Does Rand Simberg Contradict Himself?

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by Smitty (via Ed Driscoll)

I just don’t understand this, in the context of questioning whether WWII ended the Depression:

. . .there was rationing of food and goods on the home front. The real reason that we recovered was that once the war was on, FDR was too distracted by it to continue to tinker with the economy

I’ve read Amity Shlaes, but the more the topic of the Depression vs. WWII comes up, the less clarity there seems to be. How did wartime rationing not count as economic tinkering?

As with the beginning and the end of Creation, this seems to be a topic of the size and complexity that those inclined to argument can arrive at almost any desired conclusion. Simberg’s analysis doesn’t seem to include the larger 20th Century truth that what we saw was a conflict that began with the October Revolution and ended with Perestroika. WWII, Korea, and Vietnam were the decreasingly less brutal outbursts of tension. My point here is that the economic effects of WWII with respect to the Depression occurred in a Cold War context; the boys did not come home from Japan and Germany. There was no traditional U.S. beating of swords into plowshares. Rather, Bretton Woods and the National Security Act of 1947 altered the question significantly enough to obviate it.

So, while by no means coming out as a supporter of FDR, crack-head Keynsian Economics, or historical ignorance, the least-worst answer to the question of whether WWII ended the Depression might be: *yawn*.

Leon Black Never Hits My Tip Jar

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Just sayin’ . . .

Last Saturday night, the financier Leon D. Black celebrated his 60th with a blowout at his oceanfront estate in Southampton, on Long Island. After a buffet dinner featuring a seared foie gras station, some 200 guests took in a show by Elton John. The pop music legend, who closed with “Crocodile Rock,” was paid at least $1 million for the hour-and-a-half performance.

I’m not Elton John, but I have been known to rock a karaoke mike, so if any Wall Street tycoons need some birthday party entertainment . . .

No? Then perhaps I could interest some of you “billionaire financier” types in a $120,000 diamond ring? I mean, c’mon: $1 million for birthday party entertainment and you can’t spare $20 for the tip jar? Would you maybe like to buy a “blog sidekick“? Slightly used, but still in good working condition.





The Perry-Palin Litmus Test

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by Smitty

Allahpundit, emphasis mine:

Since we’re talking Perry, Palin, and Iowa, here’s an … interesting poll that made the rounds yesterday. There’s nothing obviously suspect to me about the methodology for surveying Republicans (the poll was automated, just like all of Rasmussen’s), but I’m not familiar with this pollster so assign whatever degree of credibility to it that you like. I joked on Twitter today that it’ll be fun seeing which side Karl Rove comes down on if the race ends up being between Perry and Palin, but he’d surely take solace in the fact that things will inevitably turn really nasty online between each candidate’s supporters. Perry will get called a cronyist, Palin will get called unqualified, and thus shall the wedge be driven into the grassroots. Can’t wait to find out which of the two is the truer “true conservative.” It’s hard for us RINOs to tell sometimes, you know.

If Governor Palin is the spiritual daughter of Reagan, and his 11th Commandment was not to speak ill of another conservative, then it makes sense that she’ll discipline her troops, to heighten the contrast between her and at least the Left, if not also Governor Perry’s supporters.

But is it in her best interest to go in this early? If she lets Governors Perry and Romney bash on each other and the Left while remaining aloof, is that a bad thing? Her only opportunity cost would be near-term fundraising. However, gambling that her charisma will motivate campaign contributions from the hoi polloi may make it worthwhile to delay.

Furthermore, if a substantial number of the people already bet that she’s running, without an official announcement, then she builds pressure on BHO, while not actually being present on the field, which presence would become a rallying cry for the opposition. She continues to log hours in front of a camera, and work whatever offline coaching she’s doing, honing the message. The Recovering Liberal breaks down the pundit split, which favors a run, but cites 03 September for the announcement.

What is the fish/cut bait date? I predict a buildup during the fall, a final go/no go decision, which will be a go, and come on 13 November, with all of the appropriate invocations of Reagan. By that time, the mysterious 1 in 5 who strongly support BHO shall have ebbed about as far as they will, and the House GOP shall have had time to recycle the debt question with the FY12 spending bills. Unless BHO can find a way not to look a total boob (again) on budgetary matters (it could happen: his opponent is the GOP), he stands to be further weakened as the year drags on. Other than the corresponding economic damage to the country, what’s not to like about that?

So, sorry, Maggie Mac: your bustier straps are likely to remain twisted a few months more, if I’m right. Daily Pundit also sounds a trifle overheated:

At this point, if Sarah does jump in, I’m inclined to be annoyed with her. She dicked around playing cute for months, when she could have joined the fray and locked up the anti-RINO vote.

You’ll shake it off, I expect.

In any event, it makes little sense for Perry or Palin supporters to expend ammunition on each other. They’d fail the Reagan litmus test. And she’s not in the race. He’s still receiving the inspection reserved for candidates whose names do not rhyme with ‘trauma’. If they’re the last two standing, there may be some thumb wrestling to sort out who tops the ticket. But that’s all wildly speculative.

Obamanomics in Action: Houses in Baltimore Selling for Less Than $10,000

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Hundreds of urban homes have sold for rock-bottom prices:

One of every 10 city homes sold during the first half of the year — about 275 in all — fell in that price range [below $10,000]. Twice as many sold for under $20,000. …
More city homes sold for less than $10,000 between January and June than in all of 2009 and 2010 combined. Dozens of city neighborhoods had at least one such sale this year.
As very cheap homes change hands, average sale prices in Baltimore have plummeted. Seventy city neighborhoods saw average prices drop more than 20 percent versus a year ago.

New York Times headline: “Confidence in Obama, and in the Economy, Declines.” Gee, ya think so?

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers!


Krauthammer On The Vineyard

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by Smitty

Charles is his usual insightful self on BHO’s vacation spot, concluding:

You know, the Vineyard doesn’t have any bridges to it. You either get there on a ferry in your Maserati, or on a jet or a helicopter. It’s not exactly where ordinary folks will take a vacation.

If I was going to write a story about a Manchurian candidate in trouble, I’d pick a spot like Martha’s Vineyard to have him retreat as his Presidency crumbled. My–strictly fictional, mind you–character is a manic-depressive idealogue who is buried so far underground by the Atlas Shrug of his failed presidency that his feet are sticking out the other side of the planet.

So he withdraws to MV to do the Prozac shuffle. Also appearing: his plutocrat overlords, who are pretending to be supportive, cutting their final deals to rape the U.S. economy, and working the numbers on whether they pull the plug.

Oh, wait: I already wrote something similar: OediPOTUS Wrecks.

GOP Presidential Primary Apocalypse

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Tim Pawlenty’s former campaign staff is reportedly hoping to join the campaign of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. This is amusing: Who wants to start their campaign with a team of losers? It’s also pathetic: Unemployed campaign staffers pinning their future hopes on a guy who has repeatedly said he is not running for president. And the ex-Pawlenty staffers are trying to make themselves seem more desireable by asserting that they’ve “resisted overtures” from Paul Ryan’s prospective campaign.

Longtime Red State contributor Josh Trevino says Michelle Malkin is “insane”  and “fringe” to criticize Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Matt Lewis of the Daily Caller wrote: “Some conservatives, of course, weren’t happy with Malkin’s criticism. When it comes to covering conservative primary candidates, some people think conservative writers should just turn a blind eye — or  solely focus on attacking Obama.”

The problem here is that Perry’s fans — and the Red State crew seems to be leading the charge — have portrayed their guy as All That and a Slice of Cheese and now seem to expect everyone else to cede the nomination to their anointed candidate. As I have explained, I was offended by the Perry campaign’s roll-out, a deliberate diss to the Ames Straw Poll. (Iowan sources told me that Perry’s people had approached the Iowa GOP about getting in on the straw poll and evidently didn’t like the terms offered.) My out-front support of Herman Cain might suffice to explain my resentment of the Perrybots, but really: Don’t supporters of other candidates — Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, et al. — also have a legitimate grievance at being told that Perry is beyond criticism?

They’ve been out out there getting chewed up every day for months, and suddenly they’re just supposed to acclaim the Anointed One?

Because Red State says so? Dan Riehl eats Red Staters for breakfast.

Meanwhile, Dave Weigel has a good piece exploring the possibility of an endless primary fight that results in a brokered convention at Tampa.

I had raised this same possibility Thursday, with the caveat that it’s probably wishful thinking: A brokered convention is every political journalist’s dream. It was what we’d all hoped the Hillary-Obama battle would lead to in 2008. Yet the crowded GOP field and the new RNC rules about delegate apportionment — prohibiting winner-take-all primaries before April 1 — do permit the glimmer of hope that we could witness a multi-ballot Armageddon at the Republican convention. (Theme song: “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.”)

And while you wrap your mind around the idea of a Tampa apocalypse, consider this: The Sept. 3 Iowa “Restoring America” rally featuring Sarah Palin has switched its site to Indianola to handle a larger crowd:

There has been speculation that Palin, a former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, could use the event as an opportunity to announce whether she plans to run for president in 2012.
“I don’t know if she’s going to announce or not,” said Charlie Gruschow, co-founder of Tea Party of America. “But whether or not she announces, we’re going to have a huge event.”

Everybody who knows anything about presidential politics has already decided that Sarah Palin is not running in 2012.

But has Sarah Palin decided yet?


Governor Brewer Responds To White House Amnesty Grant With Wild. . .No, Not Enthusiasm

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by Smitty

Via Townhall:

The Obama administration cannot get its amnesty schemes through Congress, so now it has resorted to implementing its plans via executive fiat. There’s simply no other description for today’s announcement that the federal government will not pursue the deportation of individuals who are in the country illegally but meet certain criteria.

RTWT, while I work through the thesaurus. Contempt? Disgust? Anger? Chagrin?

May fortune smile on Governor Brewer, who really has 1969 miles of guts, in stark contrast to a certain feckless wonder East of her.

Oh, and speaking of blowing a gasket, check out Chetwynd:

To the Reader Who Bought the 47-Inch Vizio 3-D LCD Home Theater Screen

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One of our readers bought an $888 big-screen TV through our Amazon Associates links and thereby earned me a $35.52 commission — thanks!

It’s always amazing to discover that readers are buying high-end electronics via our Amazon links, but what great bargains, huh? And what a huge selection. One of our readers is apparently building his own guitar amp, and bought two 50-watt speakers ($177) and a 2×12 cabinet ($160) via our Amazon links, which amounts to a $13.48 commission for me.

They sell everything at Amazon and — while we haven’t yet sold that $120,000 7-carat diamond ring — I do appreciate everyone who shops via our links.





Of course, the simplest and most direct way to support the blog is by hitting the tip jar, but we’re happy to offer you a chance to get great bargains at Amazon and thereby chip in a 4% commission to help pay the bills around here.

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