Posted on 12/01/2004 5:56:29 AM PST by crushkerry
Day 2 in in the books. Much like Florida, we had some technical issues with the voting software (which have been resolved) requiring "special elections" this weekend in 2 unfinished matches (EJ Dionne v. Richard Cohen and Bill Moyers v. Susan Estrich). However there were final results in 2 matches yesterday, and a link to the updated brackets, including previous action can be found here.
Today we have 4 new matches sure to outrage, as contestants in each one are sure to make you react like John Belushi in Animal House upon seeing Flounder's picture on the wall on bid night. There are sure to be individuals here you will want not only to vote against, but to smack in the mouth for their smarmy, elitist attitudes. But alas, our only weapon against these scourges is, as it should be, our power to vote.
The matchup previews below are a must-read. They are, if you don't mind the bragging, hilariousy funny, cutting, but backed up with links to specific instances of arrogance and stupidity. They are not to be missed.
Bill Maher (#2 Seed) This smug, arrogant, bigoted ( see this riff on southerners) HBO host has a well deserved 2nd seed. His flippant, "if-you-don't-agree-with-me-you're-an-idiotic-rube" is one that surely makes one reach for the nearest object to toss for the TV, or maybe even a gun - you know like Elvis. Recall that this proudly Atheist boor ( who boasts of spreading the "anti-Gospel" is most famous for having his ABC snoozefest show Politically Incorrect canceled for lack of advertisers after saying the 9/11 hijackers were not "cowards" like the US was for "lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away" " Though the government didn't fire him, he went on to claim "censorship" and become a "poor me" clown. Since that time he has only grown more smug and arrogant, such that if you saw him on the street you might pull a Ron Artest or Jermaine O'Neal on his a$$ and beat him like a red headed stepchild. And no one would blame you. We could mention the recent palimony suit against him by a former lover, but we won't. Oops.
David Brock (#15 Seed) David Brock wasn't going to be in this tournament, but then I lied and said he was. This "reformed" conservative's claim to fame is writing a book claiming the right wingers are all wackos and liars, and he knows that because he was once a liar himself, but now he's an "honest" lefty. Brock's credibility rating hovers around that of "Baghdad Bob", and if he told you the sky was blue you'd have to look up to verify it. His latest lefty venture is a website called "Media Matters", wherein he claims to sniff out right wing bias in the news. Um OK. He deserves special mention for being the first to try and smear the Swifty's with the "Brown Book" information. as well as forcing MSNBC not to use Frank Luntz for election coverage. All in all, a pretty tough #15 seed that could become the "Richmond Spiders" of the tourney (they were the 1st #15 seed in NCAA history to win a 1st round game-vs. Syracuse) and knock off the #2 seed.
Paul Begala (#4 Seed) This goofy-smile, arrogant, faux-populist, know-it-all is known as "The Forehead". But the only use we'd make of it is to slap him on it, like we're sure the jocks used to do to him down in Texas. This former Clinton lackey has been spreading falsehoods about President Bush and the GOP for more years than we can remember, sort of like how farmers spread cow crap. He's so far to the left he gladly basked in the glow of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 premier party, mingling with raving nuts like Sally Field and Harvey Weinstein. Also, like fellow contestant Helen Thomas, Begala recently referred to Condi Rice as a "liar". He has also claimed that the GOP policies are prejudiced to gays, yet he has no trouble referring to President Bush's cronies as "butt boys". Plus, he refuses to understand that people vote against Democrats because they are out of touch liberals. Rather, Begala explains the reason for the GOP's 2004 success was "God, Guns, and Gays". Yeah, go ahead and keep thinking that you midget.
Nicholas Kristof (#13 Seed) Though he has a twice-weekly column in the New York Times this lefty columnist is rated lowest among his colleagues. The reason? Occasional fits of sanity. He has written admirably about the incompetence and uselessness of the UN in places like Darfur and Iraq and does not hesitate to bring some of the world's forgotten backwaters with suffering people to light. However, that is outweighed by his pompous, elitist, blue-state snobbery. To wit: On Christians: "Likewise, Jesus praises those who make themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven, but conservative Christians rarely lead the way with self-castration." He is also maddening (and laughable) when trying to discuss the interplay between religion and gay marriage. And let's not forget, this was the buffoon who wrote a glowing paean to terrorist professor Sami Al-Arian.
Ron Reagan, Jr. (#6 Seed) Living proof that the phrase "The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree" is not always right. If smugness and self-righteousness were the only criteria the former ballet dancer would get a bye to the Final Four. There is one moment among many that typifies just how egotistical this runt is. It was at his Dad's funeral when he used the eulogy to take a cheap shot at President Bush's faith. And this from an avowed atheist who, according to his brother Michael never even voted for his Dad. Oh, and don't forget about that allegedly "non-partisan" address he gave at the Democratic convention which spread the lie about stem cells. What an ungrateful, mean-spirited little hack. If his last name were "Smith", his only contact with MSNBC would be watching it. And don't you get the feeling that he was the jerk in school who used to rat on kids for stuff they did when the teacher wasn't looking? However, the best rebuke of this little snot came from Bill Buckley who rightfully called him out for conduct unbecoming the son of one of the greatest men in history.
Andrew Sullivan (#11 Seed) Admittedly this is a tough write-up, because when he's non-emotional about things, he's a brilliant writer with an insightful mind. Sullivan was one of the first ones to "get it" after 9/11, meaning that he knew the war was against Islamofacism. And he was, and remains, a steadfast supporter of the war in Iraq. Sow what's the beef? Mainly it's his constant, incessant, droning, and mind-numbing promotion of gay marriage. It's not so much his position on the issue, but rather his utter dismissal of those who disagree with him as less than honorable. Further, for month he steadfastly insisted he hadn't made up his mind about endorsing John Kerry, despite months of daily evidence on his blog that sometimes verged on the "Alterman-like", until he finally "outed" himself in September. Sadly, for such a smart guy his endorsement was, despite his claim, clearly based on 2 words - gay marriage. Sadly it also contained a great deal of intellectual dishonestly, as James Lileks so brilliantly pointed out. So sorry Andrew, if not for your going off the deep end over the last year, you may not have even been in the field.
Frank Rich (#3 Seed) This pantywaist former theater critic turned New York Times columnist earned his #3 seeding through his smarmy, elitist, I-look-down-my-nose-at-you, cheap shots. Which is OK when slamming Broadway flops, but when delving into serious matters is just plain irritating. Rich fancy's himself as some sort of pop culture trend setter, an affliction not unique in the Upper East side salons and wine and cheese parties. However, if he ever stepped out of elitist bubble and lived in the real world, he would likely be imitation Ned Beatty in Deliverance within a week. This is a "man" who had the gall to compare the Reagan funeral procession to the OJ Simpson low speed Bronco taste. Even worse this sniveling little twit can't even disguise his scorn for the important part religion and values play in the lives of the red-state rubes. and the people who practice it. Who can forget his poisoned pen review of The Passion which he likened to a "porn movie" and accused Gibson of vilifying Jews, saying he's never felt less secure to be a Jew in America. But lo and behold, Rich's usual hyperbole never came to fruition as nearly a year after its release, no synagogue has been burned, and not a hair on his sanctimonious head was harmed. But such lunacy is no stranger to Rich, who referred to President Bush as a "sissy" and who claimed that Abu Ghraib was the "new Watergate" Hey Frank, go back to watching shows, and criticizing those who dare not criticize you back - cause we ain't playing that game here.
David Broder (#14 Seed) The "Dean" of Washington journalists doesn't seem like a bad guy all in all. It's just that he's still operating under the assumption that what he says really matters. Broder still thinks its the 1970's or 80's where he's the only game in town. And now that the jig is up, Broder has gotten very uppity and snobbish. Why else would he write a column lamenting that bloggers had "no allegiance at all to the skeptical and self-disciplined ethic of professional news gathering". Message to David - we never claimed to. It's called the "information age" mainly because we don't rely on people like you for it anymore and we get to choose what we listen to - not you and a few other elitists. Further, Broder is just the type of Beltway insider who couldn't understand why those in Flyover Country wouldn't want money we sent to a UN that allows the killing of babies in the womb, lamenting that doing so would "cost uncounted women and children their lives." There are scores of examples of this kind of crapola from Broder. However, he does get points for occasional intellectual honestly, such as when he basically called John Kerry a flip flopping opportunist long before the President managed to do so. But alas, those rare moments of sanity are not enough. Thus Broder is in the field.
Can be found by by following this link.
Please note that due to problems with the voting technology (yeah, we know, like Palm Beach County), we will be having "special election" this week continuing the voting in the EJ Dionne v. Richard Cohen (Dionne leads 51 to 49%) and Bill Moyers v. Susan Estrich (Estrich leads 65% to 35%)matches.
Ping
Contest Ping.
All my favorites are here, hah.
Leni
Oooooooooooowwww I'm calling Jesse Jackson...:-)
I don't see Maureen Dowd or Mark Morford.
Dowd is the #1 seed in the Kerry Region. She's still warming up for her match. Morford, while a jacka$$ was not "national" enough. He's in the NIT, along w/ Derrick Z. Jackson and Noam Chomsky.
Sally Field? Is she still alive?
Very amusing!
If Susan doesn't win, crushkerry better hope he doesn't have any drunk driving or other major mindbending transgressions in his far distant past. If he does, Susan will out him on national TV. And if he doesn't, she'll just manufacture some. How's that for creativity.
Dowd vs. Morford. Prissy socialite Maureen seems like a burly, bearded pipefitter in comparison to Markie. Markie would rather spend on his stomach being gang-banged by a crew of pipefitters.
Do the winners of each bracket face off each other in a grand championship?
LOL!
Now this is FUN!
Helen Thomas demands a recount...
I started to vote for the upset with Brock, but Begala is just too full of himself, as befitting a 2 seed. The others I chose were easy: Maher, RP Reagan, and Frank Rich.
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