Archive for October, 2012

RICHARD EPSTEIN: The Last Gasp of Union Power. “In Michigan, a collective bargaining initiative will wreak havoc on an already weak economy.”

OBAMACARE SNEAK PREVIEW: As a service to the public, Americans for Tax Reform has released a projected tax form to help families and tax specialists prepare for the additional filing requirement of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate provision.

TEN REASONS WHY DONALD PLEASENCE IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON: The only. The Donald.

JOHN McCAIN: “This president is either engaged in a massive cover-up deceiving the American people or he is so grossly incompetent that he is not qualified to be the commander in chief of our armed forces. It’s either one of them.”

As distant cousin Stacy McCain’s co-blogger Smitty writes, along with a Tea Party video demanding the MSM cover the Benghazi story, “Barack Obama had better hope he loses next Tuesday. You can’t sit behind the Resolute Desk with this much albatross hanging from your neck.”

NEW EMAILS RELEASED BY HOUSE PANEL CONTRADICT OBAMA DENIAL OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE ON DOE LOANS: A batch of 150 previously undisclosed emails made public today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sharply contradict claims by Obama and several of his top aides that no political considerations entered into Department of Energy approval of clean energy program loans.

Committee chairman Darrell Issa, R-CA, said this of how the “most transparent administration ever” handled transparency on this issue: “The Administration should have disclosed these emails directly to Congress and the American people. The Department of Energy failed to produce many of these emails, but the Committee received them from other sources.”

And there’s a Harry Reid angle here, too.

 

HALLOWEEN IN THE DINER: A new – and berry, berrrrrry scaaaaaary podcast from James Lileks.

ANGRY DADS TO THE RESCUE: Video: Shirtless, dazed and confused-looking dude wanders onto football field at local Sacramento high school game, angry dads escort him off

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CONSERVATIVE POLITCAL AD MAKER LADD EHLINGER, JR. HANGING IT UP, to focus on filmmaking. If the above video is indeed his last ad, with its ‘50s themes — the Red Menace, the Blob, ‘60s Jonny Quest-style characters, and 2000-era South Park-style general ambience, it’s a bravura piece of YouTube video to go out on.

(Via The Other McCain.)

AT AMAZON, James Bond.

BEN GARRETT: Sandy And The “New Norm.” “We were told after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that this was the ‘new norm.’ Then we went seven quiet years — some of which featured abnormally calm Atlantic Basin hurricane seasons and some of which featured average numbers of storms but those storms stayed safely away from the U.S.) and heard little talk of global warming in connection with tropical weather. Now we have a perfect storm of sorts slamming the East Coast and this is the new norm.” It’s not climate, it’s just weather — unless, you know, it’s the right kind of weather. Then it’s climate!

Er, except for this: “When were hurricanes most frequent around New York and New England in the 20th Century? The 1950s. In fact, there were 10 — look ‘em up — major hurricanes to strike the East Coast between North Carolina and New England between 1954 and 1960.”

SO DOES CHRISTIE WANT TO RUN IN 2016 IF ROMNEY LOSES? Because if he does, looking too chummy with Obama right now is a suicidal move. People will remember. Not saying he shouldn’t do disaster-tour thing, but if he’s smart he’ll follow up with loud pro-Romney statement.