Bush’s approval rating is now 34%, now rivaling Richard Nixon’s numbers in May 1973. Short of another terrorist attack, I can’t think of a single factor that will propel Bush’s numbers over 50% in the next nine months before midterm elections. The Democrats need to be on this like as an unneutered cocker spaniel climbing up a Crisco-smeared leg.
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (Bat Segundo interview with Murphy)
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (Bat Segundo interview with McClear)
Don’t underestimate the power of smear and “we’ll protect America and the Democrats won’t.” However, I would tend to agree with you if there are more political blunders, such as the ports deals, in the future.
And don’t underestimate Karl Rove. If only he’d go hunting with Cheney.
Tomorrow is my birthday, and I already got a present I’ve been waiting for since…forEVAH.
And that is Bush’s numbers. Finally down to 34 percent. I say, about time.
(No, I’m not going to tell you how old I am. But I will share with you that every single one of my childhood tormentors/abusers is now either DEAD or in an insititution for the criminally insane, or prison.)
Bottom line: He who laughs last, laughs best.
The days of the Republican fascist swine are numbered. I can feel the earth moving beneath my feet.
John Palcewski
http://www.palcewski.com/
Don’t underestimate the Democrats’ ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We tried the “how can anybody vote for Bush” approach in 2004 and it didn’t work out. And don’t talk to me about Florida or Ohio or Nader. Get a Democratic candidate who can win convincingly and all that shit is moot.
check it out, yo:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/45793