I continue to be baffled by all the love Republican governor Chris Christie’s getting among the chattering class. Here’s a typically fawning piece about his speech at AEI yesterday.

When Gallup asked registered voters if they would vote for Obama or the Republican Party’s candidate, the public was split evenly, with 45 percent for each. Overall, the same demographic voting patterns we saw in 2008 have remained unchanged.

Jonathan Chait, who just a couple days ago was doubting the existence of a grand bargain on the deficit, today comes out with his hair on fire about the grand bargain on the deficit being negotiated in the Senate. Chait goes on to say that this deal calls for ten times as much spending cuts as revenue increases, and that this would be a horrible deal for Democrats (to say nothing of the country).

It would. But where has Chait been? This isn’t a surprise at all.

I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of these posts, showing how Hunton & Williams asked “Themis” (the three firm team of HBGary, Palantir, and Berico Technologies) to apply counterterrorism approaches to combat First Amendment activities.

This particular installment comes from an early presentation and accompanying proposal Themis prepared for Hunton & Williams. These documents were attached to an email dated November 2, 2010 sent out by Berico Technologies’ Deputy Director. He explains that the presentation and proposal would be briefed to H&W the following day.

Last night, the Joint Finance Committee passed the budget repair bill in Wisconsin, which includes the stripping away of collective bargaining rights for public employees, by a party-line vote of 12-4. The bill could get votes as soon as today in the Assembly and Senate.

After a brutal crack-down attack on protesters in Bahrain overnight, the numbers of dead and wounded are still unclear; Al Jazeera now says the number of fatalities is increasing with clashes reported throughout the capital city of Manama though the central tent encampment has been destroyed. Pro-democracy and reform protests continue elsewhere across the Middle East and north Africa.

• Another revolution in the Middle East?
• Finally, the elusive bipartisanship we’ve waited for.
• A civil rights victory in Hawaii.
• What’s next for Gabby Giffords.
• Faux News: Unfair & Bigoted.

Nobody in power can ever anticipate anything, except that nothing ever comes of anything that should have consequences.

Pink — F**ckin’ Perfect.

Call him Stossmael. Or just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a frightful twit, a wingnut with a sad porn-’stache, talking goofy shit. John Stossel Is Seasteading the Future? For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of “seasteading,” this would be the genius libertarian idea where libertarians finally flee [...]