The Other McCain

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

Ron Paul vs. Tea Party Express?

Posted on | September 1, 2011 | 27 Comments

Eric Odom wonders why “Doctor No” doesn’t join the tour:

During the past few months Ron Paul’s fans/supporters have gone out of their way to promote his candidacy at every corner of the web. You’ll find them in the comments of every post about an opponent and they’re very active in message boards and discussion forums.
One of the biggest complaints made by these folks is that some of the more “mainstream” tea party organizations do not give Ron Paul a platform to speak from. They argue Paul is being actively silenced in some parts of the movement and they strongly advocate more opportunity for Paul to speak out through these organizations.
Which brings up a very puzzling situation. You see, the Tea Party Express is rolling through 29 cities right now, some of them being in early/battleground states. Iowa, New Hampshire, Virginia, South Carolina and Florida for example. I’m told that Ron Paul has repeatedly been invited to speak at ANY rally on the tour, yet has not once confirmed he wishes to do so. . . .

Read the whole thing. Unlike some other conservative bloggers, I try not to alienate the Paulistas because (a) I’ve got a pretty serious libertarian streak myself, (b) some of my good friends support Paul, and (c) I’m a gutless weasel who doesn’t need a bunch of crazies attacking me in the comments.

It’s bad enough having to deal with left-wing trolls like Anamika, why should I go out of my way to antagonize libertarians?

Category: Election 2012, Ron Paul, Tea Party

Does Anyone Else Remember …?

Posted on | September 1, 2011 | 14 Comments

During the mid-term election campaign last fall, nearly every GOP congressional candidate was slammed by attack ads accusing them of favoring “tax cuts for companies that ship jobs overseas.” That accusation was made routinely (and misleadingly) against Republicans who had signed a no-new-taxes pledge from Americans for Tax Reform:

Millionaire Tim Burns: Supporting Loopholes
That Ship Our Jobs Overseas (PA-12 TV Ad)
— Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, April 27, 2010

But it wasn’t just the DCCC that made that accusation, and it wasn’t just in TV attack ads. It was also President Obama, in his weekly address on Oct. 16, three weeks before Election Day:

“Republicans in Washington have consistently fought to keep these corporate loopholes open. Over the last four years alone, Republicans in the House voted 11 times to continue rewarding corporations that create jobs and profits overseas — a policy that costs taxpayers billions of dollars every year.”

Let’s just pause for a moment to consider the perversity of that accusation: Lower taxes (described as “corporate loopholes”) are a policy that “costs taxpayers billions of dollars every year,” according to the Keynesian-in-Chief. But while accusing the GOP of imposing such costs on taxpayers, Obama described himself as an advocate of lower taxes in the very same speech:

The president said in the coming months he intends to fight for tax breaks for small businesses and manufacturers.
“We should reward the people who are helping us lead in the industries of the future, like clean energy,” Obama said. “That’s how we’ll ensure that American innovation and ingenuity are what drive the next century.”

Ohhhh. Now we understand: When Republicans are against raising taxes on corporations, that’s bad. But it’s OK for Obama to advocate special tax breaks for “the industries of the future, like clean energy.”

So how’s that working out for ya?

President Obama faces political catastrophe in the form of Solyndra — a San Francisco Bay area solar company that he touted as a gleaming example of green technology. It has announced it will declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy. More than 1,100 people will lose their jobs.
During a visit to the Fremont facility in spring of 2010, the President said the factory “is just a testament to American ingenuity and dynamism and the fact that we continue to have the best universities in the world, the best technology in the world, and most importantly the best workers in the world.“ . . .
The President was celebrating $535 million in federal promises from the Department of Energy to the solar startup.

Ohhhh. But at least the Obama administration isn’t encouraging U.S. companies to ship jobs overseas, right? Right?

Why are you against creating jobs overseas? RAAAAACIST!

Category: Barack Obama, Economics

Boehner 1, Obama 0

Posted on | September 1, 2011 | 46 Comments

The White House caused a ruckus Wednesday by attempting to schedule President Obama for a speech to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 7 — which just happened to be the date, scheduled months ago, of a GOP presidential debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

Say hello to “separation of powers”: Nobody at the White House had bothered to clear the Sept. 7 date with the Speaker of the House, who suggested moving the date to Sept. 8 and — after some partisan grumbling — the administration was forced to back down:

“Today, the President asked to address the Congress about the need for urgent action on the economic situation facing the American people as soon as Congress returned from recess. Both Houses will be back in session after their August recess on Wednesday, September 7th, so that was the date that was requested. We consulted with the Speaker about that date before the letter was released, but he determined Thursday would work better. The President is focused on the urgent need to create jobs and grow our economy, so he welcomes the opportunity to address a Joint Session of Congress on Thursday, September 8th and challenge our nation’s leaders to start focusing 100% of their attention on doing whatever they can to help the American people.”

What was this childish stunt all about? Nobody really knows, but Allahpundit gauges the Left’s predictable reaction:

Coming soon to a left-wing blog near you: “He caved again.”

It’s as if the administration, unwilling to fight for anything important — or too politically weak to win any important fight — with the Republicans, decided to fight for something trivial. And the fact that they lost even this juvenile pissing match will only further erode the presidential image.

Which means it’s time for the liberal media to produce another story about how dumb Republicans are.

Category: Barack Obama, John Boehner

LIVE AT FIVE – 09.01.11

Posted on | September 1, 2011 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Libya: Western Diplomats, Rebel Leaders Gather At Paris Conference

Rebels talk at Brega refinery's control station

An opportunity for the NTC to lay out their plans for the future and seek help to implement them.

White House Backs Down On Obama Speech Timing
Smooth moves.

Labor Department Agreements Protect Illegals
Doesn’t anybody in this administration obey the law?



POLITICS
Governor Asterisk Calls For Tax Code Overhaul

Governor Jon Huntsman campaigns in New Hampshire

Wants to reduce rates, eliminate mortgage & charity deductions as well as capital gains & dividend taxes

Infrastructure Bank Could Be Part Of Jobs Package

Palin Going To ROK


Cheney Book Renews Post-9/11 Policy Fights

Goodwin Liu Confirmed To California Supreme Court

Job Crisis, Race-Baiting Top Congressional Black Caucus Agenda, But Mostly Race-Baiting
Allen West Threatens To Quit CBC Over Race-Baiting



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Deutsche Telecom Loses $12 Billion Even With New T-Mobile Bid
Justice Department Hangs Up On AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
Solar-Cell Maker Solyndra Closes Fremont Plant
Stocks End Wild Month Quietly
German Banks Reject IMF Call For More Capital
BNY Mellon CEO Fired For Being A Jerk
Apple Staffer Loses Prototype iPhone In Restaurant – Again
Sony Tablets Face Criticism On Price, Hardware
Facebook Music Service Launching In September?
Financial Times Pulls Apps From Apple Store
Amazon Offers Jobs To California To Avert Ballot Box Showdown Over Internet Tax



SPORTS
Venus Williams Withdraws From US Open Due To Illness

Serena Williams

Diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease

NBA, Players Agree On Urgency But Little Else

Texas A&M Sets Date For Leaving Big 12

Retired NHL Enforcer Wade Belak Found Dead

Red Sox Acquire Conor Jackson From A’s For Stretch Run

LSU Tries To Focus On Football, #3 Oregon

Filly Star Havre De Grace Goes After The Boys In Woodward

Braves Acquire Jack Wilson From Mariners

End Of The Line For Corky Miller?

Madison Bumgarner Fans 11 As Giants Shut Out Cubs

Barry Bonds Won’t Face Retrial On Perjury Charges

Derek Lowe Homers, Craig Kimbrel Sets Rookie Save Record As Braves Brat Nats 3-1



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Alyssa Milano, It’s A Boy!

Alyssa Milano and husband David Bugliari

Milo Thomas Bugliari, seven pounds and 19 inches

Marc Anthony Breaks Silence On J-Lo Split

Rapper T.I. Gets Out Of Prison, Onto Reality Show

First Look At “American Pie” Reunion Movie

John Moore Last Man Standing In “Die Hard 5” Directing Derby; Who’ll Do “RED 2”?

Giuliana Rancic Refuses To Engage In Twitter Fight With LeAnn Rimes

Robert Downey Jr.’s Wife Is Pregnant

Charlie Sheen Arbitrator Turns Thumbs Down On Warner’s Request For Gag Order

“The Help” Crosses $100 Million Mark

Seriously, F*** You, George Lucas



FOREIGNERS
Russia Recognizes Libyan Rebels At Paris Meeting
Syrian Forces Raid Hama, City’s Attorney General Resigns In Protest
Kosovo Albanian Confesses To Killing Two American Airmen In Frankfurt, Expresses Regret
A Guide To Nicolas Sarkozy’s Scandals
Remains Of Iconic Australian Bush Ranger Ned Kelly Identified



BLOGS & STUFF
Michelle Malkin: Photoshop Fun – President O-Bow-ma Bows To Speaker Boehner
Allahpundit: Peace In Our Time – Obama Agrees
To Reschedule Jobs Speech
Ed Driscoll: Solyndra Filing A Disaster For Obama
Weasel Zippers: Dem Rep Carson Defends Lynching Comments
Sister Toldjah: The Democratic Party – The Party Of Class And Race War
James Pethokoukis: Huntsman Plan Goes Big And Bold
Lonely Conservative: Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Drives Canadian Chevy
Riehl World View: It’s The Water, Stupid
Jihad Watch: Allan Commands You To Spray The Unbelievers – Iran Furious At Typo-Filled Qurans Printed In PRC
Jawa Report: White House Issues 9/11 Talking Points


SOTD: Space Junk

Category: Live at Five

Gibson Guitars CEO: U.S. Government Urged Him to Use Foreign Labor

Posted on | August 31, 2011 | 44 Comments

Press release from KMJ-AM in Fresno, California:

Tonight, in an interview on KMJ’s “The Chris Daniel Show,” Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz confirmed that the US government wanted Gibson guitars to use foreign labor over American labor:
CHRIS DANIEL: Mr. Juszkiewicz, did an agent of the US government suggest to you that your problems would go away if you used Madagascar labor instead of American labor?
HENRY JUSZKIEWICZ: They actually wrote that in a [inaudible].
CHRIS DANIEL: Excuse me?
HENRY JUSKIEWICZ: They actually wrote that in a pleading.
CHRIS DANIEL: That your problems would go away if you used Madagascar labor instead of our labor?
HENRY JUSKIEWICZ: Yes

Audio of the entire interview here.

BACKGROUND:

UPDATE: Linked by That Mr. Guy and by Moose & Squirrel — thanks! — and welcome, Instapundit readers!

Category: Talk Radio

A Special Kind of Stupid

Posted on | August 31, 2011 | 18 Comments

The New York Times has a story about how major news organizations are assigning kids right out of college to cover the presidential campaign:

For decades, campaign buses were populated by hotshots, some of whom covered politics for decades, from Walter Mears to David S. Broder to Jules Witcover. It was a glamorous club, captured and skewered in Timothy Crouse’s best-selling “The Boys on the Bus,” about the 1972 campaign.
Now, more and more, because of budget cutbacks, those once coveted jobs are being filled by brand new journalists at a fraction of the salary. It is not so glamorous anymore.

You can read the whole thing. The point of the article is that economic pressures have forced the industry to resort to this.

Having spent the first dozen years of my career toiling at small-town papers you never heard of, what is shocking to me is that raw kids like this aren’t working at little weeklies out in the sticks. But the downsizing of the industry has wiped out many, many thousands of  what used to be entry-level journalism jobs, and all the smart kids go to law school.

It takes a special kind of stupid to pursue a career in journalism nowadays. But maybe that’s always been true.

Category: Journalism

HuffPo ‘Premium’? AOL ‘Desperate’?

Posted on | August 31, 2011 | 14 Comments

Arianna got the gold mine, AOL got the shaft:

AOL is up for sale according to many insiders in the know. Sources in the industry claim that AOL has met privately with the mega-law firm Watchell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and investment bank Allen & Company about putting the former ISP up for sale to the highest bidder.
While AOL is generating significant revenue of at least $1 Billion for the first 6 months of 2011, they are still losing a great deal of money and the purchase of HuffPost hasn’t helped their woes.
The HuffPost purchase, which was valued at $315M was widely criticized by both the press and pundits alike as a poor purchase decision, or at least one that didn’t make sense at those numbers. Since then, the merger of the company into AOL has been reported to have numerous management problems.
Despite HuffPost continuing to grow since its purchase, the advertising sales revenue has not been able to sell inventory at the level needed to support the organization. Part of the problem reportedly is that the sales team, lead by search advertising veterans has been unable to convince advertisers that they need to pay a premium cost to be on HuffPost and other AOL properties. . . .
AOL seems to now be desperate to find either a buyer, or at least a long term solution to solve their issues. It is clear that their management, seen by many as top heavy salary wise, is not suited to run a content company that needs to focus on cost cutting.

Look: Online advertising is a hard dollar. Advertisers either pay for page-views or pay for click-throughs, and they’ve got software to measure the actual performance of each ad buy. The idea that HuffPo readers are somehow special, so that advertisers should pay a “premium” to have access to those readers . . . well, why?

There is no plausible answer, nor is there any plausible answer for why a value-oriented investor would have paid anything like the $315 million AOL paid for HuffPo. That deal never made sense.

(Hat-tips: Hot Air Headlines via AOSHQ Headlines.)

Category: Huffington Post

Iowa Conspiracy Theory

Posted on | August 31, 2011 | 51 Comments

Two different people sent me this photo:

This photo — showing Texas Gov. Rick Perry talking to Ken Crow — was taken Saturday by Lisa Krantz of the San Antonio News-Express at a Polk County (Iowa) GOP fundraising event in Des Moines.

Crow is the president and founder of the Tea Party group that is hosting this weekend’s Indianola rally with Sarah Palin. In discussing the controversy surrounding that event, I mentioned earlier one friend’s conspiracy theory that Perry’s campaign was secretly orchestrating that controversy to undermine Palin. One of the people who sent me this photo included an e-mail comment:

This guy Crow has to be doing this all on purpose, for one reason: to make Palin look bad, for the benefit of someone who wants to make Palin look bad.
Remember: if they can make the narrative “Tea Party Woman=Christine O’Donnell=Sarah Palin” stick, then who wins? Rick Perry.

Way too far-fetched for my tastes. Is Team Perry really so crafty that, months in advance, they would dispatch a clandestine operative to insinuate himself among Iowa Tea Party activists, persuade them to invite Palin to a big rally, and then wreck the whole thing on purpose just to make Palin look bad?

Well, I don’t believe it — although some very intelligent people do believe it — yet I pass this along just to illustrate what kind of bad vibes have resulted from this disorganized Indianola situation.

UPDATE: Want some more paranoia?

The guy who supposedly put the hook in to get O’Donnell booted off the Indianola rally was Palin chief of staff Michael Glassner. Here’s his biography — total GOP Establishment guy, worked 15 years for Bob Dole.

Make of this what you will.

Category: Conspiracy Theories, Iowa, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Tea Party
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