February 17, 2009

David Axelrod, circa 1975.

(Via Ben Smith.) 

IN THE COMMENTS: Palladian said:

"He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O Cruel, needless misunderstanding. O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast..."
ricpic said:
Oscar Wilde lives! Sans wit. Sans soul. Sans everything.
Love all that literariness, but Psychedelic George hits what I was searching for:
Separated at Birth from Chuck Negron 3 Dog Night's lead singer.
(Idle Chuck Negron rumor.)
He also bears a resemblance to Mickey Rat of comix fame.
Lem said:
If you put a moustache on this man you will not be able to tell them apart. Actually, he looks more like Rasputin than the Son of Sam.... David Crosby....

88 comments:

Michael Haz said...

Are you sure that isn't Tiny Tim?

Palladian said...

"He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O Cruel, needless misunderstanding. O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast..."

SteveR said...

I bet he inhaled

Palladian said...

You know, he really doesn't look much different than he does today. Being an evil spectre does have its advantages.

traditionalguy said...

It's Mandrake the Majician practicing the Evil Eye. This was his Halloween party outfit, right? That picture may scare Wallstreet again tomorrow.

JAL said...

Palladian nails it again.

ricpic said...

Oscar Wilde lives! Sans wit. Sans soul. Sans everything.

Anonymous said...

Here's an even earlier photo.

Googling the name is a trip. And sorry Titus, it's fake.

David said...

Looks a lot like John Wilkes Booth.

Bruce Hayden said...

I don't think that I looked all that much different back then, or at least a year or two earlier. Since then, my hair has gone light gray, and is cut a lot shorter. Sideburns and mustache are also much better trimmed. But overall, a lot of us looked like Axelrod back then.

George M. Spencer said...

Separated at Birth from

Chuck Negron

3 Dog Night's lead singer.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Is that Obama's brain?

Ron said...

Some would say Doobie Brother; I lean towards Flying Burrito Brother myself.

George M. Spencer said...

He also bears a resemblance to Mickey Rat of comix fame.

Anonymous said...

For the briefest moment, my heart leaped for joy thinking that you were marking the passing of that rat-faced bastard.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

If you put a moustache on this man you will not be able to tell them apart.

David53 said...

Tony Orlando?

Host with the Most said...

I love palladian's response - I was going to go with "Axelrod of evil" - but I remember this story about his daughter having epilepsy and what he and his wife have been through saving her.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Actually, he looks more like Rasputin than the Son of Sam.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

This Putin is not far off.

Cedarford said...

Credit where credit is due. Axlerod is a superb political operative.

With Plouffe and Obama, they out-thought, out-organized, out-financed, and were always two steps ahead of the hapless McCain/Goddess of the Right Wing ticket...and whipped Hillary, except only when her dying corpse made a comeback when it didn't matter. They had the delegates locked up and were celebrating. Hillary whips Obama in PA!! - Whooppee-Do, Axelrod thought..it was a signed, sealed nomination for Obama by then.

The Republicans sorely need a few guys like Axlerod - almost as direly as they need new ideas.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

David Crosby

Crimso said...

I'm thinking Styx. Must be a Chicago thing.

Nagarajan Sivakumar said...

the first guy that i know who has managed to look gay with a mush.

Beldar said...

Wimpy -- 10,000 hamburgers ago. (But he'll gladly pay you $787B on Tuesday for another hamburger today.)

Beldar said...

Sorry, forgot the link to the separated-at-birth twins pix.

Unknown said...

Host,
I read that article too. Their manipulation of the media is awesome. I guess if he has a disabled daughter, we better not criticize him or wonder why it's okay for him to speak on policy but it was evil when Rove did it.

William said...

In 1975, the poses and the ideals were identical. You could accurately judge someone's political sympathies by the length of their hair.....What I remember about long hair was how long it took to dry. It just wasn't worth the trouble, and I cut it off. Same with many of my political views of that era. I'm not so sure about David Axelrod. I think he still harbors admiration and respect for Huey Newton.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Oh darnit... I'm sorry I looked.


A big NYT Style article on mustaches (which if you don't know already, you can probably guess I loathe)

I've had a mustache ever since I could have one.

I shaved it one and felt completely naked.

Unknown said...

Have you noticed Axelrod is now talking like Obama? Uh, uh, uh...is that the new Intellectual Speak?

jeff said...

I'll be darned. So he did porn back then, huh.

traditionalguy said...

Axelrod is a near genius.He directly attacked the Republicans weak point.The 8% vote swing among upper middle class whites who supported and wanted to finish the good work of an Atlanta native named King (who had taken the new name of Martin Luther as a sign of his life's goal of the reformation of the racial apartheid years from 1865 to 1965). Axelrod has created Obama's reign, but like the good Dr. Frankenstein, Axelrod has no continued control over his brilliant work product.

RR Ryan said...

George, you got me. I was just thinking that I lived through that era and never once felt compelled to emulate the fashion choices of Three Dog Night. Having said that, they made some very good recordings. I also escaped from the late seventies without ever looking like Stevie Nicks; the same cannot be said for the eighties. I'm certain I still have that electric blue silk suit from Duran Duran's designer in storage.

Palladian said...

Rasputin?

AlphaLiberal said...

TalkingPointsMemo.com rated Number 1 blog by Time magazine.

No... instapundit, LGF, Town Square, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Politico, PajamasMedia, Hot Air, or Wall St Journal.

traditionalguy said...

Time Magazine is a well known practitioner of the principle that if media ignores something, than it does not exist. As corollary to the rule that all publicity is good publicity, there is the rule that no publicity is bad publicity. May be Axelrod serves as part time advisor to the Time editorial board. These guys are good fighters. The repubs need a Gen Patton type tough enough to seek victory now and worry about what the media says later. Sarah Palin???

blake said...

AL,

So, now explain to us how the media isn't biased toward the left?

Oh, that's right, all those other guys just plain suck.

Joe said...

The suggestion that Axelrod is a political genius is historical revisionism. He ran an awful campaign; Obama won because a) the main stream media was completely on his side, b) Hillary ran an arrogant poor campaign and b) McCain ran an awful campaign. I'll stunned McCain got as many votes as he did!

Unknown said...

Yes, Time Magazine really has their finger on the pulse of the nation!

Time's Circulation

I wonder what Rachel Ray's picks would be...

Diamondhead said...

I think I could run a pretty fucking good campaign if the media decided they weren't going to cover my candidate's numerous fuck-ups. But yeah, put him in the hall of fame for bottom-feeding political operatives.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Patca:

I saw parts of the Axelrod interview yesterday and asked myself where the heck did he get that weird accent? Was like a combination of western drawl and southern twang.

Curtiss said...

No... instapundit, LGF, Town Square, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Politico, PajamasMedia, Hot Air, or Wall St Journal.

Which one doesn't belong?

blake said...

Indeed, DH. Did anyone think the opposition's appraisal of Karl Rove was ridiculously high? I mean, even excluding the Darth Rove stuff.

I mean, who did W run against? Stiffy McWarming and Frenchie Le Gigolo? And barely won against the former.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

"TalkingPointsMemo.com rated Number 1 blog by Time magazine.

No... instapundit, LGF, Town Square, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Politico, PajamasMedia, Hot Air, or Wall St Journal."

Oh, you mean the same Time Rag that had Obamination appear on their cover 14 times, last year alone? Counting sky box the number rises to 25. No media bias there, nah, just keep moving along folks nothing to see here.

Freaking, Libtards, always talking out of their asses.

In case you didn't forget how to read.

Obama appeared on half of Time covers

Anonymous said...

I have mindless knee-jerk loathing for anything Obama. Let's just call it payback for eight years of mindless knee-jerk Bush hating. And you know something? It's rather liberating detesting someone no matter what. Now I can project all my bad moods on to someone who can never, no matter what he does, be good enough for me. Why? Just because it feels so good.

Anonymous said...

If I didn't know Alpha any better, I'd presume he was pointing out how Time has fallen into disrepute and now borders on oblivion.

As far as which one doesn't belong, I'd say Instapundit. He's a libertarian. But Politico certainly doesn't belong, either.

Nutty leftists never cease to amaze me in how stupid they are.

Unknown said...

Yes, AJ, he talks funny now. Nerves?

Anonymous said...

And, oh I forgot. I don't like Andrea Mitchell either. She looks funny.

Roberto said...

Richard said..."I have mindless knee-jerk loathing for anything Obama. Let's just call it payback for eight years of mindless knee-jerk Bush hating. And you know something? It's rather liberating detesting someone no matter what. Now I can project all my bad moods on to someone who can never, no matter what he does, be good enough for me. Why? Just because it feels so good."

Instead of wasting yor time "detesting" someone...I suggest immediate psychiatric intervention.

You sound like someone who needs help.

Lots of help.

Anonymous said...

Michael's comments here are so inferior and socially awkward.

Roberto said...

Why would so many waste so much of their their time badmouthing David Axelrod?

Methinks most here need to get a fucking life.

Roberto said...

Seven - Blow me.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who would venture to a website where he disagrees with everyone and is generally disliked needs to get a life. We'll work on basic social skills after that. And maybe, one day, we can get to wit, or something that approaches it. I highly doubt that, though.

Anonymous said...

Michael-- You need help identifying satire, you fool.

Diamondhead said...

Why would so many waste so much of their their time badmouthing David Axelrod?

It doesn't take much time to badmouth David Axelrod. A sentence here, a sentence there...

traditionalguy said...

Detesting Axelrod's victory is a reaction. We need to take a stategic action of our own to end run the Image of Obama as a noble Black hero who loves everyone. He is an incompetant figurehead who will negotiate for anything offered to him with no principle that guards America from anything. His only goal is selling off American wealth and power to the first offer he recieves. He is a super-Blago who sees much less value in the American way of life than the talented Ex-Gov Blago. He will never let Americans continue to cling to our Guns and Religion, unless we make him a higher offer than George Soros has made him. Expose this truth, by free speech, until Chris Mathews begins to feel like a woman in labor.

Roberto said...

Diamondhead said..."It doesn't take much time to badmouth David Axelrod. A sentence here, a sentence there.."

No...more like 50+ comments.

The point is: Why?

David Axelrod is now the new and improved focal point of the local wingnuts?

Seems kind of creepy.

Anonymous said...

Obama' not evil. He may even be ethical. He's just terribly wrong. We as conservatives and libertarians need to remember that we hold our beliefs because the consequences of the crap that Obama believes are going lead to a terrible economy and social malaise.

If communism worked, I'd be a communist.

Roberto said...

traditional dolt: "We need to take a stategic action of our own to end run the Image of Obama as a noble Black hero who loves everyone."

No thinking person believes that.

You're just repeating the standard right wing talking points that can be heard every day via Rush and other hateful unAmerican fools.

Anonymous said...

Another awful comment, Michael. Up your game, please.

Roberto said...

Seven - "He's just terribly wrong."

About what??

How do you know??

He's been President for 28 fucking days.

You supported G.W.Bush for 8 years, through one mistake afer another, and suddenly you know what's going to happen...before it happens??

Right wing drivel.

Anonymous said...

Leftists are so much more sophisticated. It's true. I can't remember a single bad thing ever said about Karl Rove, satire or not.

Anonymous said...

Earth to Michael-- You're being played, buddy. It's like we found every single button you have and we're pushing them willy nilly. Go get some rest.

Diamondhead said...

David Axelrod is now the new and improved focal point of the local wingnuts?

Seems kind of creepy.


Meh. He's the obsequious right-hand man to our most apologetic President. Is it creepy to dislike a very public figure whose only job is to make his boss look good?

Anonymous said...

No one can predict the future when it comes to economics. Who really knows what would happen when you pump a trillion dollars into an economy? It could be inflation. It could be deflation. Who really knows what would happen when companies continually pay more than the market wage for labor? It could create a worker surplus. It could create a worker shortage.

BJM said...

Mocking Alexrod isn'teven close Michael. This is the mother-of-all-creepiness:

Feb 6, 2008 Chris Matthews Gushes: "Obama Comes Along, And...This Is The New Testament".

Feb 13, 2008 As Obama spoke; Chris Matthews: "My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often."

Nov 7, 2008 On this morning’s edition of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program, Chris Matthews told Joe Scarborough, “I want to do everything I can . . . to make this presidency work. My job . . . is to make this work successfully.”

traditionalguy said...

I sincerly apologise for any disrespect to David Axelrod shown in my weak attempts at humor. Mr Axelrod his has my highest respect, both for his temperament, and for his fighting skill. He has mastered the axioms to focus on message and to never defeat yourself by giving your opponent any ammunition he does not already have by your own intemperate and unnecessary words. Axelrod's instincts mentored Obama far beyond normal political advice. I would highly value having such an advisor. His skills are rarely found among men who willingly serve others.

Roberto said...

Diamond Dick - "Meh. He's the obsequious right-hand man to our most apologetic President. Is it creepy to dislike a very public figure whose only job is to make his boss look good?"

Obama isn't at all what you describe. As for Axelrod making his boss look good; Obama does a good job of that himself...and after listening to Fleicher, Snow, Perino and the many apologists an liars perpetuate the bullshit coming from Bush and Cheney...you've got you head up your ass criticizing this guy after only a few weeks.

Just more right wing drivel that a majority of Americans aren't buying into.

Roberto said...

David Axelrod was chief strategist for one of the most successful Presidential campaign in our nation's history.

What have any of you critical fools ever done that even remotely compares?

Diamondhead said...

It's hilarious to hear simpleton assholes like you whimpering complaints about criticism of your men. You've all had it coming for a long time, and I'm happy to know that leftist nitwits are going to spend so much of their precious time and energy defending these incompetent children against blog post comment insults. Hopefully it makes you enjoy the next 4-8 years a little less.

Diamondhead said...

Who gives a shit? W was the President of the United States. What have you ever done that remotely compares?

Anonymous said...

Michael, I wonder: what credentials did you have to bitch and rave about Karl Rove and George W. Bush for eight long years?

What have you done? Besides moan and fail socially, I mean?

Roberto said...

Diamond - Seven - Little babies.

Whining and bitching because Obama won and the fools you supported lost.

Get over it.

Obama will prove to be a great President.

reader_iam said...
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reader_iam said...
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Diamondhead said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diamondhead said...

Obama will prove to be a great President.

Yes, perhaps he will - once he's wrapped up the apology tour and established a policy of mutual respect with Iran and other countries where homosexuality and adultery are capital crimes. Presidents who apologize for their country and give moral authority to holocaust-deniers are always remembered as great.

Anonymous said...

Please, people. No criticizing of Obama or his lackeys and minions. Just as the loony left did not shrilly howl about Bush for eight years.

There's a new bipartisan group that has been at the vanguard of this movement for a new civility. It just came out this week and the group is called Moveon.org.

reader_iam said...
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Fred Wright said...

He's certainly better looking than that blonder over on the right!

reader_iam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Fred Wright
On Blogger Since February 2009
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Roberto said...

Diamond Dolt - Obama has been President for about 28 days.

You can't possibly be this dumb.

Chip Ahoy said...

Seven Machos said Who really knows what would happen when you pump a trillion dollars into an economy? [It could this, it could that.]

Strange perspective, that. A trillion dollars isn't being pumped into the economy, it's being sucked out of the necks of future taxpayers and sprayed like fertilizer over a mostly non-stimulating wish list of Liberal wet dreams, and the results of that are predictable. It's not theory, it's all been done before here and elsewhere and ultimately it always fails. The results of certain economic truths are inexorable and that they fail to penetrate the Liberal mind can be accounted for only by a very special form of retardation.

I say this as an unaffiliated observer, in the end I honestly don't care, they're your kids not mine, after all. As they say, "pass the popcorn," but don't bother, I make my own and I've discovered it's fantastic with Celtic sea salt and finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Anonymous said...

The only thing these idiot democrats have done is set the stage for a massive inflation to come along with a very weak recovery. Carter times again. Stagflation. So when we hit Carteresque inflation along will come another Volcker to administer the harsh medicine of very high interest rates. That of course will mean even more pain and a rebound of high unemployment, another deep recession until a sensible republican comes along to the rescue like Reagan.

Obama will be a great president alright, a great disaster indeed. The one good thing that will ultimately come of this is that the next time the republicans take control it won't be RINO's or compassionate conservatives. It will be a mix of libertarians and real conservatives who will have one thing in common; the dismantling of the welfare state.

JSF said...

A reminder about Michael:

I offered him $50 (via paypal) if he could find two comments among Althousiania showing his support of President Bush.

Did he look? No.
Did he take the offer? No.

Micharel/Lucky forgets the laws of karma work against him too.

OK Michael, you want respect for your side? Find and link the two comments that showed respect for the President Bush.

And again, Michael will be scared to do this.

Wince said...

Isn't Axelrod an something of a redundancy?

Axle (n) a pin or shaft on or with which a wheel or pair of wheels revolves b (1): a fixed bar or beam with bearings at its ends on which wheels (as of a cart) revolve (2): the spindle of such a beam.

A good name for a porn star, however.