Category: Politics

Debbie’s Very Bad Day in Iowa

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During my Iowa trip, I got lots of photos and videos I wasn’t able to upload at the time due to connectivity issues and the very hectic schedule. One of the items that never made it to the blog was an incident at the Iowa State Fair where DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz got heckled offstage by an angry liberal. I was able to phone in a report to The American Spectator, but never got around to uploading video of the incident.

The video is about two minutes, and at about the 40-second mark, you see Wasserman-Schultz say, “The difference between Barack Obama and congressional Democrats and all the Republican presidential candidates is that all of them committed to end Medicare as we know it . . . and privatize Social Security.” This elicits a predictable chorus of boos from her Democratic audience, but it also inspired the angry liberal heckler – you’ll see him in a yellow T-shirt — to start yelling that the debt deal “put Medicare on the chopping block!” He also yells: “Stop caving in to Wall Street!” Watch:

As you see, at the 1:15 mark, Democrat loyalists try to shout down the heckler by chanting, “Debbie! Debbie!” But at the 1:30 mark, Yellow Shirt starts heckling again, which prompts Wasserman-Schultz to cut straight to her peroration – something about the great “victory” that awaits in 2012 – and end her speech well before her allotted 15 minutes were up.

Following her offstage in hope that she would hold a brief press conference, I then caught the denouement as other angry liberals – the first one wearing a “Catholic Worker” T-shirt – interrogated her about the same basic issue. Wasserman-Schultz evidently knew this guy, addressing him as “David.”

The exchange was interrupted periodically by the congresswoman’s entourage, but as much as was audible went like this:

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ:  “As someone who represents a district in South Florida, there’s nobody who fights harder to protect Medicare . . .”

FIRST LIBERAL: “You voted for the debt-ceiling bill . . . . Why don’t you have five minutes to sit down and talk?”

ENTOURAGE WOMAN:  “Because, David, it’s not built in. Don’t act like this is — you know how . . .”

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ:  “I’m happy to talk to you . . .”

FIRST LIBERAL: “You talk the talk, but your actions don’t back up the talk.”

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ:  “Oh, you know, with all due respect . . .”

FIRST LIBERAL: “Obama was the one that put cuts to Social Security and Medicare on the table.”

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ:  “That is simply not true and you know it and that is an unacceptable …”

SECOND LIBERAL: “He said everything was on the table.”

FIRST LIBERAL: “And you voted for the debt-ceiling bill, Debbie – you voted for that bill.”

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ:  “Because we needed to come together to address our deficit …”

SECOND LIBERAL: “Why is it always Democrats compromising with other Democrats?”

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: “Call me, David. We’ll talk later.”

It was a very enlightening glimpse at how a powerful Democrat – herself a leader of “progressives” in Congress – cannot satisfy the implacable demands of her own party’s left-wingers. Just something to keep in mind, next time someone tries to tell you that Republicans are the party beholden to fringe extremist wingnuts.

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers!

And Ed Driscoll readers, too! (I’m sure the Trotsky reference was a just a coincidence, comrade.)

UPDATE II: Debbie Wasserman-Schultz’s Left-Wing Iowa Antagonist ID’d as David Goodner.


Paul Ryan Nixes 2012 White House Bid

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The Weekly Standard has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for this idea, and now breaks the news to the readers it has been hyping up:

Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan has decided for a final time that he will not run for president in 2012, THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned. Ryan, who began seriously considering a bid in late May after Indiana governor Mitch Daniels took himself out of the race, had consulted with top Republicans, including Karl Rove and Frank Luntz, as he contemplated his political future. . . . Ryan ultimately decided to continue his focus on debt and entitlement reform as chairman of the House Budget Committee.
“I sincerely appreciate the support from those eager to chart a brighter future for the next generation. While humbled by the encouragement, I have not changed my mind, and therefore I am not seeking our party’s nomination for President. I remain hopeful that our party will nominate a candidate committed to a pro-growth agenda of reform that restores the promise and prosperity of our exceptional nation. I remain grateful to those I serve in Southern Wisconsin for the unique opportunity to advance this effort in Congress.”

You’ll notice — or at least, I noticed — that the hyping of Ryan as a 2012 candidate (long after he had already said he wouldn’t run) got more intense after T-Paw dropped and Perry got in. That’s your clue that there are specific people who were behind this bogus bandwagon for their own particular purposes. Same deal with the endless Chris Christie chatter.

Don’t get me wrong: I love Ryan and would have liked for him to get in for 2012, but there’s a lot of factional intrigue behind some of these things. Not to mention consultants wanting contracts, speechwriters wanting jobs, vendors wanting clients, etc.

Electoral politics is a multi-million-dollar industry, and if you think it’s all about ideas and idealism, you’re waaaaay wrong.

UPDATE: Nate Silver has charts — lots and lots of shiny colorful charts!

T-Paw and ‘Robust Internationalism’

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What to make of this article by Jamie M. Fly in Foreign Policy?

The departure of Gov. Tim Pawlenty from the race for the Republican nomination for president deprives national security conservatives of one of the field’s leading champions of a robust internationalism. Despite the ludicrous rants of Rep. Ron Paul and efforts by some Tea Party organizations to back significant defense cuts, most of the remaining Republican contenders appear to be relatively hawkish. However, Pawlenty’s willingness to speak out on foreign policy and to push back against undercurrents of isolationism in the party will be sorely missed.

You can read the whole thing. My inner cynic tells me that the true subtext is: “One of Jamie Fly’s buddies was an adviser to Pawlenty on national security issues and is now hustling around for another campaign gig, so let me praise T-Paw as a way of promoting my buddy’s job-search.”

But that’s just my inner cynic talking. Less cynically, I’m mystified that Fly’s article didn’t mention Rick Santorum as a spokesman for “robust internationalism.” It’s probably because Fly wants to limit the discussion to candidates he thinks might actually hire his now-unemployed former T-Paw adviser buddy. (Damn that inner cynic! Always interrupting …) And most of the experts rate Santorum’s campaign as a hopeless long-shot, as opposed to Pawlenty’s can’t-miss campaign which, alas, imploded at its first contact with actual Republican voters.

Insofar as it involves actual policy — as opposed to politics — I am skeptical of Fly’s worries about an internecine GOP conflict between “robust internationalism” and “undercurrents of isolationism.” Is Fly attempting to throw us on the horns of a false dilemma? Does he overlook the possibility that the arguably excessive hawkishness of the Bush presidency could afford to be tempered by a mild dose of the “isolationism” he so dreads? Continue reading T-Paw and ‘Robust Internationalism’ →

Herman Cain on Janeane Garofalo: ‘I Wanted to Send Her a Thank You Note’

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Left-wing actress Janeane Garofalo told Keith Olberman last week that she thinks someone in the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy — she named Karl Rove, Grover Norquist and the Koch brothers as likely suspects — must be secretly paying Herman Cain to run for president. At the opening of Cain’s new campaign headquarters in Manchester, N.H., Da Tech Guy caught the candidate’s mirthful reaction:

Anyone who knows Herman Cain knows that he is a cheerful, optimistic kind of guy who — having beaten cancer five years ago — is grateful for every new day. He easily laughs off a slur from an idiot like Garofalo.

So who are the secret right-wingers who are paying Herman Cain to run for president? That would be you: Thousands of ordinary Americans, patriotic grassroots conservatives giving whatever they can afford to keep his “Common Sense Solutions” bus rolling. As the Cain campaign said in Friday’s fund-raising e-mail, “even $5, $10, $25 helps” — and they could have added, “helps to drive Janeane Garofalo even crazier than she already is.” You can donate now.

Also check out the rest of Da Tech Guy’s coverage of Cain’s recent two-day tour of New Hampshire:

Herman Cain: ‘Still in It to Win It’

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Herman Cain speaks Aug. 13 at the Ames Straw Poll

Herman Cain is “still in it to win it,” his Republican presidential campaign told supporters in a fundraising e-mail highlighting the Atlanta businessman’s speech last week at the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames.

Describing Cain as “a real leader” with “proven results,” the e-mail sent Saturday (see the full text below) urges supporters, “Please give your most generous gift today — even $5, $10, $25 helps — to help us spread Herman’s message of ‘Common Sense Solutions’ across America.”  The fundraising message included a link to a 4-minute online video featuring the key points of Cain’s Aug. 13 speech to the Ames event:

Cain’s fifth-place finish at Ames has been seen as a disppointment by some, although the candidate himself has said he was “thrilled” to place in the top five in the straw poll. Cain has pointed out that his campaign remains debt-free, in contrast to former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty who reportedly borrowed money (and required some staffers to work without pay) to finance a major TV ad campaign in Iowa. Cain ran no TV ads in Iowa. Pawlenty dropped out after finishing a distant third behind Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in the Ames straw poll sponsored by the Iowa GOP. Cain got 1,456 votes in the straw poll, finishing behind former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who placed fourth with 1,657 votes.

Cain today completes a two-day visit to New Hampshire, where yesterday he opened his new state campaign headquarters in Manchester. Cain and his team have indicated that they are taking a long-term approach to the GOP campaign, having visited or begun organizing in such states as Tennessee, Alabama, Oregon and North Dakota whose primaries fall later in the 2012 selection calendar.

* * * * * *
TEXT OF FUNDRAISING E-MAIL FROM CAIN CAMPAIGN

Fellow patriots,
On Saturday, August 13, 2011, after 1,800 miles and nearly 20 stops across the state of Iowa in just five days, the “Common Sense Solutions” bus tour made its stop in Ames, the home of the legendary straw poll on the beautiful campus of Iowa State University.
After enjoying more than 4,500 pieces of Godfather’s Pizza, listening to the soulful tunes of Governor Huckabee and Herman Cain and enjoying a speech or two, our supporters gathered inside the Coliseum to listen to Herman give what was touted by many as the best speech of all the candidates that day.
In his address, Herman discussed the crises facing our great nation, his incredible vision, his compelling life story and the defense of American Exceptionalism. Check out the video here.

Herman Cain is a real leader whose ideas are backed by more than 40 years of proven results. Only mature leadership can provide the unity our country so desperately needs. Please give your most generous gift today — even $5, $10, $25 helps — to help us spread Herman’s message of “Common Sense Solutions” across America.
As always, thank you for your support.
Standing with you,
Friends of Herman Cain
P.S. Iowa is only the beginning. Herman’s “in it to win it” and needs your help on the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Your financial support is key. Please give whatever you’re able today.

PREVIOUSLY:


The Perry-Palin Litmus Test

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by Smitty

Allahpundit, emphasis mine:

Since we’re talking Perry, Palin, and Iowa, here’s an … interesting poll that made the rounds yesterday. There’s nothing obviously suspect to me about the methodology for surveying Republicans (the poll was automated, just like all of Rasmussen’s), but I’m not familiar with this pollster so assign whatever degree of credibility to it that you like. I joked on Twitter today that it’ll be fun seeing which side Karl Rove comes down on if the race ends up being between Perry and Palin, but he’d surely take solace in the fact that things will inevitably turn really nasty online between each candidate’s supporters. Perry will get called a cronyist, Palin will get called unqualified, and thus shall the wedge be driven into the grassroots. Can’t wait to find out which of the two is the truer “true conservative.” It’s hard for us RINOs to tell sometimes, you know.

If Governor Palin is the spiritual daughter of Reagan, and his 11th Commandment was not to speak ill of another conservative, then it makes sense that she’ll discipline her troops, to heighten the contrast between her and at least the Left, if not also Governor Perry’s supporters.

But is it in her best interest to go in this early? If she lets Governors Perry and Romney bash on each other and the Left while remaining aloof, is that a bad thing? Her only opportunity cost would be near-term fundraising. However, gambling that her charisma will motivate campaign contributions from the hoi polloi may make it worthwhile to delay.

Furthermore, if a substantial number of the people already bet that she’s running, without an official announcement, then she builds pressure on BHO, while not actually being present on the field, which presence would become a rallying cry for the opposition. She continues to log hours in front of a camera, and work whatever offline coaching she’s doing, honing the message. The Recovering Liberal breaks down the pundit split, which favors a run, but cites 03 September for the announcement.

What is the fish/cut bait date? I predict a buildup during the fall, a final go/no go decision, which will be a go, and come on 13 November, with all of the appropriate invocations of Reagan. By that time, the mysterious 1 in 5 who strongly support BHO shall have ebbed about as far as they will, and the House GOP shall have had time to recycle the debt question with the FY12 spending bills. Unless BHO can find a way not to look a total boob (again) on budgetary matters (it could happen: his opponent is the GOP), he stands to be further weakened as the year drags on. Other than the corresponding economic damage to the country, what’s not to like about that?

So, sorry, Maggie Mac: your bustier straps are likely to remain twisted a few months more, if I’m right. Daily Pundit also sounds a trifle overheated:

At this point, if Sarah does jump in, I’m inclined to be annoyed with her. She dicked around playing cute for months, when she could have joined the fray and locked up the anti-RINO vote.

You’ll shake it off, I expect.

In any event, it makes little sense for Perry or Palin supporters to expend ammunition on each other. They’d fail the Reagan litmus test. And she’s not in the race. He’s still receiving the inspection reserved for candidates whose names do not rhyme with ‘trauma’. If they’re the last two standing, there may be some thumb wrestling to sort out who tops the ticket. But that’s all wildly speculative.

GOP Presidential Primary Apocalypse

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Tim Pawlenty’s former campaign staff is reportedly hoping to join the campaign of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. This is amusing: Who wants to start their campaign with a team of losers? It’s also pathetic: Unemployed campaign staffers pinning their future hopes on a guy who has repeatedly said he is not running for president. And the ex-Pawlenty staffers are trying to make themselves seem more desireable by asserting that they’ve “resisted overtures” from Paul Ryan’s prospective campaign.

Longtime Red State contributor Josh Trevino says Michelle Malkin is “insane”  and “fringe” to criticize Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Matt Lewis of the Daily Caller wrote: “Some conservatives, of course, weren’t happy with Malkin’s criticism. When it comes to covering conservative primary candidates, some people think conservative writers should just turn a blind eye — or  solely focus on attacking Obama.”

The problem here is that Perry’s fans — and the Red State crew seems to be leading the charge — have portrayed their guy as All That and a Slice of Cheese and now seem to expect everyone else to cede the nomination to their anointed candidate. As I have explained, I was offended by the Perry campaign’s roll-out, a deliberate diss to the Ames Straw Poll. (Iowan sources told me that Perry’s people had approached the Iowa GOP about getting in on the straw poll and evidently didn’t like the terms offered.) My out-front support of Herman Cain might suffice to explain my resentment of the Perrybots, but really: Don’t supporters of other candidates — Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, et al. — also have a legitimate grievance at being told that Perry is beyond criticism?

They’ve been out out there getting chewed up every day for months, and suddenly they’re just supposed to acclaim the Anointed One?

Because Red State says so? Dan Riehl eats Red Staters for breakfast.

Meanwhile, Dave Weigel has a good piece exploring the possibility of an endless primary fight that results in a brokered convention at Tampa.

I had raised this same possibility Thursday, with the caveat that it’s probably wishful thinking: A brokered convention is every political journalist’s dream. It was what we’d all hoped the Hillary-Obama battle would lead to in 2008. Yet the crowded GOP field and the new RNC rules about delegate apportionment — prohibiting winner-take-all primaries before April 1 — do permit the glimmer of hope that we could witness a multi-ballot Armageddon at the Republican convention. (Theme song: “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.”)

And while you wrap your mind around the idea of a Tampa apocalypse, consider this: The Sept. 3 Iowa “Restoring America” rally featuring Sarah Palin has switched its site to Indianola to handle a larger crowd:

There has been speculation that Palin, a former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, could use the event as an opportunity to announce whether she plans to run for president in 2012.
“I don’t know if she’s going to announce or not,” said Charlie Gruschow, co-founder of Tea Party of America. “But whether or not she announces, we’re going to have a huge event.”

Everybody who knows anything about presidential politics has already decided that Sarah Palin is not running in 2012.

But has Sarah Palin decided yet?


Piers Morgan Really Likes Masturbation (And Really Hates Christine O’Donnell)

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Making the media rounds to promote her new book Troublemaker, 2012 Delaware senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell appeared on CNN with Piers Morgan, who decided that he needed to grill O’Donnell about masturbation and whether she had “committed lust”:

What an annoying twerp. This is not only offensive, it’s boring.

There are far more interesting questions I’d like to ask Christine O’Donnell, and it has been suggested that I should interview her, but I’m probably still too angry at her — yes, I said “angry.”

It goes back to the morning of Sept. 15, the day after her triumph over RINO Mike Castle in the GOP primary. There were several of us — including O’Donnell and her campaign manager, Matt Moran — standing around the lobby of the Fairfield Inn in Dover, Delaware. And I distinctly remember telling Matt that what they needed to do, having recently reaped a bonanza of online contributions, was to come out with an attack ad hitting their Democratic opponent Chris Coons as hard as they could.

Hit him hard and hit him now, I told Matt. Make the campaign about him and his record — Coons raised taxes three time in four years — or else the Democrats would make the campaign about Christine, and we’d already seen enough of those old MTV/Maher videos to know how that would turn out.

They didn’t listen. For reasons that have never been adequately explained to me, instead the O’Donnell campaign brought in Fred Davis who took three weeks to produce the now-notorious “I’m You” ad. I defended that ad at the time, but I was still furious that the O’Donnell team had missed the opportunity to turn Coons’s tax-raising record into an ad, as I wrote on October 5:

Having some relevant experience with video production, I bet it wouldn’t take 48 hours for anyone with access to Final Cut Pro to turn those basic facts [of Coons’s record] into a hard-hitting 30-second ad. And had I been in charge of the O’Donnell campaign, saturating the Delaware TV market with that attack ad would have been Priority One. Yet here we are three weeks after the primary, and it hasn’t been done yet. So where is the attack ad making that argument?

They could have (and should have) hit Coons with a barrage of attack ads within a week of their Sept. 14 primary victory but didn’t, and as a result O’Donnell became the poster girl for an endless round of “told you so” smears on the Tea Party by the GOP Establishment.

And it also cost me a bet with John Fund.

Like I said, I’m still angry about it, and when the publicist for O’Donnell’s book caught me at Ames last week and pitched me, I went off on a three-minute rant about how O’Donnell’s campaign botched that opportunity.

“Fred F–ing Davis!” I yelled. “What the hell were they thinking?”

Maybe the explanation is in her book, but the publicist still hasn’t sent me the book, so I don’t know. However, if Christine O’Donnell wants to name names of whatever consultants or advisers told her to hire Fred Davis, I’d certainly be interested to find out, because those incompetent assclowns deserve to be exposed and humiliated for their embarrassing blunder. But I suppose she’d rather talk to George Stephanopoulos.