The Other McCain

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

Quote of the Day

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | 54 Comments

“There are a lot of yellow-stained drawers in Washington Cocktail Party haunts this morning.”
— Bill Quick, Daily Pundit

The Establishment is nothing if not confident and, although their confidence was surely shaken by Rick Santorum’s Tuesday sweep, Mitt Romney still has an overwhelming advantage in terms of money.

The Mitt Machine is probably even now gearing up to flood the airwaves in upcoming primary states with TV attack ads highlighting scandals like the time Rick got a C-minus on his fifth-grade report card.

People who don’t live in New Hampshire or South Carolina probably don’t realize that the Romney campaign aired attack ads against Santorum in those states, labelling him a “Washington insider” addicted to “pork barrel spending.” Indeed, one reason Newt was able to beat Mitt in South Carolina is that Santorum’s Iowa win distracted Team Romney from their previous destroy-Newt-at-all-costs mission.

Given that history, I do not underestimate Romney’s continued likelihood of winning the nomination. Beating Mitt is going to be a lot harder than most conservatives imagine, and if you don’t want Romney to be the GOP nominee, you’d better start praying now.

Early this morning at The American Spectator, I outlined a possible strategic scenario that might help stop Mitt. Please read that, and pray.

Also, please go give Rick Santorum some money — $25, $50, $100 — because these “upset miracles” can be kind of expensive.


Category: Bill Quick, Election 2012, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum

Does It Make Eastwood A Bigger Chump Than Griffith, Though?

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | 18 Comments

by Smitty

The Hollywood Reporter tells us that, while Clint himself may not work for Mr. Obama, his collaborators on his Super Bowl pep talk did. I thought the ad was actually well done, except for the lack of context, as private sector unions are substantially at fault for Michigan’s plight. It turns out, however, that “Two members of the creative team that produced the two-minute minute spot for ad agency Wieden+Kennedy donated their personal time in 2008 to make pro-Obama art.” I’m sure that there wasn’t any, you know, collaboration going on between those guys and #OccupyResoluteDesk’s minions.

I hope that the ad cost less than the $3.66 million spent on Andy Griffith’s ObamaCare fare. Neither dude looks cool being an Obama tool.

Maybe an enraged Eastwood will make a film celebrating American exceptionalism and liberty, if we poke him enough.

via Rhetorican

Category: Barack Obama, Celebrities

Bill Clinton Did Try To Bring About Peace For Israel

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | 11 Comments

by Smitty

In the credit where due department, Bill did make some effort:

Half a dozen snarky things come to mind, but one will relax and opt for graciousness.

via DavidVida004

Category: Bill Clinton

I Guess DeMint Isn’t Endorsing Romney

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

He says he’s ejecting from the Senate in 2016. Spot on!

Here is the book he is touting:

via American Glob

Category: Republicans

My Take On The Birth Control And Prop. 8 Decisions

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | 20 Comments

by Smitty

I think that the war on Catholics and the war on marriage arrive at a good time. There seems to be a great deal of bellyaching about GOP candidates “they all suck–get over it” and a general lack of vigor amongst conservatives.

  • We’re burned out on fluffy debates and negative ads.
  • The House GOP don’t seem to have any real strategy, legislatively, on Solyndra, on Fast & Furious.
  • #OccupyResoluteDesk, buoyed by quantitative easing on the stock market and statistical easing on the job numbers, is doing orders of magnitude better than he has any right to expect.

And so the Administration picks a fight with CatholicsChristians, and the 9th circuit dogs bite a man in a gimp suit in a ritual that must make sense in their San Francisco digs. Also, CPAC is hours away, and the ObamaCare oral arguments are next month.

That, fellow conservatives, adds up to what should be some intense motivation. Various Ruling Class Overlords and their sad little tools would like to pronounce the Tea Parties dead. And so they bring this noise.

LET US CALL THEIR BLUFF,
YE PATRIOTS

More at The Camp of the Saints.

And, mostly unrelated, I can’t not include this, via Sissy Willis:

See, now, *that* is very well played.

Category: Culture

LIVE AT FIVE – 02.08.12

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | 6 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
HAT TRICK

Rick Santorum and wife Karen take the stage at an election night party in Missouri

Wins Colorado and Minnesota caucuses, also Missouri primary

California Gay Marriage Ban Struck Down
Anyone really expect anything different from the 9th Circus?
Supremes virtually certain to grant cert, experts say

Syrian Slaughter Continues Into Fifth Day
Follows promise by Assad to Russian envoy that’s he’ll stop the violence



POLITICS
Obama Tries To Ease Ire On Contraception Mandate

Presidential adviser David Axelrod

Administration firm on maintaining mandate, looking for spoonful of sugar to make it go down easier

Poll Says TV Still Trumps The Web For Campaign News


Obama Flip-Flops On Super PACs

Pa. Governor Corbett Seeks Budget Cuts, No Tax Hike

Payroll Tax Extension Talks Bog Down

Gingrich Goes Back To Positive Approach In Ohio



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
NY Crude Gains For Second Day As Stockpile Decline Indicates Increased Demand
Gold Edges Up, Copper Gains On Europe Hopes
Greeks Seek Elusive Bailout Deal, EU Tempers Fray
Yahoo Board Shaken Up In Push For Revival
Nokia Cuts 4000 Jobs
Bernanke Repeats Vow To Shield U.S. From EU Fallout
Disney Profit Up 12% On ESPN Growth, Domestic Theme Parks
Google Finally Launches Chrome For Android
Hacker Posts Symantec Source Code As Ransom Demand Fails
Greenpeace Hates Big Tech But Wants To Kill Google Least
Halliburton Replaces Blackberries With iPhones; U.S. Military Experiments With Google’s Android
Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios Releases First Videogame



SPORTS
Pierce Points The Way For Celtics

Paul Pierce: Second only to Havlicek now on the Celtics' all-time list

Moves into second place on Boston’s all-time scorers list as he leads team past Bobcats

Ellis’ 48 Not Enough As Warriors Fall To Thunder, 119-116

Caps Regain Southeast Lead With 4-0 Shutout Of Panthers



Chauncey Billups Out For Season With Torn Achilles Tendon

Fighting Sioux Nickname Lives Again In North Dakota

WWE Superstar John Cena To Start Daytona 500 Engines

Cricket And Politics Collide On Twitter With Hilarious Results
Probably funnier in the original Australian

Restless Nationals Could Leave Brevard



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
InStyle’s Cover Girl: Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston, cover girl

What Jen likes about Justin Theroux and other tidbits of interest

T-shirts, Tuxes, And Rap Without Frills

Beyonce Reveals Sexy Post-Partum Body

Robert Downey Jr.: It’s A Boy!

Lana Del Rey Tour Postponed After SNL Flop

Jospeh Gordon-Levitt To Make Directing Debut

Jennifer Love Hewitt Goes Blonde


Katharine McPhee: The Roles That Got Away

Nicole Scherzinger On “X Factor” Departure: “I Have No Regrets”

Fox Delays “This Means War ” Release

“It’s Awkward If You Have To Fondle The Director’s Wife”: Kate Beckinsale Opens Up About Filming Sex Scenes With Colin Farrell



FOREIGNERS
Obama Administration Flounders On Syria
A Resignation That Keeps Democracy Afloat In Maldives
Crackdown Threatens U.S. – Egypt Relationship
9 Jihadis Killed In Pakistan By Drones
Britain Rules Out Falklands Talks With Argentina
Would-Be Car Bomber Killed, Barracks Windows Shattered In Nigeria
Brazilian Police Strike Talks Break Down In Bahia
Ahmadinejad Summoned To Testify Before Iranian Parliament
Gulf States Expel Syrian Ambassadors



BLOGS & STUFF
Legal Insurrection: 9th Circuit Holds Proposition 8 Violates 14th Amendment
Michelle Malkin: Romney Gets Rick-Rolled
Hit & Run: Ron Paul Second In National Poll
Powerline: Democracy In Action?
Gateway Pundit: McConnell On Mandate – Congress Will Act If President Doesn’t Reconsider
Allahpundit: White House Having Second Thoughts On Contraception Mandate?
David Freddoso: Dirty Tricks In WI State Senate Recalls
Atlas Shrugs: Pro-Jihad BBC Gives The K-Dash Treatment To Osama Bin Laden’s Right Hand Man In Europe
Wall Street Journal: Planned Parenthood’s Hostages
Jihad Watch: Occupy DC Thugs Plan Violent Disruption Of CPAC
Lonely Conservative: Occupy DC, Unions Plan To Thwart Security, Infiltrate CPAC
Ed Driscoll: Combat Journalism
Weasel Zippers: Obama Appoints Public Advocate For Illegal Immigrants


SOTD: Goodnight Saigon

Category: Live at Five

Santorum Surge Returns: Wins Missouri, Minnesota; UPDATE: Wins Colorado UPDATE: NY Times ‘Unexpectedly!’

Posted on | February 8, 2012 | 59 Comments

They’re still counting votes in Colorado at this hour — 1 a.m. Eastern, 11 p.m. Mountain — and Rick Santorum is barely leading Mitt Romney with about half of the caucus vote counted there.

Santorum won both the Missouri primary and the Minnesota caucuses, and you have to wonder if Newt Gingrich’s angry rant Saturday after losing in Nevada hasn’t shifted the GOP battlefield.

UPDATE: Readers will excuse my long delay in blogging the results tonight, as I was working on my annual CPAC preview feature for The American Spectator. But as I was writing, I had the TV on Fox News, where the commentators kept repeating that (a) the Missouri primary is just a “beauty pageant”; and (b) the caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado are “non-binding.” In other words, they were trying to suggest that the vote didn’t matter.

The Iowa GOP caucuses were also “non-binding,” but Fox News commentators didn’t say a word about that on caucus night, did they?

UPDATE II: With the Associated Press reporting just 67% of precincts in Colorado, and Santorum leading Romney 39%-35%, the chairman of the Colorado GOP just called into Fox News to say that he has results from 99% of precincts, and Santorum has definitely won there.

UPDATE III: The results from Missouri:

Rick Santorum ………..138,957 — 55.2%
Mitt Romney ………….. 63,826 — 25.3%
Ron Paul ………………… 30,641 — 12.2%

Newt Gingrich didn’t make the Missouri ballot. It is true that no delegates were bound by Tuesday’s vote. However, unlike Karl Rove, I’d say Santorum beating Romney by 30 points might be kinda important.

UPDATE IV: The results from Minnesota:

Rick Santorum ……….20,932 — 44.9%
Ron Paul ………………..12,627 — 27.1%
Mitt Romney …………..7,890 –16.9%
Newt Gingrich ………. 4,993 — 10.7%

Once more, Karl Rove is correct to say that the caucus vote in Minnesota is “non-binding.” But when Santorum got 45% while Romney and Gingrich got 27% combined? Might be kinda important.

UPDATE V: The results from Colorado:

Rick Santorum ……….. 26,580 — 40.2%
Mitt Romney …………. 23,097 — 34.9%
Newt Gingrich …………. 8,457 — 12.8%
Ron Paul …………………. 7,782 — 11.8%

Yeah, Karl Rove, I know: “non-binding.” But Rick Santorum just scored a hat trick — 3-for-3 — in three crucial swing states, and got more votes in one night than Romney got in Iowa and New Hampshire combined.

Might be kinda important.

UPDATE VI: Let me put some numbers on that last point. In Iowa, Romney got less than 30,000 votes. In New Hampshire, Romney got less than 100,00 votes. Tonight in Missouri alone, Rick Santorum got more votes than Romney got in Iowa and New Hampshire combined, and in all, Santorum got nearly 180,000 votes Tuesday.

Might be kinda important.

UPDATE VII: O, ye of little zero faith! Now with the benefit of hindsight, let’s re-read Allahpundit’s preview of Tuesday’s vote:

No delegates at stake tonight, but this is probably Santorum’s last chance to breeze past Newt as the race’s designated Not Romney. . . . If he wins both easily, then he gets a bunch of positive media coverage this week and maybe a few more big-name conservative endorsements, which in turn could mean enough movement in the polls to put him on at least an equal footing with Gingrich. Once that happens, the pressure will shift to Newt to explain why he should stay in and divide the conservative vote on the strength of having won one state while Santorum should drop out after having won three.

Excuse me, Allah: This surprising hat-trick — you kinda low-rated Santorum in Colorado, didn’t ya, buddy? — actually makes it four states in which Santorum has beaten Romney.

And as to the bizarre self-perpetuating media meme that “no delegates” were at stake Tuesday: This was legally true in Missouri, but given Santorum’s 2-to-1 margin in the “beauty pageant” vote, does anyone really think someone other than Santorum will get the lion’s share of the delegates at next month’s Missouri caucuses?

As for the presidential preference votes at Tuesday’s precinct caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado, yes — those votes were “non-binding,” officially. But if a precinct caucus votes 45-27 for Santorum over Romney (i.e., the typical Minnesota precinct), do we suppose that this caucus will then send a slate of Romney delegates to the next phase of the state party nominating process who will vote for somebody else besides Santorum? Or should we, as I suggest we should, assume that the delegates chosen at the precinct level will eventually vote at the state level to send delegates to the national convention in roughly the same proportion as the preference expressed in the precinct votes?

Like I said, the Iowa caucus vote on Jan. 3 was also “non-binding” in the same sense as the Minnesota and Colorado precinct caucus votes, but almost nobody mentioned that at the time. However, it seems that somebody’s campaign — and I’m thinking it might be somebody whose name sounds like “Ritt Momney” — was very diligent in spreading the message about these “non-binding” votes that Rick Santorum won Tuesday.

UPDATE VIII: In politics, as in economics, the New York Times is always caught by surprise:

His candidacy all but dismissed just days ago, Rick Santorum won the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses and a nonbinding primary in Missouri on Tuesday, an unexpected trifecta that raised fresh questions about Mitt Romney’s ability to corral conservative support. . .
His performance added another twist to an unruly nominating contest that has seen Republican voters veering among candidates and refusing to coalesce behind anyone. It came after Mr. Romney scored back-to-back victories in Florida and Nevada that had led to predictions that he was finally on a straight march to the nomination.

By whom was Santorum’s candidacy “all but dismissed”? Why, by all the smart guys at the New York Times, that’s who!

Kind of interesting that Romney’s top surrogate in Minnesota was the state’s former governor, Tim Pawlenty, and yet Romney placed third in Minnesota, with 17 percent. Thanks, Tim!

Tuesday’s trifecta was not “unexpected” by a certain Colorado resident:

What did I tell ya? Santorum’s got game. . . . Nothing is inevitable in politics.

Attagirl, Michelle. And she makes an important point: This would be a good time to go give Rick Santorum some money: $20, $50, $100 — whatever you can afford, give it now. Super Tuesday’s coming soon, and the Romney attack machine is going to pour on millions of dollars in attack ads to try to destroy the Comeback Kid they thought they buried weeks ago.

UPDATE IX: Linked by Fire Andrea Mitchell — thanks! Guess Tuesday’s vote doesn’t bode well for “Sweet Meteor of Death,” eh?

One of my friends from Team Santorum pointed out on Twitter that a tropical storm just hit Vanuatu. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

UPDATE X: My libertarian friend in Missouri, Tom Knapp, seems to grasp the Fear and Loathing element in this campaign. And the truly bizarre thing is, I’ll be hanging out with Rick Santorum this weekend at CPAC. Because the going just got weird . . .

UPDATE XI: Evil Blogger Lady: “This reminds me of that moment of recognition by Michael Corleone in Godfather II that the rebels in Cuba could actually win…” Because no discussion of 21st-century politics is complete until somebody makes a Godfather reference.

It’s 3:30 a.m. Good-night, everybody.

Category: Colorado, Election 2012, Karl Rove, Minnesota, Missouri, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum

Thomas Sowell On Why Romney Actually Doesn’t Care Fig #1 About The Poor

Posted on | February 7, 2012 | 15 Comments

by Smitty

Sowell:

Mitt Romney has come out in support of indexing the minimum wage law, to have it rise automatically to keep pace with inflation. To many people, that would seem like a small thing that can be left for economists or statisticians to deal with.
But to people who call themselves conservatives, and aspire to public office, there is no excuse for not being aware of what a major social disaster the minimum wage law has been for the young, the poor and especially for young and poor blacks.
It is not written in the stars that young black males must have astronomical rates of unemployment. It is written implicitly in the minimum wage laws.

I should think that the Bain of our existence would be a little more knowledgable about the evil effects of minimum wage laws.

The positive examples of policy queering markets are so rare as to be non-existant. And yet, like entitlements, minimum wage laws are among the policy drugs we can’t stop smoking.

Romney, combining the worst aspects of a politician and a roulette wheel, will probably come out strongly at war with Eastasian minimum wage laws, which he has always fought.

via Riehl on Twitter

Category: Mitt Romney, Thomas Sowell
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