Monthly Archives: July 2004

July 26, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

The limits of “normalcy”

Part of Andrew Sullivan’s claim that John Kerry is the real conservative in this year’s race is based on the notion that Kerry is advocating a “return to normalcy.” For example (as Sullivan describes this platform) “we should stop referring to a ‘war’ on terror, and return to pre-9/11 notions of terrorism as a discrete phenomenon best dealt with by police work in coordination with our democratic allies.” Sullivan is »
July 26, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

Diversity, Ivy League style

David M has found that 92 percent of those individuals employed by Ivy League schools who have contributed $200 or more to John Kerry or George Bush made the contribution to Kerry. The Dartmouth faculty and staff led to way, with 97 percent (30 out of 31) of their contributions going to Kerry. The suspicion that such was the case helps explain why, these days, zero percent of my contributions »
July 26, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

With conservatives like these, who needs liberals?

Andrew Sullivan thnks that “Kerry may be the right man – and the conservative choice – for a difficult and perilous time.” If, on the issues that matter most to him, Sullivan prefers Senator Kerry’s views to President Bush’s, then Sullivan’s preference for Kerry makes perfect sense. But to claim that the most liberal member of the Senate, with a McGovernite track record that pre-dates McGovern’s 1972 candidacy, may be »
July 26, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Shove It, She Suggested

Teresa Heinz Kerry told a reporter from the “conservative Pittsburgh Tribune-Review”–so identified by the Associated Press–to “shove it” when he asked her to explain a comment she had made about “sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics.” When the reporter repeatedly asked what she meant by “un-American,” Mrs. Kerry finally replied: “You said something I didn’t say. Now shove it.” That’s basically fine with me, but »
July 26, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

He’s no Jack Kennedy and neither are you

The other day my 19 year-old daughter commented that she hears so much about the greatness of John and Robert Kennedy, but can’t help being skeptical when the only visible evidence of the Kennedys available to her is the buffoonish Ted. I responded that, while her skepticism is healthy and warranted to some degree, she shouldn’t judge JFK and RFK based on their surviving brother because it was always clear »
July 26, 2004 — John Hinderaker

Write This Down

I’m back from a three-day getaway to my native South Dakota for the wedding of my nephew. It was a wonderful time. On Sunday morning we attended a lovely lakeside church service, at the close of which I was reminded of Power Line’s reach by a young man who approached me and said that I should get home and start posting, as he was getting tired of checking our site »
July 26, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Remembering the real Jimmuh

In connection with Jimmy Carter’s appearance this evening at the Democratic Convention, NRO has posted K-Lo’s interview with our friend Steve Hayward on Carter: “Kerry-Carter ’04.” This is not simply a walk down memory lane; Hayward’s review of the real Jimmuh is highly relevant to the Kerry candidacy: NRO: How much should Democrats who are lukewarm or worse on John Kerry blame Jimmy Carter for their current state of affairs? »
July 26, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Blogs and Beckology

John Fund’s OpinionJournal column on the impact of blogs on politics and journalism takes us right up to Randall Beck’s latest outburst, with links to several of our favorite bloggers: “Beantown becomes blogtown.” »
July 25, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Playing the Hitler card

Reacting poorly to criticism by this blog and others “outside the walls of South Dakota,” editor Randall Beck of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader previously referred us as “yahooish.” We commented briefly in “Funny, we don’t look yahooish.” Now Professor Jon Lauck of Daschle v. Thune notes that Beck has gone a step further: “Argus editor plays the Hitler card.” Funny, but two of us are…oh, forget it. »
July 25, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Errors of fact and sentiment

In “Minnesota’s governator fires back,” we note that on Thursday the Minneapolis Star Tribune published an “outrageously stupid” editorial criticizing Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty for his weekend visit of the Minnesota National Guard unit serving in Kosovo. The first sentence of the editorial criticizes Governor Pawlenty for “get[ting] set to climb into an airplane for yet another photo-op trip to Kosovo” and in a part of the editorial we left »
July 25, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

We had a great time this weekend

with my conservative cousin from New York and his conservative wife. On Saturday night, we saw the Baltimore Orioles defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in a splendid game. The winning margin was supplied by two “bang-bang” plays at home plate, which we saw perfectly thanks to the great seats my cousin purchased. My favorite Oriole, Miguel Tejeda, dominated the game with as fine an individual performance as I’ve seen in »
July 25, 2004 — Paul Mirengoff

Through a rear window, darkly

Mark Steyn captures the parlous state of our politics is this incisive passage: “We warmongers didn’t start the nitpicking, but somehow the entire landscape of U.S. politics has tilted so that a nation supposedly at war is spending most of its time looking through the rear window sniping about what was said and done in 2002, 2001, 2000, like the falling calendar leaves in a Hollywood flashback. The Democrats will »
July 25, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Smokey’s fire

On the occasion of the birthday of Smokey Robinson this past February, Rocket Man and I paid tribute to him at length in “Essence of Motown.” We focused on Smokey’s career in the sixties as a songwriter, performer and producer — all extraordinaire. Today Fox News has posted an AP feature on Smokey’s bout with drugs and recovery: “Smokey’s Robinson offers ‘food for the spirit.'” The AP story reports: He »
July 25, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Something’s happening here

What it is ain’t exactly clear. The gathering of the Minnesota blog clan was called for Keegan’s Pub in northeast Minneapolis last night by our Northern Alliance colleagues of Fraters Libertas. The gathering was a success, the beer was the real deal, the turnout was incredible. Readers and friends Chip and Barbara Allen stopped by; reader Matthew Salzwedel of the Lockridge Grindal Nauen law firm also joined the festivities. The »
July 25, 2004 — Scott Johnson

You’re no good, part 2

The invaluable Michelle Malkin follows up on the Linda Ronstadt story and contrasts Ronstadt with Toby Keith in her excellent column today: “Ronstadt’s rage.” »
July 25, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Minnesota’s governator fires back

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is Minnesota’s dominant newspaper by far. It more or less sets the agenda of Minnesota news coverage, especially in state politics. The folks who own and run the Star Tribune nevertheless know that the paper’s rabid Democratic partisanship has placed the paper out of step with much of the Twin Cities metropolitan area and made it a laughingstock. They are trying to do something about it, »
July 24, 2004 — Scott Johnson

Annie Jacobsen’s terror flight

Annie Jacobsen’s terror flight gets a respectful airing in a story in Sunday’s London Telegraph that touches on all the elements we have covered here: “Was an al Qaeda plot unfolding on Northwest Airlines flight 327?” »