tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113601532009-10-17T08:38:12.448-04:00This Ain't Your Grandfather's Blog...Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.comBlogger502125This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-71335990075141018862009-08-14T10:11:00.004-04:002009-08-14T10:32:33.948-04:00

All the big blogs on the rightosphere are running with this story, which oddly enough was broken by The Huffington Post:A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week. [...] It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2009/08/watch-out-rightosphere.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-64448476442844802152009-08-12T09:03:00.007-04:002009-08-14T09:14:04.696-04:00

(This post has been updated)From what I can tell, most of the heath care reform dissenters are the exact opposite of the perpetually-aggrieved, unwashed hoards we usually see taking to the streets to raise "awareness" for whatever issue that might embarrass the right on any given day. I've personally been engaged on this issue by many people who I've never known to be particularly political.

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2009/08/lets-hope-they-see-light.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-50348837683083047672009-08-07T11:14:00.017-04:002009-08-07T13:22:54.801-04:00

In a previous post about media bias in the age of Obama, I wrote:If you doubt the systemic bias in the press, then take this challenge: Make a mental note of how, for the past eight years, questioning someone's "patriotism" was treated as the worst possible smear. The left/media went as far as to misattribute a quote to Thomas Jefferson that "dissent is the highest form of patriotism." Then pay

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It's about time someone in the traditional media finally admitted this publicly:Our political system works best when a president faces checks on his power. But the main checks on Obama are modest. They come from congressional Democrats, who largely share his goals if not always his means. The leaderless and confused Republicans don't provide effective opposition. And the press -- on domestic, if

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Thanks to the Sotomayor appointment, everyone now knows about Barack Obama's so-called empathy standard:“We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom,’’ then-candidate Obama said in a widely quoted speech to Planned Parenthood in 2007. "The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African American, or gay, or disabled, or old.

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South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Luckily, my county has the lowest in the region. And I can't help but laugh at the odd coincidence that the one with the highest unemployment, at 20.5%, is Union County. Coincidence or causality? You decide.

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2009/05/unemployment-in-sc.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-73556651042488934532009-05-22T08:04:00.002-04:002009-05-22T08:08:35.709-04:00

This is unbelievable. It's the literary equivalent of a Riefenstahl film.And "journalists" wonder why they trail used car salesmen in popular trust.

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2009/05/praising-dear-leader.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-85727567199796953892009-04-24T08:13:00.001-04:002009-04-24T08:13:52.769-04:00

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2009/04/sad-but-true.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-71230292503447942602009-04-22T12:21:00.003-04:002009-04-22T12:26:13.941-04:00

In honor of Earth Day, Ronald Bailey posed the question, "Why don't environmentalists celebrate modern farming on Earth Day?" It's a good question:Since 1960 global crop yields have more than doubled, with the benefit that the area of land devoted to producing food has not increased very much. If farmers were still producing food at 1960 levels of productivity, agriculture would have had to

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2009/04/earth-day.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-20782219379338842942009-03-19T16:36:00.008-04:002009-03-19T17:05:58.962-04:00

Nick Kristof opined today about how people tend to gravitate and lend credence to ideas with which they already agree. That’s undoubtedly true for the majority, and he’s right to say it’s troublesome as it pertains to the level of discourse in this country:When we go online, each of us is our own editor, our own gatekeeper. We select the kind of news and opinions that we care most about.

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The Other McCain went off on an odd rant about how people and social movements grow and are sustained by their mere influence, and it included this gem:In Washington, reputation, image, status and prestige are everything, for these are the means by which one acquires that most precious of commodities, influence. Here, a man can be a clueless fool, a two-faced liar and/or a porn-addicted closet

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Thanks to Politico.com, the only media outlet seemingly willing to cover the dark side of President Obama's message machine, we get this story. It conjures an image of Obama as Sensei Kreese, instructing his dojo of ambitious students to "sweep the leg" on a daily basis.Obama's supporters would argue that it's unfair to connect him with the actions of these supposedly independent groups. Maybe

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"One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary." -- Ayn RandIt's been noted that sales of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged are currently through the roof, which is amazing when you consider the age and

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Over the years, The New York Times’ editorial board has held an evolving opinion about the use of the Senate filibuster:The New York Times editorialized in 1995, "Now is the perfect moment...to get rid of an archaic rule that frustrates democracy and serves no useful purpose." Nine years later the Times discovered that useful purpose: "The filibuster...is a rough instrument that should be used

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Congratulations are in order. I'm not very conservative, so I don't feel as though my ideological views have been repudiated by Obama's victory. I'm actually dreading the inevitable conservative pessimism and conspiracy mongering more than the Democratic-led government. (I live in the bible belt, so it's like being surrounded by an army of Mike Gallaghers) But who could blame some people for

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Election Day updates are below the fold:To quote Yogi Berra, "I'm having déjà vu all over again." Like I said a few days ago:The Democrats and the press (I repeat myself) are giddy with excitement about forecasted victories, and Republicans are once again putting all their eggs in the “all the polls are biased and we're really winning" basket. We all know how that election [in 2006] turned

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2008/11/election-day-2008.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-81626735490957253332008-10-31T08:14:00.002-04:002008-10-31T08:15:15.758-04:00

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-halloween.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-16547036926202228112008-10-30T12:09:00.006-04:002008-10-30T15:21:37.072-04:00

The pre-election atmosphere this week feels a lot like it did before the 2006 midterms. The Democrats and the press (I repeat myself) are giddy with excitement about forecasted victories, and Republicans are once again putting all their eggs in the “all the polls are biased and we're really winning" basket. We all know how that election turned out. I do believe, however, that the polls are

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-if-mccain-palin-win.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-33811634308148654312008-10-29T13:15:00.013-04:002008-10-29T16:41:57.700-04:00

(This post has been updated)Are we seeing the beginning of "Memogate 2008™?"This story has been percolating in the blogosphere the past few days. Then this news came out, and Ace offered a reward for a copy of the video. Then some bloggers started having some fun with the story. Next, alleged “teasers” leaked out, and the McCain campaign took notice. Today, thanks to the recalcitrant editors

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I listen to NPR every day during rush hour. One of the things that's gotten on my nerves this campaign season is the way every pundit seems to blindly assert, over and over again, even in conjunction with issues that have nothing to do with taxes, that, "under Obama's tax plan, 95% of American will get a tax cut." They’ve literally acted as a mouthpiece for the Obama/Biden campaign, at least as

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Senator Joe Biden, the gaffe-o-matic, related this prophecy yesterday:[After the election, Obama's] gonna need your help. Because I promise you, you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going, 'Oh my God, why are they there in the polls? Why is the polling so down? Why is this thing so tough?' We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking

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Mark Salter, a McCain aide, had much to say to The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg during a recent interview. Here's one of the money quotes:JG: Do you think your campaign has been too negative, like a lot of people think?MS: The other guy is much more negative, by some almost immeasurable factor. His message on McCain has been consistently negative since the North Carolina primary. Barack Obama

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2008/10/mark-salter-says-it-like-it-is.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-32675777014970808622008-10-09T14:14:00.010-04:002008-10-09T14:52:43.044-04:00

I've said it before, but is there anyone in our society who can fail as often as the weatherman and not get fired? Seriously. This is a five day forecast for Greenville, SC from the Weather Channel widget on my 'My MSN' page: This is the five day forecast from my Weatherbug widget on Firefox:So, for everyone planning to attend the annual Fall for Greenville festival this weekend, you may or may

Granddaddy Long Legshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05665922824231240424noreply@blogger.com0http://granddaddylonglegs.blogspot.com/2008/10/shouldnt-there-be-some-accountability.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11360153.post-26296619129259264032008-10-08T16:40:00.006-04:002008-10-10T16:14:40.597-04:00

(This post has been updated)Auburn's offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, has been fired. In the middle of the season. Three days before the team plays Arkansas. One day after an upbeat practice that spawned headlines like, "Tony Franklin reverts back to his old self to kick up the intensity at Auburn's practice."I know the ill-named "Spread Eagle" offense hasn’t been as productive as was

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Jay Nordinger wrote a brief commentary about Obama’s ability to disguise his radical beliefs with that’s worth reading:After elections in which the Republican side loses, I often have a little argument with my fellow righties. They’re apt to blame the Republican campaign — it stank. I say, “Yeah, but the voters had enough information. They voted with their eyes open — and they picked the other

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