I begged The Right Scoop for the embed code for this clip that they did for Ace of Spades HQ. Begged for it:

For those without video access: it shows two clips from the same episode of the Chris Matthews show. In the first clip, Matthews and guests laughingly question George Bush’s (who is, I hear, a white guy and former American President) academic credentials; and in the second clip, Matthews and other guests bitterly whine that… nobody ever questions a white President’s academic credentials.

This, ten minutes later.

I’m very tempted to rant about this, but I keep coming up against the awkward problem that this would require me to take the utterances of Chris Matthews more seriously than Chris Matthews does himself. So I won’t. But remember this the next time that somebody tells you that MSNBC needs to be taken seriously in the field of political analysis (or even in the field of has-the-wit-to-come-in-out-of-the-rain); this is an impressive nadir of credibility, even for them…

Moe Lane

PS: Underpants go on inside the trousers, Matthews. Just in case the sequence has been getting tricky, lately.

President Obama’s union-controlled NLRB isn’t making any friends these days (unless you count union bosses, of course).

Earlier this week, Obama’s labor board filed its lawsuit against Arizona and South Dakota for those states’ voters having the gall to pass amendments favoring the preservation of their right to a secret ballot.

This followed last week’s complaint against Boeing by the union-controlled NLRB where American businesses are learning that having honest discussions with unions about the consequences of their actions is a waste of time.

With good reason, the union-controlled agency has raised a lot of ire from politicians and pundits alike.

On Wednesday, though, the Attorneys General for Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia joined South Carolina’s Attorney General in ratcheting up the rhetoric even more, by co-signing a letter to the NLRB’s prosecutor-in-chief, Lafe Solomon.

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President Obama enjoys presenting himself as a shining example of maturity, wisdom, and levelheaded leadership. Indeed, at yesterday’s birth certificate press conference, he told the pesky “carnival barkers” that it was time to “get serious.” Then, he boarded a plane to Chicago to film Oprah. To talk some more about getting serious, I imagine. He later put the birth certificate issue to rest once and for all by mentioning it at three fundraisers last night.

Today, he’s chosen to prove that he’s serious about reforming immigration by inviting renowned immigration policy experts Eva Longoria, Rosario Dawson and friends to the White House to talk about immigration reform. Yes, that Eva Longoria. Via The Hill:

The White House said Obama would meet with “influential Hispanics from across the country to discuss the importance of fixing the broken immigration system.” It said the discussion would focus on fostering “a constructive national conversation on this important issue as we work to build a bipartisan consensus in Congress.”

Besides Longoria, the star of “Desperate Housewives,” others invited to the gathering include actresses Rosario Dawson and America Ferrera, Univision hosts Don Francisco and Maria Elena Salinas and Telemundo anchors Vanessa Hauc and Jose Diaz-Balart.

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Figuring the headline might grab you, this is just a little ‘nudge’ to remind you about how easy it is to wrest control of the government from the claws of the professional, big-government establishment.

If you’ve read even one of ColdWarrior’s posts, then you know the importance of Precinct Actvisim. Thankfully, people are beginning to take notice and, more importantly, get involved in their precincts. But there is a long, long way to go.

This video [via Ace of Spades] of the Heritage Alliance’s Michael Smith is an excellent illustration of just how important and how easy it is for everyday American conservatives to take back the GOP.

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(Via Instapundit [and @Aaron_RS]) EconStories has another one of their extremely good Keynes v. Hayek videos up:

My only issue with this series is that it’s fairly obvious that the creators are fundamentally on Hayek’s side… and while they do (I think) a credible job of being fair to Keynes it would be helpful for the economic debate if there was somebody who was ready to as passionately, entertainingly, and creatively argue Keynesian theory on its own merits.  Of course, there is some argument whether Keynes himself would be comfortable with some of the stuff done in his name these days…

Moe Lane (crosspost)

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech discuss the world’s challenges providing food for booming populations in China, India and elsewhere.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

Ben: The New Geopolitics of Food
Welcome to the 21st-century food wars
South Korea to Set Up Grain-Trading Company in Chicago in 2011
What is causing food prices to soar and what can be done about it?
Coffee and Markets: The Real Costs of Inflation

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Last week, Nevada Senator John Ensign resigned his seat, creating a vacancy on several Senate committees.  While Congressman Dean Heller will fill Ensign’s Senate seat, a member with more seniority will be appointed to his coveted slot on the Senate Finance Committee.  The Finance Committee is considered a prized “Super-A committee” due to the extent and relevance of its jurisdiction, which includes trade, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  Unlike its House counterpart, the Senate Finance Committee also encompasses the jurisdiction of the House Ways and Means Committee.  This panel is clearly the most important Senate committee in the realm of domestic policy.  Who better to sit on that committee than Jim DeMint?

Senator DeMint has been implored to run for all sorts of leadership roles, ranging from President to Senate Leader, but has firmly declined.  Fortunately, this is a position that he is openly embracing.  A DeMint spokesman told Roll Call that he is throwing his hat into the ring for the seat on the Finance Committee:

“Senator DeMint is very interested in serving on the Finance Committee and has requested it every time since he was elected,” said his spokesman, Wesley Denton. “This is where entitlement reform will be written to balance the budget, it’s where Obamacare will be repealed, and it’s where our tax laws will be reformed to ensure that America remains the best place in the world to do business. … He understands the seat will be filled by the Republican Leader and Senator DeMint will respect his decision.”

DeMint has attempted to obtain a seat on the committee in the past, only to be passed over for those with more seniority.  Now, DeMint is the one with the seniority.  The other announced candidate for the position is Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns, a more junior member.  In addition, Mike Johanns has not been at the forefront of the battle for liberty and constitutional government in the same way as DeMint.  Just last year, Johanns voted for START and the FDA food takeover, while opposing efforts to reign in the Federal Reserve, Freddie and Fannie, and the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Arizona.

McConnell has already denied DeMint a seat on the Finance Committee due to a lack of seniority in 2008.  Now is the time for McConnell to show that he is consistent and serious about cutting spending by appointing Jim DeMint to the Senate Finance Committee.  Surely, seniority applies to conservatives too, doesn’t it?

Please call Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and request that he put Senator DeMint on the Finance Committee.  (202) 224-2541

Most of that is from Alabama, which was hit hard by the storms - but most of the rest of the southeastern part of the country has been hit by the storms, so if you were planning to contribute to the American Red Cross this Christmas, well, they could probably use the help a little sooner than that.

Our prayers and good wishes for everyone hurt by this tragedy.  And remember: always keep a supply of fresh water, batteries, and other disaster relief supplies handy! You may not live in a tornado zone, but there’s always something.

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Good evening. I’m not seeing anything huge as we pass the middle of the week. But, you never know what will become important, so let’s take a look at what caught my eye so far this week.

Even as Mary Bono Mack seeks to legislate on the news, or at least introduces a bill to make people feel better, Apple explains that the “location tracking” story was a non-story all along, just as I predicted. It was all about making GPS faster, and there was no real privacy issue.

Oh, yes. ICE is from the government, and it’s here to help. That is, if you’re a big copyright holder, but not if you’re a small patent holder.

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Obama showed his birth certificate off today. He revealed he was immaculated directly from Heaven. We kick off at 7:05 p.m.

We’ll discuss it on tonight’s show. You can listen at http://wsbradio.com and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK.

Consider this an open thread.

To answer any question economic, foreign policy or political regarding President Obama one must only answer one question: What is good for Obama?

President Obama coughed up his birth certificate today. So, the question is: How is this good for Obama?

It has been my view that the “birther” issue turned bad for President Obama some time before the latest round in the press brought the issue to a head.

Here’s the thing about rumors: If people like you, they won’t believe even the most vicious gossip. Like a besotted lover, who refuses to see faults, a political supporter will just see all rainbows and bunnies.

When people start to dislike you, though, they’ll believe every spurious and outrageous claim. Why? Because they’re looking for evidence to support their changed belief.

Americans are looking for evidence to support their changed belief about President Obama. They once looked at their President adoringly. No Jeremiah Wrights, Bill Ayers, lack of college transcripts, lack of scholarly writing, lack of record, or lack of any sort of meaningful resumé would dissuade the public (and certainly not the lapdog press) from their devotion.

But it only takes so many smacks to the head at the gas pump and grocery store and job and bank to make people stop digging the guy who promised them everything. And I mean everything.

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