The Other McCain

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

‘Occupy’ Protesters at Bachmann HQ: Proof That Gardasil Causes Retardation?

Posted on | December 31, 2011 | 16 Comments

JOHNSTON, Iowa
Michele Bachmann has taken a lot of flak for saying that she was approached in Florida by a mother who claimed her daughter suffered brain damage as the result of a Gardasil vaccination. You may sneer at that claim, but when I showed up at Bachmann’s Iowa campaign headquarters today for an scheduled media event, I saw plenty of people displaying evidence of diminished mental capacity — and I’m not just talking about the MSM reporters.

Two busloads of smelly hippie scum from the “Occupy Iowa” movement were on the scene, engaged in their usual feeble-minded parody of “civil disobedience” protests. Just before I arrived, at least one Occupier had been arrested, and the rest of the scummy mob were exiting the parking lot under orders from the local police. Chanting, beating drums, giving media interviews and — as you will hear at about the 35-second mark of this video — unwittingly disclosing their next protest target:

STUPID OCCUPIER DUDE: “Hey, are we going to Perry next? … OK. I think I –“
HOMELY OCCUPIER CHICK: “Hey, we don’t want to say that very loud.”

I immediately alerted my friend Barbara Espinosa, who is working as a volunteer for Perry in Iowa, that they could expect this influx of subnormal semi-human detritus to show up at their campaign headquarters later. Whatever evil things I might have said about the Perry campaign, nobody deserves to be ambushed by these “Occupy” vermin. I suggested to one of the police officers that they should start randomly tasing and pepper-spraying the filthy hippies, just on general principles, but my advice was evidently ignored.

At the door to the headquarters, I saw Bachmann’s press spokeswoman Alice Stewart, flashed my business card and got inside, where I encountered a different kind of mob: Reporters surrounding the candidate as she joined her volunteers in making phone calls to Iowa voters.

Perhaps you can spot Congresswoman Bachmann amidst that massive media mob. The way you can tell the difference between the media and the Occupiers is that the media are usually somewhat less liberal and more likely to have had a bath in the past week.

OK, enough sarcasm for one post. It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m planning to celebrate it here in Iowa to the best of my ability. And surely the loyal readers who have helped make this trip possible by their contributions to the Shoe Leather Fund will want me to have a good time on one of the rare nights during this campaign trail trip when, fortunately, I don’t have a deadline to worry about.

Hit the freaking tip jar!





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Category: #Occupy, Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Michele Bachmann, Shoe Leather Fund

‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran May Not Have Made The Judicial Watch List, But I Have My Shame, And Only VA-8 Voters Can Take That Away From Me

Posted on | December 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

by Smitty

Regular readers of the blog know that I’m a firm believer in the Constitution, American Exceptionalism, and the Enlightenment that informs the better aspects of Western culture. One exception to my generally positive view of all things American, from military service to Virginia residency, is my Congresstool, ‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran. If you follow the links below, you’ll see that I have a good running string of apologies to the country for the outrageous piece of work that is my Congresstool.

For the PMA scandal, which was kind of like Solyndra only smaller, Jim had made Judicial Watch’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” list in previous years. This year, the competition for the bottom of the infamy barrel has been so atrocious that not even raking in fat profits off of the 2008 housing crisis could make a dent. As of this writing, there are two Executive Branch entries in the list, owning 86% of the ~1,600 votes for Most Corrupt. That’s a bit of an indictment.

Still, we should not let the survey, and the indication that #NationOfCowards and #OccupyResoluteDesk are hogging all the scum, dissuade us from acknowledging our local pieces of work. Virginia’s 8th district is nestled in the shadows of Mt. Vernon. Thus, there is a special poignance to Moran’s career, which alludes to the kind of Old-World aristocracy that George Washington himself fought against. In my mind’s eye, I can see Washington ripping Moran’s face off and kicking it down the Potomac for being such a pathetic worm.

In the meantime, we do have an excellent candidate in Col. Patrick Murray, and I submit that in some sense it is a patriotic duty to support his candidacy against ‘Gentleman’ Jim.

Patrick Murray for Congress

via Big Government

Previous/More Antics:

Category: Democrats, Jim Moran, Patrick Murray, Scandal, Virginia

Michele Bachmann Flyer Omits Comparison to Records of Santorum, Paul

Posted on | December 31, 2011 | 20 Comments

JOHNSTON, Iowa
During my visit to the Iowa headquarters of Michele Bachmann in nearby Urbandale today, I picked up a copy of a slick full-color flyer being distributed by her campaign (see front and back photos below).

The 8½-by-11-inch flyer urges Iowa Republicans to “Vote for a Consistent Conservative” and includes an issue-by-issue comparison between the Minnesota congresswoman and three of her GOP presidential rivals, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Click the image to enlarge:

Who’s missing from that comparison? Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. One might speculate as to why certain candidates were chosen for that comparison and others omitted, including the possibility that Romney, Gingrich and Perry are the three Republican rivals whom Bachmann likes least in the current field.

You can click on these images to view them larger:


Category: Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Michele Bachmann

The Instapundit Likes To Juxtapose

Posted on | December 31, 2011 | 12 Comments

by Smitty

Ebert says movies suck, costing too much and delivering too little. Not unlike the government, for all we wish the government would deliver less at times. Also Chris Dodd is the head buffoon in charge of the MPAA.


I look at this news and see a great opportunity to plug Declaration Entertainment, Bill Whittle’s scheme to rebuild our culture one great flick at a time.

Forget Dodd and his cheesy cottage.

Update: linked at marfdrat.

Category: Instapundit

Perry Campaign’s Amateur Hour

Posted on | December 31, 2011 | 47 Comments

The secret to an effective “oppo dump” is to leave no fingerprints. The campaign trying to push negative information about its rival into the media strives to obscure the origin of the attack.

If the Rick Perry campaign thinks that delivering its opposition research files to Erick Erickson is an effective messaging technique — well, good luck with that. And the fact that the “oppo dump” doesn’t indicate any wrongdoing by the targeted candidate? Hey, if desperation was a cologne fragrance, you’d reek of it.

The overpaid staffers who have run the Perry campaign into the ditch are already preparing their excuses for failure in Iowa:

[S]ome of his advisers have begun laying the groundwork to explain how the Texas governor bombed so dramatically in a race that he seemed to control for a brief period upon entering the race in August.
Their explanations for the nosedive come against the backdrop of a campaign riven by an intense, behind-the-scenes power struggle that took place largely between a group of the governor’s longtime advisers and a new cadre of consultants brought on this fall. In the end, the outsiders won out — and ever since have marginalized Perry’s longtime chief strategist while crafting a new strategy in which the Texan has portrayed himself as a political outsider and culture warrior. . . .
[S]ources close to the campaign depict a dysfunctional operation that might be beyond saving because of what they describe as the political equivalent of malpractice by the previous regime.
“There has never been a more ineptly orchestrated, just unbelievably subpar campaign for President of the United States than this one,” said a senior Perry adviser.

Even Perry supporter Dan Riehl is getting sick of this clumsy campaign. Yesterday, I was talking to people about how a candidate with such a great story to tell — Texas has the best economy in the United States — has done so poorly. People who had called Herman Cain’s campaign the worst-run presidential campaign of the year may owe Mark Block an apology.

Remember when I was the first reporter to raise the question of whether Perry’s back pain was a factor in his poor debate performance? They originally denied this, but two weeks ago, Perry admitted that had been a problem. Earlier this week, I talked to a well-informed conservative who claimed to know — from sources close to the Perry campaign — that the governor had been prescribed Oxycontin for pain, and was subsequently taken off that medication when it became apparent it was affecting him negatively.

If true, that would explain a lot about the candidate. Now the question is, “What’s wrong with his campaign staff?”

UPDATE: Ed Morrissey:

There’s an old saying that success has a thousand fathers, but failure is an orphan. That’s not entirely true; when a big enterprise fails, it usually produces a thousand claims for paternity for someone else. . . .
In order for Perry to regain credibility as a contender, and especially as a Not-Romney who can take on Barack Obama, the collapse of his campaign in October has to be laid at the feet of someone other than Rick Perry.

Indeed: This finger-pointing festival may just be an effort at “strategic communications,” pre-emptive face-saving intended to assure campaign donors (and Perry supporters in South Carolina) that the likely caucus catastrophe on Tuesday isn’t the death knell on his campaign.

And no one now seems to remember who originally dubbed the Perry campaign in Iowa “The Phantom Menace.”

Speaking of being denied the credit I deserve, last night I gave Stephen Hayes of The Weekly Standard an earful for not mentioning me as an early prophet of the Santorum Surge in a widely-cited item he published this week.

Of course, I don’t blame Hayes personally for the fact that no one important reads a blogger who is Not Good Enough for BlogCon. “A Venn Diagram Might Be Helpful.”

Meanwhile, Dan Riehl has a startling confession: “I guess I’m getting soft in my old age.” Say it ain’t so!

Category: Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Rick Perry

You Can View The Uncertainty With Trepidation, Or As An Opportunity

Posted on | December 31, 2011 | 12 Comments

by Smitty

Insty links Sandbrook at the Daily Mail going all doom and gloom. The situation for 2012 recalls the angst of 1932, with thuggish leaders aplenty today to pick up where fascism of old left off. But Proof Positive has a quote that cuts to the chase:

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.”
-Fulton Oursler

The Daily Mail article is quite Euro-centric in its gloom. But it seems that is dying today are socialist notions. The Austrian School is winning the argument of history, as power in the hands of the few is turning up little but debt.

The big question for 2012 is whether technology can prevent a repeat of a collapse into fascism, as in 1932, and a vast war. I’ll boldly predict that technology drives the problem the other way. People communicate enough to realize that the social welfare state is the biggest clay-footed idol since Nebuchadnezzar. The tricky question is how you maneuver out from under the idol before it topples and crushes you, i.e. what is the transition plan toward liberty.

Sure, there will continue to be wars. And those wars will seem intense, if you’re the one wearing the gore that used to be someone. But it is not clear how, in the Information Age, anyone can afford or sustain a WWII-style conflict.

This is a very U.S.-centric response to a Europe-centric post. The message is not “Don’t worry, be happy”. Rather, “Don’t worry, be busy”.

Update: linked at Daily Pundit and Obi’s Sister.

Update II: linked at WyBlog.

Category: Instapundit

If This Is Not A Metaphor For What Must Be Done With Our Federal Government, I Don’t Know Of Any

Posted on | December 30, 2011 | 9 Comments

by Smitty

“600 Pound Woman Shuts Down

Her Pay-Per-View Eating Site“

Mr. Creosote could not be reached for comment:

Via Alan Colmes

Category: humor

Newt Throws A Hail Sarah Pass?

Posted on | December 30, 2011 | 41 Comments

by Smitty

CBS News:

Newt Gingrich, plunging in the polls, dropped this bomb Wednesday: he would consider asking Sarah Palin to serve as his number two or in his Cabinet if he became president.
“She is certainly one of the people you would look at,” Gingrich said Wednesday, according to Right Wing Watch, when asked if he would consider tapping the 2008 vice presidential nominee for a second try.
“I am a great admirer of hers and she was a remarkable reform governor of Alaska, she’s somebody who I think brings a great deal to the possibility of helping in government and that would be one of the possibilities,” Gingrich said at Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition.

I mentioned this little blip on the radar to well known Ralph Reed aficionado Stacy McCain, and he suggested it merited a post. The conversation veered into the bizarre notions afloat these days, like the idea that Michele Bachmann was steering clear of Romney attacks in hopes of a VP slot. Stacy suggested that, given the intensity level of Presidential campaigning, the only sane reason to be in it is to win it.

We chuckled a bit at the Virginia primary fracas, clearly off topic for him while focused on Iowa.  Wir mussen einen Treueeid haben* does make some sense, if you take a party-centric view of things. Sure, I’ll sign it, for the opportunity to vote against Mitt Romney, when that vote is not for keeps. Is there a reason for the increasingly Independent nature of voters, though?

One of the major American archetypes is what I call the “Tommy Boy Myth”. Stacy still hasn’t seen the flick, so I cast it in Bluto Blutarsky terms for him. Essentially, we seem to think that we can fanny about until clutch time, pull a NoDoz-driven all-nighter, and ace whatever test comes with the dawn. We love the underdog. We want to root for the Bachmann/Perry/Santorum who are fighting against “the Establishment”. Isn’t that what Sarah Palin campaigned on as Alaska Governor?

The Sarah Palin situation varies the theme considerably. How does she maximize the remaining goodwill the Tea Parties bear her, if at all? Stacy and I both are of the opinion that, given the absence of any sort of campaign staff, the calls for Iowans to caucus for Palin don’t amount to much. No amount of Tommy Boy Myth could get her on the Virginia ballot. More importantly, she the party system is set up to preclude such insurgency, not support it.

Would she be interested in playing second fiddle to a Newt? Who knows? I, for one, think she would give the GOP ticket a much needed adrenalin boost. That’s not how the party sausage is made, but there it is. Furthermore, I do hope that whoever is selected for VP is somebody young enough to run for POTUS after eight years. The situation is dire enough that, while not losing sight of the need to eject #OccupyResoluteDesk in 2012, the need for a longer-term vision to carry past 2020 is clear. Maybe that suggests Paul Ryan for VP.

But for 2012, though, the GOP head shed is hopefully considering how it will harness the Tea Party energy. Sarah would bring it by the barrel.

Update: Memorandum thread. Director Blue is game:

If swear to all that’s holy that I would pay serious money to watch the reactions of the moonbats when President Gingrich and Vice President Palin are sworn in.

I’m not as serious a Gingrich fan; he seems as much an insider as Mitt, without the savvy electoral machine. I imagine Sarah would look that gift horse in the mouth.

Interestingly, the chief Memorandum action is on the left side of the blogosphere, suggesting Sarah has more value as an anti-conservative keyword than for whipping up the right.

*We must have a loyalty oath!

Category: Legal Insurrection, Newt Gingrich, Republicans, Sarah Palin
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