Monkey Rank

I've got to agree with Joshua Micah Marshall on this one. I had never considered monkey rank, either.



The rhetorical style used in Presidential debates is absolutely painful. Rather than try to develop a coherent thought, the preference is for rapid-fire, vaguely related factoids. A typical exchange on domestic policy is structured as follows:

Obama: Healthcare factoid, Employment factoid, Energy independence.

McCain: Factoid about Obama's voting record on taxes, spoken in accusatory tone of voice.

Obama: Unrelated factoid about John McCain's policy proposals

McCain: Wistful, rambling old-man story, followed by a one-liner that felt tired when he used it 3 minutes ago.

I'm sure there must be some polling data or focus group report supporting this tactic (or is it a strategy? this is a very important distinction.), but it's mystifying to me. In this debate, the candidates were even given more time to talk out their answers. But they didn't use this time to narrate clear arguments about the economy or their policies, they just ran out the clock cramming as many little semi-related tidbits as they could.

I'm not a swing voter so maybe this appeals to them? Or is it directed more towards the media, with their need for five second clips and their constant refrain about needing more "specifics"?

Things seemed to be getting better when they turned to foreign policy, but then NPR's streaming audio cut out.


Also: when did we collectively decide to forget that John McCain was, as recently as this morning, bizarrely threatening to not show up for the debates? It wasn't that long ago!

Wall street, my heart weeps for you.

“I talked to one guy who had to give up his private jet recently. And he said of all the trials in his life, giving that up was the hardest thing he’s ever done.”

We live in interesting times

A week or so ago, Sarah Palin, trying to sound tough in an interview, said that we might have to go to war with Russia.

Today, we find out that the United States is in some sort of cold war against Spain (along, apparently, with most of Latin America) because John McCain forgot what Spain was during an interview.


If these two assholes end up winning the election, we're in for an interesting few years.


Meanwhile, the Bush administration nationalized a huge chunk of the insurance industry? Don't they give stern lectures and withhold loans from countries who pull shit like that?


What the fuck is going on here? I've never seen it this crazy.