LOL, the funny thing is as I clicked the link I wondered to myself "will this be the song 'Blame Canada'"?
Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire
- Thread starter Pellegrino
- Start date
LOL, the funny thing is as I clicked the link I wondered to myself "will this be the song 'Blame Canada'"?
Probably not, but we have a hint in the last update of a new development in the UIS. What is happening in OTL with many Arab Christians in the Middle East is happening with many Muslims in Russia in TTL: basically they are fleeing the country and immigrating to the West. The lax immigration restrictions of the UIS coupled with the flood of Nabokov Passports (if they even need them, they could most likely qualify for amnesty in most Western countries) means that many ethnic minorities are going to be leaving.
But as we saw with the update regarding Moldova, the UIS can easily embrace ethnic minorities (even Turkic ones) when it suits them. So the Kalmuks and Buryats are probably not in Zhirinovsky's crosshairs at all.
Thank you Vladislav! As for the Ukrainians in Canada, I had planned to put them in the last update, with the original plan to have Yukos-Canada based in Alberta instead of BC, and for Yukos-Canada to be dominated by Ukrainians. The spike in oil prices leads to a flood of employment opportunities in Alberta (much like Texas in TTL) and Yukos-Canada flooding Ukrainian-Canadian workers into the oilfields of Alberta. The end result is a large bump in regards to the income of many Ukrainian-Canadians (many who are recent immigrants from the UIS) and a noticible spike in population of Ukrainians in Alberta. But the last update was running long so I trimmed that out. I may revisit something like that in a later update though.
Pizza Pizza's radio ads are infamous for their annoying "nine-six-seven-eleven-eleven" jingle. Now that annoying jingle is a CIA-backed intelligence coup! 
MarshalBraginsky
Banned
I'm sure that the Ukrainians in Canada would form a "Ukrainian Lobby" that will convince Ottawa to prod the West into forcing the UIS to mellow down on its adventures. Of course, Canada-Ukraine relations IOTL have never went down due to a large portion of Ukrainians in Canada.
I figured Kriegdammerung might get a kick out of this recent article on Zhirinovsky and a bizzare anti-Tajik rant that he had a few months ago:
http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan_russia_zhirinovsky_protest/24968858.html
http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan_russia_zhirinovsky_protest/24968858.html
I was tempted to do that one but I thought this was better and in honour of your return from vacation this seems appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MJSpgSnX24
This is what I think as well. Thanks to Zavidaya's growing media control of the UIS, and his clear nationalist bent to reporting as well (despite his disagreements with Zhirnovsky personally) it is likely that Beslan is being used to really rally many ordinary Russians into the extreme anti-muslim camp. I think that enough Russians are buing into the "Greater Turkistan/Islamic terrorism" venom that Zhirinovsky is spewing as a result of the growing Islamic terrorists threat, and many see is as "prophetic".
I always wondered what would happen if by some chance Zhirinovsky read this and how long it would be before Ian banned him
LOL, I bet he might be able to even top "throwing bananas" with whatever his response would be!
Incognito
Banned
Islamic Insurgency In The Ukraine ?
Speaking about the Ukraine, I came across something interesting the other day -- apparently there is a "retired Ukrainian intelligence officer" who claims there are 15 000 radical Islamic militants training in Ukrainian Crimeaeek, honing their skills for the jihads in North Africa, Caucasus and the Middle East:
http://news.kievukraine.info/2013/07/are-there-in-fact-15000-radical.html
Now, of course, in reality such claims are tinfoil conspiracy baloney along the lines of secret U.N. bases in USA sending out black helicopters to mutilate cattle.
But after reading the article I started to wonder if something along those lines might be a frightening possibility in Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire?
From past updates, we know that after being ethnically cleansed from the Caucasus some Chechens have escaped to Ukraine. Past update also says that supposedly some of these Chechens have continued anti-Russian activities. So what if some of the angry, embittered and radicalized refugees choose to continue the fight against Russians/Slavs/Christians and disappear into the Crimean Mountains, carrying out terrorist attack against popular seaside resorts and beaches?
If they link up with some fringe Tatar nationalists or simply draw inspiration from the local past, the group might see itself as the "Neo Crimean Khanate" (similar to how OTL there is the "Caucasus Emirate").
They would probably be nowhere near 15 000 strong but even a few attacks would likely spread terror across the country. Which means we would probably see some people saying that the group is secretly an UIS front and the attacks were false-flag operations meant to turn the opinion of Ukrainians against Chechens and in line with that of Moscow.
Speaking about the Ukraine, I came across something interesting the other day -- apparently there is a "retired Ukrainian intelligence officer" who claims there are 15 000 radical Islamic militants training in Ukrainian Crimea
eek, honing their skills for the jihads in North Africa, Caucasus and the Middle East:http://news.kievukraine.info/2013/07/are-there-in-fact-15000-radical.html
Now, of course, in reality such claims are tinfoil conspiracy baloney along the lines of secret U.N. bases in USA sending out black helicopters to mutilate cattle.
But after reading the article I started to wonder if something along those lines might be a frightening possibility in Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire?
From past updates, we know that after being ethnically cleansed from the Caucasus some Chechens have escaped to Ukraine. Past update also says that supposedly some of these Chechens have continued anti-Russian activities. So what if some of the angry, embittered and radicalized refugees choose to continue the fight against Russians/Slavs/Christians and disappear into the Crimean Mountains, carrying out terrorist attack against popular seaside resorts and beaches?
If they link up with some fringe Tatar nationalists or simply draw inspiration from the local past, the group might see itself as the "Neo Crimean Khanate" (similar to how OTL there is the "Caucasus Emirate").
They would probably be nowhere near 15 000 strong but even a few attacks would likely spread terror across the country. Which means we would probably see some people saying that the group is secretly an UIS front and the attacks were false-flag operations meant to turn the opinion of Ukrainians against Chechens and in line with that of Moscow.
whitecrow
Banned
Yay, an update
Although I am no expert on the subject, I was told that many American white supremacists tend to see Slavs as "fellow whites" and that it is a bannable offense to make claims that Slavs are inferior on the Stormfront discussion board (a website which David Duke apparently had some involvement in creating, BTW). But in this TL where America is in a continuing Cold War with an ex-USSR that is led by a half-Jew, would there be a more apparent split between American white supremacists? Say between those that praise UIS for its "efforts to protect the white race" and those that believe that UIS is an evil tool of the Zionist Conspiracy and "old-school Nazis" who believe Slavs are inherently inferior (a view that might be more popular among white supremacists in ATL compared to OTL thanks to anti-Russian/anti-Slav sentiment that is sure to be high TTL in USA)?
_____________________________________________________________
Now since talk came to Canada as well as ATL insurgencies, I might as well return to a discussion we had some time ago:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...ada-vulnerable-to-an-aboriginal-insurrection/
But didn't Canada implement a Visa program for Americans coming north of the 49th parallel?
This might create an interesting situation.
Although I am no expert on the subject, I was told that many American white supremacists tend to see Slavs as "fellow whites" and that it is a bannable offense to make claims that Slavs are inferior on the Stormfront discussion board (a website which David Duke apparently had some involvement in creating, BTW). But in this TL where America is in a continuing Cold War with an ex-USSR that is led by a half-Jew, would there be a more apparent split between American white supremacists? Say between those that praise UIS for its "efforts to protect the white race" and those that believe that UIS is an evil tool of the Zionist Conspiracy and "old-school Nazis" who believe Slavs are inherently inferior (a view that might be more popular among white supremacists in ATL compared to OTL thanks to anti-Russian/anti-Slav sentiment that is sure to be high TTL in USA)?
_____________________________________________________________
Now since talk came to Canada as well as ATL insurgencies, I might as well return to a discussion we had some time ago:
Apparently, there are some academics that disagree with my view. You might find this an interesting read:Not sure if there is enough Metis, especially militant ones, in Canada to start a rebellion but that is a unique idea.But your idea on Alberta has given me a new potential angle to consider: a modern day Metis Rebellion!
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...ada-vulnerable-to-an-aboriginal-insurrection/
Germany TTL will have a lot of problems with the Russian Germans. There are millions of them in the country, so Zhirinovsky has the perfect ground for supporting mischief. Also with the continued cold war, suspicions against Russians will be a lot more more severe, so they might even replace the Turks of OTl as Scapegoat immigrants..
Speaking about the Ukraine, I came across something interesting the other day -- apparently there is a "retired Ukrainian intelligence officer" who claims there are 15 000 radical Islamic militants training in Ukrainian Crimea
http://news.kievukraine.info/2013/07/are-there-in-fact-15000-radical.html
Now, of course, in reality such claims are tinfoil conspiracy baloney along the lines of secret U.N. bases in USA sending out black helicopters to mutilate cattle.
But after reading the article I started to wonder if something along those lines might be a frightening possibility in Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire?
From past updates, we know that after being ethnically cleansed from the Caucasus some Chechens have escaped to Ukraine. Past update also says that supposedly some of these Chechens have continued anti-Russian activities. So what if some of the angry, embittered and radicalized refugees choose to continue the fight against Russians/Slavs/Christians and disappear into the Crimean Mountains, carrying out terrorist attack against popular seaside resorts and beaches?
If they link up with some fringe Tatar nationalists or simply draw inspiration from the local past, the group might see itself as the "Neo Crimean Khanate" (similar to how OTL there is the "Caucasus Emirate").
They would probably be nowhere near 15 000 strong but even a few attacks would likely spread terror across the country. Which means we would probably see some people saying that the group is secretly an UIS front and the attacks were false-flag operations meant to turn the opinion of Ukrainians against Chechens and in line with that of Moscow.
In TTL Ukraine sort of becomes a liberal Belarus, it is where many of the pro-democracy supporters flee after people start to disappear. The unintended consequence of this is Ukraine's population (particularly in the East) rises and the demographics begin to shift (in the East) with a much higher Russian population. These Russians probably don't want to leave the UIS, just get rid of Zhirinovsky.
Also, the Ukraine may be nuke free at this point. Many of the old Soviet nukes were decommissioned under the theory of "a billion Kalashnikovs and one nuke" and there is a sense of fear in many of the Republics over leaving the UIS. They saw what happened to Chechnya and they don't want to repeat that mistake. Plus, Ukraine would almost certainly be partitioned if they tried to leave. The East and Crimea would remain in the UIS and it may end up being a rump Ukraine that is independent.
As for the Ukrainian-Canadians, they are almost certainly anti-Zhirinovsky. But even so, I am not sure if they are an unified in their opposition to the UIS (which is a much looser entity than the USSR was and is capitalistic despite all of its other flaws). They probably prefer independence, but the idea of a Burbulis led "CIS" might still appeal to them as well.
And the idea of Chechen terrorists striking beachside resorts in the Crimea is a very interesting angle to say the least! I think in TTL there are some Chechens in Ukraine who are plotting terrorists acts against the UIS and Russia and Crimea (which has a majority Russian population) would be a very inviting target.
HeavyWeaponsGuy
Banned
I always wondered what would happen if by some chance Zhirinovsky read this and how long it would be before Ian banned him
I can see the HoI post now:
"TheOneTrueSlav banned for advocating genocide."
PART ONE HUNDRED AND TEN: THE DIGITAL SUMMER OF LOVE
PART ONE HUNDRED AND TEN: THE DIGITAL SUMMER OF LOVE
OK folks, although I promised a media/pop culture update (which is still coming) I recently decided to do this one with an emphasis solely on Music in the late 90s. I figured I’d use a perfect segue into that: Woodstock. Some new names in this update:
Eugene McCarthy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_McCarthy
Woodstock 1999:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_1999
Spinal Tap (fictional band):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_Tap_(band)
YouTube of the Spinal Tap song Flower People:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrJlyapt6OY
The Sitar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitar
Michael Franti:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Franti
YouTube of the 2006 Michael Franti song “Light up your Lighter”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPw8MQXjDDM
(I realize this is a 2006 song about the Iraq War, but I could see where Franti would be inspired to write the song earlier in TTL. BTW, if you never heard the song, click the link, that song is pretty awesome)
Richie Havens:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Havens
YouTube of Havens legendary performance of Motherless Child at Woodstock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5aPBU34Fyk
Leonard Cohen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen
YouTube of “Democracy” by Leonard Cohen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU-RuR-qO4Y
(Another great song if you never it I’d check it out)
Vanilla Ice:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_Ice
YouTube of Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rog8ou-ZepE
Chrissy Gephardt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrissy_Gephardt
Ames Straw Poll:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Straw_Poll
Gary Bauer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Bauer
Alan Keyes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Keyes
Dan Quayle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Quayle
Lamar Alexander:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Alexander
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Woodstock '99 poised to shatter attendance records with over 400,000 in attendance
By Joanna Huff
San Francisco Chronicle
July 23, 1999
Amid reports that Woodstock ’99 would be “a train wreck”, promoters were more than put at ease after the 30th anniversary Woodstock celebration kicked off with over 400,000 music fans in attendance. For over three weeks critics had predicted the “death of Woodstock” and July 22nd as the upcoming “day the music will die” after reports of dismal ticket sales began to circulate through the music industry. But a last minute shift of the lineup, featuring bands with stronger political messages more in line with the original Woodstock, did more than salvage the struggling event. Not only did it reverse the fortunes of the promoters, but it also told America that the Summer of Love was back, and it was back with a vengeance.
The event kicked off with Richie Havens performing the national anthem as well as rehashing his legendary performance from Woodstock ’69, performing Motherless Child to new generation of music fans.
His performance was followed by Michael Franti and Spearhead, performing the never before heard anti-war song Light up your Lighter.
“There were some concerns over the last minute lineup change,” vendor Andrew Hartley said, “but man, when I heard Havens and Franti jam and the place just explode, I knew this was going to be an amazing three days.”
Woodstock ’99 saw most of the higher profile performers scrapped at the last minute in what some critics called “a budgetary decision”. But few questioned the wisdom of the move after Leonard Cohen closed out the opening day with his performance of Democracy to close to half a million peace loving music fans.
“Some said that the sudden surge in attendance had more to do with ticket prices dropping to $10,” Hartley said, “but look around you. These kids are here finishing what my generation started but failed to follow through on. They are not going to let war become the norm, not for their kids. Not for the next generation. Peace, love, and Understanding are back, and they are back with a vengeance.”
____________________________________________________________________
“(Listening to the) Flower People ” – The Week
July 22nd, 2009
Interviewer’s notes:
The Week interview with former comedian and actor Harry Shearer.
THE WEEK: Thanks for taking time to talk to us Harry.
HS: No problem. I love reminiscing about Woodstock.
THE WEEK: This is the ten year anniversary of your infamous performance at Woodstock 1999, of course as the bass player for the “fictional” band Spinal Tap.
HS: Yeah, it was really…groovy (laughing).
THE WEEK: Did you expect the reception you received?
HS (laughing): No…not in my wildest dreams. In fact, Michael McKean and Chris both were going to decline the offer to play at Woodstock.
THE WEEK: They were going to turn it down?!
HS: Yeah, we all were somewhat leery. Woodstock means something more than just music. We were a bunch of comedians who did a movie about a fictional rock band and now we were going to play at Woodstock? It seemed sacrilegious.
THE WEEK: Why did you change your mind?
HS: Well, we soon discovered that the promoters had initially wanted to make the event a more edgy rock concert but had decided at the last minute to move it closer to its roots. So they were frantically scrapping bands and looking for replacements. I guess they realized that people in 1999 didn’t want hard and edgy. They wanted peace and groovy. So we discovered that if we didn’t agree to take the gig they would keep Insane Clown Posse on the roster. Well, Mike bought one of their tapes and he honestly thought it was a joke. He though it was literally a joke based on our movie. But it wasn’t a joke. They were a real band. We suddenly realized we had an obligation to perform at Woodstock.
THE WEEK: Woodstock ’99 shattered attendance records, with just over half a million people coming out for the event despite the fact that the nation’s economy was still mired in a deep recession. Did you expect a crowd that big?
HS: No. I heard that they had more people at the 1994 concert then they expected with around 350,000. Well apparently ticket sales were badly underperforming, which was why they scrapped Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Kid Rock and went with old guys like us. We were cheap. I was told that the promoters were desperately trying to pull 100,000 people to the concert. Needless to say, when we took the stage and saw half a million kids in tie-dyes waving peace flags we were stunned. You can even see it in the DVD of the concert. Some folks thought it was part of the act when Nigel Tufnel just stood their with his mouth agape looking at the crowd as he took the stage. But that was Christopher Guest in absolute shock, not him playing Nigel as the loveable dimwitted guitarist. We literally were amazed at what we were seeing.
THE WEEK: One of the legendary performances of the event was when Spinal Tap performed the song Flower People. Prior to 1999 the song was widely considered a comedy song, a lighthearted tune that sort of poked fun at the 60s peace movement. Did you ever in your wildest dreams believe it would become a sort of anthem for a new generation of hippie kids?
HS (laughing): Not in my wildest, wildest dreams. When the roadie ran onto the stage with a sitar we just heard the place erupt! They had patiently sat through the three comedy songs we did, but once we started playing Flower People, a song we never intended or expected to ever be taken seriously…I got to admit, it was really powerful moment. Half a million kids all singing one of your songs. Even if it was all a big joke at first, it is pretty moving to know that your song touched so many people.
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CNN interview with Dick Gephardt, Former House Majority Leader
July 26, 2010
CNN: Congressman Gephardt, you once said that you felt that Vice President Gore failed to recognize the changing mood in America, and that was one of the big reasons he lost to Governor Bush in 2000. Could you elaborate?
Gephardt: Up until 1999 many Democrats really felt that the Republicans were going to blow it. They were in open warfare with each other over immigration and it looked like the Reform Party candidate would capture at least 10% of the Republican vote again, thus giving the Democrats victory. But the problem was, many Democrats failed to recognize a radical shift with a very important bloc of voters: young liberals. This coupled with the fact that the Republicans were beginning to fall in line behind Bush as early as 1999 caused me to realize that the Democrats were in serious danger in 2000. We couldn’t count on the FIN party handing us the election, especially since young Democrats were now in open revolt.
CNN: You were credited for being one of the first Democrats who recognized the growing threat from the left. When did you realize that Ralph Nader, and not Richard Lamm, was the going to be the third party candidate who would upend the apple cart?
Gephardt: What people tended to forget was that the Reform Party was not a real political party. It was Ross Perot’s toy. And he wasn’t going to let Dick Lamm play with his toy. I started to recognize early on that Richard Lamm was hardly a shoe-in for the Reform Party nomination when I noticed that Perot was openly campaigning for his 1996 running mate, Pat Choate. But behind the scene’s we started getting reports that the Reform party was openly trying to isolate the two emerging factions that were threatening to take over the party: the Jesse Ventura Libertarian wing and the Richard Lamm anti-immigration wing. I could see the writing on the wall: Ross Perot was going to keep Richard Lamm and Jesse Ventura off the ticket. I also saw that young liberal voters were openly looking for an anti-establishment candidate. It really was ’69 all over again.
CNN: Howard Dean famously coined the phrase “the digital summer of love” in reference to the summer of 1999. Do you agree with that assessment?
Gephardt: Absolutely. By the summer of 1999 things began to really resemble 1969. Young Democrats were looking for a Eugene McCarthy to rally behind, which is what Howard Dean was trying to package himself as. And many young Democrats were looking at Bob Kerrey in much the same way some of the young Democrats in my generation looked at LBJ. Since Kerrey wasn’t running, they took it out on Al Gore.
CNN: You officially announced your candidacy for Presidency on August 15th, 1999. Why that day?
Gephardt: I had already formed the exploratory committee that May, but I started to feel that Gore was simply not pulling the party together. It was becoming more fractured, although in his defense, I am not sure if he really could have since he was seen as the “establishment candidate”. Once I realized that Gore was having trouble rallying the base and Howard Dean was threatening to hijack the nomination I decided to put my hat in the race. I like Al and Howard both, but I knew Howard was not going to beat Bush and it was starting to look like Al was not going to beat Howard. So I announced my candidacy the day after the Ames Straw Poll. It showed Bush was a powerhouse of a candidate who was in the process of bulldozing Jan Brewer and John Engler before either of them even got off the ground.
CNN: So it was the Ames Straw Poll that convinced you to run?
Gephardt: No, that just confirmed it. What really did it was Woodstock.
CNN: Woodstock?
Gephardt: Yes. My daughter Chrissy had gone to the Woodstock 1999 concert and she told me something that convinced me that I needed to run.
CNN: What did she say?
Gephardt: She told me that the Hippie Revolution was back, and it was going to bury Al Gore.
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Bush wins Ames Straw Poll by wide margin; Engler finishes a disappointing fifth place as GM haunts his campaign
The Des Moines Register
By Alex Anderson
August 16, 1999
AMES, Iowa — Texas Governor George W. Bush stunned political insiders by dominating the Ames Straw poll yesterday, capturing a shocking 43% of the votes against eight other Republican candidates. Some political insiders were calling the Texas Governor “politically dead” after one of his supporters allegedly shot at anti-immigration protesters near his Crawford Texas Ranch. However Bush not only proved his critics wrong, but may have knocked out the most serious threat to his candidacy after Michigan Governor John Engler finished in disappointing 5th place with 6%.
“We know we have a tough road ahead of us,” Bush told his supporters, “but we are off to a heck of a start.”
Engler was plagued by his controversial decision to back President Kerrey’s decision to nationalize General Motors earlier this year after the auto manufacturer declared bankruptcy. Bush famously quipped during the Ames event that “when my dad was President America had the most successful car company in the world and Russia had the largest state owned enterprise in the world. Well, after seven years Russia now has the most successful car company in the world and America has the largest state owned enterprise on the planet. You can’t tell me something isn’t wrong with that picture.”
Former Vice Presidential candidate John McCain finished in second place with 21% while Arizona Governor Jan Brewer finished in third place with 12%. Elizabeth Dole captured 9% of the votes while Alan Keyes captured 4%. Former Vice President Quayle captured 3% of the vote while Lamar Alexander finished with 2% of the vote. Gary Bauer finished in last place with no votes.
Although the event historically has done little more than occasionally bolster a sagging candidate or give a boost to a previously unheard of candidate, many insiders feel Bush may have scored a shocking coup in Ames, despite the fact that the election is over a year away.
“Bush has an incredible war chest,” New York Congressman Rick Lazio, who attended the event, said. “And what he may have done here is put a knife in the heart of Engler, Quayle, Dole, and Alexander before they could get their campaigns off the ground. If he can wrap up the nomination quickly, he will have the funds needed to take on Gore or whoever the Democratic candidate will be.”
Engler and Dole both indicated that they would decide if they would continue campaigning while Lamar Alexander and Dan Quayle both announced they were dropping out of the race and backing Bush. Still, Bush will have a tough battle against McCain or Brewer in the primary election as both candidates seem to have rallied the FIN Party to their camp. However, other Republicans expressed disgust at the FIN Party and a desire to “end the infighting” that has handed Bob Kerrey two straight elections.
“I may disagree with Governor Bush on his immigration record,” Des Moines resident Alan Haynes said after voting, “but I’ll be damned if I let the Democrats steal another election from us. And then for those FIN Party idiots to be running around here with those stupid foam hats…telling everyone to support Richard Lamm?! To Hell with them!”
Many Republicans expressed disgust over the presence of over 100 members of the Iowa FIN Party at the Ames Straw Poll. Although Iowa FIN Party President Buford Jones said that his movement was simply making it known that they would not be ignored, the tactics offended many of the voters. Wearing foam hats that some Iowans compared to Klan hats, the FIN Party may have dealt itself a fatal blow.
“You think a bunch of Americans want to vote for a candidate who has a bunch of clowns attending her rally looking like Klansmen?!” Haynes added, “They make everyone they touch unelectable. I am even ashamed to admit I ever supported them.”
Jones may have dealt the movement a fatal blow after telling reporters that even if their chosen candidate Jan Brewer were to get the nod that he would still call on his members to support Richard Lamm and the Reform Party for President in 2000.
“I don’t really know why they were even here,” Lazio said, “they clearly are not Republicans if they are backing a former Democratic Governor from Colorado who is running on the Reform party ticket.”
________________________________________________________________________
Iowa FIN Party leader Buford Jones announces his support for Richard Lamm of the Reform Party during the Ames Straw Poll in 1999
_________________________________________________________________
“Former FIN Party leader alleges conspiracy in Iowa Straw Poll” – Der Spiegel
January 6, 2001
Interviewer’s notes:
Der Spiegel interview with Randy “Buford” Jones
DS: You were widely credited for killing the FIN Party movement when you led over 150 FIN Party supporters to the Ames Straw Poll in August of 1999, mostly to express opposition to George W. Bush.
Jones: Yeah, I was blamed for that. Not a bad investment if you ask me.
DS: Investment?
Jones: Yeah, I was supposed to make the Brewer and McCain camps look like a bunch of nut jobs. Make those candidates look as crazy as I was acting. I was approached the year before by a guy who asked if I would form a local branch of the FIN Party, make them really over the top though.
DS: A man asked you to torpedo the McCain and Brewer campaigns back in 1998?
Jones: No, he just asked me to form a local branch of the FIN Party and act like a yahoo. I’m pretty good at acting like a yahoo, that part was easy.
DS: Did you know the man?
Jones: Not at the time. I nicknamed him Vanilla Ice though, you know, after the rapper.
DS: Vanilla Ice?
Jones: You know, Ice, Ice Baby? You must have heard it. (Singing) Rollin’…in my 5-point-o with my ragtop down so my hair can blow-“
DS: I heard the song. I mean, why did you call him Vanilla Ice?
Jones: ‘Cause he was the whitest dude I ever met, and he was cold as ice. The guy was a chess player; only messin’ with folks was his idea of chess. He made his move long before Jan Brewer and John McCain even knew what was going on. He even had me change my name to “Buford.”
DS: Buford?
Jones: Yeah. ‘Cause he said “ain’t nothing but trouble from any shithead named Buford.” Ain’t that the truth tho’?
DS: Was he a Democrat?
Jones (laughing): Iceman…a Democrat? Ha! Brother, the Iceman was the farthest thing from a Democrat.
DS: So you went to the Ames Straw Poll to support Jan Brewer to ensure she…lost?!
Jones: Something like that. I remember we all went to one of her rallies wearing our shark fin hats. We knew what we looked like. Then we started chanting “no more Mexicans! No more Mexicans!” Every time Brewer would talk about the UIS or the economy we’d just start chanting “No more Mexicans!” When she actually started talking about that wall across the border we all erupted in cheers chanting “Jan to Washington and Jose to Mexico! No more Mexicans! No more Mexicans!” It was funny, I remember that poor lady looking at us and not knowing what hit her. She looked like a deer in the crosshairs, but she lacked the courage to tell us to take a hike like McCain did. But it didn’t matter. We said McCain was a monkey’s ass since he kicked us out of his Bar-B-Q and that sunk his campaign in Iowa with the anti-immigration Republicans. Then we hung out with Brewer after that, sinking her campaign with everyone else. I tell ya, CNN and MSNBC just loved us. Foxnews not so much.
DS: I won’t lie, I am a bit confused. Wasn’t the FIN Party a grassroots movement of angry Americans fed up over what they perceived was lax immigration laws?
Jones (laughing): Whoa brother! What have you been drinkin’ cause I sure want me some of that! The FIN Party was a movement started by big money and derailed by the Iceman, who had more money and knew how to use it. It was never a “grassroots” movement.
DS: So who started the FIN Party?
Jones: I don’t know. Some feller’s with a boat load of money who hated Bush.
DS: And who was this Iceman, this man who derailed the FIN Party overnight with 150 fake members in Iowa?
Jones: He was a feller with a boatload of money who liked Bush. And he didn’t derail the FIN Party with just us. He did it all over the country. Everywhere you had FIN Party members saying they were going to vote Dick Lamm regardless of if Brewer of McCain got the nomination. Before long the Republicans began to realize it was better to just vote for the most electable candidate rather than vote for Brewer or McCain and watch the FIN Party abandon them anyways.
DS: Did you ever see the Iceman after Ames?
Jones: Yes sir, lookin’ at him right now. That’s him there…on the TV right behind you.
(Reporter turns around)
DS: You can’t be serious?! He is a member of the Bush White House? You are saying he broke campaign finance law by supporting a bogus FIN Party?
Jones: I don’t know if he broke any laws. To be honest, I ain’t exactly what you’d call an expert on campaign finance law. But whoo-eee, that man knows how to throw a party. And he pays pretty good too.
DS: You are sure that it the man who bankrolled your organization?
Jones: Yup. That him. That’s Vanilla Ice. Karl Rove is the Iceman.
PART ONE HUNDRED AND TEN: THE DIGITAL SUMMER OF LOVE
OK folks, although I promised a media/pop culture update (which is still coming) I recently decided to do this one with an emphasis solely on Music in the late 90s. I figured I’d use a perfect segue into that: Woodstock. Some new names in this update:
Eugene McCarthy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_McCarthy
Woodstock 1999:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_1999
Spinal Tap (fictional band):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_Tap_(band)
YouTube of the Spinal Tap song Flower People:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrJlyapt6OY
The Sitar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitar
Michael Franti:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Franti
YouTube of the 2006 Michael Franti song “Light up your Lighter”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPw8MQXjDDM
(I realize this is a 2006 song about the Iraq War, but I could see where Franti would be inspired to write the song earlier in TTL. BTW, if you never heard the song, click the link, that song is pretty awesome)
Richie Havens:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Havens
YouTube of Havens legendary performance of Motherless Child at Woodstock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5aPBU34Fyk
Leonard Cohen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen
YouTube of “Democracy” by Leonard Cohen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU-RuR-qO4Y
(Another great song if you never it I’d check it out)
Vanilla Ice:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_Ice
YouTube of Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rog8ou-ZepE
Chrissy Gephardt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrissy_Gephardt
Ames Straw Poll:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Straw_Poll
Gary Bauer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Bauer
Alan Keyes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Keyes
Dan Quayle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Quayle
Lamar Alexander:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Alexander
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Woodstock '99 poised to shatter attendance records with over 400,000 in attendance
By Joanna Huff
San Francisco Chronicle
July 23, 1999
Amid reports that Woodstock ’99 would be “a train wreck”, promoters were more than put at ease after the 30th anniversary Woodstock celebration kicked off with over 400,000 music fans in attendance. For over three weeks critics had predicted the “death of Woodstock” and July 22nd as the upcoming “day the music will die” after reports of dismal ticket sales began to circulate through the music industry. But a last minute shift of the lineup, featuring bands with stronger political messages more in line with the original Woodstock, did more than salvage the struggling event. Not only did it reverse the fortunes of the promoters, but it also told America that the Summer of Love was back, and it was back with a vengeance.
The event kicked off with Richie Havens performing the national anthem as well as rehashing his legendary performance from Woodstock ’69, performing Motherless Child to new generation of music fans.
His performance was followed by Michael Franti and Spearhead, performing the never before heard anti-war song Light up your Lighter.
“There were some concerns over the last minute lineup change,” vendor Andrew Hartley said, “but man, when I heard Havens and Franti jam and the place just explode, I knew this was going to be an amazing three days.”
Woodstock ’99 saw most of the higher profile performers scrapped at the last minute in what some critics called “a budgetary decision”. But few questioned the wisdom of the move after Leonard Cohen closed out the opening day with his performance of Democracy to close to half a million peace loving music fans.
“Some said that the sudden surge in attendance had more to do with ticket prices dropping to $10,” Hartley said, “but look around you. These kids are here finishing what my generation started but failed to follow through on. They are not going to let war become the norm, not for their kids. Not for the next generation. Peace, love, and Understanding are back, and they are back with a vengeance.”
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“(Listening to the) Flower People ” – The Week
July 22nd, 2009
Interviewer’s notes:
The Week interview with former comedian and actor Harry Shearer.
THE WEEK: Thanks for taking time to talk to us Harry.
HS: No problem. I love reminiscing about Woodstock.
THE WEEK: This is the ten year anniversary of your infamous performance at Woodstock 1999, of course as the bass player for the “fictional” band Spinal Tap.
HS: Yeah, it was really…groovy (laughing).
THE WEEK: Did you expect the reception you received?
HS (laughing): No…not in my wildest dreams. In fact, Michael McKean and Chris both were going to decline the offer to play at Woodstock.
THE WEEK: They were going to turn it down?!
HS: Yeah, we all were somewhat leery. Woodstock means something more than just music. We were a bunch of comedians who did a movie about a fictional rock band and now we were going to play at Woodstock? It seemed sacrilegious.
THE WEEK: Why did you change your mind?
HS: Well, we soon discovered that the promoters had initially wanted to make the event a more edgy rock concert but had decided at the last minute to move it closer to its roots. So they were frantically scrapping bands and looking for replacements. I guess they realized that people in 1999 didn’t want hard and edgy. They wanted peace and groovy. So we discovered that if we didn’t agree to take the gig they would keep Insane Clown Posse on the roster. Well, Mike bought one of their tapes and he honestly thought it was a joke. He though it was literally a joke based on our movie. But it wasn’t a joke. They were a real band. We suddenly realized we had an obligation to perform at Woodstock.
THE WEEK: Woodstock ’99 shattered attendance records, with just over half a million people coming out for the event despite the fact that the nation’s economy was still mired in a deep recession. Did you expect a crowd that big?
HS: No. I heard that they had more people at the 1994 concert then they expected with around 350,000. Well apparently ticket sales were badly underperforming, which was why they scrapped Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Kid Rock and went with old guys like us. We were cheap. I was told that the promoters were desperately trying to pull 100,000 people to the concert. Needless to say, when we took the stage and saw half a million kids in tie-dyes waving peace flags we were stunned. You can even see it in the DVD of the concert. Some folks thought it was part of the act when Nigel Tufnel just stood their with his mouth agape looking at the crowd as he took the stage. But that was Christopher Guest in absolute shock, not him playing Nigel as the loveable dimwitted guitarist. We literally were amazed at what we were seeing.
THE WEEK: One of the legendary performances of the event was when Spinal Tap performed the song Flower People. Prior to 1999 the song was widely considered a comedy song, a lighthearted tune that sort of poked fun at the 60s peace movement. Did you ever in your wildest dreams believe it would become a sort of anthem for a new generation of hippie kids?
HS (laughing): Not in my wildest, wildest dreams. When the roadie ran onto the stage with a sitar we just heard the place erupt! They had patiently sat through the three comedy songs we did, but once we started playing Flower People, a song we never intended or expected to ever be taken seriously…I got to admit, it was really powerful moment. Half a million kids all singing one of your songs. Even if it was all a big joke at first, it is pretty moving to know that your song touched so many people.
___________________________________________________________________
CNN interview with Dick Gephardt, Former House Majority Leader
July 26, 2010
CNN: Congressman Gephardt, you once said that you felt that Vice President Gore failed to recognize the changing mood in America, and that was one of the big reasons he lost to Governor Bush in 2000. Could you elaborate?
Gephardt: Up until 1999 many Democrats really felt that the Republicans were going to blow it. They were in open warfare with each other over immigration and it looked like the Reform Party candidate would capture at least 10% of the Republican vote again, thus giving the Democrats victory. But the problem was, many Democrats failed to recognize a radical shift with a very important bloc of voters: young liberals. This coupled with the fact that the Republicans were beginning to fall in line behind Bush as early as 1999 caused me to realize that the Democrats were in serious danger in 2000. We couldn’t count on the FIN party handing us the election, especially since young Democrats were now in open revolt.
CNN: You were credited for being one of the first Democrats who recognized the growing threat from the left. When did you realize that Ralph Nader, and not Richard Lamm, was the going to be the third party candidate who would upend the apple cart?
Gephardt: What people tended to forget was that the Reform Party was not a real political party. It was Ross Perot’s toy. And he wasn’t going to let Dick Lamm play with his toy. I started to recognize early on that Richard Lamm was hardly a shoe-in for the Reform Party nomination when I noticed that Perot was openly campaigning for his 1996 running mate, Pat Choate. But behind the scene’s we started getting reports that the Reform party was openly trying to isolate the two emerging factions that were threatening to take over the party: the Jesse Ventura Libertarian wing and the Richard Lamm anti-immigration wing. I could see the writing on the wall: Ross Perot was going to keep Richard Lamm and Jesse Ventura off the ticket. I also saw that young liberal voters were openly looking for an anti-establishment candidate. It really was ’69 all over again.
CNN: Howard Dean famously coined the phrase “the digital summer of love” in reference to the summer of 1999. Do you agree with that assessment?
Gephardt: Absolutely. By the summer of 1999 things began to really resemble 1969. Young Democrats were looking for a Eugene McCarthy to rally behind, which is what Howard Dean was trying to package himself as. And many young Democrats were looking at Bob Kerrey in much the same way some of the young Democrats in my generation looked at LBJ. Since Kerrey wasn’t running, they took it out on Al Gore.
CNN: You officially announced your candidacy for Presidency on August 15th, 1999. Why that day?
Gephardt: I had already formed the exploratory committee that May, but I started to feel that Gore was simply not pulling the party together. It was becoming more fractured, although in his defense, I am not sure if he really could have since he was seen as the “establishment candidate”. Once I realized that Gore was having trouble rallying the base and Howard Dean was threatening to hijack the nomination I decided to put my hat in the race. I like Al and Howard both, but I knew Howard was not going to beat Bush and it was starting to look like Al was not going to beat Howard. So I announced my candidacy the day after the Ames Straw Poll. It showed Bush was a powerhouse of a candidate who was in the process of bulldozing Jan Brewer and John Engler before either of them even got off the ground.
CNN: So it was the Ames Straw Poll that convinced you to run?
Gephardt: No, that just confirmed it. What really did it was Woodstock.
CNN: Woodstock?
Gephardt: Yes. My daughter Chrissy had gone to the Woodstock 1999 concert and she told me something that convinced me that I needed to run.
CNN: What did she say?
Gephardt: She told me that the Hippie Revolution was back, and it was going to bury Al Gore.
___________________________________________________________________
Bush wins Ames Straw Poll by wide margin; Engler finishes a disappointing fifth place as GM haunts his campaign
The Des Moines Register
By Alex Anderson
August 16, 1999
AMES, Iowa — Texas Governor George W. Bush stunned political insiders by dominating the Ames Straw poll yesterday, capturing a shocking 43% of the votes against eight other Republican candidates. Some political insiders were calling the Texas Governor “politically dead” after one of his supporters allegedly shot at anti-immigration protesters near his Crawford Texas Ranch. However Bush not only proved his critics wrong, but may have knocked out the most serious threat to his candidacy after Michigan Governor John Engler finished in disappointing 5th place with 6%.
“We know we have a tough road ahead of us,” Bush told his supporters, “but we are off to a heck of a start.”
Engler was plagued by his controversial decision to back President Kerrey’s decision to nationalize General Motors earlier this year after the auto manufacturer declared bankruptcy. Bush famously quipped during the Ames event that “when my dad was President America had the most successful car company in the world and Russia had the largest state owned enterprise in the world. Well, after seven years Russia now has the most successful car company in the world and America has the largest state owned enterprise on the planet. You can’t tell me something isn’t wrong with that picture.”
Former Vice Presidential candidate John McCain finished in second place with 21% while Arizona Governor Jan Brewer finished in third place with 12%. Elizabeth Dole captured 9% of the votes while Alan Keyes captured 4%. Former Vice President Quayle captured 3% of the vote while Lamar Alexander finished with 2% of the vote. Gary Bauer finished in last place with no votes.
Although the event historically has done little more than occasionally bolster a sagging candidate or give a boost to a previously unheard of candidate, many insiders feel Bush may have scored a shocking coup in Ames, despite the fact that the election is over a year away.
“Bush has an incredible war chest,” New York Congressman Rick Lazio, who attended the event, said. “And what he may have done here is put a knife in the heart of Engler, Quayle, Dole, and Alexander before they could get their campaigns off the ground. If he can wrap up the nomination quickly, he will have the funds needed to take on Gore or whoever the Democratic candidate will be.”
Engler and Dole both indicated that they would decide if they would continue campaigning while Lamar Alexander and Dan Quayle both announced they were dropping out of the race and backing Bush. Still, Bush will have a tough battle against McCain or Brewer in the primary election as both candidates seem to have rallied the FIN Party to their camp. However, other Republicans expressed disgust at the FIN Party and a desire to “end the infighting” that has handed Bob Kerrey two straight elections.
“I may disagree with Governor Bush on his immigration record,” Des Moines resident Alan Haynes said after voting, “but I’ll be damned if I let the Democrats steal another election from us. And then for those FIN Party idiots to be running around here with those stupid foam hats…telling everyone to support Richard Lamm?! To Hell with them!”
Many Republicans expressed disgust over the presence of over 100 members of the Iowa FIN Party at the Ames Straw Poll. Although Iowa FIN Party President Buford Jones said that his movement was simply making it known that they would not be ignored, the tactics offended many of the voters. Wearing foam hats that some Iowans compared to Klan hats, the FIN Party may have dealt itself a fatal blow.
“You think a bunch of Americans want to vote for a candidate who has a bunch of clowns attending her rally looking like Klansmen?!” Haynes added, “They make everyone they touch unelectable. I am even ashamed to admit I ever supported them.”
Jones may have dealt the movement a fatal blow after telling reporters that even if their chosen candidate Jan Brewer were to get the nod that he would still call on his members to support Richard Lamm and the Reform Party for President in 2000.
“I don’t really know why they were even here,” Lazio said, “they clearly are not Republicans if they are backing a former Democratic Governor from Colorado who is running on the Reform party ticket.”
________________________________________________________________________
Iowa FIN Party leader Buford Jones announces his support for Richard Lamm of the Reform Party during the Ames Straw Poll in 1999
_________________________________________________________________
“Former FIN Party leader alleges conspiracy in Iowa Straw Poll” – Der Spiegel
January 6, 2001
Interviewer’s notes:
Der Spiegel interview with Randy “Buford” Jones
DS: You were widely credited for killing the FIN Party movement when you led over 150 FIN Party supporters to the Ames Straw Poll in August of 1999, mostly to express opposition to George W. Bush.
Jones: Yeah, I was blamed for that. Not a bad investment if you ask me.
DS: Investment?
Jones: Yeah, I was supposed to make the Brewer and McCain camps look like a bunch of nut jobs. Make those candidates look as crazy as I was acting. I was approached the year before by a guy who asked if I would form a local branch of the FIN Party, make them really over the top though.
DS: A man asked you to torpedo the McCain and Brewer campaigns back in 1998?
Jones: No, he just asked me to form a local branch of the FIN Party and act like a yahoo. I’m pretty good at acting like a yahoo, that part was easy.
DS: Did you know the man?
Jones: Not at the time. I nicknamed him Vanilla Ice though, you know, after the rapper.
DS: Vanilla Ice?
Jones: You know, Ice, Ice Baby? You must have heard it. (Singing) Rollin’…in my 5-point-o with my ragtop down so my hair can blow-“
DS: I heard the song. I mean, why did you call him Vanilla Ice?
Jones: ‘Cause he was the whitest dude I ever met, and he was cold as ice. The guy was a chess player; only messin’ with folks was his idea of chess. He made his move long before Jan Brewer and John McCain even knew what was going on. He even had me change my name to “Buford.”
DS: Buford?
Jones: Yeah. ‘Cause he said “ain’t nothing but trouble from any shithead named Buford.” Ain’t that the truth tho’?
DS: Was he a Democrat?
Jones (laughing): Iceman…a Democrat? Ha! Brother, the Iceman was the farthest thing from a Democrat.
DS: So you went to the Ames Straw Poll to support Jan Brewer to ensure she…lost?!
Jones: Something like that. I remember we all went to one of her rallies wearing our shark fin hats. We knew what we looked like. Then we started chanting “no more Mexicans! No more Mexicans!” Every time Brewer would talk about the UIS or the economy we’d just start chanting “No more Mexicans!” When she actually started talking about that wall across the border we all erupted in cheers chanting “Jan to Washington and Jose to Mexico! No more Mexicans! No more Mexicans!” It was funny, I remember that poor lady looking at us and not knowing what hit her. She looked like a deer in the crosshairs, but she lacked the courage to tell us to take a hike like McCain did. But it didn’t matter. We said McCain was a monkey’s ass since he kicked us out of his Bar-B-Q and that sunk his campaign in Iowa with the anti-immigration Republicans. Then we hung out with Brewer after that, sinking her campaign with everyone else. I tell ya, CNN and MSNBC just loved us. Foxnews not so much.
DS: I won’t lie, I am a bit confused. Wasn’t the FIN Party a grassroots movement of angry Americans fed up over what they perceived was lax immigration laws?
Jones (laughing): Whoa brother! What have you been drinkin’ cause I sure want me some of that! The FIN Party was a movement started by big money and derailed by the Iceman, who had more money and knew how to use it. It was never a “grassroots” movement.
DS: So who started the FIN Party?
Jones: I don’t know. Some feller’s with a boat load of money who hated Bush.
DS: And who was this Iceman, this man who derailed the FIN Party overnight with 150 fake members in Iowa?
Jones: He was a feller with a boatload of money who liked Bush. And he didn’t derail the FIN Party with just us. He did it all over the country. Everywhere you had FIN Party members saying they were going to vote Dick Lamm regardless of if Brewer of McCain got the nomination. Before long the Republicans began to realize it was better to just vote for the most electable candidate rather than vote for Brewer or McCain and watch the FIN Party abandon them anyways.
DS: Did you ever see the Iceman after Ames?
Jones: Yes sir, lookin’ at him right now. That’s him there…on the TV right behind you.
(Reporter turns around)
DS: You can’t be serious?! He is a member of the Bush White House? You are saying he broke campaign finance law by supporting a bogus FIN Party?
Jones: I don’t know if he broke any laws. To be honest, I ain’t exactly what you’d call an expert on campaign finance law. But whoo-eee, that man knows how to throw a party. And he pays pretty good too.
DS: You are sure that it the man who bankrolled your organization?
Jones: Yup. That him. That’s Vanilla Ice. Karl Rove is the Iceman.