Reality TV Star Dies Surreal Death
Posted on | August 18, 2012 | 14 Comments
Joey Kovar became a “star” (as stardom is measured nowadays) on the 2008 season of MTV’s Real World and subsequently appeared in the 2010 season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
Kovar died Friday at age 29 after ingesting cocaine, alcohol and Viagra, according to TMZ.
Viagra? What kind of 29-year-old needs Viagra? Perhaps the kind of 29-year-old who becomes famous for being famous, without ever demonstrating any actual ability or talent.
Does Anybody Think @BillMaher Is Funny?
Posted on | August 18, 2012 | 17 Comments
I mean, besides Bill Maher:
I keep hearing Ryan as teen drove the weinermobile – it sounds like a euphemism 4 gay
While gay-baiting Paul Ryan, Maher also engages in racial stereotyping of President Obama:
“In many ways — especially for progressives — [Obama] is too white for them. He plays golf, he’s too cozy with bankers. But when it comes to knowing how to fight, he’s black” — referring to the tough campaign Obama is running against the Republicans.
Twitchy points out that this isn’t the first time Maher has used the “thug” stereotype of blacks in talking about Obama. May 2010:
“I thought when we elected a black president, we were going to get a black president. You know, this [BP oil spill] is where I want a real black president. I want him in a meeting with the BP CEOs, you know, where he lifts up his shirt where you can see the gun in his pants. That’s — (in black man voice) we’ve got a ‘motherfu**ing problem here?’ Shoot somebody in the foot.”
Permit me to say that, as offensive as Maher’s invocation of the violent black thug stereotype might be, I am equally offended by the stereotype of whites as effete golf-players who are “cozy with bankers.” A very narrow and insular world exists inside Maher’s mind — not only is there no law-abiding black middle class, but there is no white working class. Black people are all inner-city ghetto thugs and whites are all overprivileged suburbanites. Chris Barron of GOProud Tweets:
@BillMaher just remember gay-baiting is always totally cool if you are a liberal and always reprehensible if you aren’t.
You can never accuse liberals of having no standards. In fact, they have two standards: One for them, and one for everybody else.
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions Is Private Property A Conservative Plot?
Posted on | August 17, 2012 | 13 Comments
by Smitty
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions Springsteen “Blinded by the Light” mentions a “teenage diplomat.” Was that the dip’s age, or do teens need an envoy?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 18, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions There seem to be a lot of negative survey and employment reports. In the final analysis, are numbers raaaaacist?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 18, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions Are there any economic problems for which Bush is not to blame?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 18, 2012
#
ObamaSoftBallQuestions How much do you think the Koch brothers are really spending to destroy the election’s integrity with voter ID laws?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 18, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions Just exactly how much does Chuch Norris fear you?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions If Elvis was alive and he went up against you on American Idol, how harshly would you trash him?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions Does Ryan’s plan stab the elderly in the heart, or is it more of a diesmbowelment?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions When will you appoint a “Shut Up, St00p3d Conservatives” Czar. Cuz that would be k00l.— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions If you had been there to make gutsy calls, could WWII have been finished in 2 years, or is 3 more realistic?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions These conservatives seem hacked off that Zimbabwe Ben is inflating the currency so much. Can Bernanke’s ink run dry?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions When you’re crowned King, will you let George Clinton and Bootsy Collins bring back Parliament?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions How many Congressmen and -women who voted against your immaculate budget submissions should be allowed to run again?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
And this was the winner on retweets:
#ObamaSoftBallQuestions Tucker Carlson called Chris Matthews a throne sniffer. Is it wrong to imply that you leave an odor on your seat?— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
#ObamaSoftballQuestions reference for my previous tweet: mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carl…— Chris Smith (@smitty_one_each) August 17, 2012
The Immortal Brilliance Of Joe Biden
Posted on | August 17, 2012 | 3 Comments
by Smitty
Uncle Choo-Choo Forever!
BFD (Biden’s Finest Deliveries) must go no!
via Ace of Spades HQ
@PaulRyanVP and Math Continue to Represent Obama’s Worst Nightmare
Posted on | August 17, 2012 | 18 Comments
BEAVERBROOK, Ohio
Liberals continue their Brer-Rabbit-and-the-Briar-Patch act about the selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate, endeavoring to convince Republicans that the 42-year-old Wisconsin congressman is somehow a liability to the GOP.
Don’t believe it for a minute. Having seen the massive crowds at the Romney-Ryan rally in Manassas, Virginia, having seen Mitt give a fired-up speech Tuesday in Chillicothe and having seen the huge turnout for Ryan’s homecoming at Miami (Ohio) University on Wednesday, I am an eyewitness to the power of The Ryan Factor.
Pick a swing state — any swing state — and the balance has now shifted toward the GOP. You can check the polls in Florida, but you don’t need polls to tell you Romney-Ryan is a winning ticket. Just use your own common sense: The conservative grassroots is fired up about a candidate who combines (a) serious policy-wonk gravitas, (b) the youthful energy of a 42-year-old, and (c) need we bother to mention his six-pack abs?
Don’t take my word for it. Just ask Becca Lower: “Ryan’s a rock star, even in the level-headed Midwest. We think fiscal sanity is sexy.”
Just in case any Republicans are still confused or fearful, Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades shares some data in this memo:
Tomorrow marks a week since Mitt Romney announced his choice of Congressman Paul Ryan to join him on America’s Comeback Team, and it’s clear that his choice has reshaped the race in a positive way. The Obama team’s increasing vitriol is a sure sign that they’re rattled by the pick. Unable to engage in an elevated policy debate, they’ve spent the past few days drowning in their own venom.
Since the announcement in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday:
- Online Fundraising
Donations: 124,800+
Amount: $10,157,947
Average Donation: $81
% New Donors: 68%- Site Traffic
Total: 2,000,000
Desktop: 1,560,000
Mobile: 440,000- Mitt Romney Social
Facebook: +510,000 — Now 4,360,000
Twitter: +54,000 — Now 861,000- Paul Ryan Social
Facebook: +860,000
Twitter: +118,500- Volunteers
45,000+ sign up to volunteer onlinePresident Obama is on defense over his $716 billion raid of current Medicare beneficiaries to pay for Obamacare, and allowing the hospital trust fund to go broke by the time those aged 50 or below are Medicare eligible. The political director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee warned this week that the issue could cost Democrats the election.
At the same, time, the Romney Plan for a Stronger Middle Class is gaining traction. Voters in the swing states believe that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a better plan than Barack Obama and Joe Biden “to reduce the deficit, create jobs and get the economy moving.”
Polling data shows Romney gaining since the announcement. Both Gallup and Rasmussen show us leading Obama in national polling, and recent statewide polling shows us picking up ground in Ohio and Virginia.
While President Obama’s team continues its campaign of frustration and division to distract voters from his failed record, the Romney-Ryan team will continue offering solutions to the challenges facing our nation. America is ready for a comeback and if this past week is any indication, America’s comeback will begin on November 6th.
You should also take time to read what David Harsanyi says about the Democrats’ attempt to label Ryan “extreme”:
If you happen to be attracted to some of the broader ideas in an Ayn Rand book, you, my friend, are an extremist for life. If, on the other hand, your ideological education was provided by an all-star lineup of leftist thinkers, you’re good. Certainly, no one is going to demand that you accept or repudiate the teachings of Frank Marshall Davis or Karl Marx in toto.
A week from today, I’m leaving on a road trip to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, and I hope readers will contribute to the Shoe Leather Fund to help make this the most successful road-trip ever. As a Republican lady in Ohio shouted out to Paul Ryan yesterday, “Good luck! Kick ass!”
Anyway, I’ve spent the past four hours blogging from this McDonald’s. My 13-year-old son Jefferson is getting antsy, so now it’s time for us to hit the road — and time for you hit the freaking tip jar!
Update (Smitty): thanks, Instapundit and Hogewash!
PREVIOUSLY:
- Aug. 16: Paul Ryan: ‘I Like My Skyline Five Ways’
- Aug. 16: Ryan Works the Rope Line
- Aug. 15: Hey, Girl, It’s Paul Ryan — in Ohio!
- Aug. 15: Bitterly Clinging … to Their Jobs!
- Aug. 14: THE CHILLICOTHE ADDRESS: Romney’s Best Speech of the Campaign
- Aug. 14: Romney Aide: Biden ‘Chains’ Remark Shows ‘Desperate’ Obama Campaign
- Aug. 14: Ohio-Bound: Hitting the Road With Mitt
Witchy Woman: Did Christine O’Donnell Try to Hijack ‘Occupy vs. Tea Party’?
Posted on | August 17, 2012 | 26 Comments
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio
This is either (a) a serious trademark infringement or (b) a generous gesture of free publicity: We told you last month about Gordon Gebert’s proposed “Occupy vs. Tea Party” reality-TV show. A few days ago, I learned that Gordon got the funding to make it happen, and will begin with a debate at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
Well, it seems that Christine O’Donnell — whose Tea Party-backed GOP Senate campaign made national news in 2010 — has planned an event for Tampa that got headlined by ABC News, “Christine O’Donnell to Stage Tea Party vs. Occupy Debate in Tampa,” which provoked an outraged reaction from Gebert and his lawyers:
Former Delaware Tea Party candidate and “witch” Christine O’Donnell has issued a press release which has been picked up by ABC News, Yahoo News, DailyKos, et al… announcing Christine O’Donnell to Stage Tea Party vs. Occupy Debate in Tampa at Channelside Cinemas 10 IMAX Theater in Tampa, Florida just one block from the Tampa Bay Times Forum, site of the Republican National Convention. Problem is Christine O’Donnell was told in a conference call Thursday evening she could not use the Tea Party vs Occupy or the Occupy vs Tea Party name because both are trademarked and copy righted by Gordon G.G. Gebert, creator of the reality TV Show of the same name.
During the Thursday conference call O’Donnell was attempting to reach a broadcasting deal with The Young Turks while representing that she was the creator and owner of the trademark. Despite repeatedly being told by the Trademark & Copyright owner she could not use his brand in her Tampa event, O’Donnell decided she wanted to take her chances in litigation and told Gebert, “sue me.” According to spokesperson for Mr. Gebert after becoming aware of O’Donnell’s press release by email which was picked up by ABC News, Yahoo News, Huffington Post, and others; Attorney’s for Mr. Gebert will file the necessary documents to obtain a restraining order prohibiting O’Donnell from proceeding with the unauthorized use of his trademark brand to promote her event.
Read the whole thing. Is this a serious legal throw-down? Has O’Donnell attempted to rip off Gordon’s idea? Whatever it is, it has now added the vital element of controversy to the story and, in the news business, nothing is more valuable than controversy:
CONTROVERSIAL DEBATE
SCHEDULED IN TAMPA!
Get your money’s worth out of it, man.
Rhode Island Neo-Nazis and Other Mysteries of 21st-Century Hate
Posted on | August 17, 2012 | 15 Comments
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio
Professor William Jacobson has spent two years wondering about the Neo-Nazi menace in Rhode Island, a threat that the Southern Poverty Law Center warns about in its annual “hate group” listing, but which it seems no one has ever actually documented:
SPLC’s hate map at the time listed a total of three hate groups in Rhode Island, but there was no information as to the other two supposed groups, reflecting how SPLC inflates the number of hate groups. SPLC also counts each supposed state branch of each hate group as a separate group, which again inflates the numbers. If some neo-Nazi website claims to have branches in all states, that would be 50 hate groups to SPLC.
This “inflate the hate” tactic explains why the SPLC added the Family Research Council to its “hate group” listings in 2010: By steadily expanding the categorical definition of “hate,” the SPLC can present “hate” as an ever-growing threat in the alarmist fundraising letters it sends to its donor base of elderly liberals.
For those who don’t know the history of the SPLC, it is necessary to explain that Morris Dees is a direct-mail fundraising genius who began his “civil rights” group with the mailing list of the 1972 George McGovern presidential campaign — a reliable group of wealthy liberals who have since funded the group to the tune of $200 million. And even though the SPLC’s ever-increasing endowment would enable the group to operate in perpetuity even if nobody ever gave them another penny, the fundraising letters still rake in millions more in tax-exempt dollars every year.
Liberal journalist Ken Silverstein long ago exposed the SPLC as ruthlessly cynical fundraising scam. Even if you are a liberal who shares the general beliefs of the SPLC, the group’s shameless dishonesty — as they encourage liberal donors to pour millions of dollars down a useless rathole of disinformation — should be offensive to you. (Media Matters for America has exploited a clever variation of the same 501(c) scam, showing once again that a fool and his tax-exempt money are soon parted.) It is demonstrable, I believe, that the SPLC irreversibly descended into hucksterism in the mid-1990s when they hired Mark Potok, who was responsible for making “right-wing militias” and other hyped-up threats a lucrative staple of the group’s fundraising appeals.
It was under Potok’s leadership that the SPLC began expanding the definition of “hate” to list groups that had never advocated violence including, inter alia, the Federation for American Immigration Reform and mainstream “traditional values” groups like the Family Research Council.
The SPLC’s demonization of traditional values groups has been implicated in gay terrorist Floyd Lee Corkins’s violent attack on the FRC office Wednesday. Donald Douglas asks if the SPLC should be labeled a “hate group,” and it is a serious question.
There is no question at all, however, that Mark Potok is an dishonest and irresponsible demagogue who should be ashamed of his poisonous contribution to public discourse.
Advertising Your Wares On The Back Of Another’s Hypocrisy
Posted on | August 17, 2012 | 14 Comments
by Smitty via (Insty)
I’ll give D’Souza 8 out of 10 here. He loses points for (a) not helping in the sense of a ‘random act’, and (b) announcing the act. To be clear: he’s got a movie to peddle. Having said all that, George Obama offers a nice window (or maybe a microscope’s aperture) into the soul of Barack Obama:
One of Obama’s favorite phrases comes right out of the Bible: “We are our brother’s keeper.” Yet he has not contributed a penny to help his own brother. And evidently George does not believe, even in times of emergency, that he can turn to his brother in the White House for help.
So much for spreading the wealth around.
Obama’s refusal to help George is especially surprising because George doesn’t just live in American-style poverty but rather in Third World poverty. He lives in a shanty in the Huruma slum in Nairobi. He gets by on a few dollars a month. Obama also has an aunt named Hawa Auma, his father’s sister, who ekes out a living selling coal on the streets of a small village in Kenya. She says she would like to have her teeth fixed, but she cannot afford it. Obama hasn’t offered to help her either.
And here is D’Souza’s flick:
Obama might be many things, but a ‘nice guy’ is not among them.
More at Liberty News Network.