IS SPIKE LEE THE NEW BILL COSBY? “Your generation, they now equate intelligence with acting White and ignorance with acting Black, and they wear it like a badge of honor. They say, ‘I’m ghetto. I’m gangster.’ What they are is ignorant.”
Archive for 2012
January 29, 2012
AT AMAZON, MARKDOWNS ON GROCERIES.
Plus, gift cards for every Valentine.
And, today only, markdowns on ProForm power treadmills.
RAND SIMBERG: New Space Policy Questions and Advice for Mitt: In the interest of continuing to improve him as a candidate should he get the nomination. “There is no one more fervent than me in their desire to see that Barack Obama is a one-term president, but your space policy behavior, so far, is the first time I’ve seen any reason to give him another term.”
POLITICO: Dems bash, bank secret cash.
Democrats have seized on a new attack line: Republicans as the party of unlimited secret money.
The only problem: so are the Democrats. n recent days, Obama released an ad blasting “secretive oil billionaires” for attacks on him, Nancy Pelosi unveiled a campaign slogan, calling for “a new politics free of special interest influence,” and the Democratic National Committee released a Web ad accusing Mitt Romney of lying about his ties to a super PAC that’s spent millions supporting him.
Maybe that would have sounded better in 2008, when Obama put the kibosh on the Democratic outside money infrastructure — or even in 2010, when Obama led a chorus of Democrats assailing Republicans’ outside spending.
But this year, Democrats are playing the same game. Obama’s team has blessed a network of super PACs trying to raise the same seven-figure checks as Romney’s. And Obama’s allies have gone even further than Romney’s, setting up nonprofit groups that do not disclose their donors at all.
In fact, top Democrats are so adament about the need to raise unlimited — and sometimes secret — cash this year that some operatives aren’t pleased about the recent attacks. It’s a whole lot tougher to get wealthy liberals to fork over mega-checks when the politicians who’d benefit are ripping Republicans for taking the same types of contributions.
Forked tongues.
BYRON YORK: In NASA-land, Romney, Gingrich battle over space. It’s nice to see people debating space policy. It’s odd to see Republicans picking one of the few areas where Obama has a pretty good approach in place already.
IN THE NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN TODAY, I argue against the latest proposal from Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-gun group.
I couldn’t resist adding this bit: “A recent study found that mayors belonging to Bloomberg’s group have been arrested at a much higher rate than Tennessee handgun-carry permit holders, for crimes ranging from perjury and embezzlement to child sexual assault. But there’s no background check for politicians.” Maybe there should be . . . .
#NARRATIVEFAIL: New York Times: Mitt Romney Paid More Taxes Than He Owed.
MORE PRAISE FOR THE MAGIC ERASER: Reader Eugene Dillenburg writes: “Saw it at the store last week, after you had mentioned it. Thought I’d give it a try. Wow! Not only have cleaning the tub and shower never been easier, but it cut right through the build-up on the shower curtains. Once again, Instapundit has changed my life!”
Glad to help. And yeah, it’s nearly as cool as the Bar Keeper’s Friend.
UPDATE: Another reader emails: “The Magic Eraser cleans the creosote build-up on fireplace glass like a warm knife cuts through soft butter–it just melts it away! Haven’t tried it yet but wonder if it will work on the nasty pine-sap globs on my deck.”
A LOT OF BIG NAMES IN THE SPACE WORLD ENDORSE ROMNEY. Some of these people are my friends, and I don’t doubt their sincerity, but I am unpersuaded. In particular, I think their assault on Obama’s space policy — which is one of his few positives, in my opinion — is completely misguided.
HERMAN CAIN endorses Newt Gingrich.
CHANGE: Japan, Russia Build Ties As Asian Balance Shifts. “Estrangement between Russia and Japan has been something China could count on since 1945. The thaw in relations between energy rich Russia and technology rich Japan is no doubt ringing some alarm bells in Beijing where, lately, almost all of the geopolitical news has been bad. Chinese fears of hostile encirclement will be reaching fever pitch as the US, India and Japan deepen relations with Myanmar, Japan and Russia make nice, and the US moves to increase its presence in the Philippines and Singapore — on top of its earlier announced plans to station marines in Australia.”
BANKRUPTCY: Why Isn’t Illinois A Bigger Deal Than Greece?
January 28, 2012
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS: THOUSANDS Turn Out For St. Louis Iraq War Heroes Parade (Video).
TEN YEARS AGO ON INSTAPUNDIT: “It wasn’t just pundits and politicians who were getting Enron money. According to this story, enviro groups were getting bucks, too. Enron, it says, was at the center of a huge ‘baptist-bootlegger’ coalition.” Some things don’t change.
THE BEHAVIOR OF A MAN CAUGHT IN A LIE? Warren Buffett: Shut Up, He Explained. Show us the tax returns, or shut up yourself.
AT AMAZON, 70% or more off on diamond jewelry.
FUNNY, he doesn’t look Neoish.
IF ONLY THE GOVERNMENT COULD DO AS WELL: The great deleveraging event – household debt has fallen 4 percent since recession hit. On the other hand, there’s this: “This is good news right? Well yes but the reality of this ‘good news’ is that two-thirds of this debt reduction came from home loan foreclosures and default on other debt.” So maybe not.
I’D GO WITH “DISGRACE,” MYSELF: Reuters Staff Call Rubio Story Fiasco, Disgrace. But will anyone be fired?
#GREENFAIL: Maybe This Explains It?
MICHEL GURFINKIEL: Why Wasn’t France Downgraded Sooner?
ANOTHER HAPPY READER: David Ringelman emails:
Just wanted to shoot a quick email and say thanks for the recommendation on the Bar Keepers’ Friend. That stuff really works. I have some 10 year old white plates from Pottery Barn with knife and fork scratches all over them and it took them right off. Nice work!
It’s good stuff.
UPDATE: Reader John McGuire writes: “Thanks for the tip on Barkeeper’s Friend. I thought I was going to have to dump my stoneware dishes because of all the black marks. Now they look like new. Is there no area of life that reading Instapundit can’t improve?” Probably not your golf swing.
And reader John Steele emails: “Just got home from a trip and saw the item about Bar Keepers Friend. I used to use it to clean the stainless steel fittings on my sailboat — its magic.” Yep.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Robert Marshall writes: “On the other end of the spectrum (from china), after your post I used it on the exhaust tips on my car, which had carbon buildup I couldn’t remove, and I had tried everything. That stuff took the black off with just a few swipes of the sponge. Terrific!”
Yep, it’s good stuff. Of course, all this swapping of cleaning tips is going to undermine my reputation for rampant hypermasculinity. . . .
MORE: Reader Lawrence Faria writes:
In a response to your Barkeeper’s Friend post, one reader asked, “Is there no area of life that reading Instapundit can’t improve?” You answered, “Probably not your golf swing.”
Well, years ago, when I had a VCR (remember those?) I recorded a round of the Masters Tournament, and began counting frames in several golfers’ swings. I noted Raymond Floyd needed 21 frames from takaway to the top, seven frames on the downswing to impact, and seven more frames from impact to the finish of his swing. Floyd did it EVERY TIME – and won the tournament.
I checked Tom Watson, who finished in the top three, and his swing was a bit faster, 18 frames back, six down and six through to the finish, and he did it every time too. The ratio seems to be 3:1:1 by every pro out there, so I started paying attention to that tempo and I lowered my handicap from 18 to 12!
If your golfing readers try it, I think in no time you’ll agree, instapundit can even improve your golf swing!
Give it a try.
MORE STILL: Further hypermasculine cleaning.