Good evening morons and morn-ettes. I'll be providing your substandard entertainment tonight.

Don't Miss Tonight's Rare Blue Moon
Perhaps the moon's saying goodbye to its first human visitor.

On Friday night a rare blue moon will rise in the sky in an astronomical event that occurs only once every three years or so.

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 06:01 PM | Comments (1017)
Post contains 495 words, total size 5 kb.

Instapundit links a story that Hillary is staying as far as physically possible from Charlotte.

But then a reader speculates that that is just a smokescreen, and that the big surprise of the convention will be a Hillary-for-Biden VP swap.

Meanwhile, Reuters has Romney's favorables improving, but without any bounce in the head-to-head.

But in James Carville's Democracy Corps poll, Romney has a huge 54-38 lead with independents (16 points!).

Oddly enough, that poll puts Obama ahead by two skinny points, 49-47.

He is obviously counting on a near-2008 level of Democratic turnout. I don't buy that. And no one seems to be thinking of a big right-leaning turnout.

Finally, this is just special. From Misfit Politics, the guys who brought you Attaaaack Waaaatch.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 04:50 PM | Comments (335)
Post contains 152 words, total size 1 kb.

Remember when Bush indulged in tough-guy bravado like "Don't mess with Texas"? And how that meant he had a cramped, thuggish intellect and could only think in simple lizard-brain impulses and higher-primate ritual aggression displays?

Well, every time President Kick-Ass does this sort of thing it's just awesome or something, according to the press. Gone are criticisms that it's "arrogant" or shows an unwarranted "swagger." Now it's just Our Hero laying down a masterful challenge to his critics.

So, President Kick-Ass tweeted this, with the text "This seat is taken."

Nice Deb isn't so nice about it.

In the insular world of the hard left – this is thought of as a “deft”, “snarky”, “cheeky” response from an administration that has always been “adept” at social media.

To me, and I think a lot of Americans – it looks petty and narcissistic.

It is narcissistic. I also think it's a bit ridiculous -- it's braggadocio coming from, I'm sorry, a loser. When you've got a terrific record and everything you touch turns to gold, you can break out the dick-waving braggadocio.

When you're basically just hoping your employer will overlook your last three and two thirds' years' performance and let you stay on for a little bit longer... Well, it is, to put it charitably, admirably disconnected from the horror of the actual facts.

This sounds like Jason Biggs' trash-talking. Trash-talking is fine, but it sounds pretty silly out of the mouth of a shlub.

Now, after MSNBC insisted furiously that Clint Eastwood had bombed, they showed this picture, and they all force-laughed and force-laughed at how hilarious it was. So apparently "just a grin with a body behind it" wasn't funny, but this sort of idiotic 16-year-old trash-talk is the height of wit.

Director Blue offers some photoshops.

Uncle Jefe sends in this racist one:

It's racist because it's a clear reference to Tiger Woods, who is partly black. Lawrence O'Donnell told me so.

I think this response by Adam Baldwin is pretty hysterical. It's so... I don't know. Silly and to the point.

Posted by: Ace at 03:59 PM | Comments (319)
Post contains 355 words, total size 3 kb.

I just don't believe Condi Rice is a politician or seeks to be a politician.

I don't think it's her ambition. I don't think it's her skill set.

I just never have.

That certainly doesn't mean she's without value; we are fortunate to have in this nation only a tiny cadre of politicians, and a much larger group of people who actually do things.

But the GOP's got this thing about insisting she's actually a politician and we'll all soon be voting for her and whatever.

Yes, it would be great to run a black female for President. Assuming such a person was agreeable to the party and actually was a politician.

People deride politicians, and for good reason; but anyone who denies that politicians have and practice a particular skill is just wrong.

Not everyone in politics is a politician, of course. David Axelrod could not be elected to anything, even Comptroller of Bridge-Trolls. A more likable, photogenic Bridge-Troll would beat hm.

Condi has skills, no doubt, but primary as an academic and adviser. She has appeal, but it's a quiet type of appeal. She does well in speeches, but she just doesn't seem to make the sort of choices that an actual office-holder would make. Why not run for Governor of California, for example? Or, if California's too hostile, run for governor of some state she's lived in.

Anyway, here's Allah gaming out Condi's chances in 2016, which I think he overstates, for purposes of providing a lively discussion, and I don't blame him.

But I just have never seen this. I think she's a bit like Romney in the sense that she's naturally a thinker, and thus an introvert. But Romney has spent years and years attempting to recast himself as an extrovert "people person" politician (and you can see, by the way, how hard that is, given that a very focused, very driven guy has had such a hard time doing so).

I just don't see Condi Rice yet making this hard transition.

Posted by: Ace at 03:33 PM | Comments (80)
Post contains 355 words, total size 2 kb.

He really thinks he's charming. And I guess he is... to stupid people.

I've made this comparison before, but both Joe Biden and Bill O'Reilly must have been told by Irish grandmothers a whole bunch of times that they had the Gift of the Blarney. Oleaginous Irish charm, that is (no offense to the Irish, nor to dagos).

But Joe Biden is just.... I don't know what to say. Guy's giving full-mouth smackers to old ladies on the campaign trail.

Clint Eastwood didn't make out with the chair.

One woman, who the pool later identified as Bev Kalmer, of Poland, Ohio, told the VP: "Welcome to Ohio." His response: "I've been waitin' all day to be here."

She said "You gotta keep the chair" to him -- a reference to Clint Eastwood's speech last night at the RNC -- and he gave her a kiss right on the lips. She swooned.

Posted by: Ace at 02:27 PM | Comments (207)
Post contains 203 words, total size 1 kb.

The LAT uses headline bias to declare "Ann Romney, others distancing themselves from Clint Eastwood's ramble."

The actual Ann Romney quotes:

Asked on ABC’s “Good Morning America” about Eastwood’s rambling, unscripted speech, the wife of the Republican presidential nominee allowed that she was “grateful for his support,” but quickly heaped much more effusive praise on Olympic athletes and fellow Mormons "that knew Mitt so well" who also spoke on behalf of her husband Thursday night. Those testimonials did not reach the vast majority of viewers because they were delivered before 10 p.m EDT, when the networks opened their live coverage.

On CBS on Friday morning, Romney again quickly segued away from Eastwood’s performance. “You can never take away from the fact that this country is in trouble,” she said, “and people are looking for real leadership and that I know that Mitt is the man for this moment.”

There's an old maxim that you don't pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel, and it's quite clear that on this point Baby Wants A Bottle. The media are just determined to claim Clint Eastwood is awful, and should probably be committed for his own safety and the safety of others, and there is simply no point in arguing with Baby Who Wants A Bottle. Baby Wants A Bottle, Baby Will Keep Crying Until Baby Has A Bottle.

She's raised five babies. She knows.

This isn't distancing. It's refusing to get into an argument with a lunatic.

There are several problems with the media's attempt to spin this. For one, the video is viral and everyone can spend 10 minutes watching it to make up their own minds.

Does he ramble? He sure does. But what is the problem with that? No, it's not a political speech where every line is thought out and scrubbed and edited to an inch of its life, all for the purpose of delivering a precise message in a precise way. It's Clint Eastwood offering his general, barely rehearsed political thoughts.

And so it rambles. And, when it's not rambling, it kills. In fact, some rambles are hilarious, like when he suddenly remembers he wants to talk about attorneys and then gets wound up about that.

We're dealing with the East German judges here. Clint Eastwood did a great routine with a few technical errors here and there, and the East German judges are offering a score of 1.4 out of 10.

And their hope is that if they just keep flashing that score over and over, they can influence the other judges.

I've watched this like seven times now and I like it better every time. True, the first time around, I was worried that he wasn't going to come to his points. He was sometimes stammering and slow to get to his next killer line. But in each case, he did get 'round to that killer line -- in 2 seconds, rather than the professionally-preferred 0.8 seconds.

The liberals -- who are, they will be the first to tell you, all extremely funny and brilliant -- are all telling the same joke, that Clint Eastwood really thought he was talking to an Invisible Obama.

????

That's funny? That's funny, but "Joe Biden, Intellect of the Democratic Party, just a grin with a body behind it" isn't funny?

The Great Grazing Herd of Independent Minds as usual is all saying the exact same thing about this, and hoping that if they just keep saying it, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, they'll shape public opinion.

The bit was solid. I wonder if these sissies have ever actually seen a Clint Eastwood movie before. This is his style -- sly, laconic, deadpan, wry. He's a famously dry actor, and a famously small actor, in terms of theatrics. There's an old joke which I just made up that the difference between Eastwood Raging and Eastwood Happy is what side of his mouth he moves his cheroot to.

So, this is Clint Eastwood. The same guy who's been delivering killer lines with the slightest arch of the eyebrow for 50 years. Except he's now that plus 50 years.

He killed. Deduct him a few points for rambling, if you will, but ignore the East German judges.

One funny thing: The media wants to sell this as a "fiasco" so they keep running clips of it. The clips they're running are... unfortunately for their thesis, his killer stuff.

Personally I'd edit this up and run it in ads. (Unless he's specifically forbidden that, which he probably has, so forget it.)

"Lawn" thanks to AliceH.

But Aren't We Spending Time "Defending" A Humorous Newhart-Bit? So says a commenter, embittered redleg.

I respond:

This is true, sort of? But keep in mind: In no conceivable world would the media NOT be attacking the Republicans today.

I'm not going to link it, but Politico found the SON of the old couple whose tearjerking story about romney's generosity made everyone cry. The big story was that he doesn't support Romney, and thinks he's greedy. And notes "I'm a union worker."

This son was not the son in the story, and in fact was just a child when Romney was helping his brother write his will.

But Politico had to offer push-back.

So when you say "The republicans have to defend Clint's speech" -- if Clint hadn't spoken, we'd be defending something else.

Posted by: Ace at 01:50 PM | Comments (495)
Post contains 942 words, total size 6 kb.

Here's Taranto on how he became "solidified on the right." He was converted due to an incident in which he defended free speech in a college newspaper column... and was suspended by the faculty for having done so. more...

Posted by: Ace at 01:06 PM | Comments (103)
Post contains 88 words, total size 1 kb.

He also... compliments Republicans.

I don't know if claims he makes at the end are true -- at the end he claims Obama lost every single age demographic except the young. In fact, now that I ponder this, it's simply preposterous. I actually hate myself for even wondering about it for two seconds.

He and his liberal host both agree that Democrats just aren't that enthused about Obama. Because of economic despair.

Yes, that tends to put a hitch in your giddyup.

On the other hand, he called Clint Eastwood a crazy old man.

In related news, Michael Moore is not getting any younger, saner, or thinner.

Posted by: Ace at 12:16 PM | Comments (274)
Post contains 127 words, total size 1 kb.

Remember when the media was insisting that Romney, apparently head of FEMA, cancel the convention to deal with Isaac?

Well, he's not the head of FEMA, but he did something the actual head of FEMA forgot to -- tour the affected areas.

President Barack Obama was today forced to announce he will fly to storm-hit Louisiana on Monday – hours after Mitt Romney beat him to the punch by deciding to head there this afternoon.
After it emerged that Obama was still taking time to fit in a campaign stop in Cleveland, Ohio before checking out how clean-up operations are proceeding in the Bayou state, the Obama campaign abruptly cancelled that event.

'In light of the PresidentÂ’s travel to Louisiana to meet with local officials and view ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Isaac, President Obama will no longer travel to Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, September 3,' the campaign said in a terse statement.

Obama is the one actually in charge of FEMA. He's also the one with a solid block of campaign stops through the storm.

Posted by: Ace at 11:18 AM | Comments (411)
Post contains 228 words, total size 2 kb.

Your Vice President. "Intellect of the Democratic Party. A grin with a body behind it."

Approaching a table of men he knew to be Greek, the VP said, “I’m Joe Bidenopoulos.”

“Ask George,” he said – unclear who George was, maybe someone at the table –“who’s the most Greek Irishman he’s ever known.” Sounded like Biden was suggesting he is.

He moved on to a table of three women, sitting down briefly, before moving on to one where two women were sitting.

“Let’s dance,” he said to one, named Jennifer, as she stood up right next to him. They posed for a photo before he turned to her tablemate, who was wearing scrubs, and asked, ‘Are you a nurse?” He then sat down and started speaking to her quietly, presumably about nurses.

Then, he posed with a group of restaurant staff and owners, and was talking about Greek food and rice pudding.

“Can I get some rice pudding to go?” he asked....

This article probably isn't fair; in context, there was probably some reason for Biden to say those things. But it's funny to imagine him just walking around saying random things like "I'm Joe Bidenopolous" and "Let's dance" and "are you a nurse?"

Posted by: Ace at 10:51 AM | Comments (197)
Post contains 220 words, total size 1 kb.