Saturday, April 28, 2012
Occupy Prepares Nationwide May Day Mayhem
◼ Occupy’s plans for nationwide May Day chaos are going ahead full-speed ahead, with the movement boasting of “direct action” schemes that include protest marches, shutting down the financial sector, and blocking bridges and tunnels. - Patriot Update
The group’s official websites announce plans to “occupy” Manhattan-bound bridges and tunnels as well as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Tuesday.
Besides street protests, sympathizers are asked to engage in a U.S. general strike to “shut it down,” referring to the country’s economy.
The group’s official websites announce plans to “occupy” Manhattan-bound bridges and tunnels as well as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Tuesday.
Besides street protests, sympathizers are asked to engage in a U.S. general strike to “shut it down,” referring to the country’s economy.
Labels:
#Occupy,
Anarchy,
Violent Protests
"Our country is under attack from the inside," she said. "The Department of Justice has gone wild; it is not working on behalf of the American people. It is working for these pressure groups."
◼ ACORN Whistleblower Says Obama DOJ 'Has Gone Wild' - Kevin Mooney/American Spectator
Unless voter integrity efforts take root this year, the notion of free and fair elections could become a relic of American history, Catherine Engelbrecht warned listeners during the "True the Vote National Summit in Houston, Texas yesterday. Engelbrecht, who is the president and founder of the organization, cited specific instances throughout the country where the number of voters listed on registration rolls exceeded the actual number of eligible voters. She also said it was far too easy for non-citizens to obtain voter registration forms.
"The next few months are critical to the telling of our story," she said. "Our goal is the make the 2012 elections the freest and fairest the country has ever seen." Engelbrecht acknowledged this is a tall order. The various pressure groups opposed to photo identification requirements are very well funded and well organized. But they are not on the side of public opinion.
The latest survey from Rasmussen finds that 64 percent of likely U.S. voters see voter fraud as a serious problem. The same survey also reports that 73 percent of Americans do not view photo ID laws as being discriminatory.
Other speakers included Anita MonCrief, a former ACORN/Project Vote employee, turned conservative activist...(and) Pat Caddell, a Fox News Contributor, and Democratic political strategist.
Unless voter integrity efforts take root this year, the notion of free and fair elections could become a relic of American history, Catherine Engelbrecht warned listeners during the "True the Vote National Summit in Houston, Texas yesterday. Engelbrecht, who is the president and founder of the organization, cited specific instances throughout the country where the number of voters listed on registration rolls exceeded the actual number of eligible voters. She also said it was far too easy for non-citizens to obtain voter registration forms.
"The next few months are critical to the telling of our story," she said. "Our goal is the make the 2012 elections the freest and fairest the country has ever seen." Engelbrecht acknowledged this is a tall order. The various pressure groups opposed to photo identification requirements are very well funded and well organized. But they are not on the side of public opinion.
The latest survey from Rasmussen finds that 64 percent of likely U.S. voters see voter fraud as a serious problem. The same survey also reports that 73 percent of Americans do not view photo ID laws as being discriminatory.
Other speakers included Anita MonCrief, a former ACORN/Project Vote employee, turned conservative activist...(and) Pat Caddell, a Fox News Contributor, and Democratic political strategist.
Labels:
ACORN/Project Vote,
DOJ,
Voter fraud
Grim Holiday
◼ Northern California's pot paradise is no longer immune to law enforcement. - Peter Hannaford for The American Spectator
At 4 p.m. last Friday, April 20, clusters of dedicated marijuana users lit up to mark the anniversary of an annual "holiday" whose origins are unclear. That most of them looked both grim and determined was no accident. Marijuana growing and selling on a commercial scale is under assault by law enforcement, especially in California.
Although marijuana remains illegal under federal law, several years ago, George Soros bankrolled a ballot initiative to make it legal in California for people with medical recommendations from physicians to have small amounts of marijuana to ease pain. This gave rise to the creation of dispensaries who registered those with "215" cards (the permission document) and then grew and sold them the marijuana. In some cases dispensers and "patients" stuck to the letter of the law; in others, it was a case of a wink and a nod. Dispensaries proliferated (there were several hundred in Los Angeles). Marijuana growing became a growth business, but doing it for general sale remained illegal.
At 4 p.m. last Friday, April 20, clusters of dedicated marijuana users lit up to mark the anniversary of an annual "holiday" whose origins are unclear. That most of them looked both grim and determined was no accident. Marijuana growing and selling on a commercial scale is under assault by law enforcement, especially in California.
Although marijuana remains illegal under federal law, several years ago, George Soros bankrolled a ballot initiative to make it legal in California for people with medical recommendations from physicians to have small amounts of marijuana to ease pain. This gave rise to the creation of dispensaries who registered those with "215" cards (the permission document) and then grew and sold them the marijuana. In some cases dispensers and "patients" stuck to the letter of the law; in others, it was a case of a wink and a nod. Dispensaries proliferated (there were several hundred in Los Angeles). Marijuana growing became a growth business, but doing it for general sale remained illegal.
Labels:
Humboldt County,
Peter Hannaford,
Pot
League of Women Voters Sponsoring 2nd District County Supervisor Forum Wednesday 7-8pm
◼ Times Standard: Election Roundup - The two candidates for 2nd District County supervisor are participating in a televised candidate forum Wednesday.
According to a press release, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters organization is sponsoring the forum which will feature current 2nd District County Supervisor Clif Clendenen and candidate Estelle Fennell. The forum will be shown on KEET-TV Channel 13 Eureka from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, go to ◼ www.lwvhc.org and ◼ www.keet.org.
LWVHC Candidate Forums are here!
The League's nonpartisan candidate forums are a wonderful opportunity, not only to see your candidates in action, but to ask them your most pressing questions.
◼ Click here for a full schedule including useful links and video when available.
Labels:
County Supervisor,
Humboldt County,
Local News,
LWV HC
Don't want a SmartMeter? PG&E would like to hear from you by May 1
◼ "We want to know how many opt-outs we really have," Burt said in an interview. "But May 1 is not the end of this process. Customers can opt-out, or opt-in, at any time." - Dana Hull/San Jose Mercury News & Megan Hansen/Times-Standard
State regulators with the California Public Utilities Commission in February approved a controversial opt-out plan that requires consumers who want to keep their old, analog meters to pay a one-time $75 fee and a monthly charge of $10. Low-income customers will pay an initial fee of $10 and a monthly charge of $5.
Activists who have been fighting against SmartMeter installations have vowed to continue protests against the fees. PG&E says the fees cover the costs of re-installing analog meters on homes that have SmartMeters but want to switch back, as well as the cost of paying workers to read the analog meters each month. More at the link.
At a glance: SmartMeter opt out
To opt-out of PG&E's SmartMeter program
Call PG&E's SmartMeter hotline at 866-743-0263
Go to ◼ http://www.pge.com/myhome/customerservice/smartmeter/optout/
State regulators with the California Public Utilities Commission in February approved a controversial opt-out plan that requires consumers who want to keep their old, analog meters to pay a one-time $75 fee and a monthly charge of $10. Low-income customers will pay an initial fee of $10 and a monthly charge of $5.
Activists who have been fighting against SmartMeter installations have vowed to continue protests against the fees. PG&E says the fees cover the costs of re-installing analog meters on homes that have SmartMeters but want to switch back, as well as the cost of paying workers to read the analog meters each month. More at the link.
To opt-out of PG&E's SmartMeter program
Call PG&E's SmartMeter hotline at 866-743-0263
Go to ◼ http://www.pge.com/myhome/customerservice/smartmeter/optout/
Labels:
California,
Local News,
Smart Meters
“Riding with our vets is an uplifting experience, It is an awesome feeling and an honor to be here with them.”
◼ Former President George W. Bush says ride 'uplifting'
Finishing with his legs cut and scraped, former President George W. Bush led more than 70 riders through a grueling first leg of the Bush Center Warrior 100K bike ride Thursday in a steamy Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Afterward, the former commander-in-chief who ordered the invasion of Iraq more than nine years ago met with many of the warriors who hit the trails with him....
The ex-president pedaled along 13.3 miles of rugged canyon trails with about 20 veterans, many them riding with prosthetic arms or legs, as temperatures hovered near 100.
Finishing with his legs cut and scraped, former President George W. Bush led more than 70 riders through a grueling first leg of the Bush Center Warrior 100K bike ride Thursday in a steamy Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Afterward, the former commander-in-chief who ordered the invasion of Iraq more than nine years ago met with many of the warriors who hit the trails with him....
 |
Roberto Rodriguez / Amarillo Globe-News Former President George W. Bush talks to retired U.S. Army First Lt. Melissa Stockwell at the end of a bike ride Thursday at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. |
The ex-president pedaled along 13.3 miles of rugged canyon trails with about 20 veterans, many them riding with prosthetic arms or legs, as temperatures hovered near 100.
Labels:
President Bush
March with us in the Rhody Parade! Saturday, THIS morning.
Wear red, bring your flags, bring friends and family. We're entry number #22 and will be staging at 7th between B & C - Get there by 9:30 am.
◼ For Parade Info: rhodyparade.com
Labels:
Community,
Humboldt County,
Local News
Friday, April 27, 2012
Remember when the economy was strong and there were pockets of poverty? In November, it is possible the voters will.
◼ Obama the Unseemly - James Taranto/Wall St. Journal
There's been a lot of talk of late about how "cool" Barack Obama supposedly is. But people are starting to notice the man has no class.
...part of the reason Obama conducts himself in such an unseemly way is that the mainstream media are largely Democratic partisans, inclined to give their man a pass. True, there are plenty of alternative media voices now, but it's relatively easy for a leftist president to dismiss them and continue to enjoy the adulation of the so-called mainstreamers, who have also been suggesting lately that Obama is a shoo-in for re-election because he is so likable.
The McLaughlin findings point to the risk that that isn't the case. Obama could end up losing because sycophantic media encouraged him to act in such an unseemly way.
There's a parallel in the way the media have strained to play down bad economic news. A couple of hilarious examples come from NPR's website today: A homepage title asked: "Is Slow Growth Actually Good for the Economy?" (The actual story, which has a less risible title, pretty much answers in the negative.) And an NPR "Special Series" is titled "Looking Up: Pockets of Economic Strength."
There's been a lot of talk of late about how "cool" Barack Obama supposedly is. But people are starting to notice the man has no class.
...part of the reason Obama conducts himself in such an unseemly way is that the mainstream media are largely Democratic partisans, inclined to give their man a pass. True, there are plenty of alternative media voices now, but it's relatively easy for a leftist president to dismiss them and continue to enjoy the adulation of the so-called mainstreamers, who have also been suggesting lately that Obama is a shoo-in for re-election because he is so likable.
The McLaughlin findings point to the risk that that isn't the case. Obama could end up losing because sycophantic media encouraged him to act in such an unseemly way.
There's a parallel in the way the media have strained to play down bad economic news. A couple of hilarious examples come from NPR's website today: A homepage title asked: "Is Slow Growth Actually Good for the Economy?" (The actual story, which has a less risible title, pretty much answers in the negative.) And an NPR "Special Series" is titled "Looking Up: Pockets of Economic Strength."
Labels:
Economy,
President/Candidate Obama
House defies Obama to pass student loan bill
◼ Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House voted Friday to extend federal student loan subsidies for another year, and cover the added cost by slashing a prevention fund from Democrats’ health bill. - Stephen Dinan/Washington Times
“My God, do we have to fight about everything?” said House Speaker John A. Boehner in an angry speech from the House floor accusing Democrats of trying to create a political fight where there is general agreement.
◼ Obama Threatens To Veto GOP Student Loan Extension To Protect Fund He Planned to Cut - ABC
...House Speaker John Boehner’s office countered the president’s threat by saying President Obama already authorized trimming down the Prevention and Public Health Fund in his proposed FY2013 budget.
“The president is so desperate to fake a fight that he’s willing to veto a bill to help students over a slush fund that he advocated cutting in his own budget. It’s a simple as this: Republicans are acting to help college students and the president is now getting in the way,” Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Boehner, said....
“My God, do we have to fight about everything?” said House Speaker John A. Boehner in an angry speech from the House floor accusing Democrats of trying to create a political fight where there is general agreement.
◼ Obama Threatens To Veto GOP Student Loan Extension To Protect Fund He Planned to Cut - ABC
...House Speaker John Boehner’s office countered the president’s threat by saying President Obama already authorized trimming down the Prevention and Public Health Fund in his proposed FY2013 budget.
“The president is so desperate to fake a fight that he’s willing to veto a bill to help students over a slush fund that he advocated cutting in his own budget. It’s a simple as this: Republicans are acting to help college students and the president is now getting in the way,” Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Boehner, said....
Labels:
College Tuition,
Congress,
John Boehner
Memo Reveals The 'Gutsy' Bin Laden Call That Wasn't
◼ Like so many others, the final decision to pull the trigger on the world's most-wanted man was delegated to an admiral who undoubtedly would have been thrown under the bus had the mission failed. - IBD
It's been almost a year since President Obama's leadership and foreign policy bona fides were allegedly established by the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. A campaign film narrated by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks tells of the president's alleged solitary, agonizing decision.
With apologies to Vice President Biden, maybe President Obama doesn't carry quite as big a stick as Joe would lead us to believe.
As reported by Big Peace, Time magazine has obtained a memo written by Leon Panetta, then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency and now-Secretary of Defense, that says "operational decision-making and control" was really in the hands of William McRaven, a three-star admiral and former Navy SEAL.
"The timing, operational decision-making and control are in Adm. McRaven's hands," the memo says. "The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the president. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the president for his consideration. The direction is to go in and get bin Laden and, if he is not there, to get out."
In other words, it was McRaven's call to pull the trigger or not on the raid....
This time, we had an admiral and former Navy SEAL making the decision.
It was McRaven, heading the Joint Special Operations Command, who, on Jan. 29, 2011, began to plan "finish options" for bin Laden alongside his counterparts in a 7th-floor CIA conference room. It was McRaven who commanded the helicopter assault against the al-Qaida leader's redoubt in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
On that fateful night it was McRaven, linked by secure video from Jalalabad to the White House, who briefed the president, sitting in the corner of the "war room," in real time as the operation progressed.
Finally, it was the courageous and well-trained Navy SEALs who put their lives on the line and got a small measure of revenge for Sept. 11, 2001. It is President Obama who is falsely taking all the credit.
◼ "President Obama is increasingly taking the unusual route of bragging about how he killed a man." - Althouse
It's been almost a year since President Obama's leadership and foreign policy bona fides were allegedly established by the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. A campaign film narrated by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks tells of the president's alleged solitary, agonizing decision.
With apologies to Vice President Biden, maybe President Obama doesn't carry quite as big a stick as Joe would lead us to believe.
As reported by Big Peace, Time magazine has obtained a memo written by Leon Panetta, then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency and now-Secretary of Defense, that says "operational decision-making and control" was really in the hands of William McRaven, a three-star admiral and former Navy SEAL.
"The timing, operational decision-making and control are in Adm. McRaven's hands," the memo says. "The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the president. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the president for his consideration. The direction is to go in and get bin Laden and, if he is not there, to get out."
In other words, it was McRaven's call to pull the trigger or not on the raid....
This time, we had an admiral and former Navy SEAL making the decision.
It was McRaven, heading the Joint Special Operations Command, who, on Jan. 29, 2011, began to plan "finish options" for bin Laden alongside his counterparts in a 7th-floor CIA conference room. It was McRaven who commanded the helicopter assault against the al-Qaida leader's redoubt in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
On that fateful night it was McRaven, linked by secure video from Jalalabad to the White House, who briefed the president, sitting in the corner of the "war room," in real time as the operation progressed.
Finally, it was the courageous and well-trained Navy SEALs who put their lives on the line and got a small measure of revenge for Sept. 11, 2001. It is President Obama who is falsely taking all the credit.
◼ "President Obama is increasingly taking the unusual route of bragging about how he killed a man." - Althouse
Labels:
Bin Laden,
President/Candidate Obama
Government's answer to "Fast and Furious" records requests: Blank pages
So far, all of the requests that have been answered have been denied in part or in full.
This week, we received a partial response to a request made more than a year ago. It asked for communications involving "Project Gunrunner," the umbrella program for Fast and Furious, from 2010 through April 2011. Specifically, it sought any communications to which any of the following top Justice officials were a party: Attorney General Eric Holder; Lanny Breuer, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division; Kevin Carwile, chief of the Capital Case Unit; and Deputy Assistant Attorney Generals Bruce Schwarz and Kenneth Blanco.
The response includes mostly-blank pages....
Few requests filed by this reporter are answered within a year. When and if documents are ever produced, they are often heavily redacted and the timeliness of the information relative to the public interest has long since subsided.
Separately the FBI has denied CBS News all information requested regarding the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Two Fast and Furious weapons were found at his murder scene in December 2010. The FBI stated that the information was withheld because the murder investigation is ongoing. That investigation has now entered its second year.
Republicans prepare contempt citation against Eric Holder over Fast and Furious
CBS News appealed the FBI's denial, arguing that some records had already been made public by FBI to news agencies, that releasing certain parts of its investigative documents would not jeopardize any investigation, and that the FBI should provide, at a minimum, a log of the withheld materials. The appeal was denied. The ATF likewise denied our FOIA request under the basis of "opening investigation."
Labels:
DOJ,
Eric Holder,
FastandFurious,
Investigations,
Scandals
Excellent: GOP Wants EPA Official to Testify before Congress over "Crucify" Comments
◼ In case you missed it: earlier this week, Sen. Jim Inhofe's office unearthed this little gem, in which an EPA regional administrator recklessly revealed the independent agency's true philosophy. - Erika Johnsen/Townhall
As Sen. Inhofe pointed out on the floor: it's nice to have such explicit confirmation, but we all knew that this was the Obama administration's true agenda all along.
◼ EPA chief: 'Crucify' comments from official are 'disappointing' - Ben Geman and Andrew Restuccia/The Hill
◼ EPA chief: 'Crucify' comments from official are 'disappointing' - Ben Geman and Andrew Restuccia/The Hill
◼ UPDATE: YouTube pulls Armendariz ‘crucify them’ video: The YouTube channel where Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe’s office originally discovered the video of EPA official Al Armendariz speak about his “crucify them” enforcement philosophy has scrubbed the original video and lodged a complaint against Inhofe to YouTube.The source and now YouTube complainant, David McFatridge of “Citizen Media for We The People,” is an environmentalist and, according to Inhofe’s office, has eliminated all content related to Armendariz’s speech from his YouTube channel. The original video now turns of an error notice that reads: “This video is no longer available
As Sen. Inhofe pointed out on the floor: it's nice to have such explicit confirmation, but we all knew that this was the Obama administration's true agenda all along.
◼ EPA chief: 'Crucify' comments from official are 'disappointing' - Ben Geman and Andrew Restuccia/The Hill
◼ EPA chief: 'Crucify' comments from official are 'disappointing' - Ben Geman and Andrew Restuccia/The Hill
◼ UPDATE: YouTube pulls Armendariz ‘crucify them’ video: The YouTube channel where Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe’s office originally discovered the video of EPA official Al Armendariz speak about his “crucify them” enforcement philosophy has scrubbed the original video and lodged a complaint against Inhofe to YouTube.The source and now YouTube complainant, David McFatridge of “Citizen Media for We The People,” is an environmentalist and, according to Inhofe’s office, has eliminated all content related to Armendariz’s speech from his YouTube channel. The original video now turns of an error notice that reads: “This video is no longer available
Labels:
Energy,
EPA,
Fuel Prices
Top five cliches that liberals use to avoid real arguments
◼ Liberals insist that they live right downtown in the “reality-based community,” and if only their Republican opponents weren’t so blinded by ideology and stupidity, then they could work with them. - Jonah Goldberg/Washington Post
◼ Five myths about conservative voters - Frank I. Luntz/Washington Post
◼ Five myths about conservative voters - Frank I. Luntz/Washington Post
Labels:
Conservatives,
Liberals
National Federation of Republican Women CALL TO ACTION: Tell The White House and Senate Democrats to "STOP THE LIES ABOUT WOMEN"
Vice President Joe Biden suggested on Wednesday that the GOP's opposition to the Democratic version of a domestic violence bill will give the green light to male violence against women.
This is simply a lie.
CALL ON THE WHITE HOUSE AND SENATE DEMOCRATS TO STOP TELLING LIES ABOUT WOMEN!
President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats are playing political games and exploiting women in the process with lies and irresponsible rhetoric to push their agenda.
It's time for us to call for a return to the facts and responsible rhetoric surrounding the important issues our country faces.
Why?
President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats have exploited recent debates over issues like the President's insurance mandate that violated the United States Constitution or the recent reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Republicans have voted for and supported the reauthorization of the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act since it was first passed in 1994. Republicans support the reauthorization of the legislation, but are opposed to the expansions including additional deficit spending that Democrats are attempting to ram through.
Their strategy has been to use outrageous lies and irresponsible rhetoric that shifts the debate from the facts to misconceptions about Republicans.
In the meantime, they are able to force their political agenda in the process without public scrutiny.
Republican women have had enough. It's time to take a stand.
So pick up your phone and give the White House and Democratic leadership a call.
Tell the DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP to STOP TELLING LIES
that EXPLOIT WOMEN WHILE ADVANCING A POLITICAL AGENDA.
Tell President Obama and Senate Democrats to work with Republicans to develop serious solutions to serious problems.
The White House Comment Line
202-456-1111
Senate Leadership
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
(202) 224-3542
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL)
(202) 224-9447
Senate Democratic Policy Chair Charles Schumer (D-NY)
(202) 224-3232
This is simply a lie.
President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats are playing political games and exploiting women in the process with lies and irresponsible rhetoric to push their agenda.
It's time for us to call for a return to the facts and responsible rhetoric surrounding the important issues our country faces.
Why?
President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats have exploited recent debates over issues like the President's insurance mandate that violated the United States Constitution or the recent reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Republicans have voted for and supported the reauthorization of the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act since it was first passed in 1994. Republicans support the reauthorization of the legislation, but are opposed to the expansions including additional deficit spending that Democrats are attempting to ram through.
Their strategy has been to use outrageous lies and irresponsible rhetoric that shifts the debate from the facts to misconceptions about Republicans.
In the meantime, they are able to force their political agenda in the process without public scrutiny.
Republican women have had enough. It's time to take a stand.
So pick up your phone and give the White House and Democratic leadership a call.
Tell the DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP to STOP TELLING LIES
that EXPLOIT WOMEN WHILE ADVANCING A POLITICAL AGENDA.
Tell President Obama and Senate Democrats to work with Republicans to develop serious solutions to serious problems.
The White House Comment Line
202-456-1111
Senate Leadership
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
(202) 224-3542
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL)
(202) 224-9447
Senate Democratic Policy Chair Charles Schumer (D-NY)
(202) 224-3232
Labels:
#WarOnWomen,
ACTION ITEM,
Joe Biden,
NFRW
It was wonderful to see you all at the TEA
New faces, new members (welcome), new fashions, great food, great weather - a good day, and a good time.
I want to thank everyone for pitching in today to make the Tea a huge success.
Thanks to Valarie Fuller, Sun Valley Bulb Farm, Gwen Morris, Donna Bellairs, Chris Wennerholm, Mary Scott, Barbara Hecathorn, Terry Roberts, JoAnn Stanhope, Margaret Stafford, Vee Sorenson, Karen Pingitore and Ferndale Clothing Company, Debbie Walker, Marilyn St. John, Delores Theuerkauf, Rebecca Crosby, Jan Pierre, Kathrin Burleson, Rose, Mari Lou Renner, Jeanne O'Neal and Linda Arata.
Take care, and thanks for all of the help....you were great! Women in Numbers DO WIN!
Labels:
Membership,
Spring Tea
Political Polling Shenanigans
◼ Just who is conducting the poll? Good question. - The Journal
Late last month, Claire Josefine got a phone call from an anonymous pollster. The woman asked Josefine to rank a list of issues (education, the environment, jobs, etc.) from most to least important and then asked who she intends to vote for in the 1st Supervisorial District, where Josefine lives.
Recalling the phone conversation earlier this week, Josefine said she told the woman that she’ll be voting for Cheryl Seidner. Asked if she had a second choice Josefine said, “No,” and the woman, sounding enthused, responded, “OK, great! Can I tell Cheryl?” Josefine recalled.
“I thought that was weird,” Josefine said. The pollster also reportedly asked if Josefine would like a Seidner lawn sign, which also seemed odd because Josefine has been volunteering for the Seidner campaign and she’d heard nothing about phone polls. After hanging up with the pollster, Josefine called a campaign organizer who confirmed that, sure enough, nobody with the Seidner campaign was conducting any polling.
Over the next few weeks, the Seidner campaign received a number of calls from confused 1st District residents saying that they, too, had received polling calls. Former State Assemblymember Patty Berg — who lives in the 1st — was called twice, and the script, as recalled to the Journal, was nearly identical....
Late last month, Claire Josefine got a phone call from an anonymous pollster. The woman asked Josefine to rank a list of issues (education, the environment, jobs, etc.) from most to least important and then asked who she intends to vote for in the 1st Supervisorial District, where Josefine lives.
Recalling the phone conversation earlier this week, Josefine said she told the woman that she’ll be voting for Cheryl Seidner. Asked if she had a second choice Josefine said, “No,” and the woman, sounding enthused, responded, “OK, great! Can I tell Cheryl?” Josefine recalled.
“I thought that was weird,” Josefine said. The pollster also reportedly asked if Josefine would like a Seidner lawn sign, which also seemed odd because Josefine has been volunteering for the Seidner campaign and she’d heard nothing about phone polls. After hanging up with the pollster, Josefine called a campaign organizer who confirmed that, sure enough, nobody with the Seidner campaign was conducting any polling.
Over the next few weeks, the Seidner campaign received a number of calls from confused 1st District residents saying that they, too, had received polling calls. Former State Assemblymember Patty Berg — who lives in the 1st — was called twice, and the script, as recalled to the Journal, was nearly identical....
Labels:
County Supervisor,
Local Issues,
Local News,
Polls
Oh-Ba-Ma! Oh-Ba-Ma! Oh-Ba-Ma!
Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world — but that doesn’t make him a good head of state
Labels:
Ads,
President/Candidate Obama
While Syria Burns
◼ Obama has said that we cannot stand idly by. And what has he done? Stand idly by. - Charles Krauthammer/National Review
In the year since, the government of Syria has more than threatened massacres. It has carried them out. Nothing hypothetical about the disappearances, executions, indiscriminate shelling of populated neighborhoods. More than 9,000 are dead.
Obama has said that we cannot stand idly by. And what has he done? Stand idly by....
Obama’s other major announcement — at Washington’s Holocaust Museum, no less — was the creation of an Atrocities Prevention Board.
I kid you not. A board. Russia flies plane loads of weapons to Damascus. Iran supplies money, trainers, agents, more weapons. And what does America do? Supports a feckless U.N. peace mission that does nothing to stop the killing. (Indeed, some of the civilians who met with the peacekeepers were summarily executed.) And establishes an Atrocities Prevention Board.
With multi-agency participation, mind you. The liberal faith in the power of bureaucracy and flowcharts, of committees and reports, is legend. But this is parody.
In the year since, the government of Syria has more than threatened massacres. It has carried them out. Nothing hypothetical about the disappearances, executions, indiscriminate shelling of populated neighborhoods. More than 9,000 are dead.
Obama has said that we cannot stand idly by. And what has he done? Stand idly by....
Obama’s other major announcement — at Washington’s Holocaust Museum, no less — was the creation of an Atrocities Prevention Board.
I kid you not. A board. Russia flies plane loads of weapons to Damascus. Iran supplies money, trainers, agents, more weapons. And what does America do? Supports a feckless U.N. peace mission that does nothing to stop the killing. (Indeed, some of the civilians who met with the peacekeepers were summarily executed.) And establishes an Atrocities Prevention Board.
With multi-agency participation, mind you. The liberal faith in the power of bureaucracy and flowcharts, of committees and reports, is legend. But this is parody.
Labels:
International Issues,
Syria,
UN
For the Department of Justice to use this "research" to deflect pressure in the ongoing Fast and Furious investigation speaks to how flimsy a case Eric Holder and his counterparts have in their defense.
◼ MMFA'S RESPONSE TO 'FAST AND FURIOUS' PLAYS FAST AND LOOSE WITH FACTS - Mary Chastain/Breitbart's BIG Journalism
The Department of Justice reportedly referred a journalist
to this story by Media Matters for America, "Fast And Fallacious: Pavlich's Book On ATF Operation Filled With Falsehoods." The "research," presumably written by Matthew Gertz (M.G.), claims Katie Pavlich’s book, Fast & Furious: Barack Obama's Bloodiest Scandal and its Shameless Cover-Up, is filled with false claims.
◼ VAST LEFT WING CONSPIRACY: DOJ REFERS REPORTER TO MEDIA MATTERS, SOURCE CLAIMS - Lee Stranahan/Breitbart's BIG Journalism
The Department of Justice reportedly referred a journalist
to this story by Media Matters for America, "Fast And Fallacious: Pavlich's Book On ATF Operation Filled With Falsehoods." The "research," presumably written by Matthew Gertz (M.G.), claims Katie Pavlich’s book, Fast & Furious: Barack Obama's Bloodiest Scandal and its Shameless Cover-Up, is filled with false claims.
◼ VAST LEFT WING CONSPIRACY: DOJ REFERS REPORTER TO MEDIA MATTERS, SOURCE CLAIMS - Lee Stranahan/Breitbart's BIG Journalism
Labels:
DOJ,
Eric Holder,
FastandFurious,
George Soros,
Investigations,
Media bias,
Media Matters,
Scandals
The Obama administration's idea about women isn't that their families would benefit from more efficient performance of government's constitutional concerns for public prosperity and safety. The administration's idea is that women ought to vote for Barack Obama.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Chairman Del Beccaro's Response to the Court Ruling on Proposition 25
◼ SACRAMENTO, CA – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro issued the following statement regarding the recent court ruling on Proposition 25:
"Voters did not get what they were promised with Prop 25 - a balanced budget or no pay for legislators. Those who have always had power – Democrats – held up the budget last year, then passed an "unbalanced" budget and demanded their pay. With today's ruling, Democrats in the legislature will now be the sole judge of whether they passed a balanced budget. This proverbial wolf in charge of the hen house ruling is one more strike against the California budget and our economy."
Young People May Not Bother to Vote for Obama: Poll
◼ President Obama may still have the support of the youth population, but will they turn out to vote for him? A new poll indicates that is uncertain. - ABC News
A Gallup poll conducted earlier this week surveyed voter registration and likelihood to vote, broken down by age groups. Among the 18-29 set, 60 percent indicated that they are registered to vote. Obama enjoys a wide lead over Romney in this age group: 64 percent support Obama while only 29 percent support Romney. However, when asked if they definitely will vote in the general election, only 56 percent replied yes.
Comparatively, every other age group surveyed–30 to 49, 50 to 64 and 65 and over– had a yes response rate of 80 percent or more.
The youth vote is important to the Obama re-election campaign, as is evident from President Obama’s “college tour” in Colorado, North Carolina and Iowa this week. The Obama message for the week has focused on student loans, but his choice of college campuses in key swing states he carried in 2008 illustrates the importance of the young voters to team Obama.
A Gallup poll conducted earlier this week surveyed voter registration and likelihood to vote, broken down by age groups. Among the 18-29 set, 60 percent indicated that they are registered to vote. Obama enjoys a wide lead over Romney in this age group: 64 percent support Obama while only 29 percent support Romney. However, when asked if they definitely will vote in the general election, only 56 percent replied yes.
Comparatively, every other age group surveyed–30 to 49, 50 to 64 and 65 and over– had a yes response rate of 80 percent or more.
The youth vote is important to the Obama re-election campaign, as is evident from President Obama’s “college tour” in Colorado, North Carolina and Iowa this week. The Obama message for the week has focused on student loans, but his choice of college campuses in key swing states he carried in 2008 illustrates the importance of the young voters to team Obama.
Labels:
Polls,
President/Candidate Obama,
Youth
The Hollywood studio run by one of President Obama’s biggest donors is under investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission for bribing Chinese officials to secure exclusive film rights in the communist country—rights secured in secretive negotiations that included Vice President Joe Biden.
◼ DREAMWORKS NIGHTMARE - MAJOR OBAMA DONOR’S FILM STUDIO UNDER SEC INVESTIGATION - CJ Ciaramella/Washington Free Beacon
The SEC is investigating at least five Hollywood studios—including 20th Century Fox, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation—for allegedly making illegal payments to Chinese officials, Reuters reported Tuesday.
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is the largest donor to the Obama reelection super PAC Priorities USA.
Dreamworks announced in February a $2 billion deal with the Chinese government for the company to build a production studio in Shanghai. The deal came just days after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping held an extensive meeting with Barack Obama in Washington, followed by the Chinese Vice President’s trip to Los Angeles to meet with Katzenberg.
The deal was part of a larger agreement under which China increased its annual quota of foreign-produced films to 34 from 20 and increased the revenue it allowed foreign studios to keep to 25 percent from 15 percent.
...At the time of the deal, Katzenberg spokeswoman Jennifer Lin denied to the Free Beacon that there was any collusion between Katzenberg and the Obama administration.
However, the New York Times reported Tuesday that Biden joined Xi in personal negotiations to secure the deal.
◼ SEC probes movie studios over dealings in China - Reuters
The SEC is investigating at least five Hollywood studios—including 20th Century Fox, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation—for allegedly making illegal payments to Chinese officials, Reuters reported Tuesday.
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is the largest donor to the Obama reelection super PAC Priorities USA.
Dreamworks announced in February a $2 billion deal with the Chinese government for the company to build a production studio in Shanghai. The deal came just days after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping held an extensive meeting with Barack Obama in Washington, followed by the Chinese Vice President’s trip to Los Angeles to meet with Katzenberg.
The deal was part of a larger agreement under which China increased its annual quota of foreign-produced films to 34 from 20 and increased the revenue it allowed foreign studios to keep to 25 percent from 15 percent.
...At the time of the deal, Katzenberg spokeswoman Jennifer Lin denied to the Free Beacon that there was any collusion between Katzenberg and the Obama administration.
However, the New York Times reported Tuesday that Biden joined Xi in personal negotiations to secure the deal.
◼ SEC probes movie studios over dealings in China - Reuters
Labels:
China,
Investigations,
Joe Biden,
President/Candidate Obama
'This is unbelievable. It is a catastrophe to give the husband such a right! Has the Islamic trend reached that far? Is there really a draft law in this regard? Are there people thinking in this manner?'
◼ Outrage as Egypt plans 'farewell intercourse law' so husbands can have sex with DEAD wives up to six hours after their death - Lee Moran/Daily Mail
Egyptian husbands will soon be legally allowed to have sex with their dead wives - for up to six hours after their death.
The controversial new law is part of a raft of measures being introduced by the Islamist-dominated parliament.
It will also see the minimum age of marriage lowered to 14 and the ridding of women's rights of getting education and employment.
Egypt's National Council for Women is campaigning against the changes, saying that 'marginalising and undermining the status of women would negatively affect the country's human development'.
◼ Egypt’s women urge MPs not to pass early marriage, sex-after-death laws: report - english.alarabiya.net
Egyptian husbands will soon be legally allowed to have sex with their dead wives - for up to six hours after their death.
The controversial new law is part of a raft of measures being introduced by the Islamist-dominated parliament.
It will also see the minimum age of marriage lowered to 14 and the ridding of women's rights of getting education and employment.
Egypt's National Council for Women is campaigning against the changes, saying that 'marginalising and undermining the status of women would negatively affect the country's human development'.
◼ Egypt’s women urge MPs not to pass early marriage, sex-after-death laws: report - english.alarabiya.net
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
With state revenues slowing to a trickle as the end of April draws near, the state's top fiscal analyst said late Wednesday that California could be "a few billion dollars" shy of Gov. Jerry Brown's budget projections through June 2013.
Labels:
Budget,
Business,
California,
Governor Jerry Brown,
Revenue,
Spending,
Taxes
Earth Day Partiers Leave Behind Massive Mess
◼ Not to get all hippie-preachy or anything, but this is kind of an offensive amount of trash, right? - sfist.com
Do normal and reasonable human beings not look at that mess and say, "...maybe we ought to like, I don't know? Take some of this trash with us? To a trash can?" or "Maybe we should bring that coffee table back home?"
Labels:
California,
Environment,
Hypocrisy,
Leftist Activism
Supreme Court casts doubt on Obama’s immigration law claim
◼ Supreme Court casts doubt on Obama’s immigration law claim - Stephen Dinan/The Washington Times
◼ Supreme Court hints OK on Ariz. immigration law - AP
◼ “You can see it’s not selling very well” - Adam Liptak/New York Times
Labels:
Arizona,
DOJ,
Immigration,
Law and Order,
Obama Administration,
SCOTUS
Don't trust Democrats to fix Nadia Lockyer mess
 |
meeting of the board of supervisors to discuss health care in Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. She announced her resignation April 21 following a series of incidents and a stay in alcohol rehabilitation. Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle |
Lockyer, the wife of state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, was a political unknown in the Bay Area before her influential husband funded most of the record $1.6 million spent on her 2010 supervisorial campaign.
Lockyer's resignation is the latest chapter in a lurid and murky tale involving the high-profile political couple from Hayward and allegations of sex tapes, blackmail, drug use and violence. It started with a Feb. 3 incident in a Newark hotel room in which she called police saying her former boyfriend, Stephen Chikhani, assaulted her. She checked into an inpatient rehab center shortly afterward....
◼ There is enough blame to go around - and voters deserve some of it, too. They can claim they were duped by their leaders, misled by campaign rhetoric, but at the end of the day their only responsibility was to choose a qualified leader at the ballot box, and they fell asleep at the wheel. - Chip Johnson/SF Gate
It's easy to dismiss the dramatic fall of Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer as the failings of an addict. But it was much more than that. A system - our political system - created her....
Now, Union City Councilman Richard Valle, who endorsed Nadia Lockyer, is being tapped to replace the former supervisor by many of the same Democratic Party forces who elevated her. He, in fact, is rumored to be Bill and Nadia Lockyer's pick. That's rich.
Why we should trust the Democratic Party that created this mess to fix it is beyond me.
Labels:
California,
Democrats
The Great California Exodus — the epic failure of the Progressive Left
◼ A leading U.S. demographer and 'Truman Democrat' talks about what is driving the middle class out of the Golden State. - Allysia Finley/Wall St. Journal
"Basically, if you don't own a piece of Facebook or Google and you haven't robbed a bank and don't have rich parents, then your chances of being able to buy a house or raise a family in the Bay Area or in most of coastal California is pretty weak," says Mr. Kotkin.◼ One very dirty and not so secret thing about Gov. Moonbeam’s November tax initiative is that while it is touted by the Lefties as an “education initiative” not one dime will end up in the classrooms. Half of the projected (heh) $7 billion raised will go straight into unionized teachers’ pension fund with the rest going to state employee pension funds. What a racket. - Darleen Click at Protein Wisdom
While many middle-class families have moved inland, those regions don't have the same allure or amenities as the coast. People might as well move to Nevada or Texas, where housing and everything else is cheaper and there's no income tax.
And things will only get worse in the coming years as Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and his green cadre implement their "smart growth" plans to cram the proletariat into high-density housing. "What I find reprehensible beyond belief is that the people pushing [high-density housing] themselves live in single-family homes and often drive very fancy cars, but want everyone else to live like my grandmother did in Brownsville in Brooklyn in the 1920s," Mr. Kotkin declares.
"The new regime"—his name for progressive apparatchiks who run California's government—"wants to destroy the essential reason why people move to California in order to protect their own lifestyles."
Labels:
California,
Economy,
Housing crisis,
Pensions,
Progressive Politics,
Regulation,
Spending,
Taxes
More DWS: Americans Really Don't Care About the Budget "Process"
◼ Debbie Wasserman Schultz appeared on Fox News last night, an occasion that typically guarantees some sort of embarrassing meltdown. True to form, when anchor Bret Baier pressed the DNC chair on why Senate Democrats haven't produced a budget in nearly 1,100 days, Wasserman Schultz informed Baier that Americans aren't "interested in" these types of "process" questions (the key bit starts at the two minute mark):
Baier does an admirable job of puncturing her dissembling, but I'd like to offer an even more comprehensive rebuttal - at the link.
Baier does an admirable job of puncturing her dissembling, but I'd like to offer an even more comprehensive rebuttal - at the link.
Labels:
#FAIL,
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz,
Democrats,
Economy
California Term Limits: Vote No On Prop 28
Restart Congress co-founder, Chuck Woolery, discusses the deceptive nature of Proposition 28. The prop looks to amend term limits in California. Vote no on proposition 28 June 5th, 2012.
Labels:
Ballot Initiatives,
California,
Term Limits
BREAKING: Gingrich to end White House bid
◼ Newt Gingrich will officially end his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and formally express his support for Mitt Romney next week, two sources close to Gingrich tell CNN. - Mark Preston/CNN
"When he says he is transitioning, what he means is that he is trying to determine as a citizen how he will pro-actively help Mitt Romney become president and the Republican Party win back the Senate and help (House Speaker) John Boehner keep his majority in the House," said one of the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
It appears that Gingrich's focus will be much broader than the presidential campaign, as the former speaker, who made his name and career in the House, plans to be actively involved in helping the GOP take back control of both sides of Capitol Hill.
"When he says he is transitioning, what he means is that he is trying to determine as a citizen how he will pro-actively help Mitt Romney become president and the Republican Party win back the Senate and help (House Speaker) John Boehner keep his majority in the House," said one of the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
It appears that Gingrich's focus will be much broader than the presidential campaign, as the former speaker, who made his name and career in the House, plans to be actively involved in helping the GOP take back control of both sides of Capitol Hill.
As Senator, Obama twice skipped the Senate vote on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act
Obama was embroiled in a tough primary campaign in 2007 and was on the road for big chunks of time. His missed vote rate in the Senate soared to over 80 percent towards the end of the campaign. ◼ link - Politico
ROMNEY IMPRESSES
◼ As I watch Mitt Romney, this thought also occurs to me: Romney is sometimes criticized as “inauthentic,” but this is radically incorrect. - John Hinderaker/Powerline
As a politician, he has had to tack with the winds from time to time, like anyone else. But as a person, Romney is hugely authentic. His persona is no mystery: he is a Dad. We have all known men like Mitt Romney. We may think they are square and out of date; we may roll our eyes if they are occasionally goofy. But when times are tough, in moments of crisis, everyone knows where to turn: we look to leaders of character, competence and decency, like Mitt Romney. I am increasingly confident that in November, Americans will see Mitt Romney as just what we need after four years of Barack Obama’s incompetence.
◼ Romney: ‘It’s Still About the Economy …And We’re Not Stupid’ - Katrina Trinko/National Review Online
As a politician, he has had to tack with the winds from time to time, like anyone else. But as a person, Romney is hugely authentic. His persona is no mystery: he is a Dad. We have all known men like Mitt Romney. We may think they are square and out of date; we may roll our eyes if they are occasionally goofy. But when times are tough, in moments of crisis, everyone knows where to turn: we look to leaders of character, competence and decency, like Mitt Romney. I am increasingly confident that in November, Americans will see Mitt Romney as just what we need after four years of Barack Obama’s incompetence.
◼ Romney: ‘It’s Still About the Economy …And We’re Not Stupid’ - Katrina Trinko/National Review Online
Labels:
2012 Presidential Campaign,
Mitt Romney
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Defiantly, begrudgingly or compliantly, Pennsylvania voters took the test run of the state's new voter ID requirement in stride Tuesday
◼ Voters show off their IDs, or don't - Philly.com
Whether they offered identification or not, registered voters who showed up at their old polling places were ushered to voting machines and permitted to start punching buttons - an option they'll be denied in November's general election unless they can show election officials a Pennsylvania driver's license or other specified ID.
Whether they offered identification or not, registered voters who showed up at their old polling places were ushered to voting machines and permitted to start punching buttons - an option they'll be denied in November's general election unless they can show election officials a Pennsylvania driver's license or other specified ID.
Labels:
Pennsylvania,
Voter fraud,
Voter ID
"ARE YOU BETTER OFF?... Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one?”
◼ Mitt Romney, with nod to Ronald Reagan, asking voters how life has improved under Obama - Boston.com
“Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change,” Romney says in his remarks. “But after we came down to earth, after the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?”
“...Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one?” he plans to ask. “Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?”
“It’s still about the economy,” Romney adds bluntly, taking a line from Bill Clinton’s campaign in 1992. “And we’re not stupid....”
◼ Romney to nation: 'Hold on a little longer' - US News
◼ 'A BETTER AMERICA BEGINS TONIGHT... Tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the Obama years'... - Fox
◼ ROMNEY SWEEPS, AIMS VICTORY SPEECH AT OBAMA - Breitbart's BIG Government
◼ Romney wins 5 primaries. - Althouse
Full speech as prepared for delivery:
Labels:
2016 Presidential Election,
Economy,
Mitt Romney
Romney certain to sweep 5 Northeast states in primaries
◼ Primaries were held in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island— friendly territory for the former Massachusetts governor, with more moderate Republicans and fewer evangelical Christians than in the Sunbelt states where he has struggled. - USA Today
"After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and not a few long nights, I can say with confidence — and gratitude — that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility," Romney said in remarks prepared for delivery. "And together, will win on November 6th!"
...Republican voters already are uniting behind him. The Gallup daily poll shows 88% of Republicans backing Romney, comparable to the 91% of Democrats supporting Obama. Independents split 45% Obama, 43% Romney.
◼ Romney’s victory speech and Gingrich’s last stand; Update: Romney wins Delaware - HotAir
"After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and not a few long nights, I can say with confidence — and gratitude — that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility," Romney said in remarks prepared for delivery. "And together, will win on November 6th!"
...Republican voters already are uniting behind him. The Gallup daily poll shows 88% of Republicans backing Romney, comparable to the 91% of Democrats supporting Obama. Independents split 45% Obama, 43% Romney.
◼ Romney’s victory speech and Gingrich’s last stand; Update: Romney wins Delaware - HotAir
Dalai Lama Tells Shocked Piers Morgan 'I Love President Bush'
◼ During an interview to be aired Wednesday evening, Morgan asked his honored guest, “Which people that you’ve ever met have really impressed you?” - Noel Sheppard/Newsbusters
“I think Nelson Mandela,” responded the Dalai Lama. "Of course as individual, individual person, I love President Bush."
Labels:
President Bush
Monday, April 23, 2012
New York Times Finally Notices Obama’s Unilateral Abuse of Power
◼ Today’s New York Times offers a stunning revelation for anyone who hasn’t been following the news out of Washington for the past three years: President Barack Obama is bypassing Congress and using his executive authority to unilaterally implement his policies of choice, irrespective of the will of the people. - Mike Brownfield/Heritage
...After the November 2010 elections, the president — who was suddenly facing a Republican majority in the House after having enjoyed two years of Democrat rule — now had no choice but to compromise with the opposition party if he wanted to get things done legislatively. The thing is, the president didn’t want to compromise — he wanted to enact his agenda. And so he admitted quite plainly that where he could not legislate, he would regulate and do an end run around Congress. In a press conference on November 3, 2010, he discussed how he would apply that method to energy policy:
...After the November 2010 elections, the president — who was suddenly facing a Republican majority in the House after having enjoyed two years of Democrat rule — now had no choice but to compromise with the opposition party if he wanted to get things done legislatively. The thing is, the president didn’t want to compromise — he wanted to enact his agenda. And so he admitted quite plainly that where he could not legislate, he would regulate and do an end run around Congress. In a press conference on November 3, 2010, he discussed how he would apply that method to energy policy:
So I think when it comes to something like energy, what we’re probably going to have to do is say here are some areas where there’s just too much disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, we can’t get this done right now, but let’s not wait. Let’s go ahead and start making some progress on the things that we do agree on, and we can continue to have a strong and healthy debate about those areas where we don’t.But energy policy isn’t the only way that President Obama has penned legislation with his own hand instead of choosing the constitutional route — bills getting passed by Congress, arriving at his desk, and then signed into law. On labor laws, immigration, marijuana use, voting rights, the Defense of Marriage Act, regulating the Internet, and making appointments, this president has circumvented the legislative branch via administrative fiat whenever his agenda stalls....
Obama admin using $8 billion in taxpayer money to delay ObamaCare's Medicare cuts until after the election
◼ CODE RED: ObamaCare’s Medicare Cuts Delayed Until After the Election - NRC
Obama Administration Uses $8 Billion in Taxpayer Funds to Delay Unpopular Cuts to Medicare Advantage Included in the Government Takeover of Healthcare
◼ "An $8 billion trick?," - Benjamin E. Sasse and Charles Hurt/New York Post, 4/23/12)
Obama Administration Uses $8 Billion in Taxpayer Funds to Delay Unpopular Cuts to Medicare Advantage Included in the Government Takeover of Healthcare
◼ "An $8 billion trick?," - Benjamin E. Sasse and Charles Hurt/New York Post, 4/23/12)
The Democrats' Government Takeover Of Healthcare Slashes Medicare By $500 Billion, Including The Popular Medicare Advantage Program:
"But certain voters would surely notice one highly painful part of the law before then — namely, the way it guts the popular Medicare Advantage program. For years, 12 million seniors have relied on these policies, a more market-oriented alternative to traditional Medicare, without the aggravating gaps in coverage. But as part of its hundreds of billions in Medicare cuts, the Obama one-size-fits-all plan slashes reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage starting next year — herding many seniors back into the government-run program." (Benjamin E. Sasse and Charles Hurt, "An $8 billion trick?," New York Post, 4/23/12)
But These Imminent Cuts Would Remind Voters Again Of ObamaCare's Consequences, So The Administration Is Using $8 Billion In Taxpayer Funds To Delay Their Cuts Until After The Election:
"This political ticking time bomb could become the biggest ‘October Surprise' in US political history. But the administration's devised a way to postpone the pain one more year, getting Obama past his last election; it plans to spend $8 billion to temporarily restore Medicare Advantage funds so that seniors in key markets don't lose their trusted insurance program in the middle of Obama's re-election bid."
Labels:
Medicare,
Obamacare,
sleight of hand
Democratic activist arrested, charged with stealing 220,000+ Medicaid patient records
◼ State Law Enforcement Division agents have arrested a man they say transferred thousands of confidential state Medicaid records to his personal email account.... According to SLED, at least one other party received this data from Lykes. It has not been made public yet who this third party was. - Michelle Malkin
Question: Who received the filched data?
Inquiring minds want to know…and are inquiring. Stay tuned.
Question: Who received the filched data?
Inquiring minds want to know…and are inquiring. Stay tuned.
Labels:
Democrats
As many as 34 of the contested races in the June Primary could lead to a same party runoff in November
◼ The Top Two Primary is Coming: “Fasten Your Seatbelts … it’s going to be a bumpy night.” - Allan Hoffenblum/Fox&Hounds
The California Target Book, which I publish, just placed online our pre-Primary analyses of the 53 congressional, 80 state assembly and 20 odd-numbered state senate seats up for election (along with profiles on 555 candidates that will appear on the ballot).
And what we discovered is that as many as 34 of the contested races in the June Primary could lead to a same party runoff in November; 8 in Congress, 4 in the state Senate, and as many as 22 in the state Assembly.
Of the 22, 16 will be Democrat vs. Democrat, only 6 will be Republican vs. Republican.
The principal cause of the large number of D vs. D contests is the very low Republican registration in large portions of this state, particularly along the coast and areas with a large minority population; areas where the GOP registration numbers are so low, that their candidates can’t seriously compete for a top two spot.
The California Target Book, which I publish, just placed online our pre-Primary analyses of the 53 congressional, 80 state assembly and 20 odd-numbered state senate seats up for election (along with profiles on 555 candidates that will appear on the ballot).
And what we discovered is that as many as 34 of the contested races in the June Primary could lead to a same party runoff in November; 8 in Congress, 4 in the state Senate, and as many as 22 in the state Assembly.
Of the 22, 16 will be Democrat vs. Democrat, only 6 will be Republican vs. Republican.
The principal cause of the large number of D vs. D contests is the very low Republican registration in large portions of this state, particularly along the coast and areas with a large minority population; areas where the GOP registration numbers are so low, that their candidates can’t seriously compete for a top two spot.
Labels:
2012 Elections,
California
An EXCLUSIVE inside look at the Republicans’ anti-Obama war room
◼ "We said from the very beginning ... we were going to get this building in fighting shape for the Republican nominee, and part of that - in today's news cycle, 24/7 - is to be on things instantly," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. - Jake Tapper for ABC/Yahoo News
Labels:
2012 Elections,
Campaign tactics,
Reince Priebus,
RNC
It Was the Power, Stupid!
◼ (I)n other words, was a national sin until the mid-morning of January 20, 2009... - Victor Davis Hanson/PJM
...We are in the year four of our lord, when darkness was made light, the seas gently receded, and the planet cooled. In the space of 24 hours in January 2009 the world was turned upside down: massive deficits were no longer “unpatriotic”; 5% (heck, even 9%) unemployment was no longer to be seen as a “jobless recovery”; $4 plus gasoline no longer would become “intolerable.” Filibusters suddenly became ossified obstructionism. Recess appointments were now quite legitimate; lecturing the media about the myth of objective fairness was salutary. Pay-for-play time with the president was consulting; attacking the “unelected” courts was progressive. Voter fraud was not thugs eyeing polling monitors with clubs, but officials asking voters to present a picture ID—and mentioning any of these inconsistencies or writing about the Trostkyzation of American life was either racism or Palinism.... As always, a MUST READ, at the link.
...We are in the year four of our lord, when darkness was made light, the seas gently receded, and the planet cooled. In the space of 24 hours in January 2009 the world was turned upside down: massive deficits were no longer “unpatriotic”; 5% (heck, even 9%) unemployment was no longer to be seen as a “jobless recovery”; $4 plus gasoline no longer would become “intolerable.” Filibusters suddenly became ossified obstructionism. Recess appointments were now quite legitimate; lecturing the media about the myth of objective fairness was salutary. Pay-for-play time with the president was consulting; attacking the “unelected” courts was progressive. Voter fraud was not thugs eyeing polling monitors with clubs, but officials asking voters to present a picture ID—and mentioning any of these inconsistencies or writing about the Trostkyzation of American life was either racism or Palinism.... As always, a MUST READ, at the link.
Labels:
Democrats,
Leftist Activism,
Morality,
Power Grab,
VDH
Nancy Pelosi: We need to revise that whole ‘free speech’ part of the Constitution
◼ House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday endorsed a movement announced by other congressional Democrats on Wednesday to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow Congress to regulate political speech when it is engaged in by corporations as opposed to individuals. - Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin
Will Pelosi’s amendment also regulate union “speech” by putting an end to Big Labor’s Super PAC spending and campaign contributions? (rhetorical question — don’t waste time answering)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Science: GOP voters better informed, open-minded
◼ Yet another new survey shows that Republican supporters know more about politics and political history than Democrats. - Neil Munro/Daily Caller
...On eight of 13 questions about politics, Republicans outscored Democrats by an average of 18 percentage points, according to a new Pew survey “Partisan Differences in Knowledge.”
The Pew survey adds to a wave of surveys and studies showing that GOP-sympathizers are better informed, more intellectually consistent, more open-minded, more empathetic and more receptive to criticism than their fellow Americans who support the Democratic Party....
◼ WHO’S FUNNIER, REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS? - Powerline
◼ And, remember: Study: Republicans Happier Than Democrats - AOL News (2010)
Labels:
Democrats,
Polls,
Republicans
"If I wanted America to fail"
◼ This is the choice we face at the ballot box this November. - HotAir
◼ A powerful and revealing monologue on what is being done to our country - The Right Scoop
◼ Also at Ace Of Spades
◼ The Hidden Hand - Richard Fernandez/PJM
UPDATE: ◼ TWITTER SUSPENDS ACCOUNT OF GROUP THAT CREATED VIRAL ‘IF I WANTED AMERICA TO FAIL’ VIDEO WITHOUT EXPLANATION - The Blaze
Michelle Malkin has already weighed in on the suspension:
This is just bizarre. The Kill Zimmerman account was left untouched for weeks before finally being taken down. What is Free Market America guilty of? Advocating free markets. Is that against Twitter terms of service?
Update: Results. After conservatives online kicked up a fuss tonight, Free Market America’s Twitter account has been restored. (The official explanation is that the account was the victim of an “automated spam filter.”)
Good for Free Market America.
It does pay to get on Twitter. Every voice counts. And yes, Twitter is a political battlespace. Get on it.
Environmentally Sound Energy Independence
◼ There’s no better way for President Obama and his administration to celebrate Earth Day than to embrace a real, environmentally sound commitment to energy independence instead of relying on foreign countries that lack environmental safeguards. - Sarah Palin at National Review
...America isn’t the only country that celebrates Earth Day, but we are the most exceptional. It’s time for the greatest nation on earth to tap into its full potential, and one surefire way to do so is to tap into what is beneath this earth. Energy independence awaits, and her companions are national security and financial prosperity.
...America isn’t the only country that celebrates Earth Day, but we are the most exceptional. It’s time for the greatest nation on earth to tap into its full potential, and one surefire way to do so is to tap into what is beneath this earth. Energy independence awaits, and her companions are national security and financial prosperity.
Labels:
American Exceptionalism,
Energy,
Sarah Palin
REVEALED! Michelle Obama Masterminded Ann Romney Mom Smear!
◼ A publicly sympathetic Michelle, 48, tapped out a message on Twitter, writing: “Every mother works hard, and every woman deserves to be respected.” But behind the scenes, her fingerprints were all over the scandal, said an inside source. - Rick Eguisquiza/NATIONAL ENQUIRER
Political sources revealed to The ENQUIRER that MICHELLE OBAMA brain-stormed the scheme to sic a pit bull strategist on the GOP contender’s wife ANN ROMNEY and it backfired!
...“Michelle had her claws out to get Ann, but it quickly backfired and Barack was livid when he heard she had secretly directed the attack,” said the source....
“But even though Michelle was the instigator, the political grenade blew up in the president’s face.”
The White House also caught heat when it was revealed Rosen had been a guest there 35 times – three times more often than Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
“Michelle thought Rosen, an out-of-the-closet lesbian and close pal, could be their attack dog, but she miscalculated badly by going after stay-at-home moms,” said the source.
“Behind the scenes, Michelle has vented that she worked hard as a lawyer in addition to being a mom.
She also made jokes about Ann Romney ‘working at leading a rich lifestyle,’ including the fact that Ann competes in horse shows.
“Michelle is determined to do whatever it takes to keep her husband in the White House. She’s learned politics is a dirty business. It’s only a matter of time before she comes up with another plan to go after Ann.”
Political sources revealed to The ENQUIRER that MICHELLE OBAMA brain-stormed the scheme to sic a pit bull strategist on the GOP contender’s wife ANN ROMNEY and it backfired!
...“Michelle had her claws out to get Ann, but it quickly backfired and Barack was livid when he heard she had secretly directed the attack,” said the source....
“But even though Michelle was the instigator, the political grenade blew up in the president’s face.”
The White House also caught heat when it was revealed Rosen had been a guest there 35 times – three times more often than Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
“Michelle thought Rosen, an out-of-the-closet lesbian and close pal, could be their attack dog, but she miscalculated badly by going after stay-at-home moms,” said the source.
“Behind the scenes, Michelle has vented that she worked hard as a lawyer in addition to being a mom.
She also made jokes about Ann Romney ‘working at leading a rich lifestyle,’ including the fact that Ann competes in horse shows.
“Michelle is determined to do whatever it takes to keep her husband in the White House. She’s learned politics is a dirty business. It’s only a matter of time before she comes up with another plan to go after Ann.”
Labels:
#WarOnWomen,
Ann Romney,
Campaign tactics,
HilaryRosen,
Michelle Obama
When you take a bulldozer to traditional values, what takes its place is bulldozer ideology, the expedient virtue of bulldozing things and the virtue of whatever rises in their place. Once you believe in the bulldozer, then you must also believe in whatever mess follows in its wake, otherwise you are forced to take a long hard look at the virtue of the bulldozer. And once that happens, you are one step away from becoming a reactionary clinging to traditional values.
◼ All the Morals of a Bulldozer - Sultan Knish
...Like well trained Oceanians, it depends on audiences in colorful Keffiyah scarves and ironic t-shirts who rise eagerly for the daily Two-Minute Hates, shouting against racism, patriarchy, carbon, oil, corporate personhood and logos, gun rights, animal testing, heteronormative bathrooms and any of the endless list of things to be outraged by, without the ability to apply their denunciations to a moral code....
Bulldozer values call forth explosive faux moral tantrums at anything that stands in front of the bulldozer. These tantrums can be seen on the late night news, on the front page of the New York Times, which long ago stopped relegating its moral tantrums and special pleading to the editorial page, on liberal blogs and a thousand other places. They don't however represent moral or ethics, only the virtue of the bulldozer-- the virtue of power.
The country must know about Romney's dog riding on top of the car. Why? Because it shows that Romney is a bad person. They must not know about Obama eating dogs, because it might make him 'wrongly' seem like a bad person. The only consistent value here is that of the bulldozer. Obama is driving the bulldozer, and so he must be protected, just the same way that the media protected Clinton in his own private war on women and their right to say no to being groped or propositioned, because back then he was driving the bulldozer. When Clinton briefly got in the way of Obama's bulldozer, then the media bulldozed him....
...Like well trained Oceanians, it depends on audiences in colorful Keffiyah scarves and ironic t-shirts who rise eagerly for the daily Two-Minute Hates, shouting against racism, patriarchy, carbon, oil, corporate personhood and logos, gun rights, animal testing, heteronormative bathrooms and any of the endless list of things to be outraged by, without the ability to apply their denunciations to a moral code....
Bulldozer values call forth explosive faux moral tantrums at anything that stands in front of the bulldozer. These tantrums can be seen on the late night news, on the front page of the New York Times, which long ago stopped relegating its moral tantrums and special pleading to the editorial page, on liberal blogs and a thousand other places. They don't however represent moral or ethics, only the virtue of the bulldozer-- the virtue of power.
The country must know about Romney's dog riding on top of the car. Why? Because it shows that Romney is a bad person. They must not know about Obama eating dogs, because it might make him 'wrongly' seem like a bad person. The only consistent value here is that of the bulldozer. Obama is driving the bulldozer, and so he must be protected, just the same way that the media protected Clinton in his own private war on women and their right to say no to being groped or propositioned, because back then he was driving the bulldozer. When Clinton briefly got in the way of Obama's bulldozer, then the media bulldozed him....
Labels:
Daniel Greenfield,
Leftist Activism,
Morality,
Opinion,
Ron Nehring
Do the math: Senate could shift Republican in 2012
◼ Less than 200 days before the November elections, Republicans are brimming with confidence about gaining at least the four seats they need to put the U.S. Senate in their column. - John Gizzi/Human Events
With 47 Republican senators and 53 Democrats, the number of seats up for election clearly point to the much-desired GOP net gain of four and then some. There are 35 Senate seats are up for grabs this fall, with 10 held by Republicans and 25 by the Democrats.
Labels:
2012 Elections,
Congress,
Senate
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