Permit me to reassure Mr. Reich.

(Via AoSHQ) He’s worried that we’re going to be too exclusive:

Make no mistake: Angry right-wing populism lurks just below the surface of the terrible American economy, ready to be launched not only at Obama but also at liberals, intellectuals, gays, blacks, Jews, the mainstream media, coastal elites, crypto socialists, and any other potential target of paranoid opportunity.

This is, of course, absurd. God forbid that this should happen, of course, but if it did we’d take anybody willing to carry a torch and shake a pitchfork while muttering “rutabaga.” Doesn’t anybody on the Left understand the primary definition of “populist” anymore?

Crossposted to RedState.

Flake’s second call for ethics probe defeated by Democrats.

Anybody still surprised?

Well, Rep. Flake tried to get the Democrats to vote in favor of ethical behavior again, and again they voted him down. Via Instapundit:

House turns back call for PMA probe

The House on Thursday night turned back another call to investigate the PMA Group, a once-powerful lobbying firm whose offices were recently raided by the FBI and which has close ties to Pennsylvania Rep. John P. Murtha (D).

Twenty-one Democrats, including nine freshmen, voted to proceed with debate on the measure offered by Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake (R) calling for an investigation of the lobbying firm. Most of the Democrats represent fiscally conservative districts.

Continue reading Flake’s second call for ethics probe defeated by Democrats.

Toomey vs. Specter: the sequel.

Should be interesting.

And it’s an open question who’s happier about this: us, or them. Via Dan Riehl:

Toomey to challenge Specter again

Former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) will challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in a primary for the second straight cycle, according to Pennsylvania GOP sources.

The Allentown Morning Call reported Thursday that two friends of Toomey’s have said the Club for Growth chief has decided to enter the race.

Continue reading Toomey vs. Specter: the sequel.

Senate Budget Bill held up in Congress, delayed until Monday.

We may be at wafer-thin mint time.

Repeat: “may.” Congress has an impressive talent at somehow managing to find new and exciting ways to spend your money.

Senate bogs down over $410 billion spending bill

WASHINGTON – The Senate, tied up in a fight over a huge omnibus appropriations bill, will have to pass a stopgap spending measure Friday in order to avoid a partial government shutdown.

[snip]

The huge, 1,132-page spending bill awards big increases to domestic programs and is stuffed with pet projects sought by lawmakers in both parties. The measure has an extraordinary reach, wrapping together nine spending bills to fund the annual operating budgets of every Cabinet department except for Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.

The measure was written mostly over the course of last year, before projected deficits quadrupled and Obama’s economic recovery bill left many of the same spending accounts swimming in cash.

And, to the embarrassment of Obama — who promised during last year’s campaign to force Congress to curb its pork-barrel ways — the bill contains 7,991 pet projects totaling $5.5 billion, according to calculations by the GOP staff of the House Appropriations Committee.

Continue reading Senate Budget Bill held up in Congress, delayed until Monday.

What the ban on Yucca Mountain reminds us.

[UPDATE]: Welcome, Instapundit readers.

I do like what Francis wrote, but I want to really drive it home to my people – which is to say, science fiction geeks. Let me strip this down for you. There was a quote that Jerry Pournelle likes to repeat, from one of the anti-nuclear power people: “The only physics I ever took was Ex-Lax.“ Remember that one? Remember how it made you laugh at the idiot?

Well, did you vote for Obama? – because if you did, you voted for the guy who takes people like that idiot seriously.

And, do you know something? I told you so.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

President Obama gives PM Brown… DVDs.

25 Classic American DVDs.

What did Brown give us?

Mr Brown’s gifts included an ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet, once named HMS President.

Mr Obama was so delighted he has already put it in pride of place in the Oval Office on the Resolute desk which was carved from timbers of Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute.

Another treasure given to the U.S. President was the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolise Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria.

Finally, Mr Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.

I’ll be honest: I held off on this story (Via AoSHQ) because I was hoping that it was going to be debunked, preferably at high volume. Apparently not. This happened. So, two thoughts:
Continue reading President Obama gives PM Brown… DVDs.