Classless

"Your first time shouldn't be with just anybody. You want to do it with a great guy. It should be with a guy with beautiful … somebody who really cares about and understands women."Lena DunhamObama campaign commercialIt's amusing to me, the outrage that has greeted the Lena Dunham commercial for the re–election of Barack Obama.It's amusing because those who are outraged act as if this was unexpected. But how could it be unexpected when the Obama...

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Death of a Good Guy

I knew when I heard that George McGovern was in hospice care that he was not long for this world.According to reports Wednesday afternoon, the 90–year–old was "unresponsive" at a hospice center in South Dakota, the state he represented in Washington.He lingered for a few days — never, to my knowledge, regaining responsiveness — and died earlier today.History — or destiny or fate or whatever you want to call it — had an unusual plan for George McGovern's...

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Nothing Can Go Wrong ... Go Wrong ... Go Wrong

Big Tex in happier times.Back when I was in high school, I attended a weeklong journalism workshop on the SMU campus. Several non–journalism activities (more of a social nature) were scheduled that week as well, including the showing of the movie "Westworld" after the workshop concluded.I was reminded of that movie when I first saw video footage of Big Tex in flames at the Texas State Fair — or, to be more precise, I was reminded of Yul Brynner,...

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The Dawn of the Cuban Missile Crisis

President Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney will meet in their second debate tomorrow night.It will follow a "town hall" format in which members of an audience made up entirely of undecided voters will ask the questions. I suppose the general idea is that the audience will ask the questions that are of the most concern for undecided voters, which should be instructive.In fact, it should be interesting, but I kind of wish tomorrow night's debate...

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Three Was a Crowd in 1992

In 1992, nationally televised debates between the major party nominees for president were still a fairly recent development in American politics.Vice presidential debates were newer still. The first televised presidential debates were in 1960, and the first vice presidential debate was in 1976.But, what happened in 1992 was a first that has been unmatched in presidential debate history. The debates that year featured three participants, not two.And the debate that was held 20 years ago tonight on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta was even more...

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When Vice Presidential Candidates Collide

Walter Mondale and Bob Dole met in the first vice presidential debate in 1976.History will be made tomorrow night in Danville, Ky., when Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan meet in the vice presidential debate.This isn't the first time a debate has been held in Danville (population about 16.000). Nor will it be the first time vice presidential candidates have debated. In fact, it will be the ninth time.It has been said that vice presidential...

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A Brand New Ball Game?

I've heard the question asked by several people in the last 24 hours.Is this a new race now?The subject, obviously, is Wednesday night's debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The Los Angeles Times reports that more than 67 million Americans watched it.And I am — as the Batman character Two–Face said — of two minds on the question of whether things have changed. At least in a long–term sense.On the one hand, of course, there is that election...

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Ike and Joe

It is ironic, in its way, that President Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney will meet in the first of three presidential debates tonight.A debate, I have heard people say, is the one setting in which voters can see candidates for office as they really are — not as their campaigns wish them to be seen.Some people would have you believe that politicians are different today than they used to be, that a system in which politicians will do or say...

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