Saturday, October 4. 2008
59% agree - government is the problem Now California wants a bailout. Can I get a bailout too? The rubbish they talk about the credit crunch Big Bang or Big Bounce? New theories about the origins of the universe Palin spoke at 10th grade level; Biden at 8th grade level (Newspapers aim for 6th grade level - really.) Stripper Science and other winners of the Ig Nobel Prizes What a man! Dick Cavett on Paul Newman Underemployment. CNN Money
 In my post-debate wrap-up yesterday, I mentioned a threat that had been flung across the aisle at one point, caught in full by few except Biden, himself. He understood the threat perfectly and it evoked one of his wildest, most unhinged responses of the evening. Most people probably assumed he was just taking the opportunity to lash out at Cheney for whatever reason, but he and Palin were sharing a very different message.
We'll review the transcript first, then we'll go to the video and you can watch how easily this shotgun-barreled threat flows from her lips, and how easily the import of what she's really saying would be lost on anyone except those tuned into the buzzwordspeak of politics, and why it evoked Biden's somewhat deranged response.
Clever post title, eh?
Continue reading "Broadside"
Friday, October 3. 2008
At Theo, who also provided this toon: 
 I thought Sarah did an excellent job in presenting herself to America. She is a tough, warm, and cheerful person, and not stupid by any means. She's neither an arrogant member of the DC Mandarin class nor an intellectual: she's a smart, practical American with plenty of life experience who doesn't come across as particularly ideological. A "Grand Slam," says John at Powerline. The liveblog from Jules is entertaining.
Tax payers bail out US auto industry - again. Anonymity can turn nice people nasty. ACORN in Michigan under vote fraud investigation. Kling's summary post on the causes of the banking crisis The solar minimum and climate change. Tiger HIV is 100 years old Dino: Libor is up and the credit markets are shutting down. Not good. More on the subject from Tyler Cowen
 My notes on the Palin-Biden debate.
By The Numbers Number of fireworks between the candidates: 0
Number of Palin colloquialisms: 48
Number of times she turned the linguistic world on its ear by pronouncing it "nu-ku-lar": 11
Number of lies* by Biden: dozens
Number of lies* by Palin: 3
(*you'd better hope they're lies — because the only alternative is that these people are extremely stupid) Possible bias by the moderator: 1
Number of very clever, dangerous, adroit, deft and dazzling threats: 1
Palin Colloquialism Breakdown - "Eye-rack" (dozens)
- "nu-ku-lar" (11)
- "Ditn't", "ya", "darn right" (2)
- "heckofalot", "hurtin'", "headin", "cravin", "gonna", "you guys", "Say it ain't so, Joe", "doggone it", "back ye up there" (1)
See Appendix C for etymological references, Appendix D for translation tables.
Continue reading "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it "nu-ku-lar""
Thursday, October 2. 2008
Despite the hysterical fear-mongering, the US economy is just fine, outside of Wall Street - and outside the print MSM, which is in a chronic economic and emotional depression. This is what seems truly depressing to me, and I think there is some truth to it despite being from Time: The deeper problem, say growing numbers of worried GOP establishment types, is that while lurching around to win the daily and weekly news cycles, McCain has failed to give voters a broad, forward-looking explanation for why they should support him. McCain's national security experience and reputation as a reformer add substance to his theme of "putting country first," but they don't explain what a McCain presidency would mean, or how it would differ from the past eight years. "At no point have they told the American people where John wants to lead them," says a third Republican strategist. "Had they spent more time laying the predicate, they'd have something to fall back on now."
If McCain loses, prepare the circular firing squad. How could an inexperienced, left-wing guy with sketchy pals win an election? I think the banking mess has just freaked people out and made them feel insecure. It makes "change" sound good, regardless of what it really entails. We have to remember that most people are too sane to follow politics closely, and are wise enough to know that this, too, shall pass...
Poll: Skepticism of Palin Why feminists hate Palin Megan McArdle explains why Palin is a disaster Sarah Palin and the Experience Factor. Am Thinker Palin was busy, so they called the cops My opinion? I like her, but I'm not convinced that she is better informed about the world than I am. Tonight is her last chance to impress. Biden, of course, as a left-wing male, has been given countless opportunities to be a doofus. It's the new double standard - Dems presumed smart; Repubs presumed morons. Here's Sarah on Hannity radio yesterday (audio only):
Start your office pool today! September madness (click to enlarge it) How the Dems are planning to win in Ohio What is it about the Liberal Arts? A Hamilton College prof discusses their campus moonbattery. Are your friends Bipolar or Borderline? A shrink answers The jet-setting greens. It's the preachiness and the hypocrisy that let's you know they don't really believe it, and that it's all no more than public display of "virtue" The genetics of delinquency Welcome to Moral Hazard. WSJ Insty on the media's Obama advocacy.
 This is directed to those of you planning on watching the Palin-Biden debate tonight at 9 EDT. It's the only debate they'll have.
This is a warning.
As you know, we here at Maggie's Farm advocate the peaceful, bucolic life. Why, just this morning as BD was sloppin' the hogs, we decided we had a civic duty to warn our readers about tonight's debate and the dangers of sudden shocks to the central nervous system and the inherent possibility of stroke or even heart attack. And, well, we don't want any heart attacks, now, do we? Of course we don't. Hence the warning.
(pulling up stool next to campfire)
Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday. I sat there mesmerized. I'd never really been into politics, like knowing who the key players and power brokers are, or how the great machine we call 'Washington DC' really works. I'd never watched C-SPAN and probably couldn't have picked five senators out of a police lineup — just to pick the nearest analogy. But I was thinking of getting into something new when suddenly the John Roberts judiciary hearings came up (when the Senate Judiciary Committee vetted him for the Supreme Court), so I thought I'd tune in. Each senator on the committee spoke in turn, and I thought Senator John Cornyn's speech was just about the most impressive thing I'd ever heard in my life. Sitting there as Mr. Average American Voter — who knew a little about politics, but not much — I was quite impressed with the erudition and import of each senator's opening remarks. But then he spoke.
And I can remember sitting there just entranced at the sight and sound of this man. The posture, the face, the penetrating eyes, the timbre of his voice. The vibrational intensity he exuded. The charisma. I thought at the time, This guy has 'president' written all over him. I looked down at the bottom of the TV screen. His name was Joe Biden.
Continue reading "Fair Warning"
Wednesday, October 1. 2008
Quoted from a piece by the Anchoress: It’s time for the GOP and people on the right to realize that - for now - the rules have changed. There is a whole ‘nother rulebook being used, and sitting around flapping the old rule book and whining “c’mon, guys, c’mmmmmmon,” is not going to get the game back on track. John McCain needs to realize it today. So does Palin. We need to recognise it and begin to compete under these new rules, or just concede the game. John McCain needs to stop trying to act like a referee and start acting like the quarterback. By the way, we’re outnumbered. Team Mainstream has all the heavyweights, the guards, the tackles and the microphones, too - so they call the plays the way they see them, regardless of what is actually happening. The spectators are eating pretzels and wondering if they’ll win the office pool, but they’re busy listening to the color commentary rather than watching the game with their own eyes. How do we win? Maybe we can’t. Maybe things are too far gone. But I’m thinking McCain needs to make a very aggressive play, here - right now - to do or die. The steamroller media is about to sack McCain - to flatten him before he ever gets the ball out of his hand - and Palin, the wide receiver, has a whole pack running right along side of her; they’re effectively blocking her from all sides.
McCain needs to make a Hail Mary pass, if he can, if he has one up his sleeve.
He has already tried a few of them. It's difficult to get a fair hearing these days from the MSM. But what else is new? This election feels like American Idol (which I have heard about, but never seen).
Obama campaign hitting the Mosques hard. Illegally? Huh? Rumor: Palin is clueless. But Larry Kudlow says she's terrific. Speaking of clueless, maybe the McCain campaign is clueless. And speaking of Kudlow, is Sheila Bair the most powerful woman in America? A play in NYC I do not need to see. Great reviews, natch. Making a life from scratch, in the USA. Anybody can do it. I did. Nice political rant from SISU Obama strongly backs the bank bailout. At least he takes a stand on something. Just read Insty several times daily, and save me the trouble of linking his stuff. But you do that already, don't you?
The moderator of the VP debate is the author of a pro-Obama book. It's frustrating to play against a stacked deck, but that's what this election seems to be. The old saying is "Never get in an argument with people who buy ink by the barrel."
 Photo: What farmer wouldn't enjoy that kind of assistance with the haying?
What's all this talk about a terrible economy? Is it the Dems and the MSM trying to create a sense of malaise and fear? Surely the banks are in a mess, a number of hedge funds have crashed and burned, and a continued credit crunch could and probably would lead to a recession - but we aren't in one yet. And our employment numbers are the envy of the world. Yes, people have lost assets, but they weren't real - they were a housing bubble. And the stock market? It goes up and down. It's supposed to do that. That's what markets do. If you don't like it, don't be part of it. Buy munis. Your college assignment: Write an essay trashing Barack Obama Sarah Palin. Why do they hate her so? Look at this! Good grief. From Palin's interview with Hugh Hewitt: I know what Americans are going through. Todd and I, heck, we’re going through that right now even as we speak, which may put me again kind of on the outs of those Washington elite who don’t like the idea of just an everyday working class American running for such an office. But yeah, there’s been a lot of times that Todd and I have had to figure out how we were going to pay for health insurance. We’ve gone through periods of our life here with paying out of pocket for health coverage until Todd and I both landed a couple of good union jobs. Early on in our marriage, we didn’t have health insurance, and we had to either make the choice of paying out of pocket for catastrophic coverage or just crossing our fingers, hoping that nobody would get hurt, nobody would get sick. So I know what Americans are going through there. And you know, even today, Todd and I are looking at what’s going on in the stock market - the relatively low number of investments that we have.
Bank failures, not a poor economy, caused the Great Depression. NYT. Canadians call US Marxist. What? When banks fail - for whatever reasons - there is no credit. And with no credit, there can be no business. An Argument for Localism. Brussels Journal. I like this notion. The UK has a Poverty Industry too. Now it's called "relative poverty," kinda like the way "Global Warming" got changed to "Climate Change." Speaking of which, Make Sure Climate Change is in your grant application
Tuesday, September 30. 2008
...then why not ruin your day and creep yourself out by watching this political horror video (which feels like something from North Korea). I have no reason to believe that this was intended as satire:
 A newsman spills the beans - but we knew it anyway
Mankiw: Warren Buffett has said, "you should get greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy." If he is right, then this is the time to get greedy. There is no doubt that most everyone else is fearful.
Rick Moran on Palin etc: ...the left has jumped all over her with their tried and true personal attack, calling Palin ignorant” and “stupid.” If I had a dollar every time a liberal called a Republican candidate “stupid” I would be wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice. Eisenhower (dumb, incoherent), Goldwater (crazy and stupid), Ford (dumb jock and a stumblebum), Reagan (dumb actor), Quayle (can’t spell potato), Jack Kemp (dumb jock), George Bush (dumb playboy). The harsh truth is, the personal attack works when you have the press and other media (think Saturday Night Live riffing off liberal talking points for Ford, Reagan, Quayle, Kemp, and Bush 43), buttressing and playing to that exact same argument. It is a potent combination and only the basic good sense of the American voter has saved the GOP from being shut out entirely over the last 50 years.
Health care's new entrepreneurs. City Journal Banks and markets: It's about confidence, not capital. And yes, Pelosi showed terrible judgement.You don't sandbag colleagues like that. Pennies from Heaven and other songs by Johnny Burke. Steyn For students: Vanderleun's Cornell Note Form. I like it. The electoral map looking ugly for McCain right now. Related: From which of these guys would you buy a used car? Related: Alien Obama at Confederate Yankee
Yes, they joked and giggled. The "bailout plan" was, for them, all about politics and nothing about the country - and only an illusion of bipartisan concern to fool us. These people are not leaders - they are calculating connivers and manipulators of their lap-dog press. It isn't funny. This quote from Sowell today: The roots of this problem go back many years, but since the crisis to which all this led happened on George W. Bush's watch, that is enough for those who think in terms of talking points, without wanting to be confused by the facts. In reality, President Bush tried unsuccessfully, years ago, to get Congress to create some regulatory agency to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. N. Gregory Mankiw, his Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, warned in February 2004 that expecting a government bailout if things go wrong "creates an incentive for a company to take on risk and enjoy the associated increase in return."
The Dems, with ACORN, adamantly opposed those efforts.
Monday, September 29. 2008
 Remembering Japan's banking crisis
The House Bill was a bust. Forget Pelosi: Go with Bush. I know it's Washington, but this is no time for games. WaPo: The power shift from NYC to DC. NY Sun: It's a wealth transfer. Related: VDH on McCain running out of time. A quote: Did the McCain debate victory matter? Yes, it helped, but time is running out and the economy is trumping the campaign battlefield. It matters little that Chris Dodd in disgraceful fashion took $165,000 from the miscreants at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, or that Barney Frank’s vehement opposition to reform of those institutions empowered their near-criminal leveraging. Instead, the incumbent administration and its party in general get blamed or credited for the current economy. Moreover Wall Street as right-wing free-market sewer is a far better known talking point than the more complex corruption of hyper-liberal legislators legitimizing their own dishonesty and graft through calls to help the poor and minorities get loans and be relieved of their debts.
Confessions of a Palin Hater. Seen a lot of that. Mostly women. I don't get it. Chavez and China Tort reform and W. VA docs You just don't say things like this: "We don't want (Hispanics) to become the new African-American community," Lima told The Associated Press. "And that's what the Democratic Party is going to do to them, create more programs and give them handouts, food stamps and checks for this and checks for that. We don't want that."
Kristol: How McCain wins Via Insty: NEW YORK POST: DOCS DETAIL BARACK TIES TO RADICAL. While Barack Obama has long downplayed his connection to Bill Ayers, a co-founder of the violent Weather Underground radical group, new documents show the two worked much more closely together in starting an educational foundation than has been previously known.
The press has been trying to avoid covering this for months. Will they be able to keep it up until November? If not, it won't be for lack of trying . . . . UPDATE: Much more here. "Radicalism disguised by a claim to be postideological."
From Synthstuff: 
One thing community organizers do: Here's a big part of the answer: Community organizers intimidate banks into making high-risk loans to customers with poor credit. More on Acorn here. And below: Via Anchoress from Okie on the Lam, Barack Obama — The Most Radical Leftist To Ever Get This Close To Occupying The White House? who includes this ACORN network: 
When asked what the stock market would do in the future, J.P. Morgan famously replied "It will fluctuate." Indeed. This Theo farm lassie might cheer up some of us: 
 Why isn't this a bailout too?
How's this for a wedding invitation? The stench from Missouri What's a POSSLQ? National elections build characters. LA Times Obama in Leftland. Gelernter in Wkly Std Global warming has paused. Why not say "stopped and has begun to reverse itself"? How the NYT blames Bush for the banking problems. Amazing. Related: Mankiw on distorting history Rick Moran answers your questions about the debate. Related: Fact-checking the debate. But what do facts matter? This election is about feelings, not facts.
Sunday, September 28. 2008
In Charlie Rose's green room, here. That's an American.
Here he is, my fellow voters.
 A holiday gift that is never wrong.
Farewell to the King Salmon. Smithsonian Farewell to Shea Stadium. The end of Yankee Stadium got all the attention. Newt is furious at Paulson, Bush, etc. Related: How over-regulation caused the banking mess. Related: Here's the Dems refusing to reform Fannie and Freddie in 2004 10 towns hardest hit by banking meltdown. Yes, it includes Darien, CT Real affordable housing. h/t, Insty Kirsanow on Obama: Criticizing George Bush or any of our other political leaders is one thing. Contending America's ideals and values are somehow suspect is a breathtaking statement for a prospective commander in chief to make, especially when thousands of Americans have given life and limb, sons and daughters, in brave demonstration of our ideals and values.
Saturday, September 27. 2008
 If you happened to miss the first presidential debate last night, I have some advice for you: If you read any of the analyses out there today, take them with a mountain of salt.
I spent three hours this morning reading so-called analyses and have yet to find one that even remotely borders on objective and impartial. Everybody's a homer. To the Left and the MSM, Obama clearly won with his natural brilliance. To the Right, McCain 'crushed' Obama with ease. And pigs can fly.
Despite what appears to be a deeply-seated human need for a 'winner' in every contest, I don't see debates that way. And, given how the Lefties all saw Obama as the winner and the Righties all saw McCain as the winner, I'd say that feeling is somewhat justified.
However, if you demanded a verdict from me, I'd call it a draw. Here's how I saw them balancing out: - McCain used the phrase "What Senator Obama doesn't understand is..." a number of times to great effect, then launching into a mini-tutorial on just what Big O doesn't understand. This was the primary point the Righties were crowing about this morning, and it was obviously the basic strategy employed by Team McCain. As I said, it was extremely effective. By the third or fourth time, it actually tilted the event from "debate" slightly toward "lecture" in a very subliminal, but powerful, way. In the lexicon of the day, it was downright Rovian.
- On the other hand, Obama has a much better stage presence, stands tall and erect, shows passion when he needs to and has a voice that's ten times more presidential-sounding than McCain's. Yes, yes, I understand that to a pundit these are all 'empty suit' gestures, but I don't care how pundits view it. They're smart enough to nuance the discrepancies; the average American voter is not. Half the people who watched it probably saw a doddering old man past his prime and the energy and passion of the young bull ready to take the lead, and the other half saw a calm and experienced elder statesman lecturing the young pup on the basics, grooming him for his own presidency four years hence. The intricate details of the subject matter that the bloggers blather on about are lost on the average joe.
They both upset their base in (at least) two ways: - McCain reminded us that he's a total wuss when it comes to good old-fashioned torture, and reminded us that the poor polar bears are dying by the thousands and we need to take drastic action immediately. (he didn't actually mention the polar bears by name — I'm just extrapolating)
- Obama made some fairly strong statements regarding the military, something along the lines of "If we have to take military action, we will!" I'm sure that went over big with the anti-war crowd. He then floored the greenies by saying something like "And, yes, we need to develop nuclear power," with the "yes" aimed directly at the anti-nuke crowd, as in, "Yes, you morons, we need to..."
Continue reading "The first debate: a centrist's take"
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