September 29, 2008

"Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan... would have won a third term easily and still could (even though Reagan is dead)."

That's not the first thing that amused me this morning, just the first thing that amused me enough to blog. It's from this Stanley Fish piece about how people don't much like George Bush now, but we'll probably like him when he's not President anymore.

I was previously amused this morning by this collection of commercials from 1986, especially the "Hot Topper," one of those minor and strangely specific countertop appliances of the era, and "I'm ready to... participate." The 80s seemed to be more about sensuously drizzly liquids than the 00s are.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, your link is screwed up about the commercials.

Is it this?

If so, it's yours on ebay for $14.99.

Ann Althouse said...

Link fixed, but you've got it.

Ron said...

The 80s seemed to be more about sensuously drizzly liquids than the 00s are.

Yeah, what have we got? Bubble tea! Might as well drink snot in 7-up to wash down that crap sandwich with!

Ann Althouse said...

I've got the week off to a rather disgusting start, haven't I?

Ron said...

Cheer up -- some countries start the day with lutefisk!

Anonymous said...

Ah, cool stuff. Pre-1995 commercials are a sort of obsession of mine. They, along with anything else in TV Land, Nick at Nite, Boomerang, have taught me a lot about how this country was before I arrived here. Natives won't probaly realize it, but it's true.

Good morning to all.

bleeper said...

The 80s liked drizzly liquids, but how do we pronounce our current decade, written by you as "00s"? That looks like it could be pronounced "ooze". Maybe we don't need drizzly liquids in a decade that is already oozy.

George M. Spencer said...

The Diet Coke ad shows a hand model.

Was a piece in the NYT Style Section (?) a week ago about a woman who makes her living at that.

How does she do it?

Article said she does nothing with her hands. Except turn doorknobs. Keeps her hands slathered in lotion inside gloves all day long.

Sounds like a good idea for a bad Diane Keaton movie.

Ann Althouse said...

There's a "Seinfeld" with George as a hand model. The Puffy Shirt.

Peter V. Bella said...

Seing as you gave us the "crap sandwich for breakfast, I'd say you got the week off on a sh***y start.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Pornstache alert: Ronson shaver ad at 3:30 on the link.

former law student said...

we'll probably like him when he's not President anymore.

If Vincent Bugliosi is right, W.'s fans will be baking him cakes with files in them.

Anonymous said...

Former -- Why do you persist in believing that any American president will ever be criminally penalized in any way for policy decisions? Do you realize how moronic it make you look?

At any rate, I will bet $10,000 to your $500 that Bush is not, in fact, tried for any crimes. I eagerly await your answer, pussy.

Masterasia said...

This post is one of the most excellent author recommended articles here in this blog.

We must never forget the likes of President Truman and the comeback of Abraham Lincoln.

I am one of those who advocates censure against him and his staff for starting the Iraw war.

But the thing is 9/11 happened.

There are two things that I would give President Bush credit for: first, keeping the American homeland safe; second, bringing the fight in the center of Islamic extremism.

Palladian said...

The second guy in the Ronson shaver commercial is so hot, even if they made him act dorky.

former law student said...

Why do you persist in believing that any American president will ever be criminally penalized in any way for policy decisions? Do you realize how moronic it make you look?

Leaving the case against George W. Bush for a moment: Do you really believe that no President should ever be punished for his actions in office; that the maximum penalty for any wrong-doing should be losing his job? What should happen to a monster or mountebank? How about house arrest, like Pol Pot?

Anonymous said...

Policy cannot be a crime. Never. If it is ever made into a crime, even once, it spells the end of free elections and representative government. I'll leave it to you, Former, to try to figure out why that would be.

You are living in a fantasy land and you are going to be sorely disappointed when there is not so much as a whisper about prosecution of Bush once he leaves office. May as well accept it now.

My offer to bet stands.

kentuckyliz said...

Ooh I like the Hot Toppers machine.

Ann, you're in Wisco, is there a cheese version available there?

Like buttah!

former law student said...

Matthew 2:16-18
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.

seven machos:
Policy cannot be a crime. Never.

walter neff said...

Isn't that why Barack's family moved to Indonesia?

Joe said...

The turkey ad was interesting since it really was a break-through of sorts. Today, all turkeys are plump and cooking them has become a breeze.

Alice AN said...

Take this from a confirmed Bush Hater (maybe Hater is too strong), I have over the last month developed a fondness for the man. The McCain drama act points out the many ways in which Bush was not a bad President.

Yes, we are Ideologically different, and I think he enacted some very bad policy....

But, the man was always calm and steady. His sheepish grin a near constant. Imagine all the shooting from the hip of the last month from McCain. Then imagine him president. Would we ever be sure of anything? We will start checking the news every morning to find out what new policy he cooked up while we were asleep, or worse what war he launched as a 'game changer'.

blake said...

Thank you for not tagging this with "bodily fluids".

LoafingOaf said...

People pretend Clinton was a good president because he had the good fortune of not being able to run for a third term. He would've won the third term and then the shit would've hit the fan shortly thereafter. Clinton and the Democratic Party had the luck of Bush squeaking out the victory over Gore (despite losing the popular vote), thus allowing there to be a Republican president in the White House when 9/11 hit. Imagine if Clinton had been sworn in to a third term and then 9/11 came. It all would've been blamed on him. He surely would've gone down in flames and the Democratic Party might not have won the White House again for generations.

I find it hard to beloeve Bush's stock will rise when he's gone. We're on the brink of a Depression as he's leaving office. And there will be many decades of books coming out going over all the screw ups, incompetence, torture, lies, etc etc etc.
I don't think Bush will have many conservatives looking back fondly on him, either. Conservatives will feel extremely relieved when they no longer have to stick up for him anymore. Because he's not a conservative president.