The Other McCain

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

Tea Party vs. GOP

Posted on | December 27, 2011 | 33 Comments

by Smitty

I find myself mostly agreeing with this analysis in Canada Free Press:

The Tea Party is like a young boxer with great skills and a knockout punch, but with skinny legs: a seemingly unstoppable force in the early rounds, if a wily opponent can just survive his initial dynamism, it will be possible to get the better of him in the late rounds, as his tired legs force him to stand flat-footed more often, thus exposing himself to attack.
In the case of the Tea Party, the wily opponent is the Republican Establishment itself; the main event is the presidential primaries. Consider this year’s candidates. Everyone can name the ones who were actively involved in the Tea Party, who attended Tea Party events, and proclaimed their principled alignment with the movement even before the 2010 elections. And everyone knows that the Tea Party is the movement that single-handedly made 2010 possible, leading the charge for radical realignment of congressional priorities, and dragging dozens of hopelessly milquetoast Republican candidates along in its jet stream.
And yet, barely a week away from the Iowa Caucus, the official story of the campaign is that the frontrunners are Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, the only two candidates in this race (Jon Huntsman aside) who can be called big government Republicans, and the only ones whom no one could call Tea Party Republicans. (Aside from Gingrich himself, of course, whose history shows that he will proudly call himself whatever the crosswinds of the moment seem to be whistling.) The only other candidate getting any attention from the mainstream attention-providers, at this pivotal stage of the process, is Ron Paul, who, like Donald Trump before him, is primarily a convenient straw man for the anti-Tea Party forces. “See,” they say, “the Tea Party is represented by kooks and ignorant blusterers; so it’s time to get back to the serious Republicans, Romney and Gingrich.”

Just to pick up the other end of the argument, you can’t overturn 157 years of GOP development in just a year or two. The two keys in political struggles are (a) showing up, and (b) having the stamina to figure out the rules and remain in the game.

If you’re the GOP, and you think back to Ross Perot, you figure that if you wait long enough, this Constitutional hot flash will subside, and people will go back to doing what they are told. And they would be getting away with it, too, if not for these meddling bloggers.

via Northern Virginia Tea Party

Category: GOP, Tea Party

Republicans With Shotguns

Posted on | December 27, 2011 | 14 Comments

You know you’re in Iowa when the big story of the day is how many pheasants the candidate killed:

Rick Santorum bagged at least four pheasants during his hunting trip Monday at Doc’s Hunt Club. Those four birds were just the “clean kills” that he was certain were the result of his own marksmanship — a conservative count, Santorum emphasized to the crowd of reporters who showed up at the hunting club in Adel, west of Des Moines.
While the former Pennsylvania senator was pleased with his outing, most of the reporters who showed up were more interested to know if Santorum had bagged even bigger game during this political season — the endorsement of his hunting companion, Iowa Rep. Steve King. But the conservative Republican congressman said he wasn’t quite ready to make that commitment.
“You know, I came here today to shoot some pheasants with my friend Rick Santorum and we’re having a great day,” King told the reporters assembled for Monday’s press conference. “So I’m going to deliberate on all of this and I’ve got a few days yet before a decision has to be made.… I’m leaving that open.” . . .

Read the whole thing at the American Spectator.

While King didn’t give Santorum his endorsement, yesterday’s hunting trip and press conference garnered the candidate a huge haul of publicity. Doc’s Hunt Club was crawling with reporters:



The bald guy in the dark coat is William Petroski of the Des Moines Register, who has been covering the Santorum campaign for weeks now. Petroski points out a useful bit of history:

An endorsement, or even a nod of approval from King, could be helpful to Santorum, who has been showing signs of gaining momentum.
In 2008, King endorsed Fred Thompson, who finished third among presidential candidates with 13.4 percent, narrowly ahead of fourth-place finisher U.S. Sen. John McCain, who went on to become the GOP presidential nominee. The first-place Iowa finisher four years ago was Mike Huckabee with Mitt Romney in second place.
University of Iowa political scientist Tim Hagle said that King’s Dec. 17, 2007, endorsement of Thompson was important to his candidacy.
“I have heard many times that the effort King put into the Thompson endorsement helped Thompson get to a third-place finish even though it was only just ahead of McCain,” Hagle said. While it is getting late in the 2012 caucus race, an endorsement of Santorum by King might help convince some that Santorum is the best bet among him, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and Perry, he said.
Drake University political scientist Dennis Goldford said that in a tight caucus race “even a feather on a scale” could make a difference.

The fact that 13% was good enough for third place in Iowa four years ago is important to keep in mind. The expectations game is everything in Iowa. Yesterday, toward the end of the press conference, after Santorum talked about how many pheasants he shot during his hunting trip, Dan Balz of the Washington Post asked, “Senator, you said you killed four, but how many did you expect to kill?”

Ba-dum-BOOM-crash.

Anyway, here’s video of the start of the press conference, where the talk was all about hunting and 20-gauge Weatherby shotguns:


Category: Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum On Greta

Posted on | December 27, 2011 | 7 Comments

by Smitty

Rick Santorum appeared “On the Record” last night. What an excellent outing! You can chalk it up to friendly media all you like, but Santorum seems both prepared and pleasant; American, even.

The interview alluded to this retro video:
which is a breath of fresh air. Rick’s Iowa ground game sounds like he’s all in, having supporters at most of the precinct caucuses. I’m wishing that his campaign had had more heft here in Virginia, and made the primary ballot. Hitting all of the rural counties for 400 valid signatures was just a bridge too far, apparently, but I don’t hold that against him. His Tea Party insurgency relies on doing well in Iowa and building momentum toward Super Tuesday.

Mitt, of course, needs to put on a good show, and try to counteract the perception that “the fix is in”. Elsewhere on Greta, mention was made of all the candidates giving Iowa the bus blitz over the next several days.

Virginia’s primary ballot continues to be an issue. In fairness to Mitt, doing the homework to meet the ballot requirements is not “a fix”. There is a risk of a variation on the theme of class warfare if people hate Mitt merely because he has invested the time and the money to staff a rock solid electoral machine.

Does that seem ‘unfair’? Whether or not you think it unfair, hearing Newt Gingrich compare the Virginia situation to Pearl Harbor does not elicit sympathy. Yes, its effect on him might be of similar magnitude, but the comparison simply doesn’t set well. Being caught asleep at the switch is one thing; invoking a military sneak attack in a political context is goofy at best.

If there is any Pearl Harbor comparison afoot, it’s the attack on liberty by creeping government. The over-reaching Federal government is becoming downright inimical to the day to day conduct of private life, sending waves of legislation, regulation, and irritation to bum the American people into submission. You could kill someone by forcing them to read the U.S. Code. We need a Declaration of Independence from this.

Is Santorum the guy to declare that independence, and lead us away from it? Maybe. Newt, Mitt, and Governor Asterisk excite no confidence. As you can tell by the tone of my posts, I want to sympathize with some of Ron Paul’s domestic ideas. I hope the good ideas survive his campaign, and he fades with the bad ones. Besides Santorum, Perry and Bachmann offer some hope.

But really, it isn’t about the election, or who is on the ticket. It is about the involvement level of the American people. The Ruling Class, of which Romney, Gingrich, and Huntsman seem to be anointed members, seem to be more about their own power, making these noises about social safety nets as a modern form of bread and circuses.

Category: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul

Ron, When You Accuse Israel Of Starting Hamas, You Need To Cite A Good Reference

Posted on | December 27, 2011 | 15 Comments

by Smitty


Ron, you can build a case that the history and politics are complicated, and unfortunate, and never moreso than the Middle East. But when you claim that Israel started Hamas as a means of checking Yassir Arafat, you had better back that up. Otherwise, you risk sounding like a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist.

Some of the various tidbits I’ve seen indicate a general blend of the last century’s totalitarians and anti-Semites as informing the more radical and militant aspects of Islam and anti-Israeli organizations. More to the point: Ron Paul could have as easily discussed the fundamental theorem of calculus in two minutes as recapped the Gaza situation. Instead we hear the broken ‘blame Israel’ record.

It’s a shame that, since 1948, Yassir Arafat is the ‘best’ example of a statesmen that the West Bank or Gaza Strip have produced. Maybe this underscores the exceptional nature of the crop of thinkers who created these United States. The existential truth of human nature seems to be that the leaders of the West Bank and Gaza Strip find it simpler to perpetuate old evils than set about improving the situation.

Support Israel? Darn right I do, with a sad eye toward the common folk of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, who are the ones mostly getting burned by the oxymoron labeled ‘peace process’.

via Yid with Lid

Update: Israel Matzav amplifies the situation with some better accuracy than Ron Paul. Ron, Ron, Ron: two places for sloppy, sensational statements are (a) used car advertisements, and (b) tabloids. Just trying to help your career planning, sir.

Update II: linked by Surber.

Category: Israel, Ron Paul

VA Attorney General Cuccinelli On GOP Primary Ballot

Posted on | December 26, 2011 | 24 Comments

by Smitty

Virginia is for politics lovers, and those who love being loved by politics. He has a lengthy email newsletter, which is not a survival guide, but offers some behind the scenes insight on the candidates. Cooch is a Santorum fan, and had the dimmest of faint praise for the Ruling Class Overlord approved GOP front runners.

A Note On The Virginia Ballot
. . .it now appears that the only two candidates that will be on Virginia’s ballot on March 6th: Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Ron Paul. While I’m glad for them, it screams out for making our ballot more accessible. Read more

Category: Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Virginia

Rule 5 Monday: Boxing Day Edition

Posted on | December 26, 2011 | 12 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


Laughing Conservative leads off this week’s Rule 5 roundup with a Catholic joke, while Randy’s Roundtable takes a midweek break with Nina Agdal and Laura Acuna. Three Beers Later has cartoon Christmas cuties and Joey Heatherton; Fishersville Mike celebrates the delayed start to the NBA season.


El Opinador Compulsivo sifts through two weeks’ worth of picks and comes up with Maddalena Corvaglia, Sofia Vergara, Christmas photography, a cover question involving the Corrs, some grayscale beauties, the Liqui-Moly 2012 calendar, Russian bike rental ads, and a selection of random pix.


Eye of Polyphemus salutes the season with an appropriately costumed Jessica Simpson, Reaganite Republican reveals soon to be enemy Miss Argentina, and Three Beers Later offers a Ron Paul Christmas. Proof Positive has Poppy Montgomery, vintage babe Harriet Hilliard, Victoria’s Secret and the soundtrack of your life, and not one but two 49ers cheerleaders.


A View From The Beach last week had Amy Adams, Milla Jovovich, your occasional Japanese lesson, another stupid sex post, Spricket Explains SOPA and PIPA, something about taking women out of caves, and a belated PSA on how to wrap a Christmas present.


Soylent Green started off the week with Monday Motivationer Erika Mitdank, followed by , Ashlynn Brooke, Christmas wishes, Corset Friday, and Soylent Christmas 2011.


American Power’s week in Rule 5 started with Bikini Christmas, Kate Upton in SI, asked whether Mark Sanchez was dating Ms. Upton, continued with Kate Beckinsale in Flaunt magazine, and wound up with Kelly Brook wishing you a Merry Christmas.


Dustbury brought us Jennifer Aniston from 2005, Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, and Sandra Bullock with Diablo Cody. Postaldog chipped in with Taryn Manning, Jerseynut added Elizabeth Banks as one of his Hanukkah Hotties (see links in that post for others), and Reaganite Republican proposed a one-time amnesty for Miss Mexico.


The Daleygator’s DaleyBabes for Christmas week included Rachel Jean Marteen, Nefteri Shephard, Pia Reyes, and Alina Kabaeva as well as Asian Babe Tuesday and Christmas Eve Babes.


Deadline for next week’s Rule 5 Monday (Hawkeye Caucii Edition) will be December 31. Thanks to everyone for their links!

Category: Uncategorized

Santorum Gets 4 ‘Clean Kills’ in Pheasant Hunt With Steve King; No Endorsement

Posted on | December 26, 2011 | 13 Comments

ADEL, Iowa
Today’s hunt at Doc’s Gun Club was successful for Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, who said he got four “clean kills,” and also saw his teenage son John get his first bird. Santorum also got some solid publicity for his campaign, as a horde of media turned out to cover his post-hunt press conference with Rep. Steve King.

What Santorum didn’t get was King’s much-coveted endorsement — at least not yet. The conservative GOP congressman praised Santorum but said he hasn’t yet decided whether to endorse anyone before the Jan. 3 caucuses, now just eight days away.

Influential Iowa conservative radio host Steve Deace said on Twitter: “No other way to say it, but no Steve King endorsement hurts whatever hopes Rick Santorum had of being the Cinderella story on Jan. 3.”

Yet King said he hasn’t ruled out an endorsement and would continue reflecting on it. Could he be building suspense for a future news cycle?

Well, I’ve got photos and video of today’s event, but the WiFi connection at this particular McDonald’s has bandwidth issues that prevent me uploading in any kind of timely manner so (like a Steve King endorsement) that will have to wait. There is a caucus volunteer training event tonight in Cedar Rapids and my driver Aaron Rupp says, “We gotta hurry.”

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

Greetings From Iowa

Posted on | December 26, 2011 | 21 Comments

Aaron Rupp is an industrial control systems engineer from Cedar Rapids who sent me an e-mail yesterday wondering if I needed a ride from the airport. By the time I took off this morning from BWI, my plan had already progressed to include a 140-mile drive to Adel — clear on the other side of Des Moines — for a 4 p.m. “media availability” with Rick Santorum. If you’re going to impose on someone, I say, go ahead and really impose.

Right now, I’m typing this in the passenger seat while Aaron is driving his brand new Honda Civic with less than 9,000 miles on the odometer. I’m sure this car could hit 110 mph, but Aaron has this whole Midwestern law-abiding thing going on, so he refuses to push it past 80. He’s a Santorum supporter. All the high-speed reckless drivers in Iowa are probably backing Ron Paul. (Libertarians consider speed limits the first step on the road to fascism. And they’re right!)

There was a brief rumor this morning that Rep. Steve King might be preparing to endorse Santorum. However, Aaron tells me, staff for both King and Santorum have denied this rumor. We shall see.

OK — we just pulled off at a McDonald’s near I-80 so I could get online, check the news and get this posted. William Petroski of the Des Moines Register has the lowdown on today’s event:

U.S. Rep. Steve King, one of Iowa’s most prominent conservative politicians, is spending this afternoon hunting pheasants near Adel with former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum – their second hunting trip in the past three months.
But King, whose endorsement is highly sought by Republican presidential candidates, told the Des Moines Register he has no plans today to make an endorsement of Santorum or anyone else.
“I have not made a decision,” King said, acknowledging that time is running short before the Jan. 3 Iowa Caucuses. “There has not been a constitutional conservative to run away from the pack.”
King, who represents a heavily Republican congressional district in western Iowa, said he was joining Santorum at Doc’s Hunt Club near Adel because he and the candidate are good friends and because it offered a chance to give Santorum’s campaign some publicity. They were joined here by former Iowa State University wrestling coach Jim Gibbons of Perry, who has endorsed Santorum; Kevin Reynolds, the husband of Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds; Dave Funk, the Polk County Republican Party co-chair, and about a dozen other shotgun-toting pheasant hunters.
Santorum, who served two U.S. Senate terms from Pennsylvania, is scheduled to meet with reporters at 4 p.m. to discuss his campaign. Santorum and King had hunted together in October in northwest Iowa, and King has also hunted with Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

That’s as much as we know at this point. Time to get back on the road.

UPDATE: Linked by Zilla of the Resistance — thanks! — and welcome, Instapundit readers!

Meanwhile, Bill Quick at Daily Pundit has the answer to the question: “What Would Hunter Thompson Do?”


Category: Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Rick Santorum
« go back — keep looking »

    About

    This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

    Subscribe to our feed

    Search

    Admin