More On Allred

I really do despise Gloria Allred. This whole Maidgate issue with Meg Whitman gets better every minute. How is it that she gets away with crap like this from the legal community, AND why does the media softball her at every turn. Much like the Hugh Hewitt interview I posted earlier she cannot answer straight questions, she just goes on and on about the fair treatment of illegals. And as usual Allred is a media whore capable of only realizing what is in it for her. She does expose her client to some serious legal ramifications. She is an illegal, has forged documents, and Ms. Allred could care less that exploiting this for political purposes could send this woman to jail and permanently damage her future attempt to become legal if she does decide to go that route. Pathetic, so thanks to Levin and Hewitt for working her over the coals.

Via Left Coast Rebel:

Mark Levin Guts, then Fillets, then Grills, Gloria Allred

Random Thoughts

Some days in writing this blog I feel like there are so many things to talk about that in a fit of ADHD would rather just lay them out to you, give some quick points and then let you decide. Kind of like my version of Fox News' "We Report, You Decide". Hope they don't mind I used that. In the spirit of being a full service (using the term loosely of course) news site here are a few things that have piqued my interest.

Obamacare

This will be a recurring theme through the next month leading up the mid-term and beyond. As we start seeing some of the early implications of the bill and it's mandates, people will come to loathe this legislation more than they do now. I mean how many more stories like this, this or this are we going to have to read in order to understand that the President openly lied to the American public time and time again. I wonder why I haven't heard him say lately, "If you like your current insurance you will keep your current insurance". Anyone care to answer that question for me? Or anyone care to posit as to why Democrats running for re-election are being cautioned to not say the words "stimulus" or "healthcare" in their campaigns? Oh that's right we are all just too stupid to know all the wondrous things Dear Leader Obama has bestowed upon us. Look bottom line is that everyone that took an objective look at this piece of legislation could have predicted these types of "unintended" consequences. As I have argued before, I do not believe these consequences were at all unintended by this President and the leftist hacks that wrote the law. It will be their excuse for even more government intervention when the insurance companies have to increase rates to stay in business while keeping in compliance with the mandates.

Dirtbag Grayson

Ugh not sure why I give this guy the time of day but, found this new video a fantastic answer to his line of slimy ads. A little taste of his own medicine. H/T Townhall.com:



Meg Whitman and Maid-gate

I really question anything that weasel attorney Gloria Allred is involved in, she pulled a similar stunt before Arnold Schwarzenegger's election to governor. She gives the legal profession a bad name and the women never met a television camera she didn't like. Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor in California, has run into a problem with hiring an illegal as a maid. In a not so unsurprising move, this story breaks a day after Jerry Moonbeam Brown got his clocked clean in a debate against the former CEO of eBay. Bottom line is that it seems as soon as they found out she was un-documented they had to let her go. Sour grapes? I doubt it. It's that scumweasel Allred taking advantage of a poor woman who had to get fired once she was discovered as an illegal. There seems to be some questionable timing as to when Meg Whitman found out she was illegal, but to everyone with a pulse it's a distraction. If a state that is facing massive pension underfunding, unemployment well above the national level AND cities literally stealing from their residents cannot see through to the real issues, they deserve a second round of that awful Jerry Brown. Here is a brief interview with Allred doing her usual.

Coincidence?

Does this: http://www.gallup.com/poll/143267/distrust-media-edges-record-high.aspx

have anything to do with this? : http://www.gallup.com/poll/9430/news-media-too-liberal.aspx

If the media is not trustworthy and too liberal at the same time, it would logically follow that a large chunk of this country has become wary of liberalism.

Rahm Out

The worst kept secret in Washington is finally out, Rahm will be announcing his departure from the White House to run for mayor of Chicago. The mass run to the exit continues. How can the media narrative spin this one as an overall positive for the administration? I guess we will find out tomorrow....to be continued.

Democrats Keeping It Classy

Seriously this post could be forty pages long if I went ahead and pieced together every hateful comment thrown at our last President but I am going to keep this current. Yesterday I posted Alan Grayson's (D-FL) new campaign ad, today we have this video from Ohio. It actually occurred a few days ago and I am a little late to posting it. I am putting it up because just wanted to start a discussion about this downward spiral of the Leftist wing of the Democrat Party. There are some who believe this in combination with Obama's continuing divisiveness will damage the Democrats for multiple election cycles. And that the President really only has two constituencies left in his corner. Then there are Democrats who think it possible to drive Republicans to minority on a permanent basis. I'll get back to that point later but without further ado the video I promised...



Anyone want to take my 3-2 odds that he is a union member? Seems typical of their tactics, instead of respectfully engaging the interloper (or better yet ignoring him altogether as it is his right to be there) the guy in the cheesy hat decides to commit simple assault with hot coffee. Look campaigns these days send their operatives out to videotape everything, in this day of YouTube a gaffe could be viral within hours. Just deal with it like a man.

Then you've got this race baiting Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) saying :



Yes the V.C. is out to get her. My goodness. At least she is getting called out for this by the usually-can't-be-bothered media. I'm left wondering, 'So what do all these outbursts have in common?' Is it they are finally realizing their days are numbered? Do they feel we still live in the pre-Internet days when liberals could get away with this type of commentary on a regular basis without recrimination? Or do they honestly believe this is the way to further an argument? Their angle is hard to discern but my belief is that it probably is a little bit of all those reasons. The rhetoric that Democrats have been using this cycle to disparage average Americans (embodied by the Tea Party and in recent polls about 24% of whom are registered Democrats) will haunt them not only this cycle but more than likely next. It looks as if the Tea Party movement is not going anywhere and will be holding accountable the members that they helped elect. So any notion that Democrats are poised for dominance as I noted before are slightly premature. I understand the argument that Dylan Loewe makes in his book (linked above) about demographics. The trend in demographics (specifically the millennial generation that overwhelmingly is socially liberal) move towards Democrats but since he is only about 28 years old he seems to forget (or is too young to recall) that this has been said about every youth movement. His key assumption is that the politics you have has a college student are permanently with you for life. You certainly forge some values in your youth that you hold dear but, as you become more engaged with the real world those things tend to shift. Obviously not for all but, he and other liberals are delusional if they think that generation remains about 68% Democratic. The argument for Democratic dominance can be a tempting one for them to make, increasing minority populations and the millennials help them make it. Their 'fatal conceit' (apologies to Hayek) is to assume the American people as a whole are unsophisticated and, will not develop thought outside of the liberal tropes handed to them through the education system. As the famous writer, essayist and journalist P.J. O'Rourke recently said, "...paying taxes make you a Republican, logic makes you libertarian, but children make you conservative"

Alan Grayson (D-FL) = Scum

Ever wonder what it would be like to have one of those Daily Kos trolls in a Congressional seat? This guy never ceases to amaze with his insanity. He is by far one of the prime one termers Republicans are targeting all across the country. They are weak and they mostly reside in Republican leaning districts. His latest ad to brand Daniel Webster as 'Taliban Dan' is about as low as it gets. But then again it's Kos and his intelligence challenged readers who have been equating the Right in this country with the Taliban for a while now. Here is his latest ad:



Well the predictable backlash has occurred, here and here. But what would you expect from the posterchild of toxic discourse. Don't need to tell most of you what the reaction would be if this was a Republican running ads like this. Especially with a track record like this. So anyone in Grayson's district, get out and vote this despicable excuse for a human out of office. Thanks we'd all appreciate it.

UPDATE: Clearly I was not the only one completely turned off by the latest in Alan Grayson's continuing assault on common sense and decency. Sadly he is still a hero to some....read: here, here and here

Union Thuggery

A term which has become redundant. I guess the stuff coming out of Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, should be expected. It must suck to see in just 26 years your share of the workforce has gone from 20% to a little over 12% or a loss of about 2.4 million union members since 1983. Seeing their power and political influence over the last few decades erode has made them a little bitter, and well delusional.

Via Michelle Malkin:

[Trumka said]We have to offer working people something other than the dead-end choice between the failed agenda of greed and the voices of hate and division and violence…

…In the short term, said Trumka, the labor movement has to “recapture the moment and take control of the national conversation.” Building for the future,we need to fundamentally restructure our economy and re-establish popular control over the private corporations which have distorted our economy and hijacked our government. That’s a long-term job, but one we should start now.

Interesting take on our country and how it is run. Re-establish popular control over corporations? I am sorry Mr. Trumka but are you suggesting the "working man" just take over companies and redistribute wealth? Oh wait you may actually be succeeding at such: Teamsters Attempt to Oust Fed-Ex Chairman

Teachers' Unions Becoming Isolated

This morning on the 'Today' show on NBC we had another President Obama infomercial, this one about education policy. I actually agree with much of the President's rhetoric when the subject switches to education in this country. Unfortunately the actions have not backed up the words, so I'm not completely convinced. BUT he and Secretary Arne Duncan may be the only Democrats in my recent memory to actually believe that school choice is a good thing. The teachers unions, namely the UFT (the largest branch of the AFT) and the NEA, have weilded the hammer of union influence over the Democratic Party...could that be waning? Not at the speed people who favor school choice and charter schools would prefer. But there are signs that the teachers unions are increasingly falling out of touch with the policy directives of some high profile Democrats, namely Mayor Cory Booker in Newark New Jersey, the President and Sec. Duncan. The recent documentary Waiting For Superman has exposed the unions, shined a light on our failing schools and how the decades old liberal argument of throwing wads of money after the problem has solved nothing and if anything has made it worse. Making the movie more effective is the fact that it has been produced and directed by the people who brought you An Inconvenient Truth, blunting any criticism that the movie is some right-wing hatchet job on unions. If you have been following what the Republican governor from NJ has been going through with the teachers unions you would be well versed in their tactics when the criticism comes from the Right.

While the preference is for the Federal Government to detach itself altogether from the business of educating our children, that ship has sailed and now would like their involvement minimal but at least responsible (i.e. no national standards and NO increased spending). What we have been getting over the years has been the opposite, more largesse to line the pockets of the teachers unions who then turn around and take your tax money to donate to the Democratic Party in Washington and other leftists. The unions then protect bad teachers, with the system setting up permanent job security on your tax dime. How is it your tax dime? Well the trail is quite simple, you pay property taxes to pay your public school teachers, your teachers are forced (they can opt out but it actually costs them to do so) to pay dues, and voila their dues fund the great Democratic Party machine. Look if private trade unions want to feed that animal, that's their prerogative and their memberships', but when public service unions are doing it with your tax dollars...wake up!

Which brings me to my point, as the truth about these practices, the truth about our public school system and how they fail our children come to light...the more these unions are going to find themselves politically isolated. Governor Christie (R-NJ) stated the obvious this morning, they can hop on board with reform or they can come kicking and screaming but it will get done. It is sad that it has taken Democrats and some liberals to finally see the light on the subject of school choice, but better late than never. We need more courageous politicians of either stripe to continue the fight of reform in our public schools. The hope is that gifts like the one Mark Zuckerberg made to benefit Newark schools goes to an actual paradigm change and does not continue to reward bad behavior and bad policy. I do believe it will work with the leadership of Christie and Booker, and color me cautiously optimistic that union political influence will decline with the latest public developments. That will be good for everyone involved in education, well except the heads of the UFT and NEA.

Reason #4,985 the U.N. is Useless

I am really not sure how to preface this story, except that it is 100% true. The UN has shown itself to not really care about humanitarian causes, to pay no mind to personal freedom, or have any respect for the country that hosts their glorified debate society. Now I guess there are some people who actually believe this position is necessary. You know the types...the people who believe we didn't actually land on the moon, JFK was killed by the mafia, and that liberal politicians actually care about minorities on any other day but election day. Just wondering when we can get to the business of kicking out all of these third world pot bellied dictators from that prime real estate on the East Side of Manhattan. The city could actually earn some ratables off of the property as opposed to the virtually free ride the U.N. gets now.

UN to appoint space ambassador to greet alien visitors

Americans Are Stoopid

The effete Senator from Massachusetts illustrates why the electorate is fed up with these ruling class types of any political stripe. It also shows quite clearly why he lost the 2004 election. He's just another über-rich limousine liberal, nothing he says here should be news to anyone who pays attention to the usual liberal tripe. Look, these types on either side of the aisle that do not get where the current atmosphere comes from, they are going to find themselves on the out.

Until they understand that Americans as a whole have had it with; 1) the ruling class spending us into unsustainable levels, 2) forcing government intervention into areas that were never intended by the founding principles and 3) that we have finally caught on to their crap while willing to do something about it....they will find the environment hostile to their usual lines of defense. So Senator Kerry thanks for making the target easy and clear for us. We appreciate it.

Via Boston Herald:
John Kerry: Democrats’ woes stem from uninformed voters

More On The Circus Sideshow

This comes from Right Klik. I talked about the Colbert fiasco earlier on Friday, and by all accounts it seems it was a total fail by Democrats. It overshadowed more serious testimony occurring before the Civil Rights Commission illustrating some real live ethical and legal lapses, something that Congress used to be interested in. But why let the facts get in the way of a good time:

Forget the Clown, Listen to Coates

Will Charlie Crist Just Go Away?

This from Rich Lowry, Editor of National Review. I have noted on here before the calamity that is Charlie Crist and his ideological contortions. He is a disgrace and Mr. Lowry calls him out as such.

Via NRO - The Corner

Governor Crist—


How time flies. It was only a few months ago that you were clogging our phone lines with assurances that you were a “Reagan conservative” and a committed Republican.

Since then, of course, you have only continued your sprint away from both Reagan’s party and his principles, flip-flopping on everything from Obamacare—first you were against it, then you were for it, now you’re against it again—to education reform to traditional marriage. Indeed, the only thing about you that is consistent is your willingness to do or say whatever it takes to sustain your floundering campaign for another day.
So perhaps it shouldn’t have surprised me when I saw your recent attack ad on Marco Rubio misleadingly attribute the headline “IRS Investigating Rubio Expenditures” to National Review. A minute of research would reveal that the piece referenced, posted on National Review Online on April 21, 2010, consisted of an attributed quotation from the St. Petersburg Times and a response from the Rubio campaign.

It should have been obvious that the attribution belonged to the Times. Instead, you used the reputation of National Review to attempt to undermine Rubio’s support among conservatives. Your tactic is even more tawdry considering nothing ever came of the Times story, and not even the faintest whiff of wrongdoing has attached itself to Rubio.
On behalf of NR, we demand you correct your ad, though we have no expectation that you will do so, given that you are running one of the most unscrupulous political campaigns in recent history.

Actually, maybe I shouldn’t be so pessimistic. You’ve changed your mind about everything else—why not this ad?

Sincerely,

Rich Lowry

Colbert? Really?

I noticed the other day that the Democrats that run the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration wanted to bring Stephen Colbert to testify. My first thought was, 'Isn't he a comedian?' and what exactly does he bring to the table to the very serious discussion of Immigration policy in this country. The news item noted that he would be appearing "in character", good grief. For those who do not know, he pretends to be this O'Reilly type TV commentator. His brand of satire is so obvious and not at all funny. I mean every joke is to point out that Republicans are racist, homophobic, and bigots. It isn't exactly Lenny Bruce groundbreaking comedy. Successful political satire and humor generally works when it comes from an unexpected angle (The Onion on it's good days, and to an extent Jon Stewart), not from a caricature. Intelligent people can basically tell the difference. Sadly people actually get their news from this man. Pathetic. So why bring him to Congress? Well Democrats to prove a point generally don't engage in issues or legitimate discussion, rather a stunt like this to try to make Republicans look goofy and stupid is the preferred method. Predictably it doesn't reflect well on the current Congressional leadership. We have serious issues, the House has yet to produce a budget and we get Colbert Report live from D.C?! It didn't start off well either when Rep. Conyers asked him to leave the room and just submit a statement. Maybe the smartest thing he has done in decades. What a sideshow...



Then it just got ugly after that. Thank God November 2 is only 39 days away. These libs and Democrats make me ill.

There He Goes Again

At a rally to support Meg Whitman in California, the big man from Jersey lays the smackdown. East Coast in the house.

The man is always professional and as I have shown in other video clips here, he knows his stuff. He will not be derailed by your yelling and screaming, or in the case of the teacher a couple of weeks ago, your eye-rolling as he answers your question.

Fan-fu**ing-tastic

I have noted in this space numerous instances of Democrat insanity and desperation. Well consider this the latest installation, complete with the F-bomb. Losers...

Via Libertarian Republican:

Panic is truly setting in. Here we are little over 40 days from the election, and the Democrats are losing everywhere. And the outlook in the swing state of Ohio is especially grim.

Just released from Quinnipiac:

Governor
Republican John Kasich 54%
Democrat Ted Strickland 37%

Senate
Republican Rob Portman 55%
Democrat Lee Fischer 35%

So, last night at a Union Hall, the State Democrat Chairman Chris Redfern vented his frustration. From WTOV Channel 9:

As the United Steelworkers union was announcing its endorsement for a number of Ohio Democrats, including Gov. Ted Strickland, Chris Redfern used a variation of the F-word to describe opponents to his party's agenda.

A NEWS9 reporting crew was invited into the union hall in Clarington for the endorsement announcement, and the camera was rolling as Redfern leveled the expletive at critics in the Tea Party, who, in his words, believe health care is a privilege, not a right.

"If your kids are going to graduate from college, now he or she gets health care, your heath care, while he or she looks for a new job," Redfern said. "It's in the very base terms we win these arguments. Every time one of these [Fu*kers!] says, excuse my language..."

Note - Redfern was ranting against Tea Partyers and free market advocates who do not believe taxpayer-subsidized health care is a Constitutional right.

Inside Baseball (Updated)

That's generally the term you hear when either side is engaging in process shenanigans in the Senate. If you are unaware with the way both chambers do business, it is the Senate that is steeped in procedure. So here I present to you the Democrats' latest cynical ploy...putting the DREAM act and DADT repeal into a defense spending bill. If you really believed in the DREAM act Harry Reid wouldn't you have introduced this as a separate debate. It is one totally worth having by the way because there are portions of it that are acceptable to Republicans and Democrats. If Democrats were serious about illegal immigration reform you wouldn't cloak it in a defense appropriations bill.

Same thing with Don't Ask Don't Tell. What the repeal of this has anything to do with our soldiers getting funded is beyond me. Look there are legitimate arguments for the repeal of this but to send this defense bill to a cloture vote (which does not allow the minority party to petition for amendments) knowing damn well that it won't pass is purely a political play. One that is completely unnecessary at the cost of holding up funding for the troops. To me it is always telling how the Left/Democrats bring up these issues when desperate. Then they paint the Right as the ones who are out of step with the mainstream, thereby scoring them political points (which invariably they do only with their leftist base)...it's laughable. The issue of DADT to me is best handled, as Senator McCain has said, by the heads of the respective Armed Services. At the present time they are against the repeal of the policy so end of story. They would be the ones most qualified to comment on what holds morale and motivation amongst their troops. This cynical play by the Senate Democrats is pathetic and should be seen as obvious. If you really care about these issues debate them seriously, propose them on the floor not as extraneous amendments to a funding bill. They aren't serious of course, the only thing Reid is serious about is trying to fire up the far left to go out and vote in November.

In a somewhat related story, the remarks that Lady Gaga made in front of a rally yesterday were embarrassing. People who truly do care about this subject should be careful as to who they parade out to champion the cause. Her remarks set the movement back. By suggesting to expel the soldiers who are "homophobic" because they support DADT, really is not helpful or intelligent in the slightest. She is a fruitcake and I do hope her 15 minute clock is running.

UPDATE: Classic testy McCain/reporter exchange,haha

UPDATE Part 2: More detailed breakdown of the Democrats' lack of seriousness by RedState's Dan McLaughlin

We Sure Have Come A Long Way

A long way from this:




To this exchange yesterday



People were really swept up by this unrealistic fervor in 2008, not exactly a groundbreaking revelation on my part. It is the speed at which everyone has awoken from their slumber which has impressed me. Yet at every turn Democrats seem to be missing the point of the outrage. Even the President seems to be oblivious to this. There is a moment in yesterday's exchange where it seems he is ready to laugh with the woman, when at first blush it seems she will be going off on the President's critics. Some commenters over at Ace Of Spades noticed this too and nailed how his facial expression changes:

Obama thought at first she was making the point that exists only in Obama's head, that is, that these attacks are all silly distractions made by unserious people (or seriously racist people who talk about him like he's a dog). He wanted to laugh with her at how nonsensical all this criticism was. I hear ya, sister. It's ridiculous, isn't it?

But then she affirmed her own belief in the seriousness of these criticisms and he realized he wasn't going to get what he had been used to -- adulation for his lack of accomplishments. And then he grimaced.

This unique brand of arrogance emanating from the White House is dragging them down further than necessary. The President made some interesting remarks at this town hall as well. Granted they were complete and utter fabrications as he tries to position himself as a fiscal conservative. This type of disingenuous about-face is what has made this administration anathema to most of America. The turnaround of Obama the Centrist, Post-Partisan Campaigner to the hard left ideologue who occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has destroyed this Presidency. How is this becoming so difficult for those in this White House to admit? There was a time when most of us believed that Emmanuel, Plouffe and Obama were politically savvy....well I guess there was also a time when people thought their mortgage was getting paid for. We have come a long way indeed.

The Rout Is On...In Most Places

Jim Geraghty's latest breakdowns on the races across the country are found below. The momentum is clear and it will take a miracle of some sort to stem the rising tide but everyone on the Right must keep talking about the elections with their friends and make sure they get out to vote in their respective areas. The media will be spinning all sorts of stories like this, since they are the water carriers of the Left. It only displays sheer desperation and a realization that the high watermark of 2008 is well in the rearview for them. As always facts are stubborn things and all the numbers and facts point to a certain Democrat bloodbath. The Governor races looks like a likely 13 statehouse pickup for the Republicans. Ouch! Taking out the toss-up races, RCP has it 31-19 after November's election day. This plays a large role in redistricting after a year ending in a zero. The Senate looks out of reach even if Mike Castle was the nominee in Delaware. It would have been close but picking up ten seats was always a tall order, more importantly the almost six-seven seat pickup completely destroys the near filibuster proof majority the Democrats have had for almost two years. Control of the House is paramount though to thwart Obama's hard left agenda so let's hope the momentum continues and on November 10th we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

The Rout Is On. - The Campaign Spot - National Review Online

Man This Is Pathetic

In my movie trailer voiceover voice (just pretend, OK? sheesh)......From the people who brought you the critically acclaimed "Man Caused Disaster" and "Overseas Contingency" comes the latest suspense filled, action packed, political thriller....."Global Climate Disruption"

I guess since we know that global warming isn't actually occurring as severely as the enviro lobby wished, here comes this more generic term. While Al Gore laughs all the way to the bank with his carbon trading scheme, this administration seems to have hired every technocratic hack in America to further enrich the enviro kooks. I mean look the 'War On Terror' was not the greatest name as in it wasn't all that accurate. Tough to have a war on a tactic the enemy uses but everyone in the country knew what it meant because it was plain and straightforward. Once again the Left fighting the battle on 'common sense'.

This guy John Holdren fits right in with the Progressives surrounding this President. He's a throwback to the '20's-30's era of Progressives. You know, the ones who favored eugenics. More homework for any liberal readers I have, check out what your intellectual forefathers have wrought before just assuming modern liberalism has the purer motives than anything us classical liberals propose. In the 70's this guy wrote a book called Ecoscience, gripping stuff if you favor a single mother having their baby's seized from them against their will and given to other couples to raise. Or it's a quick read if you feel that sterilizing the population through poisoning our drinking water with infertility drugs will curb population growth and natural resource depletion. Yeah just give it a tumble, I'm sure you will enjoy its lighthearted nature. I'll take my right wingers who think masturbating is dirty over this truly demented crap.

More Post Mortem on DE

First off wanted to highlight Yuval Levin's quick observations on The Corner at NRO. Yes it's more or less what I said last night but delivered much more succintly than I could. I also was in a discussion over Facebook with a center-left friend of mine who found O'Donnell to be distasteful due to her religious views, the masturbation thing, abstinence,etc. For the record I believe abstinence education should be a part of a kids sexual ed in school. Many districts have imposed it successfully without making it into some sort of religious issue. Look if we are gonna hand out condoms willy-nilly to 12 year old kids, shouldn't we also offer them the alternative side of it. You know, like telling them don't have sex until you are a little more mature. I know common sense generally doesn't have a place in the liberal agenda but I'm just saying. Anyways here were my thoughts to him on the primary and then I will be done talking about it....I hope:

It's just funny how taking something she said in 1996 is relevant but Obama's past associations with anti-American radicals is not. It's funny how her suing her former employer is relevant but Charlie Rangel, a freaking criminal, wins his Democratic primary by a 2 to 1 margin and we get nary a peep from MSNBC. It's funny how O'Donnell is all over the news but why is the media silent during the parade of people leaving O's economic team. Peter Orszag, Christina Romer anyone? All that being said, she is not an ideal candidate (due to the sideshow her career has been to this point, 2 electoral losses prior, the lawsuit,etc.) but not nearly the nutjob the frothing at the mouth liberal media (and some in the GOP establishment) have made her out to be. Mike Castle was a liberal and for all intents and purposes was a Democrat, a lot less ideal for the supposedly conservative GOP. This is why he lost and I'm totally OK with it, even if she doesn't win it's one less liberal pretending to be a Republican.

Contemplating the Price of Cheap Political Rhetoric

Excellent piece as usual by Thomas Sowell. As the title of my post suggests he provides good thought and clear points on how "social justice" and other such terms affect our society and policies. Give it a read, you won't be sorry.

The Money of Fools - Article - National Review Online

Thoughts On O'Donnell in DE

A few things strike me with the results in Delaware tonight. There has been a lot of Conservatives squabbling over her candidacy. One look at my Twitter feed over the last few days would make that obvious. You had some in the blogosphere and establishment GOP backing Mike Castle; and the tea party, Sarah Palin, with others in the blogosphere backing O'Donnell. I kind of stayed out of it because my thought is to leave this to the primary voters in the state of Delaware. I see the arguments on both sides, the moderate Castle while not a conservative would have gotten the Republicans one seat closer to firing Harry Reid as majority leader. He was leading in all major polls in a hypothetical matchup against Coons. O'Donnell on the other hand speaks of true conservative principles and had the energy of the tea party behind her.

I was not around in 1976, but understanding what started happening to the Republican party at that time has some parallel in today's disagreements. An outsider Governor who was bucking the GOP establishment which at that time believe it or not was very entrenched in the Northeast blue blood culture. The man he beat for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination, George H.W. Bush, was the poster child for the ruling class. The Southern stronghold had not developed yet, although Nixon famously used the Southern strategy to win the Presidency twice. That governor was Ronald Reagan and his brand of conservatism has changed the party for the better forever. Not trying to give a history lesson here but it is to put the debate over O'Donnell-Castle in some context. This kind of stuff happens for the heart of parties all the time, and it can be productive if people take away the right lessons. What has occurred nationally is a mood of not anti-incumbency but anti-big government and dead set against out of control spending, plain and simple. People are looking for candidates who espouse that line of thinking regardless of party stripe. The Republican Party has always been the one that has been the ideological home of this line of thinking since Abraham Lincoln, save a few exceptions(Teddy Roosevelt,Herbert Hoover). So if this battle over O'Donnell and Castle move the party closer to actually adhering to these principles instead of paying it lip service as it did during the Bush years, then I am all for it.

The thought that only moderate Republicans like an Arlen Specter should be nominated in the Northeast to me is nonsense. As a conservative who was raised in New Jersey and now lives here I hear this argument all the time. Yes of course this is not Alabama and most voters in our state are not as conservative. But they are mostly independent and if you constantly trot up candidates that are not discernibly different from the Democrat, why the hell would the electorate choose them? If you cannot articulate a true alternative to the leftist liberals that run as Democrats up here than you will not win. An independent voter is going to vote for the Democrat because at least they know what they will be getting. Look at what has happened to the GOP in New York, it is a total dysfunctional joke mostly because they consistently send up total squishes that the electorate cannot understand what their principles are.

At the end of the day what makes your party relevant is winning elections. In that vein I understand the urge to elevate the candidate who can just win, but this presidency has given us a unique opportunity to right the ship of the GOP. That is more important for long term success in opposing the Progressive agenda and forging a future based on the principles contained in the Constitution. Just think, two years ago the punditry were writing the obituary of conservatism and the GOP. I have been saying since day one they misread the 2008 election so greatly that it would bite them in the ass. Just didn't think it would happen in the first mid-term. I will support Christine O'Donnell even with all her flaws, even if the NRSC will choose not to, and wish her much luck in the general. She will need a lot of it. I just hope Republicans don't start openly sounding like libs in bashing the Tea Party movement. The establishment needs to learn to work with the grassroots or November's gains will not be as dramatic as some think. Shooting itself in the foot has been the party's specialty as of late so I won't put it past them.

The Joy Of A Salesman (off-topic)

If you are a sales rep you will totally get this. If you aren't...thank whatever God you worship that you have never had this conversation as I have numerous times in my second career as a salesman. It is NSFW as it includes some salty language.

Liberal Despair

Ah yes, the "country is just a bunch of irrational boobs" argument. Liberals are in a pit of despair and hopefully soon a pit of irrelevancy. They somehow see Obama as the "voice of reason incarnate". I am not sure how as the only one he seems to be making sense to these days is the ever shrinking hard Left of this country. Unfortunately for us the Progressive Left still controls the narrative in print and broadcast news media. No matter how many viewers O'Reilly, Hannity or anyone on Fox News gets it is still behind in raw numbers to the three major networks. Granted fewer and fewer people are getting their news from Katie Couric and the like, but why wait until 6:30pm to get your news when you can get it all day right here on the Internet. That network audience will only shrink more rapidly as the baby boom generation ages.

The story here as Ben Smith writes below is that in fact this "irrational doofus" (my term) string of logic will be the new Democrat Party strategy, and implemented by most "journalists". Do we see more public anger and distrust of government than ever before? Not really, it's always been the underlying fabric of this country. I just think in this day and age with the Internet and 24/7 media these things can organize very quickly. We know that as entrepreneurs and innovators this country has no peer. And why has that been the case? Largely due to the fact that for most of this country's existence we have allowed private individuals to control their own destiny to an extent and kept the hand of big government out of their way. All across Europe you see countries rejecting much of their Bismarckian ways. The excesses of government spending and deficit spending, which has been the canard of liberal Keynesian economics for as long as it has existed, has finally hit a breaking point with some in the Eurozone. But they are learning and clawing back to prosperity along the way. The weakness of the Euro due to the collapse of the free spending countries seems to be helping along too in an interesting paradox. The fact remains that center-right coalitions continue to govern most of these countries out of their slide. Save for the exceptions of Italy,Greece,Portugal and Spain (the so called PIGS) the trend continues to move to the right.

The liberals here should start asking themselves the question: Who ushered in this current climate of "irrationality"? Is it possible that people could have legitimate concerns over government metastasizing beyond control? Could it be that the majority of Americans feel the Progressive agenda is wrong for the country and it never will be right? Progressives' whole existence is driven by the fact that they know best. That the university professors and intellegentsia know what is best for the majority. They would love nothing more to centralize power in a strong Federal government to forever be able to drive that point home to you....you irrational American idiot.

POLITICO: Liberal despair: Age of irrationality - Ben Smith - Liberal despair: Age of irrationality

Related Piece to My Story

Here is a well written related piece by a blogger over at Big Government.com. Her brother was a Wall Street survivor of 9/11 and his experiences of going back to work afterwards mirror exactly what most of us dealt with in the aftermath. The checkpoints, bomb sniffing dogs, guys armed with assault weapons all became part of our daily work routine. NOT going back to work down there was not an option for us, it is how we made our living. She also intertwines some excellent analysis about the country's current attitude towards Wall Street workers in light of the meltdown of 2008. Excellent read and I hope you will take the time to read it as well.

9/11 Aftermath: Quiet Patrots of Wall Street Should Not Be Today's Politcal Casualties

Thank God

I say that because I am so glad someone wrote a definitive review of Meggie Mac's book, relieves me of any sense that I had to read it. Some of the other reviews were the typical snark or just dismissive of her, which describes how I generally deal with the junk she writes on The Daily Beast. Anyways the link below is worth reading if you are a clear thinking person, hopefully this ridiculous book will end all notions of her being taken seriously by the lamestream media. Why they constantly give her air time is anyone's guess. I will give you mine: The media loves to prop anyone who self describes as a Conservative then goes ahead and bashes the ideology at will. She is nothing but a useful idiot of the Left, this book just proves the 'idiot' part.


Meghan McCain’s Dirty, Sexy Politics The New Ledger

9/11- My Story

I have long battled with the idea of writing about my experience on 9/11/01. I always found what happened to me so inconsequential compared to the larger scale loss of life and destruction. Daughters lost fathers, mothers lost sons. How does my experience possibly measure up? I was just a guy who happened to make his living just yards away from the most recognizable man-made landmarks in the world. The fact that nine years has passed has allowed ample time for my thoughts to cohere and make sense even to me. I know this is a blog dedicated to news and politics. This is not politics but it is my story, and to warn you it's a long post so read it if you wish.

I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday (Cheerios?) but I could tell you with detail the happenings of that day from the minute I left my house to get the train in Middletown,NJ to the minute I got home that night around 9:30pm. It was a beautiful clear crisp morning in the suburbs, one of those mornings that follows a warm day with a chilly night up here in the Northeast. A little dew on the grass and on the windshield of my black 1997 GMC SUV was there and I knew Fall was right around the corner. That and the Monday Night Football (Denver vs Giants) game I had watched the night before confirmed it. For people who know me, Summer is my favorite season around here and those first glimpses of Fall remind me it's over. Other personal things at the time were on my mind so I wasn't particularly excited to go to work. My attempt to branch out on my own as a market maker on the floor of the American Stock Exchange, where I had spent the previous four years, was starting to flounder and I was taking larger risks than I was used to making. When things are good you don't mind taking those risks because you know that is part of the deal and you know you'll make it up. When your confidence is lagging a little and you start to doubt your analytical ability to make good decisions is precisely the time you get your clock cleaned. That only turned into paralysis by the time the floor reopened for business at the end of September.

So I did the daily grind, taking pretty much the same train in everyday. Leaving my house around 7:15am to get to office at 8:45-8:50 and then be on the floor by opening bell 9:30am. Rode the NJ Transit train into Newark Penn for the switch to the PATH which took me to the WTC virtually every morning for those four years. Newark Penn was the usual crowded mess at that time in the morning, you basically jam up into these little groups of people, your spot on the PATH platform hoping to be exactly where the doors of the stopped train will eventually open. Sometimes you don't get a seat, you stand in that spot as people whizz by you so you can sit on the next train that pulls up and maybe take a cat nap on the ride in. That was my preferred tactic, trains came every 2-3 minutes, that wouldn't make or break my time in plus I wasn't punching a clock. So I get on my train and proceed to sleep for the next 20 minutes (odd simulation of that exact ride i found when searching for an old PATH map) only to be awaken by the screeching brakes as it pulls into the WTC on the usual hard left it would make pulling to the platform. Checked my watch...it reads 8:45, right on my schedule, take the 3-4 minute walk to 2 Rector St. and I'm there at 8:50.

As I am filing out of the train though I start hearing a blaring fire alarm from the deli (Akbar's Cafe I believe was the name) that's stationed just one floor up from the PATH platform. My thought was 'poor guy just had that place completely re-done and it's on fire already?' Made my way up the large bank of escalators to the Concourse shopping mall level and that is where it became strange. Dropped coffee cups all over the floor and people were kind of scattering straight to the exits. That is when a plainclothes PA Officer told me to "Get the hell out", sometimes I think to myself if that man followed his own advice. Crazy to think but I just walked out of there, no running no panic since i had no clue. Went through the usual set of doors between 4 WTC and the South Tower (2 WTC) I walked out of almost everyday to make my way to Greenwich Street. That's when it became even stranger, glass was all around me and I was actually feeling things hit my head. Nothing heavy mind you, but it made me look up immediately and that's when I saw the smoking hole in the side of the North Tower. People were starting to gather and just stare upwards so I asked someone on the street, "What happened?", the response "A plane crashed into it". I felt at that moment 'what a terrible tragedy', just looking up at the smoke and fire you knew people were not making it out alive and my sentiment was that it was a terrible accident. Flaming papers and other debris at this time are hitting the street and the first police and fire were starting to arrive asking me to keep moving down the street. I walked down Greenwich and watched the guys at Ladder 10 right there on the corner of Liberty and Greenwich packing up their stuff and getting ready for the call.

I got into my office just before 9:00am and CNBC is already covering what they are terming a terrible accident. No one knew exactly what happened. My desk next to the open 5th floor window faced west but just looking down Greenwich Street you had a clear look the block and a half down to the WTC. Sitting there with my clerk watching people on the street staring up at the fire wondering why they were still there "Didn't they have to get to work?", he responds "What's that sound?". We could hear the high pitched roar only a commercial airliner makes, looked west and saw the plane explode upon impact of the South Tower. The sounds and being able to feel the heat of the explosion are still with me. Now we know we are under attack and security in our building is asking everyone to evacuate. I comply but as I gather outside with some fellow AMEX members I learn that subways are closed and train service stopped to New Jersey. I am now in it for the long haul it seems. I grab a coffee to go at George's Diner, corner of Rector and Greenwich. Me and 3 or 4 of us are outside now one block further east on Trinity and Rector trying to figure out how to get back to NJ. Word is, if we can get uptown to 38th St they were running ferry service out.

The problem is that in the middle of that conversation, I heard the loudest sound I had ever heard and felt the earth rumble just a little. People were running at us screaming,I grabbed my briefcase and ran not knowing what i was running from. Took one look north and this cloud is about to overtake me. At this point I get separated from my friends and kept running east towards Broadway, but it didn't matter I couldn't see a damn thing. I put the bag over my mouth since i took one inhale of the dust and it completely dried me out, wanted to try and shield myself from it. This is where it got scary, couldn't see but could hear people crying and screaming. I also was convinced along with some of these people that something was going to fall on me and I would die. I somehow found myself to an office lobby that was actually open and people were filing in. We were all covered in dust, soot, and whatever the hell else it was. I just remember sitting on the floor of the lobby staring in space holding my briefcase not understanding what had just happened. The security guards in this building (would later find out it was 55 Broadway) were extremely helpful, one brought me a little paper cup filled with water. I took it and washed my mouth clean.

The security guards were not sure what to do with us, would it be better to herd everyone downstairs? Was another attack coming? No one knew what to do. They eventually took us upstairs to a big conference room that was setup for a conference later that day. That floor also had a bathroom we could use, thankfully. Oddly my only desire at that time was to wash my face and clean up. Used it and went to the conference room to get more water, that is when i received my first panicked phone call. It was my friend Cheryl in Baltimore, she got through somehow and we spoke for probably 20 seconds before the phone cut out. But I was glad that now at least someone knew i was OK. Now it was time to try and get in contact with others, my cell phone was useless at this point, no signal at all. There was a room that they were allowing people to use to make phone calls,the landlines were working. I tried my sister (an MBA candidate at NYU Stern at the time, also downtown)...nothing. I tried my father whose office was in Queens...not there, his cell phone was not working either. Any New York cell number or any one's in the area was worthless. I knew my girlfriend (who later became my wife, and now ex-wife) was at work teaching and not reachable. Last hope was my mother who happened to be vacationing in Miami at the time. I got through and told her i was fine and i just cried. I just stopped talking and said "I'm fine, I'll get home". In that room is when I found out about the Pentagon and the second tower collapse, everyone saw it on CNN in another small conference room. I just opened up my paper and tried to read to relax, not knowing when I was getting home. That is when security came in and informed us that the National Guard was moving in and asking for evacuations of all buildings in what later became known as the 'Frozen Zone'.

Took the elevator down to the lobby of the building, that is where I ran into my clerk. He was with me when we left 2 Rector, but lost him somewhere, now he also ended up in 55 Broadway somehow. We walked out together and trekked towards Water St. where we were told would be clean air and no dust. He offered some perspective on the fairly quiet walk, see he was born in Vietnam and remembered his being 4-5 years old and growing up with war. So I just listened and walked, uptown through Chinatown, seeing the sea of people crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, and finally taking a pit stop for lunch at McSorley's Ale House. We wanted some beer and stat. That was the place to go. There we ran into some others we knew from the AMEX who seemed to have the same idea. The rest of the day was a walking tour of Manhattan until I found my way to 38th Street on the west side with two other new friends I found at McSorley's who lived in NJ. We took a dinner cruise boat to Weehawken, waited in line for a bus to Hoboken, got onto the PATH so I could get to Newark Penn to take the train home that started my day.

I was wearing black pants so when I got off at the Middletown,NJ train station I was immediately spotted by the local First Aid and HAZMAT crews. "You were exposed sir, I need you over there", was all I heard. All the stops of NJ Transit were apparently equipped that night with these teams to wash off anyone who was exposed to the dust cloud. I waited my turn and took a quick warm water shower fully clothed in the parking lot of the train station. A nice woman gave me a blanket and walked me all the way to my car. I was cold and in total shock from everything. I pulled in at home and sat down with my ex-wife just glad to be home and then late that night I wrote this:


>I just wanted to let all of you know that i made it home alright. I got home
>about 9:30pm about 12 hours after the whole ordeal happened. I know most of
>you called and im sorry i have not gotten back to you but honestly im not in
>the mood to talk about what i saw today. I appreciate all the calls...its
>nice to know that some of you might actually miss me if i was gone:-) I will
>be calling some of you within the next couple of days. Thanks again and say
>some prayers for the people who were not as lucky as i was. 

>love,Ocho

My friend Stacey says she opens that every 9/11 and reads it. That's really the only reason I have that, she sent it to me last year. My cell phone was no longer taking messages and my machine at home had 38 messages on it. Some of them the same person calling two or three times worried that they had heard nothing from me. What's the point of telling you that? Well it really made me feel for the people who would not be hearing responses to their frantic phone calls. Who wouldn't be getting some simple form e-mail from their loved one saying more or less what I wrote above. Those friends and family lost and gave the ultimate that day. All we did was go to work, we didn't strap on for war. So today I remember all of them, and I give you what Marco Rubio, US Senate candidate in FL and fellow Cuban-American, wrote this year:

“On this ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we remember the heroes who lost their lives that day and grieve with the loved ones they left behind. It’s because of the selfless heroism of first responders and passengers that countless lives were saved in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on the ground.

“Today, we give thanks to the brave men and women of our armed forces, intelligence community, law enforcement and public safety agencies, whose efforts have prevented another similar tragedy on U.S. soil. Especially today, they deserve our respect, admiration and appreciation for all they have done to keep us safe.

I couldn't have put it any better. We Will Never Forget...9/11/01. Thanks for reading.

Debate 101

These poor teachers that continue to go up against our Governor here in NJ armed with the union propaganda at these town halls. When will they learn? A trip to YouTube shows teacher after teacher getting worked over in a respectful and factual manner. He just schools (no pun intended) them, shows why he was such a successful US Attorney. I am so proud to have helped elect this man and would do it again:

Donald Trump Offers to Buy Out Park51 Investor

On one condition...all references to Ground Zero Mosque must now be "Trump Mosque"

Donald Trump Offers to Buy Out Park51 Investor - WSJ.com

Rearranging The Deck Chairs

That is the sense we are getting from the Democrats isn't it? Every thing being proposed lately is just more of the same junk. A $786 billion dollar stimulus we were told had plenty of shovel ready projects clearly wasn't enough, so let's print another $50 billion to do exactly that? Whoopee more deficit spending, haven't heard that one! I have a better idea, print the $50 billion and throw it in with Pastor Terry Jones' Koran fire on Saturday. It will have the same effect....NOTHING!

Today, Time Magazine reports that Obama's OFA propaganda/campaign arm is hurting and lacking in organization. The White House recently pumping $30 million into it. Why bother? It seems Plouffe and the rest have thrown in the towel for 2010, not really doing too much but getting out of the way of most congressional races because the President is so toxic. They do realize they are on the Titanic this year so let's throw some life rafts down to our base. Let's get the unions riled up, let's fabricate some fake racism, and let's engage John Boehner for no reason. Jim Geraghty over at NRO put it this way:

In fact, the last people to pay enormous attention to John Boehner were probably his family. This is not to knock him, but to illustrate the inanity of the Obama camp's last-minute demonization effort. It's tough to gin up a good Two Minutes Hate after the Two Minute Warning. The economy's a shambles, and Obama wants Americans to focus their ire on . . . that guy? Him? The orange fella who looks like a hardware-store owner who's managing a House caucus small enough to meet in a phone booth? If he reaches any further, Obama's next scapegoat will be an actual goat.

The more President Obama opens his mouth the more evidence I have that he and his team have no effing idea what they are doing, if their intent is to govern this nation. For goodness sakes he can't even fill the auditoriums anymore with real people that want to listen to him. The professional Left (Soros' crew, HuffPo,Olbermann) are completely unhinged lately (not that they aren't usually, just more so lately...um Ed Schultz anyone?). Do we need any more proof that they know their Progressive agenda is a non-starter. Every poll now has Republicans ahead on the trust question. Which is a stunning turnaround if you think about it. Heck I even have a problem trusting them BUT this administration is SOOOO far to the Left that it has traditionally middle of the road people simply incredulous. Who will pull this administration back to reality? Hopefully the takeover of the House will answer that question.

What Exactly IS Obama Doing?

The President along with the sycophants around him continue to support ridiculous positions that he apparently cannot back down from. For those who want to see this WH move to the center that fact alone is cause for alarm, since it seems one of the only contrarian voices left, Rahmbo Emmanuel, may be exiting stage left. More and more Democratic candidates are distancing themselves from him and his policies. That is merely for political survival, because trust me if they get re-elected they will continue to follow the Pelosi-Reid train to nowhere. More reasons to get these bums out, the only vote that we should see as important is their continued support for Pelosi as Speaker or Reid as Majority Leader. After last summer I thought that Obama may triangulate after the November mid-term elections. I now realize that his political instincts are all wrong and he will dig in and double down because it just isn't in him to believe that what he is doing is destructive or wrongheaded. He has a different vision for this country. How can I say this? I just use the evidence I have in front of me (SB1070,Holder's Justice Dpt.,Skip Gates,GZ Mosque,Obamacare)*, just like the evidence I had in 2008 would not allow me to pull the lever for a community agitator with no executive experience and questionable (at best) associations.

The bottom line is that I want to believe in that initial assessment, made after the debacle of Obamacare last summer. He would wake up and realize that the country as a majority despises Leftist policies. Then that would cause a shift to pragmatism. Well I haven't seen it and I do not believe we will, I now believe him when he says he wouldn't mind being a one term president. Toby Harnden of the Telegraph (U.K.) wrote a piece recently suggesting that may be his intent, while I don't agree with everything in it I do agree with his general point. Obama does not seem to want to do the things necessary to lead or be President of ALL the United States, just the 20% or so who consider themselves liberal. The President would rather have a "post-presidential role as the leading global thinker in the post-American world as a Republican successor enters office is more attractive than being sullied by the political compromises and manoeuvrings necessary to win."
My problem with that is this President is an open advocate for a post-American world and has no interest in preserving our exceptionalism. That reason alone is what drives my ire and opposition more than any of his irresponsible fiscal policies. The fiscal policies are just the means to create that post-American world he so desperately wants to live in. I say just send him on his way to the head of the UN or some Leftist think tank....in 2012.

*excuse my rampant use of parentheticals today,ha.

9/11 Gainesville,FL Koran Burning

I really do not see how this helps, but happy that most people seem to be disgusted about it. Once again proving we aren't the knuckledragging bigots some people think this country is. Maybe someone can explain to me why it is necessary to burn any religion's book. I understand that we are always presented with images of burning American flags, effigies of Presidents, and chants of "Death To America!" from numerous cities around the world. The thought of making a similar statement in the United States to radical Islam by burning the Koran seems incongruous to our values. We value religious freedom, they do not. We value political speech, they only value hate. As Osama Bin Laden once said "The U.S loves life, we love death". Burning a Koran is beneath us on many levels and I do hope this Pastor reconsiders.

Having it on 9/11 also defiles the memory of what really happened that day. We were attacked by people espousing a certain malignant ideology, and innocent Americans died and a country scarred forever. What Terry Jones should be doing is educating his people on what is contained in that book he so desperately wants to burn. Having people understand true radical Islamism and its very real threat is the best way to combat it. He should have his followers read people like Dr. Zuhdi Jasser or have them watch the following hour long documentary to truly get a grip of the enemy we have to fight.

Video Of The Day

Another very effective web ad by the NRSC. It says it all

Happy 'Special Interest' Day

Today we celebrated Labor Day and how did the President spend his time? Well giving one of the more hyperpartisan speeches I can recall any man holding that office has ever given. He knows no bounds of lowering himself and the office. Some highlights...

And over the last two years, that's meant taking on some powerful interests -- some powerful interests who had been dominating the agenda in Washington for a very long time. And they're not always happy with me. They talk about me like a dog

He's saying this with a straight face with hundreds of union members and leaders behind him. The irony is thicker than the 2000 pages of the healthcare bill. That of course protected union interests. Sir with all due respect I wouldn't compare yourself with a dog, since dogs actually learn from their mistakes.

We've given them to small business owners. We've given them to clean energy companies. We've cut taxes for 95 percent of working Americans, just like I promised you during the campaign. You all got a tax cut.

There is not even a kernel of truth in that statement, not one. So I will move on.

But there are some folks in Washington who see things differently.You know what I'm talking about.

STRAWMAN ALERT! STRAWMAN ALERT!

When we passed a bill earlier this summer to help states save jobs -- the jobs of hundreds of thousands of teachers and nurses and police officers and firefighters that were about to be laid off, they said no. (Applause.) And the Republican who thinks he's going to take over as Speaker -- (boos) -- I'm just saying that's his opinion -- (laughter) -- he's entitled to his opinion. But when he was asked about this, he dismissed those jobs as "government jobs" that weren't worth saving. (Boos.) That's what he said, I'm quoting -- "government jobs."

OK enough of that, I can't take it anymore. There are multiple problems with this inanity from the mouth of the President. The fact that he has lowered himself into the day to day partisanship of the House is unbelievable. Sadly this is where he is, after losing independents all he can do is rile up his base. THAT is no way to govern my friends. Nevermind the fact that more union members are planning to vote Republican this November which only complicates matters for him even more. It happened in Massachusetts earlier this year. These are the Reagan Democrats, the blue collar workers who felt their party was becoming too liberal in the Carter years and abandoned Mondale in droves in the '84 election. Now they seem to be tilting back to the Republicans. Add to the mix Democrats as a whole not all that enthusiastic about voting in the midterm and you have a recipe for a wave election.

This is the cyclical nature of politics, but the Republicans winning their primaries across the country and presumably be voted in will decidedly be to the right of the DeLay led House. This hopefully will force the liberals left in the House to the negotiating table to actually make some deals, cut spending and participate in real deficit reduction or otherwise risk looking like the partisans they are. I believe only a solid majority will do that not a slim one. A slim majority will only create gridlock, which may be progress in and of itself since it will stop the liberal agenda dead in its tracks. But if we want to see Obamacare repealed or measures de-funded, we will need way more than 218 seats. Or hope of all hopes is that it tacks Obama back to the center, and maybe just maybe he can be as smart as Clinton was by co-opting some of the more successful pieces of Newt's contract with America.

As for the guy "who thinks he's taking over as speaker", he will have a tall order on his hands when Republicans do take over (just a hunch,don't quote me). He must pull them together and follow an agenda of what the people really want (cut spending,preserve low taxes), not what they did the last time they were in power. Tough to trust some of the leadership currently in place, but with Paul Ryan and the more libertarian leaning and fiscally conservative newcomers we are bound to get we may have something that could start to turn this putrid economy around. If that happens we may get a general public that could possibly be a little more hopeful of what can get done in Washington.

Clueless (cont.)

This from the WSJ today

The report is likely to cause renewed debate during the long Labor Day weekend over what new steps the Federal Reserve and Congress should consider to jump-start the job market.

This is in response to the jobs number which once again was atrocious, but admittedly not as bad as expected. The only silver lining is that the private sector actually managed to add some jobs but a net loss overall of 54,000 jobs and an increase to 9.6% of the unemployment rate. Why did I pull out that one sentence? It highlights exactly what the problem is, the Fed and Congress. I don't want them debating anything, as long as the Democrats control Congress their answer to every single bad number is to make it worse by proposing some new spending as we saw with that ridiculous $26 billion payoff to the teachers unions in August under the guise of a "jobs bill". I wonder if any of that taxpayer money they received will be kicked back into tight congressional races this November? The only jobs it is helping to save will be some liberal congressmen. No doubt that it is part of the reason the DSCC is flush with cash at this moment.

The beginning of the discussion should be to extend the Bush tax cuts that liberals (for knee jerk reactions) despise. Raising taxes in the current environment is unhelpful and most economists would agree with that, well the ones that aren't partisan hacks (Paul Krugman, Robert Reich ). Companies and investors are standing on the sidelines in part due to their uncertainty as to what their liabilities will be in the next year. The marginal tax rates being only part of the problem, start adding in the potential costs of Obamacare and it's a recipe for job stagnation. I think if Republicans proposed some legislation to extend the cuts I do feel it could get some steam in the House, Senate not so much. For two reasons, first the Republicans in the Senate are for the most part 'inside-the-beltway' R's and not willing to hand the Democrats a political win before the election. Cynical but true. Second, outside of Ben Nelson I don't see many Democrats in that chamber willing to go there. So we may have to wait until January to see movement on the issue, by then the cuts will have expired.

But hey we are supposed to feel good because our Labor Secretary says "There are jobs out there". Coming from a hardcore Leftist like Hilda Solis who is only intersted in redistribution, it should make me feel all warm and fuzzy? Well that's very reassuring to the millions out of work applying for the measly 67,000 jobs that were added in the private sector last month. Yeah that adds up. The Obama administration's war on math continues.

Clueless

Christina Romer, the soon to be ex-member of President Obama's economic team revealed some disturbing details last night in a speech to the National Press Club. Of course she gives the usual line that they didn't know how serious the recession was. That's just ridiculous, I think we all knew it was a colossal meltdown on multiple levels. Deeper impact than recent blowups was apparent early on. So I am supposed to believe this, from the WaPo:

It wasn't the food; it was the entertainment. Christina Romer, chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, was giving what was billed as her "valedictory" before she returns to teach at Berkeley, and she used the swan song to establish four points, each more unnerving than the last:

She had no idea how bad the economic collapse would be. She still doesn't understand exactly why it was so bad. The response to the collapse was inadequate. And she doesn't have much of an idea about how to fix things.

This just follows the pattern that they are a clueless bunch with no idea how to encourage economic growth. Their strict adherence to Keynesian stimulus provided the sugar rush last year temporarily but as discussed before that is no basis for long term growth. Re-stocking the shelves, which is all the government can do, is not an economic policy. It doesn't create demand or jobs in the slightest, understand why here, here and here. Keynesian multipliers are a sham.

Considering where this administration is headed I would not be surprised that Obama, the true believer that he is, replaces Romer with someone who wants to continue down this road contrary to evidence that it will never work.

The Beck/Palin Obsession

I did want to talk about something else today. Well a couple of things actually but just wanted to put this out there. Let's discuss the continued Palin hardon that leftist bloggers/media have and their rage with Glenn Beck. Sarah Palin no longer holds any sort of office, Glenn Beck never has. So why the constant barrage of attack pieces? Why do I have to listen to halfwits like Ed Schultz obsess over Glenn Beck's audience, well I don't do I? Those who disagree have a choice, hey just turn the channel. Go flip to IFC or Planet Green, or whatever else brings you pleasure. Why is it that the Left can never argue on merits, on like ummm...actual policy positions. It is the weakest technique of arguing and it holds no water in formal logic. The ad hominem attacks of the Left are so tiresome but entertaining to me on some level because they do feel they are making good arguments. The constant drive to shut people on the Right down is counter to the First Amendment values they only pretend to believe in. Talk about the policies she advocates, not that she is some evil person, phony, wears expensive clothes, ad nausea. That is just noise, because by branding her a fringe wacko you somehow have discredited her message? Yeah nice try. This obsession sadly extends onto her family as well. Somehow Leftist politician kids are off limits yet hers are not? I do not care that they were at every campaign rally during 2008, that's the lamest excuse. As if no families have NEVER appeared on stage with the candidate. It's just an unreasonable double standard, but those things I am used to in the media. What I find distasteful is the type of vitriol sent Bristol Palin's way. She is a young woman trying to find her way in the world as a single mom (thought the Left loved that kind of crap....oh not when they disagree with the person's politics they don't) under constant scrutiny from a media looking to disparage.

As for Beck, I rarely watch the guy. I do appreciate his ideas and what he believes our priorities as a country should be, less government and more individual responsibility. I just am not a huge fan of the theatrics...the blackboard,etc. So I do not watch often. Those on the Left don't get him and that's fine. So why is the Left so obsessively watching Beck/Palin and paying so much attention to them? One word: Fear. That's right, they are scared that so many people listen to them and attend their gatherings debunking every Leftist myth with ever increasing effectiveness. That scares the crap out of them. The rise of the Conservative blogosphere, Fox News' continued ratings dominance, combined with people eschewing the mainstream media's narratives after they were bamboozled by the Obamamania media lovefest during 2008 has the Left fearing for their own relevance. Throw in the femenazis foaming at the mouth every time Palin opens hers and you have a full fledged Derangement Syndrome. So there's my two cents on that.

If It Wasn't So Funny, It Would Be So Sad

Here we have how this hostage situation has been reported by the intellectually bereft Leftist reactionaries over at Think Progress: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/01/discovery-terrorist-immigration/

Comical.

Then here is how Hot Air covered it: http://hotair.com/archives/2010/09/01/gunman-holding-people-hostage-in-discovery-channel-building/

Big difference. Fact: Lee is an environut, that's about all is known from those gathering sources. We can examine his beliefs and ideology if applicable when those become clearer. Outside of that it's a bad situation that is only made worse by conjecture of the type offered in Soros' basement (I think that is where Think Progress writes from).

BREAKING: Hostage Situation at Discovery Channel Building

An armed male with demands and an apparent bomb, according to the local police, is holding numerous people hostage until he speaks with the head of Discovery Network. They are speculating that he has some sort of issue with the Network. Rumors of some sort of online manifesto are being reported. Reports keep streaming in. Below is a link to further info from LCR...


BREAKING: Hostage Situation at Discovery Channel Building, Silver Spring Maryland

UPDATE: They have identified the alleged hostage taker as some environut who has protested the network before. Here is some info and more. If you want to read his manifesto check it here. Holy Crap! What a big bag of crazy.