Nine polls from this week that have Republicans excited

◼ Here are the top nine polls from this week that hint at good news for the GOP - T. Becket Adams/Washington Examiner

TED CRUZ: DEMOCRATS 'HAVE BECOME AN EXTREME PARTY'

◼ In an exclusive interview, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Thursday will go do as a "dark day" in Senate history, with Senate Democrats blocking GOP legislation addressing the Islamic State (ISIS) and President Obama's threat of executive amnesty. - Matthew Boyle/Breitbart's Big Government

“Unfortunately the Senate Democrats have become an extreme party,” Cruz said in an interview backstage at the Liberty Political Action Conference (LPAC) in Alexandria, Virginia. “They have become a party that has abdicated their responsibilities. Under Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats, we have a do-nothing Senate. There are over 350 bills the House of Representatives has passed and they’re all sitting on Harry Reid’s desk. He will not allow a vote on them.”

The interview with Cruz aired on Breitbart News Saturday on Sirius XM Patriot.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCHER: WIND INDUSTRY RIDDLED WITH 'ABSOLUTE CORRUPTION'

◼ A Mexican ecologist has blown the whistle on the corruption, lies and incompetence of the wind industry - and on the massive environmental damage it causes in the name of saving the planet. - James Delingpole/Breitbart London

Patricia Mora, a research professor in coastal ecology and fisheries science at the National Institute of Technology in Mexico, has been studying the impact of wind turbines in the Tehuantepec Isthmus in southern Mexico, an environmentally sensitive region which has the highest concentration of wind farms in Latin America.

The turbines, she says in an interview with Truthout, have had a disastrous effect on local flora and fauna.

When a project is installed, the first step is to "dismantle" the area, a process through which all surrounding vegetation is eliminated. This means the destruction of plants and sessilities - organisms that do not have stems or supporting mechanisms - and the slow displacement over time of reptiles, mammals, birds, amphibians, insects, arachnids, fungi, etc. Generally we perceive the macro scale only, that is to say, the large animals, without considering the small and even microscopic organisms... Then there is the damage caused by wind turbine noise...

But the wind turbine operators are able to get away with it because the system is so corrupt.

What happens is absolute corruption. I have to admit that generally there are "agreements" behind closed doors between the consultants or research centers and the government offices before the studies are conducted. They fill out forms with copied information (and sometimes badly copied), lies or half truths in order to divert attention from the real project while at the same time complying with requirements on paper. Unfortunately, consultants sometimes take advantage of high unemployment and hire inexperienced people or unemployed career professionals without proper titles. Sometimes the consultants even coerce them into modifying the data.

Research centers, pressured by a lack of funding, accept these studies. It is well known that scientists recognized by CONACYT (National Counsel on Science and Technology) accept gifts from these companies, given that they need money to buy equipment for their laboratories and to fill their pocketbooks to maintain their lifestyles. This is the extent of the corruption. Upon reviewing these studies, it is clear that the findings are trash, sometimes even directly copied from other sources online. These studies tend to focus on the "benefits of the project" and do not include rigorous analysis.

The Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) does follow-up to the studies, but everything can be negotiated. The bureaucrats have the last word.

Here are some links to a few of ◼ Breitbart's hits on the subject. As I can personally testify from a decade spent covering this scandal, there are few forms of life on the planet lower than those parasites who make their fortune out of bird-chomping, bat-slicing eco-crucifixes.

Capitol Update Saturday, September 20, 2014

President's Message

I would like to share with you additional information from the RNC Taking Back the Future Workshop which provides some interesting talking points on how Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats are obstructing important bills passed by the House. Harry Reid’s refusal to introduce the dozens of job bills passed by the Republican-led House shows that job creation is not Democrats’ first priority.They also refuse to consider the following bills sponsored by Senate Republicans to help working families.

*Senator Tim Scott is sponsoring Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act, or the SKILLS Act, which would transform our broken workforce development and training system into a more responsible, efficient program to enable workers to compete in the 21st Century. This bill has already passed the House in a 215-202 vote.

*Senator Susan Collins has a bill to restore the 40-hour work week with her Forty Hours Is Full Time Work ACT. The act would repeal Obama Care’s 30-hour workweek rule , which has cut American workers’ hours and wages. It, too, has passed the House.

*Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska is working to prevent workplace discrimination with the Workplace Advancement Amendment. It would equip women with tools to fight discrimination in the workplace.

*Senator Marco Rubio’s Rewarding Achievement & Incentivizing Successful Employees Act or the RAISE Act would amend the National Labor Relations Act to allow employers to give merit-based compensation increases to individual employees , even if increases are not part of a collective bargaining agreement.

*Senator Mike Lee’s Working Families Flexibility Act would help workers handle the constant challenge of work-life balance. It would allow private -sector employees who work overtime a choice between extra pay or extra comp time. This passed the House in a 223-204 vote.

*Senator Mitch McConnell’s Working Parents Home Office Act would fix a flaw in the tax code that penalizes parents who work from home. Right now women and men can’t claim a tax deduction for a home office if that office includes a baby crib. This provision punishes parents who work from home and care for their children at the same time; the act would change that .

If you have not already signed up for the RNC program here are some useful talking points from the RNC 14in’14 network. Go to www.GOP14in14.com and register.

Facts on what Democrats have done for America:

Increased Our National Debt - Obama and Senate Democrats added more than
$7.1 trillion to the National Debt- A record number.
Expanded Federal Spending - Obama and Senate Democrats have been spending at the highest levels since World War II.
Created Gridlock-The Democrat Senate leader refuses to take up 40+House Republican passed jobs bills -even though the number of long- term unemployed Americans is double what is was when Obama became President .
Caused Gas Prices to Spike-Under Obama, the average price per gallon of gas increased by $1.64 - a whopping 87% increase.

These are some useful talking points to use when talking to the voters in your community.We need to elect our Republican candidates to stop the Super Majority in Sacramento, keep control of the House and win back the US Senate with a Republican majority to stop the Democrats in Washington DC from destroying America. Working together, we can do it!

God Bless America
Thank you for all you do,
Roseann
WorkingTogether To Make A Difference
__________________
CFRW Ballot Recommendations

The California Federation of Republican Women's Voting Body have made their recommendations on this election's ballot measures. It should be noted that our recommendations are just that- recommendations. Below are our official ballot recommendations and our talking points accompanying them. If you have further questions, please email our Advocate, Allison Olson at advocate@cfrw.org.

Prop 1: The Water Bond- YES
Prop 2: The Rainy Day Fund- YES
Prop 45: Health Insurance Rates- NO
Prop 46: Raising Medical Negligence Cap- NO
Prop 47: Reduced Penalties for Criminals- NO
Prop 8: Referendum on Indian Gaming Compact- Neutral
__________________
Contact Governor Brown Now!

Although the Governor has all but promised to sign these bills, but he hasn't yet, so we must try to stop him! Please contact the Governor anyway you can and ask him to VETO SB 270 and SB 1077!

SB 270 (Padilla, D): This narrowly passed bill now bans all plastic bags from grocers and retailers throughout California. Not only a ban, but a tax on Californians, who will now be charged 10 cents to use a paper bag or reusable bag. This will put thousands of plastic bag manufacturer workers out of work in California. This is useless legislation and must be stopped!

SB 1077 (DeSaulnier, D): The recently amended "Road Usage Fees" bill (from "Mileage Based Fees," same function, different name) passed through the legislature and is waiting for Governor Brown's signature. This bill creates a pilot program for the California Transportation Commission to begin to tax California automobile users by the number of miles they drive per day. The tax revenue from gas taxes just isn't the same in California since everyone and their mother drives a hybrid, so the Democrats have gotten creative on how they can take our money. This bill unfairly targets rural drivers who have to drive further for basic necessities and blue collar Californians who commute everyday.

CONTACT GOVERNOR BROWN NOW AND ASK HIM TO VETO THESE BILLS!
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160
Mail: Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: CLICK HERE
Tweet: @JerryBrownGov

CFRW Newsletter!

Hot off the press! The CFRW 3rd Quarter Newsletter is available to view online. Please ◼ CLICK HERE and enjoy!

GOP's Cory Gardner: 6 years Obama stalls the Keystone pipeline for nothing

◼ Senate Candidate Cory Gardner gives the Republican Party's Weekly Remarks - Andrew Malcolm/Investor´s Business Daily

What war on women? Honoring the Women of the GOP at #cagop14

Tables Turned: The Man Trying To Put Rick Perry In Jail Could Soon Wind Up In Jail Himself

◼ KWTX reports that Michael McCrum, the lawyer appointed to prosecute Perry in Travis County, Texas, could himself be facing six months in prison for telling a witness in a manslaughter case in a different jurisdiction to “get lost for awhile,” prohibiting her from testifying. - James Beattie/Western Journalism

What are they hiding? Sharyl Attkisson on the government insiders who flagged major security issues & were told to keep quiet.

◼ Attkisson Reports Dire Warnings Not to Launch Healthcare.gov Were Ignored: "I'm Tired of Cover-Ups." - Sharyl Attkisson/DAILY SIGNAL

...Serious security problems with HealthCare.gov were exposed in stories I reported for CBS News in November and December of 2013. They revealed that Teresa Fryer, the chief information security officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, explicitly recommended the website should not be launched Oct. 1, 2013, due to security concerns, but was overruled by her superiors.

Fryer said she had warned, both verbally and in a briefing, that the website carried “high [security] risks” and possible exposure to “attacks.” Fryer also said that she refused to put her name on a letter recommending the website be given a temporary authority to operate while the issues were sorted out.

Additionally, Henry Chao, the CMS project manager in charge of building the website, was apparently kept in the dark about serious security failures. Those included “high-risk” issues, flagged by the government’s security testing firm, which indicated “the threat and risk potential [to the system] is limitless.”

Meantime, internal documents newly released by Republicans on the Oversight Committee detail agency infighting and secrecy efforts surrounding the troubled launch of HealthCare.gov.

Fryer indicated that she was frustrated by fellow CMS officials who were not providing a true picture of security testing prior to the launch.

“I am tired of the cover-ups,” she emailed a colleague, stating that she intended to give “a truthful update of exactly what was going on” to an official at Health and Human Services who had asked for a status report.

◼ 8 ways the Obama administration is blocking information - AP

WATCH: Rare Footage of John McCain's 1973 Release After 5 Years as a Prisoner of War (POW)

◼ In honor of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we celebrate veterans like Sen. John McCain. - Heritage

In March 1973, a limping Air Force pilot stepped off a bus in Hanoi, North Vietnam, after being shot down, beaten, tortured and held more than five years as a prisoner of war. In 2008, amid the heat of Sen. John McCain’s campaign for president, a former reporter for the Swedish broadcasting network SVT came across previously unseen footage of his initial release before the flight home. In honor of POW/MIA Recognition Day in the United States, watch this AP video depicting McCain and other newly freed POWs.

The GOP's brand is officially rebounding at a phenomenal rate:

◼ Poll showing GOP favorability nearly even with Dems met with furious spinning - HotAir

The deluge of bad news for Democrats on the polling front extends beyond state-level surveys. The “fundamentals” continue to favor Republicans, but this latest revelation is sure to have every intellectually honest Democrat quaking.

According to Gallup, the Republican Party’s brand is rebounding at a phenomenal rate. Since bottoming out in the wake of the government shutdown in October, 2013 (at 28 percent), the GOP’s favorability rating has improved by 12 points. The Democratic Party’s favorability rating is now a statistically negligible 2 points stronger than that of the Republican Party

SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE VOTE FAILS

◼ (I)n the end, three centuries of union were preserved, and it wasn’t even close. Turnout was huge, and the final tally came in 55 percent against independence, 45 percent in favor. - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_o

...Some interpret the failure of centralization as the death knell for large and diverse nations. Even liberals are prone to bang out “America is ungovernable” screeds when they’re frustrated about not getting their way, or when they’re trying to cover for the latest Big Government failure. The answer may instead lie in decentralizing power to preserve national unions, shifting both power and responsibility to local governments. This has the immediate beneficial effect of making voters feel better-represented, as smaller governments they can more readily influence grow more significant than the distant national capital. It makes the people in different states or regions less prone to resent one another. It breaks up the lobbyist and special-interest domination just about everyone, across the political spectrum, professes to hate… but which is inherent to big, centralized government.

And perhaps most importantly, decentralization gives citizens a greater sense of both control and responsibility for their own fates – something the Scottish independence movement spoke passionately, even poetically about – while also giving those unhappy with local rule an easy way to withdraw their consent without leaving the nation. The Scots have a golden opportunity to use the enhanced powers coming their way to make Scotland a proud example of successful government within the United Kingdom. I hope they do such a bang-up job that the rest of the U.K. ends up wishing they could be more like the Scots....

◼ Why Americans—and the West—Should Care About Scottish Secession - Weekly Standard

If you're over 75, the architect of ObamaCare thinks you're nothing but a largely worthless emotional and financial burden. So, he's decided that it's the perfect age for death. ...and he uses his own father as a really, really, creepy example.

◼ ObamaCare architect Ezekiel Emanuel has anounced the 'optimal age of death' - you won't like it - Robert Laurie/Herman Cain

Democrats seem to love death. Whether they're yammering about abortion or "end of life" planning, they just can't get enough of talking up the myriad ways people can exit life's stage. They always claim this is simply a discussion about personal responsibility and individual choice but, since they despise those ideals in virtually every other matter, it's a hard argument to buy.

Enter Ezekiel Emanuel.

Emanuel was one of the chief architects of ObamaCare and is, of course, the brother of Rahm. Over at The Atlantic, he's penned an article about his own death and he's made a shocking announcement about the perfect age at which he hopes to die. While he very specifically rules out euthanasia, Emanuel says he hopes his ticker shuts down at the not-particularly-old age of 75.

The reason? 75 is, apparently, the perfect age for a human to buy the farm. According to Emanuel, people who live longer than that risk struggling through a less-than-perfect existence....

Sure, their children may love them - and they'll miss them when they're gone - but as long as mom and dad are alive they're putting a lot of pressure on their offspring.

"But parents also cast a big shadow for most children. Whether estranged, disengaged, or deeply loving, they set expectations, render judgments, impose their opinions, interfere, and are generally a looming presence for even adult children. This can be wonderful. It can be annoying. It can be destructive. But it is inescapable as long as the parent is alive. Examples abound in life and literature: Lear, the quintessential Jewish mother, the Tiger Mom. And while children can never fully escape this weight even after a parent dies, there is much less pressure to conform to parental expectations and demands after they are gone."

How incredibly, horrifically, selfish.

700,000 Obamacare Sign-ups Already Dropped Their Coverage

◼ Obamacare administrator Marilyn Tavenner admitted that several months after the open enrollment period ended, the number of paying customers has dropped precipitously. - Daily Caller

By August 15, over 700,000 of the administration’s initial “sign-ups” had dropped their Obamacare coverage, Tavenner said in testimony to the House Oversight Committee. The administration has been advertising 8 million sign-ups since the first enrollment period ended in April.

Upon questioning, Tavenner had no details about the reason for the sharp drop, but presumably a large number of the sign-ups failed to ever pay their premiums, as many experts had predicted.

...The administration will kick another 115,000 customers off their coverage on September 30, after those ineligible customers have been receiving benefits, and possibly tax credits, for up to nine full months. That brings the total number of paying Obamacare customers down to less than 7.2 million at the end of the month....

“The system we have today is an incredibly easily-gamed system,” Rep. Issa said. “700,000 people got a free ride.”

◼ Almost All Obamacare Enrollees Are Paying For Coverage - Huffington Post's perspective

◼ Plus, this Report: Obamacare To Cancel Health Plans For 250,000 Virginians - Daily Caller

Wow, what she said at 1:56 left Megyn Kelly speechless...

With this, and most videos linked here, you can view fullscreen by clicking the arrows.

◼ Watch: This Inspirational Woman Who Survived The Unthinkable Tells All To Megyn Kelly - Western Journalism

Meriam Ibraheem, a Sudanese Christian woman, was sentenced to death for refusing to give up her Christian beliefs.

In this interview with Megyn Kelly, she reveals how she was able to say no to renouncing her faith, as well as saying that she had God on her side throughout the whole ordeal.

Kelly asked Ibraheem why she didn’t just say what they wanted to hear and save her life.

“If I did that, then that would mean that I gave up. It’s not possible because it’s not true. It’s my right to follow the religion of my choice. I’m not the only one suffering from this problem. There are many ‘Mariams’ in Sudan and throughout the world.”

“My faith was the only weapon that I had in these confrontations with imams and Muslim scholars because that’s what I believe,” she said.

While Ibraheem was imprisoned, with her four-year-old child, she also gave birth to another. But she did so with chains on her legs.

PolitiChicks 2nd Annual Red Hottest Men in the Conservative World 2014

◼ Of course because we’re women of substance, our list requirements are based on–in order of importance: - Politichicks

#1. Intelligence. These guys are brilliant.
#2. Courage. They aren’t afraid to stand up to challenges, speak the truth and fight for our country
#3: Passion (See above)
#4: Sense of humor. They never let the haters get them down–they just keep doing what they do, with their sense of self and sense of humor intact.
#5: Looks. This can be either conventionally handsome or someone who simply exudes sexiness.

Top 10 Overall Hottest Conservative Men in the Media:

1. Senator Ted Cruz
2. AlfonZo Rachel
3. Lt. Colonel Allen West
4. Trey Gowdy
5. Bret Baier
6. Sean Hannity
7. Governor Rick Perry
8. California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly
9. Senator Mike Lee
10. Rep. Louie Gohmert
11. Greg Gutfeld
12. Jamie Glazov:
13. Neil Cavuto
14. Dan Bongino
15. Bill Whittle

More, including Honorable Mentions, at the link

Jerry Brown let Campbell's Soup oldest American facility close its doors in Sacramento and move to Texas, North Carolina and Ohio.

◼ Jerry Brown’s Crony Capitalism is driving businesses out out California. - Neel Kashkari

Instead of addressing the economic needs of our state, Jerry Brown and his Sacramento cronies pass legislation that benefits them and their political allies only.

This ‘What’s in it for me?” attitude from Brown has led to businesses fleeing California, leaving more middle class families struggling to find work.

As governor, (Neel Kashkari) will actually pay attention to the needs of our state rather than picking and choosing favorites. ◼ SIGN HERE if you agree!

DHS boss Jeh Johnson may have tried to cover up the truth about four people with known terror ties who tried to sneak into the United States the day before 9/11

◼ Wait’ll You See What Obama’s DHS Boss Just Admitted About Terrorists At Our Border - Western Journalism

◼ DHS Secretary is suffering from intense disinterest in border security. - HotAir

Bad timing as individuals with terrorist ties were reportedly spotted attempting to cross the border.

Watch: In Just 68 Seconds Ted Cruz Gave The ONE Thing America Can Do In Iraq To Stop ISIS

◼ ‘When I asked General Dempsey, ‘militarily how would we go in and kill the terrorists before they are able to take jihad to America?’ His answer was ‘Well, we need to change conditions on the ground so people are not susceptible to extremism.’ Look, it’s not our job to be social workers in Iraq and put them all on expanded Medicaid. It is our job to kill terrorists who have declared war on America and demonstrated the intention and capability to murder innocent Americans.” - Western Journalism

Taken together, the results suggest a profoundly unsettled public mood, with two-thirds of Americans surveyed saying the country is on the wrong track and half disapproving of how Mr. Obama is doing his job, a negative assessment that threatens to be a substantial drag on Democrats in November.

◼ Obama Faulted in Terror Fight, New Poll Finds - New York Times

With midterm elections approaching, Americans’ fears about a terrorist attack on United States soil are on the rise, and the public is questioning Mr. Obama’s strategy for combating the militant organization calling itself the Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Most respondents say the president has no clear plan for confronting the group, and that he has not been tough enough in dealing with it.

CORKER SLAMS OBAMA, KERRY FOR 'EXERCISING THE WORST JUDGMENT POSSIBLE' ON ISIS... Leaves Boxer 'Shaking & Trembling'

◼ Kerry urges Syrians to fight 'Isis first' as Obama rules out combat mission – as it happened - The Guardian - Live updates

Obama says ‘no combat mission’ for US troops in Iraq
House of Representatives passes bill to arm Syrian rebels
Secretary of State John Kerry testifies before Congress
Kerry: ‘there will be some strange bedfellows’ in coalition
Senators criticise ‘Isis first’ policy and classified details

◼ Kerry got into a heated exchange with Corker who said, "I want to say as I said personally, we have three senators, president, vice president, secretary of state, that are exercising terrible judgment right now. And to say that you're going to do this regardless of what we say, you're not going to ask for buy-in by the United States Senate or House of Representatives on behalf of the American people in a conflict that's going to be multiyear. Some people say a decade. Taking us into another country with a different enemy, is exercising the worst judgment possible." - Breitbart

Benghazi hearings about to force the press to pay attention

◼ The press can't keep ignoring the devious practices of the Clintons: - HotAir

Only Fox has been regularly covering the upcoming hearings and updating their viewers on the new details and recently uncovered revelations relating to the attacks which the committee will parse. Save Fox, none of the cable networks and no broadcast outlets have mentioned new revelations from former Deputy Assistant Secretary Raymond Maxwell who told reporter Sharyl Attkisson that “close confidants” of Clintons removed documents relating to the Benghazi attacks before investigators had the opportunity to review them.

“Maxwell says that members of the select House committee on Benghazi have already deposed him on this weekend filing session, including both chair Trey Gowdy and Rep. Jason Chaffetz. Chaffetz told Attkisson that he is ‘100% confident the Benghazi Select Committee is going to dive deep on that issue,’” Ed Morrissey wrote.

Is this so hard to believe? It is not like Clinton confidants do not have a history of boosting sensitive documents from federal facilities before investigators have had a chance to check them out.

Given that, it makes little sense for the press to continue to ignore these revelations. If they are going to come up in the committee proceedings, as seems possible, it makes sense for cable to prime their viewers even if the aim is (as it would be for outlets like MSNBC) to preemptively defuse the charge.

◼ “I assume there are swipe cards or video records." -- Sharyl Attkisson on the alleged document cover-up she broke this week. - Daily Signal

The Benghazi Scandal Is About To Get Uglier -- And It Starts Today. Here's What You Need to Know.

The House special committee investigating the Benghazi terrorist attacks, convening its first public hearing tomorrow, will examine the State Department’s progress in implementing a review board’s security recommendations.

But the Select Committee on Benghazi also will begin to look into allegations, first reported yesterday in The Daily Signal, that top aides to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton oversaw the sifting of Benghazi-related documents detrimental to her before turning over files to the Accountability Review Board.

In comments to reporters today, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the select panel, said he wants to question Raymond Maxwell, the retired State Department official who described a scene in a basement room of the State Department to investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson, who wrote the story for The Daily Signal.

Maxwell made “very serious” allegations, Gowdy said, which are “a perfect example for why this committee exists.”

◼ 9 top questions for the Benghazi Select Committee - IBD

The long-awaited House Select Committee on Benghazi begins its historic open hearings today. The chair is Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, a no-nonsense former federal and state prosecutor now in his second House term.

The 50-year-old Gowdy's challenges include herding GOP colleagues in a coherent investigative direction while combating the anticipated pre-election obfuscations and complaints of Democrat members eager to protect President Obama and his wannabe successor Hillary Clinton.

But the committee's most important duty is ferreting out credible answers to thousands of questions about the deadly night of 9/11/12 when four Americans died at the hands of terrorists, the numerous conflicting accounts of that night and deciphering the administration's ensuing coverup.

Anyone familiar with the sordid Benghazi story can construct their own list of compelling queries....

Terrorist Fail: ISIS’ Latest Attack Just Blew Up In Their Faces And They Paid The Price

◼ At least 14 soldiers of the Islamic State were killed near Baghdad when a warhead that they had been filling with chlorine gas exploded on them. - Western Journalism

Chlorine gas has been used in Syria, but this was the first time it has been used in Iraq.

The use of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad’s regime supposedly ended by agreement, but there has been continued evidence of the use of the substance in the country after the agreement.

Democrats turn on Debbie Wasserman Schultz

◼ Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is in a behind-the-scenes struggle with the White House, congressional Democrats and Washington insiders who have lost confidence in her as both a unifying leader and reliable party spokesperson at a time when they need her most. - Politico

Long-simmering doubts about her have reached a peak after two recent public flubs: criticizing the White House’s handling of the border crisis and comparing the tea party to wife beaters....

She’s become a liability to the DNC, and even to her own prospects, critics say.

“I guess the best way to describe it is, it’s not that she’s losing a duel anywhere, it’s that she seems to keep shooting herself in the foot before she even gets the gun out of the holster,” said John Morgan, a major donor in Wasserman Schultz’s home state of Florida....

The irony is DWS being tossed under the bus by WH that appointed her and who she hurt her electoral career defending http://t.co/0EAhVA2nl7

— Maggie Haberman (@maggiepolitico) September 18, 2014

House Committee Launches Benghazi Probe

◼ "Maybe, just maybe, we can be what those four brave men were. Neither Republican nor Democrat. Just Americans in pursuit of the facts" - Trey Gowdy - Washington Examiner

◼ Gowdy’s panel pulls no punches. - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion

The House Committee tasked with uncovering what really happened when Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were murdered at the U.S. embassy in Benghazi held its first hearing today, reigniting the firestorm surrounding the State Department’s alleged mishandling of diplomatic security in the region....

Pundits drew a sharp contrast between the tone of today’s hearings, and past hearings on Benghazi led by Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA). Even reliable liberal Dana Milbank of the Post was forced to admit that Gowdy and his allies handled what has become a controversial situation—both in topic and with regards to the Committee itself—fairly:

There was no discussion of talking points or stand-down orders, and only one of the seven Republicans on the panel — Jim Jordan of Ohio — even mentioned Clinton. Instead, Gowdy adopted as the theme of his first hearing an idea suggested by one of the committee’s Democrats, Adam Schiff of California: How well the State Department has been implementing recommendations to prevent future attacks on U.S. diplomats like the one in Libya two years ago that killed four Americans.

This is exactly what congressional oversight should be: a bipartisan effort by legislators to make sure executive-branch officials don’t repeat past mistakes. The resulting bonhomie was unprecedented in the two years of Benghazi bickering.

◼ What Is About To Be Exposed About Benghazi Could Be Obama’s Last Mistake In Office… - Western Journalism

The House Panel will further investigate the Benghazi attacks this week.

On September 17, three security experts will highlight the best practices in compound security.

Once the security experts school the House on proper safety protocol, it will become clear that Obama dropped the ball once again.

But this is only part of the story unfolding.

You see, months of meticulous research have exposed Obama’s insidious involvement in the Benghazi attacks. And all the details will come to light this week…

◼ It's about time! Gowdy probe of Benghazi gets going as "incredibly serious" new allegations of a Hillary-related coverup surface. - Western Journalism

Benghazi-Gate: Gowdy Hearings To Probe Explosive Allegations Of Hiding For Hillary...Gowdy has called the new allegations that certain documents were hidden from the official Benghazi review board “incredibly serious.”

Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson broke the story of the alleged coverup and spoke with Fox News about what she’s learned. You can see her interview by clocking on the video above.

Man Survives Rare Cancer Thanks to New 'Targeted' Therapy

◼ James “Rocky” Lagno was so sick that doctors only gave him about a year to live. Having been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, even aggressive chemotherapy and radiation didn’t prevent the New Hampshire native’s tumors from growing larger. - ABC

To top it off, he was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer and then, several months later, an MRI revealed a dozen brain lesions.

“The oncologist told me I should probably think about getting my bucket list together” Lagno, 53, recalled of the 2011 conversation he had with his doctor.

Fortunately for Lagno, his wife, Geralynn, lobbied for a biopsy that uncovered a rare genetic mutation linked to lung cancer. Once discovered, Lagno was entered into a clinical trial to test out a relatively new approach to cancer treatment known as molecular targeted therapy.

Traditional cancer drugs are indiscriminant, attacking not just cancer cells but every living cell in the body. Molecular targeting agents like the one Lagno received - which are no longer experimental and are being used with increasing frequency - are designed to target specific cancer mutations, explained Washington University in St. Louis cancer researcher, Elaine Mardis.

“Many cancers revolve around novel proteins that are highly active and constantly stimulated so that the growth of cancer is stimulated,” Mardis said. “These new targeted drugs seek out these novel proteins and shut them down.”

A plea for constitutional literacy on Constitution Day

◼ The safeguard against government intrusion is a return to the Founding document - Ben Carson/Washington Times

Earlier this summer, I managed to perplex, perhaps even offend, a famous TV interviewer when I declared I wanted a federal government that followed the U.S. Constitution. Seemingly aghast, the interviewer went so far as to suggest my position was a “highly charged thing to say.”

Imagine that. A journalist who, owing to the Constitution, has the right to report freely and to speak freely, being uncomfortable to hear a fellow American swear allegiance to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers’ vision of a limited central government....

How do we reverse this creeping despair that we have drifted too far away from our founding principles? It’s simple. I think we must go back to the source of our great American experiment — the U.S. Constitution. In a little more than 4,500 words, the Framers created a vision of government that preserved liberty first and foremost and yet found a way to serve the basic needs of a republic. For 200 years, that document guided this great nation through dark times and soaring success. For most of our history, schoolchildren were taught the guiding principles of the Constitution from the earliest age, and even members of Congress with controversial civil rights histories such as the late Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina and Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia kept a copy of that great document in their jacket pocket to remind them of the responsibilities and limits of governance.

On this Constitution Day, a wonderful holiday created with bipartisan support just a few short years ago, let’s recommit ourselves to rereading and appreciating our Constitution and ensuring that our children and our children’s children grow up with the same appreciation we were given. Familiarity with the greatest ideas ever created for preserving liberty will breed appreciation. Appreciation will help us all overcome the ignorant political correctness of a few media elites and governing officials who seem to dismiss the fundamental principles of a government that respected liberty first and foremost.

“Senate Democrats have long been funded by a group of billionaires bent on maintaining their power, yet they pretend to be outraged”

The Left’s Political Network, Exposed in One Chart

◼ The vast network associated with Democracy Alliance includes at least 182 progressive organizations. - Gabriella Morrongiello/Daily Signsl

A new chart reveals the expansive network of progressive organizations funded by wealthy liberal donors, calling attention to the same “dark money” practices for which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has publicly criticized conservatives.

The graphic, which was circulated by Senate Republicans, illustrates a vast web of nonprofits, think tanks and grassroots organizations encircling Democracy Alliance, which recommends various liberal organizations to influential political contributors.

In June, internal documents obtained by Politico disclosed a plan to have 21 core groups within Democracy Alliance’s portfolio “spend $374 million during the midterm election cycle—including nearly $200 million this year—to boost liberal candidates and causes in 2014 and beyond.”

Altogether, the chart, which is based on a briefing book included in the aforementioned documents, included roughly 170 organizations ranging from Enroll America, Organizing for Action and Center for American Progress to Planned Parenthood, NextGen Climate Action and the NCAAP. Prominent labor unions SEIU and AFL-CIO, and left-of-center publications, such as Mother Jones and Washington Monthly, also were included.

LA Times: Pete Peterson is best choice for California secretary of state

Pete Peterson: Honored to earn the general election endorsement of the LA Times today! In the piece they write: "Of the candidates running, Pete Peterson is the best choice for the post. He has innovative yet practical ideas to register voters, make ballot information more accessible and help make election day more convenient for busy Californians. He also brings a welcome focus on making the state's business registration system, which still relies on paper filings, more user-friendly. And he possesses an almost evangelical passion for public participation in the government, which is exactly what the office needs."

◼ Endorsement: Pete Peterson for Secretary of State - LA Times

California's next secretary of state will take over an office that has been stuck in neutral. Key projects that would make it easier to cast a ballot or track political campaign disclosures have been delayed, and there's been little urgency or advocacy from the outgoing incumbent, Debra Bowen, on how to better educate and engage voters, who are increasingly opting out of their civic duty.

The secretary of state, who is in effect the state's chief elections officer, should be more than a caretaker of the status quo. The job requires vision and a determination to make California a leader in voter turnout and technology, political transparency and civic engagement. Of the candidates running, Pete Peterson is the best choice for the post. He has innovative yet practical ideas to register voters, make ballot information more accessible and help make election day more convenient for busy Californians. He also brings a welcome focus on making the state's business registration system, which still relies on paper filings, more user-friendly. And he possesses an almost evangelical passion for public participation in the government, which is exactly what the office needs.

As a Republican, Peterson faces an uphill battle in a state that has not elected a member of the GOP to statewide office since 2006. But Californians should look beyond party affiliation in this race. Peterson views the job as nonpartisan, and his resume backs that up. As executive director of Pepperdine University's Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership, he's spent the last several years training government officials on how to use technology to communicate with the public and how to get citizens to participate in civic decision-making. The secretary of state's office, which has a website straight out of the 1990s, could use his expertise.

This Friday, September 19 is the Women's Work Art Gala at the airport.

Flyer designed by Julie Fulkerson with all of the details. Some amazing local artists will be showing their work. There will be a no host bar, free parking and music by Dogbone.

Minnesota’s Biggest (And Cheapest) Obamacare Insurer Drops Out Over Overwhelming Costs

◼ The largest insurer with the lowest premium rates on Minnesota’s Obamacare exchange is dropping out because the government health-exchange is unsustainable, the company announced Tuesday. - Daily Caller

PreferredOne Health Insurance told MNsure, the state-run exchange, Tuesday morning that it would not continue to offer its popular insurance plans on the marketplace in 2015. It’s “purely a business decision,” spokesman Steve Peterson told KSTP-TV. The company is losing money on administrative costs for plans offered on the bureaucratic and glitchy government exchange.

Part of the problem, according to PreferredOne, is that MNsure hasn’t even been able to verify its customers’ information. PreferredOne said that some of its customers have turned out not to even live in Minnesota....

This leaves Minnesota Obamacare customers in a tricky situation. PreferredOne had significantly lower rates than any other insurer on the exchange. When these plans disappear, customers will see a significant rate hike if they choose to continue on the Obamacare exchange, independent of yearly rate hikes.

Minnesota is scheduled to announce premium rates for 2015 Obamacare plans in October and signs point to looming price hikes that will hit Minnesotans doubly hard.

Not one student has been rescued

◼ On the night of April 14, 2014, hundreds of schoolgirls at the Chibok boarding school in northeastern Nigeria awoke to the sound of gunfire. They saw men in camouflage approaching and thought soldiers were coming to save them from a militant attack, according to survivors' accounts. - Huffington Post

Instead, more than 270 of the schoolgirls found themselves in the clutches of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Their abduction sparked global outrage and a huge campaign calling for their rescue, partly propelled by the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.

Sunday marks five months since the girls were kidnapped. Here's what has happened since.

Not one student has been rescued...

Even though they were reportedly located months ago. In May, a Nigerian military official claimed he knew where the girls were being held.

Other countries have made little progress...And Boko Haram violence rages on...

Do you believe the military knows best how to defeat ISIS?

◼ BREAKING: Stunning That Top US Military Officer Just Shot Down Obama's Own ISIS Strategy

There have been numerous news reports over the last week — including several posts here at Western Journalism — strongly indicating that the Obama administration does not have a consistent, coherent policy for combating the Islamic State. What just happened in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee will only serve to reinforce that perception of confusion within the ranks of Obama’s top officials.

Fox News reports that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs — America’s top military leader — has raised the distinct possiblity of U.S. “boots on the ground” in the expanding fight against ISIS in the Middle East.

In testimony before Congress, Gen. Martin Dempsey seemed to contradict — or at the very least to undermine — what the Command-in-Chief, his boss, Barack Obama — has consistently promised.

◼ Richard Engel: The White House is delusional if they think we’re not going to be acting as Assad’s air force - HotAir

Via the Corner, I made the same point myself on Friday. Once you’ve stopped ISIS’s advance from the air and they hunker down in the cities they control, what then? Who’s going in after them? In Iraq, presumably, it’ll be the Iraqi army and the peshmerga, although I don’t know why the latter would care about territory outside Kurdistan and I don’t know how effective the former is even if the desire is there. In Syria it’s even murkier. We’re not sending in American infantry to be sniped at in the streets of Raqqa. The Saudis and Jordanians might do it, I suppose, but Arab monarchies prefer to have White House suckers do their fighting for them, especially on the ground. (“We don’t want this to look like an American war,” a U.S. official told the NYT, which is grimly hilarious given that these always, always end up being “American wars.”) The “moderate” Syrian rebels could do it except that (a) they, er, just declared a truce with ISIS in Syria, which is a teensy bit inconvenient for the White House’s “arm the moderates” narrative, and (b) apart from crazed superhawks like McCain and Lindsey Graham, literally no one thinks the “moderates” will be reliable or effective. Right? Point me to one impartial Syria expert who thinks somewhat-less-fanatic Syrian Sunnis are the rabbit waiting to be pulled out of Uncle Sam’s star-spangled top hat.

◼ NBC’s Richard Engel: Military Commanders ‘Apoplectic’ Over Obama’s ‘No Strategy’ Remarks [VIDEO] - Daily Caller

NBC News’ chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel claimed military commanders are “apoplectic” over President Barack Obama’s dithering on ISIS and admission that “we don’t have a strategy yet” to deal with them.

Engel spoke Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” where he was asked by Andrea Mitchell about the “president’s reluctance to take the fight against ISIS to Syria.”

“Well, I spoke to military commanders, I speak to former officials, and they are apoplectic,” he explained. “The think that this is a clear and present danger. They think something needs to be done.”

Graphic: How ISIS works http://t.co/gVcTXcq2KK pic.twitter.com/vAge0zk4bQ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 17, 2014

This is BIG news and makes you wonder what the Obama administration knows that they're not telling us.

◼ BREAKING: Obama's DoD Just Set A New 'Number One Priority' For US Military...& It's Not ISIS - WJ

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey has reportedly told senior officers of a surprising shift in focus for the U.S. military — a shift away from counter-terrorism planning that, according to Fox News, is raising concern at the Pentagon. The change in focus apparently means Ebola is enemy #1.,,,

The New York Times is now reporting that the president will announce today, Tuesday, the commitment of up to 3,000 U.S. military personnel to be sent to Africa, to the heart of the Ebola outbreak, to take charge of responding to the rapid spread of the deadly virus.

Toyota moved to Texas, did Jerry Brown try to stop them?

◼ Neel Kashkari: Brown can't beat Texas, but I can. Let's create a true California Comeback, click here
__________________
◼ neelkashkari.com
◼ Neel Kashkari's Education Plan
◼ LIKE Neel Kashkari on FACEBOOK
◼ FOLLOW @neelkashkari on TWITTER

Mitch McConnell turns his opponent's own ad against her

◼ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., may come across as soft-spoken, but don't let that fool you: He's got sharp elbows and a sharp staff, and when you come at him, you'd best not miss. - T. Becket Adams/Washington Examiner

Alison Lundergan Grimes, McConnell’s Democratic challenger, released a video on Monday featuring the Democratic Senate candidate talking about her plans for Kentuckians, emphasizing that she is not like President Obama, an extraordinarily unpopular figure in the Bluegrass State. Late last month, a CNN poll found that Obama's approval rating in Kentucky is only 29 percent.

McConnell’s people responded almost instantly, using Grimes’ own ad against her in their own spot...

It takes just one graphic to prove media are Obama bootlickers and it’s infuriating [photo]

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For those who still believes there's no such thing as liberal media bias, please explain this ... pic.twitter.com/ztn0ldW1eL

— Tony A. Phyrillas (@TonyPhyrillas) September 16, 2014

@JohnEkdahl @lee_ritz MSM see no evil ,hear no evil ,say no evil when it comes to Obama . We need an honest press !

— Barbara A (@albertbbbalbert) September 16, 2014

@JohnEkdahl I also wonder where these graphics went. Somehow vanished about 6 years ago. pic.twitter.com/Jhau9j4utj

— Sarah Stevenson (@sarahrstevenson) September 16, 2014

@Slublog @JohnEkdahl It's amazing that we live in a time in which the media is exactly what they shouldn't be.

— William Belcher (@EdB_Ohio) September 16, 2014

◼ Yep. Just like how the anti-war protesters suddenly disappeared. - TWITCHY

ANOTHER SCANDAL: Emails Reveal EPA Imposing ‘Progressive National Policy’

◼ Newly revealed emails show Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials discussing their excitement about being “at the forefront of progressive national policy on one of the critical issues of our time.” Email exchanges between EPA chief Lisa Jackson and former EPA policy office head Lisa Heinzerling show the process behind the agency’s controversial decision to begin regulating “greenhouse gases,” according to the Daily Caller. - Washington Free Beacon

“You are at the forefront of progressive national policy on one of the critical issues of our time. Do you realize that?” former EPA chief Lisa Jackson asked former EPA policy office head Lisa Heinzerling in a Feb. 27, 2009 email.

“You’re a good boss. I do realize that. I pinch myself all the time,” Heinzerling replied that same day to Jackson, who was using an alias email account under the fake name “Richard Windsor.”

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, who originally obtained the communications, says the emails expose the agenda behind the regulations.

“This is not about climate,” CEI senior fellow Chris Horner told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is the progressive agenda.”

“Our laws don’t always shine to being used as pretenses for ideological agendas; this is plainly in the name of climate, but Obama has said it is to finally make renewables profitable,” Horner added.

The exchanges are not the first time that EPA officials have admitted their regulations on carbon emissions are not necessarily about the pollution.

“I want to know why we were lied to.”

◼ Nine reasons Trey Gowdy was chosen to head the House Select Committee on Benghazi - T. Becket Adams/Washington Examiner

The House Benghazi Select Committee on Wednesday will conduct its first hearing on the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on U.S. facilities in Libya that left four Americans dead.

“There are still facts to learn about Benghazi and information that needs to be explained in greater detail to the American people,” committee chairman and former federal prosecutor Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said earlier this this month. “And this committee will do just that.”

The South Carolina congressman and former prosecutor has achieved notoriety on a national scale for not just his knowledge of the law, but also for his sharp, unflinching and blunt style of questioning.

Here to prove that point, and illustrate exactly why Gowdy was chosen to head the special committee, are nine of the congressman’s most heated and enthusiastic moments from recent hearings and pressers on Benghazi and the IRS targeting scandals - VIDEO(S) at the link.

◼ Sharyl Attkisson: Obama’s Whereabouts During Benghazi Attacks Are ‘Unacceptably Private’ - CBS Philly

ISIS at the Border: Obama Denies

◼ They plan to cross over the porous border and will “imminently” launch car bomb attacks. And the threat is so real that federal law enforcement officers have been placed at a heightened state of alert, and an American military base near the border has increased its security. - NY Times

But the Homeland Security Department, the F.B.I. and lawmakers who represent areas near the border say there is no truth to the warnings.

“There is no credible intelligence to suggest that there is an active plot by ISIL to attempt to cross the southern border,” Homeland Security officials said in a written statement, using an alternative acronym for the group.

Democrats say opponents of President Obama are simply playing on concerns about terrorism as part of their attempt to portray Mr. Obama as having failed to secure the border against illegal immigration.

◼ REVEALED: Agents find 9/11 terror message draped across border fence... - Breitbart

Feds hid incident from public...

Obama forced by events to reverse course --- and disillusion base

◼ Iraq, immigration, inversion. On all three of the issues referred to, President Obama finds himself forced by events to do something he dislikes — and he's in trouble with much of his Democratic Party base for doing so. - Michael Barone/Washington Examiner @michaelbarone

Obama seemed ill at ease before the camera and teleprompter on the evening of Sept. 10. Sending troops into Iraq and Syria is probably the last thing he expected to do when he set out running for president in 2007.

He still insists that he will send in “no ground troops,” though it appears that hundreds of U.S. military personnel are literally on the ground in Iraq. He seems still not to understand that publicly ruling out an alternative means that your enemies know your plans — and can take advantage of them.

But that’s not enough to propitiate at least some Democrats who supported Obama fervently because they believed he would remove U.S. troops from the Middle East and never send them back there....

◼ With his administration using the word "war" and promising to "destroy" ISIS, Obama has gotten himself into more of a pickle. I don't actually think, in his heart of hearts, Obama believes that the U.S. is going to "war" with anyone. - Marc Ambinder/The Week

◼ ISIS, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, and the futility of Obama's strategy - American Thinker

◼ Poll: Americans don't believe Obama will defeat ISIS; Now what? - IBD

Sowing distrust and discord among Americans has served Barack Obama well politically during his 68 months in office. But now as the former community organizer faces ISIS and the worst foreign policy crisis of his ineffective presidential tenure, that distrust and division has circled around to bite its master....

‘Naked’ Colombian female cyclists unveil ‘worst uniform fail in sports history’

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◼ The Colombian women’s cycling team unveiled its new uniforms over the weekend, and a curiously placed flesh-colored strip had plenty of people doing a double-take. - Twitchy

Dear Colombian womens cycling team uniform designer. You. Had. ONE. Job. pic.twitter.com/AUBBViflXw

— Debbie Schipp (@debbieschipp) September 15, 2014

Is this a prank? Nope, but it is the most unfortunate uniform ever http://t.co/XrmOjlB8iE #ColumbianUniformFail pic.twitter.com/k9IRXqyli9

— Jerry Doyle (@jerrydoyle) September 15, 2014

"Young lady, you are not wearing that Columbian cycling uniform to school."

— Leon Tchaikovsky (@SexiestLyingWit) September 15, 2014

The Great Unraveling:

◼ It was the time of unraveling. Long afterward, in the ruins, people asked: How could it happen? - Roger Cohen/New York Times

It was a time of beheadings....

It was a time of aggression.

It was a time of breakup.

It was a time of weakness...

It was a time of hatred...

It was a time of fever...

It was a time of disorientation...

Until it was too late and people could see the Great Unraveling for what it was and what it had wrought.

Cover-up unraveling? Brit Hume sees ‘big deal’ in Sharyl Attkisson’s Benghazi ‘bombshell’

◼ Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson has for a long time now been in pursuit of the full story about the Benghazi attack and surrounding events. - Twitchy

Attkisson’s latest report concerns a former State Department official who alleges an effort to remove any damning documents from department files before they were handed over to the Accountability Review Board:

Exclusive: Was There a Benghazi Document-Scrubbing Operation in State Dept. Basement? One Former Diplomat Thinks So. http://t.co/nKViZThLpn

— Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) September 15, 2014

If this is confirmed, it's a big deal as it points unmistakably to the Benghazi cover-up many have long suspected. http://t.co/DLYz6wIm5k

— Brit Hume (@brithume) September 15, 2014

◼ Benghazi Bombshell: Clinton State Department Official Reveals Details of Alleged Document Review - Sharyl Attkisson/The Daily Signal

As the House Select Committee on Benghazi prepares for its first hearing this week, a former State Department diplomat is coming forward with a startling allegation: Hillary Clinton confidants were part of an operation to “separate” damaging documents before they were turned over to the Accountability Review Board investigating security lapses surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Iran Supreme Leader Mocks Obama’s ISIL Strategy

◼ Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mocked President Barack Obama’s strategy to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL or ISIS) just days after being released from the hospital and claimed that Secretary of State John Kerry, as well as other top U.S. officials, pleaded with Iran to join the coalition against the terror group, according to regional reports. - Washington Free Beacon

Khamenei went on to claim that Kerry himself had asked the Iranians to team up with the United States against ISIL, a request that Tehran apparently rejected, according to the report. The rejection raises further questions about the level of coordination between the United States and Iran when it comes to ISIL, a terror group that both nations oppose.

“During the days I was at the hospital, I had fun listening to the remarks of the U.S. officials on fighting [ISIL],” Khamenei was shown as saying on Iranian television in public comments as he left the hospital following his surgery last week.

While the U.S. State Department has publicly maintained that Iran is not welcome in its international collation against ISIL, Khamenei claimed that Kerry and other U.S. officials had originally asked Iran to partner with it.

“The same U.S. secretary of state had personally demanded [that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad] Zarif, and called for cooperation with us on [ISIL] but Dr. Zarif had rejected his demand,” Khamenei claimed.

CFRW Capitol Update Monday, September 15, 2014

President's Message

I would like to share with you some interesting polling statistics and talking points about women voters that we received at the RNC Taking Back the Future Workshop. This information can be helpful when talking to voters, especially women, about the critical November election:

◼ Women’s top priorities are the economy, government spending, education and healthcare.

◼ Only 25% of women believe the country is headed in the right direction, while 67% say it’s on the wrong track. A majority (53%) also disapprove of President Obama’s job performance.

◼ For years Democrats have fixated on a contrived “war on women” to connect with female voters, they have no appeal to women voters beyond “Republicans don’t like you”.

◼ In the past the Democrats’ baseless attacks weren’t sufficiently countered Today the Democrat policies have done nothing to help improve the lives of working families and Republicans are answering their attacks forcefully.

◼ Recent survey results of likely women voters in Battleground Congressional Districts commissioned by the RBC & NRCC demonstrate that Republican priorities are more in line with women’s priorities, and we will work hard to earn their votes.

◼ Women’s priorities run the gamut, but the most important issues involve jobs and household finances. Second, the vast majority are upset with the status quo and express feelings that range from anger to apathy…but certainly not satisfaction.

What does the polling say?

◼ On the economy, women are still looking for solutions that offer women better work opportunities and will actually start growing our economy for all workers. They also endorse changes to our tax and retirement laws to allow them to keep more of what they earn and to help small business owners pursue they goals.

◼ On Obama Care, 55% of women oppose the Democrats’ healthcare law while just 41% support it, 43% strongly oppose the law ,compared to just 22% who strongly support it. Women agree that “we need to start over and create real health care reform that allows us to choose the plans we want, the doctors we need at the cost we can afford.

◼ 60% of women were more likely to agree with Republicans that say women should receive equal pay for equal work. What we need are real solutions, such as better paying jobs and updating antiquated laws. Under the Obama watch women are facing higher levels of poverty, lower incomes, and stagnant wages. Since Obama took office nearly four million women have fallen into poverty.(according to the U.S.Census Department)

◼ 52% of women were more likely to agree with Republicans that say we need higher wages for all hardworking Americans. We should view minimum wage jobs as stepping stones for Americans that provide important work experience and training. Instead of focusing on increasing the minimum wage we need to talk about how to move women out of minimum wage jobs and into better paying, higher skill employment .

◼ 67% of women were more likely to agree with Republicans that say women should have the freedom to pick the health care plan that best fits their needs. Women need more control over health care decisions, not less. Obama Care doesn’t allow women to make health care decisions for their families. We need real health care reform not a one-size-fits-all plan.

Republicans recognize the need to win a greater share of women’s votes. But unlike Democrats we do not define women voters as single issue voters. As women we wear many different hats and we care about many issues facing all Americans today from the economy and jobs to health care and national defense. We need to engage women voters.

So many women are Republican, they just don’t know it! It is our job to help educate them.

God Bless America
Thank you for all you do,
Roseann
Working Together To Make A Difference
__________________
Stop Bad Bills!

Governor Brown signed into law last week, AB 1522 (Gonzales, D), which requires California employers to provide three days paid sick leave to all employees. We were disappointed, but there are still bills we need to stop! In the gubernatorial debate against Republican Neel Kashkari, Governor Brown said he is likely to sign the plastic bag ban. We must let him know that is not what Californians want!

SB 270 (Padilla, D): This narrowly passed bill now bans all plastic bags from grocers and retailers throughout California. Not only a ban, but a tax on Californians, who will now be charged 10 cents to use a paper bag or reusable bag. This will put thousands of plastic bag manufacturer workers out of work in California. This is useless legislation and must be stopped!

SB 1077 (DeSaulnier, D): The recently amended "Road Usage Fees" bill (from "Mileage Based Fees," same function, different name) passed through the legislature and is waiting for Governor Brown's signature. This bill creates a pilot program for the California Transportation Commission to begin to tax California automobile users by the number of miles they drive per day. The tax revenue from gas taxes just isn't the same in California since everyone and their mother drives a hybrid, so the Democrats have gotten creative on how they can take our money. This bill unfairly targets rural drivers who have to drive further for basic necessities and blue collar Californians who commute everyday.

CONTACT GOVERNOR BROWN NOW AND ASK HIM TO VETO THESE BILLS!
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160
Mail: Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
◼ EMAIL via Web: CLICK HERE
Tweet: @JerryBrownGov
__________________
CFRW Ballot Recommendations
Below are the California Federation of Republican Women's ballot recommendations. Talking points for each proposition will be available shortly.

Prop 1: YES
Prop 2: YES
Prop 45: NO
Prop 46: NO
Prop 47: NO
Prop 48: Neutral or No Position

In a somewhat bizarre snippet from a New York Times account of Obama's prelude to war with ISIS, we find this strange bit of advice for ISIS from the Commander-in-Chief himself.

◼ The Times fails to point out that it makes no sense, while also betraying Obama's lack of leadership. - DAN RIEHL/Breitbart

But the president said he had already been headed toward a military response before the men’s deaths. He added that ISIS had made a major strategic error by killing them because the anger it generated resulted in the American public’s quickly backing military action.

If he had been “an adviser to ISIS,” Mr. Obama added, he would not have killed the hostages but released them and pinned notes on their chests saying, “Stay out of here; this is none of your business.” Such a move, he speculated, might have undercut support for military intervention.

How as it a mistake if Obama had "already been headed toward a military response before the men’s deaths'? Or, is he saying, even if he decided military action was necessary, he wouldn't undertake it without broad public support the videos allegedly provide?

Bombshell Emails: White House Coordinated With Department of Labor To Hide Illegal Obama Fundraiser Hilda Solis’ Schedule

◼ As TheDC previously reported, Solis illegally fundraised for the Obama campaign and headlined a Latino-themed Obama fundraiser while on a trip in her official capacity as a Cabinet member, which is forbidden by the Hatch Act. - Daily Caller

A quiet, behind-the-scenes FBI investigation into Solis’ Hatch Act violation led to her resignation from the Obama administration at the beginning of his second term – and handed Solis a hefty check for legal advice from the Washington arm of the politically-connected Chicago law firm Sidley Austin. (The Daily Caller, meanwhile, is permanently banned from talking to employees at the Department of Labor — which oddly hasn’t stopped us.)

But Solis’ department continued coordinating with the White House on requests for Solis’ records.

“This was a generic request for calendar,” Secretary of Labor official Deborah Greenfield wrote to Associate White House Counsel Kathleen Hartnett on April 8, 2013. ”This is the issue. We withheld this entry, and it is now on appeal. Any issues with disclosing?”...

Election letters: What will (and won't) get run

◼ Our goal here at the Times-Standard is to get your letters verified and published as quickly as possible while giving everyone who wants to participate the opportunity to be heard on the Opinion page. So we've put the following guidelines in place for political letters to the editor: - Times-Standard

First and foremost, if you're writing a letter to the editor endorsing a candidate and encouraging readers to vote for that person, you must focus on the issues. Letters for the sole purpose of expressing gratitude to a candidate or announcing a political event are not appropriate to be published as letters to the editor and would be considered paid advertising.

Like all letters to the editor, political letters need to 250 words or fewer — or they will not be published. The Times-Standard will NOT edit for length. It is the author's responsibility to get his or her point across in 250 words or fewer. Letter length is important due to space constraints.

Letters must include the author's full name, address and phone number — the phone number will be used to verify the authenticity of letters. Neither phone number nor address will be published. Anonymous letters, or those that cannot be verified, will not be published.

"An" author is pretty self-explanatory to me, but we do receive letters with numerous names on them; these will not be published. We will publish one letter per author every 21 days. We do this so that numerous people have the opportunity to have their voice heard, not the same people over and over again.

We will publish letters within 24 hours of verification.

Letters are expected to be exclusive to the Times-Standard and if they are not, they will not be published. All letters will also be posted on our website www.times-standard.com.

Letter-writing campaigns will not be published.

Letters are published in the order they are received and verified. Letters should be emailed to letters@times-standard.com or mailed to: Letters to the Times Standard, P.O. Box 3580, Eureka, CA 95502. You are also welcome to drop them off at our office located at 930 Sixth St., Eureka.

Make sure you include the phone number where you may be reached the majority of the time to speed up verification.

Tuesday, Oct. 28 will be the last day that we will publish letters to the editor that bring up a NEW issue about a candidate. This is to assure fair time for a rebuttal if one is received. With that said, we will run letters to the editor endorsing a candidate and addressing an issue up to Election Day, but please remember the one letter per author every 21 days guideline.

Most importantly, remember that we will not allow you to tear down a candidate's reputation on the Opinion page, no matter what party a candidate belongs to or who the person is.

OTHER HELPFUL GUIDELINES:
◼ How to get published in the Mad River Union (and other papers) GOOD ADVICE!
◼ In General: Times Standard Guidelines for Letters To The Editor and My Word Opinion Pieces
◼ NFRW's Tips For Successfully Writing a Letter to the Editor

The Islamic State is not only Islamic, it is the very paradigm of Islam, Islam distilled to its essence as practiced by Mohammed, massacring local tribes, raping and enslaving their women, and making war against everyone in his way until he had subdued as much of Arabia as possible.

◼ Barack Obama’s Biggest Lie - Roger L Simon/PJ Media

...It couldn’t be more evident, even to Barack Obama. But he chose to lie about it at the very moment innocent men were being beheaded in the name of Allah. This can’t be the real Islam that is doing this said our President, our secretary of State, and their loyal claque at the State Department who would be outraged at Israel if it so much as sprained a Palestinian kid’s ankle but could barely pronounce the word Islam if the Islamic Republic of Iran dropped an atom bomb on Philadelphia and killed a quarter of a million people. It would just be another instance of “work place violence,” maybe of a slightly extended sort with a globalist overlay....

California’s ‘Score’ for Business Deteriorates

◼ Down again. - Joseph Vranich/Fox&Hounds

That’s what we can say about California’s “business attractiveness” as its lost is tenth place ranking in a survey of site consultants, published yesterday by Area Development Online. Here is what Editor Dale Buss had to say about the state losing the ranking it had in last year’s survey:
“The state’s reputation with site consultants keeps taking hits — witness Toyota’s announcement earlier this year that it plans to move its corporate headquarters and 4,000 jobs to suburban Dallas from southern California. And so this year, California placed in the top states in only three of the 18 sub-categories, notably ranking third for access to capital and project funding, no doubt a legacy of the continued success of Silicon Valley.”
The new survey was interesting in other respects, too, in that Georgia took over the top spot, with Texas moving to second place. States in the South and mid-South dominate the list because of their continuing momentum in business development. Also, some states in the Midwest “are scratching their way back into position as major players in the U.S. economic-development derby.”

◼ On top of that: USA RANKED #32 IN BIZ INDEX...

A new global index highlights the harm from the U.S. tax code.... a new international ranking shows that the U.S. tax burden on business is close to the worst in the industrialized world. Way to go, Washington.

Egypt: Don’t Limit Action to ISIS; Islamists Elsewhere Share its Ideology

◼ During Secretary of State John Kerry’s weekend visit to Cairo, his Egyptian counterpart pushed for the new international focus on countering terrorism to go beyond Syria and Iraq, arguing that the same ideology espoused by the jihadists there is driving other Islamist extremists, including those in Egypt’s neighboring territories. - CNS

But while the administration’s focus has been largely centered on ISIS, Cairo sees the problem as a far broader one.

A spokesman for President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi said that in talks with Kerry the president had “stressed that any international coalition against terrorism must be a comprehensive alliance that is not limited to confront a certain organization or to curb a single terrorist hotbed but must expand to include all the terrorist hotbeds across the Middle East and Africa.”

During a joint press appearance with Kerry, Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri underlined the point, calling for a fight against Islamist terrorists “wherever they may be.”