The Other McCain

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

Unexpectedly, Puffington Host Editors Face Uncertainty About The Founders

Posted on | November 13, 2011 | 8 Comments

by Smitty

The Puffington Host editors offer this collection of GOP Congressmen using the word ‘uncertainty’. Props to Todd Young, USNA ’95, appearing at 0:55:

The Puffington Host, normally such a bastion of wisdom and erudition, is unexpectedly daft here:

With the economy in a slump for nearly four years, corporate executives and conservative politicians have repeatedly invoked “uncertainty” as a major barrier to American job-creation. The “uncertainty” jab is a go-to talking point for any congressional Republican looking to tag President Barack Obama as a tax-raising, regulation-obsessed foe of American businesses.
But according to banking data compiled by economic research firm Moebs Services, the uncertainty plaguing the American economy has nothing to do with government regulations or taxes on millionaires. It’s an uncertainty driven squarely by consumers and small-businesses who are worried about their short-term financial prospects. And it’s been going on since well before Obama took up residence in the White House.

It must be the case that Founding Father James Madison, and The Federalist #62 slipped their memory at the Puffington Host (emphasis mine):

It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow.

Another word for ‘no man. . .can guess’ would be. . .uncertainty?
Still further on:

What prudent merchant will hazard his fortunes in any new branch of commerce when he knows not but that his plans may be rendered unlawful before they can be executed? What farmer or manufacturer will lay himself out for the encouragement given to any particular cultivation or establishment, when he can have no assurance that his preparatory labors and advances will not render him a victim to an inconstant government? In a word, no great improvement or laudable enterprise can go forward which requires the auspices of a steady system of national policy.

Capitalists are reduced to the role of mice in a cage with the government python, wondering who gets devoured next.

Less metaphorically, there is the Stupor Committee. We all sort of know the story ends badly, on November 23rd, but no one can tell yet whose ox will be gored.

It sure is a good thing we have Moebs to guide us in this brave new world, since we’ve Progressed beyond the simple, common-sense analysis of Dead White Guys like Madison.

Category: Economics, Huffington Post, Uncategorized

An Aside On Safe Passage For Messengers

Posted on | November 13, 2011 | 26 Comments

by Smitty

Twice now in recent memory, on

I have had commenters level the charge of “shooting the messenger”. Well, allow me to retort.

In the former case, I am to view Politico as some wholly innocent information nozzle, and in the latter case, Julian Assange and Bradly Manning as wholly innocent information nozzles. Your opinions may vary substantially from mine, but stand by while I develop the notion of “shooting the messenger,” and why I don’t think any of the above merit such a label.

“Shooting the messenger,” I contend, implies:
(a) A party in an authority position over the messenger. If you are, say, a the guy at the Metro station whose task it was to inform me at 8:30 AM that an “all day” pass does not mean “all day” in the normal sense, but a special “after 9:30 AM” sense peculiar to the Metro, then you are indeed the messenger, communicating the policy of an authority, and shooting you would be crass.

(b) A lack of a market incentive for delivering the message. Politico needs to have at least one allegation of sexual harassment against Herman Cain prove more substantial than a finger-pointing exercise for Politico to look more credible than the Weekly World News. Now, if  Politico wants to print that a six-eyed alien from Planet Q’uddlethumpin’ has endorsed Herman Cain’s candidacy, and thus be honest about its substantive content, then its mimetic warfare will be less of an odious distraction from real policy questions.

The media in general has so thoroughly abandoned any notion of a free, balanced presentation that it is an insult to honest messengers to be equated with these cheap propaganda mongers like Politico.

(c) A message that is not a warlike act. I don’t know how anybody can conflate Manning’s and Assange’s actions with anything other than a warlike act. If you think your government behaves dishonorably at various time and on various issues, then the way to deal with that is at the ballot box. A U.S. citizen giving away bulk information like Manning who is looking for sympathy should check the dictionary between s***t and syphilis, for all I care. We can have a theological discussion about sympathy for the lad’s soul, fine, but his actions are indefensible in my opinion.

As for Assange, it’s a miracle of modern technology that one twerp can inflict so much damage. However, his organization is substantially similar to Al Qaeda in my book. The fact that he draws breath, and he and his organization are not long since atomized probably means he has good friends. Notwithstanding any theological argument about his soul, as with Manning’s, Assange had better hope his friends remain good. Assange has broad jumped the line of demarcation between “things you do” and “things you just don’t do”.

Anything unfortunate happening to Assange before he dies at a peaceful old age is an argument in favor of being careful when you make enemies.

Something should be said about the inevitable ‘freedom fighter’ equivalencies that will ensue. Bore me not with such piffle. From what I can tell, Manning was not motivated by anything beyond the vacuous 20-something angst which Commies have pumped into our schools. I’m not a scholar of the fellow, and stand by for correction. In any case, a figure of George Washington’s caliber he is not. Equating a punk with any great American is a disservice to the great American.

Summarizing, the Metro attendant in example (a) is the only situation in which I think a “shooting the messenger” claim has merit. Thrashing people for ‘doing their job’ is in bad taste. Also unimpressive: demanding sympathy for the likes of Politico or Assange/Manning.

Category: Media Bias, Politics

Spartanburg Remainders: CBS Debate Inspires Media Fear and Loathing

Posted on | November 13, 2011 | 15 Comments

SPARTANBURG, S.C.
We had to leave Wofford College about an hour after last night’s Republican debate ended, because the Herman Cain campaign was having a private post-debate event at the Marriott Hotel. So I didn’t have time to upload many of my photos and video of the “spin room” activity, nor to register much of the headline reaction:

Foreign policy debate highlights
differences within Republican field 
— New York Times

CBS panned for Republican debate performance
— Politico

The Big Loser of the Night: CBS
— National Review

Bachmann, Paul Call Debate Moderators ‘Disgraceful’
— ABC News

Was it really that bad? The one glaring omission was that they never discussed the situation in Mexico, where narco-terrorist gangs and human trafficking pose a serious risk that our next-door neighbor could descend into “failed state” nightmare. It could be like having Somalia or Waziristan on our southern border, and yet Mexico was never mentioned last night.

My other big gripe about Saturday’s debate? Two words: Jon Huntsman.

Reports swarm the man I dubbed “Governor Asterisk.” Jon Huntsman represents no significant Republican constituency, he worked for the Obama administration, and his poll numbers are less than the margin of error. So of course, the media love him.

Reporters interview Eric Fernstrom, a top adviser to Mitt Romney’s campaign. Here’s an interview I did with Romney’s state campaign chairman, South Carolina treasurer Curtis Loftis:

“I fully expect to win South Carolina,” Loftis says. “People love Mitt Romney.”

As I said, however, there was no time to upload that last night, because we all piled into our cars and did a caravan over to the Marriott for the Cain campaign post-debate party.

Linda Hansen and Mark Block of the Herman Cain campaign. A few minutes later, Block held up his cigarette pack, a signal that it was time for a smoke break. We went outside and I asked how the campaign was going. Block said, “We’re kicking ass, Stacy.” The event ended while we were out smoking, and pretty soon the Cain entourage poured out the doors, loading into two SUVs. I saw Cain briefly and he said they were flying back to Atlanta, then to Wisconsin on Monday before going to Iowa on Tuesday.  Then they roared off. “A million miles an hour,” as Block says.

Here’s an interview with a South Carolina supporter of Herman Cain who attended the post-debate event at the Marriott:

When the Cain event ended, our blogger caravan across town to the home of a Tea Party family who showed us some true Southern hospitality:

Grassroots conservative operative Austin James relaxes and discusses the 2012 campaign as bloggers gathered at an after-party that went on into the wee hours.

Herman Cain supporters Donna and Dennis Thorstad hosted a crew of bloggers who stayed up talking politics — and singing oldies — until 2 a.m. Mrs. Thorstad got up Sunday morning and fixed breakfast for everybody. They’re awesome.

My 12-year-old son Jefferson did an excellent job as my blog assistant on this trip. We are about to get out on the road and head back 450 miles north toward home. Hit the freaking tip jar!






Category: Debates, Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Perry Aides Dissing Gingrich Campaign?

Posted on | November 13, 2011 | 26 Comments

Interesting news:

A new book claims Newt Gingrich spent $1 million on jewelry to “buy off” his reluctant wife and stop her objecting to his running for president.
“Election 2012: The Battle Begins,” by reporters Tom Bevan and Carl Cannon, follows up on previous reports about Gingrich’s unpaid $500,000 charge account at Tiffany’s and his Greek cruise with his [third] wife, Callista.
Gingrich’s staff denied the latest account, which details the GOP hopeful’s extravagant spending while he professes to be a fiscal conservative.
Unidentified sources in the book are believed to be former Gingrich aides, many of whom now work for rival Rick Perry.

A hit-job on a GOP candidate blamed on Team Perry? I’m shocked.

Category: Election 2012, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry

An Opera Based Upon WikiLeaks?

Posted on | November 13, 2011 | 41 Comments

by Smitty

Opera is one of those forms of expression that I do not mind admitting is art, yet avoid to the fullest extent possible. Via Slashdot, one of the biggest cretins of recent vintage will be going to the opera house, emphasis mine:

“Betrayal, lust, secrecy, power: there’s no shortage of dramatic intrigue in the story of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. Perhaps that’s why work has begun on an opera based on the life of Julian Assange in Melbourne. Opera Australia held – with Julian Assange’s approval – a series of in-house workshops last month after its artistic director, Lyndon Terracini, came up with the idea and asked composer Jonathan Dreyfus to write the music. ‘It’s got everything that a dramatic musical work needs,’ says Eddie Perfect, who played Assange in the initial process.

Everything? In this particular case, one is tempted to suggest a JDAM.

Assange has waged war against the United States and allies. The fact that he hasn’t been brought to room temperature yet is as interesting as the audience for this pap. No, I won’t generalize from the fact that this is done as an opera to suggest that the audience for it is a pack of anti-Western commies: there may be a few rational people who enjoy opera for its own sake.

Category: Progressivism

Moving Closer To Taking The Correct Lesson From Fannie/Freddie?

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 17 Comments

by Smitty

Via Instapundit, we see that Michael Bloomberg has not:

“We look forward to the rapid fulfillment of this commitment so that Countrywide can sign another record-breaking agreement with Fannie Mae,” Mozilo finished.
Mozilo’s almost 20-year-old quote is relevant again thanks to the uproar New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg caused last week when he criticized Occupy Wall Street’s view of the financial crisis.
Bloomberg said, “it was not the banks that created the mortgage crisis. It was, plain and simple, Congress, who forced everybody to go and give mortgages to people who were on the cusp. … They were the ones who pushed Fannie and Freddie to make a bunch of loans that were imprudent, if you will.”

No, Bloomberg, the correct lesson is that the Community Reinvestment Act was false, and not in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution. Only the states should ever be interacting with citizens concerning their housing. The federal government should, at most, set some high-level standards. Then, the federal government could perform a useful oversight function.

In other words, beside the moral hazard involved in giving too much power to DC, we also lose the vertical check of having somebody being a watchdog. And that’s all without trotting out the Hayekian argument about the failure of overly centralized planning.

That is the correct lesson of Fannie/Freddie: they don’t work, they were never founded to work, and real improvement will not commence until their graft-laden simulation of working is brought to a halt.

Meanwhile, one hopes that NYC is capable of electing a useful mayor one of these days.

More at Power Line including a mocking tune which I may get to, later.

Category: Uncategorized

RICK SANTORUM AFTER DEBATE

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 8 Comments

SPARTANBURG, S.C.
When Rick Santorum entered the post-debate “spin room” here at Wofford College, I was the first to greet him. “How’s it going, Stacy?” and his lovely wife also said hi. Quickly switched to video and started the interview, before the scrum assembled around us:

I’ll have more later, but have to get out of the media filing center in five minutes, as we’re running late to an important post-debate event.

PREVIOUSLY: Greetings From Spartanburg! REPUBLICAN DEBATE ON CBS; UPDATE: ‘No Runs, No Hits, No Errors’

Category: Debates, Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Spartanburg, Rick Santorum

Greetings From Spartanburg!
REPUBLICAN DEBATE ON CBS
UPDATE: ‘No Runs, No Hits, No Errors’

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 62 Comments

SPARTANBURG, S.C.
UPDATE 9:27 p.m. ET: Just caught Carl Cameron on his way out of the filing center. “What’d ya think?” he asked.

“Seemed pretty standard, except for Ron Paul,” I said.

“Yeah — no runs, no hits, no errors,” Carl said. “And Perry’s still alive.”

That’s a neutral, objective fact — and quite important. After Perry’s big flub Wednesday, it looked bad for him. But he came back very strong tonight.

Also, I’d say that Herman Cain came in well-prepared. Foreign policy is his weakest suit, so for him to escape without a major gaffe is a victory for Cain.

The debate is over and I’m heading to the “spin room.”

UPDATE 9:19 p.m. ET: Gingrich is saying something very smart-sounding, but I’m looking over at the post-debate “spin room,” where the campaign proxies are starting to assemble, so I’m heading that way for a minute just to scope out the scene. Will be back in a few.

UPDATE 9:16 p.m. ET: Jim DeMint asks a question, which goes first to Romney, then Huntsman. Eventually, they’ll get around to the non-Mormon candidates.

UPDATE 9:14 p.m. ET: Michele Bachmann isn’t wearing a gay tie, and doesn’t agree with Ron Paul.

UPDATE 9:12 p.m. ET: Rick Perry goes upside Ron Paul’s head, calls Paul’s ideas a “travesty.”

(Friends on Twitter point out that Ron Paul’s tie is as gay as Jon Huntsman’s.)

UPDATE 9:10 p.m. ET: Ron Paul hates lawless warmongers like Barack Obama.

UPDATE 9:09 p.m. ET: Herman Cain would reverse everything the Obama administration has done, as would Rick Santorum.

UPDATE 9:08 p.m. ET: Lindsay Graham wishes he was wearing Jon Huntsman’s tie.

UPDATE 9:07 p.m. ET: Mitt Romney gives the Mitt Romney answer.

UPDATE 9:06 p.m. ET: Ron Paul gives the Ron Paul answer.

Linked by The Lonely Conservative.

UPDATE 9:05 p.m. ET: Gingrich talks Syria. Name-checks Assad. He wants “mostly convert” response.

UPDATE 9:03 p.m. ET: Herman Cain talks “Arab spring.” The revolutions “have gotten totally out of hand.” Expresses concern about Muslim Brotherhood taking over Egypt. Obama has been on the wrong side of everything.

UPDATE 9:02 p.m. ET: Congresswoman Bachmann — that’s “Michele” to you, Rick Santorum — talks defense budgets. Turns it into repealing ObamaCare.

UPDATE 8:58 p.m. ET: Perry wants foreign aid to start at zero. Now the East Coast loses live TV coverage on CBS. And everybody in the Eastern Time zone is switching to TheOtherMcCain.com, for crucial coverage of Jon Huntsman’s gay tie.

UPDATE 8:52 p.m. ET: Huntsman’s gay tie — is that purple or fuschia? — is all about free trade. He likes young Chinese bloggers. IYKWIMAITYD.

COMMERCIAL BREAK!

UPDATE 8:50 p.m. ET: Mitt Romney hates him some Chinese! He’s anti-eggroll.

UPDATE 8:49 p.m. ET: China! Rick Perry talks China — the Communist Chinese government! He wants to win the Cyber War against those commies!

UPDATE 8:47 p.m. ET: Newt Gingrich gets huge cheers for explaining that enemy combatants don’t have no dadgum rights.

UPDATE 8:46 p.m. ET: Mitt Romney bashes Obama. Scott Pelley hates booing.

UPDATE 8:44 p.m. ET: Jon Huntsman has a gay tie. He’s anti-waterboarding.

UPDATE 8:42 p.m. ET: Michele Bachmann also supports waterboarding. And looks lovely saying so, don’t you agree?

Did I mention my wife reads this blog? Did I mention I love my wife? Because that’s kinda important.

UPDATE 8:41 p.m. ET: Herman Cain supports waterboarding as an “enhanced interrogation technique.”

UPDATE 8:40 p.m. ET: Rick Perry starts with a joke about his memory. He talks about being commander-of-chief of the Texas National Guard. He feels “very comfortable from Day One.”

Day Two, also. Day Three … uh, wait. Day Three … ?

UPDATE 8:38 p.m. ET: Rick Santorum will surround himself with people who will execute his policies. “Laser beam focus.”

UPDATE 8:36 p.m. ET: Herman Cain will listen to his generals.

UPDATE 8:30 p.m. ET: Rick Santorum just called Bachmann “Michele.” The media won’t notice, but he’s gonna get the evil eye from his wife. Santorum meanwhile talks some serious stuff about Pakistan. He just used the word “nexus.”

COMMERCIAL BREAK!

UPDATE 8:28 p.m. ET: Gingrich loves him some adverbs! He’s also “insistent” about protecting Copts in Egypt.

UPDATE 8:26 p.m. ET: Major Garrett reminds us that Michele Bachmann serves on the House Intelligence Committee. And is indisputably the most attractive member of the committee.

Wait — it’s sexist to notice that, isn’t it?

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

UPDATE 8:23 p.m. ET: Rick Perry hates him some foreign aid. He don’t trust him no Pakistanianese, either.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m. ET: Cain talks Pakistan with great fluency. Just wait until they ask him about Vanuatu.

UPDATE 8:20 p.m. ET: Mitt’s blue tie is very hetero.

UPDATE 8:19 p.m. ET: Jon Huntsman looks unserious in a gay purple tie. Because I’m homophobic, too.

UPDATE 8:18 p.m. ET: Michele Bachmann sounds serious talking about Afghanistan, and also looks serious, wearing black with her hair up. Yes, I know: It’s sexist to comment on her wardrobe. But she’s standing on stage with a bunch of guys in dark suits.

UPDATE 8:15 p.m. ET: Santorum reminds us of his foreign-policy credentials And runs over time talking about Iran.

UPDATE 8:13 p.m. ET: Rick Perry gets through his first answer without saying anything stupid. But he doesn’t answer the question, so he gets a follow-up. He does good.

UPDATE 8:11 p.m. ET: Ron Paul gets applause from Ron Paul fans.

UPDATE 8:10 p.m. ET: Gingrich opens with some great sarcasm about Obama’s dumb policies. “I agree entirely with Governor Romney.”

UPDATE 8:09 p.m. ET: Mitt Romney wants more time!

UPDATE 8:06 p.m. ET: First question to Herman Cain, about Iran’s nuclear weapons. He sounds pretty well-prepared. He gets a follow-up and handles it pretty well, too.

UPDATE 8:05 p.m. ET: Scott Pelley opens with a lecture and lays down the ground rules, hands it over to Major Garrett, who introduces the candidates.

UPDATE 8 p.m. ET: We’re LIVE nationwide on CBS.

EXPECT FURTHER UPDATES . . .

* * * PREVIOUSLY 6:56 p.m. ET * * *

We’re here at the Republican presidential debate at Wofford College (8 p.m. ET, CBS). Ali Akbar and Karen Martin have got a group of us bloggers into the event. I’m being assisted in this endeavor by my12-year-old son Jefferson:

Carl Cameron of Fox News and Jefferson McCain. Let’s face it, how many eighth-graders get official media credentials and hang out with network anchors at a presidential debate?

Ali Akbar and the ladybloggers of Politicalistas.com.

UPDATE: A couple more quick photos:

The stage it set, the lights are lit, the candidates are getting ready backstage and we await the moment when the moderators for CBS ask the crucial question: “Who’s buying Stacy’s beers at the after-party?”

You might not think that the warning sign at the right would be necessary, but this is South Carolina, after all. They take their Second Amendment rights very seriously down here.

The world’s loneliest Romney girl was asking people to take stickers. Not a lot of MittMania here in Spartanburg.

This family of Cainiacs was doing a standout by the entrance to Wofford College, surrounded by about 50 screaming Ron Paul fanatics. I’ve got video of the Paulistas and will upload shortly.

Category: Debates, Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Spartanburg, South Carolina
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