SNL's 'Weekend Update' recaps the news from the first full week of December 2022

I know, I promised I would cover Entertainer of the Year as the Sunday entertainment feature three times, but I couldn't resist last night's episode of "Saturday Night Live." Besides, looking back at the year meant I was ignoring last week's news after Raphael Warnock won re-election in Georgia and there was a lot of news to cover. Watch Weekend Update: Trump Claims Constitution Should Be Terminated, Brittney Griner Freed - SNL.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Kyrsten Sinema leaving the Democratic party.

I was going to blog about Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel ridiculing The Former Guy calling for the termination of the Constitution so he could be re-instated, but I wasn't feeling it, so I posted MSNBC's Steve Kornacki examines today's Senate runoff election in Georgia instead. I guess I couldn't avoid the topic any more.

Speaking of avoiding things, Kyrsten Sinema becoming an independent means she will avoid a Democratic primary that she was likely to lose. It also means I will have to create a new version of the following image and write new commentary about the first independent female U.S. Senator.

By the way, Manchin and Sinema are the two most moderate/conservative Democratic U.S. Senators as the above chart from Voteview shows. The blue dots to the left of their names shows their ideological positions according to DW-Nominate, the same source I used to rank Democratic presidential candidates from left to center. Just to emphasize the point, Manchin's page calls him "the most conservative Democrat of the 117th Senate" and Sinema's page describes her as "more conservative than 97% of Democrats in the 117th Senate." Sinema was also the most conservative Democrat in the 115th Congress when she left the House of Representatives in 2018. Neither were ever true liberals, despite Sinema being a member of the Green Party.

From now on, Voteview will plot Double-Doctor Sinema's ideological position with a black dot, just as it does for Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Also, the second most conservative/moderate Democratic Senator is now Mark Kelly, the other Senator from Arizona. At least that distinction hasn't left the Grand Canyon state.

Enough of that aside. Here's the second segment of Weekend Update, Chris Christie’s Niece Attacks Latino Family, France Gives Out Free Condoms.


Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like a woman leaving 3 buckets of human waste at a police station.

I haven't mentioned Chris Christie on my blog for more than two years, so leave it to his relatives to get me to do that. Also, the R. Kelly story is enough to qualify this as an entertainment update. Finally, apologies to my French readers about the deodorant joke. I want you to keep reading.

Last night's episode had lots of Christmas content and I expect next week's episode will as well. I plan on compiling them into a holiday post like I did for Halloween content in David Pumpkins returns as 'Saturday Night Live' celebrates Halloween 2022. I will also post Time Magazine's Entertainer of the Year after I blog about Gingerbread House Day tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Drink to the Puerto Rico statehood referendum for Piña Colada Day 2020

Happy National Piña Colada Day! This is the holiday when I write about the prospects for Puerto Rico statehood. For some background on the subject, watch NBCLXs The History of Puerto Rico's Second-Class Status.

The status of Puerto Rico has been a subject of debate since the U.S. took control of the island in 1898. In 1901, the Supreme Court wrote that Puerto Rico and other new U.S. territories were “inhabited by alien races” and so may be impossible to govern “according to Anglo-Saxon principles.” The island has remained a U.S. territory ever since.

Following the recent disasters on the island – including a devastating hurricane and a series of earthquakes – Puerto Rico’s second-class status is once again in the spotlight. Should Puerto Rico become America’s 51st state?

NBCLX storyteller Bianca Graulau examines the history of the island’s unusual relationship with the U.S., and the statehood debate that has divided even Puerto Ricans.

NBCLX Bianca Graulau returned to the topic of Puerto Rico's exploitation in In Puerto Rico, U.S. Companies Profit While People Still Don't Have Reliable Power.*

Critics say Puerto Rico's power grid isn’t much more resilient than it was before Hurricane Maria, despite billions of dollars awarded in contracts. After Maria, some Puerto Ricans went nine months without power, and they fear it could happen again this hurricane season. NBCLX storyteller Bianca Graulau spoke to a family who lost a loved one when he had an asthma attack after the hurricane and no electricity to use his breathing machine.

It's been a long time since I've mentioned Chris Christie on this blog, but I was neither that surprised that he got involved in consulting about Puerto Rico's power problems nor surprised that Puerto Rico may not be getting all that it paid for.

As for the question of statehood, that's on the ballot this November. Ballotpedia has a page on the referendum, which will be held concurrently with the general election in November. While I'm rooting for statehood, I'm not Puerto Rican. I suspect that, should the opposition to state fully participate, which I hope for the sake of a legitimate result they do, the outcome will be just as likely for continuing the Commonwealth or negotiating for Free Association. On the other hand, if statehood wins, it will be the third time in a row that the voters chose the option I favor. That written, whatever the people of Puerto Rico choose, I'll support it.

Enough about the history and politics of Puerto Rico's relationship with the rest of the United States. Follow over the jump for the piña colada recipes to celebrate today.

Trump-Pence: TP for Cornholio's bunghole

When I last mentioned The Penguin The Donald, I wrote that he was worse than George Wallace.  That written, I was hoping his pick for Vice President would provide more entertainment than Wallace's running mate Curtis LeMay.  In particular, I commented and repeated "please, let it be either Gingrich or Palin--the laughs will keep coming all the way to Election Day!"  Newt Gingrich was in the running as was Chris Christie, but as the following clip from Stephen Colbert shows, Mike Pence got the nod instead.

Time to check your Vice-Presidential fantasy league. If you picked Mike Pence, you might be a winner.

Colbert had so much fun with Pence as Trump's VP pick that he opened his monologue the next day with America's Got Mike Pence Fever!

Excitement about Trump's running-mate announcement has spread like a contagion. The main symptom of Pence Fever: Knowing who Mike Pence is.

I knew who he was, but I have never blogged about him before.*  Time for a Mike Pence label.


The hilarity continued when Trump's campaign released its new logo incorporating Pence as its pick.  Legal Insurrection, Huffington Post, and Wonkette all had field days documenting the hilarious reactions to the unfortunate graphic design.  My favorite was one that captured the first thought I had when I saw the logo.


For those of you who don't get the joke, here's a video demonstrating it.


*Snork*  Now I know what to call Mike Pence--Cornholio!


Now I've found the hilarity in Mike Pence as Trump's running mate.  It almost makes up for Gingrich not being on the ticket--almost.  Let's see if Cornholio can provide more comedic inspiration between now and November.

ETA: Raw Story just reported "After a day of ridicule for a poorly designed Trump/Pence campaign logo that launched a thousand memes, the Trump campaign disappeared the design from their official website overnight."  Well, that was quick.

*Nor have I blogged about his most notorious act as Indiana Governor, signing Indiana Senate Bill 101, titled the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  That was actually perfect for me, because it was about social justice, drum corps, and gaming.  Yes, really.  Maybe I should write about it.  Better late than never.

Climate for the fifth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

Monday, I wrote that "I'll have a retrospective post for Throwback Thursday."  Throwback Thursday is today, so it's time to pick up where I left off at Redistricting reform, the second most read post of blog year five with the third most read entry of the past blogging year, Republicans on climate change and energy at the CNBC debate.  This entry from October 29, 2015 ended the blogging year not only in third place for the year, but third place in the history of the blog so far with 2457 page views, 2597 according to the raw counter.  I'll be a good environmentalist and recycle from Best November ever and other monthly meta to explain how it earned its ranking.

The winner of the Revenge of the Back Catalog trophy and the number one entry for all of last month was "Republicans on climate change and energy at the CNBC Debate" posted October 29, 2015.  It earned its 2416 page views during the November by being shared at the Coffee Party Facebook page.  It also ended up on the all-time top ten with 2486 page views, 2513 raw, during both October and November.  It's currently in third place all time after knocking "Corn questions from 'Food, Inc.' worksheet" out of the top ten  It's one of six posts shared at the Coffee Party Facebook page to get in the top ten so far this year.

This was the second entry to dislodge Corn questions from 'Food, Inc.' worksheet, the first being WXYZ on redistricting reform.  The post climbed back on the leaderboard in between and has since returned, but that's a story for another entry.  As for the Republicans who were actually talking sense about climate, as much as their ideology would allow, none of them are still in the contest.  Why am I not surprised?

Follow over the jump for another entry about climate that made the top ten.

Au revoir to Carly and Chris!

The early caucuses and primaries give a good indication of which candidates could win their parties nominations, but they do an even better job of eliminating the aspirants who have no chance.  After Iowa four candidates bid farewell to the campaign trail.  After New Hampshire, two have left the race, Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie.  Ladies first, as CNN reported yesterday Carly Fiorina suspends presidential campaign.

Carly Fiorina announces that she will be suspending her 2016 presidential campaign and included a specific message for female voters.

FiveThirtyEight has a brief post mortem of her campaign: Carly Fiorina Peaked Early And Faded Fast.  I'll also be brief and toast iCarly with a Black Sheep Ale.


Follow over the jump for my good-bye to Chris Christie, at least as a presidential candidate.*

Pataki packs it in

The pattern of another debate, another dropout from the GOP contest that I pointed out when Lindsey Graham suspended his campaign has finally been broken.  The Associated Press reports Pataki Announces He's Dropping White House Bid.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki is telling supporters he's ready to drop his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Yeah, George, I have faith that the American people will elect the right person, too, but it won't be any of your fellow Republicans.

That's the unfiltered farewell, which is an ad for the other establishment-oriented candidates.  ABC News has some of the story behind he announcement in George Pataki Drops Out of 2016 Presidential Race.

Pataki announced his candidacy this past May. "Our system is broken," he said in his announcement video. "Washington has grown too big, too powerful, too expensive and too intrusive. This is exactly what the founding fathers feared."

But he failed to gain traction in the polls, averaging 1 percent. He did not make it onto the main stage for any of the GOP debates, and was eliminated from the Fox Business Network undercard debate.

Financially, Pataki's campaign was struggling, spending more than he was taking in. The most recent financial disclosure showed him raising $134,000, but spending $348,000.

So, he had essentially no support, he was going to be cut off from free exposure, and he was out of money.*  All three of those are good reasons to get out of the contest.  Honestly, he lasted longer than a lot of people thought.  I expected him to drop out when Bobby Jindal left.  He managed to last an extra two months past that.

So, who benefits from Pataki leaving and who drops out next?  The answer to the first question is the most moderate GOP candidate left, which is Chris Christie.  It won't be much, but it might bring him third place and another delegate in New Hampshire.

As for who is dropping out next, look at this photo from the second debate.


All of them are now gone except Santorum.  I've said farewell, Frothy before.  I'll be happy to say it again.

*Pataki was so broke that he used up his equal time from NBC for Trump appearing on Saturday Night Live to air his departure announcement.  Well, it was use it or lose it, so he used it on his way out.  Speaking of using things, Pataki's drink selections can be reused for Trump and Clinton, who are both New Yorkers.  Yes, I'm a good environmentalist; I recycle.

The smart money is moving from Rubio to Cruz but the endorsements aren't

In a footnote to Ben Carson sings "One Wittle Wee Wee," I wrote that "The smart money is still on Rubio to beat Trump."  That started changing a couple of weeks ago, when Rubio's chances fell below 40% and Cruz passed Trump.  A month ago, PredictWise's aggregate of betting markets gave Rubio a 47% chance of winning the nomination.  Trump was second and well behind at 19% with Cruz at 13% and Bush at 10%.  Monday, Paul Krugman included the above chart in Where’s The Rubiomentum?  As of Wednesday, Cruz continued to gain on Rubio, rising to 27% while Rubio remained at 35% and Trump actually dropped a bit to 23%.  Meanwhile, Bush is still stuck at 10% and Christie has replaced Carson in the top five, improving to 5%.

Krugman expressed his skepticism of Rubio's odds, writing "I’m not a huge believer in prediction markets, which seem more to reflect conventional wisdom than to offer profound insights."*  Just the same, he mentioned that "it’s noteworthy that they are less and less convinced that Rubio is really a front-runner, and now take both Trump and Cruz seriously."  I saw that last month as well and I opined that it's not a good thing.

The bettors may be losing confidence in Rubio, but elected Republican officials aren't.  During the most recent debate, FiveThirtyEight posted this graph showing how many endorsements GOP candidates had earned by debate time.


Rubio has earned even more since then and is within 10 points of Bush.  Meanwhile, Ted Cruz has only been inching up.  The people making wagers may think that Rubio is losing steam, but the party establishment is still boarding the Rubio bandwagon faster than any other candidate.  If one is a fan of "The Party Decides," like the writers at FiveThirtyEight, then this is a good thing for Marco Rubio.  Of course, the party may decide on Cruz.  If so, Krugman is looking forward to the outcome.  As he wrote, "it will be fun watching supposedly moderate Republicans explain why Trump or Cruz are, in the end, better than Hillary."

*Krugman's comment mirrors what Infidel 753 wrote in a response to a comment of mine at his blog.

I don't have the slightest interest in online betting markets on elections. The fact that people are willing to put up money based on their opinions doesn't mean they have any more knowledge or expertise than anyone else -- only that they're probably as dumb as most gamblers are.

I have more confidence in the usefulness of prediction markets, but that's because of my experience with the Iowa Electronic Market, which goes back to 1992.  I've found it very reliable.

Farewell, Lindsey Graham!

Another debate, another dropout from the GOP contest--that's been the pattern so far and it held after last week's debate with the suspension of Lindsey Graham's campaign yesterday.  CNN has the story in Lindsey Graham quits; GOP establishment wonders who's next.

In suspending his bid for the White House on Monday, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham acknowledged two stark realities: attacking billionaire businessman Donald Trump doesn't work and the establishment lane is still too full.

"We're going to have to start consolidating as Republicans," he said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Kate Bolduan on his decision to leave the 2016 GOP presidential nominating race.

Graham's parting plea echoes what prominent Republicans and conservatives have been saying for months as Trump's dominance and that of other outsiders have left the GOP establishment rattled and split among several candidates.

Conservative Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin put it bluntly in a column: "Lindsey Graham is out, others should follow."

That may be the sane reaction, but it's not what's happening, as Wochit shows in GOP Candidates Vie For Lindsey Graham Supporters.

Lindsey Graham's withdrawal from the race for Republican presidential nominee is only hours old, but his former rivals are already jockeying to pick up the support of the South Carolina senator. Graham's endorsement is strategically important due to the early timing of the South Carolina primary, the first in the Republican-dominated South. Graham, who told CNN on Monday that he has "no intention of endorsing anyone right now," has already seen the various campaigns lining up to heap praise upon him: from Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, to Jeb Bush, all now seeking the backing of Graham and his supporters.

Graham's supporters may be useful in South Carolina for endorsements and money, but as far as making a difference in actual voters, I'll let this graphic from P.M. Carpenter show how much that will really mean. 


Good luck going after that one percent, Establishment candidates.  They might get one of you into third place.

As for the rest of us, drink a South Carolina Swizzle for Lindsey: South Carolina Swizzle Cocktail - The Proper Pour with Charlotte Voisey - Small Screen.

Inspired by the delicious produce of South Carolina and Georgia, Charlotte created the South Carolina Swizzle Cocktail to celebrate one of her favorite regions of the United States. Served in a julep style, this refreshing libation is perfect as a summer sipper.

Remember, great cocktails start with measuring responsibly.
Recipe:
1 1/2 parts Hendrick's Gin - Watch The Unusual Times: http://bit.ly/hendricks_reservebar
1/2 part Bitter Truth Apricot Liqueur
3/4 part fresh lime juice
3/4 part simple syrup
1/4 part Yellow Chartreuse

Instructions:
Shake ingredients with ice.
Strain over crushed ice into hurricane or tall glass.
Garnish with a mint sprig.

Darth Trump strikes back as The Farce awakens

I'm not done with Darth Trump.  Here are three cartoons that feature him as evil Star Wars characters.

First, here he is as one of a rogue's gallery of Republican candidates as Star Wars characters.


Seeing this lineup is enough to make one drink.*

Next, Chris Christie isn't the only candidate who reminds cartoonists of Jabba The Hutt.


Just remember what Princess Leia did to her captor.  I'm sure the GOP would like to make life imitate art.

Finally, The Penguin Donald returns as the Dark Lord of the Sith.


Yes, The Farce is strong with this one.

*That reminds me that there is a Democratic Debate tonight.  Here are the drinks and drinking game rules for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley.  Happy debate watching, especially in the middle of a data breach scandal.

Ben Carson sings "One Wittle Wee Wee"

The scrutiny of Ben Carson that included my razzing him in Doctor Carson and his Amazing Technicolor Labcoat looks likes it's taking its toll, as Politico reported Wednesday Ben Carson tumbles in national poll.  That survey had him tied for third place with Ted Cruz behind Donald Trump in first and Marco Rubio in second.*  Looks like the next Examiner.com article on Carson's polls won't show him leading Clinton and Sanders in Michigan.

It also means that jokes about the candidate, other than ones about his leaving the nomination contest, are approaching their sell by dates.  Since my wife found a good one, I'd better share it before it goes bad.  So in the spirit of Donald Trump dance remix, I present One Wittle Wee-Wee In America (Ben Carson).

One of the greatest Presidential Campaign songs of all time. Dr Ben Carson (Neurosurgeon) and his contribution "One Wittle Wee-Wee". For 'murica.

If you like this, please check out "Bad Lip Reading" on YouTube. This is a snippet from their original video, with some extra patriotism thrown in for my own entertainment.

Here's the full video, in which Doctor Pyramid gets the last song: "FIRST REPUBLICAN DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS: 2015" — A Bad Lip Reading of The Republican Debate.


If only these candidates were this funny in real life.

*The smart money is still on Rubio to beat Trump.

Republicans on climate change and energy at the CNBC debate

CNBC asked only one candidate a question about climate change in last night's prime time debate.  Climate Eye on YouTube has the clip in Christie asked sole climate question at prime time GOP debate.


I'm going to be a good environmentalist and recycle what I wrote about Christie's response last time in Republicans vs. Democrats on climate change at the debates so far.

Here is a meme I posted at Michigan Liberal last year.

My comment at the time was "I think we're hitting stage three, with a few people transitioning to stage four.  So, how long before we get to stage five?"  Rubio has moved to stage four, while Christie is starting to move to stage five.  That's an improvement of sorts, but not much.  At least they recognize that climate change is real, but they [don't] prioritize it very highly.

With this answer, Christie has definitely moved to state five, except that his response is in the present tense, not the past tense.  At least he's recognizing climate change as a problem and renewable energy as a solution and doing so in a way that's consistent with his party's ideology.  I can live with a position like that.

While the main event had only one question about climate change, the early debate had three responses to the topic.  Follow over the jump for clips of George Pataki, Lindsey Graham, and Rick Santorum addressing the issue.

Republicans vs. Democrats on climate change at the debates so far

With the first Democratic debate completed, it's time to compare the two parties on the issues the moderators thought were important.  One that I think is important is climate change as a proxy for all environmental issues.  However, that was not a subject at the first Republican debate, as the following graph from FiveThirtyEight shows.


Not a word.  Of course, the choice of topics reflects that of Fox News, who was more concerned about being a good gatekeeper for the GOP but failing at it when it came to keeping Trump in line.  Besides, comparing both parties and networks using the first debates introduces one variable too many for a good natural experiment.  Follow over the jump for a comparison of the second Republican debate and the first Democratic one, which were both on CNN.

Trump's supporters display their poor writing skills

I'm not through with The Penguin Donald this week.  I stumbled across this item from The Moderate Voice found via Crooks and Liars that demonstrates how one can tell a lot about candidates through their supporters.

Why are we not surprised that Carly Fiorina’s fans have the best grammar, spelling and punctuation among the Republican presidential candidates and Donald Trump’s have the worst?

That’s based on an analysis from Grammarly, an automated proofreading company, which evaluated the supporters of the GOP candidates. Fiorina’s fans had 6.3 errors per hundred words in their Facebook comments, while Trump’s backers had 12.6 errors per 100 words. Only comments of 15 words or more were analyzed, and Grammarly ignored common slang words and stylistic variations (for instance, the use of serial commas, using numerals instead of spelling out numbers, using contractions). In total, roughly 9,000 words were evaluated for each candidate.

In ascending order of misteaks . . . er, mistakes per 100 words, Ben Carson’s supporters were second with 6.6, Lindsay Graham and George Pataki with 7.2 each, Ted Cruz 7.7, John Kasich 7.7, Jeb Bush 7.9, Mike Huckabee 8.0, Bobby Jindal 8.2, Chris Christie 8.3, Rand Paul 8.4, Marco Rubio 8.8, Scott Walker 10.6, Ric Santorum 11.5, and Rick Perry second-to-last with 12.5.

Follow over the jump for a graphic from USA Today showing these findings.

Drinks for the candidates in tonight's debate

I concluded Proof of drinking game concept on Kasich with "Two candidates down, eight to go.  Stay tuned."  I took care of drinks for Kasich and Trump, now it's time for the rest of the candidates.  Follow over the jump for the rest of the drinking game at You Might Notice A Trend along with drinks for the remaining eight candidates.

Examiner.com article on USA Today poll

Michigan Democrats lead in USA Today poll

A poll published Thursday afternoon by USA Today shows Democrats leading in all contests for statewide partisan offices surveyed.  U.S. Representative Gary Peters led former Secretary of State Republican Terri Lynn Land by 9% for U.S. Senate.  Former U.S. Representative Mark Schauer edged Republican incumbent Rick Snyder by 2%.

Farther down the ballot, the poll conducted by Suffolk University continued to show Democrats with more support than Republicans, all of whom are incumbents.  Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown was well ahead of Republican Brian Calley by 10% for Lieutenant Governor.  Michigan State University professor Mark Totten led Bill Schuette by 7% for Attorney General.  Even Detroit attorney Godfrey Dillard managed a 4% lead over Republican Ruth Johnson.

The poll also looked at the generic Congressional ballot and the 2016 Presidential election.  A plurality said they planned on voting for the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate by a margin of nearly 4% this year.  For the Democratic nomination, an overwhelming majority favored Hillary Clinton (60.8%) over Joe Biden (17.45%).  On the Republican side, undecided led at 17.02% with Jeb Bush and Mike Huckabee tied for second at 11.17%.

Much more at the link in the headline, including statistics for all candidates, a video about the U.S. Senate contest featuring Terri Lynn Land putting her foot in her mouth over equal pay for women, and summaries of two other polls this week.  One of those polls included a look ahead to the next presidential campaign.

For 2016, poll respondents overwhelmingly favored Clinton over all the potential Republican nominees surveyed.  She would beat Ted Cruz by 14%, both Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee by 12%, Jeb Bush by 11%, and Rand Paul by 10%.

Good news for Democrats, indeed.

Nablopomo for April: Scandal

So what is the NaBloPoMo theme of the month?

SCANDAL
You may have heard that a certain Kerry Washington is going to be at the BlogHer conference this year, and in honour of her keynote, we've made the April theme scandalous. After all, who doesn't like to bite into a big, juicy transgression. I mean, as the audience, that is. It's not quite as titillating to be at the center of the incident.

What is our obsession with scandals? Why do we love to see people fall off their pedestal? Why do we work so hard to cover up our foibles instead of admitting to them and moving on? And yes, it's time to spill, what's the most scandalous thing you've ever done?

That's actually the prompt for today, "What's the most scandalous thing you've ever done?"  The answer depends on whether it's the most inherently scandalous thing, regardless of whether ot not it actually did result in a scandal, or what actually resulted in a public stink.  If it's the former, well, who am I to confess to something I got away with without repercussions to my reputation?  If it's the second, it would be what led up to my swatting a hornet with protection from one of the provisions of the Communications Decency Act.  That did result in quite a stink, but in the long run, I got off relatively unscathed.  I should consider myself lucky.

Enough of me.  What about the rest of the message from the BlogHer website?

Don't worry; we know that everything lives forever on the Internet, so we've given you a lot of space to talk about other people's scandals rather than dishing on your own.

This gives me a good excuse to write more about Fat Bastard and other political scandals.  I might take that opportunity.

Now, what does the email say about the theme?

Everyone Loves a Scandal

In honour of Kerry Washington's upcoming appearance at BlogHer '14, we've made the April theme for NaBloPoMo scandalous. Oh yes, we are going to reminisce about scandals past (there are so many politicians and celebrities to choose from!) and talk about how we think we'd deal with scandals present. We'll talk frankly about Internet drama, and whether there's a double standard when it comes to men and women and scandals. This is a month of exploring your morals as well as musing aloud on why we love to see other people in hot water.

Now, that's an interesting take on the subject.  I'll see if I can weave that into my entries.

Finally, both the email and the website urge people to sign up. First, the email admonishes "It will be scandalous if you don't sign up for April's NaBloPoMo!"  The website is less judgmental. "Sign up for April's NaBloPoMo and get ready for something scandalous."  I did sign up and Crazy Eddie's Motie News is number 21 out of 58 signed up so far.

Christie gets a Detroit welcome and other election news

I posted a comment over at Daily Kos that I liked so much I decided to use it for a blog post here.  After all, I'm an environmentalist; I recycle.

At the top of the ballot, Chris Christie flew in for a closed-door fundraiser for GOP Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land.  Protesters showed up, along with a team from WXYZ (ABC 7 in Detroit).  Here's the station's report: Protests over Chris Christie visit.

Crowd gathers in protest of Chris Christie visit in Bloomfield Hills.

Welcome to Michigan, Fat Bastard!

For what it's worth, I've participated in a protest like this two years ago when Paul Ryan headlined a fundraiser for Pete Hoekstra, who ran against Debbie Stabenow.  I wrote about my experience in I was one of "about a dozen" yesterday.  This demonstration looks like it was better organized and attended, as well as more favorably and accurately covered.  Good.

Follow over the jump for more from Michigan's 14th and 11th Congressional Districts.

Physicist retires from congress

While I’m on the subject of Representatives retiring and their replacements, here’s an item from Science Magazine that I first included in Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (Our best animal friends) last Saturday night: Rush Holt to Leave Congress.

One of two physicists in the U.S. House of Representatives announced today that he is retiring at the end of the year.

Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ), a plasma physicist, didn’t reveal why he has decided to leave Congress after eight terms, or what lies in his future. “This is not the time to discuss next steps in my career; that can come later,” said Holt, who was assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory before coming to Washington in 1999.

However, one science lobbyist who knows him well speculates that Holt, who was beaten badly in the Democratic primary last year for an open Senate seat, could still harbor statewide ambitions. “If you wanted to run for governor [in New Jersey in 2017], getting out of the House is probably a good idea,” says Mike Lubell, head of the Washington, D.C., office of the American Physical Society. “At least, that’s what I’d advise him if he asked me.”

The bad news is that a scientist is leaving public office.  The good news is that he may not be gone for good.  Here’s to hoping he runs for N.J. Governor in 2017.  The state needs someone better than Fat Bastard.

A Bridge Too Fat

I'm in the mood to be a good environmentalist and recycle a comment I left at Kunstler's blog yesterday.

It’s time to run the Chris Chistie bridge-closing kerfuffle against Nate Silver’s checklist for a good scandal.

1. Can the scandal be reduced to a one-sentence soundbyte (but not easily refuted/denied with a one-sentence soundbyte)?

Yes–Christie closed down a bridge on-ramp to punish a political adversary.

2. Does the scandal cut against a core element of the candidate’s brand?

Yes–Christie is supposed to be a competent straight-shooter. Instead, this scandal plays against both his compentence and his honesty, as he either didn’t know what was going on in his own office or he’s lying.

3. Does the scandal reify/reinforce/”prove” a core negative perception about the candidate, particularly one that had henceforth been difficult to articulate (but not one that has become so entrenched that little further damage can be done)?

Yes–it reinforces the widely held perception among Christie’s critics that he’s a bully.

4. Can the scandal readily be employed by the opposition, without their looking hypocritical/petty/politically incorrect, risking retribution, or giving life to a damaging narrative?

So far, yes. Democrats in general and Hillary Clinton’s people in particular are already doing so.

5. Is the media bored, and/or does the story have enough tabloid/shock value to crowd out all other stories?

Yes. It’s the first full week of the year and the press needs something new to write and talk about.

Five yes answers–the last time I did this analysis, I got four and a half, and the politician in question was recalled. This does not bode well for Fat Bastard.

It's too early to tell, but I'm hoping that this second front page reproduced by New York Magazine predicts the impact accurately and he's indeed on a bridge to nowhere.

Rutgers on Christie's win and NJ minimum wage

I concluded last month's Election news from Rutgers by he'd win as big as he is.

It looks like Christie is going to win in a 20-point blowout, in part because he's defused some key issues, in part because the Democrats in New Jersey have not helped his opponent.  If  so, he is in good shape for his future plans.

It happened.  Follow over the jump for Rutgers University, which has the story both before and after.