At least one person on The Corner has some sense

The brain trust over at National Review decided to throw principled fiscal conservatism under the bus and endorse the Paulson bailout plan in an editorial today.  Their argument?  The House GOP needs to fall in line and stop whining about this being socialism.  It's not socialism, because National Review says it's not.

Mark Levin, who is quickly becoming my favorite conservative, has signed on to The Corner today to respectfully disagree:

Count me among those few here who want to thank the House Republicans for taking a bold stand against what had been a stampede on a scale I have never before witnessed on matters of huge consequence. Conservatism is more than a quaint belief-system to be embraced and debated over donuts at Starbucks. It is more than a list of talking points. It is the foundation of the civil society. The liberal uses crises, real or manufactured, to expand the power of government at the expense of the individual and private property. He has spent, in earnest, 70 years evading the Constitution's limits on governmental power. If conservatives don't stand up to this, who will? If they don't offer serious alternatives that address the current circumstances AND defend the founding principles, who will? The House Republicans have done both.  And I, for one, thank them.

I realize the markets are bad, but I would rather have years of economic turmoil than have a bill passed that gives the Treasury Secretary the right to "ensure the economic well-being of Americans."  That's a bridge too far. 

Update: As I was writing this I saw that another Cornerite, John Hood, also opposed the National Review editorial.  Good for him.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 01:08 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
Post contains 286 words, total size 2 kb.

Well, duh

Someone from the big MSM newsrooms writes Instahehindeed to say that "The fix is in, and its working," where their colleagues are involved.  They're not looking at Obama's ties to domestic terrorist William Ayers or his ties to ACORN, which bears a lot of responsibility for the curent finincial crisis, either. 

If you don't tell your friends and neighbors about any of this, if you don't call up talk radio programs (before they get the fairness doctrine re-instituted), and if you don't do your best to alert everyone to the fact that whatever happens with or without this bailout we're looking at Carter II if Obama is elected, have fun for the next four years.  I'll be here in California.  Just because I can't afford to move anywhere else.  Damnit.

Posted by: Sean M. at 05:18 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 132 words, total size 1 kb.

Down the memory hole

Remember how Eddie noted that local St. Louis channel KMOV reported on Obama's brownshirts yesterday?  Yeah, about that, looks like KMOV did some editing to their report.  Obama's brownshirts or bias-based correction?  Both?

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 08:34 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 37 words, total size 1 kb.

Just a reminder: Palin is no Mitt Romney

He's so much better, don't you understand.  So much more dynamic. 

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 02:04 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 19 words, total size 1 kb.

Let it not be said that I can't predict the future

Mark Halperin of Time: Obama A-, McCain B-.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 11:34 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 19 words, total size 1 kb.

Obama wins first presidential debate!

Tomorrow's headlines tonight!

MUST CREDIT DOUBLEPLUSUNDEAD!

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 12:07 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 11 words, total size 1 kb.

Kathleen Parker makes National Review proud

Q: You know what would win the election for McCain? 

A: Getting Sarah Palin off the ticket!

My guess is that in these tough economic times, we need someone like Mitt Romney at the VP helm. 

Update: Someone (probably) smarter than I rips Parker apart here.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 10:50 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 52 words, total size 1 kb.

The smart set

This has probably been covered elsewhere, but since I'm kinda slow, I just heard about it this afternoon. Apparently, Luke Russert, the son of the late Tim Russert, is doing some reporting about "youth issues" for NBC. He made a bit of a gaffe yesterday morning...or did he?

He filed a report for "Today" about campaign activity at the University of Virginia, and talked about it live afterward with Matt Lauer.

Russert, 23, said about the university: "The smartest kids in the state go there so it is leaning a little bit toward Obama."

Oops. Now he's either implied that students at other colleges in Virginia aren't as smart as those at the University of Virginia or that you have to be dumb not to support Obama. Or both.

He issued a half-assed statement later on about how "plenty of smart kids go to Virginia Tech or George Mason" and some of them might just cast votes for Obama, and noted that some of the eggheads at the University of Virginia could conceivably vote for McCain. Wow, really?

"Today was one of my first lessons in the perils of live television," he said. "Lesson learned."

Yes, you'll have to be a little more subtle about your liberal bias in the future, Luke. Oh, wait, this is NBC we're talking about. Nevermind.

Posted by: Sean M. at 07:40 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 224 words, total size 2 kb.

Jake Tapper asks the tough retarded questions

I actually like Jake Tapper.  I think he's a pretty down-the-middle guy.  But man, when he goes after McCain-Palin, it's over the dumbest stuff:

Why isn't Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., bringing Gov. Sarah Palin to Washington, DC, to help hammer out the compromise on the bailout bill?

[...]

If the crisis is so serious that McCain needs to suspend his campaign activities and cancel his appearance at the first presidential debate, why would Palin not be there with him in Washington, DC?

I dunno, maybe because she's not a Senator?

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 11:36 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 95 words, total size 1 kb.

Governors can't run for higher office

I've only been up 20 minutes, and I'm already pissed off. Thanks, Associated Press! Apparently the new Palin scandal is that she is a sitting governor who is running for higher office. Seriously:

The McCain campaign is speaking for the Alaska state government these days, especially when it wants to ensure that nothing embarrassing about Gov. Sarah Palin emerges before Election Day.

Questions for the Palin administration are most often answered by McCain staffers.

[...]

They have clamped down on information flowing out of state government, especially when it comes to the so-called Troopergate investigation. The inquiry centers on whether Palin abused her power by firing the public safety commissioner after he refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. The McCain group even attached a "truth squad" moniker to Troopergate news conferences this week.

Uh, I dunno AP, is there not a Lieutenant Governor in Alaska?  Perhaps one who recently conceded a House primary election so that there would be a clearer chain of command in Alaska's government?  Am I missing something?

Exit question: I was only 11, so I don't remember, but were journalists fretting about something this stupid when Bill Clinton was first running for president?

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 11:28 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 203 words, total size 1 kb.

CNN: C'mon, we all know Tood Palin is the real Governor of Alaska

But of course!  Conservative women are just brainless empty vessels.  If they actually had the ability to reason and think, they'd be liberal, or at least pro-choice!

On an, um, totally unrelated note, I've been thinking I need to pick up a copy of Rules for Radicals.  Know thine enemy and all that.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 01:59 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 66 words, total size 1 kb.

Another Palin "Cone of Silence" update

She continues to avoid the press!  What is she hiding?  Oh wait (emphasis mine):

"Disappointed that taxpayers are called upon to bail out another one," Palin told reporters during a visit to a downtown deli Wednesday.

"Certainly AIG though with the construction bonds that they're holding and with the insurance that they are holding very, very impactful for Americans, so you know the shot that has been called by the Feds—it's understandable but very, very disappointing that taxpayers are called upon for another one," she said.

Of course, this doesn't matter because the reporters didn't ask her about the AIG bailout.  Oh, and if this was a response to a reporter's question, she clearly has just been programmed to say this by her handlers in the McCain campaign.  

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 01:37 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 133 words, total size 1 kb.

Sarah Palin will officially be qualified to be VP next week

Of course, I always thought she was qualified to be vice president, but next week she'll be officially qualified under the guidelines set by Charlie Gibson. 

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 07:22 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 37 words, total size 1 kb.

What was edited out of Palin's interview?

Mark Levin has the transcript, with the edited portions highlighted.  Guess what?  She sounds smarter in the unedited interview. 

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 10:06 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 26 words, total size 1 kb.

The most important answers of tonight's Palin interview

Watch the first little bit of Gov. Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson. Note what she says in her answers to the questions on abortion and stem cell research:



She openly differs with the official McCain position on these policies, saying that those are her personal positions and she is an open book about it.

If anyone in the media ever gets around to asking her position on immigration, perhaps Sen. McCain will give her the freedom to disagree with him on this issue, as well. Because, according to (shrug) Laura Ingraham, Gov. Palin is on our side:

That sells a lot more than “my friends” and comprehensive immigration reform. And she’s not for comprehensive reform, I can tell you that right now. She’s sick to death of this immigration nonsense in the United States."

I can't find any records of this apart from Ingraham's assertion here (which you can hear for yourself if you have a membership to her site. 

(In other news, my interview went well.  I had a second interview promised to me before we left the conference room and one of the VP's called to phone interview me while I was at the airport.  Looking good!)

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 01:04 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 1 kb.

Cease & Desist: CBS News Style!

I just went to the link to the YouTube version of McCain's "Lipstick" ad, and got this response:

This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by CBS Interactive Inc.

The ad featured CBN News anchor Katie Couric talking about the sexism in the Obama campaign.  I wonder how quickly this copyright claim would have been sent if it was an Obama ad...

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 01:07 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 71 words, total size 1 kb.

PalinCULTmania

I've been thinking about writing something up about this, but Philip Klein (who may be Jewish like Eric Cantor and Jack Abramoff...developing...) of the American Spectator beat me to it.

She has united the Republican base behind McCain's candidacy in a way that few could have predicted. She has energized conservatives. She's attracted more than 15,000 to rallies. And her speech to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last week has prompted comparisons to Ronald Reagan.

With all due respect to the governor of Alaska, are conservatives getting ahead of themselves?

[...]

In this election, conservatives are facing a choice between an extremely liberal freshman senator and a Republican nominee they don't consider one of their own. So it's quite understandable that they would be eager to embrace the charismatic Palin as the future of the Republican Party.

But conservatives shouldn't fall into the trap of the instant celebrity culture by creating an idealized portrait before we learn more about her record and governing philosophy.

These points are very well taken.  I started worrying a few days ago that the Right was becoming the thing we hated in the Left about Obama.  There's only one problem with that...we actually really haven't.  I welcome Sarah Palin getting tough, but fair, questions on immigration and campaign finance reform.  If she's wrong, I'll call her out the same way that we called out Sen. McCain.  I'm sure many other conservatives would, too.  This is a sentiment that, I'm sure is not just held by me.  Note how quickly Ed Morrissey aired the claim that she had supported a windfall profits tax against oil companies in Alaska (important, though I've heard it's a bit more nuanced than Ed makes it out to be in that post). 

Secondly, compared with the Cult of Obama, it's laughable to think there is a "Cult" of Palin.  Jim Geraghty responds to an Obama supporter accusing him of teh HYPOCRISY !!!1111!!!!eleventy!!! thusly (links in original):

Is enthusiasm for Palin the mirror image of enthusiasm for Obama?

When CNN commentators begin describing her as a "metaphysical force," I'll rethink my assessment. When major newspapers run columns asking if she's "a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being... who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet," I'll consider the comparison. When her supporters create their own special salute, I'll chew over the theory. When celebrities talk about recording time "Before Palin and After Palin", let's talk. When her supporters say her nomination warrants another chapter in the Bible, I'll concur. When people begin selling her unfinished meals on eBay, I'll see the parallels. When "Palin-alujah" becomes a chant, I'll recognize the similarities. When people brag about shaking hands with hands that have shaken hers, then I'll nod in agreement. When Todd Palin tells audiences that his wife will heal our broken souls, I'll concede.

Game. Set. Match. as far as I'm concerned.  Conservatives aren't excited about Sarah Palin because she's some Messiah sent to heal the planet.  They're excited because--so far--she's a rock-ribbed solid conservative who isn't afraid or coy about her beliefs.  And beyond that, she's just likeable...a very rare quality in a politician. 

Update: Another reason I don't think this comparison sticks is that Gov. Palin herself doesn't seem to think she's a Messiah figure.  Mr. Hopenchange surely does.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 10:42 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 555 words, total size 5 kb.

Olbermann FAIL

I've never been a big fan of Bill "Populist Blowhard" O'Reilly, but I have to say that this warms my black little heart:

Both Mr. Olbermann and Mr. O’Reilly aired interviews with Sen. Obama (“Factor” aired its second part, while “Countdown” aired its first) Monday night at 8 p.m.

“Factor” brought in 4.6 million viewers, compared to “Countdown’s” 1.9 million.

Sure, both were opportunities for Captain Bullshit to get his message out to the masses, but it must really chap Bathtub Boy's ass to know that his fawning interview with Teh New Messiah got beaten like a rented mule by his nemesis.

Posted by: Sean M. at 02:20 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 104 words, total size 1 kb.

Drudge: NYT PREPARES TO FRONT EXPOSE ON PALIN'S BABY... DEVELOPING...

What does that mean?  Are they front-paging Trig Trutherism?

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 06:41 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 19 words, total size 1 kb.

Did I mention that the Politico is condescending to Palin?

What did I learn from the Politico's write-up of the McCain-Palin ticket's first day of campaigning? Well, mainly I learned how the Politico is missing the point. First, apparently women are only coming to the rallies to see Sarah Palin because she's a woman:

Meghan Groppe, 12, of Cedarburg explained the enthusiasm.

“Because if they get voted in she’ll be the first lady vice president,” Groppe said, flashing a smile missing a few teeth.

More expansive but similarly enthusiastic was Cheryl Hauswirth of nearby Grafton, Wis.

“She's a real woman, she's a real feminist but she's not strident — she's like us,” said Hauswirth, a middle-aged mother who didn’t offer her age. “She’s strong, powerful and opinionated, all the things a women should be, while still retaining her femininity, her womanhood.”

Next, I learned that she is using her VP acceptance speech as a stump speech, while using a teleprompter at larger venues:

Introducing McCain at both stops, she reprised well-received lines from her convention speech almost verbatim, criticizing Obama and praising her ticketmate. In Michigan, she used a teleprompter to read her lines, a campaign aide confirms.

I eagerly anticipate an article noting when and where Barack Obama uses a teleprompter, and how often he uses the same lines at stump speeches. Somehow I don't think that will happen anytime soon. Lastly, I learned that there's only one reason that men are excited about the potential vice president:

As for the men in the audience, they were excited to see Palin in person, too, if for different reasons.

“She’s good-looking,” exclaimed Scott Kennison, drawing playful rolls of the eyes from the women surrounding him in Cedarburg.

Well, I know this fella is more excited about her policies and energy than her hawtness.  But I guess they had trouble finding anyone in the audience who actually felt the same way. 

Exit question: Did they write about all those women supporting her because she'd be the first woman VP to minimize her appeal or because they're so used to covering women (ahem) who are supported largely on the basis of their gender that they don't know how to cover Sarah?

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 11:49 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 366 words, total size 3 kb.