Month: November 2010

I just can’t get over this idea that if someone imposes on me and I refuse to go along with it, that I am then imposing on him. While the discussion revolved around imposing morality, and it began as a discussion of social conservatism, the mechanics of imposition is the same, and I just can’t…

Stuart Rothenberg is served some crow for predicting a GOP recapture of the House was impossible, but not everyone blames him: This failed prognosticator’s mistake is an easy one to understand. How was he to know that he lived in a nation populated by raving loons who would lash out against the very people who…

There is a recount going on and she needs money to pay for it. RSM has the details. Here is a comment I made at RSM’s site: I believe what is going on is the NRCC is trying to keep as many TEA Party people from winning as possible. How can they cut deals with…

The earlier post about “legs” has generated a lot of comments, as well as several related posts. One commenter took issue with the questions I raised about the nature of the social conservative, traditional values “leg.” Here’s what I said: Yet still, I want to know more about the leg I don’t like. What are…

This is certainly an auspicious beginning, assuming he actually follows through. No earmarks, no passing bills until the public has three days to view them, explicit Constitutional authority needed for all bills… I feel like it’s morning in America.

In the comments at Eric’s post If I may strain a strained analogy, how many “legs” are under the Tea Party “stool”? A commenter made this point about my political position: I know how M. Simon has chosen. He has chosen poorly. Given the extreme choice between gulags and blue laws, I’m not certain which…

Speaking of bad analogies, the latest meme — which comes from scientific “research” — is that global warming is like slavery! No seriously. According to Professor of Sustainable Enterprise Andy Hoffman, we must “change the way we structure our organizations and the way we think as individuals” so that what is a “scientific fact” becomes…

You can still donate to help wounded military men and women at: Project Valour-IT Project Valour-IT helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Items supplied include: # Voice-controlled Laptops – Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other…

Back in February I took a test (the so-called “Moral Foundations Questionnaire”) which was widely circulating, and had been touted as sort of diagnostic tool because it was said to correlate liberalism with one group of moral indicators, and conservatism with another. My results did not match the stereotypes (my disgust scores were lower than…

Libertarian Republican reports on an astonishing statement by Illinois Senator Elect Mark Kirk. “Tonight I stand before you as a fiscal conservative, a social moderate, and a national security hawk.” Wow! Another addition to the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. Libertarian Republican goes on to say: Congratulations to the new Republican Senator from the…

I would add in the same vein: rather than engage in the simplistic battle of labels (“socialist, extremist”) , which generally leads only to one side declaring its labels acceptable/applicable and the others’ not, one is usually better served to argue the consequences of competing points on the ideological continuum. Here empiricism can be employed,…

Social conservatives are crafty. It is always ‘I believe in small government “except for….” ‘ and then the liberals chime in: “I have a few exceptions in mind too.” And we are off to the races. === Note: This was originally part of a comment to Eric’s If I may strain a strained analogy, how…

Megan and Ace both talk about the possibility of government shutdown, which specter may loom sooner rather than later if DeMint can be believed. Something to keep in mind regarding this scenario — today’s situation is very different than the last time government was shut down in the mid-1990s. Unemployment is much higher, the deficits…

Painting a rather dark picture of what changes might occur after yesterday’s election, Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie give “3 Reasons This Election Didn’t Change a Thing!” Here’s Reason Number 3: The only people worse than liberals on social issues are conservatives. President Obama and the Democrats spent more time hectoring Americans to eat our…

As I’ve said before, if conservatism is a “three-legged stool” (as Robert Knight claimed not long ago), then I don’t have a reliable conservative stool to sit on, because I don’t like the traditional values “leg.” But what I’m trying to figure out is where it says I have to have this alleged stool. Assume…

How could this happen? It doesn’t fit the narrative. The racist teabaggers have elected Marco Rubio, Susana Martinez, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Bill Flores, Allen West…. However Djou, Frazier, Tran, Parker, and Lollar were defeated by the racist Democrats… Heh! H/T Judith Weiss (Yehudit) on Facebook Cross Posted at Power and Control

Let it be known across the land — Nov 2, 2010 shall henceforth be remembered as Refudiation Day.

According to the Chicago Tribune with 97% of the precincts counted Republican Mark Kirk is going to be out next Senator – taking the “Obama” seat. Because of our election laws (and because he was also elected to fill Obama’s unexpired term) he will be seated at once, lowering the odds of lame duck lameness.…

A little election day music courtesy of our British cousins. And please: Turn it up. Some hard pounding that. Let us give our esteemed Resident a Congress he finds it IMPOSSIBLE to deal with. And to do that – YOU HAVE TO VOTE Cross Posted at Power and Control

I’m going to be doing election-related work all day today, starting in the wee hours of the morning until after the polls close. So there won’t be any posting, unless I am still alive and feel like writing tomorrow night. If I don’t make it through the election, I hope someone will please report my…