How well does the historical analogy work?
The Non-Voters Support Me
Obama’s presser today reminds me of this Usenet classic:
To the tune of “My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean”.
The lurkers support me in email
They all think I’m great don’t you know.
You posters just don’t understand me
But soon you will reap what you sow.Lurkers, lurkers, lurkers support me, you’ll see, you’ll see
off in e-mail the lurkers support me, you’ll see.Oh it’s true, and you know they support me.
There’s thousands of lurkers out there!
They all understand my intentions
you posters are not being fair!Lurkers, lurkers, lurkers support me, you’ll see, you’ll see
off in e-mail the lurkers support me, you’ll seeThe lurkers support me in email
“So why don’t they post?” you all cry
They’re scared of your hostile intentions
they’re not as courageous as I.Lurkers, lurkers, lurkers support me, you’ll see, you’ll see
off in e-mail the lurkers support me, you’ll seeOne day I’ll round up all my lurkers
we’ll have a newsgroup of our own
without all this flak from you morons
my lurkers will post round my throne.Lurkers, lurkers, lurkers support me, you’ll see, you’ll see
off in e-mail the lurkers support me, you’ll see.
Good times, good times.
Interstellar: Fantastic Visuals
…with an “undercurrent of cheesiness.” It looks like, as with Gravity, it will be beautifully annoying.
Immigration Reform
Looks like it as at least partially responsible for the Democrat carnage.
The New Women Of The GOP
Here they are. I think, or at least hope, that Texas and Colorado finally put a stake through the heart of the idiotic fake “war on women.”

Manchin
Will he switch parties? Seems like it would make a lot of sense.
Remember, The GOP Is A “Regional” Party
Obama The Day After
I think Rick Wilson has his number:
First, you’ll see his barely-contained contempt for the voters. After the briefest nod to their unhappiness, they’ll be described as angry, disaffected, and easily fooled by dark money and deceptive television ads. If only America was smart enough to understand his vision. If only they had his advantages of godlike wisdom and preternatural intelligence they’d understand what a terrible mistake they’ve just made. He’ll be very sad for them, really.
Next, he’ll punch the Washington media’s buttons with his usual phony construct of “I’m willing to work with anyone, Republican or Democrat, to get things done for this country.” Anyone, that is, except those mouth-breathing, cousin-marrying, snake-handling, slack-jawed, red-state yokels with bad suits and state-college educations. He’ll listen to good ideas, as long as they precisely match his own faculty-lounge vision of technocratic government uber alles. He’ll be open to reforms, except anything to do with the unsullied perfection of Obamacare or any other part of his regulatory overstate. He’ll certainly be willing to talk about the conduct of our foreign and military operations, as long as we remain constrained by his minimalist vision of American interests in the world, and continue to dishearten our allies and comfort our enemies.
What you won’t see in Barack Obama’s eyes or language is real understanding. He’ll say the words the Acela Media expects, and go through the motions at the press conference, but it will be empty of any true realization that this election was a brutal national referendum on his policies and his leadership. This President lacks the fundamental self-awareness of his how his actions (and inaction) brought this day upon him. Obama has always been the student with the gold-star sticker. He’s been told he was brilliant, special, and historic at every inflection point in his life. As a candidate — and as president — he was given every gift, extended every latitude, and cradled in the loving embrace of a media simultaneously enraptured by his charisma and terrified of criticizing the first black President in even the mildest terms.
We were never worthy of him.
John Stewart, Genius
Jon Stewart tells @camanpour that he didnt vote. He just moved, he says, doesnt know where to go to vote.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 4, 2014
@StephenGutowski @jaketapper @camanpour If only there were some comedic television news program to do a funny rant about this.
— Casey Mattox (@CaseyMattoxADF) November 4, 2014
In Defense Of Daring
I respond to Jeffrey Kluger’s Branson bashing, over at The New Atlantis.
[Update a few minutes later]
Meghan McArdle says that of course space tourism will continue. The notion that a fatality in a flight test would destroy an industry is pretty stupid.
Also, nothing has changed in the past decade: Alex Tabarrok still doesn’t understand the difference between orbital and suborbital flight, or between flight test and operations.
