The Other McCain

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

Mike Rogers to Mona Charen: No, Cainiacs Are Not Liberal Hypocrites

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 11 Comments

In a column at National Review, Mona Charen suggested that the boos from the audience in Wednesday’s debate for Maria Bartiromo’s “character issue” question were because Republicans have adopted “liberal hypocrisy.” This prompted Mike Rogers — a New Hampshire volunteer for Cain — to respond in the comments:

That’s a very uncharitable interpretation, and it fingers you as a liberal. Why, because LIBERALS are the ones who project their foibles and character problems onto Conservatives.
If you do your research as a journalist, you will find plenty of reasons to believe that the only two accusers known to actually exist have been found to be gold-digging serial accusers, one of whom is chuckled about in the halls of CBS for her past.
Character DOES matter, and the boos signify that most of the audience think that the charges are baseless and the resent the media trying to pile on.
Clinton was protected by people who said “we know it happened, and we don’t care — attaboy!”
Cain is supported by people who believe firmly that it didn’t happen, and have reasons for that belief — they will desert en masse if he’s lying.

It is perhaps uncharitable for Mike to accuse Charen, a veteran conservative writer, of being a liberal. But I fear she has succumbed to the temptation of letting others do her thinking for her — being influenced by what “everybody knows,” rather than considering the possibility that the Conventional Wisdom is mistaken.

The truth of the matter is that, in regard to the allegations against Cain, we don’t know what we don’t know and, alas, there are some things that are unknowable. However, many people have vouched for Herman Cain’s character, describing the accusations against him as implausible and, at this point, we have less reason to doubt his denials than we do to doubt his accusers.

Hey, why aren’t the media doing feature stories about Herman Cain’s longtime acquaintances who say they’re sure he’s innocent? Isn’t that . . . y’know, news?)

Category: Herman Cain

On Cue, Some #Occupy People Came By

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

I’ve been in Philadelphia since Wednesday, while Mrs. Other Smitty attends a conference. My main job, other than blogging, has been to watch The World’s Youngest Blogger.

We’re across the street from City Hall in Philly:

That statue of William Penn atop the building had its peace disturbed this afternoon by what may have been a portion of #OccupyPhilly at around ~1630 local. I asked the girl at the desk of the Residence Inn if that was in fact the #Occupy crowd, and she was of the opinion that this was not all of them. Apparently, the suction cup does not know what the tentacle is doing in this ‘leaderless’ outfit, so little sub-groups may be on independent ops. The little camera lacks a good microphone, so you have to crank it up to catch the drums.
They could not muster enough sound to wake up the World’s Youngest Blogger, who woke up later, in time for their second pass at ~1715. They didn’t really build up their attendance at all.

Update: CBS 3 reports that #OccupyPhilly was protesting Comcast, which apparently has not made enough inner children in #OccupyPhilly smile lately. They are not planning to depart when their permit is to expire.

Category: #Occupy, Progressivism

#BlogCon11 Braced For The Charge Of The Intellectual Lightweight Brigade UPDATE: DaTechGuy Reports #OccupyDenver Is Weak Tea, No Party

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 21 Comments

by Smitty

Pete Da Tech Guy just called. He reports that #OccupyDenver marches every Saturday around noon, when their number swells to as many as 1-to-3,000. The hotel hosting #BlogCon11 has said that any #BlogCon11 attendees who leave the hotel will not be allowed to re-enter during any march past the hotel that could potentially occur.
Da Tech Guy has technically stayed in the hotel, at a corner of the parking garage, standing lookout upon 4 streets for about the next hour or so. However, Pete reports there is no mainstream media staged, as there have been for the previous two days. Potentially, the police have re-directed the march.
Pete himself was pictured in the Denver Post: in a story
“Occupy Denver protesters try twice to disrupt conservative blogger conference” though he could not figure out why his picture was used in lieu of Tabitha Hale’s.

Pete Ingemi reports live:
14:49 EST Police are leading the march down the street. 15-20 marchers abreast, with drums, claiming to be the 99%. They have an inverted American flag in the front row. “Support Socialism!” screams one of them.

14:52 EST Not too many, reports Pete. Surprised if their numbers exceed 500. Many covering their faces. Not a decent Tea Party.

14:54 EST An ‘End the Fed’ sign. Much chanting and repetition. Same leader as yesterday, same drivel.

15:26 EST The first block full of #OccupyDenver has passed. The police think there may be another round of protesters.

15:28 EST The #OccupyDenver people were all given police escort. At the corner of 15th and Glenarm, it looks like #OccupyDenver may done for the day. The dog, who had been elected the #OccupyDenver leader, was not in attendance.

15:33 EST Da Tech Guy states that he got plenty of video that he will be uploading as soon as he is certain the demonstration is done for the day. Also, the hotel security has been spot on, according to Pete.

15:51 EST A group of police in riot gear has arrived, as well as two police motorcycles. They appear to be in no hurry, but it looks as though a second pass of #OccupyDenver may come down 16th.

16:06 EST Da Tech Guy has video uploaded, which I won’t mooch; he deserves the traffic.

EXPECT FURTHER UPDATES. . .

Links:

Category: Da Tech Guy, Progressivism

Sharon Bialek’s Fiancé Belatedly Remembers He’s Not Her Fiancé

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 27 Comments

Things that make you go “hmmmm.”

A northwest suburban man says he needs to clear the air after coming to the support of his fiancee, who accuses GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain of making a sexual play for her.
For starters, Sharon Bialek isn’t his fiancee, said Mark Harwood in an exclusive interview on Wednesday night.
“We were engaged last year in June but I think there have been some assumptions that Sharon still lives here in Mundelein with me” Harwood told the I-Team. “Sharon and her son moved out in February of this year and now live in their own home … so effectively we’re no longer engaged.”
On Monday, when Ms. Bialek was the first of Cain’s alleged groping victim’s to go public, Harwood was contacted by news organizations trying to find out information about her. He did numerous interviews during which he was referred to as her fiancé. “I made reference to the fact that we were engaged and got engaged last June, 2010 and I think the assumption then-we were still engaged. I think most people seemed to be under the belief that Sharon lived [in my house] but she’s not here.”

Here’s video of the interview:

I don’t know if this has any particular significance, but for several days the media wanted the world to think Sharon Bialek was engaged to this guy, because that seemed to undercut suggestions she might be in it for money, e.g.,  Ben Smith at Politico:

In fact, per the Tribune, she’s living with her fiance, described as an executive in the medical equipment industry, in “a large, five-bedroom home… in north suburban Mundelein.”

He was described as her fiancé in the lead of an Associated Press article citing him as corroboration of Bialek’s account (although he didn’t know her in 1997 and says she never told him about it until Nov. 4). It was Thursday before WLS-TV got this interview, so that little bit of misinformation got corrected by the local ABC station in Chicago, three crucial days after it had been widely reported and woven into the media narrative as evidence of Bialek’s credibility.

Like I said: Things that make you go “hmmmm.”

Category: Herman Cain

FMJRA Special: Our Great Big un-Fat, non-Greek #BlogCon11 Roundup

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 6 Comments

by Smitty

As mooched from Tabitha Hale via email, and with some formatting from yours truly:

…Ology Occupy Denver Crashes BlogCon ’11
Ace of Spades Video of the Draaaamaaa
Atlas Shrugs En Route To BlogCon 2011
Breitbart TV Occupy Denver silenced at #blogcon11 
Canada Free Press Coke Heads To Protest Koch Heads At BlogCon 2011
Denver Post  Occupy Denver protesters try twice to disrupt conservative conference
Diana Hseih FreedomWorks BlogCon 2011
Examiner Denver Occupiers fail in effort to occupy BlogCon11
Fox31 Denver Occupy Denver protesters take message to Tea Party crowd
Gateway Pundit Occupy Denver Protesters and Squatters March To BlogCon11
Gateway Pundit Denver High School Teacher Brings Students To Join #OWS Mob As They Storm Conservative Conference
Hot Air One Occupy protester arrested at conservative conference in Denver
Houston Chronicle Occupy Denver Shows Up At FreedomWorks BlogCon11
Human Events Occupy Denver at BlogCon 11: After Action Report
Maggie Thurber  Occupy Denver, BlogCon11, Protests and Dog Biscuits
Marathon Pundit Cops Arrest Occupy Denver Protester Outside BlogCon11
Nice Deb #BlogCon 2011 To Be Protested By Occupy Denver
Protein Wisdom Occupy Denver comes to Blogcon
Publius Forum Coke Heads Protest Koch Heads at Blogcon 2011
RedState Interview with Matt Kibbe
RedState Denver Occupiers Fail In Attempt To Occupy #BlogCon11
RightWingNews The Denver Occupy Movement Tries To Invade BlogCon
Sooper Mexican Occupy Denver Crashes BlogCon11
Sunshine State Sarah Occupy Denver Tries to Occupy #BlogCon11, Gets Smacked Down by Vicious Sarcasm.
The Lonely Conservative Occupy Denver’s Surprise Visit to Blogger Conference not Much of a Surprise
The Other McCain Denver Post Quotes @DaTechGuyBlog About @OccupyDenver at #BlogCon11
The Other McCain #OccupyFail at #BlogCon11: What Fun!
The Republic 1 arrested after dozens of protesters show up at hotel protesting conservative blogger conference
The Shark Tank Occupy Denver Rejects Ham Sandwich Peace Offering,Steven Crowder Falls in Love
United Liberty Occupy Denver To Protest BlogCon
United Liberty Why Is Occupy Denver Protesting BlogCon?
United Liberty More Video Of Occupy Denver

This aggregation had not occurred until I saw Tabitha’s email, so apologies to our regular linkers whom time and bandwidth have caused to be omitted.

Category: Blogging

On the Road to Spartanville … Oh, Wait, No, Better Make That Spartanburg

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 33 Comments

DUBLIN, Va.
We pulled into a McDonald’s here about 9:40 a.m. so that I could hop on the WiFi and get some work done quickly before gassing up the econo-rental (a black Ford Probe, $86 for the weekend) and heading back out on the road to Spartanburg, S.C., for tonight’s Republican presidential debate at Wofford College (8 p.m. ET, CBS).

Mrs. Other McCain let me bring our 12-year-old son Jefferson along for the trip, because every eighth-grader should be helping their dads cover presidential campaigns instead of lounging around all weekend playing “Call of Duty.” Jefferson’s career plan is to be elected president of the United States in 2044, but I’m afraid he’ll be haunted by the gaffe in this video:

Spartanville? That blunder may have looked rehearsed, but it was actually spontaneous, as was his clever recovery. And of course, no child of mine could ever forget The Five Most Important Words in the English Language: Hit the freaking tip jar!




Addendum: While we were driving down the road this morning, we heard “Freebird” on the radio and Jefferson declared that when he becomes president, he’ll make “Freebird” the national anthem. I shared this on Twitter — via cellphone, while driving 75 mph abd steering with my knee — and Jon Henke responded:

You WILL stand for 9:06 & you WILL hold your hand over your heart for 9:06. Or you’re an unpatriotic America hater!

And frankly, if you don’t hold up a lighter every time you hear the national anthem, we’ll question your patriotism.

Hell, yeah.

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

Palate Cleanser: Nigel Farage Lets Loose The Barrage

Posted on | November 12, 2011 | 7 Comments

by Smitty

Nigel Farage is slightly less refined that Daniel Hannan, but that’s no complaint: sometimes you feel like a mallet, sometimes a scalpel.

Farage goes all Donald Trump and starts telling the Eurocrats that they should be fired. We have legions of civil servants in need of the same words here.

via HillBuzz, who do not seem to grasp that Farage is in fact an elected official, not a media personality like Beck.

Category: Europe, Foreigners

One Can Nearly Admire The Unmitigated Sack On Display

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 13 Comments

by Smitty

#OccupyResoluteDesk:

Congress. . .“must not shirk its responsibilities,” according to a White House readout of the conversation.

Seriously. If the intent all along was to punish the Administration’s political foes in particular, and America in general, then the Administration’s actions make sense:

  1. Play the brinksmanship game in the Spring of 2011,
  2. load the poison pill into the Super Committee, and then
  3. make the GOP eat more brinksmanship and the poison pill when the Super Committee, necessarily, fails.

Brilliant! If I wasn’t so thoroughly disgusted at the Machiavellian evil that is this Administration, I would be tempted to admire the perverse talent involved. As with the collapse of the Euro, there doesn’t seem to be much to do in the case of the Super Committee except sound the collision alarm and grab onto something solid.

Over at HotAir, Allahpundit wonders aloud:

Is The One seriously threatening to block a bill that would lift those cuts in the event of a Super Committee deadlock, knowing full well that the GOP will use Panetta’s soundbite to destroy him for it next year? Remember: This guy does not take political risks, and he certainly doesn’t take them in the name of cutting spending. Could be that the fear of another downgrade is weighing on him if the triggers are rescinded, which will pose a threat to his reelection if the market reacts badly, but what are the odds that investors will flee the safety of Treasuries under any circumstance given the chaos in Europe?

Oh, the bond rating agencies, then? Re-election?

Well, it sure is swell that #OccupyResoluteDesk would respect something, since the will of the people as expressed in the result of the 2008 election seems to have all the appeal of old chewing gum.

America has produced an exceptional piece of work in this one. I think BHO and I agree here, though our meanings may vary.

via Memeorandum

Category: Barack Obama, Democrats
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