Specter: The Great Political Survivor
Arlen Specter’s move to the Democrats is only fitting since the Republic right has been trying to send him packing for years. But what a survivor!
Specter was proclaimed politically through in 1973 when he was voted out as DA. Seven years later, he was elected to the Senate. Since that time the hard line Republican “righties” have thrown everything they can at him: personal attacks, well-financed candidates and the portrayal of Specter as a left winger, which he is certainly not.
Specter is a Senator of rare courage who will tell his party what he thinks. He rarely votes party lines, and is considered the last great independent thinker in the U.S. Senate. He has fought back major health crises. The man is tough and sometimes angry, but he’s not afraid to committ.
I’ve covered him since 1966, and I’ve never ceased to be amazed his resiliency and defiance, in the wake of political threats, from the White House on down.
With Arlen Specter – what you see is what you get: tough, determined and willing to argue the good argument. What you won’t get, whether you like it or not, is politics as usual.
Comments(164)
Amen!
Only a snake can bend in more directions than Mr. Specter.
1st kudos for changing blog topic.
Other than several ill advised crusades (such as the recent NFL vs the Patriots) over the years, Snarlen Arlen has been about the only bright light representing PA in the last 50 years. And please don’t bring up the Caseys, Fast Eddie or boy wonder Josh. And any connection with Wilmington Joe Biden ended years ago.
Snarlen Arlen, we salute you!
Arlen does have the courage of his convictions. I saw him speak at a Federalist Society event a few years ago. Some of the conservatives in the crowd were quite rude to him, much like the massive smear campaign Steele and the GOP have launched against him, which only confirms Specter’s complaint that the GOP has become a right-wing party that has no room for moderates (or anyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh for that matter).
I expect we’ll see more of those attacks here, and they’ll further confirm that the GOP is now the party of extremely bitter white folk.
Leo-You should just admit that that’s your default position.
I don’t follow. Are you threatening me? I’m distressed.
In fact, I voted for Specter over Hoeffel, Josh Shapiro’s ol’ boss man.
In his statement, Senator Spector’s main complaint against the GOP was his votes on the stimulus packages. Why does he call himself a moderate when he cannot even be conservative on fiscal issues? These bills have plunged us hundreds of billions more in debt. I am afraid I must disagree with you Larry. Sen. Spector showed no courage in this matter.
As for you Leo, I am a hispanic from Arizona and I vote GOP where 30 percent of other hispanics voted GOP in the last election so knock it off with the GOP stereotypes.
Efrem, they aren’t stereotypes. It’s the shape of the GOP, which is doing what it can to police out anyone who isn’t a “true believer.” If McCain could only pull 30% of the hispanic vote in his home state, it only demonstrates how poorly the GOP represents their interests.
The GOP litany on the stimulus is laughable and is coming from people who cannot credibly make the complaint after spending us into massive debt. The GOP offered no reasonable alternative on the stimulus bill. The GOP spent lavishly for a number of years under Bush and, through their wasteful spending, failed deregulation, and imprudent policies put the whole country in a mess. Obama’s stimulus is not entirely disssimilar to what Reagan did in the 1980s, when he ran up the debt massively to get the economy moving. Of course, the GOP never talks about Reagan being a massive deficit spender, especially when it can’t figure out any legitimate way of attacking Obama. And now their frothing is driving their few moderates away. I hope Gingrich or Palin gets the nomination next cycle. That will be amusing.
moolB:
Who says I backed Bush on his deficit spending? I am in the Ron Paul camp where we should not have gone into Iraq in the first place. To excuse Obama by pointing at Bush does not justify the massive deficit spending that has come down the pike. Bush tried to like LBJ in pleasing both sides when in reality he pleased neither.
“Extremely bitter white folk”
Only a pissant left wing uber slob would attack a vibrant hard working group of people that pay their taxes, and volunteer their time and effort to help out others not as fortunate. Uber slob wants the government to handle all our problems. Specter has been a Senator for almost 30 years and just what exactly has he accomplished, other than maintaining business as usual. Specter had a front row seat to all that ails the country today. Did he call for oversight to financial institution? Did he work on getting a National Health care policy? Illegal immigration? Companies moving their work forces overseas? The Energy Crisis? No Specter was upset that the New England Patriots were spying on the Eagles…. What a Maroooon
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/opinion/29snowe.html?_r=1
Tell it to left wing uber slob Olympia Snowe, Ed.
Ed, your characteriztion of the GOP as a “vibrant hard working group of people that pay their taxes, and volunteer their time and effort to help out others not as fortunate” made me chuckle. Thanks for that.
MoolB
Senator Snowe stated that we should heed the words of Reagan when he said:
“We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty.”
Specter’s stimulus votes certainly didn’t ring of restrained spending. What a hypocrite Snowe is for she voted for that stuff as well. How can we be pro-growth when the Dems fob their cap and trade nonsense onto our country and that they raise corporate taxes in states like California? Make no mistake the corporations don’t pay for the taxes, we do in the form of higher prices. Maximum individual liberty? Not when the Dems try limit my freedoms to hold firearms. Maybe Governor Perry of Texas and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe have some interesting points.
Safe and alive in Cancun. I wanted to relay a story about my pal Leo and I. For weeks Leo has been after me to meet him in the market area near Philbert in the Reading Terminal. First of all, Leo should realize that I’m sworn of pig and pig byproducts. Hello. So I agree to meet him by Hershels East Side Deli. Maybe a nice Rueben. Certainly Leo will be buying. Being the big shot that he must be. So I ride SEPTA into Center City and walk over to the RTM. I walk over to Hershels looking for Leo. He is standing out in front of Hershels. Not what I expected. He looked very much like Willie from Alf. Sounded very much like him as well. Turns out he’s a 55 year old retired IRS employee. Early retirement. Double dipping. Now volunteering at his local library. Nice enough guy. After we exchange the normal pleasantries Leo starts in with his free air schtick. I told him enough already with the free air campaign. I was just making a comment about how outrageous it was that gas stations were charging $3 a gallon for gas and $.75 for air to boot. He kept going on and on and on. He can be like a broken record but most of you have figured that out by now. Attempting to valid his ideas and opinions with links to the Huffington Press and such. Oh brother. So he says he has free time to spearhead the free air campaign and volunteers his serves. What do I say to this guy? I told him I already had someone in mind but I’d consider it. He asked who so I said George. He became very indignant at that point. I realized I would be buying my own Rueben that day. He went on to rant about George being everything that is wrong with my website. I told him George pushed the envelope to the right with each new blog but I found his dialogue to be open and honest albeit generally over the top. Leo shreeked with dismay at my characterization of George. He went on to say that he and I were the only professionals and the rest of the socket puppet crew were nincompoops. He ask me to block out all the right wing nutjobs. I almost gagged on my Rueben at that point. In an effort to appease Leo I offered him the title of Free Air Czar and told him to run with it. Oh brother! We went our separate ways. Me back to my Rittenhouse condo and Leo back to who knows where. I do suspect he’s having a super hero outfit made for himself. Captain Free Air. No doubt a tight fitting knit jumpsuit with a flap for his nozzle. Look for him at your local gas station. Let him know if his nozzle is showing.
In fact, I do have a superhero outfit. I wear it in the sack with Ed. They call me the “Tower of Power.” I get my strength and stamina from Barney “Beans &” Frank
Oh boy, has anyone informed Leo that the election is over? No need to be nasty and snide anymore. No need to sterotype conservatives as “bitter white people”.
Apart from his racist overtones, Leo has contempt for hard working caucasians who might own a gun and are not as educated and enlighted as he beleives hiself to be.
Thank you Efram ,I see you know how to stand up to a bully like Leo, and your well developed ideas are valued by many of us.
It’s a fact that Republicans give more to charity than do Democrats. Conservaive Christian charities along with Catholic Charites has done more to rebuld homes in New Orleans after katrina than any liberal group has done. White Conservative Christians in general pay their taxes and cortibute hard working self suffucuent children to society, who in turn get eduacated at their parents expense and go on to contribute to society and by paying their share of taxes and working through their churches to help those less fortunate. Leo does not beleive in God, so it would follow that he does not attend church and is perhaps unaware of the good charible work done by Christian faith based charities. Everywhere from prisons, to soup kitchens, to nursing homes, to homes for runaway teens,to safe houses for abused woman, conservative chritian groups are there. Leo just doesn’t know that because he is not involved with such charties, so maybe you guys should cut him some slack.
You know if Larry Kane had one ounce of gray matter left in his head he would have to question why an 80 year old man who at one point in his life, (not that long ago) was given 6 months to live would even run for the Senate.
Arlen your time is up. Give some one else a turn.
Larry, I understand your pride in Arlen Spector, much like many Catholic’s have toward the Kennedy’s. But as a journalist you should probably try to objectively critique him. In your 40 plus years of covering Spector, is there one thing that he has done that you do not agree with, or that he could have done better? i,e. in your view, has Spector ever been on the wrong side of any issue in 40+ years??
Larry you ought to get a job on the History Channel. You are so out of touch with reality that mocking you is no longer fun. Yeah it’s nice to look back on Specter as a survivor, yet it’s the future that’s important. If you gave a darn about the people that read your column then you would have to factor in Specter’s age and physical problems. Thanks Larry but no thanks to your reporting. I’m finally realizing that you are less than forthright in your blog. You use this site as a marketing tool for your publications and to reminisce about your crony friends….
George you must have been reading my mind……..
Nice attempt to sock puppet me at 16.
Anyway, “Efrem,” you completely ignored the fact that Reagan ran up deficits that were similar to those run up by Obama’s stimulus bill, yet without quite the same dire potential collapse of the financial system facing him. Obama also gave a larger middle class tax break than Reagan ever did. So, by that measure, who is the better adherent to the values espoused by the GOP when they’re not in power?
I laugh at people who term me a “bully” when, in fact, it’s the bullies who have been squeezed into the margin and who are frothing and lashing out from the right, from Fox News and Limbaugh, etc., et al., ad nauseam. It’s a strategy that doesn’t hold water with the vast majority of the American people, and it’s why the GOP is on the wane.
Also, it is so refreshing to be able to tune in to an unscripted presidential presentation and hear an intelligent, thoughtful, and articulate message from the commander in chief. After eight years of semi-literate hee haw from the Oval Office, it’s a nice change.
Don’t blame me for this swine flu. It’s a bad rap a bad rap I tell ya. This Mexican flu is not my peo.. er my porcine friends fault. My God you can’t even drink the water down there without getting Montezuma’s revenge.
It figures that the end of life as we know it would come from our “friends” from the south. They’ve invaded our borders and now they are bringing a disease that has the potential to eradicate our population. Thank you liberal do gooders.
Hey Sam, remember the Alamo! Do you want to buy a vowel?
To all those saying that Snarlin Arlen show throw in the towel and retire to the dog track, who would you prefer as his replacement? Larry has made it clear who he would like to see. What about the rest of you? Tom Freakin Ridge?
While Chris Mathews seems like a bad idea and Tom Ridge is off making millions selling duct tape to corporations as he disguises himself as a security expert, I would like to nominate Larry Kane for the position. He’s not doing anything at the moment and I think his fence straddling position on every issue would fit quite nicely in the Senate.
On the other hand I would also like to nominate Larry Kaighn.
Isn’t it a shame that the left just can’t let go of George Bush….
How about Robert Archie ? I understand he’s interested in breaking into politics & he’s not the type to start at the bottom.Hey,if Obama can be elected prez with little experience….just sayin’.
Ed, America can’t let go of Bush II the way that the GOP can’t let go of their mythical version of Reagan (i.e., the one where he unifies church and state while slashing taxes, defeating communism, and generating balanced budgets). Only Bush II decidedly wears a black hat in the memory 80% of Americans have of him.
Larry, I’m interested in a Josh Shapiro update. What’s his next move now that there’s a major roadblock in his path to the Senate? Will he start frothing about social decline and “man on dog” action and run as a Republican against Toomey?
Also, did you see that Mel Gibson dumped his wife of many years for a bag of antlers?
Leo, Ronald Reagan was the most unifying President of the 20th century. He had conviction and a vision. You can argue that he took over after the worst President of the 20th century, but there is no denying his success in many areas. Sounds to me that you have the mythical version of the Reagan years, not the GOP. You are in denial because the Democrats have sent a litany of complete loser candidates up against the GOP since 1968 and suffered the consequences. Dukakis? Kerry? Gore? Mondale? Even WJ Clinton was a bad choice who happened to win. You can only hope that your pal Obie is half as successful as Reagan. You can bash Bush II but he got re-elected. Will Obie? Hmmm…
YFAP, how about Andy Reid, Charlie Manual or Charles Barkley? Lynn Swann was talking about a run with the GOP. Where is he on that?
I think it’s time to run non-career politicians for a better chance of winning. People are looking for a fresh change not just 6 more years of the same partisan gridlock.
oooj, your broad statements about Reagan are without factual support. He increased the national debt more than any president other than Bush II, especially when you take GDP into consideration. I’m not in denial, and I don’t state that Reagan was a failure; to the contrary, I’m simply pointing out that his actual presidency is not what the GOP has created as an often counterfactual myth about him. I’m pointing out that more people remember him as wearing a white hat. (Honestly, the dem candidates have nothing to do with the point I was making.) However, the GOP moved away from his message and embraced the politics of Rove and Limbaugh, which uses wedge issues and inflexible ideology to seize power (and which relies on a counterfactual mythical view of how Reagan governed and came to be popular — he’s not Sarah Palin). The people have overwhelmingly rejected those politics, yet the GOP is running faster in that direction. That’s the point. That’s why they lose Specter. That’s why they marginalize their own moderates. That’s why they won’t be the majority party again anytime soon. That’s why they’re the party attracting the nutty teabaggers.
MoolB:
Let’s have some historical background on the Reagan years. I read a biography on Tip O’Neill and his years in dealing with the Reagan administration. In it he stated that he sucessfully led the effort to block many of Reagan’s spending cuts during his first term. I recall a quote by O’Neill that stated that many of Reagan’s budgets were “dead on arrival.” Hence Reagan’s reluctance to control spending. As for the budgets themselves while I did not approve of the deficit spending; the bulk of it was for defense, not for “economic stimulus” like today.
As for your statement about Obama’s middle class tax cuts, how can he sustained such cuts in light of the fact that he has saddled us with a $3 trillion-plus budget? As Scotty from “Thing from Another World” stated “the mind boggles.”
As president, Reagan implemented bold new political and economic initiatives. His supply-side economic policies, dubbed “Reaganomics,” included deregulation and substantial tax cuts implemented in 1981. In his first term he survived an assassination attempt, took a hard line against organized labor, and ordered military actions in Grenada. He was reelected in a landslide in 1984. His second term was primarily marked by foreign matters, namely the ending of the Cold War, the bombing of Libya, and the revelation of the Iran-Contra affair. The president had previously ordered a massive military buildup in an arms race with the Soviet Union, forgoing the strategy of détente. He publicly described the USSR as an “evil empire” and supported anti-Communist movements worldwide. He negotiated with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, resulting in the INF Treaty and the decrease of both countries’ nuclear arsenals.
When Reagan entered office, the United States inflation rate stood at 11.83% and unemployment at 7.5%. Reagan implemented policies based on supply-side economics and advocated a classical liberal and laissez-faire philosophy, seeking to stimulate the economy with large, across-the-board tax cuts. Citing the economic theories of Arthur Laffer, Reagan promoted the proposed tax cuts as potentially stimulating the economy enough to expand the tax base, offsetting the revenue loss due to reduced rates of taxation, a theory that entered political discussion as the Laffer curve.
“Efrem,”
1) Reagan still signed those budgets into law. Whether Tip O’Neill successfully lobbied him to sign budget legislation is besides the point. On his watch, the federal deficit exploded while he also cut taxes. In fact, Reagan was fairly moderate on social security, immigration, etc., unlike Republican posterity.
2) The Obama tax cuts are sustainable because the middle class doesn’t pay the lion’s share of taxes in absolute terms. The very wealthy do pay more — and I do think they should since they’re the ones who benefit most from the social peace and stability that government programs buy them in our civilization. His budget for this year is a one-off thing given the economic crisis the nation faced. Don’t forget what he was handed, or that Bush set up TARP with nearly $1 trillion. Also, don’t forget that Bush cut taxes temporarily and then borrowed tons of money from China and foreign central banks to make up for the shortfalls in his GOP budgets in what was effectively a transfer of wealth to the very wealthy. He spent hundreds of billions on an ill-advised invasion of a sovereign nation that had no WMD capability. Trying to level criticisms at Obama for taking spending measures to try to stem off depression (unlike Herbert Hoover or the GOP’s only offering — more corporate tax cuts, which mean nothing when companies are making losses, not profits — is Chrysler paying taxes on profits? Nope. The marginal rate doesn’t matter much when you don’t have profits) is disingenuous and demonstrates just how bankrupt the current GOP leadership is in the big ideas/actual leadership department.
p.s. Under the current GOP leadership’s approach, Reagan would be termed a turncoat socialist/communist/fascist for signing such spending legislation as he did. Reagan was popular because he wasn’t a hard line ideologue — he could compromise and reach across the aisle, unlike his heirs in the GOP.
It’s my party to. We are adrift from Reagan’s moderate message.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/opinion/30whitman.html?_r=1
Does not compute. Does not compute.
MoolB:
Let me state once again that I did not approve of Bush’s foray into Iraq and his increased in social spending via No Child Left Behind and the Persrciption drug benefit program. As for the top tax earners have to pay their “fair share” who produces the jobs in this country? It certainly is not the middle class.
As for leveling criticism on Obama for his spending us out of the depression, don’t you read history? FDR promised in 1932 that he would CUT spending as Hoover increased total spending in the 1930 through 1932 fiscal years to stem the depression. Once FDR came into power, spending went through the roof and yet the economy went moribund for the entire decade with double-digit unemployment rate until the War. I just love it when Obama tells us to buy a Chrysler to help it out of bankruptcy. No thanks I like my Hynudai just fine. And what is Obama gonna do, reimpose Smoot-Hawley and throw us into deeper depression?
From the 1932 Democratic platform MoolB:
“We advocate an immediate and drastic reduction of governmental expenditures by abolishing useless commissions and offices, consolidating departments and bureaus, and eliminating extravagance to accomplish a saving of not less than twenty-five per cent in the cost of the Federal Government. And we call upon the Democratic Party in the states to make a zealous effort to achieve a proportionate result.”
“Efrem,”
The U.S. economy was back to pre-depression levels of production, etc., by the mid-1930s. Moreover, governmental spending (not private spending or tax cuts) increased massively and created jobs when the U.S. entered the war. You prove my point.
So you’re saying that war is a good thing then? After all, that is what got us out of the depression isn’t it? This document from the U.S. statiscal abstract destroys your statement that the economy was back to pre-depression levels by the mid-30s. GNP and GDP remain stagnant through the 1930s. Try again!!
http://www.census.gov/statab/hist/HS-33.pdf
No, “Efrem,” I’m saying the increase in governmental spending occasioned by the war was a good thing. Better to have the spending without a war.
Although the stock market crashed in 1929, the depression began in earnest in 1930-31. That document shows that GDP returned to 1930 levels by the mid 1930s. The economy grew until the recession of 1937, but turned around again. That marked increase from 1932 to the middle 1930s (look at 1936) is not stagnation. Also, look at unemployment rates in the 1930s and see that fewer than half as many people were unemployed by the mid 1930s as were in 1931-32, largely thanks to Roosevelt’s expansion of government.
It is clear that through this document put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in 1931 was 15.9 percent and in 1939 it was at 17.2 percent. It all depends at how you look at the numbers.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20030124ar03p1.htm
Right. When Roosevelt took office, it was about 25%, which fell in a few years by double digits prior to the recession. There was a period of recovery and growth once Roosevelt took office, and things really turned around when the government increased its spending and borrowing by many times in the early 1940s. In addition, top marginal tax rates were much higher in the recovered and expanding economy of the late 1940s and 1950s (especially under noted socialist Dwight Eisenhower) than they are today, ranging from 81% to over 90%. And the GOP calls Obama a socialist for cutting taxes for the middle class and wanting to allow a 3% tax cut expire for top earners, taking them back to the 39% ballpark.
I like Leo with his name backwards. He is stimulating my stimulus.
I believe that the issue here is equitability (sic). I find it wrong that the top tax earners should shoulder the weight of the majority of the tax burden to pay for such a colossal budget. I think that a flat tax or the “fair tax” as advertised by a talk show host in Atlanta would be a better way to tax Americans. Progressive taxation spurs nothing but wealth envy. This document from the Tax Foundation shows that just “taxing the rich” will not solve our problems.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/22652.html
Efrem, I wouldn’t waste your time with Leo. He only uses statistics to prove his points. Government spending works if it creates jobs and new technologies, as with the race to the moon program. Government spending ala the Great Society has created nothing but generations of welfare recipients. That’s where Leo misses the whole point of some that are less inclined to agree that Obama’s tactics will work.
Most politicians including those of the past relied on consumerism to fuel the economy. The irony is that consumption has driven us to this point in time. If we care one iota about the future we must come to face the fact that our throw away society is not working.
Efrem- respect! I couldn’t be doing better myself in this debate with Leo. Acknowlegment to OOOJ as well! If it were being judged as a prize fight I’d give either of you guys the decsion, but in fairness to Leo, he’s holding his own.
Leo doesn’t let irrefutabal facts get in his way, and he is skilled at quicky dropping points he can’t win. For example he refers to he spending and borrowing increases in the early 1940s, as if it was some wise Democrat fiscal policy. It was actually called WWII, and our government didn’t really have a choice about that. Further the War spending was hugely beneficial for job and wealth creation, as was the housing boom that followed the returning veterans. None of this can be attributed to a presidents economic policy. No more than the mini economic boom that followed the 9/11 attack was can be attributed to Bush as an outcome of his prudent econimic policies, it was the happenstance of war that benefitted both presidents Roosevelt and BushII. War spending also helped Democrats Kennedy and Johnson during Vietnam. The end of Vietnam brought us the deepest recession since the depression, a magnitude which is probaly only matched or exceeded by the current recession.
Keep at it guys, you have the bully on the run!
This debate is great, my pants are down around my ankles and I’ve got the tissue box out. I’m almost there, say something crazy liberal Leo and I’ll be able to finish.
George you are so off base that I have to doubt your sanity. Citing a mini economic boom after 9/11 is just a throw back to the old way of doing business. And to call it prudent Bush policy is further proof that you have no clue. We need an overhaul of our system and that’s why Obama was elected. So far his initiatives have come up way short, just like you.
Barney pull your pants up your making an ass of yourself………
George I had to reread you previous post and I now see that the mini economic boom after 9/11 was not a factor in Bush’s policy you were trying to say this mini boom just happened. It still doesn’t change my philosophy about our current situation.
Ed, thanks for the reread and your admition of misinterpreting my point. But why do you feel the need to insult me in #53? What’s wrong with you?
George, trying to keep Barney Frank from humping my leg has distracted me. If I insulted you accept my apology. I still think our consumer economy has to change to a conserving economy, or something of that sort.
We do need to have a higher savings rate- it was slighly negative at the begining of this recesion and now its arouund 2%, needs to get back toward 6% of disposible income, but its painful for that to occur in the short run, thats why we had -6.6% GDP in 1st quarter.
But once consumers rebuild their personal balance sheets they should be willing to buy houses and cars again. Thank God for the Asian savings rate (in the teens of disposible income) Japan and China are our only hope to finance the trillions of goverment debt at a reasonable rate that has been spent to avert a full blown depression. We may have hyper inflation as a result of all of the money that has just been printed by Treasury. There is no precedent for this magnitude of combined monetary and fiscal stimulus actions, the unintended consequeces of these actions could be felt for generations, but I’d rather that risk than the economic abyss we faced last year.
Still alive in Cancun! I hate the beach. You have to get out there at an ungodly hour to claim your space. Like a stampeder in Oklahoma during the land rush days. You spread out your blanket over your newly claimed 24 square feet of beach. There is the unspoken 18 inch buffer zone inbetween blankets. The I set up my lowrider beach chair. Stack my beach parafernalia beside my chair. Then it is time for the schmutz. SPF 15 or 30. Spray or tube. I hate the sunscreen stuff. I feel like a turkey being basted. God help you if you miss an area. 4 hours later the world will know because you will be wearing the red badge of stupity. Like when you miss fertilizing a strip of your lawn. Or so I’m told I have people that do that for me. Anyway now that I’m covered with schmutz I can’t lie on the blanket or the stray blowing sand will stick to my basted body. I hate the sand. On your body. Between your toes. Awful.
Now I sit back in my chair and get ready to read some trashy novel. Yeah I know you had me pegged for a historical piece or a biography. No James Patterson is who I read. Did you know that James Patterson is a pseudonym for a woman who actually writes the novels. Anyway. Now you are in the defense mode. You can’t leave your blanket because you got $50-300 of paraphernalia there. You are captive. God help you if you have to pee or actually want to go in the ocean. Oh brother. And then there are the intruders. I talk about them tomorrow.
Wow. With all of the fallacious assumptions attributed to me, I could almost build another Dubya administration. But, hey, if it’s what helps you sleep at night as the social conservatives continue to lead the GOP into the twilight zone, far be it from me to rain on your charade.
After BF and LK the great debate between Leo and Efrem has come to screaching halt. Ed and George, this site’s odd couple, joining the fray. You guys are like Oscar and Felix; I’ll let you determine who is who.
It is refreshing to see a spirited debate on a true topic several days into a blog topic. How long can this run last?
Never too early to start thinking about your next topic, Larry.
Thank you all for the comments. In conclusion, I would like to say to Larry that unlike party-switcher Sen. Wayne Morse who at least stood up for his liberal beliefs (he stated that liberals should be able to forgo any compromise of principal and accept a defeat today in the interest of victory tomorrow) Arlen Spector is nothing but an opportunist who abandon principals of small, limited government to save his own skin.
I did like Leo’s “rain on your charade.” Well played.
YFAP, way too much free time.
WOW! what a volley. Three days of substantive debate with only a trace of the clowns here. This site may return to reason. Great job by all.
Safe and alive in Cancun! Let me finish my story about the beach. Okay you are set up on the beach. You have your radar up for intruders. There are 4 types of intruder to be aware of. First the space invaders. They cut through your 18 inches of buffer. Sometimes kicking sand on you or your blanket. They might bump your stuff or blanket. Normally they are kids and not aware. Second form of intruders are the game players. Kids and parents playing catch with a baseball, football or frisbee. You can see them getting dangerously close to you but have no recourse to wait for an incident to show your displeasure. This applies to bocce, horseshoes and that obscure paddle game. The third set of intruders are the loud talkers. Predominantly women normally of Italian or Jewish persuasion. They are sitting 3 feet apart but speak so loud that you can hear their conversation anywhere in a 3 blanket radius. We don’t care about Uncle Mort or your niece Annabelle. Tone it down. Ratchet the annoyment another order of magnitude for radios/boomboxes. I don’t ever want to hear that rap crap. Ever. They got that crap cranked up so that everyone in a 10 blanket radius can hear it. Oh brother! I certainly don’t want to hear it for 8 hours on the beach when I’m trying to relax. This applies for most forms of music. Phils on the radio okay if the volume at a decibel level. The fourth intruder can be the most annoying. They arrive at the beach around 10:30 and are forced to set up down by the water. As the day progresses they are forced by the rising tide to move back. Now they are asking me to move. Why is this now my problem? I ignore them but my neighbors create an open space for them. Now I’m the a-hole? Oh brother! I hate the beach. I may have already mentioned that.
Formerly Jim I hope you were not lumping me into the clown category.
What a great Kentucky Derby race. It’s nice to see the underdog win against 50:1 odds, and whip the crap out of Sheik Muhamad and his over indulged horses. That’s one piece of Americana that is still American, (well Nascar too) but it is refreshing to see that you can’t buy the Derby. Also nice to see the jockey pay homage to his late parents as well.
Intact two parent families produce the highest odds of successful offspring, the result of a union between a man and woman, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, until death do they part. Hey Larry, how about you talk up tradional family values, I think Spector and Rendell still support them, go ahead you won’t offend anyone, maybe Leo, but that’s fun. By the way Leo, nice effort, you didn’t win the debate, but you fought fair and clean and made some good points.
Larry, perhaps you should pay homage to your bloggers, then put out something of substance tomorrow night and we will return the favor by abiding by the higher standards of intelligent discourse that you’ve requested. Ball is in your court Mr Kandy Kane.
George-The Derby sucked,unless of course you saw the 50-1 shot winning & backed him up with the 16 horse,followed by the 2 & then the 7.If you did that,you’re cashing a $2 ticket & picking up $557,000.00.I liked the 6 horse & he was next to last.
OOOJ-Me or Leo ?
YAP, guess I was looking at it more from the human interest standpoint; the underdog/American hero who outworked and outsmarted the monied Arabian interloper- not the gambling payoff.
Larry should pay homage to you, as well as the rest of the constructive contributers, including LeOOOooo (that’s the Seinfeld enuciation).
I just got back from a week in Oaxaca. Great grilled food down there. Pork. I love the hot peppers but they don’t feel to good coming out. On coming out … I can’t believe Specter switched. Who is next?
I can’t believe that there is little outrage among the people towards Arlen Specter. Here is a man that one week ago tried to launch an attack ad against Toomey for being part of the financial crisis. When the ad campaign was debunked Arlen knew he couldn’t win the primary. Like any good rat when the ship is sinking he latched on to the Democratic party.
As you know I warned Amercians to not ride trains, planes, buses, or subways to avoid catching the Swine Flu. I forgot to add that people should also not eat bacon or other pork pruducts, even though there is no risk of contracting flu from pork, it’s just best that everyone keep Kosher until this epidemic is cured, and we may never find a cure, it could be worse than the black plague. I told you Barrack Obama would be tested in his first 100 days, and this is one of those tests. Thankfully I am at his right hand to help him handle this epidemic.
Also avoid using public toilets, not because of swine flu risk, but because that is where the HIV AIDs virus is contracted. AIDs is spread by touching toilet seats and from dinner plates and kitchen utensils. Therefore, I am advising my family to only go to the toilet and eat at home, it’s not safe to eat in resturants or use public facilities anywhere in this country- mark my words!
Senator turncoat was on Meet the Press today. Roxy predicts it marked the end of his political career. At least when Joe Lieberman tuned on his party he was courageous enough to become an independent. Arlen has no such courage and he will not be forgiven by the people of Pennsylvania for being a traitor to his party and to the constituents who kept him in power for 29 years. Good bye an good riddence Senator Spector!
Eric Kantor is going to turn the tide for Republicans in 2010 and Roxy predicts that Republicans will regain control of the senate. Obama will be greatful to Cantor, because this will save a great future president from being consumed by the left wing lunatic fringe of his party. Obama will also select a moderate replacement for Briar to help him be more appealing to moderates in 2012 and lock up a second term. An attractive young Puerto Rican woman with no experience as a judge will be selected. Roxy predicts that Obama will be pretend to have been fooled by her as she will be surprisingly conservative the way Briar was shockingly liberal, but this will all work to Obama’s favor and he will shake his head and say who knew? As he casts a cheshire smile to Michelle, Barrack Obama will signal he knew quite well. The deferential pasty faced liberals will fear critizing Obama, and the selection will work out great for him and the country. Barrack Obama is that clever- he has a gift!
I’m glad to see that the Obamas went out to dinner this weekend. How unusual was that? They went to a posh restaurant in Georgetown and when they got home to the White House they took a stroll around the grounds. It must have been a nightmare for the secret service but hey that’s what they get paid for.
It must have been some kind of scene in the restaurant. Can you imagine having dinner and all of the sudden the President of the US sits down beside you. The dinner must have cost the tax payers of the United States over 30 to 40 thousand dollars but it was darn good publicity.
Ed, how do you figure? The government pays the Secret Service men whether they’re on duty in the White House or in Georgetown. Or do you think that’s how much food costs at a restaurant in Georgetown? I’m just glad we’re not paying for Bush to take Air Force One on one of his numerous vacations to Crawford.
oel, what are you a stupid moron? Streets had to be occupied by secret service. The planning for the dinner had to be undertaken by a force that would map out their course to the restaurant and then their would be extra forces in the restaurant itself in case anything happened. I’m sure extra helicopter and police presence was on hand for this “date”. If you don’t think this was a publicity stunt then you ARE a moron. Face it, he had his people fly an Air Force 1 replica over down town NY just for a photo shoot. That cost 300,000 dollars.
Where are you oel? What no response ? Is it that your commander and chief has become a commandeer and chef?
I digress…..it’s time to predict what Larry will post tonight. I predict that Larry will speak about…….oh I have no idea what Larry will speak about. I only know that Larry will speak about something stupid and irrelevant.
YFAP, I was refering to Leo as having too much free time. Your responses are so short and concise that sometimes I have to re-read them to insure I got your hidden meanings.
Snarlen Arlen is likely the best known and best representative from PA in my lifetime. I have come to respect him less and less. He’s a Dem but ‘changes parties’ but not his spots for political expedience. Now he is doing it again. It shouldn’t surprise us. He’s a proven chameleon and shameless. Whatever it takes to stay in Washington. Courageous? Pleaseeeeeeee. Another example of why a single term limit is needed.
Will this drive a wedge between he and Larry and Josh? Stay tuned…
Ed, it will be some bland comment about Swine Flu pandemic outbreak. Praising Obama and CDC… Some comment about the Sixers… And some comment about Warren Buffett’s praise of the administration’s handling of the ‘economic crisis’… Unless of course there was an accident on I-95…
Oh my God that bitch Joan Rivers showed up on Donald’s show. Apparently her daughter getting fired really didn’t mean that much. All Joan cares about is her reputation and her ability to make money.
Larry I’m watching my favorite show “You’re Fired”. You are probably trying to figure out what to post tonight. Relax my man, there is nothing that you could say that would create one ounce of intellectual debate. You are an idiot.
If one is going to die I say go out telling the truth.
Larry, if you want to do what you do, do it. I’m tired of waitng for your next blurb on your blog…..
Ed, it sounds like you may have had a few drinks before, durin, and after your Apprentice program tonight. Donald knows Joan is ratings gold so the more drama the better.
Buffet has become a shill for his own postions, his second largest holding is Wells Fargo, and he was wildly wrong about that investment, so now he’s saying the government stress test wont matter and Obama is the greatest, as he wants to make sure plenty of TARP money is available should he need more capital at government expense to bail out his mistake. The Oracle of Ohmaha has become the Annus of Ohmaha. You’d be better off buying index funds as they outperfomed Berkshire last year and will in the future, Warren’s best days are behind him.
George, I don’t think comments 81-84 are actually Ed. I think they are the work of the mean spirited phantom impersonator. Only Ed and Larry really know.
Ed, you’re always good for a chuckle. Obama didn’t order any photo op. That was military, and pilots log necessary flight time on such “missions.”
You have no response to the fact that Secret Service men are already paid for irrespective of where they’re deployed. I highly doubt that there was an incremental cost for D.C. police.
Any time the Obamas leave the White House it’s a photo op. Unlike the Bushes, they’re popular. Are they supposed to stay cloistered for four years? You’re losing points by repeating meaningless GOP attacks.
Ed, though it is disturbing that the media’s lapdance with the Obamas has now been extended to the lovely Chelle-Chelle as well, I think your comments do come across as a bit ed. Hillary use to fly her ‘girlfriends’ to Maine for ’shopping trips’ and lobster dinners on AirForce1 when she was First Lady. The staff at Pease AFB said she was the most miserable and condescending they ever dealed with. Certainly not her public persona.
Ed, you’ll just have to grit your teeth and bare it as long as the lapdance continues.
a bit resentful and bitter
oooj, the worst part of those dinner was the running through fields of sniper fire.
It’s funny to me that media coverage of people whom the vast majority of people like constitutes a “lapdance,” even when the media is critical of policy decisions, etc. Boy the right wing is jealous. If they had someone personable to offer up, I’m sure they’d get some positive press attention, too. Instead, they offer up shrill and bitter talking heads who do nothing but snipe at Obama. People aren’t turned on by that. Well, 80%+ of the population isn’t turned on at any rate. The other 15% or so will soon have a tidy, tiny, and “ideologically pure” party with no room for dissenting voices but plenty of teabagging parties.
80% of the population isn’t even paying attention to what is going on. They are careless followers that think the world is as Brian, Katie or Charlie say it is. These are the same people that make panic buys at the grocery store everytime the weatherman says 12″ of snow is expected. Clueless reacters, nothing more. That’s why it is imperative that the press’ reporting be at least relatively unbiased; the vast majority of people believe what they hear on the nightly news. How many morons are stockpiling drugs in fear of the Swine Flu pandemic? How many people pulled their money out of banks months ago?
To say that 80% of the population thinks one way or the other, just watch the local news.
The GOP clearly has some imaging and inclusion issues to workout. They clearly have to attract some attractive candidates. They clearly have some rebranding to do. That said, their core values of family, less government, lower taxes and self determination are for more mainstream than Obama and the reconstructionists. Obama best focus on the economy, paying down his trillion $ porkulus package and tax breaks for the middleclass he promised or 2010 will arrive far faster than he hopes. His liberal agenda can wait. Besides most Americans aren’t ready for the socialistic side of his agenda anyway.
Obama: “Chelle what do you want to do tonight?”
Chelle: “Oh Bama (Tee Hee “Oh Bamma”) I don’t know, how ’bout we go dancing?”
Obama: “Dancing… dancing, I’m not too sure about going dancing. You do remember I’m half white?”
Chelle: “That’s OK honey I’ll just throw you around a little and no one will know the difference”.
Obama:”Any one know of a good dance spot?”
Rahm Emanuel: ” uh boss there is a great Hip Hop joint across town called “P Didal
Dee Ds”
Obama: “Alright then Ds it is. Rahm get the secret service on the line to see how many men this is going to take for our protection.”
Rahm: “Boss they said there aren’t enough
Most of them are out looking for the dog.
Looks like AWOLarry is still MIA on blog topic change, Ed.
One thing we know for sure is that dog don’t hunt! He he he he
oooj, nice case against democracy.
oel, your a nice case against democracy.
eol, you are a nice case FOR the Pro Choice group….
Specter said today that if the Republicans had only spent more on Cancer research Jack Kemp might still be alive today. Hmmmmm wasn’t Specter a Republican?
Arlen: “Joan have you seen where I left my American flag lapel pin?”
Joan: “Arlen It’s on your lapel.”
Arlen: “Oh good I thought some Republican stole it.”
Joan: “Someone did steal our elephant cookie jar.”
Arlen: “Those F’n Pubs I guess they took my red tie too.”
Leo, for the record, posts 96 and 97 were not me. Just one of your many fans fanning the fire.
If I understand your curt comment, in a democracy everyone should blindly follow the President and not question his direction? Like the Democrats the last 8 years?
larry, thanks for all the support. You realize that now that I am a Democrat i will not blindly follow them down the road of bigger government and out of control spending. I only care about the people of PA. The poor gun tote’n bible beating constiuancy is my main concern. When I say concern I mean I’m conerned about who they will vote for. Hopefully it’s going to be me. I definatly have Phila. They love me in Phila.
Arlen, now that you are a Democrat i just want you to know that the citizens of Phila are behind you all the way. Whatever it takes to get you reelected is our main concrn. When I say concern I mean you better get us more federal dollars to be spent on wasteful projects that will keep the city able to pay for all those that refuse to find a job.
George just google “specter kemp” to see the truth.
George, well said.
That was not me. That was my alter ego in the above comment.
Buenas Tardes! Cinco de Mayo! Esto bien.
I am back from Mexico. I passed through a health check station at the airport. Except for a fever, chills, diarrhea and a general malaise I feel fine. This whole Swine Flu excuse me H1N1 Flu thing is blown way out of portion. Cough cough. Sneeze sneeze.
Now here is my dilemma. I just spent the week in Mexico. I ate Mexican food everyday while I was there. I drank Dos Equis. I was actually confused for The Most Interesting Man in the World. Anyway I’m home after a week of being immersed in Mexican food, beer and culture for a week. I even watched ESPN Deportes all week. Did you know that Utley is Utley en espanol? Anyway does it make sense for Ethel and I to go to El Azteca II tonight for dinner to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? She says it’s our one chance a year to eat Mexican. I say we just got back from there and I’m all Montezuma’s revenged out. What do my insightful bloggers think?
oooj, I do not suggest that people should blindly do what the President wants in response to your case against democracy in 91. Your case against democracy is that 80% of the population is too careless, clueless, and stupid to have their votes respected. To borrow a stock GOP attack on Dems, that’s quite elitist of you.
Arlen Arlen Arlen Arlen Arlen Chameleon
You come and go
You come and go
Liking would be easy
If your colours were stayed true
Not blue-red-blue
Not blue-red-blue
Heh Leo it is Cinco de Mayo not St Patricks Day you goof.
Michelle Obama went to a Cinco de Mayo party yesterday. Another first for the Obamas. She looked like she was having a good time. The children were all dressed up in Mexican hats wearing Mexico’s colors, dancing around. One of the children looked right into the camera and said “badges what badges I don’t need no stinken badges”.
Personally I’m still trying to figure out why we celebrate this holiday. I think it was on this day that Santa Anna turned a bottle of water into Dos Equis.
He turned something into something I think…..
Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Celebrar con el país que te trajo Montezumas venganza, El Álamo y ahora la gripe porcina. ¡Salud!!
The specter of Specter is disturbing ya know what I mean
I’m Ira Einhorn and I endorse Arlen Spector.
I’m Joe Lieberman and I endorse Arlen Specter
Ira, how they hanging? I don’t mean hanging hanging I mean how things going?
You’re in jail right? No death penalty for you. Ah what a shame. You would have looked good strapped to the electric chair. I guess we can thank Arlen Specter for that. I mean to give you an opportunity for bail was beyond belief. You get to spend the best years of your life in France and Arlen becomes our senator for life. Life ain’t fair.
I’m Joe Lierberman and I endorse John McCain!
LARRY, PLEASE CHANGE THE BLOG TOPIC. WE ARE OVER 120 ENTRIES AND IT HAS BEEN A WEEK!!!
IN THIS CASE, CHANGE FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE IS A GOOD THING…
HELD CAPTIVE – DAY 8!!!!
Please buy my collector’s item 2009 model Arlen SpecTator. It is available at better stores everywhere as long as he remains in the Senate.
Hey, Larry, I heard today that Arlen lowered the IQ of both parties by switching from Republican to Democrat. Have you heard this report? Amusing!
Hey oel you heard wrong. It wasn’t the IQs that he lowered he lowered the definition of what it means to be a rat.
Will one more rat on an already sinking ship sink the ship?
Mr. Potato Head, ask your close relative, Toby Keith.
When I was getting my marching orders from Bill Maher for the week, he cracked a joke about the controversy concerning Florida’s license plates. It seems some people want to put pictures of Christ on vanity plates issued by the state. Bill thinks there shouldn’t be an objection, his point being that, as a 2000-year old jew, where else would Christ live? Oh, that snarky Bill.
I have a toilet with Bill Maher’s face painted on the bowl. Where else would you put a portrait of a guy who thinks he’s funny but isn’t?
Bill Maher is the original Mr Potato Head. That’s before he was french fried and wussified. Don’t drink his Kool-Aid.
Bill Maher is cheeky and edgy but not snarky. Snarky implies some level of humor. Bill Maher only amuses himself. Kind of like Conan.
Hola from Rittenhouse Square! I need your immediate help. Ethel wants to go to El Azteca II tonight to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We just came back from Cancun as you may remember. I say we put a couple of Margaritas in the blender, roll a couple of fatties and have our own celebration right here. Your thoughts?
How’s Bill maher able to do Jesus Jew jokes? He’s an athiest isn’t he?
Actually Specter was Einhorn’s attorney.
He was still representing a scumbag but his plea to reduce Einhorn’s bail was probably what he should have done. The fact that Einhorn had someone else post his bail and that the court didn’t revoke his passport only makes me think that the fix was in. Was Specter involved? Oh I don’t know.
This is ridiculous. Larry wake the f up. Change the topic you moron. Without your pet subjects you have nothing to say, is that it?
Larry-How about a switch to a topic with national import ? I wouldn’t presume to suggest one but certainly there’s lots to choose from.
Hey kids! Look at the students at my new school. They are fast learners. Hee hee.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30835791@N07/sets/72157614241935013/
Okay Leo,we get it,you think Republicans are clowns.
Would you like to be on my show and eat a donut?
Are you Jim Schoenfeld ?
YAP why…. why did you break the code of silence? I could see BoZo (aka Leo) chiming in but you I thought you had more sense. We are in boycott mode. Larry has left the planet and refuses to change his subject matter. Forget Specter WE are the survivors. We’ve survived Larry this long and we will continue to survive on Larry’s blog whether he likes it or not…………..
BTW who is Jim Schoenfeld? You know so many people. I bet you know more people than Larry. Larry has such a close knit group of friends that he can’t add to his list of people to write about.
Mr. Kane: You could not be more wrong! Senator Specter is a me first, self-serving, political opportunist, who will do ANYTHING to save his polital career. He is the last thing PA Democrats need. I sincerely hope Rep. Sestak will oppose him in the primary and send Specter into retirement.
Yeah, Bozo got it right, but I was traveling today.
These are trying times. These are times that call for FREE AIR. Larry, Philbert and I are calling for FREE AIR. Don’t forsake us.
oel there is only one TPS and you are it
Ed, did you do the TPS reports?
HELD HOSTAGE – DAY 9
SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS
SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS
SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS WTF
Jim Schoenfeld,coach of the N.J.Devils circa 1988 to ref Don Koharski (a.k.a. Officer Koharski,a.k.a. Coack K. etc )after a grueling defeat in game 3 of the Stanley Cup semis “have another donut,you fat pig.”
YAP you must be some kind of hockey fan. Twenty nine years ago… I saw the clip on you tube.
Do you think Larry gets that worked up when writing his blog or just when he reads the “letters” in response to his blog topics?
Larry thank you for your unwavering support over the last 45 years. You are a true friend though misguided at times. Please change the blog topic immediately. I’m tired of these nitwits dragging my name into the mud in the spirit of fun and creativity.
HELD HOSTAGE – DAY 10
SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS
SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS
SOS SOS SOS SOS SOS WTF
Larry, Josh Shapiro is signing up to support FREE AIR! Now that his path to the U.S. Senate is closed, he’s looking for a statewide initiative that will help him curry favor and get elected governor eventually. FREE AIR is the ticket. Many people in Pennsylvania drive, and some of them even put air in their tires. It seems that he doesn’t need much political courage: he only needs to overcome private gas station owners and the Goodyear lobby (they like low air pressure, which leads to more frequent tire replacement). Help him publicize his fight on behalf of Pennsylvania drivers! Philbert will.
Voy a llevar la buena batalla de Aire Libre en gasolineras. No tengo ninguna causa actual y el exceso de tiempo libre. Viva la revolución!
Cuídese de Philbert que está llevando a la Gripe Porcina!
Reunirse con nosotros en el Point Breeze refinería de petróleo de esta noche a medianoche. Vamos a iniciar la Revolución Aire Libre!
For English, press 1
Para Español, pulse 2
America’s Most Wanted has learned that an Amber Alert has been released in Pennsylvania for Larry Kane. Kane is 6′ and 230 pound, gray hair, wearing a straw sombero style hat, baby blue polo shirt, plaid shorts, knee high black socks and sandals. He was last seen on Sunday night at the Comcast Studios in Philadelphia. Relatives and friends fear the worst. If you see him or have evidence as to his current location, please call 1-800-FOX-CARE
This one’s for you:
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Arlen Spector
Larry has a plan. His plan is to rid this blog of his loyal “fans”. Larry wishes we would all go away and to accomplish that goal he is the one who has gone on strike. The fact that he stole the idea from his own faithful is sacrilegious. While Larry should be thanking us for making him what he is today we get the cold shoulder. A snub a refusal a sense of denial that we ever existed. I want my mommy…………
Leo, No one likes you. You’re a homo.
Takes one to know one, George. Neener neener neener. PPppfffffffftttt!!!!
My fiscal stimulus is exploding out of control all over the taxpayers.
I can’t believe how childish Larry has become. So what Larry if we don’t like your friends. As Arlen Specter said before he slinked over to the Democratic side “I’m playing hard hardball.” Well we play hard hardball here on your site. So loosen up and print something for us to talk about you wuss.
Larry whats you gonna do, lay back and wait us out, or put up a new subject matter. Man up and post something. Either way you lose. You either give in and post something or just sit on the sidelines and show everybody how much you hate us.
On second thought why not join us in our attempt to make sense of this world we live in. There is more to life than all your political connections who contaminate your mind with complete nonsense.
I think Larry Mendte comes here to impersonate Larry Kane, only Larry Mendte has to be careful given his record of cybercrime. When are we going to see those bikini photos? Only then will we know whether it was worth it. My guess is it wasn’t.
There once was a man from Radnor
Who kept all his thoughts on board.
But his website, named Larry,
Rarely he did vary
And as for his readers, he chose to ignore.
Alive and well in Rittenhouse Square! All this bickering reminds me of my life at home with Ethel. She picks the stupidest things to argue about. What color tie I should wear. Where we are going for brunch. Why I invested with Bernie Madoff. You know stupid stuff like that. She does not appear to have any sense of priorities when it comes to bickering. Here is an example.
So after a week in Cancun barely dodging the dreaded Swine Flu she wants to go to El Azteca II for Cinco de Maya on Tuesday night. I told her enough with the fried torillas in tomato sauce. Enough with the Tequilla and Margaritas. Enough with the terminal cases of indigestion. How about a nice Cobb Salad and Lobster Roll? She proceeds to hit me with a litany of reasons why I’m a bum, don’t listen to her and why Cinco de Mayo is one of her favorite days of the year. Now if I’m not just back from Mexico I go peacefully. But I just spent a week gagging down this refried garbage and just yesterday it finally cleared my system. Ahhhhhhh. Why do we have to go back so soon? What is critical about eating Mexican on 05/05/09? Oh brother! I should have just gone peacefully. I should not have argued. All I hear is about how everything is about me. The world revolves around Larry. We always do what Larry wants. Blah blah blah blah. So she is pissed the whole dinner. I’m forcing down yet another Chimichanga. We both have a couple of Mango Margaritas. I’m thinking at least I’m going to get lucky tonight. 2 drinks is usually the green light. Either she is too drunk to know any better or she thinks she’s with Brad Pitt. Either way I don’t care because I think I’m with Barbara Streisand. That’s right Funny Girl. Gives me a woodrow just thinking about her. So we get home both in a good mood. I start to take off my shirt in the living room and she says what am I doing? I said I want to make mad passionate love to my wife (actually Funny Girl) and she proceeds to read me the riot act. I might as well be with Frank Rizzo. She calls me insensitive and a boar. I thinking she’s the one being insensitive to my needs. Anyway you all know the end of the story. Oh brother! Does it always have to end this way? Now I know why Tony Soprano always had a padrona. You know I kind of liked that Edie Falco.