Moe Lane

So it’s a trap.  If the Democrats want a fight on the budget, fine.  The less important point is that the Republican party has decided to actually say the dread phrase “entitlement reforms” – which is something that most of the people reading this have almost given up hope to ever hear them do.  The more important point is that this is the right thing to do.

Two thoughts, to finish this off: (more…)

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My wife sent me this. Given some of the grim domestic/political stuff we’ve all been dealing with this afternoon…

…to a – sorry, words are failing me.  Jim Geraghty:

At the president’s news conference, ABC News’ Jake Tapper just asked Obama if he was willing to make cuts to this year’s budget, as a “down payment” on future budget cuts.

Obama says he wants to work with Republicans, but that he doesn’t want to make “a series of symbolic cuts this year that endanger the recovery.” He talks about the danger of “tens of thousands of layoffs in state and local government” or poor performance in the “core functions” of the government.

“Let’s use a scalpel, not a machete,” Obama says.

(more…)

…in the hopes of finding $556,000,000,000 under it the next day.

No, it’s a legitimate analogy.  The National Journal has looked over the President’s proposed transportation bill (public link), and noted this (subscription only):

Obama wants $53 billion over six years for a high-speed rail program, $8 billion in fiscal year 2012, and he wants $50 billion this year to jump-start large infrastructure projects. The administration is proposing $336 billion over six years for roads and bridges, a 48 percent increase from the previous authorization. It wants $30 billion for an “infrastructure bank” to select and fund large projects on a competitive basis.

Where does the money come from? [Transportation Secretary Ray] LaHood deflected that query. “We’ll work with Congress on this, on the pay-for,” he said.

In other words, they don’t know where the money will come from. (more…)

It’s a good an explanation as any for this otherwise slightly-bizarre piece on Media Matters’ inability to move the media needle on a ‘story’ about Fox News that required the reader to simply take the unsupported word of an anonymous former Fox News employee that Bad Things Are Happening.  Left-porn, in other words: and when you look at it that way the aforementioned inability is not only not surprising at all; it almost makes one feel kind of sad and melancholy on Media Matters’ behalf.  That is, until you remember that Media Matters is a virulent Lefty shill that wants half the country to die in a fire.  Then you get over it.

But one thing that I will bring up, with malice aforethought: since when has Media Matters actually been effectual?  I mean, I’ve been in this gig since about 2003 or so; and I’ve been with RedState for over half a decade.  We move the media needle all the time.  I’ve seen it.  I’ve done it.  And in all that time, I can’t think of a single specific event where Media Matters has been the point site for ruining a conservative’s day.  And apparently, neither could Mediate: their assertion of Media Matters’ relevance is as sourced as the original Fox-bashing report that sparked the article (i.e., not at all).  That’s so… unlikely… that I actually can’t quite believe it.

So help me out, here?  Surely Media Matters has earned their corn once since they came into existence.

Moe Lane

It is an epic day when Teh Stoopid of a post is so encapsulated in a subtitle that you feel no further need to read further.  Take it away, John Dickerson:

Obama’s spending plan is so timid, he must be working on a smarter plan we don’t know about.

[pause]

I repeat: KFTC, John.  Meanwhile, here’s Megan McArdle, who was originally going to have the Quote of the Day until I read Dickerson’s stupidity:

I was a laconic hawk when the deficits shot up in 2008, 2009, 2010.  A few years of deficits in an unprecedented crisis weren’t going to kill us; we had time to get them under control.

But I’m starting to think that it’s time to panic.

Oh, boy.

Moe Lane

*The explanation for that acronym is not safe for work, but may be found here (also NSFW).

How Bizarre, OMC

…honestly, I probably have gotten the last two in tonight, but I didn’t for the reason of I didn’t feel like it.  I don’t think that I got whatever bug was going around at CPAC, but neither am I particularly high-energy level right now.  Besides, I don’t want to burn out.

Moving along… no, actually, there’s nothing to move along to.  I don’t know: here, look at my UK Times Word Nerd score. 555 is apparently not bad.

I have to admit, I’m a little surprised at this one.  If you’re going to be writing an article about a 250-person protest against a Democratic African-American mayor accused of making sexual slurs against a gay political rival, and anti-Semitic ones against a Jewish real estate developer, the least that you can do… is mention that the protest is against a Democratic African-American mayor accused of making sexual slurs against a gay political rival, and anti-Semitic ones against a Jewish real estate developer.  After all, Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania.  Mayor Linda Thompson is therefore going to be a recognized player in Pennsylvania state politics.  There’s no real reason to omit that particular tidbit of information…

But organizer Lisa Paige did a decent job of getting people to this thing.  Well, for a Democrat, of course; guess she doesn’t know any Tea Partiers.

Moe Lane

Via Instapundit.

This was probably the most informal one that I did, and (not unrelatedly) the most fun.  I generally get along perfectly well with the politicians and legislators that I talk to, but usually the time constraints alone are significant.  Your average Congressman or Senator is generally running around things like CPAC with a staff of at least two, both of which he or she legitimately needs to keep track of where he or she needs to go next, where he or she has just gone, and how to fit various and sundry requests for ‘just five minutes’ into a fairly non-Euclidean schedule format*.  But the Steve King was first thing in the morning, and it was fairly relaxed, and I liked the guy.

We talked a good bit about Obamacare: I meant to bring up Medal of Honor winner Sal Giunta, but I didn’t.  Heck, if I was going to ask about Iowan heroes I should have asked him about Norman Borlaug.  Such is life.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

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This post by Ann Althouse on the anemic protester response to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s budget plan – and it is an anemic response; it’s bad when you have to add a statue to your crowd in order to make your crowd look bigger – reminded me about Walker’s plan in the first place.  I got told about this actually by Kevin Binversie, who runs Lakeshore Laments, was recently involved in Ron Johnson’s successful Wisconsin Senate run, is a good guy, and who is unaccountably not being headhunted by DC Republicans*; Governor Walker’s plan is fascinating in its audacity.

Essentially, what’s happening in Scott Walker’s budget that has the public sector unions melting down is that he’s planning to strip some of them of some of their collective bargaining “rights.”  Specifically: (more…)

Apparently she got shut out of CPAC’s Blogger’s Row Friday night (or maybe Thursday): if the former, it must have been after I had to bail for the day, because I’m pretty sure that I would have noticed that particular example of “Do You Know Who I AM?” going on.  It’s also interesting that it didn’t occur to Maureen Dowd to make a couple of quick calls; Lyndsey acted absolutely correctly and according to procedure there, but arrangements could still have been made.  Seriously, Maureen: next time, just call me on my cell and I’ll see what I can do.

You do have it, right?

Moe Lane