Sorry for all the Perry stuff, but it is news.

Vid at the link, but here is the transcript:

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, Republican presidential candidate now, says, the men and women of the United States military want someone who's worn the uniform. He says he served in the Air Force.

Do you see a comment like that, that he makes, referring to you, as disrespectful to the commander in chief?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, Mr. Perry just got into the presidential race. I think that everybody who runs for president, it probably takes them a little bit of time before they start realizing that this isn't like running for governor or running for senator or running for Congress, and you've got to be a little more careful about what you say.

But I'll cut him some slack. He's only been at it for a few days now.

Perry responded to him in kind. Vid here, but here is the transcript:

"Yesterday, the President said I needed to watch what I say. I just want to respond back, if I may. Mr. President, actions speak louder than words. My actions as Governor are helping create jobs in this country. The President's actions are killing jobs," GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry said at a breakfast on Wednesday morning.

This is actually sort of a nonsequitor, but that's why I like it. Obama whined about Perry's statement that he had never served in the military, and Perry's response is Dude, you're an economic disaster area.

Responding directly to Obama's whine would have been unproductive and further would have put Obama in control of their ongoing dialogue. Perry's response was to ignore the topic at hand and note that Obama is this.

Technically off-topic, but it is in fact the only real topic there is. Always be closing. Always. Be. Closing.

Byron York noted that by keeping close to Obama's bus tour, now in Iowa, Perry was attempting to set up the narrative that it is Perry vs. Obama, not Perry vs. Romney or Perry vs. Bachmann. (Romney has until now been very effective at always making it Romney vs. Obama, plus some other people who talk nearby him on a stage.)

That pundit also knocked the other candidates for leaving Iowa, thereby allowing Perry to do just this, have a one-on-one (via media soundbites) with the sitting lame-duck.

The New York Times gives him his headline:

Obama Presses His Case in Crucial Iowa, but Perry Is Close on His Heels

Although I think Perry's comment about Bernacke was ill-advised for other reasons, it could be that his plan is to provoke Obama into direct response to him, thus furthering the narrative of Perry v. Obama.

Rich Lowry has a somewhat similar idea, noting that maybe Perry is following Trump's formula of provocation.

Posted by: Ace at 08:52 AM | Comments (239)
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Welcome to the Sixth Day of Blogging After America. Here's a little ditty to get you in the mood - the mood of Doom!.

Chapter 5's theme - as Greece is an example of economic collapse so Britain is an example of cultural collapse.

Previously in the series - Day One, Two, Three, Four, Five.

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 08:49 AM | Comments (24)
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Uh-oh.

Note: Commenters point out, correctly, that nothing in the article is an actual quote; it's all paraphrase. I am taking the quotes out of the headline, as that is the language taken from Politico, but not, as it implies, the language taken from Perry's mouth.

I always think it's better to pay lip-service to this childish fantasy, for fear of alarming childish minds, but what the hell. If he's goin' all-in, then go all in.

This is a very good year to make this announcement. Fewer people believe in this crap, and even among those who believe this crap, no one gives a shit, given that we're going into a double-dip.

Polling: Gallup says a near-majority think global warming claims are "generally exaggerated.

So, not a bad time to strike.

Good Argument In The Comments. Let me add my take.

First of all, people in the middle tend to vote on general attitudes, general tendencies, and policy proxies. They really don't know candidates' specific positions. They claim they all want substance; they're liars. They're bored by substance. They would just like to know that on a website somewhere is some substance that they can ignore.

One important proxy is whether or not a candidate is "Pro Science." If you're "Pro Science," you're smart and you seek the truth and you're rational like Mr. Spock and so on. If you're "Anti Science," you're a big fat dummy.

Perry can actually turn this into a winning issue -- not just politically, but on the public take on global warming -- if he exercises care to make his anti-global-warming position a Pro Science position.

See? If he's anti-global-warming because he's Anti-Science, he loses the issue, and loses votes.

If he's anti-global-warming because he's Pro Science, he wins.

To do this he needs to talk in some detail about an easy-to-understand fraud -- "hide the decline" -- and make a pro-science sounding analogy: He could note, for example, that churches often became corrupt when they claimed to know the absolute truth and would accept no questioning from priests or congregants.

The AGW cult is now like such a church, growing corrupt by the day as it deems every single challenge to its authority heretical. Sunlight is not just the best disinfectant, but it is crucial for finding the truth. You can't find truth in darkness.

You get the idea. A Republican can win on the global warming issue only if he casts the argument in terms that he is actually the defender of science.

If it's just a glib "scientists make shit up" statement, it's a loser. It just sounds like you're rejecting Science, and that doesn't fly.

Quotes: Via Miss80sBaby, At the National Journal.

“I do believe that the issue of global warming has been politicized," Perry answered. "I think there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects. I think we’re seeing it almost weekly or even daily, scientists who are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change. Yes, our climates change. They’ve been changing ever since the earth was formed.”

Pegging the global cost of implementing “anti-carbon programs” in the billions or trillions of dollars, Perry said, “I don’t think from my perspective that I want America to be engaged in spending that much money on [what is] still a scientific theory that has not been proven, and from my perspective, is more and more being put into question.”

Well that's a good enough answer, but I still think he has to play the pro-science card to seal the deal.

Posted by: Ace at 07:46 AM | Comments (379)
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Sheesh.

Obviously this is an issue of liberal bias, but come on. Pass on the corn dog.

Oh, and Kos takes the opportunity to note the completely made-up rumors that Perry is gay.

Kos is making that charge. And he supports Obama.

That's the lowdown from the down low.

Posted by: Ace at 07:34 AM | Comments (135)
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I used to be considered unemployble do to my crimmil record, 5th grade reading ability and lack of motorvation.

Now, becuase of food stamms, I am a prowd employee of US tacks payer.

My job doodies inklood:

Install new flat screen 3d tvs in bafrooms.
Wash new car/truck/rascal for visit to probashun ofcer.
NOT riot! (I awayz forget that one!)

Tank you! And, I need a raise.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 06:07 AM | Comments (276)
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The costs of ObamaCare set to skyrocket in 2014. Not coincidentally, Obama will either be out of office or well into his second term. Let's hope we can get it repealed before then.

A slowing German economy is very bad news, both for the eurozone and for the rest of the world.

The Fall of the House of Bernanke.

Nevertheless, many government functions have far less value than their cost; if this were not the case, they would already be provided by the free market, without any government intervention at all. Naturally, those government functions carried out as a result of an unplanned ‘stimulus’ to boost an economy out of recession will tend to be less valuable than average, since if a need for them had been seen earlier they would already have been included in the annual budget.

Also:

Making it impossible for the government to spend money it does not have will have an immensely beneficial effect on future policies, both monetary and fiscal. Whether Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party or Alinskyites will come to dominate US government after that is currently shrouded in mist, but one thing is absolutely clear: the House of Bernanke will have fallen.

The First and Second Amendments, working together.

More “green” FAIL. This may be the best bit of unintentional comedy you'll read all day.

Just a reminder in case you forgot: Matthew Yglesias is a cretin. To idiots like him, the ability to print fiat money is a universal salve for all financial ills.

Theodore Dalrymple. No one does DOOM better.

Is it time to abolish collective bargaining entirely? In the public sector, I'd say yes, absolutely. In the private sector? I'm not so sure, and anyway, unionism seems to be dying out of its own accord in the private sector.

And the winner of the first “Major Municipal Meltdown” award is...MIAMI! Let’s give them a big hand, folks. They earned it.

The center cannot hold. I used to appreciate Brad DeLong's stuff -- I knew he was liberal, but he seemed to have a pretty thoughtful take on economics often missing from his other liberal economist peers. Alas, he seems to have fallen into the same lefty hate-pit as the rest of his fellow-travelers.

And it took me only two months--two months!--to conclude that America's best hope for sane technocratic governance required the elimination of the Republican Party from our political system as rapidly as possible.

Even the military is finding the defined-benefit pension model to be untenable. The Pentagon is now exploring moving to a 401(k)-style defined-contribution plan. This is just more evidence that the defined-benefit plan is soon going to be extinct -- it is just not a sustainable model.

UPDATE 1: Well I'll be damned. Perma-bull Larry Kudlow jumps to Perry's defense on his (Perry's) Bernanke comments.
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Posted by: Monty at 04:41 AM | Comments (278)
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Some hardy soul going by the moniker garnet92 has researched and written up the good and the bad things that folks are saying about Governor Perry. They are long, accurate, and utterly necessary reading in the face of the current media blitz against Perry. Bookmark 'em.

I can't in good conscience borrow much; they're just too perfect and I really want you to click over and read. I will grab just a bit from the responding-to-critics post because it's an issue that even Republicans from the North have been bugging me about.

Some say that Perry wants Texas to secede from the Union and he is a traitor for saying so. The governor never said that he wanted Texas to secede. Scholars know that Texas secession is an urban myth and certainly, the governor knows it as well.

What actually happened was that after people shouted “Secede!” at an Austin rally, he said that he understood their frustration but added, “We’ve got a great union. There is absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that. Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.”

Perry emphasized that he was not advocating secession, but understands why Americans may have those feelings because of frustration. He said itÂ’s fine to express the thought. He offered no apology and did not back away from his earlier comments. PerryÂ’s remarks were in response to a question from The Associated Press as he walked away from the rally. The governor said he didnÂ’t think Texas should secede despite some chatter about it on the Internet and his name being associated with the idea.

I honestly didn't understand how weirded out even a joking reference to Texas' secession legend makes some northerners until a few weeks ago. But apparently even GOP northerners can get a bit creeped out about it and his joking response -- "we're a pretty independent lot to boot" -- has been stretched beyond all reason to comprise an actual Perry policy preference for seceding.

So, to be clear: Perry did not advocate or "threaten" (as the media, Democrats, and some anti-Perry Republicans have characterized it) secession. In fact, he said, quite seriously, that there is no reason to dissolve the Union. Perry went on to affirm a point of Texas pride: we are pretty independent and self assured, so don't mess with Texas, punks. This nod to Texan superiority should not be taken to mean Texas will secede next week if Bernanke keep printing money.

It's something Texans say, like, e.g. the oft-repeated indisputable fact that Texas is the best country state in the Union. (SWIDT?) Have you ever heard a Texan disrespect his home state? No, I submit that you have not. And if you think you did, he ain't a Texan. Home-state pride is a virtue, not a vice. You'll find that Texans are fiercely loyal to their own and if you want a fiercely loyal president, say, in contrast to a certain trans-national lightbringer, Perry's a good choice.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:30 AM | Comments (155)
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A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad men.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:54 AM | Comments (69)
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In Michigan:

Last Wednesday, however, the attacks on Mr. King became much more serious when he was awakened late in the evening at his home in Monroe County, Michigan and saw that the motion lights in his driveway had come on. When he looked out his front window, he saw a figure near his SUV and went outside.

As soon as he got outside his front door, King yelled at the individual who was crouched down by KingÂ’s vehicle. As soon as King yelled, the suspect stood and, without hesitation, fired a shot at Mr. King.

Luckily for King, as he yelled, he also stumbled. If it werenÂ’t for that, however, John KingÂ’s injuries might have been much, much worse. In fact, he might have been killed.

Upon scrambling back into his house, King got to his cell phone and called 911. However, due to the pain in his knees and shoulder from falling, King was unaware that he had been shot in the arm.

...

While neither the police, nor Mr. King can say which union was behind the attack, it is very clear by the word ‘scab’ scrawled on his SUV that it the attack was union-related.

...

The Monroe County SheriffÂ’s office is encouraging anyone with information to call 734-240-7530.

In addition, Mr. King is offering a $10,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Posted by: Ace at 05:47 PM | Comments (167)
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Evenin' all.

Why We're Broke

If you look at this chart of federal tax revenues versus federal spending since 1960, you'll see that on average the government has taken in 18% of GDP as taxes but spent 20%. This percentage of GDP taken in as tax revenue has been so constant - regardless of marginal tax rates - that it's become known as Hauser's Law. _{(okay Hauser actually said 19.5% but close enough for government accounting)}

So we've been spending about 2% more of GDP than we take in which doesn't sound all that bad. Except that we've been doing this for, well 50 years or so which does add up.

And for the last 3 years thanks to Obama and a Democratic congress we've been outspending our revenues by a whopping 7% of GDP!

That can't go on forever. And it won't.

Posted by: Maetenloch at 05:38 PM | Comments (750)
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