by Smitty
First Sunday after the election, and Rule 5 still chugs on. You readers are as wonderful as the weather, and I hope relaxation finds you. Continue reading Rule 5 Sunday →
Month: November 2010
Fractious, Malignant Justifications Regularly Aggravate
by Smitty
The kvetching of some in the blogs over imperfect candidates and hypothetical victories unobtained will eventually taper off. The most dedicated whinger cannot continue grinding the axe over something that simply did not happen, even with “What a Fool Believes” on a permanent loop. Distill the lessons learned, strip out the names of the people and places, and keep them handy for the next election. Also, ensure perfect candidates in all political races.
What I’m getting at is that if there are substantial problems with candidates (support for gun control), fine: that’s why there are primaries. Anyone caught kvetching about stylistic disagreements (the candidate has a goofy laugh) ought to be punished by being forced to run in the primary themself. We’d either end up with a preferable candidate, or a better supporter of those willing to toss their life in the political meatgrinder.
To paraphrase Rumsfeld, you go to the election with the candidates you have. The ones on the Republican ticket who lost were fine; their prospective constituents chose otherwise, and no amount of water-carrying for the opposition will alter history. Continue reading Fractious, Malignant Justifications Regularly Aggravate →
LIVE AT FIVE – 11.07.10
TOP NEWS
Democrats Ask Whether White House Truly Grasped Voters’ Fears
Bredesen: “There doesn’t seem to be anybody in the White House who’s got any idea what it’s like to lie awake at night worried about money and worried about things slipping away.”
President Pursues Pukka Cooperation With India
Relationship is a “win-win” for both countries
Polls Open In Myanmar’s First Election In 20 Years
POLITICS
Did Jim DeMint Cost The GOP The Senate?
Whiny pundits are whiny.
GOP House Leaders Aim To Choke Off Funds For Obamacare
New GOP Majority Likely To Shelve Immigration Reform In Favor Of Enforcement
Boehner: White House Seems To Be In Denial
GOP: No compromise on health care or spending
Rubio Draws A Line In The Sand
THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Treasury Yields Fall To New Lows On Fed Purchase News
Japan To Join U.S.- Led Free Trade Talks
Microsoft CEO Ballmer Sells $1.33 Billion In MSFT Stock
BoA, Citigroup Swap Blackberries for iPhones
Microsoft Got Kinect Because “Apple Is A Pain In The Ass”
SPORTS
Zenyatta Misses History By A Head
Legendary mare comes from behind, falls just short of a win
#12 LSU Rallies Twice To End #5 Alabama’s Hope Of Defending Title
Texas Tech Upends #14 Missouri
#9 Cornhuskers Hold Off Iowa State In OT
#10 Stanford Whips #13 Arizona 42-17
Aggies Upset #8 Oklahoma For Rare Win
Rockets Fall To Spurs In OT, Remain Winless
FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Lily Allen Hospitalized For Septicemia
Infection sets in five days after miscarriage
Katy Perry: I’d Rather Tease Than Pose Nude
Spiderman Reboot: Mary Jane Out, Gwen Stacy In
(Dead) Body Found Near Playboy Mansion
Ian McKellen Thinks Gays Still Pressured To Stay In The Closet
Mike White Offered “Pride & Prejudice & Zombies”
Tiger Woods’ Porn Star Finally Admits Sex Tape Is Fake
FOREIGNERS
Pope Blasts Spain’s Anticlericalism
Volcanic Ash Concerns Cancel Flights To Jakarta
Yemeni Judge Orders Arrest of Awlaki
BLOGS & STUFF
American Power: Lawrence O’Donnell Admits He’s A Socialist, Tries To Walk That Back, Fails Miserably
PowerLine: Sink Rips White House For Allowing Ego To Trump Pragmatism
Newsbusters: Shields – Palin Quitting As Governor Is Like Kennedy At Chappaquiddick
Protein Wisdom: More Stupidity From Gail Collins About Bears And Abortion Or Something
— compiled by Wombat-socho
Arguably The Most False Analysis Of The 2010 Election
by Smitty
A stunning case of cranial rectalitis on display. OK, the venue, Salon, is anything but unexpected, but William Saletan just couldn’t be further off base without exiting the ballpark. Empasis mine:
I’m not buying the autopsy or the obituary. In the national exit poll, voters were split on health care. Unemployment is at nearly 10 percent. Democrats lost a lot of seats that were never really theirs, and those who voted against the bill lost at a higher rate than did those who voted for it. But if health care did cost the party its majority, so what? The bill was more important than the election.
I realize that sounds crazy. We’ve become so obsessed with who wins or loses in politics that we’ve forgotten what the winning and losing are about. Partisans fixate on punishing their enemies in the next campaign. Reporters, in the name of objectivity, refuse to judge anything but the Election Day score card. Politicians rationalize their self-preservation by imagining themselves as dynasty builders. They think this is the big picture.
They’re wrong. The big picture isn’t about winning or keeping power. It’s about using it.
Sure, if your name is Vladimir Putin.
Now, for the American readership, let us remind ourselves that power corrupts, and the Constitution is a minimalist approach to lending just enough sovereignty and to a Federal government to secure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everyone.
Saletan and company do not grasp that the Internet has changed everything. Vulgar displays of power (Pelosi) are last year’s fashion news. Her continued presence in the House promises to be the negative advertising that punts another 60 Demo-Commies in 2012.
Welcome to the Post-Progressive Era, America. Saletan: you can keep your head parked in twilight, or let the truth that technology is now fulfilling the promise of an informed electorate dawn on you; it really makes no difference either way.
Update: seen at RNC:
LIVE AT FIVE – 11.06.10
TOP NEWS
Shuttle Discovery Launch Postponed Until Month’s End
Dangerous hydrogen leak delays flight
Ex-Transit Cop Gets Two Years In Shooting Of Unarmed Man
Police on alert as race tensions run high
Wikileaks Founder Says May Seek Swiss Asylum
Sweden rejected his application for asylum, work permit; still under investigation for rape allegations there
Memorial To Those Slain By Hasan Unveiled AT Ft. Hood
One year after shootings, more than a thousand soldiers, relatives, and others gather
Mexico’s Marines Bring Down Drug Lord in Matamoros
Two Marines, three cartel hitmen killed in day-long battle
POLITICS
GOP Credits Tea Party For Victories In Mid-Terms
McConnell: “Tea Party activists will continue to energize our party and challenge us to follow through on our commitments.”
Brady Concedes Illinois Governor’s Race
Miller Argues Spelling Ought To Count On Write-In Ballots: It’s The Law
Nevada GOP Leader Pays Price For Endorsing Reid
McNerney Closer To Reelection, But Election Far From Over
Nine Other Races Still Too Close To Call
THE ECONOMY, STUPID
More Jobs Added In October But Jobless Rate Stuck at 9.6%
Bernanke Defends Fed’s Actions
Fannie Mae Seeks $2.5 Billion More From Treasury
Dell Moves 25,000 Employees From Blackberries To WinPhone 7s
Google To Bar Facebook, Others From Importing Data
Security Concerns Block PRC Companies From Sprint Contract
SPORTS
Caps Blow 3-Goal Lead, Come Back To Beat Bruins 5-3
Washington now up by 2 over Tampa Bay
Zenyatta On Brink Of Racing Immortality
Knicks Spoil Arenas’ Return, Down Wizards 112-91
Blanked By Rangers, Devils Remain Winless At Home
Hornets Hold On To Beat The Heat, Remain Undefeated
FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Jill Clayburgh Dies Of Lymphatic Cancer, 66
Oscar nominated for her performance in “An Unmarried Woman”
Cibrian “Pissed”, Rimes Sick After Engagement News Leaks
ONOES! Underage Miley Cyrus Has A Beer In Madrid, Cops Apathetic
Lovato Doing Great In Treatment
Lohan Gets A Break From Treatment, Goes Shopping
Steve Pink To Direct “Toxic Avenger” Remake
J-Lo To Idol Contestants: Don’t Sing My Songs
FOREIGNERS
U.S. Disputes Criticism Of Human-Rights Record
Bush blamed for this, too
Haiti Spared (Further) Disaster As Tomas Skirts Island
Al-Qaeda In Yemen Takes Credit For Parcel Bomb Attacks
Paksitani Mosque Bombings Kill 70, Aimed At Tribes Resisting Taliban
BLOGS & STUFF
Hit & Run: If The Tea Party Prefers Bachmann Over Hensarling, What Good Is It?
Riehl World View: What Good Is Reason On Bachmann v. Hensarling?
Jennifer Rubin: Picking Up Where Stacy McCain Left Off With David Brooks
Outside The Beltway: U.S. News & World Report Goes Web-Only Except For Special Issues
Ed Morrissey: Mark Penn Thinks What Obama Needs Is An Oklahoma City Moment
Mitch Berg: Did You Know We Actually Lost On Tuesday? (Video)
— compiled by Wombat-socho
Minnesotans For Global Warming: “I’m A Denier”
by Smitty (h/t Dodge)
The splendid M4GW take aim at the poor, innocent Monkees, shoot, and ventilate Al Gore and the boys:
Will the fact that a majority of Americans find AGW, or whatever the term du jour may be, a study in pure bunk form a deterrent for Pelosi’s Zombie Duck 111th Congress?
Go, Randy Altschuler, GO! And A Loud ‘Keep The Faith’ For Joe Miller!
by Smitty
This blog has been a fan of Altschuler in NY-1 since CPAC 2010. The latest word is that he has assumed a tiny lead:
Rob Ryan, a spokesman for the Altschuler campaign, said Friday that the Republican candidate now has a 392 vote advantage. But it will likely take at least a week more to count the absentee ballots.
Meanwhile, Alaska began counting their absentee ballots:
It looks like the NRSC is at least putting on a show of supporting the non-Ruling Class candidate, who was on the Republican ticket. So that’s good.
I May Have Reached A Peggy Noonan Diagnosis
by Smitty
The continued descent of Peggy Noonan into abject silliness seems to parallel that of her Presidential Savior. I can’t sustain a full fisk, but the end of her latest post about the President, which could not resist a swipe at Governor Palin, merits a quick once-over with the bus, emphasis mine:
| Noonan | Smith |
|---|---|
| Electable doesn’t mean not-conservative. Electable means mature, accomplished, stable—and able to persuade. | It also means able to withstand a napalm shower of derision from so-called feminists and so-called conservatives who are so eager to maintain their status on the cocktail party circuit that they will cheerfully throw anyone without the proper résumé under the bus faster than you can say “Noonan should retire”. |
| Conservatives talked a lot about Ronald Reagan this year, but they have to take him more to heart, because his example here is a guide. All this seemed lost last week on Sarah Palin, who called him, on Fox, “an actor.” She was defending her form of political celebrity—reality show, “Dancing With the Stars,” etc. This is how she did it: “Wasn’t Ronald Reagan an actor? Wasn’t he in ‘Bedtime for Bonzo,’ Bozo, something? Ronald Reagan was an actor.” | In other words, the point is that appearing on TV in a paid billet is not a disqualifier. Thankfully, Reagan’s acting career was mostly behind him by the time he was operating at the State and national political level. |
| Excuse me, but this was ignorant even for Mrs. Palin. Reagan people quietly flipped their lids, but I’ll voice their consternation to make a larger point. Ronald Reagan was an artist who willed himself into leadership as president of a major American labor union (Screen Actors Guild, seven terms, 1947-59.) He led that union successfully through major upheavals (the Hollywood communist wars, labor-management struggles); discovered and honed his ability to speak persuasively by talking to workers on the line at General Electric for eight years; was elected to and completed two full terms as governor of California; challenged and almost unseated an incumbent president of his own party; and went on to popularize modern conservative political philosophy without the help of a conservative infrastructure. Then he was elected president. | So, what are the minimum requirements for quotation of Reagan’s resume, then, Peggy? Are you entirely certain that Palin is not well-versed in Ron’s résumé? Overreact much? |
| The point is not “He was a great man and you are a nincompoop,” though that is true. The point is that Reagan’s career is a guide, not only for the tea party but for all in politics. He brought his fully mature, fully seasoned self into politics with him. He wasn’t in search of a life when he ran for office, and he wasn’t in search of fame; he’d already lived a life, he was already well known, he’d accomplished things in the world. | Do you read your own drivel, Peggy? Have you not just omitted recounting Sarah’s own history, the very crime of which you’re trying to hang her? Reading yours, let’s see: you write. Got it. Props for selling the book copies, and putting words in some famous mouths. Have you decried Progressivism? For whom did you vote in the last election? |
| Here is an old tradition badly in need of return: You have to earn your way into politics. You should go have a life, build a string of accomplishments, then enter public service. And you need actual talent: You have to be able to bring people in and along. You can’t just bully them, you can’t just assert and taunt, you have to be able to persuade. | Which you have done how, exactly, in the last two years? What about your attempts to bully Sarah Palin with your column? What makes YOU cool? If Sarah Palin has, rather demonstrably, shown talent and leadership, does your endless kvetching make you John Cleese in the Argument sketch? |
| Americans don’t want, as their representatives, people who seem empty or crazy. They’ll vote no on that.
It’s not just the message, it’s the messenger. |
By what diagnostic means do you arrive at the notion that Palin is crazy? |
Since freestyle, non-medical diagnosis is all the rage, let us suppose that Peggy Noonan is depressed. It seems as though the anti-Palin crowd are realizing that that, in BHO, they voted for the charming aristocrat whom they admired in grad school, who then turned into the cad who divorced them, and, since Tuesday, morphed into the mal-adjusted father responsible for their current status as basket cases.
So, they turn their self-loathing onto Sarah Palin, Sharron Angle and Christine O’Donnell, stalwart ladies all, certainly exceedingly the ankle-level bar set by the current administration, and commence a spleen dump.
Well, Peggy, to the extent that this broad-brush generalization applies to you, get stuffed.
The fact that our politics have been moved away from individual liberty and verifiable principles and into the realm of hero-worship, in some idiotic quest for an impossible philosopher-king to wave a wand and magically fix stuff and rule over us in an Aristotalian Golden Age of Swellness (TM) is due to the kind of thinking shown in this article. Thanks.
Bonus: can’t mention the Argument sketch without embedding: