Patterico's Pontifications

12/9/2011

U.S. Senator: Giving Consumers Information Is “Anti-Competitive”

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:31 pm



When I read the headline and saw a U.S. Senator was denouncing the concept of providing consumers with information, I thought: “I bet it’s a Democrat.” And I was (functionally) right:

An uproar over the Price Check shopping app, used on mobile devices, erupted after Amazon launched a promotion for Saturday that gives customers 5% off (up to $5) on up to three qualifying items on its site if they check the prices of those goods on the app while browsing at a physical store.

Retail trade groups denounced the offer, saying it unfairly encouraged shoppers to check products at stores and then buy them online. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) entered the fray, calling the promotion “anti-competitive” and “an attack on Main Street businesses that employ workers in our communities.” Amazon defended the device as pro-consumer and not anti-small business.

Information is good. Access to information is good. It cannot be anti-competitive for consumers to have better and more immediate access to information.

Sheesh.

Olympia Snowe, you functional Democrat, chew on this: if readers buy their Christmas products though the Amazon search box on the sidebar, it will benefit this site. I hope giving people this information isn’t offending you too much!

My Twin Sister’s “Twins”

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:03 pm



OK, she’s not really my twin sister. She’s my sister, who is a twin.

And they’re not really her “twins.” They are embryos that have been transferred into her.

But you know what I meant.

My sister is asking for your prayers. And she has a picture of the embryos up at her blog.

So if you think of it, give her an encouraging word, here or there or both. And keep her and “the twins” in your prayers.

Sockpuppet Friday — None of the Above Edition

Filed under: 2012 Election,General — Karl @ 9:30 am



[Posted by Karl]

As usual, you are positively encouraged to engage in sockpuppetry in this thread. The usual rules apply.

Please, be sure to switch back to your regular handle when commenting on other threads. I have made that mistake myself.

And remember: the worst sin you can commit on this thread is not being funny.

—-

Second look at a brokered convention?  That’s been a running gag on Allahpundit’s Twitter feed throughout the GOP presidential debate season.  But RedState’s Erick Erickson seemed to be serious about it yesterday:

[T]wo stories — the failure of the political press to get the stories right and the failure of the political consultant class to get the candidates right — are not written about enough. And both impact the horserace for 2012. And the muddied stories of both these problems may interweave directly to a brokered convention. I think it is time to move beyond wishful thinking and take seriously the idea of having a brokered convention with someone other than the current crop of candidates becoming the nominee. And that, for the first time, adds a new candidate to this week’s horserace, *** None of the Above.

I think the Weekly Standard’s Jay Cost would be onboard with it, too: ” Our nomination process is a joke. The more I’ve studied the history of nominations, the more convinced I am of its gross inferiority to the past way of doing business. I could go on and on…”  Looking at the polls, Nate Silver observes: “Republicans are dangerously close to having none of their candidates be acceptable to both rank-and-file voters and the party establishment. It’s not quite clear what happens when this is the case; there is no particularly good precedent for it…”

Count me as skeptical, especially given the current populist bent of the grassroots GOP.  However, since caucuses and primaries came to supplant smoke-filled backrooms of party insiders, the GOP has still continued to nominate establishment candidates.  Reagan was arguably an exception, but after Ford declined to enter the race, Reagan was the consensus candidate in public opinion polling and “next in line” after nearly beating Ford for the nomination in 1976.  The only question is how much worse the establishment candidates would be if not checked by grassroots sentiment.

–Karl

Exclusive Footage from Alec Baldwin’s American Airlines Flight

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:10 am



Skip to :56.

This iPhone is a 4GS, and you still have a Motorola Sidekick. That’s my name. I have this iPhone because Mitch and Murray asked me to have it. If you don’t like it, you can push your little beverage cart right off this plane, because a loser is a loser.

Now let me finish my Scrabble game!

Video: Holder’s Fast and Furious Testimony

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 1:06 am



Looks a little contentious.

This is going to be a problem for Obama next year.

Perry and Bachmann Also Reject Trump Debate

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 12:58 am



Good for them.

Newt may be willing to make John Bolton Secretary of State — but if he’s still going to go along with this farce, he’s a fool.


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