despises the “lamestream” media. But press coverage — good, bad, whatever — is clearly the oxygen she craves. She supposedly hates having her privacy invaded, yet her family keeps showing up on reality TV. She thinks the political class is clueless and out-of-touch, but she can’t resist responding to its every provocation."

"Breaking up is hard to do, of course. But for the majority of Americans who are neither Palinoiacs nor Palinistas, here’s the good news: If the press (including this columnist!) and Sarah Palin can’t quit each other, you can still quit us."

Douthat's piece is both smart and funny, and worth a read. As for Palin and the media quitting each other, dream on.

Quote of the Day II

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quote of the Day

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

State of mind

Amy Silverman, managing editor of Phoenix New Times, has a terrific op-ed in the Washington Post today. Examining the Tucson shootings from a sociological perspective, she poses a straightforward question: “What's the matter with the 48th state?” She believes that a curious “culture of isolation” is at the root what ails Arizona. I can attest to Silverman’s observations. They’re spot on, and I suddenly understand this place much better than I did yesterday. I can depend upon both laughter and disbelief when I tell friends here that I consider myself a Californian living in Arizona, an expatriate, if you will. They don’t realize I’m being serious. Oddly, this place has never really felt like home (though it is a nice place to live). Thanks to Arizona native Silverman, I think I know why now.

Really, America?

DESPITE the bloodbath in Tucson last week, political experts say there is no chance Congress will enact serious gun control. Such is the power of the dark side – er, I mean the National Rifle Association. Even President Obama is silent on the issue. Given Jared Loughner’s actions (and the untold nutcases out there waiting to explode), it’s time to rethink our mental health care system. But that can’t happen as long as Republicans pursue their quixotic quest to repeal the health care law. Really, America? Is this the best we can do? At what point do we “man up” and demand that our leaders do the right thing?

Strange juxtaposition

Today in Tucson, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was taken off a ventilator (she is breathing on her own now). The Safeway where she was shot last Saturday reopened to shoppers. Simultaneously, thousands packed a gun show at the local fairgrounds. Both the Glock and the extended ammo clip (the types used by alleged killer Jared Loughner) were on sale -- a Blue Light Special, if you will. Is it just me, or there something seriously wrong with this picture?

A perfect vicious circle

A moment ago, I was logging off Twitter for the day when I spied the disturbing trending topic “RIP NELSON MANDELA.” Oh my gosh – Mandela is dead? I clicked over to the New York Times website. Nothing. I flipped on CNN. Nada. Hey, what’s going on? I clicked back to Twitter. Turns out it is a ghastly hoax. Mandela is alive and well. Some soulless twit-wit posted the fake news and off to the races it went. Naturally, the twitterverse is in a raucous uproar, thereby keeping “RIP NELSON MANDELA” a huge topic trending at a rate of about 2,400 tweets every 10 seconds. It is the perfect vicious circle, and probably just what the original author had in mind. This almost validates Henry David Thoreau’s fear that “men have become the tools of their tools.” Nelson Mandela once said that the death penalty was a “reflection of the animal instinct, still present in human beings." He could have said the same about slander on Twitter. Disgusting.

Havana Loco

President Obama plans to ease Cuba travel rules this week. His intent is to move the ball an inch or two toward rapprochement with the isolated communist regime. Placed into historical perspective, we have been stuck on our own 20-yardline for nearly half a century policy-wise, despite a carrot and stick approach that has mostly been stick.

Thinking that we probably ought to change up the playbook, Obama wants to try something new. You know, something that might actually work. Predictably, the dying (but still influential) clot of conservative Cuban-American expatriates in Florida howled at the move. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, condemned the White House action as “unthinkable.”

In a statement, Rubio said:

“I strongly oppose any new changes that weaken U.S. policy towards Cuba. I was opposed to the changes that have already been made by this administration and I oppose these new changes. I believe that what does need to change are the Cuban regime’s repressive policies towards the independent press and labor unions, its imprisonment of political prisoners and constant harassment of citizens with dissenting views, and its refusal to allow free multi-party elections.”

Rubio is wrong to oppose Obama’s approach but right about Cuba’s need to move toward democracy – or at least emulate China’s economic example. The trouble is our 45-year-old policy of isolating this island nation has utterly failed to nudge it toward moderation in any meaningful way.

Once upon a time, when the Soviet-enabled Fidel Castro government posed a genuine national security threat, this policy made more sense. Those days are long past. Today, the regime is as toothless and wobbly as the wheelchair brigade of expats in South Florida who oppose any form of rapprochement. Think what would happen if we normalized relations and allowed US businesses to pour in. Buried under an avalanche of McDonalds, Starbucks, Home Depots, Chevys and iPhones, the regime would probably fall in a week.

McCain abandons 'Gran Torino'

From Sen. John McCain's Washington Post op-ed yesterday on Obama's Tucson speech:

"I disagree with many of the president's policies, but I believe he is a patriot sincerely intent on using his time in office to advance our country's cause. I reject accusations that his policies and beliefs make him unworthy to lead America or opposed to its founding ideals."

"We are Americans and fellow human beings, and that shared distinction is so much more important than the disputes that invigorate our noisy, rough-and-tumble political culture. That is what I heard the president say on Wednesday evening. I commend and thank him for it."

These words echo the moderate, sane McCain of the distant past, a time before he became the angry "Gran Torino" guy capable of only shouting "get off my lawn!" Is the senior senator from Arizona finally walking back from the brink of political oblivion? I hope so.

Like moths to a flame

VERY few of us have the requisite talent, gumption, experience and divine luck to credibly run for president, let alone win the office. In the Age of Obama, any kid can grow up to be commander in chief. Of course the sun, the moon and all the stars in heaven have to align perfectly, too. So I marvel at ex-Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain intent to make a 2012 presidential run. He’s the first to do so. He is (of course) a radio talk show host. Hey, who needs political experience? Cain, a Republican, told ABC News that he’s “confident” he could defeat President Obama. But, as the old cliché goes, the self-branded “Hermanator” is clearly a legend in his own mind. His Oval Office prospects are precisely zero. Cain is probably a nice guy. Perhaps he is serious about his quixotic bid. But I’m genuinely mystified by folks so desperate for the limelight that they’ll jump off the nearest cliff in pursuit of it.

Tunisian flashpoint

The New York Times is reporting that President Ben Ali of Tunisia has fled his country. For two decades, his authoritarian government has ruled in a manner that would do Joseph Stalin proud. The Times notes that Ben Ali’s downfall “marks the first time in recent memory that widespread demonstrations have overthrown an Arab leader.” Though intriguing, Tunisia is decidedly secular. That makes it far different from most Arab nations. Still, the events in Tunisia could give Middle Eastern governments pause. Eyeing the protesters, the Times took note of Zied Mhirsi, a young doctor who carried a sign that said, in English, “Yes We Can.” It’s gratifying to know that the Obama Effect is alive and well, even in this chaotic corner of North Africa.

Please, please read me

A Daily Beast tweet today: "19 Signs Loughner Was About to Blow!" Or how to hype a tragic story for maximum page visits. The adjective vacuous best describes the article pointed to. There's no way to stop web-ploitation like this. Ranting about it won't help either. Still, I shudder to think what's inside the heads of editors who unblinkingly allow good journalism to unravel before their eyes, and ours.

When incivility is justified

I share David Corn's disgust over Rush Limbaugh's on-air remark that Tucson killer Jared Loughner "knows ... he has the full support of a major political party [read: Democrats] in this country."

Corn concludes that Limbaugh is either a "panderer-for-profit or nutcase." I'd argue that he is both.

Corn writes:

"Obama is correct: To advance the national interest, Americans must mount rigorous debates in the best terms possible. But you cannot have an honest debate with a mud-thrower. (My father used to tell me, there's no fair fight with a skunk.) Those who purposefully undermine reasonable and necessary discourse do not deserve a pass in the name of civility. Limbaugh, as he so often has done, resorted to extreme rhetoric and a big lie in an attempt to undercut or destroy a political adversary. He made a dark week even darker."

I couldn't agree more.

(Not So) Great Expectations

"The problem is that over the past 40 years or so we have gone from a culture that reminds people of their own limitations to a culture that encourages people to think highly of themselves. The nation’s founders had a modest but realistic opinion of themselves and of the voters. They erected all sorts of institutional and social restraints to protect Americans from themselves. They admired George Washington because of the way he kept himself in check." -- David Brooks (New York Times)

Truth of the matter

"The truth is fragmentary and it’s impossible to capture all of it. There are competing goods that can never be fully reconciled. The world is more complicated than any human intelligence can comprehend." -- David Brooks (New York Times)

Inconvenient truth

"Of course, even a great speech won’t usher in a period of civility. Speeches about civility will be taken to heart most by those people whose good character renders them unnecessary. Meanwhile, those who are inclined to intellectual thuggery and partisan one-sidedness will temporarily resolve to do better but then slip back to old habits the next time their pride feels threatened." -- David Brooks (New York Times)

Brooksonian wisdom

Occasionally, New York Times columnist David Brooks, the liberals' favorite conservative (and I confess, mine, too), hits one right outta the ballpark. (That's why he makes the big bucks.) He has a terrific piece today about the roots of civility. Think of it as a erudite companion to President Obama's Tucson speech. It begins where the president left off. I've excerpted parts of it as a series of bite-sized posts. But by all means read the entire Brooks column. It's well worth your time.

Age of Capricorn?

Whaddaya mean I'm not an Aquarius? Today, the Minnesota Planetarium Society blew up the zodiac, possibly along with the world as you knew it. Astronomers say there's been a one-month shift in star alignment due to a millennia-long effect of the moon's gravitational pull on the Earth, reports the Star Tribune. Long story short: We’ve been un-tethered from our zodiac signs. In my case, science says I am now a Capricorn. That means I am now responsible, patient, ambitious, resourceful, loyal, dictatorial, inhibited, conceited, distrusting and unimaginative. Except I'm not. An Aquarius, on the other hand, is witty, clever, humanitarian, inventive, original, stubborn, unemotional, sarcastic, rebellious and aloof. Spookily, that’s a near perfect description of moi. So, I'm keeping my Aquarius sign, warts and all. The universe can stick it where the moon doesn't shine.
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UPDATE: CNN says no, no, no – your zodiac sign hasn't changed. It reports the "tropical zodiac – which is fixed to seasons, and which Western astrology adheres to – differs from the sidereal zodiac – which is fixed to constellations and is followed more in the East, and is the type of zodiac to which the Star Tribune article ultimately refers." So, relax. You don’t have to scrape off your tattoos.

Heavenly rain puddles

Washington Post political blogger and wunderkind Ezra Klein has a curious bone to pick.

He writes:

"For me, the one really false note in the president's speech last night came when he said, "If there are rain puddles in Heaven, Christina is jumping in them today." It was ... cheap, somehow. More like what you tell children when a pet dies than what you tell adults when a child dies. Or maybe it wasn't. I haven't had to talk to many parents in that situation."

Wow. I nearly fell out of my chair when I read that. A cheap “false note?” Really? Aren’t we over thinking this a wee too much, Ezra?

Obama’s gentle use of Christina’s fate as a poetic allusion for hope and idealism was, I think, the most poignant, humanizing aspect of the speech. Of all the victims, this little girl was the most innocent and least deserving of death. That it occurred haunts me. The image of her jumping in heavenly rain puddles, as Obama metaphorically painted it, is comforting. And that is precisely why Obama, a poet at heart, expressed it in those endearing terms. I’m certain America gets it and appreciates the sentiment.

It floors me that Klein clearly doesn’t. But I guess this is the occupational hazard of living and writing inside the hermetically sealed bubble of Washington. It will sap your human heart if you let it.

Perfect put down

AFTER Obama's speech last night, I briefly watched the talking heads bloviate on CNN. From the insular bubble of Washington's mindset, David Gergen (whom I usually like) pompously questioned the speech's intellectual timbre.

Now a Harvard professor, he graded it as if scoring a college term paper (he reluctantly gave Obama a B+ for effort). More amazing, Gergen seemed convinced the speech wouldn't resonate with the nation. I just shook my head and changed channels.

Over at The New Republic this morning, Noam Sheiber wasn't satisfied either: "I found myself reacting well to the speech emotionally even if it didn't always hang together for me intellectually."

Aghast at Scheiber's tone-deafness, one reader responded this way: "Noam, I suspect, had you been there, the Gettysburg Address would have left you 'a bit unsatisfied.' I mean, it was short, way short, Lincoln had hardly got going before it was over. So many issues he didn't cover. He failed to acknowledge all the dignatories present. And he scribbled it out on an envelope. How tacky."

Ha! Perfect. Thank you, dear reader, for the slap upside Scheiber's (and by extension, Gergen's) learned head.

Quote of the Day II

"Watching Palin yesterday morning, she looked caustic and small. Watching the president last night, he looked like a giant national leader, which in turn made Palin shrink even further, to the point at which she's hardly visible. And what a relief it would be if this turn of events made it that much more difficult to see her again going forward." -- Steve Benen (Washington Monthly)

Quote of the Day

"American political discourse has been hijacked by fools and blowhards and opportunists and charlatans and people who seemed cooked up in a lab in the basement of a cable TV network headquarters." -- Joel Achenbach (Washington Post)

In his piece, Achenbach continues: "But will Obama's appeal to the better angels of our nature succeed? It hasn't yet. It probably never will. Because the market favors rancor. The technology favors the judgment-rushers, the instant reaction, which by definition can't be terribly thoughtful. The TV ratings favor the furious. What does it mean when the people on the fake shows on Comedy Central are more intelligent and reasonable than the people on mainstream cable news networks?" Sadly, Achenbach's critique is spot on.

The madness of Jared Loughner

"It was obvious within a few hours of the shooting that the only radio station the gunman listened to was the one playing 24 hours a day inside his head." -- Joel Achenbach (Washington Post)

Palin Fan

The New York Times gauged conservative reaction this morning to Obama's Tucson speech (which was mostly positive). Curiously, it included this, um, critique from somebody who calls himself Techno, a reader on Conservatives4Palin.com: “There is no way in getting around it: Obama is coarse and crude and has no class. He is a lout. Why everyone misses it is because he is considered an elitist and urbane. He’s like a dance student that signs up for dance lessons and can’t help himself from stepping on the toes of the instructor every second step.” Yes, only Mr. Techno (spurred by the Loughner-like voices in his head) knows the truth. If you've ever wondered why there is strife and misery in the world, gutless wonders like Techno are among the prominent reasons.