When I was an emerging teenager back during and immediately after the British Invasion, the cool act to follow in my peer group (urban/suburban southern white kids) wasn’t the Beatles or the Yardbirds or any of the other bands that made musical history. No, it was The Ventures. We practiced our primitive chops on our primitive guitars and drums playing “Walk, Don’t Run” and “Telstar” and “Slaughter on 10th Avenue,” and their covers of “Pipeline” and “Wipeout” (my ability to play the drum part to “Wipeout” with my feet became a key asset in avoiding beatdowns from rednecks).
So I’m enjoying a major series of flashbacks today.
Here are some entirely present midday news/views treats:
* Remember that Koch Network donor summit with Cruz, Paul & Rubio? It raised $249 million.
* Jeb Bush may have to take off the gloves and bash GOP rivals when he speaks at CPAC at the end of this month.
* At the Atlantic, Russell Berman looks at the real bottom of the big barrel of GOP proto-candidates for the presidency.
* Ben Jacobs gets bored, speculates about ambitions behind Biden trip to Iowa.
* Supporters of ACA are customizing their messages to SCOTUS on King v. Burwell to appeal very narrowly to Anthony Kennedy.
And in non-political news:
* What’ll it take to bury Hannah Montana? Miley Cyrus submits (no pun intended) bondage flick to porn festival.
As we break for lunch, here’s The Ventures with their most famous and influential hit: “Walk Don’t Run,” in 1964.
