Testing out some slogans today. Vote in the comments for your favorite:

1) The Curiously Strong KL Snow.
2) The Best KL Snow Under One Roof.
3) Which Twin has the KL Snow?
4) All The KL Snow That's Fit To Print.
5) Takes a KL Snow but it Keeps on Tickin'.

Really, I like all of them except #3, which I don't get. But 4 is my favorite. Now vote for yours. It's like a real election without special interest money.

Source: http://www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi

Quick thought today, as it's taking me an awful lot of effort not to vomit on my keyboard:

If you, like me, believe centrist groups like the DLC and Heartland PAC (of Silver Spring, Maryland) are the problem, and I do, then you'll also enjoy this piece at Schweitzer for President, and I did.

Nevermind my favorite Jim Hightower quote, which says "There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos." My problem with Vilsack and his centrist friends isn't their views, really. People portray Schweitzer as a centrist and if he runs for president, I'll support him.

My problem with the DLC and Heartland PAC is its direct ties to big money from people who have zero interest in the good of the people Vilsack would claim to represent. This is where Kevin nails it:

Just why would (and this is just a sampling) British Petroleum, Boeing, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Coca-Cola, Dell, Eli Lilly, Federal Express, Glaxo Wellcome, Intel, Motorola, U.S. Tobacco, Union Carbide, and Xerox, AOL, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Citigroup, Dow, GE, IBM, Oracle, UBS PacifiCare, PaineWebber, Pfizer, Pharmacia and Upjohn, and TRW, Aetna, AT&T, American Airlines, AIG, BellSouth, Chevron, DuPont, Enron, IBM, Merck and Company, Microsoft, Philip Morris, Texaco, and Verizon Communications be financial donors to the DLC if it is not for the purpose of influence? Can you spell s-p-e-c-i-a-l p-r-i-v-i-l-e-g-e? No, then try h-y-p-o-c-r-i-s-y.

For another helping of hypocrisy, why does the DLC slam members of its own party for so-called 'catering to special interests,' when the DLC does exactly what it accuses others of doing?

Let's take a look at that list a little closer:
BP, Texaco Chevron: So let me get this straight: Vilsack is supposedly doing all he can to investigate potential gas price gouging, but at the same time his groups are taking donations from three different oil companies? That's laughable.
Fed Ex: UPS and the USPS are both unionized. Fed Ex is not. That's an interesting bedfellow for a group of "Democrats."
Bristol Meyers Squibb, Glaxo Welcome, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Pfizer, Pharmacia and Upjohn, et al: I guess this makes their intentions on health care pretty clear. They intend to do nothing.

A South Carolina history professor named Clyde Wilson once said: "Politicians today are not leaders, nor are they representatives of the people. They are brokers who distribute the taxpayers money among special interests. That is all they are. And either party would much rather see their opponents win, with whom they can cut a deal, than a maverick in their own party with whom they could not cut a deal."

Vilsack, the DLC and Heartland PAC are the embodiment of this.

KL

So I'm back from Wisconsin. Please control your excitement.

The blogroll on the left has been long overdue for an update, so here you go:

I've been meaning to add Midwest Mesopotamia for a little while now, their stuff is repeatedly good. And i'm not just saying that cause he's been on my side recently. He debuts at 2. Consistent, good stuff.

Three and four are tough, as both Drew and IE are consistently good, when they're consistent. IE's recent posting breaks have been shorter than Drew's, so she gets the nod.

Random moves down the list a bit because her Iowa political insight has been lacking lately. Don't get me wrong, your blog is your blog and the fact that I'm not interested in it doesn't make it bad, but I am ranking political blogs here.

Bob Again is on some kind of strange "I'm going to repeatedly reformat my blog and then use a background that makes it unreadable" kick.

Iowa Ramblings has been inactive for over two weeks.

Ok, so I guess no actual insight today. Just some blogging about blogs. I know everyone loves that.

This could be a long post. You may want to read it in shifts.

Shift 1: On Value

First and foremost, thanks to Drew Miller for finding me this fun new toy:

My blog is worth $3,387.24.
How much is your blog worth?

As a rule, with exactly one exception (QB rating) I don't ever put weight in numbers I don't know how to calculate. Nonetheless, I found this interesting. Here's the dollar value of other blogs listed here:

State 29: $35,566.02
Random Mentality: $0
Drew Miller: $11,290.80
Iowa Ennui: $5645.40
Bob Again: $0
Political Forecase: $22,017.06
Schweitzer for President: $12,984.42
Mr. Boothe: $7339.02
Iowa Ramblings: $0

Ryan: $0
Emeric: $0
Tim: $1129.08
Shawn: $0

I don't get it. Granted, I like being worth something, but nonetheless, I don't understand why I'm worth that. Or how I could possibly be worth more than Random.

Shift 2: On Value(s)

It finally got cold enough this week that I had to bust out my coat for the first time since spring. It produced some interesting discoveries.

First, I found my favorite pair of black sunglasses. That means I now have my favorite blues and blacks. The greens and reds are still missing.

Second, I found a pin. This pin was gained in a previous life, when I thought my career in politics had lived out its short life and drawn to a conclusion, and I was paying for my lavish life as a student by working as a part-time Wal Mart cashier. i'm probably also the only person in Democratic Party history to work for the party and Wal Mart at the same time. In hindsight, I'm not sure why I did that, or if the good/evil of one job outweighs the other.

Anyway, I was given the pin because of some momentus goal the store had achieved, I didn't know what it was then, and I still don't now. But the pin says "We did it."

Apparently I tucked the pin in my pocket and hadn't touched it since. In fact, it's still in the tiny plastic bag they distribute pins in. At the time, I was indifferent to Wal Mart. I didn't like it, and I certainly didn't like being employed there, but I did it with minimal sabotage for 9 months, and I shopped there pretty frequently.

But, of course, I returned to politics, months after I had quit my cashiering job. Then I found the pin. Now I almost see it as accusatory. It's like the pin says:

"Yes, noble co-conspirator. I share responsibility for the death of the American marketplace, the ruin of a large portion of the workforce and the decrease in average quality of goods sold in America. But I wasn't alone. You helped me. WE DID IT.

How does one pay pennance for that? How does one make up for an indiscretion that severe?

Shift 3: On the Value of Work vs Play:

I've been away from Des Moines since Friday afternoon, and won't be back til late tuesday. It's both the longest I've been away and the first time I've taken a weekday off since June. I've discovered something important.

I can't do this again.

Granted, working 40-60 hour weeks from now til June without a break would be a marathon, to put it mildly, then hopefully after the primary I'll get busier. But right now I feel like the guy who sits down in the middle of the marathon, saying he just needs a breather.

I was running along ok before Friday, then I left to come home. And it's not that I haven't relaxed at home. I've fit in some disc golf, some time with friends, and a lot of family. I've seen people I've missed for a long time, people I promised to come see multiple times and failed to visit, and people I really wish would come back into my life on an everyday basis.

But now that's over, and i'm nowhere near ready to go back to work. I'm going home tomorrow and into the office on Wednesday, and I feel both a) tremendously out of the loop and b) not all that interested in getting back into it.

Make no mistake, I love my job, the concept of what I'm trying to do still fascinates me, and once I get running again, I'll be ok.

KL

This one might scare you: I'm about to advocate for a Republican.

My State Rep. and my State Senator have now both announced their endorsement of Mike Blouin. I've been sick to my stomach all night. I think the two are related.

After reading Oldson's endorsement, I wrote the two of them this e-mail:

Sen. McCoy, Rep. Oldson,

My name is (name deleted, for the three of you who don't know it). I've been a citizen of your district and a straight-ticket voting Democrat since 2000. I'm also a former IDP canvasser. I'm writing today to let you know my straight ticket streak is about to end, because in light of your endorsement of Blouin, I fully intend to support anyone who runs against you.

Mike Blouin is a pro-life, big business political hack. What could you possibly be thinking? If someone on the outside looked at Blouin, they wouldn't even know he was a Democrat.

Way to abandon the party values.

Ed Fallon and I discussed this e-mail briefly after I sent it, and he asked me, "So if it comes down to Blouin or Nussle, who would you support?"

I didn't even flinch on it. "Nussle."

He was surprised. Most of my fellow staff members were surprised too. But here's why I'd do it.

SCENARIO 1: Nussle beats Blouin. Nussle is the chairman of a committee that recently celebrated a drop from $400+ billion of defecit to $300+ billion. He's been a key proponent of tax cuts for the wealthy, and would cut business taxes in an effort to grow small business. Education, health care and the environment will be ignored. In short, he'll be dreadful.

Then, a campaign run by me or someone like me will have a candidate who either is Ed or is greatly similar. After six years of choosing the "most electable" Democrat (Mr. Gore, Mr. Kerry, then Mr. Blouin), then getting our asses kicked, the Democratic Party finally wakes up and supports a candidate who actually shares its values.

Downsides: Four years of Republican leadership, including an ignored education, health care and environmental protection system.

Upside: Only four years, followed by a Democratic rejuvenation which strengthens the Democrats and makes them viable again.

Scenario 2: Blouin beats Nussle. Blouin, as mentioned above, is pro-life, and has been the key craftsman of the INCESTUAL Fund. He runs the state broke giving money away to big business and calling it "economic development." In the 50th ranked state for small business, the small business climate actually gets worse. Education, health care and the environment are all things Blouin talks about for priorities, but after he gives half the state's budget to Wells Fargo, Wells Dairy and Maytag, there won't be money left to pay for it.

Then, someone like me (but not me, cause if Blouin gets elected I'm fleeing the state) will recruit another grassroots Democrat to call Blouin out in the primary. He'll recognize that to beat Blouin, he needs to make the public aware of every mistake Blouin has ever made. His campaign will be tremendously negative, but he'll bash Blouin from pillar to post. The primary will come, and Blouin will win because Democrats will think his challenger is too prone to anger. However, the damage will be done to Blouin, and knowing all his flaws, the state will elect a Republican. Any Republican, really. Steve King could get it. And for the next 20 years, every time a Democrat runs for Governor, people will say "Oh, we tried that. Remember Mike Blouin?" And then we get another Republican dynasty like Ray/Branstad all over again.

So really, it's 4 bad years vs 24. If Ed loses to Blouin, I'll vote for 4.

KL

Quick thoughts on a slow day at work.

Drew Miller is back up and running, and did so with a flurry of posts.

One of them is specifically about Ed Fallon, and while perusing through the responses, I found Stefanie from Bob Again. The insight into Iowa politics in her comment combined with the humor concerning the name of her blog warranted a middle of the pack debut in the blog list on your right.

KL

Just 'cause, at times, I'm really this much of a dork...

Fighter 77% Combativeness, 16% Sneakiness, 50% Intellect, 27% Spirituality

Good at hitting things and with a definite violent streak; you are a Fighter! Fighters are the basic martial combatants in D&D. Their abilities and skills vary wildly between individuals, but they all share one thing in common� a definite preference for violence. You're either really defensive, have an unhealthy fascination with sharp objects� or you just like hurting people. Either way, you should probably try and keep your cool. Being able to hack someone into pieces maybe a useful skill in most RPGs, but in real life it will just get you into trouble.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 88% on Combativeness You scored higher than 6% on Sneakiness You scored higher than 20% on Intellect You scored higher than 30% on Spirituality

Link: The RPG Class Test written by MFlowers on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

KL

I'll keep this one brief.

There's been a lot of talk lately about the pink locker rooms at Kinnick Stadium (U of Iowa), and whether they're sexist, or an appropriate continuation of tradition, and whether Hayden Fry was a redneck or some super-genius, and whether blogs should or shouldn't allow anonymous comments, and whether Iowa should/shouldn't be held responsible for policing its neanderthals. I've been asked for my thoughts a few times now. I'll put them here so no one else has to ask.

I don't give a flying fuck.

If your life is so tedious that something this small occupies more than 5 minutes of your time, find something better to do.

KL