Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Best of the Web Today: If Data Were a Journalist - WSJ.com

Best of the Web Today: If Data Were a Journalist - WSJ.com: ""Vox.com joins a crowded field of data-driven news sites," USA Today reported earlier this month. Maybe "Data" should have been capitalized.

A pair of articles the site published yesterday, one on John Kerry's diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and one on ObamaCare, demonstrate a glaring deficiency in Vox's "explanatory" approach to journalism. Both reflect a determined detachment from reality--specifically, from the human element in human affairs.

Let's start in the Mideast with Max Fisher, author of the story titled "Does It Matter That John Kerry Compared Israel to Apartheid?" The answer to that question seems to be self-evidently yes, but Fisher wants to argue that it shouldn't matter. The whole kerfuffle, he insists, is a "distraction": "We're not debating . . . the substance of Kerry's points or the future of the Israel-Palestine conflict.""



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Big donor secrecy: ‘Irony, but it’s not hypocrisy’ - POLITICO.com Print View

Big donor secrecy: ‘Irony, but it’s not hypocrisy’ - POLITICO.com Print View: "Democratic attacks on the Koch brothers for secretive campaign spending have become a virtual plank in the party’s platform, but it turns out big-money liberals can be just as defensive when their own closed-door activities are put in the spotlight.

During a gathering here of major Democratic donors this week that has raised more than $30 million for liberal groups, questions about the party’s split personality on the issue were dodged, rejected or answered with an array of rationalizations. That is, when they weren’t met with recriminations or even gentle physical force."



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Explaining Inequality Over $16 Cocktails | Washington Free Beacon

Explaining Inequality Over $16 Cocktails | Washington Free Beacon: "It’s easy to mock VOX DOT COM. (Trust me, I know.) But, for some strange reason, they’ve decided to make it even easier. To wit: Matthew Yglesias recently discussed the evils of the accumulation of wealth with anti-income-inequality auteur Thomas Piketty … at the bar of the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Now, for those of you who aren’t aware, the St. Regis, located steps from the White House, is one of the nicest hotels in the city. And the bar, as you can see from the menu below, isn’t exactly the sort of place the One Percent would feel uncomfortable."



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WaPo: Middle East peace process dead, worse off than before « Hot Air

WaPo: Middle East peace process dead, worse off than before « Hot Air: "The Post never mentions that Hamas has been firing rockets into Israel as Fatah signed that reconciliation agreement. That might be one reason that Israel doesn’t believe Hamas to be a partner for peace, no? The problem of Palestinian demands for Israel’s destruction existed before Kerry took over from Hillary Clinton, of course, but his central conceit was that his diplomacy was going to be different. It turned out to be the same old thing, and it left the situation arguably worse.

In fact, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki couldn’t name a single benefit for Israelis or Palestinians of Kerry’s talks when pressed by the Associated Press’ Matt Lee, except for the prisoner releases."



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White House back to peddling economic stimulus-via-infrastructure spending and new taxes « Hot Air

White House back to peddling economic stimulus-via-infrastructure spending and new taxes « Hot Air: "As President Obama so peevishly informed us all earlier this month, that the debate on repealing/replacing ObamaCare is now absolutely beyond contestation, so it would be really great if we could all just shut up and move on to more important things — like, say, the economy, because “the fifty or so votes Republicans have taken to repeal this law could have been fifty votes to create jobs by investing in things like infrastructure, more innovation.” That’s why the White House is leading by example and contrasting itself with Congress’s deliberately light legislative schedule — by proposing the same old sort of high-spending bull-pucky we’ve heard before."



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Oklahoma death-row inmate dies of heart attack after botched execution « Hot Air

Oklahoma death-row inmate dies of heart attack after botched execution « Hot Air: "“This could be a real turning point in the whole debate as people get disgusted by this sort of thing,” said one death-penalty opponent afterward. Could it? See for yourself what this degenerate did to earn himself a spot on the gurney and decide how disgusted you are. He raped the victim, shot her, and then had his cohorts bury her alive while she was bleeding out — and of the two men Oklahoma was set to execute last night, he’s arguably the lesser offender of the two. The other guy raped and killed … an infant. His execution’s now been stayed while Oklahoma figures out what went wrong with the drug cocktail they administered to the first inmate."



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Blue on blue: Wendy Davis’ camp slams DGA « Hot Air

Blue on blue: Wendy Davis’ camp slams DGA « Hot Air: "The Democratic Governors Association is currently engaged in political triage, a routine political ritual in which parties set priorities for spending over a campaign season’s home stretch. Analysts create tiers of races based on the likelihood of victory, then proceed to distribute resources accordingly. The DGA is out with its revamped 2014 list, and some contests didn’t make the cut — a clear indicator of where the national party is anticipating defeat. Being left on the outside looking in can be a traumatic experience for spurned candidates, as the kiss-off can be lethal to fundraising and building momentum."



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Mission accomplished: U.S. health-care spending soars nearly 10 percent in first quarter, most since 1980 « Hot Air

Mission accomplished: U.S. health-care spending soars nearly 10 percent in first quarter, most since 1980 « Hot Air: "That’s from Philip Klein, who notes that spending also rose 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013 as the first few million O-Care sign-ups came onto the rolls. If you’re worried that a program that was sold in part on its ability to lower health-care spending can’t possibly be defended for raising health-care spending, relax. The first rule of ambitious liberal programs is that there are no trade-offs, at least in theory; that’s why Obama was able to blithely reassure people for years that they could keep their plan if they liked their plan, even though the whole point of O-Care was to force consumers from the old insurance market into the new one. Conn Carroll and Gabe Malor are having tons of fun on Twitter noting how Think Progress, in particular, has gone from cheering the slowdown in health-care spending over the past few years to cheering the skyrocket in health-care spending today."



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Senate Dems plan vote amending the First Amendment to curtail criticism « Hot Air

Senate Dems plan vote amending the First Amendment to curtail criticism « Hot Air: "Think of the big issues facing the American public. We now routinely borrow about 40 cents on the dollar for our federal budget, our entitlement programs are heading for a fiscal collapse in the hundreds of trillions of dollars, and our economy has stagnated through nearly five years of Democratic-run economic policy in the “recovery.” What do Senate Democrats plan to do about this? Make it harder for us to complain about it."



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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Supreme Court upholds EPA’s cross-state air pollution authority « Hot Air

Supreme Court upholds EPA’s cross-state air pollution authority « Hot Air: "Perhaps the individually-evaluated approach for which the EPA argued does make the process more workable for its ostensible emission-reducing purposes, but I’d be a little more inclined to give the agency the benefit of the doubt if it hadn’t already established such a brazen habit of expanding its own power at every possible turn."



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Video: Annoyed Obama pretty sick and tired of people calling his foreign policy weak « Hot Air

Video: Annoyed Obama pretty sick and tired of people calling his foreign policy weak « Hot Air: "It’s a sign of how little Obama wants to talk about Afghanistan and Libya these days that he doesn’t mention them here as obvious examples of his willingness to send in the military when necessary. And that’s not the only conspicuous omission. There’s a really obvious example of hawks accusing O of weakness and appeasement that, curiously, Obama doesn’t bring up in defending his approach to crises like Syria and Ukraine. Hint: It begins with an “I” and it’s a giant sore spot with our allies in Israel and our “allies” in Saudi Arabia. Why do you suppose he’s not so eager to talk about that one?"



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Best of the Web Today: Carelessness or Candor? - WSJ.com

Best of the Web Today: Carelessness or Candor? - WSJ.com: "Was Kerry's reference to "apartheid" just a careless choice of words? That's unlikely. Byers reports that Joseph Nye, North American chairman of the Trilateral Commission, sent Kerry a letter profusely apologizing: "I am very distressed that Mr. Rogin somehow gained entrance to the meeting room but also that he blatantly ignored the clearly stated rules we had established and under which you agreed to appear before the Commission. His actions tarnish the Commission's excellent reputation for honoring this pledge and that of all those who attended the session and did keep it.""



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Warning: This Column Will Offend You - The Daily Beast

Warning: This Column Will Offend You - The Daily Beast: "It’s with a twinge of nostalgia that I recall all those incredulous faces. Sometime in the 1990s, I suggested to a group of college friends that it wasn’t exactly right to brand Ian Fleming a hopeless sexist (his deeply held dislike of America, all agreed, was a more agreeable phobia).

This note of dissidence was interrupted by the sound of jaws shattering as they hit the floor, a crescendo of denunciations, and a few dramatic walkouts. One of those who remained said, with a jabbing finger, that mine was the argument of someone “unaware of his gender privilege.”"



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Obama administration included unborn children in 2012 Child Maltreatment report « Hot Air

Obama administration included unborn children in 2012 Child Maltreatment report « Hot Air: "Ohio Right to Life made an interesting catch in the 2012 annual report from an HHS agency on child maltreatment in the US. The report includes figures for abuse against unborn children, which seems very appropriate, given their uniquely vulnerable physical and legal status within the US. However, it also poses a problem of intellectual consistency. Why do we track “maltreatment” of unborn children as a health issue, but fail to include killing unborn children through abortion in the same manner?"



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Obama administration finally allowing for a little exploratory fracking on public lands in Nevada « Hot Air

Obama administration finally allowing for a little exploratory fracking on public lands in Nevada « Hot Air: "It’s too soon to know if Nevada will be the next North Dakota or Texas when it comes to shale development and economically viable extraction, but at least the federal government isn’t totally trying to stand in the way of progress here. That’s something, I suppose."



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George Will: "Global Warming Is Socialism By The Back Door" | Video | RealClearPolitics

George Will: "Global Warming Is Socialism By The Back Door" | Video | RealClearPolitics: "GEORGE WILL: Global warming is socialism by the back door. The whole point of global warming is that it's a rationalization for progressives to do what progressives want to do, which is concentrate more and more power in Washington, more and more Washington power in the executive branch, more and more executive branch power in independent czars and agencies to micromanage the lives of the American people -- our shower heads, our toilets, our bathtubs, our garden hoses. Everything becomes involved in the exigencies of rescuing the planet.

Second, global warming is a religion in the sense that it's a series of propositions that can't be refuted. It's very ironic that the global warming alarmists say, "We are the real defenders of science," and then they adopt the absolute reverse of the scientific attitude, which is openness to evidence. You cannot refute what they say."



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Newly-released WH email shows Rice talking points on Benghazi politically motivated « Hot Air

Newly-released WH email shows Rice talking points on Benghazi politically motivated « Hot Air: "If this isn’t a smoking gun on Benghazi, at least on the controversy over the talking points that blamed a YouTube video rather than the terrorists who plotted and then conducted the attack, then it’s not clear what would qualify. Judicial Watche forced the release of additional White House e-mails relating to the evolution of the talking points and finds a rather bald-faced admission of Obama administration interests in Susan Rice’s television appearances the following Sunday. The YouTube story was designed to distract from “policy failures,” according to Barack Obama’s aide Ben Rhodes."



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NBA imposes lifetime ban on Sterling, $2.5 million fine « Hot Air

NBA imposes lifetime ban on Sterling, $2.5 million fine « Hot Air: "State Farm started the exodus. Even Amtrak — whose sponsorship run finished a few weeks ago but had considered re-engaging — says those plans are now derailed. The problem for the league is that two teams play in every game, and it may not just be the Clippers’ sponsors who want to keep their distance from Sterling and Clipper games. This could create a league-wide meltdown, and the NBA needs to act quickly to prevent it.

Nor may players want to sign up for Sterling’s team, and the current roster may look for less-green pastures when their contracts expire. Kavitha Davidson writes at Bloomberg that the invisible hand of the market may end up dictating league action."



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Monday, April 28, 2014

Why Brian Stelter’s Claim About MSNBC and Fox Is Absurd | Mediaite

Why Brian Stelter’s Claim About MSNBC and Fox Is Absurd | Mediaite: "Stelter’s criticism of Fox was never unwarranted, but his attempt to justify the misguided claim that MSNBC had never erred in a similar fashion was clearly and profoundly inaccurate."



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Here we go: Senate to get moving on $10.10/hour national minimum wage bill this week « Hot Air

Here we go: Senate to get moving on $10.10/hour national minimum wage bill this week « Hot Air: "Even beyond the many economically damaging reasons why a minimum-wage hike is not a good idea, the idea of a nationally-determined minimum wage hike is even more ludicrous. How is it an advisable plan to have the same minimum wage in both New York City and small town, Mississippi, where the costs of living are so dramatically different? This is exactly the kind of issue that is tailor-made for federalism (and even municipal determination — looking at you, Seattle), not only because each state can determine what their minimum wage should look like, but so that they can decide if they want to have one at all. Laboratories of democracy in which people and businesses can vote with their feet, and all that."



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Immigration group’s video: How would the average American do on the U.S. naturalization test? « Hot Air

Immigration group’s video: How would the average American do on the U.S. naturalization test? « Hot Air: "Via TheBlaze, watch this and remember that these are the people who decide elections. Not you, not the lefties you see on Twitter breathing into paper bags about Thomas Piketty. It’s these people, the proverbial low-information voters, who somehow can’t identify a guy who’s been vice president for five years now and are still trying to master this whole legislative-executive-judicial thing. They’re the swing voters in 2016. Now try to sleep soundly tonight — if you dare."



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The Climate Inquisitor | National Review Online

The Climate Inquisitor | National Review Online: "More specifically, it charges that, “in making the defamatory statement, [National Review] and Steyn acted intentionally, maliciously, willfully, and with the intent to injure Dr. Mann, or to benefit [National Review] and Steyn.” In other words, it charges that all of the critics Mann is suing are guilty of the narrow form of libel that American law prohibits. It has made no difference that National Review has made abundantly clear that, “in common polemical usage, ‘fraudulent’ doesn’t mean honest-to-goodness criminal fraud,” but instead means “intellectually bogus and wrong.” Incredibly, Mann’s complaint contends that the phrase “intellectually bogus” itself is legally actionable. Mann’s feelings have been hurt, the theory appears to go, so his critics’ words must have been illegal."



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Paul Ryan's Inner City Education

Paul Ryan's Inner City Education: "The men begin filing into the Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis around 5:30 a.m. They are ex-convicts and reformed drug dealers, recovering addicts and at-risk youth: a proud brotherhood of the city’s undesirables. Some of them like to joke that if he were around today, Jesus would hang out with reprobates like them. On this cold April morning, they’re getting Paul Ryan instead.
Ryan has been here once before, about a year ago, but most of the congregants rambling in through the front door don’t appear to recognize the wiry white guy loitering in the lobby of their church. He is sporting khakis and a new-haircut coif, clutching a coffee as he chats with three besuited associates. A few parishioners come up and introduce themselves to him, but most pass by, exchanging quizzical glances and indifferent shrugs."



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Concha: From Sterling to Bundy, Racism More About Age than Politics | Mediaite

Concha: From Sterling to Bundy, Racism More About Age than Politics | Mediaite: "So here’s a question to consider regarding the Donald Sterling media storm that hit over the weekend:

Where was all this outrage when Senator Harry Reid talked about then-Senator Obama only using a “negro dialect” when he wanted to?

That question doesn’t come from me, but from ESPN’s Robert Smith, a former All-Pro running back for the Minnesota Vikings. It should be noted Smith is an African-American."



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The Left's War Against the Culture of Gun Owners | National Review Online

The Left's War Against the Culture of Gun Owners | National Review Online: "And here we have another example confirming Jonah’s assertion that the Left is the aggressor in the culture war. “Those Guys” may laugh at Metrosexual America, but you rarely if ever see them argue that America must be purged of its metrosexuals. Nobody goes into New York City and Los Angeles and argues that the men there  ought to change their ways and do more traditionally manly things. (“You there! Stop getting that manicure and worrying about your haircut! You and I are going to Sears and shopping for power tools!”)

But progressive America really, really wants to change “Those Guys.”"



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Robert Popper: Political Fraud About Voter Fraud - WSJ.com

Robert Popper: Political Fraud About Voter Fraud - WSJ.com: "The News21 website explains that students "under the direction of journalism professionals" sent public records requests to state and federal officials asking for information about voting fraud cases. The project acknowledged significant gaps in its data. Several states made no meaningful response. Counties argued that "public records laws don't require officials to respond at all." Election officials and state attorneys general admitted that they did not track voter fraud. The Justice Department referred News21 to its 93 local U.S. attorneys but, the website reported, "many of those offices, in turn, referred News21 back to the department.""



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Bob Schieffer: A source told me Mitt Romney might run again if Jeb Bush doesn’t « Hot Air

Bob Schieffer: A source told me Mitt Romney might run again if Jeb Bush doesn’t « Hot Air: "Which leaves us at the establishment fifth-string. Who’s that? Jindal? I think the donor class would be nervous about riding into battle with him against tea-party heroes as formidable as Paul or Cruz. They want a known quantity whom they can trust to consolidate “somewhat conservative” voters behind him and raise the boatloads of cash needed to squash the tea-party champion in key states. At some point, out of sheer desperation, they would approach Romney and beg him to save them from the CruzPaulpocalypse, whatever it might mean for the general election. What I’m asking is, how far down the chain do you need to go to get to the guy who lost, fairly badly, two years ago? Is he above or below Mitch Daniels? John Thune? Others?"



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Religious Liberty and Consistency | National Review Online

Religious Liberty and Consistency | National Review Online: "Let me offer an alternative explanation for my silence on this issue: Until reading Stern’s article five minutes ago, I hadn’t heard of it. As soon as I read it, I came to the conclusion that the law making officiating at an unrecognized marriage ceremony a misdemeanor should be repealed. Similarly, I opposed applying the HHS mandate to religious objectors as soon as I heard about it–but not before I had. This seems to me to be a single standard.

But I appreciate being called a vociferous defender of religious liberty."



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Where No Dem Has Gone Before | RealClearPolitics

Where No Dem Has Gone Before | RealClearPolitics: "Hell has officially frozen over in Pennsylvania.

The first political ad warmly embracing ObamaCare, by a candidate not named Obama, hit state airwaves last week. It likely will be the last pro-ObamaCare ad ever made.

Allyson Schwartz boldly went where no Democrat has gone before, trying to gain ground in a primary race that is slipping swiftly from her hands."



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Best of the Web Today: The Other Side of Title IX - WSJ.com

Best of the Web Today: The Other Side of Title IX - WSJ.com: "In a newsletter to members dated last Thursday, Sokolow reports that "in the last two weeks, I've worked on five cases all involving drunken hook-ups on college campuses. In each case, the male accused of sexual misconduct was found responsible. In each case, I thought the college got it completely wrong."

He does not reveal the names of the institutions involved or any other specific details of the cases, presumably because his consultative role entails a duty of confidentiality. But he sums up the problem as follows: "Some [disciplinary] boards and panels still can't tell the difference between drunken sex and a policy violation"--that is, a sexual assault.

Sometimes that is by design. "In a recent case," Sokolow recounts, "the campus policy stated that intoxication creates an inability to consent." That makes it easy to establish a violation--except that in many cases the accuser has violated the letter of the policy as much as the accused has. "If both are intoxicated, they both did the same thing to each other," Sokolow writes. "Why should only the male be charged if both students behave in ways defined as prohibited by the policy?""



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Latest ad from Sen. Landrieu features a Republican shipbuilder touting her energy creds « Hot Air

Latest ad from Sen. Landrieu features a Republican shipbuilder touting her energy creds « Hot Air: "Team Landrieu’s third official TV spot of the cycle is going for more or less the same message as her second one released in mid-April, but through an ever-so-slightly different strategy. She wanted the Senate Energy chairmanship so badly exactly for the purpose to which she’s now putting it: To tout her position of national power as an asset to Louisianans and particularly Louisiana’s expansive energy sector, and make it the highlight of her campaign to distract from her ObamaCare vote. Her previous advert was all about her directly calling out President Obama for his weaksauce energy policies (the better to differentiate herself from him and his current unpopularity), and this one features a Republican businessman personally vouching for her pro-energy chops to accomplish that same goal for her — because, when it comes to energy at least, she needs to convince her red-state’s oil-and-gas industry that she’s practically a Republican herself."



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WaPo: Tea Party PACs spend most of their cash on themselves « Hot Air

WaPo: Tea Party PACs spend most of their cash on themselves « Hot Air: "As Matea Gold points out in her report, this makes Tea Party PACS somewhat similar to other PACs in the political arena — but “business as usual” isn’t the point of the Tea Party, either. In the Washington Post analysis of contributions and expenditures from Tea Party-related PACs, less than half of the intake goes to candidates or independent expenditures on races and issues. Most of the money ends up funding the organizations and their consultants."



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DOJ to Attempt to Determine Just How Racist Police Are - Reason 24/7 : Reason.com

DOJ to Attempt to Determine Just How Racist Police Are - Reason 24/7 : Reason.com: "Holder's full statement can be viewed here. Unfortunately, much like the administration's approach toward disproportionate punishment handed out to minorities in public school systems, Holder's comments focus more on the "fairness" of the system and less on the scope and size of government authority and the criminalization of personal vices and behavior. There's nothing indicating the administration is interested in reducing the number of people going to prison, just attempting to increase young minority men's "trust" in the government and police by some nebulous idea of fair distribution of police response.

Tip to Holder and Obama: Minority men will never trust police as long as police keep putting them in jail for things that shouldn't be crimes in the first place."



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Video: Two Senate Dems demand “park it now” order on GM recall « Hot Air

Video: Two Senate Dems demand “park it now” order on GM recall « Hot Air: "My, how times have changed. When Treasury owned a major part of General Motors, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) couldn’t be bothered to probe a dozen deaths and hundreds of complaints from an ignition-switch defect. Now that the defect and the lack of response from both GM and the NHTSA have come to light, two Democrats in the Senate want the government agency to issue an order to mandate that owners stop driving the affected vehicles until the repairs are done."



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Video: Toyota bailing on California « Hot Air

Video: Toyota bailing on California « Hot Air: "The world’s leading automotive maker will follow the lead of its competitors and other large businesses, and leave California for better business climates elsewhere. Toyota had its US headquarters in Torrance for more than three decades, but now nearly 5,000 jobs will shift to Texas."



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Women Wear Too Much Makeup Because They Mistakenly Think Men Like It - Olga Khazan - The Atlantic

Women Wear Too Much Makeup Because They Mistakenly Think Men Like It - Olga Khazan - The Atlantic: "The judging took place in Bangor, a tiny hamlet in Wales, where beauty standards are probably different than they are in Beijing or Berlin or Baton Rouge.

Still, in this age of impossibly high beauty standards, it’s comforting to consider that the only people who expect us to look flawlessly made-up, are ourselves."



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USPS Workers Protest Staples | National Review Online

USPS Workers Protest Staples | National Review Online: "Hundreds of mail workers protested last week at 56 Staples stores in 27 states. Their claim was simple: that a new U.S. Postal Service partnership with the office-supply store threatens their jobs. They’re right — but instead of going postal at Staples, USPS employees should examine the union policies that pushed them to this precarious position.

The Postal Service is in woeful financial shape — so much so that in November  of last year, a whopping $5 billion loss was heralded by the New York Times as a “significant improvement.” To their point, in 2012, the Postal Service lost $15.9 billion, and it has experienced net losses for the past seven years in a row. In the past three years alone, the Postal Service has seen a mind-blowing $25 billion in losses."



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Three House Republicans signal new push on immigration reform is coming « Hot Air

Three House Republicans signal new push on immigration reform is coming « Hot Air: "A bitterly divisive party battle over immigration sounds like a fine idea three months before the midterms. Note the rhetoric about “legalization, not amnesty,” too. That’s an old saw used by Republicans to try to sell their immigration compromises to the base. Rubio and the Gang of Eight used it too, emphasizing that the path to citizenship under their bill would be long and onerous while quietly avoiding the fact that probationary legalization for illegals under their scheme would be quick and painless. Legalization is the whole ballgame here, of course; once illegals have a foothold to lawfully remain in the U.S., immigration activists will quickly wear down Republican resolve on delaying citizenship. And McMorris-Rodgers knows it."



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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Piketty’s new gilded age which isn’t « Hot Air

Piketty’s new gilded age which isn’t « Hot Air: "Progressive hearts are all aflutter this week, riding high on the continued coverage of Thomas Piketty and his new book “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” which continues to fly off the virtual shelves at Amazon. To say that Piketty’s basic premise is flawed is probably too much of a compliment. Ed already looked at one of the fundamental assertions last week – that median household income had only risen 3.2% over the past three decades – and found it to be off by a factor of ten.

But there are other, deeper problems with the Piketty model. One of them is the idea that capitalism itself is flawed at its foundation, leading to some new gilded age where a handful of families always gather in and hoard the wealth for generations, leaving others to starve in the cold. Unfortunately, even people like David Brooks have bought into the concept without examining it fully."



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LA Clippers’ Donald Sterling and the future of racism « Hot Air

LA Clippers’ Donald Sterling and the future of racism « Hot Air: "This is already prompting calls for the league to relieve Sterling of his ownership position. The transcript is available at the TMZ link above, so there’s really no point in embedding it all here. Before going any further, though, it’s worth noting that the Clippers’ home office has initially denied the authenticity of the tapes. It also merits mention that the ex-girlfriend in question has already – again allegedly – lifted some serious cash from Sterling and the antipathy between them could be a factor, at least until the authenticity of the tapes is settled once and for all."



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George Will: Hillary “not a formidable candidate” « Hot Air

George Will: Hillary “not a formidable candidate” « Hot Air: "I just finished a radio interview this afternoon where the same subject came up. For my part, I think George is being a bit optimistic. As far as the Democratic nomination goes – which wasn’t what Will was talking about, I know – the only person who can stop Hillary is Hillary, and that’s if she decides not to run or some aspect of her personal life makes her think better of it. Yes, I realize that she was “inevitable” in 2008 also, but I don’t see a parallel between the two. In that campaign, Hillary was inevitable until the Democrats found somebody more inevitable and with an equally, if not more compelling narrative. The First Woman President storyline was able to be trumped by the First Black President storyline."



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Bill Maher: We’re Atheists, Not Vampires. If You Can’t Handle Seeing A Cross Now & Then You Picked The Wrong Country! » The Right Scoop -

Bill Maher: We’re Atheists, Not Vampires. If You Can’t Handle Seeing A Cross Now & Then You Picked The Wrong Country! » The Right Scoop -: "Maher spent the first two minutes of his “New Rule” trashing Republicans, but then launched into this tirade about the political correctness nazis on the left. From Gwyneth Paltrow to soda-hating mayors, Maher pepper sprays the PC brigades in a much deserved and long overdue tongue-lashing. Even atheists take a shot from the maker of virulently anti-religion fake-documentary screed Religulous.

Maher’s Real Point? Democrats are good and Republicans are evil, but Democrats are too nice and sensitive to realize it. So he’s no hero. Just someone fed up the idiotic idiosyncrasies of the idgit left. Too bad the surest thing in life is that they won’t change one bit."



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Governor With Eye on 2016 Finds His Rise Under Scrutiny - NYTimes.com

Governor With Eye on 2016 Finds His Rise Under Scrutiny - NYTimes.com: "Scott Walker is nothing if not consistent.

From his time as a local official in Milwaukee a decade ago to his explosive first year as governor of Wisconsin in 2011, Mr. Walker, a Republican, has deviated little from a platform to spend less, tax less and rein in the power of public sector unions.

Again and again, Mr. Walker has shown a rare aptitude for recognizing and seizing ripe political opportunities, and he has advanced himself in ways that have him being mentioned with Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida as possible Republican contenders for the presidency in 2016.

Mr. Walker flew to Las Vegas last month to appear beside other potential rivals to woo wealthy conservative donors like Sheldon Adelson. And he recently published a memoir, “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge” — more the pattern of someone building a national name than a governor simply seeking four more years."



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On Keystone pipeline, Democratic stalwart Laborers Union finds itself outbid by one enviro-billionaire | WashingtonExaminer.com

On Keystone pipeline, Democratic stalwart Laborers Union finds itself outbid by one enviro-billionaire | WashingtonExaminer.com: "The Laborers International Union of North America, with about 570,000 members, wants the Obama administration to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The union has a lot of clout in Democratic circles; according to the Center for Responsive Politics, it has contributed $38,089,860 to political candidates since 1989, with just seven percent of it going to Republicans.

Tom Steyer, the hedge-fund billionaire, wants the Obama administration to block construction of the pipeline. Although a relative newcomer to the political game, he has pledged to give Democrats $50 million, and raise $50 million more, to get his way."



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Thursday, April 24, 2014

The left's secret club plans for 2014, 2016 - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com

The left's secret club plans for 2014, 2016 - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com: "Some of the country’s biggest Democratic donors — including Tom Steyer and Jonathan Soros — are huddling behind closed doors next week in Chicago with union bigwigs and progressive superstars like Bill de Blasio to plan how to pull their party — and the country — to the left.

The setting is the annual spring meeting of the Democracy Alliance, a secretive club of wealthy liberals that’s the closest thing the left has to the vaunted Koch brothers’ political network."



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Are you ready for Bush/Paul 2016? « Hot Air

Are you ready for Bush/Paul 2016? « Hot Air: "Actually, unless Kentucky law changes or Paul wins a court battle declaring it unconstitutional, he’d be barred by statute from running for the Senate once he commits to running for president. That gives him even less incentive to make nice with the GOP nominee and campaign hard on his behalf, which makes the VP scenario even more likely. The eventual nominee, assuming it isn’t Rand himself, has to offer him the veep slot to keep libertarians and pro-Rand tea partiers in the fold. Doesn’t he?"



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Great news: Another wave of health-plan cancellations on the way? « Hot Air

Great news: Another wave of health-plan cancellations on the way? « Hot Air: "A new report on ObamaCare would tend to distract from the White House victory lap earlier in the month, and might even – gasp! — “re-open” the debate that Barack Obama insisted was closed. Don’t look for this information on the right-wing blogs, though. Vox’s Sarah Kliff, formerly at the Washington Post, warns that another class of policies will get canceled due to coverage mandates, and that will put some lower-income Americans in a fiscal bind."



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Polls: Udall vs. Gardner in a dead heat in Colorado « Hot Air

Polls: Udall vs. Gardner in a dead heat in Colorado « Hot Air: "That 50 percent of Colorado voters say they don’t yet know enough about Gardner to form an opinion about him (particularly the youths aged 18-29, 72 percent of which feel they don’t know enough) is another major opportunity for Team Udall — ergo, expect the “extremist” attacks and the war-on-women-mongering to continue, the better to define Gardner as an undesirable hyper-partisan lowlifeas early as possible — but that’s just about where Udall’s definitive advantages end. Colorado voters oppose ObamaCare by 59/37 percent, with a 62/34 split among independent voters; they disapprove of President Obama’s job performance by a 21-point margin at 59/38; they do not think Udall deserves to be reelected by 46/40; and voter confidence seems to be trending toward Gardner when it comes to the top two issues of the race."



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Major Obama Donor Avoids Jail Time After Brutally Beating Girlfriend | Washington Free Beacon

Major Obama Donor Avoids Jail Time After Brutally Beating Girlfriend | Washington Free Beacon: "A high-dollar Obama donor who was caught on video brutally beating his girlfriend got off with 25 hours of community service last week after he pled guilty to domestic battery charges."



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William Shatner Endorses Hillary Clinton for President | Washington Free Beacon

William Shatner Endorses Hillary Clinton for President | Washington Free Beacon: "William Shatner tells Jesse Ventura that Hillary Clinton is the only candidate, who can unite the political parties, because she understands how to compromise.

The Free Beacon recommends Shatner stick to Priceline commercials and avoid any further political commentary."



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Snowden in Russia: A 'public service' becomes a 'mistake'

Snowden in Russia: A 'public service' becomes a 'mistake': "Many Americans gave Edward Snowden the benefit of the doubt when he leaked information about the National Security Agency’s surveillance activities last year, but he lost the sympathy of many when he sought asylum in Russia.  Even today, in the most recent Economist/YouGov Poll, although 60% agree that he performed a public service by letting Americans know about the NSA’s surveillance activities, even more—68% -- agree that he hurt his case when he took asylum in Russia."



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A fatal wait: Veterans languish and die on a VA hospital's secret list - CNN.com

A fatal wait: Veterans languish and die on a VA hospital's secret list - CNN.com: "At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list.
The secret list was part of an elaborate scheme designed by Veterans Affairs managers in Phoenix who were trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were forced to wait months to see a doctor, according to a recently retired top VA doctor and several high-level sources."



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Surprise: Hoboken Mayor produces additional “journal entries” in Christie saga « Hot Air

Surprise: Hoboken Mayor produces additional “journal entries” in Christie saga « Hot Air: "Virtually every element of Zimmer’s tale has been discredited or called into question by empirical evidence, witnesses, and her own contradictions.  I wrote a lengthy post for Townhall in late January, spelling out the myriad reasons why her accusations were not credible, not the least of which was the fact that the only corroborating proof she’s produced was an unverifiable, bizarre-looking entry in what she claimed to be a personal journal.   If that wasn’t dodgy enough, it turned out that Zimmer had testified under oath in a contemporaneous and unrelated legal dispute that she didn’t keep a journal.  (These diary discrepancies only scratch the surface of her credibility problems.  Click through for a much more complete picture).  One of the questions that’s dogged Zimmer since she came forward with her blockbuster charges is why she didn’t do anything at the time, when Christie was up for re-election. Indeed, she lavishly praised Christie in public — this, the man who was supposedly shaking her down in a truly vile act of political bullying."



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Video: Oregon commission orders stop on using dead babies to generate power « Hot Air

Video: Oregon commission orders stop on using dead babies to generate power « Hot Air: "Last month, we thought the use of aborted children to generate heat and power was limited to the UK. Instead, we discovered this week that the ghastly practice took place in Oregon, perhaps unwittingly. A waste-to-energy plant contracted with the British Columbia Health Ministry to incinerate medical waste — including aborted babies.

For now, the practice has stopped."



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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Oh, was yesterday Earth Day? « Hot Air

Oh, was yesterday Earth Day? « Hot Air: "Contrarian free-market environmentalist that I consider myself, I don’t know that I necessarily oppose the idea of designating a day on which we might take a moment to be especially mindful of the resources we consume and the subsequent neighborhood effects of those consumption habits… although, then again, that’s pretty much exactly what — you know — prices are for, but sure. Designating that day based on the co-impetus of some psycho hippie who murdered and “composted” his girlfriend and then turning it into a celebration of alarmism and top-down collectivization (i.e., eco-radicals’ two favorite things), though? Er…

While I’m sure public-school children across America were treated to plenty of indoctrinating lectures to mark the occasion, I almost managed to miss it entirely — which might be because Americans just aren’t ranking the issue as a major priority right now compared to all of our other problems."



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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Obamacare Supporter Kay Hagan Attacks Opponent in Ridiculously Dishonest Radio Ad | Washington Free Beacon

Obamacare Supporter Kay Hagan Attacks Opponent in Ridiculously Dishonest Radio Ad | Washington Free Beacon: "Here’s what Tillis said, in the context of broader GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare: “The majority of the stuff that is in Obamacare is bad, because it’s not fiscally sustainable. It’s a great idea that can’t be paid for.”

He went on to describe Obamacare as a “policy that’s creating as many problems as it fixes in terms of healthcare,” and “creating the most devastating problem of a deficit that we can’t afford.”"



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It’s come to this: Kay Hagan falsely accuses Republican opponent of … supporting ObamaCare « Hot Air

It’s come to this: Kay Hagan falsely accuses Republican opponent of … supporting ObamaCare « Hot Air: "This really is the logical endpoint of the last five years in the lives of America’s red-state Democrats. Remember: Hagan herself voted for ObamaCare, and since the law passed with 60 votes exactly, her vote can legitimately be described as decisive. She’s been running away from it — literally — ever since, and took care to be far away when Obama visited North Carolina in January. The albatross around her neck is choking her political life away. What can she do to save herself?

She can do this — try to convince voters that Republicans support ObamaCare too."



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Rick Perry challenges Andrew Cuomo to a debate « Hot Air

Rick Perry challenges Andrew Cuomo to a debate « Hot Air: "Texas Gov. Rick Perry has caught a lot of flak for his outspoken, out-and-about campaign to promote his state’s business-friendly tax and regulatory climate and convince companies from other (and usually bluer) states to move to Texas, particularly from California Gov. Jerry Brown (who so eloquently dismissed his efforts as “barely a fart“) — but it evidently can’t be that ridiculous of a strategy, because it looks like other governors are seeking to emulate his idea. I literally laughed out loud when I saw an ad promoting New York‘s ostensibly pro-business credentials on television this past weekend; true that Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently passed some corporate tax reform that included bringing the rate down from 7.1 to 6.5 percent, but that isn’t nearly enough to put New York into what I’d call the “attractive business destination” category. Taking the changes into account, the Tax Foundation moved New York from its spot as dead last in their overall business-tax climate ranking to merely third to last, just above California and New Jersey."



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Heartbreak: Powdered alcohol might not be coming soon after all « Hot Air

Heartbreak: Powdered alcohol might not be coming soon after all « Hot Air: "The Palcohol homepage insists that the substance has still been approved, that it’s merely the labeling that the TTB has a problem with. (“[T]here seemed to be a discrepancy on our fill level, how much powder is in the bag.”) On the other hand, it notes drily that the time frame for approving labels “can vary widely,” i.e. if Lehrman’s right that the TTB has gotten cold feet after all the media attention, they can use the labeling process to hold this up for a good long while."



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John Kerry: Let’s face it, things were simpler during the Cold War « Hot Air

John Kerry: Let’s face it, things were simpler during the Cold War « Hot Air: "The world is safer now than it was during the Cold War and nearly everywhere violence is in decline, which, if you specialize in diplomacy, I suppose does make your job harder. In the past, the threat of global nuclear war would have made Russia think twice about pushing too far west. Nowadays, as more international conflict is channeled into diplomatic standoffs, more subtle deterrents are required. I’d call that progress, if only for reasons of self-interest, but the thought of Waffles having to work longer hours than earlier secretaries of state does make me sad. Another key reason things were “simpler” during the Cold War is the white-knuckle terror felt by countries throughout Eurasia that the Red Army might suddenly show up in their capitals one day. It wasn’t so much America’s power that bought carte blanche for U.S. diplomats as it was Soviet power and the fear it generated in nonaligned states. When the USSR fell apart and that fear started to fade, so did some of the incentive among U.S. allies to cooperate with us."



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Affirmative Action Proponents Beside Themselves over SCOTUS Ruling | Mediaite

Affirmative Action Proponents Beside Themselves over SCOTUS Ruling | Mediaite: "When the Court struck down what they viewed as a dated and illegitimate provision in the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the majority opinion observed that the circumstances on the ground have changed since the 1960s and the laws must change with them. The public, according to the polls, shares this view. Those like Browne-Marshall who believe the opposite are in the minority."



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Ed Schultz Forgets His Own Objection to Money in Politics | Mediaite

Ed Schultz Forgets His Own Objection to Money in Politics | Mediaite: "Well, those concerns about big money in politics go right out the window if the politics of the donor in question are liberal. That’s the impression left after Schultz gave Keystone XL opponent, former hedge fund founder, and prolific Democratic donor Tom Steyer a glowing interview on Monday in the wake of the federal government’s move to punt a decision on the pipeline off until after the 2014 midterm elections.

“You have been given the dubious distinction of being the godfather of green right now. God bless you for that,” Schultz, who had been a supporter of Keystone just last month, told Steyer."



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AP reporter to State Dep’t spokesman: Seriously, can you identify a single accomplishment since 2010? « Hot Air

AP reporter to State Dep’t spokesman: Seriously, can you identify a single accomplishment since 2010? « Hot Air: "Via Joe Schoffstall and Noah Rothman, the reporter in question is Matt Lee and no, this isn’t the first time he’s been, shall we say, unimpressed with an answer from State. The “QDDR” he mentions is the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, a self-audit by State every four years of its long-term goals abroad and how it’s doing in meeting them. The very first QDDR was published in 2010 after it was ordered by — ta da — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. What makes this question significant, in other words, isn’t that Lee is so combative with spokesman Jen Psaki or that Psaki’s as stumped as the rest of us are when forced to name a Hillary accomplishment. What makes it significant is that, I suspect, the QDDR will itself be cited by Team Hillary next year when they’re asked to list her achievements. The mere fact that she ordered the review, whether or not State learned anything from it, will be submitted as proof that she’s Ready To Lead. Remember this exchange when it happens."



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The Scalia – Sotomayor Thunderdome « Hot Air

The Scalia – Sotomayor Thunderdome « Hot Air: "I realize that such comments aren’t exactly on par with a WWE wrestler jumping out of the ring to grab a folding chair, but by the standards of Supreme Court written opinions, it’s not far off. Still, reading Sotomayor’s comments leaves us with some unsettling questions.

First of all, allow me to say that I’m as thrilled as the next guy to finally have a Wise Latina on the court and all, but is this really the level of discourse we can expect to see enshrined in the official records of our nation’s highest court for the next several decades? Invoking Jim Crow here should be a serious red flag for any observer, and even one of the other liberal justices bailed out on her on that one."



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Oh, good: The EPA finally, retroactively lowers a 2013 biofuels requirement to reflect the fact that the required biofuels did not actually exist « Hot Air

Oh, good: The EPA finally, retroactively lowers a 2013 biofuels requirement to reflect the fact that the required biofuels did not actually exist « Hot Air: "It’s an improvement, I suppose, over that one time last year when they actually tried to penalize refiners for not complying with the previous year’s standard which also vastly overestimated the amount of the required cellulosic biofuels that would exist in the real world rather than inside their self-righteous faux-green fantasies, but… that is hardly cause for celebration."



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Most popular guy in the Party of Fair Share to endorse tax cheat for 23rd term « Hot Air

Most popular guy in the Party of Fair Share to endorse tax cheat for 23rd term « Hot Air: "The Democratic Party is nothing if not young, vibrant, and in favor of everyone paying as much as possible in taxes as an honorable patriotic duty. Which is why the party’s most popular Medicare recipient will endorse a 70-something tax cheat for his 23rd term this week."



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The Golden Age of Government by Groupon - The Daily Beast

The Golden Age of Government by Groupon - The Daily Beast: "Last year, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the feds spent about $3.5 trillion while bringing in just $2.8 trillion. That means that Uncle Sam borrowed about 20 cents of every dollar he spent. Sadly, that represents progress of a sort: Over the years 2009-2013, Washington borrowed about 33 cents per dollar of spending. That’s one of the reasons why the national debt is now north of $17 trillion and 100 percent of GDP."



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This new breed of militant atheists are as intolerant as any religious fundamentalists | Mail Online

This new breed of militant atheists are as intolerant as any religious fundamentalists | Mail Online: "When David Cameron agreed to write a mild piece in favour of Christianity for last week’s Church Times, he can hardly have expected that he would stir up a major controversy.

A collection of 55 writers, broadcasters, scientists and academics have penned a furious letter to the Daily Telegraph accusing the Prime Minister of fostering ‘alienation and division in our society’ by asserting in his article that we live in a ‘Christian country’.

They claim that ‘repeated surveys, polls and studies show that most of us as individuals are not Christian in our beliefs or our religious identities’, and suggest that Mr Cameron is in danger of fuelling ‘enervating sectarian debates’.

Wow! You would have thought he had called for compulsory church attendance, whereas he wrote a harmless piece that will surely have offended no one except for a few metropolitan liberal atheists who reveal themselves as being astonishingly intolerant and — to borrow their word — divisive.

Mr Cameron’s declaration that we live in a ‘Christian country’ is irrefutable. Our constitutional arrangements are bound up with the Anglican Church — a fact dismissed by the angry letter-writers as being of little importance."



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Why Do Teachers Complain So Much?

Why Do Teachers Complain So Much?: "To be fair, teaching itself is a profession that has long been given to a certain amount of bombast; parents and students in Chicago were dismayed to find this out a couple of years ago when Chicago teachers engaged in an eight-day strike in order to protest “their evaluations being tied to performance” (can you imagine?). And yet the public, media-supported teacher resignation seems to be gaining ground as a kind of new literary art form. In the Wake County Public School System this month, a teacher “gave her employers a month’s notice and copied her letter of resignation to the local media.” The Washington Post appears to run such letters on a semi-regular basis; early this Spring they published a resignation letter from a kindergarten teacher, last year one from a high school social studies instructor, a few Octobers ago one from a “disgusted teacher” who was quitting “in order to preserve [his] sanity, [his] family, and the forward movement of [their] lives.”"



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Best of the Web Today: First Among Equals - WSJ.com

Best of the Web Today: First Among Equals - WSJ.com: "You might have heard that the Supreme Court ruled 6-2 today that states have the right to ban racial preferences, euphemistically known as "affirmative action," in public-university admission, but that's not quite right. On that point the justices (save for Elena Kagan, who sat the case out) were unanimous. "When this Court holds that the Constitution permits a particular policy, nothing prevents a majority of a State's voters from choosing not to adopt that policy," wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a dissent joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

But in the case styled Schuette v. BAMN , Sotomayor endeavored to make nothing into something. She and Ginsburg would have upheld a decision by the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that held illicit the method by which Michigan's voters accomplished that end: a ballot initiative, approved in 2006, that amended the state constitution to bar racial discrimination."



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Book Review: 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' by Thomas Piketty - WSJ.com

Book Review: 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' by Thomas Piketty - WSJ.com: "Thomas Piketty likes capitalism because it efficiently allocates resources. But he does not like how it allocates income. There is, he thinks, a moral illegitimacy to virtually any accumulation of wealth, and it is a matter of justice that such inequality be eradicated in our economy. The way to do this is to eliminate high incomes and to reduce existing wealth through taxation.

"Capital in the Twenty-First Century" is Mr. Piketty's dense exploration of the history of wages and wealth over the past three centuries. He presents a blizzard of data about income distribution in many countries, claiming to show that inequality has widened dramatically in recent decades and will soon get dangerously worse. Whether or not one is convinced by Mr. Piketty's data—and there are reasons for skepticism, given the author's own caveats and the fact that many early statistics are based on extremely limited samples of estate tax records and dubious extrapolation—is ultimately of little consequence. For this book is less a work of economic analysis than a bizarre ideological screed."



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America's Future Foundation | Stewardship and Martha Stewart

America's Future Foundation | Stewardship and Martha Stewart: "Two weeks ago I heard my colleague, Paula, in the office next to mine, exclaim, “I hate my sister.” The sister inspired this remark by sending a taunting e-mail that included Martha’s Stewart’s Going Green Checklist: 101 Ways to Get Started.” Apparently these siblings share a love for Martha Stewart, and the younger one wanted to rub it in my colleague’s face that “Martha is on my side.”

“But I do all these things,” Paula shouted at the monitor, listing her checks on the checklist: “Eat what’s in season,” “Find new uses for old things,” “Don’t charge your phone overnight,” “Line dry your clothes when possible.” Paula’s younger sister presumed that her big sis was anti-green because she is a conservative. Indeed, on at least one of Marths’a 101 Ways, Paula isn’t on board: “Vote for change.” In this context, this clearly meant: “Vote for politicians who will use the might of government to mandate or subsidize these activities, and prohibit or punish their alternatives.”"



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WaPo: Obama ‘Dithers,’ Ignores His Own Warnings, May Doom Ukraine | Mediaite

WaPo: Obama ‘Dithers,’ Ignores His Own Warnings, May Doom Ukraine | Mediaite: "The Washington Post editorial board observed on Tuesday that the White House has warned for days that Russia had a short period to demonstrate compliance with the accord reached last week in Geneva aimed at reducing tensions in East Ukraine. The Post noted, though, that it is now clear tensions have not de-escalated in the region, but the administration appears unable or unwilling to pull the trigger on the consequences they promised would follow Russian inaction.

“Again Vladi­mir Putin is flagrantly disregarding the warnings and ‘red lines’ of the Obama administration,” The Post editorial observed. “He has reason to do so: President [Barack] Obama also doesn’t observe them.”"



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Maryland Teachers Union Shop Steward Stages Coup « Hot Air

Maryland Teachers Union Shop Steward Stages Coup « Hot Air: "Last Tuesday, Hammer and others “entered the WCEA offices, changed the locks and codes, removed or altered office equipment and purported to illegally fire the Association’s only employee.” According to WCEA president Kelly Stephenson, “These actions were not taken in accordance with the governing documents of WCEA or in accordance with the law.”

Stephenson insists the disaffiliation vote will go on as scheduled."



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Rieder: Supreme Court blog deserves credentials

Rieder: Supreme Court blog deserves credentials: "It simply makes no sense.

SCOTUSblog is a Web destination that exists solely to cover the U.S. Supreme Court. It's a go-to place for people who care about the court. It has won accolades and awards for the quality of its reporting. In prime time — like when the court announced its ruling on the Affordable Care Act — its traffic is enormous.

Yet it can't get credentials to cover the Supreme Court.

In fact, its efforts to do so are going in reverse.

Only in the never-never land they call Washington, D.C."



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New poll confirms: Obamacare debate definitely not “over” « Hot Air

New poll confirms: Obamacare debate definitely not “over” « Hot Air: "Stasis.  Another Obamacare-related question asked registered voters whether the law would be an significant factor in their 2014 voting decisions.  Nearly one in five said it would be the single biggest factor, with an additional 54 percent calling it an “important factor.”  Less than a quarter of respondents said Obamacare was either a small or non-factor to their vote.  A recent USA Today poll revealed that the more a given voter cares about the new law, the more likely he or she is to oppose it."



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Celebrity Big Brother 2014: Josie Cunningham banned! | Big Brother 2014 | Telly Mix

Celebrity Big Brother 2014: Josie Cunningham banned! | Big Brother 2014 | Telly Mix: "Josie Cunningham’s controversial abortion claims have seen her banned from Celebrity Big Brother 2014.


Apparently ‘model’ Josie first hit the front pages last year after having a boob job on the NHS.

At the weekend the now pregnant 23-year-old caused more tabloid headlines after revealing she was considering having an abortion in order to appear on Big Brother after an offer from producers."



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Charles Murray: An open letter to the students of Azusa Pacific University | AEIdeas

Charles Murray: An open letter to the students of Azusa Pacific University | AEIdeas: "I was scheduled to speak to you tomorrow. I was going to talk about my new book, “The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Getting Ahead,” and was looking forward to it. But it has been “postponed.” Why? An email from your president, Jon Wallace, to my employer, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said “Given the lateness of the semester and the full record of Dr. Murray’s scholarship, I realized we needed more time to prepare for a visit and postponed Wednesday’s conversation.” This, about an appearance that has been planned for months. I also understand from another faculty member that he and the provost were afraid of “hurting our faculty and students of color.”



You’re at college, right? Being at college is supposed to mean thinking for yourselves, right? Okay, then do it. Don’t be satisfied with links to websites that specialize in libeling people. Lose the secondary sources. Explore for yourself the “full range” of my scholarship and find out what it is that I’ve written or said that would hurt your faculty or students of color. It’s not hard. In fact, you can do it without moving from your chair if you’re in front of your computer."



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Monday, April 21, 2014

Rothman: Latest Syrian Chemical Attack Shows Obama Was Right About Everything | Mediaite

Rothman: Latest Syrian Chemical Attack Shows Obama Was Right About Everything | Mediaite: "American troops in battlefields across the globe — from Asia, to Africa, to Latin America — have yet to face the specter of chemical gas attacks, but the president was lamentably prescient about every other consequence associated with American inaction. The fear is that he will eventually be correct about that prediction as well.

As Obama predicted in 2013, American inaction has made the world a more dangerous place and atrocities continue to be committed. Obama has probably never been more frustrated at being proven right."



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Fear Cuts Deeper Than Swords: Bergen Community College Freaks Out Over "Game of Thrones" T-Shirt | Popehat

Fear Cuts Deeper Than Swords: Bergen Community College Freaks Out Over "Game of Thrones" T-Shirt | Popehat: "There are at least two maddening components to this. First, they didn't just "investigate" — they suspended the professor and made him see a psychiatrist because he posted a picture of his daughter in a wildly popular t-shirt from pop culture. Second, the statement is an implicit admission that the college refuses to exercise critical thinking about the complaints it receives. There is no minimally rational connection between school shootings — or any type of violence — and a picture of someone's kid in a pop-culture t-shirt. The college is saying, in effect, "complain to us about your angers or fears, however utterly irrational, and we will act precipitously on them, because OMG 9/11 COLUMBINE TEH CHILDREN." Shameful. Ask yourself: what kind of education do you think your children will get from people who think like this?"



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Food Could be the Next Terrorism Target | MUNCHIES

Food Could be the Next Terrorism Target | MUNCHIES: "Alright so this didn’t actually happen—at least, as far as we know. It’s the opening anecdote of a chapter in Dr. Michael T. Osterholm’s book, Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe, which will give us all nightmares for the all-too-real scenario mentioned above. Published in September of 2000 (a year before America’s outlook on terrorism changed forever) the book is a just-detailed-enough survey of all the ways infectious diseases could be used to harm large numbers of people."



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In Defense of Game of Thrones

In Defense of Game of Thrones: "But it is just that brutal, bloodthirsty subject matter that makes the story so interesting. “Heroes doing heroic things” has formed the basis of many highly entertaining, well-written novels, movies, and television shows. But great deeds in a fallen world are more interesting – and arguably more inspiring – than those carried out simply because doing so is in a character’s literary DNA."



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Mom-to-be: I need to have this abortion so that I can be on a reality show « Hot Air

Mom-to-be: I need to have this abortion so that I can be on a reality show « Hot Air: "If I understand British law correctly, after 12 weeks a woman can’t abort unless she shows that carrying to term would endanger her health somehow. This woman can’t, but I sense that’s not going to stop her. Allegedly both potential fathers offered to support her financially if she had the baby, but she’s intent on being famous and the little one would interfere with that. Or rather, another little one — turns out she already has two kids at home. She’s also still smoking and drinking despite being more than four months along, but I guess there’s no need to worry about the damage done to the baby at this point, huh?

Am I awake?"



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Best of the Web Today: Purdy Grievances - WSJ.com

Best of the Web Today: Purdy Grievances - WSJ.com: "Yet that question "if you're smart, why aren't you rich?" seems to carry quite a sting. The most bitter complaints about disparities of income and wealth come from affluent intellectuals who resent a system in which it is possible for others to become fabulously wealthy. "Entrepreneurship is the model for everything," Purdy complains. "Ambitious students are encouraged to develop a distinctive brand, market themselves, network, and consider their decisions in terms of return on investment."

Purdy doesn't mention it, but developing a distinctive brand and marketing oneself are just what Purdy himself managed to do 15 years ago. Piketty is doing the same thing now, as evidenced by a New York Times story titled "Economist Receives Rock Star Treatment." Ironic, huh?"



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Surprise: UAW folds in VW dispute « Hot Air

Surprise: UAW folds in VW dispute « Hot Air: "Thus marks the end of the United Auto Workers’ foray into unionizing Southern auto manufacturing. Despite cooperative management at Volkswagen, the UAW failed to convince workers in its Chattanooga facility to unionize. The union alleged interference and demanded a hearing at the National Labor Relations Board to force a revote, but unexpectedly withdrew just before the hearing was scheduled to start."



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God bless America: Powdered alcohol to hit markets soon « Hot Air

God bless America: Powdered alcohol to hit markets soon « Hot Air: "My first thought was that this would be useful chiefly during air travel, but there’s no way TSA is letting people bring unidentified powder onboard, right? Even if they did, the airlines will presumably ban it straightaway lest economy class turn into the upper deck at an Eagles game. Beyond that, I expect there’ll be two deterrents to use: Price, if it turns out that the powder’s not significantly cheaper than most popular alcoholic beverages, and of course social stigma. If I see you pull a packet of Palcohol from your pocket, you’d better be either going camping or on your way back or else, I fear, I may draw certain inferences. (Note to self: Tuck a rolled-up sleeping bag under your arm on future visits to the liquor store.)"



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Google fights gag order - Houston Chronicle

Google fights gag order - Houston Chronicle: "The gag order, signed by visiting San Antonio Judge Richard Price in February 2013, forces Google and other search engines to wipe out all record of the allegations from the Internet. It also compels the search engine to find third parties who posted the information to get it back and destroy it. The order also prohibited Google and parties to the suit from talking about the allegations after the order was signed. Because Google was added, it likely violates the U.S. Constitution's protection of the freedom of speech.

Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law, described the order and similar ones cropping up around the country as "blatantly unconstitutional."

"You get these kinds of cases all the time, where a lawyer gives a judge an order and throws in, 'and Google too,'" Blackman said. "They have no authority to tell Google to delete this from the Internet.""



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GAO report: White House directly involved in Enroll America fundraising « Hot Air

GAO report: White House directly involved in Enroll America fundraising « Hot Air: "When Congress refused to appropriate more funds for ObamaCare enrollment after already committing a deluge of cash to that effort, now-outgoing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius began working the phones to perform an end run around Capitol Hill. Sebelius began calling corporate CEOs to push them into donating millions of dollars to Enroll America, an outside group started by Anne Filipic, a former White House staffer. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated, and discovered that Filipic wasn’t the only White House staffer involved in the fundraising campaign."



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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Media Matters not super-keen on SEIU unionizing its employees « Hot Air

Media Matters not super-keen on SEIU unionizing its employees « Hot Air: "The “obstacles” Media Matters is more than happy to employ when its own employees start exercising the rights Media Matters advocates. We can all hope maybe someone over there will go on strike."



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New Bloomberg umbrella gun-control group’s first ad: Are your children safe? « Hot Air

New Bloomberg umbrella gun-control group’s first ad: Are your children safe? « Hot Air: "First of all, who keeps a loaded handgun in a shoebox, underneath blankets and pillows, in the back of the closet? That right there is great description of how not to keep guns in your home — but that really isn’t the point here, and I’m not even going to go into the many other in-home hazards for children that cause still more accidental deaths every year. The point is that, absolutely yes, situations like this with accidental shootings of children in the home do happen occasionally, and every one is a tragedy we should diligently work to prevent. I one hundred percent agree with the ad’s plea to “start the conversation about responsible gun ownership in your home and community” — but most of the gun control bills out there today for which the group and others like it are presumably advocating have nothing to do with keeping guns out of the hands of children in the home."



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Slate’s Dickerson: Obama deceptions might be a deliberate attention-diverting strategy « Hot Air

Slate’s Dickerson: Obama deceptions might be a deliberate attention-diverting strategy « Hot Air: "It’s a little difficult to believe this, though. The 77-cent myth has been so thoroughly debunked as a metric for “equal pay for equal work” that nearly everyone blew the whistle on it. Even after having it repeatedly debunked both now and when Obama included it in his State of the Union speech, the White House keeps using it as part of their argument, arguing that it’s “shameful” — which it is, but not for the reason they claim. If it’s not deliberate, then the only other possibility is that the entire Obama administration and the President himself are too dense to comprehend the explanation, offered a multitude of times across the political spectrum."



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Video: Obama declines to endorse Biden for 2016 « Hot Air

Video: Obama declines to endorse Biden for 2016 « Hot Air: "Obama did say that Biden was “the finest Vice President in history,” a statement that had some produced no small amount of mirth on Twitter. Really, though, what else was Obama supposed to say? The fortunate aspect of that statement is that declaring any VP the finest in history amounts to an unchallengeable claim — there simply are no metrics for success in the role, only failure. With Aaron Burr and Spiro Agnew tied for worst, every other VP has at least an argument for primacy simply for managing to finish the job.

As for endorsements, the same holds here, too. Outgoing Presidents rarely interfere in primaries, assuming the role of party leader and staying above the partisan fray. Only for VPs does that change — Biden has a shot at it — but usually only after the outcome is all but guaranteed. Ronald Reagan endorsed George H. W. Bush, but not until May 1988, long after Bush had made his nomination certain. Bill Clinton endorsed Al Gore in 2000, but only Bill Bradley challenged Gore in the primary, and that was hardly a serious bid."



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Report: Jewish residents being forced to “register” by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukrainian city; Update: U.S. ambassador confirms; Update: Hoax? « Hot Air

Report: Jewish residents being forced to “register” by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukrainian city; Update: U.S. ambassador confirms; Update: Hoax? « Hot Air: "If you’re expecting the Ukrainian army to do anything about this, forget it. They’re broke, disorganized, facing defections from Russian loyalists in the ranks, and thus understandably reluctant to commit to a fight they can’t win. The best check on persecution by Russian forces is publicity, I think: Putin wants his reclamation of Ukraine to be seen as something virtuous, an operation that is itself designed to stop the phantom persecution of ethnic Russians by “Nazis.” The more his own side behaves like honest-to-goodness Nazis, the harder that charade is to maintain. Hopefully he’s still at the point where he cares about maintaining the charade at all."



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Naomi Wolf Attacks Me as a Zionist Agent for Criticizing Brandeis Feminists

Naomi Wolf Attacks Me as a Zionist Agent for Criticizing Brandeis Feminists: "As everyone knows, Brandeis publicly announced that they would award Ayaan Hirsi Ali an honorary doctorate--and then, under siege by nearly 30% of their professors, and by thousands of their own students, they publicly disinvited Hirsi Ali. This campaign was orchestrated by the Muslim Student Association and by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization which is the American face of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood."



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Video: Old recording reveals GOP governor questioned policy, used salty language « Hot Air

Video: Old recording reveals GOP governor questioned policy, used salty language « Hot Air: "Yes, I’m sure that in private, lots of people say things, suggest ideas, and make jokes that they wouldn’t make in public. And? What about teachers’ salaries — which are public policy — makes them so sacrosanct that public officials can’t even question them in private? It seems to me that we elect public officials to act as stewards of public funds, not as high priests and priestesses for the Church Of The Public Employee, where private questions and scrutiny require public beatings.

Martinez responded by raising $15,000 the same day off of the news. She later pledged to hit the “cuss jar,” and otherwise ignore Mother Jones and their smear campaign."



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American super-patriot to Putin: Russia doesn’t conduct mass surveillance like the U.S. does, right? « Hot Air

American super-patriot to Putin: Russia doesn’t conduct mass surveillance like the U.S. does, right? « Hot Air: "Only two possibilities here. One: There’s an FSB agent out of frame with a gun pointed at Snowden’s head, just to make sure that he reads the cue card as written. In that case, decide for yourself how likely it is that Snowden’s refused to share any U.S. state secrets with Russian intel. Two: He’s doing this cheerfully, either at Putin’s request as a condition of his asylum or at his own request, to exploit a Putin press conference as a way to further needle the NSA. Whatever the answer, the stark fact is that he’s asking a question here which he knows — absolutely knows — will generate a self-serving lie told by a guy who embodies the type of fascism that Snowden claims to abhor."



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‘Effing epic!’ MMFA reportedly resists SEIU effort to organize staff; ‘All the lulz’ ensue | Twitchy

‘Effing epic!’ MMFA reportedly resists SEIU effort to organize staff; ‘All the lulz’ ensue | Twitchy: "Last week, the [SEIU Local 500] filed a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board, indicating that the nonprofit media watchdog organization rejected an effort by the union to organize MMFA’s staff through a Card Check election.

A filing with the NLRB does not necessarily mean that the union and management are in direct confrontation. For example, although Volkswagen tacitly backed the United Auto Workers’ recent effort to organize its Chattanooga, Tenn., plant, the company still insisted on an NLRB-monitored election."



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NBC: Isn’t it great to have a multi-billionaire pour money into politics? « Hot Air

NBC: Isn’t it great to have a multi-billionaire pour money into politics? « Hot Air: "Let’s do a thought experiment. If Charles or David Koch got invited onto NBC’s Today show to talk about their efforts to advance their political agenda, would either or both get partnered with Savannah Guthrie for a softball interview? Would their interview include suggestions that one of them should run for President? Kyle Drennen at Newsbusters notes that two weeks prior to Michael Bloomberg’s appearance on Today, the network took a much different approach to money in politics."



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Fox poll: 61% thinks Obama lies on important matters « Hot Air

Fox poll: 61% thinks Obama lies on important matters « Hot Air: "The lesson here? If you like your personal approval ratings, you can keep your personal approval ratings. In the latest poll from Fox News, 61% believe that Barack Obama lies some or most of the time on “important matters,” while only 15% say Obama never lies."



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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Best of the Web Today: Judd Gregg Was Right - WSJ.com

Best of the Web Today: Judd Gregg Was Right - WSJ.com: "The senator's withdrawal statement described the disagreement about the census as "irresolvable." He later backtracked somewhat, saying at a news conference that "the census was only a slight catalyzing issue. It was not a major issue." But as O'Keefe observed, "the issue has become a rallying cry of congressional Republicans."

Gregg served out his Senate term retiring after the 2010 election, when another Republican, Kelly Ayotte, was elected as his successor. The Democrats eventually got their 60th senator: In April, Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter switched parties, and in July, Minnesota's Al Franken was seated after a prolonged recount. The Democratic supermajority lasted only seven months, until Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown was seated after winning a special election occasioned by Ted Kennedy's death. That was long enough to push ObamaCare through over united Republican opposition."



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Lerner, DoJ discussed criminal prosecution of tax-exempt applicants « Hot Air

Lerner, DoJ discussed criminal prosecution of tax-exempt applicants « Hot Air: "A FOIA request from Judicial Watch has uncovered e-mails from Lois Lerner that discussed an effort to push criminal prosecution of tax-exempt status applicants — and right before IRS targeting of conservative groups became public knowledge. The e-mail, dated May 8, 2013, shows coordination between Lerner and the DoJ to follow up on the idea first broached by Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)."



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