The Other McCain

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

This Vintage Pin-Up Girl Is Not Endorsed by the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 19 Comments

Until the allegations made headlines, cable TV news today was all-Newt, all-the-time, with an occasional mention of Mitt Romney, so that the media deciders — among them New Hampshire’s largest newspaper — are not-so-subtly trying to tell you that these are your only two “real” choices in the Republican presidential campaign. Some headlines:

Newt Gingrich in 1989, the pro-Rockefeller GOPer 
— Politico

Mitt Romney: A weathervane in a hurricane
— The Hill

Gingrich Says He’s
‘Conservative Alternative’ to Romney
— New York Times

The Union-Leader is endorsing
Newt Gingrich in 2011, but in
1992 it called him a ‘prostitute’
— Telegraph (U.K)

DNC to Romney: There you go again
— Politico

A lot of this is just reporters following the big story. But some of it is the media doing the “decider” thing, where they are telling Republican primary voters to ignore Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum. (By contrast, they want you to believe that Jon Huntsman is actually a legitimate and viable GOP candidate.)

Not a herd animal by nature, I resent this kind of manipulation. You should resent it, too. So, here’s a press release from Bachmann:

Bachmann Meets with Iowa Voters, Participates in UNI Presidential Education Forum on Nov. 30

Urbandale, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann will host a series of events and meet with Hawkeye State voters this week. The following events, which occur in Central Time, are open to credentialed media:

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

EVENT: “Mickelson in the Morning” live radio interview with host Jan Mickelson on WHO Radio. NOTE: This interview will be streamed live on whoradio.com.

WHEN: 10:30 am CT
WHERE: WHO Radio Studios
2141 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

EVENT: University of Northern Iowa Presidential Candidate Education Forum
WHEN: 1:00 pm CT
WHERE: University of Northern Iowa
Bengtson Auditorium, Russell Hall
Cedar Falls, Iowa

EVENT: Waverly Town Hall
WHEN: 3:30 pm CT
WHERE: Pizza Ranch
2020 W. Bremer
Waverly, Iowa

EVENT: Charles City Town Hall
WHEN: 6:30 pm CT
WHERE: Pizza Ranch
1000 Blundt Parkway
Charles City, Iowa

And here’s a press release from the Santorum campaign:

SANTORUM “FAITH, FAMILY AND FREEDOM
TOUR” RETURNS TO WESTERN IOWA

Verona, PA – Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum will return to northwest Iowa on Sunday, December 4th on the latest leg of his “Faith, Family and Freedom Tour.” Additional events will be added, with press updates to follow. Open press events are noted, all times are local.

Sunday, December 4:

2:00pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall meeting in Sidney, IA where Senator Santorum will focus on job creation and economic growth.
Location: Sidney Senior Center
2820 Northridge Road
Sidney, IA

5:30pm CT: Senator Santorum will hold a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Rally in Council Bluffs, IA.
Location: Mid-America Center
1 Arena Way
Council Bluffs, IA

Monday, December 5:

9:30am CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall meeting Sioux City, IA.
Location: Stoney Creek Inn
300 3rd Street
Sioux City, IA

12:30pm CT: Senator Santorum will host a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Town Hall meeting in Le Mars, IA.
Location: 4 Brother’s Restaurant
1430 Two Rivers Boulevard
Le Mars, IA

7:30pm CT: Senator Santorum will hold a “Faith, Family and Freedom” Rally in Sioux Center, IA.
Location: Dordt College Campus Center
498 4th Avenue NE
Sioux Center, IA

There you have press releases — “media advisories,” as they are called — about two campaigns that are going forward in Iowa, despite being written off as hopeless and irrelevant by the national media.

And I stuck a vintage pinup at the top of the post, just to call your attention to the fact that what really matters is not what the media decides, but what the voters decide.

Also: It would be nice if somebody over at Cain HQ knew how to issue helpful “media advisories” like this. Because I’m not getting any.

Category: Election 2012, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich

Was That Megan McArdle Or Meghan McCain?

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 12 Comments

by Smitty

Nonetheless, I confess, I like Barney Frank. I also think that, whatever his mistakes, he’s pretty knowledgeable about finance. And you need only look at the committee list to see that it could have been so, so much worse.

Well, garsh, guys: the leukemia death was way better than straight decapitation.

Barney Frank; Maxine Waters; Howdy Doody: when are we going to face the systemic problem? If I have an incompetent, unethical piece of work against whom I cannot vote lining a wallet via their corruption, this is almost as horrible as old-fashioned taxation without representation!

And I speak as someone living in VA-8. I’m not ashamed of my country, let me tell you, but I do feel twinges of embarrassment over my Congressional district, when our economic playing field is so tilted by a piece of work like ‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran. The notion that ‘at least Jim Moran isn’t Nancy Pelosi warms me not.

There is absolutely no apologizing for this pack of louts.

Category: Democrats, Megan McArdle, Meghan McCain, Uncategorized

His Name Is Jamie Cumming

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 9 Comments

And he just won’t stop:

The jobless man branded ‘Britain’s most feckless dad’ for fathering 14 children has had another child – and two more are on the way.
Jamie Cumming, 34, from Dundee, who lives off benefits, has had 15 children by 13 different women – and is unable to pay maintenance for any of them.
Mr Cumming’s 19-year-old ex-girlfriend birth to his latest child, a son, two weeks ago. His current girlfriend, also 19, was last night due to give birth to another boy.
A girl of 17 is understood to be expecting his 17th child in the New Year . . .

Speaking of 17-year-olds, Courtney Stodden and her 51-year-old husband Doug Hutchison are in the celebrity news again. Some people were creeped out by their marriage, but you’ve got to admit, this Jamie Cumming dude is creepier.

Category: Culture, Great Britain

Herman Cain Campaign Press Release

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 89 Comments

Got it by e-mail. Not yet posted on the campaign’s Web site:

Cain Attacked by Accuser; Will Not Stop His Effort to Renew America

Detractors are trying once again to derail the Cain Train with more accusations of past events that never happened. The Cain Campaign is not surprised that another female accuser has come forward due to the fact that earlier allegations were unable to force Herman Cain to drop his presidential bid to renew America.
“The American public is tired of dirty politics and smear tactics as evident of their tremendous outpouring of support for me, my family and my campaign this past month. I am running for President of the United States of America and the reality is that there are individuals out there that favor the status quo of higher taxes, more government and political cronyism and they are afraid of a Cain Presidency,” said Mr. Cain.
“I have spoken directly to the American people and have been 100% honest with them. My plan is to continue to spread my vision on how I would renew America and keep her safe. I will not fight false claims as it is not what America needs or wants,” continued Mr. Cain.
Mr. Cain has spent four decades climbing the corporate ladder rising to the level of CEO at multiple successful business enterprises. Mr. Cain is a proven leader and the type of leader America badly needs at this time in her history.

First saw the story at Ace of Spades HQ. It’s now all over Memeorandum. Shepard Smith just did 10 minutes about it on Fox News. But the press release is not posted on the Cain campaign’s Web site yet.

Just sayin’ . . .

UPDATE: The Cain campaign had hoped to get back “on message” today with this new video about the 9-9-9 tax plan:

“Overtaken by events,” as they say . . .

UPDATE II: Ladd Ehlinger chooses this occasion to unload his personal grievances against Herman Cain’s campaign staff:

I was pro-Cain at the beginning, when Stacy McCain brought him to my attention and two good friends of mine started working for him. Dale Peterson endorsed him, and everyone I knew jumped on the “Cain Train.”
In fact I wanted to be on that train. Loved his speeches, thought he was witty, enjoyed meeting him at CPAC. I had all sorts of viral video ideas for him, back when he was a tabula rasa and no one knew who he was.
Then I tried to correspond with his team. One of them led me on for roughly five months. Eventually I discovered that someone else already had an exclusive contract to do all of his videos. I had been flat-out-lied to. Probably in order to keep me from working with any other candidate. When I called out this “Cain team member” about it, she was highly annoyed that I had the temerity to point out that she was lying to me.

You can read the rest, and attribute Ladd’s complaints to disgruntlement and disappointment, if you wish. But perhaps you remember my post on Nov. 10, “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know“:

For the past several days, in conversation after conversation, I’ve listened while friends told me what’s wrong with the Herman Cain campaign. Some of these friends are enthusiastic Cain supporters, some are not. And as I told several people who criticized the campaign’s handling of the sexual harassment allegations, “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. Any 24-year-old with a semester of Leadership Institute training could do a better job than they’ve been doing.”

The point is, complaints like these had been piling up for months and, because of my status as the first journalist to take the Cain campaign seriously, people kept bending my ear with this kind of stuff, as if I had some power to influence the decision-making process within the campaign.

What was especially frustrating was hearing stories like Ladd’s, from people who felt they had been “led on,” told that they were under consideration for employment with the campaign and then . . . nothing.

A campaign’s hiring process is necessarily opaque to those outside the inner circle. But Ladd isn’t the only person who has expressed frustration with the staff’s operations, and not all of those who complained were seeking employment. Just sayin’ . . .

UPDATE III: Allahpundit makes a couple of points:

The Fox affiliate claims it wasn’t White who approached them with this story but a tipster who knows her and who allegedly was shopping the story to national media. . . . [S]he has money problems and has been accused before by a business partner of stalking and defamation. . . . And who is that mysterious tipster running around talking to reporters anyway?

The stalking-and-defamation bit suggests the woman is what you’d call “troubled.” Without regard to the credibility of her accusations, it’s generally a good idea to avoid people like that. And she produced phone records that would seem to indicate Cain didn’t avoid her.

Category: Election 2012, Herman Cain

Rule 5 Monday

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 10 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


Before we begin, some administrivia. Either through a lack of reading comprehension or just plain laziness, some folks are sending Rule 5 links to the above address. I’m coming up on semester finals and trying to wrap up other projects this month, and I’m getting tired of shuffling e-mails into the right file because people can’t follow simple instructions. Going forward, any Rule 5 e-mails found in the main inbox linked above, instead of Rule 5 Wombat where they belong, are going to get trashed. Consider yourselves warned.


Leading off, it’s the Rio Norte Line with Lucy Pinder, followed by Randy’s Roundtable with Ana Hickman and the Cowboys Cheerleaders. Fishersville Mike, on the other hand, can’t wait for the Miami Marlins cheerleaders. The Eye of Polyphemus settles this week on Michelle Williams, while Reaganite Republican continues his “Know Your Enemy” series with Ivian Sarcos, reigning Miss Venezuela and Miss World. Jake Finnegan’s Burkalesque Babe this week is Lauren Pope, and the POH Diaries brings us Alicia Silverstone. Dustbury presents not only the latest Zooeypalooza, but handy links to all the previous ZPs.


El Opinador Compulsivo starts with TGIF babes, a Thanksgiving meal shot, Victoria’s Secret “Jingle Bells” video, Jeri Ryan, Danica Thrall, some NSFW gardening, and a truly excessive pile of randomness here, here, here, here, here, and here (also here).


Proof Positive brings the Dagmar Midcap, vintage babe Natalie Wood, a Russian voter babe in the Sex In Advertising feature, also TSA giving you a lift, nude Israeli women, the obligatory 49er cheerleader, and a Courtney Love wardrobe malfunction.


A View From The Beach has some wet ones, Mila Kunis, a bubble head, an Italian car ad, and a video that hits the trifecta of dumbness stereotypes.


Soylent Green takes early measures to avoid the dreaded Holiday Traffic Suckage, offers a Mega Monday Motivationer, some humpday hawtness, Thanksgiving hotness, Black Friday Corsets, and Red Saturday.


This week at The Camp Of The Saints, it’s Juliana Paes, Rule 5 News, Bob’s Thanksgiving Gals, and Comrade Mia Kirshner.


The DaleyGator was also feeling random last week. Other babes included Tuesday’s Asian Babes, Kelly Kelly, Leilani Dowding, Alicia Silverstone and Vanessa Mae


Thanks to everyone for their linkagery! Rule 5 links for next week MUST go to Rule 5 Wombat by December 3. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!

Category: Rule 5

Exploring ‘Explaining Postmodernism’ By Stephen Hicks 2: Counter-Enlightenment

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 8 Comments

by Smitty

The Enlightenment’s emphasis on rationality quickly came under attack. Figuring that reality is mechanistic offend pietistic Germans, as it seemed to lead to Deism at best, and atheism at worst. The French absorbed the Enlightenment by way of Rousseau and arrived at the Terror, a.k.a. the French Revolution.

Immanuel Kant, if I may oversimplify, called the Enlightenment oversimplified. Read more

Category: Intellectuals

BLACK MONDAY DEALS WEEK: Thanks to the Reader Who Bought a 55-Inch TV!

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 6 Comments

Yesterday, one of our readers got a great bargain via our Amazon links: A 55-inch HDTV for $949.99! Other purchases made by our readers yesterday included a Garmin Navigator GPS for $129.99, a Makita saw for $79, and a Skagen men’s titanium watch for $68.99.

Great bargains for you, a commission for me and even free Super Saver shipping on most items over $25 — you gotta love it.

Shoppers spent more than $52.4 billion over Black Friday weekend and is any blog more deserving of a slice of that action, huh? We are proud to be an online bastion of Shameless Capitalism™ and our Amazon “Black Monday Deals Week” specialsgive you many opportunities to celebrate The American Way of Free Enterprise:

What are you waiting for? Are you some kind of “Occupy Wall Street” anti-American commie scum who hates capitalism?

 

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Category: Amazon

A Lump Of Coal For That Special Congresscritter’s Stocking

Posted on | November 28, 2011 | 4 Comments

by Smitty

The news of Barney Frank ejecting really puts Tea in the teacup. Via Sissy Willis, we have Brendan Steinhauser offering a bi-partisan list of people who may not be on Santa’s ‘Nice’ list next month:Remember: it’s all swell and spiffy to decry the corruption, and eject the incumbents, but unless the next round of knobs is elected specifically unwind the system that drives all this corruption, those new knobs will be indistinguishable from the current round in no time flat.

Category: Democrats, Republicans
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