Maybe this year

It's been 30 long years since we had a Triple Crown winner in horse racing. There have been a lot of very good horses in recent years (War Emblem, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones) that have gotten close, but not one has been able to pull it off. This might be the year.

If you watched Big Brown's dominant performance at the Preakness this afternoon, you saw something that we haven't seen in previous years. Not only is this horse a very good horse, there sure doesn't seem to be much competition. All of the horses that lost out in the Belmont have had tough competitors to face. I don't see one this time around.

And I'd sure like to see something good happen for thoroughbred racing. I'm not a bettor; I've only been to the track once in my life, but racing is a thrilling sport. The deaths of Barbaro in 2006 and the filly Eight Belles this year have really hurt the sport. I don't have any intellectual reasoning behind any of this; I just like watching the races and my kids do, too. I'll be pulling for Big Brown to win the Belmont in three weeks. I think a lot of other people who enjoy the sport will be, too.

Marty says it well - just read it

Martin Andrade Blogs#links#links

Nothing to add

Another smart takes on the "appeasement" issue from the best columnist in the world, Mark Steyn.

H/T: Powerline via True North

It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

I'm supposed to be despairing right now. That's what I keep reading all over the internet. Today it was the Wall Street Journal's turn. Peggy Noonan, a writer I have long admired, is convinced. As always, it's always worth reading her whole piece, but here's the money part:

The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are. The Democrats can see daylight ahead. For all their fractious fighting, they're
finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech. Then hand-to-hand in the
general, where they see their guy triumphing. You see it when you talk to them: They're busy being born.

The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light.
They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness,
his ears stiff at the sound. Crunch. Twig. Hunting party.

Meanwhile, Noonan's colleague Kim Strassel also is like the horse that walks into the bar:

This anger is the best way to describe today's political landscape. Ever
since Republicans were routed in 2006, and more recently with their loss of
three special elections, the party has been in a debate about what changed in
the country and what to do in response. In the primaries, as Mike Huckabee
pitched to evangelicals, Rudy Giuliani pitched to fiscal conservatives, and Mitt
Romney pitched to anything that moved, some went so far as to declare the
"death" of the Reagan coalition.

Encouraging this panicked discussion has been a new theory that the
nation is experiencing a seismic political shift. A few short years ago, we were
supposed to be on the verge of a lasting conservative majority. Scrap that.

Do you think this is a little bit over the top? I sure do. It's quite possible that 2008 will be a big year for the Democrats. I'm going to do what I can to prevent it from happening. But I'm not convinced yet that it has to be. In fact, I think there's reason for optimism. Why? Plenty of reasons. Here are just a few:

• The Democrats aren't really any smarter than before. While Republicans have a well-deserved reputation for not learning from their mistakes, especially at the national level, there's no evidence that Democrats have learned anything, either. Tactically, they have done some smart things in terms of framing debates, but a lot of the candidates who are winning elections are running as moderates or even conservatives. Once these candidates get to Washington, they won't be able to pretend to be something they aren't, especially when they start taking marching orders from the Pelosis, Reids and Murthas of the world. When these solons return to their districts and their constituents, they will, like Lucy, have a lot of 'splainin to do.


• The headlining Democratic candidates aren't going to look as impressive in the fall as they might now. Barack Obama may be able to bluff his way through November, but he's shown real trouble dealing with anything approaching actual scrutiny. Here in Minnesota, the likely Senate nominee is Al Franken, who will bring to his campaign a very unflattering paper trail and lots of video antics that will flood YouTube and anyplace else that Republican operatives can place them. One well-connected blogger, Michael Brodkorb, has staggered the Franken campaign several times already. Norm Coleman, for all his faults, will be smart enough to bring in the operatives he needs to finish what Brodkorb has started. And Jesse Ventura won't change the equation this time. (Side note: you may have heard about Jesse's appearance the other day at the Mall of America, where he was signing copies of his book. Ol' Jesse was barking about how he wanted to take on Norm again. The MOA and Jesse had elaborate crowd control procedures in place, including issuing wristbands in advance to control an expected throng. From what I heard, they didn't need wristbands to control this throng.)


• What happens at the local level will be just as important as what happens at the national level and there are good candidates to support. I've been writing a lot about the race here in 50B and we have an excellent chance to elect Lori Grivna this fall. Incumbent Kate Knuth is no longer the fresh young face; instead, she's part of the DFL team that has already jammed the largest tax increase in Minnesota history down the throats of her constituents. And she wants to do a lot more of the same. And Lori is quite prepared to explain precisely what more of the same would mean.


• Even if the worst-case scenario takes place, there will be opportunities in the ashes. Suppose the most dire predictions come true - Obama wins and wins easily and brings 5-6 new Democratic senators (including, egad, Franken) and 20-30 new Congresscritters. What would happen? Well, you can assume that the emboldened Democrats will try to ram through their entire agenda - taking over healthcare, global warming, whatever the hell the teachers' unions want this time, etc., etc., etc. They might even get some of it passed. People will notice that, though. And people will notice that a lot of unsavory people will be wielding a lot of power; they'll notice that by giving the keys to Barack Obama, they've also unleashed the Murthas and Pelosis of the world. We can try to explain that to people all we want in this cycle, but most likely the message won't get through. Sometimes you have to experience something to learn from it. A very large percentage of the electorate doesn't remember what life was like in the 1970s. An Obama administration with large Democratic majorities in both houses would set up a replay of that time. Who thinks it will turn out better this time?

Bottom line? We have work to do. The key for those who believe in conservative ideals is to campaign forthrightly and with vigor in this cycle. We have good candidates to support and many reasonable arguments to make. It may not go our way. But if we make honest arguments and still lose because people aren't accepting the message, we'll have laid down a marker. And we'll have established something for the next campaign. As the wise man said, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. And if, like Peggy Noonan, you're worried about the hunting party, don't forget that some hunting parties are led by Elmer Fudd.

Please read

What the Lady Logician has to say about the latest controversy surrounding Star Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten. We need to talk about the actions of Komissar Mindy Greiling (DFL-Smolensk, I mean Roseville), but I haven't gotten to it yet. LL is on the case, as always.

At a minimum, Greiling should be ashamed. More anon.

Touchy

So George Bush said this today at the Knesset in Israel:

Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We
have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in
1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to
Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this
what it is –- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly
discredited by history.

We don't know specifically the identity of "some," of course. Based on what I can tell, the some could apply to hundreds of American politicians, thousands of European politicians and millions of people around the world.

For some reason , Barack Obama thought that George W. Bush meant him, and responded this way:

It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack. It is
time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and
failed to secure America or our ally Israel. Instead of tough talk and no
action, we need to do what Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan did and use all elements of
American power -- including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy - to
pressure countries like Iran and Syria. George Bush knows that I have never
supported engagement with terrorists, and the President's extraordinary
politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure
the American people or our stalwart ally Israel.

Just a couple of things:

Obama is wrong, of course. Reagan never negotiated directly with countries like Libya or North Korea. Neither Kennedy, Nixon nor Reagan ever directly negotiated with Cuba. Nor have any of their successors. If Obama believes that we should directly negotiate with all nations, regardless of how heinous the governments of those nations are, he can certainly pursue that should he get elected president. But he'll be the first president in a long time to do so. Maybe the only president.

Second, Obama has one definite credibility issue on the matter of talking with Hamas. One of his advisers, Robert Malley, was in regular contact with Hamas. Once word of that got out, Obama fired him. Apparently Obama was shocked, shocked that this sort of activity was going on in his establishment.

Finally, we know how George W. Bush feels about this issue. Nothing he said today is any different than anything else he's said previously. Lots of people have already discredited anything Bush says on this issue, or any other for that matter. So here's a question - why should Obama, or any of his supporters, care what George W. Bush thinks? If Bush is wrong and they are right, stuff like this should make them serene. Right?

Brewers Fall Just Short Against White Sox

Despite the team's best overall performance of the year, the Brewers lost another heartbreaker this evening, falling to the White Sox 5-4 at Perry Park. It was a tightly played contest and despite notable heroics by one of our kids (who had a triple and a home run), the lads fell short.

Ben was back in the lineup and was 1-2, scoring on the subsequent home run. Lots of good things happened, but it just wasn't meant to be.

The loss puts the Brewers at 1-5 heading into a Sunday contest against the Braves. Game time is 6:30 at Wilson Park in Shoreview. When you want the latest in Shoreview Area Youth Baseball American League action, look no further than Mr. Dilettante.

Guilty Pleasures Part Eighteen - Republican Despair Edition

UPDATE: Our friend Leo has also added a few other tunes in the comments section if the choices here don't float your boat. Thanks, good sir!


So the Republicans lost a special election down in Mississippi last night, which has led to a lot of sackcloth and ashes on the starboard side and glee on the port side. It would appear that there's no reason to even have an election and we should simply concede power to the mighty Democrats and our next president Barack Obama, who conclusively demonstrated his inevitability yesterday in West Virginia.





Well, Mr. Dilettante is always ready to be the on-deck deejay for the Titanic dance party. So in honor of our inevitable, impending doom, here's a selection of happy songs to brighten the mood of Republicans everywhere. Pick your favorite from among the following:








First, the pride of Rockford, Illinois gives Republicans some good advice. From Budokan, it's Cheap Trick, with:





Surrender





Next, it's native son Robert Zimmerman explaining it all to the despairing masses, with:





It's All Over Now, Baby Blue





Next, resplendent in a sequined red velvet dinner jacket designed to assuage despairing red state partisans, Marvin Gaye gently suggests a potential strategy for Republicans in the fall, with:





Got to Give It Up





Finally, daring young modern Beck provides the anthem that will lead the GOP to victory in '08, including extensive footage of the recommended Republican transportation option, with:





Loser








Vote early and vote often - it works for the Democrats!

Good Heavens, I've Been Memed Again!

Dan S. (a great guy with highly questionable taste in sports teams) has tagged me with a meme. To wit:

The "Message to the World" meme states: You have 150 characters to send a message to the world. Punctuation doesn't count. Well, all righty then. Ahem....

The golden rule works. Love your family. Tell the truth, especially to yourself. Learn something from mistakes. God is there for you. Laugh. Rock on.

Brought it in under 150.

And so we pass it on. That means you, Stinger and Heidi.

51 years ago in my hometown

This picture shows the funeral procession for Senator Joseph McCarthy, who died in May, 1957. The picture shows the procession entering St. Mary's Catholic Church in Appleton, Wisconsin. The building in the background is St. Mary's School, the school I attended 20 years later. I might add that I received the sacrament of Confirmation at St. Mary's as well.

No particular significance, just thought it was an interesting picture.

Dead Cat Bounce

As expected, Hillary Clinton wins the West Virginia primary easily. It won't change the overall results much, as Hillary is simply too far behind now. What is striking is her margin of victory, or, more importantly, the margin of defeat for Barack Obama. If Obama wants to be president, he will have to win states like West Virginia. Let's just say he has a lot of work to do.

Brewers Struggle Early, Rally Falls Short

Our intrepid Brewers fell into an early hole and weren't able to recover, falling to the Cubs 13-5 at Perry Park in Arden Hills. Once again a slow start doomed the lads, as they were behind 11-3 after just two innings. Things stabilized after that and they did mount a rally in the final inning, but steady fielding and strong pitching by the Cubs foiled their plans.

The loss leaves the team's overall record at 1-4. They take the field again on Thursday, this time against the White Sox, also at Perry Park. Game time is 6:30. Trust Mr. Dilettante to provide you with up-to-the-minute coverage of Shoreview Area Youth Baseball American League action.

"I'm Kate Knuth for the Sioux Falls Development Council"

I hear the commercials just about every day during my commute. For years the voice belonged to the avuncular Dan Scott, but he's retired now and these days we're hearing his adenoidal sounding successor, Dan Hindbjorgen. These two gentlemen represent the Sioux Falls Development Council and for over a decade now they've been extolling the virtues of their home town, which sits just over the border from Minnesota in lovely, windswept South Dakota.

Their message has been consistent - South Dakota generally, and Sioux Falls in particular, have far lower taxes and business operating expenses than exist in Minnesota. For years they have been telling us that a business could save up to "a million dollars a year by moving to Sioux Falls," and they always assure us that they have the facts to back it up. And for years, they have talked at length about the predations of the political class in Minnesota, particularly the bien pensants who currently run the Legislature.

I'm not sure how much the Sioux Falls Development Council pays these gentlemen to spread their message, but my sense is that they could spare a lot of expense by simply broadcasting the deep thoughts of my representative in 50B, Kate Knuth. Ms. Knuth managed to get elected as a fresh new face in the 2006 election. She is very young and she shares the certitude that many young people have about the decency of their beliefs and the efficacy of their plans to fundamentally change the corrupt world they've inherited.

While it's difficult to get much of a sense of the scope of Ms. Knuth's vision from the sketchy information on her campaign's issues webpage, this week it was her turn to attach her name to one of those DFL press releases that reliably run each week in the local newspapers, in this case the Sun-Focus. (It's always interesting to note the similiarities in writing style that Kate Knuth, Bev Scalze, Paul Gardner, Mindy Greiling and other north suburban legislative deep thinkers share, by the way.) And Kate Knuth has big ideas:

I support an innovative plan to transform the way Minnesota schools are
funded - one that would significantly moderate skyrocketing property taxes and
provide every Minnesota student access to a top-notch education. The
groundbreaking proposal, which will be in play next year, begins increasing
school funding starting in 2010 and can be phased in over the course of several
bienniums as economic conditions allow. It simplifies state school funding,
reduces property taxes and lays a foundation for every student to succeed when
they graduate from high school.

Sounds good, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to "moderate" their property taxes? But since schools are a local matter under the jurisdiction of local school boards, how would she fund it? You know the answer, of course -- by making the rich pay their fair share, that's how. And that means by shifting the burden to the state, which gets the money from income taxes.

As we said, Kate Knuth is young. She hasn't spent a lot of time in the business world; in fact, I'm not sure she's spent any significant time in the business world, as she's pretty much spent her adult life splitting time between academe and her current perch in the legislature. As a result, I suspect she doesn't quite understand how people who don't travel in her circles live. There are many bright, productive people who earn a lot of money and pay a lot of taxes right now. Many are high-level executives of small or large companies, or entrepreneurs who build their own enterprises and whose innovations lead to good jobs for their fellow citizens. Because such people are bright and productive, they are in demand and they have highly transferable skills. Such people have options. And the Dan Hindbjorgens of the world are more than happy to provide enticements to get such people to leave Minnesota. And when the Kate Knuths of the world start braying about fairness, smart and productive people well understand what fairness implies. And when the braying gets loud, the dulcet tones of Dan Hindbjorgen start to sound better and better.

Kate Knuth could understand all that some day. Anyone who earns degrees from the University of Chicago and Oxford has demonstrated that they can learn. It's quite possible that if Kate took the initiative, she could build her own business or rise to an executive position with a Minnesota company. And perhaps some day Kate may raise a family and learn the impact that well-meaning governmental ministrations have on individuals and families. In other words, she might understand the things that her opponent, Lori Grivna, understands well. If Kate Knuth values education, she ought to concentrate on her own education a little more. And the voters of 50B should not hesitate to offer a new syllabus in November.

Cross-posted at True North.

Stinger Celebrates the Sesquicentennial

My contrarian brother casts a sidelong glance at the suprisingly low-key sesquicentennial celebrations underway (rumor has it, at least) over at his place. Among his bon mots:

150 years ago today, President James Buchanan made the biggest mistake ofhis presidency (which is saying something given the US split under his watch),and granted Minnesota statehood. He had one last chance to get with the British and re-attach it to Rupert's Land, but instead he made Minnesota a state. And the rest of America has been paying for it ever since.

As they say, read the whole thing.

Moms and Pentecost

Since Easter was exceptionally early this year, today is Mother's Day and the day that the Church celebrates Pentecost. While I'm sure these two celebrations have fallen on the same day before, I don't recall the last time. They work together well, I think.

We all have a Mom and she is the most important person in our life for a long time. My mom passed away almost 8 years ago now and at our house most of the Mother's Day attention goes to Mrs. D, who is, among her many other fine attributes, a wonderful and loving mother to our children. Ben and Maria may not always realize or appreciate how fortunate they are to have the mother they have, but some day they will.

I still think about my own mother all the time - she was a remarkable woman in many ways. I wrote about Mom at some length on this blog two years ago and I'm not going to rehash the details of her life here, except to say that she somehow raised six children even though she suffered from various demons throughout most of her life. She managed to send us out into the world and all six of her children have generally done well. There is no gainsaying the importance of that.

Going out into the world is the central theme of the Pentecost, too. As we learn in the Acts of the Apostles, the Twelve are filled with the Holy Spirit and find themselves able to tell the assembled crowds in Jersulalem about the mighty works of God. They were simple folks from Galilee, but through the intercession of the Holy Spirit they were able to be understood by everyone there, even though the people came from many lands and spoke many different languages. At that moment, as much as any other, the modern Church was born. Father Sean Magnuson, who celebrated the Mass I attended today, talked about that in his homily and about how we too are called to speak about God and that we should let the Holy Spirit flow through our lives.

That can be a challenge for all Christians and American Catholics in particular have a little trouble dealing with the evangelistic nature of our faith. It's not surprising - during the course of the year we hear Scripture readings where Jesus instructs his disciples to spread the Good News, yet at other times Jesus seems to have little use for ostentatious public displays of faith, especially in the account of Matthew 6:5-7 (discussed here) where he tells us to pray privately.

We all struggle to understand such conundrums as we travel this journey. What I do know is that my journey began because my mother (and father) loved me enough to bring me into this world. And that is worth celebrating every day, not just on the second Sunday in May.

Say a prayer

For our good friend Gino, who lost his sister in a traffic accident on Thursday. God has a plan for all of us, even though on some days it's awfully difficult to understand.

Free Association Veepstakes - Seriously, This Time

I had a little fun last night throwing out some ridiculous ideas for a potential running mate for Sen. Obama, but his actual running mate will tell us a lot about what Obama really intends to do and how he views the presidency.

First things first - I think the chances are almost nil that he'll select Mrs. Clinton. Besides all the rancor that has emerged in the campaign, her Machiavellian nature guarantees that Obama would spend the foreseeable future worrying about getting a shiv in the back. My friend Strolling Amok has suggested that Obama will offer HRC a seat on the Supreme Court, but I don't see that happening, either. My guess: she'll fade into the background and hope that McCain wins so she can go after it again in four years.

Way back at the beginning of the year, SA suggested someone who would be an excellent choice for Obama: James Webb. Webb has the military background that Obama lacks and is significantly more moderate politically; as an old Reagan hand (former Secretary of the Navy) he would have the chance to moderate some of Obama's sillier diplomatic ideas. He might also bring somewhat purplish Virginia into play electorally. If Obama can take the flak that he'd get from certain quarters in his party over the choice, he'd be hard pressed to find anyone better. Another individual with similar credentials would be former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn.

If he bypasses HRC, there will be a lot of pressure to pick a woman. The thing is, at least to this observer, most of the distaff choices in the Democratic Party aren't especially impressive. Nancy Pelosi may be Speaker of the House, but she's not well-regarded right now and rightfully so. Most of the female senators available would be poor choices as well -- Dianne Feinstein, who has supported Hillary, will be 75 this year and is too old for the job. Her California colleague Barbara Boxer is an uber-liberal and has an especially annoying persona. There's no way he'll pick Barbara Mikulski (too old and irritating), Patty Murray (uber-liberal with bad soundbite history) or Mary Landrieu (product of a corrupt, dying political machine). He might want to take a flyer on Claire McCaskill, but I don't see that. Nor do I see him looking at our distaff Senator, Amy Klobuchar (a/k/a Senator Hotdish), whose tenure thus far has featured Alphonse D'Amato-style small bore initiatives mixed with the sensibilities of a WCCO "consumer reporter" (lead toys and swimming pool drains).

That leaves governors and there are two that Obama might consider. First is Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. She brings two advantages - a record of accomplishment both in the governor's office and as a U.S. attorney and, perhaps more importantly, she's from the same state as John McCain. Since Veep candidates tend to have an attack-dog role in a campaign, her critiques of McCain might have more trenchancy since she's from the same place. The other possibility is Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, whose photo appears at the beginning of the post. She's managed to get elected and re-elected in a conservative state and (sorry if this seems sexist) presents herself better than Napolitano. Either would be a smart choice.

Two other male governors have been mentioned as well. The first is former candidate Bill Richardson of New Mexico. Richardson's endorsement of Obama was a big story earlier in the campaign and he has perhaps the best resume of all the potential choices. But his campaign was singularly unimpressive and while he definitely helped Obama with his endorsement, the transparency of it will probably hurt his chances. The other name you hear a lot is Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. I don't see him at all, though, and not only because he supported Clinton. Rendell is the quintessential big-state political machine politician that Obama's campaign has used as a counterpoint from the beginning. If he were to embrace someone like Rendell as his running mate, it would signal that much of the loftier rhetoric from Obama was simply that.

If I were Obama, I would be choosing between Webb and Sebelius. What do you think?

57 States!

Obama was tired the other day when he gave a speech in Beaverton, Oregon and said that the U.S. has 57 states. I know he doesn't think that. Had McCain said it, it would be a bigger story, which of course is part of the problem. But we'll leave that aside.

This is funny, though - one of the great things about America is that there's always a chance for entrepreneurial wiseguys to have a little fun with it. If Obama gets one of these pins and wears it on his lapel, given his much-discussed disdain for wearing flag pins, I would definitely give him the nod. Make sure you click the link -- the angry responses from Obama fans in the comments section are just a hoot.

Update: Then again, maybe we shouldn't cut Sen. Obama any slack. Leo explains why.

(H/T: LAT via Instapundit)

Free Association Veepstakes!

As the primary season wheezes to its conclusion, it's time to start thinking about the vice presidential nominees. All the pundits speculate on who is on the "short list," but what fun is that? I think we need long lists. Really, really long lists. So let's put one together.

This week, we'll turn our attention to Senator Obama, who must now pick a running mate. Everyone wonders if he'll ask Mrs. Clinton, but I honestly believe that's a non-starter. Since Senator Obama is hailed as a visionary, out-of-the-box thinker, let's posit some out-of-the-box choices. And yes, the tongue will be quite firmly in cheek here. Some names will be familiar; others that might not be as familiar will get a link attached.

Potential candidates who wouldn't help Senator Obama much:

Jeremiah Wright

Tony Rezko

Matthew Lesko

Paula Abdul

Inigo Montoya

Barry Bonds

Rachael Ray

Rosie O'Donnell

Bud Selig

George W. Bush

Al Sharpton

Arianna Huffington

Learned Foot

LaToya Jackson

Jerry Springer

Alec Baldwin

Noam Chomsky

Swiftee

Andrew Sullivan

Paris Hilton

Paris Lenon

Art Bell

Bill Ayers

Bernardine Dohrn

Theodore Kaczynski

Evan Montvel-Cohen (another proud Beloit College alumnus!)

Harry Lime

Harry Carson

J. P. Hayes

O. J. Simpson

Homer Simpson

Phyllis Kahn

Paul Ott Carruth

Ed Vrdolyak

Ed Gein

Ed Grimley

I suppose I could offer some helpful suggestions. But maybe that will be next time. Meanwhile, feel free to offer yours!

Guilty Pleasures Part Seventeen - Ben's Picks, Strange Dancing and Random Harmonica

So we've had the assistance of my lovely daughter Maria on a number of these contests, but my son is feeling left out. Ben loves sports and, to be honest, isn't necessarily all that interested in music. But he wanted to run a contest and since he feels like we owe him a couple, we've devised two contests in one for this evening.

First, we have to start with the songs that Ben likes. It's an interesting collection. Ben's favorite song is a Beatles classic. So here, from deep in the 60s, with Ringo at the helm, we have:

Yellow Submarine

Next, we travel forward about five years to the dawn of the 70s. Motown's hot new act was taking the nation by storm. Here, in a clip from their 1971 "Going Back to Indiana" special, with

Bill Cosby and Tom Smothers appearing, weirdly, is the Jackson 5 with:

I Want You Back

Then, we have a harbinger of trouble. Ben is 12 now, but he's apparently thinking ahead to his 16th birthday, based on this choice. He's already asking me about when he'll get to drive. I'd rather not think about it. But ultimately Ben will not be denied because, as Tom Cochrane reminded us in 1991, with lotsa guitar and harmonica,

Life Is a Highway

We now reach the transition point. The next tune is part of both contests. We go back to Cali, 1964, before things got weird. The Beach Boys were selling their version of the American Dream, well represented here with:

Don't Worry Baby

And now, since we're in back in the 60s, it's time to look at one of the sillier manifestations of the 1960s - dancing. On the last clip, you see plenty o' bikini-clad beauties dancing away. But these lovelies weren't the only ones dancing.

A regular feature of many 1960s performances were go-go dancers. More than 40 years on, some of them look a little, well, silly. Maria is here and she agrees with her dad about this. For example, check out what develops about 50 seconds in on this one, featuring a bunch of Texas boys pretending to be part of the British Invasion (and fooling absolutely no one). From 1965, it's Doug Sahm and his buddies in the Sir Douglas Quintet telling us that:

She's About a Mover

A year later, something was emerging from a garage in San Jose other than Dionne Warwick and Hewlett-Packard. It was the Count Five, a classic one-hit wonder band with a little more wailing harmonica and again, some really strange poolside dancing going on. It's time for a:

Pscyhotic Reaction

Now of course, not all the dancing in the 60s was strange. Some people knew how to dance. Like the Godfather of Soul. From a 1966 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, it's James Brown with:

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag/I Feel Good

So, if you've managed to make it this far, you get to vote. Here are the rules.

Contest 1: pick the Ben song you like best, from songs 1-4.

Contest 2: pick the dancing song you like best, from songs 4-7.

The polls are open!