Friday, March 10, 2006

Burns the liberal

I thought Conrad Burns' last radio ad was pretty bad, but the new one seems worse. It starts by bragging about the health of Montana's economy, then gives the reason: the $2 billion in federal funds that Burns has brought to Montana. It concludes: "With his experience and seniority — no one is doing more to create a future of opportunities than Senator Conrad Burns."

Funny thing is, I could swear I heard him say almost exactly the opposite on "Home Ground" a few weeks ago: You can't rely on government to create wealth; private enterprise does that. That was the classic conservative mantra; now he seems to have gone all liberal.

Next thing you know, he'll be drinking with Ted Kennedy.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Question: Do you expect our system of political information that relies on 15-30 second propaganda bytes to also provide enlightenment?

Anonymous said...

"Next thing you know, he'll be drinking with Ted Kennedy."

Bad analogy, Crisp, unless you are saying Conrad will be driving and Ted will be dead.

Anonymous said...

If Burns tries to keep up with Teddy from a standing start, he'll be dead in a week.

Anonymous said...

Oh no David - I thought you'd be the last one to jump on the lets-bash-Burns bandwagon!

Anonymous said...

Interesting how legitimate criticism of either Bush or Burns becomes "bashing." That's so clever I almost suspect it came from Karl Rove. It's a way of creating a protective barrier around people who are woefully deficient in intellectual skills.

Anonymous said...

I mentioned this before Coobs. You somehow think that a coherent argument against criticizing Burns is....."don't criticize Burns!!!" This is not an argument, nor will it ever be. The good thing for you is that it seems to be prudent to you to say it in every single Burns thread you see....... Very astute.

Anonymous said...

When you don't mention any of the good things Senator Burns has done, and only focus on negative press that may or may not be rumor, during an election year, it's bashing.

Anonymous said...

Ladies and gentlemen ... remember before you criticize Mr. Burns, that you must first compliment him.

Anonymous said...

Bloggers Jump to Death in Yellowstone River

Billings MT--A rumor circulating on liberal blog sites has reportedly caused several bloggers to commit suicide by jumping into the icy waters of the Yellowstone River near here.

A Yellowstone County sheriff’s deputy, who refused to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said, “They were all betting Sen. Burns would not be reelected. I guess they were very upset.”

The number and names of the bloggers who plunged to their deaths was unknown. Witnesses at the scene said at least five bodies had been pulled from the freezing waters by 3 PM Eastern Time. The Yellowstone River is extremely cold and high at this time of year.

The mass suicides were apparently triggered when a confidential memo from the Democratic Nation Committee was leaked to liberal bloggers in the state. The memo advised Montana Democrats that it was virtually impossible to unseat Sen. Burns in the November elections.

One blog quoted the DNC memo as saying, “Let’s not get over invested in this. The sad truth is Burns will leave office only if he resigns. There’s no way we can beat him at the polls no matter what we say or do.”

In coordination with the Montana Democratic Party and several state newspapers, the blog sites quoting the memo had been working for weeks to spread rumors about Sen. Burns’ fundraising activities. The attacks against the senator’s character were originally orchestrated by the DNC, the New York Times and the Washington Post. But the effort had been recently assigned to functionaries at the state level.

Anonymous said...

"Rumors." Uh-huh, and Abramoff pleaded guilty to having committed "rumors." Chump.

Anonymous said...

You forgot Roll Call. Another liberal rag.

Anonymous said...

Put aside your knee-jerk rehearsed reactions to everything the other side says, and tell me which party isn't led by the inept and the corrupt.

Anonymous said...

I Dont know who Conrad Burns influenced, but it wasnt me!


I wish he hadn't even been born!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that’s what the lefties in Bozeman are saying about themselves today: “I wish I had never been born!”

It seems all the petite Marxists up at MSU can’t explain for Sen. Burns sending them so much money. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle is spinning the story so fast the ink is flying off its pages:

“Pork-barrel spending is usually defined as federal monies that are awarded based on a politician's clout or connections rather than the worthiness of a project."

Keyword: “USUALLY” (Translation: That’s not the case here. Burns has no clout or connections. And besides, the projects in Bozeman were worthy.)

And all the Burns’ money Bozeman sucked up over the years were “earmarks,” which is actually good pork:

“The biggest recipient of earmarks through the years appears to MSU -- its optical memories materials program has received more than $14 million alone.” (Sic)

Key Phrase: “APPEARS TO BE” (Translation: It looks like it. Maybe it’s true. Who can say for sure?) Note that the writer, Walt Williams, choked on the key phrase and omitted the “be” in “appears to be.” This is a sure sign of dishonesty in any writer’s work. They tend to get nervous when it comes time to obfuscate the truth.

These “earmarks,” when fed to the local university, can also be called “academic pork,” which sounds like a healthy choice:

“It's not surprising, perhaps, that the Chronicle of Higher Education named MSU the 15th largest recipient of academic pork in 2003.”

No surprise there. Other than why they are liberals, the only thing harder for liberals to explain is why they are hypocrites. But that’s what we have reporters for!

Anonymous said...

"petite Marxists?" MSU campus leans right wing - it is, after all, en engineering school first. I've never before heard Marxists described as petite. Anyway, find me one marxist on campus. They are about as common as fascists.

The Chronicle article you quote, Close Reader, says that Montnanans receive $1.64 back for every dollar we send to Washington. What is interesting to watch is the disconnect that goes on in people's minds, wherein they are opposed to taxes and big government, yet take its handouts without feeling a bit of shame. You just spent a whole post justifying pork. I suppose, as a card-carrying conservative, you can also justify huge deficits?

Twenty years ago, Republicans opposed pork and deficits and criticized Democrats. Today the tables have turned 180 degrees. What is fascinating is how the two parties switched sides on the issues without a bit of embarassment. What a system.

Anonymous said...

You're an idiot. The Chronicle spent a whole article "justifying pork." Not me.

You don't know anything about MSU either. I happen to go there.

"Petite Marxists" was a play on "petite bourgeoisie." But you wouldn't know that because you're an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Dear Close Reader,

Are you saying that there are lower middle class Marxists living in Bozeman?

I believe you when you say you "go to Bozeman." You write in the manner of a typical college student.

Anonymous said...

You’re an idiot too. You can’t even read. I said that “I happen to go there.” What is the antecedent of the pronoun “there”? Never mind. You’re an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Please forgive me Close Reader. I was sloppy. I misquoted you. Of course the antecedent is MSU.

You have a penchant for name-calling, but you don't have the guts to use your real name. That shows a lot of character.

Anonymous said...

The Chronicle article in question did not attempt to justify pork. It was a response to Senator Burns statement that $400 million in pork had benefited Gallatin County. The author traced the path of the money, and found that a large portion of it went to MSU, and not to "Gallatin County." But the thrust of the article was to address the disconnect in the minds of people who are at once opposed to government and yet seek its handouts.

I think it is appropriate that anonymous said he happens to go to Bozeman rather than claiming to be a student. I hope he's not typical.

Anonymous said...

Let me fix that for you, spin boy.

"But the thrust of the article was to address the disconnect in the minds of people who are at once opposed to Sen. Burns and yet seek his handouts."

Anonymous said...

Pssst ... I think they were talking about YOU.

Anonymous said...

According ot the latest poll, oth Morrison and Tester and leading Burns.

Anonymous said...

Don't trust the polls like I did!

Anonymous said...

David:

Are you on vacation? 12 days and no new subjects. I'm disappointed. That's why I've never started one. Takes to much time and a daily attention to keep it fresh Heck, it's been so long that we've gone from winter to spring. How about it?

Anonymous said...

David is a busy man. Monday night, at the City Councils work session after I talked to the council about public utilities David was still there taking notes.

The council was discussing their policy on releasing documents to the press.

As I said to David, I'm sure the city will be open and honest with the press now. RIGHT!

Randy said...

"Next thing you know, he'll be drinking with Ted Kennedy."

Knee-walking drunk that is...

Anonymous said...

****crickets chirping*****

R I P Billings Blog