Month: June 2014

Tweet of the Day, Hillary Clinton Has Had A HORRIBLE Rollout Edition.

As Twitchy notes, it’s bad when Carl Reiner feels the need to link you up with an advertising company in public.

…but here’s the thing: why does Carl Reiner think that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t return his call? The man’s a respected Hollywood figure, and his son Rob’s even more so (and a prominent activist*). You’d think that he would have access.

Moe Lane

*Come, I will conceal nothing from you: I will and have forgiven Rob Reiner much because he directed The Princess Bride, to say nothing of This is Spinal Tap.  And I regret nothing.

ISIS gearing up for an actual War On Women, and pretty much everyone else.

It’s the usual that you can expect from Islamist fanatics: no freedom of religion, assembly, no public graves, no alcohol or drugs, no women allowed outside unless absolutely necessary – and wearing restrictive, depersonalizing clothing when they do – and, of course, nothing resembling a secular state.  The liberal American Left would absolutely hate living in those portions of Iraq and Syria that ISIS ends up controlling, not least because the second they got caught they’d be taken somewhere and then beheaded for the benefit of Islamist murder porn websites.  Because that’s what happens.

Am I angry?  Yes. In 2009 we handed over what was at least a functional situation to the Democrats, and as long as the Democrats continued to do precisely the same things (well, as well as they could) as we did things seemed… stable enough.  But apparently that wasn’t enough.  And now we’re going to have a load of pain in the Middle East until the grown-ups start running the American government again.

Joy.

Moe Lane

PS: Oh, we’ll get through it.  But like T.H. White’s King Arthur, I assign a value to Middle Easterner’s life and limbs: the value assigned by the Middle Easterners themselves.  They aren’t cardboard cutouts that move, ten years of antiwar agitprop to the contrary.

PPS: Sure, great, have the Iranians come on in. Does no one in this administration know how to read?

AP: Barack Obama not yet ruling out military intervention in Iraq.

I’m trying hard to not say anything that might discourage the President from doing what is probably the least-bad option* here.

President Barack Obama said Thursday Iraq will need more help from the United States as it seeks to push back a violent Islamic insurgency that has captured two key cities and is vowing to press toward Bagdad.

Obama did not specify what type of assistance the U.S. would be willing to provide, but said he had not ruled out any options.

I’m trying really, really hard. Continue reading AP: Barack Obama not yet ruling out military intervention in Iraq.

National Seersucker Day comes back to Congress, thank God.

seersucker

No, I am not joking about either half of that title.

Today, Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced that National Seersucker Day has been formally reinstated. A bipartisan Capitol Hill tradition, Members of the House of Representatives typically wear Seersucker on Wednesdays and Senators wear it on Thursdays.

The tradition started in 1996 by Trent Lott, and continued until 2012.  That year ninnyhammers in the Senate decided that it was, astoundingly, bad PR to have Hill staffers and legislators be doing anything except engage in hyper-partisan Stab Time.  Dana Milbank at the time got it right:

I agree that seersucker is not weighty. When I wear my seersucker suit and powdered white bucks (only between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and typically with a bow tie), perfect strangers have at times greeted me as “Professor” or “Poindexter.”

But those who canceled Seersucker Thursday have got it exactly backward: Our leaders can’t agree on important things because they’re missing this kind of social lubricant. “Some say you don’t want to make it look like the Senate’s being jovial with all these serious things going on,” Lott told me. “My view is you can’t get serious things done because you don’t have events where you can enjoy each other’s company.”

Continue reading National Seersucker Day comes back to Congress, thank God.

Ronald Reagan’s ‘Tear down this wall.’

I suppose that this will depress you, given our current… what I will be charitable and call ‘leadership.’ But it’s still worth your attention. Ladies and gentlemen, Ronald Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate speech, June 12, 1987.

Always remember: we have, indeed, had it worse.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

The NRCC lines itself up behind Dave Brat.

No doubt much to the disappointment of people looking and hoping for a bloody internal fight over the district, the NRCC is playing  it straight:

“Eric Cantor has been a steadfast leader for our party, and a great friend and mentor for so many House Republicans. I know Eric will continue to lead on the issues he cares so deeply about. Virginia families have selected Republican David Brat to represent them in Congress. I congratulate him on his victory and look forward to working with him in Congress.” – NRCC Chairman Greg Walden

Moving forward: it’s a R+10 district, and it’s unlikely to flip.  Cook Political Report: “Virginia’s 7th CD is very heavily Republican: GOP presidential nominee won it 57 percent to 42 percent in 2012. So even Brat, who attacked Cantor from the right on immigration and debt ceiling politics, doesn’t change our Solid Republican rating here.” I note this because I want to make sure that people understand that if the fundamentals of the race don’t change – i.e., that there’s no significant chance that the seat will flip – then the national organizations will actually have no reason to put in increased resources for the race.  As it stands right now the Democratic party is not showing any signs of seriously contesting the seat: their hastily-chosen candidate has no money, no staff – and no promises of meaningful support. If that changes, the NRCC will no doubt reassess; but as it stands now Dave Brat is in a good enough position without further investment.

Simple as that.

Moe Lane (crosspost)