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SUBJECT CHANGED

Latest email from johnkerry.com:

For George Bush and the Republican leaders in Congress, focusing on their power and their reckless agenda is a subject of endless fascination. But, we can’t let them totally ignore America’s families any longer. We’ve got to act now to change the subject.

Or take a subject. English, preferably. Still, what do you expect from someone whose academic record is equal to that of Chimpulator, the plastic McHalliburton oil turkey?

Posted by Tim B. on 06/08/2005 at 11:34 AM
  1. “For George Bush and the Republican leaders in Congress, focusing on their power and their reckless agenda is a subject of endless fascination.”

    It’s not the verb that’s the problem; it’s the subject of the prepositional phrase. The sentence should read:

    “For liberals and the Democratic leaders in Congress, focusing on the Republicans’ power and their reckless agenda is a subject of endless fascination.”

    Posted by Dave S. on 2005 06 08 at 12:43 PM • permalink

  2. He thinks he’s saying something and it sounds like he’s saying something, and he’s using words and everything - but nobody ever quite understands what the hell it is that he’s saying. If what one says reflects on how one thinks, than “nucular” and “strategery” is ok with me compared to utter gobbledygook.

    Posted by -keith in mtn. view on 2005 06 08 at 01:05 PM • permalink

  3. While the sentence is correct as far as subject-verb agreement is concerned (“focusing…is”), the problem is the relationship between the subject, “focusing,” and the predicate nominative, “subject (of endless fascination).”

    The way it reads now, it seems to say that Republicans are fascinated by the focusing itself.  (“We sure do focus on our power and reckless agenda!  Why, Delay focused on them for about 6 hours yesterday.”)

    It should either read:

    “For George Bush and the Republican leaders in Congress, their power and their reckless agenda are subjects of endless fascination.”

    Or:

    “For George Bush and the Republican leaders in Congress, focusing on their power and their reckless agenda is endlessly fascinating.”

    Which is still ambiguous.

    Or the author could choose a more appropriate P.N. than “subject”:

    “For George Bush and the Republican leaders in Congress, focusing on their power and their reckless agenda is a diversion of endless fascination.”

    Still ambiguous, but better.

    (Flashing back to Catholic school…)

    Posted by Joe Geoghegan on 2005 06 08 at 01:18 PM • permalink

  4. “Chimpulator, the plastic McHalliburton oil turkey”

    Who you can read about on the Internets! Plural! Because remember that one time! It’s still funny!

    Posted by Jim Treacher on 2005 06 08 at 02:08 PM • permalink

  5. Well, Dean told us the other day that all Republicans look and think alike, so in the absence of any actual issues to debate among us, what’s left for us in the VRWC besides focusing on our power and reckless agenda all day long? Okay, there’s also the always-enjoyable diversion of holding wronwright down, but even that gets boring after a while.

    Posted by PW on 2005 06 08 at 02:48 PM • permalink

  6. Yeah, let’s change the subject to all the things John Kerry has accomplished in the Senate…

    Maybe not…

    The silence is deafening.

    Posted by Forbes on 2005 06 08 at 02:58 PM • permalink

  7. Plastic turkey?!

    Do you know what plastic is made from? Petroleum! And do you know what petroleum is?

    OIL!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by goldsmith on 2005 06 08 at 02:58 PM • permalink

  8. Omigawd, goldsmith!  Do you mean to say that there’s a conspiracy out there?!?!?!  Oh, the humanity!

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2005 06 08 at 03:38 PM • permalink

  9. Hey, c’mon, give the “D” student a break.

    Posted by Mr. Bingley on 2005 06 08 at 04:11 PM • permalink

  10. ChimpHitlerator, you mean.

    Can’t leave Hitler out. He gets grumpy.

    Posted by Sigivald on 2005 06 08 at 04:33 PM • permalink

  11. Well let us congratulate the Kerry people.  He just voted against Janice Brown on the floor of the Senate along with every other Democrat save Neslon of Nebraska.  There is another thread on this site about Howard denying upward mobility. 

    What a juxtaposition!!!

    Let us give it up to Senator Byrd who has now voted against every prominent black judge to come down the pike-including Thurgood Marshall of Brown v Board of Education fame.

    What a pathetic lot they are.  All you lefties out there just stand tall now.

    Posted by yojimbo on 2005 06 08 at 06:10 PM • permalink

  12. Okay, there’s also the always-enjoyable diversion of holding wronwright down, but even that gets boring after a while.

    Hey, speak for yourself.  After that Orion dancing girl thing, I can derive considerable entertainment from that for the foreseeable future.

    Posted by Achillea on 2005 06 08 at 06:35 PM • permalink

  13. Well maybe Bush would have more time for America’s families if Kerry would share his secret exit plan for Iraq.  We’re still waiting for you to report for duty Lt. John.

    Posted by kbiel on 2005 06 08 at 07:27 PM • permalink

  14. Maybe Kerry’s Magic Hat dictated the e-mail.

    I’m still trying to wrap my head around that first sentence. That’s good nuance, baby!

    Posted by Crispytoast on 2005 06 08 at 07:30 PM • permalink

  15. We’re still waiting for you to report for duty Lt. John.

    There’s your problem, kbiel.

    He said he was reporting for doody.  And he has. Of the bull variety.  In spades.  ;-p

    Posted by Barbara Skolaut on 2005 06 08 at 07:41 PM • permalink

  16. Agenda is plural of agendum. I suspect that’s Tim’s point.

    However, I always get sour looks when I ask people to hurry up to the next agendum in a meeting.

    Philistines!

    Posted by Indy Media Watch on 2005 06 08 at 08:16 PM • permalink

  17. “Bonjour je m’appele John. Voules vous couchez avec moi?”
    “NON! je ne couche pas avec les americains”

    “Mais je deteste les Americains! j’adore les Vietgongs et je me suis engager dans l’armee americaine seulement pour rentrer dans la politique democrat americane et me marrier avec une femme tres riche”.
    “NON NON NON monsieur”
    “Tous L’europe m’adore. Aussi les hippies et le grand cineaste Michael Moore. Je suis aussi un grand intellectual sophistique!”
    “OK buddy , maybe you understand english.
    Piss off!”

    Posted by davo on 2005 06 08 at 08:56 PM • permalink

  18. The website of this 2008 campaign team doesn’t list their test scores either… :-)

    Posted by Villeurbanne on 2005 06 08 at 11:28 PM • permalink

  19. Agenda is plural of agendum. I suspect that’s Tim’s point.

    As Joe Geoghegan mentioned, the subject in that sentence is “focusing”, not “agenda”, so “is” is correct independent of the singular/plural status of “agenda”.

    Posted by PW on 2005 06 09 at 12:55 AM • permalink

  20. We’ve got to act now to change the subject.

    Of course he wants to change the subject!  He’s been trying to do that ever since he first declared for the presidency.  To do anything else is to let us look inside his very expensive suit… at empty air.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2005 06 09 at 03:20 PM • permalink

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