• What Does Your State Want According To Google Auto Complete?
  
• Jim Messina Joins Crist Campaign
  
• Bill De Blasio Debacle Playing Out As Expected
  
• Another Idiot Anti-Gun Senator
  
• Rich Congresswoman Complains About Income Inequality
  
• Iran Sending Warships To The Atlantic
  
• Airbnb And The Unstoppable Rise Of The Share Economy
  
• Wendy Davis Bio Is Complete BS
  
• Millennials Unhappy With Obama's War On The Young
  
• This Seems Like A Terrible Idea: Self-Replicating Robots
  
• Obamacare Supporters: The Americans Who Forgot To Rebel
  
• F*ck You Dolphin!
  
• Anthony Weiner Scales Down To Modest 8,000 Per Month Apartment
  
• Feel The Olympic Spirit In The Air
  
• I Had Really Hoped They Were Going To Skip Over Him
  

I can't tell if this shirt matches these pants, can you give me any advice?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:29 AM | Comments (311)
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Happy Tuesday.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear argument on whether non-union public employees can be forced to pay union dues. It's kinduva big deal. (I have no idea if argument is being postponed because of the anticipated weather in D.C. OPM says the government is closed.)

NRO's Kevin D. Williams on the working rich is a good read.

Classic. ESA's Rosetta spacecraft wakes after three years of energy-saving mode during travel to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, tweets: "Hello, world!"

If you haven't listened to it yet, last week's podcast with Washington Examiner's Tim Carney had a thoughtful discussion of the GOP's internecine conflict. Also, keep those Ask the Blog questions coming.

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[On iTunes]

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:47 AM | Comments (239)
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New Media Rule: Thou Shalt Not Report Critically on a Transgendered Person

Which is why Caleb Hannan, a writer for Grantland, is receiving death threats and his editors are groveling. So what happened?

Well he wrote this story about an amazing golf putter (and it is a good read by the way) which opens with a late night youtube video:

I play golf. Sometimes poorly, sometimes less so. Like all golfers, I spend far too much time thinking of ways to play less poorly more often. That was the silver lining to my sleeplessness - it gave me more time to scour YouTube for tips on how to play better. And it was then, during one of those restless nights, that I first encountered Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt, known to friends as Dr. V.

She didn't appear in the video. As I would later discover, it's almost impossible to find a picture, let alone a moving image, of Dr. V on the Internet. Instead, I watched a clip of two men discussing the radical new idea she had brought to golf.

So he tracked her down and interviewed her about how she came to invent the Oracle.

But it wasn't just the science behind Dr. V's putter that intrigued McCord. It was the scientist, too. For starters, she was a woman in the male-dominated golf industry. She also cut a striking figure, standing 6-foot-3 with a shock of red hair. What's more, she was a Vanderbilt, some link in the long line descending from Cornelius, the original Commodore. All of this would have been more than enough to capture McCord's attention, but what he found most remarkable about Dr. V was where she had been before she started making putters. She told him she had spent most of her career as a private contractor for the Department of Defense, working on projects so secretive - including the stealth bomber - that her name wasn't listed on government records. "Isn't that about as clandestine as you can get?" McCord asked me.

Well after that it's a tough story to summarize so I'll just let Sonny Bunch of the Free Beacon do it.

Hannan's crime? The publication of this story. It's hard to summarize in any sort of succinct way; you should really read the whole thing. It is about putters and the mental aspect of golf. It is about physics and science and placebo effects. But it is also about a fraudster who lied to golf experts and the public and investors, a mentally unstable person who, as it happens, was transgendered-and took her own life before the publication of the story.

And because Dr. V committed suicide and Grantland published the story revealing her multiple frauds, Caleb Hannan is now one of the most hated men on the internet. Even his fellow journalists are calling for his imprisonment for reporting in the first degree as well as murder.

And as DrewM points out even Hannan's editor is throwing him under the bus and admitting that the transgendered community should get veto power over any negative stories about a transgendered person - a privilege that no other group is offered and one that guts journalistic integrity.

Posted by: Maetenloch at 06:34 PM | Comments (637)
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Purp had this in the headlines. Wendy Davis rode to national prominence over her (useless) filibuster of Texas Senate Bill 5 which banned abortions in Texas after 20 weeks of pregnancy and required abortion clinics to meet the same standards of patient care as other places where surgeons operate on people. Because, war on women or something.

Pink Sneaker Sweetie's rise to prominence went something like this: She got pregnant when she was young (yes), lived in a trailer park (for a few months then moved in with the folks), struggled and clawed her way through education, a second marriage and a second child to make it to Harvard Law School where she excelled and all those inspiring things (while her second husband paid for it and took care of the daughters. Cause she was gone. Doing great things).

Well her second husband paid for it, and incidentally she left him and her two daughters in Texas for a couple years while she studied and matriculated at Harvard Law.

Is it "matriculated?" I don't know, I do cheerleaders. She'd have been a good one.

She divorced second husband Jeff Davis and relinquished custody of the children to him. Paid him child support even. She did her stunt in the rotunda and got lots of national attention (cash) to run for governor of Houston (see Molly Ringwald, goof).

She is also now focused on tightening up her language in interviews.

In an extensive interview last week, Davis acknowledged some chronological errors and incomplete details in what she and her aides have said about her life.

“My language should be tighter,” she said. “I’m learning about using broader, looser language. I need to be more focused on the detail.”

Anyway she's the next Democrat candidate for governor who will lose against Greg Abbott who is from Houston but is running for governor of the whole enchilada.

You go girl.

also! @WendyDavisTaxes is funny on twitter.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 03:38 PM | Comments (807)
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I don't want to display the picture -- it's safe for work, just... ugh -- but if you want to look at the fashions that no one will be wearing, click here.

Thanks to @rdbrewer4.

I just got an email about this:

Sirs,

It might be considered a little politically incorrect to say, but those dresses are, in a word, gay. Men should not adorn themselves as if they were women, but should dress in a manner consistent with the masculine ideals of strength, restraint, and practicality.

Sincerely,

The London Boys

xoxoxo!!!

Posted by: Ace at 02:02 PM | Comments (266)
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Meet the New Blacklist, pretty much the same as the old blacklist, except the people now being blacklisted are loyal to a different Foreign Alien Power.

In this case, the people now being blacklisted are loyal to What Was Once America, rather than the Soviet Union (What Was Once Russia).

Posted by: Ace at 01:20 PM | Comments (129)
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No he doesn't say that. I lied for the headline. I learned that from The Media (TM).

But what he does say is that America seems to have reached a tipping point from which it will not recover -- which is the same premise that underlies the "Let It Burn" impulse.

Via Hot Air, Byron York reports a key moment in the new Romney documentary film, relaying Romney's thoughts upon realizing he wouldn't be the next President of the United States.

As defeat settled in, Romney discussed what to say in a concession speech — which, for all his natural pessimism, Romney had not considered ahead of time. And it was in that moment that some of Romney's passion about the race finally came out, far from the view of voters and television cameras. Stevens suggested that the losing candidate should play an almost "pastoral" role, "soothing" the American people after a long and divisive campaign.

"I don't think it is a time for soothing and everything's fine," said Romney. "I think this is a time for [saying], 'This is really serious, guys. This is really serious.'"

"To get up and soothe is not my inclination," an obviously anguished Romney continued. "I cannot believe that [Obama] is an aberration in the country. I believe we're following the same path of every other great nation, which is we're following greater government, tax rich people, promise more stuff to everybody, borrow until you go over a cliff. And I think we have a very high risk of reaching the tipping point sometime in the next five years. And the idea of saying 'it's just fine, don't worry about it' -- no, it's really not."

Given what has come before it in the film — Romney's defeatism in the debates — the scene leaves the impression that perhaps in his heart of hearts Romney never really believed he could win.

I think this is what we all felt, and all feel: That Obama is not an aberration. The man and the moment met at the precisely perfect time. Prior to 2008, a socialist could not have won the White House. In 2008, and thereafter, a socialist could win the White House -- if he was the exact perfect socialist.

Which, in 2008, Obama was.

But Obama's excellence as a candidate (at least in 200 and perfect timing -- the Perfect Semi-Stealth Socialist Candidate at the perfect Socialist Moment for such a thing -- cannot obscure the fact that something has changed in America. We all feel it; we all know it. Even the very reasonable and moderate-tempered Mitt Romney, who wouldn't start yelling "Socialist!" at the drop of the hat (to the chagrin of some of us), can feel it.

I think we have not been quite the same since 2008, and probably never will be the same again. We didn't leave America; America has left us.

2012 was our opportunity to right the American ship. After all, Obama's socialist agenda had produced nothing except exactly that which we had predicted -- a miserable economy in which a record number were on food stamps our out of work, and an unpopular statist takeover of health care.

And yet, even with the proof of Socialism's failings in our pockets... We still lost.

And it wasn't even really that close.

2012, I think, represented in our minds the Last Best Chance we had to prove America was still America... and we failed in that, or, perhaps, America failed to prove that about itself.

And so what now? Who knows. As Romney suggests, this may be the long slow sinking of the ship, the looting phase of an Empire which has rotted from within, a period in which not enough people are creating wealth, because banditry is now so lucrative (and state-sponsored).

The links above (Allah's and York's) contain interesting stuff about whether Romney ever really believed he could win the Presidency. For example, he seemed resigned to the idea of losing his debates with Obama, or hoping for, at best, ties.

But I think it's Romney's observation about America the Once-Great Nation, the Once Shining City on a Hill, which are most important.

Posted by: Ace at 11:40 AM | Comments (653)
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Count de Monet linked this in the comments. Apparently sports goof Skip Bayless had challenged Sherman's assertion that he was the best in the league at his position. (Apparently his pronouncement is now substantially vindicated, as one commentator (Troy Aikman?) did call him the league's best corner last night.)

Many commenters have said Sherman's trash-talk is certainly not isolated to post-game adrenaline rushes. I don't know anything about the man -- I just heard of him yesterday. (I stopped watching football a year ago.)

At any rate, his trash-talking occurs during moments of perfect clarity as well.

I... look, I think I'm locked into my previous position now (having taken a position, my ego is invested, and now I resolve all questions in favor of my original position), but I gotta say, I don't really know who this Skip Bayless character is, apart from some kind of sports reporter, and I just love a reporter being told "I'm better than you" to his face.

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Posted by: Ace at 10:34 AM | Comments (267)
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Seahawks' shutdown cornerback Richard Sherman usually sounds like this -- polished, friendly, media-savvy.

But moments after he deflected a pass to become what would be the game-ending interception, he sounded like this.

There was a lot of silliness over this outburst, with various people declaring that a man they had only heard of three minutes ago was some kind of socially-malignant psychopath.

And a raft of people also decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to note that Sherman was both a "n*gger" and a "monkey."

Look: Athletes whip themselves up into an emotional froth for a game -- "Game Faces" -- which are scarcely different from ancient war dances before a battle.

They deliberately put themselves into an emotional and angry place, inventing slights and insults and injustices that must be avenged ("The opposing quarterback called us a good team..?!! He thinks we're only good?!!").

That's why few athletes ever say anything provocative (or even borderline interesting) about the other team before a game: Because any stray remark will be seized upon (and posted on the team bulletin board) as a method of stoking actual hatred and, I guess they think, improved (emotional) on-field performance.

So Erin Andrews interviewed this guy less than a minute after he had just ended the game with a deflection-turned-interception. He is now going to the Super Bowl. He is still in Maori War Dance mode.

He was, get this, emotional. Apparently this is now a Very Important Concern with all sorts of Social (and Racial) Implications.

I really think people are really judgmental dicks at heart. Not a single person would castigate himself for exhibiting the after-effects of adrenaline after an adrenaline-fueled ordeal. But then we see someone else doing it, and we're all like, "Damn, that man should have been able to turn off his fight-or-flight hormones one second after winning a game. Has he no self-mastery? Is he, in fact, deranged?"

There apparently is a reason, apart from madness and lack of self-control, for Sherman's emotional grudge against Michael Crabtree. Apparently the game ended not just with Sherman deflecting a pass straight into the Super Bowl, but with him doing so against a specific man he actually hates. (Though he denies he "hates" anyone. But it seems he does.)

And meanwhile, Richard Sherman has in fact stopped being an emotional psychopath who has no self-control, penning a calm explanation for the post-game interview.

And Sherman himself seems to understand that the in-game "Game Face" is not acceptable outside the context of a football game. At 2:01 here, a reporter asks him a question about the "Legion of Boom" personae (I guess they have some kind of pro-wrestler like schtick, but I don't know; I don't watch football anymore) and he responds thus:

Everybody has a switch... that they turn on on game day. You know, you can't be these intense, super-aggressive, super-physical guys off the field or you'd go to jail. (Laughs)

And I think he made that comment before he even realized that "Richard Sherman, Dangerous Psychopathic Black Menace" was trending on Twitter. He seems unaware of any controversy; he's just discussing, generally, the idea of Game Faces.

Video of Richard Sherman's Very Hurtful Words below.

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Posted by: Ace at 09:32 AM | Comments (336)
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Avik Roy is considered one of the right's leading healthcare policy experts. Unfortunately, his current plan isn't exactly conservative.

His latest idea does away with Medicaid & Medicare as we know it. A laudable goal to be sure but there are a few catches.

To credibly advance this approach, conservatives must make one change to their stance: They have to agree that universal coverage is a morally worthy goal.

Color me cynical but if your "conservative" plan relies on first redefining conservative principles to make what you want to do fit the definition of conservative, it's not actually...conservative.

So what approach is Roy advancing?

First, weÂ’d deregulate the Obamacare exchanges and modify the lawÂ’s subsidies to broaden AmericansÂ’ coverage choices and encourage adoption of health savings accounts and catastrophic coverage.

Second, weÂ’d raise MedicareÂ’s retirement age by three to four months per year forever. Since people below the Medicare retirement age would be in the means-tested exchanges, this would gradually replace the fully subsidized Medicare program. For example, over 15 years the retirement age would be roughly 70, meaning that individuals aged 65 to 69 would get their health insurance through the exchanges.

Third, weÂ’d transform the Medicaid program by folding its acute-care population into the deregulated exchanges, while returning its long-term care and disabled populations fully back to the states, free of federal interference.

Let's unpack that a bit.

First, we're keeping and reforming the ObamaCare exchanges, not doing away with them.

Given that conservatives have campaigned on repealing Obamacare for nearly four years, itÂ’s jarring to consider a reform plan that does not formally scrap the law. But such a plan has several advantages.

Say it with me...we all hate ObamaCare equally. Even those of us who want to keep parts of it or implement it at the state level.

Second, his plan basically requires the privatization of Medicare and Medicaid. Is there anyone who has half a clue about American politics who thinks that's anything but a fantasy?

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Posted by: DrewM at 08:13 AM | Comments (232)
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