Happy Birthday to Me

I started this blog a year ago today, after I was locked out of another blog for disagreeing with the hivemind there. My posting here may be irregular, but thanks to the four or five of you who read it anyway. And a shout out to my Blogroll – I visit all of those sites at least once a day (weekends may vary), even if I only comment at a handful of them.

Yep, She’s Got Convictions

I don’t pay attention to the “popular culture” nearly as much as I should (or, to the extent that I pay any attention to it at all; that might be more attention than I should) so I had never heard of this upcoming movie, Conviction:

This movie, which comes out October 22nd (conveniently before the election), is “about the 1980 Ayer trailer-park murder where Martha Coakley worked hard to put an innocent man behind bars for 18 years. The man’s sister, Betty Anne Waters, put herself through college and law school just so she could personally work to free her brother from prison after Coakley pushed for conviction against him for a crime he didn’t commit.” Martha Coakley (D), Massachusetts Attorney General, is running for re-election this year, and this movie can only hurt her chances. You may remember her as the woman who ran (and lost) against Scott Brown for “Ted Kennedy’s seat” in the US Senate.

“Coakley is afraid because with the movie opening, so close to the election, people are talking about the bad things Coakley has done in the past, on top of the negative feelings many still have of her from January’s campaign … where one of her aides went so far as to push a reporter to the ground when he tried to ask her a question. The hubris, entitlement, and disregard for Massachusetts voters that Coakley showed was stunning … and went a long way towards defeating her, in a race that ended up being not even close.”

And if that wasn’t (well-earned) trouble enough for her, her opponent Jim McKenna is getting help in his campaign against her from some of Brown’s operatives. Coakley, on the other hand, is getting out her brown trousers. (H/T: HillBuzz)

Beware of Greeks Bearing Advice

According to The Boston Globe, former Massachusetts Governor, failed Democratic Presidential candidate, and John Lovitz-impersonator Michael Dukakis recently traveled to the White House to give Barack Obama the benefit of his wisdom.

“It seems to me there has to be a single message coming from Democrats, from the president on down,” Dukakis said. “We’ve got to pound that message as hard as can from now until November.” … Dukakis said that it was also important for Democrats to remind voters that former President George W. Bush left the country with an increasing deficit.

That was his advice? “Blame George Bush”? I’m sorry to break it to you, Mikey, but I’m pretty sure Obama has already thought of that one. Not to mention that it’ll be difficult for Obama to share a “single message” with the Congressional Democrats, since their current message is “Obama who?”

I wonder if anyone reminded Dukakis of how well he did when he ran against a George Bush? In any event, since Jimmy Carter is spending another day in the hospital after suffering a simple case of air sickness, I guess someone else had to step forward to take the job of Democratic Moron Emeritus.

UPDATE: They’re crawling out of the woodwork: Walter Mondale on how Obama is like Carter (H/T: PJTV)

None Shall Pass

This should come as a surprise to no one. The Democrats in Congress are adjourning early this year, to have extra time to campaign against the tsunami headed their way. The last thing they want to do is pass even more unpopular legislation before the election (and the second-to-last thing they want to do is pass popular legislation that doesn’t advance their big government takeover of everything that moves and most things that don’t), so they’re stacking the lame duck session (after the election in November but before the new, improved Congress is sworn in in January) with as much as they can possibly cram in. None of it is popular with the majority of Americans (who oppose amnesty and want the Bush tax cuts renewed across the board for everyone) nor does any of it have broad support from the Republicans (who will have far more influence in the Congress next year), so this is a pure power play by Democrats to get as much of their agenda in as possible while they still hold the reins. Fortunately, it looks like at least one Senator is prepared to play Horatius at the Bridge to stop the onslaught: Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC).

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint warned Monday evening that he would block all legislation that has not been cleared by his office in the final days of the pre-election session. Bret Bernhardt, DeMint’s chief of staff, said in an e-mail to GOP and Democratic aides that his boss would place a hold on all legislation that has not been cleared by both parties by the end of the day Tuesday.

He’s already being preemptively attacked by the Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) for acting “unilaterally” to block the Senate. However, it’s perfectly reasonable to insist that any business to be voted on after the election be first brought up and approved, on the record, before the election; or, failing that, be put on hold until after the new Senate is sworn in in January – especially given the current Democratic leadership’s propensity toward ramming bills through which no one has even been given the chance to read (or in one case, name) yet.

But When You Assume

I just read something interesting this morning: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) may actually be in trouble. The Other McCain has some speculation (H.T: Ace of Spades):

In 2006, a midterm election that was also a big year for Democrats, there were barely 200,000 votes cast in the [Maryland] 5th District race. So if there is a similar turnout Nov. 2, and [Republican challenger Charles] Lollar merely matches the GOP’s 80,000 total from 2008, that puts him at 40%. Add another 15,000 votes, and he’s in shocker-upset range. Three weeks ago, I thought Lollar had a shot, based simply on analyzing the district and reading his biography: An up-through-the-ranks Marine intelligence officer – a major in the USMC Reserve. But after having lunch Friday with Lollar, I’m telling you flat-out: This guy’s a winner, if we can just get him the money to do it.

Dick Morris pointed out that there is no recent polling data in districts that are heavily blue and assumed to be safe for Democrats, so there may be many Democrats who are in trouble, and just don’t know it yet. (This on top of all of the other candidates and districts that are already being touted as possible Republican wins in November.) Hoyer might be in trouble, and blissfully unaware of the fact… And since knowing is half the battle, that means the Dems aren’t fighting back in those districts; since the DCCC is targeting their money to those districts where the Democrat candidate is in trouble but still considered to have a fighting chance.

The reason I’m personally enjoying these articles is that I live in Maryland’s fifth district, and Steny Hoyer is the representative who personally fails to represent me. I would love to have my vote against a state Democratic candidate actually mean something rather than be an exercise in futility. Don’t get wrong, I’d cast it anyway; but it would feel good to actually vote for a winner occasionally.

“The Aristocrats!”

The more I watch the Democrats flailing around, dismantling our economy and defense, passing horrendous legislation without even reading it, lying, dodging meetings with angry constituents, projecting all of their schemes and crimes onto their opponents, attacking anyone who disagrees with them, corrupting every branch and department of the government into which they sink their tentacles, using the Constitution for toilet paper, and so forth… I’m just waiting for the moment when they all turn to the C-Span cameras and shout out the punch line in unison.

Now We Know What It Takes

How many foreign nationals were deported for criticizing George W. Bush?

A British teenager who sent an email to the White House calling President 0bama an obscenity was banned from America for life, The Sun reported Monday. The FBI asked local cops to tell college student Luke Angel, 17, his drunken insult was “unacceptable.” … He said, “I don’t remember exactly what I wrote as I was drunk. But I think I called Barack Obama a p***k. …” Angel, of Bedford, in central England, said it was “a bit extreme” for the FBI to act. “The police came and took my picture and told me I was banned from America forever. I don’t really care but my parents aren’t very happy.” A Bedford Police spokesman confirmed they had spoken to Angel about the email. … Joanne Ferreira, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said there are about 60 reasons a person can be barred from visiting America. She said, “We are prohibited from discussing specific cases.”

Apparently “insulting Barack 0bama” is the ONLY thing that will get a foreign national kicked out of the USA. Illegal aliens committing rape and murder? No problem, come on in and vote Democratic! Armed drug traffickers? No problem, we’ll give you a chunk of Arizona to use! People with links to terrorists? No problem, build a mosque to spit on Americans and recruit more terrorists!

What? You failed to kiss 0bama’s ass? You’re outta here!

Sorry, Al Gore

Daily Mail Online — The earthquake that devastated a city in New Zealand tore open a new 11ft faultine in the Earth’s surface. … The quake was caused by the continuing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, said Professor Mark Quigley, of Canterbury University. ‘One side of the Earth has lurched to the right … up to 11ft and in some places been thrust up,’ he said. …

…even Gaia, the Earth Mother herself, is lurching to the right as 2010 progresses.