Three for Thursday: Two stupid and one not
(1.) I guess by now you've heard Rick Perry's statement about how we would treat (George W. Bush appointed) Fed chairman Ben Bernanke in Texas. He said we'd be "pretty ugly" to him.
Well, last night on the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert played the video of Perry saying that, then Colbert responded, "Oh, no! They're going to make him live in Houston!"
That may not have earned Colbert too many friends in the big city, but it is a perfect illustration of how the nonsensical statements of Perry (or any other candidate) should be treated. They should be made fun of. They should be laughed at. The idiocy of the candidate should be pointed at and pointed out at every opportunity. For example, when Perry makes the statement that "more and more scientists are skeptical about global warming," a good journalist or even a moderately intelligent person in his audience should ask him to name one of those skeptical scientists.
(2) Meantime, the other member of the wackiest duo running for president, Michele Bachmann, said this:
This woman believes she is qualified to be president.
(3,) The most intelligent thing I read or heard today happened on NPR, on the interview program "Fresh Air." They had the amazing perspicacity to interview my favorite baseball catcher, Brad Ausmus. Brad is a very smart man and was a very good catcher for 18 seasons in the Big Leagues, most of them with my beloved Houston Astros in the glory days of Bagwell and Biggio. The interview is all about what it is like to be a catcher, preparations for a game, interactions with pitchers, with umpires, and the catcher's role in enforcing "the code." If you are at all interested in baseball, or if you just want to hear an intelligent conversation as an antidote to the nuttiness that you hear every day in politics, here's the link where you can listen: Fresh Air on NPR.
Well, last night on the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert played the video of Perry saying that, then Colbert responded, "Oh, no! They're going to make him live in Houston!"
That may not have earned Colbert too many friends in the big city, but it is a perfect illustration of how the nonsensical statements of Perry (or any other candidate) should be treated. They should be made fun of. They should be laughed at. The idiocy of the candidate should be pointed at and pointed out at every opportunity. For example, when Perry makes the statement that "more and more scientists are skeptical about global warming," a good journalist or even a moderately intelligent person in his audience should ask him to name one of those skeptical scientists.
(2) Meantime, the other member of the wackiest duo running for president, Michele Bachmann, said this:
[Bachmann:] "It really is about jobs and the economy. That doesn't mean people haven't [sic] forgotten about protecting life and marriage and the sanctity of the family. People are very concerned about that as well. But what people recognize is that there's a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward...Yes, dear readers, Michele Bachmann believes that the Soviet Union is rising. From its grave, I guess, since the Soviet Union has been dead for at least 20 years.
This woman believes she is qualified to be president.
(3,) The most intelligent thing I read or heard today happened on NPR, on the interview program "Fresh Air." They had the amazing perspicacity to interview my favorite baseball catcher, Brad Ausmus. Brad is a very smart man and was a very good catcher for 18 seasons in the Big Leagues, most of them with my beloved Houston Astros in the glory days of Bagwell and Biggio. The interview is all about what it is like to be a catcher, preparations for a game, interactions with pitchers, with umpires, and the catcher's role in enforcing "the code." If you are at all interested in baseball, or if you just want to hear an intelligent conversation as an antidote to the nuttiness that you hear every day in politics, here's the link where you can listen: Fresh Air on NPR.
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