The hatred of expertise is probably the most depressing development over the past year.— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) December 10, 2016
Saturday, December 10
Hatred of Expertise: A Depressing Development Indeed
I saw this tweet earlier and I thought it important enough to share. I would like to think I will write about this in some sort of detail soon, but who knows? For now, it is worth thinking about. And it is worth considering how we change this problem.
Sunday, October 23
Bannon, Breitbart Losing the Debate, Attacks Paul Ryan
Breitbart's demise could have been foretold, as very rarely do great entities continue to prosper after the death of their founder. Breitbart is now just an angry blog with a so-called mission, it is not to be confused with real journalism. Steve Bannon is still running the show, do not be duped to believe otherwise. Bannon is a second-rate mind and an even lower-level "operative." If you need further proof of either of my claims, see these two tweets below, the Breitbart attacks on Speaker Ryan are pathetic and disingenuous.
Self-respecting conservatives should at least refuse to read Bannon's drivel.Nothing more than political Nat'l Enquirer.#ImWithRyan https://t.co/T1L6XmiXGH— Cyndi Springer (@clouspringer) October 23, 2016
John Podhoretz made a great point in March, change the name of the Breitbart blog to something else:With no evidence, Breitbart makes absurd claim that @SpeakerRyan has been working for months to elect @HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/Bq6zay3IJm— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 22, 2016
Please just change the name of Breitbart. Call it anything else. Anything.
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) March 14, 2016
Sunday, September 25
Vin Scully, Babe Ruth and Baseball History
There will be many people who will say many more things about Vin Scully as he enters his last week as the Dodgers broadcaster, and most will say it all much more eloquently than I ever will. I wanted to relay one story while it was fresh on my mind, and while I cannot stop thinking about it.
I watched Vin's last broadcast from Dodger Stadium today. Vin was in fine form, telling some amazing stories. This man is a monument to the game of baseball. Sure, the game will outlive him, as it will outlive all of us, but one story really made me think about Vin Scully's long reach into baseball history.
Vin was telling a story about being at the Polo Grounds as a kid. I don't recall if he mentioned a year, but since he was born in 1927, it's safe to say he was a "kid" in the 1930s. He said that during the game, all of a sudden there was a ruckus out in the upper right field stands. So, being a kid, like all kids, he ran to the scene to check it out. There, was Babe Ruth. Retired from baseball, just there at the game. The Babe wasn't signing autographs that day. Instead, he was handing out business cards that contained his signature. Vin did not mention whether the card had anything else on it, or if it was just a white business card with a signature.
Vin finished the story by saying that he got one of the cards that day at the Polo Grounds.
What happened to the card? Vin said he has no idea, that he lost it somewhere along the way. Here is a man, retiring from the Dodgers broadcast booth after 67 years, and this man met Babe Ruth in the 1930s at the Polo Grounds. It's mind-boggling to think about, even as I write these words.
Baseball cannot escape itself.
It is fun to think back on the great Dodgers (Brooklyn) and Yankees rivalry and think about all the great teams and the great games that Vin saw and got to broadcast. But I am still struck by the fact that as a little red-headed boy back in New York in the 1930s, Babe Ruth had a card with his signature on it, and he handed it to that little boy, who close to 80 years later would be telling that story during a Major League Baseball game.
I watched Vin's last broadcast from Dodger Stadium today. Vin was in fine form, telling some amazing stories. This man is a monument to the game of baseball. Sure, the game will outlive him, as it will outlive all of us, but one story really made me think about Vin Scully's long reach into baseball history.
Vin was telling a story about being at the Polo Grounds as a kid. I don't recall if he mentioned a year, but since he was born in 1927, it's safe to say he was a "kid" in the 1930s. He said that during the game, all of a sudden there was a ruckus out in the upper right field stands. So, being a kid, like all kids, he ran to the scene to check it out. There, was Babe Ruth. Retired from baseball, just there at the game. The Babe wasn't signing autographs that day. Instead, he was handing out business cards that contained his signature. Vin did not mention whether the card had anything else on it, or if it was just a white business card with a signature.
Vin finished the story by saying that he got one of the cards that day at the Polo Grounds.
What happened to the card? Vin said he has no idea, that he lost it somewhere along the way. Here is a man, retiring from the Dodgers broadcast booth after 67 years, and this man met Babe Ruth in the 1930s at the Polo Grounds. It's mind-boggling to think about, even as I write these words.
Baseball cannot escape itself.
It is fun to think back on the great Dodgers (Brooklyn) and Yankees rivalry and think about all the great teams and the great games that Vin saw and got to broadcast. But I am still struck by the fact that as a little red-headed boy back in New York in the 1930s, Babe Ruth had a card with his signature on it, and he handed it to that little boy, who close to 80 years later would be telling that story during a Major League Baseball game.
Friday, September 16
Breitbart's Sickening Tactics on Display
This is just pointless and sickening. And it is not about the Bush family per se, it is about the classless, unnecessary attack in the first place.
Let us adhere to John Podhoretz's brilliant tweet from a while back: The Breitbart blog should be called something else. Anything else.The deliberate destruction from within of Breitbart's name & legacy continues: pic.twitter.com/q597Ie3MrY— SFK (@stephenkruiser) September 16, 2015
Please just change the name of Breitbart. Call it anything else. Anything.— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) March 14, 2016
9-11 Remembrances
As we mark the 15th anniversary of 9/11, may God continue to bless the United States of America. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/OrQ15tVaDb— RepKevinBrady (@RepKevinBrady) September 11, 2016
As we remember the events of this day, we should also remember the resilience of the American spirit. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/sFi0YTDWSB— Paul Ryan (@PRyan) September 11, 2016
Wednesday, September 14
Monday, September 12
Hillary Clinton Illness Shows Media Ineptness
Worth noting: because HRC campaign aides blocked out the press pool, we only know about her collapse thanks to an alert private citizen— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) September 11, 2016
Wednesday, September 7
Wednesday, August 10
Unhinged Morons
The only thing I agree with Susan, is you should delete your account.A #BetterWay might be to avoid suggesting assassination of Democratic nominee, I'm sure you'll agree. https://t.co/S2l3nTtbyy— Susan Gardner (@SusanGDailyKos) August 10, 2016
You're so clever Tina. Except, that is NOT what was said. Move along now.Hey @SpeakerRyan if you keep talking about a #BetterWay maybe we'll all forget you're still supporting somebody who threatened Hillary.— Tina Culbertson (@tina_culbertson) August 10, 2016
Don't try to interpret politics dogunderwater, you're losing.@morninggloria is 'political assassination' really a #BetterWay ?— dogunderwater (@dogunderwater) August 10, 2016
Sunday, August 7
Baseball by the Graveside
This is kinda cool. This is the sort of thing I would do.
It also reminded me of a book Invincible Summer: Traveling America in Search of Yesterday's Baseball Greats by Dave D'Antonio. I remember reading this book and loving it. I didn't realize until I looked up the book on Amazon that the book came out in the summer of 1997, 19 years ago. How time flies.Visited Josh Gibson's resting spot while on my walk today. @nlbmprez pic.twitter.com/E2DpIoa7sz— Neil (@NeilAnAlien) August 7, 2016
Saturday, August 6
Mike Piazza signs "Live Signature" cards
I don't really understand what this is about and I won't be "chasing 'em," but this looked kinda cool. Big fan of Mike Piazza.
We had @mikepiazza31 sign Live Signature cards for @ToppsBUNT! Download the app & chase 'em. https://t.co/NWVRqSv4e3 pic.twitter.com/kaRqaorNEl— Topps BUNT (@ToppsBUNT) August 6, 2016
Thursday, August 4
Breitbart Falls From Grace
This important story at The Daily Caller today:
Reminds me of this recent tweet, please look carefully and the details and dates in the pics:
This is about as seriously as anyone should ever take John Nolte. pic.twitter.com/KMJyhrzapO— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) July 31, 2016
I'm also reminded of the great statesman, and journalist, Andrew Breitbart was, he'd be ashamed to see what happened to his name and his media outlet:
Every time I see Breitbart poisoning the well these days, I am reminded of this great tweet from John Podhoretz.
Please just change the name of Breitbart. Call it anything else. Anything.— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) March 14, 2016
Thursday, July 21
Belling: Paul Ryan's GOP "Opponent" Is An Invention
PAUL RYAN’S GOP OPPONENT IS AN INVENTION
Virginia political operative creates Nehlen campaign
Virginia political operative creates Nehlen campaign
By Mark Belling
July 20, 2016
The Freeman, Waukesha County, Wisconsin
My longtime panelist on my old TV show “Belling and Company” Walter Farrell must have barked every other week: “it’s about the money, Mark. It’s always about the money.” It was hilarious because he was always right. And, Walter’s explanation is the only one that holds water for the weirdest political campaign of the summer – the bizarre challenge in next month’s Republican primary to House Speaker Paul Ryan by an odd duck that nobody has ever heard of and even fewer have ever seen.
The overwhelming evidence is that “candidate” Paul Nehlen’s “campaign” exists almost entirely so a shady operative from Virginia can make money. Let’s follow the money.
Dan Backer, who lists a business address of Arlington, Va., sets up myriad political action committees, or PACs, to support supposedly conservative causes and candidates. By law, these PACs don’t have to disclose where their money is coming from or how they spend most of it. This is different from actual candidate campaigns, which have to spell out everything. Paul Nehlen and his weird campaign against Ryan seem to exist for the sole purpose of allowing Dan Backer to set up a PAC.
PACs can spend money pretty much however they want. Some legitimately pump almost all of their money into supporting specific candidates. But others exist primarily to pay the salaries of the people who set up [the PACs. Dan Backer, by all indications, pays himself a huge pile of money to run all of the PACs he sets up. Fake campaign finance reformer Russ Feingold did the same thing after he was voted out of office six years ago. He set up a PAC and immediately put former staffers on its payroll, essentially paying them to continue to do the political work of Russ Feingold.
The Backer-Nehlen connection gets even slimier. If you look at the sparse federal filings of Paul Nehlen’s campaign, you see a couple of addresses of Alexandria, Va. That’s the same place Dan Backer’s PACs are based. And, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Dan Bice recently reported that Backer is actually the campaign treasurer for Nehlen! So, following the money, Backer sets up a PAC to back Nehlen and then sets himself up as the treasurer of the actual Nehlen campaign. Federal law prohibits coordination between a PAC and a campaign and Backer’s people are quoted in the Journal Sentinel as saying Backer doesn’t know what the PAC he started for Nehlen is doing for Nehlen. OK.
The Journal Sentinel story effectively exposed Virginia’s Dan Backer as the ventriloquist to Paul Nehlen’s dummy. But it doesn’t stop there. Everywhere Dan Backer pops up so do a handful of other figures. Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin has endorsed Nehlen and magically seems to show up in support of other Backer-invented candidates. The Breitbart website, which has veered sharply to the weird since the death of its founder, constantly promotes stories attacking the candidates Backer’s PACs are opposing.
Remember Walter Farrell’s manta. “It’s about the money, Mark. It’s always about the money.” Backer has set up a powerful alliance with prominent voices on the right to promote the agenda he is pushing and the candidates his PACs are backing. A website called opensecrets.org has reported that one of the PACs set up to supposedly back Paul Nehlen has spent virtually all of its money paying the PAC’s staff and expenses.
Where does the money come from? Donors. Of course, we don’t know who the donors are because PACs don’t have to spell them out. No doubt much of the money comes from sincere conservatives who respond to flashy fundraising appeals. These folks probably have no idea that much of the money goes to salaries and expenditures of political operatives and that the actual candidates and causes may exist solely for the purpose of inducing people to give money.
But that might not be all. It’s hard not to notice that virtually every politician Backer attacks is a prominent Republican. John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and now Paul Ryan are among Backer’s targets. There’s nothing wrong with going after leaders of the Republican establishment who don’t advance a conservative agenda aggressively enough and I have spent much of my own career doing just that. But the reality is that the people who benefit most from constant demonizing of Republican leaders are liberals. How much of Backer’s money is coming from leftist interests? It’s a legitimate question and one that could win some intrepid reporter a Pulitzer Prize if they actually started digging into who is giving money to self-styled “tea party” and other groups that purport to be conservative but do nothing but attack actual conservatives.
Sincere conservative individuals are donating their money to groups that claim to care about their interests. Some of these groups are above board and do outstanding work. But others, dubbed “scamPACs,” exist to make money for their operators and attack the leaders of the conservative movement. There’s a reason nobody knows anything about Paul Nehlen. He’s essentially a mirage. He’s an invention of a guy who is in it for himself.
(Mark Belling is the host of a daily WISN radio talk show. His column runs Wednesdays in The Freeman.)
Sunday, July 17
Governor John Kasich Addresses NAACP Convention
With all that was happening on this Sunday afternoon, it was pretty easy to have missed Governor John Kasich addressing the NAACP Convention in Cincinnati. It's less than 15 minutes and worth your time, the Governor is pragmatic and thoughtful. Republicans need to do more of this.
Friday, July 15
On Selecting Mike Pence
For the first time since he won the nomination, I have a reason to be excited about Donald Trump's candidacy. I like the choice of Governor Pence.
Governor Pence was interviewed in 2014 by Ripon Forum, and in response to a question, he stated this:
All this said, in Texas, Trump is a sure thing, so I will be writing in Paul Ryan in November anyway, but today's choice is a great reason to get behind the Republican ticket and get it across the finish line in November.
Governor Pence was interviewed in 2014 by Ripon Forum, and in response to a question, he stated this:
"We Republicans need to offer a positive alternative to the failed policies of President Obama and the Democrats. We need to be “solutions conservatives.” We need to showcase constructive solutions that will lead to more economic opportunity and upward mobility for everyone. This includes fixing our broken tax code, reforming health care in a way that lowers costs and gives families greater ownership of their healthcare choices, reducing job-killing regulations and changing our safety net programs in ways that truly help people move up out of poverty."Any reader of mine knows that this is the kind of thinking that I can get behind. In fact, I have been of this line of thinking for years now. As a Jack Kemp - Paul Ryan conservative, this statement by Governor Pence could be a sort of mission statement. Much of what Governor Pence's statement is about, is already covered in the recent "Better Way" proposals laid out by Speaker Paul Ryan, Ways & Means Chairman Kevin Brady, and the House Republicans,
All this said, in Texas, Trump is a sure thing, so I will be writing in Paul Ryan in November anyway, but today's choice is a great reason to get behind the Republican ticket and get it across the finish line in November.
Wednesday, July 6
Sarah Palin Endorses Paul Ryan!!
The above appeared in the December 26, 2011 issue of Human Events magazine/newspaper. To be clear, Sarah Palin is unserious, and she is not to be taken seriously. She has done great damage to the conservative intellectual brand. However, anyone paying serious attention right now, will understand why this is so interesting.
Tuesday, July 5
IHOP Workers Weigh In On Kevin Durant Move
I begin many of my mornings by listening to the local sports talk radio station. This morning the two hosts, Matt Thomas and Lance Zierlein, called an IHOP location in Oklahoma City to talk with people there about NBA star Kevin Durant opting to leave OKC to play for the Golden State Warriors. What ensued was pretty damn funny. Listen here:
Thursday, June 30
Speaker Ryan Liked My Facebook Comment
So yeah, when the Speaker of the House, in this case Paul Ryan, likes your comment on Facebook, you know you've made it. That's pretty cool.
Sunday, June 5
Steve Parkhurst and Speaker Paul Ryan Make Headlines
So, this was cool on a Sunday morning. And so what if I sensationalized the headline.
Thursday, June 2
Monday, May 16
Newspaper Article: Moving Forward in 2016 and Beyond
This article appeared in El Republicano, a publication of the Hispanic Republicans of Texas, this past weekend at the Republican Party of Texas state convention in Dallas.
Moving Forward in 2016 and Beyond
by Steve Parkhurst
Now that the pageantry of the Presidential nomination process is behind us, it is time to focus on the November elections and the future of our movement and our party.
Twenty years ago this August, Jack Kemp accepted the nomination for Vice President at the Republican convention in San Diego. In accepting the 1996 nomination, Kemp said, “The purpose of a truly great party is to provide superior ideas, principled leadership and a compelling cause.” Kemp continued, “Our convention is not just the meeting of a political party; our convention is a celebration of ideas. Our goal is not just to win, but to be worthy of winning.”
A lot has happened in the last twenty years. The global landscape is remarkably different. After another bruising Presidential primary season, one unworthy of our country and our party, it is time to move toward November united and ready to do battle.
The presidential contest is but one race on the ballot come November. Many people will not be happy with the choice at the top of their ballot. Over the next five-plus months, perhaps feelings will change and a vision will be accepted. Up and down ballots across America, citizens will choose members of the United States Senate and Congress, members of state legislatures or assemblies, and many of the leaders of tomorrow.
In the wake of the presidential contest which will leave some people bitter and disappointed, it is important to identify and support the candidates for other offices who offer the “compelling cause” that our party represents. There are many great candidates worthy of your support.
These candidates view economic growth and opportunity as the best path out of poverty. The candidates rebuke the idea that redistributing income and wealth is the way forward. These candidates are adopting the philosophy of Arthur Brooks to “fight for people, not against things.” These candidates see Washington D.C. not as a reasonable partner who can assist people and communities to find local solutions, but instead as the albatross that it has become, one which stifles innovation and advancement with regulations and obstacles.
As we seek, identify and support candidates who want to embrace this vision of localism, it will be important to assure that we have intelligent, innovative thinkers and policy entrepreneurs ready to work as we devolve power back to states, counties and cities, along with other localities. It will also be vital to have neighborhood healers identified and at the ready, these are the people and organizations who can replace functions previously dominated by governments, with tested methods that get results.
This is the heart of what Alexis de Tocqueville observed about America when his observations were published back in 1835: An America where neighbor looked after neighbor and associations and churches handled many of the tasks too burdensome for any one neighbor, with a speed and efficiency that would be foreign to the bureaucracy of today.
This April, Governor John Kasich presented us with an optimistic vision in which "America’s supposed decline becomes its finest hour, because we came together to say ‘no' to those who would prey on our human weakness and instead chose leadership that serves, helping us look up, not down.”
This is the sort of vision we now need going into November. This is not the time to buy into the doom and gloom scenarios. This is the time to go into communities that are different from ours and really engage people about the American idea. Some of these might be communities where Democrats own the landscape and Republicans never dare enter. When we never show up to present our case, it is that much easier for the Democrats to label us however they choose. We need to start laying the foundations of trust in these communities right now, today.
The challenge before us now is to put our “compelling cause” on full display for the nation to see. This can be done, and it can be done by each one of us, back home, in our own communities and neighborhoods. Speaker Paul Ryan is a model for us to follow. The Speaker is putting forth pragmatic solutions for the America of today, and doing it with a manner consistent with our timeless principles.
If we had met the challenge of 1996 in a manner similar to that presented above, perhaps fewer of us would be disappointed by what happened in the presidential primary this year, and maybe even fewer of us would be as shell-shocked.
A party “worthy of winning” will take up the Jack Kemp challenge twenty years later and finally start to do the work necessary to advance the American idea.
Moving Forward in 2016 and Beyond
by Steve Parkhurst
Now that the pageantry of the Presidential nomination process is behind us, it is time to focus on the November elections and the future of our movement and our party.
Twenty years ago this August, Jack Kemp accepted the nomination for Vice President at the Republican convention in San Diego. In accepting the 1996 nomination, Kemp said, “The purpose of a truly great party is to provide superior ideas, principled leadership and a compelling cause.” Kemp continued, “Our convention is not just the meeting of a political party; our convention is a celebration of ideas. Our goal is not just to win, but to be worthy of winning.”
A lot has happened in the last twenty years. The global landscape is remarkably different. After another bruising Presidential primary season, one unworthy of our country and our party, it is time to move toward November united and ready to do battle.
The presidential contest is but one race on the ballot come November. Many people will not be happy with the choice at the top of their ballot. Over the next five-plus months, perhaps feelings will change and a vision will be accepted. Up and down ballots across America, citizens will choose members of the United States Senate and Congress, members of state legislatures or assemblies, and many of the leaders of tomorrow.
In the wake of the presidential contest which will leave some people bitter and disappointed, it is important to identify and support the candidates for other offices who offer the “compelling cause” that our party represents. There are many great candidates worthy of your support.
These candidates view economic growth and opportunity as the best path out of poverty. The candidates rebuke the idea that redistributing income and wealth is the way forward. These candidates are adopting the philosophy of Arthur Brooks to “fight for people, not against things.” These candidates see Washington D.C. not as a reasonable partner who can assist people and communities to find local solutions, but instead as the albatross that it has become, one which stifles innovation and advancement with regulations and obstacles.
As we seek, identify and support candidates who want to embrace this vision of localism, it will be important to assure that we have intelligent, innovative thinkers and policy entrepreneurs ready to work as we devolve power back to states, counties and cities, along with other localities. It will also be vital to have neighborhood healers identified and at the ready, these are the people and organizations who can replace functions previously dominated by governments, with tested methods that get results.
This is the heart of what Alexis de Tocqueville observed about America when his observations were published back in 1835: An America where neighbor looked after neighbor and associations and churches handled many of the tasks too burdensome for any one neighbor, with a speed and efficiency that would be foreign to the bureaucracy of today.
This April, Governor John Kasich presented us with an optimistic vision in which "America’s supposed decline becomes its finest hour, because we came together to say ‘no' to those who would prey on our human weakness and instead chose leadership that serves, helping us look up, not down.”
This is the sort of vision we now need going into November. This is not the time to buy into the doom and gloom scenarios. This is the time to go into communities that are different from ours and really engage people about the American idea. Some of these might be communities where Democrats own the landscape and Republicans never dare enter. When we never show up to present our case, it is that much easier for the Democrats to label us however they choose. We need to start laying the foundations of trust in these communities right now, today.
The challenge before us now is to put our “compelling cause” on full display for the nation to see. This can be done, and it can be done by each one of us, back home, in our own communities and neighborhoods. Speaker Paul Ryan is a model for us to follow. The Speaker is putting forth pragmatic solutions for the America of today, and doing it with a manner consistent with our timeless principles.
If we had met the challenge of 1996 in a manner similar to that presented above, perhaps fewer of us would be disappointed by what happened in the presidential primary this year, and maybe even fewer of us would be as shell-shocked.
A party “worthy of winning” will take up the Jack Kemp challenge twenty years later and finally start to do the work necessary to advance the American idea.
Tuesday, February 9
On KURV 710AM today to talk about New Hampshire primary
I was on the radio today to talk about the New Hampshire primaries and many other topics. Please take a listen and let me know what you think.
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