The Other McCain

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

Occupy Wall Street Demonstrations Destroy Jobs for New York Cafe Workers

Posted on | December 14, 2011 | 14 Comments

Waiters, cooks, dishwashers, busboys — they’re the 99% whose economic interests the protesters never gave a damn about:

Milk Street Cafe, the restaurant whose business dried up in the face of the Occupy Wall Street barricades, is shutting down. . . .
Milk Street Cafe’s closure will result in the layoff of 70 workers. That’s on top of the 21 let go in October.

“91 jobs lost thanks to Occupy Wall Street,” says Jeff Quinton of the Quinton Report, who got his first Instalanche today.

Maybe that’s not quite as big as being named Time‘s “Person of the Year,” but a blogger never forgets his first Instalanche.

Feb. 9, 2008: “A bit harsh.”

 

Category: #Occupy, Instapundit, Quinton Report

Responsible Elite In ‘A Face In The Crowd’

Posted on | December 14, 2011 | 14 Comments

by Smitty

At the suggestion of Ladd Ehlinger, I took in A Face in the Crowd, a 1957 Kazan flick that is well worth your time. ‘Lonesome’ Rhodes goes from nowhere to national stardom. Andy Griffith is powerful as an Icarian pop culture icon.
The documentary on the DVD includes a couple of interesting quotes from the writer and director:

  • Schulberg: “This movie was really meant as kind of a warning that, with the phenomenon of television, that politics would never be the same.”
  • Kazan, attributed: “There is a cost for everything.”

However, what piqued my interest was the General Haynesworth character. He says, starting at 53:06:

My study of history has convinced me that every strong and healthy society from from the Egyptians on, the mass had to be guided with a strong hand by a responsible elite.

Mention of ‘the mass’ recalls The Crowd, by Gustave Le Bon, a serious study of crowd psychology. Basically, information diffuses poorly in a wad of people. If you’re at a Lady GaGa concert, rumors about whether she will perform the next song dressed in fresh beef cuts, or in a huge flour tortilla worn as a toga, won’t cross the music hall very well. When she comes out on stage, the TV screen will move that crucial information instantly. That’s the difference at which Schulberg was getting.YouTube amplifies the point:

But the crowd has an aggregate pulse, as the information-deprived individuals repeat this or that rumor, or YouTube clips go viral. The beef cuts on Lady GaGa become three strategically placed young baboons, which may or may not be real. Charismatic people like the Lonesome Rhodes character can tap into that aggregate pulse of the crowd, and ride it to fame. Stacy McCain wondered aloud if Huey Long was an inspiration for the Rhodes character, but Wikipedia cites other entertainment names as inspirations. Amusingly, according to IMDB, sombody named Keith Olbermann likes to refer to Glenn Beck as Lonesome Rhodes.

What about this ‘responsible elite’? No less a figure than Jesus of Nazareth noted For the poor always ye have with you. . .. In other words, there will always be poor, rich, and quite a few in between. There is going to be a distribution of wealth, irrespective of whether the Inner Party uses propaganda to reduce everyone else to poverty (while proclaiming wealth), or not.

The thing that matters, if you’ll allow me something like a Gaussian Distribution of wealth, is that there is a current circulating within the distribution. The simple fact of inequality in wealth distribution is neither evil nor escapable. Money cannot be evenly distributed any more than information in a crowd. That there is wealth movement within that distribution, and that people have liberty to move as much or as little as desired, is crucial. There will be a figure in a burqa doing the next song. Lady GaGa, or not?

And so Lonesome Rhodes has a metorotic rise. Talent and opportunity, along with a soulless media machine, propel him to vast heights. Yet Rhodes lacks the maturity and perspective to handle it. The same figure who casually mentions Grand Theft Auto at the beginning of the movie, who uses women cruelly throughout, never grasps that he is the very thing he despises. To ride the meteor successfully requires a strong internal commitment to something both good and external, where the soul is regularly taken for trimming. Rhodes tries using whiskey, but the whiskey uses him instead. For a worked example of my point, take a tour of Graceland and ask whether Elvis handled the fame well, or did his head ‘splode? Would you date Lady GaGa?

Is Glenn Beck a Lonesome Rhodes figure? Beck seems more in touch with the nature of human evil, including the internal portion. Does he constitute a member of a ‘responsible elite’? In the movie, the General seemed more of an oligarch, delegating the messy work of dealing with the mass to Rhodes. No, Beck wants everyone to do the homework, and move as far in the direction of the elite tail of the income distribution as they care to go. This notion of capitalistic opportunity and movement within the income distribution according to merit is an important facet of American Exceptionalism. Lady GaGa is probably not the Postmodern Rhodes, but I’m confident I’ll never know for sure, as my interest really does not extend past a running gag in a blog post.

Dan Riehl might actually find himself agreeing with Keith Olbermann’s point about Glenn Beck.

Mentioned in this post:
Category: Barack Obama, Celebrities, Ladd Ehlinger, Uncategorized

I Can’t Understand Why Everyone Hates The New Aristocracy

Posted on | December 14, 2011 | 13 Comments

by Smitty

Rush Limbaugh reviews the skewering given to Chelsea Clinton over a debut that was to Katie Couric what #OccupyResoluteDesk is to Jimmy Carter.

Now she’s 31 years old. She is a statist-in-training. She’s working on her 14th college degree. It’s time to get serious about life now. Her future as a statist will require being good on TV–learning how to become likable and what have you–and so that’s not what this is. This is not about Chelsea Clinton learning how to do news. And, remember, there isn’t news in the news anymore. There’s no news. That’s just that’s not why people turn on the TV. There’s no news. She is dutifully learning the inner workings of television in order to learn how to manipulate it later. That’s all this is. Nobody starts at the top like this unless they’re the daughter of an ex-president who can call in some chits. Nobody starts at the top like this.

You get the meritocracy you demand. The people of the United States, as a whole, haven’t demanded anything other than Statism for so long that its sickening.

Quoting Chelsea, emphasis mine:

As a person and professionally and academically, my grandmother, who passed away at the beginning of November, had a core adage in her life, that life is not about what happens to you but about what you do with what happens to you, and she recently had been cajoling me and challenging me to do more with my life, to lead more of a purposefully public life, that being Chelsea Clinton had happened to me and that I had a responsibility to do something with that asset and opportunity, and telling stories through making a difference, I believe, will be one way to manifest that and I hope to make her proud.

The concept of ‘telling stories’ smacks of ‘narrative’ and the whole Postmodern ‘truth as a social construct’ mumbo-jumbo.

The advice I’d offer Chelsea is to reject everything, return to the Judeo-Christian underpinnings of Western civilization, and go forward with certainty about what matters in life. Consider parenthood. Deal with the fact that you’ve been brought up on shinola, lady, and maybe there will be some hope for you.

via Althouse

Category: Celebrities

Christine O’Donnell Endorses Mitt Romney; Des Moines City Council Member Endorses Rick Santorum

Posted on | December 14, 2011 | 11 Comments

A friend whom I won’t name sent me an e-mail suggesting the headline, “Witches and Mormons, Oh, My!”

Christine O’Donnell, the former Republican Senate candidate and a tea party favorite during the 2010 election, has officially endorsed Mitt Romney for president. . . .
O’Donnell made clear that the Romney campaign did not “come to her,” and that she went to the campaign. She said she would be willing to go out and campaign for Romney.
In a written statement, Romney welcomed the endorsement.
“Christine has been a leader in the conservative movement for many years,” Romney said. “Christine recognizes that excessive government threatens us now and threatens future generations, and I am pleased to have her on my team.”

Meanwhile, in Iowa, Rick Santorum’s hard work paid off with a valuable endorsement:

Des Moines City Councilman
Halley Griess Joins The Fight!
Urbandale, IA – Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum announced that he has received the endorsement of Des Moines, IA City Councilman Halley Griess.
Councilman Griess said, “Rick Santorum has worked harder than any other candidate in garnering the support of the voters I represent. In visiting all 99 counties, and appearing in Iowa more frequently than any other candidate, it is clear that Rick Santorum cares about the individual voters and is willing to invest in the issues they care about. He has clearly demonstrated that he will head to Washington with our families and small business owners in mind. Rick Santorum best reflects the values of Iowa voters and I am honored today to give my support to him.”
Senator Santorum said: “Iowans can’t be bought by TV ads, Iowa votes must be earned. Councilman Griess knows this from his direct work with his constituents in Des Moines. Councilman Griess is a true public servant and I am thrilled to receive his endorsement today. I look forward to working with Halley as we continue our momentum statewide and in Polk County.”
Des Moines, IA City Councilman Halley Griess was elected to the Des Moines City Council in 2009, as the youngest serving Councilman in Des Moines’ history at age 23. He is the son of a self-employed, small business owner and a graduate of Drake University Law School.

(Hat-tip: Lisa Graas) By the way, we got three contributions last night via our Rick Santorum “No Surrender” Money Bomb link, for a total of $80 — that’s 20% of our $400 goal for this three-day event that continues through Friday. The link takes you to a Fundly.com page, which is just a system for tracking which site the contributions came through. The money all goes straight to the Santorum campaign, and here’s a neutral objective fact: They need every dollar you can spare.

In other campaign news, on a conference call with the Santorum campaign’s grassroots supporters last night, their Iowa political director said that the senator’s teenage son John Santorum was in the Urbandale campaign office yesterday stuffing envelopes to send out to undecided Republican voters. The senator’s daughter Elizabeth has also been working in the Urbandale office this week.

The Santorum campaign has a solid “ground game” organization in Iowa, and has already signed up more than 450 “caucus captains,” who are the volunteer leaders at each caucus location. If you’re not in Iowa, you can still help the Santorum campaign in Iowa: Sign up as a volunteer at their Web site and take part in their “phone from home” operation.

RICK SANTORUM
‘NO SURRENDER’
MONEY BOMB

 
RECENTLY:

Category: Christine O'Donnell, Election 2012, Iowa, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum

LIVE AT FIVE – 12.14.11

Posted on | December 14, 2011 | 5 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
House Passes Payroll Tax Cut Extension

Speaker of the House John Boehner

10 Democrats, 14 Republicans cross party lines on vote

NTSB Recommends Banning Texting While Driving
Also other uses of cell phones, other electronic devices


Over 100 Wounded, Killed In Brussels Rampage
Man with history of drug, weapons offenses allegedly responsible



POLITICS
Iowa Aide To Gingrich Axed After Calling Mormonism “A Cult”

Mitt & Newt

Craig Bergman evidently has no idea what “a positive campaign” means

Gov. Jerry Brown Orders $1 Billion In Mid-year Budget Cuts

Pipeline Safety Bill Clears Congress, Heads For White House

Atheist Messages Displace California Park’s Nativity Scenes

AG Signals Tough Stance On Federal Review Of State Voting Reforms



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Asia Slips As Fed Offers No New Stimulus
Oil Falls From One-Week High As OPEC Discusses Setting Output Targets
CME Chief: Corzine Was Aware Of Customer Funds Transfer
Jive Shares Surge In Market Debut
Existing Home Sales To Be Revised Down
Andrea Jung To Relinquish Chief’s Role At Avon
Mac App Store Passes 100 Million Downloads
The Ultimate Tablet Smackdown
Google Street View Explores Post-Tsunami Japan



SPORTS
Hit On McCoy Earns Harrison One-Game Suspension

Steelers' Harrison takes down Browns QB Colt McCoy

Defensive back first player penalized for helmet-to-helmet hit; McCoy suffered concussion from the hit

Stern Turns Paul Situation Into Complete Farce



Broncos Focus On 2011, Mum About 2012; Fans Want To Know What More Tebow Needs To Do (Video)

Flyers Beat Capitals 5-1 for 6th Straight Win

Kings Fall To Bruins 3-0 In New Coach’s Debut

Red Wings Skate Past Crosby-Less Pens, 4-1



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Lindsay Misses Flight, Misses “Ellen”…

Lindsay Lohan

…but what about court today?

Unstoppable Angelina

Couric, Boy Toy Call It Quits

Matt Damon: Wicked Smaht?

Jennifer Garner: “I Would Do Anything” For Ben Affleck

Jeter’s Booty Hauls




“Hairspray” Star Nikki Blonsky “Proud To be Working” In A Salon

Experts: Miley Cyrus Got Tupperware Boobs

Steve Carell Returning To TV As Guest On “The Simpsons”

Eva Longoria Sells Legal Drama To CW Network



FOREIGNERS
France, China, Japan Hammer Canada After Latter’s Kyoto Withdrawal
NATO: Pakistan Talking Again To US-Led Afghan Coalition
Karachi Police Free Chained Children From Madrassa
US Help To Upgrade Iraqi Air Force Will Take Time
Former Dissident Sworn In As Tunisia’s President
Two Top “Kommersant” Employees Fired After Running Photos Offending Putin
Beirut Bank Seen As Hub Of Hezbollah Financing



BLOGS & STUFF
David Thompson: It’s The Calibre Of The People That Impresses Me The Most
Eric S. Raymond: Why I Love Wal-Mart Despite Never Shopping There
NRO Corner: Gingrich, Paul Virtually Tied For First In Iowa
WyBlog: Big Brother Cell Phone EAS #FAIL
Valley Of The Shadow: Who Sits In The William F. Buckley Chair Of Conservatism?
Jonah Goldberg: Newtzilla To The Rescue
Jim Geraghty: Glenn Beck Prefers Third-Party Ron Paul To Gingrich?
Michelle Malkin: Trump Cancels Own Debate; Whither Eason Jordan?
Big Journalism: Stephanopoulos To Replace Amanpour On “This Week” As Latter Returns To CNN
Shannen Coffin: The Lowe’s Boycott
Lonely Conservative: Boy, Newt Gingrich Sure Is A Big Fan Of FDR
Power Line: Administration Coordinating With Left-Wing Groups On Voter Fraud?
Weasel Zippers: Obama Still Blaming Bush


SOTD: Take It Off

Category: Live at Five

Rick Santorum: Beer Gourmet?

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 31 Comments

NBC News highlights an aspect of the Republican presidential candidate’s personality that had previously gone unnoticed:

AMANA, Iowa — In case you were wondering what sort of beers the former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum drinks, reporters trailing him Sunday now have a complete list.
“It’s the stouts, the bocks, and then the white ales — and wheats,” Santorum told a small group of media. He added later: “I don’t do wine tastings. I do beer tastings.”
The GOP hopeful was sidled up to the tasting bar at Millstream Brewery, a local microbrewery in a historic landmark town lined with colonial-style houses and storefronts. The bartender served a small glass of the brewery’s prizewinner, a dark and frothy beer called Back Road Stout.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Will this hurt Santorum with the teetotalers? Or will he lose votes with Joe Six-Pack for drinking “fancy” beers? I dunno.

But it certainly helps lighten up his image — hey, Rick likes beer! — and adds momentum to the Santorum Surge.

RICK SANTORUM
‘NO SURRENDER’
MONEY BOMB

 

Category: Election 2012, Iowa, Rick Santorum

Newt Gingrich Fires Iowa Political Director for Calling Mormonism a ‘Cult’

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 42 Comments

Warner Todd Huston says Craig Bergman’s “stint with the Gingrich campaign has to be one of the shortest in history” — he was hired five days ago and was fired today for something he said last week:

Craig Bergman during a focus group on Wednesday with The Iowa Republican and McClatchy newspapers said he thinks Romney’s religion will eventually cost him votes.
“A lot of the evangelicals believe God would give us four more years of Obama just for the opportunity to expose the cult of Mormon,” Bergman said during the focus group, according to The Iowa Republican. “There’s a thousand pastors ready to do that.”

Within hours of that report, Bergman was fired — uh, “agreed to step away from his role with Newt 2012.”

Question: Is Bergman right? Are there really “a thousand pastors” in Iowa who consider Mormonism a cult? If so, aren’t they likely to view Newt less favorably for firing a staffer who said so?

Category: Election 2012, Iowa, Newt Gingrich

House Calls Obama’s Bluff, Passes Payroll Tax Cut Extension He Promised to Veto

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | 4 Comments

However it turns out, score this a win for Boehner:

Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Tuesday passed a bill extending a cut in Social Security payroll taxes for 160 million Americans for another year. But the Democratic majority in the Senate vowed to reject the measure because of objections to other provisions, including one to speed construction of an oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast.

Obama has demagogued the hell out of this issue, so now the House has passed it — with a tasty poison pill the enviros will hate — and pitches it over to the Senate, where Harry Reid’s Democrat majority can’t even manage to pass a budget. Let Harry deal with it, and if Harry can’t get a bill to Obama’s desk, the expiration of the tax cut is Harry’s fault. And if something does manage to get out of a bicameral reconciliation process, double-dog dare Obama to veto it.

Category: Barack Obama, Congress, Taxes
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