Matt Taibbi on Palin

Enjoy.

The CRU Hack

Before anyone spending the rest of the weekend shitting themselves over the climate change email archive hack, consider the following:

More interesting is what is not contained in the emails. There is no evidence of any worldwide conspiracy, no mention of George Soros nefariously funding climate research, no grand plan to ‘get rid of the MWP’, no admission that global warming is a hoax, no evidence of the falsifying of data, and no ‘marching orders’ from our socialist/communist/vegetarian overlords. The truly paranoid will put this down to the hackers also being in on the plot though.

That will be all.

"Contusion of the Testicle"

This is why I read New York newspapers.

Brett Favre is now a Weapon of Psychological Warfare

I'm not kidding.

All of the Children are Impo'tent to Me!!!!

The best place in Wisconsin to raise children is Oshkosh!

Suck it, Sheboygan!

Go fuck yourself, Fondy!

Lick our collective balls, La Crosse!!

The Kosh will raise the shit out of your kids!!!

Unfortunately, the photo Business Week chose to use was of Milwaukee.

But, hey, we'll take what we can get.

[via ONW]

"Life is too short to hold a grudge."

Too true!

“That is the most cockamamie bullshit.”

Priceless.

[via M]

Taxing more than Gov't???

The fucking airline industry.

Good. Sweet. Christ.

This is a perfect example of why Sarah Palin can not be allowed to start talking policy:

"I disagree with the Obama administration on that," Palin told Walters. "I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don't think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand."

This is the foreign policy equivalent to Ms. South Carolina.

Who's the Leaker? (Hint: it was Nicole Wallace)

If you missed Marc Ambinder's post featuring several McCain campaign emails that do a great deal to discredit much of the Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" criticism of said campaign, enjoy.

I have really nothing more to add to except the obvious question: Where did the email come from?

My guess is Nicole Wallace. Of course I have no evidence of this, just conjecture.

The first sign is the salutation of the first email: "fellas." In my experience this is a dead give away that the author is a female working among mostly males. I can't speak to the rhetorical value or purpose of beginning an email in this way, but it's just something we've noticed over the years, both in speech and in written memos.

The second bit of relevant information is the emphasis on press related events in the second email. The first two of three we-were-informeds are related with communications aspects of the campaign and Ambinder basically introduces it as proof that Palin's "caged bird" memories are a little hazy.

The third sign is that both email are written by someone who genuinely cares about crafting a message, regardless of the size of the audience. In the first email, there are very few abbreviations and a rather detailed account of events. You don't get this kind of clarity in writing from IT folks. The second email used repetition and rhythm extremely effectively.

I should probably be a bit more clear about this: I'm more confident that Wallace was the author of both these email than I am that she was the actual leaker, though I think she has a lot of motive rebut many of the accusations in "Rogue."

Colts v. Pats

Shucks, that game was fun to watch...

Why Big Hollywood is a Useless Fucking Web Site

This was the actual lede to a review of latest incarnation of A Christmas Carol:

When it comes to celebrating Christmas, actor Jim Carrey says he prefers the “Christian” traditions he and many other people in America grew up on as children.

Jim Carrey is from Canada.

Whatever Dom Capers Fed the Defense this Week...

... Keep it coming.

Gawker on Palin

Quite entertaining:

The release of Going Rogue is like that moment in dodgeball when there's only one kid left on the other side of the court, and the last ball has rolled away from them, and everyone's just standing around, waiting to see who's going to pick up the ball and really go for the killshot.

$50 on this guy.

"Tom the Taxer"

That won't get really old, really quickly...

Fred Dooley Supports Horrific Acts of Terrorist Violence

If someone thinks that another person is "not fit for anything except to be the next Daniel Pearl," the speaker is saying that the killing of Pearl was justified. Saying that anyone "deserves" or is "fit for" what happened to Pearl is to empower the terrorists who killed him with a degree of justice they most certainly don't have.

It goes well beyond poor taste. It's an unspeakably callous act that belies a sinister nature, a Freudian slip that betrays the speakers true mind.

So was it the painkillers that were responsible for such a barbaric comment? Or is this just another Southern thing that us simple folk up here in the boonies wouldn't understand?

Sarah Palin is Finished in the GOP

This isn't a memoir, it's a career suicide note.

[via M]

Barrett's In

And Scott Walker is fucked.

We Give Out Awards Too!!!!

I had an epiphany today: I don't give Kyle Maichle the respect he deserves. After all, he's an award-winning, blog camp attending go-getter who does things by the book and always gets his man.

So when we saw his spirited defense of his own award-winning commentary this afternoon, we decided to jump on the bandwagon and present him with an award of our own. Tonight we proudly present Kyle Maichle with the Chief's Inaugural Golden Knee Pads Award.

The Golden Knee Pads aren't just given out to any blogger. The Pads are presented to an up-and-comer who learns at the feet of his superior. We want to showcase a stand out blogger who really knows how to use his lips to win over others, someone with an flexible tongue that isn't afraid to really get in there and wipe clean all of the nooks and crannies of the opposition. Someone with the skill to spew out a mouthful of knowledge. Maichle and future recipients of the Golden Knee Pads are rough riders who can take a shot in the face and keep coming back for more, men who understand that quality is job number one and if that means using a little spit polish, then so be it.

So congratulations, Kyle! You're on roll of late, but we're sure the Golden Knee Pads are just the beginning of a long line of award-winning service you'll be providing to conservatives in power for many, many, many years to come!

Virginia Slims

Widgerson's got a piece up arguing that this year's Virginia gubernatorial race could be harbinger of things to come in Wisconsin. It's a bit hard to swallow.

For starters, no Democrat will run the kind of campaign the Creigh Deeds ran next year. The Deeds' game plan was damning from the start and he never adjusted. I actually anticipate both sides running on substantive issues like jobs and spending while foregoing the culture war garbage.

Demographically and culturally, Virginia is nothing like Wisconsin. There's been a lot of talk about Virginia becoming a swing state lately, but it is still very much a proud member of the Old South. VA may be trending blue but Democrats aren't exactly welcome in places like Lynchberg yet.

VA has about 2 million people more people than Wisco, an African-American population of almost 20% and a Latino pop. around 6.5%. The entire minority population of Wisconsin is only about 8.5%, so a significant decline in minority turnout will not impact Wisconsin tallies as dramatically as it did in VA. Widgerson's correct when he says the minority vote is important to Wisconsin Democrats, but in Virginia it's essential. There will be a drop off in minority turnout next year, especially when compared to last year, but in Wisconsin this drop-off can be absorbed far more easily by picking up votes in non-minority area (which is pretty much anywhere outside of MKE).

Walker needs to compete in those areas too. If he thinks this election is going to be won in Southeast Wisconsin, he's in for a world of hurt:

Barrett’s likely opponent, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, has already been building a base in Milwaukee County. Walker’s fight with the Milwaukee County Board over the budget has been a boost to his organizing efforts.

There a two ways of reading this and I'm not sure which one Widgerson is talking about here. If Walker is building "his base" -- i.e. his numero uno base -- in Milwaukee, he's a dead man in the rest of the state. But if Widgerson is talking about one of many bases and a general attempt to reach out to conservatives across the state, then that's different story.

We've talked about Walker having inflated expectations in Milwaukee County. Chances are, most people in SE Wisconsin have already made up their minds about Walker. There's little doubt that he will run up the score in Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties, but that might still not be enough to off set any gains a Dem makes in Milwaukee. If Walker does manage a split in MKE it will be an indication of a poorly run Democratic campaign and be part of a tidal wave of support from across the state.

Virginia is also an entirely different world economically. It has lower unemployment, a growing tech corridor, tons of federal government jobs and a more affluent population (on average). Those factors tend to change voters' priorities.

20+ point victories in open races are typically outliers and Wisconsin voters deeply don't give a shit about what voters in Virginia do. There are certainly lessons to be learned from Virginia, but we have little doubt that results will carry absolutely no weight in Barrett's decision to run for Governor.

One thing that certainly won't happen is this:

Despite Obama won Wisconsin by fourteen points last year by the margin of 56 to 42 percent, there could be the possibility of the same swing happening in favor of Scott Walker like Virginia Republicans had this year. A larger swing could happen in favor of Wisconsin Republicans that could exceed 30 points or more counting in last year’s result and a possible double digit victory for Scott Walker.

I sincerely hope Kyle Maichle is not trying to say that because Virginia was such an overwhelming victory for Republicans, Scott Walker could win with 70% or more of Wisconsin. That would require a Democratic candidate of truly astonishing incompetence. What happens in Wisconsin next year will be the result of events that occur in Wisconsin over the next 12 months. End of story.

The GOP Pays for its Employees Abortions

“The current policy has been in effect since 1991, and we are taking steps to address the issue,” Gitcho said.

Yeah, I've used that excuse before too.

Seriously, 18 years and no one's noticed?

[via M]

Sec. Gates in the Kosh

Definitely not something seen every day in these parts.

... and probably a good indication of how this little tiff will end.

Pipsqueak Propagandist (Who Doesn't Know How to Start a Sentence with the Word "Despite") Continues to Make Little Sense

Oh, Kyle Maichle, the joy you bring me!

Recently Mr. Maichle called Mark Neumann a "career politician," a pejorative phrase if ever there was one in today's parlance. We thought this wasn't exactly fair considering Neumann has only been an active office-seeker for a little over eight of his 55 years. He's made a living in the private sector for the last ten years. I assume he's dabbled here and there in politics since he left office, but he hasn't tried to run for office in over a decade.

This isn't good enough for Maichle, who defines a "career politician" thusly:

Neumann sided with liberal, radical Republicans like Jim Jeffords of Vermont, Bob Livingston of Louisiana, and the RINO establishment during his entire tenure in Congress. Despite he may tout his private sector experience all he wants, voting with establishment Republicans and saying you have private sector experience is a political double negative.

First of all: Learn how to begin a sentence with the word "despite" properly or just piss on a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary every time you sit down at your computer. This is just painful to read.

Secondly: What the fuck?

This line of reasoning makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Maichle seems to think that the way someone votes while in office can negate years of experience in a certain field when out of office ... an assertion for which there exists no phenomenological or epistemological argument (of which I'm aware) that applies to accepted standard of fact in the public discourse. Maichle's welcome to give one a shot, but I think we all know where that would lead.

In other words: if you've spent 10 years being a carpenter, you've spent 10 years being a carpenter. End of story. Even if you're elected to the school board and you vote to eliminate shop class from the curriculum, no one can take away the fact that you've been a carpenter for ten years.

And that's just the first point Maichle makes. In his second point Maichle actually gives what appears to be the minimum time required to be a career politician:

Neumann made a career of eight years in total running full time for elective office in which he was unsuccessful in three out of the five times he ran for office. That is losing the Wisconsin-1 Congress seat in 1990 and 1992 and losing the Senate seat to Feingold in 1998.

So not can years of private sector experience can magically disappear according to how one votes while in office, but there's also a minimum service requirement of about eight years that can win a candidate the dreaded label of "Career Politician." So even though Neumann has spent more of the last two decades in the private sector than he has seeking office, he's still a "career politician" -- got that?

Moving on ...

Here's Maichle's last point:

Neumann is back this time running for Governor at the blessing of old guard Republicans such as Jim Klauser, former Administration Secretary under Tommy Thompson. Also, add on former state party chairmen like Rick Graber who have made a career of singing the praises of Mark Neumann. Those old guard Republicans are career politicians too.

Translation: A candidate that is supported by "Career Politicians" becomes one by osmosis.

Now Maichle is on the Scott Walker side of the GOP divide, and the reason we found he assertion that Neumann is a "Career Politician" so amusing is that is guy Walker is an actual "Career Politician," not only by Maichle's own definition, but pretty much by anyone else's. Walker has held elected office for 16 of his 42 years ... that twice as much political experience in 13 fewer years. Also, Walker's got more than a few "Career Politicians" backing him as well.

The moral of the story is: if you're going to insult someone for the benefit of a third party, it would be wise to make sure that the third party doesn't qualify as the insult just levied.

Frankly, we don't care who wins the GOP endorsement. Why Walker supporters feel the need to go after Nuemann is beyond us. By just about every measure we've seen, Walker has a commanding lead and no real reason to engage with his opponent at all. The optics of doing so aren't very flattering: it looks spiteful and unbecoming of such a clear front runner.

At some point in the next year, Walker is going to have to say publicly that he thanks Nuemann for his record of public service and that he ran a hard fought campaign, and that his presence in the race made Walker a better candidate yadda yadda yadda. That's a much easier statement to make when you've just ignored the guy. Try sounding sincere after months of throwing nonsensical insults and farcical arguments at someone, it's not easy to do credibly.

Which brings us back to Maichle. We've seen his ilk before. He's the kind of kid who flocks to where he perceives Power resides. He may talk a big game about "principles" and "selling out" and all that jazz, but the moment he starts to feel like the horse he's backing isn't going to win, he'll disappear faster than the best man at a shotgun wedding.

More on Heidegger

Since I rarely see much of an opportunity to write about philosophy that anyone else can appreciate, I'm gonna roll with the Heidegger thing as long as it can be milked...

Here's a solid summary of Heidegger's "complex" relationship with Hannah Arendt:

Heidegger himself went from being mildly anti-Semitic to becoming a leading Nazi collaborator and puppet - for example, he enthusiastically removed all Jewish faculty from his University. And, here is the rub. After the War, Heidegger's greatest defender was Hannah Arendt, a distinguished Jewish philosopher, the author of Eichmann in Jerusalem and a student of Heidegger's. She was also his lover over a period of forty years, before and after World War II.

What could possibly move a brilliant Jewess to defend a man who had been an active Nazi? It sprang from a combination of love and admiration - adoration - for an esteemed professor Arendt met when she was 19. Arendt justified her mentor by imagining that his belief in the limitations of modernity was shanghaied by the Nazis, and Heidegger himself duped. Oh, and Arendt threw in the manipulative Mrs. Heidegger, out of loyalty to whom he had ceased his initial affair with Arendt.

After Arendt - who, escaping the Nazis, now lived in the United States - assisted Heidegger in his "de-Nazification," they rekindled their romance. But Arendt was never to be satisfied. Heidegger, whose reputation was permanently damaged, was deeply jealous of his protegee, and participated in their affair only reluctantly. Thus, the most distinguished Jewish philosopher of her era threw herself at an ex-Nazi, continuing their romance over a period of 40 years, while he barely tolerated her!

Every I read something like that and there's a little voice in my head that starts chanting "Jer-ry! Jer-ry! Jer-ry!"

Walker and the Palin Endorsement

This will not end well for Walker:

Walker sought help in his run for governor Friday in a half-hour meeting with Palin after her invitation-only Wisconsin Right to Life event. Time's Web site first reported on the meeting Wednesday, and Walker spokeswoman Jill Bader confirmed it was accurate.

[...]

Palin told Walker she would be focused through the end of the year on her tour promoting her upcoming book, "Going Rogue," but would begin helping candidates in January. Walker asked Palin to appear with him at a Fox Valley event to help combat expected fund-raising help the Democratic candidate would get from President Barack Obama.

(emphasis added)

The Fox Valley is one of Wisconsin's swing regions. Bringing an extremist in to court independent voters will only backfire. It may rally the base, but those aren't the people Walker needs to get on board. (Of course, if this is just a fund-raising thing, that's another story all together)

Palin is tremendously unpopular. There's also every indication that she's going to be doubling down on her scorched earth campaign against Republican insiders during her book tour in the next few months [via M]. Since Virginia seems to be such a popular model to the governor's mansion among republicans these days, it should be noted that McDonnell kept Palin at arm's length until the election was already in the bag.