Lone Tree on Colorado Prairie

Courtesy of Bob's Blog. Double click the pic.

As Suspected

"Socialist" Joins "Arrogant" As Code Word for "Black"
—Ace

All these code words just happen to track precisely with Obama's negatives.

Funny how that keeps workin' out for them.

Posted by Ace at 03:40 PM

Followup to yesterday's Risk post

Iowahawk:

SEATTLE -- Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden promised a group of supporters Sunday that running mate Barack Obama "will absolutely 100% trigger a nuclear Armageddon kinda thing" within the first 20 minutes of his presidency, but added that

"Barack Obama is looking forward to this apocalyptic opportunity to test his mettle, because he totally aced his LSATs."

Beldar:

I can't help recalling January 20, 1981, the date a new president who was very unlike Barack Obama was being inaugurated. Literally within hours of his becoming Commander in Chief, a 444-day American humiliation at the hands of the Iranian mullahs ended with the return of 52 U.S. hostages who'd been seized from the American embassy in Tehran. The Iranians had pushed around, taunted, ignored, and ridiculed an idealistic and untested young American president whom Barack Obama much resembles. But Ronald Reagan's inauguration put a swift end to our enemies' boldness. Confronted with an American leader whose spine and resolve they did not dare challenge, the bullying terrorists backed down.

Foreign intelligence agencies pay lots of attention to American elections. In Moscow and Tehran, among other places, decision-makers are well aware that John McCain won't hesitate in standing up for America's interests without regard for its potential impact on his own political future.

Playing Risk; Women; Foreign Relations

Played Risk last week. Four players. 1980 American version, similar to the 1980 Italian version shown above.

Though the early rounds, we all four remained spread over the world. I had armies lightly bunched in Africa and Asia - as innocuously as possible - deployed away from everyone's line of attack. My "Survivor" strategy: allow opponents to attack each other. Two opponents were close to consolidating continents; I was not.

However, my friend always keeps an eye on my strategy. He foiled my "Survivor" strategy via attacking my lightly bunched armies in Central Africa. We both were damaged in battles which represented a metaphor for modern day armed disruptions in oil rich central African nations.

I could've then licked my wounds and continued to consolidate in Ural and Mongolia. Instead, in attacks representing strategies which have surely crossed both Putin's and China's minds: I turned in my only three cards, gained a few additional armies, and swept down out of Asia and attacked into my friend's African nations. Another opponent - my friend's girlfriend "Cat" - asked "What are you doing?!" Cat's reaction represents the international left's reaction when Russia invaded Georgia. My friend laughed: "He is teaching me a lesson."

Exactly so. My attack left us both severely damaged. I was killed off and eliminated before my next turn. If only that could happen to the Chinese Government.

My attack will help my chances in future games. It communicated this:

1. fear my unpredictability and seeming irrationality
2. attacking me has consequences: I won't be punked.
   
   

As I explained my rational irrationality tactic to Cat, I realized this is the exact tactic some wives use against their husbands. Such wives use unpredictability, vindictiveness, and seeming irrationality as tactics to help them gain power inside marital relationships. They are not irrational; they merely want their husbands to think they are. Given their objective of gaining power, their seeming irrationality is a rational tactic.

I shared this with Cat. At first, she acted insulted on behalf of her gender. None of we three men bought it. However, she soon enough copped to personal usage of irrationality and vindictiveness as tactics.

Caveat: I'm not alleging all women do this. Some women are fully irrational:




















I was reminded of predictability vs. unpredictability when Sen. Biden yesterday made his guarantee: foreign nations will intentionally test Barack with a foreign policy crisis during his first months in office. Senator Biden implied:

1. Barack will do nothing
2. It will look like weakness
3. It will actually be Gandhi-wisdom (Greg's note: Gandhi-wisdom is my characterization. This is Gandhi-wisdom in a POTUS: what destroys America and her interests only makes America stronger. Gandhi recommended nonviolent reaction to Hitler. It didn't work out for the Jews.)
4. The Hollywood/Hyde Park/Manhattan Left must have Barack's back when he deploys his Gandhi-wisdom.

Bill Kristol:

It's not just that Obama's own running mate expects an international crisis early in his presidency. It's not just that Obama has a weak foreign policy record. It's that Biden himself expects what will appear to be a weak response from Obama to testing by a dictator.

If you are Russia or Iran: Barack is predictable. You are certain of your footing. In the face of provocation, Barack is going to dither and do nothing.

If you are Russia or Iran: McCain is unpredictable. He might support Campaign Finance Reform. He might oppose drilling in ANWAR. He might organize a Senatorial Gang of 14 to derail Republican judicial nominees while safeguarding the Senate filibuster. He might oppose torture. He might favor a surge of troops when he, Lieberman, and GWB are the only politicians who believe it will work. He might select a Jewish Democrat or a female Alaska governor to be his VP. If you are Russia or Iran or China: you don't quite know what the bastard McCain is going to do. You are off balance.

Advantage: United States.



Related:

Scott Johnson: Kristol Translates Biden
Scott Johnson: The Kennedy-Khrushchev Conference for Dummies

Some are natural actors

Why Barack = Socialist

`
Cutting checks to nontaxpayers = Socialism

It is true Congress has twice done this as part of "Economic Stimulus" packages during the Bush Administration. In both instances, Congress was wrong to do so.* What is different, now, is that Barack plans this as Standard Operating Procedure. Once Barack's SOP is in place, which Washington politicians will have the guts to some day rescind the practice?

What's really insidious is that Barack presumes Joe the Hopeful Owner of a Plumbing Company will never earn $250K, and further presumes Joe knows it. Barack believes The American Dream only exists for Ivy League grads with connections. Barack does not believe opportunity is the antidote to human misery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rudy Giuliani on Greta last night:

Redistribution of wealth: this is not American. What's American is being rewarded for working hard, and not being punished for your success.

If your earnings are being mailed to nontaxpayers: you are being punished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Checks were also cut during the Carter Administration. The practice is a proven failure at stimulating the economy.

Top of BCS Rankings have retro look

Is this 2008? Or, say, 1968? Or 1974?

1. Texas........(led by James Street and Earl Campbell)
2. Alabama......(led by Johnny Musso and John Hannah)
3. Penn State...(led by Franco Harris and Jack Ham)
4. Oklahoma.....(led by Greg Pruitt and Little Joe Washington)
5. USC..........(led by Sam "Bam" Cunningham and Anthony Davis)


1968 Penn State, led by Coach Joe Pa ... wait a minute!

The eras are partially linked by highly regarded coaches:

Darrell Royal ~ Mack Brown
Bear Bryant ~ Nick Saban
Joe Paterno ~ Joe Paterno
Barry Switzer ~ Bob Stoops
John McKay ~ Pete Carroll

Of the group, the only coach who is not a giant of the industry is Mack Brown.

Brown reminds of Switzer: neither is going to outwit the competition; both are going to outrecruit the competition. To outwit the competition requires highly disciplined practices which allow installaton of the schemes and the tweaks which outwit. One imagines Switzer and Brown run effective practices, but not highly disciplined ones.

Stoops is an "outwit you" type of coach.

I think of Bryant and Saban as focusing on being more fundamentally sound, in all aspects, than the competition.

I think of Royal and McKay as being shrewd judges of human nature and of athletes. I think of them as concentrating on which matchups favored their teams. Royal might exploit his all-everything Offensive Tackle Jerry Sisemore. McKay might exploit his all-everything Offensive Tackle Ron Yary (McKay explains USC Sweep).

Almost Forgot: Megyn Wins!

Hooray! Megyn garnered a commanding 300% as many votes (3) as Megan (1).

Celebrating St. Patty's Day with Jim Kelly and NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.



In Dolce and Gabbana.



Do conservative chicks find Karl Rove hot? Fringe benefit of being an evil genius.

Best video this week

The skating rink metaphor is brilliant.


h/t

Hubris: Barack spoke truth

For McCain, the real value of William Ayers was as a spotlight on Barack's hidden and extremist political beliefs. Barack, via hubristically letting down his guard and speaking truth, has self-revealed his extremism. William Ayers is no longer as important to McCain. Barack turned the spotlight on himself.



Do you find a bit of a double standard?
1) Media do not investigate the Obama/Ayers relationship.
2) Media ascend en masse to Alaska.
3) Media give Joe the Plumber a rectal exam.

Jim Treacher:

So, if you happen to be standing in front of Obama when he publicly reveals his socialism, what does the media do? Demands to see your papers. That's just delicious, is what that is.

The story is: Obama is a socialist.

Joe is not the story. Joe is a symbol of Americans who will be hurt by Barack's socialism.


Barack and media cannot damage Joe the Symbol via attacking Joe the Person. The only way to invalidate the symbol is to show that Barack's socialism will not hurt Americans - then **poof** the symbol disappears. If Americans are not going to be hurt by Barack, then Americans do not need a symbol to represent them.

Barack's problem: America is not ready for Barack to make a frank and open case for socialism. This is why Barack is running as a moderate. This is why Barack the Socialist and Joe the Symbol of Aggrieved Americans are giant trouble for Barack. This is why, the day after the debate, Barack and Biden did something previously unseen on a Presidential stump: they attacked a plumber.* It won't work. Joe is a symbol.

I half expect David Axelrod's astroturfers to start a rumor that Joe is a wife beater (as they started the Palin called Barack a Sambo rumor). That's about their only chance to damage Joe the Symbol. Tax liens won't do it. Tax liens just make America identify with Joe the Strugglin' Plumber even more.


* First, in the link above, watch Barack's sneering grin at the end of his stump statement. Second, do Barack and Biden know that plumbing companies routinely make more than $250K/yr? Are they out of touch, or just deceptive?

NASA: Outer space smells like fried steak, hot metal, and welding a motorbike

To aid in training astronauts, NASA is trying to recreate the smell of outer space.

Meanwhile: Palin is still really good

She speaks the language of the voters. She understands the crowd (at :40):

We believe America is not the problem. We don’t have to apologize for being Americans!

She says that with just the right amount of frustration and defiance. She says it in just the way the crowd is feeling it. Her talent is not unique, yet it is also not common. And she knows it. As she should.

Wow: TCU 32, BYU 7

BYU brought a 16 game winning streak (the nation's longest) into Amon Carter Stadium.

BYU brought a #9 AP Ranking into Amon Carter.

BYU brought a fantastic college QB who passes with amazing accuracy.

BYU brought the cachet of a 59-0 victory against UCLA on Sept 13. This season, Mountain West teams have a 6-1 record against Pac 10 teams.

TCU held BYU scoreless for the first 40 minutes, and had a 26-0 lead before allowing BYU on the scoreboard. TCU benefitted from 4 turnovers. I doubt anyone could hold BYU's offense down otherwise.

I'm confident the Thursday Night date helped the home team: TCU, and hurt BYU. This is a shame. Mountain West teams have little choice except to play on odd nights. Because this matchup promised to be entertaining, I'm surprised the game was on Versus instead of ESPN.

Unless Utah has a special football squad: TCU's loss at OU, combined with TCU's victory tonight over BYU, knocks the entire Mountain West out of BCS consideration.

The End Zone Predicts: McCain Is Going To Win

McCain is funny (starting 1:45 in). He gets Hillary to genuinely laugh - a difficult thing. Hillary is more relaxed, as if the weight of the world has been lifted off her shoulders.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm upping my McCain prediction from "solid chance" to "will win". I look at conditions, and I say the conventional wisdom is wrong. Why?

Overriding reason:

Barack has no resume of professional accomplishment, thus voters do not have a feel for who he truly is.

The voting booth is a lonely place. Americans vote for people whom they can trust to take care of the nation. Democrats ought not have nominated Barack this year.

Lesser reasons:

The public's economic fear is lessening. Before the credit crisis, McCain was tied with Obama and was gaining ground.

Many undecideds are about to focus on Wright, Rezko, Ayers, ACORN, and Barack's extreme liberalism for the first time. Barack's words to Joe the Plumber finally shine a light on the extreme liberalism which Barack and the media have been hiding. James Pethokoukis:

If the contest is perceived by the voters as a contest between a wealth redistributor and a wealth creator, then it could be a long night come Nov. 4. This is still a center-right country, gang. Note this Gallup poll from June:

Americans overwhelmingly—by 84% to 13%—prefer that the government focus on improving overall economic conditions and the jobs situation in the United States as opposed to taking steps to distribute wealth more evenly among Americans.

Pethokoukis anecdote:

A while back I chatted with a University of Chicago professor who was a frequent lunch companion of Obama's. This professor said that Obama was as close to a full-out Marxist as anyone who has ever run for president of the United States. Now, I tend to quickly dismiss that kind of talk as way over the top. My working assumption is that Obama is firmly within the mainstream of Democratic politics. But if he is as free with that sort of redistributive philosophy in private as he was on the campaign trail this week, I have no doubt that U of C professor really does figure him as a radical. And after last night's debate, a few more Americans might think that way, too. McCain's best line: "Now, of all times in America, we need to cut people's taxes. We need to encourage business, create jobs, not spread the wealth around."

The McCain Campaign believes 75% of remaining undecideds will decide in the final 10 days of the campaign. McCain has specific campaign roll outs designed for that 10 day period.

Today's polls have bumped another point in McCain's favor, despite Monday's polls having already bumped a couple of points in McCain's favor.

The only things anyone remembers from last night's debate are:
1) Joe
2) McCain telling Obama "If you wanted to run against Bush, you should've run 4 years ago."

The only memorable things Barack said were memorable b/c they were lies. That debate helps McCain. McCain is going to win.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blog roundup of interesting stuff:

Zombietime writes about The Left's Big Blunder, the Clever Hans Effect, the Asch Experiments, and more.

Jim Geraghty has his ear to the ground, and is hearing encouraging things.

A. J. Strata:

I have been saying for weeks now that Palin would be the magic bullet, that she was pulling in crowds that rival or beat Obama’s. And I keep going back to the hard data that shows her debate was the all time most watched debate in election history (if you add in C-SPAN and/or PBS viewers).

And I can point to other indicators as well. The Battleground Tracking Poll shows Obama losing half his lead in the span of 3 days (from +13% down to +6%). If McCain can gain 3% a week running up to the election Obama loses.

Rassmussen’s Daily Tracking Poll shows the same sagging support for Obama over the last week, going from +8% to +4%.
[...]
As I noted yesterday the key is turnout. All these polls assuming the right will stay home, Sarah is not a factor in energizing new voters.... [...] Obama may have peaked too early and come off too aloof to hold the magic. McCain-Palin are taking the anti-DC movement from him piece by piece.

We are a nation of Joe The Plumber and Sarah Palin voters, and Obama has ceded his mantle as the agent of change for these regular folks.

Joe the Plumber bests snake in the grass Diane Sawyer

I'm linking this interview b/c Diane Sawyer's demeanor is that of a snake. Her actual questions are completely fair, and are, in fact, good interview questions. However, notice her demeanor!

Diane Sawyer has prepared for this interview very carefully, and with malice. She is going to destroy Joe the Plumber via revealing him to be either a fraud, a Republican operative, or an ignorant Middle American simpleton. She will get him. Of that she has no doubt.

In support of her intention, I fully suspect she has enticed a meat and potatoes American onto her show on the pretense that America wants to know about his human interest story, and that she - Diane Sawyer - would sooo appreciate his help and cooperation for the sake of her show; and that she will be, in his interview, the warm and gushing Diane Sawyer who was once an American sweetheart and remains a sexy woman. She has used her femininity and his ingrained chivalry as part of her enticement strategy.

During the interview, Diane's exterior is all warm and smiley and gushy and "I used to be an American sweetheart"-y. Behind that facade, she bares her snake fangs and strikes, strikes, and strikes again. Joe is not the first non-media savvy middle American whom Diane Sawyer has snake-ambushed(snake-bushed?). The old sweetie pie girl has played this game many times.

I'm offended that such treachery represents the way many (most?) professional journalists have conducted their entire careers. This is not honorable.

Joe foils her plan. How?

First, in an age of digital camera and video, regular Americans are less nervous in front of cameras. Joe is natural and poised in front of the camera. He knows who he is. He has seen himself on videotape before. Being on Good Morning America is not something which flummoxes him.

Second, in an age of 24 hour cable news, Joe is more media savvy than the regular Americans Diane Sawyer was ambushing 10 years ago and 30 years ago. I'm offended at Diane Sawyer's snakiness, yet Joe the Plumber is no victim. I suspect he suspected Diane Sawyer might try something like she did. He is not caught unaware.

Third, Joe is not a Repub operative (or, if he is an operative, he is not yet caught).

Fourth, Joe has reasoned his way to conservative economic belief, and is able to express the intellectual connections which got him there. Since Joe has well-founded reason on his side, and Diane Sawyer has one inch deep liberal cant on her side, Joe carries the day. Bravo.

Diane Sawyer can take her snake fangs and go straight to snake hell.


Update: Joe is a registered Republican. I don't see that this is significant. If Joe is found to be a Repub campaign worker, that could be spun (even though it would not invalidate the principles Barack elucidated in "spread the wealth").

Update II: Oppo internet research going crazy! Joe Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, must be destroyed! This is actually a good sign for McCain. This reaction indicates a left side fear of Joe the Plumber. Blogs are saying Joe Wurzelbacher is a relative of Robert Wurzelbacher, and Robert Wurzelbacher is Charles Keating’s son-in-law. Viola! Republican plot! Ergo, the facts of what Obama said and believes do not matter! I'm bad at predicting voter reaction. Maybe this spin will work in Barack's favor, or not. I don't know.

Update III: Joe tells Katie Couric how he came to ask Barack the question; makes an innocent observation which will inevitably result in Joe's being slandered as a racist:

Obama came to my neighborhood and my son and I were outside tossing the football, and all of a sudden he showed up, and there went our football tossing for a while. And, you know, neighbors were outside asking him questions, and I didn't think they were asking him tough enough questions, so I thought, you know, I'll go over there. You know, I've always wanted to ask one of these guys a question and really corner them and get them to answer a question of--for once instead of tap dancing around it. And unfortunately I asked the question but I still got a tap dance. Do you - almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr.

The long knives are out for Joe. He is too effective a spokesman for regular Americans who believe in smaller government. Before the left is done, they will slander Joe as a separatist who should be living in a cabin in Montana surrounded by guns, dogs, canned food, and apocalyptic literature. The property's septic system will work perfectly.