Our Next President

I would say that this finally ruins John McCain's chances of being president, but then, I believe this, so instead, I'll say "Get ready."

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

My How Time Flies

The day is fast passing, and I haven't yet posted anything about politics. So let me just say that there must be some cosmic message (or maybe just mess) in this year's offerings for president of the United States. We have a veritable smorgasbord of things that don't matter, but do. Choices, choices, choices: race, gender, religion, age (height even).

Perhaps the cosmic message is that we truly and irrevocably are a consumer nation, but I'd like to think it's something more spiritual. You may now consider and leave comments.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

Polticial Science

Something everybody knows by virtue of simple observation has been tested with scientific equipment.

Conservatives tend to crave order and structure in their lives, and are more consistent in the way they make decisions. Liberals, by contrast, show a higher tolerance for ambiguity and complexity, and adapt more easily to unexpected circumstances.

[...]

Intrigued by these correlations, New York University political scientist David Amodio and colleagues decided to find out if the brains of liberals and conservatives reacted differently to the same stimuli.

[...]

Using electroencephalographs, which measure neuronal impulses, the researchers examined activity in a part of the brain -- the anterior cingulate cortex -- that is strongly linked with the self-regulatory process of conflict monitoring.

The match-up was unmistakable: respondents who had described themselves as liberals showed "significantly greater conflict-related neural activity" when the hypothetical situation called for an unscheduled break in routine.

Conservatives, however, were less flexible, refusing to deviate from old habits "despite signals that this ... should be changed."

  Yahoo

Bingo.

"It hasn't gone like we hoped? Change approach? Hell, no. Surge. We need to surge."

Actually, because complexity and ambiguity in our world are facing us in spades and with intensity, and because change is the natural order of things with the rate of change seemingly increasing, what this study implies is that Liberals will inherit the earth.

If Conservatives don't destroy it first.

Hey, maybe that's why they're going full speed ahead with the war plans: "I'd rather destroy it than see you get it." "If I can't have her, nobody can."

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

The Race for the First Primary Is On

The New Hampshire Union Leader’s John DiStaso first reported that the head of South Carolina’s Republican party, Katon Dawson, plans to hold a news conference in New Hampshire tomorrow announcing the date of its primary. It was tentatively set for Feb. 2, but in order for South Carolina to keep its coveted “first-in-the-South” distinction, the party would need to move the election ahead of Florida’s primary, which is scheduled for Jan. 29.

[...]

All of this maneuvering could mean that Iowa will respond by changing the date of its presidential caucuses, which are set for Jan. 14.

  The Caucus

Nutsy.

But it'd be nice if we could move the actual election forward.

What am I saying? Like there's going to be a good choice no matter when it's held?

A Collapsed Bridge is a Photo Op

But not every hero wants to pose with Dubya.

Somebody who saves 50 kids from a school bus teetering on the edge of a collapsed highway is a bona fide hero, and Jeremy Hernandez deserves the media attention -- and the $15,000 scholarship he's being offered to finish his automotive repair program at Dunwoody Institute. But it seems he draws the line somewhere, according to Molly Schwartz, communications director for Pillsbury United Communities, where Hernandez works as a gym coordinator. When asked by a White House staffer to appear in a presidential photo op, Schwartz told the New York Times, his answer was simple: "He was just, like, 'Nope.'" He decided to go fishing in Northern Minnesota instead.

  Minnesota Monitor

Mr. Hernandez was not available to comment on the offer; Ms. Schwartz said he left town for northern Minnesota late on Friday, overwhelmed by the attention and concerned that his co-workers were being overlooked. He spent the weekend fishing.

  NYT

Kudos to Jeremy.

Politics As Usual

Rigging the system.

Mischief-makers in California (Republicans) and North Carolina (Democrats) are at work on changes that would subvert the system for momentary advantage and—in ways the political world is only beginning to understand—dramatically increase the odds that a Republican will be elected president in 2008.

Read how at Newsweek.

I got this story from TPM, which is a good blog and a great source of information on the political front. Most of you probably already read TPM, but this story as blogged there, typically for TPM, did not make any mention of the Democrats in North Carolina. If you didn't check the Newsweek link they provide, you'd be left with the impression that it was a totally GOP move. In fact, if you did check the link, and all you read was the Newsweek headline, you'd still not see the Democrats part. At any rate, I usually try to follow TPM links, because while the TPM reporters are excellent investigators, they are glaringly Democrats, and so they tend to use a slanted lens for viewing stories.

Mass Ignorance

If you want to be really depressed about the unenlightened state of your fellow Americans, check this out.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.