[Please note: links to news articles and accompanying headlines and text were valid and accurate at the time of posting but content often changes or is deleted by the original publishers for reasons they feel are warranted…ed]
The curtain has come down on what can best be described as a brief un-American moment in our history. That moment began in the fall of 2008, with the great financial panic, and gave rise to the Barack Obama phenomenon. The nation’s faith in institutions and time-honored ways had cracked. In a little-known senator from Illinois millions of Americans came to see a savior who would deliver the nation out of its troubles. Gone was the empiricism in political life that had marked the American temper in politics. A charismatic leader had risen in a manner akin to the way politics plays out in distressed and Third World societies. There is nothing surprising about where Mr. Obama finds himself today. He had been made by charisma, and political magic, and has been felled by it. If his rise had been spectacular, so, too, has been his fall. [If you read nothing else today, grab this one for sure…ed]
Deficit of Trust: Most Voters Don’t Believe President’s Assertions About Economy
During his State-of-the-Union address Wednesday night, President Obama spoke about a deficit of trust between the American people and political leaders. New Rasmussen Reports polling on the president’s speech shows just how deep that trust deficit has become. The president in the speech declared that his administration has cut taxes for 95% of Americans. He even chided Republicans for not applauding on that point. However, just 21% of voters nationwide believe that taxes have been cut for 95% of Americans. Most (53%) say it has not happened, and 26% are not sure. Other polling shows that nearly half the nation’s voters expect their own taxes to go up during the Obama years. The president also asserted that “after two years of recession, the economy is growing again.” Just 35% of voters believe that statement is true, while 50% say it is false. Obama claimed that steps taken by his team are responsible for putting two million people to work “who would otherwise be unemployed.” Just 27% of voters say that statement is true. Fifty-one percent (51%) say it’s false. [He’s a liar and the American people, even some who were all goo goo eyed over the guy a year ago, are finally starting to realize it…ed]
Salesman Obama: Nobody’s buying it
President Obama comes to Nashua today to try to sell New Hampshire on his sudden, post-Scott Brown commitment to job creation, deficit reduction and spending restraint. He can speechify all he wants, but the people aren’t buying it, and for good reason. The President is plainly and obviously not telling the truth. He said his health care reform would let us keep our current health care plans. It didn’t. He said (at a stop in Dover a year and a half ago) that no one earning less than $250,000 a year would see “any” tax increase. He then raised cigarette taxes and pushed a new energy tax and a tax on health benefits, among others. [Ouchy. Looks like the previous Rasmussen article was spot on…ed]
Obama’s SOTU speech scores readability of an eighth grader, two grades below GWB
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan did not have it easy when it came to critics attacking their intelligence, while President Obama, Former Vice – President Al Gore, and Former President Bill Clinton have been hailed as brilliant. Here is an interesting nugget of new information, though. President Obama blamed himself for not being able to communicate his message properly to Americans, but a new analysis of the president’s State of the Union speech, brings to light why Mr. Obama could be having problems in this area. President Obama’s State of the Union speech was ranked fourth to the lowest since FDR’s first SOTU speech in 1934, says Smart Politics, a blog of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.: “Text of Obama’s Address has a readability score for an average 8th grader – two grades lower than George W. Bush’s Addresses and the historical average for modern presidents.” [No wonder he got that nice bounce after the speech. His lamebrained supporters might have actually been able to understand some of what he said since he tried to keep it at their level…ed]
Obama’s got real trouble at home
Even in this winter of President Obama’s discon tent, things appear likely to get much bleaker for him before they get any better. The first casualties were Democratic governors who fell in New Jersey and Virginia. Then it was Camelot, seized by the enemy in Massachusetts. These Republican encroachments deep in Democratic territory appeared almost effortless. Obama’s pleas on behalf of Democratic candidates — words of gold just one year ago — fell like millstones around their necks. [The money lines come at the end of the article. Funny stuff indeed…ed]
Sponsors... article continues below...
Dem. senators spent weekend with bank, energy, tobacco lobbyists
Twelve Democratic Senators spent last weekend in Miami Beach raising money from top lobbyists for oil, drug, and other corporate interests that they often decry, according to a guest list for the event obtained by POLITICO. The guest list for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s “winter retreat” at the Ritz Carlton South Beach Resort doesn’t include the price tag for attendance, but the maximum contribution to the committee, typical for such events, is $30,000. There, to participate in “informal conversations” and other meetings Saturday, were senators including DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez; Michigan’s Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow; Bob Casey of Pennsylvania; Claire McCaskill of Missouri; freshmen Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Begich of Alaska; and even left-leaning Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Across the table was a who’s who of 108 senior Washington lobbyists, including the top lobbying officials for many of the industries Democrats regularly attack: [More facts peeling back the hypocritical veneer the Democrats hide behind…ed]
Source: Napolitano skipped Christmas plot hearing for think-tank meeting UPDATED
So… where was Janet Napolitano last Wednesday when she decided to skip a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Christmas bombing plot? At the moment the homeland security secretary might have been testifying about the biggest security breach on her watch — before the major House committee tasked with investigating the matter, she was in her office consulting with members of an unspecified think-tank, according to a person familiar with the situation. Dems on the committee are still seething over what they view as a snub. Napolitano had originally told Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) that she needed to miss the hearing because of a trip to Europe to discuss aviation security. In fact, the secretary returned home Monday, and was reportedly still tired two days later — if not quite cancel-all-my-appointments-tired. [WTH? This idiot flies to Europe to discuss “aviation security” but can’t show up at a committee hearing to discuss the issue of some guy trying to blow up an American airliner over U.S. soil? Get this moron OUTTA here!…ed]
Obama administration is tone-deaf to concerns about terrorism
There is almost nothing the Obama administration does regarding terrorism that makes me feel safer. Whether it is guaranteeing captured terrorists that they will not be waterboarded, reciting terrorists their rights, or the legally meandering and confusing rule that some terrorists will be tried in military tribunals and some in civilian courts, what is missing is a firm recognition that what comes first is not the message sent to America’s critics but the message sent to Americans themselves. When, oh when, will this administration wake up? [What do we have here? An uber leftist pens an open eyed piece about the utter incompetence of the Obama administration’s efforts to combat terrorism! It’s about time this guy Cohen finally woke up…ed]
There was a recent flap because three different members of the Obama administration, on three different Sunday television talk shows, gave three widely differing estimates of how many jobs the president has created. That should not have been surprising, except as a sign of political sloppiness in not getting their stories together beforehand. They were simply doing what Barack Obama himself does — namely, just pulling numbers out of thin air. However, being more skilled at creating illusions, the president does it with more of an air of certainty, as if he has gone around and counted the new jobs himself. [Too bad Obama didn’t choose someone like the good Dr. Sowell as a mentor instead of that America hating pig “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright…ed]
CAPITAL CULTURE: Obamas invite famous guest chefs
Think of it as take-out, but at the presidential level. Since bringing their well-documented high-end appetites to the White House, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have broken new gourmet ground by inviting in a steady stream of the nation’s top culinary talents. It’s an experience the chefs say they consider a career achievement. (SNIP) However, former White House executive pastry chef Roland Mesnier said he would feel slighted by guest chefs, who could use their White House experience as a promotional tool or for exposure. “To me it’s a slap in the face. It’s an insult,” he said. [Nice to see the Obama’s are eating so well on our dime while 20% of Americans are out of work and millions more are hanging on by a thread. I hope all of his maniacal supporters who have lost their job since he moved into our White House get a chance to read this…ed]
Backdoor taxes to hit middle class (The Obama administration must have got to REUTERS because they pulled this story down!)
The Obama administration’s plan to cut more than $1 trillion from the deficit over the next decade relies heavily on so-called backdoor tax increases that will result in a bigger tax bill for middle-class families. In the 2010 budget tabled by President Barack Obama on Monday, the White House wants to let billions of dollars in tax breaks expire by the end of the year — effectively a tax hike by stealth. While the administration is focusing its proposal on eliminating tax breaks for individuals who earn $250,000 a year or more, middle-class families will face a slew of these backdoor increases. The targeted tax provisions were enacted under the Bush administration’s Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Among other things, the law lowered individual tax rates, slashed taxes on capital gains and dividends, and steadily scaled back the estate tax to zero in 2010. [Well let’s see, the rich got rich because they know how to protect their hard earned assets from the thieving hands of Democrats. Nearly half the people in this country pay NO federal taxes thanks to the Democrats. So who does that leave to shoulder the burden? Well duh, the middle class! REUTERS HAS PULLED THE STORY!!! It looks like the Obama machine didn’t like the article…ed]
The big news in last year’s budget release was the revelation that the Obama administration planned to use cap-and-trade to raise $646 billion dollars over ten years to finance its big spending programs. At the time I wrote here in the Fox Forum that estimate was a lowball of what actually constituted the biggest tax increase in U.S. history, something White House economist Jason Furman later admitted when he revealed the real revenue would likely be triple the official estimate. So the first thing I checked in this year’s budget was how much revenue was expected from the cap-and-trade energy tax, to which the president reiterated his commitment in his State of the Union address last week. The surprising answer is the budget actually has, literally, a blank line for the cap-and-trade tax. A black box. A slush fund. A secret budget-within-the-budget. Talk about a lack of transparency. The blank line is labeled: “Allowance for climate policy.” [“Hope, change, transparency and screw you stupid American people who put me in office”~Barry Hussein Obama…ed]
Largest-ever federal payroll to hit 2.15 million
The era of big government has returned with a vengeance, in the form of the largest federal work force in modern history. The Obama administration says the government will grow to 2.15 million employees this year, topping 2 million for the first time since President Clinton declared that “the era of big government is over” and joined forces with a Republican-led Congress in the 1990s to pare back the federal work force. Most of the increases are on the civilian side, which will grow by 153,000 workers, to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010. [2.15 million guaranteed Democrat voters and counting…ed]
Clyburn: ‘We’ve got to spend our way out of this recession’
The U.S. government must spend its way out of the recession, the Democrats’ third-ranking House leader stressed Monday. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the House majority whip, said that trying to find greater savings in the budget, which was released by President Barack Obama this morning, wouldn’t help alleviate the recession. “We’ve got to make some decisions here as to what’s in the best interests of our country going forward,” Clyburn said during an appearance on Fox News. “And I think the best interest is to invest in education, control these deficits, while at the same time trying to get people back to work.” [Stupid Democrat. 70% of this country’s GDP is consumer spending. To get out of this deliberate man made recession PEOPLE need to spend not the damn government. Of course PEOPLE can’t because 1) they are unemployed or hanging onto their job by a thread 2) they are scared to death to spend any money beyond the bare necessities because of the precarious employment conditions 3) it’s next to impossible to get a loan these days not that anyone wants to take on any unnecessary debt 4) small businesses are afraid to make a move because of the schizophrenic nature of this Obamanation of an administration, and on and on and on…ed]
City still waiting for reimbursement from Obama’s 2008 visit
The city of Springfield still hasn’t been fully repaid for costs associated with hosting then- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign stop in the fall of 2008. Obama’s presidential campaign was sent a bill for $68,139, and still owes the city $55,457, according to Ernie Slottag, the city’s spokesman. The city has been trying — unsuccessfully — to collect payment, Ken Crutcher, the city’s director of office of budget and management told aldermen recently. “We’ve spoken to a lot of people and have found a lot of circles,” Crutcher said. … “We’ve been kind of bounced from place to place with respect to that particular event.” Attempts to get a comment for this story from the Obama campaign were unsuccessful. The White House referred comments to the Democratic National Committee. A spokesman at the DNC didn’t respond to questions sent via e-mail. [Owe-bama, stiffing people and leaving deficits wherever he goes…ed]
Rush to Racism – Media Stunned that a Black Woman Could Win Over Limbaugh
Once again some members of the media have taken to branding Rush Limbaugh a racist, offering backhanded compliments and genuine surprise that a black woman could have won the Miss America contest whilst he served as judge. As Boyce Watkins lamented in his Black Voices article, (emphasis mine throughout):
“This week, Rush Limbaugh was standing in front of a talented black woman who was trying to become Miss America. I am not sure if Rush voted for her or not, but the black woman was able to win. Caressa Cameron, a 22-year old from Virginia Commonwealth University, was crowned Saturday night as the winner of the 2010 Miss America pageant.”
Watkins, himself a fervent anti-conservative from the Al Sharpton School of race baiting, was merely voicing what many in the media are thinking – a black woman won despite the presence of Limbaugh. [Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he was delighted to hear this “light skinned woman with no Negro dialect” managed to eek out a win despite Limbaugh’s appearance on the judging panel while Democrat Vice President Joe Biden claims she was able to withstand Limbaugh’s overt racism because she was a “mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking gal” BTW, Rush had her on his radio show today…ed]
Bill Could Reduce Free Parking In California
State lawmakers are taking aim at what some of them see as a menace to California’s environment: free parking. There is too much of it, the legislators say, and it encourages people to drive instead of taking the bus, walking or riding a bike. All that motoring is contributing to traffic jams and pollution, according to state Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D- Long Beach), and on Thursday he won Senate approval of a proposal he hopes will prompt cities and businesses to reduce the availability of free parking. “Free parking has significant social, economic and environmental costs,” Lowenthal said. “It increases congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.” [Stupid, idiotic news from California…ed]
Tesco shopper, 24, forced to show ID… because she was ‘too young to buy slice of QUICHE’
In what must rank as one of the most bizarre ID requests ever, an office worker claims she had to prove she was over 21 to buy a slice of quiche. Christine Cuddihy, 24, was handed the cheese and onion tart – costing 51p – at the deli counter of the Tesco in Coventry and then took it to the till. She says the cashier then refused to sell it to her because she ‘looked under 21’. Proof of age schemes exist in supermarkets to stop youngsters buying alcohol and cigarettes. There have been incidents where these rules were applied in an overzealous manner when it comes alcohol – but never over a slice of quiche. Despite her protestations the till girl refused to back down and a humiliated Christine was forced to produce her driving licence in order to buy the slice. [Stupid, ridiculous news from England…ed]
A hunter is recovering from non-life threatening injuries after being shot by his dog on Saturday. The Merced County Sheriff’s Department said the 53-year-old man was hunting with a partner off Highway 152 near Los Banos when he set down his shotgun to retrieve his decoy ducks. The shotgun was loaded but the safety was on, according to authorities. The victim was about 15 yards away, retrieving his decoys, when his female black Labrador retriever stepped on the gun. [Perhaps a little payback for that trip to the vet last week to get neutered?…ed]
Quote of the day.
What I fear is that having made history, having won a Nobel prize, having been celebrated around the world, a measure of complacency may have set in. I don’t mean that the effort is not there, but that the discipline of self-criticism has perhaps faded. I wouldn’t give [Obama] as high a grade as President as I gave him when he was my student. I know he can do better.
-Chris Edley, Obama’s former law professor at Harvard.
[If only the American people had an opportunity to see Mr. Obama’s grades from his college days since so many of us out here don’t find him nearly as brilliant as all of his supporters have made him out to be…ed]
Pingback: Los Banos man accidentally shot by his hunting dog … | Hunting Leisure Knowledge