Sunday Morning

She didn't write that, which is fine, because you didn't read that and he didn't say that. Clarice helps us keep up with our first retro po-mo President.

The NY Times shovels some gloom Obama's way as well. First, health care that won't be there:

Doctor Shortage Likely to Worsen With Health Law

By ANNIE LOWREY and ROBERT PEAR

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — In the Inland Empire, an economically depressed region in Southern California, President Obama’s health care law is expected to extend insurance coverage to more than 300,000 people by 2014. But coverage will not necessarily translate into care: Local health experts doubt there will be enough doctors to meet the area’s needs. There are not enough now.

Other places around the country, including the Mississippi Delta, Detroit and suburban Phoenix, face similar problems. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that in 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed. And that number will more than double by 2025, as the expansion of insurance coverage and the aging of baby boomers drive up demand for care. Even without the health care law, the shortfall of doctors in 2025 would still exceed 100,000.

That is not a surprise. Nor is this:

Obama’s Team Taking Gamble Going Negative

By JEFF ZELENY

CHICAGO — As President Obama pushes Mitt Romney to release more of his tax returns, a television commercial from his campaign bluntly says, “Makes you wonder if some years he’s paid any taxes at all.” In another spot, Mr. Obama’s campaign stops short of calling the Republican a tax cheat, but stirs suspicion by declaring, “Romney’s used every trick in the book.”

With 100 days remaining before Election Day, there is an air of apprehension around the Obama campaign headquarters here. Yet there are few regrets about the tone of the race, only a conviction that the circumstances — a frail economy, intense Republican opposition and a well-financed negative campaign from Mr. Romney and his allies — left Mr. Obama no option but to fight back even if it sullies his image as a candidate of hope and change.

Hope and Change has become "Do you hate Republicans as much as I do?" For a notable fraction of the voting public the answer is "Yes", but that fraction looks to be less than 50%.

 

Comments

[peter]

Excellent pieces, Clarice. Pure comedy gold courtesy the Slimes at the LUN. They want us to believe that Axelplouffe would only reluctantly go negative.
Happy last Sunday in July, everyone.

[hit and run]

Well:

At the urging of Valerie Jarrett, President Barack Obama canceled the operation to kill Osama bin Laden on three separate occasions before finally approving the May 2, 2011 Navy SEAL mission, according to an explosive new book scheduled for release August 21.

Standing up to and facing down Valerie Jarrett, even if it takes four times before you make the decision to take out the world's most wanted man: Gutsy

[rse]

I posted a longer reply to JMH's outrage over that Obama XO on education on the England thread.

Positive School Climate relies first and foremost under the issued guidelines on schools being focused on social justice, Ayers' specialty. He literally edits the guidebook.

A transmission of content knowledge curriculum is not socially just because it is not accessible to all students and the disproportionality skews by race.

All students have feelings and can be coerced into values and can interact with each other. That's an equitable focus for the curriculum and just happens to dovetail with certain notorious political theories that Ayers and Obama seem rather partial to.

Finally, the School Climate Center was established at Columbia U under the name the Center for Social and Emotional Education. Not only have I had all this research for months since a stupid slip by an arrogant state official, I have mostly been able to track down the cited books and links and have downloaded or located used.

I have been using that to write and track. It is what led me to Ehrlich's new mind book and Etzioni's communitarianism and Herman Daly's for the common good.

So Obama is merely confirming how important this mental subjugation of the American people, especially the next generation, is to his Presidency. Even if he loses he is betting this focus will create the foundation for future recovery for the progressive template.

As the book I am reading put it, each time the progressive cause has to give way, it leaves behind an layered landscape primed for its return.

It will take extirpation by the roots then.

[Danube of Thought]

I go to Lucianne and there's a must-read link to Pieces. So Clarice, this morning I read it in bed on the iPad at dawn. What a way to start the day.

Often when I open a thread the comment box doesn't show up.

[Clarice]

The comment box is playing with me, too, DoT. The CP didn't make the must read list yet today where I am though someone has posted it.
Even if you don't get a chance to read the article, I want you to see bigfurhat's wonderful cartoon,http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/assets/Eat%20More%20Crow.png

[hit and run]

It's sitemeter loading - takes a long time. On the status bar at the bottom of the window, I see the Waiting for s20.sitemeter20.com...

I still can't get into my sitemeter account.

"The Site Meter database for your account is currently unavailable. Please wait a few minutes and try again."

It's been nearly 24 hours now.

[Danube of Thought]

Minus 17 at Raz today.

Trails Romney by 2.

[AliceH]

O/T Michael Walsh at NRO posted a "thank you" to Mark Levin re: his 48-page book "The People v. the Democratic Party". I clicked the Amazon link and what did I find in the "Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links" Section? A link to The Official Obama Website, and a link to Support the Democrats website. Heh!

[MarkO]

Clarice, well done, again.

[MarkO]

hit, the link doesn't work for me. I'd love to read it.

[narciso]

So what will the next installment of 'What About Barack; will bring, of course, the derangement seen lately is more reminiscent
of Daffy going on a tirade, in 'Duck Amuck' and 'Duck Season'

[pagar]

rse, IMO,much of the stuff Obama gets credit for in his war against US education comes directly from William Ayers.
--------------------------------------------
When you see the government employees all up in arms about this:

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/07/federal-bankruptcy-court-lets-stockton.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MishsGlobalEconomicTrendAnalysis+%28Mish%27s+Global+Economic+Trend+Analysis%29

just remember the US Congress and the Courts did this to the retired military years ago. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions of us) came in to the US military in the late 40s, early 50s with the recruiters telling us - put in 20 years of fighting for your country and you and yours will be given free medical for life.

Sen Graham can believe any BS he wants, but that recruiter in Cedar Rapids, Ia in May of 1956 was promising the same free health care for life that my neighbor's recruiter in Penn was promising in 1951. IMO, recruiters promised what they were told to promise.

I believe Col George "Bud" Day spoke the truth. Sen Graham not so much.

http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2012/05/is-there-a-promise-of-free-health-care-for-life/

Any private person that believed they had a retirement plan and set and watched the Obama regime steal money from the Indiana Teachers Retirement fund to give it to autoworkers union had to realize the rule of law in the US was coming to an end.

There will be thousands more governments
at all levels going broke and breaking contracts. Be prepared.

[hit and run]

Mark:
hit, the link doesn't work for me. I'd love to read it.

Yeah, I got it at Ace, where an update now says the Daily Caller has pulled the post.

The Valerie Jarrett part was probably a composite character in the DC's construction.

[Jim,MtnView,Ca,USA]

The next step in civic bankruptcies. This trend may have legs.

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/07/federal-bankruptcy-court-lets-stockton.html
A federal bankruptcy judge on Friday cleared the way for Stockton, California to cut health care benefits for retirees while it is in bankruptcy proceedings.

http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2012/07/28/is-fresno-californias-next-bankrupt-city/

[pagar]

" a link to Support the Democrats website"

Anyone who even considers supporting Democrats would be better off supporting the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army tries to help the poor and needy. The Democrats try to make all Americans poor and needy.

[narciso]

Now, I would consider this more fully, if he hadn't picked himself;

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/240883-cheney-says-mccains-selection-of-palin-for-vp-was-a-mistake

[hit and run]

On This Date In 2008, TM delivered one of the more memorable JOM lines in a post on the scant record of Obama accomplishments available to evaluate his qualifications for president:

"Obama has become the biggest faith-based initiative in American politics."

Amen.

[narciso]

Funny, how the Daily Caller, never takes back something they got utterly wrong on Haley or Palin, now it's possible Martosko, misread
Miniter's book, but it's in keeping with much
of the prior findings.

[Jim,MtnView,Ca,USA]

Clarice 9:38 LOVE the cartoon!
The ChickFilA ad campaign it plays off is cute too.

[Ignatz]

--"Obama has become the biggest faith-based initiative in American politics."--

That was true in 2008 because he was an unknown quantity to a lot of people.

Now he's more a case of Johnson's definition of a second marriage; "the triumph of hope over experience".

[Clarice]

I love it so much, Jim. I asked the artist to do that and he came thru with flying colors. I wish people would copy it and take that with them when they go there.

Iowahawk comes thru on the Olympics:
@iowahawkblog: Dear IOC: you know what else hurts the feelings of those 46 Arab countries? The lack of bus bombing as a medal sport.

[Do the math.]

Heh, Buck, Obama has less than Romney.
=======

[Ignatz]

Buck,
Romney does want to talk about what matters to Americans, which is the horrendous Obama economy and the $trillion plus deficits.
Interesting to note neither you nor Barry are interested in talking about what matters to the rest of us. It's almost as though you know it's a loser.

[Clarice]

I wouldn't talk either, Buck. Let Obama run on his record. that should be enough for a Romney victory/

[hit and run]

Are you sure, Ignatz?

I mean, are you absolutely sure that the country isn't clamoring to hear more about Romney's car elevator?

I mean below the surface. No one is actually saying they give two figs about car elevators, but if you pay close attention to the unspoken subtext of the collective American political landscape, I think you can detect just how explosive an issue it could be in the race.

Release The Blueprints!

[narciso]

Hush hit, that's where he's hiding the army of murderous killbots,

[Clarice]

Well DoT it did finally make must reads.

As for Buck, I hope the yammerers go after Ann's clothing again. The silver monstrosity MO wore yesterday costs $6,800..just the ticket for unemployed voters to ponder.

[rse]

Well I was off writing and have yet another nerdy sounding term that is important to know.

http://www.invisibleserfscollar.com/oh-good-grief-now-i-need-to-know-what-a-noetic-system-is-because-it-is-under-attack/

And Jane and Janet and Kim I got Agenda 21 in there towards the end.

pagar-I think Maxine Greene really influenced Ayers. I have managed to find some used books to take a harder look at that in light of what I now know about the Annenberg Challenge and what the windy city was piloting.

[narciso]

Ah, rse, I've often referred to the subject of this , as an early meme carrier;

http://www.energyadvocate.com/burkonly.htm

[Ralph L]

Over at The Hill:
Recommended stories
Poll: Romney up big in battleground states
Poll: Obama pulling away from Romney in battleground states

[Go jump in a Lakoff.]

Richard Muller of BEST has screwed the attribution pooch with his latest endeavour, interestingly not supported by Judith Curry, who is an adviser to his team. And Muller's never been a skeptic, except briefly about the temperature record. The NYT and the serf-collared media feel a powerful need to highlight 'reformed skeptics'. Skeptics feel no such need for such reform, though they find much to reform.

Anthony's announcement is about something else, possibly related. It's been described as 'tectonic', not 'volcanic'.

rse, I'm now substituting 'analytical thinking' for 'critical thinking' which has been taken hostage, like Red Chief. It's inevitable, analytical thinkers will survive critical thinkers, left to dispute the rhetoric on the ash heap of history.
==============

[Ignatz]

--Richard Muller of BEST has screwed the attribution pooch with his latest endeavour, interestingly not supported by Judith Curry, who is an adviser to his team. And Muller's never been a skeptic, except briefly about the temperature record.--

He strikes me as amazingly dishonest about his 'turnaround'.

[narciso]

Powerline, had a piece about Muller's dishonesty, much as with this fellow, who could very well be a major player in Silva's latest;

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/07/learning-from-seyed-mousavian.php

[Jim,MtnView,Ca,USA]

Pagar@10:44
Wow. Great observation, comparing CA muni bankruptcies and the reneging on military retiree health benefits, I had not realized that connection.

[narciso]

Ah, here it is,

ttp://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/07/mulling-over-muller.php

[hit and run]

Barack Obama has nothing to say. He doesn't want to talk about the time he ate dog. He doesn't want to talk about the time he hit a black girl in prep school. He doesn't want to talk about the times he choomed. He doesn't want to talk about the times he did a little blow. He doesn't want to talk about how he got into Columbia and Harvard. He doesn't want to talk about what classes he took.

Obama doesn't want to talk about his spiritual mentor Reverend Wright. He doesn't want to talk about his involvement with ACORN and pressuring banks to make bad loans to minorities. He doesn't want to talk about how he almost got the asbestos out of Altgeld Gardens.

Obama doesn't want to talk about how he was able to get sealed divorce records of opponents released at just the right moment to win elections in Illinois. He doesn't want to talk about how he received more in campaign donations from Fannie and Freddie in 4 years as a Senator, more than anyone but Chris Dodd (who received his from 1989 to 2010). He doesn't want to talk about why his campaign has turned off the verification software which allows fake and foreign donations via credit card on his webiste.

Obama doesn't want to talk about ObamaCare being the largest tax increase in American history. He doesn't want to talk about why he's wasted billions of dollars in failed "investments" in green energy that actually enriched political allies and donors. He doesn't want to talk about why his stimulus has resulted in 41 straight months of unemployment being above 8%. He doesn't want to talk about how millions of people have simply given up looking for work (otherwise unemployment would be more like 11%). He doesn't want to talk about how he told Matt Lauer that if he didn't have the economy turned around by now, he should be a one term president. He doesn't want to talk about why under his administration thousands of guns were "walked" across the border to Mexico falling into the hands of drug cartels with at least one, and probably two American border agents being murdered as a result. He doesn't want to talk about how his administration has seen some of the most damaging national security leaks imaginable.

But Obama does want people to talk about Mitt Romney's car elevator and Ann Romney's horse. He wants people to talk about a Romney prep school incident from 50 years ago. He wants people to talk about dog carriers and boat registrations. He definitely wants people to talk about the undergarments Romney wears.

Oh, Obama doesn't talk about these things himself, of course. Obama just gets rubes to do it for him.

[narciso]

Sorry, let me try again;

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/07/mulling-over-muller.php

[Clarice]

Brilliant, hit. A verbal chain sawing.

[Ignatz]

CNN remains classy and justifies it's spot in the basement playing "Stupid Girls" as bumper music for a story on Palin.
They remain as amazed and perplexed at their ratings plunge as the glutton does at the disappearance of his shoes.

[Ignatz]

Make that *its*.

[narciso]

Who would have thought Vizzini could run so many projects at once, Ignatz, a few demerits
to Lord Marshall Cheney for playing into that template though

[hit and run]

Nerf bat for Jazz on that Palin post.

[hit and run]

Site's still loading slow -- but I'll note that I am now back into my account at sitemeter. Looking at the stats, it looks like the problem started around 3pm yesterday and was fixed around 10:45 this morning.

No idea if that lockout is related to how slowly pages are loading (it's not only here, places like Ace are experiencing the same thing with sitemeter slowing the loading of the page) or not, but maybe things will pick up shortly if sitemeter is fixing their stuff.

[narciso]

It's typical for him, hit, how Cheney didn't point the savant that is Biden, that took a three person team, like that went after Riddick, is another question entirely.

[narciso]

The sitemeter knocked out my greasemonkey, and seems to have messed with the formatting, Expecto Petrona, may that will work?

[wobegone]

Romney's historic visit to Israel, illustrated.

The Adelson check is in the mail.

http://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/6a00d8341bf82953ef017616c9f7aa970c-800wi.jpg

[hit and run]

Cheney is certainly entitled to his opinion -- and his opinion is worth considering because of his history and experience.

Cheney's opinion is certainly open to criticism. And if made on the merits, the criticism can probably be made effectively.

But criticism along the lines of "yeah, but Obama..." misses the mark. Cheney wasn't comparing Palin to another specific candidate or person -- he was comparing her to his criteria for the experience a candidate should have. There is no doubt Cheney (ideology aside) would be even more critical of 2008 Obama being included as a VP candidate. Meaning, even if Obama had all of the policy positions that Cheney has, Cheney would have rejected Obama as a VP candidate based on his resume in 2008.

So don't say Palin's 2 1/2 years as governor is more executive experience than Obama, Biden and McCain combined (it was!). Doesn't matter. Cheney's argument isn't about comparing Palin to Obama or Biden or McCain.

Cheney is simply trying to evaluate Palin against what he sees as the proper experience necessary for someone to be "one heartbeat away".

He could be wrong regarding Palin, and I think a case can be made that he is.

I just don't think comparisons to the current occupant of the White House and Naval Observatory are on point.

Oh, and just to be clear, my nerf bat comment regarding Jazz was aimed at his repeated spelling of "Chic-fil-A". The War On K's continues.

[narciso]

Yes, but that spelling error, underpinned the
entire premise of his argument,

[peter]

Are the elevators in the garage car elevators, or are they merely passenger elevators. Because lots of people have passenger elevators.

[narciso]

No, they have they large enough to accomodate the BattleDroids from Avatar, peter. at least forty feet high.

[bio mom]

Car elevator (1) in the beach house which is on a hillside near the ocean. I think there are many reasons for it but one serious reason would be to help Ann, who has multiple sclerosis.

[hit and run]

From an old Politico article about the car elevator:

The documents were provided to POLITICO by a rival campaign, but authenticated independently by POLITICO with San Diego officials.

The U.S. Secret Service, in a coordinated appeal with the Romney campaign, requested that POLITICO not publish the specific plans, complete with architectural drawings, submitted to a local agency in California as part of the approval process.

“For operational security, we’d request that you not publish the blueprints,” said Ed Donovan, spokesman for the Secret Service.

RELEASE THE BLUEPRINTS!!!
The unspoken subtext of the collective American political landscape demands it.

[Rick Ballard]

"It will take extirpation by the roots then."

RSE,

Eradication would require a time machine. How can the current environment be changed so a Tom Ayers or George Kaiser is left without access to funding? Bill Ayers is just rotting fruit from a rotten tree.

I'd like to see extirpation approached on the basis of sustainability. Block grants to begin with (with concurrent changes in eligibility standards), followed by a general sack of the foundations. Putting a thirty year limit on the life of a foundation would go a long way towards extirpation.

It's also quite evident the current NGO situation is not sustainable due to the death of the SkyDragon. There is no reason left to collect Air Taxes and even less reason to monitor or attempt to control plant food.

[narciso]

The problem is, Rick, the hunt for the 'Mutant Star Goat' hence the big build up with Muller this weekend,

[rse]

Agreed. So if the ed reforms are tied to impossible economic scenarios, and they are, the whole implementation being pushed by Obama in the US and globally via UNESCO is just worsening the situation.

I have a high school principal soliciting donations to cover the planned $120,000 retraining of faculty in the psychological abuse model implicated in Columbine. He already sent an Assis Principal and teachers to Vail for the training this summer. That was at least $10,000. He's the same one excited that the teachers are not to teach content anymore. The more aggressively he pushes the high school implementation of these abusive processes, the quicker he earns a promotion to the Central Office and escalating six figure incomes for the forseeable future.

And there are thousands just like him.

[Danube of Thought]

"Romney has nothing to say."

Romney doesn't have nothing to say. Somebody else has nothing to say.

[Imagine the media war on McCain.]

McCain probably regrets not picking Lieberman, but it's all good. Had he done so, we'd be electing Obama this November, and I couldn't face that.
==========

[narciso]

It's a viral code embedded in the system, rse,
it's not supposed to work, at least as advertised, which was something I was trying to point out in the segment Clarice linked,

[rse]

narciso-there are lots of things whereI have the parallel tracks. First, I have the lies being told to the teachers in ed school on the whys. And then the truth shared among fellow profs or conference attendees on the actual intended political purposes.

AGW and ed are the 2 great frauds on the West. Similar functions. It is so weird to watch a video on the first 5 days of school apparently created in Oz. We have interviewees from Chicago, Scotland, Canada, Belfast, Ireland, and OZ all mouthing verbatim the same nonsense. The template CAC was funding the devt for.

[hit and run]

Unsurprisingly, I'm spending Sunday in my driveway. The weather is amazing. Part of it is my increased tolerance for heat throughout the summer, but the temps are actually quite nice for this time of year.

The classic rock radio station isn't coming in as strong as it used to. It's located south of town, and we are to the north. So I've had to change my selection to avoid all that static.

I'm listening to country. Love it. "God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy" was just sung, in fact. Come on, does it get better than that? Is such a profound truth so succinctly expressed elsewhere any better than that? But why is the station being so repetitive with the songs? Ugh. There are so many great songs to play, why are they playing the same ones on rotation every 2 hours or so?

Pet peeve.

Must move chair, the earth's rotation is causing the shadows to recede such that my legs are now in the sun. Retreat!

[windansea]

here is Mitt's house, the car elevator will cost about $55k, big whoop considering he paid $12 million for a rundown 60's 3000 sq ft home that he plans to bulldoze

http://www.celebrityhousepictures.com/mitt-romney.php?housephotos=3

[narciso]

Any more brilliant ideas;

http://twitchy.com/2012/07/29/et-tu-cheney-cheney-disses-sarah-palin-on-this-week-media-now-fawns-over-cheney/

[hit and run]

Wow. weather.com says it's 88 here right now. I woulda guessed sub 85.

Three cheers for acclimatization!

[Chubby]

((Romney has nothing to say...))

it is hilarious how the left always picks their own areas of vulnerability and projects them on others, so as to avoid scrutiny of their own weaknesses. like Rush says, if you want to know what the lefties are up to, just watch what they blame on others. In this case, the true fact that the lefty is trying to deflect is that Obama has nothing to talk about because he has no record to run on.

[hit and run]

Romney's rich.

He's lived the American Dream.

Used to be that a great many people aspired to do the same.

There are people who would rather sit on their ass and do nothing with the government giving them ~$30K a year in goods and services and cash for that lack of effort, rather than work their asses off for the opportunity to one day be able to buy a car elevator. Or at least a four bedroom/three bath home they earned through their work.

I know there is some percentage of Americans for which the security of $30K from the feds with no effort other than filling out forms beats the risk of trying to succeed through hard work. I don't know what that percentage is compared to years past. But I'm confident Obama has succeeded in increasing that demographic's numbers.

"We tried out plan -- and it worked"
--stuff Obama is counting on in the 2012 election

[The Devil made me do it.]

For a guilt ridden, knowledgeless, subservient class, rse. Ever read Arthur C. Clarke's 'Childhood's End'?
===================

[AliceH]

Hit - I think of you every time I drive to a friends house, which includes me turning off the highway onto the long drive. At the corner sits a small ranch house, made a bit bigger by having converted a garage to living space, then converting the replacement garage to living space... They are now on their third garage. In the garage are lawn chairs, a cooler, and a motor cycle. (Their 5 trucks and 4 cars, camper, and wood chipper are parked in front, on the side, and behind the house).

I always wave and, if the sun isn't in their eyes, they always wave back.

[Sara]

What planet do you live on Buck? Having trouble, are you, keeping your candidates straight? I am not sure I've read so many lies about Romney in one post and we've had some other doozies but I think you win the prize.

[GMax]

that fraction looks to be less than 50%.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner. Yes indeedy, 42-44% is definitely less than 50%.

[nwa]

"intense Republican opposition and a well-financed negative campaign from Mr. Romney and his allies"

It's not Romney's fault that highlighting Obuma's "accomplishments" comes off as negative.

The American Dream for the lefties is to take handouts from the government while bankrupting the rich. A bunch of player haters too lazy to work for a living. Luckily the municipal bankruptcies that are just starting will put an end to the liberal "dream" and America's nightmare.

3 months to go!

[Sara]

I must go on the record as saying that having my county highlighted in a Tom Maguire post is disconcerting. :)

[hit and run]

Alice:
At the corner sits a small ranch house, made a bit bigger by having converted a garage to living space

You are so sweet.

When we moved into our neighborhood, we moved in on the same day as our next door neighbors. The two of us were families nine and 10 in the neighborhood. The two trucks on the road were quite imposing. Their movers actually helped our movers -- at the time we had a baby grand that took four guys to safely transport. We were thankful for that serendipity.

That neighbor gave me my love for garage/driveway living. He ended up being a complete asshole, but for a good long time we got along famously. He was a smoker, and couldn't smoke inside, so he spent every waking moment in which he wasn't at work in his garage. And I spent a good chunk of my similar waking moments in his garage too. And that's not just because of his kegerator.

Anyway, I traded him one of our tv's for one of his radios -- so he could mount it and run cable to his garage. We spent many Sundays watching NASCAR in his garage.

Now that he's gone (and not a single neighbor misses him), I am carrying on the garage/driveway tradition. But just listening to radio and not watching tv.

I like watching neighbors drive or walk by. I always wave. Some of them stop. Thankfully not many, I haven't showered and really stink sitting out here in the heat. No, I'm serious, I really smell bad. Walter forced me to shower last weekend, which was a good thing.

[hit and run]

This was five years ago. Neighbor and I and a slew of his friends and family went to Martinsville for a NASCAR race. The next weekend, we put up his EZ-Up in the driveway and "tailgated" the NASCAR race of that weekend. We wore our neck-passes all day. He owned a golf cart, so whenever we needed to pee we drove it down to the port-a-potty down the street at a house under construction. Just to "keep it real".

Them were the good ol' days.

[hit and run]

It's 12 PST . . . and nothing yet at wattsupwiththat.

Tenterhooks, man.

[hit and run]

Sorry, PDT.

I always get that wrong.

[hit and run]

It's up.

Now to read it.

[rse]

So NOAA is dramatically cooking the data being used in the models?

[AliceH]

Martinsville! Love the short tracks. Years ago when I was somebody moderately important at my company, I had some vendors offer to get me tickets to any race (BushCup, Winston Cup, Truck... - I said it was a while ago!) in Richmond area or in Charlotte, but I had to turn it down. Ethics and stuff. Also, Rusty Wallace had recently retired, and my interest in Nascar fell dramatically. (I'm in Wallace country - Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schroeder still show up and race occasionally at a dinky little track about 15 miles from here - for the love of it, not the money.)

[Sara]

Romney and Wife Go to Jerusalem’s Western Wall

Sounds like they like him.

[Mark Folkestad]

I just got a call from Agent J, who is in a mad dash to get from Lake Superior to Kansas City. He said that we could still meet for a late lunch if I were close to the freeway. I told him not to worry, that there would be other chances to meet in the future. The truth is I'm only half a block west of I-35E, and two blocks north of an exit. But I-35W is much nicer and quicker, so I didn't want to complicate things for him. Jake said that his late wife is looking out for his safety on the drive, from her perch in Heaven. Rather sweet.

[hit and run]

Alice:
Martinsville! Love the short tracks.

Oh, I'm thinking you, me, Bristol....2013?

I know it's closer to me than you, I'll spring for the hotel? Separate rooms! Did I mention separate rooms? mrs hit and run and kids would be coming...

Hell, anyone else game?

[Sara]

Video: Romney meets with Netanyahu.

There seems to be an audio problem at the beginning, but only for a few seconds.

[Stephanie]

I might be up for a Bristol Stomp. Only what about 4 hours from N Atlanta? The hubby watches NASCAR when the golf tournament is a snoozer and he's never been to a race. We used to go to Road Atlanta and Atlanta Motor Speedway in HS cause the rednecks would buy the beer for us underaged renegades. Good Times!

[Sara]

Video: Romney's Policy Speech in Jerusalem. He pulls no punches.

[Clarice]

Hit, I hope you removed the safety pin before sitting out in the hot sun.

[hit and run]

Dangit. Let's do Bristol.

I swear I'll shower both Saturday and Sunday. I can't promise I'll shave. But I won't stink.

NR Cruises are for the hoity toity*. We're the real America.

_______________
*I love certain members of the hoity toity as defined by that statement. More than words can express. My love for them knows no bounds. No insult intended by this comment, whatsoever. I simply can never afford the dollars it takes to go on an NR cruise in good conscience.

[Captain Hate]

Has the turd vac been employed today because I'm not seeing a lot of comments by a "Buck" who is subsequently being addressed?

Mrs H and I took Maggie on a day trip to northwestern New York today; Barcelona Harbor and Chautauqua to be specific. A relaxing and unexciting way to spend a warm Sunday morning and afternoon.

[hit and run]

I want to make sure that Sara knows I desperately want her there if we do Bristol.

At this point, this is all just my weekend ramblings.

But if it ever got serious, I will personally do whatever it takes to make sure you can come if we actually go ahead with the plans.

[hit and run]

Clarice:
I hope you removed the safety pin before sitting out in the hot sun.

As the fates would have it, I did remove the safety pin after awaking this morning.

Mostly because I feared freaking out other parents in the neighborhood. I mean, not that anyone here would see that and think it's out of character, but just that they wouldn't want their kids to see such a spectacle.

I am a spectacle.

We can all agree on that.

[AliceH]

Bristol in the Summer... Thanks for the invite, Hit. It sounds like a LOT of fun, but I'm just not sure I can overcome my transit-aversion hurdles. I'm not a happy driver and 9+ hrs exceeds my capabilities. Air travel has turned into a can't-get-there-from-here scenario, with 2-3hr lags at each point.

But! - I'm not quite discounting the possibility. I'll think about it.

[Sara]

Cool! :)

[hit and run]

Captain:
Has the turd vac been employed today because I'm not seeing a lot of comments by a "Buck" who is subsequently being addressed?

Indeed.

The Buck stops here.

[hit and run]

Alice:
Bristol in the Summer... Thanks for the invite, Hit. It sounds like a LOT of fun, but

Isn't Bristol typically in the spring?!11?!!? I'll let peeps more tuned in verify.

I'm not quite discounting the possibility. I'll think about it.

Peer pressure should do the trick. Stay tuned.

Sara:
Cool! :)

I am neither confirming nor denying that giving Sara a hug is on my bucket list. I am certainly not denying it.

[AliceH]

This is, Bristol was scheduled for March and August. Next year I can't seem to readily determine - maybe both, maybe just one.

[hit and run]

March! We can either celebrate Mitt's victory, or plot our escape from Obama's freedom from ever having to face an election again.

[Extraneus]

The car elevator thing is pretty lame. I know at least two guys with car elevators. They make a million or two on their best years, and have collected some cars.

At first, their garages were able to handle the cars. After one or two more cars, they built separate garages for the cars. After another car or two, they expanded the garages. After that, one or two more cars required either expanding further or building another level. Thus, the elevators.

The sick point the left is making is obviously that people shouldn't have enough money to do this.

Btw, these people spread their money around - to the former car owners, construction people, property tax collectors, etc.

"I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." -- Barack Obama, off-teleprompter

[hit and run]

"I do think, at a certain point, you've made enough money"
--stuff Obama said about Romney, but not about James Cameron or Matt Damon or Harrison Ford or Julia Roberts or Warren Buffet or Jeffrey Immelt or Lloyd Blankfein or Jamie Dimon or Vikram Pandit or...

[Sara]

The car elevator was estimated, I think, to be about $60,000, but if you see how the house sits and you know how bad parking is in La Jolla and you have a spouse who in the next few years will most likely be wheelchair bound, it is a necessary expense. Besides, it is his money to spend as he wants. He drives a 7 or 8 year old car. Would anyone bat an eye if he spent $60,000 on a new car?

[Extraneus]

He drives a 7 or 8 year old car.

Then he's not spreading his money around? Rather than bitch about the elevator, people should ask Romney why he won't buy more cars.

I could see avoiding GM and Chrysler, but come on! How else are we going to come out of the slump if people with money don't buy cars?

[Danube of Thought]

A guy in the next block--a Mexican TV mogul--just sold his mansion and moved into the dream mansion he just built right on the shore of the bay. Our contractor did the construction, and delights in telling us how the guy spends money (e.g., this summer's family trip is to the North Pole).

No bell or whistle has been omitted in the new palazzo, which includes a kayak elevator. Yes, that's right. Eat your heart ouy, Mitt.