Quote of the Day

“We have to spend money to keep from going bankrupt”

-Joe Biden

You must agree

Washington Post writer Richard Cohen says you’re stupid and/or crazy if you don’t want socialized medicine:

Many, if not most, Americans have some experience with our nation’s mostly private health-care system. Yet they still fall prey to the scare tactic that nothing — but nothing — could be worse than a government takeover of the system. How things could be worse than they are now, I cannot imagine.

…

Recall the last time you went to the emergency room and ask yourself whether the government could possibly do a worse job. If the answer is yes, you might need medical attention more than you realize.

Alternately, maybe we’ve just visited the DMV, or dealt with the Social Security office, or with just about any mixed-up, confused and uncaring government agency. But of course, that doesn’t sound nearly as succinct as “you’re stupid”.

Though I am crossing my fingers

I will believe New Jersey elects a Republican governor when I see it, and not one minute before.

News that is not new

Obama is no friend to Israel.

I’m glad left-of-center Israel supporters are waking up to that fact. Less glad that it wasn’t completely obvious to them during the 2008 election.

Judge this

Britain has 85 Sharia Courts. I wouldn’t laugh too quickly, Americans, I wonder how many we have.

Finally! Something I want to blog about.

Petitedov sends along an interesting article in Foreign Policy magazine (!) drawing a comparison between rapper Jay-Z’s reign at the hip-hop top and the U.S.’s position in the world.

From a rap perspective, there are some errors in the piece.

I don’t know anyone, not even my Queens-bred husband, who thinks Nas won the Jay-Z/Nas showdown. Jay’s line that Nas had a “one hot album every ten year average” rang just a little too true to rap fans and the fact that Jay is now Nas’s boss is just more evidence that Jay came out on top. That’s like saying the Soviet Union kinda won the cold war because more hipster doofuses will wear the hammer&sickle on their t-shirt than the American flag. The fact that Nas went on to sell a couple more albums than he had before is just evidence of what a kingmaker Jay is, not evidence of winning the battle.

The article also makes no mention of one of the nastiest feuds ever, between Jay-Z and Nas’s fellow Queens rap group Mobb Deep where Jay ended their career by broadcasting photos on the big screen at the Summer Jam concert of members of the group as children wearing tutus in ballerina class. Not a tough look for a gangsta rapper. You want see a big power squashing a little power? That’s the beef to look at.

In other words, if the idea is America is too big and powerful and above it all to lay the smack down on those who bite at its ankles, I’m not sure Jay-Z is the best example. I agree with the premise that Jay should ignore the most recent attack on him by the Game but that’s only because the Game who? I loved the Game’s first album but he’s been a straight joke ever since.

The Game came out on 50 Cent’s record label. 50, in turn, is under Eminem and the man at the very top of that pyramid is Dr. Dre. Basically, Game decided he didn’t need any of them. That was a mistake. Such a mistake, in fact, that the Game had to put out a song begging, really, truly, pathetically begging, for Dre’s forgiveness. I don’t know if he ever got that forgiveness but I do know I’ve heard little to nothing about him since then, until a few days ago when his name suddenly began trending on Twitter because of his dissing Jay. How pathetic is The Game? On his first album where he dissed Jay-Z’s preferred car, the Maybach, and talked about dumping bodies in Marcy, the projects in Brooklyn where Jay grew up, he added a sample of an interview where he denies he’s talking about Jay at all. “I don’t ever take shots at legends, that’s just something I don’t do.” Man up. If you’re dissing the guy on the throne, don’t pretend you’re not.

In the world of hip-hop, if Jay is America, The Game is Bolivia. Remember? They elected a farmer who promised to be “a nightmare for America”. I laughed at it then, I laugh at it now. So, no, America shouldn’t lash out at Bolivia. It does us no good, they mean nothing to us. But should we contend with powers that seek to hurt us and can do more than just give us lip? I say yes. Us being on top should not preclude us from ending the “careers” of those who seek to harm us. Jay-Z rapped “don’t be the next contestant on the summer jam screen” as a warning to those who would take their shots at him. Don’t be the next dictator we find hiding in a ditch? Doesn’t have the same ring to it but the concept is the same.

Oy, New York

I saw Mark Green crossing a street a few weeks ago by my apartment. I wondered what the most unlikable politician of all time (the only person he may be second to is John Kerry) was up to these days. Yesterday, while hurrying down the street, I thought I stepped over a card that said “Mark Green for Public Advocate.” I didn’t have time to stop and look but decided that that was not possible because Mark Green swore, and I happily believed him, that he would never seek public office again and also because the man who gave us Mike Bloomberg should be in a hole somewhere still writing his apology letters.

And yet, he’s in the lead to retake his old job.

Song of the Day

“No way to say goodbye” by The Lemonheads featuring Liv Tyler. Listen here.

I can’t believe this is so good! I’ve blogged a few times about how the Lemonheads used to be tied for favorite band with Guns-n-Roses but the last truly great Lemonheads album was “Shame About Ray”. I was reminded of this the other day when The Stalwart twittered that he was listening to “Being Around” and while I found “Come on Feel”, the album on which the song appears, not terrible, it reminded me of how much better the Lemonheads were before. “Being Around” is my least favorite song on the album and I pretty much have to hit “skip” when Evan Dando starts singing about eating and keeping boogers.

But this Leonard Cohen cover has me truly excited to get Varshons and well, I haven’t been excited about an album in some time. And who knew Liv Tyler had such a cute little voice?

Because like everyone else I was wondering…

…what does Levi Johnston think of Sarah Palin’s resignation?

Levi should get together with Meghan McCain and together disappear off the media landscape. The two dimbulbs can share their dumb opinions with each other and leave us the out of it.

It’s not a banana republic, it’s New York state!

You know your state is in bad shape when the governor has to “secretly” swear-in his new lieutenant governor and then try to defend it as legal:

The governor said his appointment of Ravitch is legal because “there’s nothing in the Constitution that says it can’t be done,” although he did admit this is “not the clearest delineation of duty that the Constitution can find.”

UPDATE: My friend Sara facebooks that the secret signing took place at Brooklyn’s legendary steakhouse Peter Luger’s.

Pravda

Barack Obama says “the stimulus has done its job.” I mean, seriously, he really said that. Hat-tip Andy Roth

And then today the White House announced that the stimulus has “created or saved 150,000 jobs” since its inception in February. Which would be awesome except the “economy shed 467,000 jobs in June” alone!

How can anyone deliver this news with a straight face?

Palin revisited

I still think she made a big mistake in stepping down from her elected post, but this Roger Simon article makes some interesting points about misunderestimating Sarah Palin.

Aren’t Young Republicans more likely to carry guns?

Letter to Philadelphia Weekly warns of Mexican militias kidnapping U. Penn Young Republicans.

Linked

I’m guest-linking over at Conservative Grapevine this week so if you’ve got some good link suggestions hit me up in this comment section or drop me an email.

Tweet of the Day

“I love America, not because it’s my country, but because it’s objectively the best. Patriotism has nothing to do with it.”

-The Stalwart

She’s not who we thought she was

I agree with Ed Morrissey, it’s the end of Sarah Palin. What she had, more than anything else, was a toughness and a dedication to her position. She blew all that with her announcement today.

Sarah Palin loves starting 3-day weekends with a bang

Mark Halperin has ten possible reasons why Sarah Palin is resigning. My opinion, obviously barring some actual scandal, is that it’s #10:

10. If she wants to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, she needs to spend more time raising money, establishing her international and national expertise, and traveling the Lower 48. And she needs to start now.

I also think it’s a mistake. Leaving an elected post is never a plus for a candidate. Obama remained a (terrible, do-nothing) senator until the end.