The Other McCain

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

Maher: ‘European Socialism Works’

Posted on | September 27, 2010 | 17 Comments

Ed Driscoll featured this Newsbusters video in which Andrew Breitbart brilliantly nails Bill Maher who, for the past 15 years, has tried to claim he’s some kind of libertarian. As no libertarian could possibly support ObamaCare, however . . .

Noel Sheppard of Newsbusters has the transcript:

ANDREW BREITBART: So you’re, you’re officially not a Libertarian anymore, right? I mean, this position…
MAHER: Well..
BREITBART: …has run so far from the Libertarian position. Is this, so you admit that you have more of a, you know, European socialist leaning perspective on this issue?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
BREITBART: Why is that funny?
MAHER: I’m, I’m not afraid, it’s not, I’m not afraid to say European socialism works.

Maher is not a libertarian and never was. He is a deformed personality. His political incoherence is a mere reflection of his twisted mind, as I wrote in April 2009: “Bill Maher hates himself. And can you blame him?”

Category: Andrew Breitbart, Celebrities

A: Peyote, Mescaline, and LSD

Posted on | September 27, 2010 | 14 Comments

by Smitty

Q: Based on the results the mainstream pollsters are publishing, what sorts of substances might be circulating in their blood?

Guy Benson at TownHall talks about the general propaganda push we can expect in October:

Remember, Jim Geraghty’s political svengali known as “Obi Wan” predicted that Democrats and their media henchmen would try to manufacture a last-minute “Dems are surging” narrative using bogus polls and contrived examples. It’s important not to be overconfident about November 2nd, but it’s equally imperative that we remain vigilant for misleading memes generated by the Left solely to discourage conservative voters.

Lefty rationalization:

  1. Consider the least ethical move possible in a given situation.
  2. Assert that the conservatives are already doing it.
  3. Commence a first strike.
  4. Claim it was defensive.
  5. Airbrush history as required to justify first strike.

Over at Big Government, Dr. Rahe asserts a contrary case in “Can We Trust The Polls“:

No one predicted Joe Miller’s victory in the Alaska primary; no one predicted Christine O’Donnell’s defeat of Mike Castle – and let’s face it: in neither case was the margin of victory small. My bet is that in November the Republicans will take every single race – for the House, the Senate, or at the state level – in which the pollsters (including Rasmussen, the best of the lot) report that the race is even remotely close

Just as I suspect that we lack a clear picture of how bad the national debt is, my gut is that our grasp of the decay in our electoral process is also dim. Witness the fact that Coates in the DoJ mentions the possibility of investigating 10 States for voter roll problems. I’ll confess naivete: the notion of screwing around with elections is outside of my imagination. I should think anyone with the temerity to screw around with elections, if convicted and after all appropriate appeals, should lose their citizenship. Let the bastards join the Foreign Legion, say I.
One hopes the Left understands: their hijinks were only good when fewer were paying attention.

Category: Election

LIVE AT FIVE 09.27.10

Posted on | September 27, 2010 | 6 Comments

We’re trying out a new daily feature, compiled by our friend and frequent commenter Wombat. The idea is to provide a morning news roundup, which will go online at 5 a.m. ET each weekday, thus the name “Live at Five.” — RSM

TOP NEWS

RAYMOND MCDANIEL OF MOODY’S    

Raters Ignored Proof of Unsafe Loans, Panel is Told
The Financial Crisis Investigation Committee heard testimony last week that ratings agencies dismissed evidence that many mortgage loans that  went into mortgage securities in the run-up to the collapse of the housing bubble were dubious.
Veteran Lawyer Accuses Justice Department of Bias
Christopher Coates accused his agency of refusing to prosecute voter discrimination cases on behalf of white voters. His charges are bringing new attention to the case against the New Black Panther Party, which DOJ had won by default before dismissing the case.
Computer Worm Attacks Computers At Iran’s First Nuke Plant
The Stuxnet computer worm, specifically designed to take over industrial plants, appears to have spread to staff computers at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. A team of Iranian software experts are attempting to remove the infection and Iran claims it will not delay the plant’s startup next month.

POLITICS
Democrats Face Skeptics In Rural Areas
San Francisco Chronicle Won’t Endorse Boxer
President Obama’s Job Approval Hits New Low – Poll
Boehner: Tax Cut Punt “Most Irresponsible Thing I’ve Seen”

THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Paul Krugman: “Structural Unemployment Is An Excuse”
Robert Samuelson: A Trade War With China?
Exporters Lead Nikkei Index Up
Banks Keep Failing, No End In Sight

SPORTS

Phillies Fans Cheer Despite Loss to Mets

Phillies Lose But Clinch Playoff Berth
Cowboys Finally Win, 27-13 Over Texans
Sloppy but Strong, Tide Rallies & Rolls To Win 24-20

FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS

Tragic: Lohan pictured with syringe, tourniquet
Emily Deschanel Ties The Knot
Lindsey Lohan Posts Bail, Goes Back Into Rehab

FOREIGNERS
U.S. Prosecutors Focus on Afghan President’s Brother
Unidentified Helicopter Attacks Somali Militants
UN Appoints Official Ambassador to Space Aliens
Iranian Prez Meets With Farrakhan, New Black Panthers

BLOGS & STUFF
Ann Coulter At Homocon: “Marriage Is Not A Civil Right. You’re Not Black.”
Exchequer v. Economist
Steny Hoyer on Colbert Testimony
Confederate History Month Now History In Virginia

Category: Live at Five

‘Mono Jojoy’ Sounds Like A Starbucks Seasonal Special

Posted on | September 26, 2010 | 8 Comments

by Smitty

The roasted Columbian formerly known as Mono Jojoy isn’t a beverage of which you’d care to partake, however.
Latin American sobre-blogger Fausta Wertz reports, emphasis mine:

After evading justice for over a decade, the Colombian armed forces, with the help of American military training and technology, were able to locate Mono Jojoy through his boots. Jojoy, also known as Jorge Briceño, whose real name was Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas, was diabetic and needed special shoes since the diabetes affected the circulation on his feet. According the Colombian newspaper El Espectador (in Spanish), Colombian intelligence intercepted an order for Mono Jojoy’s boots and placed a GPS chip, which started transmitting his precise location on Monday. The ensuing raid on his camp was an all-out military operation, code name Sodoma (Sodom), involving dozens of aircraft and three tons of explosives. Following the raid, the Colombian military found 15 laptops, 94 USB devices and 14 hard disks, which will yield vital intelligence on the FARC’s operations. This is a huge coup for Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the Colombian government and a most crippling blow against the FARC.

While I’m sure that we can expect the Left to contrive a Full Che treatment, those laptops are likely to reveal what a despicable tool of Hugo Chavez this guy was. Not that the Left will admit what a despicable monster Chavez himself happens to be, no matter how deeply in the toilet Chavez parks Venezuela. While I can’t improve on Fausta’s reporting, there are a couple of music riffs that she’s too legitimate to offer, whereas I operate under no such misapprehension:

The Maiden was perhaps obvious, so let’s venture further afield:

Album shots are normally passé on YouTube, but the “One Size Fits All” cover is worthy of note for the Procrustes reference.
For the trifecta, we bring you KC and the Sunshine Band:
As we have a suitable HD camera available, let’s have the readers suggest a tip jar bounty to have Stacy McCain do “Boogie Shoes” at the karaoke bar for the blog. I mean, there isn’t much doubt about what kind of man he is; it’s really all a question of price, you see. (I kill me sometimes, and so will Stacy McCain.)

Category: Fausta, Foreigners, Video

GOP Shocked as Sex Scandal Strikes Christine O’Donnell Carl Paladino?

Posted on | September 26, 2010 | 38 Comments

Two words you never want to hear about your candidate: “Baby mama.” Unfortunately, we’re also going to hear some words from the woman done wrong by the Republican Party’s answer to John Edwards:

BUFFALO — It was just about a year ago, hours after the death of her son in a car crash, that Cathy Paladino’s husband told her he was the father of a 10-year-old girl with another woman — and that all their children and most of their friends already knew. . . .
Still, she was gamely following the dictate her husband’s campaign staff had issued . . .
“They had three words for me: ‘Get over it,’ ” she told The Post.

So the married New York GOP gubernatorial nominee fathered an out-of-wedlock child with a woman 17 years his junior. All you smart pundit guys, please tell me again why Christine O’Donnell can’t win in Delaware because she told MTV in 1996 that masturbation is sinful.

Category: Christine O'Donnell, Delaware, Election, New York, Republicans, Scandal, Senate, Sex

About 250 Sean Bielat Supporters Protest Bubba and Barney’s Boston Blowfest UPDATE: Text of Bielat Speech Added

Posted on | September 26, 2010 | 56 Comments

According to the Boston Globe:

TAUNTON, Mass.—Former President Bill Clinton is urging Massachusetts voters in the old industrial city of Taunton to re-elect Rep. Barney Frank and vote other Democrats into office.
As Clinton spoke Sunday at the Taunton High School, about 250 supporters of Frank’s Republican opponent, Sean Bielat (BEE’-ah-lot), gathered at the Taunton Green, urging Frank’s defeat.

Here’s video of Sean Bielat on local TV news, talking about Barney Frank’s refusal to debate him:

I’m sure there will be lots of blog coverage of today’s rally with photos and videos. If you see anything out there, please link it in the comments.

UPDATE: A video report from New England Cable News:

“We have enthusiasm. We have a campaign organization that they can’t match. . . . They don’t have the base of support that we do. They have one campaign office. It’s always empty. We have three. They’re always full.”
— Sean Bielat

UPDATE II: Welcome, Instapundit readers! I”ve been scouring the ‘net looking for blog coverage of this event. If anybody sees anything out there, please link it in the comments.

UPDATE III: OK, maybe you think no Republican could ever beat Barney Frank, who at last count had more than $1 million cash on hand. Let me remind you that (a) ever hear of a guy named Scott Brown? And also (b) Sean Bielat is a Marine.  When you tell a Marine to “take that hill,” he’s gonna by God take that hill, or die trying.

Think of this: That link from Professor Reynolds will probably be good for at least 5,000 visits in the next 10 hours. If just 500 of you guys who clicked the Instapundit link will also click here and give Sean Bielat $20, that’s $10,000 today!

C’mon: Are you gonna let a Marine die on that hill?

UPDATE IV: While awaiting blog coverage of the Taunton Tea Party, there is more encouraging Massachusetts news from Red Mass Group:

The National Republican Congressional Committee . . . is expanding their nationwide advertising buy to include supporting Jeff Perry in the Massachusetts 10th Congressional District.

More at Red Mass Group. And guess who thinks people in Massachusetts are stupid?

“We have an electorate that doesn’t always pay that much attention to what’s going on so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or the truth or what’s happening.”
— John Kerry

Hey, Senator Kerry, if voters in Massachusetts are so ignorant, maybe that explains why you’ve been re-elected so many times. But maybe they’re starting to wise up.

UPDATE V: Sean Beilat speaks on Taunton Green:

“There’s a disconnect between the people in Washington and the people they serve,” Bielat said to cheers of “Go, Sean, Go.” “People 30 years in Washington and people in the state.”
Bielat said Frank had become arrogant, claiming he could hold onto a 20-point lead in the polls “no matter what we do.”
“There’s an arrogance of power when people stay in power too long,” Bielat said. “I found that offensive.”

UPDATE VI: Bill Clinton regains the lead in the “Blame Bush” Derby:

Former President Bill Clinton said that voters need to give President Obama and the Democratic Congress enough time to undo damage wrought in eight years of Republican leadership under former President George W. Bush.

Classic. As if the guy Clinton is campaigning for, Barney Frank, was not up to his neck in the mortgage meltdown:

“These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis. . . The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.”
— Barney Frank, September 2003

Yeah: When the Bush administration proposed reforming Fannie and Freddie, Barney Frank demagogued the issue to claim the GOP was against “affordable housing.” Now that all those homes are in foreclosure, I guess they’re really affordable, huh, Barney?

Fannie and Freddie gave $40,000 in campaign cash to Barney Frank. Won’t you give $20 to Sean Bielat?

UPDATE VII: Paul Kelleher was there: “Dueling rallies today for Sean Bielat and Barney Frank in Taunton. A few differences: Barney had Bill Clinton. Was late getting to the Bielat one so I can’t compare crowds but many more hand made signs at Bielat’s and lots of Barney signs went unused.” Kelleher has posted several photos.

UPDATE VIII: The campaign just sent us the text of Sean Bielat’s speech at the Taunton rally:

Thank you for coming today! Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to show your commitment to this country and its future generations. We are here today to talk about how we can change this country’s direction, bring real leadership back to Washington, and return once again to the vision of general prosperity, individual opportunity, and citizen-led government on which this nation was founded.
Today, just two miles from here, a group has gathered together for a different purpose. They are reminiscing about the past. They have gathered to hear a leader of ten years ago, talk about an incumbent elected 30 years ago, and extol the virtues of a set of ideas first implemented 70 years ago. There is nothing wrong with looking backwards, with taking credit or assigning blame for things which happened in the past, but that should be the purview of pundits and historians, not politicians. We need leadership and representation that takes on the problems of today with a vision for tomorrow.
Despite what one of our Senators recently said, Americans are not dumb or easily fooled; they object strongly when government is out of touch with their needs and desires. Americans show a strong preference for responsible governance and an aversion to the type of highly partisan leadership we’ve seen over the past few years. It is deeply ironic that Barney Frank would invite a president whose greatest accomplishments came under divided government to campaign for him, even as Mr. Frank literally asks for more powerful single-party rule.
This year isn’t about Republicans or Democrats; it’s about finding the leadership we need to keep this nation great. It’s about finding the leadership we need to ensure that we will remain a land of freedom and opportunity. It’s about ensuring that America remains a nation in which each generation can do a little better than the last.
So what I want talk with you about today are the core principles around which so many Americans are rallying: a focus on setting the conditions for economic growth, spending reductions and fiscal discipline, strong national security and secure borders, and political leadership which understands that government should enable opportunity but that it can’t guarantee outcomes.
Two days ago Barney Frank said that the economy was “poised to take off.” Maybe people in Washington know things that people in Massachusetts don’t know but in all the hundreds and hundreds of conversations that I’ve had with people around this district, I’ve never, not once, heard anyone say that they felt like the economy was about to take off. What I have heard many people say is that they haven’t felt the effects of the stimulus and that they wonder when things will improve.
Some people in Washington argue that the American people just don’t understand. These people say that Washington has done such a good job spending our money that things would have been a lot worse if they hadn’t. But that’s a tough argument to prove.
The right type of stimulus would be a lot easier to assess. The right type of stimulus is to give back people their money through immediate, substantial, and sustained reductions in income tax withholding. Individuals and individual business will always do a better job allocating their money than the government can. Individuals will make better choices on whether they should buy a TV, pay down a credit card, or invest in a college fund, and the aggregate effect of these decisions will drive economic growth.
In addition, in order to get the economy growing, we need to freeze the regulatory environment and lift growth-inhibiting regulation where possible. Currently many businesses are reluctant to hire or invest because they are unsure of the implications and timing of coming regulatory changes. I have talked to numerous small business owners who have said they could hire right now but they just don’t know what’s coming next. And some recent changes are poised to add a huge and unnecessary burden on businesses. For example, under President Obama’s health care legislation, anytime a business spends more than $600 with a supplier, it must file an IRS Form 1099. This places an enormous paperwork burden on businesses with no discernible benefit to anyone besides tax accountants.
Once we turn the economy around, we must tackle spending. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all understand that we are on an unsustainable course but there is a lack of political will to make the tough decisions necessary to cut spending.
For discretionary spending, step one is to freeze all spending at 2010 levels and not allow for inflationary growth; there may be some exceptions to this but those exceptions should be rare. Step two is to actively cut discretionary spending across the board. We should not spare defense spending as there are areas to trim such as streamlining procurement practices, cutting the defense civilian workforce, and eliminating weapons systems that the Pentagon doesn’t want.
Discretionary spending cuts are absolutely necessary but entitlement reform may be even more important. We must accept that there are no universally popular approaches to entitlement reform. Every good option from a policy standpoint is a poor option from a political standpoint, which is exactly why we need real leadership on the issue.
I favor means based testing for Social Security benefits, increasing the age of first benefit, and increasing the cap on Social Security payroll taxes. Put together, these three ideas will lose votes on both sides of the aisle but those are the tough decisions that we must make to save Social Security and to reduce the massive economic drag that will result from debt increases associated with entitlements.
National defense should always remain a priority. The U.S. should only act in its national interest and should never pay a dollar more than the amount it needs to secure those interests. However, arguing that because the world is relatively stable we should become isolationist, is like arguing that because crime is down we should cut cops. The argument misses the point.
Similarly, those who argue for immigration reform without first securing the borders also miss the point. There can be no true reform while we have something akin to open borders, nor can we be secure from terrorists entering if we are unable to secure our borders.
Finally, we as Americans must recognize that government is unable to ensure outcomes. No matter how talented, hard-working, and well-intentioned, bureaucrats can’t make better decisions than individuals—and they shouldn’t try. Some argue that opposition to unnecessary regulation is tantamount to being opposed to all regulation. It is not. Very few of us think that there are no appropriate areas for government involvement in the economy, but many of us believe that the burden of proof should be on those seeking new government involvement.
This country was founded on a set of ideals. The Constitution of the United States outlined a concept of limited national government led by citizen legislators. That vision proved to be so powerful that this nation flourished and became a beacon of hope for people around the world. Millions traveled far and worked hard to become part of our dream. We must never lose sight of the ideals enshrined in our Constitution, but we are at a crossroads. We can remain a nation of balanced and limited government led by citizens or we can continue to shuffle down the road to an over-sized executive branch that rapidly creates the type of debt-laden and regulation-bound government we see in Europe.
We deserve better and our children deserve better. This is a historic year and on November 2, we have the opportunity to make a choice between two visions. One vision, the prevailing vision in Washington, sees government as an institution to reform society, it believes that people in Washington are smarter and can make better decisions than the people. Because this vision sees a government solution to every problem, it presents no natural limitation on the growth of government or the resulting lack of individual economic freedom. On November 2, this vision will end.
The other vision, our vision, is predicated on a belief that people know what’s in their own interests and that, if presented with the opportunity to work hard and succeed, the vast majority of people will do so. Our vision is that of a land of individual opportunity, personal responsibility, and a government accountable to the people. It is a vision of a nation with secure borders and a strong national defense, a more limited government, an end to excessive spending resulting in lower taxes, and more individual financial freedom. That vision begins on November 3.
This year, across the country, we are witnessing a political revolution but if it is to be sustained, it must be about more than just changing which party controls Washington; it must be about changing from insider elite control, to citizen control. We need an end to party rhetoric and a return to real policy debate. And if this nation is to remain great, we need sustained citizen involvement and so I thank you for coming out today, for participating in the public debate, and for keeping America great!

To which I can only add: Semper fi!

SEAN BIELAT for U.S. CONGRESS

Category: Congress, Election, Massachusetts

She Already Fled Communism Twice, and Now Clara Csiong Sees It Coming Again

Posted on | September 26, 2010 | 8 Comments

When we were at the 9/12 rally, Da Tech Guy came up to the backstage area and said, “Stacy, you’ve got to come meet this woman I just interviewed. She’s amazing.” Smitty and I were busy trying to upload photos and video, so I couldn’t get there, but the video of Da Tech Guy’s interview with Clara Csiong — who went from China to Cuba to America — is truly as amazing as he promised:

Da Tech Guy got Instalanched. Way to go, man. He is now asking readers to help him start a radio show.

Category: Da Tech Guy, Tea Party, Video

Democrats Unveil 2010 Message: ‘Hope, Change and a Buttload of Attack Ads’

Posted on | September 26, 2010 | 12 Comments

Remember when Democrats didn’t want to talk about Reverend Wright, Bill Ayers and ACORN? Remember when they kept saying how we need to focus on the important issues that matter to working American families? My, how times have changed:

Democratic candidates across the country are opening a fierce offensive of negative advertisements against Republicans, using lawsuits, tax filings, reports from the Better Business Bureau and even divorce proceedings to try to discredit their opponents and save their Congressional majority. . . .
In Ohio, Representative Betty Sutton calls her Republican rival, Tom Ganley, a “dishonest used-car salesman” who has been sued more than 400 times for fraud, discrimination, lying to customers about repairs, overcharging them and endangering their safety. She warns voters, “You’ve heard the old saying, buyer beware!”
In Arizona, Representative Harry E. Mitchell accused his opponent David Schweikert of being “a predatory real estate speculator who snatched up nearly 300 foreclosed homes, been cited for neglect and evicted a homeowner on the verge of saving his house, just to make a buck.”
In New York, Representative Michael Arcuri introduces his Republican challenger, Richard Hanna, as a millionaire who “got rich while his construction company overcharged taxpayers thousands, was sued three times for injuries caused by faulty construction and was cited 12 times for health and safety violations.” . . .

Read the rest. It’s disgusting. But then again, they’re Democrats. You can help these Republican candidates fight back against the smears:

AZ-5: DAVID SCHWEIKERT for U.S. CONGRESS

OH-13: TOM GANLEY for U.S. CONGRESS

NY-24: RICHARD HANNA for U.S. CONGRESS

Category: Arizona, Congress, Election, New York, Ohio, Video
« go back — keep looking »

    About

    This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

    Subscribe to our feed

    Search

    Admin