The Michael Canfield Channel

Finally, my turn to vote!

Movie and television non-reviews

I don't do shaky-cam so I won't be spending ten bucks on Cloverfield.

I did see Cassandra's Dream which was slow. Felt as if Allen only made it because he makes one movie after another. Like he didn't know what else to do in London (where the money comes from now) she he put on another existential murder drama. Very weak compared to the Highsmith-esque Match Point, but still much stronger than his last five or six comedies. When did you ever think that would happen: new Woody Allen film? At least it isn't a comedy.

Just watch The Wire on television. When that series end in two months, disconnect your cable and sell your TV on craiglist for $20, like I'm going to do. There will not be a better show in this generation. It's over. Seriously.

PETA kill rate

[snip]

An official report from People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), submitted nine months after a Virginia government agency's deadline, shows that the animal rights group put to death more than 97 percent of the dogs, cats, and other pets it took in for adoption in 2006. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 12 pets.

[snip]

According to Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in the state was just 34.7 percent in 2006.

Link.

Nevada Teacher's union tries to block in-casino caucusing

Which would hurt Obama and voters in the Obama-endorsing Culinary Workers Union. Clinton's side seems to think that voter suppression works to their advantage. How Republican of them.

via Sullivan.

Moyers on "predator of the hour" Murdoch

Bill

I guess I'm not doing so good putting the election aside yet. I read about the Clinton camp's tactics and here's how I feel:

This week I've gone from thinking the Bill Clinton was a great man with some character flaws, to feeling more like he is a ruthless machiavellian who managed to balance the budget back in his day.

Maybe this is what it takes to win, and the Clintons, having been the recipients of so much Republican anger and abuse over the years, just happen to know this better than anyone. I used to wonder how McCain could stomach working with W. all these years. Now I'm starting to get it. I thought we were better than that over here, but nope, we really aren't. I hope something is left of this party after Bill finishes putting the boot to Obama. But right now I think the party will end up divided against itself in a way that will make the red/blue state (and even the Republican neocon/evangelical divide) look like pillow fights. That is some legacy you got going here Bill!

Update

Feeling a bit better today. Maybe it's time to get off the roller coaster for awhile.

Steinem says "A woman is never the front runner," but it isn't true. A Clinton is always the front runner.

Since I've been following the election non-stop the last 24 hours, and found myself repeatedly posting to the Huffington Post, I figured why not use the same content here as well, and expose how my momentary flirtation with optimism way back on January 3rd and document a gradual return to my usual (since November 2004 anyway) cynicism. I suppose I really should just shut up, as any questioning of Clinton or (heaven forfend) support of a rival candidate, brings with it an accusation of sexism, or -- even worse -- idealism, from the Clinton faithful, the primary is going to get increasing ugly and divisive in the months to come. The Clinton's will do anything to win, least of all, alienate old Bill fans like me, who can only look on in disgust at the swift-boat style attacks on Obama. Obama will have to follow suit to stay in the race. I can't totally blame the Clinton's, who after all, had their swords forged in the fires of the culture wars, learning from their Republican enemies even as they defeated all comers. I can't blame them, will probably even end up holding my nose and voting for Senator Clinton in November, but I can't be proud of them either. Fearmongering, misstating your opponents record, while adopting all his or her winning ideas, casting yourself as the underdog even though you have every advantage, these are time-tested winning strategies in American politics, now for the Democrats as much as the Republicans. Lucky us.

Or maybe it will turn out a little better that I expect, and I can look back on this day and laugh. Yeah.

I'm using kwout here, which is a great page capture program, retaining working weblinks. All links in green are the titles of the original Huffington Post blog entries I commented on. Notice the high number of pro-Clinton posts that accuse the HuffPo of pro-Obama bias. I am guilty of favoring Obama is well, so I guess that is why I like it over there. Older posts appear at the bottom:

Link.

And, for the record, I no longer believe that Clinton's "misty" moment were actually "crocodile tears" as I stated in a weak and vindictive slip in the comment above. I believe her emotion was sincere and not a Nixonian ploy. However, I still retain the impression that she was mourning her own candidacy there, though it was widely interpreted as evidence of how deeply she believes in the stakes of the election. If THAT interpretation is accurate, then she must really believe that Obama and Edwards are as bad as the Republicans.

"I" is "we"

Clinton in delivering her acceptance speech, and she's deftly changed from the Clintonian "I, I, I" she much observed by the media into a winning "We." How does she know it's a winning pronoun? She saw it work for Obama is how. She's the change candidate now, having previously discovered (also from Obama) that change is what people want. Damn these Clinton's are good. Never dare stand against them.

On the plus side, now that Clinton is back in the lead, maybe she will refrain for a full out onslaught against Obama's character. Maybe the 527 will remain on hold for now.

It's official, Republican tactics work

Crocodile tears + Rove/Guliani -style fear-mongering + swiftboating + cynicism + Bradley Effect = A three-point victory in N.H.

Congratulations Clintons.