Archive for the ‘Lefty Blogger News’ Category

Limerick Ode To Jon Swift

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Every year the left blogosphere honors our friend, the late, lamented Jon Swift a/k/a Al Weisel by gathering a self-selected group of political blog posts from all over the liberal blogosphere. You can find this year’s group of posts here: Jon Swift Memorial Roundup 2011.

And here’s the limerick I wrote in his honor when I learned of his death back in March 2010:

Limerick Ode To Jon Swift
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A Swiftian journo named Jon
Was brilliant, but sadly is gone.
His wit will be missed
Cuz none could resist
The posts in his humor salon.

Rest In Peace Jon Swift a/k/a Al Weisel (Updated With “Limerick Ode To Jon Swift”)

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Note: I’ve updated this with a limerick in Jon Swift’s honor at the bottom of this post.

Alas, there’s tragic news in the blogging and journalism communities: One of my favorite satirical bloggers, the brilliant Jon Swift a/k/a journalist Al Weisel has died suddenly. Tom Watson has the details about the death of this hilarious faux conservative blogger.

What a terrible loss! Rest in peace, Jon Swift. Your wit will be sorely missed throughout the left blogosphere.

Update: Libby Spencer has eulogized Jon beautifully here, and so have Blue Gal and Melissa at Shakesville and skippy.

Update 2: I’ve written a limerick in honor of Jon Swift:

Ode To Jon Swift
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A Swiftian journo named Jon
Was brilliant, but sadly is gone.
His wit will be missed
Cuz none could resist
The posts in his humor salon.

Help All Hat No Cattle’s Lisa With Her Medical Bills

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

The brilliant and witty Lisa Casey of All Hat No Cattle is ill and facing thirty thousand dollars in medical expenses. If you can, please help her out by donating here.

Lisa’s been an outstanding contributor to the liberal politics community since before there was such a thing as blogging. If you haven’t been reading her since November 2000, you’ve been missing a ton of informative and funny stuff.

I’m proud to say Lisa and I were joint liberal web humor pioneers. We “met” when we were both nominated for About.com “Bushie” awards in the early days of the Bush administration. She’s a good friend and a great progressive!

Please visit All Hat No Cattle and contribute whatever you can. Nobody should have to sell her house to pay her medical bills.

Thanks for listening to my shout out!

Grumpy Blogroll Limerick

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

I was a bit surprised to realize that the third Blogiversary of Mad Kane’s Political Madness is coming up on September 23rd. Of course, I’ve been blogging a whole lot longer than three years: I launched my Mad Kane’s Notables Blog back in September 2001 and started Dubya’s Dayly Diary on January 20, 2001.

Anyway, I figured I’d do a bit of housekeeping in anticipation of my Political Madness blogiversary. So I reviewed my blogroll to look for links that needed updating. And in the process, I made a disappointing discovery. Not only have several bloggers de-linked me, but dozens of active blogs are still linking to my long-defunct Notables Blog.

Now even if those bloggers failed to get my email requests for a blogroll update, you’d think they might have visited my site at least once in the last three years, noticed my relocation, and adjusted their blogrolls.

The upshot of all this is that, with a few exceptions, I’ve de-linked any blog that either has de-linked me or that still links to my Mad Kane’s Notables.

Of course, I’ll be happy to re-link anyone who notifies me (in an email or in my comments) that my Mad Kane’s Political Madness is on their blogroll.

No post would be complete without a limerick, right? So here’s my love-letter-limerick to those who still link to my obsolete blog:

Grumpy Blogroll Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

If my link to your blog has gone missing,
Instead of complaining and hissing,
Check your blog and you’ll see
That your linkage to me
Is outdated three years. Reminiscing?

Related Post: Weblog Wonderland

Those Were The Days, My Friend

Sunday, April 20th, 2008

Remember when the entire left blogosphere could be counted on to criticize politicians who said one thing and did the opposite? And when hypocrisy was routinely deconstructed and attacked by the left?

I’m talking about the pre-Obama-cult days, of course.  A time when the sort of behavior described here, here, here and here wouldn’t have been countenanced (let alone encouraged) by half the left blogosphere. Those were the days, my friend. (McCain Trademark Pending)

And that brings me to the first of my latest pair of limericks:

Dear Obama, please tell us all why
You keep doing the stuff you decry.
Cuz the “high road” you claim
Sure is littered with shame,
As you peddle your DC change lie.

My second new limerick was inspired by Obama’s slick habit of conflating the GWB and Bill Clinton presidencies by referring to decades in discussing this nation’s problems.  Instead of pinpointing the horrendous Bush years, Obama blithely tarnishes the Democratic brand with that plural decades reference.  

Why does he do this? Apparently it’s Obama who will do whatever it takes to win.  And that includes making sure Hillary doesn’t get credit by association for the relatively prosperous and peaceful Nineties.

That brings me to today’s second limerick:

Obama cites “decades” of ills,
Conflating the Bush years with Bill’s.
He’ll hurt the Dem brand
By playing that hand,
Leading voters to run for the hills.[tags]Barack Obama Hypocrisy, Democratic Brand, Left Blogosphere, Presidential Election Humor, Campaign Satire[/tags]

Hey Obama Sycophants, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You

Sunday, April 13th, 2008

They were warned, but they refused to listen. And now they’re paying the price.

I’m referring, of course, to the Pro-Obama bloggers who delight in anti-Dem media bias, so long as it’s directed at Hillary Clinton.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the election: Now that the press is giving Obama a hard time over his condescending bitter-small-town-America faux pas, these press bias-enablers are suddenly horrified by media bias. Why? Because it’s their candidate whose ox is being Gored. 

And that brings me to my latest limerick:

Hey Obama Sycophants, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You!
By Madeleine Begun Kane

“The press is unfair to Barack,”
Whines the Cult of Obama with shock.
Loaded questions, contortions
Of words, and distortions
Now wrong, cuz it’s their guy they mock.[tags]Media Bias, Press Bias, Media Humor, Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, Presidential Election Campaign Satire[/tags]

Biased Journalists And Bloggers, Heal Thyselves!

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Hey, cable honchos. Before lambasting Hillary for “failing to fact check,” you might consider dabbling in some fact checking yourselves.

I’m referring, of course, to the media’s dead hospital patient mock-fest and, more broadly, to the “Gore-ing” of Hillary Clinton.

And that brings me to my latest limerick:

Biased Journalists And Bloggers, Heal Thyselves
By Madeleine Begun Kane

In cov’rage quite sloppy at best,
The press attacked Hill’ry with zest,
Disputing her facts.
But ’twas they who were lax.
Cuz if Clinton says east they say west.[tags]Biased Bloggers, Sloppy Journalists, Senator Clinton, Press Fact Checking, Presidential Campaign Satire, Election Humor, Health Humor, Media Limerick[/tags]

An Ode To Lefty Bloggers Who Hate Hillary Clinton (Updated)

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

An Ode To Lefty Bloggers Who Hate Hillary (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Obama supporters proclaim
That Clinton must quit, hurling blame,
Shrieking “Stop this damn fray!”
Dems love fighters, they say.
But not if the fighter’s a dame.

UPDATE: After posting this, I went searching for some bloggers who are rational on the subject of Clinton and Obama. Here’s what I found:

Take Your Boobs And Go Home Watch
Heh
Krugman Reads His Hillary
Obama Likes GOP Foreign Policy
Obama To Blame If The Dem Contest Goes To The Convention
Dear Democratic Elite: Back Off
It’s going past Denver
The World Is Watching[tags]Lefty Blogs Humor, Presidential Election Humor, Campaign Satire, Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, Democrats Limerick, Gender Humor, White House Verse[/tags]

Hillary Clinton Derangement Syndrome (Haiku)

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Smearing Hillary,
Ignoring Barack’s foibles.
Must edit blogroll.

(For more on HCDS (Hillary Clinton Derangement Syndrome) read Left Coaster;  Hillary Clinton’s Internet Director Challenges Bloggers To Cover Obama Campaign Tactics;  Sherry Chandler;  Pro-Hillary Writers On Strike At Daily Kos;  Avedon Carol;  Obama News Anchor;  Carpetbagger Report;  Pen-Elayne;  Chalice Chick; and  Gene Lyons)[tags]Election Humor, Campaign Satire, Hillary Haiku, Obama Haiku, Clinton Derangement Syndrome[/tags]

Hysterical Lefty Bloggers Whine For Clinton To Leave Obama Alone

Wednesday, March 5th, 2008

Predictably, the A-list lefty blog-calls for Hillary to get out of the presidential race have continued, notwithstanding last night’s Hillary Clinton wins. Any minute now, I half-expect to read that Hillary’s refusal to bow out is racist.

Of course, these hand-the-nomination-to-its-rightful-owner rants come from the same bloggers who insist that Obama isn’t sexist and that the media hasn’t been biased against Clinton. (Americablog is but one example and no, I will not link to it.)

Apparently, these bloggers can’t wait for the media to turn its biased dirty tricks on Obama.  Because that’s exactly what will happen if/when Clinton is out of the picture:

And that brings me to my latest limerick:

The press guys can’t wait to declare
That Clinton’s kaput on the air.
Then they’ll turn on Barack:
They’ll malign and they’ll mock
Him, the way they hit Hill’ry. Beware![tags]Presidential Politics, Lefty Bloggers, Press Bias, Media Sexism, Racist Accusations, Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, Media Humor[/tags]

Happy 5th Blogiversary Skippy

Tuesday, July 10th, 2007

Wow!  My good pal skippy is celebrating his fifth blogiversary today.  Time flies when you’re being tortured by the worst president in U.S. history! Happy blogiversary to one of my favorite bloggers! I’m so fond of skippy, I once wrote a limerick in his honor.[tags]skippy, Blogging News, Blogiversary, Blogger Anniversary[/tags]

Ode To Jim Capozzola – Limerick (Updated)

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007

I’ve already written a post about Jim Capozzola’s tragic death, but I felt the need to do more.  So I’ve written a limerick in his honor:

Ode To James Capozzola (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Let us all sing a lefty blog hymn
On the death of our Rittenhouse-Jim.
He had insight and wit.
Capozzola had “it
With a mast’ry of wisdom and whim.

UPDATE: It’s no surprise that the lefty blogosphere is packed with tributes to Jim Capozzola. Here are just some of them:

* Skippy
* Avedon Carol
* Julia of Sisyphus Shrugged
* Elayne Riggs
* Susie Madrak
* Leah at Correntewire
* TalkLeft
* Noz
* Pharyngula
* MaxSpeak
* PatriotBoy
* Demosthenes
* Scott
* Digby
* Ginger
* Roger Ailes
* Ezra
* Signorile
* Richard
* Albert
* Philly Future
* TBogg
* Wampum
* Kevin Hayden
* The Talking Dog
* Sir Oolius
* Mithras
* Matt Yglesias
* Brendan
* Duncan
* The Crone
* Blinq
* Maru
* Tattered Coat
* More Tributes Via Memeorandum [tags]Jim Capozzola, James Capozzola, Rittenhouse Review, Left Blogosphere Mourns Death, Jim Capozzola Limerick[/tags]

Progressive Blogosphere Loses Another Great: James Capozzola (1962-2007)

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007

I can’t begin to tell you how saddened I am by Jim Capozzola’s death. While I only met him once, I considered him a friend, and I’d like to think he felt the same way about me. We emailed each other many times over the years, often talking about getting together again. Alas, we never did manage another meet-up.

Jim’s Rittenhouse Review was one of the first liberal blogs and one of the best.  His writing sparkled with insight and wit and was always a joy to read. I join the countless bloggers, readers, friends, and fans who mourn his loss.

UPDATE: I felt the need to do something more, so I’ve written a limerick Ode To Jim Capozzola. [tags]James Capozzola, Jim Capozzola, Death In Liberal Blogosphere [/tags]

Steve Gilliard, Dead at 41 (Audio Interview With Steve)

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007

I was very saddened to learn of Steve Gilliard’s untimely death at age 41.  Over the last couple of years, my husband Mark and I had the pleasure of spending some fun times with Steve at sundry blogger barbecues at the Queens, New York home of Julia of Sisyphus Shrugged. In fact, during one of those barbecues back in September 2005, I did a short outdoor interview with Steve (just 90 seconds).  You can hear my audio interview with Steve Gilliard right here.

The News Blog’s Steve Gilliard will be sorely missed![tags]Steve Gilliard’s Death, Steve Gilliard Interview[/tags]