The British Prime Minister Forking His Tube Steak

And here I thought American elections were rough.

Crude.

Petty.

Damn.

On Monday, David Cameron did something very brave. The British prime minister, facing what is likely to be an extremely close race for reelection May 7, went to a voter’s garden and had a meal. Braver still, he allowed the British press to take photographs of him eating the meal.

It sounds strange, but in Britain’s election season, food-eating has become political. And it didn’t take long for Brits to notice that Cameron was eating wrong: He was using a knife and a fork to eat a hot dog.

(Taylor)

Then again, yeah, it’s kind of easy to understand. Indeed, it seems a slightly worse gaffe than the time Mitt Romney declared his love of tube steak.

Sigh. Tube steak.

A note for Mr. Cameron: Gaffes are better if done with some sort of stylish entendre. Try asking the press what it matters if you like to fork your tube steak.

____________________

Image note: Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has a bite to eat with Lilli Docherty and her daughter Dakota in their garden as he meets people who have benefited from tax and pension changes that come into force Monday, near Poole, on April 6. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AFP)

Taylor, Adam. “Britain’s prime minister ate a hot dog with a knife and fork, and it’s a problem”. The Washington Post. 7 April 2015.

Layne, Ken. “Proving He’s a True Republican, Mitt Expresses Love of ‘Tube Steaks'”. Wonkette. 4 September 2007.

Ryan, Adrian. “Free Paris, My Fanny, and a Lusty Message from the Cement Hotel!” Slog. 7 June 2007.

A Conservative Malady

Is there any sight in the world that could possibly compare to a diva pitching a blind ego tantrum?

Mr. Bill has been dismayed by the relentless barrage of homosexicans cramming gay marriage down supple Christian throats, and the unstoppable onslaught being waged against our nation’s brave bigot bakers.

Our valiant warrior for Christ has decided to take a stand, but not a stand in the way that a normal, constructive human being would do. Rather, he is taking a stand in the same way that those college Republicans do all the time with their racist bake sales: by being a spiteful prick.

In an effort to prove that the gays are just as hateful as Christians and therefore QED ispo facto it’s totally cool to not let them have rights, Mr. Bill has filed a discrimination complaint against a Denver baker who denied him his civil rights of having “God Hates Gays” on a cake.

Or so explains Fare la Volpe explains for Wonkette, and you know, we might pause to wonder about that tendency among conservatives to go around pitching this sort of fit and simply failing to comprehend the difference.

So, this is my offer: Tell you what: We’ll give you what you want. You can be just as big a social disease as you want. But there’s a trade-out. To make certain people aren’t abusing the priviliges, we’ll need to create a registry. Just bring evidence that you are a registered Republican, and we will give you a placard, you know, blue with a little white wheelchair on it. And being dangerously, comedically stupid will be the special accommodation you get for admitting you have to be psychiatrically disabled in order to believe the crap you’re pushing.

The Cleveland Plain Coward

This is going on in Ohio:

The Northeast Ohio Media Group last week posted a video of Ohio Gov. John Kasich and challenger Ed FitzGerald meeting with the editorial board, then took it down without explanation and replaced it with an audio recording.

.... The video shows Kasich – endorsed by the Plain Dealer – slumped in his chair and refusing to answer questions, according to the Plunderbund website. That site posted part of the video on Monday, then received this threat from NOMG content veep Chris Quinn.

(Romanesko)

Jim Romanesko also reports that Plunderbund editors have cited Fair Use, and given that this is an election issue in an election season, they would at least appear, as Tim Cushing notes for TechDirt, to have a reasonable avenue to such a claim. Mr. Romanesko notes that he contacted Northeast Ohio Media Group, and notes that they never responded.

Wonkette has posted six minutes of video, and presently it is still up; it’s not flattering to watch:

In the entire six-minute clip, Kasich has given a boilerplate speech about just how pro-life he is, but he never answers the question about the gag rule he signed into law. He doesn’t even acknowledge the question. It’s just not what he wants to focus on, and therefore it does not exist. Just like his Democratic opponent. And apparently, at least for one of the editors, that’s just fine. In fact, that’s such a just fine answer, the newspaper endorsed him for re-election!

The Great Bleached Hope

To: Byron York, The Washington Examiner

re: Cuffs and Collar Don’t Match

The headline is straightforward: “Romney 2016 is for real”.

The content, however, suffers something of a lack:

Is Mitt Romney, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination and lost in 2008, ran again and won the nomination but lost the general election in 2012, really thinking about running yet again for president in 2016? Many Republicans have simply assumed not. Romney has seemed to discourage such talk in media appearances, and there has been a general belief that after losing as the party’s nominee, the 67 year-old Romney would return to private life for good.

That belief is wrong. Romney is talking with advisers, consulting with his family, keeping a close eye on the emerging ’16 Republican field, and carefully weighing the pluses and minuses of another run. That doesn’t mean he will decide to do it, but it does mean that Mitt 2016 is a real possibility.

So, no. Bottom line: Romney 2016 is not yet for real.