Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 26

When Springsteen Helped Bring Down the Wall

See my new piece at Huff Post on the epic Bruce concert in East Berlin in 1988 that some say played a key role in events and mood that led to the fall of the Wall, an anniversary marked there this week.  Here's the climax, when he played Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" and gave a speech in creaky German.

GOPers Blame Obama for Katrina Response

Somehow this doesn't shock me.

A large number of Louisiana Republicans think President Barack Obama is to blame for the federal government's poor response to Hurricane Katrina, according to a new Public Policy Polling survey released Wednesday -- despite the fact that the storm occurred three years before he took office.

The Democratic-leaning polling firm, which provided its results to Talking Points Memo, found that 29 percent of Louisiana Republicans said Obama was responsible for the Katrina response. Twenty-eight percent put the blame on President George W. Bush, whose administration did in fact oversee the federal response to Katrina. Nearly half (44 percent) of the Louisiana Republicans polled didn't know who to blame.

Oliver's Latest

John's main segment last night on HBO, on ALEC and elections at the state legislature level...and below that, a fake Home Depot ad with...Nick Offerman.

Rocket to Space Station Explodes This Evening

Launched from Virginia.  Below that another view, from press area, as reaction--and fleeing--begins.

Jett Power

Joan introduces her "Bad Reputation" in new Get Out the Vote PSA stressing women's rights....

Hammering Hank

Episode 2 of Harry Shearer's new series based on Nixon's tapes, this one titled "Henry" in honor of Dr. Kissinger, I presume.

An EPIC Race, 80 Years On

Tomorrow I'm flying to L.A. to 1) give a lecture 2) meet the folks at Film Nation who just bought rights to my upcoming Berlin Wall Tunnels book for a film by Paul Greengrass 3) see my son, the hotshot creator of game trailers. As for the first:  I will be speaking at UC-Dominquez Hills in the main library, 5th floor, at 6 p.m. on Thursday related to my book about Upton Sinclair's leftwing, wild and amazingly influential (and nearly successful) race for governor of California in 1934.  The lecture is tied to the donation of a massive number of books penned by Sinclair (the  collector was John Ahouse, who helped me with my book from the start).

If Only

New Ebola-related (sort of) cartoon from the great Clay Bennett.

Velvet Love

John Cale with new song/video to mark old buddy/antagonist Lou Reed's passing one year ago.

Hipster Hops

New Yorker's cover by the great Steve Brodner this week, which goes with story on beer in Brooklyn.