33 Comments

1. Terrye:

Roger:

Gee Roger you just got there. The first speakers haven’t even had a shot yet. Give it some time before you make a judgment. Besides anytime you get a bunch of people far from home in the big city around strangers, well things happen.

Aug 30, 2004 - 1:17 pm 2. asher:

Wondering if anyone has heard anything else on reports that the post- September 11 crash of American Airlines flight 587 was an al-Qaeda job?

Aug 30, 2004 - 1:33 pm 3. D Anghelone:

Jack Nicholson? There are two Jakes.

Aug 30, 2004 - 1:54 pm 4. Rick Ballard:

Roger,

You need to reduce size on the hat pics. You’re screwing up the layout of your main page. Also, note that a lot of pics slows loading down tremendously for people using modem connections AND will run your bandwidth charges through the roof.

Aug 30, 2004 - 2:15 pm 5. asher:

Roger, enjoy the convention. I’m looking forward to your comments on the NR party!

OT, I’ve assembled some bits on 587 here in case anyone is interested.

Aug 30, 2004 - 2:16 pm 6. Jack Okie:

Hang in there, Roger. I’d rather have your take on the convention than 1,000 talking heads.

Aug 30, 2004 - 2:24 pm 7. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):

Re: 587

Saw the story

Read the story

Don’t believe the story

To mauch evidence of simple structural failure due to pilot induced rudder oscillation after encountering one or two cases of wake turbulence (which is essentially a pair of horizontal tornados and has caused other crashes).

Aug 30, 2004 - 2:53 pm 8. Robert Schwartz:

Milton Friedman will be read and re-read when Jcak Nicholson is less well known than Fatty Arbuckle.

When I was a student at the University of Chicago in the 1960’s it was commonly believed that Milton Friedman was the Smaretest man on the faculty. A faculty that included a fair number of Nobel Prize winners. That would probably make him smarter than the sum total of every brain in Hollywood.

Aug 30, 2004 - 3:21 pm 9. Markus Barca:

You’re making fun, Simon, but I would definitely choose to see Milton Friedman over Jack Nicholson. No offense to Jack, of course. I’m a big fan of his, but Milton is getting at that age where my chances of shaking his hand are becoming less and less.

Aug 30, 2004 - 3:50 pm 10. Knucklehead:

If Roger has gone off to the NR party are we likely to ever hear from him again? Goldberg will get him drunk and Derbyshire will lock him in the treehouse where K-Lo will… well, never mind.

Aug 30, 2004 - 4:12 pm 11. holdfast:

I just got back from the NR party – Roger was in fine form, though it was a cash bar, I’m afraid. Lots of bloggers there as well as the NR writers and a ton of closeted NY Republicans and Conservatives. Male to female ratio about 10 to 1 (really kills the look cool factor). Anyway, got to meet Roger in person, as well as Jonah Goldberg, Rich Lowry (told him to give Jonah a raise), Andrew Stuttaford and John Derbyshire). Not really “cool” but definitely interesting, though they really needed a larger facility. Good times.

Aug 30, 2004 - 4:15 pm 12. asher:

John Moore,

Thanks for the input! I hope you’re right.

Aug 30, 2004 - 4:27 pm 13. ambisinistral:

Whenever I hear the name Jack Nicholson the image of a giant hambone comes to mind.

Aug 30, 2004 - 4:44 pm 14. Average Joe:

Roger and holdfast,

I was at the National Review party in Boston. It was a really good time. Everyone, both NR staff and guests, seemed intellegent, pleasant, and interesting. I hope that it was the same in New York.

Aug 30, 2004 - 4:50 pm 15. Pearl:

Roger:

Please, no more hat shots!

I was personally hoping for the man on the street interviews for which I consider you to be an expert (from your younger days.) I’d love to read some of the questions and answers!

Face it, we’d probably get better questions from you than the MSM.

All in all, how can you miss having fun in NYC.

Aug 30, 2004 - 5:25 pm 16. Catherine:

I have a 587 story.

We were in Washington D.C. that day, with our kids.

We were the only tourists in the entire city, and definitely the only tourists with three children in tow: this was November 11, 2001, remember. Three months out from 9-11.

The entire city was criss-crossed in chain-link fence, no public restrooms were open anywhere, no White House, no Capitol Building; there were no public mailboxes on any public streets; there were armed guards standing sentry on the roof of the White House holding weapons in their hands; and that’s just the stuff I remember. The whole place was Braced for an Event.

None of us could quite articulate how bad it was. My father, in his late 70s, kept saying, “This used to be such a beautiful city.” Then he and my husband might talk a little about the man who designed it (French, I think–yes?), and then the conversation would trail off. We were working off the theory that Denial is a river in Egypt. (Though I did tell my friends “I wanted to go some place that has even more anthrax than we do.”)

Later on I realized the reason I’d gone was that I wanted to see Washington, and have my children see it, before “something happened.” I felt like the clock was ticking.

So we woke up on Saturday, I think it was, to news of a horrific new event in New York, and we spent the rest of the day Not Talking about that, either, and especially not talking about it to the kids.

It was a long day, and by the end my parents were so worn out that my husband decided to hike back to the car while we waited for him near the Vietnam Memorial.

I walked the kids up to the street corner behind the Memorial, and as I approached I saw a large group of young Arab men–at least 10 or 12, as I remember–standing in a tight group on the sidewalk there, laughing joyfully.

Laughing, laughing, laughing.

Back at the Memorial people were crying; everyone else in the city was pained and subdued. Those Middle Eastern men were the only happy people we saw anywhere that day.

Aug 30, 2004 - 5:45 pm 17. Catherine:

Hey!

I like hat shots!

Aug 30, 2004 - 5:46 pm 18. richard mcenroe:

Never mind Roger, did they ever find Matt Welch over in Joisey?

Aug 30, 2004 - 6:52 pm 19. rod:

I ran into Rofer at the NR party.

–He found the bar.

–Derbyshire was far away from him and was fairly mobbed; I find the man endearing, sort of grandfather like, although he positively embarresses me on some occasions. Bottom line: Derb is a throwback to a sort of Brit personality type that mostly died in the mud of the Somme.

–Jonah, putting a hurting on the Bud supply, as is his style, was near RS and I suspect they connected.

–talked to RS briefly about a new weekly column Im writing–actually I’ve pitched, but hope to get greenlight on–called the blogoshere. it would be sort of a Howard Kurtz like insight into the worldview of bloggers and especially the issues they hop on….he said he’d help.

–he actually wears a hat. An expensive on, panama style. Looked good, for real. The shirt….er, never mind.

Aug 30, 2004 - 6:55 pm 20. rod:

D’oh…..on top, it should have said “Roger.”

p-r-e-v-i-e-w i-s m-y f-r-i-e-n-d……….

Aug 30, 2004 - 6:56 pm 21. Trubador:

The growing “Hollywood for Bush” List:

Angie Harmon

Kelsey Grammer

Bruce Willis

John Rhys-Davies

Dennis Hopper

Lara Flynn Boyle

Ron Silver

Stephen Baldwin

Tony Sirico

Dennis Miller

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Jason Priestley

Shannen Doherty

Bo Derek

Vincent Gallo

Kid Rock

Britney Spears

Jessica Simpson

Ted Nugent

Alice Cooper

Steve Tyler (Aerosmith)

Johnny Ramone (The Ramones)

Sammy Hagar

Ricky Martin

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Gatlin Brothers

Lee Ann Womack

Sara Evans

and at least 95% of the C&W and CCM musicians.

Aug 30, 2004 - 7:49 pm 22. Mark in Mexico:

C’mon everybody,

I CAN’T be the only member of this group who doesn’t know what the hell the adjectival use of “Vegazoid” means…can I? (nor the subjective nor the objective, for that matter)

Someone please enlighten me, thank you.

M·s sombreros!

Aug 30, 2004 - 7:50 pm 23. Ben:

With all due respect, if I want to see a movie, I’ll watch Jack Nicholson, not Milton Friedman. If I want to hear music, I’ll listen to Barbara Streisand (actually, no I wouldn’t – I can’t stand her singing voice), not Milton Friedman. If I want to hear someone’s views on public policy, I’ll talk to Milton Friedman rather than Jack Nicholson or Barabar Streisand. In short, the lack of a Ben Affleck at the Republican Convention is a good thing, since it’s not clear that he has anything whatsoever worthwhile to say about public policy.

Aug 30, 2004 - 8:29 pm 24. Catherine:

G-O-O-O-O-O——R-U-D-Y—–!!!!!!!!!

Aug 30, 2004 - 8:35 pm 25. Catherine:

And here is this, from today’s ABC News poll:

Personal favorability, the most basic measure of a public figure’s popularity, is another problem for Kerry. Last March, as he emerged victorious from the Democratic primaries, 54 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of him, 26 percent unfavorable. On Aug. 1, after his convention, it was 51 percent to 32 percent. Today it’s 43 percent to 40 percent.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/Vote2004/bush_convention_poll_040829.html

Aug 30, 2004 - 8:36 pm 26. Yehudit:

Gee, I wish I knew you guys by sight. I was at the NR party talking with Roger too. 5′0″, glasses, brown hair in a clip, red skirt. If you want to touch base during the week, go over to Kesher Talk and email me.

Aug 30, 2004 - 8:37 pm 27. Catherine:

Catherine AZ

Here’s the ABC Poll on Kerry & the military:

This poll suggests collateral damage rather than a direct hit from the “swift boat” ads questioning Kerry’s military service. They may have moved Kerry off his message, and they may have sown some doubts among a minority of registered voters: Four in 10 either don’t think Kerry legitimately earned his medals (23 percent) or are unsure (17 percent). That includes 36 percent of independents and 18 percent of Democrats, soaring to 64 percent of Republicans.

Still, however, six in 10 believe Kerry did earn his decorations, and 67 percent disapprove of the ads. Fewer, though, 42 percent, accept his contention that the Bush campaign was behind them.

. . .

There may be more potential downside for Kerry in a separate issue, his prominent opposition to the Vietnam War after leaving the military. Twenty-one percent say they’re more likely to vote for him because of this activity, but 26 percent are less likely to support him. Specifically among veterans, moreover, it’s 20 percent “more likely,” but 38 percent less so.

Aug 30, 2004 - 8:39 pm 28. Rick Ballard:

Catherine,

This is an RV poll, not an LV so you have to assume a 3%-5% Dem shift. You picked up 80% of the “news” in the poll but one other item that caught my eye was the “Strong Enthusiasm for Candidate” question where Kerry has cratered from 56% on August 1 to 40% now. Essentially, the Dem convention did absolutley nothing for him while Bush’s numbers moved in the opposite direction

Aug 30, 2004 - 9:01 pm 29. Rick Ballard:

Catherine,

This is an RV poll, not an LV so you have to assume a 3%-5% Dem shift. You picked up 80% of the “news” in the poll but one other item that caught my eye was the “Strong Enthusiasm for Candidate” question where Kerry has cratered from 56% on August 1 to 40% now. Essentially, the Dem convention did absolutley nothing for him while Bush’s numbers moved in the opposite direction prior to the start of the Rep convention.

Aug 30, 2004 - 9:03 pm 30. holdfast:

Jason Priestley is pulling for Bush? Cool – I guess that makes 2 from my old high school (Argyle Secondary, North Van, BC, Peoples Soviet Republic of Canuckistan)

Aug 30, 2004 - 9:23 pm 31. richard mcenroe:

Ben ó Don’t ever change the channel if Milton Friedman wants to watch the damn World Series…

Aug 30, 2004 - 9:42 pm 32. Bostonian:

Absolutely it’s worth it, Roger!!!

Aug 31, 2004 - 5:47 am 33. LemonDrop:

Love your site. But really, do you care if there are celebrities there? How can they contribute better than the Mothers and Fathers there? Or rather, who represents mainstream America better?

Aug 31, 2004 - 1:41 pm

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