I haven't exactly been brimming with enthusiasm about the Democratic primaries for the U. S. Senate seat currently held by right-wing bully Jim Bunning.
In a typical pattern for cowardly Democratic politicians in Kentucky, attractive candidates like Ben Chandler and Crit Luallen decided that running was too risky and chose to stay in their current positions. That left a not-particularly-compelling primary between Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo and Attorney General Jack Conway. Mongiardo is a relatively weak campaigner who should have beaten Bunning in 2004. So I've never been excited about him. But Conway comes off as a blow-dried politician who doesn't have much going for him other than being good-looking--sort of the Democratic version of Republican candidate Trey Grayson.
But I've decided to go with Conway.
Today's Lexington Herald-Leader has an article on how all the Senate candidates are fawning over the coal industry. In a way that makes sense. Coal is a major industry in Kentucky. But the coal companies are also some of the most predatory corporations out there--sort of a smaller scale version of Goldman Sachs and the financial sector. So, the support for coal among Kentucky politicians is pretty nauseating even though it's the "Kentucky patriotic" thing to do.
But Mongiardo takes the cake. The most egregious environmental crime of the coal companies is mountain top removal--a mining practice that removes entire hills to get at the underground coal seams. Mongiardo's tag line: "it's not mountaintop removal; it's mountaintop development."
Screw that. I'm endorsing Conway.
Showing posts with label U. S. Senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U. S. Senate. Show all posts
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Why Not More Professional Wrestling in Republican Politics
It looks like WWE CEO Linda McMahon is gearing up to run as a Republican for Christopher Dodd's Senate seat in Connecticut. That makes a lot of sense. The Republicans have been sounding more and more like professional wrestlers over the last ten years. All the Bush administration chest-beating about the "New Roman Empire," the "Axis of Evil" accusations, Dick Cheney telling Pat Leahy to "go fuck yourself" in the Senate--it was all about pumping themselves up, showing that they were the baddest act in town, and going out to "kick some ass."
Wait a minute! Didn't George Bush say that as U. S. troops began the invasion of Iraq?
GOP speechwriters would have had to pump the volume to match the WWE's techniques for promoting Hulk Hogan, the Rock, and John Cena. But the core motifs are the same--big bragging, huge putdowns, and lots of exciting pseudo-action whether it was the Iraq War, "diplomacy" with North Korea, threats against Iran, and immigrant bashing, gay baiting, and race baiting.
The only difference is that the Bush administration was called upon to "govern" as well as put on a show and al-Qaeda, Katrina, and last fall's financial meltdown did not respond nearly as well to professional wrestling rhetoric as expected.
Something about opponents being able to write their own lines that screwed things up.
Not that things have changed much since Obama took office. Joe Wilson's "you lie" was more WWE than Teabagger. Or more precisely, the Teabagger/Townhall movement has a lot of WWE in its paranoia, racism, and know-nothingness.
In this way, Linda McMahon is the perfect Republican politician for these times. Actually, I'm rather surprised that the WWE has not run its executives, wrestlers, managers, and divas all over the country as Republican candidates. It's been known for a long time that politics is show business and the WWE puts on the kind of show that Republicans like to see. It's a natural fit.
I wouldn't be surprised if the WWE doesn't need the Republican Party as well. With the rise of Ultimate Fighting and mixed martial arts as a new form of mass entertainment, the WWE probably needs new ways to market itself and keep growing.
Why not Republican politics?
As for Chris Dodd. His blood's in the water. It looks like there are going to be four major candidates vying for the Republican senate nomination in Connecticut. He's been coasting to re-election for years. Now, he'll have to fight.
Maybe he should call Hulk Hogan for campaign advice.
Wait a minute! Didn't George Bush say that as U. S. troops began the invasion of Iraq?
GOP speechwriters would have had to pump the volume to match the WWE's techniques for promoting Hulk Hogan, the Rock, and John Cena. But the core motifs are the same--big bragging, huge putdowns, and lots of exciting pseudo-action whether it was the Iraq War, "diplomacy" with North Korea, threats against Iran, and immigrant bashing, gay baiting, and race baiting.
The only difference is that the Bush administration was called upon to "govern" as well as put on a show and al-Qaeda, Katrina, and last fall's financial meltdown did not respond nearly as well to professional wrestling rhetoric as expected.
Something about opponents being able to write their own lines that screwed things up.
Not that things have changed much since Obama took office. Joe Wilson's "you lie" was more WWE than Teabagger. Or more precisely, the Teabagger/Townhall movement has a lot of WWE in its paranoia, racism, and know-nothingness.
In this way, Linda McMahon is the perfect Republican politician for these times. Actually, I'm rather surprised that the WWE has not run its executives, wrestlers, managers, and divas all over the country as Republican candidates. It's been known for a long time that politics is show business and the WWE puts on the kind of show that Republicans like to see. It's a natural fit.
I wouldn't be surprised if the WWE doesn't need the Republican Party as well. With the rise of Ultimate Fighting and mixed martial arts as a new form of mass entertainment, the WWE probably needs new ways to market itself and keep growing.
Why not Republican politics?
As for Chris Dodd. His blood's in the water. It looks like there are going to be four major candidates vying for the Republican senate nomination in Connecticut. He's been coasting to re-election for years. Now, he'll have to fight.
Maybe he should call Hulk Hogan for campaign advice.
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