The Other McCain

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

A Frothy Flagon O’ Fisk

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 3 Comments

by Smitty

I have led DaveC over At The Point Of A Gun astray. He is now glancing at the Puffington Host, with Fisk-o-licious results. Some bozo-ette named JD Samson (shades of JT LeRoy):

Like so many teenagers, I believed in the “American Dream,” that I could move to New York from the Midwest and become an artist. I would achieve both fame and success, and I would never have to think about money. The first half was true. I made art and lived activism, and I achieved amazing amounts of success that I feel incredibly proud of. The second half, not so much. I have been able to live well, eat well, invest in my arts and make my own schedule, but I forgot to save money and think about my future.

Bingo. One would think that she would have ended it right here with an epiphany of being responsible for yourself and self determination. But then liberalism is a mental disorder so it would be dangerous to assume that her comprehension skills are normal.

RTWT, as DaveC delivers an Ol’ Woodshed Sojurn (#OWS) to Samson like the Samsonite leftovers of an ObamaVille near you.

Category: Blogging, humor

8,000,000: Fear and Loathing on Vegas Debate Media Credential Deadline Day

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 30 Comments

Later today we will record our 8 millionth visitor to the blog. We got our first 3.3 million at the old Blogspot site (March 2008-December 2009) and, since switching to the custom domain with WordPress software in January 2010, have added another 4.7 million visits.

We recently recorded our best month to date with 339,343 visits in July so — assuming we can keep this up, and the Blog Gods of the Cargo Cult do not become offended again — it’s possible to estimate that we could reach the cumulative total of 10 million visits sometime in April or May.

This evidence of reader loyalty comes at a most convenient time, considering that today is the deadline to submit media credential requests for next Tuesday’s CNN/Western Republican Leadership Conference presidential debate in Las Vegas.

Submitting such requests is a hassle, as I’ve always loathed filling out applications. However, I’m sure my request will be approved, as I had no problem getting credentials from CNN for the Sept. 12 Tampa debate. But whereas I was credentialed as a correspondent for The American Spectator, I’m a bit nervous about how the public-relations office at CNN will respond when Smitty and Wombat apply for credentials to cover the Vegas debate for TheOtherMcCain.com.

The request form asks for a “title” and the name of a “supervisor.” We haven’t exactly been formal in the matter of titles, and I do damned little that could be called “supervising.” Read more

Category: Cargo Cult of the Blog Gods, Debates, Election 2012, Fear and Smitty in Vegas, How to Get a Million Hits on Your Blog, humor, Nevada, Shoe Leather Fund

Because RINOs Always Travel in Herds: Chris Christie Will Endorse Mitt Romney

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 102 Comments

Remember when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was supposed to be the feisty populist conservative alternative to Mitt Romney? So much for that ridiculous nonsense, eh?

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, just one week after definitively announcing he will not run for president in the 2012 race, plans to endorse Mitt Romney for the job Tuesday afternoon, Fox News has learned.
The event is set to take place in Hanover, N.H., the site of the Republican presidential debate being held Tuesday night. The endorsement will be made in advance of the debate.
Marking a fast turnaround for Romney, the endorsement comes one week to the day since Christie called a press conference in Trenton to end once and for all the speculation that he would make a late entrance into the race.

UPDATE: Bryan Preston at PJM:

So, is Christie pulling a Crist and making a major endorsement of a moderate candidate to help him fend off more conservative challengers? That’s what it looks like.

Three words, Bryan: Follow the money.

The GOP money people in New York — Georgette Mosbacher, et al. — were the ones urging Christie to run and, when he finally said “no” for the thousandth time, they all jumped on the Romney bandwagon. A big-money RINO-lanche for Romney is the only way to stop a certain surging candidate. IYKWIMAITYD.

UPDATE II: “Moderate GOP Governor’s Club,” Michelle Malkin says. Jon Huntsman was a member of that club. Ditto Mitch Daniels. Ditto Tim Pawlenty. The kind of GOP Establishment-approved folks that the big money boys find acceptable.

Now a Memeorandum thread.

UPDATE III: Thanks to commenter Joe for reminding me of this headline from last year:

N.J.’s Christie Backs Castle in Del. Senate Race

Yeah. That explains a lot, doesn’t it? Guess that means Herman Cain is this year’s Christine O’Donnell. Even if Cain gets the GOP nomination, the Establishment insiders would rather see Obama re-elected than to let an outsider win an election.

UPDATE IV: At a press conference in Hanover, N.H., just now, Romney called Christie “a real hero” and “my friend.” Christie said: “Mitt Romney’s the man we need to lead America and we need him now.”

First question at the press conference was about the Jeffress/Perry Mormons-are-a-cult issue. Christie referenced his own decision to appoint jihadi extremists to enforce sharia law a Muslim judge.

UPDATE V: David Freddoso’s headline at the Examiner:

Huge: Christie to endorse Romney

What’s with all the fat jokes, huh? Just because the hippo endorsed the RINO . . . See? Now you’ve got me started. But anyway, I was confused by this sentence in Freddose’s column:

Could the recent success of conservatives like Christie in the North, and the possible nomination of Romney, threaten the Republican Party’s reputation as a southern party?

Yeah. Unlike my fellow Atlanta native Herman Cain, whose nomination would only reinforce that whole “southern” thing, I suppose.

UPDATE VI: Duane Lester: “Christie continues to prove doubters right.”

The Lonely Conservative: “Herman Cain Says He’ll Go After Mitt Romney in GOP Debate.”

Linked by The Guy Who Named the Blogosphere — thanks!

UPDATE VII: Ed Morrissey:

The obvious conclusion is that Romney’s worried about an inability to move upward and the continued rise and fall of the Not-Romneys in the race. . . . By getting ahead of the news cycle with a big endorsement just before tonight’s debate, it could also relieve pressure on Romney to make news by attacking Herman Cain — or possibly hint that Romney wants a knockout punch badly enough to risk engaging the conservative base’s favorite of the moment.

So it appears that everybody’s expecting a Cain-vs.-Romney donnybrook tonight and Da Tech Guy, who is in New Hampshire for the debate, says, “in my opinion the story of the day is: ‘Can Herman Cain take a punch?’ ”


Category: Chris Christie, Election 2012, Mitt Romney

I Was Not Going To Rip Troglopundit For Being So Weak As To Allow Gov. Walker To Come Under Recall Threat

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

Via Alan Colmes, it looks like there will be an effort to #OccupyMadison next month. Apparently the Left thinks that moderates and conservatives are as mathematically challenged as the Left, and unable to add up the overall benefit of non-sucktacular government. Read more

Category: humor

Comity Of Errors

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 30 Comments

by Smitty

Trying to restore Senate comity

Democrats have one overriding objective this Congress: to create jobs and get our economy back on track. But our Republican colleagues are so dead set on preventing Democrats from passing job-creating legislation that they have been willing to abuse the rules of the Senate to grind the chamber to a halt, making it virtually impossible to pass even bills that have broad, bipartisan support.

If that held true, Senator Reid, you’d just resign. You and your party are the choke point that precludes what the country really needs, an impeachment.

May God have mercy on your soul, Harry. As for your political career, no one can top Dennis Miller’s judgement pronounced 4+ years ago:
Senator Reid, there may be some finely-parsed way in which you are not a liar. But the truth is that no one believes you. You have no credibility. Let us try to find mercy in our hearts for the Nevada voters who afflicted you upon us for another 6 years of whiskey-tango-foxtrottery.

Update: Don Surber goes for green titles!

Category: Liberals, Nevada

They Pissed Hank Williams Jr. Right Off

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 26 Comments

by Smitty

I may not be the biggest Country fan in the country, but you have to call it like you see it, and this is good:

Via AmericanLady49

Category: Music, Video

Ouch: Former ‘Americans for Rick Perry’ Iowa Operative Joins Team Santorum

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 38 Comments

When it rains, it pours, and with Rick Perry slipping into third place in the latest Gallup Poll, the deluge of pain comes pouring down. Here’s a press release that’s got to have Team Perry on suicide watch:

SANTORUM EXPANDS IOWA CAMPAIGN STAFF
Experienced operatives join Santorum campaign

Verona, PA – Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) announced the additions of Sheila Murphy and Kip Murphy to his Iowa campaign team to coordinate campaign operations in Southwest Iowa and to advise in the area of statewide field operations.
Prior to the Iowa Straw Poll, Kip Murphy worked as part of the “Americans for Rick Perry” organization helping to lay the groundwork for an entrance into the presidential race. However, since that time, both the Murphys have selected Rick Santorum as their choice for the GOP nomination, citing both Santorum’s substantive policy stands and his campaign style and strategies.
Sheila Murphy said, “I am excited to join the team of the hardest working candidate in the GOP field. Senator Santorum’s relentless campaign energy has set him apart. Senator Rick Santorum understands that Iowa Republicans are looking for a candidate who is conservative in both word and deed and he is working tirelessly to bring this message to all corners of Iowa. I am confident that Iowa voters will see as I do that Rick Santorum is the complete conservative- strong on every issue- solid in every way. This will resonate with Iowa voters and drive the campaign to victory at the caucuses.”
Kip Murphy said, “Senator Santorum has not taken any Iowa votes for granted. He has not just campaigned in the major media markets, but has visited the rural Iowa counties and talked to all Iowa voters. Senator Santorum appreciates the important role Iowa plays in the nominating process and has taken his conservative message straight to Iowa voters. I am looking forward to helping Senator Santorum transform this hard work into victory at the Iowa caucuses.”
Senator Santorum said, “Sheila and Kip are among the hardest working activists in western Iowa. They have proven to be super-organizers and well respected conservatives in a critical part of the First-in-the-Nation caucus state. I am looking forward to working with both Sheila and Kip as we move to victory in the Iowa caucuses.”
The brother and sister consulting team are originally from Nebraska where Kip Murphy served as Statewide Field Director for the Nebraska Republican Party and as Field Director for the Lee Terry for Congress Campaign. Sheila Murphy served as Statewide Field Director for Victory 2000 for the Nebraska Republican Party.
Sheila Murphy is currently the Republican Chairwoman of Harrison County. She previously served as campaign manager for Brenna Findley’s 2010 campaign for Iowa Attorney General and as political director for Rod Robert’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
Kip Murphy previously served as Victory director for the southwest Iowa field office of the Republican Party of Iowa, as well as field director for the Rod Robert’s gubernatorial campaign and numerous campaigns throughout Iowa and the Midwest.

These are both experienced Iowa operatives, one of whom formerly supported Perry, joining a campaign that raised about $600,000 in the third quarter. That’s what you’d call a “hint.”

Remember that Perry began his campaign with a gigantic diss to the Iowa GOP, skipping the Ames Straw Poll to make his announcement with his buddies in South Carolina. (According to the official transcript, Perry’s Aug. 13 announcement speech began, “Howdy. Thank you, Erick.”) Nobody figured dissing Iowa would really hurt Perry much, back when he was on top of the polls — leading Mitt Romney by as many as 19 points in early September — but now?

Perry’s in single digits in New Hampshire, and Santorum’s held more events in Iowa than any other candidate in the field, including Bachmann (who practically moved to Iowa this summer). What happens if former front-runner Perry finishes third, fourth or even fifth in Iowa, then goes to New Hampshire — with an aura of defeat already dogging his every step — and gets beaten silly again?

Perry’s got $17 million in the bank, so it’s probably way too soon to make some kind of “no path to victory” statement, but . . . Dude.

Anyway, it’s good news for Santorum to have Sheila Murphy, a county party chairwoman, calling him “the hardest working candidate in the GOP field.” Last Tuesday, I said Santorum was overdue for his “flavor of the week” moment. He just made a $30,000 radio ad buy in Iowa, and there’s a debate tonight in Hanover, N.H., so we’ll see if he can make something happen.

Category: Election 2012, Iowa, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum

‘The President’s Supreme Confidence in His Intellectual Abilities …’

Posted on | October 11, 2011 | 9 Comments

. . . has proven sadly mistaken.”

Just kidding. That’s not how the sentence in Scott Wilson’s Washington Post column actually ends. No credentialed member of the White House press corps would ever write a sentence like that. But dishonesty as a prerequisite for membership in the White House press corps was not a subject of sufficient interest for Jonah Goldberg, who instead wondered about something else in Wilson’s column:

Obama certainly does see himself as a policy wonk, and he’s surrounded himself with people who see the president in precisely the way the president likes to be seen. Funny how that works. Also Obama is one of the most zealous members of the cult of experts we’ve had in the White House in a very long time. . . .
Where’s the proof that Obama is a master of public policy? To be sure there’s ample proof that he’s a master at talking about public policy, describing the problems, summarizing the current thinking, regurgitating all of the reigning clichés and platitudes. But where’s the evidence that he’s actually good at public policy?

Read the whole thing.

Category: Barack Obama, Jonah Goldberg
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