Problems With The Current Not-Romney

Newt Gingrich was, for practical if not legal purposes, a lobbyist for the drug companies during the 2003 debate over the creation of a Nedicare drug benefit.  That does not square well with his recent claim that he has "never done lobbying of any kind."

Newt is an engaging speaker with a million ideas but I don't think he will wear well.

Comments

[Clarice]

Rick, I think that's what the Dem inner councils are thinking.

[Porchlight]

From Rick's link:

When asked if he would invite the president to campaign on his behalf, Manchin was elusive.

"This is not a team sport," Manchin said.

Heh.

Comments so far are mostly from Dems angry at the DINO Manchin. Going to be a long year for those folks.

[Captain Hate]

To Hell with Manchin; he's tried to play both sides and now finds out nobody likes him. Welcome to Specterville.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

"Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggert (remember him?) are all mutual first cousins."

All 3 consummate showmen and entertainers, all 3 play a mean piano, but Swaggert, by far, has the best voice. There is rare footage somewhere with the 3 of them rockin' out together, each on a separate piano. For boogie woogie piano music lovers, as I am, it is the ultimate performance. I wish I could find it. I saw it as a clip on some bio program for one of them, but it was so many years ago, I forget which one.

[Clarice]

Ab Thanks. I copied the recipe. I think I will make it but not roast it. I've grown found of spatchcocked and grilled turkey but I will use your brine and rub on it.

[Jane]

Jane, how was Lileks?

Lileks was there, and very tan and in the first night owl.

[Clarice]

*fond* damn these old fingers.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

LOL @ Dave's image of Cher and Gregg Allman; who could've seen that marriage being a complete trainwreck.

I never got this pairing. Cher is rabidly anti-drug, yet seemed so naive about Allman's problems until well after the marriage.

[centralcal]

BTW, Clarice - has your green Egg been everything you hoped it would be?

[Clarice]

West Virginia should be very doable for the Rs. The Dems promised the voters Obama didn't mean it when he said he'd close down the minefields. Turns out he did mean it..and for what? To enrich fraudsters like Solyndra

[Danube of Thought]

Until someone produces a photo of Streisand and Harpo Marx together, I will continue to insist that they are one and the same person.

[Rick Ballard]

CH,

Shhh. If he pulls a Jeffords he might be the 60th vote. He might be the 60th anyway as the tide keeps rising.

Clarice,

The only way the Dems hold their second most reliable (after the commie 13%ers) base segment is if BOzo quits for "health reasons". Otherwise, the blacks will sit out the election in silent protest against the obviously racist proglodyte masters who have driven Black Jesus from his throne.

[Clarice]

cc, we are very happy with it..Great ribs, poulty and pizza, for example. We even made a good homemade pastrami on it

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

I wouldn't expect to be missed by Sara, and would be disappointed if I were--but I'm grateful to her for telling me about my surrogates, to whom I extend my thanks.

Oh I think you owe them more than gratitude. You've taught them the art of the ad hom personal attack with no substance well.

[Clarice]

*poultRy* and very juicy steaks, as well.

[Fact Checker]

Nope, all the ad homs came from you.

[Thomas Collins]

Allman and Cher? KrisKris and whoever? If there is going to be a famous couples subthread, could I suggest adding a touch of class and elegance? See LUN.

[centralcal]

It all sounds yummy, Clarice. Can you leave it outdoors in DC winters?

I too think (A)B's brine recipe sounds yummo, but my S-I-L is roasting the bird this year, so I will file it away for my own future use.

[Sue]

A touch of class and elegance? How about country royalty?

[Dave (in MA)]

Until someone produces a photo of Streisand and Harpo Marx together, I will continue to insist that they are one and the same person.

She looks like David Brenner in a wig.

[Dave (in MA)]

Not so sure about that, Sue. ;-)

[Sue]

LOL.

[Jane]

Dave,

I didn't mean to imply Lileks wasn't good. He is always good. And that voice.

Oh and Ed Ames was there - who except for the tomahawk on Johnny Carson was before my time. He was a cruiser not a speaker.

[(Another) Barbara]

Do I adjust brining liquid by about 1/3?

I don't think you'll need to adjust, rse, as long as you have a stockpot big enough for the bird and the brine. If any part of him sticks up, just rotate him occasionally so that all parts get equal brining time.

For the first few years I made the turkey this way I didn't have a big enough stockpot and my husband and I took turns during the night getting up to rotate the bird. It was just like having a new baby in the house!

[Clarice]

cc, I don't see why not.

[centralcal]

LOL, (A)Barbara! A nice, clean meaning to "flip the bird!"

[Clarice]

Legal Insurrection:

"A good example is Tim Carney’s post at The Washington Examiner insisting that Newt Gingrich was a lobbyist even though Carney admits that Gingrich was not a lobbyist as defined by the law.

This whole focus on lobbying and lobbyists is nonsense Democratic talking points. Mitt Romney‘s campaign has hired them and received substantial contributions from them, so all the Romney supporters who think that Newt’s alleged non-lobbying lobbying is a negative should prepare for it to come around to their candidate.

Petitioning government for redress is a constitutionally protected right. The issue is not whether Newt Gingrich or any other candidate lobbied or hired lobbyists, but whether there was anything improper about the way it was conducted.

Stop playing the Democrats’ game."

AMEN

[Sue]

my husband and I took turns during the night getting up to rotate the bird

Whoa! All I can say is I wish I had bad's way with words. She is the only one that could have done this one justice.

[Captain Hate]

The MFM never misses an opportunity to reveal their smallness: http://www.jammiewf.com/2011/reagan-statue-unveiled-in-warsaw-reagan-gave-us-hope/

[centralcal]

OMG! I just posted the birdie comment and then moseyed over to Weazel Zippers and holy cow - a female Russian news reporter flips the bird right during her broadcast as soon as she say "Barack Obama" with her heavy accent.

[Rick Ballard]

Good news!

Former Goldman-Sachs CEO, Democrat Governor and Senator, Obama bundler and White House financial adviser Jon Corzine did not steal $600 million in clients funds while running MF Global.

Bad news - It was $1.2 billion.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Allman and Cher? KrisKris and whoever? If there is going to be a famous couples subthread, could I suggest adding a touch of class and elegance? See LUN.

What is it about strong independent women going for the drunks and druggies? Another one like that is Hepburn and Tracy. Men of mediocre and fair talent but ugly as sin and no self-control vs beautiful strong women who normally don't take sh!t from anyone.

Top Ten Most Overrated Actors/Actresses of All Time

He left Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, and Robert deNiro off the list.

[Thomas Collins]

When I think of love in the country, Sue, I think of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in McClintock. See LUN (warning-not safe for a politically correct office environment).

[Melinda Romanoff]

(A) B-

5 gallon buckets, with lids (paint department), are about $10 total at most hardware stores. Excellent for brining, and reconstituting 36 month hams (3-5 day soak before cooking).

[Sue]

TC,

My absolute favorite John Wayne move. McClintock.

...but pilgrim you caused a lot of trouble this morning, might have got somebody killed... and somebody oughta belt you in the mouth. But I won't, I won't. The *hell* I won't!

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Nope, all the ad homs came from you.

I think you need a couple more semesters of fact checker school. Disagreeing with your opinion is a disagreement, claiming someone is mentally ill is an insulting personal attack by someone who has no substantive argument they can defend.

[Porchlight]

and reconstituting 36 month hams (3-5 day soak before cooking)

Mel, I tried to catch you on a thread a few weeks back when country ham came up. What mail-order hams can you recommend? My family used to live in KY and we like to get a ham every now and then for family get-togethers.

[centralcal]

Excellent idea about the paint buckets, Mel! They do sound perfect for the job.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Petitioning government for redress is a constitutionally protected right. The issue is not whether Newt Gingrich or any other candidate lobbied or hired lobbyists, but whether there was anything improper about the way it was conducted.

Thank you for saying this Professor Jacobsen, unfortunately, the sheeple have been brainwashed and don't get that lobbyists are nothing more than paid spokespersons for like-minded people/groups of people who have more clout joining forces than they would speaking in the wildnerness as individuals.

[Captain Hate]

OMG! I just posted the birdie comment and then moseyed over to Weazel Zippers and holy cow - a female Russian news reporter flips the bird right during her broadcast as soon as she say "Barack Obama" with her heavy accent.

Tammy Bruce just mentioned this and is linking it.

[Sue]

I wonder if the middle finger means the same thing everywhere? Anyone know?

[boris]

"Stop playing the Democrats’ game"

Ditto.

[pagar]

"Country music coming to the White House"

If it's not George Jones or Loretta Lynn, or Charlie Pride, I'm not going.

[Clarice]

I suppose Newt could have supported himself with one of those neato green scams..like Gore or RFK, Jr. Or gotten really rich on insider trading like Kerry and Reid and Pelosi, but he didn't. So that left lobbying. And FM and FM were willing to pay a small bit of what they weren't dumping in far larger quantities in Dem tills.

[Clarice]

Hah--same song, new drummers:

Egypt's military rulers have accepted the resignation of
members of Egypt's Cabinet, a military spokesman says. (CNN)
Lucianne//

[Melinda Romanoff]

Shoulda knone.

No capcha, no postee.

Porch, I'm trying again.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Porch-

My favorite, The Wardell Store, in the "Cove", near Paint Lick, just outside of Tazewell, VA sells home-cured hams. Really old school recipe and run by the son of a high school classmate of my father. They also raise grass-fed Aberdeen cattle, which has near medicinal qualities.

If you play your cards right, plead really, really nicely, and hope the new car is in inventory, you might be able to convince JMH to pick one up, if JMH is in residence on God's Thumbprint, of course.

[Melinda Romanoff]

It's at this link, which TyphusPad won't let me link.

[Porchlight]

Thanks, Mel! Perhaps in the future when ham is needed, I might be able to ply JMH with something similar grown in Texas in trade. :)

[Ralph L]

Porchlight, in my experience, Virginia hams (Smithfield most popular) have much more salt than NC or TN hams. That's what I grew up with, so the others seem a little bland. I've recently tried aging them a year and like the result. Never tried a KY ham--aren't they supposed to be greaseless and safe with latex?

One year, I cooked the collagen out of it, and the damn thing wouldn't slice without shredding. Since I put most of the ham in buttered Pepperridge Farm party rolls (when I can find them), I disassemble the muscles when it's still warm, scrape off the fat and grissle, and then slice paper-thin after refrigerating.

[Extraneus]

Careful with the paint bucket unless you can keep in the refrigerator or outside in the cold. Poultry needs to be kept below 40F or the bacteria multiplies.

Alton Brown recommends a cooler with ice in the brine and big ice-filled baggies to weigh it down enough to stay submerged. (Saves having to wake up to rotate the bird, too.)

[Porchlight]

RalphL, all the KY country ham I've ever eaten tends to shred rather than slice. Part of the deal. We used to make ham salad with the leftovers - really just warmed chopped ham with a little mayonnaise - and serve in those same hot buttered Pepperidge Farm rolls, or the like. Yum.

[Ralph L]

Smithfield sells hams on their website, but they charge more than supermarket prices around here (if you can find 'em).

[Porchlight]

A cooler sounds like a great idea. Alton can get a little OCDish with the food safety temperatures and Macguyverish gadgetry, but that is part of his charm.

[Thomas Collins]

It's my favorite, too, Sue. And Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in McClintock is my favorite movie portrayal of the Battle of the Sexes!

[Jane]

Hey! Did anyone answer my question about the captured CIA people. Do we try and rescue them usually?

[Porchlight]

Last time we ordered KY ham we got it here:
http://www.newsomscountryham.com/countryham.html

Can't say how prices compare, since they sell premium hams. It was delicious though as I remember.

[Danube of Thought]

My parents used to order Smithfield hams from Gwaltney's in Smithfield, VA for every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Slice it paper thin, consume with fingers after dipping into a spot of Dijon mustard. Awfully salty, not for everyone.

[Melinda Romanoff]

No Jane, "out to dry".

Sick.

[RichatUF]

Jane-

If they were US citizens we could work an exchange. If not, it would be more problematic, but since it is the Iranians, they might want to cut some sort of deal. Not sure why an article like that got published.

[Barbara]

I don't believe that it's so much a question of Gingrich having lobbied that has caused concern, but what he lobbied for (Freddie & Fanny, for example) as well as how he has responded to questions regarding his lobbying activities.

[RichatUF]

I should have said, on the Iranian side it matters what would be more valuable- executing them or dealing them.

Wonder if the CIA is looking for a few Iranian moles at this point?

[Clarice]

That;s a mystery to me, too, Rich.

[Neo]

If you haven't had your space fix recently (since Obama doesn't have an exciting space program any more) ... LUN

[Clarice]

Bloomberg:
Driven down by economic forces, President Barack Obama is running poorly in New Hampshire, a state he carried in 2008 and one that has been a swing state in recent presidential elections. Obama trails Republican Mitt Romney among likely general election voters in the state by 10 percentage points in a hypothetical contest amid voter discontent with the president’s job performance and the economy, according to a Bloomberg News poll conducted Nov. 10-11. Obama carried New Hampshire by 54 percent to 45 percent in 2008.

[Neo]

At least Obama didn't tell them that te CIA had 287 spies in Iran.

[Danube of Thought]

"Do we try and rescue them usually?"

Not that I'm aware of. They're not Americans, and they're considered criminal spies by their own governments.

[daddy]

Ted Stevens Trial Update:

The ADN has a story up on the results of the 2 and a half year investigation into the corrupt Federal Prosecution team in the Ted Stephens fiasco.

The story tells us:

1) that Emmet Sullivan, the Judge who ordered the investigation, said that "he'd never seen such misconduct in 25 years on the bench."

2) that "the investigation found the Stevens prosecution was "permeated" by the prosecutors' concealment of evidence they collected that could have helped the senator's defense."

3) that "the Justice Department admitted misconduct in the case, including withholding of notes from an interview with the government's star witness."

4) that the investigating Special Prosecutor found "even further evidence of concealment and serious prosecutorial misconduct that almost certainly would never have been revealed publicly or to him without the exhaustive investigation..."

5) that "at least some of the concealment was intentional."

6) "that Alaska-based prosecutors Bottini and Goeke and FBI agent Mary Beth Kepner engaged in misconduct in the trial"

7) "that Mary Beth Kepner had an inappropriate relationship with the star witness in the case."

8) and that the Special Prosecutor found "widespread misconduct beyond what has yet been publicly revealed" by the Federal Prosecutors who tried Stevens.

So naturally the appointed Special Prosecutor who uncovered all that corruption in his 2 and a half year investigation is recommending that no criminal charges at all be filed against any of the Justice Department Prosecutors who tried Ted Stevens.

[Jane]

I wasn't aware they aren't Americans.

But still...

[Porchlight]

Obama trails Republican Mitt Romney among likely general election voters in the state by 10 percentage points in a hypothetical contest

Do you get the feeling they're trying not to poll in the really critical swing states because it's looking so bad for O?

[rse]

Well WF had most of AB's spices but the new Penzey's store had them all so we are good to go.

I was going to use a cooler and ice and those bags of ice make sense. Mr Science may even take an interest in this one. He already asked how I was going to keep it cold and clean out the cooler.

Know some people who know alton. Off the air he's an aloof man with an interest in wife and kids and no one else.

[Ralph L]

dipping into a spot of Dijon mustard
We snickered at my SIL from Brooklyn for automatically putting mustard on country ham slices. Mustard and black pepper were seldom seen in our house.

[Sue]

You can buy a Smithfield ham at Walmart. Personally, I like the Hormel Cure 81 better.

[Sue]

Ralph,

Oh boy, you haven't lived until you smear yellow mustard on a slice of cornbread. Try it!

[Dave (in MA)]

Neo, that's from the outfit founded by Amazon's Bezos. Maybe they'll start delivering merchandise that way someday.

[bolitha]

Porchlight,The VERY best Smithfield hams, in my opinion, are the hams from S. Wallace Edwards and Sons, Inc. in Surry, Virginia. My husband just cooked one to have with our turkey for Thanksgiving. Lots of work, I think--you have to soak overnight, scrub, boil, and then cover with brown sugar and cloves and put in oven. Leftovers for ham biscuits--tiny biscuits spread with mixture of brown sugar and butter and slivers of ham and baked for about 8 mins. in oven. Heaven!

[Melinda Romanoff]

Only things that should go on country ham are as follows: eggs, butter, biscuits, or tomatoes.

Some of you odd types might be able to add cheese, but that's not to my liking.

[RichatUF]

Jane-

We went through this before during the Carter Administration. Our intelligence services were destabalized (both externally by Agee's defection and domestically by congressional investigation and Carter), moles were established, and our networks were rounded up all over the world.

Thanks to Wikileaks and the "Arab Spring", and the Obama Administration response to same, it was only a matter of time before it would happen. Wouldn't doubt that a premium has been paid for records from Tunsia, Libya, and Egypt and have my dobuts that an Army private could have provided the entire wl archive.

[Sue]

I really thought I'd see more about Nascar booing FLOTUS. I guess it is a toss-up on whether to let people know the south doesn't like FLOTUS or how rude the south is by booing FLOTUS. While I find it humorous that they did so, I also cringe. When we have guests in our house, regardless of how much we dislike them, we show them respect. Anyone remembering I tossed my mother in law at Christmas a few years back will be horse whipped at dawn.

[Ralph L]

Porch, shredding is more likely if the ham isn't cooked immersed in water.
with an interest in wife and kids
his own wife and kids, I hope.

[Porchlight]

Anyone remembering I tossed my mother in law at Christmas a few years back will be horse whipped at dawn.

Sue,

Not really related, but just wanted to say that I still remember the story you told a few years back about your daughter backing into the Christmas tree. Loved it.

[Porchlight]

RalphL,

We used to always soak in water, then bake. I think. I was pretty young. Definitely remember the soaking, though. So the drier heat of the baking may have been the problem. I still loved it though, shredded or not.

bolitha,

Thanks for the tip! Just went to their site. Love the idea of the brown sugar and butter with the ham biscuits. Think I have to agree with Mel on no cheese, though.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Do alot of people serve ham for Thanksgiving? Seems almost a sacrilege. :)

I don't care for ham, so never would think to serve it for a Winter holiday meal. I have given in to others and fixed it for Easter. I can tolerate the honey-cured ham in a sandwich with lots of Miracle Whip.

I think my distaste for ham stems from the days when people used to bring tons of food to the home after a funeral. After my Dad's funeral, we ended up with 17 hams. I think I developed a mental block against the butt of the pig after that.

[Sue]

Porch,

Well, it's always entertaining at my house during the holidays.

[Porchlight]

Do alot of people serve ham for Thanksgiving? Seems almost a sacrilege. :)

No, I think it was just me going OT - I had remembered Mel knew something about country ham so I asked him a sourcing question and that's how we got on the subject.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Anyone remembering I tossed my mother in law at Christmas a few years back will be horse whipped at dawn.

LOL. But it felt so good at the time, right?

[Benjamin Franklin]

Welcome to Iconography(.......)

http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/

[Sue]

At the time. I regret it now.

[Sue]

No, I think it was just me going OT

Yes. We have no family gathering without a ham. My brother would commit acts of violence otherwise. And hardly anyone in my family likes turkey.

[rse]

Yes Ralph. To be so gregarious on the air and not in the least off the air.

If you have more than a certain number of people it's easier to add a different meat than to keep going up on the size of the turkey. Plus my mom never had a good roaster until I gave her one for Christmas.

Of course if you really want to make a cook happy and splurge break down and buy the 13.5 quart Le Creuset dutch oven. That big surface area makes it so much easier to double chili recipes or bolognese. Huge though. Bright red.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Sue,

It remains an option in the coming weeks, but whom ever apologizes first, wins!

[Clarice]

rse I had to give away all my creuset ware. It became way too heavy for me to lift and the 13.5 quart one when filled would I think require a forklift.

[Benjamin Franklin]

The impact of immediacy in these instances illustrates the the ever-growing importance of Right to Peaceful Assembly. The Cro-Magnons don't get it because they still see through a cave, darkly.

ttp://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/21/uc-davis-suspends-police-chief-over-pepper-spraying-students/

A California university police chief has been put on administrative leave after the “chilling” use of pepper spray on protesters, caught on video, its chancellor said Monday.

The effective suspension of University of California, Davis police chief Annette Spicuzza came a day after it announced similar measures against two officers seen in the video.

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi has rejected calls to resign over the incident Friday, in which an officer walked along a line of seated protestors, spraying them in the head with the chemical usually used for dispersing crowds.

“As I have gathered more information about the events that took place on our Quad on Friday, it has become clear to me that this is a necessary step toward restoring trust on our campus,” said Katehi in a statement.

“I take full responsibility for the events… and am extremely saddened by what occurred,” she added.

[Rick Ballard]

Rich,

My bet is that the President made promises all over the ME in furtherance of fanning the fetid flames of the Arab Spring. The payback for breaking the promises is going to get quite a few people de#tweeted. Field Marshal Tantawi is certainly doing his best.

[Danube of Thought]

I was the only one in the family that used mustard; everyone else just ate it as is. The actual holiday dinner was always turkey, but the ham sould be a staple of the preceding week.

[Clarice]

Daddy, thanks for the Stevens article, I posted it but felt funny giving a h/t to someone named "daddy". I'm sure you'll understand.

http://media.adn.com/smedia/2011/11/21/07/19/qEhVq.So.7.pdf

[Sue]

Mel,

She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She doesn't remember that day or me. And the son, my husband, that I was protecting from her that day, he is the only one she does remember now. Yolk's on me, huh?

[Benjamin Franklin]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/21/uc-davis-suspends-police-chief-over-pepper-spraying-students/

.

[Sue]

It is going to come to the point where we have no one willing to be a police officer. We are already there with president.

[Ignatz]

--I can tolerate the honey-cured ham in a sandwich with lots of Miracle Whip.--

And I was just about to eat (dry heaves).