Re-Cap of Alex Wagner on "Real Time"

Alex Wagner tries to restrain herself from strangling this guy

My lady, Alex Wagner, shined last Friday night on the season premier of Real Time with Bill Maher. Unlike her last appearance, where she was consistently shouted over by teabagging Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), Alex stayed engaged with the panel throughout. Conservative columnist Reihan Salam did his able best to bogart the conversation - no matter the topic - but Alex gave as good as she got. Salam remained a robotic talking point reciter as he listed off the so-called failures of the Obama Administration, while refusing to acknowledge the Republican's sabotage of the president's jobs and economic plans, and the sometimes racist motives behind the right's actions.

The always confusing mega-billionaire Mark Cuban was the third person on the panel. He appears to be liberal in nearly all instances, except when the topic is unions. Like most wealthy people, he sees no need. 

Oh, and Chelsea Handler was on, too. She didn't contribute much to the discussion, even though I basically agreed with her on most of her points.

Ouch!

Republican VP candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), has told friends and the media that his favorite rock band is Rage Against the Machine. The band was well known for its intense, funk inspired grooves, and radical left-wing political lyrics. RATM's guitarist, Tom Morello, was asked to comment on the band's famous fan.

"[Ryan is] the embodiment of the machine our music rages against. A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment."

Party of Fiscal Responsibility?

The Tea Party Nation is being held responsible for $748,000 in unpaid hotel rooms for a convention it planned in Nevada that was cancelled. The Tea Party Nation offered no counter argument.

What Do Gitmo Prisoners and Me Have In Common?

We both enjoy old episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Great Bill Maher Interview

Nice interview with my hero, Bill Maher, from the Galesburg, IL local paper. Probably done in advance of an upcoming stand-up performance. Money quote:

"I don’t mind if someone has genuine ideological differences. But I do take offense when people have their own set of facts. I’m not the only one to point this out, but it is amazing the way the Republicans can run against a completely fictional Barack Obama. I saw it on the news just yesterday, something like half the country –– and I don’t mean just Republicans –– half of everybody thinks he’s a Muslim. Forty-nine percent say he’s a Christian. Now this is not something that’s really in dispute. You can easily look this up. And yet they are stubbornly ignorant, they refuse to let any air into that bubble."

My Fix

My Alex Wagner withdrawal has come to an end. My lady is filling in for Lawrence O'Donnell this week on his show, The Last Word. It's good. I'm glad to see her. But when will these stupid Olympics be over so I can get Alex on a consistent basis?!

Hmmm...knowing the way MSNBC operates, could this week be a trial for a possible Wags move to prime time? People are wondering. Well, this person is.

Just a Coincidence

Adam Smith, Well Known Socialist

Welcome to "No Promise Have I Made"

Welcome to the blog. This is NOT a picture of me.

I have been blogging off and on for the better part of eight years. Over that time, many people (including my parents, friends, and employer) found out who I "really" was. It wasn't exactly a secret or anything. I'm not wanted by the law nor am I on any watch lists (that I know of). But once I knew that my parents, for example, read my blog, I had a hard time remaining as candid and honest as I had been. Consciously or not, there were things that I just stopped talking about when I realized that people I see at work everyday were reading it, as well.

So, in order to free myself from that constraint, I am starting over. Goodbye thousands of readers. Hello, new friends. My name is...Howard. Yeah, that's it. Howard Davis. And on my new blog, I will be writing about/discussing/analyzing/mocking music, film, politics, podcasts, porn, social media, and whatever the hell else I feel like posting about.

Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy the ride.