At The Patrick Murray Campaign Office Opener Part 3

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by Smitty

The previous Patrick Murray speech I had the privilege of enjoying was a solid outing, and this effort is better still. It takes significant courage to run against “Gentleman” Jim Moran in the first place, and I’m happy to report that Patrick Murray is packing the gear. One looks forward to attending a debate between the two. Have you ever seen a full bird in “a mood”? To paraphrase George C. Scott in the Patton opening speech, “I actually pity this Jim Moran he’s going up against. By God, I do.”
The clips: Continue reading At The Patrick Murray Campaign Office Opener Part 3 →

Barny Frank And The Right Wing Effort

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by Smitty (h/t Gateway Pundit)

So what we have is this right wing effort to remove any constructive role for the public sector.


If there is anyone who should be granted a doctorate in the PIT, the Progressive Inversion Tongue, it should be Barny Frank, and this phrase alone is an example of why.
Let’s zoom in on two terms of art that ought to be written with a Sharpie on a rubber chicken and applied to him.

constructive role When a Barny Frank uses this term, what he does not mean is a minimal, clearly defined, Constitutional, liberty-enhancing, affordable, referee position.
Rather, a Barny Frank Progressive means a maximal affair. Roles are vaguely laid out in multi-ream legislation in a vague manner that only dinimishes liberty. The Constitution is a joke in this mindset, and individual liberty is a bug, not a feature. The notion that there be a 1:1 ration between government revenue and spending is a joke to this bloke. And, rather than ensure a level playing field, ‘constructive role’ means destructive choosing of A over B in even the most trivial cases. So that the little people know who won.
public sector The casual listener might apprehend that a Barny Frank is implying the existence of a respectable private sector. For the Ruling Class, the public sector is a vast pen into which the Ruling Class has herded the people, offering them ‘freedom from fear’ in exchange for freedom of action, i.e. liberty. An actual private sector would be called ‘capitalism’. If government limited itself to governing there would be increased liberty and prosperity. Having ideologically attacked capitalism and liberty, the public sector is now attempting to sell its ‘constructive role’ as though it was somehow more than a perverse, cheap substitute.

Summary: Go, Sean Bielat! Save the country from this odious twerp!

How to Write an Anti-Palin Hit Piece

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WASILLA, Alaska — I’m about to make the mad dash back to Anchorage, then will be making my way homeward for a couple days of rest before trying to explain to Mrs. Other McCain why I need to go to Delaware.

But I thought I might share another point about those “impotent, limp and gutless” reporters: It’s not really hard to do what they do.  A pro-Palin friend e-mailed me:

The root of the VF-style hit pieces can be found with a handful of Alaska characters. A journalist on assignment to write a hit piece will ring up Shannyn Moore, and she’ll put this person in touch with a slate of people who have an obvious axe to grind . . . or just a tenuous connection to Sarah Palin. We can always tell who the “anonymous” sources are.

Exactly: “The Real, Hidden Scary TRUTH About Sarah Palin” is a color-by-numbers exercise that has been done to death by now. Every liberal journalist on the planet either already has a deal for that kind of book or is trying to hustle a deal for that kind of book, sort of the way 2006-07 was the era of right-wingers hustling The Great Anti-Hillary Book.

Some people in the journalism racket really need to re-consider their career strategies. Being a dime-a-dozen cliché-peddler just isn’t very smart in the long term.

Hit the tip jar, people, I’m moving on.

PREVIOUSLY:

Why The Delaware Primary Is A Win/Win, Barring A Full Scozzafava

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by Smitty

Reading Dan’s latest thought, and considering Ace’s ideas, it seems that we should consider letting Delaware sort this out and keep in mind the following:

  • Should Castle win the pirmary, he’ll be deeply aware of the Tea Part influence on his destiny. For at least a week. I submit that this may be a better short term outcome, as he will arguably run more strongly in two months.
  • If O’Donnell wins, then the Tea Party gains another scalp, or the GOP loses more of its centrist flavor. This could be the better long-term win.
  • In either case, if the un-winner of the Primary does the Full Scozzafava, then they were never worthy in the first place, the Democrat wins, and thank you to everyone for losing sight of the bigger picture.

UPDATE (RSM): OK, you’ve heard Smitty’s opinion. Me? I’m 100% with Christine O’Donnell, come hell or high water. She’s got Dan Riehl and Mark Levin on her side, and I’m sticking with those guys — no personal offense intended to anyone who disagrees.

What has struck me as misguided all along is the fundamental assumption made by O’Donnell’s critics that Castle can win the general, or that O’Donnell’s chances of winning Nov. 2 are significantly less than Castle’s. I am profoundly dubious of either assumption. O’Donnell is a fresh face and enormously telegenic, whereas Mike Castle . . . eh, not so much.

If there really is a GOP tidal wave coming on Nov. 2 and if an anti-Obama/anti-incumbent/anti-Washington sentiment is the energy behind that tsunami, then O’Donnell is certainly better positioned to harness that energy than Mike Castle.

CHRISTINE O’DONNELL for U.S. SENATE

What Is The Take On The 02Oct ONWT Event? October Surprise Overture?

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by Smitty (h/t Clifton at Another Black Conservative)

After Beck’s “Restoring Honor” event on 8/28, we have a 9/12 March on DC to anticipate. Then, ye gluttons, there is the www.onenationworkingtogether.org event on 02Oct. Why no linky-love?
Look at the top of their What We Stand For page:

Yeah, Progressive Inversion Tongue: yeah!

PUTTING AMERICA BACK TO WORK
Provide immediate relief for those who are currently unemployed

  • Extend jobless benefits, COBRA, mortgage assistance, and other initiatives for those currently out of work.
  • Target help for populations and communities in the greatest need

Hey, if the citizens of the several States are in need, then their State should be all over that. Ah, no money at the State level, you say. Now, if the analysis doesn’t ask why Washington, DC (Distributor of Cash) is the only economic messiah capable of fixing the problem, then the analysis likely won’t grasp that DC caused the problem.
ONWT. For certain borg-like, indentured values of ‘together’, ‘working’, and ‘one’. As children crave adulthood and independence, so free people wish to crawl out from under the government thumb.
Perhaps the meaning will be revealed with the addition of a letter:

pONWT

But enough snark. If the organizers of this event are sincere and half as successful as Beck in putting together a positive, peaceful, rewarding event, then that will help to lessen the damage of the peevish Al Sharpton event on 8/28.
On the other hand, this could be a serious October Surprise opportunity. Say the event happens, and there is some sort of disturbance. Sure would be a shame if the media had to amplify and go on like a broken record about something pertaining to this event for the entire month.
After “Much Adoo-doo About Nothing” subsequent to the ObamaCare rally, and Andrew Breitbart’s 100K going unclaimed, we sort of have to expect shenanigans. ONWT does not get the benefit of the doubt with respect to any “incidents” at the rally. When your calling card is crying “Wolf” the only guy who believes you looks like this:

At The Patrick Murray Campaign Office Opener Part 2

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by Smitty

A few more clips before delving into the Patrick Murray stump. Alexandria City Councilman Frank Fannon has a few remarks.
Then I went back to Alicia Hughes to make sure I got the bling. Admittedly, I’m a fan of this lady.

Then, since Tito “the Builder” Munoz was in attendance, I corralled him for an encouraging chat. It’s worth mentioning that I grew up in SOCAL, attending kindergarten through third grade at various San Diego schools, and have served in three warships out of 32nd Street there in San Dog. Thus, the Spanish language and legal immigrants bother me not in the slightest. After restoring our border integrity and the rule of law, the market will take care of itself nicely, I reckon.
Thus, I’m pleased to give a boost to Tito, and hope that conservatives go for the long view, build rapport with legal immigrants, and build an economy that makes it in everyone’s self-interest to learn English.

Previously:

Hey, Who’s the Man?

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WASILLA, Alaska — No, not me. As much as I’d like you to think I’m The Man, I’m not The Man. I’m talking about this guy:

In case you don’t recognize the boy sitting on his father’s lap, perhaps my latest American Spectator article will help:

Rumor is that the Palins are out of town and hope of an interview seems doomed to disappointment. Then my cell phone rings. “This is Todd Palin,” says the man on the phone. We chat briefly about the recent GOP primary victory of Joe Miller. I explain that I’ve driven 50 miles from Anchorage to Wasilla just to get a sense of the town where Sarah began her political career as a city council member and mayor. Todd then tells me that although his wife is out town, he’s still in Wasilla and …
Half an hour later, I drive down an unpaved road past a large Miller-for-Senate campaign sign and turn into a driveway marked with multiple “No Trespassing” signs, past which no wise person would go uninvited. Here, nestled among birch trees on the shore of scenic Lake Lucille, is the home of the woman whom liberals love most to hate — and Todd, the man who got the nickname “First Dude” during his wife’s term as Alaska’s governor.
Todd opens the front door and his youngest son, two-year-old Trig, scampers across the living room to greet the guest with a “high five.” Rambunctiously energetic, Trig is the focus of his father’s attention — Todd bounces the toddler on his knee, reads him a book, and fixes him a bottle . . .

Please read the whole thing. The First Dude is nothing short of pure awesome. It’s past midnight here in Wasilla and I’m too tired right now to explain how all this happened. I’ll get some sleep and update in the morning.

UPDATE: Linked at If You Seek Peace, by Sissy Willis at Liberty Pundits and by Da Tech Guy, who asks:

The big question. Is Todd Palin or Trig now a member of the Axis of Fedora?

Alas, no, the First Dude turned down the opportunity to wear the fedora. However, he did offer to take a couple of photos of me, for example:

Those “impotent, limp and gutless” reporters couldn’t handle Todd’s Iron Dog racer. At one point during our conversation, we were talking about the Iron Dog (specifically the absurd “ethics” charge based on Sarah wearing a coat with a sponsor’s logo) and I asked, “Is that the kind of sport that you kind of age out of?” Todd grinned and said, “You trying to tell me something?” 

Faux pas? Well, I explained that snow machine racing struck me as similar to motocross racing, where the average champion is in his early 20s. Todd said he has routinely competed against riders half his age.

It’s still only 6:40 a.m. here in Alaska. Seems like there was something I’ve forgotten to say.

Hmmm. Obviously, I need more sleep. Maybe I’ll think of it in an update later.

UPDATE II: Linked by Red at Ruby Slippers and now a Memeorandum thread. BTW, I notice Dan Riehl is doing a workout on Murkowski campaign director John Bitney, one of those disgruntled “former associate” types who finds it convenient to blame the Palins for his troubles.

UPDATE III: Linked by Bob Belevedere at Camp of the Saints, the Underground Conservative, and Cassy Fiano.

And be careful, Dave Weigel — you wouldn’t want to be “limp, impotent and gutless.”

Sometimes the best stories are the ones you can’t report. Sometimes if you’ll just talk to people — put down the notebook, turn off the recorder — instead of interviewing them, you can get a much better idea of who they really are.

Something else: Try to have some regard for the humanity of your sources. It’s worth noting that, at least at this point, the Palins are private citizens and are not obligated to speak to the press at all. So if Todd Palin is kind enough to invite me out to the house — when he could just as easily have spent those two hours doing something he enjoyed — should I repay his hospitality by playing “gotcha”?

C’mon, Dave: Remember how you felt when all that JouroList stuff was hitting the fan? That’s how the Palins have felt every single day for the past two years.

Greetings from Wasilla

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WASILLA, Alaska — Just a quick note. I’ve got an appointment in a few minutes and have to run. Earlier today, I Tweeted the results of a poll:

EXCLUSIVE: MURKOWSKI 37% (IF LIBERTARIAN), MILLER 31%, MCADAMS 19%

But I got that news while I was at a Taco Bell in Eagle River and couldn’t blog it at the time. Now Alaska Dispatch has the story:

A new poll has U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski beating Joe Miller by six percent if she runs on the Libertarian ticket. . . .
The poll that shows Murkowski winning a three-way race between herself, Miller, and Democrat Scott McAdams was paid for by Andrew Halcro and four other Republicans. It cost $5,400 and was conducted by Dittman Research and Communication.
In a hypothetical three-way race, Dittman’s poll gives Murkowski 37 percent, Miller 31 percent and McAdams 19 percent, with 13 percent undecided. The poll questioned only 383 people and Halcro is an outspoken Murkowski supporter, so critics looking to dismiss the poll have plenty of ammunition. But it does add fuel to that burning question: Is Murkowski really done?

Yeah, she’s done, but it gives the LP Senate candidate an excuse to keep yammering about the “people’s bailout,” whatever that is. Never mind. Here’s a few photos of the local sights:

For a town with an official population of 5,468, Wasilla is a bustling community. It’s by no means the backward rural outpost you might imagine. I’m filing this post from a coffee shop that serves organic fair-trade coffee from Columbia, Guatamala, Peru and Bolivia. They’ve got Ethiopian coffee, too, but evidently the “organic fair-trade” craze hasn’t taken hold among East African coffee-growers yet.

You may ask where I’m going next . . .

This isn’t just any old Joe Miller for Senate sign. Look close, and you’ll notice a driveway to the left side of the photo and maybe a “no trespassing” sign or two. I turned the truck around and didn’t dare approach uninvited, as it is my understanding that Joe McGinniss’s neighbor excels in marksmanship. But you’d never guess who just called me, so I’m logging out now . . .

UPDATE: In case you haven’t yet guessed who called me, two words: First Dude.