Month: May 2011

Advice for Mitch Daniels.

There’s been a fairly large amount of insider-buzz over whether or not Indiana governor Mitch Daniels is going to run for President; he is widely expected to, but continues to indicate that he has not yet made up his mind.  This is starting to bubble over into other political arenas – the latest speculation is over whether Governors Scott Walker and Chris Christie are or are not ready to endorse Daniels, should he run – so it should probably be addressed.

I need to be delicate, here: the indications are that Governor Daniels is hesitating because of the effect that running for President will have on his family life.  Specifically, that the publicity that will result from running will be widespread, pervasive, and not subject to any kind of delicacy or consideration… which is a too-polite way of saying “If Mitch Daniels runs, Democratic activists will deliberately attempt to soul-rape his family*.”  If this is truly a worry for Gov. Daniels, I of course cannot criticize his unwillingness to put his family through that.  For that matter, if he and his family are ready to handle the attacks that are even now being prepared for them by the Other Side then I can’t criticize that, either.

But if Gov. Daniels is well and truly not sure whether his family is ready for that, well, I would advise the governor then that he already knows the answer to the question “Should Mitch Daniels run?”  It’s just that it’s a bitter answer for a man hoping to run for President.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

*Because that’s what they do.

#rsrh Herb Kohl (D, WI) cuts and runs.

I don’t have anything else to add to Dan McLaughlin’s excellent summation of the situation except that title, mind you – but I enjoy writing titles like that too much to simply pass it up because I’m running behind this morning.  So.  Kohl’s out.

This should be an interesting race, by the way, if only because the Democrats have the potential to actually nominate somebody who’s, well, interesting.  And I’m with Ed Morrissey: Feingold’s not really a good option for the Democrats.  He’d be better off trying to topple Walker in 2014.  Note 2014: judging from the way things are going for Wisconsin right now, a recall next year is dead on arrival.  In fact, I’m starting to wonder if any WI state senators are going to get recalled.

Huh.  Guess I did have at least a little to add.

This happens every time.

I received The Witcher Enhanced yesterday – three weeks early, actually! – and now I’m having difficulty trying to convince my hand-eye reflexes that no, I’m not still playing Dragon Age 2.  At least there’s no nausea this time…

Graphics-wise: the people are a lot more believable-looking than some of Bioware’s other NPCs.  It’s a pretty game, for given values of pretty.  And, hey! – an user’s manual that’s actually useful.  Woo-hoo!

#rsrh Good news about Obama ’12 campaign!

It’s being run by committee.

The sign at the entrance to President Barack Obama’s new 2012 campaign headquarters says: “Respect. Empower. Include. Win.”

Much obliged, guys.

(I first saw this via email, but Hot Air’s comments section is having fun with this one.)

Moe Lane

PS: I’m guessing that picking that slogan took four hours, and Brad still isn’t talking to Marcie about what she said during it about Tim and Gene’s new project, despite the fact that Sheryl totally explained to him later that it was in the heat of the moment, and had nothing to do with who took what from the fridge, but maybe Brad should think next time before he writes mass emails accusing people of things…

How close did I get?

#rsrh QotD, Read This Ye Elitist Fools Edition.

Walter Russell Mead, on our generally lousy, so-called ‘elitist’ ‘class:’

A guilty elite may be healthier for society than a self-righteous one.  Teddy Roosevelt and his cousins Eleanor and Franklin worked as hard as they did in part because they felt their privilege was unearned.  They were also a little bit afraid; nobody wants to end up in the tumbrils on the way to the guillotine like the French aristocracy.  Best look after the people before things get out of hand.

Do tell.  Do tell.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for all his (myriad) faults, had one advantage over the fellow that is in office now: FDR genuinely believed that America was great on its own merits, if only because it was capable of producing a paragon such as… FDR.  The absolute best that we can expect from our modern aristos these days is instead an inchoate hope that America might be great if enough things are changed… which is just not acceptable.

I will admit that said aristos largely don’t know any better, but that’s not really a justification for keeping them in power.

Via Instapundit/Michael Totten.

#rsrh Lazy Keynesians.

Do yourself a favor.  First, reacquaint yourself with this excellent Hayek vs. Keynes video.

…by the way: I consider this video to be more of a sequel to the original.

Now, read Jonathan Chait’s fairly drab attempt at push-back (via here, via here).

Notice the difference?

Yup.  What we have here… is a failure… to communicate.  Which is a definite pity, in its way: there really needs to be a good, accessible defense of current neo-Keynesian ec0nomic theory out there, if only to keep the Austrian school from running more amok than they, strictly speaking, deserve.  Unfortunately, what we get instead are dull critiques by those who are: a, less creative than the people that provided the original argument (and who are being somewhat bitter about being less creative); and b, more interested in trying to score partisan political points than they are in actually doing a good critique in the first place.  Put more simply: EconStories came up with something that people who don’t actually know much about economics can grok.  The best that TNR could come up with were some drab arguments designed to keep at least some of the Keynesian faithful from lapsing into heresy.

Guess who won?

Adult. Proms.

Ye gods and little fishes.  You’re right, Allahpundit: I don’t want to know.

Incidentally, this is my conversation with my wife on this:

Me: Hey, did you see the latest new trend?  Adult proms!

Wife: When you say ‘latest new trend,’ do you mean ‘something that the New York Times made up?’

Me: …They have pictures.

Wife: Sure!  I am willing to concede that this happened once.

Me: Hold on… Fort Wayne, Beverly, Green Bay… Decatur and Cedar Rapids.  OK, to be fair to the Times; five times in one year qualifies as a trend.

Wife: Yes, dear. (Goes back to playing with my iPad2).

(pause)

You know, I thought that I had won that one – but now I’m not so sure.

Moe Lane

Election reform bill passes WI state house.

Wisconsin’s voter ID bill passed, 60-35; it now goes to the Senate, to be worked on next week.  The bill will require that voters show picture ID before voting: what really has Democrats in a tizzy about this is that to be valid a student ID will need “current address, birth date, signature and expiration date.”  This effectively removes all Wisconsin student IDs from consideration… and if they start adding that information it will become abundantly clear, very quickly, that a lot of students are not going through the hassle of changing their legal address every year to reflect their attending college.  Which is another way of saying that a lot of students are voting in districts that they’re not actually supposed to be voting in.

This is the real issue for Democratic party bigwigs, methinks – and for all that they pretend that it’s a minority voter issue.  The reality is, people will bend over backward to make sure that the urban poor get ID to keep from being disenfranchised: this country takes voting seriously; it’s the right thing to do; and – if the first two reasons aren’t enough – the federal government will come down like a hammer from orbit on anybody trying anything different.  But students being told that they can’t vote in Madison because they actually live in Sheboygan?  Yeah, that’s going to get less sympathy. – even if the Democratic party would rather have that vote count in Madison. Continue reading Election reform bill passes WI state house.

#rsrh I roll to disbelieve these campaign ads.

Ladies and gentlemen, the bar for bizarre ads is being set early this cycle.  Meet Democrat Dan Adler.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gerq4GpHpKw&feature=player_embedded

“I’m a Korean!”

Via Talking Points Memo, and they’re just as bemused as I am.  More ads at the link; but remember.  Some things, once seen… cannot be unseen.  Particularly when they involve Patty Duke.

Moe Lane

[UPDATE]: Hot Air is not so… forgiving… as I am.