http://disqus.com/people/JonCummings/enTue, 12 Feb 2008 00:43:05 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cwe-demand%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D/#comment-141852Did you see the interview from late last week where Ann Coulter said she will "campaign for Hillary" if McCain's the nominee? Heaven help us.JonCummingsTue, 12 Feb 2008 00:43:05 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cwe-demand%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D/#comment-141849Because the ballots were not received in time to be counted in accordance with Florida state laws--laws which the Bush legal team pressured state officials to waive, but only in areas that voted heavily for Bush.<br><br>CNN (<a href="http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/07/14/bush.overseas.ballots/">http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/07/14/...</a>) quoted a New York Times report saying that Republicans did pressure officials to waive state law, and that hundreds of irregular ballots were counted after election day. The report said that Bush's winning margin would have been cut in half, not reversed as I said, if the ballots they termed questionable hadn't been allowed; I apologize for that discrepancy.<br><br>If the military didn't do a good job of making sure soldiers received their ballots and got them sent off in time, that's a serious issue; if there were Clinton-administration politics involved in the military's difficulties, that makes it even worse. Soldiers (obviously) must be given every chance to vote and get their votes counted, as long as the process is handled just as legally as the way anyone else votes. It's the Republicans' targeted efforts to go beyond the law on military ballots, while working their asses off to suppress the counting of every other kind of vote, that I had a problem with, not the idea of soldiers voting. (Nice work in questioning my patriotism, though...)JonCummingsTue, 12 Feb 2008 00:41:06 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cwe-demand%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D/#comment-141801Actually, there was not a true consensus on that. What the media recounts found was that if the recount Gore had been asking for had been done (just a few counties), he still would have lost, but if Florida had just done the right thing in the first place, and recounted every ballot in the state, Gore would have won.<br><br>I'm pretty sure that no Democrat who feels passionately about politics will ever "get over" what happened, especially considering the national disaster that has followed over the past eight years. The Republican activists' horrible behavior during the recount foreshadowed the Bush administration's own atrocious behavior and divisive, un-American policies both foreign and domestic.JonCummingsTue, 12 Feb 2008 00:16:28 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cwe-demand%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D/#comment-140837The whole thing was a joke from the first butterfly ballot. But a big part of the problem was Joe Lieberman, who bent over on the issue of counting military ballots that were received after Election Day. Those voters had no right to be counted--"support the troops" or not--and there was a concerted Republican campaign to get soldiers/sailors/airmen to vote well after it was legal. Bush absolutely got more than his final 527-vote margin that way--his margin expanded by something like 1,800 questionable military ballots before the first recounts made it closer.JonCummingsMon, 11 Feb 2008 18:49:52 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cwe-demand%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D/#comment-140673If Nader gets in--and he's making noises to do so already--he'll have even less of an impact than he did in '04. Bloomberg's rationale for running has already disappeared, with the GOP picking a candidate who appeals to independents and the Dems looking more and more like they're going to do the same. His best bet was a Romney-Hillary matchup. Bloomberg needs to hope Hillary wins so he can run for Senate.JonCummingsMon, 11 Feb 2008 18:09:00 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cwe-demand%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D/#comment-140648Thanks a lot for posting that picture--now I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks. The disgusting behavior of Republican activists during the 2000 recount was the very height of un-American, anti-democratic nastiness--both in Florida, where a bunch of Hitler-youth operatives from DC posed as Floridians to bully the Dade County election board into quitting its recount, and in Washington, where a bunch of assholes camped outside the VP residence to scream at Gore for five weeks. Their shameless efforts to trash the democratic process exemplifies why the Repubicans must, finally, be driven from power.JonCummingsMon, 11 Feb 2008 18:02:10 -0000http://popdose.com/captain-video-leroux-carries-gone/#comment-136899I loved "Nobody Said It Was Easy." I don't know why--it kinda sucks--but I really did.JonCummingsSat, 09 Feb 2008 17:42:04 -0000http://popdose.com/fnl-update/#comment-128345Pardon me, but exactly WHAT reputation does NBC currently have to uphold? The network of "Fear Factor" and "American Gladiators"? If you ask me, they're sitting about where they were in 1981-82, when Fred Silverman left "Hill Street Blues" and "Cheers" on the air despite horrible ratings--and look what happened there. If his own kid is now going to throw FNL under a bus--and, it sounds like, potentially "30 Rock" as well--then he ought to study dad's legacy a bit more intensely.JonCummingsWed, 06 Feb 2008 04:35:23 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-priorities/#comment-126597I agree with what the "punning pundit" said above--on the war, SCHIP and many other issues, Congress has been held hostage by the Senate's filibuster rules. I wish the Dems had more balls--they should have long ago zeroed-out war funding and begun impeachment proceedings, perhaps in both cases to force Bush to compromise with them.<br><br> They haven't done so largely because they're currently sitting on a lead in public opinion and waiting out the rest of the god-forsaken Bush administration, figuring a tidal wave will sweep more Republicans out of Congress (and the White House) this fall. They don't want to rock the boat and blow the natural advantage that comes from the vast majority of the public now thinking the Republicans are a bunch of incompetent, criminal boobs.<br><br>Whether or not this is a good strategy, we'll see. It's frustrating in the meantime, that's for sure.JonCummingsTue, 05 Feb 2008 17:16:09 -0000http://popdose.com/dw-dunphy-on-reconsidering-obama/#comment-125525I'm amazed at the stridency with which Hillary and Obama's supporters attack each other's perspectives, considering that there is barely a millimeter of space between them on all the issues. I've had a long e-mail dispute today with my brother--who is a generation older than I, who is hellbent on revenge against the GOP, and who is supporting Hillary with all the usual arguments (while I support Obama with all THOSE usual arguments).<br><br>I dearly hope Obama wins; nearly as much, even if Hillary eventually takes it, I hope she and Bill quit the Jekyll-and-Hyde routine where they're lovey-dovey, party-first one week and then Obama=Jesse Jackson, let's-grab-delegates-nobody-competed-for the next.<br><br>One of them needs to be the next president.JonCummingsTue, 05 Feb 2008 07:28:09 -0000http://popdose.com/tcms-31-days-of-oscar/#comment-125515Great choices on the week's picks. I'd add one more for the week: "Mildred Pierce" (Friday 2/8 at noon Eastern), which was not only one of Joan Crawford's most iconic roles but also marked Michael Curtiz as more than a one-great-film ("Casablanca") wonder. I'm really looking forward to a couple films they're showing later in the month that they haven't shown in years, if ever.JonCummingsTue, 05 Feb 2008 07:18:16 -0000http://popdose.com/friday-night-lights/#comment-124885Wow! I just finally read this post, and was pleased to discover it's all about me...and my favorite show. I try (though I often fail) not to watch too much network TV, but there are few things these days that give me goosebumps like seeing a new episode of FNL pop up on the TiVo. Connie Britton, in particular, is always wonderful--but then, I've been a fan of hers since Spin City and The Brothers McMullen. I feel so bad for Smash--dumped by TMU (whatever that is) for sucker-punching that racist guy...I sure hope he finds a good school.JonCummingsTue, 05 Feb 2008 00:03:30 -0000http://popdose.com/jesus-of-cool-one-grammy-category-worth-caring-about/#comment-124245Whoops. I have it, too--though in digital form. There's so much damn music there, you might think it's a 10-disc set...JonCummingsMon, 04 Feb 2008 20:02:05 -0000http://popdose.com/political-culture-no-sex-please-we%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99re-american/#comment-120091I appreciate what Bill's trying to say--that Jesus' own message was one of peace. But I have to say that, when I wrote about torture porn in this column a couple weeks ago, I had to make a conscious decision not to talk at length about "The Passion of the Christ," which I believe is one of the most gratuitously violent films ever made. The popularity among conservative Christians of Mel's decision to spend--what is it, 16 minutes--on the scourging scene is indicative of the violence that permeates Christian culture, and I believe that is inevitably reflected in America's wider secular culture as well.JonCummingsSat, 02 Feb 2008 16:32:01 -0000http://popdose.com/chartburn-2108/#comment-119135Didn't U2 record "Angel of Harlem" at Sun Studios, or at least play it there in the film? I saw it as a touchstone of the whole "exploring America" theme of "Rattle & Hum," and I like the Memphis Horns homage, and it's just a snappy little tune, dammit! I couldn't stand "All I Want Is You" at the time--and I REALLY couldn't stand the video--but I appreciate it more now. They've been showing Rattle & Hum on VH1 Classic lately; I thought it was great back in '88, but it's pure shite now. "Am I buggin' you? Ah don't mean to boog ya."<br><br>You guys need to cowboy up and see Deliverance. Don't worry--the three-toothed guy who reams poor Ned Beatty eventually gets a crossbow arrow in the eye, or something like that. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer...you'll squirm. Take it like a man!JonCummingsSat, 02 Feb 2008 01:20:25 -0000http://popdose.com/political-culture-no-sex-please-we%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99re-american/#comment-118702Dude, the beauty of the Popdose format is that I can write all I want, and whenever you want to stop paying attention (right after the Janet clip, maybe, in your case) is just fine--anybody who wants to hear why the FCC is such a bunch of dillholes can keep reading.<br><br>I don't buy the idea that keeping the occasional bare ass off the telly is a priority for a "vast majority" of "We the People" (maybe of your people, but that's another matter--and weren't you calling yourself a Libertarian last week?). I do think that the public (and in the US, that public is pretty conservative as these things go) want the media industries to use some discretion, but your Gallup poll did NOT suggest that 75 percent of the people want government to set rules for content or censor, or punish, the media whenever somebody's offended.JonCummingsFri, 01 Feb 2008 22:33:51 -0000http://popdose.com/political-culture-no-sex-please-we%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99re-american/#comment-117325As has been well-documented elsewhere, what happened to the Dixie Chicks is the best possible argument against mega-corporate radio--and the best possible argument against blindered American conservatism.<br><br>I've always wondered if conservatives who engaged in wholesale, jingoistic Dixie Chicks bashing now feel any shame about how they felt and what they did then. Somehow I doubt it. Conservatism means never having to say you're sorry--or even that you were ever wrong.JonCummingsFri, 01 Feb 2008 16:25:10 -0000http://popdose.com/political-culture-no-sex-please-we%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99re-american/#comment-116476I never saw the full episode from which this scene is taken--which will be true for most people who encounter it here or on YouTube--so it must be said up front that my (and most people's) reactions to it will have to be taken outside the context of the episode and the character Charlotte Ross played. That said, my difficulty with the scene--and mind you, I'm not nearly uncomfortable enough that I think it's worth a fine or any kind of reprimand--has to do with the implications of putting a child actor on camera being exposed to a naked actress, from the back and then from the front.<br><br>I'm sure this kind of scene happens all the time in real life, by accident, and it's funny and embarrassing. But this is exactly the problem with censorship, and why I always insist on contextualizing a controversial piece as much as possible: When you throw a clip on YouTube, or describe an artwork someone finds offensive, without the full context, it's difficult to judge the work properly.<br><br>The difference between me and the FCC (or Rudy Giuliani, as I discussed at length last week) is that I believe each adult viewer should have the benefit of the doubt to choose whether to watch/view/hear the work, to decide for himself whether his own child should be exposed to it--and to decide how he feels about it.JonCummingsFri, 01 Feb 2008 05:42:54 -0000http://popdose.com/political-culture-no-sex-please-we%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99re-american/#comment-116295The Bible is a violent, violent book, and much violence has been committed in its defense. Sex in the Bible, or so I've heard, consists largely of "begats."JonCummingsFri, 01 Feb 2008 03:19:45 -0000http://popdose.com/better-late-than-never-darren-discovers-prince-the-revolution/#comment-115161Having foolishly missed the Prince/Time/Vanity 6 "1999" tour in '82 when it came to my hometown, I wasn't about to miss the "Purple Rain" tour when it came to Chicago in early '85. Tix went on sale in early December--right during finals week at Northwestern, and I had two exams on the on-sale date. Back in those days, buying tickets for a Prince concert was a line-up-at-the-box-office affair; they opened the b.o. at the Rosemont Horizon at 9 a.m., and by the time Ticketron outlets opened an hour later, all the tix would be gone.<br><br>So my friends and I decided, screw studying, and trekked to Rosemont at 3 a.m. to get in line. We weren't even close to the front, and this was DECEMBER IN CHICAGO, but we bundled up and stuck it out. I got back to campus by 11:30--only to discover that instead of having finals at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., as I had thought, I had missed a 10 a.m. final. I raced to my prof and threw myself on his mercy; incredibly, I told him the truth about where I had been, and his first response was "did you get good seats?"<br><br>He let me take the final in his office later that day. I didn't do very well, but that's fitting; the class was "Dostoevsky," and the exam essay was all about Crime and Punishment.<br><br>The show was great, though. BTW, Dirty Mind is an insanely good album, and filthy as all get-out; I actually prefer it to 1999.JonCummingsThu, 31 Jan 2008 19:16:59 -0000http://popdose.com/jesus-of-cool-in-praise-of-mandy-moore/#comment-108369My son, at age 4, used to sing a song to us when he wanted us to sample some gross concoction he'd created: "Just give it a try, give it a try...Just give it a try, there's nothing to buy..."<br><br>C'mon Jeff. Look at Mandy's picture. Read all these comments. Trust me. Click that download button. C'mon. Do it.JonCummingsTue, 29 Jan 2008 05:33:11 -0000http://popdose.com/jesus-of-cool-in-praise-of-mandy-moore/#comment-108364That's very nice of you to say--about me and about Mandy. I'm not sure I agree with you completely on either count, but I do believe that if Mandy gets the right musical support and guidance, she could definitely take it up several more notches. She's very talented, she obviously has vision and ambition--now let's see if she can become truly important.JonCummingsTue, 29 Jan 2008 05:30:08 -0000http://popdose.com/lost-mp3-of-the-week-foreigner-cold-as-ice/#comment-107326Yes it does. I try to pretend Toto never recorded anything after "99."JonCummingsMon, 28 Jan 2008 20:54:00 -0000http://popdose.com/lost-mp3-of-the-week-foreigner-cold-as-ice/#comment-107286I don't get it. When was "Cold As Ice" ever NOT cool?JonCummingsMon, 28 Jan 2008 20:36:29 -0000http://popdose.com/pop-politico-why-bill-clinton-is-a-douchebag/#comment-107077The Clintons are dead to me.JonCummingsMon, 28 Jan 2008 19:20:20 -0000