The Other McCain

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

Shorter Ace: ‘Bitches Lie’

Posted on | December 17, 2011 | 63 Comments

A grossly unfair oversimplification of Ace’s argument? Sure.

But in a multi-candidate Republican primary campaign where everybody’s cutting each other to ribbons, who can complain — if anyone even notices — when I gratuitously play the sexism card?

And isn’t Ace calling the lady a liar?

Michele Bachmann lives in a strange world. People talk about “moral relativism.” Presumably they would claim she’s not a moral relativist.
But truth is an objective fact, is it not?
Ms. Bachmann seems to confuse premises which are politically helpful to her for premises which are actually true.
That seems like moral relativism to me — the world is not as it is, but as I perceive it to be.

Ace is talking about the assertion by Bachmann “that we’ve been hearing all across the country, that money is changing hands” — candidates paying for Tea Party support. Professor William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection says:

You know I have a big problem with Michele Bachmann making statements which are not supported by facts and then repeating them endlessly.
Her campaign is up to much worse in South Carolina, where her local campaign manager has suggested that the Gingrich campaign has paid off Tea Party leaders for support.

Professor Jacobson has hopped aboard the Gingrich bandwagon and is savagely lashing Newt’s critics, as is his right. But notice that this pay-for-play accusation comes from South Carolina, which is to the GOP what Chicago is to the Democratic Party: The dirtiest place on the planet.

A South Carolina Republican primary is always fought according to the Al Davis rule — Just win, baby — and they never heard of a “fair fight.” So either:

  1. Bachmann’s S.C. guy Wesley Donohue is just slinging mud against Gingrich; or
  2. Gingrich and perhaps unnamed others are indeed bribing Tea Party activists for their support.

Are the pay-for-play accusations unproven? Yes, but so were the sexual harassment accusations against Herman Cain, yet the accusations were enough to drive Cain out of the race. And furthermore, just because Bachmann can’t prove that the Gingrich campaign is paying for endorsements doesn’t mean that Bachmann is lying when she says she has “been hearing all across the country” that such shenanigans are afoot.

Maybe the people telling Bachmann this stuff are paranoid, and certainly it is irresponsible for a candidate to repeat such stuff without proof. But you can accuse Bachmann of being a loose cannon without saying she’s engaged in “moral relativism.”

Grossly unfair oversimplification, you see.

Being aboard the Santorum Express myself, I should be happy to sit quietly while Michele Bachmann is accused of lying. Bachmann and Santorum appeal to the same pool of social conservative voters who are crucial in Iowa, so if Ace and Professor Jacobson are calling her a liar, the “smart” thing to do would be to say, “They’re right! You can’t trust that lying hussy!”

Ah, but why do what’s merely “smart,” when genius is an option? Because Professor Jacobson is a Gingrich supporter, and the two-bank carom shot is this headline: 

Gingrich Supporter Calls Bachmann a Liar

But did I say genius? Here’s Ace proclaiming his own allegiance after Thursday’s debate:

I thought Perry did well. He’s still my pick.

Ah, so here we have a three-bank carom:

Gingrich, Perry Supporters: ‘Bachmann Lies’

As I’ve said before, Ace is ax-grinding against Bachmann because he’s still butt-hurt about the way she carved up Perry in the Tampa debate three months ago.

Dude: Let it go. It’s not worth it.

But I’m “Not Good Enough for BlogCon,” so nobody ever listens to me.

UPDATE: Ron Paul is a uniter, not a divider:

Ron Paul Takes Swipes at GOP Rivals,
Says Michele Bachmann ‘Hates Muslims’

That should boost Bachmann’s InTrade rating. Damn it.
 

Category: Ace of Spades, Legal Insurrection, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, South Carolina, Tea Party

No, Jesse Jackson, Jesus Was An #Occupier To About The Extent You Are Worth Two Hoots As A Reverend

Posted on | December 17, 2011 | 4 Comments

by Smitty

And neither was Martin Luther King an #Occupier:One wonders whether the #Occupie weenies grasp that you are just a tool of the 1%, Jesse? Why don’t you do the entire planet a favor and just retire, sir?

People who call themselves Christians should keep in mind:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matt 7:22-23

Goes for me, too, lest I get too overconfident.

via Gateway Pundit

 

Category: #Occupy

Sean Hannity Flummoxed By Michelle Malkin

Posted on | December 17, 2011 | 30 Comments

by Smitty

At American Power:

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Endorses Mitt Romney
Well, what’s amazing is Nikki Haley is touted as a “tea party favorite.”

But Michelle Malkin calls Romney a progressive at the video. She calls Gingrich a progressive as well. It’s an excellent discussion, and badly needed. Sean Hannity’s a little flummoxed with Michelle. Should the grassroots be lining up behind Gov. Haley for a Romney endorsement? It’s all about beating Obama, right?


My take on all of the suddenly tight undergarments in the press is that they don’t get the subtle wisdom of the Tea Party. Sure, conservatives learned the lesson of Perot in ’92: excessive purity buys eight years of Bubba in the White House. However, there are a variety of reasons to refuse to coalesce around any candidate until the GOP convention:

  • All of the candidates need a friendly napalm shower to vulcanize them for the campaign proper, when Obama shows just what a transformational, healing unifier he is. The GOP nominee will stand accused of everything short of being a terrorist insurgent from Bulungi. Prep responses now.
  • When the Tea Party lends its support, the nominee had better know that the Progressive Era isn’t restin’, ain’t pinin’ for the fjords, it is effing DEAD. Actual reform had better ensue, or the nominee can expect backlash. Tea Partiers are getting their realpolitik in early.
  • Also dead: the whole cult of personality thing. Personal regard is where you find it, and it’s great if you can be friendly toward your candidate, and they toward you. But they Are Not Your Friend. Whoever gets to come in and tidy up after #OccupyResoluteDesk is going to have to make tough calls. Step on toes that might be connected to your feet. Club your illusions about rapid policy improvements like a baby seal.

Romney is being quite savvy in lining up the Christine O’Donnell and Nikki Haley support. These are the fresh faces that can hopefully give him a personality transplant, at least temporarily.

Category: American Power, Michelle Malkin, Politics, Republicans

Republican Fascism And Raaaaacism

Posted on | December 17, 2011 | 11 Comments

by Smitty

Yet another superb Bill Whittle outing:

Now that you have a clear idea of the historical basis for ‘fascism’, here goes Larry Johnson:

The core of conservatism is the belief in the inalienable rights of the individual and the limits imposed on Federal power in order to protect and preserve those rights. But none of the Republicans, with the exception of Ron Paul, believe in the limited power of government. To the contrary.
All willingly embrace the claim, first by the Bush Administration and now by Obama, that the Federal Government can declare a person a “terrorist” or a “terrorist supporter” and hold that person indefinitely without recourse to a court. If you are younger than 38 years old you probably do not remember much of the Cold War with the Soviet Union and Communist China. But there was a time when the United States resolutely opposed and fought against those authoritarian regimes. Yes, fascists and communists. Those governments insisted they could declare someone an enemy of the state and, by virtue of their declaration, do whatever they wanted to that person.

Johnson’s theory seems to be that the United States Constitution was somehow ratified everywhere, and that the rights of our citizens apply universally. The nearest I can come to agreeing with Johnson is saying that, yeah, the notion of the Laws of War is firmly rooted somewhere in the past, probably in the roaring ’20s, before they got around to outlawing war in the early ’30s, and proceeded to gear up for WWII.

Yes, one can largely agree with the complaints about Senate Bill 1867, especially where it seems to blow by posse comitatus. Or at least the some Congressmen can explain the missing nuance here:

Racism was another topic in Whittle’s essay. On that topic, Stogie over at Saberpoint actually has links to Ron Paul’s (in)famous newsletters, which end up being kind of ho-hum, for a bit of light perusal:

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am not a supporter of Ron Paul. Paul is a paleolibertarian, and as such, holds foreign policy views that seem similar to those on the far left. For that reason, I cannot support him as a candidate. However, truth is truth and fair is fair. Ron Paul’s views on race are often tactless and unhelpful, but not necessarily wrong.

Category: Conservatism 101, Culture, Ron Paul

‘Embattled.’ IYKWIMAITYD.

Posted on | December 16, 2011 | 7 Comments

Shortly after reporters begin to call a politician “embattled,” it’s usually not long before he announces he needs to “spend more time with his family.” See if you can figure out why this particular politician became “embattled” recently:

Receipts from embattled Southaven Mayor Greg Davis reveal . . .

Uh-oh. “Reveal” – if you’re a politician, you know you’re in trouble when they use that word.

. . . that he had the city pay for wide-ranging expenses . . .

Well, OK: “Expenses.” I’m sure these were entirely legitimate expenses. But what does “wide-ranging” mean?

. . . including thousands of dollars worth of liquor, expensive dinners at a local restaurant . . .

No harm, no foul.  The mayor was probably entertaining VIPs –businessmen who might want to locate their next factory in Southhaven. “Economic development,” etc. I’m sure it’s legit, but if the citizens object, Mayor  Davis can just reimburse those expenses to make everything hunky-dory.

. . . and a visit to an adult store catering to gay men while on a recruitment trip to Canada.

Oh.

Might be kind of a problem there. Because this guy’s the mayor of Southaven, which isn’t in Connecticut and isn’t a suburb of New York. It’s in northern Mississippi and is a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee:

Davis conceded publicly for the first time in an interview with [the Memphis Commercial Appeal] that he is gay and has struggled to keep the issue from affecting his public life as mayor of Mississippi’s third-largest city.
“At this point in my life and in my career, while I have tried to maintain separation between my personal and public life, it is obvious that this can no longer remain the case,” Davis said Thursday afternoon at his Southaven home. “While I have performed my job as mayor, in my opinion, as a very conservative, progressive individual — and still continue to be a very conservative individual — I think that it is important that I discuss the struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the realization that I am gay.”

Yeah. He “came to the realization” only after he got himself elected mayor. I’m sure Davis never had the slightest inkling or suspicion that he might be sexually attracted to men until “the last few years.” But never mind when it was that the mayor first “came to the realization” about all this. Because I’m sure the voters in Southaven will be forgiving toward this liberal Democrat.

. . . Davis, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008 on a conservative, family-values platform . . .

Oh.

Davis spent thousands of dollars at the Mesquite Chop House in Southaven and thousands more at local liquor stores. Also included in the receipts is a charge for $67 at Priape, a store in Toronto that is described by its website as “Canada’s premiere gay lifestyle store and sex shop.”
Davis said he didn’t remember what he bought at the store . . .

Look, I can’t imagine what that $67 was about, but couldn’t the mayor have at least bought this stuff at an American store?

Because they sell everything at Amazon. IYKWIMAITYD.

And, finally:

“I had already planned to take off and spend time with my family over the holidays,” Davis said.

Some things are entirely predictable. NTTAWWT.

 

Category: Gays, Mississippi, Republicans, Scandal

Scott Ott Serves It Dry

Posted on | December 16, 2011 | 1 Comment

by Smitty

Ott is dry, dry, dry today:

The Tebow-ing is a bit odd. But if the students do it five times a day while facing Mecca, their chances of acceptance go up.

Category: humor

If In San Diego, Consider Supporting ‘Healing the Unseen Wound’

Posted on | December 16, 2011 | 5 Comments

by Smitty

I grew up in San Dog as a Navy brat, and served in three ships out of 32nd Street. Were I still on the left coast, I’d volunteer for Healing the Unseen Wound. Having spent some time in Afghanistan, albeit as a little FOBbit, I can appreciate the seriousness of both the visible wounds of IED victims and the PTSD/TBI (post traumatic stress disorder/traumatic brain injury).

Even before going to the ‘Stan, I had an office mate who, as a Marine Corps Reservist, was yanked out of college and sent overseas in a mortuary affairs unit. His PTSD symptoms from picking up the pieces played out in serious obsessive-compulsive disorder. He spent time re-arranging and cleaning things, as though removing tiny bits of entropy from the universe could make it all right. It wound up wrecking his marriage.

Looking at the roster, this is a serious, substantial effort and worthy of support. May fortune smile upon Healing the Unseen Wound.

Category: Culture, Military

Rick Santorum Iowa Schedule Dec. 16-20

Posted on | December 16, 2011 | 5 Comments

Press release from Santorum campaign HQ:

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
SANTORUM PUBLIC SCHEDULE
DECEMBER 16 – 20

Urbandale, IA – Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum will continue his campaign swing through to Iowa. Open press events are noted below, all times are local.

Friday, December 16:

7:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will be the featured guest of a house party hosted by The Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition at the home of David & Linda Holub in Sioux City, IA.
Location: Home of David & Linda Holub
1218 46th Street, Sioux City, IA

Saturday, December 17:

8:00am CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Onawa, IA.
Location: Onawa Public Library
707 Iowa Avenue, Onawa, IA

1:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Carroll, IA.
Location: Pizza Ranch
425 West Highway 30, Carroll, IA

3:30pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Denison, IA.
Location: Cronk’s Café
812 4th Avenue South, Denison, IA

6:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will be a featured guest at the Harrison County, IA Republican Christmas Party in Logan, IA.
Location: Home of Ross and Lee Hieb
524 West 4th Street, Logan, IA

Sunday, December 18:

11:00am CT: Senator Santorum will have brunch with supporters at the HyVee Instore in Council Bluffs, IA.
Location: Treynor State Bank
HyVee Instore, 1745 Madison Avenue, Suite 1002, Council Bluffs, IA

2:30pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Red Oak, IA.
Location: Pizza Ranch
1511 North Broadway Street, Red Oak, IA

5:30pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Atlantic, IA.
Location: Farmers Kitchen Restaurant
319 Walnut Street, Atlantic, IA

Monday, December 19:

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

Tuesday, December 20:

9:00am CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Pella, IA.
Location: Monarch Restaurant, Royal Amsterdam Hotel
705 East 1st Street, Pella, IA

12:30pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall in Mt. Pleasant, IA.
Location: Mt. Pleasant Public Library
307 East Monroe Street, Suite 101
Mt. Pleasant, IA

4:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will participate in the Genesis Health Care Forum in Davenport, IA.
Location: Genesis Medical Center
1227 East Rusholme Street, Davenport, IA

6:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will attend a house party to benefit the congressional campaign of John Archer in Bettendorf, IA.
Location: Home of John & Andrea Archer
3195 Westminster, Bettendorf, IA

* * * * * *

Meanwhile, in other Neutral Objective Campaign News:

Iowans heard the last debate last night, but they will be bombarded with direct mail, TV ads and earned media for the next few weeks. Rick Santorum, despite the ranking in the polls, is certainly getting his message out.
Politico reports: “A Super PAC backing Rick Santorum is spending some real money — $200,000 — to boost the hardest working man in lesser candidacy, making the straightforward case to conservatives that he’s the one they can trust.” His campaign is dropping a ton of direct mail, hyping nice comments made about him by Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee.
Anecdotal evidence has also been positive. Craig Robinson of the Iowa Republican e-mailed me about a Santorum event Wednesday night in Holstein: “I think he is now convinced that all of his hard work in Iowa is about to pay off. It might not show up in the polls, but I think it will be there on caucus day. By the way, at 2:30 in the afternoon 35 to 40 people showed up to see him. That’s a good crowd in a town of 1400. I don’t think any other candidates have been to Holstein either.” If you put together a lot of small towns, the numbers do add up. Moreover, Santorum generally helps himself at these appearances. “The response to him was good. People signed up and one couple brought a check. Another couple that I saw at a Rick Perry event the night before in Denison stopped to tell me that Santorum was their candidate. Last night they were deciding between [Rep. Michele] Bachmann, Perry and Santorum.”

This is it, you see: The long-awaited Santorum Surge that everybody thought would never come has, at long last, begun in earnest.

RICK SANTORUM
‘NO SURRENDER’
MONEY BOMB

–


Category: Election 2012, Iowa, Rick Santorum
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