As IF Times

link Bill Clinton, Obamas New Secretary Of Explaining Stuff, Takes Show On Road : Its All Politics : NPR.

People can easily mistake what’s going on now on the U.S. political stage for resembling re-runs of Friends episodes.  Getting Bill to speak to the enamoured is not only smart, since he was much admired by them before, but also effective since they still think he’s a saint.   Apparently, unable to rally the faithful to the cause, the DNC brings back the old master with trumpets and rainbows, who earnestly endorses the White House incumbent.

This really makes very little difference to those “independents” who are wavering, but it does pick up the spirits of the legion who are already sold.  You can literally hear strains of Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” in the background…

“Now I think I’m going down to the well tonight and I’m going to drink till I get my fill

And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it but I probably will

Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of,

well time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of glory days ”

It’s political distraction at it’s best.  There is absolutely nothing that the incumbent can talk about which has been a success, so they bring out the entertainment.  It’s as if they were distracting a crying baby with a shiny thing on a string.  Hitching your faltering wagon to a shooting star is not a bad idea actually and the strategy is brilliant but expected.

What’s amusing though is Bill’s actual record. The narrative about Bill’s White House term has now morphed into 8 years of economic success and tranquil peace across the land.  The truth is at variance with this popular narrative.  As columnist John Stossel reveals in a recent column, the “Sainthood” conferred upon Clinton is revisionism at its best.  See here: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/12/exploding-myths-about-saint-bill-clinton/?cmpid=GoogleNewsEditorsPicks&google_editors_picks=true

The salient point is that Clinton was able to preside over a period of tranquility ONLY because he was forced by a Republican congress on economic policies.  Sort of like Christopher Columbus being given credit for discovering America, except for the fact that he was headed to China at the time and was just stopping for a bathroom break.  And come on, do people really believe it when Bill looks them in the eye and tells them something is the absolute truth?

link Gabby Douglas to Oprah: I was bullied, called slave during early gymnastics training in Virginia – NY Daily News.

There is a massive reality show potential here for anyone with the foresight to come up with it.  If only I had some connection to the reality TV show business.  The title of this new show will be coined, “The Special One”.  The premise of this show will be the search for that one individual who has lived life since birth without ever having had slights of any kind hurled against him.  No fatso, stinky, goofball, slowpoke, or dummy insults.  No slurs on his race, his sex, his sexual orientation, his physical deformity, his gap toothed grin, his slowness of wit, his lack of physical co-ordination or his Monty Python silly walk.  No one has ever commented on his height, or lack of height, his hair, or lack thereof.  He has never been the subject of ridicule for his lisp, his regional drawl, his double jointed thumbs, his unibrow or his lack of taste in clothing.

This person will have lived under the most benign of conditions having nothing but effusive praise and syrupy accolades heaped upon him his entire life.  Of course, this person will have achieved unbridled success in every thing he has touched, have self esteem like Muhammad Ali at a pre fight weigh in, is a friend to thousands and admired by all.  This person has never felt the sting of rejection, never been the subject of ostracism or profiling.  This person will have never shed a tear because someone didn’t valentine him when he was 6 or because he was picked last for a game of scrub.  This person  has only known rainbows and moonbeams and hears flutes and violins upon entering a room.

Can’t wait to see who the winner is.