Links Dump!
Some thoughts on a lazy Sunday:
- To get this party started right, first off, apparently MTV is starting a pro wrestling federation. You may think to yourself, "wow, if that's a success it'll be from the high production values and name-brand stars they can bring in." Answer, no. If they succeed, it's because of this:
It is being produced hand-in-hand with Big Vision Entertainment, should have an "MTV"/"reality" feel to it, and booking is reportedly already mapped out and approved by MTV.
See, underline means it's important. Something else important is booking your pro wrestling circuit out months in advance. Storylines grip people, in wrestling, politics, and King Kong, and wrestling promotions who book shows on the day of the event tend to start sucking. A cohesive storyline that lasts months convinces fans that they need to keep tuning in. In any event, I'm optimistic. - Speaking of institutions in decline, my high school is apparently going into the toilet. The principal supports a renewed school spirit, so I guess my idea of actually finding out what people want out of their careers, and helping them get there, might not have been working. Blame the Bush economy?
- Moving into politics, U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana is reporting that he has over $9 million cash on hand in his Senate account, all of which can be transferred into a presidential campaign. For the record, Bayh's strategy seems to be that the only way to beat Hillary (uh, Senator Clinton) is to have a comparable amount of money, so he spent 2005 fundraising instead of sucking up to the establishment in DC or going every weekend to Iowa or whatever it is you're supposed to do if you're running for president in three years. For comparison, the highest cash transfer in the 2004 Democratic primary was $2.4 million from Dick Gephardt, and that was after the end of the midterms. In other words, Bayh has another year to go, and he's already going to transfer in three times as much money as anyone did in 2004.
- Speaking of 2008 presidential candidates, GQ has a lengthy profile on John Kerry's role in the Democratic Party. I remember in 2004, being really impressed that disappointed Democrats weren't blaming Kerry for the loss. Everyone generally seemed to think he was a good guy and a flawed candidate who gave it his best shot and lost when the GOP turned out to have had an amazing turnout effort. Then once it became apparent that Kerry was planning to run again in 2008 (and more importantly, that he thought his 2004 performance obliged us all to make him heir apparent), his tenuous support just crashed. This piece, which I found fascinating, does not feature a lot of good feeling towards John Kerry.
- Speaking of those dark days of November 2004, I'm always amazed at the ability of Republicans to spin 180 degrees on whether or not an issue is important. Here we have the Michigan Republican Party putting up a "jobs clock" for the number of Michigan jobs lost during Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration. Now, this is ridiculous on its face: when Bush was the first president since Hoover to preside over a net loss of jobs (which, for the record, is no longer true as of January 2005), did the Michigan Republican Party think job loss was a big issue then? Of course not. Even more brazenly, they feature Gov. Granholm saying, "If you are somebody who has lost a job, you need to vote for a change." Want to make one guess when she said that? Exactly: November 2, 2004, better known as Election Day, or The Day We Learned To Ignore Exit Polls. The only conceivable reason Granholm could have made those comments is that Bush can't create jobs either, yet the Michigan Republican Party still focuses on her quote like a laser. Frankly, I'm impressed.