A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via bookofjoe)

In: Mark Warner, Magic Man. Everyone in the Chattering Classes is talking about Mark Warner, or, as we like to call him, "Warnsey." Sure, last night was a big night for Mike Bloomberg. His victory heralds the ignominious end of ethnic politics in New York (Which goes way back into the late 19th Century). And, yes, Jon Corzine's victory signalled, among other things, that the sleazy involvement of ex-spouses in last-minute campaign commercials can bit you in the ass (And, that bearded men can still become Governors).

But the real winner last night? Virginia Governor Mark Warner, the Kingmaker, of course. Warner, who is planning a 2008 Presidential run, turned a red-state blue. That's some serious head shrinking evil-genius voodoo magic. According to the Washpo:

"Virginia's quadrennial search for a governor featured neither charismatic personalities nor dominant policy initiatives. But Democrat Timothy M. Kaine's resounding victory over Republican Jerry W. Kilgore nonetheless provided important political lessons for the commonwealth, and maybe the country.

"The outcome marked what feels like a dramatic strengthening of Democratic appeal in Northern Virginia, the state's richest and most populous region. It showed that Republicans can no longer depend simply on the power of their party to win statewide and demonstrated the dangers of a negative campaign. It presented an intriguing campaign model for Democrats, in which religious faith plays an important role. And most of all it demonstrated the appeal of Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), for whom this could become the first stop of a presidential campaign."



Oh, Anna. (image via thebosh)

Out: A Wintour's Frost. Ah, if only frosty Vogue editrix Anna Wintour would follow the immortal advice of her one-time paramour Bob Marley and "No Woman No Cry," there would be no problem with Radar Online, which, we cannot fail to note, has been getting some damn good scoops lately (I'm just saying), and runs this today:

"Although head Vogue-ette Anna Wintour has previously made light of her ex-assistant Lauren Weisberger�s best-selling roman a clef, we hear the Devil may care after all. Sources say Wintour has been doing everything in her power to ensure the film version of The Devil Wears Prada fizzles�even threatening to blacklist some of the fashion world�s biggest names if they agree to do cameos.

"When Wintour got wind that producers had been recruiting major designers for walk-on roles, sources close to the film say she unleashed a flurry of phone calls intimating to the aspiring thespians that they�d be persona non grata in the pages of her high-end glossy if they participated.

"Most of the designers bowed out, we hear, with the notable exception of Valentino�who made good on his promised cameo despite having born the brunt of Wintour�s discontent. (A rep for Valentino said she was unable to comment on his partcipation in the film or the drama we hear it caused at his offices.)"

(A considerable pause) That "Valentino." Always causing trouble with his pimped-out pompadour, his obnoxious mantan, his sybilline smile, his ever-ready pug and, most of all, his one-named self. (The Corsair snaps, aggressively. twice, then judiciously applies strawberry lip quencher)



(via beatsandrants)

In: Dave Chappelle on Inside the Actor's Studio. Kind of ghetto, this maneuver. Frankly, we'd thought the better venue to tell his mystery would have been Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes, or at least Oprah, but -- hey, even a talentless remora like James Lipton deserves an even break, and so Dave Chappelle is finally going to talk. We imagine the absurdly pretentious James Lipton is presently stewing like a Syrian fig in his own overwrought juices at the prospect. According to Popwatch:

"If anyone can get an explanation out of Dave Chappelle, it's James Lipton. Chappelle will tell Lipton what his favorite curse word is sometime during the forthcoming 12th season of Inside the Actors Studio, which starts Dec. 11 on Bravo."



(image via repubblica.it)

Out: Jean-Marie Le Pen. We hate to be right about something as dark as the rise of race, or, as we call it, "Blood Politics" in Europe. This turning away from a realistic idealism, the natural state of Man, as dictated by our morphological design, and back, knuckles dragging, into our primal biological urgings is a wonderous sad thing to witness.

Jeremy Rabkin has an interesting essay in the Claremont Review of Books about the reasons why the European Union failed. Mainly, the EU document was a 500-page treaty -- not a Constitution -- that superceded ancient nations, written in the impenetrable beaurocratic prose favored by aristocratic Brussels diplomats, despised by average Eureopeans. It was never, ever given any logical rationale.

There was never a grassroots effort to defend or explain why a unified Europe would ostensibly be better than the present organic arrangement. Patriotism was scoffed at; the assumption being that "Europeanness" -- no matter how vague -- trumped, say, "Dutchness," or, "Irishness," because a United Europe was a larger theoretical concept. Ha. Try telling that to a patriotic farmer in Dordogne.

And then there was all that ill-considered Brobdinangian expansion! Infinite expansion! There was expansion to envelope every slavic satellite-- think: Ukraine -- as they freed themselves from the heavy gravitational pull of The Russian Bear. Unrealistic, to say the least.

The pendulum swings. Momentum is now in the fully hands of The Blood Politicians, who will, no doubt, peddle the crimson power of race using dark rage in their rhetoric. The poor and uneducated and ignored and over-emotional on The Continent will eat this slop up as their marching orders. Far right National Front demogogue Jean-Marie le Pen is taking full advantage of the chaos. It is his filthy historical moment. According to the AP:

"French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen claimed Wednesday his National Front party has been "submerged" with prospective members and supportive e-mail since rioting erupted in heavily immigrant communities near Paris.

"In an interview with The Associated Press, Le Pen described the recent violence as 'just the start' of conflicts caused by 'massive immigration from countries of the Third World that is threatening not just France but the whole continent.'

"... 'We are receiving thousands of new members, tens of thousands of e- mails. All of our offices are submerged, we don't know how to respond because we don't have the staff to reply to the wave of people who, 95 percent of them, salute and approve our positions,' he added."