Mr. Wow Blog
Mr. Wow Loves Women…
3:26 pm | August 28, 2012

Author: Mr. Wow | Category: Point of View | Comments: 131

But I Don’t Care About the Wives of Presidential Candidates.

 

It was boring enough, three years ago, “getting to know” Michelle Obama, and the two kids.  I would go into a coma every time she was interviewed and revealed little quirky, funny, endearing details of their life together and what a great guy he is.  John McCain’s wife was even less appealing, though her hair-helmet made me giggle almost as much as Michelle’s persistently bare arms.   The thing is.  I’m not voting for the wife, the kids, the candidates ability to fry an egg or bravely eat heart-attack-inducing food at a state fair.  Couldn’t care less about their courtin’ days, the proposal, the romantic fellow under the suit, and the ever-changing stances of this or that issue.  (“He really cares, really.  Really.”)

 

Now  I have to get to know Anne Romney and she has to let us in on the “real Mitt.”  The other a.m. I was flabbergasted to see Romney flipping pancakes.  Who the fuck cares?   And—please forgive me—I don’t care about Anne Romney’s MS, either.  Too bad but join the millions of other who have the disease but don’t have millions to treat it. Go on “Chopped” and give a sob story on the hope of winning something.

     Why do we have to be convinced the president is a “nice guy?”   Why do we have to see his “humanity” which are only photo ops anyway.  How human can you be, having the hubris to want to be president of the United States?   Forget “nice” and go straight to “crazy.”   I don’t care if the president is a mean, cold bastard, or a philanderer or picks his nose.  I want a man or a woman who cares about the American people.  All of them.  I know, I know—a revolutionary approach to politics.   Oh, and you have to get to know the mothers, too.  Like I needed to see Paul Ryan’s mama out there on the stump?   Like she has any idea what her son stands for?  He’s just her little boy.  

 

This “cult of personality”—the building of a personality for the candidate–is ridiculous.  It demeans the process, if such a thing is possible now.  These days we treat all of our candidates like celebrities—what they eat, what they wear, what they weigh, what their nearest and dearest say about them.  How can go along with this tripe after the endless scandals and hypocrisies?   It’s all a sham. 

 

I just want a good person, a humane person, a smart person in the White House.  Don’t care if the prez is married, an atheist, a foot fetishist, or a randy guy or gal who goes to Las Vegas and gets naked.  So long as the Commander in Chief has a heart and soul as big as the ego must be, the rest is, frankly none of my business and a crashing bore.  And I really would prefer an atheist, for sure.

 

Please go away, Anne Romney.  You too, Michelle. Let your husbands fight it out, on the issues.  Not on bedtime stories or pancakes. 

 

However, I guess the ego of the wife has to be nearly as big as that of her husband.   So, there’s no stopping these ambitious women. 

Comments:
  • Claudia

    And I love Mr. Wow.  Welcome back!

    3:40 pm | August 28, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Claudia…thank you.  But I’m never too far away.

      8:25 pm | August 29, 2012
  • Andrea

    3:58 pm | August 28, 2012
  • Andrea

    Oh, but we’re supposed to see how regular these people are. Puleese, regular guys like you and I?  Spare me….we all, all of us “regular” guys have untold millions to dump into, possibly, the most boring campaign ever. Can we vote “none of the above?”
    And yes, welcome back Mr Wow…,we did miss you

    4:01 pm | August 28, 2012
  • Deirdre

    Better than Hallelujah! I think wives and family should be left out completely.  Dragging them around on the campaign or sending them (as in the case of the Romney sons) out as “surrogates” is wrong.  I think the whole mess should be limited in time and money spent. I already know who I will vote for and there is no need to convince me.  I honestly believe that most people feel the same. Oh and here is my opinion of polls. Can’t be certain but I feel very strongly that most people when asked to give information on how the will vote, LIE. I remember being asked several times over the years about how I would vote. I always said “I don’t share my vote publicly”. I was asked if it would be alright if they wrote, Republican, Democrat, Independent, etc. I said no, it not alright. I am sure they picked one anyway.  Anyhoo! Welcome back Mr. Wow, missed you.

    4:58 pm | August 28, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Deidre…what the hell is a “surrogate”  anyway?  Speak for yourself, please.  And, brother, am I not impressed by family tales.

       

       

      8:42 pm | August 29, 2012
      • Deirdre

        If they use “surrogates” they think they have deniability!  “Oh he/she got that wrong; I would never say any thing like, blah, blah, blah!  They should speak for themselves. 

        8:17 pm | August 30, 2012
    • Deirdre, I think people tell pollsters what they think they want to hear.  In Switzerland there was a referendum on banning the construction of more minarets; most people polled said they would NOT support the measure, but it passed… easily.

      4:05 pm | August 30, 2012
  • lulu

    Welcome back Mr. Wow!!!
    We the people, the TV media and the internet have created the need to know about the wives, children and family pets.  Shame on us!!!!!!

    7:42 pm | August 28, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lulu…spare me totally from the families.  Frankly, spare me from the candidates. But I sure as hell don’t need to hear from their pathetic, brainwashed wives and children

      8:28 pm | August 29, 2012
  • DanS

    If our fairly recent history, we’ve had our most religious president in office as decided by the number of speeches he gave in churches and at religious functions, as well as the number of times he invoked the Christian God in his various addresses – by far. That president, you may be surprised to know, was one William Jefferson Clinton. I kid you not. While he was running for his first presidential term, he was asked a question that was a shot heard ’round the world in changing the way in which presidential nominees interacted with the voting public. It was a question of three simple words: “Boxers, or briefs?” and I feel like it’s been a rhetorical free-for-all ever since. It seemed appropriate at the time to show some passing interest in Hillary Clinton because one almost had the sense that she would be the one actually running the country.

    In recent elections, this hasn’t been a concern. What we get here is a vapid song-and-dance devoid of anything resembling substance. What else are they going to do but toe the company line? “My husband is a good guy and a great father and will shit on you a little less than the other guy.” How monumentally useful. You know what would get my attention? If one of these wives were to say, “My husband is a decent enough guy, but the truth is that he probably has no business running a country: He can’t even pick up a pair of f*cking socks off the floor.” But let’s be real: These people are sufficiently rich enough to employ an army of people whose sole purpose is to stay on top of the sock situation.

    I think the idea here mostly is to help make these men seem appealing to women. Neither one of them are exactly hitting it out of the park when it comes to addressing the basic needs and wants of women. When, say, Michelle Obama talks about her great husband, what I hear is something like “I’m a woman and I say he’s good and if you’re a woman out there, you should think that too… just don’t work at a Catholic hospital or other such institutions.”

    It’s all a smoke and mirrors pony show that doesn’t address anybody’s ability to effectively run a country. It’s a popularity contest not much different than American Idol. Here’s a quote I often think about in these discussions, written by James P. Hogan, that always seems to fit here: “The Constitution never guaranteed smart government; it guaranteed representative government. And it works – that’s what we’ve got. The trouble with the damn system is that it selects for the skills needed to get elected, and nothing else… which requires only an ability to fool a sufficient number of people for just long enough to get the votes. Unfortunately the personal qualities necessary for attaining office are practically the opposite of those demanded by the office itself. A test that you can pass only by cheating can’t possibly select honest people, can it?”

    One almost has to feel pity and shame for the wife of Todd Akin.

    10:13 pm | August 28, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Dan S…

       

      So brilliant, so true, so the absolutely reason I am here.  Not that anybody should be impressed with me, but rather, they should be impressed and take to heart anybody who posts in response.   The intelligence and sensitivity of all my readers pleases  me so much.  (Because I, naturally,think I am bereft of intelligence and sensitivity.)

       

      your post is right on.

      8:37 pm | August 29, 2012
      • DanS

        Ha! Where you see intelligence and sensitivity, I see a crumpled train wreck of typos and grammatical snafus. I think you might be under-selling your half of the interaction equation though, because there are a lot of great people who interact here, but they’re here for a common cause. I’m not here to hear myself speak – I’m here for the same reason as everybody else: I like to hear what you have to say about things.

        9:57 pm | August 29, 2012
    • Dan, really??!  I would have bet money hands-down on Jimmy Carter.

      4:06 pm | August 30, 2012
      • DanS

        I know! I couldn’t believe it either when I saw it, but it’s true. Of course, it’s based solely on how many times the president spoke in church functions and referenced God in speeches. When it comes to actual belief, I still have to think that Carter runs away with the gold. If for no other reason, I would have thought that President Clinton was spending that energy on wrangling himself all of that illicit side-action. That has to cost him a few points on devoutness. 

        8:19 pm | August 30, 2012
        • Dan… I suspect that sometimes, “devoutness” is little more than a prophylactic against the effects of just that sort of thing.

          3:54 pm | August 31, 2012
          • BabySnooks

            I cannot think of a polite response to the matter of Bill Clinton and “piety” except that “pious” he ain’t.

            12:39 pm | September 1, 2012
  • maryburdt

    Hi Mr. Wow,  I am so glad you are back with us once again.  We all missed you.

    Now, to the topic:  We are a people who believe that we are judged by the company we keep.  Maybe so.  Obama has Michelle and Romney has Ann.  Both these lovely ladies have a lot going for them; looks, intelligence and a stand by your man attitude.  I am not saying this is wrong, I am only saying most of us vote for the candidate and not for their spouses.  So what they have to say is inconsequential.

    10:56 pm | August 28, 2012
  • rick gould

    It’s all just diversionary tactics, the hope that we focus on the candidates so-called “humanity,” so that we don’t see that they are just “Stepford” husband and wives who want to live in the best address of all, the White House. Depressing.

    1:52 am | August 29, 2012
  • Rho

    So happy to “see” you Mr. Wow.

    9:55 am | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rho…how are you, honey?

      8:43 pm | August 29, 2012
      • Rho

        I am fine Mr. Wow, so sorry you did not join us on our trip.  Will you join us to see the Mets at Citi Field?

        10:12 am | August 30, 2012
  • vintagemom

    Great post Mr. Wow and I wholeheartedly agree with you.  I hope that you’re well.

    11:20 am | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear vint…

       

      thanks and I am well!

      8:38 pm | August 29, 2012
  • Lady Jayne

    Oh Mr. Wow, my prayers are answered. After listening to Anne Romney last night all I could feel was expressed in your sentiments! She has no clue how real people live and hearing hyer shout out “I love you women!” and talk about how Mitt makes her laugh..I was screaming at the TV! What does any of that have to do with the business at hand..finding someone to steer this country out of the mess we are in!I love your blog, but more I love the comments of the intelligent people who follow you. Dan S was a breath of fresh air. Thank you for coming back at a time when we need you the most!

    1:52 pm | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lady J…the only reason I do this is to receive much more intelligent feedback.

       

      I love my readers. So much smarter than me.   Or, smarter than I?   See, I am a total fool.

       

      I want  to learn, understand and be open to every opinion. Believe me, if Mrs. Romney had given the speech of the ages, I’d say so.   Bravo for her.  But I’m still not voting to be destitute when I’m 65.    However, it was the usual pablum.   He’s a real guy.  Me too.  Vote me into the White House.  

       

      And what about Chris Christie?  He’s so proud of Jersey being a financial pit?  He’s got a good game, big moves, dramatic rhetoric.   An empty shell of a hippo.

      8:21 pm | August 29, 2012
      • Deirdre

        My favorite part of Ann Romney’s speech last night was when she said her favorite show was Modern Family!  This morning the show posted “We are thrilled Ann Romney loves ModFam. We will invite her to be the officiant at Mitch and Cam’s wedding; when it’s legal for everyone to get married.”

        8:54 pm | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lady J…

       

      Aren’t these people great?   I learn so much from my readers.  Mostly, how to write correctly.  Tho I never learn enough. I’m just a hack. 

       

      Yeah, Anne Romney knows the pain of the average woman.    Let’s get used to it. I fear she will be out next First lady.

      8:48 pm | August 29, 2012
  • bigred52

    I agree with you about an athiest President, but I know it will never will happen.  Even though most people give lip service to their religions and “god” they seriously mistrust or hate atheists.  Politicians, most of all, will give this same lip service just to pander and get votes.  

    I have enjoyed you blogs for a while, but have never written.

    4:26 pm | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Bigred…(love the name!)  Thanks, and please come in and comment anytime.

      8:19 pm | September 3, 2012
  • Paris

    The political clowns stirred you up enough to post a little ditty… so that’s something, eh M. Wow? It’s a soap opera. With consequences. But nonetheless a soap. Pop some corn kernels and sit back and enjoy the show.

    5:58 pm | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Paris…I’ll pop the kernels.  I’ll sit back.  I’ll scream.  Then I’ll vote.  And alas, I feel the outcome will make me scream more.

      8:23 pm | August 29, 2012
  • lulu

    Dear Mr. Wow and all followers –
    I think we need to have Lila start another virtual party…We can all eat popcorn, laugh at all the politicians and have a wonderful time!!!!
    Something tells me, a gut feeling, that we will all survive because we will vote and get our friends to vote as well.
    Hugs to all….popping the kernels and going to watch Condolezza and Paul Ryan….what the heck summer TV is boring!!!
    PS….Mr. Wow, write in your own style that is what makes you special to all of us!!!!!!!

    10:00 pm | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lulu…watching Paul Ryan now.  And  here he is referring to his grandma with Alzheimer’s.   They are all so fucking low.

      10:47 pm | August 29, 2012
      • lulu

        Beyond low!!!!   Did I hear a few false statements as well?????  

        11:38 pm | August 29, 2012
        • Mr. Wow

          Dear Lulu…just a few.

          12:52 am | August 30, 2012
    • Oh, Lulu!!  You are a genius… how about Mr. Wow hosts an election-night party???  Blogging as the return come in, the way he does for Oscar Night!  And we can all join the running commentary!

      4:11 pm | August 30, 2012
      • Deirdre

        Sounds like a great idea to me!  Virtual desserts are on me!

        4:41 pm | August 30, 2012
      • Mr. Wow

        Dera Lila..live election-night coverage? Okay, that will so drunk blogging.   I am not going to be happy.  I am, going to vote and then sedate myself. 

        Although I’ve caught up with all the speeches so far, I was out Tuesday night in Philly, at Madonna’s show.  If I stayed home, I knew I’d end up throwing the TV out the window. 

        7:32 pm | August 30, 2012
        • Deirdre

          How was Madge’s show? 

          8:14 pm | August 30, 2012
          • Mr. Wow

            Dear Deidre…it was pretty great.  Tho M insists on “challenging” her audience,  when all they really want to do is jam to the 80s/90s hits.  For the first time ever, I was in the pit–or as they called at that stadium.,”the golden triangle.”  (i know, that sounds a little porny.)   That was really exciting.  And it wasn’t too crowded–the “triangle” was kind of exclusive–so I could actually dance like a fool, which I did with total 59-year-old abandon.   Fun. 

            7:51 pm | September 3, 2012
          • Deirdre

            Mr. Wow, oh I wish I could have been the that golden triangle with you; dancing with abandon.  This something we will need to add to the lottery win train trip. The list of activities grows longer.

            9:10 pm | September 3, 2012
  • Daniel Sugar
    • NORA: It doesn’t make any difference to me who’s in the goddamn White House. Merle Haggard could be made president, and I’ll still be in Shit City, I’ll still be choking on burger grease, and Betty here will still be serving you turkey, for thirty bucks a day – right? Excuse me, I’m goin’ home.

      Susan Sarandon as Nora Baker in “White Palace”

    10:16 pm | August 29, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear DrSugar.     Excellent!

      10:49 pm | August 29, 2012
  • Jonny T

    Interestingly enough, the HBO show “The Newsroom” has addressed the lack of issues being addressed during these debates, along with the fact that no one ever answers a question about policy.  They did an episode that pointed out how news networks and organizations won’t demand candidates focus on issues and not fluff for fear that they’ll be shut out of the press conferences.  As contrived as the show can be at times, they hit it right on the head.  Unfortunately that ship has sailed.  No network will be brave enough to force the hands of the candidates, though Soledad O’Brien came pretty close in an interview with John Sununu.  

    8:49 am | August 30, 2012
  • Lucy

    It’s just so sad to me that it has all come down to this. We can talk, and make fun of, and say what we want, because – really, that’s all the control we have anymore, is the control to “talk” about what is happening around us…. and excluding us eventually. What is REALLY happening is out of the average persons scope of reality. Big Biz, big money, big funding. These elections are bought and paid for. Who can “buy” the most votes. Plain and simple. Most really poor individuals, the ones that this election’s outcome would affect the most, will not even be able to make it to the newly drawn voting precints because they can’t get there to vote anyway. It’s all about money – forget the wives. Oh, well maybe the wives are all about the money, too. Yes, I know I can vote, but I’m in Florida so they will probably just screw up the count again, on purpose, anyway.

    2:39 pm | August 30, 2012
  • Mr. Wow, sadly, it does not say much for the average voter that this
    touchy-feely crap is how campaign managers sell their candidates to the
    public.  When we lived in Europe, the general public over there seemed
    so much better versed on issues – domestic and international. 
    Here, we have little interest in doing the hard reading that it takes to
    be informed.  I still am appalled by how many of us still cannot even
    find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map, and it never ceases to amaze me that
    people will scream for “smaller government” but still expect maximum
    entitlements for themselves.  I guess smaller government is for everyone
    else’s entitlements, not mine.  And the workings of the economy,
    trade deficits, the entitlement programs and the national budget? 
    Forget it!  Boring and hard!

    We would rather focus on how warm and fuzzy and like-us our candidate
    is, and go on forwarding the paranoid, conspiratorial, completely
    fact-free emails about how the other candidate is evil incarnate and
    will destroy us all.  Yep, don’t let any actual… you know… evidence get in the way of all that.

    3:58 pm | August 30, 2012
    • Lauriate Roly.

       

      Lila – what you say compels me to write on this depressing subject, because what you have written is so completely and brilliantly right in my view. The fact you say that you lived in Europe probably explains much about your in depth comprehension and your evaluation of the situation.
      I think every American should live in Europe for a while.

      3:41 am | August 31, 2012
      • Lauriate, we were over there for a total of 7 years on Army assignments. There were a lot of other Americans over there with us, but sadly, not all of them learned anything from the experience.  I really think our culture has greatly contributed to a lot of intellectual laziness and a misplaced sense of entitlement. 

        I will think on this for a bit, but my initial impulse is to indict two big things: an educational system that no longer teaches critical thinking skills and cynically passes along students who are functionally illiterate (and yet we still have a 30% dropout rate!);  and media that actively feeds the lowest common denominator and our basest instincts:  “reality” shows, vapid sitcoms, and for “serious” programming, 30-minute repeating news cycles consisting of biased 30-second soundbites passing for “stories.” 

        Now throw in the Internet and anyone with a tinfoil hat can whip the uninformed, intellectually unarmed sheeple into a frenzy with the most outlandish statements.  I am embarrassed to admit that my own relatives often send out those paranoid emails I referred to (Obama is a Muslim!  Old people will lose all their coverage and be left to die!  Etc!).  I used to quickly debunk them (it’s always pretty easy to find the real facts) and gently point them in the right direction (Re: Obama refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, please see attached video of him in the Senate leading the Pledge with his hand over his heart…) but the onslaught of fact-free panic just keeps coming.

        I fear for our country sometimes, but it’s not always the politicians that scare me.  Real facts and good in-depth reporting are available but one has to be willing to find it and read it, and also able to distinguish credible sources from the tinfoil-hat people.  I fear that such folks are in the minority.

        10:12 am | August 31, 2012
        • Deirdre

          Ah, our tinfoil friends and relatives. I think we all have at least one or two.  I am constantly surprised at  some of the people I know who are obsessed with the “reality” shows.  From all age groups and mostly very well educated, well read and gainfully employed. They, in turn, are just as surprised that I do not watch any of them.  Obviously, one cannot avoid the ads and they hype so I am aware of the Real Housewives of wherever, Toddlers & Tiaras, etc, etc, ad nauseum.  Several friends have said they use these shows as a release from everyday tension. I don’t get it but have always been a to each his/her own person.  The internet tinfoil people with their endless conspiracy theories are the ones who scare me.  There seems to be such a devoted following to anything bizarre and completely out of the realm of possibility. (Our virtual search for Mr. Wow not included).  I keep returning to the phrase, “you are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts”.  As for European living.  We have spent lots of time visiting but have not lived there.  My husband has a lot of family in Northern Italy.  They are pretty vocal about their dismay regarding the Italian government and wish it were more like the U.S.  I am sure it is very much “the grass is greener” syndrome that we all suffer from at times.I so enjoy and look forward to your thoughts and opinions.  I envy your ability to express them and they always give me something to think about, agree or disagree. I mostly find myself smack in the middle of agree and disagree.

          11:18 am | August 31, 2012
          • Deirdre, well – between the Italian government and the US government, I’m afraid I have to side with your relatives on this one!  As screwy as we are, there are definitely places that do worse.  But even when a government is so messed up and corrupt – the people do seem to have some grasp of what’s going on and they have definite opinions.  I also was impressed with how much just about any German I talked to knew about international events.

            “You are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts”  – love it.  Wish people knew what it meant…

            Toddlers and Tiaras should be illegal.  Just sayin’. 

            4:20 pm | August 31, 2012
          • Deirdre

            Absolutely Toddlers and Tiaras should be illegal; it’s child abuse in pretty (?) dresses. There are lots of things that I think are tasteless and tacky. I know I am in the minority by the popularity of these programs.  But, who am I to decide what someone else chooses to entertain themselves?  I choose to watch programs that interest me.  There are many programs that are well written, acted and are interesting and there is always the off button. It’s the best protest of awful programming.

            4:40 pm | August 31, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    Ah, finally–sadly, I suppose–a Democrat who sees which way the wind is blowing.  Michael Moore is predicting a Romney win.   Unless Obama has a radical personality transplant before the debates, and can really deliver–like gangbusters!–  I have to agree with Moore. 

     

    And then?  Paul Ryan in 2016.  Oh, I know–his convention speech was astonishingly dishonest.  Like that matters.  The Republican machine is merciless, brutally rich and much smarter than what the Dems are putting out.   They do it better.  They don’t necessarily run the country better, but they win better.

    When I vote for Obama in November, I will probably already be drunk.  Not happily drunk, either.   Lots of biting the bullet and grinding my teeth to follow.  And aspirin.

     

    No, no–don’t talk to me about Hillary. You’ve watched too much of “Political Animals.”  That choo-choo has left the station.

     

    8:00 pm | August 30, 2012
    • Mr. Wow, I am betting you that Obama wins.  Go forth and vote.  God knows we all need to.  But I think the Republicans are just too scary to too many people, Romney has not shown a lot of sense or any compelling reason why he should be Pres, and Ryan is downright frightening.

      10:46 pm | August 30, 2012
      • Deirdre

        Lila, I am going with your prediction.  I hope that enough people see exactly that, Romney shows nothing to make him worth it and Ryan is not only scary but terrifying.  And yes, yes, “go forth and vote” because as lame as the saying is, it is true, “if you don’t vote, you have not right to complain”.

        11:24 am | August 31, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    Clint Eastwood.  Sad and scary.  Truly sad, truly scary.  I’m going to have to watch that again.  Very crypt-keeper-ish.

     

     

     

    10:30 pm | August 30, 2012
    • lulu

      it was….he is 83 and scary!!!!
      I have hope!!!! and saying it is over means you will give up….never give up…stand up and fight for the principals you believe in……Mr. Wow…get B to help ….we all will

      10:34 pm | August 30, 2012
    • rick gould

      Does this mean Clint is forgiven by the GOP for his so-called “pro-Obama” ad for the Superbowl? And I guess that makes him “unforgiven” by the Dems, now?
      Calling politics the second oldest profession is an insult to whores…at least they work for their money!
      …p.s. Didn’t Romney graduate as a…lawyer? 

      3:27 am | August 31, 2012
    • Deirdre

      I know I should have watched but I just couldn’t watch.  I’ll try really hard to watch it today.

      8:44 am | August 31, 2012
  • Rho

    Would you believe, I fell asleep — didn’t see anything.

    9:40 am | August 31, 2012
    • Deirdre

      I would believe it Rho!  I don’t have that excuse, I just couldn’t watch.  I have now seen some outtakes and all I can say right now is holey moley!  Talking to a chair? I’m not sure this was the intent when Clint was invited to speak.

      9:51 am | August 31, 2012
  • lulu

    Happy Day After to All!!!!  Mr. Wow you simply must get together with Lila and plan an election night party!!! 

    10:13 am | August 31, 2012
    • Lulu, all Mr. Wow has to do is post a headline on election day, and his fans will certainly chime in with a lot of discussion, I think.  Of course it will be much more fun and interesting if Mr. Wow does get a little… um… lubricated while live-blogging the election returns…

      3:51 pm | August 31, 2012
  • Haunted Lady

    First of all, I love you, Mr W, and I’m glad to see you back. You are a delight.

    I agree completely with your position here. I haven’t watched any of the Repuglican manure because I can’t stand it. The lies, the deceit, the lies, the pandering, the lies, the hypocrisy and the lies make me so angry, I could burst. And, Lila, I get those same emails, too, and have tried to point out the truth and how to find it. I now delete a lot of emails without reading them.

    The whole thing with the wives is grossly insulting to me. Do you really believe I can’t think for myself? Really? I have nothing in common with these women except anatomy. I make my own decisions based on facts, not on the statements of women who are sleeping with the candidate.

    I do find some people once in a while who think independently and aren’t influenced by the crap on TV. These are generally people who choose to watch something a bit more challenging than E! news and who actually read quite often. And I understand what Lila is saying about Europeans. Whenever I’ve been in the UK, it’s always astonished and embarrassed me to see how much more the average Briton knows about American politics than the average American.

    The saying about getting the government we deserve is true and, right now, very frightening. I’ll vote and I’ll watch the returns. I may have to anesthetize myself with brandy to do it but I’ll do it.

    11:18 am | August 31, 2012
    • Deirdre

      Great thoughts, Haunted Lady. They ring so true and your last statement is so important; you will vote, with our without the benefit of brandy, it’s the right thing to do.  As focused as we all are on the Presidential election, I think we need to may some attention to our own states.  There are congresspeople who have dug in and refuse to even consider compromise.  Where possible, I think it is time to vote some these people out. I do understand that it is not easy as many are running unopposed or with very weak opponents. But we should do what we can to send the message across the board that we expect a Congress and White House who are willing to find common ground.

      11:40 am | August 31, 2012
      • Haunted Lady

        Let me clarify something. I won’t hit the brandy until after I vote and brace myself for the returns. And, yes, we need to focus our sights on our representatives from our states. Personally, I don’t think the president has much power unless Congress goes along with his ideas. We need to make sure Congress has the right ideas. Thanks for reminding me.

        1:15 pm | August 31, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Haunted One…I think brandy will be too soothing for what I am sure will be a nerve-wracking day.  I might have to resort to the late Miss Taylor’s favorite libation–Jack Daniels.   It’s disgusting, but I have a  feeling I’m gonna end up real disgusted.

      7:42 pm | September 3, 2012
      • Haunted Lady

        I fear you may be right. It shall be brandy with a Jack back and devil take the hindmost!

        7:17 pm | September 7, 2012
  • lulu

    I promise to vote, take a couple of old-timers to the polls to vote too, then come home make a batch of cocktails and wait for Mr. Wow’s blow by blow description of the election returns.
    We all need to demand that everyone in elected positions city, state and nationwide learns the definition of compromise and begins the process before…

    5:53 pm | August 31, 2012
  • BabySnooks

    Ah, the wives. The Romneys are following the example of the Reagans and trying to present themselves as Ozzie and Harriet. I don’t think people will fall for that a second time…

    12:41 pm | September 1, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Baby…well, honestly, they all try to present themselves as this fairytale of  true and eternal love and a singular, similar (if not exact) vision.  Bleh.

       

      I still can’t get Anne Romney’s “I love you women!”  out of my head.

      7:57 pm | September 3, 2012
      • BabySnooks

        Well I’m voting for Roseanne Barr. She has better sense than to try to present herself as Harriet. And gave up on Ozzie after the last divorce.

        11:39 am | September 5, 2012
  • Scott

    Mr. wOw,

    You are not unlike the little boy who cries out: “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!”  As I know, and I expect you know from your own lived experience, daring to say so is fraught with consequence.  Therein, in part, lies the brilliance of your blog.

    Mad props to the commenters who opined that “Toddlers and Tiaras” should be against the law.  In my rarely humble opinion, Honey Boo Boo’s Mother ought to be… well, I won’t say it… That such shows exist, at all, causes me great anxiety — never mind U.S. politics.  Is there a bottom to stupidity?

    Although I’m from Canada (trust me, we have our own evil/scary/mean conservative PM), I fantasize that anyone even thinking of voting Republican in your next election would be tied down and forced to watch Aaron Sorkin’s anti Tea Party tirade from the season finale of the Newsroom (yes, I agree, the show is contrived, but still…).  I simply can’t believe that Romney could be elected your next President… but then I was dumbstruck that Bush won a second term (or, for that matter, a first).

    I’d love to meet you someday Mr. wOw.  If you would ever consider such a thing, I’m in NYC for a theatre weekend at the end of November — perhaps you’d let me entertain you for dinner or drinks at Joe Allen?

    6:32 am | September 3, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Scott…I know it is anti-American and anti freedom of speech and expression and all that,  but I wouldn’t mind seeing those “Toddlers. etc” parents jailed for abuse.  Forever.

      I’d like to take some comfort  in the fact that “Jersey Shore” has been canceled, but I tremble that new mom Snooki will have her own spin-off.   Unless she is already appearing in “Toddlers and Tiaras” and we just haven’t noticed?

      Look, I couldn’t believe  that Obama won–and I voted for him.  So anything is possible, including President Romney.  But I cling to some hope.

      Thanks for the invite, but I am still playing the Lottery, hoping for a life-transforming win, and then gathering all of you together for a  cross-country train ride.  More “Some Like It Hot” than “Murder On the Orient Express,” though I am open to dramatic scenes, stopping short of actual murder.  (Unless somebody begins to behave like Lauren Bacall.  The real-life Bacall. Then, go right  ahead. I’ll hand you the knife. )        

      But tell me what you see on your theater jaunt, and how you liked it.   Or didn’t.

      Best to you…Mr. W.

       

      8:16 pm | September 3, 2012
      • Scott

        Thanks for the morning giggle. 

        Although I just spent a magical four days in NYC at the end of July (notwithstanding the heat, I could have died happy after seeing Audra M. in The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess), I simply cannot resist returning to see Patti L. (I’m obsessed with her), rendered by Mamet as “a longtime inmate with ties to a violent
        political organization, who pleads for parole from the warden, played by
        elusive film star Debra Winger”.  Who could ask for more???

        It’s going to be an intense weekend — I’m also seeing Glengarry Glen Ross, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

        Keep your hope alive… Life for me is delicious at the moment, but it has not always been so.  Although my hope was never completely extinguished, it was reduced to a dim flicker for the better part of a decade…

        Be Well! S.

        4:19 am | September 4, 2012
        • How does The Mystery of Edwin Drood end?  Dickens died in the middle of writing it so the book just… stops.  And just when the reader’s mind is formulating all the possibilities.  Curious as to how they handle that for a stage production.  Surely someone must have speculated out an ending?

          4:50 pm | September 4, 2012
          • Scott

            From Broadway.Com:  “The Roundabout Theatre Company will produce the first-ever Broadway revival of the Tony-winning mystery musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
            This one-of-a-kind musical, based on the Charles Dickens novel of the
            same name, involves audience participation, which in turn determines a
            different outcome each night. The production brings together a bevy of
            Broadway favorites including the legendary Chita Rivera, the big voiced Stephanie J. Block, the charming Will Chase, as well as Andy KarlJessie Mueller, Jim Norton and Betsy Wolfe. Drood begins performances on October 19 at Studio 54.”

            4:45 am | September 5, 2012
      • rick gould

        Offering a moment of levity here,My favorite Lauren Bacall moments are in her commercials, where she enunciates oh-so-piss-elegantly “Fah-nnn-See Feast!” and those old High Point crystals coffee ads, where after showing us the life of a busy Broadway star, pours herself a cup of instant joe, takes a sip, and in a baritone moo, declares, “MMMMM…deep-brewed flay-vah!”But I don’t know if I would wanna be on a train with her…”Throw Mama Bacall From the Train?”

        1:46 am | September 5, 2012
  • lulu

    Have the television on ready to hear the Democratic Convention….Anxious to see if the Democrats state the facts, promote the accomplishments of the last four years and remind people why with Congress not willing to compromise everyone in USA suffered.  I have HOPE!!!!!

    6:26 pm | September 4, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    From Michelle Obama: “I didn’t watch Anne Romney’s speech.”

     

    Really?  Really , Michelle?  You want to win?  How about: “Of course I watched Mrs. Romney’s speech.  She was impressive. She is an incredible mother and partner to her husband.  I just think my husband is the better pick for  president.”

    Like she hasn’t dissembled  before? 

    7:31 pm | September 4, 2012
  • lulu

    So far I must say….nice tribute to Edward Kennedy, Nancy Keenan was very good, but Tammy Duckworth just knocked my socks off!!!!

    8:47 pm | September 4, 2012
    • Deirdre

      Lulu, I know I’m not supposed to but I do have a soft spot in my heart for Ted. Yes I know all his foibles and weaknesses but I still liked him.  Nancy Keenan spoke so beautifully and you are absolutely right Tammy Duckworth was a star. So far, so good. Let’s see if they can keep the energy up and the nastiness down.

      10:18 pm | September 4, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    I notice that FOX is resolutely not covering the Dem convention.  I mean, only in the sparest sense.  They are “awaiting” Michelle’s speech.

    9:57 pm | September 4, 2012
  • lulu

    well fear of the Democrats having a good opening night probably gave them……

    can tell you even my Republican friends are watching and calling me with OMG….this is a barn burner…..one said and Mitt was at his estate in Vermont today…..

    10:02 pm | September 4, 2012
  • Deirdre

    Enjoying Julian Castro. Someone to watch? I know he is preaching to the choir but he does sound and look good doing it.

    10:22 pm | September 4, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    Okay, they are kind of covering it now—with an annoying, distracting “news” crawl across the bottom of the screen.

    10:32 pm | September 4, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    Michelle, ma belle.  Honest, that was some fucking speech.   Let’s see if the hubby can match that!

    11:06 pm | September 4, 2012
    • lulu

      and you must admit…..her arms look good….lol

      11:08 pm | September 4, 2012
      • lulu

        can we urge B to say a word or two?????? he can say how you fretted, sweated, and….he needs to add to the fun…..Please!!

        11:16 pm | September 4, 2012
  • lulu

    Well even if the wife doesn’t matter….she did tonight!!!!

    11:07 pm | September 4, 2012
    • Deirdre

      Yep, her arms looked great (I am so jealous); even if wives don’t matter, she rocked and please let’s get a nugget or two from B!

      11:20 pm | September 4, 2012
  • Deirdre

    Michelle, you were incredible.  Talk about speaking from you heart. It may not be policy but it certainly is real and spoke to everyone with a very strong voice and belief in what she said. I have no problem with wealth; I only have a problem with people who don’t feel a need or responsibility to help those in true need.

    11:18 pm | September 4, 2012
    • lulu

      I agree….I have a feeling if they help those who work for them, who will be their staff in all their houses????

      11:28 pm | September 4, 2012
  • lulu

    well Michael Steel just said…Michelle gave a hell of a speech!!!!!!!!!!!!

    11:37 pm | September 4, 2012
  • Rho

    I agree, her speech was terrific.

     

     

    9:40 am | September 5, 2012
  • BabySnooks

    Wonderful speech. But all I could see were those $540 pair of Lanvin sneakers she wore to the “photo-op” at the food bank where there were lots of  women who couldn’t afford $5.40 for a pair of sneakers for their children at the resale shop. Michelle Obama talked about humility? Not in a pair of $540 pair of Lavin sneakers at a food bank. Dreadful woman.

    11:45 am | September 5, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    Julian Castro—now that was a fire-up-the-base keynote speech.  Not like Chris Christie’s bloated self-aggrandizing.  Castro’s going places.

    Ugh…late word.  Obama changed the language of the platform re the mention of God and the status of Jerusalem.  Obama “personally intervened” to change the language.  Alas, that begs the question–which many people of faith and Jews are asking today–how did he not personally intervene in the first place to make sure such awkwardness would not rear its head?

    Maybe he really doesn’t want a second term.

     

    6:49 pm | September 5, 2012
  • lulu

    It was Boo-Boo, but it is over and done.
    I love ‘Nuns on the Bus’!!!!
    and while it is boring I have discovered MyHabit.com which is part of Amazon…great sales!!! so I will shop and help the economy while I listen to the politics of the evening.

    9:11 pm | September 5, 2012
    • Deirdre

      Sr. Simone is just fabulous!  She and her fellow ‘sistahs’ are standing up to the church in big way.  I have followed them since the latest kerfuffle with the American Bishops and the Vatican started.  How any one of good conscience can say that these women who devote their lives to the poor and disenfranchised are not important to the Church is quite simply nuts.Have fun shopping Lulu.

      9:35 pm | September 5, 2012
      • lulu

        $450.00 pair of shoes for $50.00…..loving it!!!!
        and not just things for women….men, children, home….I may never go to a mall again….lol

        9:43 pm | September 5, 2012
        • BabySnooks

          Resale shops are fun. But I somehow doubt Michelle Obama bought her Lanvin sneakers at a resale shop.  I think she wanted to be like Jackie O. She came off more like Nancy R.

          11:35 am | September 7, 2012
          • lulu

            Love a good bargin…Am sure Michelle doesn’t hunt for bargains like I do.  Must say the shoes are brand new even came in manufacturers box.  Have no idea how Amazon and their new ‘outlet’ My Habit is pulling it off, but so far so good.

            7:54 pm | September 7, 2012
  • lulu

    Well President Clinton was amazing!!!
    He might have just made sure Obama wins.

    11:28 pm | September 5, 2012
    • Deirdre

      He certainly was. He had the entire arena and pretty much everyone at home mesmerized.  If he didn’t seal the deal, he came very close.

      7:56 am | September 6, 2012
    • maryburdt

      Hi Lulu,  I also love the website, My Habit,  great shopping and no charge for shipping.  A win, win.situation.
      Bill Clinton’s speech was a reminder of good times gone.  He definitely has his problems, but he is the fire that will bring voters to Obama.  Not to mention, laying out the case for the President’s performance over the last 36 months, clearly and deliberately. 
      Let’s do an election night blog.  It would be fun and I will have you to celebrate with.  I miss you all from o

      7:51 pm | September 12, 2012
  • lulu

    Am I the only Mr. Wow fan who watched Vice-President Biden and President Obama tonight????

    11:17 pm | September 6, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Lula–Well, I  watched.  Biden as much better than I anticipated,  I don’t care for his style, but within his limits, he was pretty good.  Nothing cringe-inducing.  Obama was strong but…no match for those who preceded him.  Castro, Mrs. O. Clinton.   Debates will be crucial.

      3:07 am | September 7, 2012
  • Deirdre

    Waited with my breath held for Joe to lose his grip and then he didn’t!! I think the President gave a wonderful speech and said all the things that needed to be said.  All in all I think a great case for his re-election has been made.  And as Mr. Wow already said, the debates will be crucial.

    8:38 am | September 7, 2012
  • Rho

    I watched.  Thought he did well.  Yep, the debates will be crucial.  I can’t wait until it’s all over in November.

    2:13 pm | September 7, 2012
    • Deirdre

      I am to Rho.  I want the President to be re-elected but I have had enough. I may change my mind in a few weeks but right now I have stopped responding to the extreme right wing stuff we hear all the time. Hoping I won’t feel like throwing anything at the television before election night. Wonder how long I’ll go, hehe!

      2:29 pm | September 7, 2012
      • Rho

        I really haven’t made my mind up.  I have a feeling I won’t until I go to vote.

        4:02 pm | September 7, 2012
  • lulu

    Hoping the debates will be true debates!!!!  Wish there was a backdrop behind the candidates stating the true,  important facts so they can’t tweak to suit their needs.  Then debate and answers should yes or no first and then the reason why.  Now that would be impressive, at least I think it would be.  I think we need another virtual trip in search of B and Mr. Wow to keep us from political depression!!!!

    4:41 pm | September 7, 2012
    • maryburdt

      I’m in!!!  I am still strung out from our last little trip, but to do this would be special.

      7:55 pm | September 12, 2012
  • Deirdre

    Mitt Romeny opens his mouth in protest before the complete story is known, criticizing the administration not waiting for the official news or response to the news from the Secretary of State or the President.  It is my opinion that no matter the party; no candidate should comment pro or con on these kinds of situations before the sitting administration.  In other words, shut up Mitt; you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.  Thoughts and prayers to the families, friends and colleagues of J. Christopher Stevens and Sean Smith as well as the two who died who haven’t been named.  Thank you for your service.

    8:03 pm | September 12, 2012
    • The State Dept employee who was IN the embassy in Cairo, surrounded by a
      crazy-ass, rok-throwing mob, and probably knowing that our consulate in
      Benghazi was already overrun and the Ambassador to Libya dead, might
      have just wanted to try to calm people down enough to not get EVERYONE
      friggin’ killed, or maybe another hostage crisis a la Teheran 1979. 

      Yes, Mitt:  STFU.

      5:21 pm | September 13, 2012
  • Deirdre

    Sorry, I meant Romney. You would think I could spell his name, he was the mostly absent governor in my home state of Massachusetts.

    8:05 pm | September 12, 2012
  • Deirdre

    Be at Peace, Glen Doherty of Winchester, Massachusetts, the third identified victim of the attack on Bhenghazi.  Sympathy and prayers to your family, friends and colleagues.

    5:45 pm | September 13, 2012
  • Rho

    I just want to wish all who celebrate, a very Happy Jewish New Year.  I’m off to my family now.

    2:22 pm | September 17, 2012
  • Mr. Wow

    September 18…

    I have to shut off the TV.  That is, it’s Garbo Day on TCM, so I’m in that zone today. I want to be alone-ish.   I am puking over the smug assumptions of Democrats and liberal pundits, frothing at the bit because of Mitt Romney’s secretly recorded remarks about the 47% of people who won’t vote for him because they feel “entitled” to government care.   So?  What did he say he hasn’t before, in one form or another?  More to the point, what did he say that the Republican base doesn’t agree with?  Just as Obama’s base agreed with his “clinging to guns and religion” secretly taped comment. 

     

    Dems better stop being so smug and sure of themselves and President Obama.   They need to resist being seduced by Republicans who publicly bemoan Romney and the state of his campaign.  This is a smokescreen, a tranquilizer to lull Democrats into believing Romney doesn’t have a chance.   He does!  Just wait until the debates.  Obama is not a great debater.  He’s not much an orator, either, unless he’s very well-rehearsed.   Wake up and smell the very, very close race.  

      It’s Obama who should be worried, what with the Middle East ablaze, and more soldiers dying in Afghanistan.  I like the way they act like that’s nothing, but Romney’s unsurprising remarks are  hot as a pistol. 

    Foolish, foolish Dems.  How sad you might be in November.  And tho I’ll be voting for O, I won’t deny it would give me some momentary pleasure to see all the faces at MSNBC fall that night, if he loses.   Then I’ll panic.  

     

     

    1:31 pm | September 18, 2012
  • lulu

    So happy to see you Mr. Wow…..I worked so missed the Greta Garbo day on TMC.  I’ve been watching anything on TV that has nothing to do with politics and it is such a pleasure not to hear the bs that floats out of the pundants on both sides.  I find I have less stress and smile more.  Like you I will vote and then either small or frown…don’t panic Mr. Wow…life will go on and whos knows you might win the lotto and then we’ll all have to take a train trip….tune the uke!!!!

    7:06 pm | September 18, 2012
  • Mr. Wow,

    Okay, but consider:  Obama has managed to end the Iraq War as promised.  Bin Laden was eliminated on his watch, and at some risk since he authorized jumping in without first notifying the Paks (SMART MOVE).  I’m not a fan of the form of “Obamacare” and think it’s misguided, but at least he DID something, and while swimming against a lot of hostility, too.  His administration has a plan to get out of Afghanistan by 2014 (too long in my opinion, and I don’t think we will accomplish what we wanted, but hey, credit for at least HAVING an exit plan… unlike some other CINC I can think of…).  All in all, for having stepped neck-deep into a shit-mound that someone left in the Oval Office, he hasn’t done too bad.  He’s probably shoveled out enough that it’s only waist-deep now.  I’m voting to give him more time on that.  But the mess is so huge that we just need to accept that it will probably be President 46 or 47 who gets the carpet cleaned.

    What concerns me about Romney: 

    1)  the most recent leaks and the campaign response just highlight a certain clumsiness, indecision and unpreparedness that I really don’t want translated into the Office of the President.  And yes, the content of that leak matters.  I know he was playing it up for that crowd, and that it’s a longstanding position, but it shows his contempt for a good 98% of the American public.  There are better ways to discuss the need to curtail entitlements.  Domestic policy FAIL.  

    2)  Zero foreign-policy capability.  I think his little three-country tour was intended to showcase his strengths (by association – hitting London during the Olympics), but all it did was point up a complete lack of diplomatic skill (insulted the Brits, insulted the Palestinians, conducted a foreign-soil fundraiser, for God’s sake, does no one see the problem here??, and his press secretary – who would likely be on the White House Staff – embarrassed himself in Poland.  Stop, Mitt.  Just stop. Your three-country tour turned into a bad episode of Gilligan’s Island.  Foreign policy FAIL. 

    And 3), yes, this woman is going to beat that tired old women’s-rights horse.  I cannot vote for a party which has an integral plank of denying women their reproductive rights, and has spent a good bit of effort at state level passing those retarded transvaginal-ultrasound laws.  Doonesbury ran an excellent series on that topic.  We know it struck home, because some papers refused to run it.

    9:51 pm | September 18, 2012
  • Lady Jayne

    Beautifully written, Lila, and right on the money. A man who doesn’t care about womens rights, or considers 47% of America to be lazy people with their hands out does not deserve to be President. How many people are on unemployment because Bain Capital made you millions to put them out of work? Also, how can someone with so much money hire such incompetent advisors? What choices would he make choosing a Cabinet? As he said in his infamous remarks, “we only listen to people who agree with us.” This man is dangerous.

    9:27 am | September 19, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lady Jayne…

       

      Yes, he’s dangerous.  Dangerous men have been elected to the presidency.  I want the Left to stop being so dismissive and recognize a TIGHT race.  Lots of people don’t care and don’t know that Mitt R. is dangerous.  They hate and fear Obama so much they’ll accept Romney’s danger. 

       

      I pray somebody really smart is coaching Obama on his debating style.  Lawyerly pauses and deep thinking hesitancy don’t fly.    And didn’t with me back when he was debating Hillary.

      And if Obama is re-elected?  I hope to hell he does a better job.

      4:52 pm | September 19, 2012
  • Rho

    Good to see you Mr. Wow.  I don’t talk politics on the Internet.

    9:58 am | September 19, 2012
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rho…Happy New Year, sweetie. 

      4:53 pm | September 19, 2012
  • Lauriate Roly.

    Dear Rho: 
    The same, from me !
    Wishing you a most happy New Year.. . . sweetie.
    Lauriate.

    6:50 pm | September 19, 2012
  • Rho

    Thanks for the good wishes for the New Year.

     

    9:34 am | September 20, 2012
  • Rho

    Hope this works

     

    12:01 pm | September 20, 2012
  • Rho

    my computer is on the fritz.

     

    12:02 pm | September 20, 2012
  • lulu

    Happy New Year to All!!!
    I tried to attach a joke but couldn’t get the picture to download….thought we all needed some levity!!!…. Picture Sarah Palin…See calls. Senator Liberman’s office.  “Hi this is Sarah Palin.  Is the Senator in?…..No, it’s Rosh Hashanah…..”Oh, I Rosh, could you take a message?”

    12:14 am | September 21, 2012
    • LandofLove

      That’s good!  🙂

      9:47 am | September 22, 2012
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