"Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran a story on how three conservatives nominated to the rogue Ninth Circuit..."

"... but whose nominations lapsed with the last Congress, had been left off the list of nominees resubmitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Many of us cried foul. According to the story, the White House was trying to reach some kind of a bargain with Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, allegedly to grease the skids for the inevitable replacement of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. There are several reasons to not engage in negotiations with either Feinstein or Harris. Harris is running for president. She is incapable, even under ideal circumstances of dealing in good faith.... Feinstein, likewise, is not trustworthy and after her performance during the Kavanaugh auto-da-fé any Republican who deals with her should be shunned.... The White House is now announcing that two of the tree nominess [sic], Daniel Collins, Kenneth Lee, have been renominated to the Ninth Circuit while Patrick Bumatay is being nominated to a district judge position. This is just bullsh**. We have the votes to crush Democrat opposition. The fact they don’t like a guy…and Feinstein and Harris were terrified of Bumatay because he’s young, Filipino, conservative and gay, making him almost bulletproof to their attacks—is reason itself to push his nomination through."

From "The Trump White House Does A Partial Cave To Feinstein And Harris On Ninth Circuit Nominees" at Red State.

Here's the White House announcement of the new nominees.

Here's the WSJ editorial (behind the paywall).

Here's Rush Limbaugh yesterday (before the new White House announcement, reacting to the WSJ):

"'We are going for a ‘Hicky’ Blue Collar look,' read the casting call for the ad, being aired by the National Republican Senatorial Committee."

“These characters are from West Virginia so think coal miner/trucker looks. 'Clothing Suggestions' included jeans, work boots, flannel shirt, denim shirt, 'Dickie’s type jacket with t-shirt underneath,' down-filled vest, John Deer [sic] hats (not brand new, preferably beat up),' 'trucker hats (not brand new, preferably beat up).'"

Here are those actors in action:



It's not quite Red State Update.

ADDED: Why don't we see the text of more casting calls for political ads? This can't be the most embarrassing one, can it? Was it "leaked" to hurt the GOP? [Yes: "The casting material was provided to POLITICO by Democrats.] Doesn't the leakage with the intent to hurt the GOP embody the belief that the people of West Virginia are so backward that they think commercials like this are made with real people and will be offended to find out that slick ad men concoct these things to persuade them? Think about it. What is more offensive: the GOP using an ad agency that blatantly presents "hick" stereotypes when trying to persuade West Virginians or GOP opponents who think that West Virginians are so simple and naive that they'll be wounded to learn how ads are made?

IN THE COMMENTS: Pogo said:

I call bullshit.

I don't believe it, not without a copy from the casting folks. They had a pdf of the script. Where's the pdf of the casting call?

Yeah, well, maybe it's fake but accurate. Ever considered that? You know how much the GOP has been wanting to appeal to these people in these small towns, people who've lost their jobs and think that somehow their communities are going to regenerate, people who've gotten bitter — it's not surprising — and cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Read Elena Kagan's college thesis and decide if she's "an open and avowed socialist"...

... which is what Erick Erickson has concluded.

ADDED: I've read the last few pages of the thesis, and a key sentence, at page 130, is: "The story is a sad but also a chastening one for those who, more than half a century after socialism's decline, still wish to change America." Does that sentence imply that its author is included in the "those who... still wish to change America"? Does it imply that socialism is required in order to "change America"?

However you answer those questions, remember that the paper was written 20 30 years ago, when Kagan was a college student. Not only is it likely that she has changed since she was in her early 20s, but it is also nearly a certainty that she wrote to obtain the favor of her teachers in the Princeton University History Department. I think there is a lot more evidence that Kagan knows how to please and win the favor of those with the power to advance her career than that Kagan is a socialist. I'm just going to guess — correct me if I'm wrong — that in 1981, Princeton students were able to discern that their history professors liked socialism.

"Why do they give Peace Prizes to pussies?"

(Via Insty.)

"Let me ask you a question, Geneva Convention. What's your problem?"

"$50 million for art!... $200 million to piss off the Pope!"

Analyzing the stimulus:

"Obama pals around with hippies."

Bill Ayers is "the pussiest terrorist," according to Jackie and Dunlap:



(So many great lines in this new episode of Red State Update.)

Joe the Plumber...

In the new McCain ad:



In the new Red State Update (NSFW):



ADDED: What's with this bizarre snobbery from Marc Ambinder:

(... Joe The Plumber's name isn't Joe, and he's not officially a plumber. Discuss.)

Actually, he's "Sam The Guy Who Does Plumbing," technicallly.

His voter registration application misspells his name, btw. ("Worzelbacher.")

And, btw, you misspelled "technically," technically. I mean, what the hell? Many people go by their middle name. Mitt Romney's full name is Willard Mitt Romney, for example. It's not deceitful. And guys who do plumbing are plumbers. So he's not a licensed plumber? Isn't that like being an accountant but not a certified public accountant? Wasn't this man in his own front yard when Obama came up and talked to him and responded to a question by promoting the redistribution of wealth? Who gives a damn how pure Joe the Plumber is, anyway? He just by chance provided the occasion for Obama to say something that deserves attention.