While I Agree With Gerard Here, Sometimes I Wonder If There Is A Point

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by Smitty

Gerard has a great point about circling the wagons here. Read and heed.

If true conservatives want to have a truly conservative candidate in a truly conservative party they will have to commit to the long march. You know, “the long march” like the one the left took through out political, academic, religious, and media institutions. The one they spent decades on. The long hard road to political supremacy. The one that takes work and money.
That’s the one thing I don’t see erstwhile conservatives actually doing from election to election. Instead they run their lives and their businesses off on the side and they show up every three years or so to watch the little red hens of politics take the nomination away from their conservative flavor of the week.
The way the Republican party is set up in the primary system means that to even have a shot at winning it you have to be running for it years and years and years before the actual elections. That’s what Romney’s been doing. That’s the game and he’s got the pieces in place to win it. You may not like it, but, hey, change it or play it.

I agree. Romney has done the homework, and will have my full support, after the convention in August.

But, as Daily Pundit links, the Federal Reserve is getting ready to hoist a middle finger at Einstein again, easing us quantitatively, with insane hopes that, somehow, this time the economy will recover.

I haven’t heard a flipping thing from Romney that gives me shred #1 of confidence that, if elected, he’ll do much in the way of reforming. Long march, indeed. The good news about low expectations for Mitt is that he pretty much has to avoid being #OccupyResoluteDesk to succeed.

Update: linked at The Rio Norte Line.

Greetings From Myrtle Beach

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.
We were somewhere between Nakina, N.C., and the South Carolina border, cruising south on Highway 905 at 70 mph when I hit the brakes. My 13-year-old son Jefferson, who had been trying to sleep in the passenger seat of the rented Toyota Corolla, sat up suddenly. “What? What is it?”

“Deer,” I said, pointing to the field on the right side of the road. “A whole freaking herd of ’em.”

One of them had crossed the road ahead of me, stirring memories of that terrifying night in September 2010 when a deer totalled my KIA Optima. That’s why I’d hit the brakes, slowing suddenly from 70 to 40 mph, and startling my son awake.

Sure, I had gotten the full insurance at the rental agency, but the deductible was $500 and if one of those vicious antlered bastards attacked the Toyota, I’d be out five hundred bucks. So we crept along until we were safely past the herd and after that, I kept it under 60 mph, just in case there were more of them lurking somewhere down the road, waiting to ambush me.

It was about 3:30 a.m. and I’d been on the road since 8 o’clock Saturday night. We’d made good time, especially once we got off Interstate 95 and onto the two-lane highways, from Lumberton through Bladenboro and Whitesville down through Nakina. And then, with my nerves already worn down from sleep deprivation and too much coffee, I saw the deer.

An ill omen, I’m certain, but at least it woke me up, and I was on high alert for the next 45 minutes as we drove on down to Myrtle Beach. We pulled up in the parking lot of the Sheraton Convention Center on Oak Street, and went inside to scope out the location of today’s Faith & Freedom Coalition Prayer Breakfast. Then we got back in the car, drove down 21st Avenue to Ocean Boulevard and turned left, looking for a cheap motel. It didn’t take long to find what we were looking for.

We paid cash ($43, including tax and the key deposit) for a room with a balcony overlooking the ocean. Now I’m going to try to get a couple hours of sleep before the prayer breakfast. But I’ll probably have nightmares about being attacked by antlered monsters. Hit the tip jar.




UPDATE: While I was on the road last night, Tina Korbe at Hot Air posted these two ads by the pro-Gingrich “super PAC,” Winning Our Future:

““Mitt Romney,” a voice tells the audience as dramatic music pumps underneath. “Not conservative. Not electable.”

Romney Leads by 21 Points in S.C.?

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Carolina RINOs?

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has opened a wide lead over his rivals in the South Carolina primary election race, trouncing Newt Gingrich and gaining momentum in his march toward the party’s nomination, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. . . .
The poll showed 37 percent of South Carolina Republican voters back Romney. Congressman Ron Paul and former Senator Rick Santorum tied for second place with 16 percent support.
Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, has fallen far back after holding a strong lead in South Carolina in December. He was in fourth place at 12 percent in the Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Do not despair, conservatives! There is good news here, too:

After Gingrich, Texas Governor Rick Perry placed next in the Reuters/Ipsos poll with 6 percent support. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who was third in the New Hampshire primary, came in the lowest in the South Carolina poll with 3 percent support.

Perry and Huntsman have less than 10 percent between them and if they finish that low, they’re finished. Subtract them from the field, and there’s that much less distraction going into Florida. And still more good news:

At a forum hosted by Mike Huckabee with 800 undecided South Carolina Republicans, Newt Gingrich was loudly booed when he criticized Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital, according to a Republican who attended the closed-press event.

To quote Allahpundit: “Oh my.”

If Newt’s getting booed, so that his fade continues, that benefits . . .?

Yeah: Rick Santorum, fresh off his endorsement by the social conservative conclave. There are two debates this week — Monday on Fox and Thursday on CNN — and therefore a chance that Romney can say something stupid enough to cost him 10 points. And never underestimate the sweater vest. There is still hope to stop Romney, and therefore . . .

Exit Question: Why is it that so many conservatives who have said their top priority is to stop Romney at all costs don’t support Rick Santorum?

Update (Smitty): linked by Surber.

A Note On Raaaaacism

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by Smitty

Legal Insurrection has a chilling video about raaaaacism and a prominent GOP candidate, of whom I’m not fan.

One of the fascinating general questions about political leadership, and cutting across a variety of issues and candidates, is the notion of repentance. Mitt, in the linked clip, is all but called a raaaaacist. Ron Paul feels that heat too, both of incidents decades in the past.

Part of Progressive propaganda is to fool around with time. Mormonism had a discriminatory past; therefore Mitt is a raaaaacist. Paul had these raaaaacist newsletters. I live in Virginia, which held the capitol of the Confederacy; by this logic, I must be a raaaaacist.

We need to demand more analysis from the finger pointers. New rule: if you’re going to develop a claim that Romney is a raaaaacist, you have to carry it forward through his career at Bain, his tenure as Governor of the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, and his campaign. Is there even shred one of an indication of disdain for anyone based upon heritage?

And Ron Paul delivered a lot of babies. Did he feel less joy in his heart bringing minority life into this world? Or was all life just, you know, life to the guy?

I’m actually an Oregonian by birth, and a Virginian for the last decade. And I’m no raaaaacist, but I sure am developing a strong bias against those who spout accusation with neither proof nor motive, save destruction. May God have mercy on your lying, demonic souls, and bring you to repentance.

Sullivan’s Gut Is Also Confused

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by Smitty

Sullivan’s Daily Ditch isn’t of much interest, but one must correct a mis-perception here:

The big surprise for me in this is Ron Paul’s remarkable strength in South Carolina. My gut tells me it’s driven by military types, who share the view of many active duty soldiers that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were idiotic. But the evangelical machers’ embrace of Santorum could now help Romney. If it halts Santorum’s slide, it may also halt Gingrich’s and Paul’s rise, allowing Romney to claim a bigger victory.

Ron Paul’s strength is rooted in economic interests. I don’t doubt that there are substantial peacenicks among his supporters, but to venture the notion that the SC military residents have gone all Jimmy Carter is to forget where the U.S. Civil War began.

As for the rest of the incoherent analysis about halting Santorum’s slide and the rise of Gingrich and Paul, the World’s Youngest Blogger replied in his diaper, and I must tend to the WYB’s analysis. I recommend you have a go at siring and raising a child, Andrew: it has a wonderful clarifying effect on on thought.

via The Moderate Voice

This Vintage Pin-Up Girl Would Probably Look Better in a Santorum Sweater Vest

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This post is not merely a timely reminder that you can get your own Rick Santorum sweater vest for a $100 contribution to his campaign — although it can’t hurt to remind you — but also an opportunity to rattle the tip jar as I prepare to head back out on the road.

While I was out on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, conservative theologian Doug Wilson expressed his criticism of “Rule 5,” but I was so busy doing coverage that there was no time to respond. And I guess you can consider this post a response, once again borrowing William Teach of Pirate Cove’s idea of using vintage cheesecake to anchor a link-around aggregation or, as Jimmie Bise Jr. of Sundries Shack calls it, “clearing the browser tabs”:

  • Da Tech Guy is still rattling Da Tip Jar, and I’ve already contributed, so you should go help the Godfather of the Axis of Fedora.
  • When RINOs attack: Mitt Romney’s “super PAC” goes after Rick Santorum. Has anybody else noticed that the Romney campaign hasn’t run a single ad criticizing Ron Paul or Rick Perry? As if they’ve figured out that those guys are irrelevant and pose no threat to Romney, y’know what I mean?
  • Speaking of irrelevant and posing no threat to Romney: “Days after his third place finish in New Hampshire, some Huntsman for President staffers have already left the campaign, while others tell BuzzFeed they wish the former Utah governor would drop out so they could join Mitt Romney’s team.”
  • If you’re a voter who’s still undecided in South Carolina, ask yourself this: Which Republican candidate inspires blasphemy by liberals? “MSNBC’s Alex Wagner is caught muttering ‘Jesus’ under her breath as a clip of Rick Santorum talking about classes in America plays.”
  • Bill Quick is still convinced Newt can beat Romney. However, I find it hard to imagine Republicans rallying behind the candidate who dumped two ex-wives and collected more than $1 million from Freddie Mac. The way this primary campaign is being waged in the blogosphere is kind of like trash-talking the opponent in SEC football, and it’s best not to take these things personally. At least Bill links my blog, which counts for something.
  • Being compared to a teenage girl on Prom Night? Not exactly flattering, but at least Andrew links my blog, which counts for something.
  • What’s the most interesting thing in this story? “Rick Santorum delivered a stark warning to South Carolina voters Saturday, telling them Mitt Romney is a sure loser in November if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee. ‘Don’t buy all this baloney that we need a moderate to win,’ Santorum told about 200 people gathered at Tommy’s Country Ham House in Greenville. ‘We need someone with strong core convictions who is going to appeal to the voters in the states we need to win and that’s not him. That’s us.'” The most interesting thing: 200 people at a Greenville restaurant on a Saturday. The word to describe that is “surge.”
  • Santorum endorsed by vintage pin-up girl Christian conservative leaders: “Family Research Council president Tony Perkins announced Saturday a meeting of Christian conservative leaders had decided to coalesce around GOP hopeful Rick Santorum. The group heard pitches from surrogates for Republican candidates Friday, and voted to back Santorum after three rounds of voting.”
  • The Lonely Conservative: “I guess the moral of this story is that Republican primary candidates should not adopt the rhetoric of the left.” Another moral of the story: When in doubt, go with the sweater vest.
  • Tony Perkins said he “was surprised that the group was able to coalesce around one candidate,” and credited their surprising unity to the sweater vest “desire to defeat President Obama.”
  • Guess which candidate the Christian conservatives rejected? “Rick Perry didn’t even make it past the first ballot, Perkins said. . . . Gingrich had passionate supporters, even on the final ballot, but [Perkins] suggested the group had doubts about Perry’s electability. ‘There was some concern because of the stumbles he had in the race may be too hard to overcome,’ said Perkins of the Texan, noting that many of the same participants this weekend had attended a similar conclave on Perry’s behalf this past summer.”
  • Tina Korbe’s probably already got her official Santorum sweater vest.

So that’s the link-around, which will have to do for now, because I’ve got to get ready to drive — yes, I said, drive — to Myrtle Beach, S.C., where Rick Santorum will speak at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Prayer Breakfast.

It looks like about a nine-hour drive and I’ll be bringing along my 13-year-old son Jefferson as an assistant, because covering a presidential campaign is an excellent educational opportunity for an eighth-grader.

My wife’s a little worried about us driving all the way to South Carolina, but I’ve promised her I’ll keep our son away from pin-up girls.

Besides, Jefferson only likes nice girls, the kind who wear sweater vests. And hit the freaking tip jar.





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