1.) Tea Partiers notice slight double standard in media coverage — As you watch the Occupy Wall Street jerks pooping on cop cars and literally stinking up Zuccotti Park, you might chuckle ruefully at how much different the news coverage would be if those “tea-rrorist hostage-taking teabaggers” ever pulled anything like this. You’re not alone, as TheDC’s Alex Pappas reports: “Activists affiliated with the tea party movement say they’re witnessing a double standard in the way the media is covering the Occupy Wall Street protests compared to the tea party. ‘It’s almost laughable,’ said Sal Russo, a strategist with the California-based group Tea Party Express, in an interview. While reporters at first didn’t always cover tea party rallies, Russo said, a California newspaper has recently been putting stories about the Occupy Wall Street on its front page. ‘The Sacramento Bee actually had a front-page story before the rally, telling people where it was and what time it was,’ Russo said. An official at FreedomWorks, the Washington, D.C.-based group that has organized tea party rallies since the movement burst onto the scene in 2009, said the media has been ignoring negative features of the Occupy Wall Street protests while it played up dubious charges against conservative activists last year. ‘I think it’s kind of funny that the media talked about alleged things that the tea party guys did that were never proven,’ spokesman Adam Brandon told The Daily Caller. ‘Then you have pictures of these guys getting arrested and confronting officers and now they’re being celebrated.'” That’s the rule of mainstream media coverage: If they agree with a group’s politics, any amount of misbehavior can be overlooked; if they disagree with a group’s politics, any amount of misbehavior can be concocted. They’ve given up even trying to pretend otherwise. Which is why they’re on the wane. Which is why you’re reading this.
2.) Lefty protesters prepare to fail miserably at the Capitol — The Occupiers are getting all the press, and the other dumb lefties are feeling, well, left out. Time to throw a temper tantrum! TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein reports: “During an evening meeting at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., protesters discussed plans to storm Capitol Hill Tuesday and create chaos inside and outside House and Senate office buildings. ‘We will have people going in over time into all the different doors of all the different buildings,’ said one of the organizers of the ‘Stop the Machine’ movement to roughly 100 assembled protesters. ‘Stop the Machine’ was organized in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the American invasion of Afghanistan and is distinct from the Occupy D.C. movement currently occupying McPherson Square. At an appointed time and in a particular office building — both of which will be named at a meeting in Freedom Plaza Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. — the protesters plan to create a ruckus which they hope will shut down work on Capitol Hill. ‘We will have all variety of creative actions including packing the elevators and pushing all the buttons and not getting out and stopping the hallways that connect the building to the other buildings and the banner drops and the song singing and don’t let them in the bathrooms and all the rest of it,’ the aforementioned organizer said.” Yep, that’s how you create lasting sociopolitical change: elevator tag. And blocking the bathrooms? Rage Against the Latrine! But no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, and in this case that enemy is the Capitol Police. You know, the same guys who arrested people for selling lemonade on Capitol grounds. And these brave little warriors think they’re going to get away with this? Hey, if they want to become martyrs for their cause…
3.) Cain makes great gains… — There is no low to which those evil Republican racists will not stoop, as TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports: “Herman Cain has surged into a statistical tie with Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary race, and has edged out Rick Perry for second place, according to the latest Gallup poll. Cain, who until last week was considered a second tier candidate, now sits at the top of the Republican primary field, and 18 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents nationwide say they would vote for him if the primary was held today. Romney holds a narrow lead over Cain with 20 percent of the vote. Rick Perry sits in third with 15 percent. Perry and Cain have both seen a drastic reversal in fortunes since Gallup last polled the race three weeks ago. Then, Cain was near the bottom of the pack with just 5 percent of the vote, and Perry boasted a seven-point lead over Romney, taking 31 percent of the vote.” Even if you don’t prefer Cain as a candidate, don’t find him likeable, and don’t agree with anything he says, just imagine how much fun it’d be to use all the Obamabots’ 2008 arguments against them in 2012.
4.) …But can he maintain without too much pain? — And with Cain’s increased popularity comes increased scrutiny. How will that play out in tonight’s GOP debate? Alex Pappas: “When Herman Cain takes the debate stage Tuesday night in New Hampshire, it’ll be the first time the Republican presidential candidate will do so as a top tier candidate. In prior debates, the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO has used his time to introduce himself to primary voters and charm them with memorable one-liners without being attacked by his opponents. He just hasn’t been seen as much of a threat. But now that many polls show him placing in the top three, will that change? And is Cain ready for such scrutiny? … One candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, has signaled that he may be taking aim at Cain. Before Cain’s recent surge, many speculated that Santorum could be the next to rise.” Which just goes to show: People will speculate any old thing.
5.) Bassist for Weezer used Twitter to predict visit from Reaper — If you’re a Weezer fan, you’ve already proven you’re not creeped out easily. But this might just test your resolve. TheDC’s Jordan Bloom reports: “In the weeks before former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh was found dead in a Chicago hotel room on Saturday, he sent out several messages via Twitter and Facebook that seemed to predict his demise. ‘Dreamt I died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). Need to write my will today,’ Welsh tweeted on Sept. 26. Then, ‘correction-the weekend after next.’ On his Facebook page, Welsh — who took up painting after his stint in the famous pop-punk band — wrote beneath a showcase photo of a painting he was selling for $250, ‘if i am still alive at time of purchase, price to increase exponentially if I expire prematurely.’ The tweets and Facebook post have since been scrubbed from his accounts.” [shudder]
6.) Today’s words of wisdom from Alec Baldwin’s Truther, er, Twitter feed — “It’s Indian Summer here in NY. Or is that Native American Summer? Well, it’s October and it’s 75 degrees!”
VIDEO: Occupy D.C. protesters speak out, clash with tea party
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