Category: Politics

Ben Barnes

DNC talking points blogs Atrios and Marshall are all a-goggle over a video featuring disgraced Texas politician Ben Barnes, who claims to be the guy who got W. a spot in the National Guard. There are a couple of things to know about Ben, who is known in Texas as “Horny Ben” due to his … Continue reading “Ben Barnes”

DNC talking points blogs Atrios and Marshall are all a-goggle over a video featuring disgraced Texas politician Ben Barnes, who claims to be the guy who got W. a spot in the National Guard. There are a couple of things to know about Ben, who is known in Texas as “Horny Ben” due to his fondness for a bit of strange on the side: 1) he’s a life-long Democrat; and 2) he’s a crook who was hounded out of office by the infamous Sharpstown Scandal in 1971.

Would a disgraced Texas poltician try and curry favor with his party in order to do better as a lobbyist? You bet he would. Did somebody help W. get into the National Guard? You bet they did. Was his benefactor a Democrat? Maybe, but that’s asking a lot of my credulosity.

Bottom line: so what?

A test of moral consistency

OK, here’s a test: assume a male public official has sexual relations with a woman who works in his office. He then lies about it in order to keep this job, and cuts off the affair. No charges are filed. Is the Democratic Party response to this event: A) circle the wagons to protect the … Continue reading “A test of moral consistency”

OK, here’s a test: assume a male public official has sexual relations with a woman who works in his office. He then lies about it in order to keep this job, and cuts off the affair. No charges are filed.

Is the Democratic Party response to this event: A) circle the wagons to protect the man from his politicial enemies, going so far as to create entire organizations dedicated to smothering the scandal; or B) run him out of office?

It turns out the answer to this puzzle is highly situational and finely nuanced. This is what we call hypocrisy where I was raised.

Game, set, match

The latest ad from Swiftvets deals with Kerry’s “secret Cambodian mission”, a mission so secret that nobody on the boat knew it was happening but the candidate. It’s pretty devastating because it features an actual crew member of Kerry’s boat. I suppose this “secret mission” must tell us something about Kerry’s “secret plan” to get … Continue reading “Game, set, match”

The latest ad from Swiftvets deals with Kerry’s “secret Cambodian mission”, a mission so secret that nobody on the boat knew it was happening but the candidate. It’s pretty devastating because it features an actual crew member of Kerry’s boat. I suppose this “secret mission” must tell us something about Kerry’s “secret plan” to get French troops into Iraq.

I’ll have the French toast, please.

Link via Instapundit.

More impostor than real?

Psychiatrist Stephen Marmer weighs in on the crucial question of John Kerry’s character: John Kerry is not Frank Sinatra. Sinatra knew who he was and was always himself — which was both a strength and a weakness in his acting career. John Kerry appears not to know who he is or who he wants to … Continue reading “More impostor than real?”

Psychiatrist Stephen Marmer weighs in on the crucial question of John Kerry’s character:

John Kerry is not Frank Sinatra. Sinatra knew who he was and was always himself — which was both a strength and a weakness in his acting career. John Kerry appears not to know who he is or who he wants to be. I have written about his chameleon qualities, how he impersonates a “man of the people” but so often comes across as faux. He cannot take personal responsibility for his actions. “I didn’t fall down, that SOB ran into me.” And “I don’t own an SUV, my family does.” He floats with the prevailing winds, as in “I voted for the $87 Billion before I voted against it.” His so-called Intelligence Committee expertise is faux. His Cambodia Christmas is faux. Perhaps one of his Purple Hearts is faux. His medal tossing caper is faux. His “outrage” at the SBVT 527 Committee is faux. His pledge not to attack President Bush for Bush’s Air National Guard service is faux… have been watching Senator Kerry I have begun to wonder whether deep down he is more imposter than real.

I’m still trying to find out what, if any, core values this character has, by the way.

Question of the week

Duncan “Atrios” Black raised a very interesting question on his blog Sunday: If they’re “the same,” why are the swift boat liars on every news show and Move On people are not? Why indeed? Moveon.org is a partisan organization funded largely by a shadowy billionaire using his influence to elect a president more sympathetic to … Continue reading “Question of the week”

Duncan “Atrios” Black raised a very interesting question on his blog Sunday:

If they’re “the same,” why are the swift boat liars on every news show and Move On people are not?

Why indeed? Moveon.org is a partisan organization funded largely by a shadowy billionaire using his influence to elect a president more sympathetic to his interests and values by running misleading ads, while SwiftVets is a partisan organization funded largely by a millionaire using his influence to re-elect a president sympathetic to his interests and values by running ads some find misleading. The SwiftVets ads are the more above-board since they rely on actual people who are willing to go on record with their complaints against Kerry, and suffer the consequences. The Moveon ads are like the Atrios blog, pseudonymous and unsupported by any verifiable claims.

But the SwiftVets ads are finally getting media attention after the “ignore it and it will go away” strategy didn’t work. It’s also interesting to note just how the MSM broke their silence on the SwiftVet charges: with long, drawn-out “investigative” pieces tracing the web of connections between the Republican Party and the SwiftVets people, as if merely voting Republican were tantamount to committing a crime.

Look, folks, it’s not a surprise that Kerry’s harshest critics are Republicans any more than it’s a surprise that the President’s are French, socialist, and anti-American; we choose sides and that’s where the sides stand right now.

In the evolution of Kerry’s Vietnam Crisis, we’re now at stage two: first they ignore you, then they attack you, then you win. The media’s reaction to the SwiftVets has cost them credibility, as has Kerry’s.

Not only was the man no hero in Vietnam, he hasn’t done anything since Vietnam that was in any way remarkable, so there’s no reason to switch horses at this point in the stream.

The Sopranos

The McGreevey story is starting to sound like an episode from The Sopranos: McGreevey’s new pose as a gutsy, brutally honest politician seems absurd. He was named repeatedly last month in a 47-page federal indictment charging one of the governor’s pals with extorting $40,000 in bribes and campaign contributions from a dairy farmer in Middlesex … Continue reading “The Sopranos”

The McGreevey story is starting to sound like an episode from The Sopranos:

McGreevey’s new pose as a gutsy, brutally honest politician seems absurd. He was named repeatedly last month in a 47-page federal indictment charging one of the governor’s pals with extorting $40,000 in bribes and campaign contributions from a dairy farmer in Middlesex County, McGreevey’s home turf.

Charles Kushner, McGreevey’s largest contributor, was indicted last month on federal charges of fund-raising violations, as well as conspiracy and obstruction. William Watley, McGreevey’s commerce secretary, quit last month when it came to light that he steered state money to a company in which he had a stake.

Two of McGreevey’s top aides – his counsel, Paul Levinsohn, and his chief of staff, Gary Taffet – resigned last year under a cloud.

McGreevey’s undoing appears to have sprung from a sex-and-patronage deal gone bad: Apparently, a secret gay lover on the public payroll decided to sue and/or blackmail the governor.

Dirty politicians, sex, bribery, and blackmail: just another day in the life of the New Jersey Democratic Party machine.

John Kerry’s ever-changing memory

Kerry’s Cambodia Story is Changing Again: “On Christmas Eve he was near Cambodia; he was around 50 miles from the Cambodian border. There’s no indictment of Kerry to be made, but he was mistaken about Christmas in Cambodia,” said Douglas Brinkley, who has unique access to the candidate’s wartime journals. Indeed.

Kerry’s Cambodia Story is Changing Again:

“On Christmas Eve he was near Cambodia; he was around 50 miles from the Cambodian border. There’s no indictment of Kerry to be made, but he was mistaken about Christmas in Cambodia,” said Douglas Brinkley, who has unique access to the candidate’s wartime journals.

Indeed.