Thursday, December 08, 2005
Maybe it’s time to join the Libertarians – George Will vents on a stupid and unnecessary Senate bill to create an entitlement for (wait for it) digital television. Meanwhile, as the Republicans secure “the inalienable right to a remote”, Michael Tanner from the CATO Institute laments: “Yet this week, Senate Democrats used a parliamentary maneuver to prevent the Senate from scheduling just 10 hours of debate early next year on Social Security reform.” By pushing reform off another year, Washington has piled on another $660 billion in unfunded entitlement spending. But we have vouchers for digital TV! Hooray!
It’s not too late for Social Security personal accounts
Eh, it probably is but I can dream. Just remember that if you control your own money, you’ll never have to worry about headlines like this: “Seizure of Social Security upheld Court OK's US effort to collect loan debt” In the case, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a 1996 law designed to recoup defaulted student loans applied to government benefits including Social Security. Yet for years opponents of reform have argued that Social Security is a “sacred trust.” The truth is that the government can reduce or rescind the benefit at any time.
Would you rather leave your retirement money in the hands of the government or in your own hands? Think carefully.
Extra – Will Franklin has his Thursday Social Security post: “Demographic Wave” Or as the Pixies might sing: “Wave of Mutilation.”
Eh, it probably is but I can dream. Just remember that if you control your own money, you’ll never have to worry about headlines like this: “Seizure of Social Security upheld Court OK's US effort to collect loan debt” In the case, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a 1996 law designed to recoup defaulted student loans applied to government benefits including Social Security. Yet for years opponents of reform have argued that Social Security is a “sacred trust.” The truth is that the government can reduce or rescind the benefit at any time.
Would you rather leave your retirement money in the hands of the government or in your own hands? Think carefully.
Extra – Will Franklin has his Thursday Social Security post: “Demographic Wave” Or as the Pixies might sing: “Wave of Mutilation.”
Me, last week: "The Black Eyed Peas song “My Humps” is the dumbest song I’ve ever heard. Insipid lyrics, a non-existent melody, and an exploitive reliance on Fergie’s sexuality to pull it off."
Hua Hsu on Slate, today: "This is what makes "My Humps" such an inscrutable pop moment. It's not Awesomely Bad; it's Horrifically Bad. The Peas receive no bonus points for a noble missing-of-the-mark or misguided ambition ... "My Humps" is a moment that reminds us that categories such as "good" and "bad" still matter. Relativism be damned! There are bad songs that offend our sensibilities but can still be enjoyed, and then there are the songs that are just really bad—transcendentally bad, objectively bad."
Hua Hsu on Slate, today: "This is what makes "My Humps" such an inscrutable pop moment. It's not Awesomely Bad; it's Horrifically Bad. The Peas receive no bonus points for a noble missing-of-the-mark or misguided ambition ... "My Humps" is a moment that reminds us that categories such as "good" and "bad" still matter. Relativism be damned! There are bad songs that offend our sensibilities but can still be enjoyed, and then there are the songs that are just really bad—transcendentally bad, objectively bad."
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Lights out - Remember this? Here’s the follow-up: “Sheriff's deputies asked the owner who lit up his house with 25,000 Christmas lights synched to music to turn off the display after a traffic accident Tuesday night. Deerfield Twp. resident Carson Williams agreed to shut down his holiday decorations indefinitely.” How Grinch-like.
Lesson: if you’re going to fly, don’t go off your meds.
In all seriousness, I heard an FAA official on the news comment that two billion people have traveled in planes since 9/11. Given the odds, it’s a wonder that incidents like this don’t happen more often.
In all seriousness, I heard an FAA official on the news comment that two billion people have traveled in planes since 9/11. Given the odds, it’s a wonder that incidents like this don’t happen more often.
The Supreme Court rules (again) that you have no right to your Social Security benefits: “U.S. can cut Social Security payments to debtors”
The scourge of plagiarism - As I have noted before–plagiarism irks me (more accurately, I despise it). Not only are the students who engage in the activity not learning what they are supposed to be doing, they are both stealing and lying. And, to top it all off, I have to spend time figuring out the source so that I confirm from whence they have stolen in their attempt to lie to me. (Hat tip: Poliblog)
Democrats finally formulate a position on Iraq: surrender
That’s what Ed Morrissey writes in the Weekly Standard with “Rally ‘round the white flag, boys”:
That’s what Ed Morrissey writes in the Weekly Standard with “Rally ‘round the white flag, boys”:
The good news for the Democrats is that their leadership has settled on an electoral strategy for 2006. The bad news is that they have cribbed their game plan from one of the most disastrous campaigns in their history. The Democratic leadership has decided to elevate surrender to a party platform for the upcoming elections, with their national chairman, House leader, and last presidential nominee all running up the white flag as the Democratic war banner.Ouch. The WashPost is more measured with “Democrats fear backlash at polls for antiwar remarks” but Ankle-Biting Pundits wonders whether the Dems are more concerned about political strategy than national security. John Kerry tried this tactic during the Presidential campaign when he betrayed his own beliefs by voting for the war in Iraq (to look strong on foreign policy) then voting against funding (when Howard Dean was leading in the primaries.) Everything in his political and personal life indicated that he would have voted in the opposite on those two issues, but he let his ambition override his principles. The Democratic Party as a whole wants to win elections, but they can’t by appeasing the anti-war Left and appearing weak on national security. Thus the descent into doublespeak and ambiguity punctuated by moments of sincerity quickly withdrawn.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Amazing Race Family Edition update – Neurotic teams are making us two tents
Tonight’s leg is actually a continuation from last week’s show, and it’s been a solid three weeks since a team has been Phil-liminated. In other words, somebody’s gotta go tonight. We’re down to the Final Four: the Linz family, the Bransen family, the Weaver family and the Godlewski family.
The Bransen (Team Powerpuff) and Weaver (Team Florida) teams were last seen accepting clues from Phil at a ranch in Wyoming and tonight they started out (again) for Turtle Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. The Linz (Team Cincinnati) and Godlewskis (Team Scream) follow soon after and we discover that the Ranch doesn’t open until 7am, so all the teams settle into their campers for the night.
[Side note: I fully predicted that there would be a “bunching” moment in this episode to give the Linz family to catch up after their production-related problems last week.]
In the morning, teams all sprint out to some vans parked across a field which then take them to a plateau and the Detour: Pioneer Spirit or Native Tradition. Teams must either put together a wagon and a team of horses, or build an Indian teepee. The Linz and Bransens do the wagon and the other build a tent. Team Cincinnati finishes the wagon very quickly and vaults into first place, with Team Powerpuff close behind. As the Linz family goes by the Weavers, Megan makes the mistake of waving which is construed by Widow Weaver as a taunting gesture. Of course, if the Linz family made no gesture at all, it would have been interpreted as a snub. The Weavers have the martyr complex down cold.
After completing this task, teams head to Cody, Montana to find the bar named after Buffalo Bill’s daughter. Everybody in town knows it’s the Irma and when teams arrive they must dress in period clothing and take a souvenir photo with Buffalo Bill. This is another “stop and do something fun” byway but there’s one bonus: when the Godlewski sisters start getting flirty with the Buffalo Bill character, the hostess at the bar flashes a look of impatience that is just hilarious.
Next teams head for Red Lodge, Montana where they must find the 10th tee of a golf course. This is the Roadblock: two teams must head out onto the back nine and find four colored golf balls that match the flag of the golf cart they choose. The Linz team starts out first but the Bransens pass them and head on to the Pit Stop; following up are the insufferable Weavers and the bickering Godlewskis.
Teams are heading to the Pit Stop at the Green Mountain Lodge, somewhere in Montana. Unfortunately, there’s not much suspense because it looks like teams are going to arrive in the same order they left the golf course. After all, this isn’t like driving from midtown Manhattan to JFK; in Montana, there’s probably only one road to take you to your next destination. Even when the Weaver family gets pulled over for speeding, there’s not much hope the Godlewskis will pass them. In the end, the sisters defeated themselves by failing to work as a team. Team Scream comes in last and are eliminated from the Race.
Final standings:
#1 – Bransen family - Team Powerpuff (and Wally) – Prize: brand-new Buick
#2 – Linz family – Team Cincinnati
#3 – Weaver family – Team Florida
#4 – Godlewski family – Team Scream – PHIL-LIMINATED
Next week: The two-hour finale as the final three teams race for $1 million. If the Weavers win, will they be graceful and gracious in the end, or will they lash out at the other teams? Let’s hope this is a question we’ll never need to know the answer to.
Extra – This space reserved for Kris at Dummocrats and Pat at Brainster. Check out their recaps of this penultimate episode. Kris warns: “If the Weavers somehow manage to fulfill God's plan for them and win, I might not be able to write a recap. I apologize in advance.” I’m with you, soul sister.
Tonight’s leg is actually a continuation from last week’s show, and it’s been a solid three weeks since a team has been Phil-liminated. In other words, somebody’s gotta go tonight. We’re down to the Final Four: the Linz family, the Bransen family, the Weaver family and the Godlewski family.
The Bransen (Team Powerpuff) and Weaver (Team Florida) teams were last seen accepting clues from Phil at a ranch in Wyoming and tonight they started out (again) for Turtle Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. The Linz (Team Cincinnati) and Godlewskis (Team Scream) follow soon after and we discover that the Ranch doesn’t open until 7am, so all the teams settle into their campers for the night.
[Side note: I fully predicted that there would be a “bunching” moment in this episode to give the Linz family to catch up after their production-related problems last week.]
In the morning, teams all sprint out to some vans parked across a field which then take them to a plateau and the Detour: Pioneer Spirit or Native Tradition. Teams must either put together a wagon and a team of horses, or build an Indian teepee. The Linz and Bransens do the wagon and the other build a tent. Team Cincinnati finishes the wagon very quickly and vaults into first place, with Team Powerpuff close behind. As the Linz family goes by the Weavers, Megan makes the mistake of waving which is construed by Widow Weaver as a taunting gesture. Of course, if the Linz family made no gesture at all, it would have been interpreted as a snub. The Weavers have the martyr complex down cold.
After completing this task, teams head to Cody, Montana to find the bar named after Buffalo Bill’s daughter. Everybody in town knows it’s the Irma and when teams arrive they must dress in period clothing and take a souvenir photo with Buffalo Bill. This is another “stop and do something fun” byway but there’s one bonus: when the Godlewski sisters start getting flirty with the Buffalo Bill character, the hostess at the bar flashes a look of impatience that is just hilarious.
Next teams head for Red Lodge, Montana where they must find the 10th tee of a golf course. This is the Roadblock: two teams must head out onto the back nine and find four colored golf balls that match the flag of the golf cart they choose. The Linz team starts out first but the Bransens pass them and head on to the Pit Stop; following up are the insufferable Weavers and the bickering Godlewskis.
Teams are heading to the Pit Stop at the Green Mountain Lodge, somewhere in Montana. Unfortunately, there’s not much suspense because it looks like teams are going to arrive in the same order they left the golf course. After all, this isn’t like driving from midtown Manhattan to JFK; in Montana, there’s probably only one road to take you to your next destination. Even when the Weaver family gets pulled over for speeding, there’s not much hope the Godlewskis will pass them. In the end, the sisters defeated themselves by failing to work as a team. Team Scream comes in last and are eliminated from the Race.
Final standings:
#1 – Bransen family - Team Powerpuff (and Wally) – Prize: brand-new Buick
#2 – Linz family – Team Cincinnati
#3 – Weaver family – Team Florida
#4 – Godlewski family – Team Scream – PHIL-LIMINATED
Next week: The two-hour finale as the final three teams race for $1 million. If the Weavers win, will they be graceful and gracious in the end, or will they lash out at the other teams? Let’s hope this is a question we’ll never need to know the answer to.
Extra – This space reserved for Kris at Dummocrats and Pat at Brainster. Check out their recaps of this penultimate episode. Kris warns: “If the Weavers somehow manage to fulfill God's plan for them and win, I might not be able to write a recap. I apologize in advance.” I’m with you, soul sister.
Good news/bad news for Tom DeLay
Steve Spruiell writing on Media Blog believes DeLay will be ultimately cleared of all charges:
Steve Spruiell writing on Media Blog believes DeLay will be ultimately cleared of all charges:
Tom DeLay will be eventually exonerated, no question. Ronnie Earle has no evidence. In order to prove the money-laundering charge that Judge Pat Priest let stand, he will have to prove that DeLay and his co-defendants obtained corporate soft-money donations and sent them to the RNC in Washington with the intent of converting them into hard-money donations. But when asked to produce the central piece of evidence referenced in the indictment, Earle couldn't. Even if this goes to trial in Austin and some crackpot liberal jury convicts DeLay, he will win out on appeal. This is still a trumped-up charge, regardless of how Priest ruled yesterday.The bad news is that the House GOP is planning to elect a new majority leader in January if DeLay doesn’t have the charges dropped by then.
Monday, December 05, 2005
And I wholeheartedly support the changes – The Truth Laid Bear recalculated blog rankings to filter out spam backtracks and other methods to “game” the system. As a result, the honest Viking Pundit shot up from the mid-300s to #168. Sweet.
Quote of the Day - Dilbert Blog: “Yet another “third highest ranking al-Qaida leader” has been killed, this time by a rocket attack from an unmanned drone. There are a lot of jobs that I wouldn’t want, and “third highest ranking al-Qaida leader” is right at the top.”
Speaking of which, Powerline notes today’s silliest headline: “U.S. missle, Al-Qaeda death, may be linked” Didn’t the Associated Press see this picture? Sheesh!
Speaking of which, Powerline notes today’s silliest headline: “U.S. missle, Al-Qaeda death, may be linked” Didn’t the Associated Press see this picture? Sheesh!
Democrats: all politics and no principle on Iraq
For quite some time now, I’ve been writing that the Democrats’ failure to articulate a position on Iraq is an abrogation of leadership. Now the WashPost acknowledges as much in “Democrats find Iraq alternative is elusive”:
For quite some time now, I’ve been writing that the Democrats’ failure to articulate a position on Iraq is an abrogation of leadership. Now the WashPost acknowledges as much in “Democrats find Iraq alternative is elusive”:
Around the country, many grass-roots Democrats are clamoring for a quick withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. On Capitol Hill, Democratic politicians have grown newly aggressive in denouncing the Bush administration's war strategy and outlining other options.The Post identifies Zbigniew Brzezinski as the one with an “unambiguous alternative” of (surprise!) rapid withdrawal. Over at InDC Journal, Dorkafork reviews the “National Security Vision” cooked up by some Democratic congressmen and concludes: “This is the same as the Republican plan. Except the Democrats are going to train Iraqi units faster, somehow. Maybe with magical troop training rays.” Also, be sure to read the simultaneous endorsement/condemnation of the United Nations.
But among the Democratic foreign-policy elite, dominated by people who previously served in the top ranks of government, there are stark differences -- and significant vagueness -- about a viable alternative.
In interviews, veteran policymakers offered no end of criticism about how President Bush maneuvered the United States into its present predicament, but only one had a clear vision of what he would do if the Iraq problem were handed over to a Democratic administration tomorrow. Several accept Bush's premise that a rapid withdrawal anytime soon would leave Iraq unstable and risk a strategic disaster in the broader Middle East.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Can’t argue with the numbers
Well, maybe you can, but if Brian Riedl’s analysis “Entitlement-Driven Long-Term Budget Substantially Worse Than Previously Projected” is packed with graphs, tables, and figures to demonstrate that the burden of Medicare and Social Security will swallow whole the federal government over the next half-century. From the executive summary:
Well, maybe you can, but if Brian Riedl’s analysis “Entitlement-Driven Long-Term Budget Substantially Worse Than Previously Projected” is packed with graphs, tables, and figures to demonstrate that the burden of Medicare and Social Security will swallow whole the federal government over the next half-century. From the executive summary:
More realistic assumptions show that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid costs will leap from 8.4 percent of GDP to 18.9 percent of GDP by 2050. Unless lawmakers reform these programs, they will have to fund their costs by:In one graph titled “The Spending Cut Option” (scroll halfway down) Riedl shows that without tax increases or additional deficit spending, the “big three” entitlement programs will take up 100% of government spending. I’ve tried to make this clear for Democrats who oppose entitlement reform: if they value the idea that the government should play an active role in governing, it will be impossible when discretionary spending drops to zero. Without European-size tax rates, the U.S. government will slowly morph into a way station for tax dollars, transferred from younger workers to senior citizens. (Hat tip: Conspiracy to Keep you Poor and Stupid)
Raising taxes every year until federal taxes are 57 percent ($11,000 per household, adjusted into today’s economy) above the current levels;
Eventually eliminating every other federal program, including spending on defense, education, anti-poverty programs, and veterans benefits, by 2045; or
Running massive budget deficits (the status quo option). This is the most expensive option because it would cause the federal debt to increase from the current level of 40 percent of GDP to 500 percent of GDP. Beginning in 2025, just a small interest rate response would push federal spending to 44 percent of GDP by 2040 and 73 percent by 2050—levels twice as high as previous projections.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
There are 535 members of Congress – Can’t any of them appear on a Sunday news show besides John McCain and Joe Biden? At least John Kerry will provide some comic relief on “Face the Nation.”
Isn’t he dreamy? - Laura W. calls Howard Dean “the heartthrob of the RNC” as she tries to sort out just what exactly he’s talking about regarding immigration policy.
Refreshing honesty – From Begging to Differ: “Let’s face it, this blog sucks”
Steve makes some good points (that I can empathize with) about how political blogs tend to be echo chambers which are drowned out anyway by Instapundit and the other “professional” bloggers. But, hey, what are you gonna do?
Steve makes some good points (that I can empathize with) about how political blogs tend to be echo chambers which are drowned out anyway by Instapundit and the other “professional” bloggers. But, hey, what are you gonna do?
Master spy hunter
While down in Orlando last week, we stopped into Disney Quest which is essentially a huge arcade. For a flat fee, the games are rigged such that you can play them continuously. While the kids played racing games where the seats tip as you turn, I found the classic arcade game section. What a blast from the past: Berzerk! Donkey Kong! Robotron 2084! And then my all-time favorite: Spy Hunter. I promptly achieved the high score on Spy Hunter, besting all the teenagers in central Florida. Still got it!
Find you favorite classic arcade games here: Classic arcade game locations
While down in Orlando last week, we stopped into Disney Quest which is essentially a huge arcade. For a flat fee, the games are rigged such that you can play them continuously. While the kids played racing games where the seats tip as you turn, I found the classic arcade game section. What a blast from the past: Berzerk! Donkey Kong! Robotron 2084! And then my all-time favorite: Spy Hunter. I promptly achieved the high score on Spy Hunter, besting all the teenagers in central Florida. Still got it!
Find you favorite classic arcade games here: Classic arcade game locations
Friday, December 02, 2005
Major indicators looking good - Democrats shuffle nervously and say: “Remember when we said ‘it’s the economy, stupid?’ Please forget about that. Thanks.” The Red State post doesn’t even mention today’s good news that 215,000 jobs were added to the economy in November.
For political junkies only – The WashPost is handicapping the 2008 Presidential hopefuls. The Virginia candidates seem to be strong contenders.
Progress in the Mideast
Charles Krauthammer notes the under-appreciated developments in Israel:
Follow-up – Sadly, this doesn’t feel like progress: “Ten Marines killed in attack near Fallujah.”
Charles Krauthammer notes the under-appreciated developments in Israel:
Because we Americans tend to gauge Middle East success by White House signing ceremonies complete with dignitaries, three-way handshakes and pages of treaty provisions, no one seems to have noticed how, in the absence of any of that, there has been amazing recent progress in defusing the Arab-Israeli dispute.That maturation was indisputably helped along by the passing of Nobel Peace Prize winner Yassir Arafat.
How did this come about? Israel unilateralism and Palestinian maturation.
Follow-up – Sadly, this doesn’t feel like progress: “Ten Marines killed in attack near Fallujah.”
Thursday, December 01, 2005
If an Air America show is cancelled, does anybody know it? – Goodbye “Morning Sedition,” you were awful.
Joe Biden can’t count
Noted recluse Senator Joe Biden was on Paula Zahn yesterday, making the same amorphous points on Iraq he’s been repeating for a year now. Here’s the transcript of the show where he details the Democratic position, skipping right over point #4:
Point #1 – “get the rest of the countries”
Point #2 – “take up other countries”
Point #3 – “get the donor countries”
Point #4 - ???
Point #5 – “have a regional conference”
You would think that a Senator with Presidential aspirations would be embarrassed to offer nothing more than “let somebody else do it.”
Noted recluse Senator Joe Biden was on Paula Zahn yesterday, making the same amorphous points on Iraq he’s been repeating for a year now. Here’s the transcript of the show where he details the Democratic position, skipping right over point #4:
ZAHN: You would have to agree, Democrats are all over the place on this issue. Does that hurt you...Let’s recap the Biden/Democratic plan:
BIDEN: No.
ZAHN: ... for the upcoming presidential election?
BIDEN: By the way, the truth of the matter is, the Democrats are not all over the place on this issue.
ZAHN: There's not a unified voice on this.
BIDEN: Yes.
ZAHN: In 30 seconds tonight, can you tell us what the Democratic position is...
BIDEN: The Democratic position...
ZAHN: ... on the further prosecution of this war?
BIDEN: Yes.
Mr. President, number one, get the rest of the countries in on the deal to put pressure on the Sunnis and the Shias and the Kurds to have a consensus constitution, because they don't have one yet. If you don't get a political settlement, we're in trouble.
Mr. President, take up other countries on their offer to help train Iraqi forces. Number three, Mr. President, get the donor countries to come forward with the money to supply the Iraqis, so they have the capability of going in and doing the job we're doing now.
Number five, Mr. President, make sure you go out there and you reach in, have a regional conference, so that you get a regional solution here, like you did in Afghanistan, Mr. President.
Mr. President, you can do this. Thanks for telling us the truth now. But now get on with the business of not doing this alone.
ZAHN: Senator Biden, really appreciate your dropping by tonight.
Point #1 – “get the rest of the countries”
Point #2 – “take up other countries”
Point #3 – “get the donor countries”
Point #4 - ???
Point #5 – “have a regional conference”
You would think that a Senator with Presidential aspirations would be embarrassed to offer nothing more than “let somebody else do it.”
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Blame the Bush tax cuts - U.S. economy expanded at a 4.3% pace in third quarter: “The U.S. economy grew at a 4.3 percent annual rate from July through September, the quickest since the first quarter of last year and evidence of resilience in the face of record energy costs.” Also sales of new homes hit an all-time high and consumer confidence soared in November.
Confused by yet another entitlement
Don’t you hate those cloying stories about people who have won the lottery griping about how tough they have it? Starting January 1st, senior citizens will gain the prescription drug benefit which will cost over a trillion dollars in the next ten years. The burden of the program’s cost will, of course, be borne by younger workers who already pay for Social Security and Medicare benefits for the grey set.
But it’s never enough. Today WashPost house liberal Harold Meyerson complains that those poor, bewildered seniors just can’t figure out the details of the new benefit. Isn’t that terrible? Maybe we should scrap the whole program and save a couple billion.
Don’t you hate those cloying stories about people who have won the lottery griping about how tough they have it? Starting January 1st, senior citizens will gain the prescription drug benefit which will cost over a trillion dollars in the next ten years. The burden of the program’s cost will, of course, be borne by younger workers who already pay for Social Security and Medicare benefits for the grey set.
But it’s never enough. Today WashPost house liberal Harold Meyerson complains that those poor, bewildered seniors just can’t figure out the details of the new benefit. Isn’t that terrible? Maybe we should scrap the whole program and save a couple billion.
General Motors is not nimble enough for the 21st Century – Robert Samuelson reflects on the entrenched management at GM, where inertia rules the day. Here’s an interesting factoid: “In 1950 hourly wages in the auto industry were 24 percent higher than average manufacturing wages; by 1990 they were 34 percent higher (where they remain today). With 2.5 retirees -- receiving health and pension benefits -- for every active worker, GM's high costs would challenge even the most brilliant management.” And now there will be 30,000 fewer active workers at GM because management either wouldn't or couldn't adapt.
The perils of withdrawal - Christopher Hitchens says: “We’re sticking with Afghanistan. Why would we ditch Iraq?”
Apparently it’s a secret
Here’s a good question from the Christian Science Monitor article “Republican woes won’t rescue Democrats from their confusion”:
Here’s a good question from the Christian Science Monitor article “Republican woes won’t rescue Democrats from their confusion”:
But eventually, the Democrats have to be the party of something more than "we're not them." They have to decide what it is they believe. And the questions are much deeper than whether they voted for or against invading Iraq or No Child Left Behind.For extra fun, here’s Ruben Navarrette with “Democrats have given nuance a bad name”:
The questions go to the core of the party. What does it mean to be a Democrat?
Democrats lost the last two presidential elections, in part because they sent forth candidates who -- in their eagerness to get as many votes as possible from the left, right and center -- took both sides of every issue, flipped positions, parsed phrases, eschewed straight talk and gave nuance a bad name by taking complicated policy positions that were impossible for most Americans to decipher.And speaking of the Democrats’ last loser, Gay Patriot West calls John Kerry (whom I call “Senator Splunge”) the “perpetual weathervane.” What a stark contrast to former VP candidate Joe Lieberman who has discovered declarative statements such as “Our troops must stay.” Doesn’t get much clearer than that.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Amazing Race update – The long run
The four remaining teams started out from Salt Lake City in the middle of the night in search of Park High School. There they found a clue box which instructed them that a shuttle would be leaving in the morning to take them on hot air balloon rides. Thus, the recently-yielded Weaver family caught up to everyone as they bunked in their campers for the night. The next morning, the unhinged Weavers were brash and loony, taunting the Linz family. Ugh.
The hot air balloon was another in a long line of “go here and admire the scenery” stop in this Family Edition of the Amazing Race. Teams went up, teams came down in the order they arrived. Next stop: Heber Valley Railroad in Utah and the Detour. Teams may either “spike it” and build a 20 foot length of railroad track or “steam it” by hauling 400 pounds of coal to a tender. All teams pick “spike it” except the Weavers who pick up a spot by passing the Godlewski sisters who use up more energy bickering with each other than driving spikes. Next stop: the “Tree of Utah” at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Once again this is just a “isn’t this cool” stop where the teams are directed to Bear Lake in Garden City, Utah to sleep for the night. The Linz famly, who finished the Detour first, inexplicably arrive at the campsite last (although there’s some note about technical problems that may have delayed them.)
In the morning, teams stagger their departures by 15 minutes and head to Pine Valley, Wyoming and the Roadblock: two members from each team must “cowboy up” and do the “City Slickers” bit by herding a small group of cattle. Nothing much to note here as teams arrive and depart in order, separated by 15 minutes. From here teams are directed to Yellowstone National Park to view Old Faithful. The geyser erupts every 92 minutes and each team must view an eruption before they can go on. Team Powerpuff arrives first followed by Team Florida and they see the first waterspout while the Godlewskis and Linzes must wait an hour-and-a-half later until the next one.
Cut away to the Bransens and Weavers searching for the next stop: a ranch somewhere in the middle of Wyoming where they must “search for Phil.” Strangely, there’s no mention that this is a Pit Stop for what is already an unusually long leg of the Race. The Bransens arrive at Phil (a mat but no "welcome to Wyoming" greeter) only seconds ahead of the Weavers and Phil springs the big surprise: he hands each team an envelope and says that this is not a Pit Stop and this leg continues. By my rough estimate, the teams have driven 600-700 miles by this point and they’re not done yet.
Standings after half-leg
First – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally)
Second – Weaver family – Team Florida
Third & Fourth - ??? – Team Scream and/or Team Cincinnati
Next week: As sure asthe sun rises in the East Joe Biden appears on a Sunday talk show, the Weavers say something nasty about another team. Oh, and they get pulled over by a cop who probably doesn’t taser them because of the TAR camera crew in the front seat. Darn.
Extra – This spot reserved for recaps by Kris at Dummocrats and Pat at Brainster. BTW, just as Kris is enamored with Nick Linz, I think I’m falling for Megan Linz. She is total grace under pressure, by which I mean she is unflappable in the face of her brothers’ adolescent behavior.
The four remaining teams started out from Salt Lake City in the middle of the night in search of Park High School. There they found a clue box which instructed them that a shuttle would be leaving in the morning to take them on hot air balloon rides. Thus, the recently-yielded Weaver family caught up to everyone as they bunked in their campers for the night. The next morning, the unhinged Weavers were brash and loony, taunting the Linz family. Ugh.
The hot air balloon was another in a long line of “go here and admire the scenery” stop in this Family Edition of the Amazing Race. Teams went up, teams came down in the order they arrived. Next stop: Heber Valley Railroad in Utah and the Detour. Teams may either “spike it” and build a 20 foot length of railroad track or “steam it” by hauling 400 pounds of coal to a tender. All teams pick “spike it” except the Weavers who pick up a spot by passing the Godlewski sisters who use up more energy bickering with each other than driving spikes. Next stop: the “Tree of Utah” at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Once again this is just a “isn’t this cool” stop where the teams are directed to Bear Lake in Garden City, Utah to sleep for the night. The Linz famly, who finished the Detour first, inexplicably arrive at the campsite last (although there’s some note about technical problems that may have delayed them.)
In the morning, teams stagger their departures by 15 minutes and head to Pine Valley, Wyoming and the Roadblock: two members from each team must “cowboy up” and do the “City Slickers” bit by herding a small group of cattle. Nothing much to note here as teams arrive and depart in order, separated by 15 minutes. From here teams are directed to Yellowstone National Park to view Old Faithful. The geyser erupts every 92 minutes and each team must view an eruption before they can go on. Team Powerpuff arrives first followed by Team Florida and they see the first waterspout while the Godlewskis and Linzes must wait an hour-and-a-half later until the next one.
Cut away to the Bransens and Weavers searching for the next stop: a ranch somewhere in the middle of Wyoming where they must “search for Phil.” Strangely, there’s no mention that this is a Pit Stop for what is already an unusually long leg of the Race. The Bransens arrive at Phil (a mat but no "welcome to Wyoming" greeter) only seconds ahead of the Weavers and Phil springs the big surprise: he hands each team an envelope and says that this is not a Pit Stop and this leg continues. By my rough estimate, the teams have driven 600-700 miles by this point and they’re not done yet.
Standings after half-leg
First – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally)
Second – Weaver family – Team Florida
Third & Fourth - ??? – Team Scream and/or Team Cincinnati
Next week: As sure as
Extra – This spot reserved for recaps by Kris at Dummocrats and Pat at Brainster. BTW, just as Kris is enamored with Nick Linz, I think I’m falling for Megan Linz. She is total grace under pressure, by which I mean she is unflappable in the face of her brothers’ adolescent behavior.
Why don’t I find this reassuring? - “CIA Director Porter Goss, saying his agency struggles to penetrate terrorist sanctuaries overseas, insists that "we know more than we're able to say publicly" about Usama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.” Right now the only thing I want to know is their body temperatures.
Can’t beat something with nothing
Mort Kondracke: “Despite woes, GOP confident for 2006”
Mort Kondracke: “Despite woes, GOP confident for 2006”
Carville and Greenberg advised that Democrats combine attacks on GOP failures with a promise, akin to the one the GOP made in its 1994 "Contract with America," to pass an agenda within 100 days of taking control of Congress that includes an increase in the minimum wage, lower Medicare drug prices and a windfall profits tax on oil companies to fund alternative energy sources.On “This Week” on Sunday, George Will noted that the eleven months until November 2006 is a “lifetime” in politics. The Iraqis will have their elections next month and this will almost certainly lead to a draw-down of American forces. Couple this with relatively good economic news on the domestic front (e.g. oil slipping well below $60/barrel and 5% unemployment) and the Republicans will likely hold control of both houses of Congress. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the Democrats’ attempt at a “Contract with America” will be the most milquetoast and amorphous agenda ever proposed (see above: "a windfall profit tax?" Puh-leez.)
But in an interview, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman told me that "if you look at the polls, you'll see that Democrats are not seen as having a clear agenda. In the last 20 years, every time one party has been down, the other party has been up. But not now. It's true, we have difficult poll numbers. We need to change the numbers. And we have a plan to do so. But the Democrats also have bad numbers - just as bad. That tells you a lot about where they stand."
Monday, November 28, 2005
Liberals go down – “Canadian government toppled by no-confidence vote” Damian Penny of Newfoundland is following events.
Everybody wants some – From Opinion Journal: “Power to the People – Washington policy makers stand in the way of sensible energy policies.”
Time to add Daniels to the roster – George Will has written an absolute love letter for Indiana governor Mitch Daniels in today’s WashPost. A Republican governor from a key Midwest state with a dynamic economy looks like a strong candidate in 2008.
I'm not so sure about #10
Physicist Alan Lightman has a new book out called “The Discoveries” about the most important scientific breakthroughs of the 20th Century. Here’s the list:
1. THE QUANTUM
Max Planck (1900)
2. HORMONES
William Bayliss and Ernest Starling (1902)
3. THE PARTICLE NATURE OF LIGHT
Albert Einstein (1905)
4. SPECIAL RELATIVITY
Albert Einstein (1905)
5. THE NUCLEUS OF THE ATOM
Ernest Rutherford (1911)
6. THE SIZE OF THE COSMOS
Henrietta Leavitt (1912)
7. THE ARRANGEMENT OF ATOMS IN SOLID MATTER
W. Friedrich, P. Knipping, and M. von Laue (1912)
8. THE QUANTUM ATOM
Niels Bohr (1913)
9. THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN NERVES
Otto Loewi (1921)
10. THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE
Werner Heisenberg (1927)
11. THE CHEMICAL BOND
Linus Pauling (1928)
12. THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE
Edwin Hubble (1929)
13. ANTIBIOTICS
Alexander Fleming (1929)
14. THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION OF ENERGY IN LIVING ORGANISMS
Hans Krebs and W. A. Johnson (1937)
15. NUCLEAR FISSION
Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann (1939); and Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch (1939)
16. THE MOVABILITY OF GENES
Barbara McClintock (1948)
17. THE STRUCTURE OF DNA
James D. Watson and Francis H. C. Crick (1953); and Rosalind E. Franklin and R. G. Gosling (1953)
18. THE STRUCTURE OF PROTEINS
Max F. Perutz, M. G. Rossmann, Ann F. Cullis, Hilary Muirhead, Georg Will, and A. C. T. North (1960)
19. RADIO WAVES FROM THE BIG BANG
Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson (1965); and Robert H. Dicke, P. James E. Peebles, Peter G. Roll, and David T. Wilkinson (1965)
20. A UNIFIED THEORY OF FORCES
Steven Weinberg (1967)
21. QUARKS
M. Breidenbach, J. I. Friedman, H. W. Kendall, E. D. Bloom, D. H. Coward, H. DeStaebler, J. Drees, L. W. Mo, and R. E. Taylor (1969)
22. THE CREATION OF ALTERED FORMS OF LIFE
David A. Jackson, Robert H. Symons, and Paul Berg (1972)
The link to the Boston Globe article doesn’t go into the details from the Sunday paper, but Lightman said that Einstein’s paper on special relativity and the Watson and Crick paper on DNA were the easiest to choose for the list.
Physicist Alan Lightman has a new book out called “The Discoveries” about the most important scientific breakthroughs of the 20th Century. Here’s the list:
1. THE QUANTUM
Max Planck (1900)
2. HORMONES
William Bayliss and Ernest Starling (1902)
3. THE PARTICLE NATURE OF LIGHT
Albert Einstein (1905)
4. SPECIAL RELATIVITY
Albert Einstein (1905)
5. THE NUCLEUS OF THE ATOM
Ernest Rutherford (1911)
6. THE SIZE OF THE COSMOS
Henrietta Leavitt (1912)
7. THE ARRANGEMENT OF ATOMS IN SOLID MATTER
W. Friedrich, P. Knipping, and M. von Laue (1912)
8. THE QUANTUM ATOM
Niels Bohr (1913)
9. THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN NERVES
Otto Loewi (1921)
10. THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE
Werner Heisenberg (1927)
11. THE CHEMICAL BOND
Linus Pauling (1928)
12. THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE
Edwin Hubble (1929)
13. ANTIBIOTICS
Alexander Fleming (1929)
14. THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION OF ENERGY IN LIVING ORGANISMS
Hans Krebs and W. A. Johnson (1937)
15. NUCLEAR FISSION
Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann (1939); and Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch (1939)
16. THE MOVABILITY OF GENES
Barbara McClintock (1948)
17. THE STRUCTURE OF DNA
James D. Watson and Francis H. C. Crick (1953); and Rosalind E. Franklin and R. G. Gosling (1953)
18. THE STRUCTURE OF PROTEINS
Max F. Perutz, M. G. Rossmann, Ann F. Cullis, Hilary Muirhead, Georg Will, and A. C. T. North (1960)
19. RADIO WAVES FROM THE BIG BANG
Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson (1965); and Robert H. Dicke, P. James E. Peebles, Peter G. Roll, and David T. Wilkinson (1965)
20. A UNIFIED THEORY OF FORCES
Steven Weinberg (1967)
21. QUARKS
M. Breidenbach, J. I. Friedman, H. W. Kendall, E. D. Bloom, D. H. Coward, H. DeStaebler, J. Drees, L. W. Mo, and R. E. Taylor (1969)
22. THE CREATION OF ALTERED FORMS OF LIFE
David A. Jackson, Robert H. Symons, and Paul Berg (1972)
The link to the Boston Globe article doesn’t go into the details from the Sunday paper, but Lightman said that Einstein’s paper on special relativity and the Watson and Crick paper on DNA were the easiest to choose for the list.
Throwing it all away – What compels the elite, whether professional football players or Congressmen, to risk everything for a couple of bucks or a cheap thrill? It’s got to be a misplaced sense of imperviousness and a poor sense of history.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Sunday morning lineup – Joe Biden? Yes, Joe Biden! Go Joe!
Follow-up – Here’s Mark Kilmer’s Sunday morning roundup. God bless him, because I just can’t sit through these shows anymore. The only thing worth watching is the weekly argument between Brit Hume and Juan Williams on Fox News Sunday.
Follow-up – Here’s Mark Kilmer’s Sunday morning roundup. God bless him, because I just can’t sit through these shows anymore. The only thing worth watching is the weekly argument between Brit Hume and Juan Williams on Fox News Sunday.
Can’t possibly be true
That’s what I said when I read this in Wired magazine’s Jargon Watch:
That’s what I said when I read this in Wired magazine’s Jargon Watch:
WeblogistanFourth? Wow, I’d like to believe it, but that seems awfully high.
n. The Iranian blogosphere, where activists go to vent anonymously in the face of Iran's oppressive regime. Weblogistan is now so vast that Persian is the fourth most widely used language on blogs.
It’s amazing how your credit improves when your car won’t start
A company in Revere, Massachusetts sells cars to people who otherwise could not get a loan but with one catch: if they fail to pay up, a kill switch prevents the car from starting. From the Boston Globe – “Engine-shutoff device gets drivers to pay loans on time”:
A company in Revere, Massachusetts sells cars to people who otherwise could not get a loan but with one catch: if they fail to pay up, a kill switch prevents the car from starting. From the Boston Globe – “Engine-shutoff device gets drivers to pay loans on time”:
According to CNW Marketing/Research in Bandon, Ore., 27 percent of drivers with poor credit fail to pay their bills on time and 15 percent end up having their vehicles repossessed. The research company says approximately 3 percent of so-called subprime drivers skip town and can't be tracked down.I love stories where private and public interests come together. The auto dealership gets to sell cars while people who either couldn’t get a loan or would have to pay exorbitant interest rates can afford personal transportation.
Car owners with the On Time device in their vehicles do a much better job, according to CNW. Only 3 percent fail to pay their bills on time, 3 percent end up having their cars repossessed, and less than 1 percent skip town.
Biden strains to stay in the spotlight - Captain Ed: “Senator Joe Biden writes an op-ed for today's Washington Post that gets the entire war on terror fundamentally wrong -- and demonstrates why the Democrats have entirely failed to provide any leadership on Iraq and the wider war.”
I was also going to comment about Biden’s editorial, but what’s the point? It’s the same nonsense that John Kerry put forward in the Presidential campaign: everything we’re doing now except faster.
Follow-up (11/28) – From Q&O: “The Democrats have not come up with a new Iraq Policy. They've jumped onboard the Bush administration's existing policy, with the novel new suggestion that we stay the course...but try harder.” That sounds familiar.
I was also going to comment about Biden’s editorial, but what’s the point? It’s the same nonsense that John Kerry put forward in the Presidential campaign: everything we’re doing now except faster.
Follow-up (11/28) – From Q&O: “The Democrats have not come up with a new Iraq Policy. They've jumped onboard the Bush administration's existing policy, with the novel new suggestion that we stay the course...but try harder.” That sounds familiar.
Last vacation story (for the night) - In an effort to end the night on a somewhat humorous note, here's a quick story. At Disney-MGM Studios, we saw one of the green army men from "Toy Story" posing for pictures. It was a very impressive costume right down the the wide plastic feet. My son handed him an autograph book and I was curious to see what such a minor character would sign. Sure enough: "Green Army Man." Natch.
Allah would be proud – Homicide bomber kills 30 in Iraq: “A homicide bomber blew up his car outside a hospital south of Baghdad on Thursday while U.S. troops handed out candy and food to children, killing 30 people and wounding about 40, including four Americans.”
The silly and smarmy New York Times
How the mighty have fallen. Today, the Times has a profoundly titled editorial “Of dollars, deficits, and destiny” about how the U.S. should seize a rare fiscal opportunity to balance our finances.
How the mighty have fallen. Today, the Times has a profoundly titled editorial “Of dollars, deficits, and destiny” about how the U.S. should seize a rare fiscal opportunity to balance our finances.
It is obvious that the administration and Congress should be taking advantage of this easy- money period to rein in deficits. Waiting to do so will make dealing with them much more painful. And yet, the Republican leadership in both the House and Senate have pledged to pass more unpaid-for tax cuts when they return to Washington in mid-December. The House version of the budget would increase the federal budget deficit by an estimated total of $7.7 billion over five years; in the Senate version, the deficit increase would total $31.8 billion.The NY Times is publicly wetting itself over an eight or even a $32 billion deficit increase over a five-year span due to tax cuts. Meanwhile, it’s written precious little about the multi-trillion dollar deficit looming due to massive increases in Medicare and Social Security spending just over the horizon. But then, that’s the Times for you: the only way to reduce the deficit is to raise taxes. Never, ever breathe a word about the other side of the equation and reining in spending. How can anybody take the Times seriously anymore, I have to ask.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Wax on, wax off – Pat Morita dies at 73. His biography is pretty wild: he was an invalid, then spent time in a WWII internment camp, then worked with computers at an aerospace company before finally breaking into acting.
Follow-up – McQ notes that Pat Morita made it to the top due to the promise of the American Dream: “And yet he survived and eventually thrived, a classic example of how the American Dream works. No one said it would be all sweetness and light. No one said it would be easy or fair. But, like Morita and everyone who applies themselves and works hard, they still have a chance in America…” Well-put. Hell, even that Canadian William Shatner had to come to America to make his bones. (Pun intended)
Follow-up – McQ notes that Pat Morita made it to the top due to the promise of the American Dream: “And yet he survived and eventually thrived, a classic example of how the American Dream works. No one said it would be all sweetness and light. No one said it would be easy or fair. But, like Morita and everyone who applies themselves and works hard, they still have a chance in America…” Well-put. Hell, even that Canadian William Shatner had to come to America to make his bones. (Pun intended)
Amazing Race update – Abridged version
Yes, I did manage to catch a portion of the Amazing Race during my vacation. After all, we are not savages. If you want a much more detailed review of this week’s leg, check out Kris at Dummocrats or Pat at Brainster. My quick take is this: the teams went to Utah and had to rappel down a cliff, or take a bike ride, then at the Roadblock they had to glide down a ski lift and do a flip.
All that is incidental to the Weavers vs. Everyone subplot. And let me start out by noting that Pat believes reality shows are “reverse engineered” such that the drama is manufactured in the editing room such that the (eventual) winners appear to have overcome hefty odds. I have it on good authority (although I forget where I read it) that the editors of TAR do not know who win in the end. They are given hours of videotape and forced to splice together 45 minutes of the best material. Thus, I submit that all the “evil Weavers” footage is not to build drama, but to show them as they truly are. For those of you not watching TAR8: the word “hypocrites” comes to mind as well as “annoying,” “insincere,” and “un-Christian.” I bristle every time they pray to Jesus then belittle another team. On this particular leg, the Weavers were driving past some bikers in Utah and Rolly Weaver yells out the window “You wish you were Lance Armstrong.” What a jerk, but then the apple doesn’t fall far from the family tree.
The Weavers seem truly baffled that all the other teams hate them. They’re so nice! They’re trying to be good people! All the other teams will only spend the prize money on boob jobs! Wait…they said that? Yes, yes they did.
The only team in the history of the Amazing Race got Yielded for a second time but this was a non-elimination leg, so they get to stick around. Whatever. Even Phil seems annoyed with their antics.
Final standings:
#1 – Linz famly – Team Cincinnati – Travelocity trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming
#2 – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally)
#3 – Godlewski family – Team Scream
#4 – Weaver family – Team Jesus loves us but not you – Yielded / Non-elimination leg
Yes, I did manage to catch a portion of the Amazing Race during my vacation. After all, we are not savages. If you want a much more detailed review of this week’s leg, check out Kris at Dummocrats or Pat at Brainster. My quick take is this: the teams went to Utah and had to rappel down a cliff, or take a bike ride, then at the Roadblock they had to glide down a ski lift and do a flip.
All that is incidental to the Weavers vs. Everyone subplot. And let me start out by noting that Pat believes reality shows are “reverse engineered” such that the drama is manufactured in the editing room such that the (eventual) winners appear to have overcome hefty odds. I have it on good authority (although I forget where I read it) that the editors of TAR do not know who win in the end. They are given hours of videotape and forced to splice together 45 minutes of the best material. Thus, I submit that all the “evil Weavers” footage is not to build drama, but to show them as they truly are. For those of you not watching TAR8: the word “hypocrites” comes to mind as well as “annoying,” “insincere,” and “un-Christian.” I bristle every time they pray to Jesus then belittle another team. On this particular leg, the Weavers were driving past some bikers in Utah and Rolly Weaver yells out the window “You wish you were Lance Armstrong.” What a jerk, but then the apple doesn’t fall far from the family tree.
The Weavers seem truly baffled that all the other teams hate them. They’re so nice! They’re trying to be good people! All the other teams will only spend the prize money on boob jobs! Wait…they said that? Yes, yes they did.
The only team in the history of the Amazing Race got Yielded for a second time but this was a non-elimination leg, so they get to stick around. Whatever. Even Phil seems annoyed with their antics.
Final standings:
#1 – Linz famly – Team Cincinnati – Travelocity trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming
#2 – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally)
#3 – Godlewski family – Team Scream
#4 – Weaver family – Team Jesus loves us but not you – Yielded / Non-elimination leg
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving – I’ve noticed that some have blogged about their Thanksgiving so here’s my story. We spent the holiday at the Cape May Café at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort at Disney World. I had a delicious Caesar salad followed by Prince Edward Island mussels along with clams and peel-and-eat steamed shrimp. Then I had the most delicious carved turkey ever (sorry Mom) along with veggies, mashed potatoes, stuffing, candied yams, cranberry sauce and gravy. All this was followed by a decaf coffee and sinful desserts. Yum.
I'm back!
Yes, I'm back from a long - and expensive - trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was 78 degrees and sunny this morning. Now it's 22 degrees and there's snow on the ground. My exposure to the news was limited to a glance at the USA Today every morning before the bus to the Magic Kingdom arrived, so I'm going to need some time to catch up.
Yes, I'm back from a long - and expensive - trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was 78 degrees and sunny this morning. Now it's 22 degrees and there's snow on the ground. My exposure to the news was limited to a glance at the USA Today every morning before the bus to the Magic Kingdom arrived, so I'm going to need some time to catch up.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, have to get away
This blog will be on the Big Sleep until after the Thanksgiving holiday. Be sure to check all the great sites on my blogroll for the latest commentary. I hope everybody enjoys their Thanksgiving by eating too much and falling asleep while watching football.
This blog will be on the Big Sleep until after the Thanksgiving holiday. Be sure to check all the great sites on my blogroll for the latest commentary. I hope everybody enjoys their Thanksgiving by eating too much and falling asleep while watching football.
The prevailing opinion
I’m almost done with General Tommy Franks’ autobiography “American Soldier” but I’d thought I’d share this passage from page 418:
I’m almost done with General Tommy Franks’ autobiography “American Soldier” but I’d thought I’d share this passage from page 418:
I met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in his home in Amman on the afternoon of Thursday, January 23, 2003. “General,” he said, “from reliable intelligence sources, I believe the Iraqis are hiding chemical and biological weapons.”The maddening fact is that Hussein, indisputably, had weapons of mass destruction; and almost nobody believed he willingly destroyed his arsenal.
The Jordanians did have reliable intelligence sources in Iraq. I trusted them, and I trusted the king’s judgment. And I wasn’t surprised at what his sources had reported. I’d spent days and nights over the previous twelve years worrying about Saddam’s WMD program, and the effect that such weapons could have on our troops – or on my country. I thanked the king, left his home, drove to the hotel, and straight to the Comm room to pass the information I’d been given to Secretary Rumsfeld.
[snip section about how General Franks’ plane was diverted to Cairo, Egypt]
Hosni Mubarak was friendly as always. But he was clearly concerned with our military buildup and the tension in Iraq.
He leaned close and spoke to me in accented but readily comprehensible English. “General Franks,” he said, choosing his words carefully, as Abdullah had done. “You must be very, very careful. We have spoken with Saddam Hussein. He is a madman. He has WMD – biologicals, actually – and he will use them on your troops.”
Backed into a corner of their own construction
From the NY Times -“G.O.P. Tries to Split Democrats With Vote on Iraq War”:
Update – Lorie Byrd is live-blogging the debate and call-in show along with Leon on RedState and No End But Victory.
Another update – Final roll call vote: 403-3 with McKinney, Serrano, and Wexler voting “aye” and six other Democrats declaring “present.”
From the NY Times -“G.O.P. Tries to Split Democrats With Vote on Iraq War”:
House Republicans are attempting to split the ranks of the Democrats tonight by offering a resolution to withdraw American troops from Iraq immediately. The Republican-controlled House is expected to defeat the measure in a vote that the Republicans hope will leave the Democrats in disarray.The Democrats will surely denounce the quick vote on Jack Murtha’s resolution as a stunt but, if so, it’s a good one. The Dems have been thrashing on Iraq for months now without having to define where they stand on this critical issue. They were probably hoping to leave the question open before the Thanksgiving break; now they can look forward to weeks of Tim Russert and Chris Matthews asking why, when pressed, they backed down from their own rhetoric.
Update – Lorie Byrd is live-blogging the debate and call-in show along with Leon on RedState and No End But Victory.
Another update – Final roll call vote: 403-3 with McKinney, Serrano, and Wexler voting “aye” and six other Democrats declaring “present.”
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Touchdown Jesus says “it’s good!”
From the NYT - “On Ohio flatland, a megachurch’s eye-catcher dominates”: “Postcards for sale in the church's gift shop refer to it as the King of Kings. Many locals call it Touchdown Jesus, since, a bit like the famed mural at the University of Notre Dame, it resembles a robed and bearded referee signaling a score at the goal line. Others call it Super Jesus, MC 62ft Jesus (for the technomusician of a similar name) or simply Big J.”
From the NYT - “On Ohio flatland, a megachurch’s eye-catcher dominates”: “Postcards for sale in the church's gift shop refer to it as the King of Kings. Many locals call it Touchdown Jesus, since, a bit like the famed mural at the University of Notre Dame, it resembles a robed and bearded referee signaling a score at the goal line. Others call it Super Jesus, MC 62ft Jesus (for the technomusician of a similar name) or simply Big J.”
John Kerry decries lack of information that he was too busy to get
Here’s Joan Vennochi in the Boston Globe: “Poll-watching pols now say no on Iraq”
Here’s Joan Vennochi in the Boston Globe: “Poll-watching pols now say no on Iraq”
In his recent speech at Georgetown University, Kerry said, ''The country and the Congress were misled into war. I regret that we were not given the truth."Maybe he should have showed up for some briefings of the Senate Intelligence Committee, long before 9/11 and Iraq:
A Bush-Cheney '04 ad released Aug. 13 accuses Kerry of being absent for 76% of the Senate Intelligence Committee's public hearings during the time he served there. The Kerry campaign calls the ad "misleading," so we checked, and Bush is right.If Senator Splunge had showed up for work maybe he wouldn't have been misled.
Boston aims for Walmart, hits small businesses
Lawmakers in the Bay State are considering a 5% payroll tax for businesses that do not provide health care benefits to their employees. The idea is that large corporations should help to shoulder some of the costs picked up by the state through programs such as MassHealth. But some small businesses are balking at the new measure including this Cape Cod coffee shop owner:
Lawmakers in the Bay State are considering a 5% payroll tax for businesses that do not provide health care benefits to their employees. The idea is that large corporations should help to shoulder some of the costs picked up by the state through programs such as MassHealth. But some small businesses are balking at the new measure including this Cape Cod coffee shop owner:
If the House payroll tax became law, [Caroline] Geishecker said, she would try to blunt its effect by hiring fewer people, eliminating paid holidays, and paying less than the $9 an hour her lowest-paid workers now earn.Wait, wait, wait a second. Are you telling me that if you increase the cost of hiring employees, businesses will hire fewer employees? They’ll offset government-mandated costs by suppressing wages? I’m shocked! Only on Beacon Hill.
''Not to be mean, but I have to look at the hard bottom line," she said.
Raising prices to counter the cost of a health insurance tax would not be an option, she said. ''You can't charge $4 for a cup of coffee. Nobody would pay it." While the House bill would affect all businesses with more than 10 workers, large chains and businesses with higher profit margins could more easily absorb the costs, she added.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Fitzmas fizzles and flops
From the WashPost: “Woodward could be a boon to Libby”
From the WashPost: “Woodward could be a boon to Libby”
The revelation that The Washington Post's Bob Woodward may have been the first reporter to learn about CIA operative Valerie Plame could provide a boost to the only person indicted in the leak case: I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.The only thing that’s going to bring down Karl Rove now is kryptonite.
Legal experts said Woodward provided two pieces of new information that cast at least a shadow of doubt on the public case against Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, who has been indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
"I think it's a considerable boost to the defendant's case," said John Moustakas, a former federal prosecutor who has no role in the case. "It casts doubt about whether Fitzgerald knew everything as he charged someone with very serious offenses." Other legal experts agreed.
Funniest. Closing. Credits. Ever.
I just saw the end of the South Park episode lampooning Scientology. Stan denounces it as a global scam and the Scientologists angrily declare that they’re going to sue Stan for defamation. Stan yells back: “Go ahead and sue, I’m not afraid of you. Sue me!”
Then the credits roll and every single name is either “John Smith” or “Jane Smith.” Beautiful. Oh and Tom Cruise finally came out of the closet.
I just saw the end of the South Park episode lampooning Scientology. Stan denounces it as a global scam and the Scientologists angrily declare that they’re going to sue Stan for defamation. Stan yells back: “Go ahead and sue, I’m not afraid of you. Sue me!”
Then the credits roll and every single name is either “John Smith” or “Jane Smith.” Beautiful. Oh and Tom Cruise finally came out of the closet.
Well, this really is a bizarre twist
Sources: Plame learned covert status from Woodward
I’m playing catch up with this story, but check out the comprehensive reviews from Decision 08, Macs Mind, Strata-Sphere, Ankle-Biting Pundits and (of course) the Minuteman.
Extra – With the Woodward revelation, Kate O’Beirne wonders why everybody else is allowed to have a rotten memory but only Scooter Libby has been indicted. Good point. Also, is it really so crazy to suppose that Libby heard about Plame from reporters as he claimed when everybody in Washington seems to be in on the secret? I need to check the Tradesports contracts on Libby’s conviction.
Update: Not much movement. Still hovering around 50-50 for a Libby conviction. Or acquital, such as it is.
Sources: Plame learned covert status from Woodward
I’m playing catch up with this story, but check out the comprehensive reviews from Decision 08, Macs Mind, Strata-Sphere, Ankle-Biting Pundits and (of course) the Minuteman.
Extra – With the Woodward revelation, Kate O’Beirne wonders why everybody else is allowed to have a rotten memory but only Scooter Libby has been indicted. Good point. Also, is it really so crazy to suppose that Libby heard about Plame from reporters as he claimed when everybody in Washington seems to be in on the secret? I need to check the Tradesports contracts on Libby’s conviction.
Update: Not much movement. Still hovering around 50-50 for a Libby conviction. Or acquital, such as it is.
Rebound - Jeff Jacoby writes that President Bush should have responded more forcefully to the charges leveled against him. But he also feels that Bush will bounce back because the Democrats offer nothing as an alternative: “Like the Kerry campaign in 2004, the Democratic Party in 2005 pumps out great foggy clouds of platitudinous bombast, but rarely counters Bush's policies and performance with a well-defined alternative of its own. If you can't beat somebody with nobody, as the old maxim has it, you also can't beat something with nothing. And so far, as Howard Dean demonstrated on ''Meet the Press" the other day, the Democrats' ''vision thing" is a whole lot of nothing.” Yeah, everybody’s still buzzing about that train wreck.
AARP is mortgaging America’s future
That’s the upshot of this jeremiad by Robert Samuelson in today’s WashPost: “AARP’s America is a mirage”
That’s the upshot of this jeremiad by Robert Samuelson in today’s WashPost: “AARP’s America is a mirage”
AARP would have you believe that it's trying to balance the interests of retirees and workers. It has just released a report, "Reimagining America," that rightly poses these questions: "Can America afford to grow older? And can we do so with intergenerational fairness -- that is, without burdening our children and grandchildren with the bills?" It then spends 41 pages not answering those questions. On the one hand, it concedes that "as a nation, we are not now ready for the retirement of the baby boomers." On the other, it argues that "the problem is overstated." Nowhere will you find a precise agenda of what ought to be done.Samuelson has been my journalistic soul-brother on the issue of exploding entitlements and he makes some apt comparisons to the automotive and steel industries, where promises simply outpaced the ability to pay.
Overstated? Well, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid constitute more than 40 percent of federal spending. Given the baby boom, longer life expectancies and rising health care costs, these programs are projected (by the Congressional Budget Office and others) to grow by about two-thirds or more during the next 25 years. To cover these costs, we'd have to do one of the following: Raise all federal taxes by 30 to 50 percent (depending on whether today's budget were balanced); eliminate defense spending and 30 percent of other federal spending, excluding interest payments; run budget deficits three times present levels.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Yet another reason why American automakers are going bankrupt – From a Consumer Reports survey on automobile reliability: “Of the 31 cars that earned top rating, 29 were Japanese. Of the 48 cars that earned the lowest rating, 22 carry American nameplates, 20 are European, 4 are from Japan (all from Nissan and its Infiniti division), and 2 are from South Korea.” What a great slogan: "Slightly better than a Yugo." USA! USA!
The national (yawn) pastime - After record-low ratings for a World Series, the creaky game of baseball is trying to restore credibility with tough new penalties for steroid use. Whatever. As home run records fall earthward and fans turn to the new national pastime, watch for this policy to slowwwwwwly fade away.
No Phil of the arching eyebrow – Sorry, no “Amazing Race” update tonight. CBS is hosting the Country Music Awards. What’s up with that?
Apres Baby Boomers, le deluge
Nobody listens to me but here’s the comptroller general of the United States (I had no idea there was such a position). From USA Today: “A fiscal hurricane on the horizon”
Nobody listens to me but here’s the comptroller general of the United States (I had no idea there was such a position). From USA Today: “A fiscal hurricane on the horizon”
"We face a demographic tsunami" that "will never recede," David Walker tells a group of reporters. He runs through a long list of fiscal challenges, led by the imminent retirement of the baby boomers, whose promised Medicare and Social Security benefits will swamp the federal budget in coming decades.It’s a sad commentary that nobody holds out much hope that the leaders in Washington will take the necessary steps to keep the country solvent (see the article). The likely scenario I see is that U.S. Treasury Bonds slip from their vaunted position as the safest investment in the world and domestic and foreign bankers impose some sanity on runaway entitlement spending.
Sadly, it's no laughing matter. To hear Walker, the nation's top auditor, tell it, the United States can be likened to Rome before the fall of the empire. Its financial condition is "worse than advertised," he says. It has a "broken business model." It faces deficits in its budget, its balance of payments, its savings — and its leadership.
The predictable NY Times
Matt Hoy performs a thorough fisking of today’s New York Times lead editorial today. I particularly liked this call and answer:
Matt Hoy performs a thorough fisking of today’s New York Times lead editorial today. I particularly liked this call and answer:
NYT: “It's hard to imagine what Mr. Bush means when he says everyone reachedthe same conclusion. There was indeed a widespread belief that Iraq had chemical and biological weapons.”Read the whole thing.
Hoy: “Umm, the second sentence answers the first one -- geniuses.”
Walmart sucks
As heaven is my witness, I’m never shopping at Walmart again. Every time I go there, I hit the same problem: glacially slow checkout. The Walmart in Avon, Connecticut where I work refuses to add a “cash only” line or a line for a very small number of items. Instead they have the ridiculous “20 items or less” lines; other than Christmas, who is regularly checking out with 20 items?
Today I got behind a woman paying with a check, then the check verification machine wouldn’t work, then the supervisor went to open another line rather than help the poor cashier on register one…ugh. After an interminable amount of time, I finally paid for my single bag of dog food – with cash – and left.
Never again. For now on, it’s Target all the way.
As heaven is my witness, I’m never shopping at Walmart again. Every time I go there, I hit the same problem: glacially slow checkout. The Walmart in Avon, Connecticut where I work refuses to add a “cash only” line or a line for a very small number of items. Instead they have the ridiculous “20 items or less” lines; other than Christmas, who is regularly checking out with 20 items?
Today I got behind a woman paying with a check, then the check verification machine wouldn’t work, then the supervisor went to open another line rather than help the poor cashier on register one…ugh. After an interminable amount of time, I finally paid for my single bag of dog food – with cash – and left.
Never again. For now on, it’s Target all the way.
Monday, November 14, 2005
It has to be said – The Black Eyed Peas song “My Humps” is the dumbest song I’ve ever heard. Insipid lyrics, a non-existent melody, and an exploitive reliance on Fergie’s sexuality to pull it off. (BTW, Fergie will be appearing on the Sopranos next season as an undercover cop/stripper.)
Chirac gives the “malaise” speech
From CBS News: ‘French President sees ‘profound malaise”:
Extra – Gah! Bulldog Pundit had the same idea.
From CBS News: ‘French President sees ‘profound malaise”:
President Jacques Chirac said Monday that more than two weeks of violence in the poor suburbs of France is the sign of a "profound malaise" and he ordered new measures to reach out to troubled youths and fight the discrimination believed to be at the root of it.One of Chirac’s actions was to urge businesses to “support employment for youths from tough neighborhoods” - a useless admonition when the economy is dragging and joblessness hovers in the double digits.
Extra – Gah! Bulldog Pundit had the same idea.
Democrats raise questions but have no answers
I’m sorry I missed “Meet the Press” yesterday. It sounds like Tim Russert was really trying to pin down DNC chair Howard Dean as to what exactly the Democrats would do differently in Iraq (via Wizbang):
I’m sorry I missed “Meet the Press” yesterday. It sounds like Tim Russert was really trying to pin down DNC chair Howard Dean as to what exactly the Democrats would do differently in Iraq (via Wizbang):
MR. RUSSERT: But is it enough for you to say to the country, "Trust us, the other guy's no good. We'll do better, but we're not going to tell you specifically how we're going to deal with Iraq."There you go: on the single most critical issue of our time, the Democrats have nothing to offer aside from criticism. It's all so obvious what to do until you ask them. Washington Post columnist Fred Hiatt sees through the Democrats’ game in “The Politics of War”:
DR. DEAN: We will. When the time comes, we will do that.
Whether Iraqis are in fact committed to a life-or-death struggle for democracy will become clear as its army does, or does not, continue to shoulder a greater burden. But the aptness of Mahdi's view of the United States is already evident in Congress, which pours most of its Iraq-related energy into allegations of manipulated intelligence before the war.Seeing how Jay Rockefeller, Harry Reid, and countless other Democrats have cynically twisted history for political gain, it’s not a leap to declare “liberals are unpatriotic.”
"Those aren't irrelevant questions," says Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.). "But the more they dominate the public debate, the harder it is to sustain public support for the war."
What Lieberman doesn't say is that many Democrats would view such an outcome as an advantage. Their focus on 2002 is a way to further undercut President Bush, and Bush's war, without taking the risk of offering an alternative strategy -- to satisfy their withdraw-now constituents without being accountable for a withdraw-now position.
Many of them understand that dwindling public support could force the United States into a self-defeating position, and that defeat in Iraq would be disastrous for the United States as well as for Mahdi and his countrymen. But the taste of political blood as Bush weakens, combined with their embarrassment at having supported the war in the first place, seems to override that understanding.
Damn! – Nathan Vasher’s 108-yard runback in yesterday’s Bears-49ers game makes the ESPN Damn! Moment of the Week.
Time to speak up – Via Lorie on Polipundit, here are five questions that non-Muslims would like Muslims to answer.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Second amendment diary – Home on the firing range
Although I’m still waiting for my class A license, a neighbor of mine took me to a firing range today so that I could shoot under his license. (He checked with the local police department to make sure everything was kosher.) He had a 0.22 caliber Ruger rifle which he completely broke down and re-assembled so that I could see the mechanics. We placed targets at 50 and 100 yards and took turns from 10-round clips.
This was the first time in literally 20 years that I’ve fired a gun. My uncle had some property in Sussex County, New Jersey and we’d go skeet-shooting with double barrel shotguns. This was my first trip to a firing range with a rifle. I tensed up on my first shot, but the 22-caliber has almost no recoil and I felt silly for being nervous. Anyway, we shot a couple hundred rounds each although neither one of us managed to put many into the 100-yard target. I had more luck at 50 yards and on my “final exam” I put four shots within the 1-inch center; two missed the target completely.
Anyway, it was a great time on a bright and cool New England afternoon.
Although I’m still waiting for my class A license, a neighbor of mine took me to a firing range today so that I could shoot under his license. (He checked with the local police department to make sure everything was kosher.) He had a 0.22 caliber Ruger rifle which he completely broke down and re-assembled so that I could see the mechanics. We placed targets at 50 and 100 yards and took turns from 10-round clips.
This was the first time in literally 20 years that I’ve fired a gun. My uncle had some property in Sussex County, New Jersey and we’d go skeet-shooting with double barrel shotguns. This was my first trip to a firing range with a rifle. I tensed up on my first shot, but the 22-caliber has almost no recoil and I felt silly for being nervous. Anyway, we shot a couple hundred rounds each although neither one of us managed to put many into the 100-yard target. I had more luck at 50 yards and on my “final exam” I put four shots within the 1-inch center; two missed the target completely.
Anyway, it was a great time on a bright and cool New England afternoon.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Tell it like it is – Tim Blair reports that the Australian treasurer stated: “We will never be an Islamic state.” Can you guess what followed? Yeah, you’re right.
Extra - Right after I hit "publish post" I thought "I should have checked Silent Running." Here's their take with the full quote.
Extra - Right after I hit "publish post" I thought "I should have checked Silent Running." Here's their take with the full quote.
Sunday morning lineup, via Mark Kilmer on Red State. The camera-shy Charles Schumer will be on “This Week.”
The King of Clubs is dead
From the NY Times: “Death of Hussein aide is confirmed”
From the NY Times: “Death of Hussein aide is confirmed”
Former officials of the Baath Party confirmed Saturday on their Web site the death of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the last of Saddam Hussein's inner circle still at large in Iraq and a man long sought by the American military command as the effective leader of the Baathist insurgent underground here.American officials are commenting, but it’s believed that Ibrahim was a “crucial figure” behind the Iraqi insurgency.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Sharia in Strasbourg Amsterdam? - From Parapundit: “Rising Number Of Dutch Public Figures Have Bodyguards Against Islamists” As Randall notes: “This is nature’s way of telling you that Muslim immigration is bad.” Excellent linkage action. For extra info, be sure to check out this Economist article on the Dutch model.
President Bush’s Veterans Day speech
For background, check out Norman Podhoretz’s essay from Commentary magazine.
For background, check out Norman Podhoretz’s essay from Commentary magazine.
No!!! – “It looks like curtains, too, for FOX's comedy "Arrested Development," which never translated its Emmy Award and critical raves into a broader popularity. FOX didn't announce the end of the show, but said it wouldn't order a full season's worth of 22 episodes. Barring a miraculous turnaround, that usually means a series is kaput.”
"Socrates doesn't have feathers" – Via Arts & Letters, here’s a funny article from a member of a college’s hiring committee: “But can you teach?” Many apply, but few are chosen.
Romantic environmentalism smashes into cold realities
Echoing a post I made yesterday (including an old quote by him) here’s Charles Krauthammer today with “Pump seriousness into energy policy”:
Echoing a post I made yesterday (including an old quote by him) here’s Charles Krauthammer today with “Pump seriousness into energy policy”:
For decades we've been dithering over drilling in a tiny part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Look, I too love the caribou. They are sweet, picturesque and reputedly harmless. But dire predictions about the devastation that Prudhoe Bay oil development would visit upon the caribou proved false. They have thrived. Let's get serious. We live at the edge of oil shortages and in perpetual vulnerability to oil blackmail. We have soldiers dying in the oil fields of the Middle East, yet we leave untouched the largest untapped oil field in North America so that Lower-48ers can enjoy an image of pristine Arctic purity. This is an indulgence bordering on decadence.Meanwhile, Steven Milloy of Junk Science reviews how scientific proof of global warming seems a secondary concern to the technical people lauded in this month’s Rolling Stone.
Downtime - For reasons beyond my control, my Verizon DSL was utterly unavailable today. Now it works. There’s really no point in calling DSL support so they can ask me stupid questions like: “Is your modem turned on?”
Thursday, November 10, 2005
A small piece of good news for the GOP
Joe Biden says “I’m running” for President in 2008:
Joe Biden says “I’m running” for President in 2008:
Biden's apparent declaration of his presidential intentions is a step further than he was willing to go in an August appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" when he told moderator Tim Russert: "I'm going to continue the quest to determine whether or not I can put together a campaign and raise the money and be a viable candidate for president. That's my intention."Joe Biden breaks every rule for Presidential candidates: 1.) a Senator, 2.) the “Law of 14”, 3.) small electoral college vote state and (most critically) 4.) the “living room” rule.
Social Security reform Thursday – Will Franklin looks at the rise of payroll taxes, debt and unemployment in Germany. Is it a glimpse into our own future? It's not encouraging.
More on election year 2005
From Opinion Journal: “GOP wake-up call”: “About the best thing Republicans can say after Tuesday's election debacle is that at least it happened in an off-off year. This was a Democratic rout any way you look at it, from the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey to the ballot initiatives in California. If the GOP learns the wrong lessons, it'll happen again next year, when a lot more will be at stake.”
The WashPost has an editorial titled “Lessons of 2005” along with an analysis by Dan Balz: “For GOP, 2006 now looms much larger”
With a little perspective, here’s my abridged take on Tuesday’s tea leaves. I’ve criticized the Democrats as a party without ideas, but now it’s the Republicans who are lost in the wilderness. The GOP used to be the party of Reagan and limited government; now we have record deficits even before massive entitlement spending kicks in over the next decade. As I type this, reports are coming over the wires that Congress can’t find the spine to cut a couple tens of billion dollars over a multi-trillion dollar10 5-year budget. And if you believe as I do that domestic energy development is not only an economic but a security issue, there’s no excuse for the back-tracking on exploration in ANWR.
The Republicans gained control of Congress and the White House by establishing their principles and allowing the American people to choose (think 1994). If they don’t want to assert these principles, they should prepare for significant losses in 2006.
Update – Red State has more on the Deficit Reduction Act: “This is the biggest vote of the 109th Congress – period. It is the first time Republicans are attempting to seriously address out-of-control spending since 1997 by reducing its rate of growth by saving $50 billion over five years. However, this vote has become far more about symbolism than substance (although the substance is good), and it is now about the soul of the House Republican majority.”
From Opinion Journal: “GOP wake-up call”: “About the best thing Republicans can say after Tuesday's election debacle is that at least it happened in an off-off year. This was a Democratic rout any way you look at it, from the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey to the ballot initiatives in California. If the GOP learns the wrong lessons, it'll happen again next year, when a lot more will be at stake.”
The WashPost has an editorial titled “Lessons of 2005” along with an analysis by Dan Balz: “For GOP, 2006 now looms much larger”
With a little perspective, here’s my abridged take on Tuesday’s tea leaves. I’ve criticized the Democrats as a party without ideas, but now it’s the Republicans who are lost in the wilderness. The GOP used to be the party of Reagan and limited government; now we have record deficits even before massive entitlement spending kicks in over the next decade. As I type this, reports are coming over the wires that Congress can’t find the spine to cut a couple tens of billion dollars over a multi-trillion dollar
The Republicans gained control of Congress and the White House by establishing their principles and allowing the American people to choose (think 1994). If they don’t want to assert these principles, they should prepare for significant losses in 2006.
Update – Red State has more on the Deficit Reduction Act: “This is the biggest vote of the 109th Congress – period. It is the first time Republicans are attempting to seriously address out-of-control spending since 1997 by reducing its rate of growth by saving $50 billion over five years. However, this vote has become far more about symbolism than substance (although the substance is good), and it is now about the soul of the House Republican majority.”
Freeze-out
From Fox News: “House drops Arctic oil drilling bill provision”
From Fox News: “House drops Arctic oil drilling bill provision”
House leaders late Wednesday abandoned an attempt to push through a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling, fearing it would jeopardize approval of a sweeping budget bill Thursday.Charles Krauthammer once called ANWR the “poster child of cake-and-eat-it-too eco-petulance.” Americans hate paying $3 for a gallon of gas. After 9/11, I thought that Americans would support exploration and development of domestic petroleum sources because every dollar of oil we generate at home is one less dollar going to the Saudi government. But no. We can’t even explore for oil in a land covered in ice three-quarters of the year because it might displace some caribou. Bulldog Pundit asks the right question given how the Republicans have caved on this and other issues: do they deserve to be in the majority? (See also “Why Republicans lost” on GOP Bloggers).
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Carried a “one” to the wrong column
From the NY Times: “General Motors to restate earnings from 2001” - it won't be "up":
From the NY Times: “General Motors to restate earnings from 2001” - it won't be "up":
General Motors Corp. said Wednesday it plans to restate its earnings from 2001 because an accounting error led the company to overstate its earnings by up to 35 percent. In an unrelated action, Fitch Ratings lowered GM's debt deeper into "junk" status Wednesday and the automaker's shares tumbled to a 13-year low.“Unrelated action”??? You must be joking.
Election 2005 wrap-up
John Podhoretz reviews:
Back in March 2004, I expounded on the value of a Southern Democratic governor on John Kerry’s ticket and obviously many of those qualities would make a good Presidential candidate. It’s going to make for an interesting primary with the Clintonites squared off against the “most electable” faction that ended up with Kerry.
John Podhoretz reviews:
To sum up: Incumbent party victories in two states and one city. A Republican state rejected Democratic initiatives. A Democratic state rejected Republican initiatives.Maybe, but Larry Kudlow isn’t so carefree. Michael Barone and Deborah Orin think the strength of the Democratic candidate in Virginia means good news for the presidential aspirations of Mark Warner and bad news for Hillary Clinton. Ex-Donkey adds: “This result is a major boost for Mark Warner in his expected bid for the Presidency in 2008. Hillary was hoping to avoid a nasty primary battle, but with Warner hitting her on the right, she'll need to rally the moonbats, which should make for a lot of fist-pounding and high-pitched shrieking in here speeches.”
Don't let the Democratic spin doctors fool you. Election Day 2005 has nothing to tell us about where the electorate is going in the wake of Bush's terrible year.
Back in March 2004, I expounded on the value of a Southern Democratic governor on John Kerry’s ticket and obviously many of those qualities would make a good Presidential candidate. It’s going to make for an interesting primary with the Clintonites squared off against the “most electable” faction that ended up with Kerry.
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