Moe Lane

His problem is that passages like this:

Someone got up and announced that Sharron Angle would speak next, because she had a plane to catch. Angle is a small woman, a sixty-one-year-old grandmother with a broad, open face, a toothy smile, and red hair worn in a pageboy. She has a friendly manner and a firm handshake, along with a set of basic political skills that Harry Reid lacks. These include the ability to chat pleasantly for a minute or two and then tactfully extract herself, and to say what she stands for quickly, with real passion but usually without seeming odd or threatening.

…and this…

Although [Harry Reid] first ran for office at the age of twenty-eight and he is now seventy, he is still strikingly bad at the public part of his job. His voice is soft, with little resonance. When he’s talking to someone, he has a habit of looking down instead of into the person’s eyes. His gestures on a podium are awkward hand chops.

…and this:

Two years ago, Reid published an autobiography, “The Good Fight,” written with the assistance of Mark Warren, of Esquire. Like the autobiographies of Reid’s Republican colleague John McCain, it was meant to “humanize” (as they say in politics) a top-ranking official who had a reputation for being hard to love. But what shines through is Reid’s lack of the natural gregariousness and geniality that most people associate with the political personality.

…are showing up in what are supposed to be puff pieces about him. (more…)

That will probably be the most quoted line from the Rand Paul / Jack Conway debate last night, and for good reason: it represents a rather drastic line in the sand drawn against the scurrilous and vituperative wave of attacks made by progressive Democrats desperate to keep their tottering Congressional majorities.  The video:

What Dr. Paul is referring to is this exceptionally offensive and cynical attempt by the Conway campaign to provoke religious bigotry in Kentucky voters.  As Ed Morrissey noted at the link, one of the things that made said ad so… pettily nasty… was that Conway not only attacked Paul’s personal religious beliefs; he went after Paul’s opposition to funding faith-based initiatives.  Given the way that progressives in the last decade had gone after such things hammer and tongs themselves – at least, when there was a Republican in office – I think that we can safely assume then that their opposition was a flat-out lie. (more…)

Wow. I did this one a year ago? I still get people complaining about it, too.  Some people just don’t like being reminded that they’re the Establishment these days.

Fortunate Son, Creedence Clearwater Revival

…And yeah, I know, half of the people in that video aren’t relevant anymore.

INDEED.

Yes, the series got wonky, fast – but The Silence of the Lambs was itself a darn good book. Better than the one that it was a sequel to, frankly.  And it spawned a rarity: a movie that was pretty much as good as the book, without having to throw out everything except the title and the character names.  That’s not that common, really.

And so… hopefully I’ll see you soon, The New Annotated Dracula.

Moe Lane

Via Uchronia, this is an alternate history piece from Vanity Fair where John Lennon survived getting shot and is still alive, kicking and giving interviews at 70 (which he would have been this year).  It’s actually pretty good, if only because the most transgressive, pure-shock-value thing that the author could imagine John Lennon doing would be him getting American citizenship and voting for Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Which, come to think of it, is largely correct: it would have been pretty transgressive of the guy.

These would be the four Democrats [Sen. Barbara Boxer (D, CA); Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA-30); Rep. Dennis Kuchinich (D, OH-10); and Rep. Raul Grijavla (D, AZ-07)] who provided letters of introduction and support to the pro-terrorist groups Code Pink/Global Exchange in 2004. Those groups used these letters to facilitate their delivery over a half a million dollars’ worth of aid to terrorists in Fallujah actively fighting American troops; which is, by the way, treason by any reasonable interpretation of the US Constitution.

Note that I am not accusing these Members of Congress of committing treason, merely the American members of Code Pink and Global Exchange. Rep. Waxman – one of the Congressmen involved – claims that he was not aware that the letter of introduction and support that he provided would be used in support of ‘insurgents*’ (by which Waxman means terrorists shooting at American and allied forces in Iraq); this ignorance is appallingly possible, given that Waxman is a Democrat, and thus defaults to being appallingly pig-ignorant on national security, national defense, and foreign affairs. No word as of yet what the other three Members of Congress were thinking – or, indeed, whether they were thinking at all. No doubt if asked they will likewise deny treasonous intent on their part: it is generally preferable to be thought merely abjectly stupid, instead of guilty of a crime that technically carries the death penalty.

After the fold is a list of the Fallujah Four – and their opponents in the upcoming election. For while being duped by pro-terrorist groups like Code Pink and Global Exchange is not treasonous, neither is it something to reward with a position of trust and responsibility in the United States government. (more…)

From RCP’s “As Democrats’ message lags, GOP awaits huge wins:”

To gain the Senate majority, Republicans must hold all 18 of their seats on this year’s ballots while picking up 10 of the 19 Democratic seats. It’s a tough task, but not inconceivable.

No!  Really?  Funny, but I’ve been told for the last two years that taking seriously the very idea of retaking the Senate in 2010 was enough to justify a 48 hour observation period in your psychiatric ward of choice.  Mind you, I was told the same thing about retaking the House, although people stopped mocking that life goal a heck of a lot earlier in the election cycle.

Not to be a provocateur or anything, but the Democrats are going to have to have a long, long, long internal talk with themselves, starting November 3rd.  One hopes that it won’t involve knives…

Moe Lane

It’s a bit of a trek to get to (from here to here to here to here to here), but this illustration of why people who get into religious* hysterics over firearms really need to actually learn something about them first is worth it.  I won’t spoil the joke; suffice it to say that the gun-grabber led with her chin, then followed it up with a Sam Katz move.

(pause)

OK, not really on that last one, but that was too good a campaign ad (?) to pass up.  It’s Canadian anyway, so it doesn’t really count.

Moe Lane

*Choice of adjective deliberate, and delivered with malice aforethought.

Via DaTechGuy and Fleming and Hayes comes forty-five seconds of amusement.  For those without video access, the video below shows Sean Bielat (Barney Frank’s challenger in MA-04) being (badly) heckled by an onlooker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWmLAqYjvLg&feature=player_embedded

Turns out that said heckler was Frank’s SO James Ready, who you might remember from the pot bust thing, or perhaps the yelling at ophthalmologists thing.   Sean Bielat, of course, you know from the suddenly giving Barney Frank a real race for a change thing. (more…)

I know that this is staged and I could care less:

Take Me Out, Atomic Tom

…it still makes me want a JesusPhone.

Via Instapundit.

…that Walter Russell Mead brings up in passing while explaining why AIPAC succeeds and J Street fails*: does that mean that Barack Obama will start criticizing the organization until it discloses its donors list?  Personally, I don’t particularly care one way or the other, but it seems to be a bit of a preoccupation among Democrats contemplating their own political mortality these days; so practice what you preach, Democrats.

Moe Lane

PS: I am practicing what I’m preaching: I don’t care if they do.  But if advocating full disclosure is such an important moral stance for Democrats, why aren’t they pounding the table and demanding that J Street reveal its donor list?

(more…)

“…Ain’t… we…  just.”

WASHINGTON — Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell had $2.6 million in the bank on Sept. 30, twice as much as her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons.

The Tea Party Express-backed candidate, who shocked the nation with her primary victory over GOP Rep. Mike Castle, raised nearly $3.8 million from across the country between Aug. 26 and Sept. 30 and spent $1.2 million, according to a 956-page fundraising report she filed late Friday afternoon with the Senate Public Records office.

“Now cut her down.” (more…)