Merry Christmas

Sure it will make your eyes bleed, but you can't stop watching Gunther's Christmas Song.

Shorter Lance

"Sure I was a lying jack-ass before, but this time it's different baby"

Apropos of posting

Atrios makes a good point that I think is phrased in a way that is easily misunderstood.

It's true that the high-information left isn't the group Democrats need to worry about in the mid-terms. But it also important to recognize that polls showing that disaffection with Obama is coming from his left means that it's the activists, new & young voters (many of whom are low information) who want more progressive policies. In fact, I'd argue that the evidence is that the low information voters are, on the whole, much more progressive than the average high information progressive. Further, they are much less forgiving; whereas a high information voter like myself may be frustrated by the lack of specific policies I feel are more effective than the watered down policies we get, the low information voter tends to grade on a pass/fail basis. Yet it seems that the obstructionist democrats and the Village don't really understand this point.

Electoral Strategery & 2 parties

There has been a lot of hand wringing lately over the percieved ineffectiveness of the Democratic Party to live up to the expectations of those that elected it.

This is evident in the dropping poll numbers of democrats across the board.

Many democratic voters from 2008 plan to sit out the election in 2010. I think this is understandable but ultimately ineffective as a strategy for pushing the democratic party left.

That said, I hae few solutions.

My take on the situation is this:

While media has little actual impact on the public in general (actual viewership for cable news is quite low) it does seem to be influential in the Village (insider speak for Washington Establishment media, consultants,etc) Much like CNBC isn't really a finance new network but rather a big talk-show that caters to and is mostly watched by the finance types it covers, the news networks (and talk radio) tend to be exercises in affirmation rather than programs seeking to deliver new information. Unfortunately, the Village seems to be vested in the idea that this is a center-right country and that any loss of support is by definition from the right.

This is despite the clear, factual evidence that most of the loss of support for Democrats across the board is actually from the left. In otherwards, the evidence is that we are in fact a center-left country with a very strong right wind. I count as evidence both polls as well as elections. Take the recent batch of special elections. The media would tell you it was great for Republicans, yet the total number of democrats in Congress increased by 2. And more to the point, the 2 big Republican wins were against Democrats running as centrists, aka Center-right politicians. And when you look at the democrats who are blocking healthcare reform it's Centrists. What's interesting is that they are also the democrats who are dragging down the generic democrat ballot. In otherwards, while they tack right their poll numbers *drop*.

The goal for progressives isn't to see Republicans win, but rather to see more Progressive senators and congressmen elected to replace the existing ones, Democrat or Republican. The catch 22 for progressive voters is that sitting out the election will likely be seen as a rebuke *from the right*. Firthermore, since Senate terms are 6 years electing a Republican to punish the democrats is not likely to result in a more progressive candidate in the near term because 6 years is.. well the long term in political years.

And while it's easy to be diappointed in Centrist democrats lets not make a false equivelence. Democrats are frustrating because they could do more. 10% unemployment sucks because we could do more. But not doing enough is a very different world from actually making things worse. Health Care will pass and it will be a painful bill that leaves a lot of important changes on the table. But the republicans wouldn't have any reform at all other than deregulation and givng more power to the bad actors.

I agree with Yglesias that the most effective way to improve the responsiveness of our politicians would be to a) elliminate the fillibuster (which was never used to block bills like it is by Republicans and creates a defacto 60% super majority requirement) and b) implement instant run-off voting.

We're gonna party likes it 1999...

Mrs. PruDog is out of town, PPuppy V.1 is off on an adventure. That leaves just me and PDaughter. Better hide the valuables cause we're gonna burn this damn town to the ground! Between 6-7p. We'll be watching Dragon Tales or napping the rest of the time.

Proud PruDad

PruPuppy 1.0 just completed his first Spinerval video: Recharge!

pain and suffering are for the weak

Because he could, Strangelover ruined me by calling me Fatty McFatterson and then putting a cupcake on the back of him seatpost so I'd chase him uphill Sunday. What a jerk!

On the otherhand, Trish was being a good team-mate which allowed me to attack her mercilessly. Bailey -1!

Positive Outcomes

This week I learned that Sam Johnson writes in a very efficient and logically tight fashion. Unlike myself, who thinks in a very efficient and logically tight fashion but is unable to write because my kids think it's funny to through things at me when I am at the computer.

More Kenny Blogging

I haven't seen this online but Lang sent it to the wsba listserv so I assume it's ok to post. Lang, if not let me know and I'll remove it. I'm posting it because I think it's well written and is a needed counterpoint to the really disappointing responses, especially the one from Phil Miller. How is someone who cheated and honroable person?

I sent my response to Kenny's apology to the WSBA list yesterday. For some reason it hasn't gone through yet. Here is what I wrote.
--------------------------------------------

To all,
I'm surprised and disappointed by this news. I'm disappointed in Kenny and maybe even more disappointed in the responses to his apology. Phil in particular, as a "UCI commissaire," I am deeply disturbed by your response. In his email Kenny admits taking a banned substance (DHEA). He admits purchasing and using this substance of his own volition. He knew exactly what he was doing and he knew it was against the rules (in a well-publicized incident in April, Tyler Hamilton tested positive for DHEA).

So let's be honest - he cheated. He got caught, and apologized only after getting caught. The fact that he admitted several months after the fact and when faced with the positive test is disingenuous at best. I suppose in some pseudo-morality twisted by the previous transgressions of other cheating athletes it is better than denying you have cheated, but in reality cheating is never acceptable.

For those who choose to take banned substances there must be appropriate consequences. Immediate acceptance back into the fold simply for apologizing (after getting caught) is not appropriate. In addition to the two national championships he won in August, Kenny has taken something away from the countless clean athletes who work as hard as possible every day and destroy themselves in races to achieve the best of their ability, something essential to this sport that cannot be given back. Doping in cycling cannot continue and must not be tolerated to any extent.

Scott, you speak of "fairness" and Phil of "honor." It's incredibly offensive that you would use these terms in response to a doping violation; neither fairness nor honor are served by anything about this hollow post facto apology.

Kenny, as a person I wish you all the best. As an athlete, I cannot accept your violation of the privilege of competition.

Lang Reynolds

Speaking of dicks

I hate Coach Troy.

Let's be honest..

Ok, so now that the news is out I'll wade into the subject of Kenny Williams, doping, apologies, etc a little less obtusely.

First off, I am somewhat surprised by the general "Kenny we love you it's no big deal" position a lot of people have taken.

I think a couple points are worth tackling here.

1. "Kenny's a great guy and as a result we should forgve him" Ummm... does that mean that if we take a poll and it turns out most people hate Kenny then we should hold him out as worse than Hitler? I don't see how whether or not I like Kenny or think he's a good guy relates to whether or not he should be forgiven by the cycling community. His crime wasn't against me personally. And let's be honest, a lot of people don't like Kenny.

2. The test was voluntary so that implies... well I am not sure what that is meant to imply since he has admitted he doped intentionally. And the test wasn't voluntary... it was mandatory if you wanted credt for your record. So yes, I suppose it was technically voluntary but in the same sense a breathilizer test is voluntary... you can refuse but they'll suspend your licence if you do.

3. "I trust him". Well good for you. A hell of a lot of us don't and have been suspicious for years. I could use vague language and pretend like it's other people. But I am not going to hide. I don't believe him when he says it's the first time. I thought he was juiced back in the early 90's when I first met him on a training ride with Eric Paige. That said, no one but Kenny knows for sure so trust is not really relevent.

All that said, I do appreciate his apology and think he should get credit for not getting someone to write something a lot more polished and professional. I also think that his ban should be shorter because he fessed up. Otherwise there is no incentive to do so.

And I am also not going to work up any faux outrage about his stealing wins from me. I've joked about wanting my Seward Park water bottles but at the end of the day I don't really care whether Kenny cost me a win because he cheated (probably because I always suspected he did). Maybe it's because I know plenty of local riders who were also juiced (by their own admission) so I never had any real illusion of purity. But that's not relevent either. The bottom line is I am not going to personally think less of Kenny. But on the otherhand I am not going to be sympathetic to him or act like it's ok either.

Actually I changed my mind I want my PowerBar water bottle prime from SIR circa 1997. You know the one Kenny.

Update: I am not the only one surprised by the Kenny love.

Local Pro

Forget the doping, when did Kenny become a professional cyclist and why didn't anyone tell me?

The real injustice

What the hell am I supposed to do now with all those "I Believe Kenny" T-shirts I bought?