Nightly Ramble: The “Proposal” Edition

Welcome, one and all to the most intense nightly read anywhere on the ‘sphere…The BitsBlog Nightly Ramble

This is the “Proposal” Edition

• Spin City: You can be reasonably assured of the Republicans pointing up the failure of the so-called ‘stimulus’ to help the American worker, while the Democrats are going to be spinning like tops, the data surrounding the unemployment numbers.  Indeed, they seem to be spending more time this week spinning than legislating. Understandable, given the negative feedback they’re getting.  Of course the facts are that the stimulus money for the most part has yet to be spent, in majority. And there are a number of folks who think the Obama economy is unspinnable.  The Tension at the WH is palpable. They know it’s not working. Actually, I’m betting that they think their biggest problem is that everyone else knows it, too.
• Why the delay on TARP repayment? A string of articles in the MSM this morning, like this one in the Washington Post  that suggests banks are ready to payback their TARP loans. Now, the thrust of the story appears to be that the Federal Government is prepared to ALLOW banks to repay their loans. Allow?  Why would the disallow a repayment? Well, for one thing, The Administration may not be ready to give up control of the banks. Indeed, if the play is that the banks are (yet again) forbidden to pay back their loans, watch for some serious screaming.
• Mickey Kaus on Saturn:: Mickey Kaus has demanding comments on Saturn.  He also suggests this ‘green car’ nonsense is just that.
  

  

  Mickey Kaus

  Environmentalism has become the latest distraction and delusion for Detroit. Chrysler admits that small, fuel efficient FIAT models aren’t going to sell in large numbers–but hey, they’re going to have a “halo effect” that will “burnish” the entire Chrysler line! Chevrolet will only sell a few thousand Volts–but the bicoastal elite appeal of green will suck media-addled buyers into the “reinvented” GM.

  No. Detroit cars will sell when they’re bulletproof, not when they’re green (or, in Lutz’s new spin, when they’re made by a company that also sells something “green”). But only one of the Big Three U.S. car manufacturers has made dramatic progress catching up to Japan on the bulletproof front–and it’s not Chrysler or GM. It’s the one that hasn’t gone broke.

  Amen and Amen. And those points have not been received by the Obama administration yet. You do know the answer to the question of how this is going to effect the supposed recovery, right? And we know that this takeover of GM was all about two things… saving the Unions and making a feint to ‘greenism’.  About that… even the Democrats are starting to get concerned.

• Green, isn’t.  Yeah, that’s what I said. Even scientists are admitting it.  The angle on this article is obviously aimed at covering the asses of the green crowd, but even there, they’re forced to admit the mantra we’ve been getting all these years from them, is flawed. It’s amusing to see these morons get tied up in their own illogic, but tragic that they have the power of government behind them.
• I know what you mean, Billy.  I really do. I am struck by the underlying similarity of your comments to mine, just a few Father’s days ago.  I am also struck also by the cruel trick time plays on us that your father’s passing and mine should both fall so closely in the rolling year to Father’s day. It sharpens that feeling somehow.
• Aren’t we the world’s pariah?  Boortz looks at our ‘aid’ with the Air France crash investigation, and wonders if we’re so evil, why are we being asked at all? Boy’s got a point. And I wonder if anyone in our government has the stones to point  that out.  Meanwhile,  I spoke to the 65th anniversary of D-Day on Friday. (Ran it On Friday’s Ramble because Saturday writing around here tends not to get nearly the exposure.)  Seems the people of Normandy haven’t forgotten.  Meanwhile, the Euro-press is saying Obama’s snubbing Europe. Apparently, his magic is fading faster than I foresaw.
• Sotomayorism of the day:  The Death penalty is ‘racist’.
• Computer models are only as smart as their programmers: Which, as it turns out isn’t all that smart. The Computer models on the recent bout with Pig Flu put everyone in panic mode. Of course, it didn’t happen the way the computer models said it would. Now, Al Gore’s Current channel is reporting based on  computer modeling with Global Warming? Now there’s another way to read such reports… as a bald faced lie.
• Anonymous Blogging? No. I’ve watched the back and forth between Ed Whalen and “Publius” and frankly, I think Whalen has the better part of the argument, particularly given the usual ‘in- the- gutter” nature of the output of Obsidian Wings. As Jonah points out,
  

  

  Jonah Goldberg

  In short, I think the answer to this question depends entirely on the conduct of the anonyblogger. It seems counter-intuitive to bullies and cowards who like the idea of sticking pins in voodoo dolls from a safe distance, but anonyblogging requires more politeness and decency even though it liberates you to use less.  If you are honest, fair-minded, and polite I think people should probably respect your anonymity. If you play fast and loose with the truth and are altogether a shabby person, I am at a loss as to why everyone should respect your desire to hurl insults and brickbats from the safety of anonymity.

   With respect to Blevans’ conduct, I think who he blogs with, a fair measure of this.  I note with interest that the defenders of “Publius” are the same ones who urged people … on Publius’ own site, BTW…  to take pictures of GOP delegates at the last convention, hoping to use such pictures against the party. Does anyone think the anonimity of those being photographed would be protected? Or are such photos taken with the express purpose of exposing it? The double standards employed by these folks are astounding. Or, at least, they should be. Alas, they’ve become all to common, to the point where they get accepted by people who should know better.. people who call themselves libertarian, even. (Shake of the head)   Ethics? Don’t make me laugh. Don’t complain to me about the ethics issues surrounding Whalen unmasking “Publius” unless you’re ready to explain to me what is ethical about constant attacks from someone who by their own design, is protected from the consequences of their bomb throwing. And that’s even absent the political aspects of this, which takes this discussion to the next level.   I note comments from Mike Hendrix at Cold Fury about this, too. (I gotta link this guy more often.. he deserves far more than I’ve given him. And you can tell him that, if you like.)  I’m currently working on extended comments, though, which may appear anywhere, depending.  Let you know.   At the bottom line, I’m with Don Surber on this one:

  

  Don Surber

  Why are we protecting the “rights” of people to say nasty things anonymously about people who use their real names?It should work the other way around. We should protect people from anonymous attacks.

  Exactly. As I say, I’ll comment more on this later.

• Speaking of thin skin:  Did you notiice Ed Shultz?  Clearly, the guy’s off his meds again. Not newsworthy of itself, but within the charge of Whelan having thin skin, it seems a reasonable response.
• The West wins in Syria: Roger Simon points to an electoral loss for Hezbollah and Syria.  One you’re not likely to hear much about from the Dinosaurs, or as he suggests, the Huff and Puff.
• The Politics of Race: Shelby Steele has an interesting op-ed up in The Wall Street Journal today.It’s interesting to watch liberals reacting to his editorials, because their first instinct is to call anyone who is a conservative a ‘racist’… a charge which clearly doesn’t work, here.
• The GOP’s war on the grassroots Continues:  I continue to watch in amaze as the GOP does it’s level best to separate itself from the group it most needs to win elections… the conservative grass roots.  Latest evidence of this is their on again -off again bit with Palin having a speaking role for the NRCC fundraiser. 
•  On TV tonight:  Speaking of Palin, she’ll be on Hannity tonight, I hear. And I fully expect that interview to be the topic of discussion (And much wailing and gnashing of teeth)  by this time tommrow.
• There’s something about this….  NOLA mayor Ray Nagin has been quarantined in China after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus, according to reports. Now, if we could convince them to KEEP him…
• Finally:  I’ll commend to your reading the great Mark Steyn, commenting on Obama’s so-called speech to the Muslim World.