The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

The Real Problem With the American Left: Tedious Douchebags Like Brian Beutler

Posted on | January 22, 2014 | 14 Comments

Don’t really have an argument to offer here, but neither does Brian Beutler in publishing a Salon blog post with this headline:

The real problem with the American
right: Aging, white radicals

Saw that headline at Memeorandum, and instinctively knew what I’d find at the link: A humdrum rehash of the Republican Party obituaries that liberals write every day — “The GOP is doomed! Hopelessly doomed! Out-of-touch! On the wrong side of history!” — except when Republicans win elections, in which case liberals dust off their “How Republicans Exploited America’s Latent Racism” argument.

Notice that Beutler is writing this at time when the Democrats are afflicted by ginormous policy failures (persistent high unemployment and the disaster of ObamaCare) as well as unmistakable omens of impending political failure (the Wendy Davis meltdown, bad mojo in the polls), so that we could be just 10 months away from a decisive mid-term victory for the GOP. Such a result — ending Harry Reid’s tenure as Senate Majority Leader and crushing Nancy Pelosi’s hope of recapturing the House Speaker’s gavel — would do a lot to re-set perceptions going into the 2016 presidential campaign. And then what?

Well, it won’t make any difference in terms of Brian Beutler’s formula of offering partisan cheerleading as “political analysis,” nor will it make any difference at Salon.com, an obsolete liberal “webzine” that has been bleeding red ink since the days when dial-up modems were standard and people used words like “webzine.”

By now, Salon.com has probably lost $30 million in the process of proving that a site whose top-tier talent is Joan Walsh isn’t really interested in top-tier talent, which is how they ended up with Brian Beutler, the dimmest light in the “Juice Box Mafia” firmament. Beutler wakes up each morning and spends all day writing the same thing again:

Does anyone else notice the repetitive nature of Beutler’s work? Only if you pay attention to Salon.com, which most people don’t, in part because their D.C.-based “political writer” never publishes anything that couldn’t have been written by a Cleveland-based DailyKos diarist.

 

Category: Journalism

You May Be Right. I May Be Crazy.

Posted on | January 22, 2014 | 21 Comments

But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for.

James Fallon, an emeritus professor of neuroscience at the University of California-Irvine, accidentally discovered that his brain scan shows traits associated with psychopaths. This led him to examine his own personal history and write a book called The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain. In an interview with Judith Ohikuare of The Atlantic Monthly, Professor Fallon made this observation:

The jump from being a “prosocial” psychopath or somebody on the edge who doesn’t act out violently, to someone who really is a real, criminal predator is not clear. For me, I think I was protected because I was brought up in an upper-middle-class, educated environment with very supportive men and women in my family. So there may be a mass convergence of genetics and environment over a long period of time. But what would happen if I lost my family or lost my job; what would I then become? That’s the test.
For people who have the fundamental biology — the genetics, the brain patterns, and that early existence of trauma—first of all, if they’re abused they’re going to be pissed off and have a sense of revenge: I don’t care what happens to the world because I’m getting even. But a real, primary psychopath doesn’t need that. They’re just predators who don’t need to be angry at all; they do these things because of some fundamental lack of connection with the human race, and with individuals, and so on.
Someone who has money, and sex, and rock and roll, and everything they want may still be psychopathic — but they may just manipulate people, or use people, and not kill them. They may hurt others, but not in a violent way. Most people care about violence — that’s the thing. People may say, “Oh, this very bad investment counselor was a psychopath” — but the essential difference in criminality between that and murder is something we all hate and we all fear. It just isn’t known if there is some ultimate trigger.

You should read the whole thing. Nature-vs.-nurture arguments about deviant or criminal behavioral tendencies are, on the one hand, endlessly fascinating and, on the other hand, to a large degree ultimately irrelevant. That is to say, by the point in time when someone commits a crime, their behavioral traits are already well-developed and — while we may wish to understand the “why” of this — developmental issues aren’t germane to law enforcement, the object of which is public safety.

We may wish to do a background investigation of a criminal to determine whether he is an otherwise productive and law-abiding person who strayed off-course, or whether he has the type of deformed antisocial personality that makes him a high risk for recidivism. But the criminal is punished for his criminal acts, not for being a bad person, so there are limits to the utility of such background information.

The use of psychological profiling as an investigative tool is another aspect of this, but “profiling” isn’t really the kind of exciting stuff that crime-thriller movies and TV shows make it out to be.

At any rate, by the time a psychopath’s behavior brings him to the attention of authorities, his personality defects are already sufficiently developed that talk of rehabilitation is absurd. Nor can you say, “Well, it’s not his fault. He’s got a rotten brain.”

If you start trying to absolve criminals of responsibility on such a basis, you’re opening the door to endless efforts by clever crooks (and their lawyers) to game the system. In fact, that’s really what happened in the 1960s in a series of court decisions that had the effect of hindering law enforcement and empowering criminals, so that the legal system’s concern for the “rights” of criminals tended to supercede any concern for the public-safety rights of ordinary citizens. It took two or three decades for courts, legislatures and law enforcement to reverse the 1960s shift toward leniency, which unleashed an unprecedented surge in crime.

It cannot be the case that, in the mid-1960s, there was a sudden increase in the number of psychopaths in the general population. Whatever caused the upsurge of criminal violence and anti-social deviancy was an environmental influence, and social critics then and since have tended to point to permissive parenting and the cultural collapse of authority as the key factors. Christopher Lasch wrote in 1979:

Arnold Rogow argues . . . that American parents, alternately “permissive and evasive” in dealing with the young, “find it easier to achieve conformity by the use of bribery than by facing the emotional turmoil of suppressing the child’s demands.” In this way, they undermine the child’s initiative and make it impossible for him to develop self-restraint or self-discipline; but since American society no longer values these traits anyway, the abdication of parental authority itself instills in the young the character traits demanded by a corrupt, permissive, hedonistic culture.

Of course, the violent psychopath is more likely to come from a background of abuse than of permissiveness, but our society’s unwillingness to confront anti-social behavior with deterrent force reflects the “permissive, hedonistic culture.” Psychopathic personality types — and Professor Fallon recognizes these traits in himself — are more likely to engage in anti-social behavior if they think they can get away with it, and they’re more likely to think they can get away with it if authorities (parents, teachers, police, judges) aren’t serious about enforcing laws and social norms. Criminals are not so stupid that they can’t respond to cues about risks and incentives.

The difference between a psychopath and a neuroscientist may be less than we think. And the difference between a psychopath and a blogger may in some cases be almost imperceptible.

 

 

Category: Fear. Loathing.

ObamaCare Is Doomed

Posted on | January 22, 2014 | 30 Comments

Megan McArdle recounts the basic case:

In a nutshell, Obamacare has so far fallen dramatically short of what was expected — technically, and in almost every other way. Enrollment is below expectations: According to the data we have so far, more than half of the much-touted Medicaid expansion came from people who were already eligible before the health-care law passed, and this weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that the overwhelming majority of people buying insurance through the exchanges seem to be folks who already had insurance. Coverage is less generous than many people expected, with narrower provider networks and higher deductibles. The promised $2,500 that the average family was told they could save on premiums has predictably failed to materialize. And of course, we now know that if you like your doctor and plan, there is no reason to think you can keep them. Which is one reason the law has not gotten any more popular since it passed.
The administration and its supporters have been counting on the coverage expansion to put Obamacare beyond repeal. So what if the coverage expansion is anemic, the plans bare-bones, the website sort of a disaster? It’s a foundation upon which we can build — and now that so many people have coverage, the thinking goes, Republicans will never dare to touch it. The inevitable problems can be fixed down the road.
But it’s far from clear that this is true . . .

Read the whole thing.

 

Category: Barack Obama, Health Care

LIVE AT FIVE: 01.22.14

Posted on | January 22, 2014 | 7 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell Denies Wrongdoing After Indictment

Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen

Accuses Federal prosecutors of “unjust overreach”



No End In Sight To Ukraine Protests
One dead as police storm Kiev barricades



“Anarchist” Kejiriwal Cancels Street Protest After Clashes
Chief Minister calls off anti-police protest



POLITICS
David Vitter To Run For Governor Of Louisiana

Senator Vitter talks to reporters about the government shutdown in October

“I can have a bigger impact addressing the unique challenges and opportunities that we face in Louisiana…”


Supremes Weigh Radical Change For Unions



NAACP State Chair Blasts Sen. Tim Scott As “GOP Dummy”

Neel Kashkari Announces Run For California Governor

NY GOP Chair Calls On Cuomo To Apologize For Divisive Remarks

Watchdog Group Demands Ethics Probe For Harry Reid

Sean Hannity Leaving New York After Cuomo Slam Of Pro-Lifers



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Brent Tops $107 As Demand Improves: NYMEX $95.65, Brent $107.30
Dow Ends In Red Despite Positive Earnings Reports
Sears To Close Flagship Chicago Store In April
PIMCO CEO El-Arian Resigns
Delta Leads Airline Stock Gains As Profit Exceeds Estimates
Canada’s Bombardier Cuts 1700 Jobs
Intel Deal Helps Verizon Scale Up Mobile Content Services
Ohio Man Questioned Over Google Glass In Theater
If Not Bill Gates, Who’s Right For Microsoft?
Amazon Considering Live TV Streaming Service
Candy Crush App Owner Seeks To Trademark Word “Candy”



SPORTS
Blatche Leads Nyets To Eighth Win In Nine Games

Joe Johnson adds 13 points to Brooklyn attack

Brooklyn beats Magic 101-90

Umberger Lifts Blue Jackets Past Kings For Seventh Straight Win

Roger Goodell Suggests Doing Away With Extra-Point Kick


Coachless Canucks Edge Oilers 2-1

Durant Scores 46, Leads Thunder Past Trail Blazers

Jets Beat Ducks 3-2; Anaheim’s First Home Loss In Regulation Time

No Miracle This Time As Celtics Fall To The Heat

Mike Rizzo Talks About Grant Balfour Rumors



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Katy Perry’s On The Cover Of GQ

Warning: reading this article will make you stupid

Too many words and not enough pictures of the pop star

Lindsay Lohan’s New Movie “Inconceivable”

What Selena Knows: Cops Could Question Gomez In Bieber Vandalism Probe

Gabrielle Union: “I’m On The Porn Diet!”

Rapper Young Jeezy Busted Again, Allegedly Cusses Out Cops


Tarantino Shelves “The Hateful Eight” After Script Leak

Josh Stamos Super Bowl Ad Promises “Full House: Reunion

Meet The Nigerian Heiress Who Wants To Be The Next Rihanna

Ringo Starr Confirms Special Performance With Paul McCartney Will Take Place At Beatles Tribute Concert, Not The Grammys

Tom Sizemore’s Heroin Hell

Alison Sweeney Leaving “Days Of Our Lives” After 21 Years



FOREIGNERS
Bank Of Japan Sticks To Record Easing As Inflation Picks Up
Report Links Chicom Elite To Offshore Tax Havens
Syria Talks Open In Switzerland
Bangkok Under State Of Emergency After Pro-Government Leader Shot
More Than 20 Dead In Bombing Of Shiite Pilgrims’ Bus In Pakistan
Snowden Denies Working As Foreign Agent
Amid Crackdown, PRC Rights Lawyer Goes On Trial
Syrian Rebels Take Credit For Car Bombing In Hezbollah’s Beirut Enclave
Germans Among 61 Jihadis Killed In Pakistan Air Strike
Hong Kong Police Charge Woman In Abuse Of Domestic Servants



BLOGS & STUFF
First Street Journal: Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Dead Republican Party: For Those Who Wish To Survive When SHTF
Valley Of The Shadow: If You Want To Be A Republican Governor In California…
Doug Powers: According To Wendy Davis’ Campaign, Left-Leaning Dallas Morning News Part Of The Greg Abbott Campaign
Twitchy: Hey, Displaced And Persecuted New Yorkers, Bobby Jindal Has An Idea For You
American Power: Ezra Klein Leaving Washington Post
American Thinker: Property Taxes Pave The Road To Serfdom
Blackfive: What Richard Sherman Taught Us About America
Blackmailers Don’t Shoot: A Belated Birthday Present For Your Favorite Gun Nut
The Necropolitan Sentinel: Abortion Barbie And The Problematic Biography
Conservatives4Palin: Ramesh Ponnuru – Stop Obamacare’s Outrageous Bailouts
Don Surber: Daily Scoreboard, December 21
Jammie Wearing Fools: CT Congresswoman Worth $25 Million Opines Income Inequality “Poses An Existential Threat To Our Nation And Our Way Of Life”
Joe For America: EPA Decree Shrinks Wyoming By 100 Million Acres
JustOneMinute: Walk A Mile In Their, Uh, Wheelchair…
Pat Dollard: Liberal Icon Nat Hentoff – “Obama Is The Most Destructive, Dangerous President We’ve Ever Had”
Protein Wisdom: Wendy Davis (D-Gosnell) Keeps On Digging
Shot In The Dark: Utterly Inconceivable
The Jawa Report: What Do You Call Fifty Dead Boko Haram Members?
The Lonely Conservative: Colorado Dems Vote To Allow EBT Withdrawals In Pot Shops
This Ain’t Hell: Vets’ Data Lost At eBenefits
Megan McArdle: Resolved – Obamacare Is Now Beyond Rescue


Category: Live at Five

Florida Boys Gone Wild?

Posted on | January 22, 2014 | 156 Comments

Dianna Deeley said it best in a comment:

I keep waiting to be told this story is a hoax.
Instead, it’s a horror show.

True, but it’s also an interesting insight into the weird priorities of modern liberalism. Instead of being enraged about a teenage boy being sexually exploited for the viewing pleasure of perverts, liberals were upset that the boy’s video performances — which are all over the Internet — led to him being “bullied” and suspended from school.

OK, fine. That story had a happy ending:

COCOA, Fla. — An 18-year-old high school senior at the center of a dispute over his appearance on a gay pornography website will return Wednesday to Cocoa High.
A Brevard Schools decision banning him from classes catapulted Robert Marucci into the international spotlight last week; however, the district Tuesday said the teen would be allowed to return to class.
“I’m just ready to return to school, like a normal day,” he said Tuesday.

A normal day? What does he consider “a normal day”?

The definition of “normal” seems very flexible nowadays. Is it “normal” for high school boys to engage in a six-way gay orgy with every sordid moment captured on video for commercial distribution?

Something else about the way the gay-friendly media reported this: It was all quite vague. You might ask, “Did he do . . . that?”

Yes. Yes, he did.

“But did he . . . was he, y’know . . .?”

Yes. Yes, indeed he was. Both ways.

Would you like to research what Robert Marucci did on camera?

No, you probably wouldn’t. Even the “review” sites are not something any normal person would ever want to visit. Nevertheless, it was possible to gather enough information for descriptions less vague than what the gay-friendly news sites offered.

Do you really want to click that link? It’s not too detailed. And I’m left to wonder why the liberal media — who would never dare suggest that there is anything wrong with being gay — is so mysteriously reticent to describe what “being gay” actually involves.

If you didn’t know better, you’d almost think they were ashamed of it.

But go ahead and click the link. Or not. “Lifestyle choices.”

 


Category: Gays

Does Christie Add Desirable Gravitas To The Republican Governor’s Association?

Posted on | January 21, 2014 | 15 Comments

by Smitty

It sure is the case that outgoing disgrace Bob McDonnell did not. The surprise $1B transportation bill a year ago still hasn’t been clearly explained, but it led into the ominous ethics cloud over McDonnell. That cloud was among the minor factors that hampered Ken Cuccinelli’s efforts last November. So Ken is an interesting person to have on Crossfire, to see how far under the bus Ken is willing/capable of tossing Chris Christie.

That turns out to be pretty far. “It makes sense for him to step aside.” Yes; yes, it does. Myra Adams at the Daily Beast:

As a long-time loyal Republican and political observer, I always have my antenna up about how the political crisis of the day/week/month is unfolding and if there will be any long-term implications for my party and our nation.
So it is through this lens that I ask the question, should New Jersey Governor Chris Christie step down as chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA)?
Over the weekend this question started to reverberate throughout the media pundit class. However, it is one about which the average voter could give a hoot—most likely because the average voter has no idea what the RGA is or even does.

I mostly notice the RGA as a source of great ads which heretofore has not seemed to suffer the Vichy GOP taint of the NRSC or NRCC.

Looking down the road, though, the RGA is the kind of place where we might hope for leadership to support the Convention of States. Can Mr. Bridge-over-troubled-water Christie be expected to do more than crush reform efforts? While his carpet bombings of union thugs are not without their amusements, Christie has never seemed more than a Ruling Class tool in the finest John McCain/Mitt Romney tradition, capable of delivering enough platitudes to win the GOP nomination, and then deliver a shocked face and a concession when, unexpectedly, the Democrat wins.

Conservatives are more hungry for reform than cheeseburgers, GOP. Put Scott Walker or Bobby Jindal in at the RGA, and turn up the heat on DC. That is, if the RGA is still worth more than a date with Wendy Davis.

Category: Chris Christie, New Jersey, Politics

Good News, Good News, Bad News

Posted on | January 21, 2014 | 21 Comments

First, the good news: Ezra Klein failed to hustle a multimillion-dollar deal with the Washington Post and will instead go do his own independent site. This is good because (a) Ezra won’t be getting any more of Jeff Bezos’ money and (b) some other chump will therefore pay money for Ezra to compete with the Post.

Second, more good news: Eugene Volokh’s blog is moving to the Washington Post. This is good news because (a) Volokh will now be getting Jeff Bezos’s money, and (b) fuck you, Ezra Klein.

However, all this good news is negated by the bad news that Noel Sheppard of Newsbusters has been diagnosed with cancer.

This reminds me, of course, of how Andrew Breitbart died of a heart attack when he was 10 years younger than me, and Andrew never smoked cigarettes. Next time I complain about bad luck, somebody please remind me I’m a 54-year-old grandfather.

Every new day is grace.

 


Category: Journalism

Warner’s Political Scalp Won’t Cover Much, But VA Should Take It Anyway

Posted on | January 21, 2014 | 8 Comments

by Smitty

This new ad from Ed Gillespie shows he’s as serious as lung cancer about November:After five years of Obama’s running cluster-frack (you pick the issue, ObamaCare looming largest) it really is time for the voters to say ENOUGH to all of this Progressivism.

A rant:

The Democrats have weaponized the IRS to go after the Tea Parties. I say “forget” that. Just because they scored a mission kill on Tea Party leadership in 2012 is no reason to let that be the end of matters. I’d like to see the funding to stage large rallies move from the traditional 501c organizations, to more distributed, ad-hoc organizations. If we want another Tax Day Tea Party, we need to make it happen via KickStarter, or whatever. Are we really so whipped by this Progressive crap that we can’t protect liberty without a tax write-off? Really? Overthrow both the Progressives AND the godforsaken IRS, say I.

Under no circumstances should the blatantly un-American actions of the IRS be permitted to go unanswered. And let’s not wait on the GOP for relief, m’kay? While it’s worthwhile to support a GOP candidate over the odious Warner, the party as such may care more about its power than restoring liberty.

End of rant.

Category: Virginia
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