Contributed by: filbert Saturday, February 27 2010 @ 05:25 AM CST
The “talking point” talking point: The few “highlights” of the ridiculous Kabuki-theater Obamacare “summit” that I saw featured Obama, again and again, accusing Republicans of trotting out “talking points.” It was obvious to me that the “talking point” talking point was in fact a key Obama/Democrat talking point: “See, we’re serious about this and the Republicans are just playing politics.”
Unfortunately, Obama so massively overplayed the “talking point” talking point that it became the unintended self-parody that it actually was.
How well did Obama and the Democrats do with this laughable “summit?” It was on page A-6 of Friday’s USA Today. Major FAIL.
And now, because you know you’ll want to click on these, I observe that last Thursday was obviously Snot Day for the Rightosphere:
Max Blumenthal, You’re Being Booger-Boarded [*1] — The difference between Breitbart and Blumenthal is that Breitbart knows that this is juvenile. That just makes it funnier.
Totally Unnecessary “Nugget” From The Blair House Kabuki Political Theatre [*2] — OK, this is funnier. There’s no snot like Presidential snot. At least he didn’t eat it. (Ewwwww.) Public Speaking 101: Never, Ever Touch Your Nose.
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| Obama Death Stare, via Vodkapundit[*3] . |
SECTION TWO: Things That Amuse Me:
Simians and other aminals*:
Boozy chimp sent to rehab [*4] — And, stereotypically, he’s a Russian chimp . . .
Plotting and Treachery in Ant Royal Families [*5]
Tribes show best camels at beauty pageant [*6]
Predators being predators [*7] — Obligatory there’s-a-reason-why-they’re-called-killer-whales link . . . and, on cue . . .
Killer whale: the clue’s in the name [*8]
*Yes, I know it’s “animals,” it’s just that I always found the childhood mispronunciation really, really cute . . .
Travel:
Random Palm Swabbing Starts at KCI: Screeners testing to see if passengers have been near explosives [*9]
Midwest to add flights to Columbus, New Orleans [*10] — From Kansas City, that is . . .
Only Two Airlines Left Flying a Douglas Widebody Commercially [*11]
Republic Airways to buy up to 80 Bombardier C-Series jets [*12]
Sports:
Lady Vols win 15th regular-season SEC championship [*13]
UMKC crushes Centenary [*14]
Sargent reaches 1,000-point milestone in SDSU win [*15]
Emergency shipment of condoms headed to Olympic athletes [*16]
Jacks start final homestand with Corduroy Classic [*17]
Science Fiction and Writing:
How to start a novel [*18]
Going Backward [*19]
The Economics of Word Count [*20]
Doctor Who returns in April [*21]
The many faces of plotting. [*22]
Sunday it is [*23]
Science, technology, and space:
Apple’s Jobs says must think “big” on cash hoard [*24]
iPod Explodes in Classroom [*25]
Alien Invasion [*26] — What if the aliens wind up being more Gort than Klaatu?
Miscellany (amusing things not fitting above, or below):
Interactions Between Species: Powerful Driving Force Behind Evolution? [*27]
The Future of Money: It’s Flexible, Frictionless and (Almost) Free [*28]
You’re So Vain . . . David [*29]
Gates, Bryants Set to Take BBQ War to Cable TV [*30]
SECTION THREE: Politics: The neverending battle against blithering idiocy:
People doing potentially good things (including sightings of politicians doing something less than totally idiotic):
Starbucks breaks with liberal orthodoxy. Allows guns in stores and tells Brady Campaign to get stuffed [*31] — Gun massacres happen almost exclusively in “gun-free zones.” Which are, of course, just “Only-the-good-guys-don’t-have-guns Zones”
Good-Bye, Meg Stapleton [*32] — We’ll put down Stacy McCain as Not A Fan Of Meg Stapleton, then . . .
Who Will Lead the TEA Party? [*33] — It’s that guy–or gal–in your bathroom mirror every morning. That’s how this nation was supposed to be governed. YOU were supposed to do it.
J.D. Hayworth vs. John McCain [*34]
British Tea Party Movement to launch on Saturday [*35]
Rush Limbaugh is an antibody, not a toxin [*36]
Powerless Against Palin [*37]
Senator Bunning: “I Object” [*38]
South Dakota Legislature Votes “Balanced Teaching ” of Global Warming [*39] — Time to get the State out of classrooms, I think . . .
The cure for blithering idiocy: freedom and individual liberty (yeah, I know–ooh, ick, philosophy!):
Worse than Awful [*40] — The perfect is the enemy of the good . . .
Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration [*41]
Whose Body Is It?: The government should “protect” us less and respect our liberty more. [*42]
Yet Another Person I Forgot to Hate: So Many People to Oppress, So Little Time [*43] — McCain gets the blockquote treatment here:
Wake up, chumps. The poverty of the poor is not caused by the wealth of the rich, and discontents of gay people aren’t the result of heterosexuals monopolizing happiness. The politics of spite and envy — which is to say, the agenda of the Democratic Party — can never lead to “social justice,” because there is no such thing as “social justice.”
As Friedrich Hayek explained, social justice is a mirage,[*44] and everyone — rich or poor, gay or straight, black or white, native or immigrant – ought to be profoundly distrustful of the Democratic Party, whose entire political purpose is to send people chasing after “social justice,” “equality,” and other such mirages, will o’ th’ wisps and phantoms.
Hello? Ethnic/social/minority groups? You are being used by cynical Democrat leaders, who don’t give a rat’s ass about you. What they care about is power. Their power, not yours. They want to hijack your own personal power and use it for what they want to do. Me, and those that think like me, want you to keep your own power and use it for your own purposes, whatever those purposes are–as long as you let other people keep their own power, too.
Change!… Majority of Americans Say Current Government Is a Threat to Citizen’s Rights [*45]
CNN poll: Majority of Americans … agree with founders [*46] — But only 56%. We need to have a “national discussion” on the abject failure of the educational system to convey to our present and future citizens the philosophical and intellectual foundations which are the reason that this country exists. And then we need to fire a metric shitload of school administrators and teachers.
The reality of President Obama and his entire Administration as blithering idiots:
Obama Embraces Nixonomics: The folly of imposing wage and price controls [*47]
Despite GOP Opposition, Obama Health Care Summit Finds Cure for Insomnia [*48]
The Chicago Way… Obama Ends Bipartisan Summit at Blair House With a Threat (Video) [*49]
ABC News To Obama – You Lie! [*50]
The reality of Washington Democrats (and Independents, and Socialists) as blithering idiots:
Proof that the Democrats need more business people [*51] — “If it moves, tax it . . . ”
What Exactly Was the Stimulus? [*52]
Congressional Democrats living in fear of Sarah Palin [*53]
Are Democrats really deaf to popular consensus on health care? [*54]
Maybe Even Give Such Authority to Each Congressional District! [*55] — Wherein a blithering idiot Congressman gets whatfor from a professor of economics . . . you might call it a “Modest Trade Proposal,” even . . .
America, These Are Your Leaders: Maxine Waters Edition [*56] — In this case, “blithering idiot” means f’ing moron Maxine Waters . . . and it’s depressing to think that the people who voted for her are most likely even dumber than she is . . .
Pelosi Tells Reporters She Runs “Most Ethical Congress in History” (Video) [*57] — But then, Democrats lie . . .
Other blithering idiots at large making life difficult for regular folks:
The Brutal Truth About Californians [*58] — If you can’t bear the thought of getting your own snout out of the government goodies trough, don’t be surprised when all of that pig slop is gone and the piggy next to you starts chowing down on YOU. Because that’s how socialism always ends–the strong eat the weak. .
Opposition Research: because blithering idiocy can be dangerous, especially when organized into idiotic groups with idiotic ideologies:
Obama’s Socialism [*59] — Of course he’s a socialist . . .
As Despotic as They Need to Be [*60] — “the relevant question is, if the Senate rules are the basis by which laws are passed, and the Democrats are willing to disregard those rules, then what would stop them from passing health care with 40 votes, or 30, or by decree?”
Hands off my Meds [*61]
Organizing for America Begins Astroturf/Seminar Caller Campaign [*62] — “Ever notice that everything they accuse us of they’re actually guilty of?” Why, yes. Yes, I have.
Obama group’s new strategy: Let’s get O-bots to spam right-wing radio with talking points [*63]
‘The People United Will Never be Defeated’: Inside ACORN’s Community Organizing Model [*64]
Disaffected lefties launch … “Coffee Party” movement [*65]
The Keith Olbermann Memorial “Special Comment” on blithering idiots in the Media:
Israel’s PR ministry takes swipe at foreign media [*66]
Americans Running Out of Patience on Health Care, Polls Show [*67] — Observe the spin of CBS in attempted support of the statist agenda . . .
Daily Gut: Why You Are Worse Than Hitler [*68]
MSNBC Host: We Ought to Rip Out Cheney’s Heart & Kick It Around (Audio) [*69]
At what point does the media drop “unexpectedly” from its unemployment stories? [*70] — Just remember, they want other government-approved “experts”–analogous to these economic “experts” who are perpetually surprised–to run things like your health care. Does that sound like a good idea to you? The world is too complex for “experts” to understand sufficiently well to possibly justify central planning, guided by those self-same “experts.” It is simple arrogance to think otherwise. You don’t “plan” large, chaotic systems like the economy–or large segments thereof. The best you can hope to do is nudge them a bit, and hope that you don’t nudge them into catastrophic failure. (That’s what our recent economic troubles are, you know. They wanted “everyone to be able to afford a house” in total denial of the actual economics of the situation. So they nudged homeowners and lenders to do incredibly stupid things. The blame is squarely on the government officials who embarked on that disastrous policy.
SECTION FOUR: Case Studies in Blithering Idiocy
“Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
U.N. to create science panel to review IPCC [*71] — But I thought “the science is settled” . . .
Al Gore Mocked at Shareholder’s Meeting (While He Sat in the Front Row) [*72]
Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?
Special Blair House Project edition (“It is not a virtue to be generous with somebody else’s money.”):
ObamaCare at Ramming Speed: The White House shows it has no interest in compromise. [*73] — “Compromise” and “bipartisan” are synonyms to Democrats, both meaning “agree to do it our way.” “”The President’s Proposal,” as the 11-page White House document is headlined, is in one sense a notable achievement: It manages to take the worst of both the House and Senate bills and combine them into something more destructive.”
Why Dems’ Health Care Bill is Stalled [*74]
The Polls Are Unanimous: Americans Want ObamaCare Like They Want a Raging Case of Herpes… [*75] — American people to Democrats in Congress and President Obama: SHUT UP AND GO AWAY.
ObamaCare Strategy Sabotages Bipartisan Summit [*76]
Whoa! CNN Poll: Only 25% Want Dems to Pass Their Nationalized Health Care Bill [*77]
Is Senate Health Care Reform bill dead? And does Obama have a fallback plan? (Update) [*78]
Reason.tv: Treat Me Like a Dog—What human health care can learn from pet care [*79]
The GOP’s Big Idea [*80]
Cantor: The Bill’s Dead [*81]
The President’s Health Proposal: Bringing Back Price Controls [*82]
Vid Added: McCain Raking Obama Over Coals on Process [*83] — How to answer questions? Don’t answer the questions! Brilliant!
Ryan: “We don’t think all the answers lie in Washington” [*84]
Early “returns” good for Republicans [*85]
Gallup poll shows Democrats have most to lose at the summit [*86]
Conservative Pundits: Obama and Democrats Seem to Have Stepped Into a Trap of Their Own Devising [*87] — I think the Democrats started believing their own spin that the Republicans didn’t have a plan–or even any ideas. Then they got into this meeting and basically got cold-cocked by the very plan and ideas they said the Republicans didn’t have. Serves them right.
Paul Ryan to Obama: You realize your bill is a fiscal disaster, right? [*88]
David Gergen on the summit: Republicans had their best day in years [*89]
Ryan Takes Obama to School [*90]
Will Paul Ryan’s statement (that government doesn’t have the answers) come to define the boring health care summit? [*91]
What Was Obama Thinking? [*92]
10 Biggest Health-Care Mistakes [*93] — Which, oddly enough, missed the biggest mistake of all: universal, government-run health care is an unworkable disaster. The only reason it works elsewhere in the world (to the extent it does) is that there’s always the U.S. health care system to fall back on if the other nation’s system fails. That’s why people from Canada, the U.K., and other countries continue to come to the U.S. for treatment they aren’t allowed by their governments to receive at home.
Someone Needs to Tell the President His Health Care Plan is Dead [*94]
The Reconciliation Rulebook [*95]
Fact Checking the Health Care Summit [*96]
Fact-checking Obamacare Summit [*97] — ‘Cuda wants in on the fun. It’s a target-rich environment.
McCain: Reconciliation would be “cataclysmic” [*98] — If the bull moose RINO is against the Democrats, you know it’s bad . . .
Luntz focus group says “start over” on health care [*99]
A Post-Health Summit Warning: Is Incremental Control Next for Obamacare? [*100] — Of course. If the thief can’t come in the front door, he’ll try the back door . . . or one of the windows, perhaps . . .
Good news: Obama to announce “way forward” on ObamaCare next week [*101]
OK. It may have been a trap. But it looks like the Republicans managed to get the cheese out of the trap, and have the trap snap shut on Obama’s and the Democrat’s fingers, instead. Ouch.
The Economy (Can the blithering idiots bring down the most productive economy the world has ever seen? Yes, They Can! Will they?):
The Last Bubble [*102] — Why bailing out “too big to fail” financial institutions is an epically bad idea . . .
The Morning Whip is a (mostly) daily review of what’s out there that caught my attention, sometimes but not always posted before 11 am Central time in the U. S. of A., unless I just don’t feel like it that day, am out doing something more important or more fun, or I’ve been abducted, detained, arrested, or otherwise flummoxed by the agents of blithering idiotry.
I surf the Web, so you don’t have to! (which would be a trademark, but come on, who am I kidding?)