“‘We didn’t elect you just to rearrange the deck chairs on a sinking Titanic,’ Palin said during a rally in front of the Wisconsin statehouse in Madison. ‘What we need from you, GOP, is to fight.’ Pointing to the national champion University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team, Palin said the GOP could learn from its resolve and ‘needs to learn how to fight like a girl.’

◼ “In the last few months, political professionals and insiders have been writing off the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate, convinced she won’t run for the GOP nomination in 2012 or ever. Then again, even those GOPers who are running can hardly compete with the MSM’s weird, all-consuming fascination with The Donald. - HotAir

“But all it took was one powerful, pugnacious and presidential speech — just 15 minutes long — for Palin to again make herself completely relevant to the current political and policy battles raging across America…

"A pension is a promise that must be kept," she added. "Scott Walker understands this. He understands that states must be solvent to keep their promises. He’s not trying to hurt union members. Hey folks, he’s trying to save your jobs."

◼ Sarah Palin in Wisconsin - Politico
◼ At the Tea Party rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Sarah Palin said: "I feel like I'm at home." - Althouse
◼ Palin: Wis. gov doing the right thing with unions - Yahoo
◼ Palin returns with feisty, anti-establishment speech - Reuters
◼ Sarah Palin Goes Where The Battle Is - Riehl World View
◼ PALIN WOWS WISCONSIN TEA PARTIERS WITH BLISTERING SPEECH; TO OBAMA: ‘YOU IGNORED US IN 2010, YOU CANNOT IGNORE US IN 2012′ Breitbart VIDEO

Gov. Walker’s plan would put Wisconsin in best financial shape in 15 years

◼ "It sounds to me like Gov. Walker should be commended," said Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee. "Now, our work as a Legislature is to try to take a document that looks pretty good and make it better." - Journal-Sentinel



...The Legislative Fiscal Bureau... said Walker’s plan would put the state’s finances in the best shape they’ve been in for more than 15 years.

It found the so-called structural deficit – the imbalance between spending and tax revenue as laid out in state law – for the 2013-’15 budget would be $31 million. That assumes Walker’s budget passes the Legislature without new spending increases or tax cuts that would add to the deficit.

Under its existing form, Walker’s budget leaves the state with a fraction of the structural deficits seen in the past eight budget cycles. The next lowest structural deficit in recent years was $1.5 billion, or 48 times as much as what Walker’s proposing....

If you’ve been following the debate over the House Republican budget proposed by Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, you have probably heard that it savagely cuts programs for the poor in order to fund tax cuts for the rich, that its numbers don’t add up, and that in the short run it expands the deficits. These claims, though asserted confidently, either depend on highly contestable assumptions or are demonstrably untrue.

◼ Paul Ryan vs. the Mythmakers - Ramesh Ponnuru/National Review Online

• David Frum writes in The Week that Ryan’s “debt reduction plan actually increases the debt over the medium term — by even more [than] President Obama’s budget would.”

The CBO’s actual projections for the Ryan plan show a debt level in 2021 that is $4.7 trillion lower than its projections for Obama’s budgets. Ryan’s plan is designed to rapidly stabilize federal debt as a share of the economy: That percentage peaks in year three and then starts falling. The CBO projections for Obama’s budgets just show the number rising higher and higher over the decade.... IMPORTANT POINTS Read the rest, there's lots more...

"I thought it was the greatest thing ever," Cohen said he felt during the first months of the Obama presidency. "This fantastic orator was going to make a change in this country."

◼ Donald Trump's Political 'Pit Bull': Meet Michael Cohen

The man behind Donald Trump's possible 2012 presidential campaign is a registered Democrat who voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Not only that, but Michael Cohen, an executive at the Trump Organization who doubles as Trump's chief political adviser, once volunteered for 1988 presidential candidate Michael Dukakis and worked for a Democratic member of Congress.... since Obama's election in 2008, he said he has grown disappointed with the president, so much so that he now describes himself as "offended" by the administration's agenda. America, Cohen said, has become a "third-world nation," echoing words that have become a familiar refrain of Trump's.

"I thought it was the greatest thing ever," Cohen said he felt during the first months of the Obama presidency. "This fantastic orator was going to make a change in this country. He was going to do things that Bush clearly did not do." His distaste for Obama, and Trump's professed interest in pursuing the Republican nomination in 2012, led Cohen, businessman Stewart Rahr and other supporters to create "Should Trump Run?" as a way both to spark -- and gauge -- interest in a potential Trump presidential bid.

Going Galt? '69 more firms move jobs, facilities out of California'

◼ Well, speaking of "Atlas Shrugged," here's the latest from California's wrecker economy, at Orange County Register: - americanpowerblog

So far this year, 69 companies have moved all or part of their California work and jobs to other states or countries, reports Irvine relocation consultant Joe Vranich. It's the fastest rate of departures since Vranich started tracking the exodus in 2009, he says. There have been an average of 4.7 moves per week from Jan. 1 through April 12, compared to 3.9 moves in all of 2010. The numbers are low, Vranich says, estimating that only one in five out-of-state moves is made public. In what he calls "disinvestment events," Vranich counts companies that move jobs, facilities or headquarters out of California. He doesn't count companies that invest outside the state for growth or marketing reasons. Among the 69 are some big names: CKE Restaurants, which started in Orange County and now is based in Carpinteria; Dunn-Edwards paints in Vernon; and eBay Inc. in San Jose which will add 1,000 high-paying jobs in Austin, Tex. after receiving government incentives to locate there.

◼ 69 more firms move jobs, facilities out of California - OC Register
◼ Why do Companies Leave California? Here Are Ten Reasons (Updated) - thebusinessrelocationcoach
◼ Meet the companies - (Updated April 15 to Reflect New Loss) - - thebusinessrelocationcoach
◼ The numbers are low, Vranich says, estimating that only one in five out-of-state moves is made public.” - Ed Driscoll

The relevance of the book to what’s going on today has steadily increased over time

◼ After more than 50 years, Ayn Rand’s seminal novel and ode to free market capitalism “Atlas Shrugged” is finally hitting the big screen this weekend, in the first of a planned trilogy of movies. - Wall St. Journal
◼ "Atlas Shrugged" wants to start an argument with you, to force you to (in Rand's often-repeated words) "check your premises." - NY Post Review

"C'mon guys, I'm the president of the United States.Where's the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen comes up? It doesn't happen."

◼ "The Oval Office, I always thought I was going to have really cool phones and stuff," he said during a small fundraising event at a Chicago restaurant. "I'm like, c'mon guys, I'm the president of the United States. Where's the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen comes up? It doesn't happen."

The president made his off-the-cuff remarks with donors as he took questions and after reporters had been ushered out of the event. But the question and answer session was piped back to Washington by mistake and into the press briefing area where a few reporters were still working late.

Obama: Republicans will make US 'Third World' nation

◼ US President Barack Obama accused Republicans of wanting to turn the United States into a "Third World" country as he rallied support for his reelection campaign. - Breitbart

"Under their vision, we can't invest in roads and bridges and broadband and high-speed rail," Obama told a select group of the Democratic faithful at the second of three fundraising events in his hometown of Chicago.

"I mean, we would be a nation of potholes, and our airports would be worse than places that we thought -- that we used to call the Third World, but who are now investing in infrastructure."

Then, there's ◼ Obama's Grove Parc America - Doug Ross

Mitt Romney: President Obama Goes from Wrong to Dishonest

◼ America saw a different President Obama yesterday. Over the last two years, the president’s job was to repair the economy and to make us safer. He has failed at both but at least he appeared to be trying — his failures were arguably attributable to inexperience, misguidance, and incompetence. Yesterday, however, the president went from being wrong to being deceptive and intellectually dishonest. - Mitt Romney Op-Ed at National Review Online
◼ Mitt Romney: Rein in government - starting with Obama - Orlando Sentinel

Oklahoma rejects $54.6 million federal grant

◼ Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says that state and private money will be used to develop a system where Oklahomans could shop for health insurance. No cost estimate is available.

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, originally agreed to accepting the federal money, but he came out against the idea two weeks ago.

He said he was worried the grant could lead to federal control of Oklahoma's online insurance informational system, which the federal government calls a health insurance exchange.

Fallin said the rejection of the federal grant should make it clear that Oklahoma is not accepting the federal health care law. The state has filed a lawsuit challenging the federal law's constitutionality, and Fallin voted against it last year while a member of Congress.

Boehner’s Bargain Approved 260-167; 59 Republicans Vote ‘No,’ 81 Dems Vote ‘Yes’

◼ Reported by Robert Costa at National Review, noting that Michelle Bachmann, Mike Pence and Allen West were among the Republican “no” votes, while the Democrats voting “yes” included Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. - The Other McCain
◼ CR Passes, 260-167 - National Review
◼ House Passes Boehner, White House Spending Deal; 59 Republicans Vote Against — Update: Senate Passes 81-19 - Michelle Malkin

Soros, Piven and SEIU Working to Destroy Americas Financial System to Create Revolution

Eureka TAX DAY RALLY: April 15th 11:30-2:00

Where ever you are, what ever you are doing, make an effort to find and attend a tax day rally in your area between 4/15 to 4/18. If you are in Humboldt County, California please join us:

Friday, April 15th at the County Courthouse in Eureka
11:30 am to 2 pm, for a few minutes or the entire time

Come by during your lunch hour. Listen to speakers, air your views during our open mic, and let passersby know that we are WE THE PEOPLE! It is time that we make a statement to demand fiscal responsibility, that we cannot ethically dump this enormous debt on our grandchildren, and that we demand a balanced budget for our local, state and federal government.

Believe it or not, its very empowering standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a peaceful demonstration. Our government infers that your silence is your consent. I hope that isn't true!

Bring your own sign or borrow one of ours, don't forget your camera, bring a buddy or two, and smiles are always welcomed! Come make history with us! At the very least you will have a great photo for facebook.....
--
Karen Brooks

Karen Brooks: April 15th – Petition our Government to Redress Fiscal Irresponsibility

◼ April 15th -- Petition to redress fiscal irresponsibility

The Constitution’s First Amendment provides for the governed to petition their government for a redress of grievances, especially when those grievances have been inflicted to the extent of causing injury or hardship. The Constitutional Dictionary defines redress (verb) 1. To set right, remedy or rectify. 2. To make amends for.

The grievance that is crippling our rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness (i.e. our prosperity) is chronic fiscal irresponsibility. There is no legitimate reason for the people elected to represent their constituents to enslave them with billions of dollars of debt and nearly half a trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities. This April 15th patriots across the state and nation are standing together to petition our government, “We’re T.E.A. - taxed enough already!”

The Presidential Divider

◼ Obama's toxic speech and even worse plan for deficits and debt. - Wall Street Journal

...Mr. Obama did not deign to propose an alternative to rival Mr. Ryan's plan, even as he categorically rejected all its reform ideas, repeatedly vilifying them as essentially un-American. "Their vision is less about reducing the deficit than it is about changing the basic social compact in America," he said, supposedly pitting "children with autism or Down's syndrome" against "every millionaire and billionaire in our society." The President was not attempting to join the debate Mr. Ryan has started, but to close it off just as it begins and banish House GOP ideas to political Siberia.

Mr. Obama then packaged his poison in the rhetoric of bipartisanship—which "starts," he said, "by being honest about what's causing our deficit." The speech he chose to deliver was dishonest even by modern political standards....

◼ Charles Krauthammer On Obama's Speech: "It Was A Disgrace" VIDEO - Real Clear Politics

"I rarely heard a speech by a president so shallow, so hyper-partisan and so intellectually dishonest, outside the last couple of weeks of a presidential election where you are allowed to call your opponent anything short of a traitor. But we're a year and a half away from Election Day and it was supposed to be a speech about policy," syndicate columnist Dr. Charles Krauthammer said about President Obama's speech.

◼ “Obama’s Increasing Federal Debt $1,148 Per Month Per Household—Enough to Buy a Car or Pay Tuition at State College” - Protein Wisdom

SPRING TEA TODAY! 12:00-2:00

Welcome, new members!
Our Annual Membership Tea
12:00-2:00 TODAY April 14th
Esther Smith-Holmes' beautiful home in Westhaven is the perfect place for our Annual Tea. Sponsored by our Board of Directors, this is one of our most popular events, it gives us a chance to visit in a beautiful and informal setting, and to introduce new and prospective members while we enjoy tea, coffee and goodies.

Thanks to all who attended, it was wonderful to see you.

Congressman Mike Thompson coming to Napa April 25

Dear Friend,

I believe government must take a common-sense approach to spending, just like you and your family. Now more than ever, we need a realistic budget that pares down the deficit while still providing funds for veterans’ benefits, education, agriculture, infrastructure, health care, and other crucial social services. Doing nothing is not just fiscally irresponsible – it’s putting our families at risk.

On Monday, April 25, I will hold a community meeting for Napa residents on the nation’s debt crisis. The forum will focus on potential solutions to our country’s growing debt, including proposals from the Obama Administration’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility. I hope you, your family, and your friends will attend this important event. Details are below:

Monday, April 25
Time: 7:00-8:00pm PST
Location: Napa City Hall (Council Chambers), 950 School Street, Napa

In Congress, I will continue to fight to put the government back on a path toward fiscal responsibility. If you have any questions or concerns about this meeting, or the national debt more generally, please contact my Napa office at (707) 226-9898.

Sincerely,

Mike Thompson
Member of Congress

There Is No Male-Female Wage Gap

◼ A study of single, childless urban workers between the ages of 22 and 30 found that women earned 8% more than men.

Tuesday is Equal Pay Day—so dubbed by the National Committee for Pay Equity, which represents feminist groups including the National Organization for Women, Feminist Majority, the National Council of Women's Organizations and others. The day falls on April 12 because, according to feminist logic, women have to work that far into a calendar year before they earn what men already earned the year before....

Men have been hit harder by this recession because they tend to work in fields like construction, manufacturing and trucking, which are disproportionately affected by bad economic conditions. Women cluster in more insulated occupations, such as teaching, health care and service industries.

Yet if you can accept that the job choices of men and women lead to different unemployment rates, then you shouldn't be surprised by other differences—like differences in average pay.

Feminist hand-wringing about the wage gap relies on the assumption that the differences in average earnings stem from discrimination. Thus the mantra that women make only 77% of what men earn for equal work. But even a cursory review of the data proves this assumption false.

Paul Ryan on Obama's Speech: 'Excessively Partisan, Dramatically Inaccurate, and Hopelessly Inadequate'

◼ Paul Ryan on Obama's Speech: 'Excessively Partisan, Dramatically Inaccurate, and Hopelessly Inadequate' - Weekly Standard

House Budget chairman Paul Ryan just released the following statement in response to President Obama's speech on deficit reduction:

“When the President reached out to ask us to attend his speech, we were expecting an olive branch. Instead, his speech was excessively partisan, dramatically inaccurate, and hopelessly inadequate to address our fiscal crisis. What we heard today was not fiscal leadership from our commander-in-chief; we heard a political broadside from our campaigner-in-chief.

“Last year, in the absence of a serious budget, the President created a Fiscal Commission. He then ignored its recommendations and omitted any of its major proposals from his budget, and now he wants to delegate leadership to yet another commission to solve a problem he refuses to confront.

“We need leadership, not a doubling down on the politics of the past. By failing to seriously confront the most predictable economic crisis in our history, this President’s policies are committing our children to a diminished future. We are looking for bipartisan solutions, not partisan rhetoric. When the President is ready to get serious about confronting this challenge, we'll be here.”

TRANSCRIPT: Obama’s Remarks on 4/13/11

Good afternoon. It’s great to be back at GW. I want you to know that one of the reasons I worked so hard with Democrats and Republicans to keep the government open was so I could be here today with all of you. I wanted to make sure you had one more excuse to skip class. You’re welcome.

POLITICAL STRATEGIST KAM KUWATA FOUND DEAD

◼ Kam Kuwata, a veteran political consultant who worked for Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn, has died. He was 57. - LA Weekly
◼ Death of political consultant Kam Kuwata stuns California Democrats - McClatchy

The body of highly regarded Democratic political consultant Kam Kuwata was found in his Southern California condominium Monday, sending shock waves that reached all the way to Capitol Hill.

Kuwata was 57, a wily and good-humored operator who helped some of California's most well-known politicians win election time and time again.

"He was a political wonk, who loved campaigns," said Mark Kadesh, former chief of staff for Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. "He was also one of the nicest, most sincere political professionals I have ever known."

In a statement, Feinstein added that she was "deeply saddened" at Kuwata's death, which she said was a reminder of "how short life is."

"California has lost a sharp political mind," Feinstein said, "and I've lost a loyal and dear friend of more than 20 years."

...Los Angeles police officers found Kuwata's body on the office floor of his condo in Venice, according to an e-mail sent by a Kuwata family member. Friends and family members had reportedly alerted police after becoming concerned about not being able to reach him.

Out-of-touch was out-of-character for Kuwata. During a robust political career that began with service as a grunt for the late Democratic Sen. Alan Cranston, Kuwata roamed through a famously wide universe of elected officials, newshounds, gossip-swappers and golfing buddies....

◼ Kam Kuwata - ben Smith/Politico
◼ Kam Kuwata Dies at 57 - TIME

◼ The Death of a Political Operative – The Troubling Timeline… (UPDATED) - The Ulsterman Report January 22, 2012
◼ Senator Feinstein’s Very Specific Code Word Regarding Barack Obama - The Ulsterman Report June 10, 2012

From Mitt Romney's site:

◼ mittromney.com

Pawlenty: ‘I’m running for president’ (not vice president)

◼ Pawlenty: ‘I’m running for president’ - CNN Politics
"I'm running for president," Pawlenty said in an interview Tuesday on "Piers Morgan Tonight.” "I'm not putting my hat in the ring rhetorically or ultimately for vice president. I'm focused on running for president."

Pawlenty was responding to a hypothetical question if he would serve as Donald Trump’s vice president if Trump received the GOP nomination in 2012.

Pawlenty, who announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee last month, told Morgan moments later that he will make a formal presidential announcement "in the coming weeks."

"I've got an exploratory committee up and running and we'll have a final or full announcement in the coming weeks here, it won't be too much longer, but everything is headed in that direction," Pawlenty said.

And his campaign said the “I’m running for president” comment was not an official announcement.

"As the governor has said many times, he is not running to be anybody's vice president," Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant told CNN. "He will have a formal announcement about running for president later this spring...."

Budget news: Deficit rockets up 16% in the first half of the year

◼ Budget news: Deficit up nearly 16% in the first half of the year - Pajamas Media
◼ US deficit up 15.7% in first half of fiscal 2011 - google news
◼ Budget Deficit in US Increased to $188.2 Billion in March - Bloomberg
◼ US budget deficit hits $188bn in March - city am
◼ FAIL. Obama GDP Slides to 1.5% in 1st Quarter of 2011 …Update: US Budget Deficit Shot Up 15% So Far This Year - Gateway Pundit

Rescued Baby Hummingbird

Skewing the "polls" and influencing the message

◼ If you have not realized it by now Public Policy Polling -- which works for DailyKos -- has become an important part of the left-wing messaging machine, with a relentless series of polls spun as bad news for Republicans since the November 2010 elections, and gimmicks (such as polling Charlie Sheen, or only Republicans in Mississippi) designed to generate headlines.

The PPP poll which purports to show a shift away from Republicans uses a sample which overweights Democrats both relative to Republicans and relative to the total voting population.

Compromising to Win - Perhaps Speaker Boehner had Reagan's example in mind when he negotiated with Senator Reid and President Obama.

◼ Compromising to Win - Perhaps Speaker Boehner had Reagan's example in mind when he negotiated with Senator Reid and President Obama.
....Peter Hannaford for The American Spectator 4.12.11

Rush Limbaugh spent Monday morning carrying on about the heinous crime committed by House Republicans last Friday: settling for $38.56 billion in budget cuts with Obama and the Senate Democrats.

Once, when Ronald Reagan was running for president, he was asked by a journalist if he didn't think it was wrong to compromise. He said it was in terms of principles, not process. He made the point that when you have only some of the power, not all of it, you'll get less than everything you want. He did not add but could have that getting the most you can requires deft negotiating skills and very good timing. He had them and used an illustration of principle/process and compromise.

As I write this (Sunday afternoon), one of the President's advisors has just announced that the President will give a major address this week, "…laying out an aggressive path for debt reduction." Uh-huh. He just spent the last 3 months fighting and opposing every single proposal to reduce spending or reform entitlements.

◼ Of Shutdowns and Budgets Congressman John Campbell - D.C. "Beltway" at The Flash Report

OBAMA: TIME TO TALK TAX HIKES...

◼ OBAMA: TIME TO TALK TAX HIKES... - Wall St. Journal

The president stayed out of the long-term deficit debate in an apparent effort to see whether Republicans would move first in offering long-term deficit-reduction ideas—something House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan did with an ambitious plan last week to trim spending now and in the future.

The White House move caught Democrats in Congress off guard, according to aides, and details of the president's proposals were sketchy. Mr. Plouffe said the president will name a dollar amount for deficit reduction, although the White House wouldn't provide specifics. Introducing taxes into the discussion has the potential to complicate the resolution of coming budget fights, specifically the need to raise the debt ceiling, a move needed to prevent the U.S. defaulting on its debt....

Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 Republican in the House, said in an interview that Mr. Obama had already passed up an opportunity to show seriousness about deficit reduction with his 2012 budget. "Instead of returning back to the age-old playbook of raising taxes so that spending can continue, I think maybe the White House ought to take a look at what we're talking about…which is to cut spending as well as to reform these entitlement programs."

Mr. Cantor called the debate over top personal-income-tax rates "settled" by last year's elections and the subsequent tax deal. "It was then that we all agreed it wouldn't be a good thing if we want to see job creation for taxes to go up," he said.

The plan released last week by Mr. Ryan (R., Wis.), would make permanent the tax cuts approved under President George W. Bush, close loopholes and lower tax rates. It also envisions essentially privatizing Medicare and cutting Medicaid spending by turning the program over to states to administer. The GOP plan cuts $6.2 trillion over 10 years. Mr. Obama's budget forecast a $1 trillion cut over the same period....

◼ Soros: U.S. Could 'Absorb Some More Debt' - Real Clear Politics Video

Today’s numbers reflect the lowest level of Strong Approval yet recorded for this president. There has been a sharp decline in enthusiasm among liberal voters.

◼ 19% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Thirty-nine percent (39%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -20 - Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.

A Little Village Academy student cringes at an enchilada dish served at his school. Many students throw away their entrees uneaten and say they would rather bring food from home. The school, though, does not allow students to bring in their own lunches, unless they have a medical condition or a food allergy. (Monica Eng, Chicago Tribune / February 17, 2011)

◼ To encourage healthful eating, Chicago school doesn't allow kids to bring lunches or certain snacks from home — and some parents, and many students, aren't fans of the policy

Fernando Dominguez cut the figure of a young revolutionary leader during a recent lunch period at his elementary school.

"Who thinks the lunch is not good enough?" the seventh-grader shouted to his lunch mates in Spanish and English.

Dozens of hands flew in the air and fellow students shouted along: "We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch!"

Fernando waved his hand over the crowd and asked a visiting reporter: "Do you see the situation?"...

French full veil ban goes into force

◼ France's ban on full face veils, a first in Europe, went into force on Monday, exposing anyone who wears the Muslim niqab or burqa in public to fines of 150 euros ($216). - Reuters

The GOP's winning streak

The Republican and tea party agenda is driving the debate over reshaping government. | AP Photos

◼ The GOP's winning streak - Politico

Here’s the unvarnished pitch House Speaker John Boehner would love to make to his conservative critics if he could just let it fly: “You are winning, and winning decisively. So stop your whining.”

And here’s the unvarnished truth about that pitch: Boehner would be spot on.

The winners and losers of this weekend’s 11th-hour budget deal may be in dispute. But the broader trajectory of politics, stretching back to the spring of 2009, is not. The Republican — and, yes, the tea party — agenda is not only ascendant, it’s driving the debate over reshaping government at every level.

Governor Brown brings his "dog and pony" show to Riverside

◼ Governor Brown brings his "dog and pony" show to Riverside and is greeted by a dog and pony.

Yesterday, the Governor brought his campaign to raise taxes on California to Riverside County with a stop at Arlanza Elementary School. The California Republican Party, The Republican Party of Riverside County, a dog, a pony and California Republican Party Vice Chairman Steve Baric were on hand to greet the Governor and ask the question Republicans in the State Legislature have been asking for years: Why won't the majority party accept reasonable reforms in state government so the state can provide needed services at a cost we can afford?

From The Republican Party of Riverside County:
◼ Jerry Brown’s Dog and Pony Show Comes to Riverside - JERRY BROWN LAUNCHES HIGHER TAXES TOUR
◼ CRP Chairman “California Speaks Out” Tour begins (April 7)

...the tour officially begins in Fresno and will criss cross the state over the next 12 months, with tour stops already being planned in Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, and Redding. The tour will feature CRP officials and Republican legislative leaders connecting with voters from all walks of life in an open discussion about the issues that directly affect their communities. In addition, the CRP is launching three new microsites, CostOfCAGov.com, WhereAreTheJobsJerry.com, and CAGOPCares.com, that will focus, respectively, on California taxpayers’ financial burden, the state’s high unemployment problem, and the volunteer efforts of Republican activists around the state.

◼ Brown Plans California Drive to Keep Taxes as New Cuts Loom - Bloomberg

More tremors in the forcefield: George Monbiot has some doubts

◼ More tremors in the forcefield: George Monbiot has some doubts - neoneocon

◼ From time to time, we'd like to introduce the bloggers you see in our sidebar. Neoneocon is one of the best - here's her story:

Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I’ve found myself slowly but surely leaving the fold and becoming that dread thing: a neocon. My friends and family don’t want to hear about my inexplicable conversion, so I started this blog to tell the tale of my political change and provide a forum for others. I have a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and my politics make me a pariah there, too. Little did I know that I moved in such politically homogeneous circles.

Follow the links, bookmark her blog, and enjoy. She has one of the best comments sections in the blogosphere, with intelligent and thoughtful people weighing in.

"An illustration of the professional politician who thinks he's the boss, when in fact he is supposed to be the elected servant"

◼ Obama promised higher energy costs. He wasn't kidding - Examiner Editorial

What Obama didn't say to the man with 10 kids was what he said in a January 2008 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle: Under his administration, "electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." And he said nothing about his energy secretary, Steven Chu, who told the Wall Street Journal that "somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe." At the time, gas was selling there for $10 a gallon. That's two campaign promises Obama is well on his way to keeping.