Democrat: A Latin word for “lousy at math.”

Boston Globe Op-Ed:

You can have your own politics, my liberal friends, you aren't entitled to your own facts. 


and it just gets better..

Yesterday morning I endured watching a fertilizer-filled conversation on Fox 25 with Rep. Stephen Lynch, who hit every Pelosi talking point: The bill is full of “tax cuts,” in particular “tax breaks for the top 2 percent” of income earners. “We’re borrowing $855 billion from the Chinese . . . to finance these tax cuts [for the rich]” Lynch claimed, and he rejected the idea that the original Bush tax cuts had any stimulative effect....


...Democrats keep claiming will “cut taxes for the rich” doesn't cut taxes at all. It keeps rates the same. ...
...not letting them rise isn't a “cut” anywhere outside Washington. I’ve never seen an advertisement that said “C’mon down for big savings at the ‘We were going to raise prices but decided not to!’ sale!”...


...And as for those evil Bush tax cuts “costing us” billions, federal revenues increased 14.5 percent in 2005 and 11.8 percent in 2006, the fastest rise since 1981.... More here

Progressives v. Conservatives on Christianity

This is a nice piece over at Eye of Polyphemus:

There is a growing divide between how progressives and conservatives view Christian influence on policymaking decisions. Or even decisions not specifically directed at policy. The New Hampshire Democratic party, for instance, believes a Republican state representative's call for prayer to heal America is a Bible Belt call for imposing a theocracy. Paranoia and intolerance is a danergous combination, but New Hampshire Democrats appear to have indulged. More here

Clinton apparently now president again

From HotAir:

The depressing truth: Given the alternative, it really would be great news.

I can’t do justice to what you’re about to see. The spectacle of the president bugging out of his own press conference to go to a Christmas party is weird enough, but having Clinton back at the White House podium fielding questions on the hottest domestic issue of the day shoots past deja vu and lands firmly in “am I hallucinating?” territory. (The good news: It turned Twitter into an hour-long snark free-for-all, with Michael Goldfarb taking first prize.) I get that The One’s trying to leverage BJ’s popularity to pressure Democratic fencesitters on the tax deal. What I don’t get is why he’d leave him alone to address reporters, suggesting either ....more here

Watch 'Em Spin

I still have the book that was required reading in my journalism class so long ago, "How To Lie With Statistics", still it is interesting to note a couple of surveys out today:

Tea Party 48% Obama 44%
On major issues, 48% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is closer to their views than President Barack Obama. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% hold the opposite view and believe the president’s views are closer to their own. (Rasmussen)

Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their Demographics

 Tea Party supporters skew right politically; but demographically, they are generally representative of the public at large. That's the finding of a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted March 26-28, in which 28% of U.S. adults call themselves supporters of the Tea Party movement. (Gallup)

According to Moderate Voice:

A new poll suggest what I have thought was true about the Maryland’s brew of tea party activists – a good segment of them are Democratic voters who are blue collar people that tend to lean conservative in the way they want government to work. Some of these Democratic voters voted for Ronald Reagan, Bush in 2000, and Ehrlich in 2002. However, the political landscape has changed and Ehrlich has got be careful how he aligns himself with this brand of Maryland Tea.(more)

Taken together I think it points to what many have been predicting for some time i.e. a dark November for members of Congress, especially but not exclusively, democrats

Newsbusters points to the some other salient points from the poll:

Survey: Four in 10 Tea Party members are Democrats or independents

The group also vehemently dislikes President Barack Obama – even more so than those who called themselves Republicans in the survey. Over 80 percent of Tea Party members disapprove of the job he’s doing as president, whereas 77 percent of Republican respondents said they disapprove of Obama. The Tea Party members are also strongly opposed to the Democrats’ healthcare plan, with 82 percent saying they oppose it --  only 48 percent of respondents overall were opposed. [...]

Almost half the members of the group reported getting their news about national issues from Fox News, 10 percent of respondents said that talk radio is one of their top two sources, which is seven-points higher than average voter. 


And then asks: How will the press report it? 

Usually, the press is willing to take things at face value without an intelligent question to spare (e.g. the "gay" gene, global warming, etc.)  but I bet this will be different...

see....

 NOT EXACTLY A 'MAINSTREAM' FORCE.. at the Washington Monthly for an example of things to come.

American Exceptionalism and American Religion

Contemporary secular liberalism, and the social decomposition it is incapable of addressing, are the almost irresistible outworking of the problematic of modernity: All the beliefs, norms, and prejudices formed by the mediating institutions of civil society, and therefore those institutions themselves, successively come under question as obstacles to the unfettered freedom of the autonomous individual. All that’s left, or would be left, is what happens to remain largely unquestioned: the consumer society, which is about choice, and the nanny state, which forbids and penalizes bad choices.

Neither the consumer society nor the nanny state do anything to form, sustain, or improve the moral character of the citizenry. In the long run, this proves as destructive philosophically as it is socially. Liberalism is based on certain ideas, such as that of human dignity, that are actually predicated on Christianity and biblical religion. Human dignity, at least in the relevant sense, didn’t exist for the Greeks; and as we analyze the waves of modernity, it becomes evident that every attempt to anchor human dignity in something other than biblical religion has failed.

America Rising: An Open Letter to Democrat Politicians

Very interesting video!

Always Talk About Religion and Politics

Great advice! The tough part is being polite.

Obama's Safe Schools Czar and the Assault on Our Children

An excellent cataloging of the litany of filth and the sexual assault of our children
 by Obama's so called "Safe Schools Czar." From Gateway Pundit:

For any of you out there who haven’t been following this story, I suggest
 you go back here and read for yourself what Kevin Jennings’
 organization GLSEN has been pushing on children in America. Then ask
 yourself if this man should be the “Safe Schools Czar.” If you still think
 he should keep his job you should probably seek help. This scandal isn’t
 about left or right. It’s not about being a good Democrat or Republican.
 It’s not about gay versus straight. This story is about keeping
America’s children safe. (more)

U.S. Loan Effort Is Seen as Adding to Housing Woes

Raising more false hopes... from the NY Times. You know things are bad
when you're getting bad press from Mother Times...

The Obama administration’s $75 billion program to protect
 homeowners from foreclosure has been widely pronounced a
disappointment, and some economists and real estate experts 
now contend it has done more harm than good. (more)

It’s Not So Bad

Looking around ourselves, it may be easy to feel just a little bit desperate. Unemployment numbers are

 high, and people we know may be out of work, and may have been so for some time. Massive 

government spending accelerates, with no end in sight. Those we have elected to represent us in the halls

 of government have lost sight of who placed them in their positions of responsibility. In truth, they seem

 to have lost their understanding of the very word “responsibility”, except as it has been twisted by them

 to place all sins upon the heads of those who have gone before. We see new laws being thrust upon us

 that we fear will threaten if not destroy basic freedoms we enjoy today.

Now I feel desperate. However, turning away from the 24-hour news cycle and its 30-second analysis, there are encouraging signs all around us.

First, we can look at the approval polls. Americans are waking up. Glancing at the Real Clear Politics average, we see the President’s job approval currently sitting at 49.5 % approval, 45.1 % disapproval.

 That does not sound like he is bringing a lot of hope and change, at least not the kind of hope and

 change that people thought he would be bringing. The numbers are even worse on Congressional

 approval 27.4 % approval, 65.8 % disapproval. 56% of Americans believe that the country is headed

 down the wrong track. This is a recipe for change, and the harder big government statists push, the

 worse these numbers will get.

Second, we can look at the moves being taken right now surrounding the health care bill. Looking at

 page 1020 of the bill, the Senate is trying to make it more difficult to repeal the health care bill. They

 have to have a sense that this is a very deeply unpopular move. Moreover, while they may be saying

 that they are not expecting a huge backlash among voters when they return to their districts this

 holiday season, something tells me they are a) mistaken, and b) they know it.

I am not saying things are peaches and cream. We have a long fight ahead of us. We have many

 people to convince. Making our representatives aware that we are not pleased with them is a first

 step.

The next one is convincing our friends and neighbors that those representatives should be fired and

 replaced.

In addition, while we are at it, we need to convince them that Americans do better without the 

well-meaning parental guidance of the government – any government. We stand best when we 

stand on our own, helping each other of our own free will. We learn best when we make our own

 choices and our own mistakes. This will not be an easy task. We need to remind them of our

 great heritage – of the sacrifices our forefathers made for us, and of the need for us to make those 

same kinds of sacrifices for those who follow after us.

None of this will be easy. We have a lot of momentum built up against us. We also will be 

contending with those in positions of power and influence who stand to lose a lot if we can convince

 people to stand on their own two feet. We cannot expect things to be quick or simple. Nor can we

 expect to convince everyone. It is going to be a long, hard slog. Nevertheless, let us not forget the 

things that we do have going for us.

Despite these recent, regrettable moves by our elected representatives, we still live in a country that

 is one of the most free, most successful and most secure as any in recorded history.

We have the strength of our principles, which give us a compass to chart our course.

We have the weight of history, which supports our views on small government, and the power of

 the individual.

And we are not alone.

So, this next year, let us move forward. Let us learn to speak and act with forethought and 

confidence. Let us rely on each other and on Divine Providence, no matter what form you may believe.

 In addition (to coin a phrase that has been less popular of late), let us stand up for truth, justice, and

 the American Way.

The Optics Are Not Pretty

From Breitbart:

....What is on the White House Web site’s front page for the third day
in a row is the White House ‘photo of the day’ that features an empty
Oval Office save for a cleaning woman running a vacuum in front of
the president’s vacated desk. A more telling image could not be
presented to the public of an absent leader, yet that is the message
Team Obama has conveyed to the world for the past three days.

It is a time-honored public relations technique to release photos of the
president taking meetings and otherwise appearing to be focused on
the nation’s business while on vacation or away from the White House
when a crisis strikes. While Team Obama focused on keeping the
prying eyes of media cameramen out of sight of Obama for most of his
vacation activities, they failed to provide a countering image of Obama
at work behind the scenes.

Yesterday, in addition to releasing the one photo of Obama at work,
Team Obama allowed the media to photograph Obama at his movie
outing and golf game.

The photos of Obama on the golf course show him playing with a passion
that was sorely lacking in his initial speech to the nation about the
Christmas Day terror attack.

David Axelrod used public imagery to create an air of inevitability
of an Obama presidency months before the election. He created
the aura of a co-presidency between Obama and President George
W. Bush in the two months between Obama’s election and inauguration.

The whereabouts of Axelrod and his magic touch are unknown.
But in their absence Obama, who has been living like an aloof king
at his $4000 per night $8.9 million Hawaiian vacation estate, is looking
more and more like an emperor with no clothes.

The optics of this are not pretty. (more)

TSA nominee misled Congress

I'm not sure its more newsworthy that another individual associated with
the Administration is lying, crooked, shady, etc.,
or that the WaPo is actually reporting it...

The White House nominee to lead the Transportation Security
Administration gave Congress misleading information about
incidents in which he inappropriately accessed a federal database,
possibly in violation of privacy laws, documents obtained by
The Washington Post show. (more)

Presidential Monthly Approval Index

Obama Approval Dips Below 50%

From a Quinnipiac University National Poll

Another Day Another Lie- Part 2

And its being reported by ABC (after other outlets began the story) which is perhaps even bigger news than Obama is lying....


A series of media reports have surfaced in the past week or so, uncovering examples of significant overcounting of stimulus-tied jobs in California, Massachusetts, Texas, Wisconsin, as well several states.

For example: The Boston Globe reviewed the 12,000-plus jobs claimed to have been created or saved by $4 billion in direct stimulus spending in Massachusetts. In one case, a state college reported having added 160 new work-study jobs tied to just $77,181 in stimulus funds. A spokesman for the school, Bridgewater State College, told the Globe that the actual number of jobs was "almost nothing."
The Globe described the Bay State's stimulus job figures as "wildly exaggerated."

A Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel review found a sanitation department in Douglas County, Wis., that admitted to a typo that resulted in an estimate of 100 jobs saved or created, when the actual number was five.

According to USA Today, the Texas recipient of a $26,174 roofing contract reported erroneously that 450 jobs were created or saved when, in fact, six were.... (more)

and as a follow up:

The Obama administration, under fire for inflating job growth from the $787 billion stimulus plan, slashed over 60,000 jobs from its most recent report on the program because the reporting outlets had submitted "unrealistic data," according to a document obtained by ABC News. (more)

Because of unrealistic data or because a Republican caught on and started asking questions...

ACORN- The Nuts Are Everywhere

The Congressional ban on federal funding of ACORN expires this week-end. Happy Halloween. Roll back your clocks and your ethics. It doesn't get much scarier than this. And right on cue we hear that ACORN is firing up the propaganda machine with a a new website, DeFOXamerica.com, which is an effort to shoot the messenger. More can be found about this over at the Spectator. Piss off Soros and the Dark Lord will fight back.

In fact, Congresswoman Maxine "Wormtail" Waters has already been busy adding an amendment to the impending takeover/overhaul legislation of the country's financial institutions that:

"...adds an oversight board of five representatives from the fields of “consumer protection, fair lending and civil rights, representatives of depository institutions that primarily serve underserved communities, or representatives of communities that have been significantly impacted by higher-priced mortgages" to join federal banking regulators in advising the CFPA’s director...." (Judicial Watch) (more)

Read ACORN.

Fortunately Ms Waters has her own issues to deal with an ethics investigation all her own. Anyone surprised?

White House Says No ‘Veracity’ to Argument That Forcing Individuals to Buy Health Insurance Is Unconstitutional

Not going to confuse you with an English major either but that is another issue.
You're not really surprised they would say that are you? Interesting that Mr Gibbs also says that,

"I won't be confused as a constitutional scholar, but I don't believe there's a lot of--I don't believe there's a lot of case law that would demonstrate the veracity of what they're commentating on," said Gibbs.

Well, of course there isn't any case law on it because the government HAS NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE!

As CNSNews points out:

In 1994, when the Clinton administration attempted to push a health care reform plan through a Democratic Congress that also mandated every American buy health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office determined that the government had never ordered Americans to buy anything. “The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States,” the CBO analysis said. “An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government.”

But of course the Constitution does not appear to be a very large consideration for this Administration in this or (m)any other matters.

13 New Tax Hikes In the Dems Healthcare Bill

Let's see 1,990 pages divided by 13 is one tax hike every 153 pages.....From Americans For Tax Reform:

H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" has been introduced--all 1990 pages of it. This gargantuan beast contains thirteen new tax hikes. Here they all are, with description and page number (PDF version):
***
Employer Mandate Excise Tax (Page 275): If an employer does not pay 72.5 percent of a single employee’s health premium (65 percent of a family employee), the employer must pay an excise tax equal to 8 percent of average wages. Small employers (measured by payroll size) have smaller payroll tax rates of 0 percent (<$500,000), 2 percent ($500,000-$585,000), 4 percent ($585,000-$670,000), and 6 percent ($670,000-$750,000).

Individual Mandate Surtax (Page 296): If an individual fails to obtain qualifying coverage, he must pay an income surtax equal to the lesser of 2.5 percent of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) or the average premium. MAGI adds back in the foreign earned income exclusion and municipal bond interest.

Medicine Cabinet Tax (Page 324): Non-prescription medications would no longer be able to be purchased from health savings accounts (HSAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs), or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). Insulin excepted.

read the rest here...

Administration Loses Bid to Exclude Fox News From Pay Czar Interview

Well, I guess this means they aren't totally beholden to Obama after all, much to the Administration's chagrin I suspect.... But should this not scare the hell out of all of us? True, Presidents have a history of getting in pissing matches with certain members of the news media and have been vocal and more about those the were displeased with, but to attempt to completely exclude a news outlet? That is extreme no matter which side you're on- at least it should be.

The Obama administration on Thursday tried to make "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg available for interviews to every member of the White House pool except Fox News. But the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks decided that none of their reporters would interview Feinberg unless Fox News was included. (more from Fox)

Poor Choices

Taking a page out of the health care debate the Obama Administration makes some broad assertions to defend its dismantling of the missile defence shield that difficult to validate.

Heritage has done an excellent analysis on some of the problems. I've included an excerpt below. I cannot help but be reminded of an earlier posting at MereComments titled, "Our War on Poland." The article describes the snubbing we gave Poland on the 60th anniversary of the start of WWII:

The the 60th anniversary of the start of World War II--the invasion of Poland-- on September 1, 1939, was just observed in Poland. So what's with the U.S sending to the ceremony, not the President, or Vice-President, or Secretary of State, or Under-Secretary of State, but National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones, to stand alongside Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown? This article in the Washington Times notes the humiliation and neglect felt by the Poles. No wonder:

The Polish government sent out the invitation three months ago to the White House, but an answer was received only on Wednesday, a mere five days before the ceremony. Repeated attempts over the summer by the Poles to contact the White House and the State Department met with a long period of silence. One White House aide actually replied that everyone was on vacation until after Labor Day, which caused a Polish official to say he apologized that Adolf Hitler had invaded his country on Sept. 1.

The article notes the difficulty we are giving Poles about visas as well. I thought this President was about mending our relations overseas? No wonder the Polish Prime Minister wouldn't take the midnight call. Nevermind the decision was taken without consulting our allies affected (Poland and Czech Republic). What a bunch of amateurs. Next thing you know they'll be giving the Queen of England an I-Pod....oh wait.

From Heritage:

In an attempt to justify its decision to terminate America’s commitment to field missile defense interceptors and radar in the Czech Republic and Poland, the Obama Administration has released a fact sheet. The questionable validity of the fact sheet’s assertions, however, serves only to highlight the shortcomings of the Obama Administration’s decision.

Congress should not let the Obama Administration go unchallenged regarding this matter.

Assertion #1: The Iranian Ballistic Missile Development Program Is More Focused on Short- and Medium-Range Missiles. Specifically, the fact sheet states: “The intelligence community now assesses that the threat from Iran’s short- and medium-range ballistic missiles is developing more rapidly than previously projected, while the threat of potential Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities has been slower to develop than previously estimated.”[3]

Leaving aside the fact that intelligence estimates of foreign ballistic missile developments is an inexact science and that the U.S. is often taken by surprise regarding these developments, the reality is that the Iran is developing its ballistic missile capabilities holistically. (more)

Its an important read and worth visiting the link for the whole article.