The Other McCain

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

Matt Kibbe Of FreedomWorks Sounds Dismayed With The RNC

Posted on | August 28, 2012 | 21 Comments

by Smitty

I believe that the Republican party has made a huge mistake by effectively disenfranchising grassroots activists who want to be a part of the party process. If the party sincerely wants the support of citizens, shutting them out of the process is not the way to do it. Sooner rather than later the Republican establishment needs to come to terms with the decentralized nature of grassroots organization circa 2012. The terms of engagement can no longer be dictated from the top-down.

Oops.
Weigel says ‘No biggie‘:

You’ve been talking about aesthetics and how carefully Romney’s people shaped this thing. The Great Ron Paul Revolt may not affect any of that. Come Wednesday, the heavily reported stories of RNC rules 12 and 15 will be forgotten. Ryanmania will be our guide.

I don’t know, David. People are. . .noticing. This whole Internet memory thing is affecting politics in mysterious ways.
More detail:

At issue: two rules dubbed Rule 16 and Rule 12.

The first is a compromise of an earlier proposal, named Rule 15, that was vehemently opposed by many grassroots activists, including many Ron Paul supporters. It addresses delegate selection in future Republican presidential primaries – instituting stronger enforcement mechanisms to compel delegates to vote as they are bound by their states. In the original proposal, future presidential candidates would have had veto power over who could become a delegate.

The second rule concerns the RNC’s ability to change its rules in between its conventions.

Both rules were adopted on the convention floor by a voice vote. Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, chairman of the Rules Committee and a top surrogate for Romney, presented the rules. House Speaker John Boehner held the audible floor vote to adopt them.

Though the voices “for” and “against” sounded about the same, Boehner declared: “The ayes have it.”

That caused opponents on the floor to erupt in a chorus of boos.

Having looked at some of the local fracas, I can see where centralizing control is appealing. I can also tell you that feelings of betrayal will lead to unforseen consequences. I hope that Mitt has the acumen to look at all this and offer some reassurances.

Update: Bill Quick plays the realpolitik card straight up. His point is well taken. I suppose, perhaps from naivete, I’m willing to give Romney the benefit of the doubt. Mainly because, with the Internet, the amount of shenanigans anybody can pull will be somewhat diminished. Absent the Internet, I’d agree: we’re baked.

Category: Freedom Works

RNC DAY 1.5: Baseless Speculation
UPDATE: Romney Officially Nominated as Republican Presidential Candidate

Posted on | August 28, 2012 | 39 Comments

TAMPA, Florida
OK, we’ll count Monday as a half-day, and I apologize for the late start today, but schmoozing and socializing with colleagues and sources is part of the job. There will be actual news here momentarily, I promise, but first: Baseless speculation from Jim Geraghty!

Buried deep in the convention schedule released Monday is a vague reference to a mystery speaker scheduled for the event’s final evening. “To Be Announced” has a prime speaking slot late in the Thursday program. . . .
I have no inside information (yet), but at dinner with my NR colleagues, last night, I pointed out that Palin is glaring by her absence from the program . . .

Right, Jim. And while I likewise have no inside information (yet) my strong suspicion is . . . Donnie and Marie Osmond.

It’s so obvious and logical.

UPDATE: To eliminate all possible confusion:

The RNC provides these convenient “You Are Here” signs to assist liberal reporters who fail to realize they are in Tampa in 2012 and instead believe they’re in Nurmberg in 1934 — which reminds me that I’ve got a column today in The American Spectator:

The Republican Party has spared no expense to accommodate the hundreds of journalists who have come here to write dishonest stories aimed at preventing the GOP from winning this year’s election.
If you’ve been following major media coverage of the Republican National Convention, you know that the party’s presidential candidate is Todd Akin, who will campaign this fall on a platform of undiluted hatred and evil, with the able assistance of his running mate, Martin Bormann Jr. The Akin-Bormann ticket was personally selected by RNC Chairman Rush Limbaugh and endorsed by Karl Rove after consultation with a secretive cabal of right-wing Mormon billionaires. The Republican delegates who are assembling this week in Tampa are mere dupes hired by the Koch brothers to provide the superficial appearance of a “political convention” debating a platform and nominating candidates.
Such is the narrative subtext of most of the GOP convention coverage, which is provided by a political press corps that is overwhelmingly composed of people who would never vote for any Republican under any imaginable circumstance. . . .

Please read the whole thing.

UPDATE II: Wherever you find Democrats, you find drunk Democrats: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was reportedly seen in an extreme state of intoxication in an Ybor City bar last night. Fortunately, no campaign aides were drowned — that we know of.

UPDATE III: Rules committee drama? We’ll see. Right now, I’ve got to get over to the Sheraton for an important meeting.

UPDATE IV: The meeting at the Sheraton has been delayed. Meanwhile, I dropped over to the “Liberty Plaza” site to catch a screening of Stephen K. Bannon’s new documentary, The Hope and the Change, about disillusioned former Obama voters. Excellent film.

Meanwhile — and, hey, this is actual news, if not particularly surprising — Mitt Romney is now officially the Republican Party presidential nominee. The roll-call vote put him over the top, clearing the 1,144 votes needed for a majority, at 5:40 p.m. ET, when the New Jersey delegation cast all of its 50 votes for Romney.

UPDATE V: While at the Sheraton, I ran into an old friend — a guy from Texas I interviewed last October:

They’ll soon be calling him Senator Ted Cruz.

UPDATE VI: A few photos from today:


Why do you hate Liberty, huh?


Notice the pro-Israel protester next to the Ron Paul activists.


Stephen Bannon and Larry O’Connor of Breitbart.com broadcast from Radio Row.

NPR’s idea of Republicans: David Brooks and David Gergen are interviewed by a TV crew.

UPDATE VII: Just got back from the Tampa Bay Times Forum and got this photo from the nosebleed section:

I worked my way around to Suite 557 — the vice-chairman’s suite — where I had expected to find Javier Manjarres of the Shark Tank. He wasn’t there, but I got to stay and listen to Rick Santorum’s awesome speech.

 





 

PREVIOUSLY:

 


Category: Election 2012, Fear and Loathing at the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney

The Daily Gator Says: ‘A Bitch Slapping’

Posted on | August 28, 2012 | 4 Comments

by Smitty

It’s important to note that this organization is NOT composed of active duty military members. Spec Ops for America, via The Daily Gator:

I feel that November isn’t so much an election as it is a full-on Constitutional referendum. In all sincerity, I’d expect #OccupyResoluteDesk, and the Congress, to view the 22nd Amendment as seriously as they have the national budget for the last 3 years.
That is, if you don’t boot BHO now, you might not have another opportunity. Yes, that’s a heavy speculation. No, given the previous few years: it’s not farfetched.

Category: Barack Obama

Chris Matthews: Pecksniff

Posted on | August 28, 2012 | 15 Comments

by Smitty

Via Hot Air, Politico, emphasis mine:

“It is obvious that this is something I care passionately about: race was abused by white politicians in my lifetime, including Reagan. For someone to come on the program and deny that this is part of their process, I couldn’t take that,” Matthews said. “This is something I really, deeply believe in. We grew up in a country where appeals to race have been awful, terrible. This language — we are beyond this. It had to be called out.”

Is

Two letters. Therein lies the rub. You either buy into Matthews’s Orwellian raaaaacism plantation as a current existential phenomenon, where Chris can rub his preciousssss Gollum hands together, and sanctimoniously declaim about YOUR evil, or you can say: Get Stuffed!

Matthews, whatever little Antebellum world exists in your head, it applies neither outside that head, nor the place the head is lodged. You, Jamelle Bouie et al.  are cordially invited to stated any current, actual racism (DNA-based decision making) you can find. But this backward-looking, airbrushed historical view is no longer tolerable. Recovering the economy is going to mean putting you and Uncle Choo-Choo out in a pasture somewhere, so that sane, honest people can be about their business.

Last word to Reince Preibus, who had to tolerate Matthew’s verbal diarrhea on the Morning Joe:

Update: Daily Pundit concurs.

Category: Hot Air, Media Bias, MSNBC

LIVE AT FIVE: 08.28.12

Posted on | August 28, 2012 | Comments Off on LIVE AT FIVE: 08.28.12

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Obama Declares State Of Emergency In Louisiana For Tropical Storm Isaac

Governor Jindal speaks to the press

Jindal fires back that what the state asked for was a disaster area declaration

Protests At GOP Convention Muted, Small
Organizers complain about weather, police presence affecting numbers

Will Colombia Make Peace With FARC?
President Santos announces talks with rebels in nationally broadcast speech



POLITICS
Flood Of Internet Posts Pay Tribute to Neil YoungArmstrong

Neil Armstrong, Hero Of The Internet People

Compilation of tweets, Facebook posts and other memorials by network that misidentified the fallen astronaut

Convention-Bound Ryan Slams Obama For Presiding Over “Debt, Doubt And Decline”



Opponents Defeat “Power Grab” Feared By TEA Party, NRA, Other Grassroots Movements

Ron Paul Supporters Rally In Tampa, Still Lukewarm On Romney

San Francisco’s Archbishop-elect Busted For DUI In San Diego



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Gasoline Surges, Oil Falls As Gulf Refineries Shut Down For Isaac; NYMEX $95.47, Brent $112.26
Apple’s Win Against Samsung A Loss For Consumers?
FAA To Study Use Of Electronics In-Flight
Japan Downgrades August Economic Outlook
Founder Schulze Cleared For Best Buy Buyout Bid
M&T Bank Snaps Up Distressed Lenders As Prey Becomes Predator
AOL Announces Special Dividend, $600 Million Stock Buyback
Samsung’s Reaction To Apple Verdict: No Surrender
Active In Cloud, Amazon Reshapes Computing
What’s Missing In Windows 8 Apps
The Future Of Fitness: Bluetooth Opens Up With New Running, Cycling Standards
Samsung Unveils Galaxy Player 5.8
The Anternet: How Ants Speak The Language Of The Internet
Facebook App Center Under Fire In Germany



SPORTS
Beltre Continues Hot Streak As Rangers Edge Rays 6-5

Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre

3 for 3 with a home run and four RBI

Blue Jays Bounce Back, Beat Yankees 8-7 In 11th
Teixeira gets calf owie, out 1-2 weeks

Red Sox 5, Royals 1; Dice-K Off The DL, Big Papi On


McLouth Comes Through In The Clutch As O’s Rally To Beat Pale Hose 4-3

Francis, Rockies Shut Out Dodgers 10-0

King Felix Goes The Distance Again, Shuts Out Twins 1-o

Tribe Stomped By A’s 3-0; Just Like The Bad Old Days In Cleveland



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Jessica Alba Is Ready for “Sin City” Sequel

Jessica Alba goes blonde again

And as you can see, so is her hair

Unspeakable Armenian Donates 100 Pairs of Designer Shoes To Charity After Kanye West Empties Her “Ghetto” Closet

Prince Harry Freezes Facebook Account, Meets With Head Of Army

The Emma Stone Interview

Carly Rae Jepsen Splits From “Call Me Maybe” BF, Finds New Man

DiCaprio, Maguire & Hardy Teaming Up For Movie About Animal Trafficking

Katy Perry! You Just Broke Up With John Mayer! What Are You Going To Do Now?

Chattanooga Lookouts Have Something…Unique On Their Outfield Wall

Amanda Bynes Hit & Run Case Reopened Because She’s Death On Wheels



FOREIGNERS
India Parliament Remains Stalled Over Coal Scandal
Sonia Gandhi Takes Point On Coal Row Counteroffensive
Bodies Fill Mass Graves As Assad Struggles To Keep Power
France Tells Syrian Rebels To Form A Provisional Government And They’ll Support It
Typhoon Buffets ROK, Kills Four; Storm Now Headed Toward Norks
US Troops Punished For Koran Burning, Urination Video
Pakistan Supreme Court Gives PM More Time In Graft Case
Hamas Welcomes Israeli Kids Back To School With Rocket Barrage
Riots Erupt In Mombasa After Killing Of Fiery Muslim Cleric
Toronto Police Arrest Estranged Boyfriend In Scattered Body Parts Case
Mexican Police Detained In Shooting Of US Agents



BLOGS & STUFF
First Street Journal: Why Officer Moses Walker Is Dead
WyBlog: Under The Radar, Obama And His FCC Push Ahead With Broadband Internet Tax Scheme
Bret Stephens: Barack Obama, Global Has-Been
Twitter Room: God Not Listening To Samuel Jackson On TS Isaac; Actor Flips Out
Rush Limbaugh: Tracking The Hurricane With The Media
a Blog For All: Four US Soldiers Charged In Terror Plot
Jim Geraghty: Priebus On Matthews – “He Made The Case For Us”
NewsBusters: Newt Takes It To Chris Matthews On His “Racist Thinking”
Hit & run: Did Todd Akin Make The GOP’s Abortion Plank Suddenly Relevant?
Wizbang: Here’s The Latest Paul Ryan “Scandal” You’re Supposed To Care About
Weasel Zippers: Spain Gets Revenge On America
Right Scoop: Mark Levin Explains The GOP Rules Change And Why It Had To Be Defeated
Power Line: Ritchie’s Ratchet, Part 3
Lonely Conservative: Obama Posts Picture Of Himself To Memorialize Neil Armstrong – And Then It Gets Worse
Jawa Report: Caption This – Neil Didn’t Do It Himself
Small Dead Animals: Is There Nothing Obama Can’t Do?
Conservatives 4 Palin: Governor Palin Discusses “Hope-ium” With Sean Hannity
Gateway Pundit: New Tone! Unhinged Actress Hopes Isaac Washes GOP Convention Out To Sea
Legal Insurrection: Strains Show In Warren Campaign – Cameraman Attacked

Category: Live at Five

Ryan Zinke Speaks For, Oh, At Least A Few Million Americans

Posted on | August 27, 2012 | 30 Comments

by Smitty

At Breitbart, emphasis mine:

When asked whether it was inappropriate for former SEALs to speak out, as some on the left have alleged, Zinke answered, “If the veterans can’t speak out, who can?

I think it’s a duty of every veteran and every citizen to be actively involved in our political process,

especially when the president sets out to negotiate away our rights under the Constitution. There have been other veterans — TR, Eisenhower, JFK — they’ve been active in speaking out and shaping the policy and politics of our country. I’m going to stand for what I believe in, and I’m encouraging every veteran and every citizen to do the same. Our country is at a crossroads, and this election is certainly the most important in my lifetime.”

On a related note emphasis again mine:

Michael Ubaldi writes: “I saw [2016: Obama’s America] with a friend this afternoon. The theater was easily three-quarters full. We were among a handful without gray hair, but for me, the D’Souza film matters in the same way the Chick-fil-A support day did: unanticipated conservative turnout.”

Americans, unexpectedly, are failing to live down to the Left’s model of a mindless lump of meat. I, for one, blog to echo Zinke’s sentiment. I’ve been blessed by God far above anything I merit, and fighting back against the spirit of the Commie tyranny embodied in the modern Democrat party. This blog comes to you out of my strong sense of duty to the Constitution, in its pre-Progressive ante-Postmodern liberty-centric form.

The Commies are going down. Patton:

You know, by God I, I actually pity those poor bastards we’re going up against, by God, I do.

Update: linked at Daily Pundit.

Category: Andrew Breitbart, Instapundit

Health Care Expert: ObamaCare Will Kill Estimated 40,000 Seniors Every Year

Posted on | August 27, 2012 | 59 Comments

TAMPA, Florida
Betsy McCaughey is the former lieutenant governor of New York. She has a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Her Web site is DefendYourHealthCare.com and she is the author of The Obama Health Law: What It Says and How to Overturn It.

Today at Newt Gingrich’s “Newt University” conference, Dr. McCaughey explained that the “skimpy care” that Obama’s health law would impose on Medicare hospital patients “is likely to cause an estimated 40,000 unnecessary deaths each year.” As she explained in a brief video interview with me today, this is not a political charge, but is based on evidence from extensive medical research. Here’s the video — let’s make it viral:y

UPDATE: Linked by Ace of Spades HQ — thanks!

UPDATE II: Linked by Walla Walla Tea Party Patriots — thanks!

 


Category: Barack Obama, Fear and Loathing at the Republican National Convention, Health Care

Journalism as Masochism

Posted on | August 27, 2012 | 30 Comments

TAMPA, Florida
You don’t want to hear about my wasted morning — the attempt to drive downtown to the Sheraton to pick up my media credentials, the godawful gridlock caused by the lunatic security, being turned around at the barricaded intersection, forced to drive back to Ybor City, pay to park the car, call a cab to take me downtown again, then discovering that my credentials were in the possession of Jim Antle who, contrary to our previous discussion about the topic, was not downtown to meet me.

Getting a cab out of the security perimeter was obviously impossible.

You don’t want to hear about my mile-long walk back to Ybor City, in a muggy sweat-soaked heat, to retrieve the car, then drive here to this McDonald’s, logging on to get directions to where Jim Antle is staying, and discovering that it’s 10 miles south of here.

Exactly why the Republican National Convention set things up this way, with one person from each news organization designated to pick up that organization’s credentials — rather than the more obvious way of having each reporter pick up his own — defies my ability to imagine or describe.

Exactly why The American Spectator‘s designated credential obtainer, Jim Antle, having made it inside the high-security perimeter around downtown Tampa would have then left to return to his lodgings 10 miles south of downtown — this, too, defies my ability to imagine or describe.

This is probably no one’s fault in particular. There are times when it seems as if the universe is organized as a sadistic conspiracy to inflict psychological punishment on me, to make my life an endless series of hassles and humiliations, to render excruciatingly difficult my attempts to earn a living as a journalist.

Life within this sadistic universe — really, could so many things go so completely wrong by coincidence? — might be pleasant for masochists, who enjoy suffering. But I lack that perverse appetite for punishment, and so am compelled to complain about the routine abuse that I seem unable to avoid, no matter how much I try.

 





 

Category: Fear and Loathing at the Republican National Convention
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