Conflucian Cocktail Party: It’s the end of the world as we know it

And I feel fine.

The market dropped precipitously today.  I had my eye on Yahoo finance throughout the day and it was bouncing around a little.  The closing bell took my breath away.  All I could think was, “Can we have Hillary back now???  PLEASE!!!”

But, no, the DNC and the Obamabots are determined to force Obama on us.  I don’t think they even know why they;re doing it except that they simply must win at any cost and it doesn’t much matter to them if Obama is the most corrupt politician since, er, George W. Bush.  The only thing that matters is that all enemies are vanquished so they can dance at the edge of the abyss in triumpgh with the golden ring clutched in their slimy green hands.  “My precioussssss!”  Then they drag us over the edge with them.

It’s a shame that Hillary is committed to campaign for him.  He dissed her HOLC plan.  Fortunately, it was revived by someone else.  *Unfortunately*, that someone was from the other side.  How bizarre.  It gets weirder.  This weekend, Hillary is headed to the Scranton, PA area for some heavy duty canvassing.  Oddly enough, she will be met my her loyal supporters- er, now canvassing for John McCain?   Yep, Harriet Christian is going to be heading up a road trip to the area to give Democratic voters the heads up on Obama.  If you’re interested, contact HChristian@infnyc.com  (or was that net?) ASAP.  The bus will leave Manhattan at 9AM Saturday from 31St at 8the Avenue.  It’s a short walk from Penn Station.

It really is the end of the world as we know it.

Welcome to the Conflucian Cocktail party.  Take your shoes off and quit looking at your 401K.  There’s nothing you can do about it now.  And if you’re lucky, your fund managers will be able to snag some bahhhgains in the next couple of days.  To those of you closer to or at retirement, we’re here for you.  Pour out your troubles.

The bar is to the left of the door.  Say hello to Rico, our bartender with flair.  He will stay gainfully employed as long as we PUMAs are around.  Tonight his special drink is a Crash Landing.  We are also offering Causmos tonight for $10.  You can purchase one for a number of worthy causes.  For example, RealDemocratsUSA will be going on a tour of Ohio next weekend to rally the troops and let Democrats know that Obama is not what they think he is.  They will be using the money for gas, flyers, signs and other sundries  They need to raise $2000.  We also recommend visiting either the ActBlue for the Confluence page or The Fab Four page for Downticket Democrats who need your help.  Then there is HillPac where you can drop a $10 in he kitty for Hillary’s selections, some of whom are also our own. (just ignore the first guy)

Tonight’s entertainment is REM.  it’s a bit of a departure from our more sophisticated and jazzy selections.  But you can argue that the music doesn’t suit the times we are living in:

Leo-nard Bern-stein!

It’s bound to get a little crazy around here but let’s try to keep a civil tongue.  if you feel like the trigger words are getting the best of you, leave them with Florence, our lovely checkroom attendant.  The waiters will be circulating shortly with a selection of soups and hunks of bread and apples.  Eat them slowwwwly so they will last.  Please drink responsibly and tip your wait staff generously.

Conflucians Say is already in progress….

Cocktails at The Scratching Post: Rolling on the River

Does anyone recognize the location for tonight’s cocktail party? Ok, I’ll tell you. This is Lake Powell, a resevoir created by the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. Yep, there is a lot of controversy surrounding that dam but no one who’s been there can argue that the vista isn’t spectacular. I was there about 3 years ago and this is pretty typical of what I saw from the window of the hotel that the National Park Serivice runs there. Lake Powell is a hidden gem, a beautiful juxtaposition of water and rock. The lake is long and narrow with many steep canyons through which the water meanders. You can rent a houseboat and find yourself in soaring silent cathedrals carved by wind and time. Where there is a way, the water will find it.

Lake Powell

Today, the forces behind the effort to get Hillary Clinton on the ballot as a VP gave up the ghost. It was always a long shot anyway. The last thing Obama wants is Hillary showing him up at every campaign stop and getting more thunderous applause than he does. I’m relieved that she won’t be saddled with VP. It woudn’t have been a good career move. And now, Obama is going to have to come up with some explanation for why he didn’t choose her to all of the voters who had come to expect it. He is rapidly boxing himsefl into a corner with the half of the base he has to sway to support him in November. But if he reaches out to his base, he risks alienating the independents and moderates he’s been courting. It’s always as risk when you are not guided by principle.

But let’s leave Obama for awhile and have fun. Welcome to the Cocktail Party at The Scratching Post. I’ve rented a houseboat for tonight’s festivities. You can take in the scenery from the deck while Rico, our bartender with Flair! whips up his special concoction. Tonight’s special is a Cactus Tequila Collins to go with the view. We are also offereing Causmos at $10 per drink. You can choose from the PUMAPac Causmo and help Murphy pay for buses for Denver or you can help Hillary to pay down her debt with a Hillary Causmo. Of course, you can order anything you like.

Tonight’s entertainment, is the Doobie Brothers. Some things never go out of style and although this southern flavored tune refers to a river farther to the east, the fluid melody will keep us rollin’:

Everyone is welcome at The Scratching Post, including OPUMAs. But to keep people from being thrown overboard, we recommend that you leave your trigger words with Florence who is catching some rays on the sundeck. The waiters will be circulating shortly with some guacamole, salsa and empanadas. Please drink responsibly and tip your wait staff generously.

Cocktails at The Scratching Post: Down by the Riverside

Comrades, even the fearsome PUMA Militia needs to take a break.  I’ve arranged for our cocktail party to be held on a deck overlooking the Delaware River between NJ and PA tonight.  We’re at Point Pleasant, PA.  You can check it on the webcam .  This is the place where you can rent a tube and a bus will take you several miles up river so you can spend the next couple of hours doing absolutely nothing but floating.  The water is shallow and there are “rapids” but you can handle it.

I love water.  I spent most of my childhood near one major ocean or another and the tang of salty air always brings back good memories of Sundays at the beach, shell hunts, sand crabs and the shoo-shoosh of waves. But I’m just as happy on the river or next to a lake or just listening to the sound of rain.  Water never lets itself be hemmed in.  It always seeks the path of least resistance.  If you put an obstacle in its way, it just flows around it.  You can contain water but after awhile, it evaporates and turns into a new raindrop and starts flowing in a different direction.  Accumulate enough water in one place it is literally a force of nature.  F=ma and all that.  It can be benign or powerful but it is rarely ever still.  It never does what it is told.

So, take off your combat boots PUMAs, park your deadly force HP printers in the corner, sit back, relax and watch the river roll by.

Welcome to The Scratching Post Cocktail Party.  I’m your hostess for this evening.  You’ll find the bar on the left side of the deck, manned, as always by our ever faithful bartender, Rico.  He’s got plenty of flair and always has a special drink.  Tonight, you can choose from a Causmo, that will help Hillary Clinton retire her debt and look towards the future with HillPac.  There are lots of good causes.  For example, Murphy at PUMAPac still needs to pay for those buses to Denver.  Drop in and say hello.  Causmos are $10.  Or, if that’s not in your budget, you can try a light, citrusy AJ Summer Drink.  Of course, you can order whatever you like.

Tonight’s entertainment hails from Brazil.  Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Joao Gilberto and singer Miucha.  This soft Summer Samba goes nicely with sunset over the river, warm summer breezes and good friends, So Nice…

We militant PUMAs are really quite approachable, now that we’ve taken off the camouflage.  But if you feel a belligerent word starting to harsh your mellow, consider checking it with Florence, our lovely attendent.

The waiters will be circulating shortly with a salad of sun ripened Jersey tomatoes, fresh basil and mozarella.  There are also some fresh corn cakes with a chipotle mayonnaise.  Please drink responsibly and tip your wait staff generously.