Bye-bye Blinky

[sublight]

Just now hearing reports that Ishihara has resigned as governor.

[sublight]

And a Japanese news link from Sankei:

辞任を表明「新党を作って、仲間を作ってやろうと思って」
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/news/121025/stt12102515210009-n1.htm

Hoping to start a new party, apparently.

[Taro Toporific]

Here's the engrish report ...

Ishihara to quit as Tokyo governor and form new nationalist party
Asahi Shimbun | October 25, 2012
Four-time governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, abruptly announced Oct. 25 that he will resign, saying he planned to enter national politics as the head of a new conservative political party.
Ishihara, 80, announced his resignation at a news conference and said he plans to run in the next Lower House election.
"What I will do will be exactly in line with what I have done as governor," Ishihara said.
More...

[Coligny]

"What I will do will be exactly in line with what I have done as governor," Ishihara said.

ohhh dear...

[GomiGirl]

I can't decide if this is hubris or just plain dumb...

[Coligny]

I can't decide if this is hubris or just plain dumb...

Let me help you troubleshoot this one Pumpkin...

Did you ever heard of Ishihara doing anything smart lately ?

If we are lucky he will be joined by the mayor of Osaka and they will become country wide-irrelevant...

If we are not lucky...

well...

let's not go there shall we ?

[Taro Toporific]

"What I will do will be exactly in line with what I have done as governor," Ishihara said.

ohhh dear...

At least you have Dr. Coligny for health care. If Governor Blinky eliminates all "welfare" (healthcare) for all non-citizens as he has proclaimed many times before, and dogshitMorman Mittens kills Obamacare, I'll have to try for refugee status in Canada as un-insurable paraplegic.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I can't decide if this is hubris or just plain dumb...

I wonder if he's getting so much pressure from the national government because of the Senkaku's fiasco that he's using this as a way to step down while saving face.

[Coligny]

At least you have Dr. Coligny for health care. If Governor Blinky eliminates all "welfare" (healthcare) for all non-citizens as he has proclaimed many times before, and dogshitMorman Mittens kills Obamacare, I'll have to try for refugee status in Canada as un-insurable paraplegic.

If you don't phear communist countries, you might also want to try France... Any job there would have you de-facto enrolled in the ntl healthcare and any small firm have group contract for complementary insurance where the typically kapitalist-pigzorz "pre-existing condition" bull are downright illegal...

[legion]

I can't decide if this is hubris or just plain dumb...

I wonder if he's getting so much pressure from the national government because of the Senkaku's fiasco that he's using this as a way to step down while saving face.

my thoughts too, he didn't look his usual self in that video clip

[Taro Toporific]

Twitter _ DailyGomiuri_ Tokyo Gov Ishihara Resigns; ....jpg

twitter.com/DailyGomiuri

[Coligny]

While I agree with SJ and youze, aside from the weirder blink at 0:05 there is not much in this video allowing to read much facial/body language... way too short...

True that the voice seems more escapist, subdued than usual, but that could be from the room/microphones.

I took this video for reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0RV8JUKX1E as I'm not exactly a scholar on this guy...

He always got that weird "Allan Greenspan" vibe... like if he was taxidermied while still somewhat alive...

[Russell]

I wonder if he's getting so much pressure from the national government because of the Senkaku's fiasco that he's using this as a way to step down while saving face.

my thoughts too, he didn't look his usual self in that video clip

Probably being blackmailed into resigning.

Or some high-ranked people got raving mad at him because of the recent economic doldrums caused by his Senkaku shenanigans. If there is one thing that carries weight in Japan then it is the economy.

Oh, BTW, anyone knows what happened with that money he collected to buy those isles?

[GomiGirl]

The whole thing reminds me of the "Joh for PM" campaign. A local parochial conservative politician, sorta popular in his own back-yard amongst similar older conservatives, starts to believe his sychophantic cronies and has the misguided belief that they will do well at a federal level.. failing miserably.

OR

It smells of an olive branch towards China for scalping the twat who started all this bru-ha-ha over some goat turd stained islands.

[Coligny]

It smells of an olive branch towards China for scalping the twat who started all this bru-ha-ha over some goat turd stained islands.

Wayyy to subtle... And if you look from Chinese viewpoint, totally irrelevant. Or worse, if they heard the name of Ishihara, and know he was behind some ferrooushious claims on the rocks, having him gear up and pretend for nationnal level function is not what I would call the smartest move... It don't matter if the guy might be certain to fall into irrelevancy with that step... It just don't give the same signal at all like a "retire from political functiunz for personnal reasons to focus on his family(*)" would do.



(*) can't find the proper formula... But it's the really polite way of saying "ok, we fired that dunce can we be friendz nao"

[cstaylor]

My vote is that he's been diagnosed with an inoperable tumor of some sort and has only months to live.

[yanpa]

The one which has been occupying his entire cranial cavity since birth?

[Yokohammer]

It smells of an olive branch towards China for scalping the twat who started all this bru-ha-ha over some goat turd stained islands.

Wayyy to subtle... And if you look from Chinese viewpoint, totally irrelevant. Or worse, if they heard the name of Ishihara, and know he was behind some ferrooushious claims on the rocks, having him gear up and pretend for nationnal level function is not what I would call the smartest move... It don't matter if the guy might be certain to fall into irrelevancy with that step... It just don't give the same signal at all like a "retire from political functiunz for personnal reasons to focus on his family(*)" would do.



(*) can't find the proper formula... But it's the really polite way of saying "ok, we fired that dunce can we be friendz nao"

Maybe, but you might want to note that Blinky's resignation got a "special bulletin" on China's national TV news.

[Coligny]

Actually, i'm taker for any media reaction in China... Do you have a transcription of the news bulletin ? That would give a good indication and might validate Pumpkin theory.

Having a backlog of how the senkaku situation was sold by chinese media to the peasants before would be great too...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

The whole thing reminds me of the "Joh for PM" campaign. A local parochial conservative politician, sorta popular in his own back-yard amongst similar older conservatives, starts to believe his sychophantic cronies and has the misguided belief that they will do well at a federal level.. failing miserably.

You forgot "corrupt, undemocratic, dictatorial, gerrymandering demented kleptocratic (and probably lots more, too)." (And he was a Kiwi...like yanpa)

It smells of an olive branch towards China for scalping the twat who started all this bru-ha-ha over some goat turd stained islands.

Possibly, but I suspect something smellier is being covered up. What's the bet the Tokyo Olympic bid is called off soon?

[matsuki]

I'm more worried about who will replace him...this fucker got elected 4 times? What kind of shimaguni complex asshole is next in line?

[yanpa]

"corrupt, undemocratic, dictatorial, gerrymandering, demented, kleptocratic, Kiwi" like Yanpa

6 out of 7 ain't bad

[sublight]

During his press conference, one point he kept coming back to is "the country is dying". Given the guy's delusions of how he represents the pure spirit of Japan, it wouldn't surprise me if he just got the bad news from his doctor.

He may not be watching the Kohaku this year.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

He may not be watching the Kohaku this year.

Gone in a blink, ya reckon? That'd be an eye-opener (and closer and opener and closer and opener and...you get the gag, right?)

[sublight]

Maybe that's a bit soon, but it wouldn't surprise me if he kicked it by the end of next year.

One interesting thing is that everyone else seemed to be in the dark about it. Even his son in the Parliament, Nobuteru, said he had no idea what was going on when the reporters ambushed him right after dad's press conference.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Maybe that's a bit soon, but it wouldn't surprise me if he kicked it by the end of next year.

One interesting thing is that everyone else seemed to be in the dark about it. Even his son in the Parliament, Nobuteru, said he had no idea what was going on when the reporters ambushed him right after dad's press conference.

Nobuteru Ishihara having absolutely no idea does not surprise me in the slightest...

[legion]

During his press conference, one point he kept coming back to is "the country is dying". Given the guy's delusions of how he represents the pure spirit of Japan, it wouldn't surprise me if he just got the bad news from his doctor.

He may not be watching the Kohaku this year.

I wonder if it registers with him that it is his generation that killed it

[sublight]

During his press conference, one point he kept coming back to is "the country is dying". Given the guy's delusions of how he represents the pure spirit of Japan, it wouldn't surprise me if he just got the bad news from his doctor.

He may not be watching the Kohaku this year.

I wonder if it registers with him that it is his generation that killed it

Not in the least. Most of his ranting during the press conference was about how stupid and worthless kids these day are, and that women aren't producing enough of them.

[Typhoon]

During his press conference, one point he kept coming back to is "the country is dying". Given the guy's delusions of how he represents the pure spirit of Japan, it wouldn't surprise me if he just got the bad news from his doctor.

He may not be watching the Kohaku this year.

I wonder if it registers with him that it is his generation that killed it

Not in the least. Most of his ranting during the press conference was about how stupid and worthless kids these day are, and that women aren't producing enough of them.

So basically, according to Blinky, women are not producing enough stupid and worthless kids.

[Coligny]

So basically, according to Blinky, women are not producing enough stupid and worthless kids.

You'd be hillarious... if it was not a near perfect summary of the guy's line...