The Kicker

Hot flops–flip-flops that feature foam-rubber heads of McCain and Obama bursting, fungus-like, from their toes–have been all the rage among the media bait in Denver and St. Paul. We’re fairly certain that the existence of the footwear is an omen of impending apocalypse, but oh, well. Here they are anyway.

Meet Gordon Pederson, a delegate from South Dakota who’s proven very popular with the media, for some reason:

Last week, Justin reported on the antics of Media Bait in Denver. Well, those same MBers–with a crew of new ones–have made the trek to St. Paul to worm the hook anew. And the media have, you know, bit. Without further comment, we give you: Media Baited, Parts 1 through 8. Part 1: Teddy Roosevelt

For the past two weeks, in the spirit of fair, equal, and balanced media consumption, I helped myself to a nightly dose of the O’Reilly Factor, cooked up fresh and served up piping hot by Bill O’Reilly. During the broadcast on August 26, Mr. O’Reilly derided the DNC proceedings as all “contrived and bloviating.” But […]

Among all the political celebrities milling around the Xcel Center this week, perhaps none has gotten more attention from delegates–or more camera-pan air time from the news networks–than Abraham Lincoln. Well, “Abraham Lincoln,” to be precise about it. The full-suited, stovepipe-hat-wearing, strikingly tall Mother of All Media Bait who’s been striding around the RNC events […]

“…Rudy Giuliani in a Dress.” You know you’re on the other side of the looking glass when a Daily Kos diary post and this site inspire the latest in… user-generated headlines? Well, not quite. It’s more like a Sarah Palin madlib, which visitors to the site SarahPalinIsYourNewSegway.com can fill in and submit. And hey, trigger […]

Earlier this evening, I met Brian Lambert, a Minneapolis-based media critic who’s been blogging the RNC from The Liffey, an Irish Pub adjacent to the Xcel Center. I just checked out the results of his work, The View from the Liffey—a smart and salty insiders’ perspective on the bubblicious pageantry that is the St. Paul […]

You know a reporter’s presence in the convention hall is cardinal when proximity to an unprecedented distraction (from—take your pick—delegate, journalist or protester) only serves to sharpen his or her observations about the main affair. Alas, Commentary’s Jennifer Rubin—trying to focus on McCain while protesters rabble-roused nearby—didn’t make the cut tonight: One gets a different […]

Back in February, the MTV news team spoke with Sarah Palin about her thoughts about the Republican primary contest way back on Super Tuesday. Here’s what she said about Ron Paul: “He’s cool. He’s a good guy. He’s so independent. He’s independent of the party machine. I’m like, ‘Right on, so am I.’ ” And, […]

As I mentioned, I watched tonight on PBS, which, when showing the pre-produced rah-rah bio videos was diligent about flagging them with the words “Republican Party Video.” Well, tonight, as the RNC rolled a terrorism montage, the NewsHour inserted the standard font and took it down, as they usually do, partway through the video. But […]

What the folks at PBS gain in quality of coverage, they lose in stylish headgear. Poor Judy Woodruff has been roaming the DNC and RNC convention floors in DJ-style headphones with a huge foamy microphone in front of her face, and (I think) a small antenna perched in her hair. Meanwhile, the CNN folks wore […]