Smartest Conk in the Room

[Chizzang]

I'm struggling with that image... (still)

[houndawg]

I can play Il tarantella an the prelude to Bach's cello concerto on the ukulele....

got a buddy who can rip the tits off of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and Minuet in G...

I'm interested in actually seeing that...

I can't play the last two yet, they're pretty advanced pieces. You want to see some hellified ukulele playing check out the Ukulele Orchestra of great Britain. They play Smells Like Teen Spirit better than either Nirvana or Boston.

[CID1990]

Too much brass banging around. Mahler is full employment for the musicians' union, though, cacophonous as he may be.

Well okay sure, Symphony No. 1 is a little calamitous
but No. 4 is beautiful (stunningly so in fact) and I'm really growing to love No. 2 & 6

These days I'm revisiting my Mozart collection and have settled into a morning routine with The second movement to the Piano Concerto #21 and The 1st movement of the A major sonata K331 as well as the famous last movement to the 41st Symphony "Jupiter"

Mahler #2 didn't really do anything for me until I gave the Kaplan recording a listen. I was interested in hearing it again since he subdivided the movements based on what he thought Mahler was trying to achieve.

After listening I was hooked on it and now it is my favorite Mahler work. A little disjointed at times, but it seems intentionally so. Mahler's trademark was the crescendo; building to a resolution but not quit reaching it, like the tease girl who never quite let you to third base, so you kept coming back for more.

[Chizzang]

Well okay sure, Symphony No. 1 is a little calamitous
but No. 4 is beautiful (stunningly so in fact) and I'm really growing to love No. 2 & 6

These days I'm revisiting my Mozart collection and have settled into a morning routine with The second movement to the Piano Concerto #21 and The 1st movement of the A major sonata K331 as well as the famous last movement to the 41st Symphony "Jupiter"

Mahler #2 didn't really do anything for me until I gave the Kaplan recording a listen. I was interested in hearing it again since he subdivided the movements based on what he thought Mahler was trying to achieve.

After listening I was hooked on it and now it is my favorite Mahler work. A little disjointed at times, but it seems intentionally so. Mahler's trademark was the crescendo; building to a resolution but not quit reaching it, like the tease girl who never quite let you to third base, so you kept coming back for more.

So using this analogy - Mozart is the girl who blows you at the back of the school bus..?

[CID1990]

No girl ever did that to me, but if she did I would likely call her Mozart and maybe Chopin.

It is exceedingly rare to be unpredictable and beautiful at the same time.... Mahler gets that prize, and Dvorak is in the same boat. Mozart and Beethoven were beautiful yet predictable.... they created their own clichés....

If you want beautiful AND predictable to the romantic max, I suggest Rachmaninov.

[JohnStOnge]

I'm not certain I want to know how a discussion about a RINO lamenting the influence of conservatives on the Republican Party evolved into one involving Mozart being a girl blowing someone in the back of a school bus.

[kalm]

I'm not certain I want to know how a discussion about a RINO lamenting the influence of conservatives on the Republican Party evolved into one involving Mozart being a girl blowing someone in the back of a school bus.

The term "RINO" sums up the problems with the Republican party nicely - small tent.

Thank you for bringing it back on track JSO.

[CID1990]

I'm not certain I want to know how a discussion about a RINO lamenting the influence of conservatives on the Republican Party evolved into one involving Mozart being a girl blowing someone in the back of a school bus.

Because the original thread was boring. If I want to see people obsess about that I'll go watch msnbc.

[Pwns]

I'm not certain I want to know how a discussion about a RINO lamenting the influence of conservatives on the Republican Party evolved into one involving Mozart being a girl blowing someone in the back of a school bus.

The term "RINO" sums up the problems with the Republican party nicely - small tent.

Thank you for bringing it back on track JSO.

So you're telling me that blue-dogs haven't been called DINOs? Especially after all of the arm-twisting Obama did with the blue dogs on the health care bill?

[kalm]

The term "RINO" sums up the problems with the Republican party nicely - small tent.

Thank you for bringing it back on track JSO.

So you're telling me that blue-dogs haven't been called DINOs? Especially after all of the arm-twisting Obama did with the blue dogs on the health care bill?

Dino's and Rino's are pretty much the same. They're the corporatist wing of both parties. That being said I think the power in the Democratic party lies much more with Dino's compared to the Rino's and their party.

But I was more referring to calling Frum a Rino which he is not.

[Chizzang]

Let's not forget Rossini in the Beautiful / Predictable category...

Mahler is the APEX of classical music (for me)
Everything before Mahler logically led up to what he did - and he hit it out of the park - when his turn came to honor those before him while blazing a new trail he successfully did BOTH...

Everything after Mahler to some degree or another was a digression from his PEAK

I'm not suggesting nothing was good or nothing was great after him - because many many spectacular composers and pieces have been written after - but Classical music climaxed at Mahler

[JohnStOnge]

But I was more referring to calling Frum a Rino which he is not.

Anybody who calls themselves a Republican and bitches about the conservatives like that is a RINO. The conservatives he's bitching about are the reason the Republican Party came off the mat and became at least SOMEWHAT relevant again. And, as I said, the Republican Party has absolutely no shot without them.

If he was a true Republican he wouldn't be saying crap like that. To say that Reagan would've had problems in today's Republican Party is ridiculous.

[Ivytalk]

Let's not forget Rossini in the Beautiful / Predictable category...

Mahler is the APEX of classical music (for me)
Everything before Mahler logically led up to what he did - and he hit it out of the park - when his turn came to honor those before him while blazing a new trail he successfully did BOTH...

Everything after Mahler to some degree or another was a digression from his PEAK

I'm not suggesting nothing was good or nothing was great after him - because many many spectacular composers and pieces have been written after - but Classical music climaxed at Mahler

Sibelius is my idol. His Fourth Symphony rocks.

But I don't know if he was the smartest Finnish Conk in the room. Or even if he was a Conk at all.

[kalm]

But I was more referring to calling Frum a Rino which he is not.

Anybody who calls themselves a Republican and bitches about the conservatives like that is a RINO. The conservatives he's bitching about are the reason the Republican Party came off the mat and became at least SOMEWHAT relevant again. And, as I said, the Republican Party has absolutely no shot without them.

If he was a true Republican he wouldn't be saying crap like that. To say that Reagan would've had problems in today's Republican Party is ridiculous.

...Proving my point completely. Frum simply doesn't buy into current Republican mythology, therefore he mustn't be a true republican...unlike Reagan who's very name uttered should be followed by golden light and a choir of angels.

[Ivytalk]

Anybody who calls themselves a Republican and bitches about the conservatives like that is a RINO. The conservatives he's bitching about are the reason the Republican Party came off the mat and became at least SOMEWHAT relevant again. And, as I said, the Republican Party has absolutely no shot without them.

If he was a true Republican he wouldn't be saying crap like that. To say that Reagan would've had problems in today's Republican Party is ridiculous.

...Proving my point completely. Frum simply doesn't buy into current Republican mythology, therefore he mustn't be a true republican...unlike Reagan who's very name uttered should be followed by golden light and a choir of angels.

So I guess Obama is a DINO: not " progressive" enough for the braided-armpit set, eh, kalm?

[kalm]

...Proving my point completely. Frum simply doesn't buy into current Republican mythology, therefore he mustn't be a true republican...unlike Reagan who's very name uttered should be followed by golden light and a choir of angels.

So I guess Obama is a DINO: not " progressive" enough for the braided-armpit set, eh, kalm?

Good god man, where have you been the last 3 years? Obama is slightly to the right of Ike and Tricky Dick on many of the issues. This guy would kick your elitist, royalist butt up one side of Main Street and down the next for your smarminess.

[Ibanez]

I'm interested in actually seeing that...

I can't play the last two yet, they're pretty advanced pieces. You want to see some hellified ukulele playing check out the Ukulele Orchestra of great Britain. They play Smells Like Teen Spirit better than either Nirvana or Boston.

Um...when did Boson play SLTS? And better than Kurt? I don't think so. It's different, but such a culturally and musically significant song, SLTS, can't be performed any better than Kurt did. David Garret does some amazing things with popular music, but I wouldn't say his renditions are better than the originals. They are different, and they are great covers.

[Ivytalk]

So I guess Obama is a DINO: not " progressive" enough for the braided-armpit set, eh, kalm?

Good god man, where have you been the last 3 years? Obama is slightly to the right of Ike and Tricky Dick on many of the issues. This guy would kick your elitist, royalist butt up one side of Main Street and down the next for your smarminess.

TR would be a Clinton Democrat today.

And I may be an elitist, but somebody has to have standards. You plebeian. Now begone.

[JohnStOnge]

...Proving my point completely. Frum simply doesn't buy into current Republican mythology, therefore he mustn't be a true republican...

What I'm talking about isn't a mythology. It's a reality. The Republican Party was on the cusp of total irrelevancy until Reagan stirred what some people refer to as the "hard right" with very clear cut rhetoric consistent with that point of view. What's mythology is this thing where people say that Reagan being a strong conservative is mythology. Sure, you can find things he did that were inconsistent with his rhetoric. But when you look at the entire picture he was clearly very conservative. And he would be fine in today's Republican Party.

Even if you erased everybody's memory of him, if you could put the Ronald Reagan of the late 1970s into a time machine and transport him into today's political environment, Republicans would love him. He'd have no problem getting meaningful legislation past the Republicans in Congress. In fact, he would LOVE it if the current crop of Republicans could gain control of both houses so that he could do the sorts of things he'd really like to do.

The myth that's being fostered is that Reagan wouldn't get along with today's "Tea Party" Republicans. He'd get along fine with them and visa versa. Remember, he got along fine with the Moral Majority all through its heyday.

[JohnStOnge]

TR would be a Clinton Democrat today.

I think he'd be left of Clinton. Now if someone were to say HE would've had no shot to get nominated as a Republican today I'd agree with them.

[kalm]

...Proving my point completely. Frum simply doesn't buy into current Republican mythology, therefore he mustn't be a true republican...

What I'm talking about isn't a mythology. It's a reality. The Republican Party was on the cusp of total irrelevancy until Reagan stirred what some people refer to as the "hard right" with very clear cut rhetoric consistent with that point of view. What's mythology is this thing where people say that Reagan being a strong conservative is mythology. Sure, you can find things he did that were inconsistent with his rhetoric. But when you look at the entire picture he was clearly very conservative. And he would be fine in today's Republican Party.

Even if you erased everybody's memory of him, if you could put the Ronald Reagan of the late 1970s into a time machine and transport him into today's political environment, Republicans would love him. He'd have no problem getting meaningful legislation past the Republicans in Congress. In fact, he would LOVE it if the current crop of Republicans could gain control of both houses so that he could do the sorts of things he'd really like to do.

The myth that's being fostered is that Reagan wouldn't get along with today's "Tea Party" Republicans. He'd get along fine with them and visa versa. Remember, he got along fine with the Moral Majority all through its heyday.

He raised taxes 11 times and provided amnesty to illegal immigrants. He'd have neither the support of Grover Norquist or AZGrizfan. You're reality is...well it's your reality.

[kalm]

TR would be a Clinton Democrat today.

I think he'd be left of Clinton. Now if someone were to say HE would've had no shot to get nominated as a Republican today I'd agree with them.

TR believed in limiting entrenched power and monopolization (if that's a word). IE: he believed in a different type of competitive market place than the current group of conks. So yes, he would have very little shot as a modern Republican considering the current Republican understanding these things. Not to mention his stance on conservation.

[Ivytalk]

I think he'd be left of Clinton. Now if someone were to say HE would've had no shot to get nominated as a Republican today I'd agree with them.

TR believed in limiting entrenched power and monopolization (if that's a word). IE: he believed in a different type of competitive market place than the current group of conks. So yes, he would have very little shot as a modern Republican considering the current Republican understanding these things. Not to mention his stance on conservation.

Yet he also believed in personal responsibility and avoiding class envy. Read the Ripon Society website.

[Baldy]

He raised taxes 11 times and provided amnesty to illegal immigrants. He'd have neither the support of Grover Norquist or AZGrizfan. You're reality is...well it's your reality.

Not so fast there, kalm. Context is everything, not just what you read from HuffPoop, thinkprogress, or Rolling Stone.

Without going into a multi-paragraph long dissertation, lets just say not all tax increases and tax cuts are created equal. Comparing a massive revamping and simplification of the tax code by getting rid of 14 tax brackets, indexing the tax code to inflation, and lowering the highest marginal rate to 28% from 70% to a temporary excise tax increase or a temporary increase in the fuel tax or the elimination of some deductions is being just a little disingenuous. You also need to be made aware that many of those so-called "tax increases" were deals made with the Donk controlled Congress where Reagan swapped a minor tax increase for a decrease in certain types of spending.

Trying to compare amnesty for illegals in 1986 and today is also a little disingenuous. There are 10 times the number of illegals now compared to then, and when Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 it made it illegal from a business owner to hire illegals and it required them to attest to their employees immigration status. As part of the deal, Congress was supposed to enact much stricter controls on the border to stem the flow of illegals, and of course, they didn't hold up their end of the bargain.

[kalm]

He raised taxes 11 times and provided amnesty to illegal immigrants. He'd have neither the support of Grover Norquist or AZGrizfan. You're reality is...well it's your reality.

Not so fast there, kalm. Context is everything, not just what you read from HuffPoop, thinkprogress, or Rolling Stone.

Without going into a multi-paragraph long dissertation, lets just say not all tax increases and tax cuts are created equal. Comparing a massive revamping and simplification of the tax code by getting rid of 14 tax brackets, indexing the tax code to inflation, and lowering the highest marginal rate to 28% from 70% to a temporary excise tax increase or a temporary increase in the fuel tax or the elimination of some deductions is being just a little disingenuous. You also need to be made aware that many of those so-called "tax increases" were deals made with the Donk controlled Congress where Reagan swapped a minor tax increase for a decrease in certain types of spending.

Trying to compare amnesty for illegals in 1986 and today is also a little disingenuous. There are 10 times the number of illegals now compared to then, and when Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 it made it illegal from a business owner to hire illegals and it required them to attest to their employees immigration status. As part of the deal, Congress was supposed to enact much stricter controls on the border to stem the flow of illegals, and of course, they didn't hold up their end of the bargain.

If IIRC one of the compromises was a significant increase on entitlement taxes. Regardless, he would have failed Grover's pledge repeatedly which no current conk has the stones to do.

Way to ruin my overly simplistic, non-nuanced donk meme with your multi-paragraph, long dissertation.