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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Sheldon Whitehouse Can't Help Himself

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is one of the most polarizing Senators. His favorite form of argument is reduced to the following:
"You are bad, we are good."
If you were from Rhode Island, as I am, you would understand that this has been Whitehouse's political character long before he became a Senator. He is arrogant and demeaning towards those who oppose him politically, and reduces policy disputes to moral battles.

Typical for Whitehouse was his now infamous speech on the floor of the Senate in December on the eve of the Senate health care vote. Rather than merely stating the supposed benefits of the legislation, or even criticising the merits of opposing arguments, Whitehouse gave a firebrand speech lashing out at Republican Senators and equating health care opponents to the "birthers, the fanatics, the people running around in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups."

Recently, Whitehouse accused Republicans of having no compassion for the unemployed, a typical way that Whitehouse frames a debate. What was the justification for the accusation? Republicans thought unemployment benefit extensions should be paid for by savings elsewhere in the budget (for example, unused Stimulus funds) rather than from more debt. This policy difference was reduced by Whitehouse to a moral battle in which his opponents were not merely wrong, they were evil (by the way, Democrats refused to go along and thereby allowed unemployment benefits to lapse).

Whitehouse also attacked those who questioned Whitehouse's questionable nomination of John L. "Jack" McConnell, Jr. to the federal court in Rhode Island.

McConnell donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats, including substantial sums to Whitehouse. McConnell's law firm was hired by Whitehouse (when he was state Attorney General) to prosecute a lead paint case using a novel legal theory which eventually was thrown out by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. When legitimate questions were raised about McConnell's qualifications (he received very mixed reviews by the American Bar Association), the appearance of buying a judgeship, and some questionable payments in the lead paint case, Whitehouse dismissed these inquiries as an attempt to "smear" McConnell.

Now Whitehouse used the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan not to opine on the qualifications of Kagan, but to launch another "you are bad, we are good" attack.

This time the attack was on the members of the Supreme Court who voted in the majority on the Citizens United case allowing corporations to spend money on political advertising (but not to make donations to candidates). In his opening statement, Whitehouse immediately veered off course:
"Unfortunately, the conservative wing of the current Supreme Court has departed from those great institutional traditions. Precedents, whether of old or recent vintage, have been discarded at a startling rate. Statutes passed by Congress have been tossed aside with little hesitation, and constitutional questions of enormous import have been taken up hastily and needlessly."
As usual, Whitehouse (along with Al Franken) framed his criticisms in highly personal and derogatory terms:
Ms. Kagan was reduced in part to a sounding board as Democrats accused the Roberts court's conservative justices of ignoring the precedents they profess to revere in order to advance their political agenda....

Leading Democrats' attacks on the Roberts court, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.), said the Supreme Court has historically decided its controversial cases unanimously or by wide majorities, but the Roberts Court routinely overturns longstanding precedent with a 5-4 majority composed solely of Republican appointees.

"There may be judges on the court who have a particular mission right now and are selectively knocking out precedent that does not coincide with their ideological views," Mr. Whitehouse said.

Republican senators dismissed the criticism as a distraction. "It's a silly argument, but they had to come up with something, I guess," Sen. Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) said outside the hearing room. "I think we should continue to focus on the nominee."

Mr. Kyl noted that only a minority of the court's rulings—18% in the most recent term, according to the independent website Scotusblog.com—are split 5-4.

Whitehouse rode the coattails of the Democrats' 2006 electoral surge (Whitehouse opposed the real surge) to defeat milktoastee Lincoln Chaffee (who barely survived a primary battle with the conservative Steve Laffey).

Whitehouse is up for reelection in 2012. It does not look like he will have any coattails to ride, but it is unclear which Republican will step forward to run against him. There are good potential candidates out there (Laffey and current Gov. Don Carcieri come to mind).

The Whitehouse v. _______ race will be one to watch in 2012. In the meantime, we (the bad ones) will have to listen to he (the good one) call us names from on high.


(video above from January 2010)

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Sheldon Whitehouse Becomes Alan Grayson
Sheldon Whitehouse Voted to Defund The Troops in 2007

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Will Political Ads Move To Tank Warfare?

First it was Dale Peterson firing off a shotgun. Then Pamela Gorman a machine gun. Great advertisements, both. Home runs.

Caution. If you move to tank warfare, you better know what you are doing.

If not, history will not be kind.



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So Will The Media Now Talk About Harry Reid's Record?

The narcissistic mainstream media and its supporters in the left-wing blogosphere have been toeing the Harry Reid campaign line that Sharron Angle has been "hiding" from the press.

What they really meant was that Sharron Angle didn't grant them an interview. She appeared on plenty of talk shows, but none the mainstream media deemed "hostile."

Now Sharron Angle has appeared for an interview with Jon Ralston, a prominent Nevada reporter. Ralston was not "hostile" in the sense of having a clear bias against Angle, but he was very, very aggressive, often interrupting Angle's answers to loaded questions.

By most neutral accounts, Angle acquitted herself well in the interview. Her views are what they are, and the outlandish Reid campaign attacks -- for example that she wanted Harry Reid killed -- have been put to rest.

On other issues, such as abortion, Angle stated her firm pro-life stance (which the despicable left-wing blogs are spinning as being pro-rape and pro-incest), and likely will win or lose no votes on the issue.

Now, will the mainstream media start to focus on Harry Reid's disastrous record?

How about a Ralston interview in which Harry Reid is forced to defend how he would have abandoned the war in Iraq at a critical moment; the damage ObamaCare will do to the vast majority of Americans who are happy with their private insurance; Reid's plans for the job-killing cap-and-trade; the wasteful and ineffective Stimulus Plan; and the looming catastrophe of runaway deficits and national debt.

These critical issues have escaped the mainstream media, which seems intent on trying to catch Sharron Angle in a gotcha moment, twisting her words beyond reason, and chasing after her in parking lots.

When will the media stop doing Harry Reid's bidding, and start asking hard questions about Harry Reid's record?

Update: The Washington Post news folks gave a fair report on the interview. Even Greg Sargent had trouble coming up with an inflammatory headline, focusing not on the absurd charges he's made over the past few weeks, but on the substantive issue of unemployment benefits.

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Related Posts:
More Pro-Reid Astroturfing from Alliance for Retired Americans
Why Is Harry Reid's Campaign Spokesman Following Me?
A New Day, A New Accusation Against Sharron Angle

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Will Anyone Ask Kagan What The Meaning of "Is" Is?

There is a question no one has asked so far. What did Elena Kagan mean when she wrote, in a prior confirmation hearing when she was nominated for Solicitor General:
"There is no federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage."
This statement, which seems pretty clear to me on its face, kicked off criticism of me from Ann Althouse, Ed Whelan, Allahpundit, and others, that I was being naive, and Kagan was just playing word games. The argument went that Kagan was merely summarizing the current lack of a ruling by the Supreme Court on the issue, and that "is" referred to the past and possibly the present, but not the future.

We are entitled to know if Kagan meant what she said, and said what she meant. Or if not, what did she mean?

The issue is not strictly gay marriage. Before any vote is taken, we are entitled to know if we have a nominee who so carefully parses words that "is" doesn't mean "is," it means "was."

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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Markos Bets The Ranch

Markos Moulitsas, the founder of Daily Kos, has accused Research 2000 of defrauding Daily Kos in conducting research polling.

The accusation is about as inflammatory as one can get. For professional pollsters, a reputation for fairness and accuracy is everything.

The damage to Research 2000 will be substantial, if not deadly.

Moulitsas could have simply filed suit, and the media could have run with the story based on what was in the court filing. Since court filings are absolutely privileged, Moulitsas could have put his accusations into the public domain without putting himself at legal risk for defamation and other torts. Instead, Moulitsas has issued multiple press statements even before filing suit.

Moulitsas better be right in his accusations, or he can kiss his personal fortune and Daily Kos goodbye.

Let the lawsuits begin.

Update 6-30-2010: The attorney for Research 2000 and its owner, Del Ali, is threatening legal action too:

Ali's attorney, Richard Beckler of Howrey LLP in Washington, told TPMmuckraker in an interview, "This guy [Markos] is completely all wet. This allegation of fraud is absurd." He added, "These guys are basically ruining Mr. Ali's business."

Beckler promised to take "some kind of action soon against all of them" -- referring to Kos and the three authors of the analysis calling R2K's data into question.

Two pieces of good news in this story. First, a lawsuit will bring out the truth not only as to whether Research 2000 committed fraud, but the interaction between Markos and the polling firm. Was Markos pushing the polling firm for certain results, what was he telling them privately, etc. The e-mails between Markos and Research 2000 may be more interesting than the JournoList.

Second, the more money Markos spends fighting Research 2000, the less money he has to fight conservatives. I would not be surprised to see Markos set up a legal fund to fight this battle seeking donations from the base. Donate away, as far as I am concerned. Every dollar donated to Markos' lawsuit is a dollar drained from some Democratic candidate somewhere.

Research 2000's polling has been questioned as to accuracy for a long time. On the eve of the Scott Brown-Martha Coakley election, Research 2000 showed a dead heat, which Markos trumpeted, while other pollsters showed Brown with a significant lead. Research 2000 was wrong, but were they fraudulent?

Markos accused Rasmussen of being nothing more than a Republican puppet, and trying to set an anti-Democratic Party narrative, Rasmussen's (dishonest) game. While the allegations against Rasmussen clearly were political gripes, the allegations against Research 2000 are much more serious.

Markos made his fortune shooting his mouth off. Now he may lose that fortune the same way.

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"The pretty, big-boobed, gun-toting hottie paradigm"

... is Andrew Sullivan's derisive explanation for the success of female Republican candidates, like Sarah Palin and "clone" Pamela Gorman.

Anywhere else that would be called sexist (and also a feature, not a bug).

You can support Pamela Gorman here, just to drive them crazy.



Update: Will Political Ads Move To Tank Warfare?

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Charlie Crist Sued For Return of Donations - Copy of Complaint Here

A class action lawsuit has been filed in Florida against Charlie Crist and the Crist campaign seeking the return of donations made to Crist while he was running as a Republican. The attorney in the lawsuit, Thomas Grady, was a former regional chair for the Crist campaign, and is a Florida Republican legislator.

As reported by Naples News:
“Crist has made it clear that he believes a candidate should not say one thing and do another,” says the lawsuit, filed last week in Collier Circuit Court against Crist and his campaign, Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate. “… The parties agree with Crist.”

The lawsuit quotes Crist telling Fox News political news reporter Greta Van Susteren on March 9 that saying one thing and doing another is “perpetrating a fraud on people. ... That’s not right. That’s not being honest and straightforward with the voters.”

The lawsuit then uses those words against Crist.

“Offering to receive, and accepting, the Republican contributions to his campaign for Senate as a Republican candidate, and then actually running against the Republican candidate without refunding the Republican contributions is not right,” the lawsuit says. “It also violates the law and has caused damages to thousands of donors ...”

Morton, a Lely mother of four and school volunteer, and Rood are represented by Rep. Tom Grady, R-Naples, who resigned as regional chairman of Crist’s Senate campaign and his statewide finance team, citing their differing political views. Grady, who said he still valued their friendship, acknowledged it was Crist who had encouraged him to run for state House of Representatives.

Crist’s spokesman wasn’t available for comment Monday, but a campaign worker said no money had been returned.
Here is the Class Action Complaint:

Morton v Crist - Class Action Complaint

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The Unbearable Blandness of Elena

(Please try not to fall asleep while reading this post.)

There is something profoundly depressing about the nomination of Elena Kagan.

Kagan has an impressive resume. But ...

Has there ever been a more intellectually bland nominee? Probably, but not in decades. Bland is the new intellectual powerhouse.

No judicial record. Little public or scholarly record. A private record of time served in government, but those advisory positions would say little about what Elena thought, as opposed to what she advised.

Even Kagan's seemingly bold statement on gay marriage was so carefully worded as to allow for intellectual blandness if pressed at the hearings. (She will be pressed on this, right?)

A life of carefully choreographed liberal blandness deemed necessary to achieve the goal of being precisely where she is today.

Few clues left along the bland trail of her intellectual life not only as to what she believes, but in what she believes. Does hiring conservatives as Dean of Harvard Law School mean Kagan .... oh, forget it.

Blandness in the service of getting on the Supreme Court is no vice.

Thanks Teddy, for so beating the crap out of Robert Bork that you set us on the road to Elena Kagan. Elena Kagan is the nominee we have been waiting for.

Al Franken fell asleep the first day of the hearings.

It's working.

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Related Posts:
131 Law School Deans Fail To Sign Letter Supporting Kagan
My Class Reunion, Elena Edition
Kagan Said She Meant What She Said About Gay Marriage

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Monday, June 28, 2010

Is Anyone Counting "Jobs Destroyed or Averted"?

We all know how carefully the Obama administration touts the mythical "jobs created or saved" (or is it "saved or created"?).

We also know how many jobs have been lost since the Stimulus Plan passed (well over 2 million, even including expansion of government jobs).

But,

is anyone documenting how many jobs have been "destroyed or averted" as a result of Obama administration policies and decisions?

Let's start here, U.S. agency's action may kill Bucyrus deal, cost 1,000 jobs:

Up to 1,000 jobs at Bucyrus International Inc. and its suppliers could be in jeopardy as the result of a decision by the U.S. Export-Import Bank, funded by Congress, to deny several hundred million dollars in loan guarantees to a coal-fired power plant and mine in India.

About 300 of those jobs are at the Bucyrus plant in South Milwaukee, where the company has 1,410 employees and its headquarters. The remaining jobs are spread across 13 states, including Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana.

On Thursday, the Export-Import Bank denied financing for Reliance Power Ltd., an Indian power plant company, effectively wiping out about $600 million in coal mining equipment sales for Bucyrus, chief executive Tim Sullivan said.

The fossil fuel project was the first to come before the government-run bank since it adopted a climate-change policy to settle a lawsuit and to meet Obama administration directives.

Other examples?

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Related Posts:
Who's Heartless Now?
Greece Syndrome Defined
One Year Ago I Saved The Economy

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More Pro-Reid Astroturfing from Alliance for Retired Americans

As I posted before, Harry Reid's campaign is attempting to create the appearance of a groundswell of opposition to Sharron Angle by staging purportedly independent protests against Angle's alleged plan to eliminate social security (Angle's actual position is here).

The protests are organized by the Nevada branch of the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), which was created in 2001 by the AFL-CIO and is an affiliate of numerous other labor unions, including SEIU.

The video below of an ARA protest is available on the Harry Reid 2010 YouTube Channel:



An important fact is not disclosed about this protest: The person interviewed is Richard Miller, Chairman of the Southern Nevada Steering Committee (h/t David Fredoso) of Seniors for Reid, and also active in Nevada Democratic Party politics.

Miller is on the Board of Directors of the Nevada branch of the ARA, which shows the deep connection between the Reid campaign and the ARA.

Notice how Miller used the word "extreme" three times in 20 seconds when talking about Angle. Miller is using Reid campaign talking points as part of the strategy developed by the Reid campaign to paint Angle as too extreme and dangerous.

No one should object to Reid campaign workers staging protests. But to do so under the banner of the misleadingly titled Alliance for Retired Americans rather than the Reid campaign is, well, .... misleading.

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Related Posts:
Why Is Harry Reid's Campaign Spokesman Following Me?
Astroturfing For Harry Reid
A New Day, A New Accusation Against Sharron Angle

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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Bitterly Clinging To Their Custard and Tax Cuts

...


Update: A reader e-mailed me as follows:

While Biden’s remark demonstrates the hubris of the Governing Class, Obama’s Ex-Im Bank Board takes the food off their tables.

See: http://www.jsonline.com/business/97225544.html

Wherein, for POLITICAL and IDEOLOGICAL reasons alone, a Milwaukee success story may lose 1,000 employees AND a $600++ million order.

I’d rather be called an ‘asshole’ and eat regularly.
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Related Posts:
Why Is Harry Reid's Campaign Spokesman Following Me?
Clinging Bitterly To Their Doormen
People In Small Towns Clinging To Their Bartering

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Was The Rolling Stone Article The Excuse, Not The Reason?

Gen. Stanley McChrystal was relieved of command in Afghanistan after an article in Rolling Stone magazine.

The article widely was described as evidencing McChrystal's insubordination by criticizing the political leadership, but as I demonstrated, such explanation did not make a lot of sense. There were almost no comments attributed directly to McChrystal, and most of the sensational comments were by unnamed subordinates of McChrystal.

While McChrystal rightly could be criticized for allowing a reporter for Rolling Stone (who allegedly violated the ground rules of the relationship) to get so close, and perhaps for permitting an inappropriate atmosphere in his command, the scenario of the firing still made no sense to me.

Now the picture may be coming into focus, and the Rolling Stone article may have been the excuse Obama was looking for to fire McChrystal, not the reason.

At least that is what is alleged in an article in The Independent, which maintains that a devastating assessment by McChrystal of the bleak situation in Afghanistan precipitated McChrystal's termination:

Sacked US General Stanley McChrystal issued a devastatingly critical assessment of the war against a "resilient and growing insurgency" just days before being forced out.

Using confidential military documents, copies of which have been seen by the IoS, the "runaway general" briefed defence ministers from Nato and the International security Assistance Force (Isaf) earlier this month, and warned them not to expect any progress in the next six months. During his presentation, he raised serious concerns over levels of security, violence, and corruption within the Afghan administration....

It was this briefing, according to informed sources, as much as the Rolling Stone article, which convinced Mr Obama to move against the former head of US Special Forces, as costs soar to $7bn a month and the body count rises to record levels, because it undermined the White House political team's aim of pulling some troops out of Afghanistan in time for the US elections in 2012. In addition to being the result of some too-candid comments in a magazine article, the President's decision to dispense with his commander was seen by the general's supporters as a politically motivated culmination of their disagreements.

For most of his first year in office, Obama neglected Afghanistan and focused on passing the Democratic health care bill. Everything else took a back seat.

That neglect, about which I posted earlier, wasted precious time. During that first year, Obama also sent a message of weakness, both through his apology tours and the setting of an artificial withdrawal date.

If the account by The Independent is accurate, then Obama has put politics ahead of the war effort.

This is one of those "it better not be true" scenarios.

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Related Posts:
I Hope Rolling Stone Is Happy
Now They're Just Starting to Ask Questions About Afghanistan?
A War Plan Designed By Committee

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Rip Van Bumper Stickers

Last week I posted about the Bumper Sticker of Change, which I saw while walking in Rhode Island.

I returned today to Ithaca:


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Why Is Harry Reid's Campaign Spokesman Following Me?

Kelly Steele is Harry Reid's campaign spokesman and one of the chief strategists.

According to reports, Steele is credited with taking down Sue Lowden, and is in charge of the early efforts to paint Sharron Angle as an extremist and crazy:
And that's where Steele factors in--to help Reid, as his team puts it, "vaporize" his opponent. He came aboard earlier this year, along with Reid's long-time spokesman Jon Summers, who now splits time between the federal office and the campaign in Nevada.
A few days ago I posted that the difference between the Reid and Angle campaigns was that all Angle had to do to win was to tell the truth about Reid, while Reid needed to lie about Angle.

Soon after that post, two Twitter accounts related to the Nevada campaign signed on to follow me on Twitter. The first was Angle's Bunker, which is an anti-Angle website funded by the Nevada Democratic Party.

The second was Kelly Steele, who uses the Avatar in the image above right.

Not a real big deal. Anyone can follow me on Twitter.

But I'm not sure Steele understands he will have to put up with such inane tweets as my best wishes to the nation of Ghana for further success in the World Cup, and my retweet of the following:


And of course, my retweet of Sharron Angle's announcement that she had met her initial $1 million fundraising goal:


But then again, Steele probably isn't too worried about money, since Reid is reported to have $17 million on hand, and he is expected to raise up to $25 million.

Considering the failed Stimulus Bill, ObamaCare, the Cornhuster Kickback and Louisiana Purchase, trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, crushing national debt, "the war is lost," "the surge has failed," and a summer of cap-and-tax maneuvering, even $25 million cannot rehabilitate Reid.

Which is why it is Steele's job to "vaporize" Angle instead.

Anyway, back to the title of this post. Should I be honored, or worried?

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Related Posts:
Who's Heartless Now?
Hey, Remember When Harry Reid Called Petraeus A Liar?
A New Day, A New Accusation Against Sharron Angle

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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Saturday Night Card Game (Salute to the Vuvuzela)

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain:

Last week I featured a "Breaking News" video of NY Freedom Party leader Charles Barron, a New York City councilman, insisting that attempts to ban the blowing of Vuvuzelas at the World Cup were racist.

Because the Vuvuzela is their musical instrument being played in their country, South Africa.

Barron is running for Governor of New York State on the following platform:
Outspoken City Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn) officially kicked off his "protest" run for governor yesterday, by announcing the formation of the Freedom Party, an all-black party. Noting how Cuomo picked a white running mate and how the other state office nominees are white, the Daily News reports that Barron said, "Don't call us racists when we point out racism. This was supposed to be the post-racial society. Somebody should have told that to the New York State Democratic Party."
I stand with you, Dear Leader.

To prove that I am worthy, I salute the Vuvuzela, in all its plastic, Made-in-China, annoying, this-year's-Macharena-like glory:



And I'm not going to let him ruin the party:



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Related Posts:
Saturday Night Card Game
Saturday Night Card Game (What Don't You Understand About "No Asians"?)
Saturday Night Card Game (Jew Hear The One About The Black Ho?)

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Hitting Thomas Sowell Over The Head With Palin Derangement Syndrome

The latest meme being pushed is that Sarah Palin somehow, someway, compared Obama to Hitler. Think Progress started it off with:
Palin encourages followers to read column warning that the BP escrow fund could lead to a Nazi-like dictatorship
Greg Sargent at The Washington Post promptly took time out from smearing Sharron Angle with the "Birther" epithet to post a similar headline:
Sarah Palin tells followers to read article comparing BP escrow fund to Nazism
Andrew Sullivan joined the act, awarding Palin a Hugh Hewitt Award, as did Alan Colmes, who wrote: Palin Jumps on the Sowell “Obama As Hitler” Bandwagon.

So what is all the firestorm about?

Sarah Palin sent a tweet recommending that her supporters read Thomas Sowell's column Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny?

Sowell is a leading conservative thinker and writer, affiliated with the conservative Hoover Institution at Stanford.

In the column, Sowell used multiple historical analogies -- including but not limited to Nazi Germany -- to show what happens when the rule of law is abandoned in favor of the rule of one man. But Sowell did not call Obama Hitler or compare Obama to Hitler. Conservatives4Palin has more debunking this allegation.

The impetus to Sowell's column was Barack Obama's unilateral decision announced on television that Obama would "instruct" "inform" British Petroleum how much money to set aside in an escrow account.

The prospect of a President unilaterally taking it upon himself to usurp the judicial function was unseemly, even if you liked the result. I made this point in my prior post, The Bully's Pulpit.

I think Sowell's analogy to Nazi Germany was unfortunate, but an all too common argument which is a favorite of left-wingers when talking about George Bush or the Arizona immigration bill. There were more recent and relevant analogies Sowell could have used, such as Richard Daley Sr.'s Chicago.

But why the hysteria on behalf of the Think Progress crowd over an unremarkable event?

First, it's Sarah Palin. And the Democratic media machine never misses an attempt to smear her. What counts for them is the headline, not the details.

Second, and equally important, Palin is being used as the means of ostracizing and attacking Sowell. Think Progress and the others want to declare Sowell off limits, to isolate and target him so that others will think twice before linking. What better way than using their visceral hatred of Palin as the means of attacking Sowell?

Just think, from this point forward the headline will be "[insert conservative author or politician's name here] supports the author who called Obama Hitler." It's false, but again, it's the headline that counts.

Isolate, freeze and attack. They've found their weapon to use against Sowell.

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Jobs Not Saved In 1956

A tweet from Ed Driscoll linked to this photo of an IBM 350 5 Megabyte data storage unit, circa 1956, part of a system which leased for $3200 per month:


Here is what a 5 Gigabyte flash drive looks like now, costing about $50:

Identifiable jobs were lost in the transition, but many more jobs were created by virtue of the transformation of the economy through innovation.

What if our government, in 1956, had been focused on saving the jobs of the people who manufactured the parts and materials in the IBM Hard Drive, rather than promoting policies which allowed and encouraged technological innovation?

You would have the current Democratic Party policies which focus on subsidizing non-economically viable union jobs in the public and private sectors for political reasons, while punishing wealth creation in the name of fairness.

(Added: This chart shows the steady drop in tax rates since 1956; I don't think it is any coincidence that technological innovation and the growth of the information economy took off as rates dropped dramatically starting in the 1980s).

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Friday, June 25, 2010

L'Affaire Dave Weigel In One Word

...

Derived from the Yiddish Kozebupkes:
Bupkis


(History of L'Affaire Weigel here, and of the secretive JournoList here)

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For The 1st Time Since 1/20/2009

...


(h/t Sister Toldjah vla @Cubachi)

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Don't Take Candy From Concern Trolls

Conservatives are a dying breed and the Republican Party needs to move to the center, according to a paper published by the liberal Center for American Progress, sugar daddy of Think Progress and other liberal media message outlets.

CAP published this report because it really, really wants the Republican Party to survive and thrive.  And so do all the bloggers who fed on the story; they like us, they really like us.

Today, Gallup released its update as to how Americans self-identify, and conservatism not only continues to dominate, but it is on the rise while liberalism is falling:


Moral of the story:  Don't take candy from strangers, or advice from liberal media outlets.

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Milk is Oil

No really. Milk is Oil according to the EPA, EPA classifies milk as oil, forcing costly rules on farmers:

Having watched the oil gushing in the Gulf of Mexico, dairy farmer Frank Konkel has a hard time seeing how spilled milk can be labeled the same kind of environmental hazard.

But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is classifying milk as oil because it contains a percentage of animal fat, which is a non-petroleum oil.

The Hesperia farmer and others would be required to develop and implement spill prevention plans for milk storage tanks. The rules are set to take effect in November, though that date might be pushed back.

There will be no Gulf Oil Spill in dairyland. Our government is on the job.

I wish I could think up some more snark about this, so help me out.

(h/t to Small Dead Animals via Watts Up With That)

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Who's Heartless Now?

Yesterday I posted about a speech by Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in which Whitehouse accused Republicans of having no compassion for the unemployed. The speech was classic Whitehouse, painting anyone who opposed his view as morally inferior and heartless.

And it is a theme hit not only by Whitehouse, but by Democrats and Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) even claims there is a conspiracy to wreck the economy in the run-up to the November election:
"It is very clear that the Republicans in the Senate want this economy to fail. They see that things are beginning to turn around.... In cynical political terms, it doesn't serve them in terms of their election interests if things are beginning to turn around."
But in fact there is an alternative which extends unemployment benefits and provide money to consumers without increasing the debt:
Republicans put forward an alternative bill that would extend unemployment benefits and pay for them with unused funds from the $787 billion stimulus.

"We've offered ways of paying for these programs and we've been eager to approve them," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

But Democrats objected, saying the stimulus funds are needed for job creation.

The Stimulus Plan has failed dramatically at lifting the economy. The concept of jobs "saved or created" is a farce because most of the Stimulus money has gone to subsidizing unsustainable state budgets, mostly for unionized positions. The Stimulus Plan is political in nature, rewarding a core Democratic Party constituency to the detriment of the rest of the economy.

Yet Democratic Party leaders cannot see beyond their politics.

The Democrats are so in love with the Stimulus Plan that they are unable to give up even a piece of it to help the unemployed.

Who's heartless now?

Update: And what is Harry Reid doing? Scheming to create legislative maneuvers to push through cap-and-trade before the August recess, to create even more unemployment:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is planning a high-risk, high-stakes strategy for bringing climate and energy legislation to the floor ahead of the August recess.

The gamble: yoking a bipartisan, fast-track measure to overhaul offshore drilling rules with a broad, contentious bill capping greenhouse gas emissions that otherwise would have almost no chance of passage on its own.

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Thursday, June 24, 2010

Palin Settles Ethics Charges - Finding of No "Knowing Violation"

It has just been announced that Sarah Palin has entered into a settlement with the Alaska Personnel Board regarding the Alaska Fund Trust, which was established to help Palin defend ethics complaints by political opponents.

Under the agreement (embedded below), Palin will not use any of the funds in the Trust, and is establishing a new defense fund (website here). Palin's statement on the settlement is on her Facebook page.

The key finding in the agreement is that Palin had no personal knowledge of any alleged violation:
Par. 25. Though the two reasons that the Trust violates the Ethics Acts are important, they are not so obvious as to impute knowledge to Governor Palin especially as her attorneys did advise her of the ethics problems. Therefore, the evidence supports Governor Palin's contention that any violation of the Ethics Act was not a knowing violation.
(added) The ethics law at issue was fairly convoluted, and the agreement repeatedly goes out of its way to point out that Palin sought and received legal advice that the Alaska Fund Trust complied with the law. In addition to the language above, the agreement recites the following on page 1:
The Trust was formed and administered following the specific advice of counsel solicited by Governor Palin and her aides. Because of the good faith reliance upon the advice of counsel who were specifically retained to insure compliance with the Ethics Act, the violations were not knowingly committed. Nevertheless, actions must be taken, if possible, to correct the deficiencies in the Trust pursuant to A.S. 39.52.330. Governor Palin has fully cooperated with the investigation, has refrained from receiving any benefit from the Trust pending the resolution of the this Complaint, and has agreed to assist in insuring that any warranted corrective action be taken."
Unfortunately for Palin, the Personnel Board took the position that advice of counsel was not a defense. Palin has agreed to return any funds to the extent feasible.

Ed Morrissey at HotAir has more background and explanation.

Palin Alaska Trust Settlement Agreement

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Sheldon Whitehouse Rewrites History

Sheldon Whitehouse has taken to the floor of the Senate again to accuse everyone who opposes driving the country further into debt of being against people who are suffering financially.

But that accusation, much like Whitehouse's accusations against opponents of ObamaCare, is based on a false history.

The reason unemployment and other benefits are not being extended is because Whitehouse and his fellow Democrats refuse to pay for the benefits by cutting bloated programs passed by Democrats, such as the Stimulus Plan and ObamaCare:

But the $35 billion that would be added to the deficit is still too much red ink for the liking of Republicans, who have denounced it as the “debt extenders” bill.

“They will not pass a bill unless it adds to the debt,” the top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said of Democrats earlier today on the Senate floor....

But it’s not only Republicans who have opposed the bill – Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson has, too. And just last Friday, the Senate managed to pass the “doc fix” alone, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quickly shot down the abbreviated version as “inadequate” and vowed not to pass it until the upper chamber included jobs legislation in it.

Whitehouse and other Democrats have broken the bank. Instead of being fiscally responsible, Whitehouse compares apples to oranges, by comparing annual deficits/surpluses under Clinton with gross national debt under Bush:
"I understand the point about the debt and the deficit and the spending," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). "But to me, that doesn't have an enormous amount of credibility, because when President Clinton left office, he left an annual surplus... At the end of [George W. Bush's] term, we had $9 trillion in debt."
The Democrats could extend unemployment benefits and pass a Doc Fix if they wanted to, but they prefer increased debt to trimming their agenda.

Democrats are responsible for holding Americans financially hostage to their big government programs, and should not try to blame those who are trying to bring about some small measure of fiscal sanity.



Update 6-25-2010: I missed this mistake in Whitehouse's speech. He claimed that there were a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress at the end of Bill Clinton's term, but that is not correct. The Congress was Republican, and as we all know, the budget surpluses in the 1990s were a combination of the post-Cold War peace dividend (i.e., cut in defense spending) and Republican Contract With America. As reported by PolitiFact, Whitehouse was wrong:


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Sorry to Disappoint

Sorry to disappoint the watchers. I will not comment on it, as much as you were hoping I would.

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Angle 48%, Reid 41%

Rasmussen just released its latest poll of the Nevada Senate race, and Sharron Angle is leading 48% to 41%, a small drop from the immediate post-primary poll.

What is amazing is that for the past two weeks Harry Reid has been pouring on the attacks against Angle, both through his own advertising, astroturfing, and through friends in the mainstream media and left-wing blogosphere.

Reid has been trying to define Angle, but in many ways the attack-dog mentality of the Reid campaign defines Reid himself.

Reid reportedly wants to portray himself as the ultimate Washington insider -- figuring that people will value his ability to bring home the bacon -- but this is a risky electoral gamble in a year in which consummate Washington insiders of both parties are being shown the door.

The fact that Angle continues to lead reflects, as Rasmussen points out, that the race is about Reid, not his challenger:

This returns the contest to where it’s been in surveys for months where Angle, a Christian conservative, ran weakest of the three Republicans seeking their party’s Senate nomination in match-ups with Reid.

Prior to the findings two weeks ago, Angle’s support in surveys stretching back to December has ranged from 44% to 48%, while Reid has earned 38% to 43% of the vote. In April, Angle held a 48% to 40% lead over the Democrat.

Reid‘s campaign and national Democrats are already pounding away at Angle’s views as unacceptable to the state. But at this early stage, the race continues to be about Reid, who earned 61% of the vote when he was reelected in 2004 but whose support in this election cycle against any Republican candidate has never risen above the low 40s. Any incumbent at this point in a campaign who is earning less than 50% support is considered vulnerable.

The race is winnable for Angle, because as much as Reid may attack Angle, Reid cannot change his own dismal and unpopular record.

Update: More at The Other McCain.

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Don't Call Them Anti-Semitic

They merely want a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, Group of youths attack Jewish dance group:

A Jewish dance group was attacked with stones by a group of children and teenagers during a performance at a street festival in the Germany city of Hannover, police said Thursday. One dancer suffered a leg injury and the group then canceled their performance.

The teenagers also used a megaphone to shout anti-Semitic slurs during the Saturday afternoon attack, Hannover police spokesman Thorsten Schiewe said.

Police said the incident is under investigation and that they do not have an exact number of attackers yet.

Schiewe said there were several Muslim immigrant youths among the attackers.

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Hey, Remember When Harry Reid Called Petraeus A Liar?

...


And insisted that the surge engineered by Petreaus had failed:



And Reid calls Sharron Angle crazy?

Update: Interesting post at the liberal The American Prospect on how Reid has used his campaign money and influence for years to shape Nevada politics and to scare off or politically kill off potential Republican challengers:
[Reid] spent years clearing the field by enticing, bullying, and manipulating the strong potential Republican candidates into opting out. The dean of the Nevada political press corps, television host and columnist Jon Ralston, frequently refers to Reid as the state's "Meddler-in-Chief," because nearly everything that happens in the Silver State bears his fingerprints.
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A New Day, A New Accusation Against Sharron Angle

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I Hope Rolling Stone Is Happy

Rolling Stone magazine managed to bring down the commander of our forces in Afghanistan, disrupt the war effort, and embolden our enemies by disrupting the allied chain of command.

For what? The article did not expose any facts whatsoever. There were no war crimes revealed, no failure to follow orders exposed, no mutiny prevented.

The information in the article amounted to this:
  • When drunk, soldiers talk trash among people they trust.
  • When sober, soldiers talk trash among people they trust.
  • Soldiers never should trust reporters, ever.
That last point really is the lesson learned, and should infuriate real reporters who actually want to report on facts, rather than seeking inglorious fame.

Rolling Stone's hatchet job damaged both the war effort and the relationship between reporters and the military.

I hope Rolling Stone is happy with the internet traffic, although it will not last. The war, however, goes on.

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Bumper Sticker of Change

Saw this yesterday while on a walk in the most pro-Obama voting state in the country:


What most amazed me was that someone was willing to put such a bumper sticker on the car. In 2008 people were afraid to use McCain/Palin bumper stickers for fear of vandalism.

Things have changed.

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