Michael Steele is about to learn the hard way

You don't pick a fight with The Godfather.  Limbaugh is going to crush him.  This is exactly why I was opposed to Steele as RNC chair.  Whenever he's given a chance to pick conservatism or Republicanism, Diet Democrat or full-on Democrat, he always, always picks at least Diet Democrat.

Like Nazis, he says.  Hey Steele? 

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 04:37 PM | Comments (35) | Add Comment
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I don't care if you don't like Rush...

...this is a damn good speech.  I just watched the whole thing.  I'm energized.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 12:30 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Denver Tea Party!

I'm about to head to the Denver Tea Party, will be twitting and photographing the event.  If you're really super bored, follow me.

Posted by: Alice H at 10:54 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Leva action

Heh, seems fellow moronblogger Sean has drawn the ire of a columnist.  Mr. Leva, as you'll soon discover, seems to be of the "can't we all just get along" school of columnists, or is he?

Sean, if you remember, pointed out Mr. Leva's contributing fart in the Limbaugh "I hope Obama fails" tempest, our fellow moronblogger noted the endless bile spewed by the left during the Bush years.  If you'll remember, Rush then went on to offer up an alternative stimulus plan in a column for the Wall Street Journal.  In any case, here's what Leva offers up.  Now, what makes things much easier for us is to wade into the comments of the articles he writes, where Leva comments as Stanley Cup (and adds his real name as his sig). Part of one comment stood out to me, so I've decided to cut it to ribbons,

But to say he only wants his policies to fail but the generator and man behind those policies to succeed is inconsistent, intellectually dishonest, not to mention impossible. Either they both fail, or both succeed period.

So then you want Rush and his policies to fail?  Is that what you're saying?  Sounds like it to me, Todd, and, well, shucks, that ain't too nice, now is it?  By your standards, it sounds like you want Rush to fail.  Of course, you don't have to worry, because Rush, being the stubborn ol' refusing to fail wingnut he is has riled the Marxists, who are now looking to silence him and all of conservative talk radio with a new "Fairness Doctrine".  Undoubtedly they'll find some Vichy Republicans like Specter, the numbskulls from Maine, Voinovich, McCain, or his poodle Graham to sell out again to make sure it happens too.  Haven't seen you speak out on that...wonder why?  You care about the First Amendment, don't you? 

This was not my ultimate point though. I knew writing this, it would draw the ire of the Rush faithful and thats fine, I am a big boy and I can take it. My point was that this whole madness of right v. left, liberal v. conservative, gets us no where except further divided. It never advances the discussion. Arent you tired of it? Arent you tired of such complex problems, such as the ones we face today, being decided along party lines? How well has it worked in the past?

Protip Todd, this left v. right, conservative v. liberal argument comes down to the most basic, yet profound questions humanity faces, and that is what is the nature of humanity?  From there the governing philosophy usually stems, except in simpletons like Specter, McCain or Graham.  Hint Mr. Leva, this is a question we have been struggled with since the earliest moments of human history.  The left and right have a profound difference in how view the essence of human nature, and those differences may well be irreconcilable.  Of course, as someone with a degree in political science, you should know all that already.  *

Today each party decides issues on political points, and how it can be spun to make the other side look like the ill gotten step child of Lucifer. Its now about beating the other side over the head, and winning elections, alls fair in love and war. Whats good for America gets drowned out by all the noise, ranking in importance just behind whats on the Congressional lunch menu. I for one am tired of it.

Todd, do yourself a favor and read some of the pamphlets, editorials and newspapers from some of the earliest American elections.  I think you'll be shocked at how nasty they are.  Then continue through till you get to today, you'll find brief moments of relative peace, but for the most part, you'll find that same nasty tone you lament in your columns.  It's not going anywhere.

This does NOT mitigate true heartfelt disagreement with policies that come out of Washington. If you truly disagree, in an honest fashion, but still have the well being of America as your true goal, then I am your biggest fan. But if your indoctrination has become so deep that you root for your party before your nation, then I feel sorry for you and I hope youll do some self reflection because the nation needs you.

Rush's disagreement isn't heartfelt?  Says who?  You?  Who the fuck are you to question Rush's commitment to what is right for the nation?  This is a guy who devotes his entire day to keeping people who he believes (correctly) don't have the best interests of the nation in mind away from the levers of power in America. 

Isn't Rush doing exactly what you ask of him?  Or is it that you just don't like his tone?  Todd, this is politics, it is life or death.  It is the difference between George Washington and Churchill, Hitler or Kim Jong-il.  It is the difference between living free and prosperous and being herded onto cattle cars to be exterminated by the millions.  It is bloodsport, and there is no problem with language that reflects that. 

Though of course, this is all an exercise in futility, because you, see, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Todd Leva is, I regret to inform you is, oh so clearly, an O-bot.  His attempt here in our comments to solidify his "independentness" is his undoing, he links his latest column here, which is yet another bit of lazy "can't we all just get along" pap for the Holland Sentinel.  For starters, let's frame this,

In the most important bill to come on the floors of the House and Senate in recent history, the largest spending bill ever, with our economy teetering and hanging on by a mere thread, our leaders did what they have always done best. They turned it political and split right down party lines. The Democrats kept Republicans out of the meetings where the bill was being crafted. The Republicans were drunk with tax cuts, tax cuts and more tax cuts. The Democrats promised that after the bill was completed it would be put out on the Internet for the general public’s consumption for 48 hours, which never happened. And after all this, a huge 1,100-page bill was introduced, passed and never thoroughly read by every member of the House and Senate.

Hmm, gee, you mean the Democrats weren't gorging themselves on billions in pork and idiotic social programs?  Not to mention downright fascist bullshit like this?  Notice Mr. Leva offers no substantive criticism of what the Democrats added to this abortion of a bill, just the tax cuts the GOP added.  There's a reason for that.  *Oh, guess I should mention this gushing bit of Obama worship now.  So we know he's liberal, or at least left leaning now.  He may be salvageable, though, there are some positive signs if he decides to move beyond mindless hero worship and quit allowing the media to think for him.  You can see where his leftist education and indoctrination kick in here, in part of a comment he makes as Stanley Cup in the comments of the above linked column,

If all else fails some can rally behind the Republican blow hard Rush Limbaugh. At least hes man enough to stand up and say I want to see Obama fail. At least he wears his craven, ideologically soaked, pessimism on his sleeve for all to see. You know where he stands.

Todd clearly hasn't listened to much of Limbaugh, which is typical of Rush's critics.  I started listening to Rush about my senior year of college, just to see what was Rush was about.  I expected, well pretty much what Leva lays out, but with me agreeing with most of what Rush said.  What surprised me was what a positive, optimistic message that Rush was offering up most days.  Yeah, he was cutting Democrats and other assorted liberal vermin to shreds, but Rush always offers a positive, glowing vision for America that very few people are able to articulate to go with it, if you actually spend some time listening to his program.

But what's this?  Our O-bot has some doubts,

Now I will say first and foremost that I am no economist, but the bill just doesn't feel right. I don't see this big huge influx of good jobs coming anytime soon. The thing too that concerns me is the now apparent parsing of words when the Obama administration says that this bill will create or SAVE 3 to 4 million jobs. So lets say it saves 4 million jobs that would otherwise be lost in the future for whatever reason. The bill then does nothing to re-vitalize and replace the millions of jobs lost already? I really cannot stand this type of splitting hairs.

Question:  How the fuck do you gauge "saving 3-4 million jobs?"  Let's just say we lost 10 million jobs in 2009, just to make a number up, Obama can claim we would have lost 13 million without Porkulus, but he can't fucking prove it.  This is what we call bullshit, and a sooper-smart political scientist like Todd ought to be able to cut right through it.  You know better than this, you practically admit as much in this statement, but you can't bring yourself to actually call Dear Leader on his bullshit.

I will say too about the whole Obama-mania thing, that I bought into it. He seems like a charismatic good man, who can think on his feet, and seems genuine. The problem is, and this is what I failed to think about before voting for him and just after his inauguration, was no matter how well intentioned he maybe, he was going to run into a buzz saw of ineptness when dealing with Congress. Congress was and has never been fraught with panic in how to help us, but simply how to get power and re-elected.

Oh, you more than bought into it, and the problem isn't Congress, don't shift blame, you know better. Besides, Obama came out of that clusterfuck of stupidity called Congress.  What makes you think he's any better than the rest, other than his penchant for flowery language (assuming he can see his teleprompter)?  Let me ask this, what do you have to say about Mr. Bipartisan Hopenchange, when during a meeting with the GOP leadership he says I won, and here's what I'm doing?  Bush let that corpulent murdering fucktard Ted Kennedy write his first major bill, that was a shitload more bipartisan than Porkulus and Obama have been. 

Hope and greatness are not going to be delivered to us by the government, we seek them out on our own, during our own personal journies.  If you let the government take charge of your future, it will do so, and rest assured, you will not like the end result.  Click on the FAIL Britannia category here at doubleplusundead.  Crawl back into those archives and look at the soft tyranny taking shape in that once great nation, the soulless stagnation, the dull misery, the pusillaminity, the weakness.  Read through those articles and look at how their Nanny State is destroying all the little joys of life in the name of order, and to be able to pay for state-run social programs and health care. 

How radical muslims are allowed to say whatever the fuck they want, trash neighborhoods and attack people, yet the Brits try and bar Geert Wilders from entering the country for making a fifteen minute video about Islamic terrorism.  How people are disarmed, and thugs run riot on the streets, break into homes, and one can get thrown in jail for daring to fight them off.  Or how about banning smoking in pubs, then banning outdoor heaters after pubowners put them out so their patrons won't freeze?  How about the former Desert Rat who was denied garbage collection for two weeks for committing the grave crime of putting a ketchup bottle in the wrong recycling bin?  We've got tons of these stories from the UK, and there are plenty more we've missed. 

Why are we so vicious in our opposition to Obama and the left?  That is why, we've witnessed and read about the rise and fall of the USSR, and are now watching the slow, agonizing creep of Marxist authoritarianism and Nanny Statism over Western Europe today.  The left is trying to make us walk the same path as Western Europe is now, whether they realize it or not, and are going to bring that nightmare here if we don't stop them.  I want no part of it, and they aren't going to drag us into that gaping maw without a fight.  Deal with it.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 04:57 PM | Comments (38) | Add Comment
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A little reminder

Of Sarah Palin's VP address, and the fact it has taken less than a month for most of it to happen.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 09:02 AM | Comments (24) | Add Comment
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Opportunity to take a smack at the left

Let's see if we can nab a House seat in the Soviet of New York.  This is an upstate seat, so we actually have a chance to make something happen.  Tedisco seems like a decent enough guy, so maybe give a little support, especially if you're a New Yorker. 

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 10:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Tony Snow, one year hence

Conservative Intelligence Report has posted the speech Tony Snow gave at CPAC on February 9, 2008.  It's worth re-reading. 

I miss him.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet him before he left us. 

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 12:34 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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CudaPAC

Word is that the 'Cuda herself is starting a political action committee:

"SarahPac will support local and national candidates who share Gov. Palin's ideas and goals for our country," says the PAC’s Web site, which promises that Palin will be "a strong voice for energy independence and reform."

The PAC does not yet appear to be registered with the Federal Election Commission, according to an online search of the FEC database. But a spokesperson for the committee confirmed that Palin is behind the group and said it was registered on Monday evening. The Web site went live on Tuesday morning and is already soliciting donations.

"The PAC is a smart thing to do because she’s getting so many speaking requests still, so if she gets a request from, say, Bob McDonnell in Virginia, she could do that travel out of her PAC money,” explained the spokesperson, who noted that Palin has been in high demand from Republicans around the country since the campaign ended.

For those of us wondering how Palin would stay in the limelight while being up in Alaska, this appears to be the answer.  It's definitely a better option for her than joining the Maverick in his Country First PAC. 

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 01:53 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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stupid =/= unconstitutional

Which is good because otherwise I would have some major, major problems.

Ilya Somin has an interesting post up over at The Volokh Conspiracy concerning a First Amendment lawsuit brought by a woman claiming that a public law school failed to hire her due to being a conservative and that this is a violation of her First Amendment rights.  His position is that this is not unconstitutional though it is idiotic.  (I'm paraphrasing a bit)

Without reading the lawsuit due to laziness, I agree with his position.  This is not unconstitutional.  It's stupid,  it's idiotic, it's cutting off your nose to spite your face, it's short sighted, it's moronic in the bad way but it shouldn't be unconstitutional.  I say this as someone who actually lost a job I desperately wanted on ideological grounds. 

There is no question that the deck is stacked against conservatives in academia.  But that doesn't mean that government interaction should occur.  After all, that's the type of interference that conservatives correctly decry.  I will say that there are some twists to this since we're talking about a public university but see re laziness as far as my discussing those ramifications. 

Having said all of that, I will admit that I am sympathetic to the desire to use the rules of the Left against them.  Sometimes the best way to point out how annoying and wrong and misplaced such suits are is to file them.  I am becoming more and more convinced that conservative and libertarian college students should use speech codes and whatnot as a weapon.  Sunlight is the best disinfectant and there's value to getting it on the record that some types of discrimination are perfectly fine.  Sure, we all know that's the case, but there is worth to having an explicit finding. 

I view this as I view sexual orientation employment discrimination - if an organization is so stupid as to cut off an entire group of intelligent, capable people, let them.  It will come back to hurt later on. 

I totally hope she wins though, just to hear the convoluted explanations about how rejecting a person due to her views is actually a win for intellectual freedom.

Posted by: alexthechick at 11:18 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Sarah Palin head fakes the Alaska legislature

90% of Alaska's budget is based on the price of a barrel of oil.  Gov. Palin suggested a budget based on oil being $70/barrel.  The Energy Department was predicting that oil would be around $50/barrel.  State legislators, eager to criticize the governor, complained that the budget would cause a huge deficit. 

Imagine their surprise when her actual budget was based on the Energy Department predictions.

Read the whole thing.  It's comedy gold.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 08:31 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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Not-so-random thought

If viable GOP candidates don't run because they think we can't win, how will the GOP ever win again?  How many seats would the Dems have won between 2000 and 2004 if they'd just bothered to put up a fight, even if it seems hopeless.

I certainly hope this hopelessness is gone before the 2012 cycle.  I know this will make Allahpundit sad, but we can beat Obama in 2012.  We just need a Republican who doesn't enter the race thinking it's a lost cause.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 05:05 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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RNC Chair debate is on

The RNC Chair debate is on.  My favorite question so far: 'How many guns do you own?'  None of the candidates answered 'zero'.  This makes me happy.  Probably happier than it should have.

Update:  If you can't seem to register, or the feed is stuttering too much for your taxed little brain, a slightly better feed is at C-SPAN.

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Some opportunities

ATR is holding a debate for the RNC Chair candidates and saw it fit to offer the public a forum to offer up questions.  Pat Ruffini at The Next Right argues that the questions shouldn't be based on policy, but can they effectively run the RNC and win election.  To an extent, I agree. 

Naturally, there is a good bit of Paulnut spamming (which I highly recommend we swat down), which grates at Ruffini, but I'd caution him a bit on throwing the Paulnut perjorative around, particularly toward pro-2nd set.  I see our fellow moron USCitizen (Gun nut? Hell yeah! Paulnut? Hell naw!) asked if the candidates would affirm the Second Amendment.  I'd argue that pro-2nd activists have been far more effective at utilizing the internet and achieving their policy goals than the GOP, RNC and conservatives at large.

A fair question, and if I had to guess, that question is meant for Michael Steele, who has gone on record as an anti.  But I'd also apply Ruffini's point here, instead of asking for an affirmation of the Second (which they'll all offer, even if we know it's bullshit from some of them), question Steele's anti-2nd policies and thinking, and try and show it'll adversely effect his ability to run the RNC.  Here are some of the ways I'd question Steele on the 2nd,

Would Steele's ignorance about firearms, the Second and pro-2nd activists adversely effect the RNC's ability to back up pro-2nd candidates and advocate for their cause?  I'd also ask him if he has learned anything from the highly successful organization efforts of pro-2nd activists, both in traditional media, person to person activism and a stout online presence.  They have been for the most part no-compromise, and hugely successful in pushing back the anti-2nd agenda, and then ask him what has learned from them.

Pro-2nd activists been credited with being a major factor in defeating the Democrats in 1994, Al Gore in 2000, and John Kerry in 2004, and are known for being reliable voters, as long as you're on their side.  Democrats have gone from being aggressively anti-2nd to keeping their heads down and their mouths shut when the issue of gun control comes up.  Not to mention the defeat of the attempt to reauthorize the AWB and Heller.  Is Steele going to be able to learn lessons from the NRA's effectiveness?

Does Steele understand why the NRA and other pro-2nd activists are so effective?  Can he understand the importance of working with pro-2nd activists?  Is he going to be able to try and understand pro-2nd advocates?  What about gun control is conservative?  How does it mesh with the GOP's smaller government brand? 

There are ways to question Steele and other candidates on policy that are relevant to what an RNC Chairman does, make them squirm.  Robert Bluey takes a similar approach here, hammering Steele for repeatedly backing RINOs (who would later become Democrat turncoats) over conservatives, only to see the RINOs lose, and then turn against the GOP. 

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 08:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The 10 Worst Republicans of 2008

Ron Paul only came in at #10.

I like #9, and the only reason this Republican is on there is because the author is an Obama birth certificate Truther.  Lame.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 04:15 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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You Mean Tax Cuts Are Popular In Europe? Who Knew?!?

Especially in Germany.

Some 80 percent of those polled said they thought lowering taxes were the right way to bolster growth. Only 11 percent said they thought a consumer voucher – rumoured to be under consideration by the German government for an economic stimulus package – would be effective.

About 73 percent of poll participants said they thought the economy was in bad shape, meanwhile 26 percent said things were good. Some 64 percent found their personal financial situation to be unsatisfactory, and 35 percent were happy with the balance on their bank accounts.

There was speculation in November that the German government was considering giving the country's consumers €500 vouchers, but so far officials have denied they are planning any such measures.

In the wake of the global financial crisis, the German government has cut taxes and announced infrastructure spending worth more than €32 billion to jumpstart its economy, but is still under pressure to do more.

What a shock that after 50 years of socialized everything, Europe is starting to lurch back in the direction of free market ideals, while America seems to be more than willing to "spread the wealth".

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Now is the time

To make it known to the GOP leadership that the Detroit bailout is unacceptable, and any RINO Senators who are looking for some media adoration by selling out need to be smacked back into line. 

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 12:36 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Rep-elect Jason Chaffetz' Twitter account

It's right here, in case you feel like following him.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 03:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Best. Ornament. Ever.

If there weren't a $9 minimum purchase, I would have already ordered mine.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 02:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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An alternative to Sen. Jeb Bush

The Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Marco Rubio, seems to be just as conservative (if not more so) than Jeb Bush without the toxic surname.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 08:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Are you in Georgia?

If so, then why the hell are you reading this Moronblog?  Go vote for Saxby Chambliss.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 02:21 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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