The "You Lie!" pamphlet

By request, here is the text of the "You Lie!" pamphlet I tried to place at the Elgin Public Library.  (I was denied.):

YOU LIE!

Background on the controversy surrounding a statement made by Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) during President Obama’s address to Congress on September 9, 2009

Here’s what Obama said on September 9, 2009:
“Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics…Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points…And out of this blizzard of charges and countercharges, confusion has reigned.
“Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed.…
“Some of people’s concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians…
“There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false — the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”
Then Rep. Joe Wilson calls out: “You lie!”
Obama responds: “Not true,” then continues on with his speech.
But there is more to this story…

The basis for Obama’s claim comes from HB 3200 (the House version of Obamacare):

"Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."

So, when efforts have been made to put some teeth into that statement, they have been rejected in committee along party lines.

An example of such a verification of lawful presence is the Dean Heller (R-NV) Amendment, offered on July 16, 2009 and rejected by the House Ways and Means Committee:

In order to utilize the public health insurance option, an individual must have had his or her eligibility determined and approved under the Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS) and the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) programs under
section 1137 of the Social Security Act.
(Note: The SAVE system is already used by 71 other means-tested federal programs to prevent illegal immigrants and other ineligible non-citizens from accessing them.)

On July 31, 2009 Nathan Deal (R-GA) proposed eligibility verification to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and it was similarly rejected. It said:

"Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no unauthorized aliens shall be eligible for any item or service furnished under this title. The Secretary shall not provide funding under 1903 for medical assistance provided to an individual unless such individual has been determined to be eligible for medical assistance under this title on the basis of…citizenship or…qualified alien status through the immigration status verification system."
The Congressional Research Service, a federal office, reported to Congress and the White House on August 25, 2009 that:
"H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitzens participating in the Exchange—whether the noncitizens are legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently."
...and...
"H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitzens—whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently—participating in the Exchange."
Aftermath
As they say, “The hit dog howls.” Within 36 hours the Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate held press conferences to announce that they were working on language to close the loopholes for benefits to illegal aliens. So much for “bogus claims” and “scare tactics” Obama warned us about.


Historical precedenceSo what if the undocumented receive health care? It’s no big deal.
Well, actually it is a big deal. In 1986 Congress was trying to reform health care. One initiative called EMTALA was passed to give emergency room care to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
That one act has created a litany of unintended consequences that has resulted in the closing of several inner-city hospitals due to excessive charity care.
Lawsuits and court rulings have transformed emergency rooms into clinics for every ailment and have stuck hospitals with long-term care of patients that cannot be transferred.

And hospitals in border cities report Mexican citizens in labor driving across the border to take advantage of higher quality (and free) medical care with the added benefit that the baby is automatically a U S Citizen.
At present Congress reimburses hospitals for $250 million to care for illegal aliens through EMTALA. Unfortunately, the public price tag for their care is $4.3 billion a year.
We are wise to examine the proposed legislation and be wary of loopholes and unfunded mandates so as to avoid another, more massive, EMTALA fiasco.

Conclusion
Amendments have been offered that would incorporate existing eligibility standards in the Obamacare bill. Those amendments have been rejected.

Further, the research arm of Congress has told the President that illegal aliens can indeed obtain subsidized benefits under Obamacare.

When Obama addressed Congress he specifically called out those who talk about the illegal alien loophole as making “bogus claims” and using “scare tactics.”

Based on the facts, Rep. Joe Wilson was right to call Obama’s statement a lie.

Failure to address these loopholes will result in long-term negative effects of tax money being used to aid and abet illegal aliens, not to mention the incentive for additional third world immigrants to come to America and take advantage of our medical care.

In addition, the creation of another unfunded mandate is unfair to community hospitals who cannot refuse to provide long-term care to anyone presented at the door of the ER.

Going dark

Is it worth it? I doubt it. Over the past several days a few tidbits of information have converged into my life causing me to question the cost-benefit of an Internet presence, specifically blogging and comment posting.
Those tidbits are:
1) Government projects to install supercomputers around the country to analyze intel.

2) A judge in Illinois having a knee-jerk reaction because a flamboyant defendant gave his customers the judge’s e-mail address and said judge was flooded with e-mails supporting the innocence of the defendant.

3) A recent case in Illinois where the anonymity of a poster was revealed to the court so he could be prosecuted.

4) Obama administration efforts to squelch critics on the Internet.

The downside of these enforcement efforts include:
1) Libel
2) Copyright infringement
3) Contempt of court

Just the allegation of any of these could put you in court. Anyone can sue. And all they have to do is outlast you. And we all know of some crazy rulings.

One would hope that others would come to the rescue, but as Michael Savage learned recently you fight your battles alone.

Frankly, it isn’t worth the risk for an audience of 10, or 100, or even 100,000.

Good night, Mrs. Calabash.

Stopping a Movement

There is a new group afoot called "The Tea Party Is Over." 
Funded by: American Public Policy Committee
Led by: Joseph Sandler, former lawyer for the DNC, MoveOn.org and CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations)
Which is funded by: Patriot Majority
Which is funded by: The SEIU

Do you smell astroturf?

So, what is the mission of The Tea Party Is Over?
"To prevent the Tea Party's dangerous ideas from gaining legislative traction."

Their strategy?
"Our strategy is to spread the truth about their dangerous ideas and prevent their policies from taking root in America."

Well, you have to have "Targets" if you're going to defeat those "dangerous ideas."

Here's one of their "Targets"
"Randy Hultgren

"Hultgren has taken right-wing positions on spending, health care, abortion, and gay rights. He sponsored a bill to remove protections from discrimination because of sexual orientation, and claims the health care bill "will kill people." Call Randy at 630.549.0139 and tell him to reject the dangerous ideas of the Tea Party."

So, exactly what are Randy's dangerous ideas (you know, those "right-wing positions") according to the anti-Tea experts?

Spending- You mean believing that the government should live within its means?  That weird idea that Washington is spending too much and printing too much funny money to cover its bills?

Health care- You mean one of those odd weirdos who does not support socialized medicine in America?

Abortion- I think it's called pro-life; those people who think there are way too many abortions in the United States and that a fetus has human rights as well.

Gay rights- Randy believes in the definition of the traditional family.  How odd is that?  It's funny that this group implies that abortion is a choice, but living a gay lifestyle is not.  I think Randy is against the idea of establishing another protected class, especially based on a belief system.

Good luck with your campaign.  May I suggest you invest in some polling data.  You might find that Randy's "dangerous ideas" are more common than you thought.

Making Sense of Tea

The Tea Party movement is all over the place these days. First, the convention last week. Then an article in Real Clear Politics. Today, ABC News issued poll results centered around Palin and the Tea Party. And, the recent revelation that an Anti-Tea Party movement is starting on K Street to fight back.
First off, the Tea Party Movement is fueled by Internet penetration into the homes of people over 40 who have never spoken out about government before in their lives. It is social networking used to inform people like no other generation in history.

Think of it. We spent our lives watching Dan Rather, only to find out that Dan had an agenda. Now we can read a pdf of an indictment, watch the entire news conference…or congressional hearing…or a committee meeting, read as much detail as we’d like about a study or research the money behind any organization. That’s a lot more information than 30 seconds on a topic sliced and diced by NBC. What’s more, we get to analyze what we’re seeing.

And Obama realizes he is losing control of the message. He’s tried to shut out news groups like Fox, belittled talk show hosts, launched schemes to have people report negative information to the White House, sought equal time for bloggers on the Internet…and come off like Hugo Chavez as a result.

And his Saul Alinski tactics are exposed along the way, making him seem devious as well as frightened.

Since the State of the Union address and the loss in Massachusetts, Obama has tried to co-opt the message of the Tea Party, but co-opting requires some Obama supporters within the Party, and frankly, they are sparse indeed. Obama exemplifies big government.

That co-opting effort takes the form of commiserating with our dissatisfaction with politicians and the power games they play. As Obama said after the Scott Brown victory, "Here's my assessment of not just the vote in Massachusetts, but the mood around the country: the same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office.

"People are angry and they are frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years." ~ Barack Obama, January 20, 2010

Whenever Obama talks about voter dissatisfaction, he can’t help turning it into a chorus of that old tune, “Blame Bush.”

Mark Davis at Real Clear Politics comments that the Tea Party has support from various groups with their own hot-button issues (mine’s Immigration) but at the core is the size and scope of government. There’s room for pro-lifers, anti-Federal Reserve activists, anti-Obamacare groups, Gun Rights activists, Traditional Marriage defenders… “The people drifting toward the Tea Party movement are not extreme. They are, in fact, fighting extremism - the extremism that has brought us a government that takes far too much, spends far too much and runs our lives far too much. At long last, people who might disagree on a number of other things are uniting in a fight for strong but limited government, run responsibly and frugally.”

(Davis can be read here: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/02/11/the_fight_for_responsible_limited_government.html )

Now, the ABC poll taken this month measures the Tea Party popularity as well as Palin’s.

When local anchor Alan Krashesky delivered the poll results, he said the Tea Party had “only” 35% support, as though that were something to be ashamed of. Clearly he doesn’t realize what a feat that was, starting from nothing on April 15th of last year!

Ross Perot got 19% of the vote after two years of campaigning and millions of dollars of his own money. 35% is extraordinary progress for a movement.

Like most, Krashesky makes the mistake of thinking it is a third party. We certainly hope not. And he’d like to bet the whole thing on the success or failure of Sarah Palin. That’s not true either.

The Tea Party will flock to candidates like Scott Brown. And Randy Hultgren. And anyone else with a platform of shrinking government. And we’ll bring our 35% of like-minded voters with us.

Brennan's "Can do" Attitude

I've heard that in DC and Alexandria VA they have removed the snow plows from the streets because it is too dangerous.

C'mon people, the snow is not 100 feet deep.

Not George's GOP

Republicans with a sense of humor? Who knew?

And they're capitalists as well. Send an E-card, ask for a donation. Not bad.

But with so much good material in the last year, how can you refuse?

The United States Department of Climate Change Propaganda

The word is that the Obama administration is forming a new agency. This is all true, though it sounds like I’m making it up.

According to ABC News on February 8th:
“The Obama administration on Monday proposed a new agency to study and report on the changing climate.

“Also known as global warming, climate change has drawn widespread concern in recent years as temperatures around the world rise, threatening to harm crops, spread disease, increase sea levels, change storm and drought patterns and cause polar melting.

“Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced NOAA will set up the new Climate Service to operate in tandem with NOAA's National Weather Service and National Ocean Service.
…
“The new agency will initially be led by Thomas Karl, director of the current National Climatic Data Center. The Climate Service will be headquartered in Washington and will have six regional directors across the country.”

Why do I get the feeling that Obama wants to control the message about global warming?

Well, this bunch has their minds made up.

During the State of the Union Obama firmly declared, “I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But here's the thing -- even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy-efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future -– because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.”

And how can we forget the vigorous squelching of dissent at the EPA? Back in June of last year two government scientists tried to do a little peer review of the loose UN data and were censored for it. Here’s a narrative on what took place:
“The Competitive Enterprise Institute has obtained an EPA study of the "endangerment" to human well-being ostensibly caused by carbon dioxide emissions, together with a set of EPA emails indicating that the study, which concludes that carbon dioxide is not a significant cause of climate change, was suppressed by the EPA for political reasons.

“You can read the comments that the CEI submitted to the EPA on EPA's proposed endangerment finding here, http://cei.org/cei_files/fm/active/0/Endangerment%20Comments%206-23-09.pdf

along with the emails. The censored report, by Alan Carlin and John Davidson, is here.
http://cei.org/cei_files/fm/active/0/DOC062509-004.pdf

“In their report, Carlin and Davidson point out that the EPA has not done its own evaluation of the global warming theory. Rather, it has relied on analyses by others, mostly the U.N.'s IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report. That report, however, was a political document, not a scientific one. Knowing that current scientific research disproves the anthropogenic global warming theory, the U.N. ordered that no recent research be considered in the IPCC report. This is a scandal of which too few people are aware. As science, the U.N. report is a bad joke.

“Carlin and Davidson go on to recite the scientific work that shows rather clearly that human activity is a minor factor, at most, in climate change--which has, of course, been occurring from the beginning of Earth's history to the present. Their report is a useful summary of the evidence for those who are not familiar with it.

“If the Obama administration gets its way, Americans will not become aware of the scientific evidence: Obama's EPA suppressed the Carlin/Davidson report and tried to keep it secret for political reasons. The emails obtained by the CEI are revealing. Here, the two scientists' superior declines to make their report public because "the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment."”

Well, I think we know the position of this new agency before they even have business cards printed. So, in this time of budgetary distress in Washington, why bother?

Palin's hand

The media is going crazy over Sarah Palin. Not what she said to the Tea Party supporters in Nashville last week, but the fact that she scribbled some notes on the palm of her hand.

It's all over the Internet. Even ABC 7 local news in Chicago covered it. One fine example of the MSM did a good cop-bad cop routine. The reporter in the field did the ridiculing while the anchorwoman put on this "it isn't important" air for balance.

Palin spoke for 45 minutes and did another 10 in Q&A. She's not eloquent. But she does understand that Washington is clueless about how we feel. She is the mouth of the unwashed masses.

The East Coast media covered the convention. I can imagine using the restroom in the Nashville airport, with the signs by the door reminding people that it is state law to wash your hands.

No doubt they brought their Swiss bottled water with them. And the roast beef wasn't lean enough.

So, in this sour mood they cover the filthly, redneck, teabaggers. Even the counter-protest was a disappointment. Only four people showed up to protest.

So, Sarah's hand became ground zero. And they got plenty of mileage out of it.

Doesn't it seem funny that they would cover that, and not plaster the airwaves with Obama saying "Corpse-man" instead of Corpsman just a few days before?

As for Tea Party spokesmen, I found Andrew Breitbart to be very good.

The people have spoken...

...and been ignored.

The halftime show at the Super Bowl was extra-special in Chicago. Remember the "wardrobe malfunction" in 2004?

Well, last night in Chicago they had the "democracy malfunction" as Scott Lee Cohen announced during halftime that he was stepping down as the Democratic Party's pick for Lieutenant Governor.

Here's a partial list of people who "urged" Scott to step down:
Dick Durbin- US Senator
Danny Davis- US Congressman
Lisa Madigan- Illinois Attorney General (and daughter of IL Dem Party Chair)
Mandi Eneman- Character witness, former girlfriend and convicted prostitute
Pat Quinn- Illinois Governor (by scandal) and Gov Candidate for the Democrats
Mike Madigan- Chairman of IL Dem Party and IL House Speaker (and dad of AG above)
Alexi Giannoulias- Democrat candidate for US Senate (and Rezko's banker)

Mayor Richie Daley of all people said Cohen has every right to remain on the ticket and that it was his decision. Daley wasn't urging him to do anything.

So, the 212,902 people who voted for Scott Lee Cohen were told their votes didn't count. Second place, with 184,432 votes was Art Turner.

Here's what the Tribune is reporting from Art:
Turner said he would make a case to the state central committee that he was the most qualified of those who sought the lieutenant governor nomination — but did not believe that his second-place finish should automatically give him the spot.

"I don't think it ought to be an automatic. The fact that you finished second, I would not want to set a precedent for that," Turner said. "What I'm saying is that of the people interested in the job — others could have expressed an interest but didn't — I am the most qualified."

As you can see, it's pure power-brokering at this point. A second-place finish means nothing. Heaven forbid you set a precedent for trying to accommodate the voters' wishes.

Father knows best. And it's all in the hands of the kingmakers once again.

Hearts and Minds

Things are getting back to normal at the Obama camp. He had a nice boost in popularity from those who say they like him or really like him. The event that triggered it was the State of the Union address.

But now they are back down in the cellar again. Maybe it was the flurry of media attention and their heaps of praise for his speech. Or maybe they actually watched it. Anyway, the bleeding hearts in his own party were in love again, boosting his approval rating.

He even had a few days of shrinking "strongly disapprove" numbers.

But what about the "minds" of the voting public? What about the Independents?

That's any important group because they are thoughtful about the issues. And they are a growing group as more people don't want a party affiliation. (Who can blame them? Politicians are downright embarrassing.)

Well, according to Rasmussen, he didn't change their minds.
"January 30, 2010: Looking only at interviews conducted on the two nights following the speech, it is clear that the President enjoyed a bounce in the polls and that the bounce came from members of his own party. On the morning of the speech, 50% of Democrats Strongly Approved of the President’s performance. On the two nights following the speech, that number jumped to 65%. There was essentially no change among Republican and unaffiliated voters."

So, the cooler heads still prevail. And the magic has worn off, except for those Rasmussen calls "Very Liberal" and "Somewhat Liberal." They are still in love with #44.

Are we there yet?

Neal A. Maxwell said, “If we are not able to build into ourselves and our families the brakes of self-restraint and self-discipline, we are apt, unwittingly, to create tyranny in our government and anarchy in our citizenry. If we push onto the government the management not only of our economy, but also the management of our morals, the civil servants of the future will be neither civil nor servants.”

Never run a bluff...

...when your poke's empty

Obama is out there telling fellow dems to hang in there. Swing hard. Keep the faith.

In other words, don't be afraid to advance the Obama agenda just because it is an election year.

Then again, Obama's not on the ballot, so he's thinking more about his legacy than the midterms. He knows for sure that things will be harder for him in congress in 2011. It is almost a guarantee at this point.

But how rational is that if you are up for reelection in November? I mean, what would motivate a congressman to stick his neck out this year?

That's the downside of a republic. You can do what you think is best for your district, but now and then you get evaluated by the voters. And you can't exactly say the public likes the job congress is doing.

Specifically, there are some key Obama agenda items that aren't very popular:
Obamacare
Cap-and-Trade
Bailouts
Stimulus I and II
Government business control (banks and car companies)
Amnesty
Union power
Terrorist imprisonment
Terrorist trials
Lack of candor

So, Obama telling congress to be courageous seems a bit foolish.

It is even more foolish given Obama's track record with helping other campaigns. His appearances don't seem to be helping.

A Dark Horse with a Black Hat

The office of Lieutenant Governor in Illinois isn’t very important…unless the Governor is indicted. (Gee, how did Quinn get to be Governor?)

And the primary elections rarely include running mates, paired with the Governor. In this election only one ad campaign talked much about their slate.

So, it is a forced marriage based on the vote tally.

Along comes Scott Lee Cohen. He’s not from the machine, and outsiders are doing well these days. He used his own money to run, over $2 million worth. And his ads were focused on action, rather than a slam against the other guy.

He used a rather interesting approach. He held job fairs around the state. He said, “We can’t wait until the election to do something about unemployment.” He had a regular guy tell voters, “Scott Lee Cohen helped me get a job with one of the largest cable companies in the country.”

None of this, “I promise to fix the problems in Illinois,” or, “My opponent is lying to you.” He displayed his action mentality to fill a real need of the times.

Despite full disclosure of his past before the election, nobody paid much attention to him. His opponents were experienced politicians who would surely win.

Well, they lost. And Scott Lee Cohen is the chosen democrat candidate for Lt Governor.

Here’s what’s in his closet:
He’s a pawnbroker.
He used steroids purchased from friends, not Walgreens.
He’s divorced with a spouse abuse allegation.
His ex is currently in court over $54,000 in unpaid child support.
While going through the divorce, he dated a 24-year-old massage therapist with a prostitution conviction.
Said 24-year-old massage therapist had him charged with putting a knife to her throat and threatening her. She never showed up in court, so the charges were dropped. But the Sun-Times obtained court records that say Cohen held "a knife up to complainant's neck causing minor scars," according to the police report from his arrest. There also were "minor scars on her hand from her trying to defend herself against the arrestee swinging the knife at her." Cohen also allegedly "pushed complainant's head against [a] wall, causing a bump on the back of her head." Cohen says he never touched her.

Now that Hynes has officially conceded to Pat Quinn, the party wants Cohen out. Cohen simply needs to step down, then the state democrat committee, led by Mike Madigan, chooses a replacement. (Sure, it makes sense to just choose the one with the second-highest vote total on February 2nd, but that wouldn’t be any fun.)

And there is talk that Hynes was promised the Lt Governor spot for graciously conceding rather than mounting a recount campaign.

But first things first. Cohen needs to step aside. And so far he’s holding his ground. He’s already been on TV with his ex-wife explaining what happened.

And so, another black eye for Illinois politics.

Senate Tea

Here are the numbers for the U S Senate primary race.

Giannoulias is connected to Tony Rezko and political loans through the bank his family owns. Some say Obama will stay away from Illinois to avoid the stench surrounding Blago. Besides, Rezko sold Obama the land next door. It's easy to get something on you when you do a photo op.

If the GOP is smart, they'll hammer Alexi G on the Rezko link.

Speaking of the GOP, Don Lowery is generally considered the Tea Party candidate in the race. Ms. Thomas claimed to be but never really got much support.

Hughes didn't bother to vote for decades and became a republican in 2008. Not much to go on there.

Mark Kirk is an enigma. He's active duty military and is probably the most knowledgeable congressman when it comes to Afghanistan. He's been there, and not on a junket.

He also has taken a prominent stand against illegal aliens, though an analysis of his bills would reveal they are practically meaningless. Deporting gang members is a pretty safe position.

That's the good news. On the other side he voted for Cap-and-Trade. That can't be good.

He's also pro-choice.

He's also a member of an ad hoc group of centrist republicans in Congress called "Tuesday Club" or some such a thing.

His district (IL 10th) is politically liberal and well-heeled. That might explain some of his left-leaning votes. But he keeps them happy, even when they vote for democrat presidential candidates.

Like the other Kirk (Kirk Dillard) there isn't much hope of reconciliation between Mark Kirk and the Tea Party. The only silver lining is that Roland Burris will be gone.

The GOP and Tea in Illinois

Here it is the morning after the primary election in Illinois and there are some very close races for both parties. So how did the Tea Party candidates do? Well, not so good.

Let’s take the race for governor. There were six GOP candidates, with the totals looking like this at the moment:

Bill Brady is a pretty solid conservative, but has shied away from the Tea Party movement.

Kirk Dillard is a RINO, backed by the teachers union and too willing to increase taxes. He once did a commercial endorsing Obama.

Andy McKenna was the Illinois GOP leader until he resigned to run for governor. He’s a Bush republican. He was unable to make hay for the GOP over the Blago scandal. Does that tell you anything about his leadership?

Jim Ryan is an old GOP figure in Illinois. Sort of like Roland Burris; an elder statesman who is steeped in the old party politics.

Adam Andrzejewski is a Tea Party candidate. Lech Walesa came to town to endorse him and received almost zero coverage. Adam was also endorsed by Rush and Beck. All three of these milestones came very late in the campaign and resulted in very little money. Coulda-woulda says he would have done better with more money.

Dan Proft tried to be another Tea Party candidate, but he’s too connected as a politician and campaign manager to be considered a reformer.

Bob Schillerstrom dropped out late in the campaign and gave his vote to Jim Ryan. Pretty similar profile to Ryan.

Playing with a calculator you can visualize the Proft votes going to Andrzejewski as the Tea Party candidate and beating the old guard Republicans if they had joined forces rather than split the effort. But that is quite a stretch for a new political entity like the Tea Party Movement.

At this point the best we can hope for is a Brady win, followed by Brady courting the Tea Party. If he doesn’t do that, Quinn will surely win simply by courting the entitlement crowd in Cook County.

If Dillard wins, it is hard to imagine the Tea Party getting behind him.

Synapse gaps

There appears to be a mental malfunction in Rahm Emanuel's brain, a malfunction that causes a delayed response.

Perhaps you've heard that back in August Rahm performed a verbal hat trick:

1-He ticked off some fellow Democrats

2-He dropped the f-bomb

3-He offended people with disabilites

As for #1, he's known for being abrasive.

Number 2? Well, since the Nixon tapes America has known that the Oval Office ain't church.

But you must admit #3, using the word "retarded," is pretty low.

We ought to go easy on old Rahm. He's a slow thinker. It took him from August 18th(when he made the comment) to January 27th to apologize to the Special Olympics.

And the Special Olympics graciously accepted the apology. (Did I happen to mention that the Special Olympics is run by Tim Shriver, a member of Clan Kennedy? One wonders how gracious Tim would have been if the slur had come from Scott Brown.)

The other possible explanation for the delay is the old Clinton ethics. It goes something like this:

A) Deny the allegation.

B) If evidence comes forward, admit it.

C) Then apologize

This hope and change thing seems hopeless.

A Public Health Warning on Election Day

The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of a Sexually Transmitted Disease.

The disease is contracted through dangerous and high risk behavior.

The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim. And it's pronounced "gonna re-elect 'im."

Many victims contracted it in 2008.

Now after having been screwed for the past year, naturalists and epidemiologists are amazed at how destructive this disease has become since it is so easily cured.

2010

2012

Just Do It!

My Picks for the Primary

Tomorrow is the primary election in Illinois. Here are my picks, based on the issue of immigration, and an understanding of the limited role and scope of government. Fiscal responsibility doesn't hurt, either. Nor does their reaction to the tea party movement.

US Senate (to replace Roland Burris) - Don Lowery

US House (to replace Bill Foster) - Randy Hultgren

Governor (to replace Pat Quinn) - Adam Andrzejewski

Lt Governor - I don't have a clue

Comptroller - Jim Dodge

Kane Country Treasurer - David Rickert

Kane County Judge - David Akemann

Motion Seconded

From an old Yiddish proverb:
If one person call thee a donkey,
Pay them no mind.

If a second person call thee a donkey,
Get thee a saddle.

Ellie Light EXPOSED

In an Alien Rants exclusive, we have obtained a copy of the letter to the editor sent by Ellie Light to the Podunk, BS Gazette. (BS is one of the 57 states.)

Here is the letter:


We did a forensic analysis of the back of the letter and determined that it was handled by someone who is missing the middle finger of their right hand:


Now, who do we know that fits that description?

Just kidding, folks. Besides, the literary style doesn't match Rahm's in the slightest.

Smile, it's Friday

The Stars Come Out...

...for the cause of climate change.

It's great that the IPCC has such luminaries as Al Gore.

And how blessed they are to have the likes of Danny Glover to make the connection between global warming and earthquakes.

And now the IPCC can claim none other than Osama binLaden.

You see, Osama has made the connection between CO2 and Judeo-Christianity. Finally, a theological link.

Gives you goose-bumps, doesn't it?

Equality - Obama style

As the Constitution says, everyone is equal. But as Orwell says, some are more equal than others. Despite his "experience" as a Constitutional lawyer, Obama seems to lean toward the Animal Farm definition.

Take student loans for example. Here's his idea about repayment:
"And let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years –- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."

(ACTUALLY, ALL OF THEIR DEBT WILL BE PASSED ON TO THEIR GRANDCHILDREN, BUT THAT CONCEPT ESCAPES OBAMA ALTOGETHER. How things have changed. It used to be that grandparents tried to help the grandkids with college.)

So, you get an extra perk for public service. Not only did the Prez deep-six that outmoded American ideal of paying your own way, he's given government workers another 50% discount on top of it.

Read it again. If you work for the private sector for 20 years at an average of $50K/year, you will pay back $100K.

But if you work for the gub-mint, you're done at $50K. That's Obama's equality for you.

But wait, if you work for a gub-mint agency you are also more likely to have...
...a paid pension program
...better health insurance at lower cost to you
...collective bargaining, even for professionals (AFSCME, NEA or SEIU)
...more paid holidays
...stimulus money to preserve your job

Now, why would Obama offer these extra benefits to public employees?

Here's a hint: Check Barry's own resume. And Michelle's. And the people he surrounds himself with.

Bus wreck in DC

It appears that La Raza was run over by a bus on Pennsylvania Avenue last night.

Here's what Obama said about Comprehensive Immigration Reform:
"And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -– to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."

So, what is he offering to those who did not "play by the rules" and snuck in or overstayed their visa?

It sounds like he just threw illegal aliens under the bus.

Either he left that part out, or he's realized that amnesty and 10% unemployment don't mix.

But watch out; those very words could encourage opportunists running in November. If we get in another bidding war between RINOs and Democrats the Latinos win. A candidate in the primary who is bashful about his stand on amnesty bears watching at all times. The best bet is the guy who speaks his mind on the matter and has a history of standing up to illegal aliens. All others are a crap shoot.

And how hard is it for Obama to reverse direction? Not hard at all. Just ask him what happened to his promise to televise Obamacare debates on C-Span. A promise is a promise...unless you are a politician.

Live from Tampa

Scene's from Obama's visit to Tampa.
Topic: High-speed Rail Projects

Sing along everyone.

Monorail

Lyle Lanley: Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Six-car
Monorail!
What'd I say?

Ned Flanders: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: What's it called?

Patty+Selma: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: That's right! Monorail!

[crowd chants `Monorail' softly and rhythmically]

Miss Hoover: I hear those things are awfully loud...

Lyle Lanley: It glides as softly as a cloud.

Apu: Is there a chance the track could bend?

Lyle Lanley: Not on your life, my Hindu friend.

Barney: What about us brain-dead slobs?

Lyle Lanley: You'll be given cushy jobs.

Abe: Were you sent here by the devil?

Lyle Lanley: No, good sir, I'm on the level.

Wiggum: The ring came off my pudding can.

Lyle Lanley: Take my pen knife, my good man.

I swear it's Springfield's only choice...
Throw up your hands and raise your voice!

All: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: What's it called?

All: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: Once again...

All: Monorail!

Marge: But Main Street's still all cracked and broken...

Bart: Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!

All: Monorail!
Monorail!
Monorail!

[big finish]

Monorail!

Two speeches

The President gave two speeches last night, and they were both well done. (Again, why don’t we just elect the speech writers?)

At the beginning Obama did the classic Clinton, “I feel your pain,” routine.

Followed by his list of programs and enhancements, all of which cost money we don’t have. The list includes:
· New small business loans
· Small business tax credit
· No capital gains tax on small business development
· Tax incentives on plants and equipment
· Infrastructure investment
· Clean energy facilities
· Energy rebates
· Increase taxes to companies with overseas employees
· Tax breaks for US job creation
· Banking reform – inform bank customers
· Research funding
· Nuclear power plants
· Offshore drilling
· Biofuels
· Clean coal
· Climate change laws
· Increase exports
· More trade deals
· School reform
· Government college loan
· Tuition tax credits
· More Pell grants
· Limit repayment of school loans 10% 10 years
· Double child care credit
· IRAs for all
· More home refinancing
· Health care reform
· Foreign aid for AIDS
· Bioterror defense
· Civil rights prosecution
· Immigration enforcement

Then he gives his second speech, about America losing confidence in its institutions. He says the solution is to stop playing politics and pick up the cause of the Obama agenda. It was a poignant plea, filled with hopium, not from his own words, but from letters he has received.

It was rather out of place with the first part, where he blames Bush and chides the Republicans for standing in his way.

We need health care reform, one that will allow the president some bipolar medication.

Does he really think more federal programs (like his wish list above) will be offset by his $20 billion savings as a result of freezing a few budget lines?
The Republicans are right to be “The party of whoa!”

The Crash of 2009

Remedial action report tonight at 8:00 Central Time.

Quarity Plobrems

Japan, Inc. hates three things:
1) Defects
2) Going to court
3) Bad press


And Toyota has all three these days.


Frankly, they deserve it. I've never understood the problem with Happy Meal toys. How many times have fast food places recalled those toys? There have been dozens of them over the years. You would think they would know how to avoid the recalls after...say...the FIRST time you have a problem.


Toyota is in the same boat. They had the gas pedal hanging up on the floor mat problem and finally owned up to it in September.


It turns out that the fix created problems of its own.


The flaw is so bad that they halted sales and production. (I'm guessing that the flaw isn't all that bad, but it puts Toyota in a tough legal position. If someone were to get hurt or killed with the reworked design, there isn't anywhere Toyota could hide.)


And just to add an element of Nanny-ism and upset the libertarians, Toyota is also creating a software fix. If you hit the brake, it automatically overrides the accelerator. (Sorry kids, no more drag racing with the Camry.)



A history of the problem in pictures.....
Original flaw, recalled in October of last year:
Original solution by Toyota was to wrap the feet of American drivers:

Just kidding!

The new pedal with plenty of space, even if the floor mat slides up.

This looks like a pretty good fix. I wonder what's wrong.

Whatever it is, your special order Avalon arrived just in time for your wife's birthday...but you can't have it.

Monday Quiz

Which world figure has attempted to claim credit in order to appear relevant:
A) Osama binLaden, for the crotch bomber incident on Christmas.
B) Barack Obama, for Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts.
C) Both.
D) Neither.

You go, Tony!

Tony Cochran creates the Agnes cartoon each day. Usually it is about the trials of a little girl who does weird things in order to be relevant.

But lately Tony's found a voice. Take a look:



Speaking of electric toothbrushes, here's a news item that doesn't fit anywhere else:
Elgin Courier News 1/24/2010
• Battered with vibrating toothbrush: Fredrick Osbourne, 44, of 1141 Chippewa Circle, Carpentersville, was arrested Thursday on two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery after he allegedly assaulted a woman he knows by placing his hands on her butt and accosting her with a vibrating toothbrush, a police report said. Osbourne's bail was set at $10,000. He is to appear in court Jan. 29.

Plouffe the Magic Dragon

Here comes more fluff to fill the void of leadership. David Plouffe has been called back to the White House to engineer the midterm elections, put them in "lockstep" (Obama's term) with the national party.

The miracle man for the 2006 midterm was none other than Rahm Emanuel, though it appears he just moved DNC money around to do it. Plouffe has to be more creative. He wrote the Obama script and after losses in November, followed by the Martha mess in Boston, he's called upon to do it again.

Campaigning is far different than actually doing it, as Obama has quickly learned. In a campaign you start with a theme, a slogan. Hope, change, world peace, puppies, daisies...

Then you put out great platitudes like, "Come the revolution everyone will have free health care at the Mayo Clinic." Everyone cheers, especially the people in the cities who pay no taxes because they have never worked.

Only fools publish lengthy white papers detailing how the program works. The more detail you give in a campaign, the more ammunition you are giving your opponent to attack you.

Stay positive, stay vague, raise your arms a lot.

To illustrate, one of Obama's big mistakes as a candidate was to talk about taxing coal mines until they can't afford to do business any more. The better approach would be to talk about clean air and clean water for future generations and leave out the nasty details.

Then comes the inauguration. At that point the details must emerge. How shall we pay for it? Who will bear the enforcement burden? When will it take effect? What must be do without in order to have this great society?

About all you can do is fend off the attackers. After all, they are right to ask such questions. Call them tea baggers. Call them "The party of no." But the details must come out.

Once you are done with the name calling, the problems in the details still exist.

Obama has a particularly sticky problem; censorship.
Candidate Obama would exclude reporters from the entourage simply because he didn't like what they wrote.

Obama snubs Fox News because they oppose his policies.

Obama steers the NEA to give grant money to liberal artists who create pro-Obama projects.

Obama seeks to control the Internet, insisting that every right-leaning blog be countered with one from the left.

Obama sets up a snitching process to alert the White House when anyone says something bad about Obamacare.

Obama looks for ways to create campaign funding rules that benefit democrats.

Obama holds secret meetings.

Obama withholds terrorist reports.

In the process he has only appeared petty and foolish...and a bit devious.

Plouffe must take advantage of the huge power vacuum in the United States (both parties) and fill it with meaningful policy...or at least more palatable Pablum.

And he must do it without an unbridled ACORN/SEIU. And increasingly the media is asking tough questions. And he must face a new foe called the tea party movement.

Hope and change won't do it this time. Nor will underdoggery.

Whole Again

Finally, the healing begins in the Obama administration.

We’ve all known that Valerie Jarrett is the other half of Obama’s brain.

Now we learn that the brains of the Obama campaign have returned to the White House in the form of David Plouffe.

David + Valerie = One President.

The bad news is that David runs campaigns. And as I’ve pointed out before, Obama’s great at campaigning but lousy when it comes to governing.

But, perhaps Plouffe can fix the logo.
As for Valerie, she is pushing the same slop Axelrod has been selling (without many buyers). According to Jarrett, America’s standing in the world has been repaired by Obama.

Really? According to who? Did anyone in the White House think about that statement before they sent her out on the Sunday news circuit?

Here are a few blemishes on our strong image.
North Korea, Iran, Israel, Czech Republic, Poland, Somalia, Yemen, Tibet, India, Great Britain, Afghanistan…

AXELROD on April 19, 2009: "Well, for one thing, to stop this sort of rampant and tasteless anti-Americanism that we've seen over the last eight years, and try and work cooperatively with us. And the hope is, is that that's what will come from this.

"But understand what's happening, Harry, and not just with Venezuela but with countries around the world. I think this president has engaged the people of the world, the constituencies of these leaders, and the leaders are now responding. Easy anti-Americanism is no longer a great political tactic in their countries, and I think that's one of the early accomplishments of this presidency."

JARRETT on January 24, 2010: “I think what we've seen is a dramatic difference in terms of how the United States is perceived around the world.”

Is it just me, or do you think hearing such talk all day long at the White House is a bad thing for Obama? It does explain a few things about how his agenda is going these days. The man is surrounded by toadies and as a result is clueless when it comes to America.

But now Plouffe and Jarrett can join forces and add a full wit to the administration.

Good News from the House

HR 1026
The "BRIDGE" resolution
Two names for a new idea from members of the House.

Here are the three main points (not 2,000 pages...yet)
1- Make E-Verify Mandatory and hold the employer AND employee accountable for fraudulent employment documents.
2- Secure the boarder.
3- Reject amnesty for those who are here illegally.

This is an important move right now because many politicians aren't talking about it. They still fear Latino backlash, which means they are avoiding the issue.

The Tea Party movement is solid on the issue within the ranks, but the politicians who are joining the parade are timid to talk about it. That needs to change.

I'm trying to get a straight answer from a gubernatorial candidate in Illinois. He's a great candidate named Adam Andrzejewski (only slightly harder than Blagojevich).

I've e-mailed his campaign twice, asking what Adam would do about illegal aliens in Illinois. No one has responded. Nothing on his website about it. For me, it's a matter of courage and integrity to take a stand.

On the other hand, there is a House candidate named Joe Walsh. He mentions it in his radio ad. He wants mandatory E-Verify because it is right for our country. Sadly, I can't vote for Walsh. Wrong district.

So, take courage politicians. Speak up on the immigration issue. Or risk being bundled with the timid. Not exactly a leadership trait.

Here are the details about BRIDGE:
January 21, 2010 2:15 PM

Washington, DC—Today a bipartisan group led by freshman Members of Congress introduced a resolution seeking to bridge the political divide between parties on the issue of immigration by outlining some of the key principles that should guide immigration reform. Representatives Chaffetz (R-UT), Kratovil (D-MD), Hunter (R-CA), and Nye (D-VA) were joined by 18 of their colleagues on H. Res. 1026 the Bipartisan Reform of Immigration through Defining Good Enforcement (“BRIDGE”) Resolution.

The BRIDGE Resolution reaffirms that the continued peace, prosperity, liberty, and national security of the United States depend upon effective immigration enforcement policies which both welcome lawful immigrants and also prevent individuals from entering or remaining in the U.S. illegally.

Specifically, the resolution states that Congress should:
· make E-Verify mandatory for all employers, and hold employees accountable as well;
· provide sufficient border infrastructure and manpower to secure and control our borders; and,
· reject amnesty and any legal status which pardons those here in violation of our laws.

“Our government has a duty and responsibility to make our first immigration priority the enforcement of existing laws by ensuring that illegal behavior is punished, not rewarded,” said Rep. Chaffetz. “Any discussion of comprehensive immigration reform must begin with a renewed commitment to enforce our immigration laws. We need to remove the incentives that encourage illegal behavior if we expect to get immigration under control.”

“We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. The immigration reform debate must start with both an acknowledgement of the historical and contemporary importance of immigration to our nation and a renewed commitment to the rule of law,” said Rep. Kratovil. “This resolution calls for Congress to take a common sense approach to immigration reform: enforcing the rules already on the books, punishing those who knowingly choose to violate them, and opposing any plans that reward or incentivize illegal behavior at the expense of those who are trying to play by the rules.”

“Our national and economic security continues to be undermined by our porous borders and the inconsistent enforcement of existing immigration laws,” said Rep. Hunter. “The immigration reform debate must not be dictated by misguided calls for open borders or amnesty. The American people expect security to be a priority and immigration laws to be thoroughly enforced in our communities and the workplace. This resolution reiterates these principles, which should be the basis for immigration reform.”

Complete list of original cosponsors:
Chaffetz, J. (UT-03) - sponsor
Kratovil, F. (MD-01)
Hunter, D. (CA-52)
Nye, G. (VA-02)
Lummis, C. (WY-At large)
Fleming, J. (LA-04)
Coffman, M. (CO-06)
McClintock, T. (CA-04)
Posey, B. (FL-15)
Roe, P. (TN-01)
Harper, G. (MS-03)
Jenkins, L. (KS-02)
Barrow, J. (GA-12)
Bright, B. (AL-02)
Luetkemeyer, B. (MO-09)
Olson, P. (TX-22)
Taylor, G. (MS-04)
Murphy, P. (PA-08)
McIntyre, M. (NC-07)
Kagen, S. (WI-08)
Shuler, H. (NC-11)
Childers, T. (MS-01)
###

Should we? Can we? How?

It seems to me that much of the disconnect between Americans and their politicians can be summed up in a discussion about public policy “reform.” Every discussion ought to include open and frank debate in Congress, including these three questions: Should we? Can we? How?

Should we? This is all about fundamentals. It calls into question the Constitution. It examines the role of government, and the size of government.

Obama can’t see this part of the argument. Instead, he sees himself catching flak because his agenda isn’t progressive enough for the tastes of his more liberal friends. Examples: Afghanistan, climate change and the public option.

He gives little attention to conservatives who really want this question answered. He’s taken to marginalizing them as “tea baggers” when in fact the “Should we?” put Scott Brown in the Senate on Tuesday.

Next comes Can we? The term “government worker” has become an oxymoron. The federal government has the worst reputation of all. Can we do it? Can we carry out a new program effectively and efficiently? Past history says we can’t. Be it Homeland Security, the Office of Education or Health and Human Services there are reams of examples of waste, fraud and failure.

Lastly comes the How? How do we create the legislation required to fix the problem? Obama spends all his time and energy on How. And that question alone calls to bear fierce debate within the democratic party.

I submit that before the administration can advance any issue it needs to examine “Should we? and “Can we?” to the satisfaction of the majority of the voters. When surveys reveal that health care costs are of concern to Americans, the politicians run off with that little slice of data without really listening to the problem. Like Rahm Emanuel said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." He goes on to explain that it is an opportunity to impose your agenda and do things you thought you couldn’t do before.

Obama has clearly been opportunistic, but he has failed to consider the “Should we?” part of the equation.

Here are a couple of prime examples.

Cap-and Trade-
Should we really impose stricter emission standards? Should we really kill the coal industry in this country? Should we tax our few remaining manufacturing operations to the brink of extinction while the nations supplying our goods scoff at pollution concerns? Should we do this based on suspect data?

Can we administer this carbon credits thing? Ample cases exist where politicians and their families are benefiting as middlemen. Loopholes and unintended consequences abound. Cash for Clunkers is just one such example.


Health Care-
Should the government be involved to a greater extent than they already are in the medical decisions of Americans? Do we want national health insurance or universal health insurance or socialized medicine? Obama has changed the syntax to skirt the philosophical debate, but it doesn’t change the basic question. Do we want socialized medicine in the United States?

Here’s a “Can we?” with a long history of fraud and inefficiency. Strangely, Obama doesn’t deny those charges. Why would we want a massive new federal program designed to regulate 1/6 of the economy when Medicare, Medicaid, and EMTALA have been such disasters? What makes any of us think this program will somehow transform federal bureaucracies into well-oiled machines?

These enormous bills are fraught with loopholes and future court cases that will change the intent in a heartbeat.

Immigration-
Should we increase the number of immigrants into the United States? That is the key question. Immigration reform advocates talk of streamlining the immigration process and ramping up family unification. We are already issuing a million green cards a year? Is there a new limit?

Truth be told, the quota is still at 250,000 per year, but congress has winked at that number and created all sorts of special programs that function outside the quotas.

The real “Should we?” is this: Should we allow every foreigner to come to the United States based on his desire to live here?

And of course amnesty, another syntax problem, is a question Washington will not even ask.

The “Can we?” of immigration enforcement is a pathetic litany of failure. Commissions have made recommendations since 1981, yet we have not been able to control our borders, our visas or our work permits.

Even the deaths of 3,000 people carried live on television have failed to motivate our government to fix the problem.

It would be difficult to find a more pertinent example of the answer, “We cannot.”

How's that again?

From the Obama bunker comes an explanation by the president to George Stephanopoulos. Here's what happened in Massachusetts:

"Here's my assessment of not just the vote in Massachusetts, but the mood around the country: the same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office.

"People are angry and they are frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years." ~ Barack Obama, January 20, 2010

So...people voted for Brown because they were mad at Bush? It was voter discontent. It wasn't Obama hijacking our freedom with healthcare reform and cap-and-trade.

It was George W Bush all along.

Hmmmm.

Year Two

Just in case Obama wants any advice…

1) Fire Rahm Emanuel. He’s far too volatile. And you don’t need a Chief-of-Staff telling you, “You’re the President. You can do whatever you want.”

2) Fire David Axelrod. David can win you elections, but he knows nothing about governance.

3) Fire Valerie Jarrett. She’s like comfort food to you, but she’s not an advisor who will tell you what you need to hear.

4) Put Joe Biden on The Hill and keep an eye on him. He’s nowhere as good as Lyndon was for JFK, but he’ll have to do.

5) Fire Desiree Rogers. Like 1, 2, and 3, Desiree is a sign of Carteritis. You need savvy beltway operatives to work the street for you, not Chicago Machine hacks.

6) Remember the old saying, “Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel”? Well, there’s a new one. “Never throw a blogger to the ground.”

7) Learn to communicate with Fox News. Their ratings are really quite high.

8) A “Date Certain” in Afghanistan was a bad idea. Don’t ever go there again.

9) Learn to admit when you are wrong and never hesitate to apologize.

10) Gibbs needs information and permission to share it. Giving him deniability isn’t fair to him or the nation. He looks like a fool. Just as you do not want to be worse than Jimmy Carter, Gibbs doesn’t want to be another Scott McClellan.

11) Your crisis management stinks! For example, if you dissect the crotch bomber fiasco you will see mixed messages from Napolitano, yourself, and Brennan that required significant backpedaling for ten days.

12) Jimmy Carter was blinded by human rights. Don’t be fooled into thinking that terrorists appreciate the mercy of the American justice system. Nor do Americans find it amusing that you are trying terrorists in our courts. You will rue the day you let Holder talk you into it.

13) One cannot govern by obeying the polls, but disregarding them is just as foolhardy. You clearly want to take America somewhere it does not want to go when it comes to health care reform and cap-and-trade.

14) There may be something to this Tea Party thing. After all, they filled the Mall. You need to find a better response to them than sending out people to call them homophobes, racists, tea baggers, birthers and rightwing whackjobs. The more you try to marginalize them through name-calling, the stronger they become.

15) Enough already with your theological affirmative action. It is OK to say the words, “Islamic extremist” now and then if the situation warrants it.

16) You cannot remain Mr. Secrets. Practice openness and transparency. You’d be surprised at the trust you receive in return.

17) Your shot across the bow to companies that hire illegal aliens was a good first move. The time has come to call your bets. Very public fines and lawsuits need to follow. Don’t be afraid to deport illegal aliens as well. A show of deterrence is required.

18) Call a truce in your war on the wealthy. We could use the jobs.

Scott Brown Wins

Great news from Massachusetts. Scott Brown won the special election for the Senate seat.

Was it a referendum on Obamacare?

Was it a message to Obama that his ultra-liberal agenda has gone too far?

Or was Martha just a weak candidate who got in trouble and waited too long to sound the alarm?

Each will have his own answer to those questions.

Watch for:
~Challenges to the election results.
~Foot-dragging on the canvas and certification.
~Procedural games by Harry Reid to push through Obamacare before the 27th so Obama can brag at the state of the union broadcast.

Congratulations to Brown for running a strong campaign.

Missing-The Democrats

The democrats used to be the party of the working man. You wouldn't know it. Obama was making fun of Scott Brown campaigning in his old pick-up truck.

I couldn't help but think of another Brown, Jerry Brown of California. Politically he was (and is) a big mistake. But his signature was an old sedan rather than a limo with a chauffeur. I guess that role has been reversed.

Take a look at the Scott Brown rally held on Sunday. He hosted athletes rather than politicians. Here are a bunch of people in t-shirts (tails out) cheering on their candidate.

http://wbztv.com/local/senate.race.brown.2.1432794.html

The introductions aren't scripted. There's a band playing in the background.

If you didn't know, you'd think Brown was the democrat and Coakley the republican.

No wonder Obama is calling for a more populist feel among democrats.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011900191.html

Gee, when throwing epithets around, like "tea bagger," "birther," "homophobe" and "racist" don't seem to be working...maybe it's time to rework the message. Eh, Mr. President?

The Black Pot Award

The Black Pot Award for Absurd Hypocrisy goes to President Obama for the remark he made Sunday about Republican Candidate Scott Brown.

"Martha's opponent already is walking in lockstep with Washington Republicans."

Obama actually said this with a straight face as he personally stumped for her in order to save his democrat agenda.

After the parade of democrats around the country rushing to her aid.

After millions of DNC dollars have been dumped into her campaign.

After Obama sends strategists to Boston to help her.

And Obama is saying Scott Brown is in "lockstep" with the national party.

Wow, how dumb does he think we are?

Marsha's...er Martha's endorsements

Today's election day in Massachusetts. As the dems are wont to call it, "To fill Ted Kennedy's seat in the Senate." And they continue to call it that even after being told that it sounds rather un-American. But they cling to the dynasty.

So, who from the Kennedy family steps forward to give the blessing to Martha Coakley?

Well, there's Patrick Kennedy. He's a fair representative of the Kennedy values, carrying on Teddy's moral standard when it comes to addictions. He's not exactly like Ted; he prefers cocaine and Oxycontin.

Patrick's most recent rehab tune-up was just last year. (I think that is #3 for him. Smooth move, voters of Rhode Island.)

He's had his troubles with women as well, but at least he hasn't ever had a wife to use as a doormat.

The Catholic Church will not allow Patrick to take communion. He says it is because of his pro-abortion stand.

Then there's Vicki herself; Teddy's second wife. I guess I'd question her judgment about candidates, knowing she married Teddy with a full understanding of his infidelity and alcoholism. She may have been 22 years younger, be she wasn't a kid at the time.

Nice endorsements.

Then there's that great patriot, John Kerry. He likes Martha as well.

Then again, what do voters know (or care) about the political figures of our day? What difference does this make to an ACORN fanatic? Or an SEIU stooge who is paid to campaign for Martha?

And what difference does it make to the 118,000 Boston voters who reside in cemeteries?

Is the Secret Service Mad at Obama?

Watch this video of a heckler during Obama's stump for Martha Coakley in Boston last night.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/politics/state_politics/heckler-removed-during-president-obamas-speech-at-coakley-event

Note that it took over 1:40 to remove him from the hall.

I'll supply the fantasy audio here, with references to the time on the video:

0:25 Larry- "Maybe we can mosh pit him out of here."

Curly- "Soitenly. I'll get on the other side of him."

0:35 Obama- "We're doin' OK."

0:54 Moe- "Here. I'll get in front of him. Now, everyone to the LEFT. 1-2-3."

Larry- "This ain't working. We've all got to move the same way."

1:07 Shemp- "Hey, why don't you take the sign from him?"

Curly- "Good idea. Hey sir, can I borrow your poster?"

1:10 Obama- "We're doin' fine."

1:22 Moe- "Hey guys. Look at this. If you grab his arm and hold on you can pull him."

Shemp- "Like this?"

Moe- "Sort of. But you have to make a fist."

1:40 Larry- "We gotta remember this. It works like a charm."

I'll bet they were wishing Michael Meehan, Obama's appointment for the Broadcast Board of Governors, were on duty last night. He knows how to handle anyone who disagrees with the democrats.

Seriously, by my count it took one cop in uniform (the local scapegoat) and six Secret Service agents over a minute and a half to take out one heckler.

Do they hate BHO because he threw them under the bus over the state dinner? Or does he have some special rules of engagement for the SS?

Whatever the reason, it wasn't very impressive.

Softballs and Soft Targets

First the softball. Haiti relief. All Obama has to do is commit our resources and send the Clintons to the tarmac at Port-au-Prince and he makes out like a bandit.

I mean, seriously; who is going to criticize him for sending help? And the few that do will be eaten alive by the rest of the country. Obama can let someone else fight that battle and remain above the fray.

And we all know Obama could use a win right now.

Now, the soft target. Obama does a cameo for Martha Coakley in Boston.

Venue: Cabot Center (NU campus)

Audience: 1,500. Most high school gyms will hold that many. Actually, the capacity of Cabot is 2,500 but they said attendance was 1,500. I'll spot them the extra 1,000 as a layout problem.

Then again, they claim another 2,500 attended at remote locations with video feed.

But where is the man who packed 2,000,000 in Grant Park? Or 20,000+ in Germany? Where's the rock star draw power?

After all, the list below of indoor venues in Boston indicate that much larger facilities were available.

Area's Largest Sports Facilities
(ranked by maximum seating capacity)

Fleet Center 18,624
Worcester Centrum Centre 14,800
Sylvio Conte Forum 8,500
Paul Tsongas Arena 6,500 (Ooh! Named for a Democrat.)
Matthews Arena 6,000 (also an NU facility)
Reggie Lewis Athletic Center 5,000
Walter Brown Arena 3,806
Hart Center 3,600
Clark Athletic Center 3,500
Cabot Center 2,500

Cabot Center was clearly a soft target. Add 1,500 college students making noise and you've got a nice "sixth man" for the photo op.

But it's best not to call twenty-somethings an Obama shoe-in. This graphic shows the mindset of Harvard students in November of last year:

Even in a small hall with rabid admirers Obama seemed off his game. Maybe someone finally told him things are not going well for his administration. The "unprecedented" president is looking strangely mortal at the moment.

Cue the disgruntled family

Don’t they look angry? Disgusted? Sad? In motion they are shaking their heads and looking at one another with puzzled looks.

Why would Republican Scott Brown be so greedy and insensitive? Why would he boast that he would derail the Obama agenda if he replaced Teddy Kennedy in the US Senate?

Well, this family’s disgruntling(?) knows no bounds. They are also disgusted that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn would even think of raising taxes by 50%.

Does this fine family own homes in Illinois and Massachusetts? And are they always that angry looking?

Dan Hynes ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh2qvC2HVSc&NR=1

Martha Coakley ad:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoN0POyQPtU