INSTAPUTZ

Irony.

2009-07-17T08:15:00.002-05:00

That a guy who called homosexuality "a destruction of God's work" is now, quite literally, limp-wristed.

BREAKING: Glenn Reynolds uncritically links to total right-wing bullshit.

2009-07-17T06:56:00.004-05:00

It's nice to get definitive proof that some bloggers really don't bother to do basic research before posting something, and we got some today. Here's a scary article from Investment Business Daily:
"It didn't take long to run into an "uh-oh" moment when reading the House's "health care for all Americans" bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal. (...)

Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.

So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised -- with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers."

That sounds scary! It also sounds completely implausible. So I went and looked at the actual bill, and there that paragraph was, on p. 16, in a section defining the term "Grandfathered Health Insurance Coverage". The fact that it's in a definition might lead readers to conclude that it doesn't mean that you can't buy individual insurance after the bill takes effect, but only that you can't buy such insurance and have it meet the bill's definition of "Grandfathered Health Insurance Coverage". There is a difference.

Here are some bloggers who repeated IBD's claims: Instapundit (he updated after a reader pointed out his mistake), Meredith Jessup at Townhall, No Sheeples Here! (sic), Patterico, Gateway Pundit, theblogprof (sic), Ed Morrissey (he updates with a correction, but completely doesn't get why pooling individuals in an exchange lowers premiums. Hint: large risk pool), Say Anything, Michelle Malkin, Jules Crittenden, Right Wing News, Maggie's Farm, The Astute Bloggers (sic).

To call these wingnuts Pavlovian would be to demean the serious thought process a starving dog goes through when it drools at the sound of a bell.

Stay classy, RNC!

2009-07-16T20:24:00.001-05:00

A new low.

More here.

Epic fail.

2009-07-16T13:36:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that McCain/Palin received 21% of the vote in Maverick County, Texas to Obama/Biden's 78%. Fitting.

White House to Kyl: Wanna cancel the stimulus? Fine.

2009-07-16T13:09:00.002-05:00

This is just fuckin' great.

Go media!

2009-07-15T19:12:00.002-05:00

"Joe the Plumber is a dumbass."

2009-07-15T16:45:00.001-05:00

Elitist.

In an interview with OUT magazine, Meghan McCain spoke freely on her support for gay marriage -- and her dislike of some conservative mouthpieces.

Unprompted, McCain rails against the man her father's presidential campaign touted as an American everyman and made a showpiece in the weeks before the election. "Joe the Plumber -- you can quote me -- is a dumbass. He should stick to plumbing."

How many interviews did Putz do with that dumbass on PJTV?

(h/t watertiger)

The Pride of Bugtussle.

2009-07-15T13:31:00.003-05:00

Don Surber:

47% of the American people are shut out as President Obama is the most graceless president we have had since Richard Nixon. In fact, Nixon is his role model as Obama embraces cronyism, is funded through nefarious means and has an enemies list. The one difference is that where Nixon’s dismissal of democracy stemmed from paranoia, Obama’s stems from a sense of entitlement as he acts as if he were descended from kings in Africa to rule — not govern — the United States.

Nice.

Signs of the Apocalypse.

2009-07-15T10:02:00.003-05:00

Tapper:If there is a god, Tapper will choose RedState.

...Nice. He's gone with Our Lady of Internment Camps.

Worse Than the Titanic, Estonia and Andrea Doria...Combined.

2009-07-15T08:08:00.002-05:00

Steve Martin's Christmas wish (above)

Oy.

Leaving appropriately enough on Boxing Day, December 26th, and returning to San Diego on January 2nd, 2010, after seven days of cruising the Mexican Riviera on the Holland America line, Emmett of the Unblinking Eye, official movie critic of the Hugh Hewitt Show, along with Tarzana Joe, poet laureate of the Hugh Hewitt Show, and yours truly will join all of the listeners that want a fun and inexpensive getaway. Prices are incredibly reasonable, and you can see the agenda for the trip and get more information by clicking on this link to Sterling Travel.

Can you think of anything more fun than lounging on the back of the boat with us, sipping fruity umbrella drinks, and laughing at Hugh back home saying, "If only I had a producer," and not really having one that week? Come sail with the Hugh Hewitt crew.

Glenn Reynolds' short memory.

2009-07-14T20:08:00.005-05:00

True, it's a small thing, but...

OBAMA COMES TO MICHIGAN, TEA PARTY BREAKS OUT. I like the “No Czars In America” sign.

Heh, indeed. No American president ever appointed a "czar."

It is surprising that Rove finds the appointment of czars to be “a giant expansion of presidential power” because he actually served as the “domestic policy czar” in the Bush White House. In fact, President Bush himself appointed numerous czars in order to deal with various public crises and controversies, including a “cybersecurity czar,” “regulatory czar,” “AIDS czar,” “bird-flu czar” and “Katrina czar.”

And that list omitted the war czar. It's a term that's been used since Richard Nixon. I don't recall Putz ever complaining once about it during the Bush years.

But, just like everything else, when the Democrat negro does it, it's a constitutional crisis.

Grassley punks himself.

2009-07-14T18:54:00.000-05:00

Hehindeedy!

Sotomayor punks Sessions.

2009-07-14T17:48:00.001-05:00

Heh.

Ouch!

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.), seeking to discredit Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s judicial philosophy, cited her 2001 “wise Latina” speech, and contrasted the view that ethnicity and sex influence judging with that of Judge Miriam Cedarbaum, who “believes that judges must transcend their personal sympathies and prejudices.”

“So I would just say to you, I believe in Judge Cedarbaum’s formulation,” Sessions told Sotomayor.

“My friend Judge Cedarbaum is here,” Sotomayor riposted, to Sessions’ apparent surprise. “We are good friends, and I believe that we both approach judging in the same way, which is looking at the facts of each individual case and applying the law to those facts.”

Cedarbaum agreed.

Ouch, indeed.

Cantor: the stimulus has been a total failure, except in my state.

2009-07-14T13:19:00.002-05:00

Just like Boehner.

How these guys reconcile "the stimulus sucks but I'm happy it's creating jobs in my state" I'll never understand.

Ann Althouse rejects your reality and substitutes her own

2009-07-14T08:13:00.001-05:00

She must make a great lawyer. "I've seen the irrefutable DNA evidence, but I stand by my half-assed speculation about this man's guilt."

O'Reilly and Goldberg discuss how left-wing "Newsweek" is.

2009-07-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

And Rick Perlstein is a "far-left zealot."

Also.

Shit News.

2009-07-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

The best blogger in America is retiring.

"Blowjob."

2009-07-13T17:00:00.006-05:00

3:35 into this clip, MSNBC, with the assistance of Marcy Wheeler, got unexpectedly entertaining for a split second.

Remember where you were on this special day.

QOTD.

2009-07-13T16:15:00.002-05:00

I figured I was past that point of being surprised Stacy McCain's racist ramblings, but, well...

I'm watching Sen. Amy Klobuchar singing paeans to the authentic experience of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. One notes that liberals never seemed particularly impressed with the authenticity of the World War II experience of, inter alia, Strom Thurmond or Joe McCarthy.

Riiiiight. But look, Grand Wizard here is already on the record as saying that anyone "believe[s] that slavery is evil" is a "Cultural Marxist."

As Gilliard once observed, "With a tighter haircut, he'd look like an SS Panzer officer."

Exit question: Why does Glenn Reynolds keep linking to an unrepentant white supremacist? Shoot him an e-mail about it, why doncha? -- I hear he doesn't allow comments!

Revising History.

2009-07-13T15:30:00.001-05:00

NRO needs fixin'.

Life in the spotlight means that an unwed teenager’s predicament becomes fodder for national talking heads, as happened with Palin’s daughter shortly after her mother ~~achieved immense fame as John McCain’s running mate~~ pushed her into the spotlight.

It bears repeating as many times as necessary: 99.9% of the scrutiny visited upon Palin was a) her fault and b) well-deserved.

Liz Cheney's weird rant.

2009-07-13T14:38:00.002-05:00

Last week, Obama was attacked by wingnuts for being too mean to Russia.

Now this week, Obama is being attacked by wingnuts for not sticking it in their face.

Hard to keep up.

It Burns.

2009-07-13T11:54:00.002-05:00

Well, lookyhere:

WASHINGTON -- A secret Central Intelligence Agency initiative terminated by Director Leon Panetta was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives, according to former intelligence officials familiar with the matter.

[snip]

Ms. Feinstein said Mr. Panetta told the lawmakers that Mr. Cheney had ordered that the information be withheld from Congress. Mr. Cheney on Sunday couldn't be reached for comment through former White House aides.

As Adam Serwer notes, "it looks like Seymour Hersh knew exactly what he was talking about."

Looks like Jules Crittenden and Famous Stalker Dan Collins owe someone an apology...

Really? Really?

2009-07-13T09:17:00.002-05:00

The New York Times chose a mere six legal minds to suggest questions for Judge Sotomayor.

It is not to their credit that among them are a guy who until recently was literally unemployable, a guy whose main achievement in life is his complicity in letting an American city drown, and, dear. god., Ann Althouse.

I get the feeling this is the result of a night of heavy drinking, during which a question began with the words, "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if..."

Pew poll: 6% of scientists are Republicans.

2009-07-12T20:16:00.003-05:00

Holy shit.

Yes, I know Republicans have been saying crazy, stupid shit for decades -- global warming is librul scheme to make Algore rich, evolution is librul scheme to undermine God, etc., etc.

But still.

When 94% of an entire class of well-educated professionals has summarily rejected your party, you're in big, big trouble.

Shocking.

Happy Saturday, You People.

2009-07-11T13:26:00.001-05:00