Month: December 2008

Bankrupted Brands

By Patrick Appel
Massie opines:

The perception that GM and Ford and Chrysler build crappy cars is just another obstacle to recovery. And of course it’s a perception that, even if out of date, is predicated upon the bitter memories of the crap cars they really did build. Turns out it takes a while for that perception to fade.

(Hat tip: Megan)

Not Rocket Science

By Patrick Appel
A reader writes:

Dr. Chu is a Nobel Laureate, a biochemist, and an experimental physicist — but he’s not a rocket scientist!  I am a rocket scientist, and my wife is a biochemist, so please believe me on this: rocket science is much simpler than either of those fields.  I know that you were reusing Ambinder’s headline, and that the phrase has become a throwaway synonym for "smart guy", but surely "Nobel Laureate" or "Accomplished Researcher" would serve as well and be more accurate.  Secretary Rice is an accomplished concert pianist, but I hope nobody would abbreviate that to "rock star".

The Dividing Line

By Patrick Appel
Patrick Ruffini calls upon Republicans to police the Obama-is-not-a-citizen lie:

The Obama citizenship smear hasn’t gained traction in mainstream conservative circles, but this is exactly the kind of stunt the left will use to tar all conservatives and silence legitimate criticism of Obama and his policies. We need to be vociferously calling out people who traffic in this nonsense.

Nothing To Talk About

By Patrick Appel
Joe Klein demonstrates why I try to avoid TV news:

I’ve been watching cable news this afternon [sic]–I know, get a life!–and you know, Barack Obama comes from the same state as Rod Blagoyevich. That is really suspicious! What did he know and when did he know it? This is the first major scandal of the Obama Administration! He has to explain himself. You notice he hasn’t had any press conferences since this thing broke…oh, wait. He’s having a press conference tomorrow…And Patrick Fitzgerald said that Obama is no way involved in this? I’ll bet! That’s not what Sean Hannity thinks! It’s a coverup for sure. Will Obama be the first President to be impeached before he’s inaugurated?

Rocket Scientist Secretary

By Patrick Appel
Fallows is very pleased that Obama has picked Steven Chu as the new Secretary of Energy:

…the ability of an incoming administration to select such people, and — even trickier — convince them it will be worth their while to move to Washington and wrestle with the most complicated politico / technical / diplomatic problems, given all the hassles and built-in frustrations and lack of privacy in governmental life, is both surprising and encouraging. Very good news.

Jindal, 2016?

By Patrick Appel
Drum on Jindal choosing not to run in 2012:

I’d say this confirms that Jindal isn’t an idiot. Sure, it’s possible that Barack Obama is going to crash and burn and turn 2012 into a Republican year. But what are the odds? Far more likely is that Obama is a shoo-in for a second term, and whoever runs against him will suffer the same fate as George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Bob Dole, and Bob Kerry. The GOP will find someone to embark on this suicide run, but it will have to be someone both dumber and with a lot more jejune self-regard than Jindal. Palin 2012!

Unable To Admit Defeat

By Patrick Appel
Bush still believes in Miers:

Asked whether he believes Harriet Miers “would have been excellent on the court,” the president quickly responded, “Absolutely. Absolutely, no question in my mind…and there’s no doubt in my mind that my dear friend, Harriet Miers, would have had the same judicial philosophy 20 years after I went home, and had the intellectual firepower to do the job.” Bush said he felt it was important to pick a judicial candidate who was “not part of the judicial-nominee club — she went to SMU Law School” and who was a pioneer in her own law firm. His regret about the Miers case, he told us, was that “this really, really good person got chucked out there and, man, the lions tore her up.”

Suderman responds:

For Bush, it’s not just winning, but being seen to win, no matter the consequences, hence Iraq, hence his continued support of Miers  — a battle he lost, but still refuses to admit defeat. Troublingly, this habit seems to have infected a substantial number of voters on the right; for conservatism to succeed, it will have to find a way to mitigate, if not fully purge, this tendency.

Bingo.