Rove and Plouffe go head to head at a book signing. The PuffHo has a roundup [here]. The two men don't agree on anything except..., they are both contemptuous of the MSM.
Well, on that I think everyone can agree. The MSM is indeed contemptible.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
Republican Moderates Speak Out
Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Eric Cantor and other moderate Republicans are making their first foray into the 2010 competition. This weekend they started a "listening tour" in which they argued that the Party must reach out to moderates and minorities, put Reagan-era ideas behind them, and address the "problems of the twenty-first Century" [whatever that means]. So far there is little in the way of specifics, but as Romney noted, they will have to get specific pretty soon.
Read about it here.
This morning I heard Joe Scarborough [who is rumored to be interested in re-entering politics] saying pretty much the same thing -- basically that the Republicans have to honor Reagan, but not to follow his ideas slavishly as they attempt to adapt to new circumstances. Scarborough also says that the problems for Democrats are accumulating rapidly and that 2010 looks to be a pretty good year for Republicans. I don't know about that, but there are encouraging indicators out there -- widespread corruption among the Democrats, an over-reaching administration, persistent economic bad news, likelihood of a foreign crisis, etc. One final point made by Scarborough, is that anger does not play well in elections for Republicans. Democrats can get away with being angry because the press will not call them on it, but Republicans have to learn from Reagan that geniality, rather than anger, impresses voters.
As I write, Rush Limbaugh is talking about the tour and Jeb's remarks. His response is interesting. He says that conservatives are not so much looking for a return to Reaganite ideas as looking for a leader who can articulate a coherent conservative position, as Reagan did. He then affirmed that one core principle that cannot be compromised is opposition to abortion. Beyond that he didn't get specific. That means that, for Limbaugh at least, there is a lot of wiggle room for moderates. He also considers people like Romney, and any other participant in the 2008 contest, to be beyond the pale. They had their chance, he argues, they waffled on principles, and they failed -- don't give them another chance because they will fail again. But, and this is significant, Rush was careful to note that he does not include Jeb in that bunch and considers Bush to be a potential leader for the future.
What I take from this is that there is a real conflict going on within the Republican Party, but that there is considerable room for compromise, and that 2010 will be the real test. If moderates do well in the congressional contests of that year, if they do so without compromising on the abortion issue, and if they can focus attention on the horrors being perpetrated by the current administration rather than directing fire at conservatives, they will take control of the Party going into the next Presidential election and mount a serious challenge to the Obamination. If not, then the current internal dissension will continue and so will Democrat dominance.
Read about it here.
Read about it here.
This morning I heard Joe Scarborough [who is rumored to be interested in re-entering politics] saying pretty much the same thing -- basically that the Republicans have to honor Reagan, but not to follow his ideas slavishly as they attempt to adapt to new circumstances. Scarborough also says that the problems for Democrats are accumulating rapidly and that 2010 looks to be a pretty good year for Republicans. I don't know about that, but there are encouraging indicators out there -- widespread corruption among the Democrats, an over-reaching administration, persistent economic bad news, likelihood of a foreign crisis, etc. One final point made by Scarborough, is that anger does not play well in elections for Republicans. Democrats can get away with being angry because the press will not call them on it, but Republicans have to learn from Reagan that geniality, rather than anger, impresses voters.
As I write, Rush Limbaugh is talking about the tour and Jeb's remarks. His response is interesting. He says that conservatives are not so much looking for a return to Reaganite ideas as looking for a leader who can articulate a coherent conservative position, as Reagan did. He then affirmed that one core principle that cannot be compromised is opposition to abortion. Beyond that he didn't get specific. That means that, for Limbaugh at least, there is a lot of wiggle room for moderates. He also considers people like Romney, and any other participant in the 2008 contest, to be beyond the pale. They had their chance, he argues, they waffled on principles, and they failed -- don't give them another chance because they will fail again. But, and this is significant, Rush was careful to note that he does not include Jeb in that bunch and considers Bush to be a potential leader for the future.
What I take from this is that there is a real conflict going on within the Republican Party, but that there is considerable room for compromise, and that 2010 will be the real test. If moderates do well in the congressional contests of that year, if they do so without compromising on the abortion issue, and if they can focus attention on the horrors being perpetrated by the current administration rather than directing fire at conservatives, they will take control of the Party going into the next Presidential election and mount a serious challenge to the Obamination. If not, then the current internal dissension will continue and so will Democrat dominance.
Read about it here.
More Pennsylvania Pictures -- Springing
I promised another batch of pictures of our gorgeous commonwealth's bounty. Here they are.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
The Chrysler Debacle
Mickey Kaus exposes the deep duplicity, incredible arrogance, and complete dissociation from reality that characterizes the Chrysler settlement. Of course, the New York Times tortures the facts of the case, twisting them into a form that tries, but fails, to make the administration's actions seem to be something other than a sleazy political payoff to the UAW.
Read it here.
Read it here.
O'Rourke On the Left
Like me, P. J. O'Rourke is scared stiff by Obama. He writes:
America has wound up with a charming leftist as a president. And this scares me. This scares me not because I hate leftists. I don't. I have many charming leftist friends. They're lovely people - as long as they keep their nose out of things they don't understand. Such as making a living.
When charming leftists stick their nose into things they don't understand they become ratchet-jawed purveyors of monkey-doodle and baked wind. They are piddlers upon merit, beggars at the door of accomplishment, thieves of livelihood, envy coddling tax lice applauding themselves for giving away other people's money. They are the lap dogs of the poly sci-class, returning to the vomit of collectivism. They are pig herders tending that sow-who-eats-her-young, the welfare state. They are muck-dwelling bottom-feeders growing fat on the worries and disappointments of the electorate. They are the ditch carp of democracy.
And that's what one of their friends says.
What he said! "Ditch carp of democracy" I like it!
Read it here.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Clowning Around at the BMA
Went to the close of the "Picasso to Leger" exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The theme of the exhibit was circuses, so naturally there were a lot of clowns around.
Now that I look at the pictures, some of them look more than a little sinister.
At the Peabody
Went to the Symphony last night. Not the BSO, which is in dire financial straits, but the Peabody.
Normally I prefer chamber concerts, but this was special. It was the Peabody Concert Orchestra and the Peabody Singers Peabody-Hopkins Chorus performing Mendelssohn's "Renaissance" Symphony [No. 5 in D major] and Mozart's Mass in C minor, "The Great".
I never cared that much for Mendelssohn, but the Mozart was a treat. Soprano soloist Jennifer Holbrook was particularly impressive. She has a wonderful and versatile instrument, great range and tone, and remarkable precision. Mozart's little joke: You had to feel for the bass soloist, Benjamin Moore, who sat stiffly on stage through the entire performance, trying not to look bored, until the Benediction when he finally got to sing a few bars, and then the show was over.
Normally I prefer chamber concerts, but this was special. It was the Peabody Concert Orchestra and the Peabody Singers Peabody-Hopkins Chorus performing Mendelssohn's "Renaissance" Symphony [No. 5 in D major] and Mozart's Mass in C minor, "The Great".
I never cared that much for Mendelssohn, but the Mozart was a treat. Soprano soloist Jennifer Holbrook was particularly impressive. She has a wonderful and versatile instrument, great range and tone, and remarkable precision. Mozart's little joke: You had to feel for the bass soloist, Benjamin Moore, who sat stiffly on stage through the entire performance, trying not to look bored, until the Benediction when he finally got to sing a few bars, and then the show was over.
Teapartiers
Glenn Beck had an important town-hall type discussion Friday with tea party participants. It's a good look at the people who organize and attend the much maligned demonstrations. They are not at all the kind of folk the MSM makes them out to be. Check it out and be instructed.
See clips of the program here, here and here.
See clips of the program here, here and here.
Another Lie of the Left
Obama recently declared that Winston Churchill once stated as a matter of policy, "we don't torture". The statement was picked up and reiterated time and again by organs of the Left. Well, apparently Obama got the quote from Andrew Sullivan, who had made it up. Churchill never stated any policy regarding torture, and indeed the Brits did engage in it from time to time. In an attempt to defend Obama [and Sully] some people have argued that although the quote was a lie, it represented a deeper truth, that the Brits did not routinely torture. But as Neo-Neocon notes, neither did the Bush admistration either. Read her excellent post on the subject here.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Good Men Recognize Each Other
Over at the Corner Jay Nordlinger notes a recent appearance at MIT by the Dalai Lama in which the holy man stated that he "loved" George W. Bush, whom he considered to be a good and honest man. I'm not sure that I agree with Nordlinger's suggestion that having a high opinion of Bush is a rough measure of the goodness of a person. I know several good and decent people who dislike Bush, but their main source of information is the New York Times. They speak out of ignorance, not moral failing. But it is heartening to learn that one of the great moral voices of our times shares my estimation of President Bush, whom I consider to be a good man and a good [possibly a great] President.
Read Nordlinger's post here.
UPDATE: In a followup post Nordlinger provides a short list of admirable people who have expressed their admiration of President Bush. They include Paul Johnson, David Pryce-Jones, Norman Podhoretz, Robert Conquest, Armando Valladares, Natan Sharansky, Álvaro Uribe, Hamid Karzai, Barham Salih, John Howard, and . . . the Dalai Lama.
Read it here.
Some of these are heroes of mine -- it is gratifying to learn that they share my opinion of one of our best Presidents and one of our nation's best men.
Read Nordlinger's post here.
UPDATE: In a followup post Nordlinger provides a short list of admirable people who have expressed their admiration of President Bush. They include Paul Johnson, David Pryce-Jones, Norman Podhoretz, Robert Conquest, Armando Valladares, Natan Sharansky, Álvaro Uribe, Hamid Karzai, Barham Salih, John Howard, and . . . the Dalai Lama.
Read it here.
Some of these are heroes of mine -- it is gratifying to learn that they share my opinion of one of our best Presidents and one of our nation's best men.
Outside the Beltway
Don Surber has excellent advice for Roger Ailes (although Roger Dodger seems to be doing just fine without it). He wants to replace the "Beltway Boys" with outside the beltway commentary -- something like what Gutfeld is doing on "Redeye" but not so edgy. Why not have Dennis Miller host a show with panelists like Willie Brown, or Drew Carey or Carrie Prejean? Read the article here.
Wouldn't that be a great gig for Sarah?
Wouldn't that be a great gig for Sarah?
More Pennsylvania Pictures -- Spring has Sprung
At last, the foliage on the hill has erupted into full bloom. My camera and I took several walks around the hood. Here's a bit of what we saw.
It's really an embarrassment of riches. There are so many beautiful things to photograph here in the gorgeous commonwealth. I may have to make a second post later this weekend to do them justice.
It's really an embarrassment of riches. There are so many beautiful things to photograph here in the gorgeous commonwealth. I may have to make a second post later this weekend to do them justice.
Another Obama Goof
Obama thinks the United States invented the automobile. What about Nicholas Cugnot, who built one before there even was a United States?
The Real Culture War
Arthur M. Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute (one of my favorite places on the net) has an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal. In it he argues that the Obama administration, through its economic policies, is waging a culture war against capitalism. He writes:
Regarding the recent round of "tea parties" that sprung up around tax day, he notes:
And what, in the minds of the protesters, constitutes wrong behavior on the part of government? He points to:
Obama's programs and policies are thus, in the minds of many Americans unfair, unjust and undemocratic. I agree! Brooks further feels that this perception could provide the basis for a revitalization of the Republican Party. Of that I am not so certain. I do feel, however, that the charge that Obama is unfair, unjust, and undemocratic does resonate with mainstream Americans -- I know it does with me.
Read the whole thing here.
There is a major cultural schism developing in America. But it's not over abortion, same-sex marriage or home schooling, as important as these issues are. The new divide centers on free enterprise -- the principle at the core of American culture.
Regarding the recent round of "tea parties" that sprung up around tax day, he notes:
[T]he tea parties are not based on the cold wonkery of budget data. They are based on an "ethical populism." The protesters are homeowners who didn't walk away from their mortgages, small business owners who don't want corporate welfare and bankers who kept their heads during the frenzy and don't need bailouts. They were the people who were doing the important things right -- and who are now watching elected politicians reward those who did the important things wrong.I like that term, "ethical populism".
And what, in the minds of the protesters, constitutes wrong behavior on the part of government? He points to:
government deficits, unaccountable bureaucratic power, and a sense that the government is too willing to prop up those who engaged in corporate malfeasance and mortgage fraud.These are not specifics; they represent core cultural values. Enormous deficits place an unfair burden on future generations; bureaucratic power short-circuits basic democratic principles; and government tolerance of corporate malfeasance is seen as fundamentally unjust.
Obama's programs and policies are thus, in the minds of many Americans unfair, unjust and undemocratic. I agree! Brooks further feels that this perception could provide the basis for a revitalization of the Republican Party. Of that I am not so certain. I do feel, however, that the charge that Obama is unfair, unjust, and undemocratic does resonate with mainstream Americans -- I know it does with me.
Read the whole thing here.
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