THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF THE TEA PARTY:
You’ve got ten and a half months to prove the latter assumption wrong.
GOOD ADVICE: Don’t Let The Economy Pick Your Major For You.
A READER EMAILS: “How come Romney hasn’t turned that firing thing into a positive talking point … by pointing out what a better state the nation might be in today if Obama liked being able to fire people more? Several come to mind. Geithner. Napolitano. Biden … Not to mention the fact that Romney wants the American people to fire Obama for underperformance. This is the chief executive’s job we’re hiring for. Firing incompetents is part of what we hire them to do.”
Technically, of course, the President can’t fire the Vice President, who’s an independently elected officer, not the President’s subordinate. But yeah.
THE MEDIA IS MOST TO BLAME for this Depp/White House/Halloween story, Moe Lane writes:
I’m not all that angry at the White House for this. I was already aware that they’re collectively a bunch of sullen teenagers over there with no sense of other people’s property and a raging case of entitlement issues. No, what bugs me is that the media let them get away with it. Yes, publishing a story on this would have sparked a certain amount of justified outrage. So what? Contrary to popular belief – and, alas, popular usage – it’s not the media’s job to keep the population from being outraged.
That used to be a feature, not a bug for the media. These days, it depends on which party is in office. Which is yet another reminder: want stricter media scrutiny of a presidential administration? Vote Republican.
RELATED: If only we had a political class worthy of the esteem of our journalists...
TEA PARTY POLITICS beyond the Presidential horserace.
THE DANGERS OF Penis Tattoos.
AT AMAZON, Warehouse Deals on pet products.
Also, markdowns on Turbo Tax. Tim Geithner beware.
JACK DUNPHY ON HOW THE LAPD CAUGHT THE HOLLYWOOD ARSONIST: “A crime spree like this one has the potential to bring a city to its knees, so the LAPD mobilized every asset at its disposal to bring it to a stop. With the exception of some serial-killer investigations, I’ve never in my long career seen as much investigative weight thrown into a case.”
Don’t miss the conclusion; setting aside the heinous nature of the crimes themselves, it’s example number 1,237,622 of how there’s no way any satirist can’t improve upon real life for its pure absurdity.
YESTERDAY, Zerohedge had its 3d bloggiversary. Whippersnapper!
MICKEY KAUS: “One tidbit uncovered in a round of investigative drinking in New Hampshire: Some politicos worry that Rand Paul’s many out-of-state volunteers may decide to vote in the primary, using the state’s relatively loose same-day-registration procedures. … These would not be local crossover voters who are registered as independents and decide to make some mischief. It would be mischief-making on a whole other level. … John Fund, call your office.”
U.S. TO TWITTER: Stop Sleeping With The Enemy. “Technology can be a force for good, and Twitter is not a public enemy. But we need to plan for when things go bad, when terrorists and other enemies master the new technologies, as they inevitably will. Our advantage, at least for now, is that we understand the new technology first.”
TED KENNEDY COURT BRIEF: HE WOULDN’T SUPPORT OBAMA’S ‘RECESS’ APPOINTMENTS. Oh, I don’t know; how difficult would it have been for Teddy to pivot and find some way to justify them?
THE ANNUAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW is ongoing in Las Vegas; C/Net has a round-up of news from there. Though just a reminder: not everything that’s hyped at CES is going to wind up either in your local retailer or (especially) in your den this year.
U.S.NEWS: Poll: Americans, 2-1, Fear Obama’s Reelection. They should. Obama’s goal — with hefty press assistance, of course — will be to make them fear his opponent more. Given his miserable track record, that will be difficult, but they’ll give it the old college try
ACCESS TO DATA IS NOT FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE: A newly introduced bill that aims to block public access to publicly-funded research echoes similar bills that have been tried in the past.
HOWARD LOVY AND HIS SON MAX (7) write a review of Richard Dawkins’ new children’s book, The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True. “Yes, we get it. These myths/stories seem ridiculous, and Dawkins takes the tone he always takes when describing religious stories—a condescending one. Yet to somebody who was raised in religion but also understands science, the mocking tone also mocks culture.”
ALSO, THE GRAPES WERE PROBABLY SOUR ANYWAY.
More words of consolation for the Times’ aging female readership.
VIDEO: MIA LOVE, THE NEXT CONSERVATIVE SUPERSTAR?
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Another attack ad highlights Kaine-Obama friendship.
THOUGHTS ON Robert Barro’s exit strategy for the Euro.
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