Frank Luntz, hurting my head

* Frank Luntz, hurting my head:

"Democracy is at its best when its practioners use language to unite and explain rather than divide and attack. The blogs from the Left and the Right be damned, the real center of America is upset but not bitter, anxious but not fearful, restless but not unforgiving.

For two years the Republican Party was adrift in meaningless messaging to support meaningless reform - and have communicated absolutely nothing for the past three months. By comparison, the Democrat majority that took Congress in November was remarkably disciplined and effective in promoting change, reform, and accountability in the weeks following their historic election.

But alas, power does strange things to Democrats: put a gavel in their hands and a camera in their face and they revert to the name-calling that kept them from the majority for a dozen long years. Sure, it's easy to land rhetorical jabs on a staggering opponent - but that doesn't make it effective. The message from the electorate in November was 'work together and compromise.' You need only look at the incumbent governor of California who won a lopsided landslide in an otherwise Democratic sweep. Cooperation works. Compromise wins. But over-heated rhetoric says to the world that you are no different - and no better - than what you replaced."

* josh points to this stupid op-ed by liz cheney in wapo:

"America deserves better. It's time for everyone -- Republicans and Democrats -- to stop trying to find ways for America to quit. Victory is the only option. We must have the fortitude and the courage to do what it takes. In the words of Winston Churchill, we must deserve victory.

We must be in it to win."

yada yada. but a) wapo actually uses links in it's piece - woohoo - and b)wapo will give op-ed space to people to argue that 'jeebus-christ, these people are outta their minds' - right? right?

* chris:

Former head of FEMA, Michael Brown, is now revealing some of the things that went on behind the scenes at the White House concerning the Government's response to Hurricane Katrina. During, and for a good while after, Brown (or, as many will always remember the nickname Bush gave him when he said "Brownie, your doing a heck of a job") took almost all the heat for the Government's slow response to the costliest Hurricane to ever hit the United States and absolutely demolish New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast. Brownie seems not to be near as bad as even I thought he was (although I still don't see how being President of the Arabian Horse Association makes you qualified to run FEMA, but that blame ultimately lies with Bush), and he wants us ALL to know what really happened, here is what he had to say:

"Unbeknownst to me, certain people in the White House were thinking we had to federalize Louisiana because she's a white, female Democratic governor and we have a chance to rub her nose in it."

As expected, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco fired back with a very appropriate response to Brown's allegations (I use that word because, surprise, the White House is denying his version of events, and we all know how trust worthy the White House is, they'd never lie to us about anything):

"This is exactly what we were living but could not bring ourselves to believe. Karl Rove was playing politics while our people were dying," Blanco said through a spokeswoman, referring to President Bush's top political strategist. "The federal effort was delayed, and now the public knows why. It's disgusting."

I could be wrong, but I have a strange feeling Brownie is not finish telling everything he knows (and/or has found out since he was made the scapegoat), although he may be saving it for a tell-all book, but either way, I can't wait to hear what else he has to offer. Go here for the complete story from the MSM.

there was definitely some weird shit going on at time, i'm (still) particularly interested in the meeting on AF1. it wasnt just 'local politics' - there was also some very weird posse comitatus shit going on.