New Site for a New Year: We're Now LIVE at TheOtherMcCain.com

Yes that's right, as of Jan. 1, 2010, Smitty and I have relocated our glorious blogospheric action to TheOtherMcCain.com.

Same wonderful content, new groovalicious WordPress format.

Happy New Year 2010

Last post of the year...

Happy New Year everyone. I hope next year will be better for You and Me. I wanna leave all the bad things behind me, in (still) this year and this decade. I wanna leave the bad people, who hurt me behind, bad thoughts and bad moods.

Let the happiness begin.

Happy New Year!

Tweet of the Year Decade Millennium: My Quest for the Ultimate Re-Tweet

Your quest to get re-tweeted by @Alyssa_Milano is the best non-porn thing about the internet.
-- Dave Weigel

She's the ultimate celebrity Tweep, with more than 500,000 followers but, as of noon today, was only following 499 people, whereas I've got about 2,700 followers and am following nearly 1,300 people.

This illustrates an enormous status disparity and ever since October, when Alyssa re-Tweeted a Slate column by Mickey Kaus -- who has about 1,700 followers -- I've been trying to reverse-engineer the Kaus magic: "Why Does Alyssa Milano Hate Me?"

Alyssa is to Twitter what Matt Drudge is to news, and what Professor Glenn Reynolds is to blogging. (On Twitter, Drudge has 46,000 followers and Instapundit has about 6,000 followers.) People tell me that my quest is hopeless, but as Vince Lombardi said, "A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits."

In addition to Lombardi's maxim, there's also the inspiration of my role model, Pepe Le Pew:

The wonderful thing about Pepe is that he cannot conceive that anyone would not love him.

Guys often ask how a homely guy like me got such a beautiful wife like Mrs. Other McCain. It's not just the Speedo-worthy physique, my friends. It's also the Pepe Le Pew persistence, the irresistible ardor of the relentless suitor.

That's how I am when I set my mind on a goal. I'm Pepe Le Pew, and the object of my desire is that cat who accidentally got a white stripe painted on her back. Excuse me if you're creeped-out by that analogy, but that's just how I roll.

Speaking of rolling, I've already booked my flight for Pasadena so I can go cover Alabama winning the national championship next week in the Rose Bowl.

Hit the tip jar! ROLL TIDE! Re-Tweet me, Alyssa!

2009 Year in Review: March

February's first stirrings of populist opposition to the Obama agenda gave way in March to an intellectual backlash against Rush Limbaugh, whose CPAC speech was denounced by Rod Dreher, spurring me to recall Thucydides' account of the siege of Plataea (my faulty memory was corrected by a homeschool mom in the comments field). During Rush's nationally televised CPAC speech, I found myself hanging out with Dittohead cab driver Wally Onakoya.

The contrast between Dreher's hostility and Onakoya's admiration for Limbaugh illustrates, I think, the extent to which Rush's popularity incites the envy of intellectuals. It isn't just that they disagree with Limbaugh -- I don't always agree with him, either -- but rather that they resent his lucrative success in reaching such a large audience. From my perspective, Rush's success is a phenomenon to be praised and celebrated, as I explained in March:

Whatever Limbaugh's faults, he has that one redeeming value: Courage to speak out, even when speaking out makes him the target of vicious personal smears.
One of the basic principles of military strategy is to reinforce success. If you see a man who fights and wins, give him reinforcements, and bid others to emulate his success.

March was also notable for Smitty's debut as co-blogger here, including his first 'Lanche-worthy post, "Where Did the Pleasant Cthulhu Go?" Among other March highlights:

• The appearance of the "Going John Galt" meme.
• The inauguration of David Brooks Fisking Day: "Brooks is a classic example of The Writerly Delusion: The journalistic belief that one's aptitude for written articulation is the same thing as being knowledgeable about a subject."
• "Mamas, Don't Let Your Daughters Grow Up to Be Downloads" -- very good advice. In related news, a chat-room pervert convinced an 11-year-old girl to send him nude photos of herself.
• St. Patrick's Day was celebrated by guest-blogger Patrick O'Leary Gallagher McCain.
• Conservative lesbian Cynthia Yockey joined the "Wolverines" resistance.
• Economic News: A trillion here and a trillion there and pretty soon you're talking real money.
• Economic News II: "Top Hayekian public intellectual."

Of course, as they say at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Ala., "Once you go Hayekian, you never go back." NTTAWWT. IYKWIMAITYD.

2009 Year in Review: February

The endless bummers of January continued into February, which meant that something had to be done to lighten the gloom. Ergo, a very special Cabinet post for Chris Dodd:

As Secretary of the Department of Unicorns and Rainbows, Dodd will face "daunting challenges in this time of crisis," the president said, referring to the distinguished silver-haired senator as "one of our nation's most visionary leaders."

Other insightful political commentary from February:

• "There is a marked tendency for heterosexual men to be interested in women."
• The low ebb for Republicans came when the House GOP could muster only 135 votes against the S-CHIP expansion.
• February was the month of stimulus: 1,434 pages, $789 billion and not a red cent for me.
• Exactly what did Obamanomics mean? Reinflating the bubble and the Fiscal Trap of Hope.
• MEGA-BLOGGER: "How to Get a Million Hits."
• Ace of Spades: Hanging with Hitch in Beirut.
• The first-ever Rule 5 Sunday.
• CPAC! CPAC! CPAC!

February also saw the beginning of the Tea Party movement, which sparked the beginning of a long-running argument with Rick Moran:

Rick doesn't seem to believe that opposition to Obamanomics could ever become a decisive groundswell. And he is entitled to that opinion. But to say that such opposition is not now a groundswell does not mean it will never become one.

Wow, did I call that one, or what? I followed up with a long post entitled "Tea Parties, Defeatism and Wolverines" -- the first of what became an informal series with a populist theme -- and quoted Jennifer Rubin: "The opposition party must oppose."

2009 Year in Review: January

Looking back through the archives, I note that this annus horriblis began with the sad realization that we were going to have to get used to saying those three dreadful words: Senator Al Franken. Which, of course, prompts three more words: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Exactly what is wrong with the Republican Party that it can't even beat a clown like Franken? I attempted to answer that question in a long post titled, "Fear and Loathing: Sarah Palin and the Conservative Intellectuals":

Just as the conservative intellectuals once projected their hopes onto Dubya, now they project their disappointments onto Sarah. But the fault is theirs, not hers.

It is a very long post, but I think it got to the nub of some very important issues that are fundamental to understanding how the GOP reached its ebb in 2008. Some other highlights and lowlights of the month:

• January 2009 saw Israel at war with Palestinians, which prompted my reflection "Sonny Corleone in Gaza."
• Natalie Dylan offered her virginity online and was offered $3.7 million.
• Of course, January marked the official onset of the Obama Nation, which was inaugurated with puddles of hope. I compared it to the experience of taking my daughter to Bush's 2001 inauguration.
• The biggest problem of the new administration was its economic agenda: Unicorns, rainbows and wasteful neo-Keynesian nonsense.
• I covered the RNC meeting that culminated in the election of Michael Steele as chairman.
• January also brought news of the Hindenburg-at-Lakehurst implosion of Culture 11, a not-unexpected disaster that could be explained in two words: David Kuo. Or perhaps, Conor Friedersdorf.

You see, then, that January was in some ways a precursor of much that was to come in the months ahead.

Blog titles worthy of framing

by Smitty

The assertion that Christianity teaches Socialism is elegantly refuted here:

It isn’t generosity when you give away the money of others

The next step after this is to realize that the Gospels are equally a foreign policy tract, which is to say, not even slightly.

Lindsay Lohan Dismisses Dating Rumours

Lindsay Lohan has laughed off reports she has a new man in her life - insisting she's just "friends" with her latest rumoured love interest.

The Mean Girls star, who split from her DJ girlfriend Samantha Ronson earlier this year (09), has fought off a string of dating rumours in recent weeks after she was linked to Jason Segel, Entourage star Kevin Connolly, and Gerard Butler.

I'm not dating my friend, people are nutso (sic), and it's not a way to start off the new year with rumours.

She was most recently rumoured to be involved with model Adam Senn, but Lohan is adamant she's still single.

In a post on her Twitter.com page, she writes, "I’m not dating my friend, people are nutso (sic), and it's not a way to start off the new year with rumours."

Lindsay Lohan Dismisses Dating Rumours

Lindsay Lohan has laughed off reports she has a new man in her life - insisting she's just "friends" with her latest rumoured love interest.

The Mean Girls star, who split from her DJ girlfriend Samantha Ronson earlier this year (09), has fought off a string of dating rumours in recent weeks after she was linked to Jason Segel, Entourage star Kevin Connolly, and Gerard Butler.

I'm not dating my friend, people are nutso (sic), and it's not a way to start off the new year with rumours.

She was most recently rumoured to be involved with model Adam Senn, but Lohan is adamant she's still single.

In a post on her Twitter.com page, she writes, "I’m not dating my friend, people are nutso (sic), and it's not a way to start off the new year with rumours."

Robert Plant's Womanly Celebration

Robert Plant wants to spend New Year's Eve (31.12.09) in the arms of a woman.

The 61-year-old rocker - who has famously lived a life of sex, drugs and rock n roll excess - admitted he will be looking for love over the holiday season.

He said: "Where would I like to welcome in the New Year? In some warm, tantalising arms."

Although he is looking forward to celebrating New Year's Eve, the former Led Zeppelin singer isn't looking forward to the next decade because all it holds for him is "more attention to bladder control".

Where would I like to welcome in the New Year? In some warm, tantalising arms

He added: "I don't think I've aged gracefully. When you can feel the breeze of the Grim Reaper, there's nothing graceful about that fear, because I'm only a third of the way through the adventures I want to have."

However, the star has made some New Year's Resolutions - to improve his driving.

He explained: "I park my car by touch, using the wheels as a guide to when I've hit the kerb."

Robert Plant's Womanly Celebration

Robert Plant wants to spend New Year's Eve (31.12.09) in the arms of a woman.

The 61-year-old rocker - who has famously lived a life of sex, drugs and rock n roll excess - admitted he will be looking for love over the holiday season.

He said: "Where would I like to welcome in the New Year? In some warm, tantalising arms."

Although he is looking forward to celebrating New Year's Eve, the former Led Zeppelin singer isn't looking forward to the next decade because all it holds for him is "more attention to bladder control".

Where would I like to welcome in the New Year? In some warm, tantalising arms

He added: "I don't think I've aged gracefully. When you can feel the breeze of the Grim Reaper, there's nothing graceful about that fear, because I'm only a third of the way through the adventures I want to have."

However, the star has made some New Year's Resolutions - to improve his driving.

He explained: "I park my car by touch, using the wheels as a guide to when I've hit the kerb."

Blogging for 'The Cause'? Nonsense! I Write for Money

You're a conservative, and what is conservatism? The belief that liberalism is wrong. Very simple, and you don't really need anybody to explain that to you. Given that Democrats are the party of liberalism, you oppose Democrats generally and specifically, both in terms of politics and policy, which is also pretty much self-explanatory.

Things are a bit more . . . nuanced for Booman's buddies in the progressive netroots community:

If you are doing full-time political blogging, something is motivating you. For most of us, that motivation was originally outrage at what the Bush administration and the Republicans in Congress were doing. . . .
What brought people together into progressive blogging communities and networks was related to policy (the invasion of Iraq, torture, illegal surveillance, regressive taxation, bad environmental policy) but also other things (a one-sided corporate media, incompetent government, and lack of meaningful and effective resistance by the Democrats). . . .

OK, with a set-up like that, perhaps you're starting to get an inkling of what comes next:

If we got into blogging and political activism to put the Democrats in power, should we not be focusing on helping them pass their agenda and stay in power? . . .
[I]f you are waking each morning to blog about what a bunch of corporate whores the Democrats and the president are, you haven't really adjusted your style to the new situation in Washington. . . . Is this first thing you do in the morning to look for ways to talk about how the president has disappointed you? How Congress sucks? Then you aren't interested in keeping the Republicans out of power any more. You are fighting a different battle. . . . No one is compelled to support the Democrats over the Republicans or to support policies they disagree with. But we should call this kind of blogging what it is, which is anti-Obama, and anti-Democratic Party . . . and anti-government, really.

Hmmmm. Wonder who that was aimed at? Jane Hamsher, perhaps? Three weeks after the 2008 election, I wrote about "Future Ex-Democrats." And it's important to keep in mind that the backlash against the Age of Obama won't be limited to moderates repulsed by the administration's radicalism. There will also be many sincere progressives repulsed by the cynicism and hypocrisy of Democrats in power.

I, Chump
Speaking as an ex-Democrat myself, I always tell my "cradle Republican" friends that Democratic disillusionment can happen in the most surprising ways. If you intervene at the right moment, you might find that your fiercest opponent today could be your staunchest ally in the future. When conservatives see the "progressive netroots community" issuing these calls for solidarity and threatening to excommunicate heretics -- "We must support the Democrats, no matter what they do!" -- you are being alerted to an opportunity.

For me, believe it or not, one of the breakthroughs was reading William Greider's Who Will Tell The People?, a left-wing critique of the Clinton administration's economic policies. (Remember that I actively supported Clinton in 1992.)

Having campaigned on promises of a "middle-class tax cut" and an economic "stimulus package," the Clintonistas abandoned those plans between Election Day and Inauguration Day. In part, this was a recognition of fiscal reality. In part, it was a sellout to the Clinton campaign's corporate sponsors.

It's hard to overstate the impact of Greider's revelation that the Clintons weren't really sincere about their class-warfare campaign promises. It was all just convenient political rhetoric, motivated by focus-group studies, and they were just as sold-out to "corporate America" as the Republicans. Once you cease to swallow liberal rhetoric as gospel and begin to examine the Democrats from a cynical perspective (i.e., "What's in it for them?"), you acquire a certain contempt for the kind of naive chump you used to be.

"Chump" is a very tough self-judgment to accept. And once a Democrat realizes he's been hoodwinked, bamboozled, sold out, backstabbed and betrayed -- do you hear me, Jane Hamsher? -- a revolutionary change in worldview becomes possible.

'Who Is John Galt?'
What happened to me was that friends and co-workers encouraged my second thoughts. One of my editors turned me on to The Freeman, the monthly magazine of the Foundation for Economic Education, a publication full of Austrian School economic insights. And then, in a heated argument one day with a Dittohead co-worker, I said, "Have you read Who Will Tell the People?"

"No," he said. "Have you read Atlas Shrugged?"

Heh. I hadn't. Personal pride in my own erudition was ruffled, and I was embarrassed by this literary one-upsmanship from my Dittohead friend. So I went out, bought Atlas Shrugged and spent a weekend reading it.

Thus I became one of millions converted to the capitalist cause by Rand's radical classic. I'm constantly amazed at how common that experience is, just as I'm amazed to discover how many "cradle Republicans" have never bothered to read it, nor even to read Leonard Read's brilliant free-market essay, "I, Pencil." How can you defend entrepreneurism and free markets if you haven't read these classics?

Once you understand that capitalism is not actually evil -- do you hear me, Jane Hamsher? -- then the fundamental corruption of the Democratic Party becomes transparently obvious: They gain money and power by hypocritically claiming to oppose money and power.

Screw the Democratic Party and all their cynical lies. Stop "blogging for The Cause" and come on over to the side of shameless greed. I Write For Money. There is no conflict of interest between my advocacy of capitalism and my practice of capitalism. So please hit the tip jar!

Coco in Bikini

White House plays Flight 253 blame game

The Prowler reports at the American Spectator:

[A]s it became clear internally that the Administration had suffered perhaps its most embarrassing failure in the area of national security, senior Obama White House aides, including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod and new White House counsel Robert Bauer, ordered staff to begin researching similar breakdowns -- if any -- from the Bush Administration. "The idea was that we'd show that the Bush Administration had had far worse missteps than we ever could," says a staffer in the counsel's office. "We were told that classified material involving anything related to al Qaeda operating in Yemen or Nigeria was fair game and that we'd declassify it if necessary."
The White House, according to the source, is in full defensive spin mode. Other administration sources also say a flurry of memos were generated on December 26th, 27th, and 28th, which developed talking points about how Obama's decision to effectively shut down the Homeland Security Council (it was merged earlier this year into the National Security Council, run by National Security Adviser James Jones) had nothing to do with what Obama called a "catastrophic" failure on Christmas Day.
"This White House doesn't view the Northwest [Airlines] failure as one of national security, it's a political issue," says the White House source. "That's why Axelrod and Emanuel are driving the issue." . . .

Read the whole thing. Disgusting.

UPDATE: "White House to Critics: Stop Blaming Us While We Look For a Way To Blame Bush."

When passengers become heroes

RiShawn Biddle at The American Spectator compares Jasper Schuringa to the passengers who stopped the Flight 93 terrorists:

[B]oth events prove once again that government alone cannot ensure security and freedom for Americans or citizens in other countries. Ultimately, it depends on ordinary people to rise to an occasion, even at the expense of their own lives.

Read the whole thing. RiShawn is editor of the education site Dropout Nation.

IM MISSING THIS CREW...DAZ NUNDAZ

Rush Limbaugh reported 'resting comfortably' in Hawaii hospital

This seemed very serious when it was first reported, but it now appears to be a more or less routine health scare for a 58-year-old:

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh is resting comfortably in a Hawaii hospital after suffering chest pains while on vacation, his radio program says.
"Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes and will keep you updated via rushlimbaugh.com and on his radio program," the program said in a statement late Wednesday night.
Limbaugh was rushed for medical treatment earlier in the day. The statement said "Rush was admitted to and is resting comfortably in a Honolulu hospital today after suffering chest pains."
Kit Carson, Limbaugh's chief of staff, told The Associated Press that he had no further information on Limbaugh's condition.
He said the 58-year-old left for his usual Christmas vacation on Dec. 23 and is due to return to his show on Jan. 4.

No new updates yet from RushLimbaugh.com but we can expect to hear more at noon ET.

VIDEO: 'A fat man flying!'

In Boston in 1773, Molly Far saw a horrifying vision:

From the Pasadena Tea Party Patriots and, in case you didn't recognize the actress playing Molly, it's SNL alumna Victoria Jackson. Molly's prophetic vision of the bounteous land of fruit turned into a barren wilderness on account of a smelt is, alas, all too real.

No, Jennings hasn't been fired yet

by Smitty

Sorry, Nice Deb, you're still paying for a degenerate to influence school children.

After all, if the Administration can blow off the ACORN scandal with impunity, then why should peddling smut to minors trigger so much as the batting of an eye?

The solution: more demonstrations for the Community Organizer in Chief.

How to handle historical grievances

by Smitty (h/t USNI Blog)

This incident is less than a century old, but it contains a lesson.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian hospital ship torpedoed by the Japanese during World War Two with the loss of 268 lives has been located in waters off the coast of the northern state of Queensland, the government said on Sunday.

The loss of the Centaur in 1943 while sailing to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea was one of Australia's great wartime disasters. Survivors and their relatives have long pressed for the wreck to be found, fearing salvagers would reach it first.

As USNI notes:

I-177’s captain was never tried for the sinking, but was convicted on other war crimes by the Allies. The attack has long been a sore subject for the Japanese, who only acknowledged in 1979 that I-177 did indeed sink the hospital ship, after denying involvement since 1943. Furthermore, Tokyo claims it never ordered the attack, a fact if false would likely lead to Australian pressure for additional war crime charges. In a statement on the search for AHS Centaur, Japan said it "made the greatest efforts for world peace and prosperity as a responsible member of the international community and has also developed a close relationship with Australia." To their credit, the Centaur Association, the RSL, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have all made statements that Japan does not need to apology[sic] for the sinking of AHS Centaur. Apparently 66 years of good relations is enough time for some countries to let history be history.

Certainly, the Centaur pales in time, space, and body count to the Israeli/Palestinian situation.

Nevertheless, a positive example of two peoples coming to grips with a historical tragedy could prove a handy lesson.

Him who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Advice to Juicebox Mafia: surrender

by Smitty

Uncle Jimbo is not your natural enemy. Rather, he is somebody you want to befriend, carry a notebook whenever he condescends to share space with you, and take take copious notes the whole time. Jimbo introduces the JM (adding some formatting):

The Juicebox Mafia is a bunch of young, liberal pundits so-named by Eli Lake of the Wash Times including

• Ezra Klein,
• Spencer Ackerman,
• Matthew Why-Glesias[sic] and
• today's target Tim Fernholz.

I know a couple of them now and have proffered a challenge to debate a number of issues i.e. The Socialization of the America. I have received an acceptance of the gauntlet, and will advise as to a time and place for the inaugural debate between the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy & the Juicebox Mafia.

Uncle Jimbo's inaugural bludgeoning is: "Kill the filibuster".

Rule 4 at its finest. About the only thing Uncle Jimbo doesn't do is estimate the number of years (I'll say 20) between the time they remove the filibuster and the US Senate, like the Roman Senate after Julius Caesar, devolves into a mere decoration, like a hot water faucet in a third-world country.

A look at Stacy's CA trip

by Smitty (h/t Dodgeblogium)

Just a little peep at how much fun Stacy will be having at the airport while making his way west to see Alabama play:

The clip is from David Zucker's An American Carol. The screening for that flick in Arlington, VA is where I first met Stacy McCain, ~16 months and a few lifetimes ago.

Props to the readers who've supported his westward venture.
Update: Diversity Lane piling on,

Susan B. Anthony List: Winning

An interesting article in National Journal shows that, while pro-choice political groups generally raise far more money than pro-life groups, the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List stomps the crap out of the pro-choice National Organization for Women:

National Journal also features video stories including interviews with SBA List Chairwoman Marjorie Dannenfelser:

Tea Party Express official says liberal media used TPM's 'totally bogus story'

E-mail from Joe Wierzbicki of the Tea Party Express:

What's disgusting about the TPM Muckracker hit on us is that it's a totally bogus story - and the author knows it.
The $800,000 they cite was NOT paid to Russo Marsh + Associates. The vast majority of that money was to reimburse Russo Marsh + Associates for the efforts where we fronted the money in our capacity as the organizers of the Tea Party Express. . . .
And then Rachel Maddow of MSNBC last night (and the CBS blog, and dozens of other liberal blogs) have run with the story. I'm not sure how much these people in the secondary chain of this viral promotion understand that their advancing a bogus story. Maybe some of them do and they don't care.
What seems obvious is that the only reason someone would advance a bogus story like this if they knew it to be bogus, would solely be to try to take a shot at the tea party movement in general, and smear the Tea Party Express in particular. . . .

Read the rest at The American Spectator.

'Wingnut hysteria!'

Right. A Nigerian jihadist tries to blow up a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day, but if you think al-Qaeda was involved, you're a creationist neo-fascist ultra-nationalist nirther. (Safe non-LGF link.)

And we're the kooks, you understand. Me, you, Pamela Geller, Dan Collins, Mike Hendrix, Robert Spencer -- just a bunch of extremist wingnuts.

(Via Memeorandum.)

Because there are no coincidences

No sooner had I used a homecoming queen's friendly C-cup smile as a political metaphor than the bodaciously curvaceous Samantha of Day-by-Day makes a not-entirely-unrelated point. And at the same time we behold Shelby Steele touching, as it were, the hem of a garment that is not there:

America's primary race problem today is our new "sophistication" around racial matters. Political correctness is a compendium of sophistications in which we join ourselves to obvious falsehoods ("diversity") and refuse to see obvious realities (the irrelevance of diversity to minority development). I would argue further that Barack Obama's election to the presidency of the United States was essentially an American sophistication, a national exercise in seeing what was not there and a refusal to see what was there—all to escape the stigma not of stupidity but of racism.
Barack Obama, elegant and professorially articulate, was an invitation to sophistication that America simply could not bring itself to turn down. . . .

You should read the whole thing and also visit Day by Day, where Samantha has been known occasionally to appear as naked as the emperor in his new clothes. (Don't hate Samantha. It's not her fault she's as melanin-deficient as Molly Ringwald. Or, uh, Lindsay Lohan.)

What parents worry about

Today I went upstairs for a cup of coffee and noticed daughter Reagan watching the Disney Channel in rapt attention. When I came back downstairs, I posted a message on Twitter:

My 7yo daughter now watching "Parent Trap" starring young Lindsay Lohan. Considering how Lindsay turned out, should I be worried?

To which question the only answer is, "Of course, you should be worried." Every halfway decent parent perpetually worries about how their kids will turn out. Even though I know my eldest daughter -- recently engaged to the Argentine Romeo -- watched and re-watched her VHS of The Parent Trap when she was about 10 without succumbing to moral corruption, I still worry about her baby sister.

My wife is worried about how we'll pay for the eldest's wedding, while I'm worried about whether the Pasadena trip will result in financial disaster. So, despite accusations of "whining," I'm still rattling the tip jar -- $5 or $10 might help soothe the parental jitters. Being a Dad is scary, when you consider that tabloid-trashy Lindsay Lohan (who has apparently rejoined the hetero squad and is on Twitter, BTW) was once so sweet and innocent:

P.S.: The photo at the top was found on a blog post by journalist Daniel Lehman:

Ask a Casting Director: What advice do you have for parents of child actors?

My answer: Don't let them become child actors! Your kid might turn out to be the next Lindsay Lohan or -- Heaven forbid -- Danny Bonaduce. (My 11-year-old redheaded son plays drums. That's got to be worth $20 in worry.)

Tea Party Leadership

by Smitty

Warner Todd Huston at Big Government is worried about the leadership question, emphasis mine:

The nature of the Tea Party movement was unusual at the outset. Regardless of what the half-wits on the extreme left said about them — whackjobs like your Keith Olbermanns or Rachel Maddows — the Tea Party movement was not orchestrated behind the scenes by some grand, right-wing conspiracy. They happened spontaneously spearheaded by all sorts of different groups, hundreds of them in fact. And to use the hackneyed old expression, trying to organize them into a single, national power will be like herding cats.

And therein lies the soon to be revealed mistake. Unless we are able to foresee this limitation of the Tea Party movement and take concrete measures to prevent it we will see the passion and engagement of these millions of Americans frittered away until just cynicism is left.

Passion about politics is great and likely the fervor of Tea Party participants will help fuel a 2010 resurgence of Republicans in the midterm elections. But what after that? In fact, what during it?

Here’s the problem and, as I see it, it’s a problem that is actually sort of built right into the Tea Party movement from its inception. That would be its essentially leaderless nature. Certainly this leaderless nature has suited the tastes of those suspicious of government, tired of failed party machinations, and the preternaturally aloof folks that populated them. Perhaps the gatherings could have occurred no other way and are born of this peculiar instant of political sensibility. Nonetheless Tea Parties have been disparate, unfocused, leaderless, and might prove to be pointless in the end.

There was no unifying single goal of the Tea Partiers and no agency or party directing them. This means that the raw power behind them just might go untapped because there will be no way to translate the passion to power. Every transformative movement has been led by a single man and his small group of powerful adherents but the Tea Party movement has no such leader and might just find that its passion will dissipate until there is nothing left but disgruntled followers.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the passion and was thrilled by the hundreds of Tea Parties with their millions of participants as it happened across this land in 2009. I was heartened that so many Americans were standing up to the anti-American left like that. But how do we channel that passion into something that can lead to positive change?

Without question powerful change needs a leader. Unfortunately, unless a leader steps forward that can gather all those many Tea Party strings into a single strong rope, it is likely that the whole thing will just pass away and be left a footnote in history. And what will this do to those yearning for change? What else could it do but cause them to become even more cynical going out than when they came in, leaving them thinking that nothing can be done and that we are doomed? This could lead to even worse societal strife down the road as frustrations build.

Considering history, I'd offer two things:

1. Human nature is constant, favoring hierarchy.
2. Technology is variable, with a positive slope, and has no affection for hierarchy.

Huston's argument favors (1), and I'll agree with him substantially. But pay attention to (2). Contrasting the Tea Party movement of today with that of the 1700s, bloggers are the pamphleteers. Sure, a George Washington wound up as the general in charge, courageously leading the army, serving as President, and scoring the accolades.

George Washington had decades of buildup, and the support of a variety of people. The Revolution was not about "George Washington", but the 2008 election was all about "Barack Obama".

Technology ought to be about de-emphasis of the individual in the government. Yes, somebody has to sign the legislation. Sure, there must be a name on the ballot. As with George Washington, let the person and the magic squiggle on the paper be more about the historical necessity than the personal ego.

Ways to bring about the destruction of the Tea Party spirit from within:

• Put a libertarian extremist in charge. No matter how much you like small government ideas, anything workable has to solve the "Y'all can't get there from here" problem. Declaring entitlements un-Constitutional does nothing about the millions of people and the decades spent growing these fiscal dragons. Slay them, sure, but ensure a good plan for butchering the dragon carcass.
• Put a Progressive in charge. Someone who will advocate that we swap out the current slate of degenerates for more of same. Continue to treat the Constitution as a historical relic, a navigation hazard around which to maneuver with fine verbal ballet.
• Put an apparatchik in charge, who, despite making all of the proper anti-Washington noises, knows who the backers are and where the political correctness lines are drawn.

I'd contend that the final threat is the worst. The line between invariant principles and areas where reasonable people can disagree agreeably is the among the more challenging aspects of discussion.

Jumping in Pools says "The battering and blaming of the Republicans has to stop." Mr. Kat, when those GOP windbags threaten the invariant principles in, for example, the Constitution, then they are a tumor, albeit a benign one. The most you're buying from a RINO is time. The RINO's non-command of principles will feed the Progressive decline, albeit more slowly than a Democrat's. In a way, the Democrat is more admirable, because he's not blowing any sunshine up the public bottom about his task.

In summary, the Tea Party will shake itself out just fine. Keep the pamphleteering up on the blogs. Keep emailing the blog posts to those who don't read the blogs. The Tea Parties will produce a name for the ballot. However, by focusing on the invariant principles at stake, and letting the technology drive the communication, the name that lands on the ballot will understand that (s)he is blessed to serve an informed electorate, and steer the ship of state on a less perilous course.

New Years Eve- Las Vegas Style

Grand opening of Eve and Beso

Eva Longoria Parker will host a New Year's Eve party to celebrate the Grand Opening of Beso restaurant and Eve Nightclub. Advanced tickets are available for $125 and include hors d’oeuvres, an open bar from 8 p.m to 11 p.m. and a champagne toast at midnight.
Eve The Nightclub-3720 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas Cost $125LAX Nightclub will have the Black Eyed Peas, the group will host the party at the Luxor nightclub. Party starts at 9:00 pm- 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Cost $100

Bid farewell to 2009 and ring in 2010 with N9NE Group as they host one of Sin City’s most extravagant parties of the year at Palms Casino Resort on Thursday, Dec. 31.

VIP All Venue Access starts at $375 and includes express admission into Rain Nightclub, Playboy Club, Moon Nightclub and Ghostbar.

VIP All Venue Access + Hosted Bar starts at $475 and includes express admission into Rain Nightclub, Playboy Club, Moon Nightclub and Ghostbar; access into designated hosted bar area inside Rain Nightclub, Playboy Club and Ghostbar, featuring Ketel One Vodka and Perrier Jouet Champagne.Playboy Club – MAROON 5: 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Hosting at Playboy Club following their performance at The Pearl is renowned rock band Maroon 5, which has been producing popular hits including “Harder to Breathe” and “She Will be Loved” since 2002.
General Admission starts at $125 and includes general admission into Playboy Club.
Hosted Bar starts at $195 and includes admission into Playboy Club; access into designated hosted bar area featuring Ketel One Vodka and Perrier Jouet Champagne.
Pure Management will offer 5 different venues on New Years Eve including 50 Cent. Go to www.PureLV.com for tickets
Nicole Richie will host the party at Lavo. The entry fee includes an open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m., and a champagne toast at midnight. DJs Joel Madden and Eric D Lux will be spinning live. Present your ticket stub at Tao after midnight for complimentary admission.Cost $150John Mayer Trio at The Joint
Grammy award-winning musician John Mayer will be performing on New Years Eve at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel along with special guest Mayer Hawthorne. The Joint 12/31/09-9:00 pm 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas- Tickets are $92 - $272
Christina Aguilera will host the party at Tao. Present your ticket stub at Lavo after midnight for complimentary admission. Party begins at 10:00 pm-Cost $200
And if You miss New York....

New Years Eve- Las Vegas Style

Grand opening of Eve and Beso

Eva Longoria Parker will host a New Year's Eve party to celebrate the Grand Opening of Beso restaurant and Eve Nightclub. Advanced tickets are available for $125 and include hors d’oeuvres, an open bar from 8 p.m to 11 p.m. and a champagne toast at midnight.
Eve The Nightclub-3720 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas Cost $125LAX Nightclub will have the Black Eyed Peas, the group will host the party at the Luxor nightclub. Party starts at 9:00 pm- 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Cost $100

Bid farewell to 2009 and ring in 2010 with N9NE Group as they host one of Sin City’s most extravagant parties of the year at Palms Casino Resort on Thursday, Dec. 31.

VIP All Venue Access starts at $375 and includes express admission into Rain Nightclub, Playboy Club, Moon Nightclub and Ghostbar.

VIP All Venue Access + Hosted Bar starts at $475 and includes express admission into Rain Nightclub, Playboy Club, Moon Nightclub and Ghostbar; access into designated hosted bar area inside Rain Nightclub, Playboy Club and Ghostbar, featuring Ketel One Vodka and Perrier Jouet Champagne.Playboy Club – MAROON 5: 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Hosting at Playboy Club following their performance at The Pearl is renowned rock band Maroon 5, which has been producing popular hits including “Harder to Breathe” and “She Will be Loved” since 2002.
General Admission starts at $125 and includes general admission into Playboy Club.
Hosted Bar starts at $195 and includes admission into Playboy Club; access into designated hosted bar area featuring Ketel One Vodka and Perrier Jouet Champagne.
Pure Management will offer 5 different venues on New Years Eve including 50 Cent. Go to www.PureLV.com for tickets
Nicole Richie will host the party at Lavo. The entry fee includes an open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m., and a champagne toast at midnight. DJs Joel Madden and Eric D Lux will be spinning live. Present your ticket stub at Tao after midnight for complimentary admission.Cost $150John Mayer Trio at The Joint
Grammy award-winning musician John Mayer will be performing on New Years Eve at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel along with special guest Mayer Hawthorne. The Joint 12/31/09-9:00 pm 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas- Tickets are $92 - $272
Christina Aguilera will host the party at Tao. Present your ticket stub at Lavo after midnight for complimentary admission. Party begins at 10:00 pm-Cost $200
And if You miss New York....

If Obama's lost Maureen Dowd . . .

. . . he's doomed beyond Hope:

If we can’t catch a Nigerian with a powerful explosive powder in his oddly feminine-looking underpants and a syringe full of acid, a man whose own father had alerted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, a traveler whose ticket was paid for in cash and who didn’t check bags, whose visa renewal had been denied by the British, who had studied Arabic in Al Qaeda sanctuary Yemen, whose name was on a counterterrorism watch list, who can we catch? . . .
Before he left for vacation, Obama tried to shed his Spock mien and juice up the empathy quotient on jobs. But in his usual inspiring/listless cycle, he once more appeared chilly in his response to the chilling episode on Flight 253, issuing bulletins through his press secretary and hitting the links. At least you have to seem concerned. . . .

Once Modo starts eyeing the exit of the Obama bandwagon, what next? Will David Brooks espy an un-meritocratic wrinkle in the president's pants?

2 Tourists Hit Megabucks Jackpots

Two Las Vegas visitors left the city a lot richer after hitting Megabucks Megajackpots at two Strip casinos this week.
A 57-year-old man, whose name was not released, hit the Megajackpot for $12.2 million at the Bellagio during the early morning hours Monday, according to International Game Technology, maker of the Megabucks game.The winner and his wife, who was sitting next to him playing her own Megabucks slot at the time, called their daughter immediately and took the first flight to Los Angeles to celebrate with family.
The winner is an investor originally from South Korea and visits Las Vegas about three times a year, IGT said.A 63-year-old retired woman won $1.6 million playing Wheel of Fortune Saturday night at Paris Las Vegas. The woman, who also wished to remain anonymous, was with her daughters for a family holiday trip, IGT said.
“I had just started playing a machine and had played about $25 when the woman next to me got up and walked away from the machine she was playing,” the woman said. “So I just reached over and played that machine and it hit. I started screaming and jumping around.”
The woman said she and her family are building their dream home in the Philippines and the jackpot will allow them to upgrade and move in sooner than expected
By Amanda Finnegan