Operation Hot Mic

Finally someone on the Right produces a parody that's actually humorous.

Noonan on Obama

Peggy Noonan has a column in the Wall Street Journal that articulates the devastation that Obama has caused himself.  Some quotes:

"...the president is coming across more and more as a trimmer, as an operator who's not operating in good faith. This is hardening positions and leading to increased political bitterness. And it's his fault, too. As an increase in polarization is a bad thing, it's a big fault."

She itemizes the blunders Obama has made in recent months. In January the mandate that the Catholic Church's agencies would be forced to provide birth control, a concept that goes against the Church's teachings, caused an immediate negative reaction. "Faced with the blowback, the president offered a so-called accommodation that even its supporters recognized as devious. Not ill-advised, devious. Then his operatives flooded the airwaves with dishonest—not wrongheaded, dishonest—charges that those who defend the church's religious liberties are trying to take away your contraceptives."

Then came the open-mic incident with Russian president Medvedev. "When he knew he'd been caught, the president tried to laugh it off by comically covering a mic in a following meeting. It was all so...creepy."

Then there was the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Obama's statement, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon" came across as political grandstanding during a tragedy. Noonan: "At the end of the day, the public reaction seemed to be: "Hey buddy, we don't need you to personalize what is already too dramatic, it's not about you."

"Now this week the Supreme Court arguments on ObamaCare, which have made that law look so hollow, so careless, that it amounts to a characterological indictment of the administration. The constitutional law professor from the University of Chicago didn't notice the centerpiece of his agenda was not constitutional? How did that happen?"

Noonan, always a great writer, outdoes herself with this column.

Only a heartbeat away from the Presidency

Joe Biden, longtime sufferer of foot-in-mouth disease, thanks a soft drink.

An open mic reveals Obama's intentions

Terry Jeffrey has a great column regarding Obama's recent open-mic gaffe where he's overheard telling Russian President Medvedev, "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him [incoming Russian president Vladimir Putin] to give me space….This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.”


Jeffrey's lead paragraph: "President Barack Obama would like to do some things for Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and President-elect Vladimir Putin that he does not want American voters to know about before they decide whether to re-elect him in November."


Something to think about.

The copy key got stuck

...on the presidential speechwriter's keyboard. So says a Danish TV host.  Here's why:



Gosh, I wonder what would have happened in the media if George Bush had got caught doing that?

How could anyone (besides everyone) have known?

The Congressional Budget Office came out with new estimates on the cost of Obamacare, and it turns out that it will cost almost twice as much as Obama said when Democrats forced through passed their “healthcare” legislation. 

From the Washington Examiner report: "President Obama's national health care law will cost $1.76 trillion over a decade, according to a new projection released today by the Congressional Budget Office, rather than the $940 billion forecast when it was signed into law."


Edit: The CBO also estimates two million fewer people will be insured than were first claimed. Revenues from penalties paid by individuals and employers will also be greater than claimed. And despite claims that Obamacare was not a takeover of the insurance industry, by 2022 three million fewer people will have insurance through their employers, 17 million more Americans will be on Medicaid, and 22 million more will get coverage through the government's "insurance exchanges."   

Unemployment and the LFPR*

*Labor Force Participation Rate is the percentage of the civilian workforce that is actually employed or looking for work. On the chart below, notice the absolute crash in this rate since Barack Obama took office.  Although unemployment under Barack Obama has been high, it's actually gotten much worse since he took office, and that fact is not reported in the media.

This measurement is important, because a low participation rate hides a high unemployment rate. Here's an example of how that happens:

Under Bush
Out of 1000 people, 670 are in the workforce. 35 of those are unemployed. Unemployment rate = 5.2%.

Under Obama
Out of 1000 people, 637 are in the workforce (33 fewer than under Bush.) 53 of those are unemployed. Unemployment rate = 8.3%.

The 33 people no longer in the workforce? Although unemployed and able to work, they are no longer looking for jobs. They are no longer "in the workforce." They are simply ignored. They are not counted as part of the "official" unemployment figure. Add them back into the equation, and Obama's real unemployment rate is 15.2%, using the exact same calculation as used under Bush.

LL Battles #5

2/1/2012

"As flawed as the Republican field is, I would consider any one of them a vast improvement over Obama. My favorite would be the one who would work hardest to reverse the damage Democrats have done.

* Obamacare was forced through by a Democrat majority, based on lies (the "ten year budget," double counting Medicare funds,) already resulting in higher insurance costs, and the promise that "you can keep your own insurance" when the Obama administration is doing all it can to drive insurers out of the market.

* The Obama administration seized control of General Motors and violated existing bankruptcy laws to award Chrysler to its union allies. 

* The Obama administration "loaned" half a billion dollars to a favored company owned in large part by an Obama fundraiser; when the company was clearly about to go bankrupt, the Obama administration renegotiated the contract so that said fundraiser got paid before taxpayers.

* You want consistent? Obama is the epitome of inconsistency. He campaigned against government spending under Bush, and then led Democrats as they doubled the spending. They correctly observed a problem, then did all in their power to make the problem worse. Obama railed against Gitmo; it remains open. He threatened to prosecute CIA operatives; the CIA program is essentially what it was under Bush.

* Obama refuses to take responsibility or consequences for his own actions. He's been in office three years, yet still blames Bush. He did everything to cut Republicans out of all legislation his first two years in office, yet now insists that the Republican House cooperate with him.

* Obama has denigrated, condemned, apologized for, demeaned and diminished the United States. It seems to me the President ought at least to like the country he wants to lead.

There's more, but maybe you get a hint of why I support an imperfect Republican against the rotten-to-the-core pretender that currently holds the position."

LL Battles #4

12/22/2011

"Obama was favored to be re-elected before he was elected the first time. His supporters voted for him because of who and what he was, not for what he had ever accomplished. 2012 will be the same way. The Republican candidates beat each other up. The media subject every GOP "frontrunner" to a colonoscopy to expose past trivia (e.g., Rick Perry's college grades). Meanwhile, on the Democrat side, Obama is untouchable and untouched. Don't believe me? Try to find Obama's college grades. The game's been stacked for decades. Republicans realize they have to beat both the Democrats and the media. If Obama is voted out of office, it will mean that even his worshippers finally took a look around at what he's done to the country."

My reading is on Fire

Since my wife gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas, I've become a reading machine again. I'm not reading as much as when I was a kid, but more than I have in many years. I resisted the e-book phenomenon because I couldn't rationalize the cost of the machine, and because as a "book person," I love actually possessing books. Kathy took the first objection out of my hands, and I've come to acknowledge the idea that a book's worth is the ideas it contains, not the paper it's made of. (Still, I know that I'm only a drained battery or an EMP away from not having anything on my Kindle.)

Here's a list -- eclectic would be accurate, although crime fiction and political nonfiction seem to dominate -- of what I've read so far:

A Study in Scarlet, A. Conan Doyle

The List, J.A. Konrath

Demonic, Ann Coulter

The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly

The Sign of the Four, A. Conan Doyle

Critical Confrontations, Patterson et al

No Higher Honor, Condoleeza Rice

Decision Points, George W. Bush

Outlining Your Novel, K.M. Weiland

Deathworld, Harry Harrison

Afraid, Jack Kilborn

Killing Floor, Lee Child

Deathworld 2, Harry Harrison

Crime Stories, J.A. Konrath

Planet of the Damned, Harry Harrison

Afterthoughts, Lawrence Block

Die Trying, Lee Child

Write Your Blook in 30 Days, Dee Burks & Liz Ragland

Who Really Cares, Arthur Brooks

The Right Fights Back, Evan Thomas, Mike Allen & Politico

The Secret Knowledge, David Mamet

LL Battles #3

1/7/2012

"Take a look at the past three years of Obama's reign if you believe it doesn't make a difference who you vote for. His Justice Department sues Arizona for trying to enforce federal law, while dropping an already-won case against Black Panthers in camo posted outside a polling place with billy clubs. The Obama administration defied a judge's order to lift the ban on oil drilling in the Gulf; gave waivers to Obamacare to Harry Reid's entire state, deluxe hotels and restaurants in Nancy Pelosi's district, and over half a million union members; it sold weapons to Mexican gangsters that were used to kill at least one American citizen (and which Obama's AG lied about;) gave half a billion dollars to a company partially owned by an Obama fundraiser knowing it was about to go bankrupt; urged a general to lie to Congress about a company owned by another Obama fundraiser --

Well, you get the idea. There's a difference."

LL Battles #2

2/27/2012

"It's the Democrat Party that instantly comes to mind when someone mentions family values, sex within the marriage, and two-parent households. (Sarcasm alert.) As Reagan said, "The Federal Government declared war on poverty, and poverty won." The Democrats today rail about poverty and racial injustice, yet that's what the Democrat programs implemented in the 1960s, and championed ever since, were designed to eliminate. Instead they created a class of government-dependent Americans and foster racial divisiveness and resentment. The experiment has failed."

LL Battles #1

In another forum I frequently take on Liberals who post various political comments. Usually their comments are anonymous, filled with inaccuracies, mistakes and outright lies. I first started posting to correct their misinformation, and this has led to some battles that put the Battle of Helm's Deep to shame. I express my opinions -- infuriating those on the Left who want to silence opposition -- and usually support my points with facts and data, providing links to document the validity of my information. 


I don't comment with any hope of convincing the Left's True Believers -- they're relentless in their zeal to be stupid. But there are readers who won't get the other side of the story, stripped of misinformation, without my posts.  We all contribute what we can, so I put in my two cents' worth.


I hope you enjoy the new series of "reposts" of my comments as they cover a variety of different subjects. I'll edit them a bit so they make sense, but my points will be intact. Some of them are a bit dated, so read them in context of the date.

9/28/11

"The Tea Party has more strong opposition than strong support (barely.) Given the pounding the Tea Party has taken in the media, that's to be expected. (How many people still believe Tea Partiers spit on black congressmen and called them the n-word?) So in that sense, you're right.

However, more Americans identify with Conservative political ideology than any other. That means that more Americans agree with the Tea Party stance on issues -- their agenda, if you will. 

Moreover, which group is it that's energized and enthusiastic about next year's election? It ain't Democrats, that's for sure. Here's what Politico wroteabout what Democrats have to look forward to in 2012: "Now, resigned to the likelihood that the president will be a down-ballot drag in many races and absent signs of an electoral wave on the horizon, Democrats are scaling back their expectations." Ol' Professor Hopenchange ain't lookin' so good."