The Other McCain

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National Review Institute Summit: Will This Controversial Event Make Headlines?

Posted on | January 18, 2013 | 55 Comments

My decision yesterday to kick Jonah Goldberg in the knee promises to yield enormous dividends both ways. Goldberg has denounced my criticisms as “preening b.s.,” and he’s vowed to fire back at length later today, so I look forward to a (no doubt well-deserved) ass-chewing.

Do I expect Jonah to say nice things about me? No, but neither did I expected to be invited on a Caribbean cruise after the election. The world is generally divided that way: The cruise-worthy intellectuals and everybody else, and I’ve adjusted to life among the landlubbers.

Speaking of which, the National Review Institute “Future of Conservatism” Summit convenes next Friday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., and it would be a terrible thing if the summit were to be embroiled in controversy because a lot of pissed-off conservatives showed up and started asking questions like, “Who was it that convinced us that nominating Mitt Romney would be a good idea?”

Who would pay $250 to go raise hell at the NRI Summit? Maybe the Ron Paul crowd would think that’s a fine way to spend a weekend. Did I mention that college students can attend the NRI Summit for free?

Our friends at the National Review Institute are providing a limited number of full “scholarships” for the upcoming “Future of Conservatism” conference this January 25-27 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. This covers the conference fee, which includes participation in all events, receptions, and meals. This is an excellent opportunity for a conservative college student to learn and network.

OK, so the “limited number” of scholarships probably diminishes the chances of Ron Paul supporters packing the NRI Summit with dopehead stooges yelling ugly things about “neocon warmongers,” but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities for headline-making controversy during the event. Everybody’s favorite MSNBC host Joe Scarborough’s going to be there, after all. For some reason, while Scarborough is an honored participant at the NRI Summit, they didn’t invite Rush Limbaugh or Mark Levin. Probably an accidental oversight . . .

So when the “Joe Scarborough’s OK, But We Don’t Like Mark Levin” conference convenes next Friday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., maybe you’ll want to be there to raise hell. If there are angry shouting matches in the hotel corridors and fistfights in the lobby bar, that might actually be newsworthy.

And I’m strictly a Neutral Objective Journalist . . .

 


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Category: Conservatism 101, Jonah Goldberg, Neutral Objective Journalism

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  • http://theothermccain.com smitty

    I just cannot see parting with $250. How can this event possibly exceed CPAC, which at least has a sweetener for Veterans?

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    And who exactly were we supposed to nominate instead? And would the result have been different?

    Herman Cain imploded (mostly through poor campaigning and past events that were not dealt with or were in fact true). Gingrich had his own clouded personal history. Santorum is a good man, but he is never a small government conservative–rather he was a big government social conservative who lost his own state by 18 points in his last election. Santorum also managed to alienate many in the party before he finished the primaries. Rick Perry thought it would be a good idea to do a debate on muscle relaxers. That leaves Michelle Bachmann, who I like but did not catch fire (and who would not be elected as President). Or the Manchurian Candidate Jon Huntsman.

    I am not blaming Jonah Goldberg for Mitt Romney getting the nomination and then losing the general by 2 points. Especially when he nominated Paul Ryan as Veep. Romney could have won had he pressed hard after the first debate and kept fighting. His strategy of trying to woo the middle failed.

    We need a candidate who can articulate conservatism. In a happy warrior sort of way. Who in the party fits that? Possibly Marco Rubio. Maybe Jindal or Walker? Possibly Paul Ryan. If you have other suggestions, let me know. But rather than finger pointing you and Jonah might consider focusing on what we are going to do for 2016.

  • Quartermaster

    For Goldberg to call your criticism “preening BS” is laughable. He’s the guy who publlishes a lot of preening BS, and loves to preen himself. He’s a faux conservative idiot that i’ve been ignoring since 2002. He richly deserves being ignored.
    EBL, a party has an obligation to find a good candidate to put forward. The fact the bench was so shallow is a serious problem for the Establishment. But, they keep giving us Libtards like Romney.
    Theer may be no one genuflecting and lighting candles before Lord Nelson Rockefeller, but they don’t really need to do so. They mostly see eye to eye with him. Goldberg still needs to grow up and learn how the world actually works. When he does that we may, perhaps, be able to call him a conservative. He’s got a long way to go until then.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Let there be blood.

  • robertstacymccain

    Well, it doesn’t cost money to hang around the lobby bar — that is to say, it doesn’t cost me anything, if you’re buying.

  • http://twitter.com/richard_mcenroe richard mcenroe

    “The world is generally divided that way: The cruise-worthy intellectuals and everybody else, and I’ve adjusted to life among the landlubbers.” There’s cruises ‘n then there’s cruises. http://youtu.be/uI7Ghu1FpnQ

    I bought Jonah’s book, Liberal Fascism. It’s correct, of course, well written, detailed and sourced… and in the end, from what I can see, it didn’t move the debate an inch in our direction.

    In an age where Kardashians, Honey Boo Boo and made up dead girlfriends can trend, maybe batshit crazy is the line to take.

  • http://twitter.com/richard_mcenroe richard mcenroe

    Voice of experience, folks. Put the rent aside first if you are. Comes the check he’s on the wind like woodsmoke…

  • robertstacymccain

    The art of leaving before it’s time to pay the bar tab is something they don’t teach at J-school anymore.

  • robertstacymccain

    It’s not a party until somebody calls the cops.

  • t-dahlgren

    The “Joe Scarborough’s OK, But We Don’t Like Mark Levin” conference.

    NRO will never rebut this, there is simply no credible reply.

    Yesterday you may have kicked Goldberg in the knee, today you appear to have struck slightly higher…

    Gonna leave a mark.

  • http://theothermccain.com smitty

    I dunno, I kind of like his book “Liberal Fascism”.

  • http://marezilla.com/ Zilla of the Resistance

    ALLEN FREAKING WEST.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MJGP4QXZ5PRW2MFA5E25CV2WNU rosalie

    Actually, I like the fingerpointing. These phonies need to be called out, and called out often. What are we going to do for 2016? Exactly what the establishment tells us to do.

  • http://marezilla.com/ Zilla of the Resistance

    In a Blog War / Flame War / Bar Fight between Jonah Goldberg & Stacy McCain, if I had money I’d put it on Stacy. I hope all the non-broke people here will hit Stacy’s tip jar to help facilitate this brawl, and that someone will think to get footage of it.

  • http://marezilla.com/ Zilla of the Resistance

    And let someone get in on video and upload it so we can all see.

  • http://marezilla.com/ Zilla of the Resistance

    Batshit Crazy? There’s a website for that, and it was Stacy’s idea!

    http://BatshitCrazyNews.com

  • Finrod Felagund

    I would say that they teach it at Gonzo school, but is there even such a thing, or is it something you have to learn on your own?

  • Finrod Felagund

    Until I decide otherwise (or they say they’re not running) I’m pulling for Condi or Sarah.

  • Finrod Felagund

    Heck, I’d volunteer to be Stacy’s second in that, except that I know nothing useful about bar fights.

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    I do not consider Jonah one of the “phonies.” That he tends to be a bit establishment is a problem. He should spend more time with Steyn and try to develop a stronger mojo of his own. Too much time with Lowry is like washing your genitalia with lavender soap., Fine if they are lady parts, but that stuff messes up hormones if you have a set down there.

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    Go West young conservatives, Go West!

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    If you lined up all the Republican pundits who deserve a good donkey punch, Goldberg would not be at the head of the line. He would not be in the first 100 or so. Just sayin.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003232872834 Becca Lower

    Too late for that. When do we start chanting “Fight! Fight! Fight!”?

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    Heh.

    “Punching up” – and wondering why you are never invited to anything.

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    He is never getting invited anyway (unless the “cruise” in question involves a cat fishin, bass or gator boat). So he might as well have fun.

  • CPAguy

    Sorry….Herman Cain…warts and all would have been the best candidate in the field. However, it seems like he didn’t really want “it.”

    Santorum would have also been preferable…even if he wasn’t a great candidate.

  • http://twitter.com/PaulZummo Paul Zummo

    This is kind of like watching a spat between mommy and daddy. Won’t you two stop yelling at each other!

    Goldberg, along with McCarthy and Steyn, are really the only reasons to read NR at all, and I rarely do except when someone tweets a column – and JG’s column today was particularly on point. In this particular spat I think Stacy has the better of the argument, but I don’t think Goldberg is the enemy (no reference to 1984 intended).

    I wonder if Goldberg, perhaps given a dose of sodium pentothal, would also lament the current state of National Review.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MJGP4QXZ5PRW2MFA5E25CV2WNU rosalie

    It’s just as well. He’d probably tell Scarborough that Mika was right about what she called him.

  • http://twitter.com/richard_mcenroe richard mcenroe

    Drink heavily.
    Wade in.
    Swing at what you can reach.
    When it starts getting hairy, throw a headlock on someone who doesn’t look too pissed/pissed off and take both of you to the floor where you can duck out of the mess.

    Uh, somebody told me that.

  • Pingback: Conservative Throwdown? - Lowering the Boom

  • Quartermaster

    Of the Nationally prominent bunch, he would in the top 10 EBL. Goldberg is a preening idiot with an wildly overblown opinion of himself. He fits right in with the Joke Scarborough crowd.

    You can disagree if you wish, that’s your privilege, but I have direct experience with that intellectually little boy. He’s way out of his depth, just like “Rich Lowry is a coward.” It may be that Goldberg is a coward too (and it seems like he is given his behavior with the Derb, another I have had very positive personal experience with), but there is no doubt that he is way out of his depth. Frankly, it doesn’t take much to be at that point with him.

  • Quartermaster

    Which persuaded no one. So far Goldberg’s like has been a waste.

  • Alphabet_Soup

    It’s not a party until somebody calls the coroner ;-)

  • Quartermaster

    Goldberg spending time with Steyn would remind me of that cartoon where Spike is walking down the street shadowed by a little dog jabbering how great it is to do all sort of neat stuff. Goldberg is a child and Steyn is something that Goldberg could never hope to be.

    Yes, Goldberg is a phony. He grew up when NR was becoming a shadow of itself and is at best an establishment type. He’s never been the same since the Paleos reduced him to mass of quivering baby fat. That’s why he utterly despises people like Gottfried (who took Goldberg apart for mere sport). He still doesn’t recognize his intellectual betters.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    It’s located right next door to The School Of Hard Knocks, in the Italian section of town near The School Of Hard Gnocchi.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Actually, QM, you now hear the term used a lot.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Spoken like a true Scots-Irishman.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Spoken like a true Gangsta.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    By all means!

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Derb is a Gentleman – I’ve had pleasant dealings with him.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    That’s worked for me – when I finally wised up [it took a while].

    Remind me to tell you sometime about the bar fight where I got knocked out and woke up to see Jesus.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Don’t forget the fireworks.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Good point about the pentothal.
    I no longer read Mr. Goldberg, however, because, though he makes good points, he refuses in his conclusions to understand that the Left has evil intentions in all that it does. But, as I did it the other JG posting here, I say again: he is a conservative – just willfully blind to the Left.

  • Garym

    That was a good read.

  • Garym

    I use it against my progressive brother, when he pulls out the race card against us. Usually the phone gets hung up quickly after that.

  • http://twitter.com/richard_mcenroe richard mcenroe

    Well, when you start calling the bargirls Magdalene you have to expect the odd divine rabbit-punch.

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    Oh, heavens, no, not to an NR function. But the ‘tude doesn’t send out the sort of vibe that attracts invites to CPAC, BlogCon, or Flabitha’s birthday party.

  • http://twitter.com/ThatChristyChic Christy Waters

    I noticed that Thomas Sowell wasn’t appearing either, and I consider him to be at the top of the intellectual pyramid. In fact, I regard Sowell as my #IntellectualPorn. #BowChickaWowWow

  • http://www.facebook.com/eric.ashley.58 Eric Ashley

    We should have nominated ANYONE ELSE (except Huntsman). All of the other choices were better.

    And as to Santorum irritating prominent elements….lets say IMO they went for him first. There was never any intention among the libertarian losswits of giving Santorum a fair shot.

    Bachmann got knifed by the others in her party. Hard to overcome a general stab in the back party.

    Cain, he wanted it. Might not have been quite up to snuff but he would have figured it out.

    Perry, once it was realized that his back meds were messing with him….well, that would not have been a problem later in the race.

    Gingrich had a lot of issues, but even still, we do tend to forgive, or we should, and he would have done a pretty good job.

    The Establishment got what they wanted, and then they got what they deserved.

  • http://twitter.com/ilovegrover Thane_Eichenauer

    If he can’t win a re-election campaign to the US House why should Joe Republican Donor (or just plain Joe Republican) think he can win a campaign for President?

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