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Hillary Clinton: Vetted. Just like hemorrhoids

Perhaps the most tiresome, overused talking point of the Clinton campaign is the assertion that she has been "vetted" after 35 years of experience.

Now, never mind that the highlights of those 35 years were: 1) Completely screwing up health care reform, in spite of having solid Democratic majorities in Congress; and 2) Voting to support the Iraq war.

But as far as the "vetted" part goes, well, yes she's been vetted. Kinda like hemorrhoids. Kinda like Paris Hilton's singing. Kinda like... well, you get the idea.

She's been vetted. Thoroughly. And after 35 years, America has decided it does not want her as president.

[Update: Yeah, I know, I'm being harsh. Sorry Hillary, but while I defended you earlier in this cycle -- and for years before that -- your campaign has sunk so low these last few weeks that I just don't feel the need to do it anymore]

My old buddy is the new SNL Obama!

So hey, this is waaaaay cool. Well, for me at least. And for Fred, of course.

After much anticipation leading up to SNL yesterday re: who would play Obama, it turns out that Fred Armisen got the nod. Personally, I think he kicked butt, but hey... I'm biased. I actually grew up with Fred, and he was one of my best buddies in high school (and still a hell of a nice guy, and still the same old Fred, even with his fame).

Congrats, Fred!

heee heee heee....

Gotta love it...

FISA, girl-on-girl action, and perspective from the Google

For those of us political junkies deeply steeped in campaign news on a 24/7 basis, it sometimes helps to take a step back, and use "the Google" to see what most folks are actually focused on.

Now, granted, the Obama campaign has taken America by storm, but just to put things in perspective:

• "Barack Obama" = 6,210,000 search results
• "Britney Spears" = 79,800,000

And yes, some issues are hot in our world, but....

• "FISA" = 463,000 results
• "Girl on girl action" = 604,000

The nomination process might be captivating us junkies, but...

• "Superdelegates" = 3,280,000
• "Superbowl" = 18,500,000

And we might be digging deeply into policy specifics, but...

• "Hillary Clinton" AND "health care" = 508,000
• "Paris Hilton" AND "sex tape" = 955,000

The point of all this? Well, number one, that I am happy to finally have a "research" excuse to Google things like "girl on girl action." But more importantly, perhaps it should give us some perspective as we move (hopefully soon) into the general election.

At a meta level, we shouldn't be surprised that humans are a bit more interested in sex than politics. After all, when it comes down to it, we're basically just well dressed monkeys. At a meta level, we know this. But as the election season moves on, and as we get more and more into this stuff on a detailed, granular level, let's keep in mind that not everyone is like us, and not everyone has the same priorities.

Does this mean we should start dressing our candidates in slinky outfits and start having rallies at "Hooters?" No. But as we work to entice voters to our side, let's remember that the percentage of true political junkies out there is fairly small. Our target audience -- voters -- are not clones of us.

And let's remember that for the general electorate, we might need to start engaging on a much more basic level. Not because they're stupid, but because they're simply not as focused. Well, some are stupid. But not all.

But don't get too down, there's still hope:

• "Politics" = 435,000,000
• "Porn" = 275,000,000

Hey, maybe we well dressed monkeys are evolving after all.

(cross posted at DailyKos)

Just say neigh... Nader

Oh gees, according to Ben Smith over at Politico, it looks like Ralph Nader is fixing to run again.

Now here's thing... Nader has every right to run. Seriously, it's a free country, and I don't really have a lot of respect for the people who rip him a new one just for exercising his constitutional rights. Heck, I even met the guy, back in 2004, to talk about his run that cycle. And you know what? He impressed me.

Okay, so all that being said, Ralph, if you're reading this... please don't run. Not because you don't have the right, but because you could make a difference... again. And after 8 years of Bush rule, we can't afford 4 years more.

BareNaked Pundits 2.0 is Coming...

Yep, we're upgrading. Big time. Stay tuned. It's gonna be cool, baby.

$50 Reward for best comment

Thinking of leaving a comment? Well, go ahead and do it, and you might just win $50.

On March 1st, BareNaked Pundits will officially award $50 to the best comment during the month of February. Why? A few reasons:

• The site is new, we want to build up some critical mass, and this seems like a fun test.
• Philosophically, we like the idea of sharing some of the $$ with those who contribute -- including commenters. And as the site grows, we might want to try more of this.

Here's the guidelines:

• "Best" comment will be determined by a combination of: creativity, humor, cleverness, and perceptiveness. Basically, whatever makes us say, "wow, what a great comment."
• You can post your comment on ANY post on the site, made during the month of February.
• Winner will be determined at the sole discretion and outright whim of John Hlinko, the editor of BareNakedPolitics. If it's a close call, we might do a poll or something.
• The $50 will be sent via Paypal. So when you post your comment, don't just do it as "anonymous," unless you include something in there (URL, whatever) that lets us confirm who left it.
• If we can email you (if it's in the post), we will. Otherwise, check back on March 1st.

So leave your comments today. You might just win $50... that's right... a (searching, searching...) "Grant" just for you.

Best political ad ever?

This is from Paul Wellstone's first campagin for Senate, back in 1990. It's a parody of the Michael Moore film, "Roger and Me," but with the challenger trying to find the incumbent (Senator Rudy Boschwitz) to debate him. It's funny as hell, you can't help but love Wellstone, and not surprisingly, it generated more PR/earned media (aka "free showings") than just about any political ad in history.

Oh yeah, and that year, Paul Wellstone was the only challenger to defeat an incumbent senator.

Fine, I won't mess with Texas... but I might slap around New Mexico a bit

An outlier right now, but this would be pretty cool if it's the start of a trend: Barack Obama now leads Hillary Clinton in Texas 48% to 42%, according to an American Research Group poll.

Oh, and New Mexico has officially declared Hillary Clinton the winner of that primary, after taking only 81 years to count the votes. Or a few weeks or something....

John McCain & Miss Teen South Carolina

Brilliant mashup. And... scarily on point.

Happy Valentine's Day

"Buck Naked Politics" - Awesome

I love it. Creeping naked-ism is spreading. Check it out, at Buck Naked Politics. (and thanks to BNP for the link!)