Category Archives: Politics

Everything You Always Waned to Know About The CNBC Presidential Debate* But Were Afraid to Ask

BAB's A List, Elections, Politics, Republicans, Ron Paul

BAB’s Myron Pauli has a “quickie” take on the debate that CNBC moderated at Oakland University:

Michele Bachmann (U.S. Representative, Minnesota, State Senator; Attorney): Was she even allowed to speak for 5 minutes? She made a point about the feckless payroll tax cuts and overspending BUZZ! Shut up!

Herman Cain (Chairman/CEO, Godfather’s Pizza): If you train Oscar-Wood, ilana’s adorable parrot, to say “Nine Nine Nine” repeatedly, does OW get into the next debate [yes!]? My problem is with the people who buy into this “999-solves-all-ills” nonsense.

Jon Huntsman (Ambassador to China, Governor, Utah; Deputy U.S. Trade Representative): Somewhat avuncular centrist who recognized that China is actually floating our economy and that starting a trade war over their subsidies is rather pointless. [A case of Pot. Kettle. Black, as far as the US goes. But Myron: was it not Rick Santorum who made this point? I thought so.—IM]

Newt Gingrich (Speaker of the House, U.S. Representative, Georgia, History Professor): Makes some good points from time-to-time. Most assuredly comes out better than Cain, Perry, Santorum, and insipid Romney.

Rick Santorum (U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Pennsylvania, Attorney): He talks and words come out – sound and fury signifying nothing. But compared to Perry, the man is Socrates. [Myron: I think you hate Santorum enough to credit Huntsman with a point about China Santorum had made. But then my memory could be failing.—IM]

Ron Paul (U.S. Representative, Texas, Physician): Prophet Jeremiah speaketh the truth – let’s all stone the prophet!

Mitt Romney (Governor, Massachusetts; CEO, 2002 Winter Olympics Organizing Comm.; Co-Founder, Bain Capital): An automated bloviation machine with no philosophical anchor. He emits some good points and some bad points – but he is waiting for the others to slowly flame out and leave him standing by default. [MyRon: another of your pet peeves. Romney is quick on his feet. He can think; but he’s a utilitarian, as are most Americans. “It doesn’t work” must be the most frequent, and most pathetic, counterpoint to an argument Americans make.—IM]

Rick Perry (Governor, Texas: State Representative; State Agriculture Commissioner): Oh my F****NG G*d! Call the men with the white coats – quickly!

Ilana here: I’m still laughing. As I put it in the “Rick Perry Infarct” post: Perry stroked again. He mentioned three government departments he’d eliminate, but was unable to come up with the third. Commerce and Education were the first two.

Ten minutes later, Perry got his vim back and remembered the department he’d axe: Energy.”

[* For our youngster readers, the title of the post comes from this Woody Allen film.]

UPDATE III: Cain Crossed the Character Line (Classic Coulter)

Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, Media, Politics, Propaganda, Race, Racism, Reason, Rights

“What’s Herman Cain being accused of?” Brent Bozell asked CNN contributor Roland Martin. Bozell is the publisher of NewsBusters and heads the Media Research Center.

Here’s Herman Cain’s central conceit: He has lived as an individual. He has failed to make racial grievance the center and focus of his life. He seems incapable of picking at those old racial scabs. He has no suppurating racial sores. He does not identify as a black man, he is just an American man (with all the frailties and foibles that entails).

During the Civil Rights Movement, which has usurped all else in the annals of America, the craven Cain was … working.

“I just kept going to school, doing what I was supposed to do, and stayed out of trouble.” OMIGOD. Look where this pragmatic, goal-oriented work ethic has landed him.

Bloody Google spits up all the malign stuff, first. And the HuffPo and MSNBC won’t even do journalism, and tell us what Cain was doing with his “lazyass.”

Cain was, however, being a little too kind when he suggested that “African-Americans in this country had been brainwashed over the years into supporting Democrats.”

The decision to support the Democratic platform of pillage politics and perpetual welfare is also a personal one. Still, Cain has been maligned for daring to even suggest the black community thinks as a collective.

In short, for speaking the truth.

Ann Coulter: “To become a black Republican, you don’t just roll into it. You’re not going with the flow. You have fought against probably your family members, probably your neighbors, you have thought everything out and that’s why we have very impressive blacks in our party.”

“Google Maxine Waters, Cynthia McKinney, John Conyers, and then Google Allen West, Michael Steele or Herman Cain. … Our [blacks] are more impressive. There’s no question about it,” Coulter told retard Joy Behar.

A little crude, but probably correct, if you take away Michael Steele.

UPDATE I: In response to the thread on my Facebook Wall: It has to be obvious that libertarians do not agree with Cain or West on political philosophy. But both these men remain relatively impressive individuals. You should know by now that I’m no tinny ideologue. My comment obtains. Coulter makes a reasonable point. She’s a Republican mouthpiece, but she is not dumb (as CB claims). Gary Johnson may be allied with most of my political views, but, golly, is he weird or what?! Bordering on creepy.

UPDATE II (Nov. 3): CLASSIC COULTER. Sigh. Here’s a newsflash about the commentary at BAB and IlanaMercer.com. Just because I don’t support Cain’s candidacy and rickety political plank; and despite the fact that I’ve written enough about La Coulter’s establishment persona and positions—it does not follow that I will refrain from commenting about the Zeitgeist; the culture, the PC strictures it imposes and the interactions between the components of the media-military-congressional-industrial complex.

If you wanna read bloodless (generally left-libertarian) political analysis (yawn), you know were to go.

Anyhoo: There’s a lot to laugh about in Coulter’s latest column. I dislike the rude “our blacks” crap. But I like speech; the freer the better. (And we already know that most American pundettes are crass and unladylike, so what’s new? At least Coulter is not stupid too):

The surge in conservative support for Herman Cain confuses the Democrats’ story line, which is that Republicans hate Obama because he’s black. … Cain is twice as black as Obama. (Possible Obama campaign slogan: “Too Black!”)
This is why the liberal website Politico ran with a story on Cain that had everything – a powerful black man, a Republican presidential candidate, the hint of sexuality – except facts. … If the details helped liberals, we’d have the details.
To have been accused of sexual harassment in the 1990s is like having been accused of molesting children at preschools in the 1980s or accused of being a witch in Massachusetts in the 1690s.

Coulter nails it!

UPDATE III: Actually, SB, my Gary Johnson aversion has nothing to do with “optics”; GJ can’t stop talking about himself. Ron Paul talks liberty. Steve Jobs was charming and suave. This guy is about his own goofy self.

UPDATED: Snarling Sister Is Back, In Time for Halloween (Winnie Mandela/Madam Obama)

Affirmative Action, Barack Obama, Conflict, Critique, Politics, Racism

Michelle Obama has managed to lie low since the times I described her as “Militant Mama Obama” (February 22, 2008). In that column, I ventured that, “If anything, her charmed life has made Michelle Obama more racially militant.” As the woman complained in a blatantly banal university thesis, “My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my ‘blackness’ than ever before.”

But she’s back!

The Washington Times has details of the strategy undergirding M’s latest moaning:

… She will go to the opulent homes of rich people across the country to tell them how rich people are to blame for America’s woes and guilt them into giving millions for her husband’s campaign. … [How] rich people (white, of course) certainly don’t want black people to succeed. They want to squelch success based on what people look like, how much money they have. … And the Princeton graduate will tell supporters they simply can’t comprehend the significance of what’s occurring today in America. ‘It can be hard to see clearly what’s at stake – because these issues are so complicated …’

MORE.

Michelle Obama’s sentiments seep out from that festering reservoir of racial animosity—the same cesspool wherefrom the Reverends Sharpton and Jackson launch their perennial strikes.

UPDATE (Oct. 1): WINNIE MANDELA/MADAM OBAMA. Robert, there is a similarity in anger levels between the two women, although Winnie Madikizela-Mandela had considerable cause for anger. The woman had it tough. I mention Winnie in the book you just reviewed on Amazon. Winnie, moreover, was a looker, unlike MO. I saw Winnie in person when I attended Tutu’s inaugural with my dad. She was then drop-dead (if deadly) gorgeous. But I mean Beyonce beautiful.

UPDATED: Rick Gets Rabid; Ron Paul Endures

Economy, Elections, Political Philosophy, Politics, Private Property, Ron Paul, Taxation

The following is from my new WND.COM, “Rick Gets Rabid; Ron Paul Endures”:

“CNN must be desperate for the ratings the network receives whenever it hosts a Republican presidential debate. As moderator of the Tea Party Debate in Tampa, Florida, last month, Wolf Blitzer worked it. And not once did leftist activist-cum-anchor Anderson Cooper mention bullying in Las Vegas, Tuesday night: Viewers of the Western Republican Debate got off lightly. The excuse for a newsman known as Anderson Cooper did only one stupid thing: Demonstrate to the seven presidential contenders how to introduce themselves.

CNN was on its best behavior, which is more than one can say about Governor Rick Perry (R-TX). He sounds a lot like a slightly less stupid ‘W,’ which is still plenty stupid (and cunning to boot). The man is so much like The Decider in demeanor that it’s unsettling.

In bashing Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax-reform plan, Perry persistently called Cain ‘brother’ (‘I love you, brother, but…’). This phony, patronizing touch was plainly insulting.

For colorful metaphors that capture the tapped arteries of taxation in the Cain plan—destined to balloon with the lifeblood of the taxpayer—it’s hard to beat Grover Norquist. The president of Americans for Tax Reform likened 9-9-9 to putting ‘tapeworms in your tummy to try and maintain your weight.’ And to ‘having three needles in your arm drawing blood instead of one.'” …

Read the complete column, “Rick Gets Rabid; Ron Paul Endures,” now on WND.COM.

My book, “Into the Cannibal’s Pot: Lessons for America from Post-Apartheid South Africa,” is available from Amazon.

A Kindle copy is also on sale.

Barnes and Noble is always well-stocked and ships within 24 hours.

Still better, shipping is free and prompt if you purchase Into the Cannibal’s Pot from The Publisher.

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