The Friday Political Thread: Family-Friendly Edition

Since the Family Research Council clambake won't end til Sunday I'll have to update later with the really big stories. For now, the week in brief:

- Sam Brownback won't be president in 2009. But he's a young man!

- In a special election Democrats held the fifth district of Massachusetts, the most conservative (Kerry by 16) seat in the bluest state, when Niki "Paul's Widow" Tsongas beat Jim "Yeah, Well, My Brother Was Killed on 9/11" Ogonowski. The state GOP wants Ogonowski to run for something else. On an unrelated note, John Kerry is on the ballot in 2008.

- The Democrats tried, and failed, to override the president's bloody-handed genocide of American children SCHIP veto. (This, along with "ending the war," was one of two promises Tsongas made in Massachusetts.)

Below the fold...

- Ray Gustini analyzes the John Edwards non-sex scandal.

- Pollsters are starting to include Ron Paul in their phone surveys. How's an obscure anti-war Republican with buckets of cash do? He loses to Clinton in Ohio and ties her in Kansas.

- Byron York likes Tom Tancredo's stump speech. I agree, it's good: There's a reason he nearly beat Brownback in the Ames Straw Poll.

And this week's Politics 'n' Prog stars are Gentle Giant. This 1975 performance is notable mainly for the incredible facial expressions of John Weathers.

Comments

iih | October 20, 2007, 11:41am | #

And what about the Red Sox comeback!

iih | October 20, 2007, 11:41am | #

Hey, it works!

Mike Laursen | October 20, 2007, 11:50am | #

Hmm, Gentle Giant clip went poof! Just as well. Thank Jesus for Punk!

iih | October 20, 2007, 11:51am | #

Children 'Armed' to Teeth in Baghdad! At least there seems to be an entire generation of Iraqis who would be friendly to the second amendment!

J sub D | October 20, 2007, 12:33pm | #

And what about the Red Sox comeback!

iih, that was in 2004. In game 5 they just staved off elimination. If (the largest two letter word in the language) they win games 6&7, then you have another comeback. Go Tribe!

Full disclosure, I'm a Tigers fan (CRAP!), rooting for Cleveland in an attempt to make the postseason more interesting.

Mondestrunkent | October 20, 2007, 12:34pm | #

Gentle Giant. Nice.

iih | October 20, 2007, 1:47pm | #

J sub D:

Games 6 and 7 are just a matter of time. The critical game was game 5. (I know that I am digging my own grave here ;-) )

me | October 20, 2007, 4:30pm | #

I didn't know the Phonics Monkey was in another band besides Dio.

joe | October 20, 2007, 4:46pm | #

Jim Ogonowski is a great candidate...on paper. In person or on television, not so much. But, man, those farmers sure do turn out and vote!

iih | October 20, 2007, 6:49pm | #

joe: Farmers in the 5th district? I haven't seen any farms out there! I know in western MA there are farms.

John-David | October 20, 2007, 6:57pm | #

C'mon! The Tribe is going to defeat the Red Sux, and even if they don't, they are still the better team.

Neener neener.

Seriously, though, it's over tonight.

iih | October 20, 2007, 9:59pm | #

... ehem... the Sox are doing well so far!(bottom 3rd, and 10-1)

Art-P.O.G. | October 21, 2007, 4:50am | #

I'm surprised how bad Carmona and Sabathia have struggled so much for Cleveland, and likewise for Dice-K and his Sox. Hopefully Dice-K has another bad game. Go Tribe!

iih | October 21, 2007, 9:54am | #

Winner, errr, Sox take all tonight.

SIV | October 21, 2007, 6:32pm | #

Republican Debate on Fox News tonight.
Can we look forward to some "fair and balanced" livebloging from the Democrat journalist "faux-hipster" perspective from Weigel?

Or should I stick with NRO and the VodkaPajamas guy?

iih | October 21, 2007, 6:49pm | #

Debate, what debate? It is a broken record. I'll watch Paul's contribution to the debate later on youtube. Instead, there is the Sox-Tribe game.

joe | October 22, 2007, 1:43pm | #

iih,

There are farms throughout the district. Not 5000 acre grain operations, but orchards, hay fields, vegetables.

Places like Dracut and Tyngsborough.