The Release of the Rogue

You may have heard that there is  a new book coming out tomorrow. Shouldn’t be an event that is very newsworthy. After all, there are around 250,000 books published annually in the United States( including re-releases) and the vast majority are like  95% of the Screen Actors Guild membership. They get very little notice. It is estimated that the average paper back sells about 15,ooo copies while such numbers are hard, if not impossible to find for hardcovers. Interesting as to why, but not really important. Suffice to say that most books are published with little acclaim.

However, a book is coming out that has already been widely cussed, discussed, analyzed, fact-checked and perhaps even read. It is Going Rogue by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. If the adage holds that any publicity is good as long as one’s name is spelled correctly, this book will be a whopper. By the way, Rush will interview Ms Palin tomorrow. She has spoke with Oprah already and I believe Barbara Walters is due.  There have been several folks talking about the book as well.

First, the Associated Press, who used a total of 11 people to fact check the book. They found a total  of 6 errors which figures out to about 2 people per error. Wonder if they fact checked either of the President’s books. Nah, already know that answer.

Anyway, here we go. So called conservative David Brooks says you can’t taker her seriously  and she is a joke. CBS elder statesman Bob Schieffer called her an amusement with no political future.  Good old MSNBC  guy, Joe Scarborough said comparing her to Howard Dean is an insult to Dean’s intelligence. Former Vermont gov, DNC chair, Howard the screamer, one and the same. Sure are talking a lot about someone who doesn’t matter, huh?

Martin Luther and Alan Grayson

Martin Luther in 1533 by Lucas Cranach ( and current political example)

I cannot believe  I just wrote that title. It is in fact one of the more unlikely pairings that I could imagine. And until just recently, totally unimaginable. For the comparison, i must thank MSNBC’S Chris Matthews. So, how are these two individuals to be compared. Rep. Grayson, D, Fl has just recently made a speech in which he said the Republican health care plan was for people to die or else get sick and die quickly. Predictably, Republicans complained, Speaker Pelosi said it was no worse than Republicans had said, etc.

 

There have been calls for Mr Grayson to apologize or disavow , which he has steadfastly refused to do. Heady stuff for a first termer who barely squeaked into office. He has the limelight so why not run with it. Understandable since among other things it sure improves one’s name recognition. Shucks it may even help his fundraising. This aside that is really not connected to my title, but was so interesting I couldn’t resist a mention. Commenting on the media furor about Grayson’s  comments, New York Times  writer David Brooks said it was all a “media circus”. What he said next was just  was so funny to me, although he surely did not mean it to be. Remember the circus phrase. He said that the Republicans have guys that ” I consider loons and harmful for America-Glenn Beck,Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin-all those guys…” He should know there are no loons in a circus. I  would mention that his degree is from the university of Chicago but that would be a total diversion.

Ok, on to our comparison. Matthew had Grayson on his show on Friday and started off by mentioning his being in Berlin in 1989 when the wall fell and asking his colleague, John McLaughlin how Martin Luther was able to stand against  the church, presumably referring to his nailing of the 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg on Halloween, 1517. Matthews asked how Grayson, like Luther against the church, knew he could stand against”clowns” like Limbaugh and the Republicans. Strange on multiple levels. How Limbaugh fit  into Grayson’s  health care comments and please tell me  how did Luther make the conversation?

And Matthews  (aka Mr Tingles) calls others clowns. By the way, Rep. Grayson professes not to care if his comments cost him re-election. He jus wants to save lives. Yet another example of a sacrificing Democrat.