Cain HQ: ‘Crazy, Hectic, But Fine’

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“Cain’s success represents a journey into uncharted political waters, like an ancient explorer sailing off toward the part of the map where the legend reads, ‘Here Be Dragons.’ “
— Robert Stacy McCain, The American Spectator, “Herman Cain Sails Into Uncharted Seas”

Admit it: If Herman Cain decided to call it quits tomorrow, what he has accomplished in the past 10 months would still be an achievement of historic proportions. A guy who began the campaign as “Herman Who?” has, against all odds and despite the active opposition of the GOP Establishment, emerged as the legitimate national front-runner, with barely nine weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3.

Having already accomplished what no one ever believed he could, Herman Cain must now turn this astonishing phenomenon into the kind of campaign that can actually win the Republican nomination and then go on to defeat Barack Obama next November.

Everybody who knows anything about politics keeps saying that this can’t possibly happen and yet . . . Continue reading Cain HQ: ‘Crazy, Hectic, But Fine’ →

Whittle Explores The General Welfare And Commerce Clauses, The Peanut Butter And Chocolate Of The Left

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by Smitty

Click to enjoy:

Yet another polished exposition from Bill, this time the specifics of how the context of two tiny phrases in the Constitution have been used substantially to obviate the rest of the document.

Watch, but more importantly, share with those who are still semi-conscious about the current danger to all we hold dear.

Via Ken Gardner this post at Heritage points out that revenues at the Treasury are relatively constant, compared to the malignant tumor-like growth of spending. This is the issue: federal growth, in terms of debt, deficit and over-regulation of the economy. This is why presidential candidates who are not discussing the amputation of vast swaths of Leviathan are not terribly impressive right now.

Sometimes The Gadgets Pay Off

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by Smitty

For whatever reason, the shift to a different host isn’t playing well with the blog. The details are messy, but a browser request going from http://theothermccain.com to a readable blog post involves an awful lot of fragile steps. And that’s when everything works correctly. When you get shenanigans like what OWS Exposed is dealing with, where the network currently points you back to ‘home’, 127.0.0.1, it gets even harder.

Now, I’m not as cool as OWS Exposed. My problem is likely some stale cache data somewhere between me and the blog that will expire soon enough. I’d like to think that Wasted Away Again In My ObamaVille was sufficiently odious to merit special attention. However, I’m not that special. If I was, the resulting nuke would likely hurt more.

What I do have is a Samsung Galaxy S II backed by T-Mobile’s 4G service. Even though Android phones and Mac OS X go together like real-world Economics and Paul Krugman (which is to say they get along poorly), you can set up the Galaxy SII as a wireless router, and connect the Mac to the phone via WiFi. Open protocols spank proprietary stuff like Econom–wait, I already played the Krugman card.

The bad news about the Galaxy SII is that it’s tantamount to a laptop computer, and that shows in the battery life. Maybe I can configure it to blow through the charge more slowly, but it has got legs past a day. So one keeps the USB cable and wall adapter handy.

Then, I finally grasped the hint from @_scarymatt_ and pointed my DNS to 4.2.2.2 down at UNC. I’m all using vi to edit /etc/resolv.conf, until I read the comment that said that, yeah, the text file is more of a report than a useful reference, and went in through the System Preferences GUI.

Because knowledge is really helpful, except for when it becomes a stumbling block.

Smelly Hippies Get Ripped Off

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They march for free. I mock them for profit.

Somebody cleaned out the PayPal account of “Occupy Portland” and it looks like an inside job:

Organizers of Occupy Portland say they fear as much as $20,000 donated to the group through a PayPal account has disappeared.
They also say the group’s finance committee has hijacked the demonstration’s Internet domain name and filed for incorporation against the wishes of the group’s decision-making body. . . .
Papers filed with the Oregon secretary of state’s office on Monday show that an entity called “Occupy Portland” was registered as a nonprofit.
But [Occupy Portland spokesperson Jordan] LeDoux said the demonstration’s General Assembly, where the protesters come to consensus on issues, had repeatedly declined to incorporate with the state.
The “registered agent” for the incorporated body is listed as Reid Jackson of Hillsboro. LeDoux said Jackson was also on Occupy Portland’s finance committee.
In a telephone interview, Jackson said she undertook the incorporation “to protect these people. … I’ve tried explaining it to them, but they won’t listen to me. There is someone who has infiltrated the group and is trying to capitalize on the money.”
Jackson would not identify the “infiltrator,” but she said that disputes over the finance committee had escalated to the point where she had received death threats.

Very encouraging news. Any project that results in naive lefties getting ripped-off by their “progressive” friends can’t be all bad.

And death threats! Nothing says “peaceful civil disobedience” quite like a bunch of hippies threatening to kill each other over a PayPal account.

Speaking of which: This is a shameless capitalist blog, which means I’m supposed to get paid for mocking these hippies. IYKWIMAITYD.




Of course, the hippie-mocking business is highly competitive:

Yeah, what right do the homeless and prisoners have to represent themselves as society’s downtrodden. Impostors! They’re not oppressed like the college graduates with too much debt from pricey private colleges!

That guy’s a real pro.

UPDATE: Linked by Bill Quick, The Rhetorican, Da Tech Guy, The Conservatory, Bit’s Blog, and Don Surber — thanks! — and welcome, Instapundit readers!


Herman Cain = AuH2O?

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My old friend Jeff Kuhner dares to make the comparison:

Like with Barry Goldwater in 1964, grass-roots Republicans are revolting against the Eastern establishment. Mr. Cain has many of Goldwater’s traits – the fire, the intensity, the passion and the willingness to challenge the GOP status quo. Goldwater was unlucky in that he ran in a year following the assassination of President Kennedy. The national outpouring of grief and sympathy made a Democratic victory inevitable. Yet this time, the country is in crisis and the Democrats are poised to be crushed in a landslide.
Mr. Cain’s rise stands as a stark warning to the GOP establishment: Tepid conservatives like Mr. Romney do not have the answers to the nation’s woes.

Read the whole thing.

LIVE AT FIVE – 10.28.11

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— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Cheers, Skepticism Meet EU Debt Deal

A trader looks on at the German Stock Exchange

Markets get shot in the arm despite widespread doubts

Occupy Oakland Makes Plans For Citywide General Strike
Speakers exhort assembled hundreds; last general strike in Oakland was in 1946

“Supercommittee” GOP Offers Alternative To Democrats’ Plan
$2.2 billion in cuts but no tax increases; predictable whining ensues



POLITICS
Perry Plan To Skip Debates Draws Fire From Gingrich, Santorum

Mitt Romney shakes Rick Perry's hand at the Las Vegas debates

Newt questions Perry’s fitness for the campaign

Corps Of Engineers Seeks $1 Billion For Levee Repairs

Liz Warren Backs Away From Claiming Credit For #OWS

Two Workers Plead Guilty To Third-Degree Murder At Gosnell Abortion Clinic

Gay Troops, Veterans File Suit Challenging DOMA

Herman Cain’s “Smoking Man” Video Goes Viral

Campaign Finance Charges Against Edwards To Go Forward

Business Week: European Debt Resolution Critical To Obama’s Re-Election Bid



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Whitman Unwinds Predecessor’s Moves At HP; No Sale For PC Group After All
Exxon Mobil, Shell Have Big Profits Despite Lower Production
Unemployment Claims Dip
PRC Could Play Big Role In EU Rescue
Redbox Rental Prices To Rise
Wish There Were A Dropbox For Business? Now There Is
Google Integrates Apps Into Google Plus
Samsung Overtakes Apple In Smartphones During Q3
FCC Converts Phone Subsidy Funds To Broadband Subsidy Fund
Facebook To Build Server Farm On Edge Of Arctic Circle



SPORTS
Cards’ Freese Hits Walkoff Homer To Force Game 7

David Freese celebrates sayonara homer

Rangers take 7-4 lead, can’t hold it, lose 10-9 in extra innings

NBA, Players On Cusp Of Agreement?

NCAA Adopts Sweeping Changes




Plekanic Puts One In Each Goal As Habs Edge Bruins 2-1

Penalties Hinder Caps In First Loss Of Season

Coyotes Pull Away For 5-3 Win Over Devils

Rangers Bring Old Problems To New-Look Garden, Fall To Maple Leafs

Jets Earn Wild Win Over Flyers



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Kim Kardashian’s Newlywed Life “Not Ideal”

Kris Humphries & Kim Kardashian

Too many family members in the house for comfort

Frances Bean Cobain: Is She Engaged?

Lindsay Lohan Gets Million Dollar Offer – From Sex Toy Company

First Look At The New “Three Stooges”

Jenna’s New Love Is A Jewel

Charlie Sheen’s “Anger Management” Lands At FX

Nicole Richie: Girls, Don’t Dress Slutty On Halloween!

Jesse James Returns To TV On “American Chopper”

Reuters: Johnny Depp Phones It In For Meandering “Rum Diary”

Sony Eyes Segel And Witherspoon To Star In “Sex Tape”



FOREIGNERS
Interior Minister Named Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Queen Calls For Bold Reforms At Commonwealth Meeting
In Slap At Syria, Turkey Shelters Anti-Assad Rebels
Nine Somali Jihadis Killed, Two Kenyan Soldiers Wounded
Thailand May Cut Bangkok Roads To Drain Floods
Israel, Egypt Carry Out Prisoner Swap
Pakistan Denies BBC Report On Taliban Links



BLOGS & STUFF
Hit & Run: Peter Schiff At #OWS – “Walmart Doesn’t Hold A Gun To Your Head!” (Videos)
Proof Positive: #OWS Kitchen Staff Protesting Fixing Food For Freeloaders
Jawa Report: Learning From Hamas – How #Occupy Uses Human Shields
Allahpundit: Hot New Dem Talking Point – Congress Is Actually The “Republican Congress”
Riehl World View: The #OWS Mob And Obama – Democracy Denied
Rich Lowry: The State Of Perry
Via Media: Reality Check In The Eurozone
Big Government: Leaked Progress Ohio Memo Shows Issue 2 May Be Dead Heat
James Pethokoukis: For Liberals, Income Inequality Is The New Global Warming
Jihad Watch: Muslim Students At Catholic U. Complain About Crucifixes In Classrooms
PJ Tatler: Bravo, Richmond Tea Party


SOTD: Sometime To Return

Ned Ryun Calls for Bachmann to Quit; Bachmann Calls Ned Ryun a Perrybot

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Ned Ryun, son of former Kansas Rep. Jim Ryun, created the non-profit grassroots training group American Majority three years ago. Today Ryun issued a remarkable statement:

It’s time for Michele Bachmann to go. For the last two years, I’ve been cautioning about the dangers of individuals or organizations trying to present themselves as leaders of the Tea Party movement. . . .
Since her meteoric rise this summer and win in the Iowa Straw poll, her campaign has been plagued by losses of top staff, lackluster fundraising and a seeming lack of direction. Bachmann’s resulting plunge in the polls is troubling for the tea party, not because “one of their own” is losing her footing, but because the longer Bachmann stays in the race, the more likely we will see her shift to the right. . . .
In Bachmann’s case, it is clear that the campaign has become less about reform and more about her personal effort to stay relevant and sell books; a harsh commentary, but true. It’s not about tea party values or championing real plans to solve real problems. While other campaigns are diving into the substance, the supposed tea party candidate Bachmann is sticking to thin talking points and hanging on for dear life.
Every day the campaign flounders, it risks hurting the credibility of the movement. If she really is about the tea party, and making it successful, it’s time for the Congresswoman to move on. The Tea Party doesn’t have a spokesperson, and it’s certainly not Michele Bachmann.

When I call this a “remarkable statement,” of course, I mean Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Since when does the president of a 501(c)3 non-profit, speaking in his official capacity on that organization’s Web site, go meddling so directly in a Republican primary?

The Bachmann campaign fired back with a statement to CNN: “The strength of the Tea Party is all individual’s opinions are valued but the no single leader speaks for it. Mr. Ryun, who supports Texas Gov. Rick Perry, is entitled to his own opinion. And that’s exactly what he is expressing.”

Ryun denied being a Perry campaign sockpuppet, but the Bachmann campaign’s suspicion is understandable. If you look at Ryun’s blog on the American Majority site, he had said nothing at all about the GOP presidential campaign until two days ago when he endorsed Perry’s tax plan.

So on Tuesday, out of a clear blue sky, Ryun issues a pro-Perry statement and on Thursday, he tells Bachmann to take a hike. Just a coincidence?