Voter Turnout on Tuesday—It will be Low

◼ Here’s a statement that won’t earn me a PhD in political science: Voter turnout will determine many races in Tuesday’s primary. We all know that truth, what we don’t know is what the turnout might be. - Joel Fox/Fox&Hounds

According to Quinn, as of May 30, 2012, the counties have reported that 1,352,000 ballots have already been cast. In 2008, there were 2,671,000 vote-by-mail ballots, so a number equal to half the vote by mail ballots in 2008 has been cast less than a week prior to voting day.
Recently, California elections are edging toward half the votes cast come from absentee ballots. Unless there is a landslide of absentee ballots this week, the absentee vote total will probably be behind 2008 levels.

All signs indicate a low turnout.

I won’t be too far out on a limb to predict that voter turnout for this primary election will be around, very possibly under, 30%.

Mitt Romney Wins Over The Right By Confronting Obama

◼ Behind his confrontational strategy: A bet that the base cares more about grit than policy, and doesn't want him to apologize for Donald Trump. “This is right out of Breitbart's playbook” - (left-wing) Buzzfeed

After a day spent waging bi-coastal combat with the Obama campaign, Mitt Romney's team in Boston earned the highest compliment Rush Limbaugh has ever paid them Thursday afternoon: "I'm telling you," he said. "This is not the McCain campaign."

Once-skeptical conservatives knew exactly what he meant....

The unapologetically aggressive tone of Romney's campaign is manifest at every turn — from his aides' fierce Twitter wars, to the candidate's surprise press conference at failed green solar company Solyndra, and the campaign's continued refusal to apologize for Donald Trump's outlandish conspiracy theories about Obama's birth certificate. It's all part of a deliberate — and, so far, successful — strategy aimed less at convincing undecided voters, and more at rallying the Republican Party around its candidate.

..."Time and again, he(McCain) pulled back from lines of attack that could have been productive against Obama," said Rick Wilson, who cut slashing ads for the National Republican Trust PAC, an outside group McCain denounced. "He undercut surrogates and supporters. His consulting team acted like it was wine-tasting night at the Borgia's."

"Conservatives want a fighter, and Romney's been stepping up fast on that front,” he said.

Romney aides, too, privately contrast their no-holds-barred approach to McCain apologizing for his party's rowdy base in 2008. And for now — while swing voters go on vacation, and activists stay tuned in — the campaign is welcoming the comparison to a confrontational icon of the conservative movement.

Told that conservatives were comparing Romney’s tactics to Breitbart’s, one aide responded: "Oh great, that's what we were going for."

A Better Day

On day one of his presidency, Mitt Romney will focus on policies that grow our economy and create jobs. But more than that, a Romney presidency will signal that our country is back on the right track.
__________________
Mitt Romney

How California Unions Hijacked the Golden State

◼ President Obama raked in a hefty $15 million from Hollywood’s elite at George Clooney’s home last week. The $40,000 per plate star-studded crowd cheered the president’s just-in-time conversion to same-sex marriage; are they equally enthused about Mr. Obama’s economic prescriptions? - thefiscaltimes.com

Californians should know better. Their state, best known for red carpets, is awash in red ink, just like the federal government. Earlier this week, Governor Jerry Brown announced that the state’s budget deficit will approach $16 billion this year, up from $9.2 billion projected just a few months ago. Years of misguided financial policies have led to this: stifling taxes and savage cuts to public services – including Medicaid, childcare and welfare programs.

Even movie stars occasionally venture out. What do they find? A state with 12 percent of the country’s population and one third of its welfare recipients. A state with the nation’s lowest bond ratings, the second-highest marginal income tax rate and the third highest unemployment rate. Most important – a state that CEOs rank the worst in the country for doing business. Dead last! For the eighth year in a row.

The upshot? Businesses are leaving California.

◼ Bloated Union Contracts Have Busted State Budgets
◼ 10 Insanely Overpaid Public Employees

Why Barack Obama Will Lose

◼ What is O’s case? - JOhn Podhoretz/New York Post

As June begins and the election inches closer, the question bedeviling the president and his advisers is this: What case will Barack Obama make on his own behalf to undecided voters over the next five months?

That must have been on their minds yesterday, as they surveyed the cascade of disappointing data.

“All the economic data was bad,” wrote Joe Wiesenthal of Business Insider.

There is no vision from Team Obama about how to fix this mess, beyond these warmed-over proposals that made up the core of the (broadly unpopular) stimulus bill. What happens in a second term with the economy?

◼ “The bottom line is that the U.S. recovery has hit another wall,” the Moody’s economists wrote. - HotAir

NEW CNN POLL: OBAMA LOSES SIX POINTS IN A MONTH, RACE WITHIN MARGIN OF ERROR

◼ More bad news for the President arrives today in the form of a new CNN poll. - John Sexton/Breitbart

The poll, conducted May 29-31, shows the race for President has tightened significantly over the last month. If the election were held today, 49% would vote for Obama and 46% for Romney, which is within the poll's margin of error.

CNN does note that today's poll was taken before the release of today's disastrous jobs numbers.

Two years ago, President Obama went to Solyndra and touted it as an example of his initiative to create jobs. Today, the company is bankrupt and the building stands empty as a symbol of the failure of President Obama's policies.

__________________
Mitt Romney

President Obama Shuns Lech Walesa

◼ The Polish Solidarity leader is “too political” for the administration. - Rory Cooper/National Review Online

Lech Walesa was once a trade-union activist. He was often arrested for speaking his mind against Communist oppression behind the Iron Curtain in Poland and for defying the Soviet Union. He was an electrician who, with no higher education, led one of the most profound freedom movements of the 20th century — Solidarity. He became president of Poland and swept in reforms, pushing the Soviet Union out of his homeland and moving the country toward a free-market economy and individual liberty. And President Obama doesn’t want him to set foot in the White House.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Polish officials requested that Walesa accept the Medal of Freedom on behalf of Jan Karski, a member of the Polish Underground during World War II who was being honored posthumously this week. The request makes sense. Walesa and Karski shared a burning desire to rid Poland of tyrannical subjugation. But President Obama said no.

...This revelation follows an eruption of outrage in Poland after President Obama referred in his remarks at the Medal of Freedom ceremony to “Polish death camps,” a phrase that Poles have battled since the end of the Cold War. The phrase suggests that Poles were complicit in Nazi concentration camps, which of course is not the case. In fact, Poles were exterminated in the camps.

The White House’s flippant response to the uproar caused the Polish president and prime minister to demand more thoughtful and personal reactions. But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that the president has no plans to reach out to his Polish counterparts and has shrugged off the outrage in Poland.

America Gets a Wake-Up Call

◼ Reading the unemployment numbers for May (can you imagine what the real ones would be?), your lefty-liberal friends should be ashamed of themselves - by Roger L Simon/PJM

I don’t need to see Obama’s hidden college grades. I know he’s a failure.

I don’t need to read The Amateur. I know he’s an amateur.

The sad thing is we are all paying for it — not to mention our children and our children’s children.

We’re not about to become Greece. We are Greece. Those of us who live in California are already Greece squared.

Liberalism is not only dead, it’s decomposed. We’d better inter it this November or we are all fools....

If it sounds like I’ve had enough, I have. I love this country. I never dreamed I would see it go down the drain in such an extraordinarily rapid fashion. Read the rest at Pajamas Media

4 Days until the Primary! Ladies, this is it! We are down to the wire.

◼ With only 4 days left until the primary election, we want all of our Republican Women working hard to get Republicans through to the general election. With this new “top two” primary election, we must work even harder to make sure our candidates are elected. Find a local precinct walk or phone bank this weekend and GET OUT THE VOTE! (HRWF note: Check with local campaigns, see who is phone banking. Many candidates are putting out a strong to-the-finish effort.)

Remember to get to the polls on Tuesday, June 5th! If you vote by mail, make sure to send in your ballot TODAY, Friday June 1st! If you don’t get to mail your ballot today, you can drop off your completed ballot at your polling place. Make sure your voice is heard and VOTE!

NO on PROPS 28 and 29!

Our CFRW Voting Body recommends NO votes for both Prop 28 and Prop 29. In recent Capitol Updates we have included talking points and rationale for our NO position on both propositions. Click HERE (scroll down) for more information on both Prop 28 and 29. Please make sure you are spreading your knowledge about the devious nature of both of these propositions. Props 28 and 29 were written to intentionally confuse the voter. Prop 28 claims that it would reduce the amount of time that a legislator is in office, from 14 years to 12 years. But what the proposition actually does is increase the amount of time a legislator can spend in one office, meaning they could be a senator for 12 years, an assembly member for 12 years, or a combination of both. Prop 28 is backed by big labor unions because the unions would be able to put a legislator in office then control them for 12 years in one office instead of spending money on different elections or reelections to secure their support. Prop 29 is a 5 cent tax increase per cigarette, which might not seem like a big deal, especially to non-smokers. But what Prop 29 really does is create a 9 member committee of political appointees that has the power to allocate the funds collected from this new cigarette tax. The fact is that not all of the funds collected from Prop 29 have to be spent on cancer research or even spent here in California. It should come as no shock that current cigarette tax funds get misused (click here for Sac Bee article).

Props 28 and 29 are bad for California. Tell everyone you know to VOTE NO!

California Legislative Deadlines

◼ Today is the legislative deadline for bills to be passed out of their house of origin. This means that a bill introduced in the Assembly must be sent to the Senate today and vice versa or the bill is dead. Two Assembly bills that have been sent to the Senate but will need us to fight there is AB 2109 and AB 2179. The CFRW Voting Body has decided to OPPOSE both AB 2109 and AB 2179. AB 2109 (Pan, D-5) would make it more difficult for parents to “opt-out” of certain vaccinations because of their personal or religious beliefs. It should not be required by the government that children must receive immunization for all “communicable” diseases. “Communicable” could be used at a later date to mean vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases and whether or not a “school-aged” child receives the shot should be the decision of the parent, not the government. AB 2179 (Allen, D-7) would allow the Department of Fish and Game to impose severe fines or penalties for relatively minor infractions, which would decrease participation in fishing and hunting in California. Democrats are chipping away at the rights of fishermen and hunters and this is just another example of governmental regulation we do not need.

A Message from CFRW President Hadley

◼ The California Federation of Republican Women join NFRW in congratulating Mitt Romney as the GOP Presidential Nominee. Ladies, this is where we join together, put our boots on the road and make sure the current President has a new residence on January 20, 2013.

We are Federated women and can make this happen in California. Next time we read California is "O" country, it just boils my blood. IF, we believe such propaganda it will happen. SO PUT THE GLOVES ON, PLAN TO SLEEP AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTION, HIKE UP YOUR BOOTS AND AS THE BEST OF THE BEST, OUR NEXT PRESIDENT WILL BE MITT ROMNEY.

NFRW, RNC, CRP and CFRW will be sending out 'talking points" to use in combating all the negative press over the next few months.

STAY INVOLVED IN LOCAL, COUNTY AND STATE CAMPAIGNS. MANY VOTERS WILL NEED A LOT OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO VOTE ON TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2012. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WE CAN ALL PARTICIPATE REGARDLESS OF OUR AGE, PHYSICAL ABILITIES AND LOCATIONS.

ONE GOAL, ONE PURPOSE, ONE TEAM. 100,000 NEW MEMBERS. THIS IS THE TIME TO RECRUIT.

Carol Hadley

CFRW President

Tom Del Beccaro: 7 taxing questions for Gov. Brown

◼ 6. Shouldn't your party demonstrate fiscal restraint prior to asking people to pay more money to bailout Sacramento?

Hint: New York's Democratic governor and 2016 presidential hopeful Andrew Cuomo balanced his state budget in two years – while granting property tax relief – and restored faith in New York government as demonstrated by his 69 percent approval rating. Next door in New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie is doing the same and enjoys a 59 percent approval rating.

In the final analysis, California has a revenue problem because so many people are out of work, and businesses are either leaving or on shaky financial ground. Brown's answer to the deficit – higher tax rates – is the very reason people are out of work and businesses are leaving. In other words, Brown's cure is the disease itself. All of which begs the last question.

7. How does taking more money from cash-strapped Californians (who have lost $2 trillion in homeowner equity since 2007) and businesses convince them to spend more so the economy can revive?

It can't, and it never will, and that is why it is time for a new direction for California. read the whole thing at The Orange County Register

Mitt Romney’s State House counter-rally shows campaign’s nimbleness to date

◼ When word leaked Wednesday afternoon that senior Obama strategist David Axelrod was coming to the State House on Thursday morning to criticize Romney’s record as governor, Romney’s team quickly mobilized. - Boston Globe

They ended up drowning out Axelrod, muting his criticism of Romney, and showing in the process the kind of pluck normally reserved for the Occupy Wall Street crowd.

As an Obama supporter tried in vain to organize a cheer of, “I say ‘O,’ and you say, “bama,” the Romney crowd seamlessly improvised to shout down another cheer of “four more years” with “five more months.”

As Axelrod took the microphone, he looked out at a sea of Romney posters reading, “Obama Isn’t working,” freshly shipped up Beacon Hill from the campaign’s headquarters in the North End.

To top it off, the Romney team brought in a bubble-making machine to lend a festive air to their mischief. Not to be denied, they commandeered an external outlet on an NBC News satellite truck to supply the electricity....

On Thursday, the Romney campaign’s penchant for secrecy - and ability to keep one - paid off when he staged a counter-attack on Obama not just at the State House, but across the country in California.

He packed his traveling press corps onto a bus, got on himself, and then rode in without revelation until he pulled up to the former headquarters of Solyndra, the renewable energy company that failed after support from the Obama administration.

There was not one Obama protestor in sight.

WORST DAY OF 2012...

◼ STOCKS PLUNGE - Down 275 - CNBC
◼ UNEMPLOYMENT GOES UP: RATE AT 8.2% - Yahoo
◼ Weak US Job Growth Threatens World Economy - CNBC
◼ Jobs Slowdown Adds to Global Fears - Josh Mitchell/Wall St. Journal

Obama: Buying A "Thingamajig" Is Good For Business, The Economy

◼ "Maybe somebody will be replacing a -- some thingamajig for their furnace. They've been putting that off, but if they got that extra money they might just go out there and buy that thing. Right?" Obama said to laughter. - Real Clear Politics

Obama made his remarks after touring a Honeywell plant.

◼ Obama hosts six fundraisers Friday in Minneapolis, Chicago: Flying to Minnesota under the banner of “official business” -- an event at a Honeywell factory in a Minneapolis suburb -- Obama will quickly turn to politics, lunching with three separate sets of donors at the downtown Bachelor Farmer restaurant, an eatery owned by Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s two sons, Eric and Andrew.

“The man who has been governor and had a sterling business career crosses the qualification threshold,” Clinton said.

◼ Narrative Fail: Bill Clinton channels @CoryBooker on Romney’s time at Bain Capital - Sister Toldja
◼ Bill Clinton, predicting Obama win, calls Romney's business career 'sterling' - CNN

"I think the real issue ought to be, what has Governor Romney advocated in the campaign that he will do as president?" Clinton said. "What has President Obama done and what does he propose to do? How do these things stack up against each other?"

Clinton said there was no question Romney was capable of performing the "essential functions of the office."

"The man who has been governor and had a sterling business career crosses the qualification threshold," Clinton

Soul Mate

On World Multiple Sclerosis Day, Ann Romney and her family share their thoughts on her struggle with the disease. Ann and her sons also recount Mitt's undying support to the woman he calls his "soul mate."

Calif. 9/11 Memorial Fund Raided to Plug Holes in State Budget

◼ After the 2001 terrorist attacks, California lawmakers sought a way to channel the patriotic fervor and use it to help victims' families and law enforcement. - Newsmax

Their answer: Specialty memorial license plates emblazoned with the words, "We Will Never Forget."

Part of the money raised through the sale of the plates was to fund scholarships for children of California residents who perished in the attacks, while the majority — 85 percent — was to help fund anti-terrorism efforts.

But a review by The Associated Press of the $15 million collected since lawmakers approved the "California Memorial Scholarship Program" shows only a small fraction of the money went to scholarships. While 40 percent has funded anti-terror training programs, $3 million was raided by Gov. Jerry Brown and his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to plug the state's budget deficit.

Millions more have been spent on budget items with little relation to direct threats of terrorism, including livestock diseases and workplace safety.

Moreover, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has been advertising the plates as helping the children of Sept. 11 victims, even though the state stopped funding the scholarship program seven years ago. The specialty plate fund continues to take in $1.5 million a year.

Coke Responds to Bloomberg: Americans Can Make ‘Own Choices’

◼ "New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase. We hope New Yorkers loudly voice their disapproval about this arbitrary mandate.” - Newsmax

◼ NYC mulls ban on massive sugar drinks! - HLNtv.com

◼ Coca-Cola Co and McDonald's Corp slammed Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on large soft drinks in New York City, arguing for freedom of choice... - Reuters

◼ New York Plans to Ban Sale of Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks - NYT

◼ Here He Goes Again: Bloomberg Set To Ban All Sugary Drinks Over 16 OuncesL No more Slurpees, Big Gulps, Venti at STARBUCKS... - CBS

◼ Worried About The Soda Ban? Fear Not, Bloomberg to Support ‘National Donut Day’ Tomorrow [Video] - politicker.com

◼ 'We're Simply Forcing You To Understand'... - Real Clear Politics

Condoleezza Rice Endorses Romney: "If America is going to rebuild its strength at home, rebuild its sense of who we are, it needs a leader that also understands how really exceptional the United States of America is, and is not afraid to lead on the basis of that exceptionalism"

◼ Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice endorsed Mitt Romney as the Republican presidential nominee at a fundraiser in California last night, saying he understands the nation's special place in the world. - SF Chronicle

"If America is going to rebuild its strength at home, rebuild its sense of who we are, it needs a leader that also understands how really exceptional the United States of America is, and is not afraid to lead on the basis of that exceptionalism," Rice told about 300 donors. "The only thing that people dislike more than unilateral American leadership is no American leadership at all."

As she praised Romney, Rice said America's strength in the world comes from the fact that anyone in the U.S. can rise to do great things.

"That's the truly exceptional nature of this country," she told those gathered at the Carolands mansion. "It's understood in this world. Its leadership is craved in this world. And Governor Romney, you can bring it back."

◼ Condoleezza Rice Endorses Romney Citing His Leadership - BloombergBusinessWeek

◼ On Wednesday, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced her support for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Rice praised Romney’s understanding of foreign policy and said the country “needs a leader that also understands how really exceptional the United States of America is, and is not afraid to lead on the basis of that exceptionalism.” - Mediaite

“It’s understood in this world. Its leadership is craved in this world. And Governor Romney, you can bring it back,” Rice concluded.

◼ Condoleezza Rice endorses Mitt Romney - Chris Cillizza/Washington Post (image source)

Huckabee Endorses Romney, Rips Planned Parenthood

◼ Just hours after formally announcing his support for Mitt Romney at a speaking engagement in New Hampshire, former Gov. Michael Huckabee sat down with Newsmax.TV to explain the timing of his much coveted endorsement, and why he insists it’s critical to end “four nightmarish years” of the Obama administration. - Paul Scicchitano and Kathleen Walter/Newsmax

“I made it very clear: ‘I’ll do everything that I can to vigorously support Mitt Romney because I think our country is at stake, and I believe his leadership would provide the right direction as opposed to what we’ve had four years, which is the wrong direction,” the former Arkansas governor declared in an exclusive interview this morning.

“I don’t think anyone doubted that I was going to support the Republican. But Mitt Romney has now earned it — and I use that term very specifically,” said Huckabee. “He has earned the nomination. He worked hard to get it and therefore I think all Republicans and all conservatives need to rally around Gov. Romney.”

The June Newsletter is out

◼ CLICK HERE to view the June Issue of The Redwood Alert

"Taxpayers made a substantial investment in Solyndra, there are serious questions about what happened at Solyndra, why that investment was selected, what happened to that money.”

◼ Mitt Romney Visits Solyndra Amid Attack on Obama Jobs Record - ABC News

Solyndra went bankrupt in 2011, laying off more than 1,000 employees, after receiving $535 million in federal loan guarantees through a ‘s Act program. The investment has been slammed by Republicans who believe the Obama administration chose the plant because of its ties to major donors. It has been the subject of an ongoing congressional investigation.

When the company went bankrupt, taxpayers were left to pay off the loans associated with the grant and Republicans seized on the investment as an example of the administration’s, as Romney says, trying to pick “winners and losers” in the free market that would benefit high dollar donors.
At a private fundraiser in Hillsborough, Calif., Wednesday night, Romney previewed his attacks on the administration’s involvement in Solyndra.

“Have you seen Solyndra’s corporate headquarters?” Romney asked. “You probably have.”

“Who wants to put money in a solar company when a government puts a half a billion into one of its choice?” Romney asked, suggesting that investors and entrepreneurs would be less likely to found their own companies if they believe the government would help a competitor. “They don’t understand how the free economy works.”

During a February campaign speech in Nevada, Romney made similar claims, comparing his own experience starting office supply giant Staples during his time at Bain to the facilities at Solyndra, which he often compares to the Taj Mahal.

Emails reveal secret Obamacare deal with drug companies

◼ In a June 2009 email, President Obama’s point person on health care promised the pharmaceutical industry it would be protected against efforts to allow cheap drugs to be re-imported from Canada, because drug lobbyists had been “constructive” in their secret negotiations with White House officials. - Philip Klein/Washington Examiner

The email is just one of thousands that House Republicans mined through as part of a more than a year-long investigation into Obama’s closed-door deal making with PhRMA, the drug industry lobbying group.

Though it was previously known that Obama had cut a deal with drug companies, a memo released today by the House Energy and Commerce Committee provides more specific details than have been previously reported.

The disclosures provide further evidence that once in office, Obama tossed aside his promises to be transparent and stand up to special interest groups.

Dems Are Switching Parties in Droves

◼ If it were just one or two stories, I wouldn’t think much. Pols that never quite fit in in the first place, finally leave their party – it happens – jumping Jeff Jeffords, Joe Lieberman, and Arlen Specter come to mind. - Nice Deb

But what we’re seeing here in the age of Obama – is something else altogether. He was supposed to stop the rise of the oceans but it looks like he’s stopping the rise of the Democrat party.

◼ Penn. Democratic leader defects to GOP, cites Catholic faith as reason - Caroline May/Daily Caller
◼ Psst, Don’t Tell Anyone: Four-term Former Congressman and Obama 2008 Co-Chair Artur Davis Announces That He’s a Republican: - Newsbusters

You might think that the news of an African-American former Congressman switching his publicly declared party loyalty from Democrat to Republican would a national story.

Well, it isn't at the Associated Press, as a search returning no results at the wire service's national site on the full name of former Alabama Congressman Artur Davis (not in quotes) done at about 9 p.m. indicates. Additionally, the link to news about Davis's party switch is currently perched in the "Post Local" section at the Washington Post's web site. If this makes TV anywhere but Fox News, I'll be surprised, even though by any rational definition of "news," this is an objectively big deal. Davis is a former four-term Congressman, was a Barack Obama campaign co-chair in 2008, and was a former member of the Congressional Black Caucus....

◼ An item at the LA Times's Politics Now blog, which if form holds will serve as the paper's excuse not to run the news in its print edition, is headlined "Artur Davis, former prominent Obama backer, leaves Democratic Party," and describes Davis as "one of President Obama’s earliest supporters and a former co-chairman for his presidential campaign."

BREAKING: Ways & Means Committee Repeals Tax Raising Provision in Affordable Care Act

◼ Schock’s Bill Stops Tax Increase on Canton, IL Employer - schock.house.gov

Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL), a member of the House Ways and Means committee, repealed today another tax raising provision in President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Schock is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Protect Medical Innovation Act, H.R. 436, that was approved by the Ways and Means committee and is expected to pass the House next week. H.R. 436 repeals the medical device tax that will impose a 2.3 percent excise tax on the manufacturing of medical devices beginning in 2013.

“It’s estimated that the implementation of this tax increase would result in the loss of 1,209 Illinois jobs, which is a clear indication that raising taxes, whether it’s on individuals or private business, is not smart economics,” said Congressman Aaron Schock. “The reality is this tax will stunt the minimal economic growth we are seeing and will set back small businesses and manufacturers and hurt local communities with the added pain of an additional tax increase. This is just the latest example of the litany of costly regulations and tax policies that continue to come out of the Obama Administration.”

TONIGHT! HGOP ART AUCTION & DINNER

The Humboldt County Republican Party Cordially Invites You to an
ART (AND OTHER FINE THINGS) AUCTION and DINNER
Thursday, May 31, 2012 at the Blue Lake Casino

6 p.m. no-host cocktails
7 p.m. Tri-tip dinner
8 p.m. - Guest Speaker Rob Arkley,
civic activist and philanthropist
8:30 - Auction with broadcaster Brian Papstein, auctioneer

Tickets $25; $45 for two
To order your tickets call 442-0945

This event is a fundraiser for the Humboldt County Republican Party.

The anti-free-enterprise president

◼ President Barack Obama declared Tuesday, “This is what this campaign is going to be about.” He was not talking about jobs. He was not talking about the economy—not even about the budget deficit. - REINCE PRIEBUS/Politico

He was referring to divisive, disingenuous character attacks against presumed GOP nominee Mitt Romney and a rhetorical assault on job creators.

How far we’ve come from what Obama said in 2008 that his administration would be about.

Yet these attacks on free enterprise reveal more than just the end of “hope and change.” They reveal a president unacquainted with the free market — and therefore hostile to it.
The president’s tactics are so extreme that some in his own party are recoiling in disgust. Until now, it was unthinkable that the president would base his campaign on undermining the nation’s confidence in our free market system....

Feds Confirm Gov. Walker's Job-Growth Numbers

◼ Gov. Scott Walker's administration says the job-growth numbers he made public earlier than normal have been verified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. - WSAW.com

...His Democratic opponent in Tuesday's recall, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, accused Walker of "cooking the books" and trying to spin the numbers to his advantage.

Walker says the BLS confirmation shows that the preliminary numbers were accurate. He says Barrett owes people an apology....

Krauthammer on Gender Selective Abortions

JOHN SUNUNU HAMMERS CNN'S SOLEDAD O'BRIEN'S BIRTHER 'FIXATION': 'AREN'T YOU EMBARRASSED TO USE OBAMA CAMPAIGN TALKING POINTS?'

◼ ROMNEY SURROGATE HAMMERS CNN'S BIRTHER 'FIXATION': 'AREN'T YOU EMBARRASSED TO USE OBAMA CAMPAIGN TALKING POINTS?' - (Video at the link) - Breitbart

Soledad O'Brien and CNN beclowning themselves to shill for Obama is hardly news. What is news, though, is Romney surrogate John Sununu aggressively pushing back against CNN and O'Brien for carrying and enabling the Obama campaign's talking points regarding Donald Trump. It's a thing of beauty to watch...

◼ ROMNEY SURROGATE SUNUNU DESTROYS TRUMP-OBSESSED SOLEDAD O'BRIEN - JOHN NOLTE/BREITBART

BONUS: Watch the faces of Soledad and Ron Brownstein literally turn red as Sununu completely owns them with facts, truth, and legitimate criticisms of Obama that they obviously weren't prepared for and don’t want to hear.

Like I said, a thing of beauty.

And CNN wonders why its ratings are tanking.

MoveOn warns ‘We might have to pull the plug’

◼ MoveOn, a giant in the progressive political world and an early endorser of Barack Obama in 2008, warns that it might have to “pull the plug” on key campaigns to help Obama and Senate Democrats if its five million members don’t pony up with at least $5. - Mike Allen and Jim Vanderhei/Washington Examiner

Without a rush of new cash, MoveOn says it will have to give up efforts to elect Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, help the recall fight against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and energize younger voters who’ve soured on Washington.

...The homepage of MoveOn, which helped organize the 2004 anti-war movement, includes a “chip in” button preset at $8.

◼ Meanwhile: GOP groups plan record $1 billion blitz - Politico

Ben LaBolt, an Obama campaign spokesman, can't answer questions about Obama's attacks.

Learn to recognize the spin.

Not Even Half

◼ President Obama has given billions of taxpayer dollars to companies that later failed — many of them were run by Democrat donors. This is just another example of President Obama’s pattern of picking winners and losers and wasting taxpayer money.
__________________
Mitt Romney

Two, Three, Many Obamas

◼ As the campaign heats up, one problem is that we continue to meet lots of different Barack Obamas — to such a degree that we don’t know which, if any, is really president. - Victor Davis Hanson/National Review

...One Barack Obama crisscrosses the country warning us that a sinister elite has robbed from the common good and must atone for destroying the economy. Another Barry Obama hits the golf links in unapologetically aristocratic fashion and prefers Martha’s Vineyard for his vacation. So I am confused about the evil 1 percent. Obama 1 feels they have shorted the country and must now pay their fair share, while Obama 2 feels they are vital allies in helping the poor by attending his $40,000-a-plate campaign dinners....

Lots of Obamas keep talking about civility and bringing us together; but lots more Obamas talk about punishing our enemies, emphasizing racial differences, and formally organizing supporters by racial groupings. An angelic Obama lectures about the end of red-state/blue-state divides; a less saintly Obama refers to xenophobic clingers, typical white persons, stereotypers, and arresters of children on their way to ice-cream parlors....

What is real and what is not? The Obama “composite” girlfriend who sort of existed and sort of did not?...

Is Obama just the usual chameleon politician? Or is Obama emblematic of postmodern America, where there is no truth, but, like an Elizabeth Warren or a Ward Churchill, we legitimately are who we declare we are — and then again are not what we are when we choose not to be? Or is Barack Obama not a metaphor for much of anything other than the fact that it is harder to be president of the United States than to be at Harvard or Chicago Law School, the Illinois legislature or the U.S. Senate, where everyone declared that you did everything by doing not much at all?

Fury Spreads: Catholic Leaders Join MRC Outrage Over Network Silence on Catholics vs. Obama Lawsuit

◼ Nine prominent Catholic leaders have joined the Media Research Center to voice outrage over the broadcast networks deliberately withholding news of the momentous 43 Catholic entities suing the Obama administration for violating their religious freedoms.

They represent major organizations including the Acton Institute, Cardinal Newman Society, SBA List and others. More are coming in every hour.

There are 60 million Catholics in the US. The Catholic vote will be the most important swing vote this year. So it’s not just a major policy issue, it is one with massive political implications. Yet, 19 seconds of news coverage remains the only attention given by the evening broadcast networks. Two days after news broke, the tally is:


- ABC World News – ZERO seconds of coverage. But, last night there was time for a full report on sleep apnea and Katie Couric discussing how she met Queen Elizabeth; how she wore a peach coat and "a lovely peach hat."

- NBC Nightly News – ZERO seconds of coverage. But last night there was time to squeeze in a story on a new computer app that shows America's eating habits, "graphic evidence" of how we eat badly late at night.

- CBS Evening News – a brief 19 seconds of coverage on the evening the lawsuit became public. ZERO coverage last night. But there was time in the broadcast for a Cincinnati Reds baseball fan lucky enough to catch two home runs in left field.


“The intentional, deafening silence continues,” stated Brent Bozell, MRC President, “and we are not the only ones concerned. This deliberate censorship must come to an end.”

LA Times: Tobacco taxes are great, but Proposition 29 stinks

◼ Proposition 29 includes a deal breaker. Raising money for California: Good. Discouraging smoking via a harsh tax: Great. Sequestering the money for a limited purpose: Bad. Really bad. - Michael Hiltzik/LA Times

Yes, our freeways and surface streets are crumbling. But the next time your front wheel hits an enormous pothole, you can remember with pride that California is the world leader in one form of highway maintenance: paving the road to hell with good intentions.

The June 5 election will give the state's voters another opportunity in this vein. The vehicle is Proposition 29, which would jack up the state tax on cigarettes by $1 a pack, generating some $800 million a year mostly for cancer research, with some going to related health and anti-smoking programs.

The weighing of intention vs. result here is fairly straightforward. Raising $800 million a year for the state: Good. Discouraging smoking via a harsh tax: Great. Sequestering the money for a limited purpose: Bad. Really bad.

But it doesn't serve the voters one bit. The benefits of driving up the cost of smoking to keep kids off cigarettes are obvious, but the structure of Proposition 29 is poisonous to the health of the body politic. It just hooks the voters on cheap non-solutions to our problems in the same way that Philip Morris hooks kids on tobacco. The first step to quitting the ballot-box addiction is to say no to wretched measures like this one.

◼ Most tobacco money California collects doesn't go to prevent or stop smoking, study says - Sacramento Bee

Between 1998 and 2010, just 6 percent of the money collected from a massive lawsuit settlement and from cigarette taxes went to tobacco interdiction and education programs, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week, far below federal spending guidelines for effectively curbing tobacco use.

Nominations For New Officers OPEN

If you'd like to take a leadership position in the HRWF Club, or if you'd like to recommend someone, The Nominating Committee (Margaret Stafford, Jeanne O'Neale, Nancy Elcock, and Rose) would love to hear from you.

The open positions are: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and (Director-at-Large.) These are elected positions, to be filled in the fall, to serve beginning in January.

In addition, there are three appointed positions: Auditor, (Corresponding Secretary) and Parliamentarian. They shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the (elected officers) Board of Directors.

◼ To learn about the duties that go with each position, please CLICK HERE: HRWF By-Laws: Article VII – Officers

TODAY'S MEDIA NARRATIVE: OBAMA THE ALL-AMERICAN HERO, ROMNEY THE ELITIST EXTREMIST

◼ After a fairly quiet Memorial Day weekend, the media obviously took a little time last night to get its Journolisting message together for this morning so it would be ready when America emerged on Tuesday. - John Nolte/Breitbart

The New York Times, which is the primary deliverer of White House talking points to the corrupt media, is leading the charge today with this story about ◼ what a brave and solid leader Obama has been in the War on Terror. As you can see this story has already been ◼ viralized into today's narrative.

On the flip-side is Mitt Romney will today face the obvious journolisted messaging that ties him to Donald Trump, who is still making noises about the discredited Birther conspiracy surrounding Obama's place of birth. CNN has already reported that Romney won't "back away from 'birther' Trump." As you can see much of the media are already running with the story.

...The First Lady and potential First Lady aren’t immune from the journolisting either. Sunday, the New York Times did a major spread on what a rich, wealthy, elitist cheater Ann Romney is -- a story that is just now making its way into the narrative. But… Today, on the front page of the USA Today, we read all about multi-millionaire Michelle Obama's garden, which includes ready-made, all-American photos -- and, naturally, this story is already a viral sensation.... More at Breitbart's BIG Journalism

Unsolicited Emails from Democrats Hit University of Wisconsin Student Inboxes

◼ Who Gave Out Student email Addresses? - Media Trackers

A Michael the K Spotlight on Politics: Annette De Modena, Candidate for 1st District Supervisor

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◼ annette4supervisor.com
Welcome to my world. While at the Fundraiser, Michael the K, producer for Humboldt Access, created this video. Hope you enjoy it. And, Hope you had a great holiday weekend.

Annette De Modena

Egyptian Sheikh yuks it up about getting foreign officials to don headbags (hijabs)

◼ Sheikh Ahmed al-Mahlawi brags about how a female official from the U.S. Consulate wanted to meet with him, but he insisted she wear a Muslim headbag/hijab first. - Bare Naked Islam

_______________
Why does this matter? Find out at our Special Presentation by Peter Friedman, coming up June 22nd at Baywood. ◼ Peter Friedman "The Threat of Islam to America" HRWF Special Presentation
* Presale entry only * Open to all.
$15 each - seating limited to 230
Register today: Gwen – 498-3101 Laura -- 839-5538
Remit checks to: HRWF, PO Box 3563, Eureka, CA 95502
Note: No General Meeting in June

Those who serve today deserve our gratitude, those who are returning from the battlefield deserve our open arms, and those who will never return deserve our thoughts, tributes and remembrance.

◼ Remembering our guardians at the gate - Rep. Allen West at Human Events

Thank You

FLAME: ‘ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX THREATS EVER DISCOVERED’: NEW CYBER WEAPON FOUND IN IRAN

◼ A new computer virus that appears to have been deployed five years ago was recently discovered in Iran and cyber security experts suggest it could have been built by the same entities that ordered the 2010 Stuxnet attack, according to Reuters. - The Blaze

The presence of the virus — dubbed “Flame” — was announced by the Russian-based Kaspersky Labs on Monday. Reuters reports the security software firm has not said whether the cyber weapon was deployed with a specific mission like that of the Stuxnet worm, which is suspected to have been launched to help take down Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Comparing Flame to Stuxnet, Reuters reports experts finding the virus has 20 times more code. Compared to most computer viruses that steal financial information, Flame has 100 times more code. Kaspersky Labs found it exploits a vulnerability in Windows, like Stuxnet. BBC reports that this newly discovered virus is being called “one of the most complex threats ever discovered.”

Obama: No war 'unless it's absolutely necessary'

◼ During remarks commemorating Memorial Day, President Obama expressed a great deal of empathy for families who had lost loved ones, and vowed not to go to war again 'unless it's absolutely necessary.' - Charlie Spiering/Washington Examiner @CharlieSpiering

"For the first time in nine years, Americans are not fighting and dying in Iraq," he said. "We are winding down the war in Afghanistan, and our troops will continue to come home. After a decade under the dark cloud of war, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon."

Gallup: Veterans Prefer Romney

◼ According to a Gallup poll released on Memorial Day, veterans support Mitt Romney over Barack Obama by 58 percent to 34 percent. - W. James Antle, III/American Spectator
◼ Veterans Give Romney Big Lead Over Obama - Gallup

California Republican Party OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT RESULTS

◼ At cagop.org - PDF
◼ Ready to help the Republican campaign in California? Sign up at cagop.org or contact your local Republican Central Committee (In Humboldt County, call 442-2259)

Remember

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN,not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,
who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag.
It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag.

God Bless them all.

Local memorial day services

◼ Paying their respects: Local memorial day services - Jessica Cejnar/The Times-Standard

Humboldt County veterans and their families will take time out of a busy Memorial Day weekend to honor their fallen comrades on Monday at Ocean View Cemetery in Eureka. On Sunday, the Trinidad Civic Club will pause for a short ceremony at the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse to remember those who were lost or buried at sea.

In addition to the names of those lost at sea being read, U.S. Coast Guard planes will fly over the town during the ceremony, Odom said. A bagpipe player will play, a poem will be read and a vocalist will sing. The ceremony will also include the ringing of a bell. Odom said Trinidad's mayor will ring the bell 12 times in honor of those who were lost.

”It's very short, but it's very emotional,” said Anne Odom, who read the names at the ceremony last year. “Most of that time is used reading all those names. We read about 200 names.”
Trinidad's ceremony begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Memorial Lighthouse at Edwards and Trinity streets.

On Monday, Ocean View Cemetery will dedicate its Avenue of the Flags to the North Coast Honor Flight, which flew veterans to Washington, D.C., to view the World War II memorial, said cemetery administrator Don McCombs. The North Coast Community Honor Guard will assist with raising the colors, he said, and the Humboldt Harmonaires will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” McCombs added that local bagpipe player Roddy Ross will also play.

”Roddy Ross will do a bagpipe march, and he also will do 'Amazing Grace,' which on the bagpipe gets everybody's heart in their throat,” McCombs said.

The service begins at 11 a.m. at Ocean View Cemetery at 3975 Broadway St. in Eureka. Hill said volunteers will remove the flags from the graves at about 3 p.m. following the service.

◼ Memorial Day celebrations - The Times-Standard

Eureka: Eureka cemeteries plan a special Memorial Day patriotic program for the community at Ocean View Cemetery's Veterans Garden at 11 a.m. Monday

FERNDALE Memorial Day Parade: Ferndale will host one of the oldest Memorial Day parades in the United States starting at 10 a.m. Monday. This year's parade will be include special honors for local Korean War veterans. AND: Korean War movie: Today (Sunday) at 3 and 6 p.m., the Ferndale Museum will present the premiere of its latest movie, “Coming of Age in Korea.”

ARCATA Memorial Day Service: A Memorial Day service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Greenwood Cemetery, 1757 J St. in Arcata. Participants in the program include Bob Dipert, pastor of Campbell Creek Connexion, a Nazarene Faith Community in Arcata; American Legion Post 274; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2542; Boy Scout Troop 9 of Arcata; Girl Scout Troops, Redwood Service Unites, Arcata and McKinleyville; and Mad River Community Honor Guard.

READY, FIRE, AIM

◼ COLUMN: TEAM OBAMA’S REPUTATION IS VASTLY OVERRATED - Matthew Continetti/Washington Free Beacon

We are rapidly approaching the moment at which Washington reevaluates the Obama campaign’s reputation for competence and expertise. Every week, one or several of Obama’s surrogates trip over their own words; every day, Jim Messina and David Plouffe and David Axelrod must scratch their heads in wonder at the mess they are creating. One gaffe is an isolated event. Two is an embarrassment. But three or more form a pattern, one that is damaging not only Obama’s precarious chances for reelection but also the fortunes of the Democratic Party....

Cory Booker was performing triage. He was trying to sustain the dying embers of a Clintonite, pro-business Democratic Party. He understood that Obama and his Keystone Kops are turning the New Democrat dream into ashes. And Booker, like other Democrats, is terrified by the answer to the following question: Who else will Obama bring down with him?

Huffington Post hastily erases article about Malia Obama’s appearance at One Direction concert

◼ Several media outlets have again pulled or edited already-published articles about the activities of President Barack Obama’s daughter, even though the stories appeared to pose no active security risk to the first family. - Gregg Re/The Daily Caller

On Thursday, 14-year-old Malia Obama attended a concert by the British boy band One Direction at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., flanked by Secret Service agents who attempted unsuccessfully to blend in with the crowd of mostly pre-teen girls.

On Friday, the story was picked up by the liberal website The Huffington Post, which ran the headline, “Malia Obama, One Direction Fan: First Daughter Attends Boy Band Concert with Secret Service in Tow.”

Within hours, the entire post was scrubbed from the site without explanation, and the post’s URL was hastily changed to direct users to the site’s celebrity section.

The next day, news aggregation website Buzzfeed ran a story on the event, accompanied by a picture of Malia in attendance at the concert. The headline was “Malia Obama Goes to the One Direction Concert with the Secret Service,” and the story’s picture showed Malia standing awkwardly in front of a scowling male Secret Service agent, with what appear to be two additional female Secret Service agents standing to her right.

By Sunday, the headline had changed to “Secret Service Agent Does Not Appear To Enjoy One Direction Concert,” and Buzzfeed had cropped the photo to remove Malia entirely, leaving only a narrow shot of the unhappy Secret Service agent....

On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that the first family was attending yet another concert — this time, they took in some Beyonce. Many sites, including The Huffington Post, omitted any mention of the Obamas in stories about the concert.

The media have run interference for the first family in the past. In March, several news sites — including The Huffington Post — scrubbed stories about Malia’s planned spring break vacation in Mexico with a dozen friends and 25 Secret Service agents.

At the time, the White House admitted it had asked that the stories be removed only for security reasons.