June 30, 2010

Franken gets it

Al Franken, clueless lefty, finally gets it. Known for his boisterous tirades and his angry brand of anti-conservative illogical, Franken has been on his game during the hearings for Supreme Court judicial nominee Elena Kagan. The thing is, it looks like his game isn't really politics.

June 29, 2010

Senator Byrd Replacement By Decree

According to Jim Geraghty at National Review, while West Virginia law seemingly indicates a special election must be held to replace the deceased Senator,  it's not likely to happen:
You and I look at a West Virginia state law that declares an election must be called if a vacancy occurs more than two-and-a-half years before a term expires, and note that Byrd’s term would have had two-and-a-half years left as of next week — July 3, and so we conclude, there ought to be a Senate election in 2010.
(emphasis added)

Blogging - I'm back in business, sorta...

I'm back, at least temporarily. My regular job and personal life have been over-filled lately and I fully expect that to continue throughout July.  However, I will try my best to not let 4 days pass without a post again.  June has been my least productive blog month in 20 months of blogging.  There's been a lot to write about and I've missed a lot of interesting events to blog about and a lot of ideas I've had have just slipped by without even being noted on a napkin.

Due to expected time constraints, some of my posts over the next month might be a bit short and won't fully reflect my thoughts on subjects, but I'll do my best to be as succinct as possible.  For example, see the following post.

June 24, 2010

Say it with me - Republicans are the party of...



(and proudly).

Since the GOP are going to be portrayed in the mid-terms as the party of 'no', I say they co-opt the message.

"When ideas are bad, saying 'no' is good."
"GOP - the party of 'no more'."
"No, means NO!"
"Saying no to tyranny has always been our strong suit."
"The party of No socialists."
"Democrats are the party of NO good ideas, we're still the better choice."
Something along those lines.

June 23, 2010

Obama's No-win Situation With McChrystal

When President Obama first came to the Presidency, there were a lot of no-lose situations for the President - no matter what he did there were good outcomes at least possible for him politically.  Not so today.  His polling numbers down, the President was faced with a no-win situation in the form of General McChrystal's Rolling Stone interview/article.

Obama Moves The Earth for G20

In preparation for the upcoming G20 summit, President Obama has had the earth moved.
An earthquake has rocked buildings and sent people fleeing into the streets in an area ranging across a large swath of Central Canada and the U.S.

There also reports that the quake was felt in Montreal, Windsor, Ottawa and Toronto. New York City and parts of several U.S. states also felt the tremor.

Natural Resources Canada has confirmed a "minor" quake struck the region.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center, the quake measured 5.5 in magnitude
Who says power hasn't gone to his head? 

June 22, 2010

If only The One could stop that oil from flowing into the Gulf

President Obama - the messiah, the post-racial, post-partisan transformative figure that humbly proclaimed of his own nomination as Democratic candidate for President in St. Paul Minnesota on June 3, 2008 (emphasis added);
...I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals...
I guess that oil pouring out of the earth and into the ocean is part of that planetary healing...

June 21, 2010

MSNBC's QB is the WH.

You already know this to be true, but the contempt and arrogance displayed in the last 10 seconds of this video still make it a must see.

Via Breitbart,



After the November elections, maybe the Tea Parties can turn their energies to MSNBC for a couple of months. I'm sure it wouldn't take much effort to get there 3,610 viewers to wake up and turn the channel.

Mortgage Foreclosures: Merely Delayed

Back in April I had meant to write a column about mortgage foreclosures and the effects of the Democrats not really solving the problem but merely delaying it.  But I didn't write it, so it's too late to say 'I told you so'.

June 18, 2010

The GOP is scanning my brain!

Back on May 30th I created and posted this video about President Obama's itinerary since the oil spill happened. Obviously he's been occupied elsewhere.



On June 16th, the GOP, ran with the idea in the video below and have already generated more than one thousand times the traffic that I did - with their slick fancy graphics and big budget and natural audience. Am I jealous? No. I think it's a good message to show people and I really don't think the GOP is checking out my youtube videos.



The obviousness of the point precludes the GOP stealing it from anyone - everyone knows the President is asleep at the wheel on the oil spill. Or should I say busy on the golf course?

Attention Coast Guard: Are You Kidding Me?

From ABC News,
Sixteen barges sat stationary today, although they were sucking up thousands of gallons of BP's oil as recently as Tuesday. Workers in hazmat suits and gas masks pumped the oil out of the Louisiana waters and into steel tanks. It was a homegrown idea that seemed to be effective at collecting the thick gunk.
"These barges work. You've seen them work. You've seen them suck oil out of the water," said Jindal.
So why stop now?
"The Coast Guard came and shut them down," Jindal said. "You got men on the barges in the oil, and they have been told by the Coast Guard, 'Cease and desist. Stop sucking up that oil.'"
...But the Coast Guard ordered the stoppage because of reasons that Jindal found frustrating. The Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges.
The governor said he didn't have the authority to overrule the Coast Guard's decision, though he said he tried to reach the White House to raise his concerns.
Bureaucracy is truly choking America.

Stand Up

I cancelled the Friday Musical Interlude, so I'm on the record this doesn't count. But I was told about this video and I just had to share it.

Conservative rock is always worth pointing out, but especially when it's catchy and it samples Reagan.

June 17, 2010

Wait, who pays for laid off oil rig workers?

After meeting with President Obama, BP agreed to set aside a special $100 million to compensate oil workers laid off as a result of President Obama's six month moratorium on deep water drilling. Why does it feel more and more like the United States is operating at the whims of an emperor?

June 16, 2010

The Obama oil spill speech - what did we learn?

Last night's speech by President Obama on the oil spill was pretty much what I had predicted it would be. Act tough, blame BP, focus on the money first because they don't have a solution to the real problem of oil continuing to pour into the Gulf of Mexico.  But the President's speech showed us a great deal more than just a sorry excuse for an oil spill response.

June 15, 2010

Fox News Canada? Awesome, Eh?

The media in Canada are going to be beside themselves with anger, fear, bile and what have you but for Canadian conservatives, Fox News possible arrival is an overdue welcome piece of news. 

Obama to say nothing meaningful tonight

It would be absolutely pointless for the President to go on the air tonight to speak to the American people while having nothing meaningful to say about the oil spill, right?  That doesn't mean he won't do it. The President will probably have a lot to say tonight but I doubt very much of it is going to be meaningful.  What he does say will likely amount to a bunch of promises about the future that aren't directly relevant to the current crisis.  If ever there was an instance of someone viewing a situation through only their own lenses, this has to be it.

June 14, 2010

Obama, 3 a.m. and the long walk from leadership

Is it just me, or will the President's switch from seeming nonchalance on the oil spill to one of potential face-time overkill something that isn't likely going to help his popularity too much?  He's dug himself a hole and there is no easy climb out of it here.

When Liberals Attack

Disturbing footage of liberal rage combined with a lack of situational awareness and facts - Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC) Attacks College Student (courtesy of The Blast):



Not as potent as some of his very liberal votes, but scary nonetheless.

June 10, 2010

8 reasons the GOP hasn't just shot itself in the foot

Writing in The Daily Beast, Peter Beinart argues that with the recent spate of conservative Republican victories, beating out seemingly more electable moderate candidates, the GOP has shot itself in the foot. That view is myopic. Here's why.

June 9, 2010

Those Darned 'Special Interests'

I'd love to put together a montage of liberals, Democrats and progressives complaining about or assailing the special interests that they are fighting. Okay, maybe not.  It would drive me batty.  It must be uttered in a sound bite a dozen times a day.  I'm actually getting sick of hearing those two words in sequence.  Most often they don't name the special interests because a fictionalized demon works better than a named one.  The mind makes an unknown more sinister than reality and they rely on our imaginations to do the dirty work and then come onside with them.

June 8, 2010

Primary Day - VOTE

If you are in any of the following states, make sure your voice is heard in the primaries that are being held today.  The links below offer some interesting insights into the various races - if you are a political junkie, they are worth checking out.

California

New Jersey

Nevada

South Carolina

Iowa

Maine

Montana

North Dakota

South Dakota

Virginia

Predictions anyone?

Well, I was wrong

Way back on December 26, 2008, I wrote that Moveon fails Economics 101. I was wrong.

June 7, 2010

Keynesian Debt and Inflation Crisis

Is inflation inevitable? Maybe. Is America bankrupting itself? It sure seems that way, and that in itself is likely to contribute to hyper-inflation as the government struggles to manage its debt.

June 5, 2010

Obama Getting Tough When The Getting Is Politically Necessary

Stories like this that attempt to portray the President in a positive light used to make my head spin with their unbelievable bias.  Now I look at this sort of journalism storytelling from the AP as merely self-defeating for liberalism.  They aren't fooling too many people any more. And on some level they do seem to be figuring that out.

Helen Thomas has an agenda

White House Press Correspondent Helen Thomas has been covering Presidents since President Eisenhower.  That's a long time, and you'd think she'd know better than to get herself into a bit  of hot water over a recent statement she made.  It turns out,with the smallest bit of research, the reason for her statement is fairly obvious.

June 4, 2010

Confirmed - unemployment rate helped by census workers

From the we're all czars now file, the unemployment rate did indeed drop from 9.9 to 9.7% in the latest job figures. Good news right?  Not really. What I wrote earlier:
"411,000 of the 431,000 [corrected from 430,000 I reported earlier] jobs added in the latest BLS unemployment report were apparently census worker jobs."
is being reported elsewhere.  Here for example.

That's the best the government can kick in right now? Unimpressive given the likely cost. It looks like President Obama is at the mercy of the free market on jobs for this election cycle. That would be the same free market he has consistently shown disdain towards, despite the occasional lip service.

But keep in mind the setbacks to the President are just that - setbacks, not defeat. Once everyone is a czar of something, unemployment numbers won't matter.

Just heard - latest "jobs created"

From a Buffalo CBS radio report:

411,000 of the 430,000 jobs added in the latest BLS unemployment report were apparently census worker jobs.

Part time and temporary. Yeah that's good.

Confirmation pending. So too real jobs it seems.

June 3, 2010

No posts today

There is plenty to post about but my day job is keeping me busy.

And it's a shame because there is so much to comment on - BP's bill from the government, Sestak, Jindal and Romanoff, to name a few.

Regular blogging will continue tomorrow. I hope.

June 2, 2010

Oil Spill Implications For US Oil Production

According to a seemingly not well publicized Bloomberg report last week, President Obama's ban on deep water drilling has serious implications for future US oil output;
May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Energy companies are scrambling to cope with the extension of a deep-water drilling ban, a situation many never foresaw before BP Plc’s oil well began spewing crude into the Gulf of Mexico last month.

President Barack Obama yesterday said the suspension is being lengthened by six months and work on 33 exploratory wells will be halted. The decision follows an April 20 rig explosion that killed 11 workers and sent oil from BP’s Macondo well gushing toward the U.S. coast.

Companies can’t plan for an event such as the extended moratorium, said Gene Shiels, a spokesman for oilfield-services provider Baker Hughes Inc., based in Houston. The industry may move personnel and equipment to other markets, such as Brazil and West Africa, and may see job losses, he said.

“The spill is like the 1,000-year flood: it’s the worst- case scenario,” said Brian Youngberg, an analyst with Edward Jones in St. Louis. “It’s hard to prepare for those extreme situations like that.”

Obama also dropped plans to open waters off the coast of Virginia to drilling, canceled a lease sale in the Gulf, and suspended the permitting process for Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s planned wells off of Arctic Alaska. He said new safety rules will be imposed on offshore drilling.

U.S. oil output may be cut by 160,000 barrels a day next year as a result of the ban, according to Deutsche Bank AG. A one-year delay to deep-water projects would reduce global supplies by 500,000 barrels a day between 2013 and 2017, Sanford C. Bernstein said.
[Emphasis added.]

Needless to say, that's not a good thing.

I have a question for environmentalists about Al Gore

Note: I don't want to seem like I'm piling on here, given his recent separation. That may in part explain away my question. But not entirely. Marital problems don't spring up overnight and Al Gore during the course of those personal issues (however long that may have been) has been in the public eye and working on other things. But not lately. Which leads me to my question.


I have questions for environmentalists about Obama

If you believe Obama is a green President, and the White House is directing BP, then why hasn't he ordered the explosive destruction of the well at the source?
As BP prepares to lower a four-story, 70-ton dome over the oil gusher under the Gulf of Mexico, the Russians — the world’s biggest oil producers — have some advice for their American counterparts: nuke it.

Komsomoloskaya Pravda, the best-selling Russian daily, reports that in Soviet times such leaks were plugged with controlled nuclear blasts underground. The idea is simple, KP writes: “the underground explosion moves the rock, presses on it, and, in essence, squeezes the well’s channel.”
I'm not convinced the effort would require a nuclear detonation.  Something substantially smaller and localized could possibly do the trick.  I'm not even convinced it would necessarily work.  But it could stop the flow. It wouldn't take months - the US wouldn't have to wiat for BP either.  The federal government does have explosives.  But it would cost BP billions in lost revenue and alternate development costs. BP donated big to Obama's presidential campaign.

June 1, 2010

Sarah Palin: Israeli Flotilla: Don’t Take Mainstream Media Coverage at Face Value

Sarah Palin: Israeli Flotilla: Don’t Take Mainstream Media Coverage at Face Value


BAM!

UPDATE:

Finally! Eric Holder Takes Action

Eric Holder came to his senses today and started acting like an independent Attorney General and decided to launch an investigation and potentially prosecute anyone found guilty in the Sestak bribery scandal.  Holder has finally stood up and decided to go after illegal activity despite the political implications.

Eric Holder today did not start acting like an independent Attorney General and decided to launch an investigation and potentially prosecute anyone found guilty in the BP oil spill. Holder has NOT stood up and decided to go after activity based on the potential political implications.

One must applaud his fortitude in these trying circumstances.  It figures.
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