UPDATE: Okay, call it FIVE amusing links, thanks to Iowahawk
First up: Mark Steyn had me guffawing over my cornflakes this morning with this one:
The Senior Advisor [Valerie Jarrett] seems to have forgotten that she is the power. Admittedly, this is a recurring lapse on the part of the administration. There was Barack Obama only the other day blaming everything on the president — no, no, silly, not him, the other fellow, the Designated Fall Guy who stepped down as head of state in January to accept the new constitutional position of Blame Czar. Musing on problems in Afghanistan, Obama blamed the “long years of drift” under his predecessor. The new president — okay, newish president — has been Drifter-in-Chief for almost a year but he’s too busy speaking truth to the former power to get on top of the situation. It could be a while yet. In his more self-regarding moments, such as his speech to the U.N., he gives the strong impression that the “long years of drift” began in 1776.
Rocco Landesman, head honcho at the National Endowment for the Arts, seems closer to the reality of the situation. In his keynote address to the 2009 “Grantmakers in the Arts” Conference, Landesman hailed Obama as “the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar.” He didn’t mean a “powerful writer” as in a compelling voice, gripping narrative, vivid characterization, command of language, etc. He meant a “powerful writer” as in Caesar was king of the world, and now Obama is. He came; he saw; he stimulated: “If you accept the premise, and I do, that the United States is the most powerful country in the world, then Barack Obama is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar. That has to be good for American artists.”
I suppose so. He could invade somewhere and force the natives to accept degrading roles in NEA-funded performance art. He could take out the Iranian nuclear program by carpet-bombing it with unreadable literary novels. That is, if you “accept the premise” that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. Rocco Landesman may, but it’s not clear, from his actions (or inactions) in Eastern Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, that the president does. But, even so, it seems an odd pitch to “American artists.” Rocco Landesman, Speaking Goof to Power, isn’t the first Obama groupie to enjoy the kinky frisson of groveling obsequiousness, but he’s set an impressive new standard in public revelation thereof.
It goes on like that; a little gem of intelligent and pointed snark. And if you read into the second page, well, I blush to say, this fellow even mentions yours truly, so read it all!
Steven Crowder: One of his best take-down’s yet; I laughed myself silly:
Bakerella: Assists in a marriage proposal. Who said blogs are not powerful?
Bookworm: on the heels of the White House/NEA scandal that the press won’t talk about, Bookworm gives us a description of public art in San Francisco:
“The colorful mural by acclaimed artist Guy Colwell features Speaker Nancy Pelosi lancing a Republican elephant; a Terminator-dressed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger patting the back of a grizzly bear; Senator Dianne Feinstein waving the California State flag; Mayor Gavin Newsom performing a same-sex marriage ceremony; former Mayor Willie Brown brandishing a freshly pressed suit. . . former Supervisor Harvey Milk waving a Castro Rainbow flag with former Mayor George Moscone by his side; actress Marilyn Monroe hugging baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio on the back of a giraffe…”
You can see a picture of the mural, here.
Writes Bookworm:
Considering the art world’s Leftism, it can’t be a coincidence that, despite the worst recession in decades, art agencies just got their highest funding in 16 years. After all, if you were on the Left, wouldn’t you want to fund people like the Chief of the National Endowment for the Arts, who is not only someone whose paycheck has a lot to do with American taxpayers, but who also is a man who thinks Obama is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar.
We are living in very serious times, with very silly people in power. Very silly people who believe you and I are stupid. Very stupid. And they get away with it.
They’ll get away with as much as we let them
October 31st, 2009 | 1:38 pm | #1
Congrats on drawing the notice of Mark Steyn! There’s no one funnier in conservative commentary these days than Steyn. Quite a plum to draw his attention.
October 31st, 2009 | 2:03 pm | #2
Steyn is incredibly talented. He packs far more punch into a single paragraph than the so-called Golden Orator in the White House.
Well done for Crowder, as well.
San Francisco continues to proclaim its irrelevance. Meanwhile, California has announced it is bumping up payroll withholding by 10%. That’s what we got for our pains in voting down Sacramento’s BS budget jury-rigging. They’re not going to fix any problems, just jury-rig by force so they can kick the can a little further down the road. Genius.
October 31st, 2009 | 2:31 pm | #3
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Anchoress, The Anchoress. The Anchoress said: Four amusing links http://bit.ly/4xaiQN [...]
October 31st, 2009 | 5:09 pm | #4
Demonstration against Islamism & for secular liberal democracy
October 31st, 2009 | 5:19 pm | #5
Congratulations, Anchoress, on being mentioned by Mark Steyn. I enjoy you both, so it pleased me mightily to see worlds colliding. And oh. my. goodness…Iowahawk has outdone himself. I laughed til I was blue. I must share my favorite line, “Jupiter H. Cripes, I thought that crazyas$ Caligula was straightup psycho for appointing his horse to the Senate, but that thing had more brains than half these muthafu*kers. Combined.”
October 31st, 2009 | 6:07 pm | #6
Radical leftist GOP candidate (of evil) quits
October 31st, 2009 | 6:15 pm | #7
[...] Trick or Treat H/T Steven Chowder via the Anchoress [...]
October 31st, 2009 | 6:52 pm | #8
About the mural in SF: Is it OK if I pee on it?
October 31st, 2009 | 9:12 pm | #9
I know I’m hairsplitting (also that the Anchoress isn’t responsible for other people’s errors,) but it looks to me as if Pelosi is merely riding the elephant while tapping it with a zookeeper’s elephant hook. Still not a pleasant image if you have GOP inclinations, but not as shocking as what was described. (Besides, can you imagine the outrage from animal rights and environmentalist groups were the image of someone lancing an elephant?)
The question remains, however: does Pelosi really expect the elephant to go forward in response to her hitting it in the face?
November 1st, 2009 | 3:09 pm | #10
The question remains, however: does Pelosi really expect the elephant to go forward in response to her hitting it in the face?
That is exactly her political style. In fact, now that you put it that way, the mural is inspired.
November 1st, 2009 | 6:33 pm | #11
Actually, Pelosi is depicted as a mahout (an elephant driver).
She’s thus equipped with an ankus (an elephant goad).
November 1st, 2009 | 6:34 pm | #12
“Nancy Pelosi lancing a Republican elephant”
I agree that it’s not a lance but an elephant-rider’s goad or hook.
Furthermore, I don’t see anything in the mural to indicate that it is a Republican elephant.
November 1st, 2009 | 6:36 pm | #13
By the way, it takes considerable patience, skill and intelligence to be a first-class mahout.
So portraying Pelosi as one is a bit of a stretch.
November 2nd, 2009 | 2:42 pm | #14
“We are living in very serious times, with very silly people in power. ”
There’s a causal relationship, there, with the latter resulting in the former.
We never learn. We never, ever learn.
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