The sign that the battle in Wisconsin is practically won

Posted: March 8, 2011 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
Tags: , , ,

One thing I’ve noticed in covering protests is that you get a lot of hangers-on.

For example at almost every Boston protest you will get one guy who carries his US flag with corporate symbols replacing stripes, you will get a guy with a Palestinian flag. And if the tea party is anywhere nearby I guarantee you that the LaRouche democrats will be around, usually with their Obama Hitler posters, and of course there are the truthers.

Generally these guys are the crazy uncles of any movement they find themselves a parade and try to get noticed within it.

Which brings us to Michael Moore getting in FRONT of the crowd:

Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore urged Wisconsin residents Saturday to fight against Republican efforts to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights, telling thousands of protesters that “Madison is only the beginning.”

There has been story after story about Moore’s appearance, I submit it shows that the left is losing this fight.

Moore’s biggest fans are on the far left, not in the mainstream. If Moore is the story, if he is the man in front. That tells you the message isn’t working or playing, polls or no.

As I was writing this I noticed this at Althouse who apparently agrees:

I wonder if the teachers and other Wisconsin union members who got the protest started 3 weeks ago appreciate having Michael Moore absorb their issue — maintaining the quality of professional public employment in Wisconsin — into his larger anti-capitalist agenda for America.

This is a problem with extending the protests. The crowd changes, new infusions of energy come from outsiders who see a ready-made platform to climb up on. These old-school, left-wing attacks on corporations have little to do with the distinct problems of jobs in the public sector — where, management is the government of the state and its citzens.

If their big draw is Michael Moore that tells you something about what is going on.

Ride right through them, they’re demoralized as hell.

Now that’s a poll to pay attention to…

Posted: March 8, 2011 by datechguy in oddities, opinion/news
Tags: ,

As a general rule polls are a snapshot in time, informative to the degree that they aren’t manipulated to get a desired result. You learn much more from trends that from an individual poll.

In theory this isn’t a poll, but if it was it speaks volumes:

White House Communications Office internal memo dated February 22 noted “a major issue with the Commencement Challenge.”

“As of yesterday we had received 14 applications and the deadline is Friday,” the memo said. The memo also urged recipients to, “please keep the application number close hold.”

A follow-up memo on February 28 reported receipt of 68 applications. Noting the competition among more than 1,000 schools last year, the memo said, “Something isn’t working.” It called on staffers to ask “friendly congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral offices” to encourage schools to apply.

Think about it, In just one year the number of schools that would like Obama to speak at their high school graduation has dropped by more that 93%. You would think that any high school would want a president to speak at it.

Ah DaTechGuy, it’s because of Racism. Has to be right? Tell me, I’m not an expect but I’d be shocked if there were not 68 majority black high schools in New York City alone.

Allah Pundit actually has sympathy:

Is there any sadder testament to the fading magic of Hopenchange than this? Reading it, I actually felt sorry for the guy.

I can’t manage that, this whole business show he’s kinda vain. I bet he thinks this job is about him.

The emperor here has no clothes and hasn’t for a while. The media keeps portraying him as unbeatable in 2012, I’ve been wondering why people buy this line. If you have to hustle to get high schools to invite you, if you have to send out friendly congresspeople to ask people to invite you then you aren’t all that popular.

Ride right through them, they’re demoralized as hell!

Update: Via Glenn Byron York remembers history:

“Will anybody run against George Bush in 1992?” asked Juan Williams in the Washington Post on March 10, 1991. “There are no candidate footprints in the pristine snows of New Hampshire this winter and the Iowa cornfields are untrampled.”

March passed, and then April, May, June, and July, and still Democrats searched for candidates willing to challenge Bush. One by one, the big names — Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, Mario Cuomo — decided not to run. Bush was just too strong.

The Democratic field that finally emerged seemed decidedly lackluster: Jerry Brown, Paul Tsongas, Bob Kerrey, Bill Clinton, Douglas Wilder and Tom Harkin. After an undistinguished primary season, one of them would be the sacrificial lamb to run against Bush.

Today, 20 years later, there’s no need to elaborate on how it turned out. All you have to say is that the prize went to the candidate who took a risk when others shied away

Exactly.

I have no idea who put my comment on Fark…

Posted: March 7, 2011 by datechguy in fun, internet/free speech, oddities
Tags: ,

…and as a person who doesn’t go to fark, never checks it out and doesn’t really read it it’s no big deal expect for it has produced a little less than the third of the hits that the instalance did for that post.

I took the liberty of checking the fark thread when I came home. The comments on the Fark thread are fascinating: The reactions thereof concerning me are very amusing and show a level of rational discourse that is seldom seen without a 15 second delay and a cable TV show.

It’s been suggested I should go over there and defend myself, but I don’t see why. These guys make my point about the left better than I could and adds to the point I was making on the Wonkette post.

It is exactly the reason why Andrew Breitbart retweets the most nonsensical and vulgar stuff that is said about him. It allows the “best of the left” to self identify so I’m all for getting out of the way and letting them do so.

But hey if you came to the blog from Fark, nice to have you, take a look around and feel free to come back if you want.

Update: I didn’t realize this is all part of the new tone!

Captain Ed and Kaus get it

Posted: March 7, 2011 by datechguy in economy, politics
Tags: , , ,

In Wisconsin the word is that the absent senators are on their way back

Playing a game of political chicken, Democratic senators who fled Wisconsin to stymie restrictions on public-employee unions said Sunday they planned to come back from exile soon, betting that even though their return will allow the bill to pass, the curbs are so unpopular they’ll taint the state’s Republican governor and legislators.

Or maybe not:

Wisconsin Democrats who fled the state more than two weeks ago to block a vote on a Republican plan to limit public union collective bargaining said on Sunday they have no immediate plans to return.

Or perhaps maybe:

Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D-Monona) said in a letter sent out Monday that he wants to meet with Republicans “near the Wisconsin-Illinois border to formally resume serious discussions” on Walker’s budget repair bill

So they want to meet at the border, what is this the cold war? Ed Morrissey nails it:

I suspect that Walker will explain yet again that the state of Wisconsin already provides a forum for that discussion, and it’s not “near the Wisconsin-Illinois border.” It’s in Madison, which is where the Democratic legislators should have been all along if they wanted to take meetings.

Protesters or no all the visuals help the GOP. Walker can make his statements from the statehouse where is supposed to be. Every Democratic statement has to come from hotels or “undisclosed location”. Ed gets that as long as this keeps up Democrats look bad and Republicans (re-Walker) looks good.

I think that Kaus has it right:

To the extent a liberal MSM conspiracy helped produce and publicize those polls–and it can only be a limited extent since one of the polls is Rasmussen’s– did they inadvertently do Gov. Walker a favor by giving the Dems the PR cover they need to save face while they lose the actual legislative battle?

The problem for the dems it its too easy to understand the whole playing hooky angle. Even people who don’t follow politics get it.

I’m pretty sure how this is going to end, (they come back, bill is passed) I’m just not sure when, the decision however will not be made by the Wisconsin Senators, but by the democratic and union money that is currently backing them up.

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