If you’re using an older browser, the sidebar may, in some instances, get pushed all the way to the bottom of the page.
I could fix this if I really wanted, but it doesn’t show up in the later browser versions, and I’m not that bored yet.
It occurs when I post a long, continous thing, like a long link, or one really long word. It stretches the post out past where the sidebar should be and shunts the sidebar to the bottom.
So get a newer browser if that’s happening to you. 🙂
Okay, folks, the third Madden roster update (along with a couple of patches to improve on and offline gameplay) has been released. Here is a list of the changes in the third update (I’m a little a late on this, sorry, it was released October 4th — better late than never, I guess):
(side note — EA seems to be on the ball this year with updates, I gotta say)
Transactions
S Will Demps – Signs with Texans
C Chukky Okobi – Signs with Cardinals
CB Anthony Madison – Released by Bucs
CB Sammy Davis – Signs with Bucs
DE Bryce Fisher – Traded to Titans
QB Charlie Frye – Traded to Seahawks
TE Michael Gaines – Signs with Bills
T Todd Steussie – Released by Rams
T Patrick Estes – Released by 49ers
DT Attiyah Ellison – Signs with 49ers
LB Johnny Baldwin – Signs with Chiefs
LB Wesly Mallard – Released by Broncos
LB Buster Davis – Signs with Lions
DT Russell Davis – Released by Seahawks
T Rashad Butler – Signs with Texans
LB Jordan Beck – Released by Falcons
K Justin Medlock – Released by Chiefs
K Dave Rayner – Signed by Chiefs
G Tutan Reyes – Released by Jaguars
WR Reche Caldwell – Signed by Redskins
DT Ed Johnson – Added to Colts
HB Pierre Thomas – Added to Saints
K Billy Cundiff – Released by Falcons
DE Copeland Bryan – Added to Bills
S Bryan Scott – Signs with Bills
LB Jamie Winborn – Added to Broncos
QB Ken Dorsey – Added to Browns
DE Greg White – Added to Bucs
WR David Boston – Released by Bucs
WR Mark Jones – Signs with Bucs
HB Luke Lawton – Added to Colts
DT Antonio Garay – Added to Bears
K Morten Andersen – Signs with Falcons
TE Delanie Walker – Added to 49ers
FB Madison Hedgecock – Released by Rams/Signed by Giants
T Adam Koets – Added to Giants
DE Brent Hawkins – Added to Jaguars
LB Nick Greisen – Released by Jaguars
DT Russell Davis – Signs with Giants
DE Mike Devito – Added to Jets
WR Wallace Wright – Added to Jets
LB Anthony Cannon – Added to Lions
CB Tony Beckham – Added to Lions
C Nick Leckey – Released by Cardinals
CB Tramon Williams – Added to Packers
HB Ryan Grant – Added to Packers
FB John Kuhn – Added to Packers
WR Carlyle Holiday – Removed from Packers (Injury)
CB Curtis Deloatch – Signs with Panthers
LT Frank Omiyale – Signs with Panthers
TE Christian Fauria – Signs with Panthers
CB Dante Wesley – Removed from Panthers (Injury)
RT Mark Wilson – Added to Raiders
FS Hiram Eugene – Added to Raiders
FB Richard Owens – Signs with Rams
HB Cory Ross – Added to Ravens
DE Edgar Jones – Added to Ravens
S Omar Stoutmire – Signs with Redskins
DE Anton Palepoi – Released by Saints
DE Josh Cooper – Added to Saints
DT Ellis Wyms – Signs with Seahawks
CB Allen Rossum – Signs with Steelers
DT Jesse Mahelona – Released by Titans
FS Vincent Fuller – Added to Titans
C Eugene Amano – Added to Titans
QB Byron Leftwich – Signs with Falcons
DT Tank Johnson – Signs with Cowboys
LB Andre Frazier – Released by Bengals
LB Dhani Jones – Signs with Bengals
G Will Montgomery – Signs with Jets
LG Rick MeMulling – Signs with Redskins
FS Jamaal Fudge – Added to Jaguars
LE Andre Coleman – Added to Chargers
RE Chris Wilson – Added to Redskins
WR Shaun Bodiford – Signs with Packers
Ratings Up
LB Rob Morris – 81 to 83 OVR
LB Freddie Keiaho – 73 to 75 OVR
HB Marion Barber – 86 to 87 OVR
HB Derrick Ward – 72 to 77 OVR
DE Cullen Jenkins – 84 to 86 OVR
LB Nick Barnett – 88 to 90 OVR
DT Johnny Jolly – 73 to 77 OVR
SS Atari Bigby – 71 to 73 OVR
DE Juqua Thomas – 72 to 78 OVR
SS Sean Considine – 83 to 85 OVR
WR Jason Avant – 70 to 73 OVR
FS Jim Leonhard – 67 to 71 OVR
CB Dre Bly – 90 to 92 OVR
TE Jeff King – 77 to 79 OVR
WR Lance Moore – 71 to 73 OVR
WR Glenn Holt – 66 to 68 OVR
WR Roscoe Parrish – 69 to 73 OVR
FS Jim Leonhard – 71 to 76 OVR
DT Amon Gordon – 69 to 73 OVR
HB Travis Henry – 88 to 89 OVR
DE Elvis Dumervil – 79 to 81 OVR
WR Brandon Marshall – 80 to 82 OVR
HB Jamal Lewis – 84 to 86 OVR
WR Josh Cribbs – 62 to 64 OVR
QB Derek Anderson – 78 to 79 OVR
LB Barrett Rudd – 80 to 82 OVR
WR Ike Hilliard – 76 to 80 OVR
DT Darnell Dockett – 85 to 86 OVR
DE Antonio Smith – 74 to 78 OVR
LT Mike Gandy – 80 to 82 OVR
LB Gerald Hayes – 82 to 83 OVR
LB Stephen Cooper – 74 to 77 OVR
LB Napoleon Harris – 78 to 80 OVR
DT Alphonso Boone – 75 to 78 OVR
FS Bob Sanders – 96 to 97 OVR
LG Ryan Lilja – 87 to 89 OVR
RG Jake Scott – 88 to 91 OVR
RT Ryan Diem – 91 to 93 OVR
LB Freddie Keiaho – 75 to 79 OVR
QB Tony Romo – 84 to 89 OVR
P Brandon Fields – 67 to 74 OVR
C Jamaal Jackson – 84 to 86 OVR
LB Omar Gaither – 81 to 82 OVR
LB Rocky McIntosh – 78 to 81 OVR
HB Artose Pinner – 68 to 70 OVR
LB Stephen Nicolas – 68 to 70 OVR
WR Roddy White – 74 to 75 OVR
DT Aubrayo Franklin – 75 to 79 OVR
DT Isaac Sopoaga – 74 to 78 OVR
DE Bryant Young – 86 to 88 OVR
LB Manny Lawson – 78 to 81 OVR
LB Patrick Willis – 84 to 85 OVR
DE Marques Douglas – 80 to 82 OVR
DE Justin Tuck – 70 to 75 OVR
LG Rich Seubert – 84 to 87 OVR
LT David Diehl – 84 to 88 OVR
RG Chris Snee – 92 to 94 OVR
WR Plaxico Burress – 90 to 92 OVR
C Dennis Norman – 63 to 67 OVR
DT Marcus Stroud – 94 to 95 OVR
WR Dennis Northcutt – 77 to 78 OVR
MLB Mike Peterson – 92 to 93 OVR
CB David Barrett – 75 to 76 OVR
DE Kenyon Coleman – 76 to 79 OVR
WR Calvin Johnson – 88 to 89 OVR
DT Shaun Rogers – 94 to 96 OVR
HB DeShawn Wynn – 72 to 73 OVR
WR James Jones – 75 to 78 OVR
TE Donald Lee – 77 to 78 OVR
SS Atari Bigby – 73 to 75 OVR
C Dan Koppen – 87 to 90 OVR
HB Sammy Morris – 78 to 79 OVR
WR Randy Moss – 93 to 97 OVR
WR Wes Welker – 83 to 86 OVR
RT Nick Kaczur – 81 to 82 OVR
RG Stephen Neal – 87 to 89 OVR
LG Logan Mankins – 92 to 94 OVR
LT Matt Light – 91 to 94 OVR
DT Vince Wilfork – 92 to 93 OVR
DE Ty Warren – 89 to 90 OVR
DE Jarvis Green – 79 to 82 OVR
ROLB Rosevelt Colvin – 85 to 87 OVR
QB Tom Brady – 98 to 99 OVR
WR Ronald Curry – 79 to 80 OVR
RT Cornell Green – 75 to 77 OVR
RG Cooper Carlisle – 80 to 84 OVR
MLB Kirk Morrison – 88 to 90 OVR
ROLB Thomas Howard – 82 to 85 OVR
WR Terrell Owens – 94 to 97 OVR
C Brett Romberg – 68 to 72 OVR
DT Cliff Ryan – 67 to 69 OVR
LB Brandon Chillar – 73 to 75 OVR
HB Musa Smith – 76 to 77 OVR
LE Dwan Edwards – 66 to 68 OVR
LOLB Jarret Johnson – 77 to 80 OVR
RE Haloti Ngata – 82 to 84 OVR
P Derrick Frost – 76 to 80 OVR
MLB Lofa Tatupu – 94 to 95 OVR
HB Najeh Davenport – 77 to 79 OVR
ROLB James Harrison – 73 to 83 OVR
MLB James Farrior – 93 to 94 OVR
CB Deshea Townsend – 84 to 85 OVR
RT Willie Colon – 70 to 75 OVR
WR Santonio Holmes – 81 to 82 OVR
WR Roydell Williams – 67 to 70 OVR
CB Cortland Finnegan – 73 to 79 OVR
DT Tony Brown – 73 to 77 OVR
K Rob Bironas – 82 to 85 OVR
LE Antwan Odom – 75 to 78 OVR
LT Michael Roos – 82 to 84 OVR
MLB Ryan Fowler – 72 to 75 OVR
RG Benji Olson – 91 to 93 OVR
RT David Stewart – 76 to 80 OVR
LG Jacob Bell – 87 to 89 OVR
ROLB Chad Greenway – 79 to 81 OVR
QB Matt Schaub – 83 to 84 OVR
RG Fred Weary – 77 to 78 OVR
CB Charles Tillman – 91 to 92 OVR
DT Tommie Harris – 97 to 98 OVR
DE Mark Anderson – 85 to 86 OVR
HB Kenny Watson – 73 to 77 OVR
MLB John DiGiorgio – 67 to 70 OVR
WR Brandon Marshall – 82 to 83 OVR
DT Amon Gordon – 73 to 77 OVR
DE Elvis Dumervil – 81 to 83 OVR
WR Braylon Edwards – 86 to 87 OVR
MLB Leon Williams – 74 to 76 OVR
QB Jeff Garcia – 84 to 86 OVR
HB Earnest Graham – 72 to 74 OVR
MLB Barrett Ruud – 82 to 84 OVR
MLB Gerald Hayes – 83 to 84 OVR
DT Darnell Dockett – 86 to 87 OVR
HB Edgerrin James – 91 to 93 OVR
DT Gabe Watson – 73 to 76 OVR
LB Shaun Phillips – 86 to 88 OVR
WR Vincent Jackson – 81 to 84 OVR
TE Antonio Gates – 98 to 99 OVR
SS Antoine Bethea – 85 to 86 OVR
HB Marion Barber – 87 to 88 OVR
LG Kyle Kosier – 85 to 87 OVR
TE Jason Witten – 92 to 93 OVR
K Nick Folk – 71 to 76 OVR
RG Leonard Davis – 90 to 92 OVR
HB Brian Westbrook – 94 to 95 OVR
WR Kevin Curtis – 81 to 83 OVR
DE Trent Cole – 82 to 85 OVR
C Jamaal Jackson – 86 to 88 OVR
WR Roddy White – 75 to 78 OVR
HB Fred Taylor – 89 to 90 OVR
SS Sammy Knight – 74 to 83 OVR
QB David Garrard – 82 to 83 OVR
MLB Mike Peterson – 93 to 94 OVR
WR Shaun McDonald – 70 to 74 OVR
QB Brett Favre – 89 to 90 OVR
LE Aaron Kampman – 94 to 95 OVR
C Justin Hartwig – 82 to 84 OVR
RG Jeremy Bridges – 81 to 84 OVR
C Jeremy Newberry – 83 to 84 OVR
CB Stanford Routt – 68 to 77 OVR
HB LaMont Jordan – 83 to 85 OVR
ROLB Thomas Howard – 85 to 86 OVR
LOLB Brandon Chillar – 75 to 77 OVR
K Matt Stover – 94 to 96 OVR
CB Kelly Jennings – 78 to 80 OVR
HB Willie Parker – 89 to 90 OVR
HB Adrian Peterson – 87 to 88 OVR
ROLB Chad Greenway – 81 to 83 OVR
MLB E.J. Henderson – 84 to 85 OVR
DT Amobi Okoye – 79 to 80 OVR
FS Von Hutchins – 76 to 79 OVR
FS C.C. Brown – 71 to 75 OVR
MLB DeMeco Ryans – 88 to 89 OVR
WR Andre Davis – 67 to 70 OVR
QB Vince Young – 87 to 88 OVR
DT Albert Haynesworth – 85 to 87 OVR
Ratings Down
HB Carnell Williams – 88 to 87 OVR
DT Justin Harrell – 78 to 76 OVR
FS Nick Collins – 80 to 79 OVR
CB Paul Oliver – 76 to 73 OVR
LB Joey Porter – 93 to 92 OVR
G Chris Liwienski – 82 to 79 OVR
G Rex Hadnot – 84 to 82 OVR
T L.J. Shelton – 83 to 78 OVR
T Vernon Carey – 84 to 81 OVR
HB Reuben Droughns – 80 to 75 OVR
S Gibril Wilson – 89 to 86 OVR
WR D.J. Hackett – 82 to 78 OVR
QB Rex Grossman – 84 to 83 OVR
CB Ricky Manning – 86 to 84 OVR
CB Leon Hall – 80 to 78 OVR
DE Tim Crowder – 78 to 77 OVR
FS Will Allen – 80 to 78 OVR
LG Anthony Davis – 82 to 78 OVR
DE Gaines Adams – 84 to 82 OVR
CB Antrel Rolle – 84 to 82 OVR
DE Bertrand Berry – 92 to 90 OVR
DT Quinn Pitcock – 75 to 69 OVR
DT Dan Klecko – 77 to 73 OVR
CB Chris Houston – 80 to 77 OVR
CB Corey Webster – 80 to 78 OVR
DE Michael Strahan – 94 to 92 OVR
CB Aaron Ross – 80 to 79 OVR
LB Kawika Mitchell – 85 to 80 OVR
DE Reggie Hayward – 88 to 86 OVR
WR Dwayne Jarrett – 77 to 76 OVR
WR Drew Carter – 70 to 72 OVR
CB Tory James – 85 to 83 OVR
WR Donte Stallworth – 84 to 82 OVR
C Andy McCollum – 82 to 76 OVR
WR Brandon Lloyd – 78 to 73 OVR
WR Devery Henderson – 82 to 80 OVR
WR Terrance Copper – 76 to 73 OVR
FB Dan Kreider – 93 to 88 OVR
LB Lawrence Timmons – 80 to 77 OVR
RT Max Starks – 83 to 79 OVR
WR Paul Williams – 70 to 65 OVR
CB Kelly Herndon – 80 to 78 OVR
DT Randy Starks – 79 to 75 OVR
P Craig Hentrich – 85 to 83 OVR
LOLB Rufus Alexander – 73 to 68 OVR
WR Sidney Rice – 78 to 76 OVR
C Mike Flanagan – 87 to 82 OVR
TE Daniel Graham – 88 to 86 OVR
WR Ted Ginn – 79 to 77 OVR
DE Jevon Kearse – 88 to 86 OVR
WR Reggie Williams – 78 to 77 OVR
WR Mike Walker – 74 to 71 OVR
FS Nick Collins – 79 to 78 OVR
CB Ken Lucas – 88 to 86 OVR
CB Fabian Washington – 85 to 83 OVR
HB Michael Bush – 78 to 75 OVR
FS Brian Dawkins – 97 to 96 OVR
DT Corey Simon – 83 to 81 OVR
Injuries
LB Michael Okwo (Bears) IR – Shoulder
T Orlando Pace (Rams) IR – Shoulder
S Yeremiah Bell (Dolphins) IR – Achilles
DT Dusty Dvoracek (Bears) IR – Knee
S Mike Brown (Bears) IR – Knee
T Jon Jansen (Redskins) IR – Ankle
S Jason Simmons (Texans) IR – Knee
DT Jason Ferguson (Cowboys) IR – Bicep
S Ko Simpson (Bills) IR – Ankle
CB Jason Webster (Bills) IR – Forearm
DT William Joseph (Giants) IR – Back
WR Chansi Stuckey (Jets) IR – Foot
CB Justin Miller (Jets) IR – Knee
CB B.J. Sams (Ravens) IR – Knee
TE Mark Campbell (Saints) IR – Back
FS Nate Salley (Panthers) IR – Knee
DE Adrian Awasom (Giants) IR – Back
LB Manny Lawson (49ers) IR – Knee
SS Gerald Sensabaugh (Jaguars) IR – Shoulder
MLB Paul Posluszny (Bills) IR – Forearm
Contracts
DT Pat Williams (Vikings) – 3 year extension
TE Chris Cooley (Redskins) – 6 year extension
QB Kyle Boller (Ravens) – 1 year extension
P Nick Harris (Lions) – 5 year extension
QB JaMarcus Russell (Raiders) – 6 year contract
G Brandon Moore (Jets) – 3 year extension
DB Jordan Babineaux (Seahawks) – 5 year extension
DT Tony Brown (Titans) – 2 year extension
Weapons
HB Brian Westbrook (Eagles) – Becomes Speed Weapon
HB Willie Parker (Steelers) – Loses Speed Weapon
CB Walt Harris (49ers) – Loses Smart Corner
HB Edgerrin James (Cardinals) – Becomes Trucking Weapon
HB Marion Barber (Cowboys) – Becomes Trucking Weapon
QB Tony Romo (Cowboys) – Becomes Accurate QB
WR Kevin Curtis (Eagles) – Becomes Speed Weapon
DT Albert Haynesworth (Titans) – Becomes Power Move Weapon
Well, given the fact that Comcast, my ISP, has stepped across the line and violated the Net Neutrality principle, I feel I should spread a little news about how to keep Comcast’s nose out of your business in the first place.
What you need to do is get your hands on a copy of Peerguardian 2.
First, remember that what Comcast is going after is basically Bittorrent. With a vengeance. Other P2P programs don’t offer the kind of power that Bittorrent does, and that scares the crap out of Comcast.
Now, the bad news. Peerguardian 2 does not support Winodows Vista yet. So if you got Vista, I’m sorry, but you’re shit out of luck for the moment.
What Peerguardian does — for everyone who can use it — is update itself with lists (which you can customize, add to, remove, etc.) of known IPs that are out there to scam, hamper, or eavesdrop on P2P transfers. You turn it on, it tunes out the bad IPs. This makes the problem of fake files a lot less of an issue, but it also gives you a degree of anonymity.
Now, if you use Comcast, they’re your ISP, so they may be able to get around Peerguardian problems. But it would take some serious work, and, in my experience, the one thing any Comcast employee is strictly against is any form of hard work.
So download Peerguardian at http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2/. Follow the instructions. Add the main Peerguardian block list and any other good block lists you can find.
This should keep Comcast from snooping around you so badly. No guarantee, of course, they could still sneak it, but using PG2 is a big step towards making yourself truly anonymous during P2P file downloads.
Also, note: Comcast is more interested in what you’re uploading than what you’re downloading. Now, unfortunately, if it weren’t for people who uploaded files, using the honor system of P2P, they’re be nothing to download at all. So share if you can, don’t leech. That’s all I ask.
…it is to be a New England sports fan today.
Ahhhhhh.
This isn’t even a contest, in my opinion.
Let’s get this out of the way first: both games look great. Both games go up to 1080p (which is way overrated but whatever). Then again, if you’re looking for the best-looking game for the PS3 (did you think I was talking about the XBotch?), go for SCEA’s NBA ’08. Of course, NBA ’08 is nothing but a dunkfest, and the gameplay is horrible, so scratch it off your list immediately.
There’s only one pertinent question here, and that is, do you want a basketball game that plays like an arcade game, or do you want a basketball game that plays more true to the game, like a simulation?
If you want arcade-style play (dunks and whatnot), go with EA’s NBA Live ’08. If you want a simulation-style game, go with NBA 2K8.
Frankly, in my opinion, there’s no contest. NBA 2K8 is a clear winner. Of course, everything in NBA Live ’08 is in 60 FPS, while NBA 2K8 will sometimes drop lower — never in gameplay, but in instant-replay sometimes, things like that. Gameplay is a smooth 60 FPS the whole way.
I originally bought NBA Live ’08, spent about three hours playing it, and immediatley took it to Gamestop, traded it in, and got myself NBA 2K8 and have been playing that happily ever since.
Go NBA 2K8. So sayeth the Kip.
Okay, the first thing you need to do to be able to trick your iPhone into playing custom ringtones that aren’t from iTunes (screw you, Steve Jobs), is to get the program iPhoneBrowser or the equivalent (iPhoneBrowser is for Windows, there are plenty for Macs, just look around). You do not need to “jailbreak” your phone, don’t worry. This will not void your warranty.
I think you can get iPhoneBrowser from here: http://code.google.com/p/iphonebrowser/downloads/list. Make sure you put it in the right directory, though, or it won’t work (needs to be in bin directory of the Apple Mobile Device folder, I believe, just read the instructions).
** IMPORTANT NOTE ** — There is a link from that page that will tell you how to keep your custom ringtones from disappearing. Unfortunately, to do it, I believe you have to have your iPhone “jailbroken” (wide open firmware-wise) which will void your warranty if you’re not extremely careful. Maybe will void your warranty, period, I don’t know if you can truly “unjailbreak” an iPhone. If you don’t want to jailbreak your phone, which I don’t, either, you just have to keep a copy of your modified Ringtone.plist file somewhere on your computer and copy it to your iPhone using iPhoneBrowser or the equivalent after every sync. It’s not as hard as it sounds, trust me — NONE of this is as hard as it sounds or seems. It’s really very, very easy.
Anyway, I hope this helps some people out. I think it’s crazy that Apple insists you buy off of iTunes in order to be able to convert a song or sound into a ringtone. Come on, Apple, get with the program, this is the kind of trick Microsoft pulls, not you.
Happy hacking…
An anonymous reader recently mailed my the following comment: What’s up with your lack of updates?
I apologize. First, though, I have to say, it’s flattering to know that somebody actually reads my incessant ramblings, much less is concerned that I haven’t written anything new in a while.
Okay. It’s been a busy time for me, which is unusual. I’ll try to sum up. First, there was my friend Nigam’s wedding, which necessitated such unusual outings like a trip to go buy a suit which I’m probably never going to wear again.
Also, I’ve sort of been in feverish contact with a friend in Australia over a topic that you need not worry about — so a lot of writing is being chewed up by that. Long emails, etc. Along with this, I came down with a two-week cold a little while ago, as well as having a wisdom tooth develop an abscess and have to be removed (by the way, for those of you who hate dentists — and I’m at the top of that list — getting a tooth pulled is really nothing, as long as they pump you up full of enough novocaine — although, here’s a hint, try never to look at the damn novocaine needle).
There’s been other stuff going on but it’s all sort of minor stuff, but it has conspired to keep me from attending to my blog. So I’m sorry about that. Believe me, my webalizer has shown me the dearth in traffic since I stopped posting regularly (and usually I have a lot of fun watching that thing go up, not down).
So…I’ll try to get back into the rhythm of posting here. Let me address a few things quickly…
– Nigam’s wedding (the Indian ceremony), went off without a hitch, including the Raas–Grba the night before (after which I received many slaps on the back from Indians for being the only outsider there to make it all the way through the simulated stick/sword-dance). It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the photos I took with my iPhone are gone — they disappeared when I tried to update to the 1.1.1 firmware and my iPhone crashed and needed a full restore. I’ve had no luck trying to get in touch with the Maid of Honor to see if she has pictures, and Nigam is still on his honeymoon.
– Oh, my God, is it a great thing to be a New England sports fan right now.
– I found a good online place to buy chocolate-covered espresso beans (they ARE good, if you’ve never had them, and yeah, they do jazz you up nicely) — http://www.nutsonline.com/.
– Really, there’s not much else going on.
So that’s about it, folks. I’ll just try to post more regularly now.
This should be required reading for all conservatives and independents.
I am republishing the piece in full, which ran in today’s Boston Globe.
——–
THE MITT-AND-RUDY SMACKDOWN
By Jeff Jacoby
The Boston Globe
Sunday, October 14, 2007
During an interview at The Boston Globe last week, Senator Hillary Clinton was asked about a vote she had cast in 2005 against raising automobile mileage standards — a vote seemingly at odds with her stand on the issue. She answered that it had been a largely “symbolic” vote: Everyone knew the bill in question “would never pass,” Clinton said, and voting no had allowed her to demonstrate good will toward the Big Three automakers.
It was, I thought, an unexpectedly candid acknowledgment of two things any voter this side of a coma already knows but candidates rarely admit, at least not about themselves: Politics sometimes involves “symbolic” gestures with no meaningful impact; and politicians’ deeds don’t always match their rhetoric. Why can’t candidates drop the pose and acknowledge that more often?
In that connection, consider the increasingly noisy jousting between Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani over which is the truer fiscal conservative.
At their debate in Dearborn, Mich., last week, the former Massachusetts governor lambasted the former New York mayor for launching the 1997 lawsuit that led the Supreme Court to strike down a federal line-item veto. “I’m in favor of the line-item veto,” Romney said. “I exercised it 844 times. Thank heavens we had a line-item veto.”
Romney’s heavy use of the line-item veto in Massachusetts is one of the mantras of his campaign. In one of his most heavily-aired TV ads, he crows: “I know how to veto. I like vetoes. I’ve vetoed hundreds of spending appropriations as governor.” What he never mentions is how few of those vetoes were sustained. According to the nonpartisan truth squad at FactCheck.org, 707 of Romney’s line-item vetoes — more than 80 percent — were overridden by the overwhelmingly Democratic Massachusetts Legislature, sometimes unanimously. Most of the vetoes he boasts of issuing, in other words, were only — how did Hillary put it? — symbolic. They ended up having almost no impact on state spending. Why does Romney pretend otherwise?
In the Dearborn debate, Giuliani trumpeted one of his favorite mantras, too: “I cut taxes 23 times when I was mayor of New York City. I believe in tax cuts. I believe in being a supply-sider.” It is a claim he makes with great frequency and vigor in his bid to be seen as the most stalwart tax-cutter in the GOP race.
A tax-cutter Giuliani undoubtedly was — but not 23 times. As Factcheck.org documents (using data from New York City’s Independent Budget Office, a publicly funded watchdog agency), at least eight of the tax cuts Giuliani takes credit for were undertaken not by the mayor but by the state government in Albany. Another cut on Giuliani’s list, the repeal of a 12.5 percent income tax surcharge, was spearheaded by the City Council over the mayor’s opposition. Only at the end of 1998 did he accede to the council’ position, after two years of lobbying hard to *extend* the tax — something the influential Club for Growth, which champions lower taxes and limited government, lists among a handful of “glaring flaws” in Giuliani’s mostly “impressive record.”
As the group’s detailed white papers on Romney and Giuliani make clear, both men have generally shown respect for pro-taxpayer, pro-free market values. Both managed to hold spending growth to an average of less than 3 percent a year. Both tended to be voices of fiscal conservatism in liberal, big-spending environments.
But both at times have also strayed well into left field. The Club for Growth notes that Romney balked at signing a no-new-taxes pledge when he ran for governor, refused to endorse the Bush tax cuts in 2003, imposed a raft of fee hikes and tax “loophole” closures once in office, and only recently abandoned his radically anti-First Amendment view of campaign-finance law. Giuliani not only led the fight to kill the line-item veto, he ardently opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement and just as ardently supported the wretched McCain-Feingold law. Both men used to be known as liberal Republicans. Indeed, Giuliani ran for mayor in 1993 with the endorsement of New York’s Liberal Party, and when Romney ran against Ted Kennedy in the 1994 Massachusetts Senate race, I described the contest as “a choice between a real liberal and a watered-down liberal.”
In short, neither man has been a model of conservative ideological purity. And neither is going to become one by belligerently trying to outdo the other in the rhetoric department.
In Garrison Keillor’s fictional town of Lake Woebegone, residents do their shopping at Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery. In the same spirit, the GOP is going to pick a 2008 presidential nominee from a lineup of pretty good — but decidedly imperfect — conservatives. Realistic Republicans understand that their choices in this campaign don’t include Ronald Reagan or Adam Smith. The Mitt-‘n’-Rudy smackdown is entertaining, but it isn’t going to change that reality.
(Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe.)
I did forget to mention one of the more interesting parts of my trip down to Atlantic City — the 11-hour or so train ride back.
The train was packed, so there was no chance of getting a seat by myself, which I usually like to do so I can stretch out a little. Actually, I had a little bit of claustrophobia, which is a strange thing for a person who’s used to be agoraphobia. Hehe.
From Philadelphia to Penn Station I sat next to a bright, attractive, energetic young woman (I thought she was 22, she turned out to be 29) who didn’t seem to mind chatting a bit. “Helps pass the time!” she said, which is also the way I feel about it (although I did try not to jabber incessantly at her). Her name was Stacy (with or without an e, I don’t know), and it turns out she does promotional work for the WWE, which I find fascinating. She gave me her email address (no, boys, I am not trying to collect trophy numbers or addresses, she just seemed like a nice person, and I wouldn’t mind chatting with her in the future).
She got off at Penn Station (ah, I remember the days when I got off there, and headed off for extended stays in Manhattan…). Shortly after that, a beautiful and very young girl — 19, I learned — sat down next to me. Sheira, I believe her name was, although I think I’m getting it wrong.
Now, this girl looked a little bit like, and radiated the charming innocence of, my very first girlfriend, so some strange paternalistic instinct in me took over and I began asking her about school and such and warning her about boys. She’s a junior, a math major at Harvard (whoa! numbers have never been my friend), and she’s never had a boyfriend. That floored me. The girl was seriously cute, but obviously didn’t think she was, she frowned at me when she told me that.
If I were her age and going to Harvard with her, you’d have to beat me away from this girl with a stick. Bright, charming, unassuming, pretty in a fragile way — what is wrong with the boys at Harvard, is what I want to know?
We chatted for a long while and then I finally drifted off into iPod zone-outage and she fiddled with her laptop looking for where her new classes were.
So, the train ride was fun, I want to know what promotional work for the WWE is like, and I also want to know what in God’s name is wrong with the boys at Harvard these days to leave a fragile beauty like that second girl all alone! Not that Stacy, the first girl, wasn’t beautiful as well, but she seemed to be a bit more comfortable with the concept of guys than this poor girl did.
Ah well. I hope to at least find out the answer to the WWE question.
…andI’mout…