The Other McCain

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

Newt’s Delaware Delusion

Posted on | April 24, 2012 | 26 Comments

When the FEC reports were released Friday, showing that Newt Gingrich ended March with $4.3 million in campaign debt, I noted talk of a comeback in today’s Delaware primary:

Alex Moe of NBC News reports that Gingrich has been spending most of his time in Delaware, which holds its primary Tuesday, and quotes “a source close to the Gingrich campaign” as saying: “Tuesday is a big day. … Newt is just waiting to see what happens on Tuesday.”
What will happen Tuesday is, Newt will lose.

Ed Morrissey devoted an entire post Monday to the theme of “Hey, maybe Newt can win Delaware,” only to conclude: Eh, so what?

Even if Gingrich managed a win, though, he would add 17 delegates to his total, thanks to the all-or-nothing allocation of the state primary. Romney will win most or all of the other 214 delegates at stake in the other primaries taking place tomorrow; Delaware is the smallest state at stake. That would move Gingrich from 140 t0 157 delegates, while Romney will easily top 800 and have perhaps as many as 870 by the end of the day tomorrow.

Newt managed to fool a lot of people into thinking his Georgia primary victory on “Super Tuesday,” March 6 was meaningful — his speech that night was all about how he was still in the hunt — so that he was still able to collect $1.7 million in contributions in March. After he lost Mississippi and Alabama on March 13, that illusion fell apart. However, Gingrich continued to pretend he was a contender up through the March 24 Louisiana primary, which was an expensive pretense that left him millions of dollars in debt by the end of the month.

The idea that a win in tiny Delaware would actually mean anything for Newt is something that I doubt even Newt himself believes. Yet Politico feels the need to cover its bases, although I remain confident that Gingrich will lose Delaware and finish no better than third anywhere else. Alex Moe of NBC is still on Newt death-watch duty:

Newt Gingrich hinted he may withdraw from the presidential race if he has a poor showing in the Delaware primary Tuesday – a state where he has been actively campaigning for several weeks.
“I think we need to take a deep look at what we are doing,” Gingrich told NBC News in an exclusive interview on Monday. “We will be in North Carolina tomorrow night and we will look and see what the results are.”
He acknowledged that he would have to “reassess” his campaign depending on how he fares in Delaware, a winner-take-all state with 17 delegates at stake.

“I think we need to take a deep look at what we are doing”? Perhaps he should have done that before he was $4 million in the hole.

RECENTLY:


Category: Delaware, Election 2012, Newt Gingrich

RNC Dogs BHO

Posted on | April 24, 2012 | 11 Comments

by Smitty

Nothing unexpected here, just another litany of how unserious #OccupyResoluteDesk is:

via Red Alexandria

Category: Barack Obama, GOP

LIVE AT FIVE – 04.24.12

Posted on | April 24, 2012 | 8 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Immigration From Mexico Grinds To A Halt

Border Patrol Officer Jesus Robles looks across the Rio Grande

Pew Hispanic Center survey lists horrible US economy among causes

Le Pen Urges National Front Voters To Reject Sarkozy
Calls on supporters to concentrate on June’s legislative elections

Zimmerman Makes Bail, Goes Into Hiding
Lawyer waives Zimmerman’s right to appear at arraignment due to death threats



POLITICS
Giuliani Endorses Romney

Romney and Giuliani spar during the 2008 GOP primary debates

““I think he has an understanding of the economy that’s far deeper than the president…”

Romney Noncommittal On Rubio’s DREAM Act

California Referendum On Death Penalty Makes The Ballot

Boehner: One In Three Chance GOP Could Lose House

Some Actor Busted At Medicare Protest

Defense Reorganizes Intelligence Efforts

Gingrich Could Drop From Race This Week

RNC Trio Gets Boot From Romney Campaign

Trustees Report Social Security Outlook Worsening



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Prices Continue To Slide On Weak Demand; NYMEX $103.11, Brent $118.71
Wal-Mart Shaken By Bribery Probe
Netflix Spooks Street With Sputtering User Growth
Facebook 1Q Profit Drops As Costs Double
Asian Shares Inch Higher, Restrained By European Political Uncertainty
Ex-CEO Of Calpers Accused Of Fraud
Jana Partners Buys 12% Of B&N, Stock Jumps
Australian Inflation Slows, Giving Rate Cut Hopes A Lift
Did Facebook Just Pay $83 Million For That Big Pile Of IBM Patents?
The Slow Decay Of The Microsoft Consumer
The Internet Gets A Hall Of Fame (Including Algore!)
Google On Track To Outspend Banks, Tobacco Firms In Lobbying
Google Wanted Java “Partnership” With Sun



SPORTS
Rangers Live To Fight Another Day

Rookie Chris Kreider (center) scores first goal - and it's a game winner

3-2 win over Ottawa forces Game 7 at Madison Square Garden

Lakers, Metta World “Chaos” Wait For The Hammer To Fall

Sixers Clinch Playoffs, Ruin Nyets’ Final Game In Jersey

Jeter Gets Four Hits In Yankees’ 7-4 Win Over Texas

Saints Deny ESPN Eavesdropping Allegations

Giants Flummox Mets For Doubleheader Sweep

Spurs Clinch #1 Seed In West With 124-89 Blowout Of Trailblazers

Virginia Tech Fires Greenberg After Nine Seasons



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
It’s Official: Lindsay Lohan To Star As Liz Taylor

LiLo and Liz

Will star in Lifetime original movie “Liz & Dick”

Rep: Jennifer Aniston Is Not Marrying Justin Theroux In Crete

Drew Barrymore, Will Kopelman Celebrate At Couples Shower

Justin Bieber Mocks Alleged Baby Mama On Twitter

“Haywire” Star Gina Carano In Talks To Join “Fast & Furious 6”

Jessica Chastain Back In “Iron Man 3” Talks

Megan Fox Is Preggers!

Britney To Become “Queen Of Hard Rock”?
Egad. What’s next, an acoustic album by Dimmu Borgir?
😉



FOREIGNERS
South Sudan’s President Seeks Help From PRC As War Approaches
Aung San Suu Kyi’s Party Postpones Entry To Burma Parliament Over Oath Row
Syrians Report Deadly Reprisal After UN Visit To Hama
Jerusalem, Cairo Play Down Significance Of Gas Crisis
Dutch Governing Coalition Resigns After Failing To Pass Austerity Budget
PRC, Norks Reaffirm Ties After Rocket Test
Former Icelandic PM Haarde Found Not Guilty On Most Charges; No Punishment To Follow Minor Charges
Joint Vietnam/US Naval Exercises Stir Troubled Waters In South China Sea
Chavez Calls Home To Squash Death Rumors
As Bo Xilai Rose, His Family Wealth Grew



BLOGS & STUFF
Breitbart TV: SNL’s Jon Lovitz Slams Obama, Taxes, Fake 99%-ers
An Ex-Con’s View: The LCWR and Satan
The Conservatory: Stupidest Reason Yet To Do Away With The All-Volunteer Military
Power Line: Could Newt Pull Off A Delaware Upset?
Hit & Run: Arizona Immigration Law Arguments Come After The Damage Is Done
Allahpundit: Hmmm – Marco Rubio Schedules Major Speech On Foreign Policy
Weasel Zippers: Obama Announces New “Atrocities Prevention Board”, Appoints Woman Who Wanted Military Invasion Of Israel As Its Head
Marginal Revolution: Does Not Compute
NewsBusters: Don’t Believe It – The Media Aren’t Beating Up On Barack Obama
Michelle Malkin: ALEC-Bashing NPR Reporter Fails To Disclose Ties To Lead Anti-ALEC Group
Fox Nation: Gorbachev Endorses Obama
Legal Insurrection: Who Exactly Is Being Deprived Of The Same Chance Obama Had To Get An Education?
Weekly Standard: “The War On Terror Is Over”
Israel Matzav: Freedom Of The Press, Palestinian Style
NRO Corner: True To Form

Category: Live at Five

Metaphor Alert

Posted on | April 24, 2012 | 2 Comments

by Smitty

It says something about Progress, I think. Or maybe how having the clock way off on your computer, and pulling an April Fools joke 3.5 weeks late can make you the single biggest chump on the planet:

Company Accidentally Fires Entire Staff Via Email

Category: humor

Sympathy For Those Who Raise Children Full-Time

Posted on | April 23, 2012 | 16 Comments

by Smitty

Mrs. The Other Smitty is on the road. A nine month old is a tremendous amount of work! Don’t let these Lefty jackwagons lie, to the contrary. Here, symbolizing power as a coffee cup, and our system of checks and balances as a dishwasher frame, The World’s Youngest Blogger empathizes with Obama’s feelings of constraint.

Update: linked by The Catholic Bandita!

Category: Barack Obama, World's Youngest Blogger

Sarkozy Discovers His Open Right Flank

Posted on | April 23, 2012 | 25 Comments

Because it is my habit to ignore smelly foreigners (and let’s face it, they all stink), I pay little heed to the troubles of French politicians.

Nevertheless, Nicholas Sarkozy is the most pro-American French politician since . . . Well, he’s pro-American, and so his difficulties are kind of relevant. In order to retain power, Sarkozy finds himself forced to reach out to Le Front National, whom the press generally describe as “far right” or even “fringe.”

Can we be brutally honest here? Your typical Republican voter in Iowa or Alabama would probably qualify as “far right” or “fringe” by the descriptive standards the media applies to any European who is anywhere rightward of the most tame British Tory.

Hell’s bells, it would probably be illegal for any French newspaper to publish a Michelle Malkin or Charles Krauthammer column.

The history of European nationalism is such a heavy burden that anyone in Europe who criticizes the EU or complains about immigration or multiculturalism tends to get instantly classified as a dangerous extremist, so that mainstream “conservative” parties in Europe won’t even go near such issues. Thus, we see the persistence of “far right” parties with disreputable associations, parties that might dwindle in significance if “conservative” parties weren’t such scaredy-cats.

We in America are used to the two-party system, which tends to channel any genuinely widespread sentiment into one or the other of the major parties. Some Republicans, alas, have the same scaredy-cat impulses as European “conservatives,” so that if it were up to such pantywaists, the GOP would be as liberal on immigration as the Democrats.

If a pro-American French politician has to make a deal with the “far right” in order to keep the American-hating socialists out of power, this is perhaps in some sense unfortunate, but let’s not pretend that this makes Sarkozy a crypto-Nazi. I’m noticing that the Memeorandum thread doesn’t show any conservative bloggers offering comments, so I guess the liberals are having fits of hysteria.

Good. Liberal hysteria makes me smile. Read more

Category: Crime, Europe, France, Great Britain, Immigration

Why ‘Modern Romance’ Is an Oxymoron

Posted on | April 23, 2012 | 40 Comments

Greta Gerwig and Adam Brody in Damsels in Distress

That which is romantic is almost always in some sense old-fashioned, but we cannot be old-fashioned if we know nothing of the past, and most young people have no idea what Edmund Burke meant when he lamented that “the age of chivalry is gone.” Maggie’s Notebook linked to a column by Thomas Hibbs, a dean at Baylor University, reviewing the new Whit Stillman film, Damsels in Distress. Hibbs remarks of contemporary campus customs:

Nowhere is the absence of customs and purpose more evident than in the confusion about relations between the sexes. Dating has nearly vanished from college campuses. How dire the situation has become is evident from a recent piece in Boston College Magazine about the popularity of philosophy grad student Kerry Cronin’s lecture, “10 Reasons You’re Not Dating and What to Do about It.” Cronin reflects on being shocked at one student’s response to her response to the question, “How would you ask someone out on a date?” The student, with notebook and pen in hand, abruptly interrupted Cronin’s initial, somewhat abstract response. “No,” she clarified, “what are the words?”

A very old-fashioned book I once read — written sometime in the late 1940s or early ’50s — offered this simple advice: Date to mate.

That is to say, the entire purpose of dating is to find a spouse. Thus the near-disappearance of dating from the college scene is a symptom of the decline of marriage, which is in turn related to the widespread acceptance of non-marital sex. Yet it seems to me that conservatives keep trying to change the wrong variable in this equation. If we wish to encourage young people to wait until they’re married, we ought not expect them to wait too long to get married. And if they’re not interested in getting married, why are they dating at all?

What is called “dating” was a 20th-century adaptation of what was once called “courtship,” a transition perhaps best explained by the title of a book, From Front Porch to Back Seat. Courtship naturally leads to the altar, and we cannot expect young people to engage in something so quaintly old-fashioned when we insist on placing the altar off somewhere in the far-distant future. Bad habits begin with bad ideas, and most of the ideas young people get about love, sex and marriage from popular culture — or from their peers — are very bad indeed. One nowadays hears talk of “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” while kids are still in elementary school, and we thus hear quite shocking tales about middle-schoolers, while perhaps accounts of the libidinous adventures of high-schoolers shock us much less than they should.

By the time they get to college, a majority of students have long since become “sexually active,” to use the politically correct language for what used to be called screwing around or, even more judgmentally, fornicating. We have lost the language of judgmentalism for fear of being thought sexist or homophobic or otherwise old-fashioned, as if it were a hate crime to tell young folks, “Hey, keep your britches on!”

Perhaps even more disastrously, too many people seem to assume that it is unrealistic even to suggest a high moral ideal, simply because people are apt to fall short of those ideals. Not only is it considered “unrealistic” to say that young folks ought to keep their britches on, but the praise of virtue is nowadays supposed to be psychologically harmful, given the prevalence of vice.

Why, for example, have feminists lately gotten so worked up about “slut-shaming”? Because we might hurt their precious self-esteem!

We wouldn’t want some tramp, vamp, hussy, floozy, or common slut to feel bad about her promiscuity, would we? Perish the thought! Because no matter how harmful to her health or happiness such behavior might be, there is nothing more important than feeling good about yourself — or at least, not having anybody suggest that what you’re doing is wrong, bad, shameful and dangerous. (Don’t even think of saying “sinful,” you christofascist godbag!)

Religious faith, cultural tradition, ancient customs — all of these are strictly forbidden as guidelines for the behavior of Young Moderns, and even ordinary common sense has been cast aside. Your grandmother would have told these girls, “He ain’t going to buy the cow, if he’s getting the milk for free,” but the basic supply-and-demand logic of that equation makes no sense to them. Strange to say, egalitarianism has progressed to the point that quite often the girls are on the demand side of the equation, and any halfway attractive young fellow can scarcely keep up with all the girls craving his amorous attention.

Well, having lectured disapprovingly of what is, I hesitate to conclude by suggesting what ought to be, lest Professor Reynolds should again be shocked that I would offer “dating advice.”

Whit Stillman’s films are subtly didactic, and I’m sure that Damsels in Distress is another excellent lesson. But I also wish young people would watch more old movies, which provide so many wonderful examples of politically incorrect romance.

 

Category: Culture, Education, Movies, Sex

Is VA Gov. McDonnell’s Regent U. Thesis An Example?

Posted on | April 23, 2012 | 34 Comments

by Smitty

Instapundit:

Have you noticed that the Dems keep coming up with some sure-fire talking point, and then the people on the right take it, turn it around, and then just keep hammering it until the Dems beg for mercy? Or, anyway, start trying to change the subject.

Ed Driscoll on Twitter last night:
Politico, emphasis mine:

McDonnell is, in many ways, a perfect running mate for Mitt Romney: he’s a conservative Southern governor with a solid record on jobs and deficits and the near-total trust of the Christian conservative community. The down side is that he’s seriously vulnerable to criticism for his record on women’s issues, starting with the thesis he wrote at Regent University and running up through the ultrasound legislation he signed this spring. In that context, the governor’s record and views on abortion could end up front and center in the 2012 campaign.

As long as we’re bringing up the subject of college work, it would be interesting to see the work of one Barack H. Obama. I heard that BHO’s Master’s thesis had something to do with rejecting capitalism as a “dog eat dog” system, in favor or Socialism, which, purportedly, will reverse the situation.

Category: Barack Obama, Instapundit, Republicans, Virginia
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