Seth D. Michaels

Senate 2006: Pickups We'd Like to See

2006-06-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here's my list of Senate seats the Democrats could pick up, in the order in which I'd like to see them happen, along with likelihood of same.(1) MONTANA Jon Tester just won his primary yesterday and is, frankly, awesome. He's a chubby, flat-topped organic farmer who lost a finger in a farming accident and rose to become the Democratic state Senate leader from a pretty Republican district in the

And we're back.

2006-06-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here we go again: since sethdmichaels.com was bought out from under me, I've decided to return to my shiny old blogging location here. Look for daily political updates, pop-culture critiques and my inimitable drollness to ensue. Huzzah!

2003-06-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hot Stuff, Kids! Seth D. Michaels Presents the Seth Bulletin is now at a shiny new site! Please update your blogrolls accordingly, and enjoy the new site.

2003-06-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

Andrew Northrup: Twenty Pounds of Common Sense in a Five-Pound Bag Andrew Northrup of the Poorman is cranky today, and there are few things better in all the world than when he's cranky. He's cranky about two things: a) people who talk about how old video games are great and how it all started going downhill with ColecoVision don't have any idea what they're talking about...I can't believe

2003-06-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Snaxis of Evil Jim Henley at Unqualified Offerings points out a proposal for government action that makes even touchy-feely-lefty me recoil at the encroachments of the nanny-state. He's responding to this column advocating a tax on high-fat, low nutrition foods, with proceeds going to "fight the epidemic of child obesity." I happen to agree with Henley that sales taxes as a combined means of

2003-06-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Blast from the (Fairly Recent) Past Did they just put this up online? It's the first time I'm seeing pictures online of this adorable little theater festival, which took place on a perfect night in the ominous air of late September of 2001. They haven't held the festival since, even though it seemed pretty successful; instead they're holding outdoor film screenings, which I suppose require the

2003-06-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

Announcement. First of all, happy belated Father's Day, Flag Day, and Pride Weekend to everyone who is a father, patriotic, gay, or all of the above. Second, my ardor for Dean Esmay will never sour, and his name should be praised highly, for he is going to assist me - as he has done for many others - in improving my weblog. Specifically, in a week or so, you'll see an all-new Seth Bulletin on

2003-06-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

A Tale of Two Senators John is wrong. Ted is right. The Medicare-reform bill before the Senate right now might not be precisely the right size and shape, but it's a step in the right direction, and it would be unfortunate if, as several Democratic Senators are suggesting, we rejected the good because it isn't the perfect. Some Democrats and advocates for the elderly are still unhappy with the

2003-06-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

Attention Must Be Paid Andrew Sullivan has printed a host of anagrams of "Howell Raines." Damn, I'm impressed. And I practically do this shit for a living. Unfortunately, Sully, the best tribute I can do on short notice is "LAVA-URN SWINDLE" and "UNRIVALED LAWNS."

2003-06-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Lord. Here we go. It's going to be a fun next seventeen months.

2003-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

On Dean I haven't yet decided who I'll be supporting for the Democratic nomination. [That phrasing makes it sound like the candidates are lining up for your endorsement, Seth. -Ed.] I like several of the candidates just fine, and all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. That said, several things have turned my attention of late towards the Deaner. 1) Undeniably, he has the "buzz." In a

2003-06-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Casus Belli? Via South Knox Bubba, we see that some chemical weapons supplies have been found in Iraq. Nothing particularly surprising - small amounts of chemical weapons production facilities, allegations of other sites destroyed. More updates later today.

2003-06-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

Remember When... ...a few days ago, I wished people were paying more attention to Myannmar, Zimbabwe, and the Congo? You can always count on CalPundit. Make it a point to read Calpundit. He's one of the good ones.

2003-06-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Four Good Things about Today First of all, it's gorgeous out, and we may actually have an entire weekend without cold rain. It's about time, being that it's June. Second, the Back Page in the latest New Yorker is by Roz Chast, who in all honesty is as big an influence on me as anybody I can think of. Third, my occasional commenting at Tacitus has resulted in productive email exchanges with

2003-06-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

New Discoveries Funny. Via Alicublog.

2003-06-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Meta-Meta-Meta-Meta-Meta Congratulations, Professor Insty: It looks like the Howell Raines reign of terror is over. I really can't bring myself to care very much about this. I really like the New York Times, and I'm sure Raines' departure won't much change the things I like about it, nor make those whose lifestyle hinges on complaining about it complain any less. I also don't care much about

2003-06-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Very Important News Hopefully we're a little closer to a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Bush met with Sharon and Abbas, and everybody seems to agree on the road map for the next few years: On a brilliant, sweltering afternoon on the Gulf of Aqaba, Mr. Sharon pledged immediately to begin dismantling some "unauthorized outposts" of settlements that have been set up on West

2003-06-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Important Update Via Oxblog, we find that one of the world's real heroes, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been arrested following an uprising in Myanmar (Burma). In the heart of one of the world's worst regimes, this brave woman, technically the country's elected president, has been standing up and advocating democracy while spending most of the past decade under house arrest. Kudos are due to Bush for

2003-06-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Privat(ized) Lives Yesterday CalPundit had a typically good moderate-left post on the free market that struck me as well-thought and well-argued (as is usually the case): ...while market-based economies are terrific at a wide range of allocation problems, free market capitalism isn't a law of nature or a command from God. It's an invention of human beings, and like any human tool there are

2003-06-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

Dystopia, Part I: How to Boil a Frog Put the frog in a pot of hot water, he'll jump right out. Put the frog in a pan of cool water, he'll sit perfectly still as you turn up the heat. In this way, you can boil the frog. The FCC said a single company can now own TV stations that reach 45 percent of U.S. households instead of 35 percent. The major networks wanted the cap eliminated, while smaller

2003-06-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

That's So Oughts The Washington Post Style section has two fine, fine only-in-the-oughts articles about the intersection of love, pop-culture, and technology which simply beg for a good read. In the first, Gov. Bob Wise of West Virginia is revealed to have offered his inner workings up to a younger lover via email. The Post aptly tags the exchange an oddly hypnotic poem between two people Who

2003-05-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yeesh. Just read this story and this editorial carefully. Then stop to consider that some people - lots of them, actually - think this administration is honest, competent, honorable, and deserving of a second term.

2003-05-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Too Important to Ignore Gary Farber of Amygdala wants the world to start paying attention to the Congo. Here's the situation: the center of Africa has turned into a slaughterhouse in the past five years. There is nothing resembling a government in Congo (formerly Zaire). Instead, there are warring camps of thugs who are proxies for the leading ethnic interests of surrounding nations, who have

2003-05-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

In Weights and Measures News... Thanks to Hit and Run, we see this terrifying article on the subject of the kilogram: In these girth-conscious times, even weight itself has weight issues. The kilogram is getting lighter, scientists say, sowing potential confusion over a range of scientific endeavour. The kilogram is defined by a platinum-iridium cylinder, cast in England in 1889. No one knows

2003-05-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Massive Bush Stimulus Package Update Today the President signs the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, which we all know fondly as the massive Bush stimulus package. Yesterday, Bush made today's big-news signing possible by signing off on the small-news debt-ceiling increase. Ron K., guest-commentating at Daily Kos, points out that this is a potentially very bad thing. News