Reason Morning Links: GOP Lead Narrows, Buffet Picks Replacement, Prop 19 in Trouble

• G.O.P. odds of taking the Senate appear to be slimming.
• Warren Buffet picks his successor.
• Polls show support for Prop 19 may be waning.
• Italian mayor bans miniskirts.
• Paul the prognosticating octopus dies.

Comments

[Fluffy]

Who here wants to bet that the brawl at the Paul / Conway event was completely staged by Conway supporters?

[Ragin Cajun]

I think there is a word for that...something about rodents and copulating...maybe one of the regulars here can remind me of what word that would be...

[x,y]

Weigling?

[Pro Libertate]

Squirrel-congressing.

[prolefeed]

Squirrel marriage -- but only between one male and one female squirrel.

[Tulpa]

2 squirrels one cup

[Tulpa]

Or even better, one squirrel one cup.

[James Ard]

We need Linda McMahon to give it a look and give us her take on it.

[Mr. FIFY]

No bet. It HAD to be a setup. This has Alinsky tactics written all over it.

[Esoteric]

Nah, I doubt it. Probably just genuine lunkheads. Rand's gonna have to roll with the punches on this one, and I predict the Dems will do what they can to make hay.

[Mr. FIFY]

Dems and Rs are both desperate for a win this year, but Dems have much more to lose at the ballot box, so IMO they're going to be the more desperate Team and thus more willing to take the chance the refs won't throw a penalty flag.

[Nick]

If charges are not filed, it was a set up. It looked liked union tactics. She didn't even look that upset. Most people would be crying or screaming for help. She just kind of rolled with it which is bizarre.

[bookworm]

She didn't seem to be hurt either. I saw no signs of injury. The "stomps" looked more like careful pressing on the head with the foot to me. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if it was all staged. Democrats are dirty tricksters and they're desperate.

[Bingo]

Depressing morning links 🙁

[waffles]

that's a Balko morning links for yah.

[Bingo]

Ah christ, no wonder. I didn't even see the author...

[prolefeed]

Can someone get Radley a prescription for Zoloft?

[waffles]

cheer up Radley!

[Montani Semper Liberi]

MoveOn activist and Rand Paul supporters reenact scene from American History X.

[CoyoteBlue]

Come see the violence inherent in the system!

[Mr. FIFY]

Dennis, there's some lovely filth down here...

[Montani Semper Liberi]

I should add that the comments are great if you enjoy reading liberal pants wetting.

[prolefeed]

If by "liberal pants wetting" you mean "justifiable outrage at assault and battery of someone exercising their free speech rights", then yeah.

[Fluffy]

No, it's pants-wetting because a fight between a couple of individuals is being cried about as if it's the second Civil War.

"Oh my stars, the Tea Party is coming for us all!"

And most of those cunts support a President who claims the right to assassinate citizens without trial or judicial review.

[SugarFree]

Stomp on the head? Looked like just a hug to me.

[Slate Contributor Dave Weigel]

Beat me by a minute.

[Montani Semper Liberi]

No, I mean, taking the actions of one person and then extrapolating that to everyone who supports Rand Paul, the Tea Party, and/or the GOP.

Some highlights:

The Tea Party SURE AS HELL IS our own American nazi movement! DEAL WITH IT!

Don't be surprised. Behind a philosophy of supposed absolute nonviolence (libertarianism) lurks an inverted moral standard that invites fascism.

I guess this is the kind of free speech we can expect when the TeaBirchers take THEIR country back.

Tea Party = Americian Fascists. Plain and simple. Nazis started the same way... small-scale intimidation.

[prolefeed]

OK, those particular comments are liberal bed-wetting. Some of the comments were focused on the actual perps rather than generalizing to all Tea Partiers, which I think is reasonable.

[Slate Contributor Dave Weigel]

Headline:

"Tea Partiers hug MoveOn liberals"

[capitol l]

Congratulations you shit kicking honkies, you have just made Lauren Valle a cause celebre. You are now representative of all Rand Paul supporters.

Dude in the blue baseball hat is a woman beating monster who need his card pulled.

[MNG]

Remember when the Dem operative pushed that kid down who was harrasing Coakley and the outrage that was expressed here? Now notice the difference today!

[Fluffy]

I'm only not outraged because I think it's fake.

The Coakley incident involved a known official campaign worker.

This is just some assholes on the sidewalk. It could be anybody. Given the limitless bad faith with which the Democrat party of scum operates, I am perfectly entitled to believe virtually anything about this incident.

[prolefeed]

So are you saying that you believe it's likely that all the parties involved here are Democratic operatives, including the person stomping on the head?

[prolefeed]

Because that would be one hell of a risky gambit -- if such a stunt was exposed, that would totally backfire.

[Chris Mallory]

The Wrongway Conway campaign tried a false flag at the Fancy Farm picnic. They had a Conway supporter wearing Paul buttons and making racist comments. So there is a history of Conway pulling crap like this.

[cynical]

Would it? That crazy chick that faked the Obama supporter attack (cut up her own face or something?) was just a News of the Weird story.

[Mr. FIFY]

False-flag operation, prolefeed. It's been known to happen. And Dems are good at finding people to perform such actions.

And, yes, the GOP is good at it as well. But IMO the left is more likely to be involved in this particular incident. It reeks of October Surprise.

[Fluffy]

Yes, I do.

I note with interest that no one was arrested. That's convenient, since now we don't know the names of any of the "attackers", and no one can investigate their backgrounds.

I'm just a weak middle-aged guy, but I'll tell you this much: if you clone me twice, and two of me knock this lady down while the other stomps on her head, she's going to the hospital.

So we have a seemingly horrific attack that just so happens to result in no injury and no arrests.

A week before the election.

In a manner that plays into leftist self-pity.

I can totally and completely see Conway supporters justifying a deception to themselves by saying, "This is really what these Tea Party people are like, so we're really just showing the people the truth."

[SugarFree]

Also note, Fluffy, that every police organization has run ads supporting Conway over Paul. And new ads have appeared calling Paul "a quitter" for being against The Drug War.

[bookworm]

Whether these were real Paul supporters or Democratic operatives, it didn't look to me like they were really stomping on her head, they were lightly pushing down on her head with her feet. There was obviously no injury. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if this was all staged.

[x,y]

If those guys could act that well they would be in Hollywood, not the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I'm willing to bet Mr. Bootstomper is an actual Paul supporter. Care to make a friendly wager?

[Fluffy]

It's pointless to wager because, since no one was arrested, there's no way to determine who's right.

[prolefeed]

I count just two people trying to minimize the badness of this action, MSL and Fluffy.

[Montani Semper Liberi]

You shouldn't jump to conclusions about how I feel about the man who stomped on the woman's head. I think he's an asshole. I thought that would go without saying. Essentially, though, we have two groups of people gathered together to try and agitate the other on the night of a heated debate in a tightly contested race, and there was a physical confrontation. It's not really surprising, and hardly cause to start calling the other side Nazis and fascists.

[Tulpa]

I don't think Fluffy is minimizing it, just noting that it looks awfully suspicious.

[Fluffy]

Like I said in the first post in this thread, I would not be surprised in the least if ALL of these people are Conway people and the event is staged.

I imagine at the few remaining events in the election cycle, Conway supporters will pose as child molesters, dog fighting enthusiasts, serial killers, and kitten stranglers and show up with Paul signs.

[Kitten Stranglers Union Rep]

Not without MY say-so, they don't.

[John]

If that is true, and sadly it probably is, that sort of behavior really is a threat to democracy. I would also point to Democrats funding sham third party candidates in hopes of slitting the vote. That kind of behavior causes people to believe that there is no way to change the system within the system. That is when people start reaching for rocks and guns. It is truly playing with fire.

[Fluffy]

Remember, at any given time among so-called radical right and white supremacist organizations, half the members [or more] are actually FBI informants or plants.

And then those organizations just so happen to loudly endorse and support any candidate who challenges the GOP establishment from the right.

So "that kind of behavior" has already been going on for a long time.

[Btard]

It's the same in radical left organisations.

[NoVAHockey]

Conway hasn't been able to get above 43% this month. This incident, staged or not, isn't going to make a difference.

[SugarFree]

Notes From The Outrage Factory

NefariousNewt 10:16 AM
Rand Paul is the most degenerate form of snake that it has ever been my displeasure to know existed. Now that his SA has been revealed, perhaps it's time for the tailor shops in Louisville to have a special on brown shirts.

It isn't enough to condemn the violence Mr. Paul; the violence was perpetrated in your name. You are an accessory to a crime. Do your public duty -- since you claim to care so much for the public -- and turn in the foul miscreants who perpetrated this. To do any less paints you as the two-faced ne're-do-well.

[bookworm]

In reviewing the film, it is clear that these are not "stomps". The man is pushing down on her head with his foot. Obviously, he is deliberately trying not to hurt her, whether he is a Paul supporter or a staged actor.

[zoltan]

I did my part in trying to say it was staged. Can't wait for the barrage of victimization.

[Montani Semper Liberi]

Paul the prognosticating octopus dies.

I wonder if he saw that one coming.

[Brett L]

There was no box for death in his tank.

[Citizen Ed]

But Paul did leave a note: Eat me, and you're dead in three hours.

[MNG]

+1
hehe

[Timon19]

Rest in peace, Pulpo Paul.

[John]

http://pajamasmedia.com/eddris.....-the-back/

Republicans need to sit at the back of the car. First, can we please retire the idiotic car analogy. Second, what possible good did the Obama think saying that would do? Seriously, has there ever been a more immature petulant child elected to high office. At least Nixon, until right before the end, kept himself together in public. That is not a speech, that is a temper tantrum.

[Bingo]

Did Bush even demonize Dems by name? I know plenty of Republicans did, but I don't recall Bush ever making a speech where he basically said "Democrats are what's wrong with the world".

[John]

No he never did. And if he had the Dem media would have had a fit. It is just stupid and counter productive.

[MNG]

"Did Bush even demonize Dems by name?"

WTF do you think Dick Cheney was for?

[John]

He was VP. That is the point.

[TrickyVic]

""President Bush said terrorists will win if Democrats win..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....00530.html

How are you defining demonize? And who doesn't demonize opponents in an election year? It's been SOP as long as I can remember.

[nekoxgirl]

The Democrats have managed to keep their base together by convincing their likely voters that the Republicans are evil. The entire evening block of programming on MSNBC is devoted exclusively to "the GOP are proto-Nazis." I like to call it the Four Hour Hate.

Of course Obama is going to say the same type of shit. It's the fucking talking points memo of the entire Democratic party. I guess Bush had a little bit more integrity (and wow what does that say about Obama that he lacks Bush's integrity) but I'm guessing Sarah Palin won't...

The proponents of the Left/Right divide won't be happy until they start a civil war.

[Tulpa]

I think the point is, the president usually tries to appear "above the fray" and let his underlings do the attack dog routine.

Another bullet point that aside from being a lying scumbag, B-O also has terrible political instincts.

[R C Dean]

Wow. Just, wow.

"Sit at the back" is definitely racially charged rhetoric, immediately calling to mind Rosa Parks.

I honestly can't recall a President who was more intentionally divisive, confrontational, and borderline thuggish than this one.

I can only imagine that this will piss off a lot of people. I can't imagine that its going to be a net plus for the Dems in turns of motivating their base. Its just embarrassing.

[Ragin Cajun]

There is another take on this. Remember, this speech was given in New England, not too far away from where another unfortunate was in the back seat while a Democrat was driving...

[waffles]

are you referring to that awesome VW advertisement?

[Mike M.]

Let's not forget that this is the douchebag who essentially adopted Jeremiah Wright as his mentor and surrogate father in his adult years.

How the media ever duped the public to this extent about this creep I'll never know. It will all out there in the open, as plain as day for anyone to see.

[Fluffy]

That's actually one of the better things about him.

I'd respect him more if he hadn't distanced himself from Wright the way he did.

Wright buys into a couple of conspiracy theories that I don't accept, but his basic critique of American history is absolutely spot-on correct.

[John]

"but his basic critique of American history is absolutely spot-on correct."

If you are nut maybe. Seriously? His critique is anything but spot on. It is totally one sided. He acts as if no one before Americans were ever racist or ever did anything wrong. It is the whole, white responsible for all evil in the world bullshit.

[Fluffy]

He acts as if no one before Americans were ever racist or ever did anything wrong.

That's not relevant.

[John]

It is totally relevant. If you are going to judge something, you have to judge it against something else. And you can't make a fair judgment if you only recognize the faults in one thing but not others. And further it is a totally one sided critique. There is a lot of good going on as well. Wright recognizes none of that.

[Fluffy]

It is totally relevant. If you are going to judge something, you have to judge it against something else.

It's two separate judgments.

I am perfectly capable of making the judgment "Thomas Jefferson crafted a theory of government that was a moral advance on the governments that existed before" while simultaneously making the judgment "If I was one of Thomas Jefferson's black slaves I would totally have decapitated him with a shovel." These are not mutually exclusive judgments.

[John]

But you can't properly judge Thomas Jefferson without considering both things. Wright only considers one thing. Yes, slavery was wrong. But there is a lot more to the history of the country than that.

[Mike M.]

Some of Wright's critiques of history are accurate without a doubt. But mature and serious adults understand and recognize that the country is different today than it was even fifty years ago in a lot of significant ways, and Wright is either unwilling or unable to acknowledge that.

The way he views America today is every bit as stupid and immature as those people on the other side who think that America can never do any wrong. It's tantamount to thinking that today's Germany is still an evil, fascist nation because of Adolf Hitler.

[Tulpa]

That's not relevant.

Really? Funny that Wright doesn't bring up the fact that Europeans rarely entered the interior of Africa to get slaves -- it was Africans (and some Arabs as well) who sold other Africans into slavery.

Not trying to minimize the horror of slavery, but it was a common practice in African culture as well.

[John]

Do you buy the Marxist part of Wright's critique? How the free market and middle class bourgeoisie values have oppressed black people and kept them slaves?

[Mr. FIFY]

Fuck Jeremiah Wright. The man is as racist as [insert any random white supremacist].

[James Ard]

That's his MO. Everything he does is to try to harness our inner racism to keep us divided and socialists in power.

[waffles]

boy that sounds paranoid, almost tinfoil hat paranoid, until you notice that it's pretty close to the way things have played out. way to be post-racial Obama.

[bookworm]

Not to defend Obama, I can't stand him, but remember George Bush Sr.'s comment about his not considering atheists patriots and that he was not even sure that he would consider them citizens?

[sloopyinca]

Source?

[bookworm]

http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/ghwbush.htm

[Tulpa]

And don't forget Dan Quayle's quote saying they speak Latin in Latin America. Or Sarah Palin saying she knows foreign policy because she can see Russia from her house. Or Abe Lincoln calling Uhura a "negress".

[zoltan]

No audio or video exists of him saying this. I can't find where he's written this or said it to a specific person either. Besides, that wasn't the Bush that was retarded about Jesus.

[prolefeed]

It would have been more ironic if Obama was talking about a bus rather than a car, but that was plenty clueless and not helping as is.

[John]

How many Democrats represent districts or states that voted for McCain? Boy genius just told a majority of voters in those places that they have no right to have a say in their government. Yeah, that is going to help those Democrats out.

[MNG]

Wow, Obama has been using that line for weeks now. Late to the rage guys, late to the rage.

[prolefeed]

Wow, Obama has been using that line for weeks now. Late to the rage guys, late to the rage.

Weeks? Doesn't Obama have anyone working for him with the guts to say STFU about that, such blatantly racially tinged remarks are going to cost Ds votes?

The MSM hasn't exactly made those comments into the front page headlines that they deserve -- first time I've read those comments. If a Republican president had said something as racially charged, he or she would not get such a free pass.

[Mr. FIFY]

And it's a piss-poor analogy, MNG.

No rage here, just tired of politicians saying stupid shit designed to scare the populace into submission to the state.

[Tulpa]

MNG is as tone deaf as his president.

Do you taunt the cop who pulls you over for speeding by pointing out that you've been doing it every day for 10 years and this is the first time they caught you?

[Lost_In_Translation]

I wish he would just let us out of this car so he can go drunkenly on his merry way while the rest of us call a cab.

[cynical]

Scene: A driveway. An idiot is fumbling around with a car manual and trying to fix some damage to a car. He's having a bit of trouble. His idiot brother approaches and whistles when he sees the state of the car.
Tweedledum: Shit! What the hell did you do to our car?
Tweedledee: I hit a... pothole. A big pothole. Knocked some shit loose, but it's cool. I know a little bit about cars, I can fix this.
Tweedledum: Bullshit. You're an idiot. And it looks like you ran the car into a ditch.
Tweedledee: It was a big pothole. Off the road. Sort of trenchlike. Anyway, it was your fault -- I was only out there in ditch country because you made me drive your asshole friends Fannie and Freddie home from school. The roads are shit out there where they live.
Tweedledum: First, that still doesn't excuse your driving, and second, what's wrong with doing something nice for other people, you misanthrope? You know the roads out there are bad because people there are poor, right? They can't afford their own car.
Tweedledee: Don't give me that altruistic bullshit, you only asked me to do it because Fanny gives you head in the bathroom during lunch break.
Tweedledum: You were going out there anyway to visit your friend the "high roller". Good to see that gambling addicts rank higher on your scale of moral justice than poor kids.
Tweedledee: Hey, he's helped me out when times were tough. Besides, captain high-and-mighty, you're as much friends with him as I am. Hell, you're the one that talked me into visiting him while I was out there.
Tweedledee: I don't remember saying anything of the sort. Now get out of the way, dipshit. Time for someone who isn't a jackass to give this a shot.
Tweedledee: But you don't know shit about fixing cars. Remember the last time you tried? It was a fucking disaster. We were stuck for ages while you fooled around with it.
Tweedledum: What are you talking about? We got it working!
Tweedledee: No, you lucked out that those kids from Europe needed your help enough that they fixed it for you.
Tweedledum: Whatevs. *Shoves Tweedledee out of the way, picks up a wrench and starts pulling pieces out of the engine*
Tweedledee: What the hell are you doing!
Tweedledum: Fixing the car, what does it look like? *tosses a carburator out* Huh, why was this thing here? See, I saved us some dead weight.
Tweedledee: That's the carburator, you nitwit! You need that for the car to run.
Tweedledum: Hey, if I want advice, I'll get it from someone who didn't drive the car into a ditch, 'kay? *Pulls out some spark plugs* We can spare a couple of these, right? A couple of my buddies need some for their car.
Tweedledee: Urge to kill... rising...
Tweedledum: You know, you should do something about your anger problem. Now, as long as we're fixing things, I've got a plan to make the car drive even better than before. I'm going to replace the oil filter with this automated oil cleaning doohickey.
Tweedledee: An "automated oil cleaning doohickey"?
Tweedledum: Yeah, it should help us save on oil and oil changes. I keep saying that we're giving too damn much money to those greedy ripoff artists at Jiffy Lube.
Tweedledee: So... where did you get this mystery device?
Tweedledum: Oh, I bought it at Jiffy Lube.
Tweedledee: You don't think they... you know what, never mind. How exactly does this thing work?
Tweedledum: Oh, it's technical. You wouldn't understand.
Tweedledee: You don't know, do you?
Tweedledum: Um... no. They gave me a manual to read, but it's like 2000 pages. I figure I'll just wing it.
Tweedledee: How do you know that it's going to work the way you think instead of, I don't know, causing our car to burst into flames?
Tweedledum: Well, the best way to find out is to install it and see. That's science. I know you got a D+ in science, so I won't bore your primitive mind with further elaboration.
Tweedledee: Yes, I know you're very proud of that C-. Did I mention that I hate you?
Tweedledum: Alright, I'm going to need a little help installing this thing. Could you come over here and help me lift?
Tweedledee: You tear the engine to bits, you insult me, and now you want me to help you install some strange device that could completely, irreversibly destroy the car? Fuck you. Fuck you in the ear.
Tweedledum: I see how it's gonna be. *With great effort, manages to get the device installed* Didn't need you anyway. Hey, if you're not going to help fix the car, could you go grab me a latte? You could get yourself a Slurpee, or whatever it is that 'tards are drinking these days.
Tweedledee: Sure, I'll just head right out. Oh wait, that's right, I don't have a fucking car.
Tweedledum: Well, I hope you learned a valuable lesson about driving properly.
*Wisps of smoke start rising from the oil cleaner*
Tweedledum: Now, I just need to convert the engine to run on biodiesel.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The media really shouldn't report that the Repugs aren't going to take the Senate. It can't be called a resounding Democrat victory and a mandate for more Obamanomics if everyone expects the Dims to keep the upper house of Congress.

[Old Mexican]

Italian mayor [of Castellammare di Stabia, south of Naples] bans miniskirts.

Men are outraged.

Oh, and so are women - some of them at least.

[The Other Kevin]

Mayor bans miniskirts and cleavage.

I'll look into that.

[Old Mexican]

I'll look under that...

Oh, no need!

[zoltan]

That is fucking ridiculous. I am certain Europe is full of gay politicians.

[Pip]

I believe that the miniskirt ban is a way to force woman to walk around in their panties. So I'm all for it.

[The Other Kevin]

Ford reports record profit

I choked when I heard this on the news. And I wasn't eating anything. The Volt is becoming Obama's cardigan.

[Citizen Ed]

When the Volt fails, Obama and Axelrod will spin it that we bitter Americans were unworthy of the gift, but the Volt did create 746,000 new jobs.

[CoyoteBlue]

I'm bitterly clinging to my internal combustion engine and hydrocarbon-based economy.

[Al Gore]

Me, too, but only because I *need* my jet planes and armored SUVs to spread my message of global climate change.

[Chad]

*sigh*

[Tony]

That's the LAST TIME I masturbate to you, Al!

[dbcooper]

According to Chrome's task manager the H&R page (slowest site I navigate to by a long margin) now uses 272,028k of RAM alone.

Time to change your web design contractor!

[SugarFree]

That's 2,125 Ataris worth of RAM!

[Joe M]

Actually, it's 2,125,219. Note the "k".

[SugarFree]

Curse your keen eye!

[Joe M]

Just think: H&R is equivalent to an entire landfill of E.T. games.

[SugarFree]

I often imagine E.T. himself down there with the cartridges, crushed and bloodied under a layer of concrete, a smear of rotted yet still sickly sweet Reese's Pieces across his wretched turtle beak mouth, dying over and over only to be resurrected, his glowing finger getting ever fainter as he alternately begs for Eliot to save him or for the sweet relief of eternal death.

[Clich? Bandit]

jeesus...SF you just ruined a childhood memory of mine forever. Thats it, I aint readin your posts unless there is a fucked up link in them.

[T]

Never having seen ET, I remain unaffected by this prose.

[Ska]

One for each copy of ET buried in New Mexico.

[Ska]

Holy shit I needed to hit refresh way before posting that comment.

[chrome user]

Install the AdThwart extension.

[Joe M]

Re: miniskirts
Luigi Bobbio, who was elected on Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party ticket, won a vote to ban

Re: Prop 19
Fuck!

[Enough About Palin]

Our Racist President:

He said Republicans had driven the economy into a ditch and then stood by and criticized while Democrats pulled it out. Now that progress has been made, he said, "we can't have special interests sitting shotgun. We gotta have middle class families up in front. We don't mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101025/ap_on_el_pr/us_obama

[MNG]

Hey EAP, fellow operative John has already covered this talking point!

[John]

How is it a "talking point"? It is not my fault the country elected a President with an temper problem and a low IQ. I didn't vote for him.

[MNG]

He's been saying that for weeks and weeks. Now I guess the memo went out to make something of it and our GOP operatives like you and EAP report for duty! It's hilarious really.

[John]

How is the fact that he has been saying it for "weeks" make it any less offensive or stupid? Yeah, I don't spend time listening to the dumb bastard. So, I didn't hear about it until today. Big deal.

[MNG]

I realize it takes a while for the conservative blogoshphere to make your talking points for you John.

So this week it will be the sit in the back meme. Maybe next week it will be "racist Ag. official turns down white farmer" again 🙂

[John]

As opposed to you who cites Balkinization as a legitimate source. It is an incredibly stupid and offensive statement. And rather than admit the obvious, you just change the subject, which is what you always do. You are just constitutionally incapable of making an honest argument.

[Sarcasmo 2000]

The always entertaining John vs. MNG cat fight. Now in 3D!

[waffles]

3D really? I tried the goggles, they do nothing.

[Joe M]

You really should've thrown some zees in there.

[Mr. FIFY]

Y'know, MNG, the whole "talking points memo" thing is bullshit. I have yet to get an e-mail from, say, Karl Rove, telling me what I should be outraged about on a given day.

And I suspect the above is true for 99% of ordinary people.

[TrickyVic]

I thought they got the memo from Bill O'Reilly. 😉

[Mr. FIFY]

Notice how the left brings up "memos", yet always seems to forget who sends them THEIR memos...

[CaptainSmartass]

He's been saying something racist for weeks and weeks? How is that better?

[Jason]

That talking point is so 2002.

[Enough About Palin]

Hey stool fucker, I'm a fucking Libertarian. I am for gay marriage as well as polygamy. I am for the legalization of all drugs. I believe the Second Amendment means that any citizen should be able to carry a loaded weapon anywhere they choose. I am for jury nullification. I am opposed to fiat currency (but what's a person to do?). I believe that district attorneys who lie to win prosecutions should be publicly executed to serve as an example to other career-driven DA's. I could continue, but why? I am not a fucking Republican. I don't proffer Republican talking points. You are as fucking stupid as Tony if you can't tell the difference between a Republican talking point and the appalling realization that we have a god damn, serial race-baiting piece of shit for a president.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I like the cut of this guy's jib.

[Enough About Palin]

Don't you be touchin' the jib.

[Jib-touchers Union Rep]

Not without MY fuckin' stamp of approval.

[Enough About Palin]

And fuck unions, BTW.

[Union-Fuckers Union Rep]

Hey! Step back, scab!

[Homer Simpson]

What's a jib?

[waffles]

I wish I could stick that rant in a flask and take a swig. Nicely done.

[MNG]

Please EAP, you're a Goper, that's plain to anyone here.

The funny thing with you and Johnny is how you swallow whatever meme the GOP is sending out through the intertubes.

I saw Obama do this bit in his Philly speech (the one where they threw the book at him). It was on CNN. He starts the bit with the GOP AT THE WHEEL. Then they go into a ditch. Then the Dems get out and push while the GOP criticizes but fails to join in. Then when they get the car out the GOP asks to drive and they are told no they must get in the back seat.

Finding racism in that is hernia inducing straining. But you don't know the entire bit, you read something on a right wing blog and fell for it...

BTW-I think the bit is incredibly stupid. But its not racist...

[Mr. FIFY]

MNG, why is it you ascribe GOPness to people you do not know to be members of said organization?

[Pip]

"MNG, why is it you ascribe GOPness to people you do not know to be members of said organization?"

Gleeful ignorance would be my guess.

[Enough About Palin]

What ever you say, stool fucker. Whatever you say.

[bookworm]

It's not racist, but it's stupid for implying that he and the Dems have gotten us out of the ditch.

[nekoxgirl]

Well a bunch of Democratic Congressmen somehow misinterpreted shouts of "kill the bill" into racial slurs so I guess it cuts both ways.

[Abdul]

Are we going to be allowed to drink slurpees there in the back?

If we drive into a ditch again, are we expected to help the car out, or can we finish the slurpees?

[Obama]

Don't you get your damn slurpee on my genuine crushed velvet upholstery, cracker.

[bookworm]

Obama saying the economy has been saved is like his saying the war in Iraq is over. Just saying it doesn't make it true.

[Tulpa]

A better excuse would be the Republicans driving it into a ditch and the Democrats stepping in and using it as an excuse to get gropey.

[Pip]

LAS VEGAS -- Some voters in Boulder City said they are concerned about fraud at the electronic ballot box.

Voter Joyce Ferrara said when they went to vote for Republican Sharron Angle, her Democratic opponent, Sen. Harry Reid's name was already checked.

Ferrara said she wasn't alone in her voting experience. She said her husband and several others voting at the same time all had the same thing happen.

"Something's not right," Ferrara said. "One person that's a fluke. Two, that's strange. But several within a five minute period of time -- that's wrong."

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/25511115/detail.html

[Solanum]

If the damned NCR can't even prevent voter fraud, then how do they expect to stop the Legion?

[waffles]

Don't let 2010 be like 2281.

That game has me conflicted. My normal instinct is to murder/rape/steal from any NPC who gives me any backtalk, but every group has given me shit for something I did or didn't do. Can I kill them all?

[Ska]

You can, but you'll probably miss out on many opportunities. Of course that's why you need multiple playthroughs.

You're not going to be able to do both the NCR's missions and Caesar's Legion's missions with the same character.

[waffles]

I chose female and black widow. I'm pretty impressed with the way my character can slut it up.

[R C Dean]

I'll wait for the GOTY edition of New Vegas. That one should be fully patched up and have all the DLCs.

I'm up to my eyeballs in Borderlands right now. Great game. Also waited for the GOTY. I think that's my new thing for these games - save some scratch on the DLCs, let 'em work out all the bugs.

[Ska]

There was no way I was going to wait half a year to get my hands on New Vegas. If they can patch some of the bugs you'll be well rewarded for your patience.

[dhex]

new vegas is totally worth diving into - unlike las vegas, actually.

[R C Dean]

There was no way I was going to wait half a year to get my hands on New Vegas.

That's what I thought, until I started Borderlands.

Fallout games are famously buggy, although otherwise awesome. I'll wait for them to put another coat of polish on it.

[Solanum]

Good luck with Crawmerax, RC. He's damn near impossible to kill solo.

[T]

I just started Bioshock 2 so I got plenty of pixels to kill before I get Borderlands or New Vegas.

[JW]

F:NV is remarkably bug-free so far. F3 used to crash every couple minutes and so I was saving like crazy. I've probably played about 6 hours so far without any crashing. This is on the PC, BTW.

[Ska]

Did you get to interrogate the centurian at McCarren? I'm glad I chose the SPECIAL allocations I did, it opened up a very cool set of dialogue.

I'd give FO:NV a 9.5/10 if it wasn't for the terrible loading times and glitchiness of the game. It's still an incredible game based on the expanded gameplay, outstanding quests, and even better characters/weird wasteland situations than FO3. But one and half minute load times between zones is way too much when you're on the Strip, and the glitchiness that comes with the game engine appear too frequently. Still an amazing game; but it could have been the ultimate RPG if there was a better handle on the technical issues.

[Solanum]

No, not yet. I invested heavily in Perception, Charisma, and Intelligence, along with all of the geeky perks and traits, so hopefully I'll be able to access that.

[wylie]

Hot damn, 9.5/10 despite long load times and glitchiness? I've got to checkout this Fallout franchise at some point.

[Ska]

If you've never played FO3 you can get it pretty cheap now, with the expansions, and see if you dig the combination of dialogue driven storytelling, modified FPS style combat, and post-apocolyptic setting where resources are scarce and anything can kill you.

[R C Dean]

I would give FO3 a go (GOTY, of course). Washington DC full of mutants, not to mention scrubbing out the Capitol with nuclear weapons, is not to be missed.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Walter Dellinger was solicitor general under Bill Clinton. He defended D.C.'s handgun ban before the U.S. Supreme Court in D.C. v. Heller - and lost. He's currently a law professor at Duke.

I heard him being interviewed this morning on NPR and could not believe what he was saying. This guy is supposed to be some kind of constitutional law scholar. But listen to how he defends his assertion that there is no legitimate constitutional argument against the Obamacare individual mandate (click the "listen to this story" link) - starting at 3:58, if you want to skip the other discussion (which is interesting, though).

He makes no argument based on the Constitution itself - rather, he defends it based on how popular it is. So his argument is that if something Congress wants to do is really, really popular, it's within Congress's power. He does not explain the commerce clause power or anything else - I can only presume it is because there is no historical support to be found for it. It is an indefensible argument.

He was wrong on the Second Amendment and he's clearly wrong on this. Gotta wonder what he's teaching his law students.

[MNG]

IIRC Dellinger is part of the group of most highly reputable liberal law profs that defend the mandate via the Tax and Spend Clause...See Jack Balkin's web site Balkinization if you're actually curious as to what those folks are thinking.

[John]

But of course Congress sold it as not being a tax. It is pretty hard to call it a "tax" when all of the legislative history swears that it is not. And moreover, would a search of the H&R archives reveal you arguing that it wasn't a tax? If so, were you and Congress just lying?

[MNG]

Actually, that is addressed on Balkinization under the post "The Presumption of Constitutionality."

I think the Tax or Commerce Clause could justify the mandate constitutionally. I've long said both Johnny, as I think we've been over.

[John]

Oh Balkinization thinks it is constitutional. What a surprise. You might as well site the Birch Society. the fact remains that if you want to claim it is a "tax", you have to admit that Obama and the Congress were lying sacks of shit when they spent all of 2009 claiming it wasn't. It is called bait and switch.

[MNG]

It's not important that Balkin says it is, it's why he says it is. I find his arguments convincing.

And I said months ago there was deception involved.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Except that at least one federal court in Florida already has ruled that it is not a tax. The statute itself plainly denominates it as a penalty, not a tax, and if you look at the floor speeches, there was podium pounding emphatically denying it was a tax; Obama himself stated that it was not a tax; and in an earlier version it was called a tax, but the bill was amended to change the word "tax" to "penalty."

Other than all of that history, sure, it's a tax. Except that it clearly is mean to be a penalty.

The government trotted out the "it's a tax and therefore authorized under the power to tax" argument only when the law was challenged. Two of the federal judges to consider this argument have not been receptive to it at all, because the act itself plainly says it's a penalty, not a tax.

The Commerce Clause does not, in any way, "justify" or authorize the individual mandate. The Commerce Clause empowers Congress to "regulate commerce among the several states." It does NOT empower Congress to "regulate individual activities that might, in the aggregate, have an effect on commerce among the several states." It most certainly does not empower Congress to require people to purchase a particular commodity or service.

If the Constitution empowers Congress to do this, where are the limits on Congressional power? What can't Congress do, in the pursuit of "the greater good"? We're left with Pete Stark's statement that Congress can pretty much do whatever it wants.

[MNG]

Actually, that is addressed on Balkinization under the post "The Presumption of Constitutionality."

I think the Tax or Commerce Clause could justify the mandate constitutionally. I've long said both Johnny, as I think we've been over.

[Sarcasmo 2000]

Get a room or take it outside, you freaks.

[Enough About Palin]

Hey Stool fuck, what's with the Johnny bullshit? Jesus fucking christ what a cunt.

[Tulpa]

You've said a lot of things.

[bookworm]

"I think the Tax or Commerce Clause could justify the mandate constitutionally"

But Obama said that the penalties were not a tax. Now in order to get it under the Commerce Clause, they've changed their tune and now claim it is a tax. Regarding interstate commerce, health insurance doesn't fit that because it can't be purchased across state lines.

[Old Mexican]

Re: MNG,

Dellinger is part of the group of most highly reputable liberal law profs

Most reputable "lib law prof"? That's like saying he's the prettiest among the warthogs...

[...]that defend the mandate via the Tax and Spend Clause[...]

That's the "Proper and Necessary" clause. Also called the "You wallet or your life" clause among us serfs.

[JD]

He makes no argument based on the Constitution itself - rather, he defends it based on how popular it is. So his argument is that if something Congress wants to do is really, really popular, it's within Congress's power.

The "living Constitution" argument in a nutshell.

[bookworm]

I don't see how he can even make the argument that Obamacare is popular. The polls show it isn't popular and why is it that the Democrats are going to lose badly this year. It's mostly because we had Obamacare crammed down our throats.

[Enough About Palin]

"It's mostly because we had Obamacare crammed down our throats."

East there, bookworm. Talk like that will have the stool fucker branding you as a Republican talking pointer.

[bookworm]

I want to see the Dems punished for what they did, but I worry about the Republicans getting in and maybe bringing a disasterous war with Iran to us. In 2014, I'll probably be rooting for the Democrats like I was in 2006 and 2008.

[R C Dean]

It is impossible for a Republican Congress to get us into a war with anyone.

Even if the declared war over the President's objection, he's the CinC, so he could just refrain from ordering any troops over thataway.

[bookworm]

OK, maybe we're safe for the next two years, but what about after 2012?

[cynical]

The Constitution was written so as to be accessible and understandable by ordinary people. The law degree is necessary not for understanding the Constitution, but for learning how to abuse language and reason to twist the Constitution inside out in the service of those with power.

[rhea]

"Italian mayor bans miniskirts." Why would you ban using mini-skirt!? Italians love fashion and ladies might not approve on this (perhaps men too).

We help Americans move to Asia for jobs and prosperity. Learn more at http://www.pathtoasia.com

[-]

DIAF

[Fitzroy]

Eleven People jump out the window after sighting the devil:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.....85331.html

[Mister DNA]

Warren Buffet picks his successor.

Damn, I was hoping it would be Kim Jong-un.

[MNG]

Isn't the "_____ lead narrows" a headline every year in every election? I rmember the "Obama lead narrows" in 08.

[Joe M]

No one cares about issues. It's horse racing.

[John]

Pretty much. And the headline before the 06 election was "Republicans narrow lead". You can always map out a scenario where the losing side will win if all the close races break their way. But in an election that is running against one side like this one is, the close races never break for the losing side.

[Brett L]

Hard to sell news where the lede is "Nothing New to Report"

[Barry D]

The NYT comes damned close to publishing Democratic Party press releases. See some of their issues from 2008. Maybe the GOP is going to win 20 seats, maybe they'll lose 20 seats, but the NYT wouldn't be the place to read anything but campaign propaganda about it...

[Rhayader]

Goddamn you Matt Welch, you prescient bastard:

"[No on 19's] Salazar credited newspaper editorial boards with the change in direction, after they came come out against Prop 19, focusing on the negative aspects of legalizing marijuana.

Also, what in the shit does this even mean:

Though a majority of the backing seems to come from young voters, Datig said the college students she'd spoken with enjoyed only talking about the idea of legalized marijuana. She said that none of them wanted to have a voting record that legalized drugs and that they were more interested in coming up with ways to address the drug problem.

A voting record that legalized drugs? WTF??

It's gonna be a close race either way, and if it doesn't happen this year, 2012 looks pretty good.

[John]

"he said that none of them wanted to have a voting record that legalized drugs and that they were more interested in coming up with ways to address the drug problem."

Honestly, I think they may be so stupid that they don't realize we have secret ballots in this country. Worse, even if you skip that part, could you have a more pro establishment, do whatever the powers that be tell me sentiment than that? Liberals in education really have succeeded in destroying the minds of the young.

[Abdul]

They knew about the secret ballots, but forgot due to short term memory loss caused by pot.

[Esoteric]

Nah, they just assumed that card-check passed, and that it applied to everyone.

[Rhayader]

Yeah I think you're right -- and I also suspect that this no-on-19 Datig lady is probably embellishing the true timbre of her conversations with college students. Saying that "none of them" want a pro-weed vote on their record -- even allowing for unanimous stupidity in thinking that's even relevant to anything -- seems suspicious.

[wylie]

and I also suspect that this no-on-19 Datig lady is probably embellishing the true timbre of her conversations with college students

Datig: "Would you be willing to put your face and home address on a billboard stating your support for Prop 19?!"

Student: "WTF, please let go of my arm!" *runs*

[Rhayader]

Hah, I can just picture the flashing blue light posts going off as she makes her way around campus.

[nekoxgirl]

I graduated from college five years ago in North Carolina. In my communications class half of the presentations were for legalizing marijuana in North Carolina. I would think that college students in California would be even more pro-legalization.

[skr]

I was thinking the same thing. I'm guessing the pollster didn't want to discourage that articular mistake. My second thought was, "our schools really suck if kids don't know about secret ballots."

[Mongo]

I'm tellin' ya's -- the Reps are NOT going to do well in this upcoming election.

Yes, everyone's down on the Dems, but the GOP candidates are even less popular. Just ask yer fellow conservatives. It's a fractured party....

[Brett L]

What flavor was your Kool-Aid? Electric Acid or Guyanan Sleep?

[Mongo]

Don't know -- I mainline it.

[Mongo]

My conservative peeps are aghast that Tim Pawlenty is even considering a prez run -- they can't stand that fugger.

[Brett L]

He's no Fritz Mondale.

[Warty]

"Fellow"?

[Mongo]

I work in a very conservative place and have family in a very conservative region. That is all.

[John]

So all of those conservatives who hate the GOP are going to vote Democrat? Yeah, the GOP still is unpopular and deservedly so. But the Democrats have been so awful that they have given people no choice but to kick them out.

[Barry D]

Like, "conservative" because they favor limited government, or "conservative" because they favor prohibition, government religion and gay-bashing?

[Mongo]

They claim the former but it's very obviously the latter.

[bookworm]

And war!

[Marshall Gill]

And racist!

[bookworm]

Funny how Christianity, racism, and war all seem to go together.

[prolefeed]

'm tellin' ya's -- the Reps are NOT going to do well in this upcoming election.

You seem to have a great capacity for denial, or inability to read polls.

[Mongo]

Unless polling falls into the +/- 80% range, the only poll that matters is on Election Day.

[bookworm]

Look for Mongo to not be showing up here on Nov. 3.

[John]

The Democratic Party in Pennsylvania should be sending MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell a basket of mini-muffins for her deft handling of a potentially devastating gaffe one week before the mid-term elections.

Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA), Chariman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, was on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell this morning. He was explaining how the Philadelphia machine was working to ensure Joe Sestak's victory in the closely watched Senate race in Pennsylvania. Ms Mitchell asked, "What is the secret here to turn out? In the old days, the old machine days, what we called 'walking around money,' handing out money to get people to vote. Is it still the case? What do you do, what is the magic in Philadelphia?"

Rep. Brady (who looks and sounds like he came right out of central casting for the part of shady, party boss) shockingly acknowledged that the cash-on-the-streets strategy is not an antiquity but still part of the Democratic Machine's playbook in 2010: "We still have the street money and we're very knowledgeable," he said.

http://bigjournalism.com/srigh.....tes-gaffe/

[P Brooks]

So all of those conservatives who hate the GOP are going to vote Democrat?

I suspect a lot of them will just stay home. I do not expect an unusually high rate of defeat for incumbents.

[John]

I bet you there is. If there is not an unusually high rate of defeat for incumbents, that would mean the Dems, being most of the incumbents will hold the House. What make a bet on that?

[Mike M.]

I want in on that bet too.

The democrats will barely hold onto the Senate (the republicans really screwed themselves in Delaware), but they're going to be dealt a humiliating and crushing defeat in the House. My prediction is a 52 seat gain.

[John]

They didn't screw themselves in Delaware. Castle would have been worse than Coons.

[creech]

How so?

[Brett L]

Unfortunately, 55 seats is still a 87% retention rate.

[Mongo]

That's my feeling too (staying home), just like in the 2008 elections. There are enough viable third part candidates to split any conservative ticket (I'm thinking in my locale).

[John]

What third party candidates? You gave yourself away. As Episiarch says, Concern Troll is Concerned.

[McCoy]

I agree, I don't think this will be the big loss for TEAM BLUE! everyone is claiming it will be.

[P Brooks]

Maybe the zombie vote ("AAAAARRRRRRRR! Repuuuublicaaaaaaaaaaaan!") will be strong, but I suspect people who actually need to see some sort of substantive qualitative difference between Idiot A and Idiot B to make it worth their while to go pull the little handle or what ever you do in there will stay home. More of them than you might expect.

[John]

None of the polls indicate that. All of the polls indicate a huge enthusiasm gap between the Dems and the Republicans. Challengers are not well known. And most races are a mandate on the incumbent not a "oh my God I love the challenger" vote. You are kidding yourself. It is going to be an historically horrible night for incumbents.

[Mongo]

It was funny to watch my neo-con co-workers pretending to get excited about the 2008 elections. I'd jibe them with: "So you're going to stand in those long lines of Obama voters just to pull the switch for McCain?!"

bWaaHaHAHA!!

[waffles]

There's something wrong with you. Political parties aren't sports teams. I imagine it's much harder to be a democrat surrounded by republicans than the opposite, but still, yeesh you're repellent.

[John]

He is just a concern troll. The part about there being "enough viable third parties to split the vote" gave him away. What third parties?

[Mongo]

I'm not talking strictly Senate races, more of the overall election. We don't have a Senate election this year in my state but the third party gubernatorial candidate is somewhat popular.

Reid will beat Angle in Nevada.

[bookworm]

I would so love to see Reid go down in defeat.

[bookworm]

I would think your neocon co-workers would be very pleased with Obama for keeping the wars going and even expanding the one in Afghanistan.

[P Brooks]

Unfortunately, our Congressional overlords assume poor voter turnout is an indicator of citizens' approval, rather than a big FUCK YOU.

[wylie]

We really need to add a "None of the above, and you should all be tossed out on the street" option on all ballots.

[Mr. FIFY]

I prefer either a ranking system wherein we decide who gets to be the first up against the wall, and second, and so on... or the Klingon system, wherein one moves up the ranks by killing their superiors in glorious battle.

[Worf]

It is a good day to die.

[P Brooks]

And another thing- I sincerely hope Ms O'Donnell (I'm winging it on the spelling) wins, just to see the anguish on the faces of people like David Brooks.

[bookworm]

I imagine David Brooks would grow to like her whenever he sees all her pro-Israel votes.

[Clich? Bandit]

OK...I bet John 1 internets on the following (limited to races I am familiar with):

Prop 19 - fails but closely

Bennet (D) defeats Buck (R) CO Senate (Stringer (L) gets 6%)

Paul (R) wins in KY

Hickenlooper (D) wins Gov. in CO (49%)
Tancredo (ACP) gets 44%
Maes (R) gets 7% - GOP becomes minor party in CO...freakin awesome.

Reid (D) NV retains seat

I have a perfect track record (no shit) that EVERY prediction I have made i the last 7 years has been wrong. Here is to keepin the streak goin
(ex. Clinton over Obama, Romanoff over Bennet, Ref. C in CO fails, countless smaller races which I got 100% wrong)

[John]

I agree with you about Prop 19 and Paul. But think Buck wins in Colorado and Reid loses. I have no idea what will happen with the Colorado governor seat and since I don't live there don't care.

The Senate races are all going to break for the Republicans. At this point if the incumbent hasn't made his case, he won't make it. I bet the Republicans win everywhere but Delaware (and it wouldn't shock me if they won there, if Coons is really up so big why did he flip on extending the Bush tax cuts last week?) and Connecticut.

[NoVAHockey]

Even Boxer? Murray I can see losing.

[John]

I think Murray will lose. Boxer I don't know. California is just so hopeless. But she is still below 50%. Incumbents below 50% right before the election almost always lose.

[R C Dean]

Even Boxer?

Babs got a nasty October surprise this morning. Somebody filed an ethics complaint on her, alleging potentially criminal failure to disclose real estate holdings.

We'll see what kind of legs the story has, of course, but it plays nicely into the "throw the bums out" zeitgeist.

[bookworm]

Boxer: another Dem I hope goes down.

[cynical]

Ew, thanks for the visual.

[bookworm]

Tancredo is one Republican or ex-Republican that I don't mind seeing lose.

[Clich? Bandit]

I am not saying I will vote for him (I am voting for Jamie Brown) BUT when compared to others...small gubimint with a record, low taxes, legal pot, the only real problems are he is crazy and he doesnt like brown people...we could do worse.

[bookworm]

Trancredo is for legalizing pot?

[Clich? Bandit]

yes

[P Brooks]

None of the polls indicate that.

People lie on polls.

Furthermore, what if, on election day, large numbers of these "energized conservatives" say to themselves, "This thing is in the bag" and skip the rainy trek to the voting booth?

[John]

What if Obama rides his unicorn out? The polls are not perfect, but they tend to get the big things right. There are too many polls saying the same thing for all of them to be wrong. And no one is going to not vote because they think it is in the bag. They are too angry for that. Voting against the incumbent is a way of saying fuck you to them.

[Mike M.]

I predict turnout is going to be large (for a midterm) in most of the country, just like it was for the Brown-Coakley race in January. That race was BEFORE the abominable health care bill passed, and things have only gotten worse since then.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm going to vote, and the GOP will do okay on my ballot this go-around, because I'm voting 'G' for Gridlock.

[Mongo]

I lie to pollsters.

[Pro Libertate]

I see dead voters.

[Clich? Bandit]

I'm Joe Montana

[P Brooks]

Somebody filed an ethics complaint on her, alleging potentially criminal failure to disclose real estate holdings.

Shadowy corporate money strikes again.

Democracy is doomed. DOOOOOOOMED, I tells ya!

[smz]

those damn Koch brothers!
Reason Foundation makes da news!

[Isaac Bartram]

Damn, if there's a reporter anywhere in the world that's more clueless than George Moonbat, I certainly don't know who he is.

[Mike Laursen]

The movement began when CNBC's Rick Santelli called from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for a bankers' revolt against the undeserving poor. (He proposed that the traders should hold a tea party to dump derivative securities in Lake Michigan to prevent Obama's plan to "subsidise the losers": by which he meant people whose mortgages had fallen into arrears.) On the same day, Americans for Prosperity set up a Tea Party Facebook page and started organising Tea Party events.

I think this what we in the business call a total coincidence. Not to mention he's off on the birthdate of the Tea Parties, since they started during the Bush Administration (a fact that progressives don't seem to be able to acknowledge).

And why speak about founding of Cato and Reason in conspiratorial tones unless you're just plain afraid of ideas.

[Isaac Bartram]

It appears that Rand Paul is taking the Move-on activist's assault seriously.

Paul Condemns Kentucky Attack, Suggests He Knows Stomper's Identity

Methinks the reporter is stretching. It's not like the candidate in a statewide campaign is going to know every voluteer personally.

[Isaac Bartram]

To elaborate, left-leaners seem to read an awful lot into statements. Nothing I read indicated RP knew anything beyond the fact that the attacker appeared to be one of his voluteers.

[Mongo]

I don't think it's that big of a deal. Things happen in crowds. It will quickly be yesterday's news.

[????? ??????]

Thanks