Government Shutdown. Who's To Blame?

Both political parties are preparing their talking points as a government shutdown looms on Friday if a deal on the federal budget is not reached. If a shutdown occurs, the party that ultimately bears the blame will be the party that loses the debate.

Right now, the public is equally divided on where to lay blame. That's because the public believes that federal legislators are more motivated to defeat the opposing party than reach a compromise.

You've had PAWWWWLENTY to drink, buddy.

This is not the first major news story an otherwise boring candidate for the presidential nomination wants to have in the Iowa media. T-Paw, you're going to have to figure out how to make a better impression than having your staffers (allegedly) drive drunk and vomit on people's back decks.

The bad pun in the title belongs to our friend John. He knows who he is.

No Pain...No Money

The memorable opening scene of "Ghostbusters" features Bill Murray administering electric shocks to a college student for his incorrect answers during a test of the student's psychic ability.

In the real world, people were asked if they'd ever administer an electric shock to another person for money. 64 percent said no.

But when the opportunity (and the cash) was actually offered...96 percent of participants brought the juice.

Human psychology is fascinating.

This made me laugh SO hard...it's the long-awaited "When Harry Met Sally" sequel

When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren from Billy Crystal

About The Spending Kerfluffle

That's right...I dare to call it a "kerfluffle."

I've written previously that the public supports the general concepts of cutting spending and balancing the budget...then gets very queasy when a legislator fills in the specifics.

Reason.com brings some cold, hard facts to the debate occuring today over Representative Paul Ryan's proposed spending plan:

Ryan's budget brings spending down to around 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product. President Obama's plan spends around 23 percent of GDP.

The federal government, on average, brings in revenues of around 18 percent of GDP.

That's right. Both plans STILL spend more than the government collects in revenues.

So Reason attempts to concoct a "19 percent solution" under the premise that there will be a slight uptick in revenues during good economic times.

The reality is that any budget debate will revolve around political messaging, rather than reality.

Update: Dan Mitchell reminds me that the government is not "cutting" spending...it's slowing the rate of growth. I need to be more accurate in my posting, because the rhetoric is so out-of-skew with reality.

Tricked by Trump?

Callers to WHO Radio's drive-time show last week, on which Jeff was the guest host, surprised him (and me) with their enthusiasm for The Donald as the next GOP presidential nominee. At Roll Call, Stuart Rothenberg explains why they are flat-out wrong. A quick excerpt (which echoes Jeff's on-air speculations about a Trump candidacy):

Is Trump really going to spend months at diners and in people’s living rooms in Iowa and New Hampshire? Will evangelical voters, who made up a majority of participants in the 2008 Iowa caucuses and South Carolina primary, really find a thrice-married celebrity who owns casinos and has never held public office an appealing choice for their party’s nomination?

Again, the answer is obvious.

Obama 2012

Barack Obama's officially joined the cast of thousands of GOP hopefuls (none of whom has progressed beyond the formation of exploratory committees, of course) in the race for the presidency in 2012. I am buried in work today, but here are three articles that will give you a quick overview of this early phase of the race: Obama's campaign announcement video (and insights into likely strategy), Marc Ambinder's list of 5 disadvantages the incumbent faces (via the Atlantic online), and, at the National Journal, Matthew Dowd's list of the three factors that have to fall into place in order for Obama to lose. As Dowd notes, only one of those three is in the power of the Republican party: the nominee. And that's where Iowa comes in.

Meanwhile, Bob Cesca predicts the usual Kucinich-style primary challenge from the left, and Chez at Deus Ex Malcontent lets fly at the "narcissistic dipsh%#@ within Obama's own party who can't shut up about how he's "just like Bush" because he didn't dismantle the military, make gay marriage and drug use mandatory and build a Whole Foods on top of Ground Zero."

One More Eaglet On The Way

How popular is the Raptor Resource Project?

It's getting national media, over 100,000 viewers, and people are phoning the executive director to demand he turn off the spotlight!!!! (dude, it's an infrared camera...haven't you seen "Ghost Hunters"?)

Ron And Rand Paul: Not So "Fringey" Anymore

I stopped by a local bookstore Saturday to meet Rand Paul and pick up his book, "The Tea Party Goes To Washington."

A couple of my friends in the media were on hand, and I talked to them about how Ron and Rand Paul's views have gone from being perceived as "on the fringe" to "mainstream." My friend Jennifer Jacobs picks up on that theme in this article, which features a couple of quotes from yours truly.

Decorah Hatch Watch

The Raptor Resource Project's live eagle cam, atop a tree at the fish hatchery (not to be confused with the "Quality Chick" hatchery) in Decorah, Iowa, has become a facebook favorite among Iowans over the past 10 days or so...and today's hatching day! Check out the majestic birds and their impressive nest here.

April Fools Day Shenanigans!

Sorry--I just love to use the word "shenanigans."

I climbed on my Wii Fit balance board this morning and was told by my onscreen display that the board wasn't working. Then the words "April Fools" appeared along with a picture of the balance board in a party hat.

Those folks at Nintendo sweat the small details...and have WAAAAAY too much time on their hands. At least it didn't tell me jokingly that I had gained 67 pounds.

Here at the office, signs have been installed on all the printers telling us that the printers now respond to voice commands. We are instructed to continually repeat our commands as the technology needs to adjust to "regionalized accents."

The day always features fun on the Internet, as well.

The case for the codpiece

Over at the Art of Manliness, check out this excellent post about why men should start wearing codpieces again. You all know that we women love that historically-accurate Tudor-era armor look! I think it'll catch on.