Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Marisa Miller Trying on Bikinis
I miss Ms. Miller. Haven't been seeing her around as much lately.
At WWTDD, "Polaroids of Marisa Miller Testing Bikinis for SI."
Tillis Wins, Boosts Prospects for GOP Senate Control
Avoiding a runoff election, Tillis is well position for a formidable run against the incumbent Kay Hagan, and it turns out he was backed by the Republican establishment, especially Karl Rove. According to Barnes:
With unprecedented help from outside groups—American Crossroads, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association—Tillis got 45 percent of the vote, defeating two major challengers and averting a potentially destructive runoff election.And the Dems are desperate alright, like I reported earlier, "Politics of Desperation: #Democrats Out of the Gate Trashing Kay Hagen Opponent Thom Tillis."
Tea Party favorite Greg Brannon trailed with 27 percent of the vote. Charlotte preacher Mark Harris came in third with 18 percent, but his appealing style suggested he will be a major player in Republican politics. Kentucky senator Rand Paul came to North Carolina on Monday to campaign for Brannon. Given the outcome, that may have been a political mistake. Harris was backed by Mike Huckabee, the former Republican presidential candidate.
But the support of Republican groups proved to be crucial. American Crossroads ran three separate ads touting Tillis. And rather than vote for Brannon, a doctor, many Tea Party activists appear to have voted for Tillis.
A key loser was Senate majority leader Harry Reid. His political action committee broadcast ads in the primary attacking Tillis, hoping one of the lesser candidates would be easier for Hagan to beat. The ads by the Democratic leader appeared to have little or no impact.
A lot of folks are playing up the establishment/tea party split, but Tillis sounds pretty conservative to me, and he's damn well positioned to take out Hagan. So let it rip, I say.
More at Hot Air, "Palin: Stop gloating over last night’s primaries, establishment Republicans."
Politics of Desperation: #Democrats Out of the Gate Trashing Kay Hagen Opponent Thom Tillis
Kay Hagan can't run on the issues, and she especially can't run on ObamaCare (in fact she can't run fast enough from it), so her campaign is out with talking points attacking the Republican Senate nominee Thom Tillis, "MEMO: THOM TILLIS’ TOP VULNERABILITIES" (at Memeorandum).
It's a laundry list of allegations and smears, and I'll leave it up to North Carolinian conservatives to debunk the junk.
It's just very telling how fast the left has gone on the attack, with so much at stake in November's Senate elections, and Hagan's precarious political position in particular. Face it, leftists are f-king desperate and they'll do anything to win. We're beyond mudslinging. Depraved Democrats are going to murder this guy's character. Indeed, they'd murder him if they could, to get him out of the way.
See the hack Democrat operative with a byline Greg Sargent, at WaPo, "47 percenter-ism is back!":
This video was taken in 2011, but even Tillis himself appeared to understand his remarks were controversial, noting that such views could “get me railroaded out of town.” The Hagan campaign is circulating the video today, but observers who have been paying close attention to the race have known for some time that Tillis, the state House speaker, has a more conservative record than is commonly appreciated, one Dems might utilize to their advantage.Basically, they're trying to Romney-ize him, a morally despicable attack which reveals --- once again --- the left's utter inability to run a legitimate campaign on the issues. I mean, seriously. Hagan's so desperate she's sunk to lying about Tillis' alleged "support" for ObamaCare? Pretty sleazy, I know: "Vulnerable #Democrat Kay Hagan Falsely Accuses GOP Opponent of Supporting #ObamaCare."
I'll be keeping close tabs on this race. Stay tuned.
More.
Monica Lewinsky, Hillary Clinton and the Left's #WarOnWomen
Haven't read it, although Michelle Malkin nails it at Twitchy, "#WarOnWomen: Vanity Fair ‘clears the decks’ for Hillary; haters attack Monica Lewinsky, blame GOP."
Wanna see #WaronWomen ? Just look at all the libs on Twitter trashing Monica Lewinsky right now as @VanityFair clears the deck for Hillary.
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) May 6, 2014
And don't miss this awesome discussion at Laura Ingraham's talking points memo from last night. Stay through especially until Monica Crowley's comments. She nails the left's utter hypocrisy. Like I always say, for the left's disgusting political thugs, it's hypocrisy all the way down.
'Any Blacks on your team in DC?'
Great meeting with HuffPost's DC editors and reporters. Such a great team! @HuffPostPol @HuffPostDC @HuffPostHill pic.twitter.com/5qDCM8BhWM
— Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) May 5, 2014
@ariannahuff @HuffPostPol @HuffPostDC @HuffPostHill Any Blacks on your team in DC?
— Dr Cornelius Castain (@ccastain) May 5, 2014
Via Twitchy, "Progressives of pallor alert! ‘#DiversityWin’ for HuffPo’s ‘so so so white’ meeting in DC [pic]."
Scumbag hypocrites. That's leftists in toto. Scumbag hypocrites.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Republican Thom Tillis Wins Senate Primary in North Carolina
Thom Tillis wins #NCSEN without a runoff, bead of sweat forms on Dems' collective forehead.
— Patricia Murphy (@1PatriciaMurphy) May 7, 2014
Thom Tillis Wins GOP Nomination Outright in North Carolina Senate Race http://t.co/Is9bKNCNG1 via @alexis_levinson
— Roll Call Politics (@rollcallpols) May 7, 2014
'Big win for GOP establishment': AP calls North Carolina Republican Senate primary for Thom Tillis http://t.co/sOcXckdezG
— TwitchyTeam (@TwitchyTeam) May 7, 2014
North Carolina Senate Republican Candidate @ThomTillis Avoids Primary Run-Off http://t.co/018IXcxl1K pic.twitter.com/5f3yg4rCTt
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) May 7, 2014
Meet Thom Tillis: 13 things to know about Sen. Kay Hagan's new opponent -- http://t.co/2oPjK7IcGL
— Reid Wilson (@PostReid) May 7, 2014
It’s Tillis vs. Hagan in North Carolina, with the GOP candidate buoyed by mainstream forces http://t.co/8iuh9LpqPY via @davecatanese #NCSEN
— U.S. News (@usnews) May 7, 2014
Kay Hagan's toast. Sure, a lot remains to be seen, but I feel it in my bones. Hagan's toast.
The Left Controversializes #Benghazi: The Story They Really Don't Want to Hear
Watch:
And from Michael Walsh, at PJ Media, "Why Benghazi Matters."
And following the links takes us to Andrew McCarthy, "Advice for Benghazi Select Committee: Don’t Draft McCarthy":
Benghazi is not an ordinary scandal — it involves an act of war in which our ambassador, the representative of the United States in Libya, was murdered (along with three other Americans) under circumstances where security was appallingly inadequate for political reasons, and where the administration did not just lie about what happened but actually trumped up a prosecution that violated the First Amendment in order to bolster the lie.More.
Only in the Manhattan-Beltway corridor do people think Benghazi is a GOP concern driven by 2016 political considerations...
College Conservatives Speak Out — #MyLiberalCampus
What caught my attention, beyond the normal attention-grabbing stupidity, is the picture of Professor Otis Madison. I recognized him immediately. In my last year at UCSB I taught an upper division course in Black Politics (I've forgotten the catalog number, and apparently the course is no longer offered by the department). Thinking I might be doing more teaching along these lines, I attended the first day of classes of Professor Madison's Black Studies (or Black Politics) course, mainly to get a copy of the syllabus. To say the guy was bizarre is putting it mildly. At the beginning of the class the guy just stood there, looking around the lecture hall, for what seemed like five minutes. It was extremely uncomfortable. He then proceeded to go off on some typical anti-American rant, blabbering on about pervasive racism, or something. UCSB's one of the more "white" campuses, especially back then, but young students are leftist, and Madison seemed to have a willing audience. (Although a strong vocal minority over the years has consistently and repeatedly hammered Madison for his "hate whitey" program of leftist indoctrination, at RateMyProfessors.)
In any case, it doesn't surprise me at all to hear Alice Gilbert, UCSB's College Republican co-chair, describe Madison as issuing a brazen threat to conservatives students. Watch:
What's it REALLY like to be Republican on a liberal campus? CRs tell all on @FoxNews #FoxandFriends #MyLiberalCampus http://t.co/4TNdxcwhPE
— College Republicans (@CRNC) April 27, 2014
And see National Review, "More Than 350,000 People Engage with #MyLiberalCampus Hashtag."
Apparently, this effort is gaining a lot of attention, and it deserves it. America's campuses are the greatest repositories of intolerance in the country.
Britain's 'Skull Cracker' Released on Prison Furlough, Somehow Fails to Return, Prompting 'Full Review' of Prison System
It's all about "compassion" and "being better" than those who've committed heinous crimes.
F-king asshats. How bloody stupid can you be?
At Telegraph UK, "'Skull Cracker' on the run prompts review of 'lax' prison system":
Escape of violent armed robber nicknamed the Skull Cracker prompts review of the prison system after Michael Wheatley fails to return from temporary release.Yes, "help them integrate," because compassion!
The decision to free a violent criminal nicknamed the Skull Cracker on day release will be reviewed amid ministers’ fears over a “lax” prison system.
Michael Wheatley, an armed robber who beat several of his victims, is still on the run.
Wheatley, 55, who was given 13 life sentences at the Old Bailey in 2002, did not return to HMP Standford Hill open prison on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, after he was allowed out on Saturday.
Wheatley raided 13 building societies and banks over 10 months in 2001 and 2002 while on parole from a previous 27-year sentence for other robberies.
He earned his nickname after pistol-whipping victims during the raids.
Jeremy Wright, the prisons minister, said there will be a “full review” of the case, looking at the decision to grant Wheatley temporary licence to leave prison.
The case raises concerns about the way day-release schemes have been operating, he said.
"We are not prepared to see public safety compromised, the system has been too lax up to now and we are changing that,” he said.
In future when prisoners are let out on temporary licence they will be tagged, subject to tougher risk assessments and tested in the community under strict conditions before being released.
"Temporary release can be an important tool in helping offenders reintegrate but it should not be an automatic right,” he said.
Screw "public safety," the "skull cracker" has rights omg! Reintegrating offenders is job one!
#NOAFW: So, Women Like Beefcake Studmuffins. Who Knew?
From Amanda Hess, at Slate, "Study Finds That Women Aren’t Run by Their Periods. Scientists Everywhere Are Confused":
What do women want? Over the past two decades, scientists have endeavored to answer this question by bringing women into their labs, asking about their sexual preferences, and then monitoring their menstrual cycles to try to extract clues from the ebb and flow of hormones in their mysterious female bodies. In recent years, these researchers have told us that the status of our monthly cycle on Election Day can influence our decision to favor Mitt Romney’s chiseled individualism or Barack Obama’s maternal health care policies, that our periods determine whether we feel like nesting with our partners tonight or heading out to proposition a stranger, and that our cycle urges us to swing with Tarzan at our most fertile and cuddle up with Clay Aiken when that month’s egg is out of the picture.Blech! Clay Aiken?!!
You gotta love Ms. Amanda's take though:
The researchers suspect that the drive to chart women’s choices on their fertility calendars reflects our desire to understand human behavior via rudimentary evolutionary explanations: “More modern evolutionary approaches,” they write, “recognize that social learning and innovation are central human adaptations that are enabled by biological processes” and that ”the evolution of the human brain did not stop with these ancient sensory, perceptual, and motivational systems.” For one thing, women just don’t menstruate like they used to—while our ancestors spent the bulk of their adulthoods either pregnant or lactating, modern women in industrialized societies menstruate regularly throughout their lives, taking just a couple short breaks to have some kids. The rise of birth control has also radically disrupted any evolutionary influences. Other studies have found that women desire greater masculinity in their partners if they live in economies with low GDPs, “in which men’s work may involve manual labor jobs and male brawn,” while women in wealthier countries that “rely more on knowledge workers” are freer to prefer “better-looking men.”"To better contribute to our societies."
In other words, a woman’s cultural conditioning is even more powerful than progesterone. Women’s endocrine processes have officially taken a back seat to our own mental and physical capacities to regulate our preferences and our cycles to better contribute to our societies.
That's precious!
Whatever. I just love that Tarzan reference, which I'm sure will pique Robert Stacy McCain's interest.
Here's the study, "What do women want? USC study reveals what scientists might have gotten wrong."
Check back for more from the frontlines of National Offend a Feminist Week!
Leftists Scream Epithets at Patriots Near Live Oak High School
At Twitchy, "‘What’s wrong with these white people?’ American flag wavers near Calif. high school called ‘racist’."
And also at Fire Andrea Mitchell, "You are now racist if you hold American flags near Live Oak HS in Morgan Hill."
Stay classy, leftists.
Lucy Pinder Salutes National Offend a Feminist Week!
And here's Monday's entry at the Other McCain, "Sex Roles: ‘Me Tarzan, You Jane’."
I don't see any lingerie shots of Professor Caroline Heldman, so Lucy Pinder will have to do. Recall, Ms. Lucy's tearful visage graced the cover of Nuts' final issue.
Monday, May 5, 2014
The Coming #Democrat 2014 'Shellacking'
It's still six months out from November 2014, but two polls out today paint a grim picture for House and Senate Democrats. At Pew Research, conducted with USA Today, a new survey shows Republicans leading Democrats by four points in the generic ballot, 47 to 43 percent. The key finding for me, however, is how dramatic the parties have traded places since last October, at the time of the ObamaCare rollout. Back then Democrats were leading the generic ballot by far, holding a six-point lead (49 to 43 percent) over the Republicans. See, "Midterm Election Indicators Daunting for Democrats: No Improvement in Perceptions of Job Market" (at Memeorandum).
And here's the USA Today report, "Poll: For the midterms, a tilt to the GOP." And check the beautiful graphic at the link. In November 2010, the parties were tied at 44 percent in the generic ballot, and the GOP still went on to gain 63 seats in the House. And Republicans picked up 6 seats in the Senate that year, taking the nationwide popular vote 49.4 to 44 percent.
Susan Page of USA Today is interviewed by Jake Tapper at the Twitter link below, and she indicates that Republicans haven't had this kind of lead in the generic ballot for decades.
Yes. MT @jaketapper Are Democrats in for a ‘shellacking’ in 2014 midterms? #TheLead http://t.co/P1PzwiXMNU … #ObamaSucks #DEMS
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) May 5, 2014
And CNN's also out with a poll showing similar Democrat Party disadvantages, "CNN Poll: GOP advantage in midterms." Particularly noteworthy are the president's numbers, clearly a drag on Democrat prospects in the fall:According to the poll, 43% of Americans say they approve of the job Obama is doing as president, with 55% giving him a thumbs down. The President's approval rating is unchanged from CNN's most recent survey, which was conducted in early March.Dana Bash, also interviewed with Jake Tapper at the link above, warns that there's simply too much that could happen on the Senate side to make any reliable predictions at this point. "Something big" could happen, like a Todd Akin, that could torpedo Republican hopes of recapturing the upper chamber. Commenters here, in previous posts, have also warned that the Republicans will probably snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and I'm not quick to blow off such sentiments. But barring a major campaign debacle that gives the Democrats unearned advantages in the fall media sound-bite cycle, I think "shellacking" won't be a strong enough term for the beating voters administer the Dems come fall.
The President's approval ratings are hovering in the low to mid 40's in most non partisan national polling this year, slightly above where he stood in November and December, when he hit or matched his all-time low in many surveys....
While a majority of those questioned say the President is not a major factor in their vote this November, a quarter say they will be sending a message that they oppose Obama, with one in five saying their vote will be a message of support for the President.
"On the face of it, a majority saying that their vote is not based on their opinion of an unpopular president may sound like good news for Democrats," Holland said. "But President Obama has usually been the Democratic party's most reliable way to fire up the base, and this question suggests that Democrats won't turn out this year just because Obama asks them to. It's also worth noting that the current numbers are almost identical to 2010, when the President's party got shellacked in the midterms."
And Democrats, more than Republicans, appear to have more work ahead of them when it comes to firing up the base. Conventional wisdom dictates that the GOP has an advantage over the Democrats in midterm contests. White voters and older voters, key to the Republican base, tend to cast ballots in bigger percentages in midterms than younger voters and minorities, who are an important part of the Democrats' base.
More at Memeorandum.
Added: From Heather Ginsberg, at Town Hall, "65% of Americans Want Next President to Change Obama's Policies."
Utterly astounding numbers.
What Would America Fight For?
“WHY is it that everybody is so eager to use military force?” America’s cerebral president betrayed a rare flash of frustration on April 28th when dealing with a question in Asia about his country’s “weakness”. Barack Obama said his administration was making steady, if unspectacular, progress. By blundering into wars, his critics would only harm America.Keep reading.
Mr Obama was channelling the mood of his people, worn out by the blood and treasure squandered in Iraq and Afghanistan. A survey last autumn by the Pew Research Centre suggests that 52% want the United States to “mind its own business internationally”, the highest figure in five decades of polling. But when America’s president speaks of due caution, the world hears reluctance—especially when it comes to the most basic issue for any superpower, its willingness to fight.
For America’s most exposed allies that is now in doubt...
A poisonous root
Admittedly, deterrence always has some element of doubt. Between the certainty that any president will defend America’s own territory and the strong belief that America would not fight Russia over Ukraine lies an infinite combination of possibilities. A lot depends on how each incident unfolds. But doubt has spread quickly in that middle ground—and it risks making the world a more dangerous, nastier place.
Already, regional powers are keener to dominate their neighbours. China is pressing its territorial claims more aggressively, Russia interfering more brazenly. In 2013 Asia outspent Europe on arms for the first time—a sign that countries calculate they will have to stand up for themselves. If Mr Obama cannot forge a deal with Iran, the nightmare of nuclear proliferation awaits the Middle East. Crucially, doubt feeds on itself. If next door is arming and the superpower may not send gunboats, then you had better arm, too. For every leader deploring Mr Putin’s tactics, another is studying how to copy them.
Such mind games in the badlands of eastern Ukraine and the South China Sea may feel far away from Toledo or Turin. But the West will also end up paying dearly for the fraying of the global order. International norms, such as freedom of navigation, will be weakened. Majorities will feel freer to abuse minorities, who in turn may flee. Global public goods, such as free trade and lower cross-border pollution, will be harder to sustain. Global institutions will be less pliable. Americans understandably chafe at the ingratitude of a world that freeloads on the economic, diplomatic and military might of the United States. But Americans themselves also enjoy the exorbitant privilege of operating in a system that, broadly, suits them...
And ICYMI, from Charles Krauthammer, at WaPo, "Obama’s foreign policy of denial."
Leftist Publisher Lawrence & Wishart Issues Takedown Notice Against #Marxist Internet Archive
As I started reading the piece I checked over at the Marxist Internet Archive, which posted an announcement that as of April 30th they were taking down their Marx collection, heh.
And the best part? The communists over at Crooked Timber are all up in a lather about it, bwhahaha!!! See, "Karlo Marx and Fredrich Engels / Came to the checkout at the 7-11."
Shoot, even the New York Times gets the irony, "Claiming a Copyright on Marx? How Uncomradely":
The Marxist Internet Archive, a website devoted to radical writers and thinkers, recently received an email: It must take down hundreds of works by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels or face legal consequences.Lulz.
The warning didn’t come from a multinational media conglomerate but from a small, leftist publisher, Lawrence & Wishart, which asserted copyright ownership over the 50-volume, English-language edition of Marx’s and Engels’s writings.
To some, it was “uncomradely” that fellow radicals would deploy the capitalist tool of intellectual property law to keep Marx’s and Engels’s writings off the Internet. And it wasn’t lost on the archive’s supporters that the deadline for complying with the order came on the eve of May 1, International Workers’ Day.
“Marx and Engels belong to the working class of the world spiritually, they are that important,” said David Walters, one of the organizers of the Marxist archive. “I would think Marx would want the most prolific and free distribution of his ideas possible — he wasn’t in it for the money.”
Still, Mr. Walters said the archive respected the publisher’s copyright, which covers the translated works, not the German originals from the 19th century. On Wednesday, the archive removed the disputed writings with a note blaming the publisher and a bold headline: “File No Longer Available!”
The fight over online control of Marx’s works comes at a historical moment when his ideas have found a new relevance, whether because the financial crisis of 2008 shook people’s confidence in global capitalism or, with the passage of time, the Marx name has become less shackled to the legacy of the Soviet Union. The unlikely best seller by the French economist Thomas Piketty, “Capital in the 21st Century,” harks back to Marx’s work, examining historical trends toward inequality in wealth.
Despite this boomlet in interest, however, Lawrence & Wishart, located in East London, hardly expects to have an online hit on its hands, said Sally Davison, the publisher’s managing editor. The goal is to create a digital edition to sell to libraries in place of a print edition, which costs roughly $1,500 for the 50 volumes.
Even Marxist collectivists can't resist the filthy lucre when it suits them. Communism: the biggest scam in world history.
More at the link.
And really, the statement from Lawrence & Wishart is the kicker!
Over the last couple of days Lawrence & Wishart has been subject to campaign of online abuse because we have asked for our copyright on the scholarly edition of the Collected Works of Marx and Engels to be respected. The panic being spread to the effect that L&W is ‘claiming copyright’ for the entirety of Marx and Engels’ output is baseless and largely motivated by political sectarianism from groups and individuals who have never been friendly to L&W.Because online Marxist trolls are so compassionate lol!
London's Daily Mail Boasts 690 Percent Growth in Unique Visitors Since '08 Relaunch
And I love the "sidebar of shame," heh.
At the Press Gazette UK, "Mail Online has grown ten-fold since its 2008 relaunch, but is it journalism?"
'I have evidence there was a systematic, intentional decision to withhold certain documents from Congress...'
The #Benghazi-Industrial Complex? Politico's Michael Hirsh Pushes Back Desperately Against Ben Rhodes Bombshell
Typical hack piece by a typical court-reporting hack.
I called the f-ker out:
.@Michaelphirsh And it's crap. Some obscure 9th tier blogger can do better than this, sheesh: http://t.co/0ZDmgW2fcU cc. @Instapundit
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) May 5, 2014
Crap journalist @Michaelphirsh interviewed "dude" Tommy Vietor for his laughable propaganda piece. Dude! @Instapundit
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) May 5, 2014
.@Michaelphirsh So Judge Jeanine Pirro's a "right wing conspiracy monger"? She'd cut you to ribbons, you hack: https://t.co/SgJPtcSk9u
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) May 5, 2014
.@Michaelphirsh runs a invitation-only blog titled "Informing the 99 Percent." Bwhahaha!! Don't change, lol!! @Instapundit
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) May 5, 2014
And don't miss this great Howard Kurtz "Media Buzz" segment from yesterday, "Media Minimize Benghazi Story After Initial Release of Emails - Media Buzz Spin Cycle."
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Sunday Cartoons
Also at Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES."
And at Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Little Big Foot."
Cartoon Credit: William Warren.