#rsrh ActBlue’s/DCCC’s eliminationist language.

How terribly shocking of them, I know. To explain: I had just heard of this rather entertaining “Drive for 25” thing that the DCCC is coming out with to supposedly get them the House back. As the article didn’t mention which Magical Pretty Space Unicorn Congressional Districts were expected to provide the Democrats with this largess, I thought that I’d check out the DCCC site and see for myself.

Needless to say, there was no current information; in fact, as of this moment the site still thinks that it’s in the 2010 Election cycle. Ask it about candidates and it’ll tell you about its joint project with ActBlue called “Frontline Democrats.”

Frontline. Democrats.

How… militaristic… of them.

Moe Lane Continue reading #rsrh ActBlue’s/DCCC’s eliminationist language.

#rsrh Interesting: Illinois’ HB3659 is not yet signed.

That is the Internet sales tax bill that, once signed, will cause Amazon.com to immediately eliminate its affiliate program in Illinois (because Democrats don’t read Aesop, apparently); anyway, it went to the Governor on January 10th, and it still hasn’t been signed yet.

Just put in a call to find out if this is normal; it’ll be interesting if it is not.

[UPDATE] The Governor’s office called back; there’s a sixty day window for Illinois bills after they get sent to his office.  If he doesn’t sign within that period, it becomes a law anyway.  No time frame on when he’d sign it, if he does, but ten days isn’t anything unusual.

Paul Ryan to give GOP SotU response.

The Washington Post reports that Representative Ryan will be giving it from the House Budget Committee room, which is simultaneously: nicely symbolic; and a reminder that there’s a reason why Ryan is now the House Budget Chair.

It’s an interesting choice.  As the WaPo noted, the last two choices were Governors Jindal (2009) and McDonnell (2010).  While I actually liked Jindal’s response, there’s no denying that the message being conveyed by both of the GOP’s picks was more or less parallel to the actual speeches themselves.  In Jindal’s case, the Republican message was The Democratic party lies when they claim that we hate minorities; in McDonnell’s, it was You ain’t so tough, Barry.  You can be beat.  Knowing what I know of Rep. Ryan – I expect to see at least three graphs during his response – the underlying message here is We will be talking about fiscal responsibility, whether or not the President chooses to himself.

If President Obama is smart, he’d be well-advised to not permit too much of a contrast in that regard between his remarks, and Rep. Ryan’s.  He’d also be well-advised to take Ryan’s advice, but I’m not about to start relying on “And then a miracle occurs” when it comes to domestic policy.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

#rsrh *What* antiwar movement?

Reading between the lines, Reason TV is kind of upset about the way that the Democratic party has abandoned the antiwar movement:

…and that’s reasonable.  Sort of.  I have no real beef with libertarian antiwar types, as long as they aren’t being crypto-anti-Semites or whatnot.  Your average libertarian has a laudable desire to stay out of other countries’ business; I don’t fault them for that, although I do not think that they fully grasp the consequences of not having a world hegemony, and how much it would truly suck if it wasn’t us being the world hegemon.  At least there’s a certain basic consistency there. Continue reading #rsrh *What* antiwar movement?

Yes, I have heard of the Palin Steampunk comic.

I suspect that the author of the review is just a touch offended at the choice of villain (Dude.  Spoilers!), but the man does have a point about the pinups.  That’s a bit… freaky, really.

Still: the thought of Palin, Obama, and McCain as a steam-cyborg hero team against a worldwide conspiracy?

That’s just cute.

Moe Lane

PS: Out of curiosity, when did the romance genre start mining steampunk, fantasy, science fiction, and – most relentlessly – horror?

Starbucks Trenta violates Evil Overlord Rule #22.

For those poor, poor unfortunates who are not aware of the glory that is “The Top 100 Things I’d Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord” list, it’s just the best darn set of practical advice for would be world despots that you’ll ever see.  #22 is:

No matter how tempted I am with the prospect of unlimited power, I will not consume any energy field bigger than my head.

Of course, Allahpundit was joking: it’s just bigger than the average stomach, or bladder.  Anyway, I got told by my wife that there are Starbucks customers who apparently freaking out over the size of these things; which makes perfect sense to me, actually.  As I told her, the average Starbucks devotee probably doesn’t like to be reminded that he or she is a fanatical slave to a fast food restaurant*: having the coffee equivalent of a Big Gulp wrecks that narrative.

Moe Lane Continue reading Starbucks Trenta violates Evil Overlord Rule #22.

#rsrh The Two Obama Israel UN Letters.

It’s funny: while I’m willing to bet that everybody decent reading this post will look at this Israel-hating letter (via Jen Rubin, via Instapundit) and mutter “I’m not surprised to see that scumbag’s name on there” I’m pretty sure that we will all have different scumbags in mind.  For my part… it’s a tough call, but I’m going to go with Chas Freeman for my Special Scumbag: it takes a special kind of guy to encourage the ChiComs to punch their dissidents harder, but Freeman was up to the challenge.  I don’t recognize all the rest of the names, but the ones that I do recognize all provoke the same mixed revulsion/disgust/contempt.  Just not as strongly.

Anyway, Jen’s betting that President Obama’s more likely to go with the advice from these people, and I hope and think that she’s right.  I mean, yeah, I’ve had issues with every Democratic Senator on that list and everything – but given a choice between them and the people on the other letter, well…

Moe Lane

PS: I quite enjoy being hated by anti-Semites, thanks.  Any decent person would: it’s quite the pick-me-up.

This will lift your heart.

There is a person out there, somewhere.  That person went through his or her copy of The Gamesters of Triskelion meticulously, carefully, searching for just the right moment of time to freeze forever in a static Sliver Of Awesome.  Then, when he or she had that Sliver, it was gingerly attached to a certain audio track, in the hopes that synergy would work its hidden magic and create a glorious paean to schlock.

I am here to tell that person: you have succeeded.

You win the Internets.