J's Cafe Nette

Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

Well done!

Via, Instapundit:

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Adulthood:

“We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice — that is, until we have stopped saying it got lost, and say, I lost it.” – Sidney J. Harris

Adolescent Behavior:

MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) – A year after his historic election, President Barack Obama sought to remind Americans on Wednesday the biggest problems he is grappling with — from the economy to the war in Afghanistan — are the legacy of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

[all emphasis-admin]

It’s time to man up.

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There are many thoughts out there on the web today addressing the IOC’s decision to place an American city dead last in the voting to award the 2016 Olympic Games.

The range of emotions and discussion is wide, with most in agreement that they thought a win for Chicago was in the bag when Barack Obama chose to make the trip to Copenhagen. In a lunchtime conversation today, I said much the same.

Given the belief in their own press regarding popularity and rock star quality, why would this White House risk this whirlwind visit without some assurance of success? What would possess this President to inject himself into this process if there was no guarantee of at least a face saving, close vote? Think for a moment. This man has taken no personal responsibility for anything since assuming office. Why then would he risk not only his but his wife’s credibility on the Olympics?

The answer is quite simple I believe. They honestly thought, not because they represented America, but because of who they are, there was no way they could lose. It can be spun any way they wish. It is humiliating for them and for America at their hand.

The best case scenario would be that there were lessons learned here. The world does not fall in love with one man and his spouse just because the American press tells them to.

Believing you are all powerful because a small percentage of the worlds population elevated you to any office is foolish.

Leadership begins with understanding limitations, a lesson which this administration has yet to grasp.

While others celebrate what they perceive wasted political clout on the part of Barack Obama (a notion with which I heartily agree), I view this situation a bit differently.

The Olympic Games are but a small cog in the wheel of world politics. America took a beating down today in that venue and for that, I am never happy.

Worse, that defeat came at the hands of those who should have known their place and stayed put at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

What a shame that it was at this moment they finally decided to sing the praises of America only to see their efforts soundly rebuked.

Lesson learned? We’ll see, but I don’t hold out much hope.

(Update): What Rush had to say:

When you dumb down the Office of the President of the United States, you take the country with you. Sad.

(Update 2) Surprise! The New York Times gets it:

COPENHAGEN — President Obama not only failed to bring home the gold, he could not even muster the silver or bronze.

A dramatic 20-hour mission across the ocean to persuade the International Olympic Committee to give the 2016 Summer Games to Chicago proved such a miscalculation that his adopted hometown finished fourth of four candidate cities.

Rarely has a president put his credibility on the line on the world stage in such a personal way and been slapped down so sharply in real time. While Chicago may have lost to Rio de Janeiro for all sorts of reasons that had nothing to do with Mr. Obama, the fact that he made himself the face of the city’s bid invariably meant it would be taken as a stinging rejection of its favorite son.

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Hypocrisy revealed, (again), courtesy of Naked Emperor News:

HT: Breitbart

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Contrary to what the press or politicians on the left profess:

We are not Nazis, we are not racists, we are not mobsters….

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One of the stepping stones toward earning respect is trust.

Unfortunately, as shown at Political Punch, it appears the steps taken are backward:

At a rally in Holmdel, New Jersey, today, President Obama continued making a promise about health care reform that he has acknowledged isn’t literally true.

“Let me be exactly clear about what health care reform means to you,” the president told residents of the Garden State. “First of all, if you’ve got health insurance, you like your doctors, you like your plan, you can keep your doctor, you can keep your plan. Nobody is talking about taking that away from you.”

But last month, as the president acknowledged during a press conference, he doesn’t literally mean that you are guaranteed to be able to keep your health care plan, and your doctor, if and when health care reform passes. [emphasis-admin]

Oh heck, we’ll never get to the bottom of this hurry-up plan the administration and some in Congress are prepared to ram down our throats until and if it is signed into law. How can we when the person who so desperately wants results can’t be trusted to repeat the same story twice?

Enough of that.

There’s so much thrown at us out of Washington these days that it takes forever [and an awful lot of energy] to distinguish fact from fiction.

Right now we could all use a dose of “just the facts” and I know just the guy to get them [and not a bad sidekick in this instance either].

Enjoy!

Now, wasn’t that fun?

I know. I said enough. However, I spotted this after wrapping up this post.

Interesting. The stakes are high. A leaked whip list suggests fifty progressive (read liberal) members of the House are prepared to vote against the health care bill if it doesn’t contain a “robust” public option. Moderates, or Blue Dogs, are worried about too robust a public option that will not play well in their districts and possibly undermine existing health care options. The plot thickens, as a new report from the Senate says no bi-partisan compromise coming this week.

It could be the ray of sunshine some of us are hoping for if it pans out in the end.

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Judging from the interview Sarah Palin granted the Washington Times it appears she will not leave the political stage but rather stick around and campaign for those she feels will do right by the country:

The former Republican vice-presidential nominee and heroine to much of the GOP’s base said in an interview she views the electorate as embattled and fatigued by nonstop partisanship, and she is eager to campaign for Republicans, independents and even Democrats who share her values on limited government, strong defense and “energy independence.”

“I will go around the country on behalf of candidates who believe in the right things, regardless of their party label or affiliation,” she said over lunch in her downtown office, 40 miles from her now-famous hometown of Wasilla — population 7,000 — where she began her political career.

“People are so tired of the partisan stuff — even my own son is not a Republican,” said Mrs. Palin, who stunned the political world earlier this month with her decision to step down as governor July 26 with 18 months left in her term.

After the beating she and her family have taken at the hands of not only many in the biased, disgraceful press, pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle, who could have faulted her if she had decided to leave politics for good.

I for one am pleased that she will continue on the political stage. What her overall, long term ambitions are remain to be seen, but in the meantime she should be applauded for her stamina and willingness to take on those who do nothing more than seek to destroy those with whom they disagree.

Related: A must read at Sister Toldjah’s place.

Also, for a comprehensive list of Governor Palin’s accomplishments go here.

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If you have chosen to read what is quoted below, you may wish to read the rest.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let’s just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I’m busy. I’m busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we’re morons.

*Update:
Stephen Green offers his thoughts on the direction our country appears to be headed at the moment.

The final sentence of his post tells the whole story.

Those stories will begin with: “Once upon a time there was a land called America.”

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Dr. Thomas Sowell does it again.

The topic this time, Judge Sonia Sotomayer and her prospective appointment to the United States Supreme Court:

In Washington, the clearer a statement is, the more certain it is to be followed by a “clarification” when people realize what was said. The clearly racist comments made by Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the Berkeley campus in 2001 have forced the spinmasters to resort to their last-ditch excuse, that it was “taken out of context.”

There’s a lot of that going around these days. The phrase “taken out of context”, joins misunderstood, not exactly what was meant, or my personal favorite, you can take it any way you wish.

Dr. Sowell also addresses another matter which most have shown no inclination to tackle:

What could such statements possibly mean– in any context– other than the new and fashionable racism of our time, rather than the old-fashioned racism of earlier times? Racism has never done this country any good, and it needs to be fought against, not put under new management for different groups.

To that I simply say, Amen!

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Color me shocked, shocked I tell you! Not.

It’s an AP piece so we don’t want to find ourselves charged for quoting their words, but in a nutshell, it’s all the fault of the Republicans.

Their powers are amazing…gee now they can force the Speaker of the House to condemn the intelligence community, put forth four different explanations for her words and then turn the venom towards a former President.

Now that’s some trick.

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My grandmother used to say you don’t get far in this life without
common sense.

Well…..

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Talk and more talk everywhere about where and how the Republican party has gone wrong.

Given the events of the past few months and the beating we have taken from the negativity coming out of our own White House, it would no doubt do well for the party to take a page out of Big Mitch’s book and “Stand Up For America”:

Be positive, tell us what is good and strong about our country.

Wave the American Flag.

Challenge the negativity, if not with policy then with words, real words which define America and Americans.

Respect those who have joined in tea parties. Make your appearance on news programs and tell people how proud you are to stand with those who challenge this Administration.

Better yet, as elected officials, arrange a few of these gatherings yourselves.

Talk about our troops. Put them back into the hearts and minds of those who may have forgotten.

And, oh yes, those “Bible Thumping Christians,” they had better be a strong part of this movement or the foundation upon which this country was built will crumble even further.

We’ve lost something recently in this country. Republicans have a chance to begin to give it back.

We just need to find the right person to go back to the fundamentals. Not just fiscal policy. Not social programs. Not even foreign policy at the moment, but addressing the Constitution and all our Forefathers envisioned for this Nation.

For just a moment make it about country and not politics..it just might work.

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Sometimes, late night conversations are the best. When you can go from muffins, to education, to grandchildren, to politics, you about have it covered don’t you think?

I am taking a bit of liberty here to tell you of a talk ~J~ and I had in the wee hours of this morning.

Was I still interested in blogging was the question ~J~ posed to me. Did I want to continue or was I simply willing to go on out of some sense of obligation to a friend?

The reply was simple. I have always enjoyed working with ~J~ here at the Cafe but lately it has become increasingly difficult to find topics of interest which do not include the name Obama, and that folks is simply getting very old.

Gosh, when was the last time (not just in the past few months but the two years prior) that you went through a day without hearing the name Obama? Think quick…ah, didn’t think you could remember.

Perhaps we just don’t understand. Maybe hip and cool has indeed replaced dignity and honor. Could it be that most citizens want to have our government control most facets of their lives?

Have we come to a place where America’s strengths and her symbols are no longer what we look to in times of trouble? Instead, we crave the equivalent of a rock star (with little or no experience) to steady our ship?

Have you heard anyone in this administration express how appreciative they are to be living in the beautiful home we gratefully pay for? Last I recall, an escape was necessary, as life in the White House was too constraining.

And, on and on, and on..teleprompters, abs, fashion, Oprah, Leno, weekend vacations at Camp David, congo lines, very expensive steak, vegetable gardens and did I mention legislation which neither Congress fully read nor did Mr. Obama prior to affixing his signature to what is now law?

Long story short, we will continue to plug along here at the Cafe.
If there is something of substance which has not be addressed in a million other places (and this is speaking for me), then it will be worthy of a post, otherwise it is nothing more than regurgitated material.

It won’t be easy. There’s not much out there (mainstream media, not on-line sites) which either bashes former President Bush or showers glorious praise on Barack Obama, but with a little work I am certain it can be had.

There are no sour grapes here. Republicans did themselves no favors in the last election. There is much work to be done for them to rebuild themselves into viable contenders. I suppose they could begin by reinforcing the positives about America. We don’t hear much of that lately.

Guess what I am trying to convey is that we are both weary, not of blogging, not of attempting to show that every administration has its strengths and weaknesses, not of holding politicians feet to the fire when it is warranted.

The weariness comes from something much simpler. We are watching a transformation (in fast forward) of our country which will take generations to undo (if ever.)

So, on we go. For those who have hung in there with us, please continue to do so. We do appreciate your readership.

And, ~J~, hope you don’t mind that I laid a bit of our conversation out here for all to see.

I’ll wrap this post with a little Frank…all the way back in 1986 and while late in his career, he still sang this song with tons of feeling (it’s neat to see Ronald and Nancy Reagan too):

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How about this for picture of the week?

Senator DeMint has shown great courage lately through his actions in the Senate. Calling for a vote on the Fairness Doctrine as early as next week would be another moment worth watching:

Sen. Jim DeMint announced that he will force a vote next week on a bill that prevents the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.

The South Carolina Republican’s bill, the Broadcaster Freedom Act, is cosponsored by John Thune, R-S.D., and 27 others and will be offered as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights bill…

Let’s get it out in the open. America should see how each of their elected officials lean on this matter.

Cowards, huh? That’s a heck of a thing for a Attorney General of the United States to say.

Here is the best take down of Holder’s statement I have read to date.

If anyone can tie coffee, the courts and the porkfest legislation into one neat package it is Alfonzo Rachel..just watch:

Have a good weekend all. Hopefully by Monday this bug will have departed altogether. Maybe then this exhausting, exasperating monster will allow me to post something original and intelligent.

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Does this administration’s Press Secretary honestly believe members of Congress do not know each other?

“You know, the president also wanted last night to be a little bit more social, you know, so that individuals could better get to know each other and understand where they’re coming from in these legislative disagreements,” Gibbs told reporters Thursday. “But, again, you know, the president’s outreach on this will continue.”

emphasis-mine

Outreach? This man informed Republicans “I won.”

While the statement is true, this is behavior expected from a child, it is not befitting the President of the United States.

Are Republicans just supposed to roll over and play dead? Are they just to give a nod and wink to all proposals because the opposition won?

I for one am proud of the Republicans in the House for standing up to the Speaker and administration with regard to this pork laden stimulus bill. These folks are sent to Washington to fight for all Americans-not just special interests which support them in their political ambitions.

On Sunday, there will be a winner and a loser in the Super Bowl.

It’s a safe bet the majority of those interviewed from the winning team will have very complimentary things to say about their opponent.

Too bad we don’t have the same level of courtesy in Washington.

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These artistic renditions at Mother, May I Sleep With Treacher? are very clever. Keep scrolling here for more.

Perhaps I simply missed the coverage of this (I say tongue in cheek):

On Thursday, I went to visit [my sister] at her new house in West Virginia. I changed trains in DC and had about 1/1/2 hours to kill. I walked outside Union Station and found myself in the middle of a massive right-to-life demonstration. The area around the Capitol was jammed with about a half million people. I saw crowds of Catholic clergy and lay people. But, not a TV camera or journalist with a notepad in sight.

Erick Erickson reports on the state of the race for RNC Chairman:

We can be pretty sure right now that at the end of the week we won’t see Blackwell or Saltsman in the Chairman’s office. As the week goes on and more shifts in voting occur, I’ll try to update with where things stand. Today though, pay attention to Duncan and Steele.

The most we can hope for at this point is that when the new chairman is selected he understands that Democrats are in constant campaign mode. Not only do the Republicans need to play catch up, they need to begin recruiting candidates who are willing to stand up to those in opposition and have the desire to win.

Karl Rove is still making people cry.

A fable turned reality?

Now the media are utterly dependent on President Obama’s good will because they sacrificed so much — their independence, their objectivity — to get him elected. The only way for the media to reassert their independence would be by subjecting Obama to the same level of scrutiny that used to characterize the status quo relationship between the press and the government. I’m not sure they can muster the credibility for such a bold move: too many people’s eyes have been opened to the gross malpractice the press has committed during the campaign — the mainstream media’s love-fest around candidate Obama.

Read the rest. It’s a very appropriate comparison.

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Politics is a high stakes game.

At the federal level the chess matches are monumentally important as the lives of millions are at stake.

John McCain chose to play the game. He was soundly taken to game, set, match, in short order.

Exactly whose fault his loss was depends on what day of the week it is..at least according to his camp (it escapes me why they would still be discussing it):

Just when you thought Senator John McCain and his crew had finally left the scene after getting pounded last November, at least one prominent McCain operative has crawled out of his bunker long enough to blame McCain’s loss on Rush Limbaugh and conservatism.

That’s right. On January 15, 2009, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis appeared on BBC’s “Hardtalk” and credited McCain’s loss to “the Rush Limbaughs of the world who…literally almost feed the nativist attitude toward immigration reform” and the exclusivity of conservative principles.

So the McCainiacs are still trying to blame the 2008 disaster on everyone except themselves and their candidate. If you’ll remember, in the initial days and weeks after the election they were spinning the idea that it was Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin’s fault that McCain lost. Members of the McCain campaign dumped on her and McCain was nowhere to be seen. “Big Mac” proved to be but a “small fry” as he failed to come to her defense even once.

Senator McCain fails to realize that he never excited the Republican base.

Many moderate conservatives had no interest in him as a candidate. Perhaps this was based on prior actions of bucking his party in his own interest or simply because they did not trust him to introduce legislation which would adhere to conservative principles.

Given the choice of the two candidates many made a conscious choice to go for the known entity feeling left with little other option. I do not believe those who were not totally committed to either candidate did so wholeheartedly.

Senator McCain and his minions need to leave the stage at least as far as this past election is concerned.

It remains to be seen whether he decides to work in the best interest of the country or chooses the path he has so often, the one of self serving political ambition.

HT:hillbilly politics

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Remember rising in the early hours of the school day and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance?

Did you ever feel you stood a little taller as you rose to salute our flag while singing the Star Spangled Banner or as a Color Guard Passed in Review?

Most of us are taught at an early age that Old Glory is a symbol of our freedom. That freedom which we continue to enjoy today has been secured for us by men and women of all color who have sacrificed of themselves of behalf of this country and yes, in defense of the American Flag.

There could be no better example than that of Arlington National Cemetery over the Memorial Day weekend:

Some have burned the flag in protest of what they termed unjust wars.
Others in foreign nations have desecrated our national symbol in various ways.

Those here at home who have treated the flag in a less than patriotic manner may have received their fifteen minutes of fame but are soon forgotten.

Through it all and the many wars in which the Stars and Stripes have flown, there is still something which stirs within many of us. It is pride.

See, the American Flag is bigger than any of us. It represents an entire Union, one which has remained indivisible for ages. No one can take it away. Individual claim can not be laid upon it.

Red Skeleton had this to say about Old Glory:

I – - Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge – - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance – - My love and my devotion.

To the Flag – - Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody’s job.

United – - That means that we have all come together.

States – - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

And to the Republic – - Republic–a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation – - One Nation–meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible – - Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty – - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

And Justice – - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

For All – - For All–which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.

(written prior to Alaska and Hawaii being admitted into the Union)

I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag
Of The United States Of America

These are strong meaningful words and not meant to be taken lightly.

The text was not altered due to the presidential election to read:
I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag
Of The United States of Barack Obama

Folks, we better pray that no man or woman ever becomes so powerful in this country that such use of our flag is condoned.

Instead, let us praise those like this courageous flag bearing athlete at the 1980 Olympic Games:

For example, the flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. (This tradition may come from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to King Edward VII: the American flag bearer did not. Team captain Martin Sheridan is famously quoted as saying “this flag dips to no earthly king,”

[emphasis-mine]

Call me old, prudish, a republican or whatever you may, but those 50 Stars and 13 Stripes to me are very dear.

I would hope it is as relished by our incoming President and he rejects this form of hero worship.

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Mind boggling..nah.

This has become run of the mill politics and there is no end in sight.

Does anyone really believe that either party in Washington will revamp the system if they feel it will hamper their chances of maintaining or gaining power?

If you do I would really like to hear your thoughts.

Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) — The bill for the 2008 U.S. elections has been paid, and it comes out to a record $4.1 billion — almost $20 per registered voter.

That’s 37 percent more than the $3 billion spent on the 2004 campaigns by the political parties and their candidates for the White House and Congress, the latest figures from the Federal Election Commission show. The figures don’t include the millions spent by labor unions, advocacy groups and independent political organizations on behalf of candidates.

Those barrier-breaking numbers may give ammunition to those pressing President-elect Barack Obama to overhaul the way federal races are funded.

“It’s hard to eliminate the temptations of corruption that Obama has promised to change without tackling campaign finance,” said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University in New Jersey.

[emphasis-mine]

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While I may not go so far as to tar all “Liberals” with the same brush,
this post by Subsunk speaks volumes on love of country:

Well…… Welcome to the New World Order so often decried by the Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) sufferers. They say, “NOW, I love my country. NOW, I agree with what she stands for.” And why do they now love her and agree with her?

Only because their candidate for President won the election. No other reason.

Not because the United States and its citizens have warmly and openly embraced all those poor black, brown, yellow, white, red, and polka dotted people who came here legally (and also most of the illegal ones too). Not because American soldiers liberated hundreds of millions of oppressed people worldwide over the last 63 years ( I include Europe, the Former Warsaw Pact, South Korea, Japan and their former empire in the Pacific, the former Soviet Union, Iraqis, Afghanis, and Caribbean and South American nations in this liberation mix). Not because America fights Injustice and Persecution all over the world through our human rights policies and our representation of oppressed people everywhere on their behalf. Not because our churches provide more relief and food and charitable humanitarian donations to oppressed and destitute people the world over than other relief organizations worldwide, including the UN. Not because we freely trade our goods and services with and dramatically improve the lives of other nations through our research and development, and our business acumen and product development which has provided vaccines, medicine, food, clean water, expertise in all things which improve human life, including art, science, and culture. Not because we seek the Truth in the world, not for ourselves only, but to raise all Mankind up along with us. Not because we bend over backwards to put our own blood, toil, tears, and sweat to use in defending the lives of oppressed people the world over who stab us in the back at the first opportunity. No.

There is much more to this piece at the link and unfortunately I find myself in agreement with most of the thinking.

Never in my lifetime have I not believed in this country. This includes times when a sitting President was not one of my choice.

I have always been proud of be an American, of the values for which this country has stood and the freedoms we maintain.

We have survived wars, dissent, disputes, disagreements and the scorn of many of those in foreign lands for many years.

Through it all, even the times when the dissent touched my life personally, I continued and will continue to believe that there is no better place on this earth to have been raised and live out my life.

If the criteria required to love America is the party in power in Washington then we really have lost our way. Transitions in government have occurred since the inception of this land and no doubt will continue long after most of us have left this earth.

Could you imagine turning against a member of your family because their political beliefs are polar opposite of your own? If not, then how for the very same reason could you turn your back on your country?

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I did not watch Barack Obama deliver his infomercial last evening. Frankly, I wanted to enjoy the World Series and not begin it with my head ready to explode from listening to more campaign speak.

What tickled me though was to see the reaction of this AP writer in critiquing the Senator’s words:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was less than upfront in his half-hour commercial Wednesday night about the costs of his programs and the crushing budget pressures he would face in office.

Obama’s assertion that “I’ve offered spending cuts above and beyond” the expense of his promises is accepted only by his partisans. His vow to save money by “eliminating programs that don’t work” masks his failure throughout the campaign to specify what those programs are – beyond the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

This writer must not have received the memo..don’t criticize “The One.” Here’s a sample of the fiction v.fact for those who chose to partake:

THE SPIN: “That’s why my health care plan includes improving information technology, requires coverage for preventive care and pre-existing conditions and lowers health care costs for the typical family by $2,500 a year.”

THE FACTS: His plan does not lower premiums by $2,500, or any set amount. Obama hopes that by spending $50 billion over five years on electronic medical records and by improving access to proven disease management programs, among other steps, consumers will end up saving money. He uses an optimistic analysis to suggest cost reductions in national health care spending could amount to the equivalent of $2,500 for a family of four. Many economists are skeptical those savings can be achieved, but even if they are, it’s not a certainty that every dollar would be passed on to consumers in the form of lower premiums.

—

THE SPIN: “I’ve offered spending cuts above and beyond their cost.”

THE FACTS: Independent analysts say both Obama and Republican John McCain would deepen the deficit. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates Obama’s policy proposals would add a net $428 billion to the deficit over four years – and that analysis accepts the savings he claims from spending cuts. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, whose other findings have been quoted approvingly by the Obama campaign, says: “Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed tax plans that would substantially increase the national debt over the next 10 years.” The analysis goes on to say: “Neither candidate’s plan would significantly increase economic growth unless offset by spending cuts or tax increases that the campaigns have not specified.”

There are more examples at the link and it is well worth a read especially if you are one of those still undecided voters.

If you are still on the fence, perhaps you also might take a look at this:

Obama’s socialistic views about sharing our hard earned money with others who did not work so hard to earn their money or who throw their money away on drugs or something is bad enough. Scary for sure. But if you want to be terrified think of an Obama administration which uses the NSA to listen in on calls AND has a Homeland Security Army to impose its will:

“Loving your country shouldn’t just mean watching fireworks on the 4th of July,” he said. “Loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it.

As we say here in the Strata-Sphere, McCain wants to change DC, Obama wants to change America. But how?

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set,” he said Wednesday. “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.“

This man want to “change” our country. He wants “your help”..what exactly that means at this juncture is not crystal clear but when he speaks of a National Security Force..well I think it becomes a bit less foggy. Afghanistan has National Security forces, Iraq has National Security Forces. They are the equivalent of their military, but wait…we have a United States military so are we to have this force he advocates replace other law enforcement branches (police etc.)?

Folks, this might be the most radical candidate (wrapped in a cool, smiling package) we have ever had for President of the United States. If elected, Obama might change the face of this country as we know it in ways which will be difficult if not impossible to reverse.

For more reaction to what is the “doom and gloom” of this great country of ours, see here.

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Now this is the Senator McCain we have been waiting to see…more, more, more just like this sir:

“The response from Senator Obama and his campaign yesterday was to attack Joe. People are digging through his personal life and he has TV crews camped out in front of his house. He didn’t ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He wasn’t recruited or prompted by our campaign. He just asked a question. And Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks.”

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Natural disasters used as political footballs. Never!

Oh, but wait, yes they are says Ed Driscoll:

Just telling it like it is.

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It’s been a tough couple of days for the Speaker of the House.

Cindy Sheehan has secured the signatures which will qualify her to compete against the Speaker in her upcoming re-election bid.

Now that could be quite interesting to watch. Not that I expect Ms. Sheehan to to a serious threat to Ms. Pelosi, but for the fireworks which might ensue.

George Stephanopoulos on Sunday grilled Ms. Pelosi on her decision to shut down debate and not allow a vote on off shore drilling.

I’ve read the transcript in its entirety at least twice and with all of the incomplete sentences offered by the Speaker, I could not make heads nor tails of her position. Please, if you do, let me know in the comments.

And, GOP members of the House plan to continue their debate on the House floor today:

ABC News’ Viviana Hurtado Reports: House Republicans tell ABC News that at least 30 members of Congress, emboldened by Barack Obama’s “shift” on off shore drilling, are flying back to DC from their Districts today and tomorrow to attend a special debate on energy policy. This “session” is scheduled for Monday, August 4th beginning at 10 am ET. As expected, no Democrats will participate.

One House Republican says, “I’m a 25 year veteran of the U.S. Congress, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

GOP members say they would not be holding this debate tomorrow, if the Democratic nominee had not modified his position on off shore drilling.

They believe that with Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain, appearing to be in “agreement” about off shore drilling, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi should recall the Congress from recess, and put an energy bill on the floor in August.

We continue to hear that it will be 10 years before we see the benefit of drilling in Anwar and off shore. While there is a great deal of truth to that statement, it escapes me how the Speaker in her interview with Mr. Stephanopoulos blamed President Bush for a failed energy policy.

In 2002 the House and the President had a plan which would have taken at least a first step towards our energy independence.

If Congress had at least passed that legislation, we could then have moved forward towards developing other forms of energy which would begin to free our binds of substantial dependence on foreign oil.

Doing nothing is no longer an option for members of Congress if we hold their feet to the fire. Majority or minority makes no difference. Party affiliation should go out the window and as citizens we should work to make certain that those elected to represent us are earning their paycheck.

There are some very honest, intelligent, upstanding individuals elected to public office at all levels. They take an Oath of Office and do their level best to live up to that charge. But for those who do not, we must hold not only them but also ourselves accountable.

No,we have no say as to a Representative or Senator elected from a state other than our own, but we always have the availability of using email, phone or a letter to make our views known. When our citizens rise up as they have over the recent price at the pump, Washington takes notice.

After the past few days, I would bet Ms. Pelosi would agree.

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Obama-mania is in full swing, and between catching up on reading and trying to decipher the real from the fiction, my head is virtually swimming.

Frankly, I don’t give a whit if the Senator visited the wounded troops in Germany as in my mind it is his loss not theirs.

There is nothing new about the DOD regulations in regards to campaigns so I really don’t understand why there was any doubt in the Obama campaign’s mind as to who may attend and how these visits are conducted.

While he may have made a few “important” contacts while touring Europe, the Senator will find relationships may change drastically should he be elected President. Then again, should he be fortunate enough not to be a war time leader, personality and charisma may just carry the day.

In any event, the Senator is not the Commander in Chief at this moment and this whirlwind trip will no doubt be long forgotten by the time November rolls around.

That said, The Anchoress points us to a few pictures (one posted below) which are characteristic of our current President. He has no need for photo-ops this late in his Presidency and yet takes the time to spend a few minutes with these children prior to leaving Illinois:

I already miss the genuineness of this President. It is something we see far too little of these days and while there are those who would strongly disagree with that assessment, I’m one hundred percent with The Anchoress when she writes:

I still like President Bush. And I don’t actually give a crap what anyone thinks about that.

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Will the real mood in the room please stand up?

On CBS’ “Early Show” former Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe said there was “a great feeling in the room” at the Mayflower Hotel, added: “I love Barack Obama.”

ABC’s “Good Morning America” said there was “serious tension in the room” during Thursday’s meeting, but Stephanopoulos said Obama did “a good job” courting donors though he was non-committal about Clinton getting a roll call at Denver’s convention.[emphasis-mine]

Stopped laughing yet?

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The wall has been hit.

This he said, he said, they said, she said election cycle has taken its toll.

Later will be soon enough (for me) to have the desire to read one more word about either of the two men who are the leading contenders for the big chair. Heck, it seems most of what I read is negative and who needs that in their life on a daily basis?

Thought I’d just share a little George Jones..guess it just suits my mood at the moment.

A little something more I’d like to share are these two paragraphs written by Sgt. Nichols in response to this post:

If you happen to believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness… and that people deserve a fair shake in life and that those less fortunate sometimes need an extra boost, and that children are special no matter where they come from and that America is still a place that values hard work, self-determination, fair play and rooting for the underdog… well, then you are and I are more alike than different. I don’t care if you call yourself liberal or conservative, democrat or republican or something else. It don’t matter to me what race, religion, gender or any other whatnot that you may use to describe yourself with, if you believe what I described above and call yourself American, then you and me are the same.

And I love you all the more for it! So don’t get hung up on labels and embrace being American, a citizen of the greatest country on the face of God’s green earth!

Amen!

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Civic responsibility in the form of Jury Duty calls today so I will not be posting the traditional Tuesday Tid-Bits.

I did however see this interesting video at the NRCC website which defines a series which has recently been completed.

The NRCC recently sat down with several Members of Congress to ask them about the most pressing issues facing voters today, and why the Republicans can, and will, win back the Majority. The web series, entitled “Rediscover Your Party,” will run throughout the fall.

This above video reflects a compilation of the 6 individual videos linked below. Many of the longstanding differences between the two controlling parties in Congress are addressed. The entire collection takes roughly 20 minutes to view.

Episode 1: Iraq
Episode 2: Earmark Reform
Episode 3: Accountability and Transparency
Episode 4: Free Speech
Episode 5 – Republicans Running to Regain the Majority
Final Episode: Election 2008

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Updated: Results are in.

Those interested in following the results of today’s South Carolina Primary may want to check out this site.

They will begin posting results after the polls close this evening and generally do a decent job of updating the tally.

This was a huge win for Barack Obama. With 99% of the precincts reporting the results are as follows:

Obama 294,799 55%

Clinton 140,936 27%

Edwards 93,504 18%

This will be a difficult loss for the Clinton camp to spin. Will this translate to any further momentum for the Obama campaign? Time will tell.

I watched as Senator Obama delivered a rousing victory speech and it is not difficult to understand how he draws those in favor of his politics into his corner.

A few of his remarks here.

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Have we become an apathetic electorate? In many instances I believe we have. The question is, why?

Is it possible this could be the reason?

I’ve often thought that one reason Americans don’t trust their government is that their government doesn’t trust the American people very much. This goes double for the mass media whose sneering contempt for much of their audience is made abundantly clear in the way they cover politics and issues as well as what they choose to program as entertainment on their networks.

Even the 24 hours news nets – with rare exceptions – waste most of the day on trivialities. A story involving some pretty, blond, white woman who disappears or is murdered by her husband will get more attention for days or weeks at a time than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or issues of war and peace with Iran, North Korea, China, Russia, or any other place in the world where informing the people would mean spending more than 3 minutes with both sides shouting back and forth about who is at fault.

No question about it. Just look at the current news cycle. But there’s more where that came from:

We enter an extraordinarily dangerous period in our history hopelessly divided and completely unable to work together on issues vital to our security and economic well being. And fully half of all registered voters will probably not vote in 2008 – mostly out of disgust and loathing for this state of affairs. There is plenty of fault to go around. The problem did not arise on January 20, 2001 nor will it end on January 20, 2009. The question isn’t “Who’s to blame” but rather “What do we do about it?”

We can start by demanding that the elites in media and politics begin to treat the American voter with more respect. A candidate and a government that starts to trust the people a little more will help. But given all that I’ve seen and heard, that day is a long way off.

Trust and respect. Two things many of those in Washington today and those aspiring to the highest office in the land lack in regards to those who have or will send them to govern. No wonder we’re so disconnected, we’re smart enough to know how politicians think.

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