I Don’t Know If I Agree With Surber

by Smitty

Don Surber posts The Top 10 Things Obama Got Wrong. Those observations are mostly predicated upon the assertion that #OccupyResoluteDesk was a sincere candidate, genuinely intending to do the best possible job for the country, and stuff just went awry.

As with the birth certificate issue, or his religious faith, I’ll offer a 50.1% probability that BHO swore his oath in earnest. You sort of have to take these things at face value. A presumption of innocence, like back in the old days when favoring our Constitution did not equal raaaaacism. In any case, the alternatives are moot, and not worth arguing at any length.

But that does not exactly dispel the 49.9% probability that BHO is an anti-American ideologue who hates American Exceptionalism and sees his mission as doing maximal economic and political damage to the country, in order to trigger a crisis of sufficient magnitude to usher in some flavor of Marxist paradise. The good news is that there are under 400 days left until the next inauguration. The bad news (maybe) is that too much of the benefit of the doubt is extended to this joker.

via Insty

Author Brad Thor Endorses Santorum: ‘The Right Man, at the Right Time’

Press release from the Santorum campaign:

BEST SELLING AUTHOR BRAD THOR
ENDORSES SANTORUM FOR PRESIDENT

Urbandale, IA — New York Times Best Selling Author Brad Thor announced his support for Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum.
Brad Thor said: “There is one presidential candidate who understands and can swiftly address the threats facing our nation — and that candidate is Rick Santorum. Rick Santorum has stood strong against radical dictators in Syria and Iran, the gravest threat to our national security. Rick knows that the world would be forever changed by Iran getting a nuclear weapon, and he has sworn to keep this from happening. I am excited to add my endorsement to the growing list of prominent supporters who understand thatRick Santorum is the right man, at the right time to lead our nation.”
Rick Santorum said: “I am thrilled to receive Brad’s support today. Brad has stood out as an author who didn’t just sit in his office and write about the threats facing America, but dove into the issue and learned first-hand that the threats are real and need to be addressed. We need a president who understands these issues, and I am committed to standing tall for America, our values, and our security.”
Brad Thor is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Full Black, Foreign Influence (one of Suspense Magazine’s best political thrillers of 2010), The Apostle, The Last Patriot (nominated best thriller of the year by the International Thriller Writers Association and banned in Saudi Arabia), The First Commandment, Takedown, Blowback (recognized as one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time” by NPR), State of the Union, Path of the Assassin, The Lions of Lucerne, and his New York Times bestselling spin-off series The Athena Project.
Brad is a member of GBTV, and has appeared on FOX News Channel, CNN, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS programs to discuss terrorism, as well as how closely his novels of international intrigue parallel the real threats facing the world today.
Brad has served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Analytic Red Cell Unit, and is a fellow of the Alexandrian Defense Group. He has lectured to law enforcement organizations on over-the-horizon/future threats and has been a keynote speaker for the National Tactical Officers Association annual conference, and the Ronald Reagan 100 celebration. A strong supporter of The Heritage Foundation, Brad has spoken at their national headquarters on the need for robust missile defense. He alsosits on The International Free Press Society’s Board of Advisors, and has served as a judge for the Sam Adams Alliance Annual Awards.

Alexander Burns of Politico confirms that Brad Thor is planning to travel to Iowa to campaign for Santorum.

 

RECENTLY:

Will To Reich: ‘You Are A Pyromaniac In A Field Of Strawmen’

by Smitty

As usual, Will sounds exceedingly articulate in flogging Robert Reich’s lousy arguments:

Strawmen arguments, and appeals to envy, are really all the Left has. The only reason IngSoc ‘succeeded’ in 1984 was through total control of information. The Left seems incapable of grasping the degree to which it stands revealed a pile of hooey. Robert Reich should just retire. But I’m sure he’ll stick around, promising not to rest in his quest for economic justice until everyone is above median income.

I think this post at Trog’s place is vaguely related, but that freakish animated .gif of a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice with the makeup off, crawling on all fours kinda made my head ‘splode.

via NewsBusters

Gingrich Campaign ‘Imploding’ in Iowa; Ron Paul Leads; Rick Santorum Gains

Newt Gingrich’s campaign in Iowa is “rapidly imploding,” according to the latest poll, as the former House Speaker has tumbled to third place and Ron Paul has moved into the lead in the Hawkeye State, with Mitt Romney in second place just two weeks before the crucial Jan. 3 caucuses.

Meanwhile, Rick Santorum moved into a three-way tie for fourth place with Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry in the latest Iowa survey by Public Policy Polling. It was the second consecutive gain in the PPP Iowa poll by the Pennsylvania senator, who has seen his support in the state nearly double since Dec. 3.

CANDIDATE ……… Dec. 3-5 … Dec. 11-13 … Dec. 16-18
Ron Paul ……………………… 18% ………… 21% ……….. 23%
Mitt Romney ……………….. 16% ………… 16% ……….. 20%
Newt Gingrich ………………. 27% ………… 22% ………. 14%
Michele Bachmann ……….. 13% ………… 11% ……….. 10%
Rick Santorum …………….. 6% …………… 8% ………… 10%
Rick Perry …………………… 9% …………… 9% ………… 10%
Jon Huntsman …………….. 4% …………… 5% …………. 4%
Gary Johnson ……………… 1% …………… 1% ………….. 2%

“Newt Gingrich’s Iowa support was extremely soft and has collapsed in only two weeks,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Ron Paul has taken the lead, but it will be interesting to see if he can turn out his unique base of voters for the caucus.”

(Via Memeorandum.)


Schadenfreude, Virginia

by Smitty

Fairfax is a synonym for schadenfreude, as the slack-jawed little whiners who write the multi-ream legislation that redistributes the rest of the nation’s wealth whine in the small child fashion when the government tractor beam that normally pulls in Other Peoples’ Money gets trained upon their wallets:

Barack Obama carried Fairfax 60-38 against John McCain in 2008. That’s six percentage points higher than Obama’s statewide margin, which Fairfax helped inflate because it is the commonwealth’s largest locality: 13.5 percent of Virginians live there. Four years before, George W. Bush carried Virginia with 54 percent of the vote – but not Fairfax, where John Kerry got 53 percent.
The county board of supervisors reflects the split as well. Seven of the 10 members are Democrats. That makes its recent stance on state government rather amusing.
Each year localities around Virginia draw up their wish lists for the General Assembly session that convenes in January. Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, which means that localities are under the thumb of state government and must go hat in hand to the legislature to get permission to do many things. Fairfax recently completed its wish list for the 2012 session.
And what do the supervisors want from Richmond? “I think the simple message is, ‘Please try to leave us alone,’ ” says Supervisor Jeff McKay.
How very Tea Party of them. Perhaps Fairfax should replace its county seal with the Gadsden Flag – that yellow banner, popular at Tea Party rallies, with coiled snake and the legend, “Don’t Tread on Me.”
That’s not the only way in which heavily Democratic Fairfax sounds sympathetic to the Tea Party rabble. Like those grassroots conservatives in tricorner hats, the county also thinks it is Taxed Enough Already.

Read the whole thing.

Full disclosure: I live in Fairfax County, and still enjoy the benefits healthy property values. Progressivism has been very, very good to the greater-DC area, which includes Fairfax County. For 2012, the goal is to get more involved in the Northern Virginia Tea Party and  Fairfax County GOP and help remind Virginians that, hey: we live in the shadow of Mt. Vernon.

Anybody that doesn’t think Gorge Washington would have his Colonials fix bayonets and commence to hand out some harsh lessons to the sad pack of louts, cluttering the South bank of the Potomac, and treating Americans with disdain simliar to that afforded by the Parliament of Washington’s day probably misjudges Washington.

PROGRESSIVISM DELENDA EST

via Virginia Virtucon

Rick Santorum Will Campaign Today in Creston, Osceola and Indianola, Iowa

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will travel about 60 miles through south-central Iowa today and hold three public events:

7:30am CT: Senator Santorum will host a breakfast meet-and-greet in Creston, IA.
Location: Windrow Restaurant
102 West Taylor Street, Creston, IA

12:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Osceola, IA.
Location: Redman’s Pizza & Steak
123 South Main Street, Osceola, IA

6:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will keynote the Warren County GOP Dinner in Indianola, IA.
Location: Indianola Christian Union Church
707 East Euclid Avenue, Indianola, IA

A reporter for the Omaha World-Herald caught up with Santorum’s campaign Sunday:

The Republican hopeful said he’s held 350 town hall meetings in Iowa, such as the ones he held in Council Bluffs, Red Oak and Atlantic on Sunday.
“I feel very good about our strategy,” he told about 50 people who crammed into a small TS Bank branch attached to a Council Bluffs Hy-Vee Supermarket.
Santorum is staking his campaign on how well he does on caucus night. . . .
Those who gathered inside the bank Sunday enthusiastically hung on to his words. Most were dressed in their Sunday best, and mentioned they had just finished church.
“I wish I had a million dollars to give you,” one woman told Santorum. “You’re David, and you have to fight Goliath.”

Santorum was also featured Sunday in a Daily Caller interview with conservative activist Ginni Thomas.

LIVE AT FIVE – 12.19.11

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
KIM JONG IL FINALLY DEAD

Kim Jong-Il, sole proprietor of a sad, starving little nation

Scholars discuss effect of Dear Leader’s demise on world peace, Juche philosophy as CNN films Norks sobbing in the streets

Czechs Mourn Passing Of Vaclav Havel
State funeral scheduled for leader of the Velvet Revolution

PRC Backs Russian Resolution On Syria
Russians propose to declare that Assad has been very, very bad and must go to bed without dessert



POLITICS
House GOP Aims To Reshape Senate’s Payroll Tax Bill

Speaker of the House John Boehner

Boehner, Cantor dismiss Senate bill as more can-kicking, want year-long extension

“Emotional Distress” Key To Wikileaker’s Defense


Governor Asterisk Gets NH Newspaper Endorsements

Romney Still Making Millions From Bain

Perry Talks About His Faith, Debates Iowan On Energy

Iowa Caucus Polling System Threatened By Hackers



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
SEC Charges Former Fannie & Freddie Execs With Securities Fraud
European Stocks Set To Slump On Credit Ratings Fears
Russia Stocks Retreat On Eurodebt Crisi Fears, Kim Jong Il’s Death
Maersk Container Chief To Lead Danske Bank
Saudi Prince Buys $300 Million Stake In Twitter
Saab Automobile Files For Liquidation
Last-Minute App Store Rush Ahead Of Holiday Lockdown
BT’s Gift To Google: A Patent War Over Android
Apple Plots Its TV Assault



SPORTS
Packers’ Perfect Run Comes To An End

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers gets sacked four times by the Chiefs' defense

Kansas City Chiefs derail Packers with 19-14 upset

Patriots Show Broncos How Far They Have To Go

Eagles Crush Jets In 45-19 Blowout



Blackhawks Coach Quenneville Notches Win #600 As Hawks Extend Win Streak

Philip Rivers Barely Touched As He Torches Ravens’ Defense

Texans Play Like Rookies In Loss To Panthers

Colts Happy To Hinder Titans’ Playoff Hopes



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean Weds

AJ McLean, Rochelle DeAnna Karidis

Small, intimate Goth-themed wedding

Selena Gomez Cancels Concerts, Hurries Home After Mom’s Miscarriage

J.R. Martinez Going To Be A Dad

Britney Spears Celebrates Engagement, Shows Off Ring In Vegas

Lohan’s Playboy Debut Falls Flat At Newsstands

Ellen DeGeneres Buys Brad Pitt’s Malibu House For $12 Million



Kobe Bryant’s Wife Has Had Enough Of His Wandering Ways

Eva Green To Star In “300” Prequel

Star Trekking His Way To Broadway

Bullying GLAAD Goes On Another Censorship Rampage



FOREIGNERS
Death Toll In Egypt Rises As Violence Enters Fourth Day
Philippines Bury Their Dead As Typhoon Recedes
Syria Agrees To Allow Arab League Observers In
Fatah, Hamas Resume Talks On Palestinian Reconciliation
Official: Life Raft Spotted Near Capsized Sakhalin Rig
Indonesia Resumes Rescue Efforts In Boat Sinking
Pakistani President Returns Home Amid Rising Tensions With Military
Unrest In West Kazakhstan Under Control After 14 Deaths
Iraq’s Sunni VP Barred From Foreign Travel



BLOGS & STUFF
Tim Blair: Kim Jong Il
Ed Driscoll: “Ding Dong! Kim Jong Is Dead”
Ricochet: Paul Leads In Iowa, Gingrich Numbers Drop
Volokh Conspiracy: Gingrich On Judicial Review
AmSpecBlog: Extending Unemployment Insurance A Bad Deal
Israel Matzav: Hariri Hit Not Ordered By Nasrallah?
Discriminations: Why Not A Marriage Tax?
Don Surber: How To Make Quote Of The Year
Legal Insurrection: Good News/Bad News In Egypt’s Second Round Elections
Atlas Shrugs: Obama’s Foreign Policy Failure


SOTD: North Korea Party Rock Anthem
…every day I’m shufflin’