Picking on media matters isn’t very sporting (too easy). But this is a good read. Hacks are all for big government when their guys are in charge.

But the leader of the aliens, Anna, is a charismatic speaker who people get really into. Some characters compared the devotion to the visitors to religion and messiah figures. Anna spoke of hope and change. The visitors offered universal health care to the people. And the press agreed to ask questions that would not portray the visitors in a negative light. I don’t know if the writers of the show did that on purpose but a lot of the things were rather similar to criticism of Obama and some things were definitely similar to Obama. I laughed.

Update and bump: Also, seriously, 29 spaceships enter the atmosphere and hover above major cities. And people don’t bug out? If giant space craft landed over Maryville, me, the wife, and the kids would be hitting the back forty with lots of guns, skinning bucks, running trot lines, and doing other things from Hank Jr. songs. I wouldn’t be hanging around to see what happened.

Update: From Bitter, similar thoughts at the Chicago Tribune.

Congress is actually using your tax dollars to pay social scientists to find ways they can avoid actually talking to their constituents while improving their chances of reelection.

Of course, with two Democrats in the race (though one was called a Republican), that makes this even more hopey changey. The supposed Republican dropped out and endorsed the Democrat. I guess even more than party over country is two-party system over anything. Since the two parties have spent considerable time rigging the game.

And more ‘transparency‘.

Ya know, on the few things I thought I’d like about Obama (open government, putting bills on line, etc.), he’s been an abject failure.

Hope and change:

More than 40% of President Obama’s top-level fundraisers have secured posts in his administration, from key executive branch jobs to diplomatic postings in countries such as France, Spain and the Bahamas, a USA TODAY analysis finds.

Twenty of the 47 fundraisers that Obama’s campaign identified as collecting more than $500,000 have been named to government positions, the analysis found.

And that’s from USA Today who, unusually, has some harsh words for the president. It’s like the new president smell has worn off or something.

He who spends time passing trivial legislation may find himself out of time to read healthcare bill

Well played, sir. Well played.

On Friday, I’m taking part in a debate that will be broadcast on C-SPAN. Howard Dean and I will be crossing rhetorical swords with Dick Armey and John Kasich on the question “America’s Future: Can Capitalism Survive?” The event will be moderated by Joe Scarborough. I plan to make the point that what we have right now is not actually capitalism — it’s corporatism. It’s welfare for the rich. It’s the government picking winners and losers. It’s Wall Street having their taxpayer-funded cake and eating it too. It’s socialized losses and privatized gains.

Some gun polls.

Think we’ll see any accusations of racism here?

Via Bruce.

So does Yahoo news.

Meanwhile, CNN hasn’t updated the recession watch page since 2008. What’s different?

And if you win, you better live up to some requests people are making.

Boy, talk about alienating your base.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) declared in a radio interview that same sex marriage is part of a socialist agenda to undermine “the foundations of individual rights and liberties.”

Yeah, they’re the ones doing that. It was totally the gays who passed roving wiretaps; mandated two flush toilets; made it a felony to import lobsters in bags and not boxes; eliminated my right to choose which light bulbs I can use; mandated that all my banking transactions be monitored; and said I needed a proctological exam to board an airplane. That was the gays alright and not boneheads whose names start with Rep.

However, the actions taken over the past year have led to real and justified fears that such unprecedented government intervention will become the norm — that the government will just keep growing, with no way to pay for the increased spending.

We just had a big media to-do about one politico calling another one a liar. And the story was about how rude that was. Not whether or not the president was lying or not.

Look, I know this probably sounds arrogant to say,” the president said, “but I redefined the Republican Party.

Redefined or set back substantially? Tuh may toe. Tuh mah toe.

Congrats for turning both parties into big government, nanny staters.

Meanwhile, good for Barack Obama: The president does not believe that the criticism… is based on the color of his skin

Update: Zing: Dissent is the greatest form of racism.

the $60 billion or so given to G.M. and Chrysler is likely to prove a bad investment for taxpayers (which may explain why no one else was rushing to invest in these companies).

And, of course, it may have been illegal.

Update: When Bush spoke to students, Democrats investigated, held hearings

If Americans could vote to keep or replace the entire Congress, 57% would throw out all the legislators and start over again. Just 25% would vote to keep the Congress.

And, yet, incumbents are still re-elected about 95% of the time. If you want to throw the bums out, you gotta start with your bum first.

It ought to be less embarrassing to have been influenced by Ayn Rand than by Karl Marx.

It is.

doesn’t good taste dictate that ObamaCare advocates wait at least one business day before using Ted Kennedy’s death to agitate for health care reform?

As Wellstone’s untimely death showed, never waste a tragedy.

Party above all.

Update: It’s like there’s a well-orchestrated campaign or something?

Did rifle-toting Obama protester help or hurt gun rights?

Heck, the press is covering non-threats more vigorously.

Via Tam.

* That verbal gag sounded better in my head than when I wrote it.

White House Backs Right to Arms Outside Obama Events

Armed men seen mixing with protesters outside recent events held by President Obama acted within the law, the White House said Tuesday, attempting to allay fears of a security threat.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said people are entitled to carry weapons outside such events if local laws allow it. “There are laws that govern firearms that are done state or locally,” he said. “Those laws don’t change when the president comes to your state or locality.”

I guess this had one of the desired results.

A black man lawfully carries his AR-15 at a political rally. The press loses its collective shit, tossing it over in the corner with its objectivity. And the reactions from the pro-gun side are varied. I’m on record as saying it’s a poor marketing decision. Some say it’s good. Others say it was a bad thing. First, the scenario:

those open carry advocates at yesterday’s event in Arizona arranged for a police liaison the day before the event, and were constantly afforded security by the Phoenix Police Department and had at least one known Secret Service agent shadowing them to assure they were following the law. These citizens were never anywhere near the President, nor did they attempt to go anywhere near the Secret Service’s security perimeter that cordoned off the event and the building in which it was held.

A rather different picture than the one painted by the press who acted as though the situation was out of control. The press never tried to interview the guy. Rather, just displayed their ire and distrust of a black man with a gun.

Several gun bloggers also thought it was a bad idea:

Sebastian: part of breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions about gun owners being deviant or abnormal is to act normal. Normal people do not walk around with AR-15s slung over their shoulders

Jeffy Weffy: I have to waver, though, on slinging on a rifle as you protest an event — regardless of who the speaker is — because it naturally coarsens the conversation and serves no justifiable purpose other than to attempt, by visual means, to silence the other side by an implied threat that you will use whatever means possible to achieve your side’s goal.

David: I can’t say as I’m fond of the idea — the media is quick to portray gun rights activists as menacing or intimidating, and there’s no reason to set the stage for just that.

Conversely, other gun bloggers disagree. Commenter Steve says: How long will it be before the public starts to think, “Wow, this is about the tenth/hundredth/millionth time somebody wore a gun to an event……AND NOTHING HAPPENED!!! It’s news because it’s unusual. Once it’s usual, it will stop being news.

Well, it just takes once. Robb addresses the marketing aspect: THE MEDIA HATES US. Get used to it. We will never get good, national coverage. To worry about how the media is going to portray us is asinine. Because of their inability to remain objective, more and more people are no longer trusting the MSM, but that’s still going to be a thorn in the side of gun owners for decades to come.

Linoge brings the civil rights analogies.

And Oleg offers: Showing up with openly carried arms took bravery and preparation. I am sure that the people using their Constitutional rights would have been molested had it not been for the media and individual attention. The admission by the various reporters that open carry is legal in many states is the payoff from the calculated risk taken by the demonstrators.

Sebastian rounds up reaction.

As for what I think? It’s good and bad for the reasons outlined above. The question is was it more good than bad? Frankly, your average non-gun-nut that I have discussed this with seems unconcerned by the whole idea. And, as long as there’s no violence, will remain unconcerned. Seems like a win to me.

We don’t have those around here. But if we did, I’d probably shop there.

We’re just at the upper end of the Soap Box, and the Obama-bots are screaming as if we were up to the Cartridge Box.

New Gallup poll shows town hall protests winning over independents?

Well, the USPS is losing money. So, sell it to Netflix. Lysander Spooner would be proud.

Meanwhile, here’s an actual craigslist ad:

DEFEND President Obama’s Health Care Plan over August Recess! $500+/wk (Capitol Hill)

Plus what we can learn from the debacle that is TennCare.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told The New York Times Obama intends to use the news conference as a “six-month report card,” to talk about “how we rescued the economy from the worst recession”

Followed by why we need to pass energy, environment, and health care bills.

Meanwhile, those of us here in the real world who notice that our payroll is running about 50% what it was last year and margins and volume are down will have questions. And be told that You’re going to destroy my presidency.

Update: Michael in comments: Mission Accomplished!

I have a feeling we’ll see more of the Palin bogeyman soon.

I did not imagine the day when we could get such a bill out for a full vote in either house, particularly with the current make-up of Congress, was already here. Even if it doesn’t pass, we seem to be doing very well at the moment — which could change at any moment, of course.

Schumer is threatening a filibuster.

If the healthcare system proposed by Democrats in Congress is so good, why are they exempting themselves from it while forcing it on the rest of us?

Because they’re better than us.