The Other McCain

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

Twitter Trolls and the Abuse of Anonymity

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 28 Comments


“Bagehot99” signifies his arrogance by his choice of pseudonyms, referencing the 19th-century economist Walter Bagehot — as if.

Exactly how my name came to his attention, I’m not sure. He had been carrying on a Twitter flame-war of sorts with Dan, among others, and decided he’s so much smarter than either of us that he should denounce us — to his hundred or so Twitter followers — as “middlebrow, self-regarding bloggers.” He has also fired off noxious messages aimed at Jeff Goldstein and others.

Look: I have friends who blog under pseudonyms, but they well know the risks involved in using a pseudonym to attack others. It is one thing, in 21st-century political discourse, to employ a pseudonym as an online cloak to insulate one’s real-life existence against hassles that might attach themselves to one’s Internet persona. Ace of Spades is an educated man with professional credentials and ambitions beyond blogging and politics, and the insulation of his pseudonym permits him to deploy his madcap humor without worrying that this will taint the career prospects of the mild-mannered real-life Ewok-looking fellow he is.

What “Bagehot99” is doing on Twitter is something utterly different. He’s a troll, stalking people with whom he disagrees and targeting them with put-downs — a purely negative and destructive abuse of Twitter, and one he would be well-advised to abandon.

Putting down people as “silly little wankers who can’t sustain a coherent argument“? Telling them they are “Intoxicated by your own ordinary intellects“? This kind of high-handed treatment naturally inspires the objects of your attack to ask, “Who is this pompous asshole?”

“Bagehot99” ought to be careful about his choice of enemies, and he also ought to be careful about disclosing biographical data:

Feel for me, I’m stuck in Missouri….for the last 13 years. I miss London.

I’ve seen Dan Riehl sleuth out the real-world identities of people based on less information than that: How many alumni of the London School of Economics (just a guess there) currently reside in Missouri? How many of them moved to Missouri circa 1998? How many of them are ardent soccer fans and Republicans with Tea Party leanings?

Dan Riehl may be just a “middlebrow” blogger, but if he ever decides an anonymous troll is worth the time and effort necessary to expose him, things have a way of getting ugly pretty quick, as Jesse Griffin learned to his everlasting chagrin.

UPDATE: Mr. Troll hasn’t been too tidy online:

Martin H (@Bagehot99). Dual nationality (Brit/US) living in the US, Saint Louis to be exact.

And also this:

bagehot99
An Englishman in, errr, St. Louis
Saint Louis, MO
I love to write; I used to blog extensively on a now-defunct political website. I have written humor/satire pieces, news pieces, general interest stuff, technical writing, contract drafting, business communications. I am well-known in my field as an authority on Integrated Project Delivery means and methods, and can write compelling presentations, resumes, and other assignments based upon creative and articulate use of the written word.

I’ve got lots of readers and friends in Missouri, and if any of them know a pompous British asshole named “Martin H.,” our Twitter troll buddy might have cause to regret his obnoxiousness.

UPDATE II: Did I say “Republican with Tea Party leanings”? No, actually, he’s a Libertarian who ran for a state legislative seat in 2010 and got 260 votes. Better luck next time, Martin.

Category: Dan Riehl

Santorum: The ‘Least Worst’ Candidate?

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 14 Comments

Lisa Graas makes an interesting argument about the way voters are manipulated with news about polling. Read the headline and first two paragraph of a NewsMax article Monday:

Rasmussen Poll: Gingrich, Romney
Strongest to Beat Obama
Voters are evenly divided over whether Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney would provide President Barack Obama with the strongest GOP challenge next November, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
But twice as many Republican voters feel that the former House speaker would have a better chance of beating Obama in the race for the White House. . . .

My own criticism of such a story is this: It is absurd to allow your vote in a primary to be influenced by poll data about “electability” in surveys conducted many months in advance of the election. Such polls will almost always favor the candidate with the biggest “name ID” and, in this year’s Flavor-of-the-Month GOP campaign, we’ve seen front-runners rise and fall. For a few weeks in late August and early September, Rick Perry’s numbers were very encouraging and now — as the Iowa caucuses approach — Perry looks like an also-ran.

Campaigns matter. Hypothetical poll match-ups between candidates cannot predict the events of a campaign, and those unforeseen events will ultimately matter more than the shallow perceptions reflected in polls done in advance of an actual campaign.

That’s my general criticism of reporting polls as facts, as if today’s barometer of public opinion reflected a solid and permanent reality.

Lisa Graas, however, finds something surprising buried deep in that NewsMax article:

Voters were also asked which of the seven leading GOP candidates would do worst against Obama. In that poll, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann was considered the weakest candidate by 30 percent of respondents, scoring more than double over the next-worst, Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Women gave Bachmann, the only female in the race, an even lower rating than men did. Romney at 4 percent and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at 7 percent were considered the least-worst candidates.

Of course, Lisa has other arguments in favor of Santorum, but it is interesting to discover — in the seventh paragraph of this article — that Santorum’s low-budget candidacy rivals a big-money contender like Romney in what might be a crucial factor for those GOP voters who place a premium on “electability.”

Category: Election 2012, Lisa Graas, Polls, Rick Santorum

Why Does Obama Hate Jews?

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 10 Comments

Well, Republican Jews, anyway:

Category: Barack Obama, Israel

LIVE AT FIVE – 12.13.11

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 5 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Supremes To Make The Call On Arizona’s Immigration Law

Two illegals cross the border fence in Nogales, Arizona

Court to tackle third contentious issue this term; could affect 2012 elections

U.S., Iraq Find Gaps In Relationship
Many aspects of future diplomatic & military cooperation still unclear

PRC Military Base In Indian Ocean?
PLA Navy acknowledges invite from Seychelles as state media suggest the PRC’s first overseas base may be there



POLITICS
Filthy Hippies Try Again To Shut Down Port Of Oakland, Other West Coast Ports

Vancouver occupods prepare for march to port

Independent truckers, other working people hardest hit – as usual

Gingrich, Governor Asterisk Debate Affably In New Hampshire


Rick Perry’s New Ad Goes Viral, Sparks Parodies

GOP Keystone/Payroll Tax Combo Bill Expected To Pass Today

House, Senate Negotiators Agree On Defense Appropriation Bill

Long-Term Jobless Face Steep Cuts In Benefits



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Stocks Drop in Asia On European Debt Concern
Intel Cuts Q4 Forecast On Drive Shortage
Other MF Global Officers Mystified By Missing Funds
Gold Falls To Seven-Week Low On Europe Anxiety
Amazon Price Check Flap No Strategic Blunder
Microsoft Exec Shuffle To Signal Windows Code Unification?
Kindle Fire Feels The Heat
“Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” Passes $1 Billion In Sales
Docs Have iPad Fever: Is There A Cure?



SPORTS
Clippers End Chris Paul Talks, Say Price Is Too High

Chris Paul

Rumors say Clippers would have been stripped of players and picks

Dolphins Fire Coach Tony Sparano

Irresistable Force Tebow Pushes The NFL Around

Harrison Doesn’t Expect Suspension For McCoy Hit

Crosby Out Indefinitely As Concussion Symptoms Return

Astros Sign C Quintero For One Year As Castro Goes Under The Knife

Mets Get $40 Million Loan From Bank Of America

Nats Cut Ties With Lefty Doug Slaten



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Death Row Records VP Killed In Random Shooting

Lone wacko lies dying in the street

John Atterbury died Monday afternoon after being shot randomly on Friday

Meryl Streep: Force Of Nature





Leann Rimes Flaunts Her Relationship With Eddie Cibrian And His Boys At Soccer Game

Palin Pitching New Reality Series About First Dude’s Snowmobiling Adventures

The $3 Million Baby Gift

American Airlines May Have The Last Laugh: “30 Rock” to Be Pulled From In-flight TV?

Sandra Bullock: Motherhood Is My Top Priority



FOREIGNERS
UN Says Syrian Death Toll Over 95000
Billionaire Prokhorov To Take On Putin, Form New Party
Cameron’s EU Veto Strains Governing Coalition
Canada Bans Burkas At Citizenship Ceremony
Former French PM De Villepin To Run For President
Israeli Officials Mum On Gingrich’s Palestinian Comments



BLOGS & STUFF
Lonely Conservative: Michael Savage Offers Newt Gingrich $1 Million To Drop Out Now
NRO Corner: Romney Says Primary Contest Could Last Through June
AmSpecBlog: Newt Strikes Back
Nice Deb: Glenn Beck Has Jumped The Shark, And So Has Michael Savage
Michelle Malkin: Your Guide To 12 – Occupiers Return To Ports For West Coast Shutdown
Weasel Zippers: Ezra Klein Despondent Over Gallup Poll Showing Dems See Big Government As Biggest Threat


SOTD: Take It Off

Category: Live at Five

Two Weeks From Today …

Posted on | December 12, 2011 | 17 Comments

. . . on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, I’m flying to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to begin my coverage of the campaign leading up to the Jan. 3 caucuses. I’ve already booked my flight ($275) to Cedar Rapids as well as my Jan. 5 flight from Des Moines to Boston ($205) to cover the New Hampshire primary campaign.

It’s been a month since my last road trip — to Spartanburg, S.C., to cover the Nov. 12 CBS debate — and what followed in the next three weeks was the final derailment of the Cain Train, leading up to his Dec. 3 decision to “suspend” his campaign.

So all the resting up I’d planned to do before the Iowa trip kind of went by the wayside for a while there. Now I’m starting to get the “itch” again, and there’s lots happening out on the campaign trail:

I’m trying to figure out who to contact for media credentials for the Trump debate, which should be fun.

Thanks to all the readers who have already contributed for the Iowa trip, and as for the rest of you — hit the freaking tip jar!

 

Category: Shoe Leather Fund

SANTORUM EXPRESS UPDATE: Pulls Even With Bachmann in New Iowa Poll, Gains Endorsement by Influential Pastor

Posted on | December 12, 2011 | 29 Comments

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum moved into a tie for fifth place with Michele Bachmann in the latest survey of Iowa voters, the first poll to indicate an increase in the former Pennsylvania senator’s support with three weeks to go before the Jan. 3 caucuses.

The poll by American Research Group, conducted Dec. 8-11, showed GOP front-runner Newt Gingrich’s support decrease to 22% from 27% a month earlier, while Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are now tied for second at 17% and Rick Perry is fourth with 13%. Santorum and Bachmann were tied for fifth at 7%.

“The ARG poll . . . at least partially reflects Saturday’s Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa,” The Hill newspaper reported. “The Republican candidates went after Gingrich hard at the debate, criticizing him as a lifelong politician and for his multiple marriages.”

Santorum also added an important endorsement Monday from Rev. Terry Amann said, a pastor at Walnut Creek Community Church in the Des Moines suburb of Windsor Heights. Amann is a member of the board of an influential Iowa social conservative group, the Family Leader.

In a statement released by the Santorum campaign (see full text below), Amman said: “By visiting all 99 counties in our state, Rick Santorum has proven that he will do whatever it takes to get the job done. He will be a refreshing change in Washington.”

Amman called Santorum “a powerful advocate for the unborn, and he has been a strong voice and excellent example for traditional marriage,” and praised his foreign-policy experience. “He understands the nuances and complexities of the Middle East, and of the threats posed by Islamic Jihad.”

The endorsement by Amman follows endorsements Santorum has recently received by Sioux City pastor Cary Gordon, conservative philanthropist Foster Friess and by Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz.


* * SANTORUM CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE * *

INFLUENTIAL DES MOINES-AREA MINISTER
JOINS THE FIGHT WITH SANTORUM

Urbandale, IA – Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum announced that he has received the endorsement of influential Des Moines-area minister, Rev. Terry Amann.
Rev. Terry Amann said: “I am a pastor at Walnut Creek Community Church in Windsor Heights. I also serve as a pastor to the board of directors of the Family Leader. I do not speak on behalf of these two organizations, but as a private and concerned citizen.
I have been involved in politics for several years, having worked with the Mike Huckabee presidential campaign during the 2008 election cycle, and with the Tim Pawlenty campaign earlier this year.
Today, I am enthusiastically endorsing Senator Rick Santorum for President of the United States.
Rick Santorum is a humble person of solid character and integrity. He has been a powerful advocate for the unborn, and he has been a strong voice and excellent example for traditional marriage. On all points, Rick Santorum is a solid conservative — both socially and fiscally — and he has the political record to prove it. He also knows that we need to cut spending, cut taxes, and create jobs in order to stimulate the American economy. Senator Santorum is also well-versed in foreign policy. He understands the nuances and complexities of the Middle East, and of the threats posed by Islamic Jihad.
By visiting all 99 counties in our state, Rick Santorum has proven that he will do whatever it takes to get the job done. He will be a refreshing change in Washington. He is exactly what we need in a president. I urge all Iowans to carefully consider giving your support to Rick Santorum.”
Senator Santorum said: “I am honored to receive the endorsement of Rev. Amann. Terry is a true leader for traditional American family values not just in Des Moines, but throughout Iowa. I am blessed to receive his vote of confidence today and look forward to working with him as we drive toward victory in the Iowa caucuses.”
Rev. Terry Amann came to the Walnut Creek Community Church in 2007 and was recognized as a pastor in 2008. Rev. Amann has served as pastor in three denominational churches prior to Walnut Creek, as well as serving as a jail and prison chaplain for several years. Terry and his wife, Susan, are the proud parents of three daughters: Sarah, Rachel, and Samanthya.

RECENTLY:

Category: Election 2012, Iowa, Rick Santorum

Conflation

Posted on | December 12, 2011 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

Daily Pundit keys in on a sentence from Stacy’s post:

He loves to talk about infrastructure — “investments in road and bridges” — as if that was the majority of the what he’s spending money on, when in fact, infrastructure projects were less than 5% of the stimulus bill. It’s like me sprinkling a turd with sugar and asking you to eat it and when you refuse, I accuse you of disliking sugar.

and asks:

How would you characterize this facet of Obama’s tactics?

Really though, #OccupyResoluteDesk is dedicated to conflating ideas.

1 a : to bring together : fuse
b : confuse
2: to combine (as two readings of a text) into a composite whole

I really don’t believe anything about Obama. It seems probably true that he was born Hawaiin, i.e. I reject Birtherism. It is also true that he’s said he’s Christian. I don’t care to call a bluff there, either.

Beyond that, this administration is an abdication of all things American. Referring to Stacy’s transcript, Government neither invests nor creates jobs: it redistributes and creates positions for people. Those government positions do not drive the economy. They are a load, every one of them. Some, like the military, make Constitutional sense. Others, like the czars, treat the Constitution as a urinal cake.

To govern a country is like refereeing a football game. If points are money, how many do the zebras score? None. They merely ensure that the private enterprise of fielding a football team leads to legally scored points. Crony capitalism is the referee suiting up and kicking a field goal for a favored team, or queering the calls to ensure they have better field position.

#OccupyResoluteDesk systematically conflates the public and private sectors. The job is so thorough as to beg the question as to whether he’s sincerely wrong about Economics, or knows fully what he’s about, and to paraphrase Mailman, knows he’s headed for the bottom, but he’s riding us all the way. It’s easier to stay dispassionate by letting History judge that, because it’s immaterial to the task of easing him on down the road next November.

Anybody else planning on hanging at the Northern Virginia Tea Party event on Saturday?

Category: Barack Obama, Democrats

Today’s News of the Weird

Posted on | December 12, 2011 | 15 Comments

From Alabama, with love:

A conservative Christian politician has a secret life as a sperm donor for lesbian couples – even though he has campaigned against gay marriage.
American politician Bill Johnson has spent most of this year in Christchurch [New Zealand] helping run the earthquake recovery, all the while using the online persona “chchbill” to meet women who want help to get pregnant.
Under that persona, he has discussed making donations to at least nine women without the knowledge of his family in the US.
Three of the women are now pregnant, and Johnson has assisted another three with donations in the past month. It is believed he has been in communication with at least another three women to discuss sperm donation.

Wait — it gets weirder:

He moved to Christchurch after the February quake without his wife Kathy, a two-time Mrs America finalist who has three children from a former relationship. . . .
The Herald on Sunday approached Johnson on Thursday at a restaurant in Christchurch where he had just finished dining with one of the women he had successfully impregnated.
He said the urge to become a biological father was “a need that I have”.
“I am married to the most beautiful woman in the world. When I married her I knew we couldn’t have any more children. She had a hysterectomy 10 years ago.
“There is nothing my wife would want to give me more in the world than a child of my own.”

TMI! TMI! TMI!

We can safely predict that the soon-to-be-ex-politician will be hearing shortly from the lawyer for his soon-to-be-ex-wife. And then he’ll be free to donate sperm to whomever he chooses.

Category: Alabama, New Zealand, Scandal
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