Fear and Loathing at Patterico

Although I can't vouch for the accuracy of everything collected in Dennis Wheeler's "The Great Southern League Race Debate," it is an important document that explains what Stogie and others have been trying to explain about this "white supremacist" accusation against me, namely that it is false.

Whatever Patterico's intent in blogging about it, the main effect is that I've been provided ample materials for a discussion of how this smear got started. I didn't plan to spend any more time dealing with it, but one of my commenters asked me to address it, and so I will. The provenance was explained this morning:

Wheeler was -- and, so far as I know, still is -- a white separatist or white nationalist, call it what you will. In the 1996 e-mail list-server messages he collected, you will see that I argue against Wheeler's insistence that the Southern League (which subsequently became the League of the South) should adopt his own racial views. Others on my side in that debate included George Kalas and Gary Waltrip.
Wheeler's arguments did not prevail; he left the list-server and subsequently posted lengthy excerpts of the colloquy on his own site, without permission of the participants. Wheeler obviously believes himself correct, and considers the 1996 debate a vindication of his own views. It's a free country, and I can't tell him what to think.

Rather than starting with the how and why of my participation in that list-server, I'll begin by pointing out the when: It was 1996, and the occasion of the Atlanta Olympics had led to a lot of controversy over the Confederate symbol on the Georgia state flag and a lot of ill-informed MSM punditry about the "legacy of slavery," etc. Being a native Atlantan, I was outraged by the attempt of reporters for the New York Times and other major media outlets to smear my hometown, a thriving metropolis that had long boasted of being "The City Too Busy to Hate."

Ride With the Angels
As a reporter, editor and columnist for the Rome (Ga.) News-Tribune, I approached this ugly mess in the Gonzo way, stomping straight into the middle of the fight and becoming directly engaged with the fight and the fighters.

Arbiters of journalism ethics are free to criticize this method, but it gets results. If you're going to write about the Hell's Angels, ride with the Hell's Angels. Whatever is lost in terms of Objectivity is more than compensated by the elimination of misinformed bullsh*t, which is the real problem in American journalism.

From the standpoint of the news consumer, it doesn't matter whether Katrina Vanden Heuvel is a Marxist or whether Sean Hannity is a member of Opus Dei. What matters is whether they get the facts right or whether they are engaged in the dissemination of misleading distortions. What makes the MSM an object of criticism is that they strike a pose of Objectivity while disseminating such distortions.

Hunter S. Thompson was always a man of the Left, yet despised mainstream journalism on the same grounds as do most conservative bloggers today: The media get the facts wrong, or omit facts more important than what they report. Most often, to borrow the terminology of liberal analyst George Lakoff, the MSM "frame the narrative" in such a way as to prejudice the reader's perception of personalities (e.g., Howard Dean or Sarah Palin), events (e.g., the Iraq War or the NY23 special election) and social phenomena (e.g., homosexuality or crime).

If you allow your perception of the world to be controlled by the MSM -- permitting them to be the primary lens through which you view events -- you will be misinformed and disinformed. Just as Hunter S. Thompson saw the bogus "'terror on two wheels" hype about the Hell's Angels as an opportunity to seek out the Angels and discover the unreported reality, I have often found myself in the position of trying to discover similar realities, e.g., the absurd "Send the Body to Glenn Beck" claims about the death of Bill Sparkman.

Trolls and Hidden Agendas
All of this is by way of outlining a distinction that is very important. As a professional journalist, I was paid to cover the controversies of the mid-1990s. As a citizen, however, I felt a duty to become involved in those controversies, which is how I found myself on the list-server in July 1996, praising George Kalas for his efforts to prevent the League of the South from being marginalized as a racist organization:

I have never understood those black or white who say that the South should necessarily be riven by racial antagonisms.
-- Robert Stacy McCain, July 17, 1996

It was my praise of Kalas, you see, that elicited Wheeler's subsequent response and the debate that then unraveled. And as anyone who reads the whole thing will see, I got an early introduction to a phenomenon that bloggers now know as the "concern troll."

Wheeler didn't start out by declaring himself a white separatist, a provocateur attempting to hijack the organization whose e-mail listserver was, at that time, a public forum open to all. Instead, he began with a subtle attempt to undermine the authority of Kalas to speak for the League.

Thus began a long train of events which now, more than a dozen years later, results in me being accused of racism -- when my entire purpose was to argue against what I am now accused of advocating. I note this comment on the Patterico post:

I think DaveC is right that this can basically be put in enough context to be forgivable, if RSM wants. . . .
-- Dustin

Well, I've never met Dustin and perhaps never will. While I appreciate his message of support, the "forgiveable" part bothers me. Whom have I wronged, that I should seek their forgiveness? Granting that people have been offended, this was when they were led to believe (by the framing of the narrative) that I was expressing some personal doctrine of my own, rather than discussing the attitudes of others.

That this discussion has been fairly criticized, I cannot deny, but I wasn't writing for publication, I was trying to prevent Wheeler's attempt to hijack the League as a vehicle for his own purposes. That this preventive engagement was successful ought to be counted to my credit, rather than being cherry-picked in an effort to discredit me.

Yet it would be dishonorable to say that the end justified the means, so if my readers feel more explanation is due, I will try to satisfy that demand. Over and over, I've said that this is a long story, and a story of such value that I did not intend to tell it for free, merely to defend myself against an accusation that my friends know to be false. I am not a "white supremacist" or a "segregationist" or whatever other perjorative label my enemies wish to attach to my name.

Nevertheless, since I am in the middle of a fundraising drive to collect $2,000 for a trip to Pasadena -- Roll, Tide, Roll! -- I'll put aside whatever else I might have done today, and try to explain the basics, so long as the readers keep hitting my Pasadena tip jar.

The Discussion Continues . . .

Thank you, Paleo Pat

My friend at Political Byline discovered that, according to Stormfront (which ought to know), Patrick Lanzo has made his restaurant available for "white pride" events organized by, inter alia, the late J.B. Stoner.

OK, so if this is true, it clearly puts Lanzo on the far side of a clearly defined line between any sort of mere "political incorrectness" and outright hatemongering.

Paleo Pat's research is appreciated; however, I disagree with his characterization that my own previous discussion of Lanzo's restaurant as "spinning" for Lanzo. As I clearly said, "To explain is not to defend." Obviously, I erred in failing to research Lanzo before endeavoring to explain him, which makes me guilty of carelessness, and I appreciate Paleo Pat clarifying the nature of Lanzo's operation.

What J.B. Stoner promoted ought to be called by its right name: Evil. Did Lanzo know what he was getting himself into when he hosted Stoner's events? I don't know. But he either needs to reconsider his actions or else admit that he's on the other side of that line.

A Weekend in Pittsburgh
It was probably unwise for me to rush to prepare that post about Lanzo's place Friday morning before I left for the Brindle wedding, knowing that I would be offline for most of the next two days. As I told Smitty when he called to tell me about Paleo Pat's post, it was not my intent to defend any of Lanzo's actions, but rather:

• To clarify that Lanzo is not representative of Paulding County or Georgia;
• To attempt to explain the cultural signficance of Lanzo's actions; and
• To repudiate the idea (promoted by CBS News) that what Lanzo has done has some meaningful relevance to political opposition to ObamaCare in general.

While I was riding back from Pennsylvania with Matthew Vadum this afternoon, we had a long discussion about how liberals, by dishonesty-in-labeling, attempt to suppress free discussion of sensitive issues. Fear of the smear causes people to shy away from discussing any issue where disagreement with liberals is characterized as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.

The result of liberalism's "rhetorical terrorism" -- what else shall we call it? -- is that only liberals are permitted to discuss these issues. Those who protest against these limitations on free speech are subjected to a particularly vicious sort of attack from liberals, because where free discussion is allowed, liberalism loses.

Go read what terrible things were said about Michelle Malkin when she published In Defense of Internment. Malkin took on a very difficult topic, exploring the reality of the U.S. security situation circa 1941-42, explaining circumstances so as to cast a new light on that troubling episode in American history. For her skill in performing a difficult task -- a task she surely knew out that the outset would expose her to angry attacks -- Malkin was denounced as if she were actually endorsing the internship of Japanese during WWII, or advocating some similar policy today.

Liberalism and Half-Truths
Malkin didn't wilt under the heat of that particular furnace and having been tried by fire, as it were, is stronger for the experience. Yet most school textbooks continue to teach a dumbed-down PC-inflected version of that historical epoch, as if Malkin had never written her book. And this is yet another baleful consequence of liberalism: To suppress facts so as to facilitate the propogation of half-truths and prevent clear thought about difficult problems.

"Don't read Malkin!" is the effect of the smears against her, which is exactly what Charles Johnson was trying to do when he smeared Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, etc.

Some people might tell you, "Don't read Paleo Pat!" or "Don't read Stacy McCain!" for very similar reasons. It's like that idiotic notation at the margins of medieval maps: Here be dragons!

It is not a convenient thing, career-wise, for a journalist to push back against liberalism's continual efforts to set limits on permissible discourse. And, I suppose, there might be some who would say that I am engaged in a similar practice by drawing a clear line and declaring the late J.B. Stoner to be on the opposite side of that line. Yet I think that anyone who will research the biography of Stoner would see why such a line must be drawn.

Furthermore, I'm only one person, and do not say that law or policy ought to be changed to punish people merely for disagreeing with me. Rather, I agree with Thomas Jefferson:

[T]ruth is great and will prevail if left to herself . . . she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.

It is modern liberalism's hostility to "free argument and debate" that is the proper target of those forms of protest we call political incorrectness. To employ hateful epithets or associate with J.B. Stoner are certainly not helpful to this project and, I would argue, amount to lending aid and comfort to liberalism.

Finally, I do not consider it impossible to redeem someone who, for whatever reasons, has gotten themselves on the wrong side of a line. If Patrick Lanzo reads this and has cause to reconsider and reform, going forward to avoid repetition of past errors, this would be a great good. And he might, by his good example, persuade others to take similar steps in the same direction.

After all, I used to be a Democrat, so who am I to judge people for their unfortunate past associations?

First of all, Patrick Lanzo isn't originally from Paulding County, Ga., and . . .

. . . second, his tasteless sign is not a valid commentary on ObamaCare. But among the several other things wrong with this CBS News story, let's start with the dateline.

Temple is in Carroll County. Patrick Lanzo's Peach restaurant is in Paulding County. So CBS reporter Michelle Marsh can't even get the geography right, which casts doubt on her ability to understand the cultural significance of what it is that Lanzo intends by his unfortunate gesture.

This is not the first time the media has erred in a misguided attempt to find political meaning in this particular phenomenon, which compelled me to explain last November:

Just some demographic background for people who aren't familiar with Georgia. Paulding County is a fast-growing exurb of Atlanta, with a population of more than 120,000 that's increased nearly 50% since 2000. Median household income is more than $58,000.
When I was growing up in Douglas County, Paulding County was overwhelmingly rural. My hometown of Lithia Springs was sophisticated and cosmopolitan compared to Dallas or Hiram. But as neighboring Cobb County became urbanized, the Cobb developers moved westward.
The big thing was when Thorton Road (Ga. 6) was widened and connected to U.S. 278 via Powder Springs and Hiram, so that you now have a virtual freeway all the way from the Atlanta Airport (Camp Creek Parkway) to Rockmart (in Polk County). The area around the intersection of U.S. 278 and Ga. 92 in Hiram is now massively developed. A lot of the residents of Paulding County commute to jobs in Cobb or Douglas counties, especially in the industrial developments around the intersection of I-20 and Thornton Road.
Lanzo's Peach Bar is being spun as part of a "racist backlash" against Obama, which is silly: Paulding County never forward-lashed, so how can they backlash? Of course, the prosperous blue-collar exurbanites of Paulding County voted 69% Republican, but that doesn't make them evil, does it?

3, 2, 1 . . . raaaaacist! I wrote that Nov. 18, 2008 -- nearly 11 months ago -- and in all this time, Charles Johnson has yet to cite it as evidence of my Gelleresque evil. Why? Because he's lazy and stupid. If he were reasonably industrious and clever, he would have at some point found this item and said, "A-ha! Look the notorious white supremacist blogger is defending this!"

Uh . . . no. To explain is not to defend. In my experience, people like Mad King Charles, who make a big hairy deal out of being open-minded and enlightened, are some of the most benighted bigots you'll ever meet.

The use of the "n-word" and other such epithets was not tolerated by my parents, teachers or church leaders. As I've often said, my mother would have washed my mouth out with soap and worn me out with a belt if I'd ever spoken so insultingly. The fact that my mother was a native of Randolph County, Ala., born in 1929 -- and that I was born in 1959 in Atlanta, Ga., and raised in Douglas County, Ga. -- does not constitute proof that she or I or any of our kin were "racist," anymore than anyone born in New York or Massachusetts.

All my life, however, I've had to deal with the stereotypical presumption that all white people from the South are uniquely racist -- the collective embodiment of an evil that has replaced blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as the unforgiveable sin. Guilty until proven innocent.

Frankly there are times when a Southerner is tempted to surrender to the stereotype: "Fine. You call me a racist no matter what I do or say, so I'll go ahead and be as racist as you think I am."

This, I believe, is the temptation to which Patrick Lanzo has succumbed or, if not, it's part of his appeal to whoever the customers of his restaurant are. As the local NAACP told CBS News, the "latest ploy for attention by Mr. Lanzo is not surprising."

Another Black Conservative is correct to cite this as a rebuff to "the Raaaaacism Industrial Complex" that they are "are helping to hide real racists like Lanzo in a sea of falsely accused racists."

But you know something? I'd be willing to bet that if Lt. Col. Allen West were to hold a fund-raiser in Paulding County, Ga., it might be one of the most successful events imaginable, and that he might even get a couple hundred bucks from Patrick Lanzo.

Whatever their faults or failings, the decent folks among whom I grew up have always admired real courage, and Allen West has got that in trumps. Certainly, the colonel has no fear of the Flemish Menace.

(Via Memeorandum.)

Update: (Smitty) My humblest apologies. I had comments selected to approve, and then clicked the "Reject" link on one which said something completely unconstructive. I owe the five or so of you, who had valid things to say, my sincerest regrets for the inconvenience.

The Great Atlanta Flood

Much of my old stomping grounds -- Lithia Springs, Austell, Mableton -- was devastated by this week's flood. Obi's Sister lives there and reports via e-mail:

We had some basement flooding - we're at almost the highest elevation in the county, too. The backyard is ruined - a drainage ditch broke through and washed and washed and washed. The water mark on the garage doors was about 6". But compared to what others have been through, I'm not complaining one bit. School's been out for the entire week. The water has to be boiled - no idea when water will be ok again. I-20 was closed because Sweetwater Creek crested at 30' (yes, that's thirty feet). The devastation is just unbelievable.

Thirty feet! My goodness, I've seen that creek so low you could hop across it, rock to rock, down by the Manchester Mill ruins. I hope the old mill wasn't destroyed. But she says:

try to look on the bright side - at least now we know the drought is over.

Obi's Sister has the photo and reports the statewide damage is estimated at $250 million.

The latest? They've re-routed I-20 traffic through Newnan!

Brunswick Trailer Park Murders

From First Coast News:

BRUNSWICK, GA -- Police have identified - and arrested - the person that called 911 yesterday after finding seven murder victims in a mobile home at the New Hope Plantation mobile home park.
Glynn County Police Chief Matthew Doering said Sunday morning that police are holding Guy Heinze Jr., 22, in the county jail for possessing marijuana and other drugs. Heinze's arrest is not related to the homicide, but it is related to the case itself, he said.
Heinze was the 911 caller that alerted police to the scene; he is related to one of the victims found in the home, police said.
The charges are possession of a controlled substance (Darvocet), possession of marijuana, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of an officer, which is related to making false statements to police.

This was the first news I saw on TV this morning. Seven people dead in a trailer park in Georgia. Gruesome. The arrest of Heinze does not make him a suspect. It looks like murder-suicide:

Police are investigating the deaths of seven people found Saturday in a mobile home as a murder-suicide involving mostly members of one family, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told the Florida Times-Union.
The law enforcement source and a woman familiar with the victims and the trailer park in the New Hope Plantation, said most of the victims were family members of Rusty Toler, a hard-working, soft-spoken man who loved his children.
Toler and three of his four children are among those dead, while a fourth child is hospitalized in critical condition, said the woman who knows the family. Another gravely wounded victim, said to be a grandchild of Toler's, is also hospitalized, the woman said.

Will try to keep an eye on this as more details develop.

Greetings from Georgia!

Ah, back in God's country again! If you've been wondering why I haven't blogged in the past 14 hours, it's because Junior and I were rolling down the road to Rome, Ga. I'm typing this from the home of Pierre-Rene Noth, whom I recently described as my "Menshevik editor."

Pierre's so far left, he's almost right. He's the intellectual proletariat of journalism, which means that he's a victim of the greedy bourgeois -- or, as it's pronounced in Georgia, "Burgett," as in Burgett Mooney III, publisher of the Rome News-Tribune.

Burgett is a splendid example of a greedy capitalist, which is why the Rome News-Tribune is still in business, while other papers are going bankrupt all over the place. Alas, Schumpeterian "creative destruction" required that my dear friend Pierre was offered "semi-retirement" at age 72.

Oh, the social injustice of it all! I keep telling Pierre that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, that all he needs to do is to read The Rules and become a Big Bad Blog Daddy like me -- if I can be Not Tucker Carlson, why can't he be Not Maureen Dowd?

Journalists of the World, Unite! You have nothing to lose but your salaries, benefits and bosses!

Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm in Rome tonight, I'll be talking to some old friends. Shhh! Don't tell my new friends about this. But do tell Kathy Shaidle. My old friends would love Kathy in Georgia, and if she ever gets exiled from Canada, she'd be welcomed as a refugee down here. (Pierre's a refugee from Milwaukee, which is far too close to Canada for my taste.)

The RINO Coalition?

Is your local Republican supporting Arlen Specter?

The five-term Pennsylvania Republican, who faces a tough primary challenge from conservative former Rep. Patrick J. Toomey, received donations from 10 Republican senators in the first three months of this year.
The pro-Specter senators, who donated from either their candidate committees or their leadership PACs, include Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; John Cornyn of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee; and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the Senate GOP Conference chairman.
Specter's campaign report also showed that he received funds from committees linked to Richard C. Shelby of Alabama; Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson of Georgia; Bob Corker of Tennessee; Michael D. Crapo of Idaho; and George V. Voinovich of Ohio, who's not seeking re-election next year.

(Hat-tips: Jason Pye and Club for Growth.) Any Republican who is even thinking about supporting Specter should first take a moment to ponder the warning from Stephen Gordon.

Johnny Isakson is up for re-election in Georgia next year, and I know a lot of Georgia conservatives are sick and tired of him already. When they find out Johnny's been giving money to that worthless pro-abortion Big Government crapweasel Arlen Specter . . .

Greetings from Georgia!

(BUMPED; UPDATED) The 2009 Tea Party Rabble Rouser Tour continues today as I speak at the Georgia Libertarian Party state convention at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast in beautiful Norcross. Just talked to Libertarian blog legend Jason Pye, and everyone is awaiting the arrival of Stephen Gordon of the Liberty Papers.

Right now, my opening act, Bob Barr, is warming up the crowd for me. Remember: Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Bob Barr!

UPDATE: We're now a Memeorandum thread. Also got a link from Pundette. There's nothing like the smell of rabble in the morning! Smells like . . . victory!

UPDATE II: More linky-love (and some Rule 5 action) from Donald Douglas at American Sexist Right-Wing Extremist Power.

UPDATE III: This place is crawling with right-wing extremists!

Right-wing extremist Benjamin Franklin enjoys an authentic revolutionary 18th-century Camel Light.

Right-wing extremist Bob Barr shares top-secret plans with Georgia Libertarians.

Right-wing extremist Rule 5 with Stephen Gordon's long-suffering wife Deb and Georgia Libertarian Party "Hottie of the Year" Ashley Petty.

NAACP: Time for a change!

Change your police chief, that is, to match "demographics":

The West Metro NAACP is protesting the alleged use of excessive force by Douglasville [Ga.] Police during a recent arrest at a duplex on Duncan Street.
The NAACP's allegations stem from the arrest of Khiry Hodge, 19, on a charge of obstruction. The group alleges that Hodge was beaten by police at the time of his arrest. . . .
Police Chief Joe Whisenant, who was present at the time of Hodge's arrest, said the SWAT team was at the residence to serve a warrant to [20-year-old Daniel ] Perry on drug-related charges.
The SWAT team served the warrant as a precautionary measure because police had reason to believe there were weapons inside the home, Whisenant said. . . .
Kimberley Alexander, president of the West Metro NAACP, said Friday at an NAACP press conference at the Duncan Street duplex that "neither suspect resisted arrest" prior to the alleged beating of Hodge. . . .
Alexander went on to say that Whisenant should resign as police chief in light of the incident.
"The demographics in this county are changing, so after 25 years, it's a good time to retire … it’s a good time to move on," Alexander said.
Whisenant responded by saying he has no plans to move up his planned retirement date.
"I hope to stay four more years if I serve at the pleasure of the mayor and council," Whisenant said.

Interesting. Douglas County (a suburb of Atlanta) is 63% white, but because it's 33% black, the NAACP boss implies that "demographics" requires the dismissal of the veteran police chief, who happens to be white. And why? Because a guy arrested on dope charges says he was roughed up during the arrest.

Even if the suspect is telling the truth, the NAACP's argument supposes that (a) no drug suspects are ever roughed up in communities where the police chief is black, and (b) roughing up a drug suspect is automatically a "racial incident." But I imagine more people will be outraged by the implicit argument that no white man can be a police chief in any community that is 33% black.

Thanks for the tip from reader Sylvia, who says: "First rule of the hopeychangey 'post-racial' era: Fire the white guy."

Election Day in Georgia

UPDATED & BUMPED: Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Chambliss's double-digit victory dashed Democrats' dreams of securing a filibuster-proof, 60-vote "super majority" in the Senate and buoyed a Republican Party battered by staggering losses in the Nov. 4 general election.
"Republicans still know how to win an election," Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan told hundreds of Chambliss supporters at the Cobb Energy Centre.

The size of the victory (a margin of more than 300,000 votes) is important as a warning to Democrats going forward that the GOP is still a viable opposition. It is also important that Barack Obama diminished himself by refusing to risk his political capital campaigning for Democrat Jim Martin.

I've added an analysis of the vote here. Also, Michelle Malkin responds to my defense of Chambliss' immigration record: "[T]he guy went wobbly went it mattered most -- and it took massive resistance and vigilance to set him straight." OK, but at least he responded to the outcry, whereas Maverick did not.

PREVIOUSLY: Associated Press and New York Times call it for Chambliss. With 93% reporting at 10:15 Chambliss leads 58-42% with a 300,000+ margin. Still 70+ precincts to report in Fulton County and, for some odd reason, only half the precincts in Paulding have reported. I might add an analysis if I can get those numbers.

With 84% of precincts reporting by 9:30 p.m., you've got the makings of a solid victory for Chambliss. The key thing to notice is the Republican's overwhelming majorities in the fast-growing exurban "outer ring" counties. Most of these margins are based on partial reports, but look:

Carroll .........2.2-to-1
Cherokee .....4.5-to-1
Coweta .......2.8-to-1
Fayette .......2.3-to-1
Forsyth ........5.3-to-1
Hall ............3.3-to-1
Paulding .......3.2-to-1
Walton ..........3.7-to-1

It looks like Chambliss is cruising to re-election. But I'm disturbed to see Michelle Malkin transmitting misinformation, calling Chambliss a "pro-amnesty Republican." This is false. Chambliss has an A+ rating from NumbersUSA for his opposition to amnesty. Yes, Chambliss supported the bailout, but he's been a solid conservative vote on immigration issues.

UPDATE: Michelle responds by reminding me that Chambliss was booed at the Georgia GOP convention in May 2007 for defending the guest-worker provisions of the bill that was then pending in the Senate. But Chambliss eventually voted against cloture on S.1639, just as he had voted against S.2611.

I remember being shocked by Chambliss' May 2007 defense of the immigration bill, since I knew he'd opposed S.2611. I am under the impression that, between the Atlanta business community and the Beltway echo chamber, Chambliss had gotten the mistaken idea that maybe the "enforcement" bells and whistles on the shamnesty bill would be enough to satisfy the base. Getting booed at the convention apparently sobered him up pretty quick.

New York Times reports low turnout in Atlanta:

At the Atlanta Public Library on Ponce de Leon Ave., where more than 1,600 people voted in the general election, only 400 people had voted by noon today.

This is probably good news for Chambliss. Also, Bob Barr has endorsed Chambliss. Will update.

Boosted by Sarah Palin's whirlwind tour, Sen. Saxby Chambliss appears poised to win today's runoff in Georgia. Jim Antle reminds us why the runoff was necessary:

Libertarian Party candidate Allen Buckley . . . received nearly 3.5 percent of the vote, running almost 100,000 votes ahead of Libertarian presidential nominee Bob Barr . . .
Many of those voters were fiscal conservatives upset with Chambliss's vote for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout -- or, as he prefers to describe it, "the financial rescue package."
"It's for the people, by the people," an anti-bailout conservative told the Politico in late October. "I think that 99 percent of the phone calls that Saxby got were for him to vote against the bailout, yet he did it anyway. He's supposed to represent the people of the state of Georgia.… By far, the vast majority did not want the bailout."

"Libertarian populism," anyone?

(Hey, who is Bryan Caplan, and why is he stealing my title without credit?)

Palin vs. Ludacris

Sarah Palin drew "several thousand people" to an 8:30 a.m. rally for Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss today in Augusta, Ga.:

The Palin rally in Augusta drew a crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 people, many holding aloft campaign signs and shouting their adoration of the GOP vice presidential candidate.
"Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" they chanted. One woman stood behind Palin with a huge red sign that read: "Save My Gun."

Meanwhile, Democrat Jim Martin is planning a "rally at the state Capitol at 5:30 p.m. with civil rights veterans and hip-hop star Ludacris." Hip-hop vs. the hockey mom -- we'll see which gets a majority in Tuesday's Senate runoff.

UPDATE: Another big crowd in Savannah:

More than 3,000 people flocked to the Savannah Civic Center, some to rally support for Chambliss, others, to catch a glimpse of Palin and see her in person.
When she was introduced, the crowd erupted in applause for the Alaska governor and former vice-presidential candidate, eclipsing the ovations for Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and the candidate himself, Chambliss.

Barracuda!

UPDATE II: Welcome Michelle Malkin readers.

UPDATE III: Thousands more in Perry, Ga.:

Palin was greeted by cheers of "Sarah! Sarah!" in what is decidedly Republican country: south Houston County. More than 2,700 people RSVP'd for the rally at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter, one of several appearances for the duo today across Georgia. . . .

But this afternoon, in Perry, the energy belonged to the GOP. The crowd packed in close, shoulder to shoulder for, as state Sen. Ross Tolleson called Palin, "one of the most exciting women in U.S. politics." . . .
"It isn't just about your state," Palin told the crowd. "It is about the entire United States of America and our future. ... The eyes of our nation are on this stage. We all have Georgia on our minds."

Next stop: Gwinnett County.

UPDATE IV: The Gwinnett rally:

Oh, the Saxby Chambliss signs are plentiful, but it's clear even before you walk in that this is a Sarah Palin for President event, four years ahead of its time.

Several thousand people are already here at the Gwinnett Center, a majority grouped in front into one large mosh pit.
A decidedly younger crowd than Republicans usually draw to the events like this, and the music is less twangy as well. More rock than country, and many young ladies with tiaras and beauty contest ribbons. . . .
Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska and former GOP nominee for vice president, just got an extended standing ovation from a crowd of several thousand in the Gwinnett Center.
Palin said re-electing Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss, and denying Democrats a 60th vote in the Senate, was essential to "maintaining the checks and balances needed for our democracy."
She mentioned that she had been here once before -- a politician always likes to say, "It's good to be back" -- when her oldest son graduated from boot camp at Fort Benning. "Georgia, you took care of my boy, now he's taking care of you," she said.

A smashing success. Sounds like Sarah's the most popular Yankee in Georgia.

UPDATE IV: The biggest attraction:

Chambliss was "happy to become the warm-up act at his own final rallies," said CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash, who is covering the Georgia runoff election. . . .
Sen. John McCain returned to the trail to campaign with Chambliss just nine days after losing the presidential election to Obama.
Two weeks ago, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination before dropping out in March and backing McCain, also campaigned with Chambliss. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also teamed up with Chambliss. . . .
Last week, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani campaigned with Chambliss. . . .
Some in the crowds were chanting "Sarah, Sarah" at times, and the audiences were much larger than when the other Republican surrogates teamed up with Chambliss in recent weeks.
"With adoring signs and 'Palin for President' T-shirts, it may be easy to forget Palin came to Georgia campaigning for someone else," observed Bash. (Emphasis added.)

Sort of refutes the notion that she was a drag on the McCain ticket, eh? Also, here's a Democratic prediction to remember:

Martin called Palin's four campaign stops Monday a sign of desperation for Chambliss, adding that "bringing Sarah Palin is not going to help him (Chambliss) because the voters of Georgia want someone who will stand up for them in Washington. Someone who understands their issues."

OK, so the Democrat says Palin won't help Chambliss. We'll see what you have to say in 24 hours, Jim Martin.

Video via Hot Air, where Allahpundit notes Palin's reference to John McCain, which doesn't get many cheers from this grassroots GOP crowd. The 'Cuda needs to scratch any references to the Maverick from future speeches, and instead start talking Reagan.

Dude mystified about 'racist' label

You might be tempted to think this is an Onion parody. Except it's Paulding County, Ga.:

Pat Lanzo insists he’s not a racist.
"I believe people are equal,” he says, "As long as they earn their keep as well as me."
Nevertheless, the proprietor of The Peach bar and restaurant in Paulding County says that people often mistakenly assume he’s a racist.
The main reason, he says, are the signs he posts outside his restaurant. "Damn Yankees May Have Taken Our N----rs But Not Our Guns," said one. "Obama Gives Us Hope Dreams and Maybe A New Holiday — Thats My N----r" read another.
"The minute someone says the N-word, you're labeled racist," he explains.

I grew up in neighboring Douglas County and used to cover sports in Paulding County, and it's not as bad as you might think from this article. But among some of the good ol' boys there is a certain . . . obstreperous disdain for the niceties of political correctness, shall we say? A kind of rowdy macho thing about going the extra mile to indicate that one is not intimidated. And Lanzo is correct in saying that folks like that are not necessarily more "racist" than people who sulk in silent fear. Lanzo says:

"If I was gonna hate anybody, I'd hate my ex-wife."

Dave Niewert and the SPLC don't understand, of course, but rednecks are the one minority culture whose folkways aren't tolerated under multiculturalism.

UPDATE: Just some demographic background for people who aren't familiar with Georgia. Paulding County is a fast-growing exurb of Atlanta, with a population of more than 120,000 that's increased nearly 50% since 2000. Median household income is more than $58,000.

When I was growing up in Douglas County, Paulding County was overwhelmingly rural. My hometown of Lithia Springs was sophisticated and cosmopolitan compared to Dallas or Hiram. But as neighboring Cobb County became urbanized, the Cobb developers moved westward.

The big thing was when Thorton Road (Ga. 6) was widened and connected to U.S. 278 via Powder Springs and Hiram, so that you now have a virtual freeway all the way from the Atlanta Airport (Camp Creek Parkway) to Rockmart (in Polk County). The area around the intersection of U.S. 278 and Ga. 92 in Hiram is now massively developed. A lot of the residents of Paulding County commute to jobs in Cobb or Douglas counties, especially in the industrial developments around the intersection of I-20 and Thornton Road.

UPDATE II: Lanzo's Peach Bar is being spun as part of a "racist backlash" against Obama, which is silly: Paulding County never forward-lashed, so how can they backlash? Of course, the prosperous blue-collar exurbanites of Paulding County voted 69% Republican, but that doesn't make them evil, does it?

Bailout damages Chambliss in Ga.

John McCain isn't the only one suffering for his support for the $700 billion bailout. Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss is paying the price, too:

[Democrat challenger Jim] Martin's surge in the polls coincided with Mr. Chambliss' support earlier this month of the Bush administration's $700 billion Wall Street bailout package.
"That's when things started to fall apart for him," said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock.

Please note that the collapse of support for Chambliss is not because Georgia suddenly became "progressive." It isn't because his Democratic opponent is charismatic or has a brilliant campaign strategy. It is solely because Chambliss supported the bailout. When people try to figure out what went wrong in 2008, they should not neglect the fact that the big-government approach to the financial crisis was overhwelmingly unpopular.

Libertarian populism, anyone?

Huffy Plouffe

Obama strategist David Plouffe is getting a bit ... edgy when Democrats start wondering why St. Hopey is still dead-even with Maverick:

"Democrats should take a deep breath and realize that there are a group of voters who won't make up their mind about a candidate until deep in the fall," said David Plouffe, Mr. Obama's campaign manager. "And there are 18 states that are battlegrounds for a reason, and they'll be decided by 2 to 4 points. I don't care about national polls."

Yeah, you wanna bet 18 states are within the 52-48% range on Nov. 5? I mean, seriously, Georgia?

"The polls will change, but we know we need 200,000 new voters to be competitive in Georgia, and now is when we have to get them."

OK, I was born in Atlanta, lived there until 1997, still have lots of friends and family down home, and I will guaran-damn-tee you Obama won't win Georgia. Let's look at the facts, shall we?

• Fact: In 2004, George W. Bush got 1.9 million votes and beat John Kerry by 17 points (a margin of more than 500,000 votes) in Georgia.
• Fact: In 2006, a miserable mid-term year for Republicans nationwide, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue got 1.2 million votes and defeated Democrat Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor by 20 points (a margin of over 400,000 votes) in Georgia.
• Fact: In the 2008 Georgia Democratic primary Feb. 5, Obama and Hillary combined got 1.03 million votes.
• Fact: Not a single poll this year has shown Obama leading in Georgia, and Rasmussen has consistently shown McCain ahead in the 9%-10% range.

I have talked to Georgia Democrats who voted for Hillary -- including hard-core yellow dogs I've known for decades, who wouldn't cross the street to piss on a Republican if he was on fire -- who express very deep reservations about voting for Obama. Trust me, there will be a certain number of "Hillary Democrats For Barr" votes on Nov. 4.

At this point, Georgia is one of the strongest Republican states in the country -- rivaled perhaps only by Oklahoma or Texas -- and every dime Team Obama spends there is a dime wasted. I'd bet if national Democratic officials were to talk to Democratic officials in Georgia -- e.g., Reps. John Barrow and Jim Marshall -- those Georgia Democrats would tell them the same thing.

For Plouffe to talk about "18 states that are battlegrounds ... decided by 2 to 4 points" when that list includes Georgia is evidence that Obama's Chicago HQ has lost touch with on-the-ground political reality.

Video: 'Remote, obscure places'

I was on the scene in York, Pa., today when John McCain declared American solidarity with Georgia:



Allahpundit says Obama has been "caught napping" by allowing John McCain to beat him to the popular pro-democracy stance, as polls show:

Men prefer McCain to Obama in such a situation 56% to 30%, but 40% of women think Obama could handle it best. More women (46%), however, still think McCain is the man for the job. . .
More than one-out-of-five Democrats (22%) think the Republican presidential candidate would handle it better than the prospective candidate of their own party. . . . Among unaffiliated voters, 56% prefer McCain while 28% like Obama better.

And look at the reaction when Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili quotes McCain's "we are all Georgians" at a rally in Tbilisi:



As John Hinderaker says, "John McCain has seemed almost more the leader of the free world than the President."

Moonbats shouldn't do foreign policy

Really, HuffPo, did you have to publish this?

In classic "Wag The Dog" scenario there is a neat little war brewing between American and Russian proxies, and real Russian troops, in the Caucacus Mountains on the Russian border.
It couldn't come at a better time for the Republicans.
McCain gets to act and talk tough against the Russians, while Obama is on vacation in Hawaii, issuing "can't we all get along statements."
It perfectly augments Republican campaign points: Obama is not ready. He is not tough, experienced enough to deal with a dangerous world.

The Russian invasion of Georgia was an unjustified and unilateral aggression by Putin's neo-Stalinist regime. Thousands ae dead, and thousands will die yet. Georgians are begging the West for assistance, and view our failure to intervene as a betrayal. A world crisis looms, of tremendous geopolitical significance.

To interpret all this through the narrow prism of domestic election politics -- and especially to invoke paranoid fear of a bogus "Wag the Dog" scenario -- is so far beneath the contempt of serious people that I hesitated even to notice it.

What is wrong with you people?

War in the Caucasus

Gabriel Malor at AOSHQ provides a map and some useful background on the conflict. Recent news (via Memeorandum):

• Russian Troops Tighten Hold on Georgia
• The Pipeline War
• Obama's 'Meaningless Statements'
• The Oil Angle
• McCain Warned of Russia
• Return to Stalin?

Will continue following developments.

Obama plagiarizes Maverick

The previously diplomatic Barack Obama has belatedly decided to emulate John McCain's bluntness in declaring that Russia has invaded Georgia.

Another gaffe by The One, for which he shall be mercilessly derided in coming days.

Georgia key for Romney

Further updates here.

UPDATE 1:25 p.m. More analysis at Protein Wisdom and Liberty Pundit.

UPDATE 1 p.m.: Just got off the phone with veteran Georgia political observer Phil Kent.

"I think it's going to be close here with Romney and McCain," Phil said, citing the final Insider Advantage poll showing a three-way neck-and-neck race. Georgia "could be the upset that's going to buck this McCain trend."
.
In case you haven't seen this (via Ace of Spades):

UPDATE 11:40 a.m.: Michael Barone analyzes Georgia:

The first state to close is Georgia, at 7 p.m. . . . Republicans have a close three-way race here. Romney needs to win the high-income Atlanta suburbs (I'll be looking at the Cobb, Fulton, Forsyth, and Cherokee County returns); McCain needs to stay even with or ahead of Mike Huckabee in south Georgia, as he did in most of South Carolina.

Barone's analysis very much tracks what I was getting from the Romney volunteers in Georgia last night: "If it was up to Metro Atlanta, Romney would win, but ...."

But, keeping Romney competitive in the more rural parts of the state depends on (a) overcoming anti-Mormon bias, and (b) getting evangelicals who support Huckabee to understand that a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain (whom the evangelicals hate).

* * * * *

UPDATE: Super Tuesday roundups at Michelle Malkin and Hot Air, and Jim Geraghty handicaps Super Tuesday at NRO. Linked at Riehl World View -- thanks, Dan.

MORE UPDATES: The Dole-to-Rush letter is panned by Malkin. Notice what Rush says:

On his radio show Monday Limbaugh said that if McCain is elected president, he would destroy the Republican party by working with Democrats to pass liberal legislation.
"This is how he's going to get even with Republicans for defeating him in South Carolina in 2000," Limbaugh said. "The Republican Congress will effectively be neutered." ...
Limbaugh also suggested conservatives should be wary of media endorsements of McCain. McCain has won the endorsement of the New York Times.
"It was just six months ago that if a candidate was endorsed by the liberal media we were instantly suspicious of them," Limbaugh said.
Now he said, "we've got drive-by media organizations having orgasms about McCain."

The sounds very much like what I've said:

John McCain wants to lead something other than the Republican Party that elected Ronald Reagan to the White House 1981. He is in defiant opposition to the Republican Party that captured Congress in 1994. His campaign is one of unlimited personal vengeance against the Republican Party that rejected him in 2000.
John McCain is out to destroy the Republican Party as we have known it, and he certainly needs no advice on how to do that, given how much he's already done.

* * * * *

Georgia looks like the state to watch in the Super Tuesday battle for the Republican presidential nomination.

While Romney is surging in California, and McCain is comfortably ahead in winner-take-all New York, polls in Georgia show it too close to call, reports from my friends at Team Romney indicate a tough fight in a competitive three-way race for 72 delegates in Georgia -- the third-largest Super Tuesday state and the largest of the states with a proportional distribution of delegates.

The problem for Romney in Georgia is simple: Some voters are too stupid to understand that, at this point, a vote for Huckabee is effectively a vote for John McCain.

"They don't get it," a very tired Romney volunteer told me of her encounters with Huckabee voters. "They hate McCain, but they're voting for Huckabee, and it's the same thing."

Key endorsements may swing some undecided voters and "soft" Huckabee supporters toward Romney. Sadie Fields of the Georgia Christian Alliance came out for Romney on Monday, an important endorsement in a state where Romney's volunteers say they're encountering a lot of anti-Mormon bias.

Georgians for Romney lists the Romney endorsers in Georgia's House delegation: Rep. Jack Kingston, Rep. Phil Gingrey, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, and Rep. Tom Price. As one of my Georgia sources told me with scarcely concealed disgust, the state's two Republican senators (Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isaakson) both endorsed McCain. "They both ran as conservatives, but as soon as they got up there, they both supported McCain on amnesty -- until they found out the voters were against it, then they changed their minds."

Romney held a huge rally at Georgia Tech on Monday:

Romney is running neck-and-neck with John McCain for the Georgia presidential primary, with Mike Huckabee trailing in third.
Romney said he expects to do well here Tuesday and in California and in many of the other 20-plus states where ballots will be cast.
"Georgia is going to have a big role in this," Romney said. "I keep hearing from my friends here that Georgia is going to come my way."

Here's CNN video from the Georgia Tech rally:

(Hat-tip: Jews for Mitt.) According to Peach Pundit, popular Atlanta radio host Herman Cain introduced Romney at the rally.

In the end, the story in Georgia comes down to those stiff-necked, thick-headed Hucktards, with polls continuing to show the Huckster at around 25%, despite his having zero chance of winning the nomination.

"I haven't had a full night's sleep since Thursday," a weary Romney volunteer told me Monday night, explaining she'd just had a 30-minute nap. "It's unbelieveable."

The Romney volunteer had joined a group of Evangelicals For Mitt supporters who went Sunday to Woodstock First Baptist -- one of the state's largest megachurches in a Cherokee County suburb north of Atlanta -- where the Huckster preached a "Jesus wants you to vote for me" sermon:

“I'm not here today to campaign,” said Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor during his visit to Sunday service.
But as Huckabee gave his testimonial at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, there was little doubt about the conservative voters, who support him.

Attempts at "outreach" to the Baptists of Woodstock by the Evangelicals For Mitt crew were ... not exactly received with blessings and thanksgiving, let's put it that way.

The Romney campaign unleashed a last-minute round of robo-calls in Georgia on Monday. At Peach Pundit, former Fredhead Chris Farris endorsed Romney. (Remember, more than 200,000 Georgians have already cast their ballots in early voting.)

We'll keep an eye out on Georgia and update ...