Dave Weigel Sells Out

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Guess he’s probably alreadly untagged all those Facebook photos of us hanging out together, eh? Don’t worry, Dave. Your secret is safe with me.

Of course, if the Washington Post was going to hire someone to cover conservatives, you knew they had to hire somebody who despises conservatives. And Dave’s never made a secret of that.

So congratulations to my close personal friend David Weigel on exchanging his integrity for Old Media cash. As a greedy capitalist, I’m all in favor of people peddling their asses to the highest bidder.

The key to getting that kind of deal, of course, is being able to convince the suckers you have “principles” and “ethics” and stuff, because the secret of success is sincerity. Once you learn to fake that, the rest is easy.

They Should’ve Listened to Rush

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How Republicans helped Democrats sell ObamaCare:

Some Republicans will point the President Obama’s Blair House health care meeting with Republicans as the event that enabled Democrats to get to a point where the Senate health care bill could pass. During the event and immediately afterward, some Republicans were given credit for standing up to the President and attempting to get a leg up, but according to a Democrat leadership aide in the House, the event accomplished exactly what the Democrats and the White House wanted.
“It allowed us to create the impression that Republicans had had a hand. It allowed the President afterward to claim he had included Republican proposals in the bill, and gave us a clear path to moving the process along, where before we didn’t,” says the aide. “Your Republican friends will disagree, but the minute they agreed to that meeting, we knew we were at the least back in business.”
A White House aide, who was involved in planning the media sideshow at Blair said, “If the Republicans had actually listened to Rush [Limbaugh] and [Mark] Levin and [Fred] Thompson and not attended, we might have been in different situation. Before February 25, we had no momentum, you just felt it, after the summit, when the President told Republicans that if we couldn’t agree, then we’d just have to move on without them, we had a bit of a opening and no major public opinion backlash.”

Hat-tip to the Underground Conservative.

Q & A With Ann Coulter: Vegas, Baby!

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Ann Coulter will speak Saturday in Las Vegas at a Tea Party rally, and not only has she invited everybody to join her in Vegas, but she agreed to this exclusive e-mail interview with The Other McCain:

1. Is this event in Vegas your first Tea Party rally, or have you been quietly lurking in the crowds for months?

I’ve been at all of them. The reason you didn’t see me in the MSM coverage is that I’m an African-American.

2. Why do the major media keep trying to portray the Tea Party movement as a bunch of dangerous scary racists?

Oh it’s nothing against the tea partiers — they think all Americans are dangerous scary racists.

3. Speaking of dangerous scary racists, do you think Sen. Robert Byrd will rediscover his attachment to parliamentary principle and object to Nancy Pelosi’s constitutional end-run with the health care bill?

Yes, right after he remembers where he left the remote.

4. You’re going on a speaking tour of Canada — aren’t you afraid their human-rights commissars will declare you a thought-criminal?

I hope they send the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after me!

Don’t worry. They’re not sending Mounties, just the usual whiny liberals.

Thanks, for the interview Ann! See you Saturday in Vegas!

UPDATE: Just in case you thought I was joking about those Canadian human-rights commissars, check out this letter that
François Houle, University of Ottawa provost, sent to Coulter:

We have a great respect for freedom of expression in Canada, as well as on our campus, and view it as a fundamental freedom, as recognized by our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I would, however, like to inform you, or perhaps remind you, that our domestic laws, both provincial and federal, delineate freedom of expression (or “free speech”) in a manner that is somewhat different than the approach taken in the United States.
I therefore encourage you to educate yourself, if need be, as to what is acceptable in Canada and to do so before your planned visit here. You will realize that Canadian law puts reasonable limits on the freedom of expression.
For example, promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges.

The only “indentifiable group” against which Coulter promotes hatred* is bloodthirsty jihadi terrorists, but I suppose she could always add “Canadian academic douchebags named François” to the list. As Rich Fader says in the comments:

Creepy. And not creepy in a “hey, baby, you and me, huh?” kind of way. Creepy in a “nice freedom of speech you have there, it’d be a shame if something happened to it” kind of way.

Kathy Shaidle has more at Five Feet of Fury.

(* – Well, perhaps not “hatred,” exactly. “We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity” sounds more like missionary zeal to me. Your mileage may vary.)

UPDATE II: INSTALANCHE! Uh, actually, this is what we call a SecondHandaLanche, which is when someone who links you gets linked by Professor Glenn Reynolds. But we’ll take whatever we can get . . .

UPDATE III: Just booked my flight: Vegas, baby!

MORE BLOGGING:

When Hope Is the Hardest Thing

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When you really get your butt kicked, the way we got our butt kicked last night, the post-defeat depression is very real. Having spent the past week blogging almost non-stop about this ObamaCare cramdown, I’m as bummed out as anybody.

And yet good came out of it, because truth was revealed. I hope no conservative henceforth labors under the delusion that there is any such a thing as a “conservative Democrat” in Congress.

Bart Stupak covered himself in shame, a shame shared by all those who told us that “pro-life Democrats” could be useful allies. Stupak and the Blue Dogs (all of them, even those given permission by Pelosi to vote “no” last night) provide the fig leaf of moderation that enables this radical regime.

I encourage everyone to contribute to That Dog Won’t Hunt, a political action committee dedicated to the eradication of the Blue Dogs.

What comes next? We fight. Obi’s Sister is fighting mad. Before that fight begins, however, allow me to express hearty agreement with Philip Klein of the American Spectator:

The question conservatives should be asking though, is how did we get in this position in the first place? How come, over the course of two elections, Democrats were able to take back the White House and amass substantial majorities in both chambers of Congress, allowing them to enact this sweeping legislation with no Republican votes – and huge defections in their own party? How could a generally right-of-center nation be taken over by liberals from Chicago and San Francisco?
The answer, of course, is that none of this would have been possible without George W. Bush — or more broadly speaking, Bush era Republicanism. While they were in power, Republicans squandered an opportunity to push free market health care solutions. When they did use their power to pass major legislation, it was for policies like the big government Medicare prescription drug plan, which was (until today) the largest expansion of entitlements since the Great Society. They took earmarks and doled out farm and energy subsidies. They earned a reputation for fiscal recklessness and corruption and incompetent governance. President Obama ultimately forced through the health care bill in spite of the political consequences to his party because he’s ultimately a true believing liberal. But it was only because of the failures of Bush-era Republicanism that an ideological liberal with little experience was able to capture the presidency on the abstract notion of change.
Today will be largely remembered as the biggest legislative victory for liberals since Medicare in 1965. But it should also be remembered as the day that Bush cemented his legacy as one of the most destructive presidents for advocates of limited government.

Which is to say that what happened Sunday night was not the birth of a new era of liberalism. Rather, it was the death of a kind of “conservatism” that was never really conservative at all. It was the “conservatism” of No Child Left Behind and ethanol subsidies, of unprincipled compromise and cynical self-dealing, of “shamnesty” and kowtowing to CAIR.

If the Republican Party can offer America nothing better than that in the future, the GOP will go the way of the Whigs, passing unlamented into political oblivion.

Now, however, is not  the time to dwell too much on that. There’s going to be some long overdue payback in this year’s GOP primaries — J.D. Hayworth is gaining ground in Arizona — but the much bigger target is Tuesday, Nov. 2. We can look forward to that fight with hope. We need fighters for this fight, and Allen West is ready to fight:

Sunday’s vote by the House of Representatives was a travesty of policy, politics and process.
The liberal troika of Obama, Reid, and Pelosi has once again conspired to trample the will of Americans and strong armed Congress to pass healthcare legislation the public simply does not want.
From all across America citizens flooded Congress with the message that a government takeover of healthcare, complete with an exploding bureaucracy and massive tax increases, is not the reform needed to solve our healthcare problems.
Congressman Ron Klein was complicit in the tangled tactics used to move an unpopular bill past the public and toward the President’s desk.
Klein did not hold a single town hall meeting where the general public was invited to ask questions or present their views.  Klein hid behind controlled environments such as telephone conference calls and tightly controlled meetings.  He refused my offer to debate him on this topic at a place and time of his choosing.
Klein has ignored the public’s will with his vote Sunday.  On November 2nd Klein will pay the price for his arrogant approach to representing Florida’s 22nd District when the people flood the ballot box with their frustration for Mr. Klein.
My pledge to the people of the 22nd District is simple-once elected I will do everything in my power to repeal the repugnant portions of this monstrous piece of legislation.

Go West!

‘Kill The Bill’ Live Chat Event

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UPDATE: The chat is lots of fun. Stephen Green at VodkaPundit says, “It’s Like Group Therapy for Angry Racist Tea***gers.” He means that as a compliment.

UPDATE II: Well, it’s over now, and I’d like to express thanks to our friends at Ui2 for setting this up, to Smitty for his technical work, and to all who participated. While the bill, alas, was not killed, our first live chat was nevertheless a success.

Late Zombie Health Care Updates: Executive Orders, Whip Counts, Slurs, Epithets and More Wholesome Fun! UPDATE: Stupak SELLS OUT! Yoest Declares ‘PRO-LIFE EMERGENCY’!

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Please visit our LIVE CHAT!

UPDATE 6:30 p.m. ET: Just posted this at the American Spectator blog:

You’ve probably never heard of Dan Benishek, but he’s a Republican running against Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who struck a deal with Nancy Pelosi that is believed to be the decisive vote to pass ObamaCare.
More than 1,700 people have already joined Benishek’s Facebook page.
Liberty First PAC has added Stupak to its target list, and Stupak is probably going to be on a lot of other lists pretty soon.

Of course, we don’t know yet whether the bill will pass, but Pelosi just got 224 votes on a procedural motion, with 28 Democrats voting no. At this point, it looks like she’s got votes to spare. Anybody who ever voted for a “moderate” Democrat is getting a long-overdue lesson today.

UPDATE 7:24 p.m. ET: Another GOP challenger for Stupak is homeschooling Republican mom Linda Goldthorpe.

UPDATE 4:13 p.m.: Stupak press conference underway, Charmaine Yoest of Americans United For Life just sent this e-mail:

Dear Friend of Life,
I am writing to you from inside the US Capitol building. And I wanted to give you an update and also tell you about a special last-minute need for action.
Tension is high here in the buildup to tonight’s vote. As I write I can hear protestors outside. You may have heard the news reports that some pro-life Members of Congress are being offered a “deal” from the White House on health care reform legislation. That is true. In exchange for a “yes” vote on this bill, President Obama promises to issue an executive order that he claims will address our concerns about taxpayer funding for abortion.
Let me be clear, this will not prevent taxpayer-funded abortion.
Here is a statement I made to members of the press.
Here is detailed legal analysis from Senior AUL Action attorney Bill Saunders from today’s Washington Examiner.
Friends, please do NOT believe news reports that this fight is over. It isn’t over until the last vote is counted!
If you live in their districts, please call these eight Members of Congress immediately to encourage them to stand strong for Life. Let them know that the only acceptable way to stop taxpayer-funded abortion is a NO vote. Implore them not to take any “deal” on an executive order.
Please also take a moment to forward this email to anyone you know who lives in these districts.
Rep. Marion Berry(D, AR) – (202) 225-4076
Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D, PA) – (202) 225-5406
Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D, PA) – (202) 225-6511
Rep. Mike Michaud (D, ME) – (202) 225-6306
Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D, ND) – (202) 225-2611
Rep. Bobby Rush (D, IL) – (202) 225-4372
Rep. Vic Snyder (D, AR) – (202) 225-2506
Rep. Bart Stupak (D, MI) – (202) 225-4735
Rep. Harry Teague (D, NM) – (202) 225-2365

UPDATE 4:53 p.m. ET: Fellow bloggers, Bob Belvedere has your Google-bomb of the day: Bart Stupak Is a Cheap Crack Whore.

EXPECT FURTHER UPDATES . . .

UPDATE 4 p.m. ET: Ready for the Stupak press conference? Allahpundit’s following the whip count now.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m. ET: My DC source just called to say that “pro-life” Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Hell) has scheduled a 4 p.m. press conference. Politico now reports that the disgusting swine’s finally got a deal to vote “yes.”

UPDATE 3:11 p.m. ET: The vote on the “motion to proceed” passed with flying colors. It looks like Pelosi’s got votes to spare. Stupak’s vote is probably worthless at this point. Ace is blogging. And over at Hot Air, Ed’s continuing Stupak Watch 2010. “Pro-life Democrat”! What a colossal joke . . .

UPDATE 2:44 p.m. ET: “Pro-life Democrat” Bart Stupak (D-Hell) is still a firm, courageous “maybe,” as Philip Klein of the American Spectator reports:

Right now, it’s looking more and more like Democrats have the votes. And while Rep. Bart Stupak is still saying publicly he’s a no — for now — he is still working on a deal in which President Obama would issue an executive order on abortion, and several news outlets have been saying that he’s onboard.

Kathryn Jean Lopez has text of the proposed executive order. And yeah, we can trust Obama. Just like we trust “pro-life Democrats.”

UPDATE 1:37 p.m. ET: In the live chat room, we get this:

“Stupak to CNN producer Lesa Jansen: “I’m still a no…There is no deal yet. Its a work in progress.”

We await further developments as Stupak continues to peddle his worthless ass like the cheap crack whore he is . . .

UPDATE 1:20 p.m. ET: Reuters reports that “pro-life Democrat” Bart Stupak (D-Hell) just got his 30 pieces of silver:

U.S. Democratic Representative Bart Stupak, who opposes abortion, will vote for healthcare legislation later on Sunday, in a move that could help pave the way for passage of the bill, MSNBC reported.

What a miserable swine . . .

Politico: “House Democrats have picked up critical health reform ‘yes’ votes from a group of anti-abortion lawmakers, including Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, according to senior Democratic aides. Democrats believe a breakthrough with Stupak’s group – based on the promise of an executive order to be issued by President Barack Obama reinforcing a ban on federal funding for abortion – will help give them the 216-vote majority needed to pass reform on Sunday.”

UPDATE 1:28 p.m. ET: We will put an asterisk next to this report. If there’s anything more unreliable than a “pro-life Democrat,” it’s “senior Democratic aides” and MSNBC. Speaking of slurs and epithets . . .

UPDATE 11:45 a.m. ET: “Pro-life Democrats”:

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said Sunday morning that he is close to striking a deal with the Obama administration on abortion provisions.
“We are close to getting something done,” Stupak said in an interview with MSNBC.

Is there anyone — anyone — who still doesn’t understand the utter uselessness of voting for “pro-life Democrats”? Do I have to draw you a picture? If you want to kill babies, vote Democrat. If you think it’s probably a bad idea to kill babies, vote Republican. 

Some of you will ask, “What if I want to elect a two-faced lying fool who can’t even spell the word ‘principle’? Wouldn’t that be a good reason to vote for a pro-life Democrat?”

No. That would be a good reason to vote for John McCain.

UPDATE 11 a.m. ET: Can the president “fix” the bill through executive order? Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life is profoundly skeptical:

The proposal to address the problem of abortion funding in the health care bill through use of an Executive Order is a tacit acknowledgement that the bill as it stands is pro-abortion legislation. Both the President and the Speaker have repeatedly denied this stark fact.
The American people overwhelmingly do not want to see their tax dollars go toward abortion and that is why Speaker Pelosi cannot mobilize a majority coalition for passage. Her multiple attempts to construct esoteric parliamentary maneuvers to circumvent the clear will of the people is unconscionable. This Executive Order proposal is wrong in principle because it would be designed to retroactively address an issue after Congress, as the direct representatives of the people, failed to do so. . . .
Executive Orders can be undone or modified as quickly as they are created. This is a blatant attempt to subvert democracy and should be quickly quashed . . .

PREVIOUSLY: Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has the beginnings of a whip count, but frankly I’ve lost track. I just heard Martha MacCallum on Fox News call the legislative process “fascinating.” The process is actually tiresome and annoying.

I’ll update with more, in a few minutes. I’m extremely tired. We’ll have a live chat at noon.

Tonight: Thelma And Louise Do DC?

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by Smitty

Sheer Politics thinks that

We’ll know in a few hours if Congress has the courage to step back and build a better bridge to the future or drive us off the edge like Thelma and Louise, which will result in their going down as well, come November and in 2012.

This is an excellent summary post for anyone who hasn’t been stuck in a Kafka-esque political machine since the Brown election in January.
The post starts off with a picture of BHO and Nancy Pelosi.
Now, when you’re going to do referential humor in a blog post, and you should, as it keeps the stress level down, be ye not a tease. Do lay down the clip:
Exit question: which is Nancy, and which the nancy?