Winner | State | $$$$ | Rank |
Gore | North Dakota |
2.03 | 1 |
Bush | North Dakota The Real Welfare Queens?Post + Comments (9) What Is That I Hear?I think it might be the Hallelujah Chorus. Drudge is reporting that Carol Moseley-Braun is forming an exploratory committee to run for President. You never can tell with Moseley-Braun, though. She might just be broke and planning on raping her campaign funds for personal benefit again. At any rate, this should be great for the GOP. Sharpton, Moseley-Braun- hell, was Mel Reynolds too busy to run this year? Think we can convince Nader to run? The Coy InstapunditTed Barlow and Matt Yglesias both make similar comments about this Instapundit posting on the Estrada nomination. Here is what the Instapundit said: DEMOCRATS THREATEN RACIST FILIBUSTER! That’s the message of this commercial on the Estrada nomination, anyway. Hmm. And just as the controversy over Russell Long heats up. I sense a disturbance in the Force, one that I have not felt since, well, the last time Karl Rove pulled one of these sucker-punch operations. When I read that this morning, I thought he was actually making fun of the people who were airing the commerical, because this is so clearly not about race. This is about ideology, this is about the Democrats asserting some power to appease their base, this is about Democrats making a stand- to prove to themselves that they can. Even if this nomination passes, they will consider it a success, because they have become somewhat more united. At any rate, I thought the Instapundit was making fun of the commerical because this is so clearly not about race- that it was the kind of race-baiting the other side normally engages in when you say something bad about any black Democrat. Make fun of Sharpton- you are a racist. It has nothing to do with the fact that he is a flaming idiot (albeit a charismatic one). That is what I thought the Instapundit meant- particularly when you throw in the ‘disturbance in the Force’ comment- meaning, something is not right- the Republicans are squealing racism. Here is what Matt had to say: So why is it that when Republicans absurdly accuse the Democrats of racism for not confirming Miguel Estrada that Glenn Reynolds links approvingly to the charge? Aren’t conservatives (er … libertarians, I mean) supposed to be opposed to “playing the race card” no matter who’s doing the playing? and Ted: The conservative grasp for victim status in the Estrada nomination is really galling. I’d like to say that it will come back to haunt them. But who’s going to call them on it? Christ, even Glenn has swallowed the Kool-Aid. I don’t think Glenn has swallowed any kool-aid, but maybe I am wrong. Regardless, if you want to know who is to blame for all this, you should look in the mirror. When you endorse candidates, political operatives, and cheer people like Atrios, who manage to find a racist behind every tree, you devalue the discussion on race. Essentially, calling someone a racist anymore is an empty charge- it is like calling them white. *** Update *** John Cole says I’m misconstruing InstaPundit’s comments about the GOP ad accusing the Democrats of racism for failing to confirm Miguel Estrada. Maybe I am, but I really don’t think so. The larger points stands, however. If the Democrats were running an ad making a clearly false accusation of racism against the Senate GOP, conservatives would be all over it. I’m not hearing anything this time around. Note that even John can’t really bring himself to say he doesn’t approve of this ad, instead to him it’s just another example of how liberals have poisoned the political discourse. To be fair, I can see how he could interpret that, but I thought my position was clear. I think this ad is stupid, wrong, and indicative of everything that is evil and divisive about today’s racial politics. This filibuster has NOTHING to do about race (well- it does now- but only because of these wrongheaded claims by some in the GOP), and I don’t approve of people playing games like this, regardless of their political affiliation. *** Update #2 *** I sure am not being very clear today. I am not in favor of the filibuster, either. I think it is cynical and stupid, but I expect that from Leahy and CO. Check out this letter from all the living former Solicitors General (spelling?) stating that Leahy’s request for info is out of line. The New Jimmy Hoffa?Has anyone heard a peep from Terry McAuliffe since the elections? Normally, it seems like not a week goes by without him releasing some sort of noxious bile in the form of a press release. The former DNC head guy, Ed Rendell, is now the governor of Pennsylvania- maybe the donkeys did learn something, after all. Anyone know of any big construction sites or deep concrete fills in PA? More Bad Policy in the War on Your NeighborYour tax dollars at work: The White House Office on National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) rolled out the Bush administration’s plan for countering drug trafficking and substance abuse February 12. The top priorities identified in an ONDCP press release are stopping substance abuse before it starts, healing the nation’s drug abusers and disrupting the profit flow in drug trafficking. The goal of disrupting the market is based on the belief that drug traffickers will get out of the business if governments can make it very difficult for them to earn profits. Yes- that should do it. That approach has been so successful with booze, porn, cigarettes- oh wait. Nevermind. In another statement released by ONDCP, Director John Walters said, “We must make drugs scarce, expensive, and of unreliable quality. Reducing the availability of dangerous substances will keep our children healthy and complement our efforts to reduce the demand for drugs. Why do they make us keep proving they are idiots? And why do they keep pretending that we are idiots? You can not win the drug war. Use has increased despite spending over 300 billion. If you want to do something sensible, rehabilitate people instead of incarcerating them. I am too sick and tired of arguing this to even present you with the links to the relevant research. You idiots know the truth- you just don’t want to deal with it. When you create a black market for something, and that something is a very valuable and desired commodity, you don’t win by attempting to shut down the supply side- all you do is increase the value of the commodity and make more incentives for OTHERS to supply the drugs. You will only win when you attack the demand side. Get it? Understand? Of course you do. Now go piss away another 30 billion dumping DDT on pot patches. Dennis Miller LiveDennis Miller was great on Donahue, and you should watch it when it is replayed tonight at 11pm. I will post a link to the transcript tomorrow. Al Qaeda DonorsThe Federal Bureau of Investigation has discovered a list of the top financial backers of al Qaida during a raid of a Muslim charity in Sarajevo, according to court documents obtained by United Press International. The reference to the list is the first public indication that U.S. authorities have specific information as to the identities of the financiers of Osama bin Laden’s terror network, but it is unclear what, if any, action has been taken against the persons named in the document. The handwritten list — referred to within al Qaida as “The Golden Chain” — details 20 wealthy donors to al Qaida followed by the specific recipient of the funding. Osama bin Laden’s name appears next to seven of the entries, including at least one donation made by the “bin Laden brothers,” according to the court document. Hunt them down and charge them with 3,000 counts of accessory to murder. |