P.J. Gladnick's blog

Reuters has noted the one year anniversary coming this Monday of the Coffee Party, oops, I mean Occupy Wall Street. I can be forgiven for the error since both proved to be as big a flop as Joe Scarborough's No Labels. All of these failed movements had one other thing in common: they were given a boost at birth with extreme media hype. However, first the anniversary/obituary from Reuters:

(Reuters) - Occupy Wall Street marks its first anniversary on Monday, and, in a bid to rejuvenate a movement that has failed to sustain momentum after sparking a national conversation about economic inequality last fall, activists plan once again to descend on New York's financial district.

Quick! Get NBC's Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel a chair.

Engel claims that he was so shocked at Barack Obama's statement that he now considers Egypt neither an ally nor an enemy that he "almost had to sit down."  So if this is true, why did Obama support the overthrow of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak who was very much our ally, Engel wonders. Here (and below the fold) in this video is Engel in desperate need of a chair over the shock administered by Obama's uncertainity about whether Egypt is friend or foe.

Remember the uproar from the mainstream media when presidential candidate Barack Obama used the U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan to attack President George W. Bush and John McCain? Oh, you don't remember? Perhaps that is because, unlike the MSM throwing a conniption fit over Mitt Romney criticizing an apologetic statement from the U.S. embassy in Cairo which Obama himself later disavowed, the press was absolutely silent in its reactions to Obama's 2008 criticism. John Kaczynski of BuzzFeed found this video of candidate Obama and made this observation:

The Obama campaign hit Mitt Romney for using the “tragic death of one of our diplomatic officers in Libya” to “launch a political attack.” On a July 2008 appearance on CNN, then-Senator used the death of U.S. troops in Afghanistan as talking point to ding John McCain and President Bush for their support of the Iraq War.

Volyndra?

That might be the best description of General Motors' Chevy Volt according a scathing review of that car. And the source of the review? None other than the editorial board of the liberal Washington Post so Obama administration supporters can scarcely write off the criticisms as "right-wing propaganda." Before you even get to the text of the story you can see the WaPo editorial board slam the Volt in the title, GM’s vaunted Volt is on the road to nowhere fast:

The title of John Cassidy's column in the New Yorker is "Rational Irrationality" but after reading the reason he gives for Barack Obama ditching his outdoor stadium speech at the Democrat convention in Charlotte, NC, I think it would be safe to ditch the "Rational" part of the column title.

One of the big reasons why Cassidy pretty much comes off as completely irrational was his explanation as to why Team Obama really moved the convention speech from the 75,000 seat outdoor stadium to the much smaller indoor venue. At first Cassity does seem a bit rational in his Six Unanswered Questions From Charlotte, which is also notable for his complete lack of curiousity about the "two-thirds" platform voice vote, since he admits what most of us already knew---that the excuse of poor weather was bogus. However, he provides an "answer" so off the wall as to be a real howler:

High unemployment? A $16 trillion debt? Rising fuel prices?

Perhaps the real issue of this campaign is that Vogue editor Anna Wintour wants to be appointed ambassador to France. At least that's the suggestion published in two eerily similar articles in The New Republic and The Daily Beast. The rumor (officially denied) is that dahling Anna is growing weary of New York and would like to make a big splash on the Paris fashion scene by showing up there as ambassador to France.  Both periodicals not only contain this same theme but even their titles are strangely similar. On top of that the quotes in both stories make one wonder if they are reciting the same information fed to both authors (Noreen Malone of The New Republic and Robin Givhan of The Daily Beast). To illustrate the amazing similarities of both articles, I shall place The New Republic quotes first followed by those of The Daily Beast in italics. First, let us look at the two similar titles:

Harold & Kumar Go to the DNC.

Or at least Kumar aka Kal Penn is going to the DNC. As you can see in this video, actor Kal Penn who worked on and off for the Obama administration for a couple of years will be hosting a show at the Democrat National Convention this Thursday for BarackObama.Com. Since the main characteristic of Kumar in the movies is heavy duty marijuana smoking, how would that character feel about the big crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries by the Obama administration? Kumar would probably dare to ask Obama about the hypocrisy of trying to appeal to the "stoner" vote while cracking down on marijuana but the question is open if Kal Penn dares to put the question to the President.

Not once. Not twice. But thrice was the number of times that President Obama's senior adviser refused to answer the question as to whether this country is now better off than four years ago. Perhaps Plouffe thought he would get all softball questions from the host of ABC's This Week Week With George Stephanopoulos who normally carries the water for Obama. In any case, as you can see from the transcript and video below the fold, Stephanopoulos gives Plouffe three opportunities to answer the question which he dares not do.

So much for the idea that the children of public figures are off limits when it comes to criticism...

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford best known to the world for turning himself into a laughingstock four years ago for his inadvertently hilarious suggestion that Barack Obama is some sort of spiritually attuned Lightworker, has demonstrated in his most recent column that he has no problem with wallowing in the spiritual sewer. Morford does not merely mock the daughters of Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin but seems absolutely obsessed in attempting to make them as much the objects of ridicule that he has already become. Read Morford's insane rantings about them and you get the idea that perhaps a psychiatric intervention in the form of restraint straps is needed here:

There is a sixty percent chance that Republicans will rain on your weekend plans.

The Weather Channel hasn't yet gone quite that far to inject politics into weather reporting but they sure seem to be working on it. Their reporting on Tropical Storm Isaac has brought out the inner liberal of a channel that was once noted for its complete professionalism but, sadly, seems to be going off into political tangents completely unrelated to the weather. In the first example, they republish a highly biased Associated Press article on their Weather Channel site which touches on Tropical Storm Isaac but quickly devolves into not so subtle slams on Republicans. While reading this, you need to continuously pinch yourself as a reminder that it is actually on The Weather Channel website:

"Arrrrrgh!"

That quote pretty much sums up the reaction of the Democratic Underground and Daily  Kos posters to the Newsweek Obama cover, Hit The Road, Barack. And as you can see in these two DUer threads here and here as well as this Kossack thread, the left is hitting back...hard. A big part of their anger comes from their sense of betrayal from a "friendly," namely Newsweek magazine. The good news is that their very anger and outrage is also incredibly entertaining. So break out the popcorn and soda and enjoy the inadvertent comedy which comes first from the DUers:

Satire or not satire? You be the judge.

When you read the title of Jonathan Bernstein's Salon article, "Joe Biden: The 'practically perfect' vice president," you figure he must be joking. However, when you begin reading his story you can see that Bernstein was serious...or was he? Your humble correspondent considers himself to be a good judge of the often fine dividing line between satire and seriousness but in this case I am not so sure. The following paragraph in defense of Biden seems to start out seriously but was Bernstein pulling our legs at the end?

It has been over six years since David Shuster consulted his inner Jason Leopold and boldly predicted that "I am convinced that Karl Rove will, in fact, be indicted." Apparently the bitterness of having to publicly eat crow has lingered to this day to the point that Shuster continues to be obsessed over the fact that the non-indictment of Rove turned him into a laughingstock condemned to the reportorial hell of the no-rated Current TV. Shuster's bile overflows in his Huffington Post Open Letter to Karl Rove slamming him for daring to call ObamaCare's Medicare scheme a cut:

If you thought the Democrats would be satisfied with the fact that a solid phalanx of liberals have been chosen to moderate the presidential (and vice-presidential) debates, you would be wrong. Now they want to dictate what questions will be forbidden from being asked at the debates. I kid you not. The Politico reports on the question that the Democrats want to make taboo:

Some Democratic lawmakers want to make sure that one question does not get asked at the upcoming first presidential debate - about Simpson-Bowles.

Note: See Update below the fold.

It's time now to play a new political game: Who's the Liar?

In one corner we have the Huffington Post Washington bureau chief, Ryan Grim, who must be feeling very grim today because his "scoop" about the Bain Capital source of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's claim about Mitt Romney not paying taxes for 10 years has blown up on him. Grim Grim quoted Reid's spokesman, Jose Parra, as stating that Reid's Bain Capital source is a Republican. Unfortunately for grim Grim this assertion was countered by Parra's parry that he said no such thing. Since grim Grim placed Parra's supposed statement in quotes, one of them has to be lying.

First off we have this quote by grim Grim which was later contradicted by Parra's parry:

Al Gore has had quite a varied career since coming within 537 pregnant chads of the presidency in 2000. He has sat on the board of directors of Apple, shilled carbon credit indulgences to guilty liberals, and starred in "An Inconvenient Truth" documentary.  There is even a wild rumor that Gore has written movie reviews.  However the latest news about Al Gore concerns his Current TV which is like a public access channel for has-been politicians. According to this story, Gore has consulted his inner chakra and has decided to become a convention reporter. This has resulted in some interesting media reactions to this news but the funniest is probably this wry observation from Jonah Goldberg of National Review who tweeted:

If Al Gore's career trajectory keeps up he'll be a blogger-intern at Media Matters by the end of the decade.

Although Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been described as "soft-spoken" in the Huffington Post and "honorable" by CNN's Candy Crowley, even many liberals such as Jon Stewart have registered disgust over the wild charges that Reid has been hurling about an "unnamed" source telling him that presidential candidate Mitt Romney hasn't paid his income taxes for  ten years. And now even the New York Times, in an article by Michael D. Shear and Richard A. Oppel, has noted the wild charges that Reid has tossed around in the past:

...Mr. Reid appears to be once again reprising a rhetorical technique he has mastered over 25 years in the Senate: repeatedly needling his Republican adversaries in ways that often push the boundaries of political propriety.

The Washington Post "On Faith" blogger, Sally Quinn, has come up with a suggestion so bizarre that I would not not blame you for casting aspersions upon the veracity of your humble correspondent until you read it for yourself.  Basically Quinn is recommending  that gays and lesbians "infiltrate" Chick-fil-A restaurants to the point where they become gay hangouts to such an extent that even gay weddings will be performed there. And if you think that recommendation is absurd beyond belief, you won't be alone. Her blog is filled with commenters whose reactions can best be described as face-in-palm. You can't blame them after reading this "gem" from Sally:

Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has the voice and demeanor that seems to resemble that of a sad undertaker, is it really accurate to describe him as "soft-spoken" and not being known for "hyperbole?" That is how the Huffington Post described him in an article chock full of unhinged Harry Reid quotes so over the top as to actually be comedically entertaining. The story was about Reid castigating fellow Democrat Bill Magwood of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  I will get into the details of Reid's anger but first let us enjoy one of the highly entertaining money quotes:

"He's a first-class rat. He lied to Rouse, he lied to me, and he had a plan. He is a tool of the nuclear industry. A tool. Magwood was a sh*t-stirrer..."

Kim Jong-un, the dictator of North Korea who inherited his position from daddy, Kim Jong-il, now has another toy to play with thanks to being fortunate enough to live through birth. Although the bloated young Kim appears as if he would have difficulty performing even one boot camp pushup, he has just been given control of the entire military due to his promotion to grand marshal of the army.

Jack Kim (no known relation to guess who) of Reuters wrote up the story about this not exactly merit-based promotion. However, Mr. Kim also gave us a buildup about some "sharp change" in North Korea that turned out to be a highly laughable letdown. First the "sharp change" hype:

Former Washington Post columnist William Raspberry has passed away. The obituaries in both the Post and the New York Times noted that while Raspberry was generally considered a liberal, he often expressed opinions that defied easy labels. Perhaps the most famous such case of an unconventional Raspberry column, which neither newspaper mentioned, was when he publicly changed his opinion of Rush Limbaugh after listening to his program. This was described through the years by Limbaugh as the Raspberry Effect:

Perhaps President Obama figures that pot smokers are so spaced out that they will float into the voting booths this November and automatically vote for him no matter how harshly his federal prosecutors crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries. If that is his assumption he might be in for a rude shock. On the heels of the largest medical marijuana dispensary in the country, Harborside Health Center which was featured in the Discovery Channel's "Weed Wars" last year, being targeted for closure by prosecutors, the pro marijuana publication of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) published an article by their Deputy Director, Paul Armentano that was both highly critical of Obama while praising Bush:

Imagine how much laughter would be induced by a young person who claimed an inability to find work because he or she lacked the time to obtain a Social Security card. Even more laughable would be someone who takes the time to fly from Texas to Washington, D.C. in order to testify at a trial yet claims she can't find the time to obtain a voter identification card. Well, Henry Jackson of the Associated Press actually wrote that up with a straight face until AP was forced to delete it after the sheer absurdity of it was pointed out by J. Christian Adams of PJ Media.  Here is the AP laughline care of Adams before it was deleted in sheer embarrassment:

Victoria Rose Rodriguez, 18, told a federal court in Washington that she had limited documentation — a birth certificate, a high school transcript and a student ID card with a photo on it — but is currently a registered voter in Texas. She said her parents are too busy to take her or her twin sister to get the new voter identification cards required by the law.

It's time once again to play America's favorite political game...Name That Party!

This time the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel really had me stumped. It was their story about a former Broward (county) Teachers Union president who was arrested for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in union funds. What kept me scratching my head was that the Sun-Sentinel reporters wrote that some of the funds went to political campaigns but made no mention of the political party of the recipients. Here is the lead of the story that offered no real clues as to the political party:

Pity the poor Harvard Crimson.

When reporting from that bastion of political correctness, Harvard, it is quite easy to inadvertently wander onto the dangerous shoals of thought crimes. Such was the case when the Crimson used a (GASP!) gendered pronoun to describe a new member of the Harvard faculty and was subsequently forced to issue a correction for their heinous misdeed:

CORRECTION: July 3

An earlier version of this article used the pronoun "she" to refer to Vanidy "Van" Bailey, the newly appointed director of bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and queer student life. In fact, Bailey prefers not to be referred to by any gendered pronoun.

Politico ran a story yesterday about a sobbing woman thanking President Obama for ObamaCare.  To read the story you would think the woman, Stephanie Miller, had no ulterior political motive. However, she has been busted by Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit who has exposed her  as @obamasbestfan which is her twitter handle whose tweets demonstrate not only over the top enthusiasm for Obama but which are also chock full of vitriolic hate such as wishing that prominent conservatives had been aborted. Here is but one example of Miller's hate tweets:

If there ever was a valid def. why women need birth control & legalized abortion it would b ROMNEY, SANTORIUM, GINGRINCH, PAUL, & LIMBAUGH!!

On a day when most normal Americans are relaxing and celebrating the Fourth of July with family and friends, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg is giving full vent to his Liberal Rage Syndrome by angrily lashing out at Republicans by labeling them as the "treason party." Oh, he pretends he COULD be labeling them as such but won't. However, this disingenous denial is belied by the fact that reading his column leaves no doubt that he is most definitely making that accusation. And for those few people who are actually fooled by his lame denial, there is the very title of his column as proof of Steinberg's intolerance of political opinions at variance to his own beliefs:

Happy Fourth of July to the Treason Party

One of the biggest pet peeves of your humble correspondent is so-called journalists who continue to absurdly claim that there is no evidence that one of the purposes for gunwalking in Operation Fast and Furious was to advance a gun control agenda. Last week the culprit was Jillian Rayfield of Rolling Stone and now Steve Kornacki of Salon and MSNBC is the latest liberal to display his reality challenged assertion on this subject: