Showing posts with label Jesse Jackson Jr.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesse Jackson Jr.. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Akin to Idiocy
No pun intended, but Todd Akin is screwed. In an election where women's health rights has been running side-by-side with the economy as the topic of choice, Akin's "legitimate rape" remark was a staggering and potentially lethal blunder. There is no exaggerated overaction here, what he said was beyond appalling. Worse yet, this proves the fallacy of male politicians determining what a woman should do with her body. Whether Akin stays in the race --he wants to, but the GOP is pressuring him to quit-- what should have been a fair victory over a weak incumbent is now looking like a clear Claire McCaskill victory. When noted pro-lifers like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are asking you to quit, you're done for.
Other notes:
+ So it turned out Jesse Jackson Jr. has bipolar disorder, a serious mental health condition. If my previous comments about the congressman seemed insensitive, it was only because of the suspicious manner in which Jackson disappeared from DC and public view. On the national scene, he's more famous for being the son of a garrelous far-left activist than anything else. Word in Chicago is, Triple J is still favored to keep his seat in November but not by a landslide.
+ To reiterate: reports of nationwide voter fraud have been greatly exaggerated.
+ Remember my mindest list for the high school class of 2012 (college class of 2016)? Here's the real deal, as depressing as ever.
Next week: the year in music... you know what? I'll let you guess. At this point, I've covered every year between 1964 and 2011 except one. Whoever guesses right wins a cookie.
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Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Weekly Update #369
Congratulations, you've been redirected!
"Where's Jesse?" That's the refrain that Chicago has been singing in recent weeks. Jesse Jackson Jr, son of the activist and a strange bedfellow of Rod Blagojevich, completely fell off the grid earlier this summer. After seemingly playing hooky from his office in DC, it was revealed that Jackson was at an unknown rehab facility in Arizona. Little is known about his condition other than what his close friends are calling a "mood disorder." Even his notoriously garralous father has been keeping mum. The Chicago media, famed for their persistence and glad-handing, is being shut out in every direction. It's not a major surprise, given his confusing track record of late.
A promising political figure when first elected 17 years ago, "Triple J" has ultimately proven to be more noteworthy at home than in DC, where is a very average, albeit quixotic presence in the House of Representatives. Rather than set his eye on higher office (Mayor of Chicago? The U.S. Senate?) Jackson seems more content to serve his constituents and nothing more. Jackson's connections to Blagojevich have done him zero favors. His star was on a slow simmer prior to 2008, now it's barely lit. Triple J has carried his district in a landslide for nine straight elections, but Jackson's next run at the vote will be his most daunting. Is Jackson really in a "bad mood," or does he know his mostly undistinguished run is near an end?
Other notes:
+ Speaking of Chicago, one of the greatest risks in local radio history has ended in abject failure. FM News, Merlin Media's attempt to bring talk radio to the other side of the dial, was an unlistenable mess for much of its one year run. The new ownership, led by the infamous Randy Michaels, took a perfectly fine (though middling ratings-wise) station like alt-rock stalwart Q101, canned and gutted the format, than replaced it with news/talk without a focus or purpose. In a city where talk and music formats are virtually segregated between AM and FM, the idea of FM News was noble but woefully ill-conceived. My sympathies to those that have lost their jobs this week, but the chip on Michaels' shoulder only keeps growing.
+ Improv Update: I made a house team! As of two weeks ago, I'm now a regular at the Gorilla Tango Improv Zoo in Wicker Park. We have weekly shows Tuesdays nights at 9 o'clock.
+ Finally, I'm going to look backward, rather than straight ahead. When I wrote my first blog entry in June 2005, I hardly had an idea of what I was doing. The prospect of writing about my life, whether intermittently on a weekly basis, seemed daunting and a little scary. On the other hand, I've always been stronger at writing than in any other means of communication. What started out as a weekly series of trite dispatches became my soapbox, my confessional, and my means of talking about matters unrelated to TV on a web site about all things television. Most importantly, it allowed me to connect to my fellow users and contributors. I'll still be around the forums, but golly whiz if TV.com won't be the same.
"Where's Jesse?" That's the refrain that Chicago has been singing in recent weeks. Jesse Jackson Jr, son of the activist and a strange bedfellow of Rod Blagojevich, completely fell off the grid earlier this summer. After seemingly playing hooky from his office in DC, it was revealed that Jackson was at an unknown rehab facility in Arizona. Little is known about his condition other than what his close friends are calling a "mood disorder." Even his notoriously garralous father has been keeping mum. The Chicago media, famed for their persistence and glad-handing, is being shut out in every direction. It's not a major surprise, given his confusing track record of late.
A promising political figure when first elected 17 years ago, "Triple J" has ultimately proven to be more noteworthy at home than in DC, where is a very average, albeit quixotic presence in the House of Representatives. Rather than set his eye on higher office (Mayor of Chicago? The U.S. Senate?) Jackson seems more content to serve his constituents and nothing more. Jackson's connections to Blagojevich have done him zero favors. His star was on a slow simmer prior to 2008, now it's barely lit. Triple J has carried his district in a landslide for nine straight elections, but Jackson's next run at the vote will be his most daunting. Is Jackson really in a "bad mood," or does he know his mostly undistinguished run is near an end?
Other notes:
+ Speaking of Chicago, one of the greatest risks in local radio history has ended in abject failure. FM News, Merlin Media's attempt to bring talk radio to the other side of the dial, was an unlistenable mess for much of its one year run. The new ownership, led by the infamous Randy Michaels, took a perfectly fine (though middling ratings-wise) station like alt-rock stalwart Q101, canned and gutted the format, than replaced it with news/talk without a focus or purpose. In a city where talk and music formats are virtually segregated between AM and FM, the idea of FM News was noble but woefully ill-conceived. My sympathies to those that have lost their jobs this week, but the chip on Michaels' shoulder only keeps growing.
+ Improv Update: I made a house team! As of two weeks ago, I'm now a regular at the Gorilla Tango Improv Zoo in Wicker Park. We have weekly shows Tuesdays nights at 9 o'clock.
+ Finally, I'm going to look backward, rather than straight ahead. When I wrote my first blog entry in June 2005, I hardly had an idea of what I was doing. The prospect of writing about my life, whether intermittently on a weekly basis, seemed daunting and a little scary. On the other hand, I've always been stronger at writing than in any other means of communication. What started out as a weekly series of trite dispatches became my soapbox, my confessional, and my means of talking about matters unrelated to TV on a web site about all things television. Most importantly, it allowed me to connect to my fellow users and contributors. I'll still be around the forums, but golly whiz if TV.com won't be the same.
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