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Keith Olberman dying on the (Amazon) vine

Posted: August 20, 2010 by datechguy in amazon reviews, media
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One of the things that I’ve noticed in my time in the Amazon Vine program is the idea of the program is to generate buzz for a book that may nor may not sell otherwise.

When Sarah Palin’s book was due out, it was not available in the vine program, Michelle Malkin’s books don’t show up there, nor Glenn Beck or even Ann Coulter’s, the more established the personality and/or author the less the chances their book will be available via Vine.

Yesterday I got my Amazon vine e-mail. I didn’t have a chance to check it out when it first came since my son came home from the hospital that night, but when I did see it I noticed that Keith Olberman’s new book Pitchforks and Torches: The Worst of the Worst, from Beck, Bill, and Bush to Palin and Other Posturing Republicans due out in two months was on it.

Olberman is MSNBC’s headliner, he is on during their 8 p.m. hour. He is one of the loudest voices of the left with the megaphone of a nightly TV show 5 days a week. Yet his book as of this moment is ranked #56,905 in Books a mere places behind The Road to Serfdom Volume 2 of the Collected works of F. A. Hayek

but lets not be unfair here, it is #33 in Books > Nonfiction > Politics > Political Parties lets see what is ahead of it at this hour:

At #30 Conservative comebacks to liberal lies by Gregg Jackson who I have never heard of. It was released a month ago.

At #28 Liberalism is a Mental Disorder: Savage Solutions by Michael Savage released (April 12, 2005) .

At #7 Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama’s Radical Agenda: Paperback edition by Sean Hannity (March 30, 2010)

At #1 & #2 Sits Give us Liberty, a Tea Party Manifesto by Dick Armey that came out Tuesday. The Hardcover is #2 and the Kindle edition is number two, but since it just came out lets finish with an older book

Mark Levin’s Liberty & Tyranny sits at #4 (Hardcover), #5 (Paperback) and #26 (Audiobook) This book came out in MARCH of 2009

None of these books were available to me on vine.

Even funnier is that unless you go down to that 4th level He doesn’t even show up, go up one level to Politics instead of political parties and Hayek is #3 & 53, Laura Ingram is #6 & 29, The Federalist papers are #13, Tea Party Manifesto is #14 & 50, Glenn Beck has books at #21 & 96, Malkin is at #22, mark Levin is at #96 and Pam Geller’s new book is #75, it was NOT available on Vine.

Pam is a spectacular woman and an American treasure, but she is nowhere near as well known as Olberman, yet his book is on Vine and her’s is not. Her book is at #2,516 a mere 54,299 spots ahead of Olby.

Maybe MSNBC should consider hiring Pam instead.

Bazinga!

And now a complement for our president

Posted: August 20, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news, war
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As has been reported the last combat troops left Iraq this week. Garrison troops remain and will likely continue to remain for years.

It is fact that George Bush pushed the surge that made victory possible, and that then Senator Obama along with most of the media and intelligentsia opposed it bitterly.

It is also a fact that despite this after assuming office the president continued the policy that allowed this withdrawal to take place in victory rather than in defeat.

With his base angry with him it would have been so easy to demagogue Iraq to appease them with a midterm coming up, he choose not to do so.

Yes it is a bit disconcerting to hear they take credit for what they opposed and watch the media praise them for it, but its a lot better than listening to them describe defeat.

Eyes on the prize, the goal was victory in Iraq, if the price of that is watching people I disagree with do a little victory dance, who cares?

The win in Iraq is good news, the country should be happy and the president can and should take a respectful bow, not only on behalf of himself but of the nation that fought and paid for that victory.

Good show!

Morning Joe is in full “Can we call it a Tallywacker?” mode…

Posted: August 20, 2010 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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The attempts to dodge the Mosque for what is it, reflects poorly on them, but I must confess I’m getting really sick of the story, so lets cut to the chase.

1. The Mosque’s supporters hold every legal card at the moment.

2. Moral suasion is unlikely to have any effect unless the developers have something to lose.

3. Whatever the solution it will be spun for propaganda purposes by Islamists.

4. This didn’t become a national issue until the president choose to make it one.

5. The issue highlights the media’s separation from the American mainstream. It’s inability to understand the people it wishes to inform is its doom.

6. This issue is a loser for democrats and no amount of spin will change that, but it’s not the primary issue in the election.

Ok that should do me for a while on this issue

Trafalgar: More like Sayler’s Creek

Posted: August 20, 2010 by datechguy in elections, politics
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Over at Ace’s place the Purple Avenger is comparing the situation in November to Trafalgar:

The Democrats are much like the French and Spanish, their tactics are predictable as the tides, and old as Methuselah. Their responses to attacks are scripted and rote, its the same responses you would have heard 30 years ago.

This is actually a pet peeve of mine, Whenever I hear about the brilliance of Nelson at Trafalgar I’m reminded of what American hero Steven Decatur said about the British at Trafalgar:

The French should have never lost at Trafalgar if their gunnery was what it should have been.

The British tried such tactics against Thomas MacDonough at Plattsburg on Sept 11th 1814 and it remains one of the most significant American victories that for some reason is never remembered.

More correct an analogy is Sayler’s Creek. The Democrats have been under siege (ala Petersburg) defending unpopular policies that republicans have been nailing them on, first slowly then finally breaking through their flanks on both left and right. They are fleeing this president in the same way as the Confederates were fleeing Grant. This Mosque is one issue that the President has decided to stop and fight on as did the Confederates at Sayler’s Creek. Sheridan had the right answer saying: “Go Right through them, they are demoralized as hell.”

The majority of the people who have been arguing restraint the loudest are those who wish republican gains to be the smallest.

This is what is needed to win the battle, later today I’ll talk about winning the war.

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