Flop.

You guys aren't supposed to criticize Marco Rubio. He is a minority. I charge racism.

Cuban American's don't count :-)

You guys aren't supposed to criticize Marco Rubio. He is a minority. I charge racism.

Hey, some of my best friends floated to this country on an inner tube!

Presenting, lady and gentlemen, the voice of the open-minded, tolerant, dogma-free far left.

Howdy folks, Yankee Redneck here.

Marco Rubio didn't float on a tube. He already arrived in Little Havana playing 3rd base and sucking at it!

Anytime one feels there is some vast conspiricy in the government, a shadowy cabal that lurks in the shadows...one should visit a DMV or a tax office. *That* is what the government is really like.

The last five or six times I have visited the DMV it has been quick with really good service.

The last five or six times I have visited the DMV it has been quick with really good service.

That'll happen as you get older. No shame in that, man.

That'll happen as you get older. No shame in that, man.

Get off ... my ... lawn?

The last five or six times I have visited the DMV it has been quick with really good service.

Same for the last time I got there. I just figured they were onto me...which means there *is* a vast conspiricy...boxes within boxes man.

Hacker collective Anonymous purportedly released a statement today claiming to have averted attempted voter fraud during the election. If true, I assume Rove's reaction gave them all the lulz they needed.

Hacker collective Anonymous purportedly released a statement today claimed to have averted attempted voter fraud during the election. If true, I assume Rove's reaction gave them all the lulz they needed.

I assume this is mostly ########, but the 0.01% chance that it is true makes that Rove meltdown 1000 times funnier.

I'm waiting for word that Anon really did mess with Israel, and that the Mossad has killed them all.

Is the Catholic Church the "Christian left" nowadays? Rubio is a Catholic. The Church teaches that the Bible is not incompatible with the Earth's age of 4.6 billion years. Period.

Oh yeah, the Papists, such good friends of rational thought. In medieval days they'd probably just have this fellow tortured to death, I'm sure he knows how fortunate he is to live in a time where the political power of the Pope has disappeared.

Breaking...

Daily News columnist Mike Lupica wins Damon Runyon Award

Daily News columnist and best-selling author Mike Lupica has won the 19th annual Damon Runyon Award, one of the most prestigious awards in American journalism.

The Runyon Award, presented by the Denver Press Club, is given annually to a journalist whose work best exemplifies the vivid writing style of Damon Runyon, an early member of the oldest press club in the country.

Love this part:

Daily News columnist Mike Lupica has what every columnist craves — ‘a must-read factor,’ Daily News editor-in-chief Colin Myler says.

Tee. Hee.

No word on whether this harsh critic of steroids users has commented on Bill Conlin's child molestation issues.

Hacker collective Anonymous purportedly released a statement today claiming to have averted attempted voter fraud during the election.

They specifically seem to be claiming that they kept ORCA from working.

Perhaps Senator Rubio is unaware that science—and its sisters engineering and technology— are actually the very foundation of our country’s economy? All of our industry, all of our technology, everything that keeps our country functioning at all can be traced back to scientific research and a scientific understanding of the Universe.

No, that would be Jesus.

They specifically seem to be claiming that they kept ORCA from working.

They seem to be claiming that 1) ORCA was intended to increase votes for Romney as needed (in some way other than just GOTV coordination) and that 2) they stopped that.

Of course, as idiotically twee as that "press release" was, it's impossible to tell.

They specifically seem to be claiming that they kept ORCA from working.

Since ORCA wasn't going to get hundreds of thousands of people who were going to stay home to vote Romney if it worked properly anyway, that claim is hilarious.

"Twee" is the latest Wes Anderson film, or a Gomez release.

What you've got there, is some "authentic frontier gibberish" ...

Of course, as idiotically twee as that "press release" was, it's impossible to tell.

It doesn't make any sense, of course, but it makes for amusement to watch.

Of course, as idiotically twee as that "press release" was, it's impossible to tell.

shhhhhh, don't talk trash about Anonymous, what are you, nuts?

HE LOVES YA GUYS, RICKY'S JUST BEING HIS USUAL WACKY SELF! Haw haw Ricky, you so crazy!

So there's a limit to this 2nd Amendment protection to bear arms. It lies somewhere between Tim with a stick and Sam with a suitcase nuke.

The question - the *only* question - is where we draw the line. And no matter how much people like Joe want to argue that the line isn't arbitrarily drawn, it is in fact arbitrary. Somewhere to the right of muskets, somewhere to the left of grenade launchers, with a lot of sturm und drang about "assault rifles" and large capacity clips for hand guns. Joe wants to play Potter Stewart on the question and beg out that he knows it when he sees it, but I think rational people can agree that that argument is a load of unadulterated ####.

Nonsense. I've never claimed the Second Amendment was absolute, and we've only debated "the line" within the context of your silly "gotcha" game in which the legality of banning suitcase nukes implies the legality to ban all people from possessing all types of firearms.

(I'll note that you said "somewhere to the right of muskets" above, which is the most explicit you've been when it comes to admitting one's right to keep and bear firearms.)

The point is not to let the cheap homeowner sponge off others. It's to take that decision out of his hands, one way or the other.

Why not leave the decision in his hands, though? (My default position re gummint) If he wants to gamble that his house won't burn down, and assuming his house burning won't affect his neighbors, it's a gamble he should be able to take. I do know people right on the line, who can't keep their homes and pay insurance (which, to be sure, is more expensive than the $75 fee mentioned upthread and a rather different deal, so it may be apples and oranges....).

And I think we're all pretty solidly on the same ground that everyone has the natural right to carry around a mid-sized stick, right?

Many years ago I was the night manager at a gas station in a sketchy part of town. One night I had to call the cops when some loony carrying a mid-sized stick kept approaching customers at the pumps, asking (or maybe 'asking') for money. He ended up going to jail for a few weeks, and then came back and repeated the process.

Yeah--even a mid-sized stick isn't something you can wander around with with impunity. If it's cylindrical, larger at one end, and autographed, with the small end shoved through a large, leather glove, and you're walking purposefully, you're probably fine. If it's a 3 foot length of 2 by 4, or even just a baseball bat, try walking up and down the same block in NYC. I give you on average one hour before the cops show up, and they aren't going to ask you a couple of polite questions then let you get back to walking up and down the block carrying your mid-sized stick.

From The Week article linked to earlier:

1. The GOP has a deep bench of up-and-coming stars
"The party's superstars are coming of age," says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post. The Republican primary field in 2012 was exceptionally weak, with a frontrunner no one could love, and a host of fringe figures — Herman Cain, anyone? — who never had a chance against Obama. The GOP's 2016 stable potentially includes a slate of solid governors — Bob McDonnell of Virginia, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Chris Christie of New Jersey — as well as prominent figures in Washington, such as Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.). All of them "have significantly more star power than Romney," says Cillizza.

The Week is the sort of rag that presents as 'news' whatever competing idiocy the far right is currently upchucking: 'Is Romney Really Ahead? Many Pundits Think So.' One test of someone's seriousness is whether they think ####### Bob McDonell has a chance of winning anything on the national stage. Governor Ultrasound has no chance of winning an election outside Virginia. In fact, his position on abortion and reproductive rights generally make him a poisonous pick for the veep slot.

Re hunting for food, of course, have at it; may those who hunt for 'sport', though, find themselves used as human skeet when the Aldeberrans show up for the galactic games.

#9114:
Daily News columnist and best-selling author Mike Lupica has won the 19th annual Damon Runyon Award, one of the most prestigious awards in American journalism

Am I alone in never having heard about one of the most prestigious awards in American journalism before today?

Award is given to journalist whose work best exemplifies the vivid writing style of legendary columnist Damon Runyon

Past winners include those renowned press room wordsmiths Bob Costas, Ed Bradley, Tom Brokaw and Ted Turner.

He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper when he joined the Daily News in 1977.

Lupica turned 25 in 1977, the same age that Leonard Koppett was when he joined the New York Herald Tribune. Dick Young was 24 when he started writing for the New York Daily News. Art Buchwald started writing his column for the New York Herald tribune at age 24. Franklin Pierce Adams was a columnist for the New York Evening Mail at age 23. Dorothy Kilgallen's successful column debuted for the New York Evening Journal at age 23, her fourth year with the paper. John Crosby was a columnist for the New York Herald tribune at age 23. Walter Winchell was a columnist for the Vaudeville News at age 23. Heywood Broun was a columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph by age 23. Sylvia Schur was writing for PM at age 22. W.C. Heinz was writing for the New York Sun at age 22. Rona Barrett's column was syndicated in New York papers at age 21. George W. Daley was a correspondent for the New York World at age 20. Ward Morehouse started at the New York Tribune at age 19. Dan Daniel started with the New York Herald at age 19. Arthur Brisbane was a full-time writer for the New York Sun at age 18. Jimmy Cannon started as a copyboy at the New York Daily News at age 17, and was soon writing a radio column. I would have liked to offer this small correction to the Daily News oft-cited claim that Mike Lupica was the youngest columnist "ever," but wouldn't you know it, they're not accepting public comments.

Lupica is not only annoying to adults, he's a threat to our nation's youth.

Am I alone in never having heard about one of the most prestigious awards in American journalism before today?

No. It's so prestigious that when you search for "Damon Runyon Award" it instead shows results for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

Rick Reilly won the award in 2009. Ha.

Why not leave the decision in his hands, though? (My default position re gummint) If he wants to gamble that his house won't burn down, and assuming his house burning won't affect his neighbors, it's a gamble he should be able to take. I do know people right on the line, who can't keep their homes and pay insurance (which, to be sure, is more expensive than the $75 fee mentioned upthread and a rather different deal, so it may be apples and oranges....).

But in this situation the person is opting out both ways. The guy in Tennessee who didn't pay his $75 also would have been making no contribution if someone else's house was burning down. In fact, when his own house burned down, the other people still had to send the fire department there to protect their own property. Probably not all that much money/resources was saved, if any.

Fire prevention efforts presumably predated government efforts to do so. It was a societal thing, not a governmental one. If you wanted to be a good neighbor and not a pariah, you might have been expected to take your turn on the bucket brigade. Or you could buy some buckets, ladders, etc. for those on the bucket brigade, or bandage the injured, or some sort of contribution. Or if you were too disabled to help at all, and had no money or resources to contribute to the fire prevention efforts, and still wanted to live in your own home, you could recognize that you are racking up bills that you cannot pay and recognize you are a charity case. Sooner or later, you are going to need someone else's help, and you apparently have nothing to compensate them with, except property with which you are unwilling to part.

The point is not to let the cheap homeowner sponge off others. It's to take that decision out of his hands, one way or the other.

Why not leave the decision in his hands, though? (My default position re gummint) If he wants to gamble that his house won't burn down, and assuming his house burning won't affect his neighbors, it's a gamble he should be able to take.

The problem is that puts his family at the risk of his dubious discretion, and IMO that's too important a factor to be sacrificed on the whim of a principle, however much I'd instinctively agree with the principle. If the person lives by himself, and if his house burning down doesn't impact his neighbors, then that's another story.

But even then, there's the chance that his payment got lost in the mail or filed in the wrong folder. These things can happen. Which is why garnishing that fee in advance from his wages might be a better solution than just letting the house burn down.

I do know people right on the line, who can't keep their homes and pay insurance (which, to be sure, is more expensive than the $75 fee mentioned upthread and a rather different deal, so it may be apples and oranges....).

And of course that's the best reason for just using common sense and funding the fire department adequately, through the general tax fund. How fees ever got involved in the question of firefighting in the first place is beyond me. It's like towns are conflating public safety departments with Delta Airlines or Verizon.

Fire prevention efforts presumably predated government efforts to do so. It was a societal thing, not a governmental one

I believe it was Crassus who is credited with organizing the first formal fire department - for-profit, natch.

But in this situation the person is opting out both ways. The guy in Tennessee who didn't pay his $75 also would have been making no contribution if someone else's house was burning down.

Yeah... I wasn't smart, using the person linked to to try to make a difficult point. Too many variables and, as Nick noted, he's hardly a solitary agent in this. Besides, fire is far too dangerous to use in an example of 'opting out' of programs, since it's in practice never an isolated thing. Hell, even burning a pile of leaves safely in your backyard triggers a kid's asthma attack a mile down the road.

Ugh. I had The Shock Doctrine playing in the background last night. If you could go back in time and strangle one little bastard in his crib, would it be Hitler, or Milton Friedman? Watching Paul Bremer talk privatization is like watching a guy rubbing excrement in his hair while babbling on about his cool grooming technique. And Margaret Thatcher blowing Augusto Pinochet as he's being hauled off to the pokey just leaves you thinking, 'at least they nailed one of these #####'.

If you could go back in time and strangle one little bastard in his crib, would it be Hitler, or Milton Friedman?

Brilliant!

HE LOVES YA GUYS, RICKY'S JUST BEING HIS USUAL WACKY SELF! Haw haw Ricky, you so crazy!

It's too late - they've already set his goat on fire.

It's too late - they've already set his goat on fire.

They're sending these guys after him. (yes, I feel dirty for linking to an SNL clip)

Allen West conceded last night - I believe that's the last outstanding race, putting the Dems at +8 in the House this cycle -- a very, very strong showing in a Presidential reelect year, especially in the modern era. It's also impressive given that the PA and NC bloodbaths weren't quite as bad as expected (without going back to look it up, I think Charlie Cook had the national redistricting as adding up to +3 GOP based solely on PVI). Congressional Dems look like they totaled about 1% more than congressional Republicans nationally.

The braying jackass caucus lost two members in West and Joe Walsh - but just to show my bipartisan bonafides, I'll say they picked up one with Alan Grayson returning to congress.

2014 should be interesting in that I see only two Dems still occupying GOP-tilted PVI seats -- Matheson in Utah and Barrow in Georgia, while the current districts make it a hard slog for the Dems, they do have some PA, NY, FL, VA, and possibly midwest seats that are targets.

All in all, a good season for Team D.

The problem is that puts his family at the risk of his dubious discretion, and IMO that's too important a factor to be sacrificed on the whim of a principle, however much I'd instinctively agree with the principle. If the person lives by himself, and if his house burning down doesn't impact his neighbors, then that's another story.

But even then, there's the chance that his payment got lost in the mail or filed in the wrong folder. These things can happen. Which is why garnishing that fee in advance from his wages might be a better solution than just letting the house burn down.

My initial reaction is to let the guy's house burn down as well, but these two points do give me pause. What happens, for example, if the house contains a 17 year old kid who has a job, has saved, maybe bought some things. She is legally prohibited from even having her own account, let alone moving out, so is at the whim of her parents and their poor decisions. Do we need to redraw the line, or does the government step in, or what? I see issues (both principled and practical) with any potential solution, so I am just not sure.

The second issue is just as real. The last time I paid my county car registration by check, they lost it and sent me a bill with penalties. While it was pretty easy to get it fixed, it did take time (just about a week). Not sure what I would have done if it involved a fire, apart from keeping the receipt at the house at all times. I suppose the way to fix that is allow the homeowner to sue the fire department if they screw that up, but there are a lot of items that can't be replaced with money. Again, not a great solution.

I believe that's the last outstanding race,

One left - McIntyre in NC leads, but probably headed for a recount. It would be a Democratic hold.

One left - McIntyre in NC leads, but probably headed for a recount. It would be a Democratic hold.

Oops - yeah, that's right... forgot McIntyre... that's one of the relatively surprising (likely, I guess) D holds in NC. NC-7 was redistricted into a R+5 district, so that's probably a 3rd 2014 GOP target.

I'll note that you said "somewhere to the right of muskets" above, which is the most explicit you've been when it comes to admitting one's right to keep and bear firearms.)

I'll note that your continued inability to read for comprehension limits your usefulness in adult conversation to something akin to a blood leech. (I will give consideration to the possibility that you *can* read but choose not to because you're just too lazy to address the arguments at hand, preferring instead to attack strawmen left and right.)

Allen West conceded last night - I believe that's the last outstanding race, putting the Dems at +8 in the House this cycle -- a very, very strong showing in a Presidential reelect year, especially in the modern era. It's also impressive given that the PA and NC bloodbaths weren't quite as bad as expected (without going back to look it up, I think Charlie Cook had the national redistricting as adding up to +3 GOP based solely on PVI). Congressional Dems look like they totaled about 1% more than congressional Republicans nationally.

They'll lose them again in 2014.

All in all, a good season for Team D.

Yes, it turns out that when you promise a bunch of goodies to enough groups of people, you build a "coalition" of people who will vote for you and you win elections.

As discussed a few pages ago, Romney's post-election observations were correct, so it's left as an exercise to the reader why liberals pretended his comments were deluded.

Yes, it turns out that when you promise a bunch of goodies to enough groups of people, you build a "coalition" of people who will vote for you and you win elections.

Turns out if you run for government office on the platform of \"#### you, I gots mine" you lose.

Turns out if you run for government office on the platform of \"#### you, I gots mine" you lose.

In other words, you agree with Romney. Just highlighting that.

Warren Rudman has died.

Warren Rudman has died.

As David Brooks and Tom Friedman rewrite the ledes to their next columns without changing any of the arguments...

My prediction is: Two things died in Concord, New Hampshire, this week. You know about one, the distinguished Warren Rudman, whose body was laid to rest. The other was the spirit of bipartisanship he represented. We're still saying last rites over that one...

I love the free stuff thing. The overwhelming individual recipients of government largesse are elderly white people, who I am pretty sure were a solid Romney bloc.

It wasn't the free stuff that created the coalition - it was being called freeloaders by the GOP. Asian Americans are the best off economic group in the country, and voted for Obama at the same rate as Latinos. Turns out racism, disguised or no, just isn't appealing to anyone but the white voters the GOP already had.

It wasn't the free stuff that created the coalition - it was being called freeloaders by the GOP. Asian Americans are the best off economic group in the country, and voted for Obama at the same rate as Latinos. Turns out racism, disguised or no, just isn't appealing to anyone but the white voters the GOP already had.

Yep.

Yes, it turns out that when you promise a bunch of goodies to enough groups of people, you build a "coalition" of people who will vote for you and you win elections.

So the Republican strategy of promising a bunch of goodies to a small group of fabulously wealthy people wasn't a winner this time? I blame the blah people. You know how they are.

In other words, you agree with Romney. Just highlighting that.

No, I disagree with Romney on a fundamental level. I don't think government services are "gifts." I don't think the ACA is a "gift" any more than I think the Marine Corps is a gift.